Quick lunch ideas?

My lunch is usually either leftovers from the night before or in instances where there are no leftovers, I usually have a sandwich.

Leftovers and soup are my go-tos on crazy days. However, I've been prepping a few lunches a week to help such as chicken burrito bowls and butter chicken with rice. For the burrito bowls, I take some chicken (either rotisserie, canned, cooked breasts,etc.) and split it between several containers and add black beans, corn, assorted veggies, some avocado, and cheese, and sometimes rice. It's made a big difference and is quite filling! I will add salsa and Greek yogurt or the cilantro crema sauce that's pretty delightful on it. Pinterest is my best friend with lunch prep ideas!

I have a microwave available where I work, but I admit to getting healthier microwave meal options and then add in fresh fruits/veggies to my lunch box to round it out (i.e. today was saffron road chicken pad thai and I had a clementine, carrot sticks, and celery sticks). That's not how it is every day...I will also prep chicken breasts for a salad etc...but sometimes I just need something really quick in the morning and I procrastinated the weekend or night before . I also have high sodium requirements due to a medical condition, so there's that too...actually, glancing at my meal right now, it's only 28% of daily sodium requirements and I only eat 3 meals a day....so like...it's not that bad.

Make extra grilled, lightly seasoned chicken or low cal steak (some cuts are only 140/4 ounces) on sundays and chop. Chop and roll into low carb tortillas (45 cal each), put on salads. Especially good with a small smear of Lidl Karate teriyaki sauce on the tortilla wrap.

Lidl has great chicken sausages that are 110-120 each. Grill those, reheat in microwave, slap on a piece of low cal bread with Dijon. Lewis Bakeries has very good low cal and keto breads.

Boars Head turkey is generally 70 calories for 2 ounces. That’s a good deal of protein for not many calories. Good in a wrap with a slice of cheese and zero or low cal mayo.

I fill an old cottage cheese tub to the brim with cucumber spears, radish slices and carrot sticks, and take a tiny container of zero cal ranch. Very filling and the whole lot usually comes to about 70 calories.

Chicken and Tomato soup. Trader Joe’s or any of the boxed brands (some are much lower calorie) supplemented with a large can of diced tomatoes, some herbs, and sliced, grilled chicken sausage is delicious, and makes 3-4 generous, low cal servings.

Zartran (or we use Lidl’s brand) red beans and rice, made per package directions but with sliced andouille chicken sausage. Reheats very well. Can pad it out with cauliflower rice.

Homemade beef stew.

Amp up beef stew by making Barf: Beef stew with sour cream stirred in, topped with spoonfuls of Bisquick dumpling mix and baked. Reasonable calories and delicious, if revoltingly ugly (nicknamed”Barf “by a grossed out coworker who didn’t appreciate how yummy it is).

Husband loves pimento cheese (😬) on Lewis bread.

Leftover chicken tacos. Takes no prep other than putting frozen chicken breast in the crockpot along with the salsa and taco seasoning, and shredding it when you get home. Leftovers are very good.

Dill pickles. I always hated them, but now appreciate how filling they are for very few calories. One of those foods you learn to love counting calories.

Amy's bean or lentil soups👍

Some staples that I do are:

Parcooked rice (Rice and Tasty, or similar brand) with some sort of pre-packaged protein. seasoned tuna or tofu, package of hard smoked salmon. I also buy those rotisserie chickens and pull the meat when I get home so I can throw some of that in whatever I want. You can add in whatever packaged sauce you want too. Can put in some raw veg or cooked if you can prep beforehand.

I also am quite a fan of grabbing one of those prepackaged salad packs (which for the entire bag is usually ~500 ish.....and I just add prepacked hard smoked salmon or rotisserie chicken. I know that sounds like a lot of calories but I only eat 2 meals per day...not for any particular reason other than that is what works for my schedule and hunger throughout the day so my 'meals' tend to be higher calorie.

Most days, I make and pack my lunch salad while I'm making breakfast.

Typically, lunch is a salad made with a veggie protein (I typically cook beans or tofu on the weekend), a mix of lettuce, spinach, kale and/or and a crunchy cabbage (napa, bok choy, or red cabbage) with some or all of the following: carrot, tomato, cucumber, radishes, olives, pickled onions. I dress with mix of flavored vinegar and hummus (more protein :-) . Calories vary, but it's usually 300 - 360.