What's in your lunch box???

SandersWifey
SandersWifey Posts: 387
edited October 7 in Food and Nutrition
Who all takes their lunch to work and what do you pack?? I start student teaching Tuesday and I will be taking my lunch most days to avoid the cafeteria food!!!:sick: I will be eating lunch at 10:45 in the morning!!!! I have no idea what to pack!

I need things that are ok to eat without cooking or able to heat up in the microwave.
Also FILLING!!! Eating at 10:45 is going to suck!! I need to be able to finish the day with out starving! I usually never eat lunch till 12:30 or 1:00. I am looking for some variety so I don't get bored with eating the same things all the time!

Thanks in advance!!

Replies

  • AnnettLynn
    AnnettLynn Posts: 47
    I think maybe a sandwich or wrap would be good. Throw in some fruits and veggies, or nuts, or even a hardboiled egg!

    There's also rice and beans that you could probably heat up. Those are the only ideas I have so far, but I hope it helped some!
  • nikijohnson8
    nikijohnson8 Posts: 24 Member
    That's a super early lunch hour!

    I hate eating packed lunches, but the cafeteria at my school doesn't provide the most calorie-friendly foods.

    I make an effort to pack the four food groups when I make my lunch. I normally have either oatmeal, toast, or a sandwich. I load up on vegetables like carrot sticks, snap peas, cucumbers, and peppers. Sometimes I'll put tomato slices on my toast or mostly-fruit jelly or cheez whiz. I always pack yogurt too. For meat, I'll often take two egg whites and microwave them, sometimes topping them with cheese. Otherwise, I'll have meat in my sandwiches. Sometimes if I have some low-calorie left overs from supper, I'll bring Spaghetti squash with spaghetti sauce and parm cheese, teriyaki stir fry, or homemade soup. Hope that helped!
  • MrsBACH1986
    MrsBACH1986 Posts: 12
    One of my favorites is a light, multigrain english muffin (100 calories) with hummus, tabbouleh, shredded carrots and a splash balsamic vinegar. You could add ground flax seed or chia seeds, look for high-fiber english muffins, etc to make this more filling, but I think it's just the BEST. Because it's low calorie, I usually have a big apple and a wedge of laughing cow cheese alongside.

    You could do quite a few variations on this, I just find the english muffin to be a great sandwich starter because it's not too big and there are tons of options/flavors.
  • meggyannpt
    meggyannpt Posts: 73 Member
    I know they aren't the best things in the world, but if I don't have any leftovers I like to have a few frozen lunches (Lean Cuisine, etc, just watch the calories) in my freezer to take with. I usually have some fruit like an apple or few cuties and a cheesestick. Cuties are great snacks that if you don't want to eat them at your early lunch, it would be easy to eat between your classes. I also love have homemade trail mix (almonds, cashews, craisins, dark chocolate m&m's, whatever you want!) to much on during the day.

    Good luck student teaching!
  • SueGremlin
    SueGremlin Posts: 1,066 Member
    I just discovered LightLife Smart Deli vegetarian lunch meat. It's right up my alley, I love it. (I am not a vegetarian, but I tend to prefer non-meaty foods).
  • SandersWifey
    SandersWifey Posts: 387
    Thanks!!! These are good ideas!! I am actually making out my grocery list for next week! So, this is really helping!!!:bigsmile:
  • Two2Love
    Two2Love Posts: 32 Member
    How about a whole grain pasta with some chic hen and veggies and tossed in OO and vinegar? The whole grain pasta will keep you full! I make a spinach salad daily with blue cheese and blueberries and it keeps me full for a while? Can you snack in the afternoon? Rice cakes with peanut butter or some nuts?
  • JethroXP
    JethroXP Posts: 49 Member
    I pack my lunch 4 days per week, and allow myself to eat at the cafeteria one day per week. I typically pack:

    2 spicy chicken breast filets (Schwans) - They are tasty, high protein, fairly low sodium, and microwaveable
    1 low fat yogurt, usually in the 60 - 90 calorie range, the Kroger Carbmaster are my current favorite
    Fruit, usually a honeycrisp apple or about 20 grapes
    baby cut carrots, usually about 3 oz.
    Fiber one Oats and Chocolate bar (buy in bulk at Costco)
    And sometimes I'll add in an ounce of Cheez-it or Wheat Thins (parmesean basil) crackers.

    Now that I'm in maintenance mode, the biggest problem I have with cafeteria food, or any prepared food, isn't the calories but the sodium. A single slice of prepared pepperoni pizza has about 1250mg of sodium. Two slices is your entire RDA of sodium. When I have too much sodium, I always pick up a pound or two the following day due to water retention, and I don't feel good either, so I'm really trying to be careful about it now, more so than I am with calories.

