What do you bring for lunch?

wandajune6

I try to pack my lunch for work everyday. I never have time in the morning to make a lunch- nor do I particularly want to in the evenings. This means that I eat a lot of leftovers- and occasionally cook something on weekends that I can eat during the week. I also eat a lot of apples.

Unfortunately, my office is filled with junk food and we're located near a lot of restaurants. This does not fit with my desire to lose weight and save money for the wedding.

I'm searching for delicious lunch (and snack!) ideas that require minimal effprt and are relatively healthy. Bonus points if it's easy for me to haul it on the train without crushing/spilling/destroying it- particularly given that I don't have a permanent desk so I'm always hauling everything from my laptop to my stapler!

Any ideas? What do you pack?

lyndausvi

I work from home. However, I find making salads in a jar at the beginning of the week works great for me.  It's a great way for me to grab and eat at my desk (I don't always have the time to prep).  I put the dressing on at the time I eat.  Plus it's an easy way for me to get my veggies in

Cookie Pusher

I have salad for lunch every day. Just a big tupperware filled with salad greens, then a plastic pint container with cucumber, bell pepper, red onion, black olives, chickpeas, and grape tomatoes. If we have leftover protein from the night before, I try to grab that too. I keep a bottle of dressing in my desk drawer. For snacks, I bring an apple and lots of baby carrots. I keep a jar of peanut butter at my desk for the apples.

You might do well picking up a bento box or two online so you can prep and pack your lunches in advance (I do all my prep on Sunday afternoon for the entire week). I found some cute ones for 7 or 8 bucks at TJ Maxx a few weeks ago.

buddysmom80

I have a salad every day. On Sundays I'll take a pound of ground turkey and cook that up with taco seasoning I make myself and divide the turkey up in four air-tight containers. In the mornings I throw a bag of salad in a tupperware container, add the ground turkey, 1/2 avocado, some tortilla strips, salsa, black beans and cheese.

On Fridays I get food from the cafeteria at my job, just to change things up a little bit.

emmyg65

Leftovers usually, plus a piece of fruit and/or veggies and some yogurt. I'm generally too lazy to make something specifically for lunch.

tcnoble

I meal prep on Sundays. I pick 3-4 recipes that usually yield 4 servings. It covers lunch and dinner for Monday through Friday. I also pick 2-3 vegetable recipes for sides. That being said, meal prep is tedious and time consuming. So if that's not your cup of tea, I suggest crock pot recipes - they're (mostly) very easy and you can put them in tupperware containers that are easy to take a long. 

For snacks, I eat a lot of fruit (fresh and dehydrated), veggies (carrots and almond butter - yum!!), and beef jerky.

An incentive that I started with myself to avoid buying junk food and eating out was to have a jar, and any time I wanted fast food or that junk food snack I would put the cost of it in a jar and eventually reward myself with the funds I had saved. It puts in to perspective how much money you save!!

pinkcow13

For the most part, I pack sandwiches and fruits. We have a cafeteria, though, and I set it up so that I can swipe my ID, and it comes out of my paycheck pre tax when I forget to bring my lunch. It kinda helps, but sometimes it's easy to go swipe happy.

I also try to bring leftovers, or I'll go to TJ's, get some greens, and pack a salad.

sarahufl

I usually make something big on Sundays. In the winter, typically 2 crockpots full of soup or something soup-ish. Then I eat it throughout the week. In the summer, I make a lot of salads to eat.

One of my favorites that I made this week is black beans, shredded chicken, corn, onions, cilantro, salt and cumin. I also bring a piece of fruit and some yogurt. I make a lot of quinoa based salads with veggies, beans, etc in them over the summer as well.

As much as people despise Pinterest for wedding stuff, you can find a lot of great recipes on there.

jenna8984

We always buy enough dinner for leftovers for lunch the next day. Like 4 pork chops instead of 2, 2 lbs of salmon instead of 1. We always have a meat with a pasta side (we know it should be a vegetable side but we just can't do it). It's so easy because it all cooks together with dinner, no separate prep. But on nights when we have something totally random like hot dogs for dinner, I will specifically prep our lunches for the next day- always a turkey & cheese sandwich for him and salad with strawberries and avocados for me. We NEVER go to work empty handed and thus we never get take out.

