NWR: Brown bagging (lunch) inspiration needed!

kaesha

So, I'm back to school next week and I need some easy, make ahead lunch recipes. I refuse to wake up early enough in the morning to make myself anything then. Do you have something totally nommy that you make on weekends and bring throughout the week?

tifani27

I don't know what type of food you eat, I'm kind of a health nut. I cook chicken ahead of time on the weekends and then during the week I pack my lunch at night and throw it in the fridge, that way I don't even have to THINK about getting up earlier. The chicken can be used in salads, wraps, just by itself, sandwiches, anything really and at least it's done and super healthy. Another good trick is to cut up veggies on the weekend and put them in single serve bags. I cut up cucumbers, carrots, celery, anything else you like, that way I just throw a bag in and at cost plus world market they have single serve hummus packs and they are fab for brown bag lunches. Also, another good idea is to hard boil a ton of eggs on the weekend, those (the egg WHITES) are great sources of protein for a snack and suer low-cal, about 25 calories per egg white. One last tip is you can get some nuts and dried fruits and make single serve bags. The easiest thing for me is to make sure I can grab and go, that is where the single serve bags come in handy!!! Those are my tips, hope they help!

fia214

I do the chicken as well it's so easy to just shred it up and put in sandwiches or salads or grab some wraps and throw avocado and some veggies in it.Tuna pouches-I have recently been eating lots of tuna pouches they are easy to just tear open and throw on top of salad.Turkey meatballs- I make a batch on Sunday and eat through out the week. I take my turkey meat throw it in a bowel get another bowel and soak french bread or in my health nut case ezikiel or whole wheat bread in water. I than add an egg to my meat and the soft bread.Season with pepper spike or mrs. Dash garlic and onions and make meat balls. YUMMY You can eat them plain or make wraps and sandwiches. Also I try to always keep apples, almonds and a cliff or protein shake in case I get caught in a jam where I can't eat.

jujubee96

I never heard the term nommy before.  What exactly does it mean? I sometimes do the asian food thing - at the nearby korean market, I get single serving sizes of microwaveable brown rice, single serving sizes of korean-style seaweed (like the black stuff that is wrapped around sushi, but it is flavored with a little salt and sesame oil, and crunchy - so yum!).  Then eat that with some type of meat or with slices of avocado... We sometimes make chili or pasta during the weekend to take. I actually don't take lunch to work that often, but I noticed that a lot of ppl who do usually bring leftovers from their dinner the night before.I like the above ideas, btw!

kaesha

Ooh, these are great ideas! I wish chicken was cheaper here... it's SO pricey.Jen - nommy comes from the [url=http://icanhazcheesbuger.com]lolcats website[/url]... nom is the sound cats make when they're eating, so the word has come to mean to eat (to nom) or delicious (nommy).

jujubee96

you don't have places where the chicken breasts are sold frozen and in bigger amounts?  Here they have that at Costco, Target, and all the supermarkets.  It's cheaper than buying it fresh, and you just defrost for about a day first - I think it tastes the same.

kaesha

Not really. I mean, we have a Costco, but it's nowhere near me and my lack of vehicle. Our local grocery store puts chicken breasts on sale once a month or so, and I try to stock up then. I don't really like the pre-frozen, seasoned ones - they always seem to have too much sodium!

jujubee96

yeah, I think they do have more sodium... but the ones here aren't pre-seasoned. Anyways, I like some lean cuisine frozen dinners... oh, the sodium again.  How about stocking for yourself at work some things you can make quickly during lunch?  Like pb&J, or pb& banana and honey. I hope ppl respond with some good ideas - I need some!  Oh, and if you look at the Health & Fitness board on the nest, they have ppl who post what they eat and exercise that day - I've gotten some ideas there.

tifani27

Kaesha~ In place of chicken you could always do turkey or pork or fish, any lean white meat is super healthy. Or like fia said tuna is always a great choice as long as you aren't pregnant! I've been looking through my kitchen today and some other ideas are: Frozen single serve packs of edamame-you can get them at costco or even grocery stores, they are PERFECT, just throw them in the microwave for 3 mins and viola! A great source of protein and super healthy at 150 calories for a large pack! String cheese- so great at only 70 calories and lots of protein you can go wrong with this grab and go snack! Single serve 100 calorie packs of fat-free popcorn-so great because it pops all up and you think you are eating a lot and it's just 100 calories, such a great thing and again you can grab it and go! I don't know if you like chips but if you do a healthier option is to buy whole wheat pita and cut it up into triangles then put some EVOO and salt on them and bake until crispy, that way you get the crunch and it is A LOT healthier than chips!Hope the tips help!!