Need lunch suggestions!

Erica27511
Erica27511 Posts: 490 Member
edited December 18 in Food and Nutrition
And to think I used to have artery clogging burgers with greasy fries for lunch. This is so much better! Although, I need some suggestions on 400 cal or less lunches. I get bored with the same ol same ol. I have tried soup, but it has crazy amounts of sodium. What do you guys eat for lunch?

lunch.jpg

Replies

  • LaurieAnne78
    LaurieAnne78 Posts: 15 Member
    I just had :

    Healthy Choice Top Chef Cafe Steamers - Chicken Margherita With Balsamic, 1 Meal 320 cal.. and it was yummy!!
  • Erica27511
    Erica27511 Posts: 490 Member
    I just had :

    Healthy Choice Top Chef Cafe Steamers - Chicken Margherita With Balsamic, 1 Meal 320 cal.. and it was yummy!!

    That does sound yummy!! I love balsamic
  • loztredders
    loztredders Posts: 142
    Today I had crayfish and couscous, Yummy!
  • MeeshKB
    MeeshKB Posts: 120 Member
    My fave is a salad with spinach, sweet peppers, cucumber, chick peas, broccoli, cauliflower (whatever is available to you at home or at the salad bar) with a can of flavoured tuna on top. No need for dressing! I especially like the Clover Leaf Lemon and Dill, and Lemon and Pepper flavours.
  • MeganMac17
    MeganMac17 Posts: 90 Member
    whole wheat pita with red pepper hummus, turkey, shredded carrots, lettuce, and cherry tomatoes. Yum!
  • tat2dmrsgrimm
    tat2dmrsgrimm Posts: 226 Member
    yesterday I had a cheese quesadilla and a salad. I used 2%fat sharp cheddar cheese and you can get tortillas that are like 75 cal apiece. Azteca soft taco size.
  • LBash03
    LBash03 Posts: 72
    Make a turkey wrap with someone romain lettuce, cheese or a Tuna wrap or pita with light mayo. Some fruits on the side or a small side salad. I normally do sandwiches or wraps on my lunch with some fruit :) very filling and meets my calorie goals!
  • shaycat
    shaycat Posts: 980
    I have a sandwich for lunch almost every day.
    Today I had grilled chicken salad with grapes and red onion.
    Tomorrow I am planning egg salad.
    Other days I will have sliced turkey or chicken.
    All under 300 calories. I usually had in some fruit or a string cheese to fill me up.
  • You can make a wrap, load it up with turkey and veggies! :)
  • AmadaLynn
    AmadaLynn Posts: 116
    Lunch Fajitas from Mexican, no wrap. Yummy
    Chipotle brown rice, black bean, extra tomato, and light, light cheese. Delish!
  • MissCheese
    MissCheese Posts: 195 Member
    I often have 240g of mixed fresh berries, 80g of low fat vanilla yoghurt and 20g of seeds/cereals for lunch all mixed in together. Low cal, tasty and filling. I have a home made wholemeal blueberry muffin too. All under 400 calories.

    If you make your own soup it should be low sodium.
  • j_desmet
    j_desmet Posts: 17 Member
    Low fat/carb tortilla, (I use la tortilla factory 100 cal), spinach, shredded lettuce, shredded broccoli slaw, then dice up a boneless skinless chicken breast and top with either buffalo chicken sauce, honey bbq (from buffalo wild wings). Wrap it all up and you have a YUMMY WRAP!! Now that i've started typing it out i can't remember if it's exactly under 400, but it's DARN close!!! I LOVE IT!!!!!
    I can also use ideas as I'm a teacher and i bring my lunch everyday (school food is TERRIBLE!!!!) and i get sick of the same things over and over too!!
  • cbl40
    cbl40 Posts: 281 Member
    tuna on ezekial bread or on salad, egg salad the same way, egg white veggie omelette, turkey chili, salad with grilled chicken or salmon, Greek yogurt with nuts and berries, homemade protein shake
  • amanda3588
    amanda3588 Posts: 422 Member
    I make a lot of homemade soups from Rocco Dispirito's "Now Eat This" and I have a fantastic Weight Watchers black bean soup recipe. By making it myself, I can use low sodium chicken broth and control the amount of sodium. I'm a huge soup fiend!

    To vary it up, I eat chef salads, Smartones frozen entrees (some can be very high in sodium) or Subway. I am however, in need of more options.
  • 6 oz salmon ((200-300 cals depending on type)) and roasted asparagus w/ 1 tsp oil ((50 cals)) = 250-350 cals

    quesadilla w/ 1 ww wrap (100) and 1 oz cheese (100) w/ a side of carrots (35) w/ hummus (50) and a fruit (75) = 360
  • amyindm
    amyindm Posts: 93 Member
    I'm torturing myself for a month trying to go gluten and dairy free (ibs symptoms) so today I had salad greens with some veggies that I'd prepped ahead of time, a pouch of tuna, and a hard boiled egg chopped up. I threw in a little olive oil vinaigrette and it was really good!

    My friend suggested that I grill a bunch of chicken on the weekend and portion it out for salads and other meals during the week and I think I'm going to try that too.

    Another quick thing I have done a lot is take corn tortillas (or whatever you like) and mix up a can of refried beans and can of tomatoes (or the ones with peppers if you like them)... the bean/tomato mix will last for a few days and you can use a bit of it at a time to make a quesadilla with the tortillas. I've added cheese in the past but a bit of guacamole is so good too.
  • ZugTheMegasaurus
    ZugTheMegasaurus Posts: 801 Member
    What I do is prep a lot of different ingredients on the weekends when I have time, then it takes almost no time in the morning when I'm inevitably running late and rushing out the door. In my fridge right now, for example, I have containers with baked chicken breast, several kinds of steamed vegetables, cut fresh fruit, and a variety of condiments and things just for flavor (like onions and garlic).

    Since everything is already cooked and basically needs reheating, when I pack my lunch, I can have something totally different each day with the same ingredients depending on my mood. One day, I might toss a few ounces of chicken and some vegetables in a pan with some peppers and soy sauce and make a quick stir fry. The next day, I might take a burrito made with chicken, sour cream, avocado, and tomatoes. I can quickly throw a serving of fruit in a container for a snack. It basically makes it easier to pack the food than it would be to go out, walk to a restaurant or fast food joint, stand in line, wait...you get the idea.
  • MsMargie1116
    MsMargie1116 Posts: 323 Member
    whole wheat pita with red pepper hummus, turkey, shredded carrots, lettuce, and cherry tomatoes. Yum!

    ^^^ sounds good!!
  • SabKab16
    SabKab16 Posts: 114 Member
    I make this cabbage soup.... I thought cabbage soup was supposed to be boring, but once i tried making it on my own, and adding some of my own little twists to it, it actually is pretty good!

    Red cabbage
    green onions (or regular onions if you like)
    broccoli
    carrots
    cumin
    turmeric
    red chili powder
    oregano
    basil
    dill weed
    cilantro
    1 chicken bouillon cube
    As much water as you need for soup
    I put tomatoes in a blender to make a paste out of ONLY tomatoes.
    (you can also add or remove any veggies according to your taste)

    I add NO extra salt. With all the spices and that cube, it tastes great. Sometimes, I mixa little black beans (rinsed, drained) and cottage cheese on the side with the soup, so that I am getting some protien and fat in there. OR. you can eat a couple slices of avocado with the soup. =)
  • SaraTN
    SaraTN Posts: 536 Member
    I prepare most of my food for the week on the weekend. I always have some grilled chicken, pork tenderloin, and flank steak on hand to put on top of a salid mix. I usually put on some feta cheese with some grapes or half an apple or pear.

    Another staple is making a bean salad with canned black beans, white beans, and pinto beans, with some diced onion, poblano peppers, jalapeno, frozen corn (no need to cook it), some cumin, garlic, lime zest/juice and your favorite salsa - viola!

    My wrap of the moment is turkey or chicken with 100 calorie guacamole or some hummus with sprouts and some other veggies I have on hand.
  • j_desmet
    j_desmet Posts: 17 Member
    I also make my own version of Qdoba Naked Burrito: brown rice/quinoa, diced up chicken breast, black beans, a little cilantro, squeeze of lime, light sour cream and salsa! DELICIOUS!!
  • Erica27511
    Erica27511 Posts: 490 Member
    I also make my own version of Qdoba Naked Burrito: brown rice/quinoa, diced up chicken breast, black beans, a little cilantro, squeeze of lime, light sour cream and salsa! DELICIOUS!!

    I just might try this... sounds DELISH!
  • j_desmet
    j_desmet Posts: 17 Member
    I also make my own version of Qdoba Naked Burrito: brown rice/quinoa, diced up chicken breast, black beans, a little cilantro, squeeze of lime, light sour cream and salsa! DELICIOUS!!

    I just might try this... sounds DELISH!

    It is!!!! it's so good and doesn't make me feel like i'm "missing out" on the "good foods"... GOOD LUCK! Let me know if you try it!
  • mzhokie
    mzhokie Posts: 349 Member
    I make my own soup so I can control the sodium. I store it in 1 cup containers in the fridge and freezer. It's easy to freeze in ziploc freezer bags, that way they lay flat in your freezer and you can stack them. Then I move them to the fridge to thaw.

    Most of the time I make a soup for our dinner and then freeze the leftover for lunches. My husband doesn't mind leftovers but not the same week that we had it as dinner. So I learned to freeze it.

    Another thing I love is sort of a Chipotle bowl.... a black beans, corn, tomatoes, red peppers, onions, etc. cooked with cumin, green salsa, cilantro over some rice or a salad. I just don't make it as big as they do! The black bean mixture will keep in the fridge too. Another dinner that gives me one or two lunches out of. Sometimes I add shredded chicken or pork.
  • bktibbetts
    bktibbetts Posts: 131 Member
    bump
  • What I do is prep a lot of different ingredients on the weekends when I have time, then it takes almost no time in the morning when I'm inevitably running late and rushing out the door. In my fridge right now, for example, I have containers with baked chicken breast, several kinds of steamed vegetables, cut fresh fruit, and a variety of condiments and things just for flavor (like onions and garlic).

    Since everything is already cooked and basically needs reheating, when I pack my lunch, I can have something totally different each day with the same ingredients depending on my mood. One day, I might toss a few ounces of chicken and some vegetables in a pan with some peppers and soy sauce and make a quick stir fry. The next day, I might take a burrito made with chicken, sour cream, avocado, and tomatoes. I can quickly throw a serving of fruit in a container for a snack. It basically makes it easier to pack the food than it would be to go out, walk to a restaurant or fast food joint, stand in line, wait...you get the idea.

    This is a great way to go. It helps even if you're just throwing together a salad in the morning. I've found that don't have ingredients ready then I am more likely to eat out, or eat poorly. Even packing up leftovers from dinner in lunch sized portions helps!
  • KatrinaGrace1
    KatrinaGrace1 Posts: 15 Member
    This is my go-to lunch meal that's about 400 calories, really simple (seems plain) but it's so good!

    Turkey Sandwich:
    Thomas Everything Thin Bagel (110 calories)
    1 TBSP Kraft Garlic and Herb Mayo (40 calories)
    Oscar Meyer Oven Roasted Turkey 9 slices (68 calories)
    Kraft Monterey Jack Cheese 1 slice (80 calories)
    (I like to heat up the sandwich in the microwave before eating it, melt the cheese! :wink:)

    with Sabra Extremely Spicy Hummus (70 calories) and red bell peppers or carrots
  • Erica27511
    Erica27511 Posts: 490 Member
    This is my go-to lunch meal that's about 400 calories, really simple (seems plain) but it's so good!

    Turkey Sandwich:
    Thomas Everything Thin Bagel (110 calories)
    1 TBSP Kraft Garlic and Herb Mayo (40 calories)
    Oscar Meyer Oven Roasted Turkey 9 slices (68 calories)
    Kraft Monterey Jack Cheese 1 slice (80 calories)
    (I like to heat up the sandwich in the microwave before eating it, melt the cheese! :wink:)

    with Sabra Extremely Spicy Hummus (70 calories) and red bell peppers or carrots

    This sounds really good! Will be on my menu. THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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