As for snacks, I can't deal with fruit. I know it's so healthy but it just does nothing in terms of filling me up. I stick to greek yogurt, a babybel cheese or string cheese, and a ziplock of air popped popcorn (made the night before). Neither of us eat breakfast- we both eat our yogurt and cheese 2 hours after arriving at work. We also don't drink any kind of soda or juice or anything- we each have a water bottle that we fill up multiple times at the office cooler.

rhiannon383

I probably wouldn't be so good about bringing my lunch if I didn't also make it for FI. I have tons of options to eat at work, but he doesn't. I'll bring leftovers for me if we have them (FI also doesn't have access to a microwave). Other than that we have turkey wraps a lot, carrots, yogurt, fruit, applesauce, hummus. I always put lunches together at night, or it wouldn't get done (also helps that FI leaves 2 hours before I even get up, so if I don't then he doesn't eat). I get a treat once in a while, usually Jimmy John's or a giant burrito

larrygaga

I do a salad the night before. Then I pack a little bag of pretzels or a small piece of chocolate. I don't have a very hard time denying food that's bad for me, though.

What worked for me was calorie counting and eating clean for awhile. Then I stopped craving junk food almost completely. I get more satisfaction when i eat candy or whatever, because I have no guilt since I never eat it. 

I recommend eating clean for a long time until you stop craving stuff. It's all willpower! 

KeptInStitches

Right now I eat on campus at the dining center, but this summer I plan to spend much time bowing to the people who "invented" salad-in-a-jar. It's brilliant.

Couggal12

I buy some bags of salad, laughing cow cheese, avocados, cucumbers,  and salad dressing every week and keep that at work. On Sunday's I make enough chicken  and hardboiled for 4 days and then bring it with me the next day so I have a salad. On Friday's I usually bring in a lean cuisine or dinner left overs just to switch it up. For snacks I usually bring in granola bars, rice cakes, peanut butter, fruit and string cheese. Sometimes greek yogurt or cottage cheese. I try to keep a variety of food at work so I'm not tempted to go to the vending machine for chips or other bad things.

lyndausvi

KeptInStitches said:

Right now I eat on campus at the dining center, but this summer I plan to spend much time bowing to the people who "invented" salad-in-a-jar. It's brilliant.

mine do not look as pretty as they do in the picture, but it's a great way for me to eat healthier.   Even though I work from home I prep 4 of them on Sundays.  Then grab throughout the week.  Sometimes I eat something else, but I can still use the salad for dinner or on the weekends.

Counting calories helped me lose weight.  Having a dedicated lower calorie salad  and snacks most days keeps me on track.     Especially when you have a husband who refuses to meal plan his meals so dinner is all over the place.

theartistformerlyknownas

My credit card. lol.

I really need to get better about bringing lunch... I'm HORRIBLY forgetful in the mornings, and sleep until the last possible second. So I either don't have time to make myself something, or I forget what I made the night before. Thankfully I never have cash so the vending machine is never an option, and there are relatively healthy options nearby (unless it's a day like today when the food truck comes with fried pickles and wonton tacos...but I digress). Plus I keep English muffins and peanut butter, almonds, etc. in my desk, and I'm normally pretty good about grabbing a Greek yogurt on my way out the door for breakfast.

I normally do really well with eating clean and healthy, but need to kick myself back into high gear so I'm going to do a Whole30 starting next month to force myself to make/bring/eat homecooked yummies and kick any cravings for pasta and sugar.

MyNameIsNot

My current addiction is chicken salad.  Sometimes I make it, but I usually buy a container from the deli.  I can take that with some tortillas and make wraps at the office.  

I also buy the deli pre-made salads.  It's more expensive than making it, but I know I'll take it if it's done for me, and it's still cheaper than going out.  

lyndausvi

MyNameIsNot said:

My current addiction is chicken salad.  Sometimes I make it, but I usually buy a container from the deli.  I can take that with some tortillas and make wraps at the office.  

