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| Good evening spark friends, this is my first post on this board. I usually do some cooking about once a month and make nice soups, chilis and casseroles that I divide into lunch portions and freeze them to take to work. I have to watch my sodium content so I shy away from most supermarket frozen dinners.
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I too, do the Lean Cuisine/Smart Ones with a side salad almost every day. If I do have leftovers from teh night before then I will bring those and eat instead. As long as I stick to those lunches and dont go "out" for lunch then I usually end up losing weight. eating out is a problem for me. 
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| I am really enjoying the lean cuisine panini sandwiches and flatbread pizzas. I also bring a bag of salad to eat on the side. If I don't bring a frozen meal then I will usually bring left overs from the night before. I have found 2 quick recipes on sparkrecipes.com that I keep in regular rotation Broiled Tilapia Parmesan and Shrimp Scampi. Both are super quick to make and very tasty.
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| If I have time to pack and prepare a lunch, I will but sometimes I'll just grab food from the refrigerator and then fix the lunch in the kitchen at work. The trick is to have groceries in the refrigerator ready to grab and bring. Sometimes I will take a walk to a supermarket near the office and buy groceries for lunch there that I then keep in the office all week. Last week I had morningstar corn dogs every day with a piece of fruit and a vegetable like a tomato. Corn and sweet potatoes microwave in five minutes if you have a microwave at work and a meal can be prepared around those.
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| When I started WW, I came up with a "recipe" for a good healthy lunch - I basically sauteed diced carrots, celery, and onions (several cups of veggies) in a few teaspoons of canola oil , and added a couple of cups of cooked bulgur, and salt and pepper. It's easy to make, and tastes good cold or reheated. I soon realized that I could substitute almost any vegetable, and any grain (or even TVP), and any seasoning (curry, soy sauce, hot sauce), which makes it (a) a good way to use up leftover veggies and (b) a very versatile lunch that never gets boring. Some weeks it's mushrooms, peas, onions and brown rice. Or spinach, carrots, Tomatoes and TVP (textured vegetable protein). Or why not squash, onions, bell pepper and oatmeal! I cook up a batch of whatever it is on Sunday, and it makes 4 servings of about 1 1/2 cups each. I take a couple of servings of fruit each day to eat with it or as snacks during the day. That way I have 4 days covered immediately. The 5th day I can go out to eat with coworkers, or grab some healthy snacks from home, or make myself a sandwich or something, but I like not having to plan every single night.
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MOMMABHEALTHY
9/10/07 2:33 P
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If you have access to a fridge & microwave, then a couple of meals I like in addition to the standard "boxed" lunches like Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice & Smart ones are:
1. Spicy black bean boca burger with mustard on a lowfat whole wheat bun with side salad
2. Pasta and marinara sauce (like all of Paul Newman's, enjoy Ragu Spicy Tomato, etc.) This is kind of like your own homemade Lean Cuisine--just cheaper. p.s. I sometimes add raw zucchini. 3 or 4 1/4" slices cut in half. It will cook in the time it takes to heat in the microwave. A shredded baby carrot is also a good addition. Helps with the veggie requirements for the day.
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HUNGRYBIGGIRL
9/10/07 2:09 P
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I carry lean cuisine meals with a banana and a diet beverage. Or if I like a sandwich a vegetarian boca burger or a garden burger with a burger bun lite cheese lite mayo and mustard with lettuce and tomatoe packed individual in a sandwiche bag so it wont make the bun soggy before your ready to eat it.
Or I'll have left overs from the night before, but all healthy such as lean roasted chicken and vegetables with a little pasta. There are lots of healthy choices you just have to make time the night before to pack it. I usually do it in the morning, but them i'm always pushed for time. Good luck on the good healthy eating.
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MOMMABHEALTHY
9/8/07 11:41 P
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| half a pb&j; baby carrots & 6 tortilla chips with seedless grapes for a snack
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| If you have access to a microwave, soup and fat free croutons are another great idea. That and fresh fruit and veggies make for a filling lunch!
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MOMMABHEALTHY
9/5/07 11:59 A
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| If I don't have leftovers, I usually pack 1/2 a sandwich, baby carrots and 6 tortilla chips.
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MOMMABHEALTHY
8/28/07 10:57 P
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| I always pack my lunch. Today it was leftovers from the evening before.
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| I found a recipe for Tuna and White Bean Salad in the recipe area that looked good and would be an easy lunch to take with.
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VEGGIEGRL1
8/27/07 7:19 P
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| I love to melt fat free cheese with fat free refried beans, salsa, and corn. Really good plain, hot, cold, or as a dip. Also, try canned garbanzo beans with cooked carrots and peas and fat free rasberry viniagrette dressing on top. Really yummy and filling.
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MOMMABHEALTHY
8/22/07 8:47 P
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| I had my annual physical last week and my blood pressure is out of control. I'm trying to cut way back on sodium so that eliminates most of the frozen dinners. I've been eating a lot of steamed fresh veggies with brown rice and baked fish. Other than smell, they have been wonderful lunches. I either take leftovers from the night before or make a wrap with shredded chicken, low or no fat ranch dressing and bagged salad mix. With some baby carrots and an apple, this is filling and good for you.
