lunch suggestions

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dbrightwell1270
dbrightwell1270 Posts: 1,732 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi all,

I am fairly new to MFP and love the site. I noticed that the lunch meat I was using for sandwiches has more sodium per sandwich than I should have in a day so I switched to some microwavable chicken dishes. The new lunches don't have near as much sodium as the lunch meat but still put me over what MFP recommends for daily consumption. Does anyone have recommendations for a lunch that is about 400-600 calories, filling, and can be prepared quickly and easily. I get 30 minutes for lunch and have access to a microwave.

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  • jcpmoore
    jcpmoore Posts: 796 Member
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    My most common lunch is leftovers from dinner last night. I intentionally cook extra on dinners for this reason. Barring that, here are my favorites:

    grilled chicken salad-carry the chicken in a separate container if you like to warm it before you add it to your salad. Because you grill it, you know how much sodium it has.
    Home made soups
    If you really like sandwiches, try a grilled chicken breast sandwich. With an actual grilled chicken breast.

    Your best bet is to replace your processed meat with something less processed. The easiest thing might be using a meat that you cooked yourself, such as baked or grilled chicken breast.

    HTH
  • bells4her
    bells4her Posts: 31
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    I like to find a nice recipe that will make 5-6 servings and cook it on Sunday so I have something to eat that's healthy and quick every day for lunch. A hearty soup is always good and filling and you can adjust ingredients to make it low cal, low fat, low sodium, whatever you want if you make it homemade. The suggestion above about making enough dinner for leftovers is good too!
  • reepobob
    reepobob Posts: 1,172 Member
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    My typical lunch (that I pack) is

    Rotiserrie chicken (I buy a whole one at the grocery store and divide it into 3-4 6oz. servings...no skin)
    baby carrots
    low fat cheese sticks
    brown rice (reheat from a larger batch made previously)
    Chobani Yogurt
    Low sodium V-8
    Tea/water

    It's awesome...fills me up and I am good until I work out that afternoon.
  • danascot
    danascot Posts: 100 Member
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    Here's some things I take for lunch:
    -hummus and pita bread, baby carrots with dip, piece of fruit

    -boar's head brand lunch meat (not sure where you live but this is great as far as deli meats are concerend and they have low sodium option) on a thomas sandwich thin with a piece of cheese, veggie and or fruit

    -baked potato, broccoli, a bit of shredded cheese

    -cottage cheese with fruit, tomato, etc.

    - half a peanut butter sandwich

    Hope this helps! Happy eating!
  • auroranflash
    auroranflash Posts: 3,569 Member
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    I bought a big pack of chicken drumsticks on sale at the grocery store the other night (8 drumsticks for $4 or 5 bucks) ...roasted them in the oven, ate some that night with the BF, then took the rest and stripped the meat off the bone and disposed of most of the skin, threw it in a homemade salad with torn up romaine lettuce, mushrooms, bell peppers, red onion, tomato, and cucumber, and crumbled up Queso Fresco (cacique brand, about 80 cals per serving). It was super yummy and very filling.
  • AReasor
    AReasor Posts: 355 Member
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    I like to make chicken fajitas with peppers and onions ahead of time. I put the filling on the tortilla with a sprinkle of pepper jack and microwave. Its a really delicious alternative to sandwiches and gives me a nice pick me up in the middle of the day.

    Hope this helps.
  • emmyvera
    emmyvera Posts: 599 Member
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    I like to make up a tuna salad with olive oil, tomatoes, green onion, s&p and put that into a pita pocket.
    Today I'm using a little roasted turkey and pairing it with avocado in a pita pocket. I find the roast turkey has a lower amount of sodium. I also like to make stews, chili's and soups and take them t work. And leftovers. I'm big on that. You can also do salads. :happy:
  • Laurayinz
    Laurayinz Posts: 918 Member
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    You could modify your sandwich to have less meat & cheese (assuming you don't try the lower sodium varieties), and more LTO and other things to bulk it up. Also have a salad or fruit or yogurt with it, instead of the sandwich being the big thing.
  • hawkeygal
    hawkeygal Posts: 133 Member
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    I'm with everyone else.

    I usually make 2-3 big meals (I'm single) and tote them with me/freeze the left overs. I'm trying to eat more clean, and to be honest, lunch meat and processed meals aren't in the cards. Plus, I've found that it's a lot cheaper to eat this way too.

    One thing I do crave a lot of is carbs. I'm sure this can be curbed by adding a few little pretzels to the mix too.

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