Lunch Options for Work

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  • jtcc91
    jtcc91 Posts: 88 Member
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    I pack my breakfast, lunch, and snacks to bring every day! Not only do I better and can track easier, I'm saving a ton of money (and calories!) by not eating out or hitting vending machines all the time. As someone else said, *planning is key*! I get all my stuff together the night before so I'm not struggling or rushing in the morning.

    That said, I don't really have easy access to a microwave at work, but I do have a small fridge and water bubbler with a hot water tap. I buy a half gallon of skim milk at the beginning of the week and keep it at work. I also have a "food drawer" under my desk where I keep a box of my Special K cereal, fruit cups, Lipton Cup-of-Soup packs, oatmeal packs, (along with a supply of spoons and paper cups, bowls, etc.) Everything else I bring is things like salads, sandwiches, salsa or hummus, cheese sticks, raw veggies to munch on, measured out crackers/chips, and other things that don't need to be heated.

    Plan ahead and you'll get in to a routine.. and you'll be glad you did!
  • jtcc91
    jtcc91 Posts: 88 Member
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    i usually do a wheat pasta with chicken or something along those lines. Easy to put in the microwave and tastes good reheated. Also leftovers are huge! Just make extra for dinners.

    Love your Red Sox pic! :drinker:
  • witheredorchid
    witheredorchid Posts: 164 Member
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    If I'm in a pinch for time I have a stash of diet frozen meals in the freezer or I'll just bring left overs from dinner. Usually I make my lunch the night before and I include things like these......

    Chicken or turkey sandwish on 35 Calorie Healthy Life bread
    Tuna
    Chicken or turkey wrap using Bueno Vida Low Carb or La Tortilla Factory wraps
    Some type of chocolately 100 calorie snack
    Sugar Free Puddings by Hunts
    Plain greek yogurt with 2 tsps of Jello - Sugar Free Cheescake pudding mix
    Fiber One 90 Calorie Brownies
    String Cheese
    Cottage Cheese Doubles - The ones with fruti to mix in
    Various fruits and veggies
    Premeasured trail mixes or nuts
  • 23Brandy
    23Brandy Posts: 20 Member
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    Sounds like your boss needs to get a mini fridge or a full sized one would be even better. I keep things in the freezer for bad weather when I don't want to leave or get too busy to leave the office. another idea is a small cooler that you could fit a container of salad and low cal dressing in. I keep one in my car for day trips and grocery trips. maybe you could walk to your car and get your lunch from the cooler if there is no room at your desk. Being prepared is key.
  • doornumber03
    doornumber03 Posts: 221 Member
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    i usually do a wheat pasta with chicken or something along those lines. Easy to put in the microwave and tastes good reheated. Also leftovers are huge! Just make extra for dinners.

    Love your Red Sox pic! :drinker:

    Thanks....that was spring training about 4 years ago. Pesky always comes out 1 hour before and signs things for everyone and actually sits and talks to you....Great guy. If your a sox fan, highly recommend going to spring training one year.
  • JeanniebeanL79
    JeanniebeanL79 Posts: 96 Member
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    Hi. I like to make baked panko chicken cutlets. you can eat them with vegetables or in a wrap or in a salad and they are filling. Or tuna or chicken in a can with a lil reduced fat miracle whip on whole wheat. Or just some leftovers from the nights before! Good luck! :-)
  • natacha305
    natacha305 Posts: 117 Member
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    Snacks = calories
    and they never fill you up. I was a snacker and i gave it up.

    just find the most filling low cal snacks

    1 FLAT OUT WRAP - 90 CALS
    1/2 CUP FAT FREE REFRIED BEANS - 130 CALS
    TOMATOES - 16 CALS
    2 TBSP FAT FREE SOUR CREAM - 30 CALS


    TOTAL: 266 (CAN SUBSTITUE SOUR CREAM FOR CHEESE) THE FLAT OUT WRAP IS SO LONG IF YOU WANT YOU CAN MAKE 2 SERVINGS UNDER 500 CALS

    ***TURKEY SANDWICHES WITH PROVOLONE CHEESE - I KNOW ITS BEEN DONE TO DEATH BUT IF YOU HAVE A GEORGE FOREMAN GRILL YOU CAN PUT THE SAMMICH ON THERE AND MAKE IT MELTY AND TOASTY AND YOU WONT EVEN NOTICE YOU DONT HAVE ANY MAYONNAISE ON IT. I MELT CHEESE ON BREAD WHEN I DONT USE MAYO

    hope this helped
  • kellyh2
    kellyh2 Posts: 64
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    This Sunday i made turkey chili in the slow cooker and brought it in for lunch. I store leftovers in lunch size portions so i can grab it on my way out the door. I'm also a big fan of string cheese and oranges for a snack.