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| I freeze leftovers and use these to take for my lunch at work. It is cost effective and when I try a new recipe everyone asks what it is and then I bring in the recipe to share. Others have done this as well and it is fun and something new to try
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MOMMABHEALTHY
8/14/07 11:37 P
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GOINGTHERE
8/14/07 9:02 A
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SHEDDINGSKIN
8/12/07 9:53 P
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tuna wraps (light tuna salad w/ spinach in wrap)
burrito's(ff beans, light cheese, hot sauce, olives onion)
stuffed wheat pita's (hummus, cialtro, tomato, cucumber)
fruit cups
carrot sticks
sandwich (anything you like on a dark wheat berad)
cup of soups (if there is a microwave and you don't watch the salt)
veggie burger (with microwave...veggie patty, lettuce, tomato, pickle, light mayo...bun, bread or enlish muffin)
yogurt (if there is a fridge)
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WANNABESKINNY9
8/12/07 5:09 P
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| great idea, I do this with fruit so it doesnt sit in back of fridge &spoil
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on grocery day I cut up all the wonderful veggies I bought and put them in serving size baggies for the week... I've also been known to bring the fixings for my sandwiches for the week so that I know I won't "deviate" from my planned menu.
Takes a lot of preparation to make sure it happens but when I follow this plan I usually have a great week!
Good luck on your journey, Nancy
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PSIMPSON1234
8/8/07 12:29 P
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| Tuna in the pouches is great to keep on hand. I eat it with pickles on bread, or veggies in a wrap or pita. I also like to put refried beans and lowfat cheese on a low fat tortilla and eat with salsa. Fat free pudding cups work well when you need something sweet or chocolate.
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Leftovers are a great idea for lunch. I almost always plan on making extra servings for dinner that I pack up in individual servings for lunch the next day. It's so easy to just grab and go!
I also try to make a nice fruit salad when I get home from the grocery store (whatever is in season). I then package this into individual servings to take with me to lunch. It's less expensive, and healthier (in my opinion), than buying those pre-packaged fruit salads.
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| I too am trying to develop the habit of brown bagging a lunch. I am a teacher, so I can eat in the cafeteria, but eating from the salad bar every day for a year gets old. I'm trying, as I work during the summer at a part-time job, to bring fruit, or a little jello pack, or a homemade salad or a sandwich. I find pitas are great, because you can stuff them with any leftover. I also try to bring a big bottle of water with me. I think that even if we don't really need 64 oz. of water a day, drinking a lot of water makes you feel full. I'm very new to Spark, so I need more good ideas. I know that once school starts and I have to be there at 7 in the morning, I won't be willing to spend an extra 15 minutes making a lunch every morning. I need stuff I can grab and take.
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| I keep fruit, nuts, granola bars, and beef jerky in my desk at work. This helps me avoid all the high calorie, high fat foods in the vending machines and snack bar. As far as lunch is concerned, I usually just take leftovers from dinner the night before or grab a frozen meal from my freezer (I make my own). Occasionally I will also take a store bought frozen meal or a sandwich or wrap.
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Often times I will pack leftovers in individual servings. That way you have an easy, healthy lunch every day. I also like Amy's Organic Burritos. They are filling, respectively low in calories, healthy, and tasty.
I feel that a lot of the low calorie meals are often times high in sodium.
If you are on the road a lot you can partially freeze water in Nalgene bottles, top off the bottles with water in the am, and leave them on the floor of your car to grab when thirsty.
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| I like to take wraps to work for lunch. I LOVE the Flat-Out Light flatbread and you can put ANYTHING on them. A couple of my favorites are fat-free refried beans/low-fat cheese/salsa and chicken breast/low-fat cheese/baby spinach/low-fat dressing. They're so easy to make and quick!
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| You are too sweet! Thank you for the reply.
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DONICESIME
7/22/07 7:38 P
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| Packing lunch is a great idea. I have been doing this for a while. I like the weight watchers Smart Ones, that way I just grab them and don't have to put much thought into lunches. I also bring cut up cukes and Tomatoes with a little Fetta Cheese in it.
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| Thank You COOKIEJIM. I am not particular about food. I just returned from my weekly shopping. I did buy some brown rice. There were some new ready to go seasoned Tuna selections too. I plan to chop some fresh veggies for the week too. I found some small organic fruits ie apples strawberries plums and peaches. My DH will grill some chicken tenders tonight. I alson found some low fat low sodium chicken broth to trow together a light soup by the end of the week. I have a mobile job BUT I have access to a microwave and refrigeration if needed. It's getting to the fluids that will be the problem BUT I will perservere and resolve this concern. Thank you for your interest!
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PRNMOM,A little more information may help others as to some likes and dislikes as well as your goals.
I suggest reading the material at the beggining of the SparkPeople forum.
I would think along the lines of a good carb.lunch that your body can work on.Whole wheat or buckwheat pasta salad.If you have a microwave,a container of beans and brown rice which is a complete protein.Mixed dried fruit and any nut.Trail mix.P-nut butter crackers,fruit and skim or 1% milk.
I noticed glad type containers are very reasonable.Make a batch of stew and freeze some for work.Include some whole grain crackers and a individual serving of fruit.
There is a section around where the blogs are that tell what other members are eating.I'll look for it however I a older member reads this perhaps they will direct you to that area.It's worth finding.
Well,good luck and good cookin...Chef Jim
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| One of my new goals is to pack my lunch. I really am lookinf for new ideas beyond a lettuce salad. I would appreciate any new and successful ideas.
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