Lunch Ideas

LuAnnBreadPann
LuAnnBreadPann Posts: 30
edited November 10 in Food and Nutrition
Hi Everybody :)

I'd like some ideas for lunch! I get an hours lunch break and by the time I get home and need to travel back I get aprpox 40 minutes. I would like quick and easy, healthy options for lunches. It really has to be as inexpensive as possible too. I guess I could also preapre it the night before.

I have generally been having salads, soups or wraps with tuna, but really want something a little more exciting now and again!

Anybody have any ideas?

Thanks
Lucy
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Replies

  • therealangd
    therealangd Posts: 1,861 Member
    Other than what you've already mentioned, I make a big batch of chili, rice and beans or stew and freeze it single serve containers. Take one out in the morning and it's ready to put in the microwave by lunch time
  • LuAnnBreadPann
    LuAnnBreadPann Posts: 30
    Other than what you've already mentioned, I make a big batch of chili, rice and beans or stew and freeze it single serve containers. Take one out in the morning and it's ready to put in the microwave by lunch time

    That sounds great (except I don't use a microwave but I could heat it in the oven) but when you have such a big lunch what would you then have for dinner?
  • Emily_Katherine
    Emily_Katherine Posts: 150
    Tuna Melts and Scrambled Eggs are ~10 mins to make... add some salad or chop some veggies in with the eggs and you're good to go.
  • LuAnnBreadPann
    LuAnnBreadPann Posts: 30
    Tuna Melts and Scrambled Eggs are ~10 mins to make... add some salad or chop some veggies in with the eggs and you're good to go.

    I like that idea of scrambled eggs- hadn't thought about that! Whats a tuna melt? I've been making tuna wraps heating them and eating them hot....
  • grimmaster1983
    grimmaster1983 Posts: 89
    use one of your wraps as a pizza base, use either onion chutney or tomatoe puree and some low fat cheese, grills in like 3 minutes.. yummy :D x
  • LuAnnBreadPann
    LuAnnBreadPann Posts: 30
    use one of your wraps as a pizza base, use either onion chutney or tomatoe puree and some low fat cheese, grills in like 3 minutes.. yummy :D x

    Thats a great idea I hadn't thought of that and it sounds YUMMY!!! Whats the heathiest cheese option?
  • ams2264
    ams2264 Posts: 6
    I don't know what's nearby, but I have discovered grilled chicken nuggets at Chickfila and I'm in LOVE! I order the 12 piece combo with a coke zero and one of their soups or a fruit bowl in place of the fries. Yum. A very filling lunch for under 500 calaories.
  • kme2011
    kme2011 Posts: 100 Member
    i make a pasta salad a good bit. Its noodles (whichever you prefer), a can of tuna, onion, Morton's Nature seasoning (or whatever flavoring you like) and a little mayo. amazing hot and great when cold. If you were gonna eat it cold i would wait til it cools before you put in the mayo. its Delicious and only takes a few mins for the noodles to cook. :) And my husband and kids LOVE it!
  • grimmaster1983
    grimmaster1983 Posts: 89
    use one of your wraps as a pizza base, use either onion chutney or tomatoe puree and some low fat cheese, grills in like 3 minutes.. yummy :D x

    Thats a great idea I hadn't thought of that and it sounds YUMMY!!! Whats the heathiest cheese option?

    we use a standard low fat cheddar, 15g goes a long way when grated, but there is lots of better types extra low philadalphia, light laughing cows, even extra low cheese slices at only 40 calories each :D
    with a few cherry tomatoes or pepper its a great lunch, i make them at least once a week for us :D x
  • marquesajen
    marquesajen Posts: 641
    A big batch of chili can be portioned out and frozen, same with homemade bean soups. Sandwiches can be great as long as you have some variety, for example: hummus and veggies on whole grain, peanut butter apple and banana on whole grain, BLT (you can use turkey or soy bacon if you like), or any combination in a wrap. Homemade burritos are awesome, they make me feel like I'm eating out which is fun. Then there's oatmeal with fruit and so forth, yogurts, curry, etc...
  • meg7399
    meg7399 Posts: 672 Member
    Other than what you've already mentioned, I make a big batch of chili, rice and beans or stew and freeze it single serve containers. Take one out in the morning and it's ready to put in the microwave by lunch time

