Ideas please??!! Healthy evening to lunch time options

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Naomi_84
Naomi_84 Posts: 197 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi

Tomorrow is the start of 9 consecutive long days at work (12 hour shifts). At these times I usually fall off the band waggon because when I get home I can't be bothered to cook and/or I'm too tired to prepare something for lunch in the morning at 5am. The way I get round this usually is to make something for my evening meal that I can take with me the next day and heat up for my lunch but I'm bored of the same old things!

Any ideas of evening meal ideas which can then be taken to work and warmed up? I usually have, pasta with tuna and pesto, chilli and rice, spaghetti bolegnese. I'm really not keen on sandwiches and the salads I tend to make are so boring.

Very bored of my own cooking at the moment.

Looking for some inspiration please!!!!

Replies

  • pompeyqueen
    pompeyqueen Posts: 55 Member
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    How about a goats cheese salad?

    Use mixed leaves= spinach, rocket and water cress

    Goats cheese

    Caremalised onion chutney

    and broken up walnuts

    It's delicious and has all different textures

    Or pitta bread pizza?

    get some pitta bread and toast on one side and on the other side spread some tomato puree add a light cheese and what ever you fancy as a topping then grill.

    It's a healthier alternative to a pizza and tastes lovely hot or cold.

    It would really help to know what facilities you have at work for lunch?
  • melcowenfitness
    melcowenfitness Posts: 221 Member
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    I tend to do the same that you do - I bring leftovers for lunch. We tend to eat something different every day so I don't mind it so much.

    Grilled chicken (or baked will do) can be used in a variety of ways - reheat it with some brown rice and a veggie; chop it up and put it on your salad; you can do the same with beef.

    I like to add a variety of stuff to my salad so that there's an explosion of flavor - greens, shredded or diced carrots, scallions, chopped up hard boiled egg, chicken, olives, small dried fruit bits or dried cranberries, mixed nuts or sunflower seeds, and then a light balsamic vinaigrette. You can have a huge salad with very few calories - the more stuff you add to the lettuce, the more calories, but it's still a nice healthy meal. And the crunchiness of the added veggies and nuts satisfies my need to feel like I'm actually eating something!

    Think about some meals that sound really appealing to you and then just have everything ready to make once you get home. The more convenient it is, the more likely you'll be to follow through on the cooking. Do your shopping ahead of time and make the meals be easy and not very labor intensive.

    Crockpot cooking is also a great way to have dinner ready and waiting for you when you get home!

    Hope these help!

    Mel
  • KatyE213
    KatyE213 Posts: 446 Member
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    Can you not take a jacket potato to reheat? So many yummy fillings you can have with them.
  • prettybrwn
    prettybrwn Posts: 2 Member
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    GREEN SMOOTHIE(WITH FRUIT) KEEPS YOU FULL AND HEALTHY (31 TO 188 CALORIES) MAKE IN 5 MINS TOPS. I HAVE CHEAP 14 DOLLAR BLENDER AND IT STILL WORKS FOR ME.( OR FRUIT SMOOTHIE BUT YOUR BRUSH TEETH BECAUSE CAN BE HARD ON THEM WITH LONG TERM USE WITHOUT BRUSHING. I WORK 12 HOURS STRAIGHT 8 HOURS NO BREAK AND LIVED IN STARVATION MODE FOR YRS .GREEN SMOOTHIES HELP ME START LOOSING WEIGHT AND EATING ALL DAY. YOU CANNOT JUST CHOKE IT DOWN YOU BUT SIP THEY ARE FILLING.
  • kh79
    kh79 Posts: 33
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    How about some ratatouille? Healthy and yums, and rly good to heat up. U can add chicken to it, or whatever u'd like.

