Your go-to lunch?

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heathermarie517
heathermarie517 Posts: 105
in Food and Nutrition
On most days I eat the same breakfast (Ezekial bread, almond butter & skim milk). I love this combination, it fits in with my daily calorie goals, and it keeps me full & energized until my AM snack or lunch! Healthy, protein packed, and yummy!

Lunch is often a toss-up. Been eating hard boiled eggs, avacado, lettuce, and dressing in a wrap.

What is your quick go-to lunch that you look forward to? I keep meals & snacks right around 300 calories.....
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Replies

  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
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    Always leftovers from the previous night's meal. I have the luxury of having a cafe within our building so if all I have is say, leftover pork from dinner, I can order a salad to go with it.

    I dont believe in 'quick' to be honest, I would rather make the effort to make sure that each meal is fresh, homemade and never use prepackaged/processed foods. Thats why at night, when I cook dinner, I always cook four servings: Our meals for dinner, an extra serving for hubby if he wants it for breakfast the next day, and the fourth serving is for me to take to work for lunch.
  • heathermarie517
    heathermarie517 Posts: 105
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    I totally agree, processed/packaged foods are not my style. I can certainly whip up a quick salad mixed with high protein packed ingredients in a jiffy! Looking for variety & alternatives. 3 kids, military wife, partly single mom due to deployments, quick & healthy is the only way to go at this time. Sacrificing nutrition is not an option. My biggest NSV to date is the fact that my girls make the healthiest choices for their bodies! -Proud Mama ;-)
  • silkandsugar
    silkandsugar Posts: 125
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    I love making tuna wraps. I use whole wheat wraps and spread a thin layer of pesto and then add some cucumbers and lettuce and some canned tuna and it's delicious!
  • zoeluiisa
    zoeluiisa Posts: 392
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    Generally dinner leftovers - I bring them to work in a tupperware. Or soup, if I've made a big batch that week.

    I keep porridge at work too (the single serving sachets), to make on days when I don't bring anything in.
  • omum
    omum Posts: 1
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    I use last night's dinner often-times, too, but if not, my latest has been two smoked turkey slices, a little goddess dressing, and as much salad (baby spring mix) as I can jam in there for nutrition's sake. I hate forking a salad...seems to take forever, but a wrap can make it easy. I save vegetable soup for afternoon snacks.

    also, my brother taught me to make up a big batch of roasted veggies for the week, and then you can have them for along side your eggs in the morning or your sandwich in the afternoon. I taught him the recipe, he taught me how to use it.
  • JenAiMarres
    JenAiMarres Posts: 767 Member
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    Qty 4 of jamie easons turkey muffins (225 cals..i make mine smaller than she reccomended) a small Greek yougurt (100 cals)...a cup of raw spinach (10 cals) sometimes I mix all those ingredients up like a salad! The yougurt makes a great dressing!!....a lot of times my lunch is post workout so I add a homemade protein bar as well...love his lunch!!
  • Cathyvil
    Cathyvil Posts: 230 Member
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    If I don't know what I want to bring for lunches for the week I make a quiche and then pair it with a cucumber/tomato/balsamic salad. This is nice and filling and since I can change up the ingredients in the quiche, it never gets dull. Whole Foods Organic Whole Wheat pie crust makes it easy and really tasty too.
  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
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    I use last night's dinner often-times, too, but if not, my latest has been two smoked turkey slices, a little goddess dressing, and as much salad (baby spring mix) as I can jam in there for nutrition's sake. I hate forking a salad...seems to take forever, but a wrap can make it easy. I save vegetable soup for afternoon snacks.

    also, my brother taught me to make up a big batch of roasted veggies for the week, and then you can have them for along side your eggs in the morning or your sandwich in the afternoon. I taught him the recipe, he taught me how to use it.

    There aint nuttin' sexier than a pan of roasted vegetables....ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh man!

    Summer Squash, Zucchini, Eggplant, onions, whole cloves of gahhhhhhlic, red and green bell peppers ....


