I was wondering if people had any ideas for quick and easy to make meals to take to work with them? I've realised that my lack of organisation lets me down with healthy eating but in trying to think of good meals for work all I can come up with are carb based meals like pasta salads and sandwiches which I'm trying to avoid. If anyone had any suggestions It would be great to hear!
Tomorrow is my first day back after Christmas and I'm having pasta salad for lunch which feels like a bad idea!
A couple questions - do you have a refrigerator at work or can you carry an insulated bag with an ice pack? Do you have a microwave or anything that you can warm something up?
Here are some ideas for a cold lunch:
Low fat cheese rolled up with low fat deli meat (ham, turkey, chicken) with lettuce and/or pickle strip or dill gherkin.
Tuna Salad made with dab of mayo, pickle relish, onion, celery, pepper on bed of lettuce or on top of whole wheat crackers like Triscuits or in 1/2 Pita pocket.
Sandwich wrap with deli turkey, 2 pcs. cooked bacon, lettuce, dab of mayo (add chopped tomato just before eating so wrap doesn't get soggy).
I would also have a piece of fruit with my lunch, maybe some celery sticks and raw baby carrots that you could dip in hummus. Dill pickle strips and string cheese are good, too. Unsweetened applesauce if I have no fruit.
Try bean or chickpea salads instead of the pasta salads,
1 can chickpeas (19 oz/540 ml), rinsed and drained
¼ cup cilantro/coriander, chopped, or substitute fresh parsley,
¼ cup green onion, finely chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
3 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp olive oil
cayenne pepper, to taste
Hard boiled eggs are a staple for me
Cold chicken, chopped almonds, spinach and either mandarin oranges or apricots
lean deli ham and laughing cow light cheese (2 rolls per cheese wedge)
a piece of fruit and then either a bunch of carrots, celery, or snap peas to make up some bulk.
I drink Soylent at work. I'm simply not motivated enough to try and plan lunches ahead...it seems like when I do, they're never as filling as I expected.
Thanks very much for your suggestions! I like the idea of replacing pasta with beans and all the options are more protein based which is great. Out of interest, if there was a microwave what type of meals would you suggest?
With a microwave, I would make a pot of chili on my day off then divide it into containers to have a quick grab and go for lunch. I love chili, so I didn't mind having it a lot during the week. You could do this with any broth based soup, too.
You could also cook low fat hamburger patties in advance and freeze them. Then take out and microwave and wrap in lettuce with your other toppings. I have little tupperware containers that just hold a couple of tablespoons that I used for those.
Mini pizzas - take pita bread, couple tablespoons of sauce, and shredded mozzarella cheese in separate containers or baggies. At lunch time, spread sauce on pita, sprinkle cheese and microwave until cheese melts.
If you're able to have a water kettle at work, I'd bring a very thick soup (to the point it's almost stew) and add boiled water to it to thin it out and heat it up.
I make my own soups, but also sometimes bring in a can of Campbell's soup (reduced sodium chicken and rice, usually) and just eyeball it until I've got myself enough soup for a meal.
Otherwise, I do like to make my own "Lunchables". I'll cut up some low fat cheese, some meat, a small amount of crackers, and lots of cut up veggies to go with it.
I'm also a batch cook and freezer meal fanatic (you can warm your frozen portioned chili, soup, stew, curry, etc and put in a thermos in the morning), but here are some really great ideas for lower carb cold meals 90 Healthy No Heat Lunches
With access to a microwave, I freely admit I get lazy for lunches, and pack a diet friendly tv dinner (lean cuisine or ww usually) and a piece of fruit.
I make a big batch of salad, washed and ready to go everyday.
I also eat a lot of leftovers. I always have an extra piece of grilled chicken or fish to add to my salads, it a can of tuna.
Bean soups and chili are a go to, I've got lots of single portion servings in my freezer. A bit of chopping and cooking on the weekend yields a lot of lentil or black bean soup!
Office Meals
