[ohmai]

I am finding that this is the hardest meal of the day for me. My job requires me to be on the road and lunch is usually on the go. The first idea was salad; however, as much as I love them, raw veggies don't love me back. They don't sit well. And I tend to crave something warm or at least not cold and a bit fatty during the middle of the day (no issues with this any other time of the day, dinner and breakfasts are very low fat and usually light). One O'clock is when I want my comfort food. Three PM is when the crash hits when I fail at lunch... and my day goes on well past that... so this is something I really need to get a handle on! Aside from salads and turkey/ham rollups with cheese (lunch meats and cheese make me gag..have never been able to eat either), do you have any suggestions on what to take for lunch? I'm curious what you all usually have as well.

[TwynnB]

That means no access to microwave?

[cestlavie22]

get a good thermos. Then things like chili or soup are an option.

That will provide you warmth and a bit of fat!

good luck.

[ohmai]

Thanks for the suggestions. I should have mentioned I am on phase 1. (I blow it every weekend, so I just repeat. I did manage to lose 13 lbs in January, but I still feel like i need to just stay on P1 until I can go one whole week without totally blowing it.) And on the go means no access to microwave and no fridge! Well.. convenience stores have microwaves, I could always use one there, but I think they are germy. LOL. So no.. not really. (It might be a good tactic to keep me from eating things I shouldn't! I'll just heat them up there and have myself convinced that it's full of swine flu and e. coli and other disgusting things by the time I get to my car and I'll have to toss it out.)

I love soups and chillis, but I do eat beans with meals 3-4 times a week (chili and bean soup are a dinner staple here; also mexican dishes with beans). I've read on several blogs that they should be limited, so I was hesitant to have for lunch as well!

[Selca]

That really is a tough one if you want something hot. I agree with the thermos of soup, maybe a good veggie soup or a turkey noodle soup if you want to skip the beans. Have that with some whole grain bread. To avoid a 3pm crash get some of those probiotic smoothies and have one at 2 o clock. They help me get through until dinner.

[cottagebythesea]

Since you are on Phase 1, it can be rough if you crave a hot lunch. I agree that soup in a thermos is a good idea. Homemade is best since you know exactly what is in it, but there are a few commercial soups that would be OK. Progesso lentil soup or black bean are pretty good, and some of the boxed heat & serve soups from Trader Joe's are great for SBD, too. Soup and a piece of string cheese make a satisfying meal. And you don't have to limit yourself to soups in the thermos. Any leftovers from supper can be heated and spooned into your thermos, too. It may get smooshed from being crammed in there, but it will still taste good and be hot.
Egg salad on lettuce or hard boiled eggs are easy to eat on-the-go, but they're not the hot meal you crave.

[Wavesmom]

Hi Selca - we were having the same problem. Breakfast is a shake of some sort, and dinner works itself out, but lunch was a real problem.

Have you checked out the Salad Nicoise? There are many parts in there that you can have separately - sort of like finger food. One of our favorites has come to be a 6 (or 7) ounce can of tuna, packed in water. You can throw it in your purse and pop the top at lunch. Add a bit of SB mayo, and it is pretty tasty. We put it over butter lettuce and add tomatoes.

Another good idea we had was Bay Shrimp, again over lettuce. Add avocado for added flavor.

We often have to buy salads when we are at work (you know how the mornings go sometimes) - Trader Joes has some good packaged ones. We just throw out the croutons.

Also - are you eating the cheese stick mid-morning? And nuts in the afternoon? Sometimes it helps to save those for lunch.

We really mix up the Daily menus to make it work for us.

Good luck

[Heidi58]

Have you tried either of these soup recipes yet?
Broccoli Cheese
Refried Bean

Both are so quick and easy to make and both are really tasty.
I eat my lunch in my classroom and I am interupted frequently by little ones who come back inside with bumps and bruises or trouble with snowsuits, etc. so I know from experience that either of these soups are good luke warm. lol So even if your thermos doesn't keep things piping hot, I bet you'd be fine.

(I know you're already eating a lot of beans but this soup might make you decide to either eat them more often or to change them to a lunch time staple. lol My DH and I really love this.)