[transatlanticism]

Hi there!
Now I'm SURE I'm not the only one here working a 40 hour/week office job, and all of you seem to have this weight loss thing down! So you must be holding out on me, haha.
I was hoping for some creative and healthy suggestions for individual lunches that I can make at the beginning of the week, then grab and go each morning for work, or even something quick I can whip up after breakfast. Preferably on a budget, but I'm willing to make sacrifices! Especially when it comes to chicken breast... mmmm, I love chicken breast.
I'm looking forward to all your delicious secrets!

[mandalinn82]

Transatlantacism - I just make an extra portion of whatever I made for dinner the night before. This not only helps to keep my day more balanced (I used to eat barely anything all day and overeat at night...now my lunch is the same # of cals as my dinner), it also means I have lunch every day that is as on plan as my dinner, with little to no extra cooking time.

[phantastica]

I tend to make one thing either on Sunday or during the evening, and use it every day for lunch. Chili, pasta salad, tuna casserole, etc.

Some weeks when I don't feel like cooking much, I just buy an assortment of raw vegetables, cut them up and put them in a bowl, and bring 2 cups' worth along with a serving of fruit to work. I keep at my desk some Wasa crackers and Laughing Cow cheese (it doesn't need refrigeration), and there's a lunch!

[clessofme]

I too sometimes cook extra at dinner the night before. Sometimes if I am trying to save time i will make several chicken breasts on say sunday an use those throughout the week. my fav is to take a serving of pepperjack cheese and melt that over the top. mmm so good.

I keep rye krisps & laugh cow at my desk too! If I know in advance thats what I'm going to eat i take a serving of lunch meat and use that on my crakers also.

I also eat a lot of frozen dinners for lunch. Sandwiches are quick and easy. I get everything ready the night before i prepare nothing in the morning. Salads make a great luch add chicken or cheeseto make it a bigger meal. I always eat one with my lunch everyday.

[dietcokehead]

I have a drawer full of soups, crackers and oatmeal at my desk. I also package up chicken, salad, etc from dinner the night before and pack my lunch right after dinner. I think it's easier because you aren't rushing around in the morning.
Another thing I buy are the Thai kitchen noodle bowls. I pack some veggies in a steam bag, bring those in, steam them and add them to my noodle bowls. Yum.
Oh, and I keep a box of special k and a quart of vanilla soymilk in the fridge at work for a snack or breakfast!

[nelie]

Leftovers is a big portion of what I eat. During the week, I'll sometimes make something specific for lunch. Last week, I made crockpot chicken tomato soup.

[alinnell]

Each weekend, I buy carrots, celery and pea pods and then pack them in individual baggies (I don't use dip--just a little salt that I keep in my desk drawer).
I also buy some fruit (lately it has been cherries, but it can be just about anything) and package it in individual baggies (unless it doesn't need to be packaged like apples, etc.).
I also buy a variety of berries (usually blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and sometimes blackberries) and package them in individual tupperware bowls (so the berries don't get smooshed in baggies). (This is my morning snack.)
Often I'll also pre-bag servings of Triscuits (6) and a wedge Laughing cow Light cheese.
Then every morning, I pack my lunch bag with one of each of the above bags/tupperware and a bottle of water and I'm set for the day.
On occasion, I will bring leftovers from the previous night's dinner, but I try not to have leftovers so that isn't very often.
I'm sure you could always make some sandwiches or wraps that would keep for a few days in the fridge. Individual servings of soup are nice to keep in your drawer in case of emergencies. I also sometimes have some protein bars in my drawer in case my tummy is really rumbly in the afternoon.

[ANOther]

Currently in my drawer, I keep foil-packet tuna fillet (StarKist lightly seasoned 120 cal) or salmon steak (Chicken of the Sea in roasted garlic marinade and Bumblebee with lemon & dill 150 cal each) and CotS tuna cups (80 cal) for when I need a meal in a hurry

[ThinGirl in FatBody]

I'm a creature of habit and routine so I have the same breakfasts /snacks/lunches during the day and then I make different dinners.

On Monday morning I take 5 peaches & 5 fat free yogurts to work, I keep them in the fridge there and have them for my snack every day.

For lunch, I have the same thing (boring, I know - but it tastes great) I take a whole wheat soft tortilla, spread some light cream cheese, fill with chicken breast, sliced red peppers and some salsa, I roll it up and it's really delcious - like a fajita roll up. I have this with veggies sticks or salad.

[OnceUponADrive]

I always pack a few fat free fig newtons to snack on...for lunch i'll have a mini wheat bagel with a little lunch meat, tuna, or fat free cream cheese (or hummus if you like it, I can't get myself accustomed to it though) with either a yogurt, jello cup, or some unsweetened applesauce.

