Office Friendly, EASY recipes for lunch?

maggiemax18
maggiemax18 Posts: 14 Member
edited November 29 in Recipes
I work 3rd shift at a call center and my coworkers and I are trying to lose weight. We already joined a gym (woo-hoo! First step) but need easy lunch ideas. I stress easy as most of these women are young moms, or working and going to school full time.

We don’t have a kitchenette at the office, just a microwave and small fridge. What are some yummy, low calorie, easy options for us? (I have pretty much exhausted lettuce wraps and soup at this point. Lmao)

Replies

  • FL_Hiker
    FL_Hiker Posts: 919 Member
    crazyravr wrote: »
    Go to a supermarket at pick up the following.
    #1. Whole roast chicken.
    #2. Large tub of mixed green salad.
    #3. Tomato, cucumbers (whatever other veggies you might want).
    #4. Good quality pita bread.

    Do this.
    Shred the chicken off the bones, and divide into 5 portions (5 days). Do the same for all the other veggies. Either keep in the fridge or bring a box with you into work. Easy and cheap.

    What do you do with the pita bread lol?
  • tcunbeliever
    tcunbeliever Posts: 8,219 Member
    I imagine you stuff it with the meat/veggies
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,966 Member
    I'm pretty boring. I eat a sandwich, sliced up cucumbers and cottage cheese literally every. single. day. I have for months now.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    soups can be low calorie as well.
    easy to preportion or keep warm in a slow cooker
  • cathipa
    cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
    edited November 2018
    I make enough for dinner that I have a few days of leftovers. If I make too much or don't feel like it I put it in the freezer this way I typically have a few that I can choose from when I forgot to make more or just need to grab something quick.
  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,644 Member
    Leftovers from dinner the night before were my lunch go to when I was working out the house.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    I pack my dh's lunch every morning in just a couple of minutes. Although he does not eat all of it at one time during the day so it is breakfast, lunch and snack kind of for him. Probably 600-800 calories.
    Sandwich, apple, small orange, granola bar or yogurt
    Or
    Dinner leftovers, apple, small orange, granola bar or yogurt

    At home for easy lunch I eat a sandwich on regular whole wheat bread with fruit or vegetables on the side, or a salad with chicken or tuna added or dinner leftovers usually. I generally have around 400 calories for my lunch. I prelog my food and make what fits my goals for the day.

    You might try including things like hard boiled eggs, cottage cheese, vegetables, fruit.
  • DaisyHamilton
    DaisyHamilton Posts: 575 Member
    • bagels w/ cream cheese
    • bring your own parfait (yogurt, strawberries/blueberries, granola)
    • bagged salad kits
    • lean cuisine (watch your sodium though)
    • sandwiches
    • big bowl of fruit
    • Chips/veggies/crackers/pretzels with dip/hummus/salsa
    • "adult lunchable" - crackers, some cheese, turkey breast, and fruit like grapes or strawberries

      I just bring whatever I feel like having that day, making sure it's weighed and logged. I like breakfast for lunch. Lean cuisines have a TON of variety (asian food, italian food, mexican food, "american" food, pizza, etc). We don't have a freezer here so I just make mine in the morning and pack them in a food thermos until lunch. But a bigas$ sandwich sometimes just really hits the spot when it's packed full of veggies like tomato and jalapeno.
  • FL_Hiker
    FL_Hiker Posts: 919 Member
    crazyravr wrote: »
    FL_Hiker wrote: »
    crazyravr wrote: »
    Go to a supermarket at pick up the following.
    #1. Whole roast chicken.
    #2. Large tub of mixed green salad.
    #3. Tomato, cucumbers (whatever other veggies you might want).
    #4. Good quality pita bread.

    Do this.
    Shred the chicken off the bones, and divide into 5 portions (5 days). Do the same for all the other veggies. Either keep in the fridge or bring a box with you into work. Easy and cheap.

    What do you do with the pita bread lol?

    Serious?

