So, my job requires periodic late meetings at the office. Generally starting at 7pm, going until 9pm or later. I get home at about 9:30.

I need to be there by about 6:30 to let folks in (these are Board and Board committee meetings) and generally am working to prepare materials beforehand. I have made it a point to eat a larger lunch than normal those days so I am not ravenous.

In the past I used to swing by a fast food place and pick up fried chicken and sides to eat when I got home.

Here's the question...by the time I get home I am rarely hungry. That has come and gone. I don't think skipping dinner is a great idea, but I don't want to eat a normal meal and then get right into bed. Last night I ended up eating some pecans, cheese and crackers, prunes, and half a nectarine.

What ideas (besides Greek yogurt which is my breakfast) do folks have for quick and lighter late dinners? Is what I had enough to be healthy? (It was a sampling of the "snack" foods I keep around now.)

Thanks, this is coming up more and more recently...I had planned a lovely dinner of leftovers, but this meeting ran much later than usual...but lately they seem to.

If it's periodically, I don't think it hurts to have a sampling of healthy foods. What you ate last night would be perfectly fine. Maybe add a vegetable in some form and call it a light dinner!

In a pinch, I like to throw together a nice dinner salad.

sometimes when I'm in the same situation I just have a protein powder with non fat milk, or low fat cottage cheese with a green apple.

Can you take something with you to eat and work before the meetings?

I thought what you had was ok? maybe some cottage cheese ? I know what you mean, there's nothing worse than it being super LATE and you know you have to eat - but bed is looming not too far off... I tend to have cottage cheese & fruit, or some of that rye crisp cracker/bread (kinda cardboardy but i like it lol) with some peanut butter and some sliced banana on top for a quick something or other, or a small container of homemade soup in the freezer to nuke.

Twice a week I have long days...from 8am until 7pm. I do have a few tricks to help me stay on track and make it through.

When I pack my lunch bag on those long days, I add 1/2 cup of lowfat cottage cheese. Right before afternoon/evening class starts (I work in adult ed) I eat it with some Wasa crackers. That keeps me satisfied for awhile. If I get the hungries before I get off, I nibble on some nuts or carrots or string cheese.

When I get home, I'm always really hungry but not in the mood to cook. So, on Sundays I cook some chicken breasts and keep them in the fridge. Sometimes I'll cook some ground turkey and put taco seasoning in it, again keeping it in the fridge after it cools. Then when I get home on my late nights I have some good protein that I can dress up quickly. Sometimes I shred some of the chicken, add a spice mix I'm in the mood for (sometimes some 2% cheese as well), then warm in the microwave. Add a veggie (steaming in the microwave is super fast) and you're good to go. Or, I warm some of the taco meat in a low-carb tortilla, add romaine and tomato, and have that.

Just like everything else, I think that the trick for late nights is to plan ahead!!

Hope this helps!

This happens to me a lot when I have late client meetings. Since most of my clients work regular office jobs, I try to be flexible and meet with them after work. Unfortunately that means I don't get home to eat until after 8:30 or 9 many nights. A lot of times when I get home I'm not particularly hungry, but I need some calories, and I don't want to eat heavily right before bed. I know exactly how you feel.

Here are some of the things I do:

1/2 cup cottage cheese (I don't use the low fat version, so this is fairly substantial for me)
a serving of oats with cheese
scramble a couple of eggs and top with salsa
boil a couple of eggs and serve warm, sliced on a 1/2 an english muffin
1 oz of Dubliner cheese and a small tart apple
a packet of tuna, a little light mayo, on a wasa cracker

Sometimes if I know I'm going to have a late meeting, I'll plan something out ahead of time. Last week I knew I had 3 evening meetings in a row, so one night I made meatloaf and made sure to set aside a slice for the next day. When I got home I nuked it and added a little a-1 sauce and finished up with a plum.

I guess since it's pretty normal for me to have evening meetings (and often last minute scheduled evening meetings), I've gotten used to keeping things on hand that can be fixed and cleaned up quickly.

Edited: Like Joanne above, I tend to grill a couple of chicken breasts over the weekend and keep them handy for salads and quick meals. It's easy to throw 6 tenders/breasts on the grill at a time. I like the idea of the browned turkey/burger with taco seasoning - that's one I haven't done. But that would also make a nice salad topper or something for a quick meal. I'm gonna have to do that!

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Can you drink a protein shake or eat a sandwich while preparing materials?

I can't eat within 2 hours of bedtime. If I do, I toss and turn all night. If you're the same way, and it's just every so often, skipping a meal won't kill you. Like others said, though, it would be best to eat before/while prepping the meeting.

Thanks all, you've given me some good ideas. (Periodically is just erratic, this week it was three evenings, next week one and then probably none for two weeks.)

It is rarely unscheduled though, so the idea of having light food on hand is a good one...

I'm also decided to keep some almonds and walnuts on hand, and yesterday I brought a piece of fruit so that I could have a late snack. (I'm actually needing to work on keeping calories up at this point, which feels good.)

I dont do it often but i keep slimfast on hand for emergency use. I also tend to keep oatmeal for a quick fix or maybe some turkey with the string cheese and crackers. I also keep bell pepper strips on hand along with carrots for snacking on.