Bringing Lunch

[solfan68]

Our local grocery often sells the Hormel Compleats microwaveable meals 4 for $9. Not all are terribly healthy, but some of the selections are. Typically I'll get those and a six pack of applesauce cups. Bring them in on Monday and mix and match. We typically go out as a group on Friday, so this usually works out pretty well.

 

[rockundergirl]

Lots of great ideas! Thanks everyone
I think i will just buy a small fridge for my office.
I know myself and after day 3 of packing ice packs etc... I will decide my time is more important then money and start buying salads every day .. lol

 

[Disney845]

I was doing a 1200 cal diet for awhile and I would have the following (does require at least a lunch sack with ice pack).

First thing when I get to work (1) Babybel Light Cheese Round (about 8:30am)

Mid morning snack of Stonyfield strawberry organic fat free yogurt (about 10:30am)

Lunch at about 12:30 of baby carrot sticks, fruit cup, and a yummy wrap (my coworkers were always jealous of it) made of the following:

Light Italian Flat Out flat bread
triangle of Laughing Cow Light Garlic and Herb cheese spread
large amount of european lettuce blend (bagged salad)
heirloom, cherry, or other similar tomato sliced up
Boars Head Lemon Pepper chicken (thin sliced from the deli)

Mid-afternoon snack of veggie wheat thins, or a 100 cal cookie snack pack, or Kozy Shack Simply Well chocolate pudding (maybe 4pm).

 

[bookgirl]

Two or three days a week I bring

Bowl of soup (either home made or Campbells Homestyle chicken Noodle)
5-6 Fat Free Premium Brand saltine crackers (they're crunchier)
Fruit (baggie of grapes, apple, banna or a package of freeze dried fruit)
sometimes I throw in a cookie but not always
a refillable bottle of water that I add a flavor pack too.

The other days I switch around between

Leftovers (either from take out or dinner at home)
piece of bread/triscuts
Fruit
Drink

Turkey (or soy burger), spinach, mustard on whole wheat/mulitgrain bread or a pita/tortilla
Chips
Fruit
Drink

Cut up meat/cheese/triscuits or other crackers
Cottage cheese
fruit
drink

For snacks it's one or two of the following
cheese/crackers
dried fruit
granola bar
cottage cheese
fresh fruit
cookie/snack bar
yogurt
V-8 juice
carrot sticks

And sometimes I completly lose my mind and I bring in total junk food, but I really try for simple/healthy at lunch because dinner isn't always either of those.

I just use cold packs in my bag and half the time it's not even an insulated bag and I haven't gotten food poisoning yet. You'll be fine without a fridge. In fact the rare occasion I eat a frozen dinner I just cook it in the morning then reheat for 1 minute so I don't have to waste 5 min cooking a frozen dinner when there's a line for the microwaves.

 

[aduff89]

The other day I was waiting in the deli counter line and I spied something called Weight Watchers Fresh Meals…wondering if anyone has tried them. I’ve never seen them before.

 

[marcemc]

Get a good insulated bag and some ice packs! It'll make a world of difference! .

I completely agree, I make my boys lunch everyday & pack fruit & veggies & they stay fresh.

A lot of posters have given you great ideas for lunches, my tip would be to write down a menu for the week & stick to it, it will make it easier to stay within your budget and you will have more organized mornings when it comes to packing up lunch.

 

[disykat]

Lots of great ideas! Thanks everyone
I think i will just buy a small fridge for my office.
I know myself and after day 3 of packing ice packs etc... I will decide my time is more important then money and start buying salads every day .. lol

If want a fridge, great. However, there's nothing hard about ice packs. I've had the same little ice pack for years. I take it out of the freezer in the morning and put it in my lunch. When I empty the lunch bag in the evening I stick it back in the freezer.

The hard part about lunches is actually making them. That part is the same whether you have a fridge or not!

 

[meriface11]

i'm on WW. i have trouble eating salad in the winter when it is cold out, so i base my lunches around hot meals with veggies.

every sunday morning i do my cooking for the week. make a baked oatmeal casserole to bring for breakfast all week.

for lunch i bring combos of protein and veggies. sometimes i make a turkey or chicken chili, or grilled chicken breasts for the week. pair with steamed broccoli or cauliflower, baked spaghetti squash or a stewed eggplant and tomatoes. i also keep wasa crisps, baby carrots, laughing cow cheese, and fruit in the office for afternoon snacks or to pair with my lunch. down 12 pounds and on staying on budget.

 

[dis-happy]

i'm on WW. i have trouble eating salad in the winter when it is cold out, so i base my lunches around hot meals with veggies.

every sunday morning i do my cooking for the week. make a baked oatmeal casserole to bring for breakfast all week.

for lunch i bring combos of protein and veggies. sometimes i make a turkey or chicken chili, or grilled chicken breasts for the week. pair with steamed broccoli or cauliflower, baked spaghetti squash or a stewed eggplant and tomatoes. i also keep wasa crisps, baby carrots, laughing cow cheese, and fruit in the office for afternoon snacks or to pair with my lunch. down 12 pounds and on staying on budget.

I am so interested to hear about this. Would you be willing to share the recipe? Especially if it's WW friendly? My family LOVES oatmeal in the morning....and I am doing WW too. Thanks!

 

[aloha_lilo]

I use a Coleman 9qt Excursion Cooler. I freeze two 16oz bottles of water to use as my ice (also useful as cold water after lunch)! I also put one bottle of water in straight from the fridge before I leave the house in the morning, to have unfrozen water to sip on throughout the morning. My lunch usually consists of either a sandwich or small salad, a cheese stick or yogurt and a fruit cup.

 

[ECarrier7]

Yes! I discovered these last week. I had the 3 Cheese Macaroni, yum, yum, and YUM.

