Packed Lunches

musicaljessica
musicaljessica Posts: 105
edited November 2 in Food and Nutrition
I am a University Student. I leave my house at 5:40am every morning, and don't get home until about 6pm some days.

I normally get breakfast on the go and then take a sandwich for lunch. Then Ill snack on crisps, fruit, sweets through the day.

I'm at the start of my weight loss journey so can see that's not the way to do things.

I just need some help. I need breakfast/lunch/snack ideas I can prepare the night before that aren't expensive but are yummy and will fit into my lunch bag.

And just so you know I hate sandwiches now. They're boring. And I'm sick to death of ham and chicken salads.

Please help!!

Jess x x x

Replies

  • Sianarella
    Sianarella Posts: 79
    The fruit bars from Nakd are great for on the go or for snacks. I order boxes of 21 mixed flavours on the website and have a packet in my handbag/desk all the time. The ‘Chocolate Mint’ bars are really nice.

    I normally do a mini turkey salad in a tub, sometimes have a salad wrap or take a pot of tofu with me for my packed lunch. You can get bags of pita chips now, but so far only in huge bags - I put some in a little tub if I fancy crisps. Also a handful of olives or nuts in a tub can be good for a light snack.
    If you get a set of tubs you ca pretty much make up salads the night before and grab them when you leave, and it’s good for portion control.
  • musicaljessica
    musicaljessica Posts: 105
    I like the idea of wraps, never tried tofu though.
  • Sianarella
    Sianarella Posts: 79
    Oh you could have pita bread too, pack a little dip, celery and corrot sticks.
    I thought I would hate tofu, but I bought a pre made one and its nice.
  • gipperakh
    gipperakh Posts: 102 Member
    I like to buy the bigger tubs of light & fit vanilla yogurt and buy some fresh blackberries, I'll put them together in a small plastic container for breakfast some days. It's really yummy!
  • ghettosmurf999
    ghettosmurf999 Posts: 33 Member
    when you're cooking tea, make enough for lunch the following day?

    Something as simple as quinoa/rice with some peppers and tomatoes mixed in can be filling enough for a good lunch.

    I 'always' have a bag of tesco's unsalted mixed nuts and raisins on me, at work, at home so if i feel peckish, i go for those rather than the biscuits. and they're only about 90p.
  • skaliya
    skaliya Posts: 3
    You can try wraps for lunch. You can use any wrap with canned black beans, salsa, cheese. If you want some kick add few sliced jalapenos to it. It works great for me.
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
    Google "bento box" for some fantastic suggestions for lunch boxes!
  • I_get_fit
    I_get_fit Posts: 145 Member
    tuna salad and crackers
    wraps (hummus, turkey, and veggies... or whatever you like)
    grain salads - like this http://pinterest.com/pin/2885187230890550/
    leftovers
    pita bread with hummus and veggies
    quiche like this : http://pinterest.com/pin/186617978278768352/

    http://pinterest.com/search/?q=lunch+ideas
  • losingtwenty4miami
    losingtwenty4miami Posts: 15
    Try some lean cuisine meals with a home-made side salad. It works for me!
  • marycmeadows
    marycmeadows Posts: 1,691 Member
    take high protein stuff to get you through the day....
    veggies or pita chips & hummus
    greek yogurt
    nuts
    fruit is also great - clementines, tangerines, apples, banana
    protein bars


    Good luck!! :)
  • kahlee2000
    kahlee2000 Posts: 77
    This is where I put all my recipes, and the majority are done in the crock-pot once or twice a week. Then I pre-pack them in single serving ziplock containers (usually the ones with the screw on lids are the perfect size for single servings.) Then I just have to throw them in the lunch bag and go in the morning.

    http://www.overcomingtheweight.net/
  • _SusieQ_
    _SusieQ_ Posts: 2,964 Member
    Find a good soup recipe you like and make a batch on Sunday. Freeze individual servings. That way you can throw one in your lunch box in the morning, not have to worry about keeping refrigerated and it should be just about thawed enough by lunchtime. I do this almost every day.

    Good freezable soups:
    Lentil and Chicken from skinnytaste.com
    Chili - I make "regular" chili with ground turkey or lean beef and I also make chicken chili
    Tortilla soup
    Broccoli cheese
  • charm9
    charm9 Posts: 56 Member
    Wraps are a great alternative to sandwiches and I find less cals too. Bring fruit with you to snack on. Perhaps porridge first thing in the morning before you leave, that will keep you going for longer. Carry a bottle of water with you so you can sip that throughout the day to keep you hydrated and help hunger pangs. Snack a jacks are quite good or any other type of rice cake, flavoured ones could be a good alternative to crisps. Maybe a cereal bar too.

