Hello beach peeps,

I'm an unemployed recent college grad (looking for that first job) and I just started phase 2, after 2 weeks on phase 1 (lost 7 lbs.) I wanted to hear any suggestions for quick summer meals especially for lunch, I love salad, but if I have to have one more grilled chicken salad I think I'll scream! All this monotany is leading me to snack more. I need to change it up. Please help!

I am not a salad lover, so the salads were really unenjoyable for me. However, combined with shrimp, or leftover barbequed chicken with added cheese and tomato, they were more tastie than I thought they would be. However, for a change, try the ham or turkey roll ups. They are really very good. I have those with a bit of cottage cheese and jellow for dessert...

Carbohaulic, try the recipes in the recipe forum! I'm totally with you...I need a change of pace to keep going on this plan!

What about leftovers from the night before? Soup? Try the broccoli with cheese soup I posted...it is amazing!!!!!

Now that you can have carbs, what about chicken salad, tuna salad, lunch meat, etc in a pita? I love spicy chicken with tzatziki sauce, tomatoes, and lettuce (recipe for tzatziki sauce is in recipe forum) in a WW pita. Try making a pizza on a pita! Try stuffing a tomato with tuna salad. What about leftover Taco Bake rolled up in a WW Tortilla? Open face melt (tuna melt, ham n' cheese, etc.) sandwich on WW bread? There are so many choices! Check out www.cookinglight.com for tons upon tons of recipes that are easy to modify (you have to register to use the site, but it is SO worth it).

Hope this helps!

We always make double and sometimes even triple of the dinner meal -- usually out of the SB cookbook. Then we freeze or fridge-store the leftovers for lunches. Sure keeps us full and happy.

I have been making a huge batch of vegetarian chilli (capsicum, zucchini, eggplant, mushrooms, garlic, onion with canned tomatoes and kidney beans) then freezing leftovers to eat later. Other popular meals atm include stir fries, curries using f/f s/f sauces with chicken and tons of vegies (cauli, brocolli, celery, zucchini, mushrooms) served in a bowl without the rice, and salads topped with sliced grilled rump steak. This is mostly because it is getting too cold here for main meal salads for lunch AND dinner. I need to find some recipes for soups that are low fat and low carb but that is another option.

I sometimes cut up peppers, cucumbers & the dreaded celery, and now that I'm on Phase II occasionally some whole grain toast, and dip it in a mixture of cottage cheese and salsa. The salsa gives it kick and it doesn't feel like a salad.

thanks everyone, great ideas!

Carboholic... try this... I have been eating a delicious bean "salad" quite a bit. Basically combine 2 cans of beans of your choice (I use 1 can red kidney beans and 1 can chick peas), plus red bell pepper chunks, low fat feta cheese, and artichoke hearts. Then mix up a dressing of: 1tbsp. olive oil, 2tbsp. balsamic vinegar, 1 tbsp. lemon juice, 2tsp. dijon mustard, couple dashes of salt, 1/4tsp. pepper, 1tsp. Splenda. Whisk the dressing until the mustard is dissolved, then pour over the salad (I use a bowl with a lid and toss it around so the dressing covers everything), and marinate over night.

It's my FAVORITE for lunch. Try it, I love it! (I also occasionally add some garlic... but I'm not a huge fan of it, so I normally don't. But you can add it if you like that flavour. Some people may also try adding cut-up red onion to the mix for some bite.)

Thanks for the bean salad idea. Sounds nummy.