What do you eat for lunch when you're at work?

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IC_Rob
IC_Rob Posts: 3
in Food and Nutrition
Hello MFP community. :flowerforyou:

I'm new here and was wondering, for those of you who work or have worked outside the home, what you eat for lunch? Do you make it ahead of time and take it in tupperware? If so, what do you make? Do you just sort of graze as you go? I'm starting a new job come Monday and I want to be prepared.

Thanks all. :smile:
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Replies

  • bishbash
    bishbash Posts: 1
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    I always get the healthiest ready meals that I can. After a busy day, I often lose the motivation to cook tomorrow's lunch in the evening so it's handy to have a quick and easy solution if you need it.

    Most decent ready meals will have calories/fat/salt/etc on the label somewhere so you can see what you're eating.

    That aside, a tupperware bowl of pasta (80g) with sauce usually does me, or a salad sandwich.
  • dirtbikegirl5
    dirtbikegirl5 Posts: 391 Member
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    I always bring my lunch. Occasionally, I will get sushi if I want to eat out, but that is rare.
    I take a salad (spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, shredded cheese today). I also bring gluten free rice with vegetables and pasta sometimes.
  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
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    I like Boca patties, or a bowl of cereal, and sometimes leftovers.
  • melonerski
    melonerski Posts: 311 Member
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    i usually try to make either extra for dinner and then bring it for lunch the next day or else i'll usually bring a sandwhich and a greek yogurt and a fiber bar. otherwise if i dont do either of those then i bring the frozen meals so i know how many calories im eating and such, like the smart ones or lean cuisines.
  • jlowensby
    jlowensby Posts: 142
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    I have been eating progresso lite soups for lunch along with carrots and grapes...today I didn't have the grapes but added a peanut butter on whole wheat bread
  • Scarlett_S
    Scarlett_S Posts: 467 Member
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    Leftovers, salad fixings with grilled chicken, fajita tacos, and sometimes I pick up veggie soup from a restaurant down the street - 160 calories and sooo good. Occasionally get Subway as well since both are closeby.
  • lorac321
    lorac321 Posts: 627 Member
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    We have a refrigerator in our office. I have low fat/low sodium ham and turkey, sandwich thins, light mayo, lettuce & tomato that I keep on hand. Sometimes I also have light Progresso soup. I also bring light string cheese and Kellogg's Special K crackers. When I make chicken I make an extra breast to bring for lunch and either make a sandwich or have it on a salad.

    I also keep milk and cereal on hand. When we didn't have a refrigerator I always packed my lunch the night before (I'm not a morning person).
  • meltygarden
    meltygarden Posts: 111 Member
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    Typically either a salad with 3 oz. of some sort of protein on top, or salad with a half sandwich on the side, or leftovers from the night before if there are any. i just buy salad things, bread and lunchmeat and bring them at the beginning of the week, then if i have leftovers to break up the monotony i put them in tupperware and bring them. at the end of the week i bring home whatever salad stuff is left and use it up over the weekend. that way my catholic guilt over wasting food is satisfied, and i am also encouraged to eat all the leafy greens i'm supposed to. any leftover sandwich things are guaranteed to get eaten by the family. :)
  • UponThisRock
    UponThisRock Posts: 4,522 Member
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    see my diary
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    Generally the leftovers from dinner the night before. I intentionally make extra so I have them for lunch(es).
  • neddoh
    neddoh Posts: 116 Member
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    Most of the time I'll cook chicken or fish ahead of time, chop it up and throw it in a salad or on top of some rice! If not that, I'll make an egg salad or a tuna wrap with some cut up veggies on the side (baby carrots are a great, quick side!).
    Hope this helps a bit :)
  • aash28
    aash28 Posts: 85 Member
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    For all-natural, quick and filling lunches, I make a large pot of this vegetable soup recipe on Sunday. It lasts me a week (about 2 cups per serving).