    I used to be a student and would be out all day, I found having healthy snacks in my bag meant I was less likely to hit the vending machine or uni shop :)
  • kellz330
    kellz330 Posts: 19 Member
    When I'm in a super hurry I just grab a can a soup and heat it in the microwave at work (Progresso Light Chicken Vegetable Rotini is my current fave) You would be surprised how full you feel after a whole can of soup for only 160 cals. Plus a little ziplock bag of carrots and green peppers to munch on and Im good. (I'm habitually late in the mornings and Im not good at preparing the night before so this is my healthy go to when I have -5 mins left in the morning)
  • Sweet_Potato
    Sweet_Potato Posts: 1,119 Member
    When I was in college I had a schedule similar to yours. I'd be in classes from 8am straight through 8pm, and I didn't like eating in class, so my solution was to eat a bagel with cream cheese in the morning becuase it was filling enough to last me the entire 12 hours. Not the healthiest plan but I couldn't really prepare meals in a dorm room (I'm assuming you're not in a dorm since you didn't mention it). Do you cook dinner most nights? Just pack up the leftovers and bring them with you.
  • tiedye
    tiedye Posts: 331 Member
    When I was in college I snacked all day. I bought a set of little containers and would bring a serving size of a lot of different things:

    Homemade trail mix with nuts and dried fruit and seeds
    Whole fruit
    Chunky vegetable salad with cucumber, grape tomato, carrot, and red pepper in a vinegar dressing (bring a fork)
    Crackers and PB
    Turkey meatballs (trader joe's makes great frozen fully cooked ones that you microwave to heat)
    Yogurt

    I had a good insulated lunchbox and one of those frozen things to keep my food cold. I also brought leftovers from the night before.
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,549 Member
    Here's what I would do - get a freezer pack to keep things cool - pack turkey, veggies like lettuce, tomato, onion, and a tortilla or foldit or pita pocket for lunch. I have a protein bar for breakfast during the week (Think Thin are all natural-no sugar). Include snacks such as a hard boiled egg, pretzels, apple, banana, almonds, baby carrots, yogurt, etc.
  • monaghme
    monaghme Posts: 25 Member
    I second the idea of making a big batch of soup at the weekend. That way you always have something to turn to when you're hungry...I took it twice for lunch this week. If you don't like to cook, try stocking up on some Progresso Light soups or buy some tuna in cans that you can open by hand. I also keep Lean Cuisines or Smart Ones in my freezer for days when I don't have time to make lunch. If you have access to hot water, packets of oatmeal can be eaten for a snack...not just for breakfast. I'm trying to incorporate fruits and veggies so last night I half filled sandwich bags with fresh raw broccoli and carrots along with light veggie dip that I bought at the store pre-packaged into 1.5 oz containers (about 125 calories for a pretty big snack).

    If you have a Trader Joes near you they have some good snacks at a decent price. Their olive oil popcorn is good for movie night. Their Brownie Oat Bars are delicous and only 120 calories and have lots of fiber.

    Summary:

    veggies and low fat dip
    some type of fiber bar
    fruit or a smoothie
    oatmeal
    reduced fat cheese sticks
    apple w/ a slice of cheese
    chobani yogurt (I eat both the 0% fat ones: strawberry and 2% ones pineapple, mango, strawberry banana, etc.)

    I also like to make extra at dinner time and wrap the leftovers for lunch the next day.
  • Michele7091
    Michele7091 Posts: 256 Member
    If you like oatmeal, try Overnight Oats...I just had these this morning and they are GOOD and FILLING! My recipe is 1/2 c. oats, 1 tsp. cocoa powder, 1 Tbsp of PB2, 1/2 c. unsweetened almond milk, and 1 Tbsp of honey. You mix it all together the night before and stick in the fridge. Pull it out the next morning about 10-15 minutes before you want to eat it so its not so cold. It is SO good and the above is only 253 calories.

    I've also seen someone post about making little omlets in muffin tins, baking them, and freezing them. Then you pop them out in the morning and stick them in the microwave and you have an instant breakfast!

    I wish I had ideas for lunch but I always bring leftovers the next day from my dinner the night before.
    The soup suggestion is a good one though. Make a big batch and freeze into individual containers.
  • amonkey794
    amonkey794 Posts: 651 Member
    Veggie hummus wrap! :)
  • zbmb30
    zbmb30 Posts: 177 Member
    Bump
  • thepetiterunner
    thepetiterunner Posts: 1,238 Member
    Here's what I usually bring to snack on all day:

    - Cheese sticks (low fat, skim milk mozarella)
    - Cut up veggies (celery, carrots, cucumbers, bell peppers, etc)
    - Fruit (apples, pears, bananas, berries, oranges, grapefruit, etc)
    - Nuts (walnuts, almonds or trail mix)
    - Dry cereal (bran flakes, cheerios, etc)
    - Yogurt (if you can stand eating it slightly warm or if you can keep it cool enough)
    - Multigran crackers
    - Protein powder for a shake (you can just put the powder in an empty bottle and fill with water when you're ready to consume)
    - Granola bars/power bars (I only bring these as a last resort, I like real food before bars, generally)

    Good luck!

    Cheers,
    Cathy
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