I work at a Starbucks inside a grocery store. You would think I would be able to find a good healthy lunch there. Anyone have any suggestions on what I should eat on my lunches? I really don't have any good food from home that I could take to work with me. Today I had a Smart Ones meal and that was good but usually I get burnt out on microwavable meals pretty quickly. It's hard walking past the hot case without wanting to get some bad fried food. So..anyone have any suggestions?

Do you cook your dinners at home? The best way I know to ensure an on plan lunch is to make enough leftovers for dinner that I'm covered. That way, I don't have to worry about packing it or planning it...it's all taken care of. It has made my life so much easier!

I work at the roasting plant in Amsterdam for SBUX and we have a store where we have all the regular goodies one can buy at a SBUX... so I take my lunch every day!! If you are already in the supermarket you can buy pre-packaged salads (just the green, leafy bits), you can buy tomatoes, cucumbers, low-fat feta cheese or cottage cheese or deli meats, weight watcher or low-fat salad dressings, etc., and you can whip up a salad right there (if you have the space).

I plan and pack my lunch to work every day without fail. It's one of the absolutely essential things that have helped my weight loss/maintenance. It does take planning ahead (shopping and packing), but once you get into the routine, it's no big deal.

I tend to alternate between one of two lunches. It's either a can of lite soup, with 3 ounces of lean protein, and a sugar free jello /pudding or a half cup of fruit. OR bagged lettuce, 3 ounces of lean protein, leftover steamed veggies, and jello/pudding or fruit. I normally keep a bottle of basalmic vinegar at my desk, so that's my salad dressing.

For protein, I either get the small 3 ounce cans of tuna or use leftovers. I'll cook up a big batch of roast turkey or broiled chicken and pre-measure out 3 ounce portions into baggies and freeze them. Then I just have to pop them out of the freezer into the lunch bag. I cook more veggies than I need for dinner so there will be leftovers, but in a pinch I'll used canned. I buy bagged pre-washed lettuce. I pack my lunch when I'm cleaning up the kitchen from dinner, so everything is ready for the morning to just grab and go.

Going to my work cafeteria is a huge trap for me, so now I just don't go there. Plus it saves a ton of money!

You could buy baby carrots and hummus or some other dip, or some yoghourts.

Like MBN, I pack my lunch every day, without fail. I also pack my husband's, while he makes the morning coffee. We used to eat sandwiches, but all that bread can be a real trap. So now I either have a salad with greens, grape tomatoes, cucumber and either turkey or beans, OR I make whole-grain grain and bean salads. Our favorites are corn and black bean salads, and brown rice and kidney bean salad. Tabbouleh is nice too, if made with whole grain couscous. We always have fruit in our lunches, and often I bring raw veggie dippers and hummus, especially if it is a salad day without beans in it. I also bring a morning snack to work, usually fat free yogurt with some kind of fruit in it.

I buy last-minute meals at the supermarket all the time. The trick, as always, is to avoid the "center" aisles (and of course the hot food!). I choose a lot of fresh fruit for snacks and dessert (grapes, strawberries, bananas, apples), cherry tomatoes, small quantities of nuts (great if you can choose just a small scoop from bulk), premade salads from the deli (safeway makes a southwestern salad I like), hardboiled eggs from the deli, pudding cups from the refrigerated section... one simple and filling meal if you have access to a microwave is a couple of potatoes and some shredded cheese. The potatoes have to be in the microwave for a while though, so that might not work in a busy work situation.

Well thanks for all the suggestions, ladies. They all are very good ones that I think Im going to try! :-)