Easy Brown-Bag Ideas

gp79
gp79 Posts: 1,799 Member
edited October 3 in Food and Nutrition
I'd like to see what some of you are packing in your coolers to bring to work. Quick to prepare, and 400'ish calories is what I'm looking for. Not interested in microwave meals.

Lately I've been doing 4 oz of low sodium deli turkey on wheat or tuna sandwiches. Looking forward to getting a couple different options in my rotation.

Replies

  • sarah307
    sarah307 Posts: 1,363 Member
    bump*
    I am always looking for new ideas for packing lunches

    almonds
    turkey sand.
    banana
    apple slices
    granola bars
  • Dohrnl
    Dohrnl Posts: 43 Member
    I do bagel thin with cream cheese(200), yogurt(80), mini babybel cheese light (30), apple(80)


    Also if you have access to a microwave a great way to mix things up is different lean cuisines, kashi meals, etc.
  • isabellammm
    isabellammm Posts: 49 Member
    You can see my diary if you want. I usually bring my lunch to school, either a sandwich or leftovers from dinner. My lunches tend to be 200-300 cals, but you can easily make it more by using more caloric bread, or bigger portions of whatever!
  • Rynoman2k3
    Rynoman2k3 Posts: 152 Member
    Pre-made meals are great but watch the sodium. I looked at some of those Michelina Light meals and holy cow some of them pack on the salt!

    I eat Special K alot. It's pretty filling. 3/4 cup is 160ish calories and a cup of 2% milk is about 120 cal. Then i tend to eat a banana too.
  • AMoore33
    AMoore33 Posts: 26 Member
    This recipe was in the recipe forums and is a great make-ahead. I've been eating it with a quick half-sandwich and strawberries or hummus/pretzels each day. Great for a brown bagger.

    Throw all ingredients in a bowl in this order:

    -1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
    -1pint cherry (or grape) tomatoes, halved
    -4oz fresh mozzarella, sliced into cubes
    -a little finely chopped onion
    -1/3 cup chopped fresh basil (actually in the recipe this time)
    -1tbsp olive oil
    -1tbsp balsamic vinegar
    -1tbsp lemon juice (see above)
    -pinch of salt and pepper

    Makes 5 servings at around 153 calories each.

    Cheers!
  • SheWei
    SheWei Posts: 57 Member
    bagged salad mix with frozen grilled chicken strips. I highly recommend Fresh Express. They have a good variety like Pear and gorgonzola. The kits are roughly 300 calories INCLUDING dressing and the grilled chicken strips can be microwaved in minutes which adds another 100 calories.
  • kepete
    kepete Posts: 268 Member
    I eat as much low cal food as possible during the day. Today for breakfast & lunch I packed: nectarine, yougurt, Oreo 100 cal bar, chocolate cherrios, carrots, apple & 150 calorie Lean Cuisine meal for a total of 550 calories!
  • surfrgrl1
    surfrgrl1 Posts: 1,464 Member
    Fage Yogurt 0% fat (pomegranate cherry is my fave)
    Lean Ham Sandwich on wheat bread
    Archer Farms Almond,Peanut, Cashew butter on celery sticks
    Baby Carrots
    Strawberries
    Various high fiber crackers
    Hummus
    String Cheese
    Leftovers from the previous night's dinner
  • Nikki582
    Nikki582 Posts: 561 Member
    I make dinner, then separate a portion and take that for lunch the next day. Plus an apple or yogurt.
  • AZKristi
    AZKristi Posts: 1,801 Member
    Today I took a salad made from canned, rinsed chickpeas, one diced jalapeno, one diced red pepper, half a red onion chopped fine, 1 tablespoon olive oil and a splash of apple cider vinegar. Makes 2-3 servings, no need to reheat.
  • mynika
    mynika Posts: 312 Member
    One of my favorites is Tuna with red grapes sliced in half, and a little light mayo, then put it in a half a pita bread. YUM... Thanks for asking, I love getting new ideas too:wink:
  • dawnm92
    dawnm92 Posts: 56 Member
    Nice topic. I'm going to keep this for future reference as well.