 

[ECarrier7]

The other day I was waiting in the deli counter line and I spied something called Weight Watchers Fresh Meals…wondering if anyone has tried them. I’ve never seen them before.

Yes! I discovered these last week. I had the 3 Cheese Macaroni, yum, yum, and YUM.

 

[mclainbarbosa]

That is a pretty lovely budget to work with. Perhaps think about grilling up some chicken on the week-end plus doing small packs for the week?? Some type of low chubby protein is important. A handful of nuts together with your salad. I agree a really good insulated lunch bag is a must. Do you've your own office?? Might be worth purchasing a small freg for it.

 

[aduff89]

Yes! I discovered these last week. I had the 3 Cheese Macaroni, yum, yum, and YUM.

Are the meals frozen?

 

[Minnesota!]

I use a tupperware insulated lunch bag, the thing is huge and it came with 3 containers. It was $35 but my husband made me buy it since it could actually fit containers in it. I have been using it every day at work for 3 months. I follow weight watchers so I try to keep everything low points.
Things that I bring:

frozen berries-they thaw by breakfast and I mix in a 4oz container of yogurt
individual cabot 50% less fat cheese slices/buy at sams $10 for 30, eat one of these with 6 saltines
carrots and celery with homemade dill dip- I can eat a huge serving for super low points
1 stick of beef jerkey-good for protein and something salty
banana/apple slices/grapefruit
can of diet coke
reusable water cup

If I stick to these simple things I actually pack them, bring them and eat them, which is half the battle with packing your own lunch for work. I hate having bought something for work lunch and then not using it or not eating it at work. Totally have to keep it simple for myself.

Can I get your dill dip recipe? All the ones I have made are high fat (but tasty!)... Thanks!

i'm on WW. i have trouble eating salad in the winter when it is cold out, so i base my lunches around hot meals with veggies.

every sunday morning i do my cooking for the week. make a baked oatmeal casserole to bring for breakfast all week.

for lunch i bring combos of protein and veggies. sometimes i make a turkey or chicken chili, or grilled chicken breasts for the week. pair with steamed broccoli or cauliflower, baked spaghetti squash or a stewed eggplant and tomatoes. i also keep wasa crisps, baby carrots, laughing cow cheese, and fruit in the office for afternoon snacks or to pair with my lunch. down 12 pounds and on staying on budget.

Recipes for bolded, please?

 

[Minnesota!]

I bring breakfast and lunch...easier on the wallet!

For breakfast, each week I bring a big size of Greek Goddess yogurt. I have 1/2 cup each morning...adding about 2 teaspoons of honey to it, with 2 slices of cheddar cheese, and a V-8

I bring leftovers for lunch. I agree with others - soup/frozen stuff...I have a tendency to not want it, so I put it away in the fridge or on my shelf for "a later date".

I like to make a big pot of veggie chili, divide into single serving containers, and put in fridge. Then in the morning I just grab one of those, some Saltines, and a little shredded cheddar. Then, instead of sour cream, I had some of my Greek yogurt to it.

Also, I will make up a few cups of quinoa, but into individual serving containers. Then, in the morning, I grab one out and add to it what sounds good taht day. Today was crumbled feta and some balsamic dressing. I had that with a slice of cheese and I am good to go.

My afternoon snack is usually a handful or 2 of almonds, or a Cozy Shack Rice Pudding (from Costco...individual servings).

 

[KBoopaloo]

My one piece of advice for bringing salads for lunch is to be sure that you include some protein. I find if I just bring a veggie salad, I end up snacking all afternoon because I am so hungry! I usually add a hardboiled egg or some grilled chicken to my salad to help keep me feeling full!

 

[cheshireqt]

I take my lunch to work everyday and have lost 51 lbs since August! Since I work in a preschool classroom, I usually end up eating my lunch standing up. I need to take things that are portable and easy to eat.

I buy either sandwich thins or 80-calorie wheat buns. Each day, I make a sandwich with turkey or ham and low-fat cheese, or a Boca burger with low-fat cheese. I usually have a bag of pretzels or baked potato chips. It's cheaper to buy the large bags and portion them out into baggies. I buy the single-serve bags if I find a good deal. Later in the afternoon, I have a low-fat granola bar. Lately, I've been taking 90-calorie Fiber One bars. I save my fruit and veggie servings for when I get home since they're messy to eat and require a lot of chewing (except bananas - I sometimes take those). When our kids bring birthday or holiday treats, I stay away from them. A cupcake won't make me happier than seeing the number on the scale creep downward!

Congratulations!!!

 

[Julia M]

I bought a lunch bag at Costco-about $15 and it is well insulated. I highly recommend for anyone, you just have to look in the fall when school is starting. I fill a quart sized ziplock freezer bag with ice and take my lunch bag to my dd's competitions......there is still about half the ice left at the end of the day and everything is cold. I'm sure ice packs would work just as well. (I like the Costco lunch bag because it's very cute-looks like a handbag!)

I am also on Weightwatchers. Do you have a Trader Joe's nearby? I like their low fat Greek salad and their low fat Southwest salad for lunch. I also take soup. My current favorites are a butternut squash soup and beef barley soup from Trader Joes, but you can find lots of low fat soups many places.

I also bring light Brie or Laughing Cow cheese or minii bonbel cheeses, with a few crackers.

Another favorite is a few tablespoons of hummus with mini carrots and pea pods.

I make couscous and add garbanzo beans, chopped sweet or green onion, tomatoes, capers and feta cheese then toss with low fat balsamic vinaigrette before I eat.

I also make a black bean salad with salsa, corn (canned or frozen, defrosted) and red onion, with a squirt of lime and a tiny bit of olive oil.

Julia