I'm finally biting the bullet and going to start bringing my lunch to work this week in an effort to further my weight loss/maintenance and save money. SO.... I need ideas!! I hate salads, and I want to be able to bring something that isn't going to be soggy or gross by the time noon rolls by. Any ideas? Types of sandwiches? I'm looking to get 300-400 calories per lunch.

Thanks!

The choices are limited! At least for me. SmartOnes and fruit are a favorite choice of mine. And sooooo low in calories! I like peanut butter and honey sandwiches also. But again, I supplement with tons of fruit otherwise I get hungry all over again.

Kind of lame. I'm looking forward to hearing other peoples ideas.

I've been taking my lunch to work since before I began eating healthy, so I especially do it now. There are a few avenues you could take:

Sandwiches: There's the typical meat and cheese on bread, but that can get boring and also a little carby for me. I sometimes take a whole wheat or whole grain/low carb tortilla, add some deli meat, cheese and veggies, and make a wrap. The deli in the grocery store has some amazing lunch meats...the brand Boar's Head is my favorite. BH has a good variety of things that are low fat and low cal, AND they have a brochure that lists all the nutritional info for everything they make. You can also use cooked chicken, turkey or other meat you have on hand at home. You can make veggie wraps with the tortilla and some cukes, sprouts, any veggies you like. As for the tortilla, one of my local markets has whole wheat, along with whole grain/low carb in a variety of flavors, so things don't get boring. If you aren't into tortillas, visit a good bakery and see what kind of whole grain or whole wheat items they offer. And don't think you just have to put lettuce in a sandwich or wrap...there are sprouts, spinach, all different types of greens. The only limit is your produce aisle. Sometimes I skip the bread/tortilla totally and use romaine leaves to make lettuce wraps. Yummy!

Leftovers: When making dinner, it's pretty easy to make a little extra for lunch the next day. As soon as dinner is done, portion out your lunch and put it in the fridge so that you're not tempted to eat it. Sometimes I cook up a whole package of chicken breasts and slice them up to keep in the fridge. They're great for lunch in a container, on a bed of brown rice, another healthy grain, or veggies. Then just warm briefly in the microwave at lunchtime. I've also cooked up a package of ground turkey or chicken, seasoned it with taco seasoning, then took some to work with tortillas or taco shells and had taco week at work.

Salads: I know you said you weren't into salads, but this still is worth mentioning. Sometimes on Sunday afternoons I set out 5 containers and make up 5 salads, one for each workday lunch. I use spinach leaves and weigh out my add-inns....grape tomatoes, radishes, jicama, whatever. I sometimes add low-fat feta and some kalamata olives and make it a little greek-like. You can also add taco meat and a little cheese and add salsa later to make a taco salad.

When making and packing a lunch, you're gonna want to pack anything really wet separately. For instance, if I've got sliced pickles or sliced tomatoes or dressing/salsa to add to a sandwich or salad, I pack it separately then add it at the last minute. This prevents soggy sandwiches or wilted salads!!

I also carry along snacks. I make my own whole-wheat pita chips, so I can take a few of those and some hummus, or cheese sticks, veggies and fruit, cottage cheese, or (if you're okay with more processed food) some of the 90-calorie packs. I usually also take a bar of Trader Joe's Dark 100-calorie chocolate, just because I love my dark chocolate.

I've invested in an insulated, roomy lunch bag, containers of different sizes, and some blue ice, along with zip-top bags of different sizes. It really helps make lunch easier to pack and take along.

I hope this helps some!!

~JoAnne

I make a crockpot taco turkey/bean combo on the weekends (1 pound turkey breast covered in taco seasoning cooked in the crockpot till falling apart, then flake and add one can black bans, one can fatfree refried beans, and one can Ro-tel (Ro-tel is tomatos & green chilis - but you could use Salsa instead) - let cook another hour and then refrigerate) and then eat during the week. I take it to work in one container and salad fixin's or a pita in another and then combine them when it's time to eat (i usually zap the turkey/bean stuff). This is very flavorful and very filling.

I also make a crustless veggie quiche that is low cal, filling, and a great way to get a serving or two of veggies. This is yummy hot or cold and I eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Those are my two staples. We have a full kitchen at work so sometimes I take stuff in and do a stir fry but that takes more organization and forethought than I can usually muster. I like the make ahead for a fast "grab 'n' go" kind of lunches best.

JoAnne,

How do you make pita chips? Joseph's whole wheat, oat, and flax pitas are one of my faves. I'd love to chipify them.

It's actually very easy. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Take 3 rounds of pita bread and cut each one into quarters. I use a pizza cutter for this..it makes things much easier. I arrange the triangles on a baking sheet, and bake for 10 minutes. Turn them over, and bake for another 10. Cool them briefly, then store in a container or zip-top bag. Depending on your oven, you may need to add or shave off a few minutes on the baking time.

On the Food Network, I've seen chefs season them with olive oil, salt, and a mixture of spices, but I prefer mine plain. My son just loves these and would eat them every day if he could. I just think it's hilarious that pita chips are so expensive in the store (and full of oil and other things), yet they're so cheap and easy to make at home!!