    That sounds great (except I don't use a microwave but I could heat it in the oven) but when you have such a big lunch what would you then have for dinner?
    All of those are pretty low calorie...how few calories are you wanting to eat? I usually make a large dinner, grilled chicken, whole wheat pasta, something like that and eat left overs for lunch the next day.
  • 11Jayme11
    11Jayme11 Posts: 194 Member
    Ground italian seasoned turkey, tomatos, onions, green peppers wrapped in large lettuce leafs. Salsa for sauce if you need one... Sometimes when im in a bind.. i get the new Lean Cusine steam fresh meals in a bag.. under 300 cals, and lower in sodium ones. I like having buffalo turkey shaved deli meat on either Thomas bagel thins, or Light wheat bread...
  • Sweet_Potato
    Sweet_Potato Posts: 1,119 Member
    How about a poached egg over sauteed greens? I'd make that all the time if I went home for lunch.
  • 11Jayme11
    11Jayme11 Posts: 194 Member
    I usually have a bigger breakfast, small lunch, and good dinner!
  • julie864
    julie864 Posts: 3
    I need quick and easy dinner meals
  • okerachel
    okerachel Posts: 45 Member
    I love to make spicy chicken wraps! Grab some cubed chicken breast (you can precook it to make it faster) and roll it up in a lettuce leaf with some tomato, ranch and hot sauce. Its like a buffalo chicken wrap without the wrap! Plus some celery and peanut butter which is my daily staple.

    I love vegetable soups. Anything thats gone a bit wilty from lingering in my produce drawer gets cubed and boiled with veggie broth then blended smooth. Throw in some curry, pepper, ginger and a little paprika and its good hot or cold.
  • LuAnnBreadPann
    LuAnnBreadPann Posts: 30
    Other than what you've already mentioned, I make a big batch of chili, rice and beans or stew and freeze it single serve containers. Take one out in the morning and it's ready to put in the microwave by lunch time

    That sounds great (except I don't use a microwave but I could heat it in the oven) but when you have such a big lunch what would you then have for dinner?
    All of those are pretty low calorie...how few calories are you wanting to eat? I usually make a large dinner, grilled chicken, whole wheat pasta, something like that and eat left overs for lunch the next day.

    I'm working on 1200 cals a day. Using approx 200 for breakfast and about 200 on "snacks" which leaves 400 for lunch and 400 for dinner. Would the chilli be around that?
  • ashleynicol3
    ashleynicol3 Posts: 187 Member
    I had a container of Sabra Roasted Red Pepper Hummus With Pretzel Crisps & strawberries for lunch yesterday & it was yummy & filling! I'd never really had hummus before & I was pleasantly surprised. I've also made a vegetable pizza for lunch & cut it into small pieces to take for lunch. Other than that, I'll have a sandwich & a banana.. or pepperoni, a cheese stick & pretzels. I try to bring stuff that is ready to eat because there is always a long line at the microwaves & I don't always have time to wait. I only get a 30 minute lunch break, so sometimes by the time I make it to the cafeteria & heat up my lunch, I don't have time to actually eat it, other than at my desk.

    I had also seen someone on here mention a sandwich with cream cheese, avocado & turkey which sounds amazing, so I am going to try that next week. :)
  • LuAnnBreadPann
    LuAnnBreadPann Posts: 30
    I usually have a bigger breakfast, small lunch, and good dinner!

    I start work at 8am and can't eat before then so I have cereal in the office which is just enough, i'm not a big morning eater.

    I tend to have a bigger lunch and smaller dinner if my partner isn't home for dinner or a smaller lunch and bigger dinner if he is. But I try not to eat carbs at dinner- I find they sit in my stomach and I can feel umcomfotable in the evening.

    Does it matter which meal you are eating as the biggest?
  • simplyeater
    simplyeater Posts: 270 Member
    Whole wheat quesadillas with lots of veggies and beans. Chop veggies ahead and always keep a container in the fridge. Little bit of cheese and some salsa and you are set!
  • ashleynicol3
    ashleynicol3 Posts: 187 Member
    Also, I like to make a salad w. spinach, feta, dried cranberries, almonds & lite raspberry walnut vinaigrette. Yum!
  • LuAnnBreadPann
    LuAnnBreadPann Posts: 30
    I love to make spicy chicken wraps! Grab some cubed chicken breast (you can precook it to make it faster) and roll it up in a lettuce leaf with some tomato, ranch and hot sauce. Its like a buffalo chicken wrap without the wrap! Plus some celery and peanut butter which is my daily staple.

