Lunch Ideas

Carrot1971
Carrot1971 Posts: 272 Member
edited October 7 in Food and Nutrition
HELP!! I work M-F and typically go out for lunch. I have brought food to the office but found it helps my mental state more to get away from the office for an hour. My typical lunch is Subway. Today I am SO sick of Subway..ugh! What kind of fast foodish lunch can I get that is fairly healthy and still 300-400 but filling? I don't want to be starving by the time I have dinner. Any suggestions??

Replies

  • SonicaBE
    SonicaBE Posts: 151 Member
    hit up a salad bar..or if u have a mcdonalds- try the southwest grilled chicken sald with no glaze- yummy!
  • morgansmom02
    morgansmom02 Posts: 1,131 Member
    Wendys has salads as well as Burger King!
  • mhollywood1
    mhollywood1 Posts: 5
    Why not pack a lunch and eat it outside or even in your car? I do a lot of salads, fresh fruit, yogurt, string cheese, and sandwiches on the sandwich thins bread for lunch and you wouldn't have to heat any of that up. With an hour in nice weather you could get in a walk too.
  • morgansmom02
    morgansmom02 Posts: 1,131 Member
    Wendys has chili and baked potatoes too.
  • traciwe
    traciwe Posts: 78
    im in the same situation, im opting for zaxbys today.....5 traditional wings with celery sticks...if you do not dip them in ranch or blue cheese, you save 200 calories and its comes to be around 340 calories
  • mhollywood1
    mhollywood1 Posts: 5
    Be careful with fast food salads... many of them are around 700 calories.
  • icandoallthingsthrujesus
    icandoallthingsthrujesus Posts: 9
    i agree with mhollywood1 ;) pack a healthy lunch!
  • icandoallthingsthrujesus
    icandoallthingsthrujesus Posts: 9
    u can bring your lunch outside and in a resturant, fast food places ussually dont mind ;)
  • mary_kate23
    mary_kate23 Posts: 156
    chick-fil-a, i got chargrilled chicken sandwich yesterday (290 cals) and get a fruit cup instead of fries. that sandwich filled me UP! and a diet coke or diet lemonade! they have other options for french fry replacements, like little salads or soups. i do not know the calorie content on those however.
  • MsRoxyPepper
    MsRoxyPepper Posts: 109 Member
    a bowl / salad from chipotle wihout sourcream/guac is good. everything there is fresh. Healthymex grilled chicken tacos at rubios are 130cals each."street" or mini tacos from any taqueria would be about the same.
  • MsRoxyPepper
    MsRoxyPepper Posts: 109 Member
    sometimes I eat at my desk but than use my lunch break to take a walk. good win/win
  • lesha_cole
    lesha_cole Posts: 37
    HELP!! I work M-F and typically go out for lunch. I have brought food to the office but found it helps my mental state more to get away from the office for an hour. My typical lunch is Subway. Today I am SO sick of Subway..ugh! What kind of fast foodish lunch can I get that is fairly healthy and still 300-400 but filling? I don't want to be starving by the time I have dinner. Any suggestions??

    I'm the same way. Something that I've found that has helped me a lot is looking on the websites and figuring out what I'm going to get before I get there. McDonald's has a fantastic tool where you can build your meal and you can see all your macros [calories, fat, protein, etc.] It's helped me eat a lot healthier there, or as healthy as you can for fast food.
  • sjv1966
    sjv1966 Posts: 121 Member
    Most (maybe all?) fast food places have the nutrition facts for their menu items online. Spend some time going to the websites of fast food places near you and seeing what they have that fits in your calories. I have Cosi next to me and their large chicken sausage with rice soup is 312 calories. And that is for a 15 oz portion which I find very filling! The key of course is to ask them to give you baby carrots on the side instead of bread since the bread they give you is 235 calories all by itself. But I would start with doing some research to help you come up with options.
  • dkueter94
    dkueter94 Posts: 89
    I have been trying to eat a Greek Yogurt as a morning snack so I eat less for lunch so this fill me up:

    -half a sandwich (wheat or whole grain bread) with whatever deli meat you like (no mayo)
    -apple
    -sometimes string cheese or baked chips (but only 1 serving size or less)
    -small desert like small fun size peanut butter cup or small dove chocolate (yep, I gotta have my chocolate fix!)

    OR
    a small amount of whatever I had for for supper the night before and an apple
  • MrDude_1
    MrDude_1 Posts: 2,510 Member
    wendys ultimate grilled chicken sandwich combo with chili instead of fries and a diet drink --- 600 cal.

    what you need to do is search for each specific place you might go to until you work out a "personal menu" of what works for you..

    but PLEASE look up each thing first carefully...

    salad does not mean healthy
    chicken does not mean healthy
    and none of them should imply low calorie to you..

    only by looking at what they have in each thing, can you tell.. and be careful, they're crafty sometimes.. showing things without cheese and mayo, etc....
  • CocoaBeautiful78
    CocoaBeautiful78 Posts: 74
    My new things right now are Progresso Chicken Noodle soup (the light one) with 5 unsalted top saltines or a sandwich.
    I also like a piece of Orowheat wheat bread, 6 slices of Oscar Mayer smoked turkey breast with some mustard, 3 sweet pickles, a 100 calorie pack of Pringles, and some cucumber and tomato on the side,
  • mommypennylane
    mommypennylane Posts: 67 Member
    Why not pack a lunch and eat it outside or even in your car? I do a lot of salads, fresh fruit, yogurt, string cheese, and sandwiches on the sandwich thins bread for lunch and you wouldn't have to heat any of that up. With an hour in nice weather you could get in a walk too.


