So sick of salads!

  • I'm in 10th grade. I never eat the scool lunches. I take my lunch, and I've been trying to do low carb. I am sooo sick of eating salads every day. What are some very low-carb lunches I can take with me to school?
    Thanks in advance!
  • One of my favorite lunches is a low carb tortilla with a slice (2-3 ounces) of ham, turkey, chicken breast and a packet of 100 calorie Wholly Guacomole. followed by a greek yogurt.
  • I like protein salads with no lettuce (or lettuce used just as a bed) like egg tuna, chicken... salad no lettuce, or at least not a lot). I don't always use mayo as a base. Slices of beef or steak are really good with oil and vinegar sald.

    I make "spaghetti," replacing the noodles with french cut green beans.

    Soups are good (homemade or some canned versions are low-carb).

    When I ate high-carb, I would make a baked potato and cover it with some type of sauce (spaghetti sauce, chili, chicken alfredo...)

    To do it low-carb, I make mashed cauliflower (lots of recipes online and here on 3FC just use the search box), and then put it in the bottom of a plastic container and then add the topping.

    I make "hot wings" using boneless chicken breast or thigh strips. I add a little Splenda (optional) to hot sauce and shake the meat strips into the bag. Then I bake them (a lot of them) and eat them over the next few days (good hot and cold).

    You can also put some raw chicken pieces (I like boneless) into a ziploc bag with some mayo or ranch dressing (or any low-carb dressing, really) and then pour some flaxseed meal, almond meal, or dry parmesan cheese (like in the green can, not fresh) - or a mixture on a plate and roll the gooped up chicken in the coating and bake.

    Also good cold or reheated (I think the parmesan and/or almond meal is better cold than the flax seed coated chicken).


    Fruit and cheese makes a really good lunch. Especially if you like a lot of different fruits and cheeses. You do have to watch carb count with fruits, but a little fruit can go a long way.








    I also just discovered a really cool tool for low-carb ideas. Youtube.

    I just typed low-carb in the search and started watching videos. To the right of every video is suggestions for more ideas.


    I also discovered "grocery hauls" I had no idea. I found one accidentally and then searched on "low carb grocery haul" and found bunches more. These are folks showing you what they bought at the grocery store and how they use the products.

    I found several brands of low-carb tortillas that way so I can have sandwiches (I may have to see if I can organize a road-trip to Trader Joe's with a couple friends, as the nearest one is three hours away).
  • kaplods, this is the second time you've given me some VERY useful advice. Thank you!
  • Glad to help. It seelms like I have a gazillion ideas until I need one, then I draw a blank. So I actually keep a binder of ideas - so that when I can't think of anything - I go back and look over my idea list for ideas.
  • One of my FAVORITE recipes of all time: mix one can of tuna (solid white albacore) with one tbs mayo, salt and pepper, 1/2 cup black beans, 1/2 avocado - cubed, and 2 tbs slivered almonds. It's extremely satisfying and filling, and delicious! I would eat this even if I weren't on a diet.
  • Hard boiled eggs or deviled eggs
    Meatballs
    spread cream cheese on any thin sliced meat and rolled up
    (flavour the cream cheese for more variety)
    any chopped up fish or meat mixed with mayo
    nuts added to salad
    microwave sliced hard cheese for cheese crisps
    full fat plain greek yogurt
    sausages
    green beans in vinaigrette
    teriyaki turkey burger
    onion hamburger
    taco meat, avocado, shredded cheese, sour cream
    half an avocado filled with shrimp and dosed with lemon juice
    cherry tomatoes filled with deviled ham
    sliced cheese and salami
    pork rinds and sour cream dip
    salmon patties

    It's all in how creative you want to get. Endless combinations, all easy to prepare. Often I simply eat the meat and veggies I made the night before for lunch. Some times I want something really different. Rather than rely on leafy salads, take a large leaf of romaine and add meat and cheese and roll up or fold in half....great sandwiches!
  • Nomoredonuts-That sounds so yummy-I think that I will make that next weekend. Thanks for the great recipe!

    EmmaLilly19-Keep up the great work-5 pounds is awesome! I am sure that the school cafeteria doesn't offer healthy choices (there might be hidden sugars, fat or sodium). I agree with you about the salads...I LOVE salads, but if I eat the same thing everyday-then I cheat because I am not satisfied or maybe it's just boredom of lack of variety. One thing that I do when I need something new is go on recipe sites like "allrecipes.com" or you could just google "low carb lunches" and tons of quick, easy recipes or IDEAS come up. Good luck to you on your weight loss journey and good for you for not settling on the crappy cafeteria food.
  • Quote: kaplods, this is the second time you've given me some VERY useful advice. Thank you!
    I second that! Everytime I see a posting or reply from you Kaplods I get so excited you alway give the best advice and greatest tips. Thank you Thank you Thank you
  • Thinly-sliced steak cooked with peppers and onions (and seasonings) rolled in a low-carb tortilla with baby spinach leaves, a dollop or two of Greek Yogurt (Fage is my favorite), and some salsa. Or eat it without the tortilla.

    Spaghetti made with Spaghetti squash. I like making a "sauce" out of thawed frozen spinach, onions, a little garlic, and half a tub of Greek Yogurt. Just warm up the spinach, diced onions, and chopped garlic until tender and mix it with the yogurt. This filling also makes a good filling for stuffing mushrooms or tomatoes.
  • I like veggie salads, rather than "green salads".

    Shredded jicama with lime and salt is very good
    Sliced radishes with soy sauce and a sprinkle of vinegar
    Celery dressed with mayo and sriracha (hot sauce)
    Shredded cabbage (or "broccoli slaw" mix) dressed with blue cheese dressing
    Roasted veggies
    any hard blanched veggie (green beans, cauliflower, carrots) dressed in vinagrette and refrigerated become marinated veggie salad
  • Marinated veggie salad: chop veggies into small bite sized pieces. Include broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers lightly blanched green beans, mushrooms - fresh or canned- sliced zuchini or other squash, colored peppers, olives, etc. place in plastic container. pour in low carb italian or any oil/vinegar type dressing and seal. Keeps for several days. It is actually better as leftovers. I try to keep it in the fridge and eat it every day to get in veggies. You can also add broccoli slaw mix, nuts, and other items to taste.
  • take a can of tuna
    scoop into plastic container
    add that flavored mayo ( i like chipotle flavor or the spicy one)
    mix well
    take along
    use some celery, carrots, or caluiflower and brocolli to dip in and enjoy

    i also take cubes of cheese/ baby belle cheese roll
    and a zip loc bag of nuts to munch on

    another dish i like is scrambled eggs with sausage bits and peppers in it - put in a tupperware and take along

    good luck!
  • I am a fan of meat roll-ups. Just sandwich meat (turkey, ham, roast beef) with a little cream cheese seasoned with some garlic or onion powder, then rolled up and put in a plastic baggie. Four usually get me by.