Do you pack a lunch?

Hummus and pita bread is a nice snack or lunch, soup, wraps, pita sandwiches, if you have a toaster oven you could make mini pizzas,quesadillas, greek salads, left overs (make an extra chicken breast with dinner etc.)

I bring jamie easons turkey meatballs! Yummmm!!!

I make a big batch on the weekend and separate them in baggies...super easy and I don't have to worry about prepping lunches every day!!

I also make home made muffins and protein bars that I won't feel guilty snacking on...

And of course some veggies...not raw though they don't really fill me up.

I designate Sunday afternoons as my food prep day and I prepare all meals my husband and myself, portion them, and pack them for daily lunches and dinners. Taking one afternoon/evening makes meal planning soooo much easier for the week and actually saves you so much time. It also has meals ready do go should your schedule throw you a curve ball. I also always have 2 protein shakes and a shaker cup in my car in case I get stuck somewhere. Typically in a week I make low carb enchiladas with either chicken or turkey, turkey & black bean chili, sweet potatoes, baked chicken, baked tilapia, roasted garlic turkey burgers, roasted asparagus, brown rice or quinoa casserole, spaghetti squash, and/or low carb fruit and bran muffins. I have a cooking blog if you'd like to check out some of my on the go recipes. :happy:

http://squarepegs.typepad.com/whats_cooking/

I make a big batch of soup, or anything I can freeze, portion it out into 4-5 containers, and take one to work and heat it up in the microwave.

I do this too, I find it is a good way to get rid of those "almost too old" veges, I just use some vege stock, canned tomatos and lentils and it is a guilt free quick lunch. And way cheaper than frozen weight watchers meals. Or since it is coming into winter I am looking forward to making a big batch of pumpkin soup. If this doesn't fill you up enough, throw in a peice of bread/toast.

I also love turkey or salmon with rice cakes, add some avocado, tomatoe, cucumber or anything fresh.

Try mixing up the salads, I have a great womens weekly recepie book called "TOSS" which has some great recipes which I use as ideas. Thai beef salad is a fav, I make it for dinner and can't wait to have the left overs for lunch the next day.

I always cook up heaps of extra steamed veges and boiled potatoes for dinner, with a bit of sauce these are a quick easy lunch.

I look forward to reading everyone elses ideas. I need a bit of refreshing myself

Lately I usually get the frozen healthy choice lunches, or take leftovers.

This week I made salsa chicken in the crockpot over the weekend (chicken breasts, corn, black beans, jar of salsa) then shredded it and put into a big container in the fridge. Then each day I grab some of that, along with different things for my lunches. What I've had with it so far is tacos, burritos, & salad. For these you can add whatever else youd like, lettuce, tomatos, olives, cheese. I also did the chicken on top of mashed potatoes one day.

It was a super easy recipe, and goes great with tons of different things, so I haven't been getting bored with it. It's also pretty low calorie, but filling too.

Hope this helps!

I usually pack an Amy's frozen meal or Kashi frozen meal, luna bar, some type of fruit. Left overs if I have any. Those cute little boxes of soy milk.

I'm also about to get on a quinoa salad kick... quinoa + veggies of choice + fresh cilantro or basil + lemon/lime juice and a little olive oil = very filling and delicious! And a bowl of the stuff will last me a week.

I pack a lunch almost every day. Usually it's a portion of whatever is left over from dinner the night before. On days like today, where we didn't have left-overs (last night was grilled cheese sammiches and a serving of bbq chips! Yum!), I scrounge whatever I can out of the pantry.

I've also made crock-pots full of chili or soup on Sundays and portioned that out for a week's worth of lunches. That works well, too.

The only days I don't pack a lunch are the days where I know I have a lunch meeting and some food will be provided AND I know I have enough calories to give.

A snack bag with 2 large sticks of celery (broken up) and a serving of baby carrots, then a divided tupperware with hummus and mustard in 2 of the small sections, then either a sandwich or a baby spinach salad with fish (you can use the individual packets of tuna and salmon that are about 80 calories and don't need to be refrigerated if sealed) and some light dressing.
I do this on the 2-3 days a week that I have to pack lunch (I'm a student, so the other days I have time to go home)

EDIT: I also bring a small bar, like a chewy granola bar or half of a Clif Builder's Bar for a snack that I eat about 2.5-3 hours after lunch.

This-

When I make dinner the night before I always make enough for the next day lunch. I also occasionally have a sandwich or salad.

And this-

I try to grill or bake several meats (chicken, pork, tilapia) on Sunday and then bring leftovers for lunch during the week. Sometimes will throw together a salad and then reheat some chicken to put on top.

When in a crunch, I'll make a quick tuna or chicken salad. Eat it with a fork (heated sometimes, even), or put over a salad. (I'm gluten intolerant, so I don't do the bread anyways)

I'll also make bacon/sausage/boiled eggs ahead, so I can just grab breakfast on days I'm not up in time to make something. It's all about planning ahead! :flowerforyou: