Lunch Ideas

I really enjoy taking Lean Cuisine's for lunch most days. I try to stay around 300 calories for lunch, and they have a lot of options in that range. Very good, and lots of variety. Also affordable. Of course, you have to have a microwave!

I LOVE salad. I eat it nearly everyday and I never tire of it. Normally I make a salad with baby spinach leaves instead of iceburg lettuce, occasionally I use romaine. I love a greek salad with chicken! I use tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, reduced fat feta cheese and red wine vinaigrette or just red wine vinegar, and of course a grilled chicken tender. You could also do a salad with walnuts and dried cranberries, just not too many. You could try wraps with whole grain/low carb wraps. I love tuna wraps. You could take a V8 along with some turkey or chicken deli meat and some low fat cheese. Cottage cheese is yummy with a garden salad. You could even take scrambled eggs, they reheat pretty well. Sometimes I make breakfast burritos with scrambled egg whites, onion, green pepper, red pepper, and a little bit of cheese, wrap it up with a low carb wrap.

I'm planning on making some breakfast wraps or lunch wraps this weekend and freezing them so I can just throw them in my lunch bag in the morning. I bought some light wraps, eggs, fat-free cheese, lots of fresh veggies and some salsa. I'm going to write the # of calories on the freezer bag so I can easily keep tracking my calories. I would love to hear more lunch suggestions...maybe dinner too. For dinner, I love the flat-out bread with a tbsp of tomato sauce, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, and diced mushrooms, green peppers, red onions, tomatoes, and black olives on top. Bake on 400 for about 15 minutes, then broil on low for about 3 minutes to get the cheese browned. Around 300 calories, depending on if you use 1/4 cup or 1/2 cup of cheese.

Two slices of Orowheat double fiber bread, 1 wedge of laughing cow cheese spread on slices add some fat free turkey breast, lettuce, tomato and any other veggies you like and it's a hardy sandwich that will keep you on track with calories and fat and keep you full...

I find the Lean Cuisine meals leave me hungry, so I switched to the pasta/steamer bowls that are out now. There are several different brands. They are 10-11 oz instead of 8-9. Those two extra ounces seem to hold me a lot better until dinner, so I end up staying within calories better because I don't need to snack.

I buy what ever brand is on sale that week and can usually buy 5 for 10 dollars. I switch that out with 1/2 sandwich or yogurt w/salad or soup.

Good luck.

JAM