    My favorite easy to grab and eat lunch is:

    1/2 cup cottage cheese with 1 oz. almonds (290 cals)
    3-4 oz of grilled chicken breast or other protein (cooked the night before and very quick to reheat) (100-125 cals)
  • rrrosemaryyy
    rrrosemaryyy Posts: 1 Member
    I made a big batch of this yesterday and portioned it into 5 containers, 345 calories each.
    http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Quinoa-Salad-with-Fresh-Hearts-of-Palm-em-Ensalada-de-Quinoa-con-Chonta-em-352878
    I find it to be a bit oily, so the next time I make it I'll cut back the olive oil (which is the cause of a lot of calories in this recipe) and add more vinegar instead to keep the quinoa moist.

    For snacks I love:
    * plain 0% greek yogurt with fruit or 1tsp flavoured honey or slivered almonds
    * spinach goma-ae (great for catching up on your Vitamin A and iron)
    * a sliced apple with a bit of cheddar with greek yogurt again
    * Praeventia cookies (yes, they're cookies, but high in fibre)
    * fruit cups (again, used when I want a sugar rush)
    * flavoured tofu (two halves in a pack, 90 calories each)
  • NiciS72
    NiciS72 Posts: 1,043 Member
    2-2.6 oz pouch of Starkist tuna 160 calories
    2 T Light Miracle Whip 40 calories
    1 T Vlasic relish 15 calories
    1 boiled egg 70 calories
    =Tuna salad for 285 calories

    I usually add a piece of fruit to add to this a nectarine is 68 calories give or take or 200g of strawberries for around 50 calories! If you want more protein add another boiled egg.
  • zeeeb
    zeeeb Posts: 805 Member
    i had a really nice lunch today it was thin rice cakes with kraft free cheese slice and sliced chicken. I had 4 and i reckon it would be about 300-350 calories.
  • AnnaMaus
    AnnaMaus Posts: 167 Member
    My favorite lunch has consistently been a light instant noodle soup (200 calories) with frozen peas (~80 calories) and a some fruit--plums, nectarines, grapes and apples (another 100 calories, tops).

    A Tofurkey sandwich (100 calories per serving) loaded with lettuce, tomato, pickles and mustard on Trader Joe's light wheat bread (50 calories per slice) is a close second.
  • nickscutie
    nickscutie Posts: 303 Member
    my diary is open, i eat 500-550 calories for lunch most days
  • flutatious1
    flutatious1 Posts: 120 Member
    I usually take leftovers from dinner.... my brown bag lunch uses a lot of rubbermaid containers ;-)
    Lately I have been taking a lot of veggies....something like zucchini with spaghetti sauce.
    it's not a frozen dinner, but it does require the microwave :-/
  • pinkita
    pinkita Posts: 779 Member
    A Jennie-O turkey burger patty has 160 calories--I like to cook them up the day before and put it in 2 slices of Sara Lee 45 whole wheat bread. That's kind of the "base" of my lunch--I'll have baby carrots, Greek yogurt, etc with it.
  • ejohndrow
    ejohndrow Posts: 1,399 Member
    Dinner for me tonight:
    -Grilled chicken breast seasoned with pepper and garlic (grilled on the George Foreman grill).
    -Pear
    -Gala apple
    -6 grape tomatoes (it's all I had left).

    I tend to eat a lot of the same things over and over; grilled chicken or fish seasoned with pepper, raw fruits, veggies. It works for me and is easy to pack.
  • jklm
    jklm Posts: 281
    great!
  • jgic2009
    jgic2009 Posts: 531 Member
    This week, I made a batch of turkey and black bean chili -- 5 generous servings for less than 300 cals each. A couple of servings went into the freezer for later use as I can get bored of eating the same thing for lunch all week.
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