Lunch suggestions? New so need ideas

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Hi everyone,

I am struggling a bit with ideas of what to have for lunch. Purely because I'm not used to calorie counting so I don't really know what foods count for what.

I was thinking of using some of the roast chicken leftovers from yesterday to make a roast chicken salad?

Or if anyone has any suggestions, I'd really appreciate them!

Replies

  • LoreleiWalks
    LoreleiWalks Posts: 143 Member
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    Not sure what your routine is, but I am in an office setting 4 days a week. I generally stick with things that can be eaten straight from the fridge or heated in the office micro.

    -Canned or leftover homemade soup with a piece of fruit or yogurt
    -Bumblebee tuna kit (seasoned tuna with crackers), plus a piece of fruit or yogurt
    -Leftover chicken/steak/fish over salad with whole-grain crackers
    -Sandwich or wrap with veggies & hummus
    -Any dinner leftovers from the night before
    -Prebaked potato or yam topped with canned chili and cheese or broccoli and cheese, or whatever else sounds good
    -Bento box lunch with all kinds of small bites of different foods (My blog has a bunch of ideas for this:http://www.bitten-and-written.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2010-01-01T00:00:00-05:00&updated-max=2011-01-01T00:00:00-05:00&max-results=9)
    -If I go out for lunch, it's usually soup and salad. For Chinese takeout, I get any protein with veg - steamed with brown rice and sauce on the side. Sushi is also a good lunch option.
    -In a pinch, a frozen meal plus a piece of fruit can do the trick. I try to stick with more natural brands like Amy's or Kashi.
  • CashierCantin
    CashierCantin Posts: 206 Member
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    Get a food scale. You will be AMAZED how much you guesstimate OVER!!! Once I got one, it was plain to see how much more I was eating and then I was wondering why I wasn't losing any weight.

    For lunches, I generally pack sandwiches (easy to take in cooler to work). I use 35 calorie wheat bread or Arnold thins whole wheat rolls. I stick with 99% fat free hams or oven baked turkeys. Mustard is my only condiment. I then pack baby carrots, clementines, and a snack bag of pretzels or some other type of baked chips. Water and diet soda.

    Most times I bring some of the food back home, my appetite isn't as big as it used to be (YAY).

    Just do the best you can and stick with making right choices! You're going to do GREAT!
  • kitt8980
    kitt8980 Posts: 29 Member
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    I have to agree sandwhiches are a great choice. Plus any left over meat would do great on a salad or any left overs are good too. Cottage Cheese isn't bad to add to the mix for lunch either.
  • TamsinEllis
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    I generally have fish/ham/chicken salads or put it all in a wrap, just one thing I have to keep in mind is that often prepacked ham and that have high sodium levels (well not high high but high enough) as do the tortillas I use (I'm sure there's loads out there that don't) so whilst I often have chicken and ham salads it's only really the fish I put in wraps since otherwise I get a huge amount of sodium which isn't good for me since my dinners are generally high sodium so the less sodium in my other meals the better. I rarely go over 250 calories with my lunch so if you want bigger lunches you've got plenty of calories left for other stuff.
    Anyway my main salad foods are: chili's, jalepinos, lettuce, capsicum(sweet peppers), tomatoes, cucumber, celery, carrots and sweetcorn. Of course I don't have all of those every day but it's nice to have a selection so your salads don't get boring.
    Also I have often had peanut butter on water crackers for/with lunch and another option is fruit salads, I tend to avoid these not because of sugar content or anything but because I like my fruit fresh, I hate it when it starts to go squishy from sitting in a box too long.
    Oh and there's always Falafel as well in case I get bored. Best bet is if you know what foods you like and enjoy to just add them all to you're diary under lunch, then see how much calories are there and play around, take stuff out, put more stuff in, until you have a meal you'd enjoy and find filling without going over calories and that (I tend to limit myself to 300 calories for lunch just because I eat huge dinners so that's what I mean by 'not going over calories').
  • tattooedtealady
    tattooedtealady Posts: 81 Member
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    Thank you every one for all your tips and suggestions :)

    I decided on the chicken salad with half an avocado chucked in too because it needed eating. I do use scales to weigh my food, too :)

    A lot of these suggestions will be really helpful to me because I commute from Nottingham to London for University two days a week so need to work out the best kind of foods to be taking with me!
  • myukniewicz
    myukniewicz Posts: 906 Member
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    Get a food scale. You will be AMAZED how much you guesstimate OVER!!!

    I agree 100%... it is the best tool to have in your kitchen.

    As for lunches,
    > veggie burgers... morning star makes terrific ones that come in a ton of different flavors
    > Sara lee 45 Calorie 100% Whole Wheat bread is one of the best low-cal bread options out there.
    > tofu shiritaki noodles... 20 calories a serving (40 for the whole bag). Great with light Alfredo sauce, shrimp and brocoli mixed in
    > soups... just watch the sodium content. I buy the no salt added or reduced sodium soups you can find in the health food section of the market.
    > salads... always a good option, however make sure you prepare one that covers all the bases (veggies,protein, carbs)try hard boiled eggs, cheese or beans for a non-meat protein option.
    > frozen meals... good as a quick go to, however don't make a habit of eating them everyday due to the high sodium content and preservatives.
    > egg salad, tuna salad, shrimp salad.... all options for sandwiches or wraps. (Use fat free Greek yogurt in place of mayonaise, its creamy and fresh without all the fat.)
    > sides... fruit, nuts (almonds, pistatios), veggies (edemame, steamed broccoli...), low Cal, high fiber crackers
  • nomena
    nomena Posts: 165
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    I just had a homemade quesadilla with 6tbsp of low-fat cheese and 1/4 of a can of kidney beans. Came in at around 300 calories and was super filling. Plus 15g of protein!
  • reddoorjess
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    soups. protein filled sandwiches.
    I used to freeze marinated chicken breast in portion sized snap bags, then just defrost and grill and add to a salad. takes about 5 minutes after you have defrosted it and its a lot yummier then same ol' same ol'
  • kittybitz79
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    Depending on how much chicken I have left 2 choices.

    1) Take chicken, 1/2 bag frozen stir fry veggie mix (many kinds), 1 Tbsp general tso sauce. Mix it together and put it over brown rice. This usually makes two meals for me

    2) Take chicken, 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese, lettuce and 1 tsp sauce (bbq or ceasar)
  • trophywife24
    trophywife24 Posts: 1,472 Member
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    My favorite lunch is a sandwich thin (I like the flax ones from Arnolds), spread with hummus and a few thin slices of deli turkey. On the side, I usually eat a handful of pretzels and another scoop of hummus because I'm an addict. :)