[Heather]

I started my whole weight loss journey packing lunches and snacks and it really helps!!

I do what many of the others have said... often Sunday nights I'm packing little bags of veggies, or nuts, or grapes, or whatever for me and hubby so that during the week it's grab and go during the week.

I take a few minutes to either make a sandwich if I'm having that, or perhaps throw together pre-chopped salad stuff, or something like that. I do leftovers too.

I have an insulated bag with a freezer bag you can put inside and I take it with me everyday to work. I think it's a big part of my success!!!

[BlueToBlue]

Here is a quick, easy and filling lunch: 1/4 tube pre-cooked polenta, 3 oz cooked chicken breast, 1/2 cup fat free refried beans, and 2 tbsp salsa. Put it all in a bowl and pop it in the microwave until it is warm. The whole thing comes to about 300 calories.

I'll often make stuff for my lunch on the weekends, then portion it out into separate tupperware containers to grab during the week. I set aside recipes that contain ingredients my SO doesn't like (so I can't make them for dinner) to make for my lunches. Recent weekly lunch menus have included Lemon Chicken with Asparagus (served over brown rice), Shrimp Baked with Cherry Tomatoes and Lite Chevre, Lemongrass Turkey and Bean Salad with Nectarines, Tropical Chopped Salad with Shrimp (that's this week's lunch), and an Eggplant Saute that I ate over chicken and polenta. Each recipe makes about four servings; I eat one serving for lunch on the day I make it, then save the rest to eat during the week.

If you like chicken, here are a couple of sauces that I regularly eat over 4 oz of chicken. I'll make two to four servings of the sauce at once, then just portion it out for my lunches. You can add rice or polenta if you need your lunches to be higher in calories.
Spicy Cherry Sauce: 6 oz pitted and diced cherries, 1/4 cup red wine, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/8 tsp salt (more to taste), 1/8 tsp pepper, 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tbsp cherry preserves (or other berry preserves). Lightly crush the cherries, then add the remaining ingredients and simmer until sauce is the consistency you want. Makes four servings at about 170 calories per serving.
North African Eggplant Sauce: 20 oz eggplant, 14 oz diced tomatoes (canned is fine), 4 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp marjoram, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp red pepper, 1 tbsp pine nuts. Put everything but pine nuts in a saute pan, bring to a boil and then simmer until eggplant is tender and sauce is desired consistency. Add pinenuts at very end of cooking. Makes 2 servings at about 180 calories per serving.
Fruit Sauce: 1 serrano pepper, 1/4 cup pineapple juice, 6 oz diced apricots (or peaches or nectarines), 3 oz diced pluots (or plums), 1/2 tbsp brown sugar, salt to taste, 3 oz pitted and diced cherries (or other berries), 1 oz sliced scallions. Put everything except scallions in a saute pan, bring to a boil, and simmer until desired consistency. Add scallions at very end of cooking. Makes 2 servings at about 135 calories per serving. Serve over chicken that has been seasoned with Caribbean jerk seasoning.

I also eat a lot of sandwiches for lunch. I posted some of my favorites in this thread.

And I eat the occasional convenience food, include Lean Cuisine Panini's, pre-packaged Indian meals, Ethnic Gourmet frozen entrees, Trader Joe's Tuna in Green Curry sauce, and the Bumble-Bee Tuna and Salmon pouches (the meskite tuna is awesome with a little salsa).

[RememberHowToSmile]

My lunch really depends on what I have in my house and how recently I went shopping. But a few suggestions are:

Chicken Salad Sandwiches - I precook enough chicken for 3 days in the crockpot then shread it. In the morning I mix the chicken, light mircal whip, onion and celery (prechopped the night before), salt, pepper, and seasoning salt. Then put on wheat bread.

Sometimes I will by extra lean luncheon meat like healthy choice ham or chicken (turkey would work too but I'm allergic) and make sandwiches with fat free cheese, and whatever veggies I have in the house (cucumber, banana peppers, lettuce, onion, ect).

Scrambled Egg (or eggbeater) sandwich.

With either of these I will normally have yorgut and then a bag of veggies.

Sometimes I will grill chicken on the george forman and then make a big salad. I put the salad in a storage container and then put the chicken in a ziplock snack bag and the dressing in another bag. That way I can warm up the chicken and don't have to worry about the salad getting soggy.

If I have a leftover side from dinner like rice or pasta I will sometimes add stir fry veggies and add some shreaded chicken and have that for lunch.

If I'm at home I will make sometimes make english muffin pizza.