    For water, I bring in a 20 oz. Sobe Life Water, and then refill it twice using crystal light packets, for a total of 60 oz during the day.
  • rachelnelson76
    rachelnelson76 Posts: 35 Member
    Some of the items I usually bring:
    a turkey sandwich on either a lo-cal sandwich round or one of La Tortillas High Fiber tortillas
    piece of fruit
    string cheese
    Salad w/ dressing
    leftovers from previous nights dinner
    cheese and crackers
    yogurt w/ granola.
    cut up veggies with hummus
    water, water, water...... :)
  • wftiger
    wftiger Posts: 1,283 Member
    I'd bring lots of protein so that will keep you full until you leave. Greek yogurt, cheese, meat, whole grains, beans. All filling and keep you feeling full longer.
  • jpfrimmer
    jpfrimmer Posts: 134
    I'm a teacher and I have the same lunch time! I have a mini fridge in my classroom, but I used to pack a lunch with some ice packs. Here's a variety of what I eat: Apples, pears, bananas, grapes, berries, yogurt, fat free cottage cheese, no sugar added applesauce, protein bars/shakes, hummus, pita chips, special k crackers, babybel cheese, laughing cow cheese, string cheese, special k bars, granola bars, 90 calorie brownies, peanut butter, low sodium lunch meat, sugar free pudding, etc.
  • WifeMomDVM
    WifeMomDVM Posts: 1,025 Member
    Bake chicken tenders on Sunday - so they are pack ready for the rest of the week.

    I pack:

    Salad greens - spinach and spring mix
    blue cheese crumbles
    walnuts
    baked chicken tenders
    my homemade salad dressing (oil and vinegar)

    Yummy!

    For snacks I pack:

    A piece of fruit - an apple, banana or orange
    Ants on a log - celery stalks with almond butter and raisins
    Sometimes I eat a cold chicken tender for a snack.

    Or I pack the previous night's dinner leftovers - usually a piece of chicken or fish with a green vegetable and one other colorful steamed vegetable. Just nuke and enjoy!
  • epoeraven
    epoeraven Posts: 458 Member
    With student teaching, your lunch break is going to be pretty short so you want to keep that in mind with what you pack. Also, with you eating so early you may want to have something with protein in it to keep you full til school is out.

    I take salad a lot because it is ready to eat immediately. I cut up cooked chicken to throw on top or tuna is a good one too.
  • SandersWifey
    SandersWifey Posts: 387
    Thanks for the responses everyone! These are all great ideas/options!! :flowerforyou:
  • helnahandbasket
    helnahandbasket Posts: 26 Member
    I'm coming a little late to the party but just in case you need more ideas:

    I almost always bring leftovers from the previous night's dinner for lunch.

    If that fails (no leftovers, something not-so-easy-to-pack or I don't feel like having it again right away) every couple weeks I make a big batches of hearty soup on the weekend and freeze it in tupperware-type containers then transfer all of the frozen soup hunks into a big ziplock bag (that way my containers aren't all in the freezer full of soup all the time). Then in the morning I just pop a soup serving into a container (fits perfectly 'cause that's what it was frozen in!) and then microwave it at lunch time and eat it with a piece of fruit or maybe a whole wheat roll.

    I also get lots of ideas from food blogs. This: http://www.katheats.com is one of my current fave's and she posts lots of packed lunches.

    Good luck with your student teaching!!
  • serenity216
    serenity216 Posts: 512 Member
    Lean Cuisines, yogurt, Boiled eggs, Laughing Cow cheese and fruit, Cheese sticks, pistachios!
  • loki3981
    loki3981 Posts: 249 Member
    We grill up chicken breast for the week and I take a chicken breast and a big salad. Or I chop up that chicken and make chicken salad on a slice of Ezekiel bread with some peppers.
    I try to stay away from lunch meats and frozen dinners because of the sodium. I also keep extra fruit and nuts around at all times in case I get super hungry,
  • amberlilies
    amberlilies Posts: 41 Member
    I make a big pot of soup on Sunday and divide into to-go containers for the week right away. In the morning, I throw it in my lunch bag with a spoon, a napkin, and my water bottle and run.