    I love vegetable soups. Anything thats gone a bit wilty from lingering in my produce drawer gets cubed and boiled with veggie broth then blended smooth. Throw in some curry, pepper, ginger and a little paprika and its good hot or cold.

    I LOVE the idea of using lettuce as a wrap!!! I love wraps but even low calorie ones can be quite a bit dent in your daily calories!! THANK YOU!
  • LuAnnBreadPann
    LuAnnBreadPann Posts: 30
    Thank you ALL for such great ideas! I'm actually excited to try them out next!! :-)
  • ashleynicol3
    ashleynicol3 Posts: 187 Member
    I usually have a bigger breakfast, small lunch, and good dinner!

    I find myself eating a small breakfast and lunch so I can hoarde my calories for a good dinner & a little something sweet afterwards. I don't know if that's good or not, but dinnertime & after is when I'm most likely to want to snack if I don't eat something that I really feel fulfilled with. Especially if I just finished a workout because then I'm always super hungry!
  • anybeary
    anybeary Posts: 188 Member
    I buy a bunch of fresh veggies: mushrooms, peppers, zucchini, onion, and a pineapple every week. I chop them all up into chunks and keep them in containers in the fridge, then just buy wooden skewers and make kabobs. No need, really, to marinate or use any sauces (a dash of Bragg's liquid amino is good). The kabobs only take a minute or two to put together since your veggies are pre-chopped. You can also add a few chunks of chicken or some shrimp and sprinkle them all with cayenne pepper. Use bread pans to suspend the kabobs (laying the kabobs inside the bread pans so that the skewers keep the veggies from touching the bottom), then roast them in the oven for about 15 minutes.
  • RNmomto4
    RNmomto4 Posts: 143
    I do sweet potatoes a lot! A sweet potato with homemade veggie soup or a sweet potato with a lettuce salad.

    If you dont use a microwave, just cook a few at a time, and the next day you could pop it in the oven for a bit.
  • FITnFIRM4LIFE
    FITnFIRM4LIFE Posts: 818 Member
    How about a poached egg over sauteed greens? I'd make that all the time if I went home for lunch.

    Yum This...I love poached eggs on everything fish, turkey burgers. salad.mmmmm
  • Emily_Katherine
    Emily_Katherine Posts: 150
    I like that idea of scrambled eggs- hadn't thought about that! Whats a tuna melt? I've been making tuna wraps heating them and eating them hot....

    Bread (my fave is half a piece of naan bread, but small pitas, flat buns and toast are good) + Tuna mixed with a bit of mayo or salad dressing + cheese, then you stick it under the broiler until the cheese is bubbly. Kind of like a tuna pizza.
  • therealangd
    therealangd Posts: 1,861 Member
    Other than what you've already mentioned, I make a big batch of chili, rice and beans or stew and freeze it single serve containers. Take one out in the morning and it's ready to put in the microwave by lunch time

    That sounds great (except I don't use a microwave but I could heat it in the oven) but when you have such a big lunch what would you then have for dinner?

    It's not really a big lunch per se. 300 ish calories for 1.5 cups.

    My dinners are normally 4 oz protein (chicken, fish, beef, pork) 1/2 cup starch (potato, rice, pasta) and 2 cups of veggies.
  • Brandilynnrose
    Brandilynnrose Posts: 121
    Lately I have been eating a wheat pita with a few tablespoons of hummus, lean turkey, lettuce, tomato, red onion, cucumber, and a tablespoon of feta cheese stuffed in it. I paid about $15 for all the ingredients and it will last me a week. Yummy.

    I also like Morningstar Farms Grillers veggie burgers. You can microwave them (although I pan "fry" them with a spritz of olive oil). Then I eat them on a whole wheat bun with fat free cheese, a slice of avocado, tomato, red onion, and lettuce. I will eat a side salad or veggie sticks on the side.

    I also will make large dinners so I can have leftovers. Veggie soup, eggplant lasagna (made without the noodles and with fat free ricotta and light mozarella), and roasted vegetable penne last a week in the fridge, are very nutritious, and filling.
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