Do you pack a lunch?

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  • arl29
    arl29 Posts: 55 Member
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    I find that I am very happy and very full when I eat small snacks througout the day and not necessairly a "lunch". Lately I've been eating a lot of grapes. Yumm! I eat every couple of hours and sometimes have a frozen meal if I'm hungry.

    On Monday I went to Subway on my way to work and got an english muffin with egg whites and vegies. I heated it up for lunch. Sooooo good and only $2.50! Low in calories and filling.
  • srrosenbalm
    srrosenbalm Posts: 35 Member
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    I buy premade salads, frozen lean cuisine/healthy choice meals, and microwavable soups or pasta's made by the previously mentioned brands. Lunches bought for all five of my work days cost less than $15 a week. :) Since those take care of my main lunch meal, I just pack snacks for the day which mainly include veggies, fruits, no sugar pudding, or 100 calorie snacks. When I go grocery shopping, I buy a variety of these and change them up every week so I won't get tired of them. I've also heard of people cooking a large amount of food at once and then just putting them in containers and freezing them for later use or packing leftovers.

    Hope this helps, and good luck!
  • megster84
    megster84 Posts: 4
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    I love the lean cuisine steamers. They seem expensive, but its actually less than eating out for lunch. I have a few on hand all the time in case I didnt have time to pack a lunch.
  • Phillyfan428
    Phillyfan428 Posts: 2
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    Tyson Whole Grain Chicken Nuggets. They are already cooked, just take a serving out of the freezer and they are room temp by lunch time.
  • Naomirp7
    Naomirp7 Posts: 4
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    I bring different things, sometimes a protein bar and fruit. today I brought a small banana for a morning snack then a serving a salad in a bowl with a lid and i keep my salad dressing her at work (I'm not sure if you have that option) and i just bring a couple slices of turkey or chicken breast and cut it up on my break and shake it all up in my bowl. very low calorie and usually i just throw it all in a bag and go. I wake up at 5am so this is convenient for me. I also bring serving size containers of either yogurt, apple sauce and sometimes i just bring a whole container of cottage cheese because it is sooo filling. My boss happens to keep a food scale here so i can measure everything here too. They are pretty cheap and mobile so that way u can have that at work too.



    Things I take to work to eat:
    Fruit
    can of vegetables
    oatmeal
    cereal bars
    almonds
    pickles
    tuna
    boiled eggs- you can cook a lot at a time and be good for a long time, assuming you wouldn't eat them everyday. and good to take for your salad too.
    Lunch meat- sometimes i will eat straight deli meat for my whole lunch. just a larger portion but its filling and great for you. Plus it can curb your hunger for longer.

    A lot of what helps me is that i have a small cabinet where i can keep a couple food items for back ups in case im too lazy to make something or if im in a rush and forget. i keep a bowl, box of oatmeal and a box of cereal bars and that way i only have to worry about bringing the food to work.
  • nill4me
    nill4me Posts: 682 Member
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    I travel for work 50% of my time, but when i'm home, I come packing every day. I always try to stay in places that are conducive to packing on the road too (i.e., hotels with kitchenettes). I'm diabetic, so I have to make sure I pack appropriately for both breakfast, lunch and snacks, which can really be a drag sometimes - as well as a challenge with regard to watching calories and fat, etc... I have an insulated rachel ray lunch bag that works great. I usually bring greek yogurt and blueberries for breakfast, and Progresso soup for lunch. I need to eat every two hours, so i have to bring snacks too, and ensure i mix proteins in there so i don't carb-out during the day. Single servings of almonds are great, as well as mini pretzels with some light laughing cow cheese or hummus. String cheese is good, and the little serving cups of the danactive cottage cheese with probiotics. Celery and/or carrots with little Jiff to go cups. Jello cups.
  • thumperis
    thumperis Posts: 7
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    When I get bored with lunches I bring daily, I take imitation crab meat and cocktail sauce instead of a sandwich or salad.
  • coliema
    coliema Posts: 7,646 Member
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    Thank you all for the great ideas :) I have to come back and read the rest later in the day!

    xoxo
  • juliee274
    juliee274 Posts: 124 Member
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    I could not read through all the posts, so I am sure some of this will be redundant, but here goes! :)

