Cooking make-ahead low fat pack lunch?

[MazdaUK]

I'm still trying to lose weight and thought I might try taking low-fat salads instead of sandwiches. Love bulgar wheat, couscous, pasta etc (this could be part of the problem ) and wraps, but need ideas for fillings/add-ins which can be prepared the evening before and sit in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Any ideas?

 

[mel63]

I posted these under the "salad recipes??" thread http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1830845&page=5

*You can use low fat versions of the dressings in these recipes, or cut down the amount you use. You can also cut down the amount of cheese and sprinkle it on top instead of mixing it in.

Mediterranean Bulgur salad
2 cups boiling water
11/2 cups uncooked bulgur
11/2 cups water
2 cups fresh broccoli florets
1 cup grape tomatoes
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1 cup crumbled feta cheese *can cut amount used
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 15 oz can chick peas, drained
1/2 cup greek dressing *can cut amount used
In large bowl, pour 2 cups boiling water over bulgur. Let stand 30 minutes.
In saucepan, heat 11/2 cups water to boiling add broccoli. Cook 1 minute drain and rinse in cold water. Stir remaining ingredients and broccoli into bulgur. Serve.

Confetti Quinoa salad
1 cup uncooked quinoa (could use couscous)
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (10 oz) bag frozen shelled edamame
1 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half
3/4 cup italian vinaigrette dressing *can cut amount used
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup crumbled feta *can cut amount used
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leafed parsley
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
In a saucepan, heat quinoa, water & salt to boiling. Reduce heat. Cover & simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until tender. Cool at least 30 minutes.
Cook and drain edamame according to package. Rise with cold water to cool, and drain. In large bowl toss all ingredients together. Serve.

Easy Pasta Salad
1 box small pasta noodles (elbows, small shells, ditalini, rotini, etc.)
1 pint grape tomatoes (cherry or roma tomatoes work too, just cut smaller)
1 seedless cucumber
1 can sliced black olives
italian dressing (1/4 cup?)
Grated parmesan cheese (1/4 cup?) *can cut amount used or just sprinkle on top of each serving
Cook & drain pasta. In large bowl mix pasta with a small amount of dressing to keep from sticking. Drain olives, add to pasta. Add tomatoes. Cut cucumber in half lengthwise. Slice cucumber, and add to pasta. Stir together, add more dressing. Do not add too much dressing. The warm pasta should soak up the dressing as it chills. It should flavor the pasta, not soak it. Chill. Sprinkle parmesan cheese and mix to blend. Serve.

Turkey & Rice salad
1 box (10 oz) frozen white & wild rice (rice with green beans)
6 large tomatoes
2 cups diced cook turkey
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/2 medium red or green bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup mayo or salad dressing
2 Tablespoons white balsamic vinegar (can use regular balsamic. mix will be darker)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Cook rice according to directions on box. Chill in fridge 10 min. Cut tops from tomatoes, gently squeeze out seeds. Remove pulp, leaving shell. Drain upside down, refrigerate until serving time. In medium bowl, mix rice, turkey, celery, pepper and onions. In small bowl, mix mayo, vinegar, salt & pepper. Pour over salad, stir gently to coat. Cover, refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. Just before serving, spoon salad into tomato shells.
*You can serve it without the tomato shells, or on (or in) a bed of lettuce, or a lettuce leaf "bowl."

Bacon Ranch Potato salad
11/2 pounds small red potatoes, quartered
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
1/4 cup cooked, crumbled bacon
1/2 cup ranch dressing
In pot, put potatoes and salt, add water just to cover. Heat to boiling, reduce heat simmer until tender. Drain and rinse with cold water to cool. Drain well, cool. In large bowl, place potatoes, tomatoes, celery, chives and bacon. Stir in dressing. Serve warm or cold.