    I knew it, you just throw it away 😭
  • Mouse_Potato
    Mouse_Potato Posts: 1,512 Member
    My go-to lately has been Buffalo chicken wraps. I use this recipe: https://emilybites.com/2012/07/slow-cooker-buffalo-chicken.html. I cook it in the Crockpot on the weekend, portion it out, and freeze the portions. Take one out the night before to thaw in the fridge. Sprinkle 14 grams of shredded Monterrey Jack on top and microwave it. Then I wrap it up in a tortilla with some Romaine lettuce. Simple and delicious.
  • MaikeO1977
    MaikeO1977 Posts: 13 Member
    edited November 2018
    Hey, on my work days, I usually eat the same or similar meals every lunch. For me, keeping it simple with what I like and what fills me up works best. Every once in a while I get bored and experiment.

    This is what I usually pack for a 12-hour shift:

    AM snack: an egg or a veggie/protein combo (celery and cottage cheese; apple and PB, etc) around 100 kcal.

    Lunch:
    2-3 cups of oven-roasted non-starchy vegetables like zucchini, cauliflower, carrots, mushrooms, spaghetti squash, or eggplant.

    About 100-150g of protein (ground turkey, air fried chicken, fish).

    Depending on my mood, I might add 3/4 of a cup of cooked rice or half a cup of diced baked sweet potato. Ground turkey (or rarely ground beef) I usually brown with an onion and almond slivers.

    I sometimes mix in a couple tbsp of Salsa and a couple of tsp of Parmesan. It’s surprisingly delicious and very filling!

    80 kcal Greek yogurt for dessert!

    I bring two PM snacks: A low sugar high protein shake (I prefer Premier Protein but Muscle Milk works too). And pretzel sticks and cheese.

    I don’t always eat all the snacks because I am busy but I have them available to prevent feeling hungry and then overeating later.

    I always always always plan ahead for each day and stick to the plan.
    Oh, and EVERYTHING gets measured, either weighed or in volume, and counted. Even the cooking spray. :-)

    Don’t forget to hydrate!

    Hope this helped!
  • meganieto24
    meganieto24 Posts: 1 Member
    Grab some carb cutter wraps. I do either a turkey or a tuna melt. Canned chicken a little mayo, spring mix and tomatoes and one slice of Swiss. Comes to about 300/350 calories (bandarita cut the carb wraps are only 50cals) and warm it enough to melt the cheese. It’s very tasty and fills me up.
  • AJB1014
    AJB1014 Posts: 1,380 Member
    Pouch of seasoned tuna, mayo packet, triscuit or crackers and a cheese stick.
  • ecmorgan78
    ecmorgan78 Posts: 8 Member
    My (admittedly limited) lunch repertoire:

    1) ham, cheese, and spinach in tortilla wraps with fruit and a piece of chocolate
    2) roast a bunch of root veggies on Sunday and have that with some protein (I like chicken thighs)
    3) yummy salad: romaine, goat cheese, apples (get snow sweet or some other white fleshed apple that won’t brown before lunch), chicken, and balsamic vinaigrette mixed with strawberry preserves.
    4) white chicken chili! There are a bunch of good recipes online, I like to add a ton of onions, corn, and spinach to give it bulk. Make a big pot one day then you have lunch for the week.
    5) (another meal prep idea) peanut sauce, chicken, cooked green beans and snap peas, garlic, rice
  • aayudinova
    aayudinova Posts: 15 Member
    I love anything that fits in a mason jar.
    https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/four-mason-jar-salads-with-just-bare-chicken/

    https://www.yummymummykitchen.com/2017/01/make-ahead-mason-jar-breakfast-recipes.html
  • lesbarkhouse
    lesbarkhouse Posts: 29 Member
    from MFP yesterday lunch time... skip the turkey and add soem more cottage cheese if you don't want so much protein. I use fat free sour cream or fat free cottage cheese mixed with salsa as my only salad dressing.

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