[Thinfor5Minutes]

One thing that's really tiring me out, psychically speaking, is packing lunches. Having no microwave that I can use at work is really a big pain, because that means it's harder to find things I can bring. I've tried heating soup in the morning and putting it in my thermos but it just doesn't stay hot enough. So that pretty much means salads, since sandwiches are out on FS. And salads can be a lot of work ... all that chopping, mixing, packing ... plus I find I am going to have to buy a bigger lunch carrier. By the time I cram my fruit, yogurt and salad container in there, including plastic fork and spoon that I wash and reuse every day, and my freezer pack so my salad doesn't wilt, I can barely get the zipper shut! I like to use re-usable containers as much as possible, so I am stuck with what I have until they are worn out. I am going to keep doing this, so this is just the way it's going to be ... just venting!

Also, the shopping is getting to me. You can't buy salad ingredients and fruit too far ahead, so that means multiple trips throughout the week. Plus I have to slap hubby's hand away from the stuff intended for lunches. He'll just grab a handful of cherry tomatoes or cucumber slices and never think twice that those things are for tomorrow's lunches. I can't keep bananas in the house. It's good he eats those things instead of chips, but wow, it's expensive.

[grrrkgrrrl]

when i used to pack salad for lunch i used to buy the pre-cut salads, a big bag could last me for 3 days worth of lunches.
NOT the ones with the dressing..just precut veggies. gram for gram i believe they are pricier than buying the separate ingredients but if it saves you a headache and helps you staying on plan it might be worth it?

i used to get a container, add 3-4 handfuls of the salad, add some cherry tomatos and some cottage cheese and i was done in under 3 minutes

[PeanutsMom704]

I prep all my own salad stuff ahead of time. I'll wash a couple of heads of leaf lettuce and layer it in paper towels in a container, that keeps it fresh and crispy. Then I chop up several days worth of the other veggies I like in my salad and put that all into containers. I also cook several pieces of chicken and cut that up into pieces In the mornings, I just have to assemble the various pieces and I'm good to go!

And if your lunch bag isn't big enough, get a new one! Recycling and using up things is great, but having a healthy lunch and staying on plan is more important so get rid of anything that is an obstacle in achieving that.

[nelie]

I made a quick salad this morning but when I start eating salads every day, I basically make 3 or 4 days worth of salads at once and pack them all up and put them in the fridge.

[nelie]

Oh and I don't know what is allowed on fat smash or not but someone else asked about quinoa on fat smash and that is apparently allowed?

Have you ever thought of things like grain/bean salads? Can you have fruit?

Something like quinoa, black beans, red wine vinegar, a little olive oil, and some chopped fruit is really good. You can mix it up as well or even omit the olive oil. You could also add things like diced cucumbers and tomatoes which is really good or just experiment. Chickpeas are another favorite bean of mine.

[astrophe]

Are you rinsing the thermos in HOT water first before putting the hot food in?

Or try Mr or Ms Bento. Microwave and cooling problems solved. Keeps hot 5 hrs and cold 7 hours

http://www.amazon.com/Zojirushi-Ms-B...8940679&sr=8-1

It is a bit of a splurge, but I've had ours for more than 5 years and still going strong! Totally worth it for hot/cold food on the go.

A.

[Taurie]

Get a salad spinner. It'll keep your salads fresh for a week.
I'm on the other Dr. Ian Smith diet... the 4 day diet, so I'm not sure if your allowed, but I pack myself a bean salad for when I'm away from home.

Yeah, I heard Mr/Ms Bento were great.

[Raichu]

First thing when you get up - boil some water in a kettle or microwave and let it sit in the thermos. Pack your lunch at the last minute, and just before you fill the thermos with the heated soup, dump the water. Works like a charm!!

[Suzanne 3FC]

When I did Fat Smash, I made a rice salad that packed well. I made a dressing from yogurt and red pepper salad dressing (seeds of change brand) and combined that with black forbidden rice (I don't like brown but brown would work too), chopped onions, roasted red peppers, cherry tomatoes, and sliced fresh spinach. It was really good and packed well.

I buy big bags of spinach and salad greens, and store them in Evert Fresh green bags. I find that it really does help them last longer.

[bronzeager]

Yay for bringing lunch every day. I do too, and I also do not have a microwave to use; although I don't know about Fat Smash particularly they are all heavy on the veggies/fruit and low on the bread/starch/rice. I get a lot of ideas from Bento blogs and the Laptop Lunch blog. Lots of the actual bento lunches are pretty calorie heavy, but they show you how you can pack all the "courses" together appealingly into one larger container.

Some ideas:

1) For bringing lunch every day, you deserve a special container. Look for ones that have good latches/seals and don't leak. That was what really got me out of the habit of using recycled plastic containers and baggies -- a few too many lunch bag explosions. Buy a couple of nice Lock 'n' Lock containers in different sizes and use the recycled containers in the fridge for preprepped stuff.

Also some icepacks in different sizes are handy if the big one is a problem, you can get little flexible ones that you cut from a sheet.

2) Seconding (thirding) cutting vegetables that you can just grab out of the fridge in the morning. If you don't have time to cut them all at once (I usually do them the afternoon I get them home from the store), at least do a few extra the night before you're making the lunch. I never peel just one carrot; if I have the peeler hauled out I might as well peel five, and the remainder go in a plastic container in the fridge.

Buying them already pre-cut also saves time though they can be more expensive. I also can't get too many things pre-cut here where I live, so lots of peeling. Put some nice music on and a glass of wine (or whatever you are allowed on FS) and snip snip snip...

3) Yay for hubby eating healthy! Buy some extra fruit and veggies to account for his consumption and give him his own special section in the fridge which is "safe", or keep a section which is Off-limits, for lunch packing only. Make him peel to make up for it.

4) Are you allowed wraps (fat free) on fat smash? There are some tortillas and wraps that are non fat or low fat. Some stores keep them in the refrigerator rather than the regular section. You can put all the regular sandwich fillings in. Also you can wrap things in lettuce leaves, especially the soft lettuce like buttercrunch. And rice paper wrappers in the Asian section of the grocery have no fat, although they need a little practice to work with. They are stiff round sheets that you dip in water and then they get flexible. You have to make them that morning though, or they get too soggy and fall apart.

5) bean salads made from canned beans are great. Make sure they are no-lard or no-fat, and google bean salad recipes.

[aspoonfulweighsaton]

So many good ideas!