Greek Pasta salad
2/3 cup EVOO *can cut amount used
1/4 cup red wine vinegar *can cut amount used
2 Tablespoons grated parmesan *can cut amount used
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 coarse ground black pepper
1 clove finely chopped garlic
8 oz uncooked rotini pasta
4 oz sliced hard salami, quartered *can cut amount used
1 seedless cucumber, cut into chunks
1 small green bell pepper, cut into bite-sized strips
1 small red bell pepper, cut into bite-sized strips
2 medium tomatoes, cut in wedges, then in half
1/2 cup sliced kalamata olives
2 teaspoons dried basil
6 oz crumbled feta *can cut amount used
In a blender, put first 7 ingredients. Blend on medium until smooth.
Cook & drain pasta according to package. Rinse with cold water to cool and drain. In large bowl mix remaining ingredients with pasta. Add dressing. Toss gently. Serve immediately.
*You can omit the pasta, and toss with some chopped romaine lettuce. You can also cut down the amount of salami, and instead of quartering it, dice it. If you do cut the pasta and use romaine, I would cut the amount of EVVO and the vinegar, too.

 

[MazdaUK]

Thanks for these, they look great! Just for the record, what is EVVO? How much does a small box of pasta weigh? (500g?) and how many servings per recipe?

 

[mel63]

Sorry, should have been EVOO, extra virgin olive oil. A small box of pasta would be 500g (16 oz).
Do you need any other conversions?
I will have to check on the amount of servings, and serving sizes. I have to dig out my recipes. I'll post that later.

 

[mel63]

Ok, I dug out my recipes. Here are the servings...

Mediterranean Bulgur salad
Serves 12 (3/4 cup each)

Confetti Quinoa salad
Serves 16 (1/2 cup each)

Easy Pasta Salad
Original recipe calling for 6 oz pasta, not 16oz like I use, serves 8
The way I make it with 16 oz, serves maybe 20 - 24

Turkey & Rice salad
Serves 6 (1/2 cup?? per serving)

Bacon Ranch Potato salad
Serves 9 (3/4 cup each)

Greek Pasta salad
Serves 10 (1-1/3 cups each)

If a recipe serves too much, you can always cut it down.

 

[MazdaUK]

Thnaks - are these servings as a main or side? (I know recipes don't always say)

 

[mel63]

Thnaks - are these servings as a main or side? (I know recipes don't always say)

Judging by the size of the servings I would say that any serving over 1 cup would be a main serving, and less than a cup would be a side serving....

 

[Imzadi]

I usually eat these for my healthy Snacks: quality lean protein combined with a small amount of complex carbs, (fiber & whole grains) but they can certainly be eaten in larger portions or combined to create more viariety at lunch instead of just sandwiches.

Sliced turkey & lettuce rollups (no bread,) with a slight smear of mayo or mustard. Sometimes I add in a slice of cheese. These can also be wrapped around a crisp slice of apple.

Apples dipped in peanut butter, or a low-fat cream cheese spread, you make by mixing in a little, no-sugar added fruit preserves.

Celery sticks filled with low fat cream cheese & topped with chopped walnuts or filled with no-sugar added peanut butter. Or filled with Laughing Cow Lite brand cheese, if you have it. I cut one wedge up into small pats and they either go on 3 celery sticks, cucumber slices, or strips of romaine lettuce.

Whole grain crackers topped or dipped in tuna or chicken salad, or egg salad. (Whole grains are always better than white breads because the fiber slows down digestion of sugar.)

Wedges or cubes of cheese, or string cheese.

A handful of nuts. Sugar free yogurts with nuts.

Deviled eggs.

Homemade, pre-baked chicken nuggets.

Turkey hot dogs (without the buns) sliced up like Vienna sausages..

Mini pizzas made on whole grain pitas, (instead of pizza dough, to keep the ratio of carbs to protein down, and the whole grain fiber,) with jarred tomato sauce and loaded with low-fat shredded cheese. These bake up quick in a toaster oven, if you have one at work.

Nachos made with baked pita chips and smothered with chili and shredded low-fat cheese. Great if you have a microwave at work.

Can of refried beans topped with low-fat shredded cheese and sour cream, scooped up with celery sticks or lettuce leaves.

Hummus has become my new best friend. I have hummus scooped up in lettuce leaves or raw veggies rather than pita chips.


Make sure you drink enough water. It really does make a difference. Water lubricates the system and allows for better digestion and fat to burn more efficiently.

 

[MazdaUK]

I love your healthy snacks but if I start troughing down cheese (even low fat)and houmous my 20 WW points will be gone before llunch as I can't eat celery - raw veg generally do not agree with me

 

[mel63]

In the recipe I posted for Turkey & Rice salad you can sub water chestnuts for the celery, and you still get the crunch.