    I'm a teacher.
  • kjloiselle
    kjloiselle Posts: 101 Member
    As a student teacher this semester I get a 10:50 am lunch hour.
    i made a menu plan that looks like this
    Monday - salad (using 1 whole head of romaine heart lettuce and veggies) with whatever dressing i make that day
    Tuesday - sandwich or wrap with veggies, laughing cow cheese and meat if i want
    wednesday - crackers (kashi with cheddar cheese or melba toast with cream cheese) and veggies (melba, cream cheese and cucumber are amazing together)
    Thursday - leftovers (whatever i have int eh fridge or freezer that I feel like)
    friday - soup or chili with a roll or 1/2 serving cheese and crackers

    i also add in 1 serving of fruit or veggies and some type of hard snack (nuts not allowed so peeled snacks, graham crackers, fruit leather, mini chocolate bar, cookie. you get the idea).

    msg me if you have any other questions
  • scantrll
    scantrll Posts: 271 Member
    I always take an Activia yogurt cup, a Simply Fruit roll up and a FiberOne brownie. I then add a fruit of choice (this week its cuties) and either a small serving of leftovers or a simple sandwich (normally leftovers). I can't have raw veggies tho, so that limits what I can pack in a lunch. The FiberOne brownie is GREAT because its 90 cals, has high fiber content and satisfies my sweet tooth at lunch so I'm less likely to eat a pastry from the teacher break room. :)

    Good luck with the student teaching. Hope you enjoy yourself. :smile:
  • ickybella
    ickybella Posts: 1,438 Member
    I always cook lunches for the week on Sunday. This week, I'm making bean and cheese burritos and a chickpea curry with orange vegetables. I like to cook at least one extra serving, so I have something just in case I don't get the chance to cook next weekend, or if I don't feel like cooking dinner one night and I usually make two different lunches for the week (one for Monday, Wednesday and Friday and one for Tuesday and Thursday). Sometimes I do a dry rub on chicken thighs and use those in a salad, on top of baked sweet potatoes with a honey mustard dressing or in a pita with veggies. I also like chili on top of baked sweet potatoes, a picnic of boiled eggs, veggie sticks and hummus, roasted chicken and vegetables, and veggie hummus sandwiches when all else fails. If you just take an hour or two on Saturday or Sunday and then freeze everything, you're set for the week, and if you make extra, in a few weeks, you'll have enough for a whole other week. I also take fruit for snacks (an apple and a banana) with peanut butter or cheese or nuts, so I have a little protein with my snacks and they seem to keep me full for longer. Sorry for the length of this post, haha. I can't shut up!
  • ShaeDetermined
    ShaeDetermined Posts: 1,525 Member
    the entire last school year i would take grilled salmon over a baby spinach based salad (with grape tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, chic peas, etc depending on my mood and how much time i had).

    i always kept a pkg of arnold's sandwich thins or thomas' whole grain english muffins in the fridge at work and would eat one with my salad if i was feeling particularly hungry, or if i got in a lunchtime workout and needed the additional calories.

    i would grill the salmon for the week on sunday so throwing the lunch together took under 2 minutes.

    this year however, i dont know why but i cant get myself to eat that everyday, so my lunch varies with some good and some not so good choices....
  • therealangd
    therealangd Posts: 1,861 Member
    I pack.

    oatmeal and craisins for breakfast
    cut up veg for snack
    lunch of salad or leftovers or something I've bulk cooked and frozen in single servs
    yogurt and fruit for afternoon snack.
  • cecilia0909
    cecilia0909 Posts: 188 Member
    I pack my lunch 95% of the time. I do lettuce wraps, carrot sticks, hard boiled eggs, salads, berry salad (strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries) and tomato & cucumber salad are my favorites.
  • camillehardeman
    camillehardeman Posts: 46
    I'm boring and I pack the same thing most of the time. I like making a yogurt concoction made of:
    -1 cup fage greek 0% yogurt
    -I scoop vanilla whey protein
    -half cup raspberries
    -one banana

    So good and filling all mixed up. About 360 calories and about 42g protein!
  • Cueball55
    Cueball55 Posts: 152 Member
    Not sure what life will be like in the classroom for me, but you must have a moment or two in the mid-day to throw a couple of raw unsalted almonds in your mouth? Or a few grapes?

    I personally try to eat 5 times a day, but my job gets in the way. I'd love a mid-morning break!

    Maybe try a turkey/avacado wrap or yogurt/fruit mix at 10:30 (I like the suggestion above)

    Then bring any kind of fruit like banana or apple or grapes, sliced pinapple or cantelope for the noon time,

    Also portioned (because it's easy to overeat) almonds (12 almonds = approx 100 calories) or even if you really need a good quality protein bar for the mid-afternoon.
  • reneeileen
    reneeileen Posts: 455 Member
    I pack a salad most days with my own dressing, a greek yogurt (this is usually a late afternoon snack), and a piece of fruit.

    Salad this week:
    2c Mediterranean Blend Salad
    ~8 grape tomatoes
    2 oz chicken
    1 oz fresh mozzerella perlini

    Vinegarette(sp?):
    1 tsp olive oil
    1 tsp balsamic vinegar
    1 tsp lemon juice
    turn or salt
    turn of pepper
    pinch of ground mustard

    Toppings change from week to week but with salads be careful with toppings. They can add up fast.
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