    Ooo turkey chili sounds fab! Do you have a recipe? We just bought a slow cooker so I'm still trying to find good recipes to make in it :)

    Hey, I love Turkey Chilli, I use Turkey Mince, Chopped italian tinned tomatoes, garlic, chilli powder (amount dep on how hot you want it) tinned baked beans. This is so tasty and so low in calorie compared to normal chilli :-)
  • dillard_kelly
    dillard_kelly Posts: 19
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    You can never go wrong with a tuna sandwich... however, no mayo... try to use some mustard and I add in some pickles for an extra crunch. tangy but delicious !!! Slice some tomato or have a cup of fruit to go along... yummo
  • dillard_kelly
    dillard_kelly Posts: 19
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    mmmm the shake idea is perfect... sounds yummy:love:
  • oouurr__aayylleeyycan
    oouurr__aayylleeyycan Posts: 149
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    This Sunday i made turkey chili in the slow cooker and brought it in for lunch. I store leftovers in lunch size portions so i can grab it on my way out the door. I'm also a big fan of string cheese and oranges for a snack.

    Ooo turkey chili sounds fab! Do you have a recipe? We just bought a slow cooker so I'm still trying to find good recipes to make in it :)

    Hey, I love Turkey Chilli, I use Turkey Mince, Chopped italian tinned tomatoes, garlic, chilli powder (amount dep on how hot you want it) tinned baked beans. This is so tasty and so low in calorie compared to normal chilli :-)

    Thanks for this. Not sure where I buy turkey mine from haha but I'll definitely give this a go :) Cheers!
  • aimesuk
    aimesuk Posts: 51 Member
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    I'm trying to do low-carb at the moment. yesterday I had a smoked mackerel salad. Basically leaves, smoked mackerel (from a packet) and some sour cream as a dressing. Was delicious. Bonus that it can be packaged up easily too.
  • aimesuk
    aimesuk Posts: 51 Member
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    Don't know if you're in the UK, but if you are they sell turkey mince in Tesco.
  • inkleberry75
    inkleberry75 Posts: 11
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    Salad, i bought a container with a built in ice pack so the lettuce doesn't wither. I like buying slamon burgers and cooking them and breaking it up and putting it on baby spinache with fetta cheese....six grams of fat plus a balsamic dressing...Sometimes I will bring lean pockets.....canned soup........slim fast that i freeze by the time lunch rolls around it is defrosted......
  • tnorth82
    tnorth82 Posts: 186
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    Big salad pots - lettuce, cucumber, peppers, spring onions, cherry tomatoes - and top it with either turkey, chicken, lean ham or tuna.
  • MsBaby117
    MsBaby117 Posts: 201 Member
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    Make your own "Frozen Meals"...Go some place like Ikea or the dollar store and get some of the plastic divided plates with lids. Then bulk cook on the weekends and put your meals together and freeze them. Then you can just pull them out and heat and eat...
  • meltygarden
    meltygarden Posts: 111 Member
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    I bring leftovers from dinner, half sandwiches and salads or salads with some protein on them. For snacks I'll bring a couple pieces of fruit and/or a yogurt. Also I keep a jug of V8 juice in the work fridge at all times in case I need something extra.
  • LishieFruit89
    LishieFruit89 Posts: 1,956 Member
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    Lately I've been making a large salad:
    -2x the serving size of spinach or 1x serving of stop & shop garden salad mix & 1x serving of spinach (only thing I ever double a serving size of lol)
    -1/2oz sprouts
    -1/2 oz feta
    -1/2 serving of Seneca apple chips
    -1/2 serving of walnuts or 2 oz shrimp
    -1/2 serving of craisins
    -3oz or so tomato
    -20 grams broccoli
    -2 tbsp light dressing

    Not all of this is in every salad obviously but it's things that do go in my salad
  • TNDamisi
    TNDamisi Posts: 45 Member
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    What MsBaby117 said. I don't bulk cook on the weekends, but when I cook dinner the night before I portion out the rest for lunches, etc. Also a big fan of getting deli meat and making wraps -- I keep salad greens and cheese around for that purpose now, and they have low carb tortillas since that was a concern. The other thing I like to do is roast a 5lb chicken over the weekend (so easy, take chicken, rub with oil, salt, pepper, garlic and onion powders, then cook for about 2 hours until done for a basic recipe - you can always be fancier), take all the meat off, save the bones for stock, and then you have chicken for days to throw in whatever you've cooked. If you're single, that'll keep you in chicken through out the week.
  • curiousgp
    curiousgp Posts: 122 Member
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    Salads are my go to meal at work. At the beginning of the week I buy a big container of spinach or other greens (depending on what looks good at the market that week) I also buy a container of low fat cheese ( parm, mozarella (fresh) whatever - but I rotate it) and whatever other veggies/fruits look good that week. Therefore I usually end up eating roughly the same salad every day for a week - but the next week I have a different salad. This way I KNOW I'm getting a a good couple of veggies in every day. I snack on fruit, cottage cheese, nuts, fage yogurt and veggies. I don't do meats during the day. I only eat meat with my evening meal (mostly because my hubby insists on a meat meal). I don't keep sweets at work. There is no vending machine. So I'm usually pretty good for not being tempted.

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