I can't imagine anyone thinking bringing lunch would be limiting. There are so many more options to bringing lunch than there are when buying something out.

Someone else has already mentioned leftovers from the night before. When I make roast, or a casserole, or soup, or anything like that, I always have leftovers for lunch the next day.

Often I'll make a veggie soup on Sunday night *just* to take for lunches the next week. I throw in all the veggies I have lying around, cabbage, carrots, a tin of diced tomatoes, etc. Season it with a little salt and pepper and maybe add a splash of v8 juice for color. A pot of this makes 4 or 5 lunches that I can have either a whole bowl of soup for 200 cals, or a smaller bowl and a 1/2 a sandwich.

Canned / packaged tuna or chicken makes a great lunch. Sometimes I just eat it out of the package, but also a salad of it made with light mayo and spicy mustard, in a pita or on a single slice of whole grain bread is yummy. Eat with some pita chips and some fruit, or sliced veggies and dip.

A lot of times I'll bake a container of brown rice on Sunday nights as well. During the week you can mix a serving of brown rice with 1/2 can of black beans and some diced tomatoes (or Rotel, if you like spicy). Melt a little cheese over the top and you have a great healthy meal that's filling.

Also using canned salmon, make salmon patties (baked in the oven, rather than fried). Take two of those for lunch with chopped veggies and fruit.

Salads - as someone else said - can be just about anything. I usually use baby spinach as the basis for my salads and throw in everything but the kitchen sink.

Turkey burgers or veggie burgers that I've cooked the night before can be crumbled and put in a corn tortilla (or a flour one if I have the calories available). Add some shredded cabbage or lettuce, a few slices of avocado, and some salsa. Yummy.

The trick to not getting soggy lunches is to pack everything separately and assemble it right before you eat. I make my tuna salad or whatever and put it in a separate tupperware container. The bread or pita is put in a baggie. If I bring a pickle or something like that - it also gets it's own container. Then in the kitchen at my office (or more often just at my desk), I'll assemble everythign into one plate.

Lunch can be anything you want it to be - think of your favorite foods and then think of the easiest way to bring them with you. You'll get the hang of it!

.

Here are a few of my favorite packable lunches:

• Turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread with thinly sliced cucumber (I use a vegetable peeler to get really thin slices), guacamole or avocado, hummus, and sprouts or spinach.
• Low calorie wrap with nonfat cream cheese, smoked salmon, thinly sliced cucumber, broiled stone fruit (peach, apricot, or nectarine) and spinach. You can broil the fruit in advance and just store it in the fridge. You could also use sun-dried tomatoes instead of the fruit.
• Whole wheat pita filled with a mixture of grilled chicken breast, roasted eggplant (roast it in advance and store in the fridge), cherry tomatoes, goat cheese or light feta, arugula or basil, and dijon mustard. Pack the filling separate from the pita and assemble at work, or the pita will get soggy. You also might want to store the arugula or basil separately.
• PB&J on whole wheat
• 1/4 tube pre-cooked polenta with grilled chicken breast, refried beans, and salsa. Pop it in the microwave and it's sort of like a chicken and bean tamale.

I also will frequently make a casserole or soup for lunch on the weekend, eat one serving when I make it and put the rest in individual serving containers to eat during the week.

This week for lunch I am having shrimp tacos. I plan on cooking the shrimp fresh each day, but you could cook enough shrimp for the week at once and then assemble the tacos at work. The other ingredients are corn tortillas, cabbage, and salsa.

Thanks for the tips! It sounds like I'm going to have to pack some of the stuff separately to keep the meal from getting soggy. I like the ideas with tortillas and pitas. I should have done this a long time ago! Well, today is day #1. I made a turkey sandwich with low fat cheese and hot peppers. Hopefully it will still be appetizing at noon....

Awhh sweeet idea - I haven't even thought of frozen veggies with chicken. I am so sick of cutting up veggies for salad!

I LOVE that chicken/bean tamale idea, Blue! I like that polenta in a tube stuff but didn't really know what to do with it that would be relatively low cal and easy. Thanks!

I rely on pretty simple stuff like turkey sanwiches, leftovers and frozen stuff like Amy's bean burritos, supplemented with an apple and yogurt.

I'll also eat it with chicken. I'll take a 4-oz chicken breast and pound it flat with a meat mallet, then saute it in a skillet with a little cooking spray. It takes less than 5 min to cook. Sometimes I season the chicken with a seasoning blend (lemon pepper, jerk seasoning, Thai seasoning, etc.). Then slice up 1/4 tube polenta and heat that in the same pan. Add a sauce (e.g., a low cal bottled spaghetti or marinara sauce or, if you want to get fancy, my stone fruit sauce). Layer the polenta on plate, top with the chicken and sauce, and you've got a nice low calorie meal. Sometimes I'll also saute up some spinach to go with it or top it with some reduced fat cheese. Of course, if you work in an office, this probably won't work well for lunch, but it makes a quick and easy dinner.

Tamale Pie is another great use for polenta in tube. You could make up a batch on the weekend and store it in individual serving containers to eat in your lunch all week.

Vanilla Yogurt, Blueberries, mangoes, strawberries and blackberries with granola. (About 120-140calories)

Delicious.