    - Homemade soups/chilis--if you don't want to eat all week, freeze half in freezable containers you can eat a few weeks later
    - Wraps are a nice alternative to sandwiches....spread the inside with hummus and stuff with veggies and lean meats; wrap your salads!
    - Tuna salad (doesn't smell great, but high in protein) or tuna in salad/wrap (white meat, no oil)
    - Grill chicken, and put together fillings for tacos/fajitas---tomatoes/salsa, lettuce, avocado, a low-fat/high-fiber tortilla

    Hope this helps!
  • juliee274
    juliee274 Posts: 124 Member
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    PS, Pre-packaged foods such as canned soups and frozen dinners are good but hard to control the sodium content which can cause water weight gain!
  • gatorginger
    gatorginger Posts: 947 Member
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    If you have a toaster at work I love having a toasted cinnamon rasin bagel with peanut butter on it, awesome and filling
  • sjebert
    sjebert Posts: 212 Member
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    I've been doing a lot of Progresso Light soups, they are good and low in calories
  • hazev74
    hazev74 Posts: 252 Member
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    a salad and crackers or wrap and fruit with a low fat yoghurt. or sometimes bring some of last nights dinner as have a microwave. it saves alot of money and i got so sick of sandwiches!!
    also bring cereal bars or some cereal to snack on!
  • ShanaGore
    ShanaGore Posts: 58 Member
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    I pack lunch everyday, that is what ensures I will eat a healthy lunch instead of picking up fast food. I try to make extra when I cook dinner in the evenings and then bring left overs for my lunch. Also, on the weekends we usually cook on the grill, so I will grill extra meat, then I can make a salad and put the meat on top of the salad. Salads can get old, but if you make them with different ingredients, you can change it up. I also use those steamer bags. I will chop up a bunch of veggies and toss them in the bad, then at lunch time I can toss them in the break room microwave and have steamed veggies in a few minutes.
  • 10KEyes
    10KEyes Posts: 250 Member
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    PS, Pre-packaged foods such as canned soups and frozen dinners are good but hard to control the sodium content which can cause water weight gain!

    Very true! I did the Healthy Choice and various soups, but didn't like the sodium in those things. Anytime they squeeze out the fat, they either load them with sugar or sodium. Or if they squeeze the sugars, they load it with fat or sodium.
  • thebuz
    thebuz Posts: 221 Member
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    This is a tasty one and great in the summer. Also nothing goes bad so you can eat it all week. The recipe calls for 8 servings however I find the servings too small. Probably likelier that you would get 4 - 5 servings.

    Herbed Rice and Spicy Black Bean Salad

    Prep Time:
    45 Min

    Ready In:
    55 Min


    Original Recipe Yield 8 servings

    Ingredients
    1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
    1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
    1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
    1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
    1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
    1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
    2 cups cold, cooked white rice
    1 (14 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
    2 celery stalks, finely chopped
    1 (4 ounce) can chopped black olives
    3 green onions, chopped
    1/4 cup red wine vinegar
    1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil




    Directions
    1. Make a seasoning by mixing together the basil, thyme, parsley, cilantro, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder in a bowl.
    2. Gently mix together the rice, black beans, celery, olives, and green onions in a large bowl. Season the rice mixture with 1 teaspoon of the seasoning.
    3. Make a dressing by whisking the vinegar and olive oil with the seasoning; allow to rest for 10 minutes. Pour the dressing over the rice mixture; stir to combine.



    Nutritional Information

    Amount Per Serving Calories: 185 | Total Fat: 8.8g | Cholesterol: 0mg
  • mpena1980
    mpena1980 Posts: 23
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    bump for later
  • ValerieMartini2Olives
    ValerieMartini2Olives Posts: 3,041 Member
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    I take an old water bottle and put it in the freezer until it is frozen solid and stick it in my lunch box. Then I pack a yogurt, a fruit, a cheese stick, a carby snack like pretzels, nuts and a protein bar, and a large bottle of water That's enough for me to eat something like every 2 hours while I'm working. I'm never hungry. I travel all day and I was worried I wouldn't be able to have sustainable food. This works very well for me. I didn't want to spend $5 on an ice pack. The frozen water bottle works well.
    Or, I pack leftovers and I stop at a gas station and use the microwave there to warm my food.
  • kensbear
    kensbear Posts: 6
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    I like to eat turkey burgers on the low cal bread with baby spinach leaves and olive oil mayo, a side salad of mixed greens with the wishbone balsamic spritzer.
  • orangecrayon
    orangecrayon Posts: 293 Member
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    bump!

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