    Ingredients:
    * 1 1/2 cups cabbage, chopped
    * 2 large carrots, chopped
    * 1 large onion, chopped
    * 2 large celery stalks with leaves, chopped
    * 1 15-oz. can of crushed tomatoes
    * 1 14-oz. can fat-free chicken broth
    * 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
    * 1/4 teaspoon pepper
    * 1/2 tsp. garlic powder (optional)

    Directions: Heat stove on high. Combine all of the ingredients in a pot. Cook pot until soup boils. Turn the heat to low (or "Simmer" if you have it on your stove) and let the soup simmer (stirring occasionally) for one hour.

    I also have a probiotic (usually all-natural Greek yogurt) and a serving of baby carrots (3 oz. or about 7 baby carrots) and one baby cucumber (only 10 calories) with one tablespoon of low-cal. dressing.
  • cafel3
    cafel3 Posts: 89
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    I cook a big pot of bean stew on the weekends and use this for meals during the week. I bring 1 cup of soup and 1/2 cup of brown rice for lunch. I also pack an afternoon snack to avoid raiding the vending machine.
  • ymvestal
    ymvestal Posts: 84
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    On Sundays when I am doing laundry and watching football, I make chicken tenderloins on my George Foreman grill with Rosemary and Garlic Powder for the week; I weigh chicken in 4 oz. increments and put in snack sized baggies. Then, each night while I am making dinner for the kids and me, I cut up my veggies (usually cucmbers, celery or romaine lettuce) and either I cut an apple, peel an orange or peel a grapefruit. I put them in ziplock baggies and take to work with me everyday.

    On a side note, I leave early enough for work in the mornings that I usually eat breakfast at my desk...I usually put a Weight Watcher's cheese stick and a fruit in the lunch bag and every morning before I leave for work, I scramble 2 eggs and put them on a paper plate covered in foil and eat after I get to work.

    Works out well since I am already up making dinner to make my sides each night for the next days breakfast and lunch.
  • runnercheryl
    runnercheryl Posts: 1,314 Member
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    I have just been making a tuna panini in the office, but from next week I plan to buy pre-made sandwiches because I've discovered it works out cheaper than buying the tuna itself.

    I don't like ready meals due to all the additives and high levels of sodium many contain. To get to the ones that are healthier, I'd have to use half my weekly lunch budget in a day. Sandwiches are a much safer option.
  • nekosimba
    nekosimba Posts: 239 Member
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    My regular lunches consist of a Healthy Choice meal, low fat string cheese, low fat yogurt, and an apple.

    I occasionally will treat myself to Subway, but I usually stick to that. It's quick and easy for only a 1/2 hour lunch.
  • JillianP00
    JillianP00 Posts: 35
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    I always plan my meals otherwise you're stuck going out for fast food or snacking on junk at the office. I actually bring 2 small meals to eat. If I don't then I'm starving by the time I get home! I'll bring something lean cuisine and either soup, a sandwich or leftovers. I also keep healthy snacks in my drawer too =)
  • Elle408
    Elle408 Posts: 500 Member
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    I work long shifts so have little time to prepare food, I usually just throw some meat and salad in to a deli wrap, grab a yoghurt and a piece of fruit and then also carry a can of low cal soup as an 'emergency' lunch food in case I get really hungry so that I don't resort to one of the fast food places outside of my office. It's certainly not the healthiest or most nutritious but it works with my lifestyle!
  • Flashgdn
    Flashgdn Posts: 1
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    I'm vegan, so it's usually easier to bring my lunch to work than to find healthy options at fast food or sit down restaurants...not to mention cheaper! I like to keep hummus, veggies, Wasa crackers, fruit and almond butter at work. I will often bring the leftovers from my dinners to work the next day, since no one else at my house will eat them! LOL (they are all meat-eaters) These include beans, rice, quinoa, pasta and veggies, as well as homemade soups.
  • sisterlilbunny
    sisterlilbunny Posts: 691 Member
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    I'm lucky we have a convection oven here so I'll generally do up a tuna wrap or toast it with a little whipped cream cheese. Otherwise lately it's been salads or sandwiches from QT. I need to shop!

    If you have the time and people don't flip out, you can do up tilapia, lemon juice and feta cheese in the microwave for a tasty lunch too.

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