Workday Lunch Ideas

txsgirlK
txsgirlK Posts: 171 Member
edited November 12 in Recipes
I want to bring my own lunch from home rather than buying things at the Cafe or in the hospital cafeteria that I have no control over how they make it. One or two days a week I usually have leftovers from dinner, and maybe one or two days a mixed green salad with chicken or turkey for protein. I'm getting a little bored with salad though. Any helpful hints are greatly appreciated. I do have an hour for lunch on most days and access to a fridge and microwave. Thank you!

Replies

  • Jesea
    Jesea Posts: 376 Member
    Check out the Hungry Girl cookbooks, they have a lot of great ideas for easy meals that I make ahead of time. I substitute teach so I never know where I'll be from day to day. I try to pick one day on the weekends, and make 5 main lunch items that I can add a yogurt or soup to quickly in the morning.
  • kristinajaffe
    kristinajaffe Posts: 128 Member
    The progresso light soups... a baked potato with 1 c. low fat cottage cheese and broccoli.. ( i also like to top that with a little bit of green salsa and black pepper) .. or a baked potato with the cottage cheese and 1/4 c. salsa.. i make a big crockpot of pumpkin and bean chili.. and then freeze individual portions... also my new fave is anything on a portabello mushroom.. ex. portabello mushroom topped with zucchini diced and eggplant diced.. then make a sauce with 3 oz. lean ground turkey breast 3 tbsp of hunts garlic and herb sauce and a sprinkle of mrs. dash and a pinch of red pepper flakes.. finally top the sauce on the mushroom and veggies and top with a string cheese.. microwave at lunch about 3-4 min covered.. sometimes i add spinach to that as well ... also i like to make a pizza with the portabello mushroom.. mushroom 3 tbsp same hunts sauce .. then olives.. turkey pepperoni and a string cheese.. add and other veggies you like.. and again cover and microwave for 3-4 mins.. i eat every 3 hrs on my eating plan.. so i am packing 3 meals a day to work.. there was a link for some really really good protein shakes.. taste like dessert . i usually take one a day to work.. i will see if i can find the link..
  • kristinajaffe
    kristinajaffe Posts: 128 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/506340-milkshake-recipe-37g-of-protein

    I have made several of these.. and have not had one that I didn't like yet.... makes a really fast and easy meal for work.. I just make it in the morning when I get up .. pop it in the freezer while I am getting ready .. then pack in a cooler until I am ready for it.. my fave is the peanut butter butterscotch one... delish!! tastes like creamy peanut butter ice cream..
  • Yellerie
    Yellerie Posts: 221 Member
    I do quinoa with a tiny bit of olive oil, feta cheese, red onions, baby spinach, chopped almonds & dried cranberries
  • akswa
    akswa Posts: 2
    www.skinnytaste.com has great "skinny" recipes that you can cook the night before and take them with you the next day!
  • LordBezoar
    LordBezoar Posts: 625 Member
    I will often bring two cups of Almond Milk in a shaker cup and add a serving each of PB2 and Protein Powder.
  • ensoleille
    ensoleille Posts: 56
    Soup in a flask
    Pita bread, salad and chicken
    Pasta, ham and salad
    Cous cous
  • eryn415
    eryn415 Posts: 98 Member
    Wraps with hummus
    Peanut butter and banana sandwich
    salad with leftover last nights dinner on it
    beets and blue cheese with oil and vinegar dressing (homemade, of course) over spinach
    bakes potato stuffed with whatever toppings you have
    sandwich thins with your lunch meat of choice and lots of veggies
    cottage cheese with salsa and wheat thins

    I don't have a microwave at my office, so I have to be double creative!
  • OnWisconsin84
    OnWisconsin84 Posts: 409 Member
    I grill chicken, steam veggies & cook brown rice on Sunday & portion everything for the week. About 4 oz of chicken, 1/2 cup of brown rice & a cup of veggies makes a pretty delightful & filling lunch. Quick, easy and you have total control over the ingredients (no added junk like in frozen stuff).
  • cyclerjenn
    cyclerjenn Posts: 833 Member
    I bring my lunch to work every day. I try to make 3 full meals on the weekends and bring in the left overs. I will pack them up individually and freeze the ones that can be frozen.. If i'm running low on the leftovers, I will through together a slower cooker recipe before I leave for work and then I have dinner and leftovers for the rest of the week.