I also buy the deli pre-made salads.  It's more expensive than making it, but I know I'll take it if it's done for me, and it's still cheaper than going out.  

I love Whole Food's Sonoma Chicken salad.  I tired to make it at home.  Yeah, didn't quite workout as I planned.

MyNameIsNot

lyndausvi said:

I love Whole Food's Sonoma Chicken salad.  I tired to make it at home.  Yeah, didn't quite workout as I planned.

Yum!  I'm usually ok with the publix brand, but if I can get to Whole Foods or Trader Joe's, it's so much better.  

lyndausvi

Whole Foods is under a mile from my house off a really nice walk/bike path that I can jump on a few feet from my backdoor.  

Can we say dangerous?

wandajune6

I used to be in the habit of packing big salads on weekends and keeping dressing at work. It sounds like salads are the popular picks among people here too!

I've never been a huge fan of chicken salad but now I'm wondering- what makes the Whole Foods version so amazing?

lyndausvi

I used to be in the habit of packing big salads on weekends and keeping dressing at work. It sounds like salads are the popular picks among people here too!

I've never been a huge fan of chicken salad but now I'm wondering- what makes the Whole Foods version so amazing?

**STUCK IN BOX

IDK, it's simple. I like that it had no onions. I like that it has grapes.  Light salt and pepper and mayo.  Celery is not over powering and has a nice crunch.

jdluvr06

I usually just eat a granola bar,

jenna8984

shrekspeare said:

I don't bring lunch. My company buys lunch quite a bit, and on the days they don't. I just drink mountain dew.

That could be the cause of your stomach issues and throwing up often? That stuff is full of soooo much bad stuff lol 

chibiyui

I'm terrible at bringing lunch. I work in the mall, so I eat at the food court almost everyday. It's bad. 

csuave

Lean Cuisine, yogurt and a banana or baby carrots.  Plain almonds at my desk if I need a snack. 

Packing this kind of lunch literally takes seconds, and that is all the time that I care to spend on lunches.

thesummersky

My compensation package includes room and board, so lunch is provided. This usually means PB&Js, vegan soup or tacos.

JCbride2015

Usually leftovers.  We also cook extras for lunch.

I buy those frozen rice and quinoa packets from Trader Joe's.  On days when I don't have leftovers to bring, I put half a rice packet in a tupperware container and a bunch of frozen vegetables and rinsed, canned beans on top of it.  I put a bit of olive oil and salt/pepper if I remember.  It defrosts during the morning and then the veggies steam while microwaving.

I have to bring lunch, because our school cafeteria doesn't have real food, and what there is is overpriced.  When things are really dire, I try to always have cash so I can buy falafel from the street cart for $5.

lc07

I always crave hot food at lunch so I make things in bulk and freeze them. Lasagna then cut and frozen in lunch-sized portions. I don't eat gluten so I'll either use rice noodles for the pasta sheets or zuchinni for a lower glycemic index option. Enchiladas are easy to make in bulk and you can put anything in them. I load them with chicken and beans and vegetables and just a little cheese. I pre-slice veggies and ration hummus for snacking or bring popcorn. I also love nuts for snacking.

I have a weird obsession with radishes. I can eat them like potato chips.

For me, I have to eat often or I get into hangry mode and will make stupid eating decisions. 

arrippa

I work in an area with lots of lunch places. Me, being lazy or pressed for time in the morning, will usually just go buy a sandwich or something at lunch. When I start to add up the money, it's ridiculous that I am spending $10.00 a day on lunch. I really need to sit down and do a budget. I have a freezer full of frozen lunches. I just don't like to eat them.

climbingsingle

I work for a pastry manufacturer. I'm around desserts all day. It's really freaking hard. 

I either make a salad the night before or I make a Nutribullet in the morning. I throw in some kale, berries, bananas. It's really healthy and it tastes really good. Bonus, since I've been doing the Nutribullet, I've lost 7 pounds. 

sarahonlife

Usually a granola/protein bar for my morning snack, a Lean Cuisine, banana, and string cheese for lunch, and yogurt for my afternoon snack. Super easy for lazy me as they're all individually packed anyway so I just grab them and shove them in my lunch bag.