    1 box of canned, finaly chopped tomatoes
    2-3 cloves of garlic
    1 eggplant in big cubes (2x2 cm)
    2 zuccinis/squash in big cubes (2x2 cm)
    1 onion in boats
    2 peppers in big bits
    Herb after what u like. I like to add fresh parsley, fresh rosmary and some dried basil or oregano...or both lol.
    1 tsp red pepper powder/paprica powder
    1/2 fresh chili or a pinch of chilli powder
    3-4 oz of chicken stock
    1 tbsp olive oil

    Cut up all the veggies and put them in a caserolle with the olive oil and let it cook for a couple of minutes, just to get a bit of colour on it.
    Add the stock and tomatoes, herbs and garlic, put a lid on and let it all cook untill the veggies are all muchie and tender ;)

    TADA!! U now have around 4 meals :)
    Low on calories and lots of vitamines, and tastes yummy!!

    I usualy make lots of this and freeze into portions. Easy to reheat in a microwave and just add meat/fish/seafood.
    Ofcourse u can use whatever veggies u want to.

    Happy meal! ;)
  • Naomi_84
    Naomi_84 Posts: 197 Member
    Options
    How about a goats cheese salad?

    Use mixed leaves= spinach, rocket and water cress

    Goats cheese

    Caremalised onion chutney

    and broken up walnuts

    It's delicious and has all different textures

    Or pitta bread pizza?

    get some pitta bread and toast on one side and on the other side spread some tomato puree add a light cheese and what ever you fancy as a topping then grill.

    It's a healthier alternative to a pizza and tastes lovely hot or cold.

    It would really help to know what facilities you have at work for lunch?

    Wow, the goats cheese salad sounds AMAZING, definitely going on my shopping list, thanks!
  • Naomi_84
    Naomi_84 Posts: 197 Member
    Options
    GREEN SMOOTHIE(WITH FRUIT) KEEPS YOU FULL AND HEALTHY (31 TO 188 CALORIES) MAKE IN 5 MINS TOPS. I HAVE CHEAP 14 DOLLAR BLENDER AND IT STILL WORKS FOR ME.( OR FRUIT SMOOTHIE BUT YOUR BRUSH TEETH BECAUSE CAN BE HARD ON THEM WITH LONG TERM USE WITHOUT BRUSHING. I WORK 12 HOURS STRAIGHT 8 HOURS NO BREAK AND LIVED IN STARVATION MODE FOR YRS .GREEN SMOOTHIES HELP ME START LOOSING WEIGHT AND EATING ALL DAY. YOU CANNOT JUST CHOKE IT DOWN YOU BUT SIP THEY ARE FILLING.

    Sounds interesting, what's in a green smoothie?
  • Naomi_84
    Naomi_84 Posts: 197 Member
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    Thanks everyone, some great ideas there, already feeling a little more inspired x
  • pompeyqueen
    pompeyqueen Posts: 55 Member
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    It is really Amazing, I have to admit I got a little addicted at one point lol, It is also good with stilton if you like a smelly cheese :)
  • Dander
    Dander Posts: 26
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    I think for times like that - pre-prepared stuff is your saviour. And it's not always unhealthy.

    For example;

    Uncle Ben's wholegrain rice in microwaveable packs...then you can add grilled chicken breasts which you can buy ready to eat. Or any tinned fish.

    Just add some veg. You can buy frozen steam packs nowadays which you just pop in the micro.
  • aoifebr
    aoifebr Posts: 92
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    My back up options are:
    protein shakes with jelena yogurt & frozen berries
    Steamfresh veg (from the freezer section) & a tin of salmon or tuna - you can sub in burger pattie, chicken breast, steak etc
    100g of ham with 10 almonds (I normally buy it the prepackaged 100g & measure out my almonds in advance so its all handy)

    Good luck - feel free to add me/check out my food diary
  • fixeruppper
    fixeruppper Posts: 105 Member
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    I have to be the laziest cook going and quite frankly would rather eat out which we all know is deadly. So here's one possibility, When you go to the super market buy veggie trays and fruit trays and don't use the high fat dip. Also buy a bar-b-que chicken and keep in the fridge (remove skin). Canned beans are also handy.
  • Bitchwolf
    Bitchwolf Posts: 5
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    Lots of protein in avocados and black beans and you add them to all kinds of salads, with some lime and or lemon juice tasty! Oh and nuts, of course...hehe

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