    ****walks away to go take a cold shower over this food porn
  • lisapr123
    lisapr123 Posts: 863 Member
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    I'm lucky enough to come home for lunch most days. They typically are: leftovers from dinner the night before, turkey on sandwich thins, soup, salad w/a grilled chicken breast and salsa as dressing, or sometimes a fruit smoothie.
  • 5pmsomewherenow
    5pmsomewherenow Posts: 163 Member
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    On workout days, I make a nice turkey (2-3oz) sandwich on Arnold High Protein Bread with lots of veggies and spicy mustard. I cut the sandwich in half and refrigerate one half for later. I enjoy half of the turkey sandwich with a salad at lunchtime, then look forward to the second half at around 4pm on the way to the gym. Gets me through the workout, until dinner later around 7:30 or 8pm.

    I highly reccomend a high protein, whole grain bread, if you're going to make a sandwich.
  • annikabanannika
    annikabanannika Posts: 7
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    I make frozen spinach and let it cool in the refrigerator. Then I add some low-fat cottage cheese and pesto. (I can't get enough of my garlic basil pesto! just blend garlic and basil with a little olive oil! it freezes very well too) I top it off with any veggies I have around, usually cherry tomatoes, fresh carrots, or cucumber. I sprinkle on some flax seed and sea salt and have a very filling, flavorful, guilt-free meal!

    I also use the cottage cheese & pesto mixture on egg whites or as a salad dressing. yum!
  • kimw91
    kimw91 Posts: 355 Member
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    I tend to go for an easily put together sandwich, usually:
    Lettuce, ham, pickles, cucumber and mustard
    Chicken, pesto and roasted red pepper
    Light (garlic) cream cheese and cucumber
    Lettuce, ham, hard boiled egg and tomato
    Or when I feel like having something sweet, I opt for a jam and chicken/fig preserve and cheese sandwich.
    Home-made tuna/salmon salad is nice too (works on a sandwich as well as with salad). Parfaits are easy to bring if you don't mind a sweet lunch (or you could have a cracker and some veggies as well).
  • iuew
    iuew Posts: 624 Member
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    sandwich and crackers / low fat chips.
  • veggievixen79
    veggievixen79 Posts: 109 Member
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    Bump! I just decided to let go of the free-but-unhealthy lunch at work in favour of the less-convenient-but-less-likely-to-give-me-a-heart-attack lunch brought from home. Thanks for the ideas everyone!
  • leamj87
    leamj87 Posts: 20 Member
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    Once a month or so I make a huge vat of soup or stew and freeze it in 1 serving portions. Then on the days when I have NO idea what I want for lunch, or just don't feel like executing something, I pull one out of the freezer. Typically though I usually have a sandwich or a salad for lunch. Cooking for 1 means that when I make something on Monday, I'm usually eating it Tuesday and Wednesday for dinner, and it's too much to eat it for lunch as well!
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
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    There's a roast beef with blue cheese sandwich I can get nearby... I eat it almost every day.
  • CarlydogsMom
    CarlydogsMom Posts: 645 Member
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    Hummus and carrots/celery is my easiest go-to. Mostly do leftovers, but low-carb tortilla/low-sodium deli meat, low-fat cheese, spinach, and dijon mustard sandwich is another.

    I also really like shrimp. My grocery store's meat counter has a seafood mix with tomatoes, cucumbers, and jalapenos that is delish and low-cal. I will also bring in plain cooked shrimp and add to a salad.
  • egawne14
    egawne14 Posts: 10 Member
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    I love making tuna wraps. I use whole wheat wraps and spread a thin layer of pesto and then add some cucumbers and lettuce and some canned tuna and it's delicious!

    This sounds delish!! Thanks for the idea!
  • Jgones5
    Jgones5 Posts: 2
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    Spinach leaves, dried cranberries, sliced strawberries, pears, apples, and either raspberry vinegarette or low fat poppyseed dressing. I could eat it everyday! Sometimes I throw some chicken on top for protein or bring a peanut butter and whole grain bread sandwich.
  • msgsarah
    msgsarah Posts: 53 Member
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    I LOVE Innocent Veg pots. They're pre-prepared little bots of veg and sauce in different combinations (Mexican, Thai, Indian) that you pick up in the chiller aisle. They're under 400 kcal and actually very tasty as well. Trouble is they're far too expensive for what they are, so I have to wait until they're on special offer!

    Other than that, celery sticks and reduced fat hommous- crunchy and tasty!

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