what do you bring for lunch??

Most days, I take a sandwich (grainy bread, although I have just discovered a lower carb and lower calorie option), with ham or cheese, and some salad. I also try to take 2 servings of fruit (sometimes I have carrot sticks in place of one serving) - one is for morning tea and the other with lunch. Lately, I've also been having some almonds for morning tea because I was getting hungry long before lunch time.

I also take some crackers (peckish things - salt and vinegar are my current favourite) and a weight watchers bar or if I have done some baking that's lower in fat, I take a piece of that. These items won't go baad if I don't eat them, so one of them can be for afternoon tea if I want it and they prevent me being tempted to go to a cafe and buy cake!

Lunches for me and the kids are made the night before - we have to leave home by 7.30am at the very latest, so I don't leave it for the morning or they would get packaged rubbish and I would end up buying my lunch.

One thing I do treat myself to, is a takeaway coffee sometimes and I generally buy my lunch once a week (although not every week, but sometimes it is nice to have something someone else has made). Making your own lunch for work saves quite a bit of money, and you have more control over what is in it - eg. I never put spread in my sandwiches, but have a smear of low fat mayonaise. I am sure my lunches could be a bit healthier, but I am finding this is working for me at the moment, so sticking with it.

This is my favorate lunch to bring..... :happy: 4oz of lean ground turkey, 1 C baby spinach, 1 oz cottage cheese (to melt w my turkey meat, when I warm it up for lunch) 1 life balance tortilla, 1 T taco sauce, and a Cascade wild berry Ice water. I work 4-10's so I have to be up at 5am most days. I try to pick a day during the week to cook all of my meals and pre devide them in containers, store them in the freezer. (takes a couple hrs) But, then you can just take your meals out each night, throw in some fresh veggies, fruit, raw nuts, or what ever else you like to snack on (I do protein shakes for 2 of my snacks, w fresh fruit or veggies) and then you are off for the day, all meals ready to go. It is really the only way I can keep eating healthy is to always be prepared. Good Luck!

My downfall is being rushed in the morning and not making a lunch then I go buy a less healthy one, so I always try to make a little bit extra dinner the night before and reserve an extra portion for my lunch. That way it's already prepared.

My go to lunch is a spinach salad (Spinach - sliced mushrooms - sliced red onions - small qty of crumbled feta cheese + a low sodium dressing and sometimes a hard boiled egg). Dessert is a piece of fruit or a little granola & yogurt.

Aside from this, tuna or salmon sandwiches with whole grain bread and a hint of mayo.

Usually I take a salad/leftovers from the night before/or a pre packaged frozen meal. Today? Leftovers: 4 oz grilled chicken breast with 2 cups california blend veggies. And a little baggie of pretzels for some crunch :-)

Rosemary thin pork chops, blueberries, greek yogurt, baby bell cheese, nectrine, and a protien bar is what I have in my lunch box today - that's my lunch & snacks. Usually I have some fruit, some veggies, yogurt, protien bar, and then some form of meat. Last week I did spinach and tomato stuffed chicken breast and next week I'm shooting for mussels & salmon. I cook in bulk on sunday & tuesday night so that I have food to pack easily. I try to avoid sandwhiches only because I'm trying to reduce my grains.

I try to bring plenty of snacks, in addition to my lunch, so I'm not tempted by the candy bowl outside of my office during the dreaded 3-4 p.m. timeframe!

For lunch, I usually eat either peanut butter (sometimes with jelly) on a wheat sandwich thin (or regular wheat bread), and a mixture of raw veggies (baby carrots, broccoli, cucumber, cherry tomatoes). I love peanut butter and have to have some every single day.

For afternoon snacks, I typically bring one piece of fresh fruit (i.e. a peach, apple, or strawberries) and one protein/granola bar (i.e. Kashi) or other. Sometimes I finish up my lunch veggies later on in the afternoon -- just depends on how hungry I am.

bump

I drop off my kidlet at school early, so I eat b'fast at work as well. I also try to eat every few hours to keep blood sugars stable and keep from being hungry.

Breakfast = Greek yogurt + frozen blueberries in winter, Greek yogurt + fresh berries + 1/4 cup Kashi Go Lean Crunch lately.

Mid-morning snack = Apple or grapes + 50 calorie low fat cheddar cheese "brick" (as my kidlet calls them). Sometimes 100 cal pack of almonds. Occasionally tomatoes and hummus.

Lunch = Can of Progresso soup + scoop of Beneprotein (winter) or a few slices of ham or cheese rolled up together, with some fruit or veg or both, sometimes hummus and tomatoes. Sometimes just a Balance Bar (200 cal). Basically whatever we have in the fridge that I can throw in my lunch bag quickly that has some protein.

Mid-afternoon snack = Sometimes 100 cal. pack of almonds. Sometimes Balance Bar.

Dinner = whatever the husband cooks - generally heavy on the protein. Chicken and veg. Chili. We had linguini w/ white clam sauce the other night - probably too much fat and carbs, but yummy! I like Panera Fuji Chicken salads.

Does this help? I do try to go heavy on the proteins, and if I'm eating something carby, even fruit, I try to add a protein. Don't forget to slam that water! Good luck