    GREAT idea. Better on the wallet to bring a lunch too.
  • angraham2
    angraham2 Posts: 128
    Taco bell, 2 chicken soft taco's is 400 calories. Also PF Changs, salt and pepper shrimp, or orange peel shrimp is 190 calores a plate, and it is totally filling, or their soups ring in at about 80 calories a cup.
  • mommypennylane
    mommypennylane Posts: 67 Member
    Panera bread is good and their website lets you adjust the food to see the nutritional changes. I love their salmon sandwich but the way it comes was crazy on calories, by changing the bread and sauce and taking the bacon out I was able to get it and a cup of soup down to 400 calories. Soup, sandwich and a water is a yummy healthy filling lunch. Plus they have a big variety of soups, sandwiches and salads. Good luck!!!
  • MrsAbbott18
    MrsAbbott18 Posts: 12
    Be very careful with fast food Salads. I had a HALF* BLT Cobb Salad from Wendy's a couple of days ago with 1 packet of dressing...

    It was only 330 calories BUT 23g of fat.... My total Fat intake for 1 day is only 40g... needless to say I went over that day
  • ltlemermaid
    ltlemermaid Posts: 637 Member
    If you don't bring a lunch from home here are my suggestions: Look up calorie/nutrition values of places before going to them-that really helps

    Chipotle--burrito bowl--I like the steak or chicken, brown rice, pico de galo, black beans, sour cream and guacamole on the side

    Panara Bread--Have great 2 for deals on their menu and list the calories right on it as well. My fav is the thai chicken salad 1/2 with chicken noodle soup. Or if I'm eating more calories then brocoli cheddar soup with 1/2 turkey artichoke panini.

    Wendy's-Large chilli minus the crackers and cheese---very yummy
  • Sweet_Potato
    Sweet_Potato Posts: 1,119 Member
    Why not pack a lunch and eat it outside or even in your car? I do a lot of salads, fresh fruit, yogurt, string cheese, and sandwiches on the sandwich thins bread for lunch and you wouldn't have to heat any of that up. With an hour in nice weather you could get in a walk too.


    GREAT idea. Better on the wallet to bring a lunch too.

    I was going to suggest eating a packed lunch at your desk and going for a walk afterward. Or, if you need to feel like you're accomplishing something, maybe there are small errands you can do during your walk. If there's a grocery store nearby you could pick up ingredients to make a healthy dinner (shopping every day generally leads to better meals and less food waste anyway).
  • jtcc91
    jtcc91 Posts: 88 Member
    I pack my breakfast, lunch, and snacks and bring them to work with me every day. Lately it's been oatmeal with fresh mixed berries for breakfast. A Dole fruit cup for a snack. I keep the little packets of Lipton Cup-O-Soup (Spring Vegetable and Chicken Noodle) in my desk drawer.. only 50 calories! They are good for a snack or for lunch. If I have one for lunch, I add about 5 Saltine crackers, a Sorrento Colby Jack cheese stick, and some raw carrots/celery/cauliflower. Afternoon snack is a yogurt or 1/4c pistachios or cashew.. I can eat at my desk when I feel like it and then I use my lunch hour to go out and walk Plus, I like the fact that I am not spending money on food everyday and I know exactly what my intake is. :)
  • momma_roo
    momma_roo Posts: 146 Member
    We have a salad bar at the local grocery store. Make sure just to get fresh veggies and go very light on the salad dressing.
  • lola374
    lola374 Posts: 12 Member
    If I have to run out for lunch, I try to stop by Chick-fil-a and eat a Southwest Chargrilled Salad and fat free Honey Mustard dressing (whole packet). These items are 360 calories combined. (Please note: I skip the sunflower seeds and tortilla chips).

    The salad with a Coke zero is a pretty good lunch.

    I still think the best lunch is the one I bring from home: frozen entrees or soups to heat up in the microwave, sandwiches, or salads.

    Enjoy!
  • hope516
    hope516 Posts: 1,133 Member
    Panda Express: an entree of beef brocoli is 120 so if you go for the 2 entree plate with veggies it is 310

    Chikfila: chargrilled chicken sandwhich, with croutons, and seasame seeds plus light italian is 345

    Mcdonalds: grilled chicken club sandwhich without * bun kids size fries is 360
  • goldenm
    goldenm Posts: 11 Member
    you can try Chipotle if there is one nearby, if you get a salad instead of the burrito and no chips, the carnitas salad can be around 300 cal
  • Carrot1971
    Carrot1971 Posts: 272 Member
    Thanks!! All of these are fantastic suggestions. In warm weather I will typically go to a beautful Shrine we have close by and walk around there for 30 minutes or so and grab lunch on my way back. But its so cold and snowy here (Ohio) that the thought of even going out filled me with dread. I think I am going to try to start packing my lunch and then using my lunch break to walk around our plant. I just need the break away from my desk for a little bit!!

    BTW - I ended up getting Wendy's Ultimate Grilled Chicken with no mayo today if anyone cares..hahah.
  • MrDude_1
    MrDude_1 Posts: 2,510 Member
    Thanks!! All of these are fantastic suggestions. In warm weather I will typically go to a beautful Shrine we have close by and walk around there for 30 minutes or so and grab lunch on my way back. But its so cold and snowy here (Ohio) that the thought of even going out filled me with dread. I think I am going to try to start packing my lunch and then using my lunch break to walk around our plant. I just need the break away from my desk for a little bit!!

    BTW - I ended up getting Wendy's Ultimate Grilled Chicken with no mayo today if anyone cares..hahah.

    i had the same thing. lol.
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