    One of my favorites is wheat pasta with grilled Veggies. Add your favorte cooked protein to the mix with a little olive oil and herbs or light sauce of your liking.
  • thedreamhazer
    thedreamhazer Posts: 1,156 Member
    I bring groceries to work to assemble lunch there. I keep sandwich thins or wheat wraps, packs of tuna, lunch meat (or, in my case, fake lunch meat), citrus fruit, romaine and/or spinach, hummus, salad dressing, carrots, yogurt (greek or otherwise), and goat cheese. Delicious.
  • apirotte
    apirotte Posts: 22
    I have stocked up on Dr. McDougall's soups & entrees. I get them in the Natural/Health Food section of the grocery stores and they are quick & easy to fix. They are low in fat and calories, but taste very good. The sodium varies on each one. You can purchase the "low sodium" ones online, but I have yet to find the low sodium ones in a grocery store in my area.
    Also, I will sometimes eat oatmeal for lunch. And, I bring the Boca burgers to fix and put on the thin sandwich buns. Somedays, I will fix a salad in the morning for lunch and, instead of using salad dressing, I will use either sweet or dill pickle juice, depending on what kind of mood I'm in that day. I usually have hard boiled eggs on hand to add to my salads or eat as a snack. When I get the urge for sweets, I will eat 1 serving of either Grace's Best petite cookies (absolutely delicious!) or Annie's Bunny Grahams. Both are all natural. I hope these ideas help a little.
    Good luck!!
  • Maria_Goose
    Maria_Goose Posts: 247
    I love to make plain and simple wraps. My favorite is chicken (you can get pre-cooked chicken breasts and thaw as needed), lettuce, avacado, cream cheese, and crushed red pepper all wrapped up in a tortilla. For all you low-carbers out there, in case you didn't know, they have "Carb Balance" Tortillas just for you; 6 net carbs for one LARGE whole-wheat tortilla! They also have white but these are more like 9. I like to include a side of diced-up and lightly salted tomato. I don't put it in the wrap or else it gets the tortilla all soggy.

    Just recently I've been experimenting with pre-cooked shrimp and frozen veggies. Find a blend of Asian veggies, throw in the skillet with thawed, pre-cooked shrimp, add a bit of Sriracha hot sauce to taste and you have a delicious low-carb and low-cal stirfry that is sure to leave you satisfied! But do note that many frozen veggies and shrimps have a lot of sodium. Hunt around in your freezer section for something with a little less.
  • Victoriav99
    Victoriav99 Posts: 260 Member
    I do lots of different salads and make my own soups to switch it up!
  • wftiger
    wftiger Posts: 1,283 Member
    I have this -- http://www.amazon.com/Crock-Pot-SCCPLC200-R-20-Ounce-Lunch-Warmer/dp/B006H5V8US/ref=sr_1_23?ie=UTF8&qid=1331081128&sr=8-23

    And make soups, hotdishes (unstuffed peppers, unstuffed cabbage, etc.), or chili (my fav). I plug it in about 2 hours before lunch and enjoy. I live in frozen area of country so it's nice to have warm and not salad/sammie for lunch. :-)
  • fitniknik
    fitniknik Posts: 713 Member
    Gortons makes fish fillets that you can get in the freezer section. Not breaded and pretty low in sodium. Not to mention they taste pretty good! 90 calories each 180 for the package of 2! Add in some frozen broccoli or some kind of veggie and you are set!
  • essjay76
    essjay76 Posts: 465 Member
    Stock up your work fridge the way you would your home fridge... fresh veges, easily accessible snacks, bread, etc. Repurpose some leftover food into a soup the next day. Put it in a sandwhich. Make over a dish by switching up spices. Even an easy sauce you've bottled up and saved could transform leftovers...
  • ljdanny
    ljdanny Posts: 2,154 Member
    bump
  • lpret
    lpret Posts: 3 Member
    I buy meaIs that I can just heat in the microwave. SmartOnes from Weight Watchers at only $2 a meal works very well for me. I also buy some fruit and take yogurt in case I get hungry.

    The salt content of these meals are within healthy limits and I find them truly delicious.
  • ruthem
    ruthem Posts: 23 Member
    I love bringing a combination of things to snack on throughout the day. Fruit, yogurt, pretzels, pudding, nuts, veggies, cheese. And it adds up to a whole meal! Also, Healthy Choices mixers are good as far as pre-packaged lunch choices go. Much fresher than frozen meal options and come in a variety of pastas and rice mixes for something a little more warm & filling. Leftovers are great too! I save them in portion sized containers so I can just grab and go in the morning.
  • txsgirlK
    txsgirlK Posts: 171 Member
    Thank you so much for all the fabulous ideas! I love them all. I've been afraid of the frozen dinners but after some research I'm not so afraid of them anymore. Just have to watch the sodium content. All the different wraps sound awesome too! Thanks again!!
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