Weight Loss
Moderators: duke3522, devilish_patsy, topanga1485, nycgirl, spoiled_candy, cmillington, coach_k What is a healthy lunch to bring??
At my high school, we have 3 lunch lines...there is a pizza line ( not allowed to eat pizza) then there is a really greasy food line, and then there is a regular cafeteria line...I am trying to bring my lunch from now on, what are some healthy BUT delicious lunch options???
9 Replies (last)
Unfortunately, the trend in schools is not providing nutritious meals, but cheap meals that fill you up. I am a teacher and I am disgusted by the meals they serve the kids! Brown bagging it is your best option--invest in a soft sided cooler style lunch bag and get a reusable freezey thing to go in it--it allows you to keep food cold if it needs to, without a fridge. Anything you eat for dinner that is healthy is just as good for lunch--cook up chicken breast and cut it up on a salad, for example. Stick with cold foods unless you have access to a microwave. If soup sounds good, get a thermos to keep it hot. The thing is, don't peg stuff as "lunch" --anything you eat that is healthy is great any time of the day--and stay out of the lunch line! Best of luck to you.
i'm a big fan of the classic turkey/chicken sandwich. soem whole wheat bread, a little bit of spicy mustard, few slices of lean deli meat, some lettuce and tomato slices. dried apricots are GREAT--they do pack a lot of sugar, but they're a great snack and easy to pack. clementines are good too. i like fresh veggies like carrots, cherry tomatos, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumber, etc. all of those should be okay not refrigerated for a few hours.
I pack lunches for work all the time, and I generally tend to mix-and-match a bunch of different items, rather than, say, a sandwich and chips or something. Here are some of the things I really like --
Fruit!! Fresh whenever possible, but canned is great too, and the little single-serve cups of applesauce are a favorite of mine.
Cereal -- Special K or some other relatively healthy choice; often I'll munch on it dry and have some fruit with it, or bring milk in a sealable bowl or cup and the cereal in a little baggie. Dump the cearal in your cup and viola. although with milk you definitely need to do the cooler bag & ice pack)
tuna salad kits -- most brands make them now; it's got everything you need to make tuna salad and have it on crackers. tasty, filling, easy and not very expensive. I bought a two-pack for I think $2.76 -- you probably spend more than that on one school lunch, don't you?
cheese -- yeah, it's high in fat, but when it's good stuff you don't need much. An ounce of good-quality cheddar and a large pear or apple is a great light lunch. If you need a little more substance, add some whole-wheat crackers or a little peanut butter to dip your apple in.
For me the key is variety and choices. I hate the feeling that I've got this one same thing for lunch every day and I'm stuck with it! I have the freedom to keep some things at work, so I can choose when I'm hungry -- that's harder at school of course, but there might be a few nonperishable things you can keep in your locker. the tuna kits I mentioned are completely sealed and need no refrigeration, and the same usually goes for just about anything that's packaged for a single serving.
Fruit!! Fresh whenever possible, but canned is great too, and the little single-serve cups of applesauce are a favorite of mine.
Cereal -- Special K or some other relatively healthy choice; often I'll munch on it dry and have some fruit with it, or bring milk in a sealable bowl or cup and the cereal in a little baggie. Dump the cearal in your cup and viola. although with milk you definitely need to do the cooler bag & ice pack)
tuna salad kits -- most brands make them now; it's got everything you need to make tuna salad and have it on crackers. tasty, filling, easy and not very expensive. I bought a two-pack for I think $2.76 -- you probably spend more than that on one school lunch, don't you?
cheese -- yeah, it's high in fat, but when it's good stuff you don't need much. An ounce of good-quality cheddar and a large pear or apple is a great light lunch. If you need a little more substance, add some whole-wheat crackers or a little peanut butter to dip your apple in.
For me the key is variety and choices. I hate the feeling that I've got this one same thing for lunch every day and I'm stuck with it! I have the freedom to keep some things at work, so I can choose when I'm hungry -- that's harder at school of course, but there might be a few nonperishable things you can keep in your locker. the tuna kits I mentioned are completely sealed and need no refrigeration, and the same usually goes for just about anything that's packaged for a single serving.
Make yourself a nice sandwich (these guys have good recipes to fight monotony: http://www.naturesownbread.com/NAT_Recipes/) and also have a piece of fruit!**
Edit: trying to delete repeated post...(duh!)
My kids, 12 and 14, pack their own lunch. They rotate between:
- Peanut butter sandwich (whole wheat bread, organic fresh ground PB), banana and an apple
- Hard-boiled eggs, string cheese, fruit and a veggie
- Salads topped w/canned tuna, cheese, canned beans and/or nuts ... take dressing in a small tuperware container or bring bottled dressing that doesn't need refrigerating, and keep it in your locker
- Hummus and pita, fruit and a veggie
- Rice balls (with slightly wet hands, roll rice into a ball, roll the ball in fish sprinkles, then wrap it up in Nori)
- Sushi (prepared from the supermarket... but veggie only because anything else would spoil too easily... this is only as occasional treat because it is pricey)
- younger DD also has a thing for cold leftover pasta
- yogurt w/granola and fruit
- tortilla wrap (usually sliced cheese and veggies)
... all supplemented with raw fruits and veggies - whatever we have in the fridge including apples, bananas, pears, grapes, berries, carrots, celery, cucumber, broccoli, etc.
Except for PBJ's, they've never been big on sandwiches, so since they began packing their lunch years ago, my guidance has always been to include:
- 1 protein (we don't eat much red meat, so mostly tuna, chicken, shrimp, nuts, beans, lentils, eggs)
- 1 dairy (yogurt, string cheese, chunk cheese, sliced cheese, or milk purchased in cafeteria)
- 2 fruits and/or veggies (we all aim for at least 5 servings a day)
- 1 or 2 grains (whole wheat bread, brown rice, whole wheat pita, tortilla, etc)
Makes it easy that way to ensure a balanced meal.
- Peanut butter sandwich (whole wheat bread, organic fresh ground PB), banana and an apple
- Hard-boiled eggs, string cheese, fruit and a veggie
- Salads topped w/canned tuna, cheese, canned beans and/or nuts ... take dressing in a small tuperware container or bring bottled dressing that doesn't need refrigerating, and keep it in your locker
- Hummus and pita, fruit and a veggie
- Rice balls (with slightly wet hands, roll rice into a ball, roll the ball in fish sprinkles, then wrap it up in Nori)
- Sushi (prepared from the supermarket... but veggie only because anything else would spoil too easily... this is only as occasional treat because it is pricey)
- younger DD also has a thing for cold leftover pasta
- yogurt w/granola and fruit
- tortilla wrap (usually sliced cheese and veggies)
... all supplemented with raw fruits and veggies - whatever we have in the fridge including apples, bananas, pears, grapes, berries, carrots, celery, cucumber, broccoli, etc.
Except for PBJ's, they've never been big on sandwiches, so since they began packing their lunch years ago, my guidance has always been to include:
- 1 protein (we don't eat much red meat, so mostly tuna, chicken, shrimp, nuts, beans, lentils, eggs)
- 1 dairy (yogurt, string cheese, chunk cheese, sliced cheese, or milk purchased in cafeteria)
- 2 fruits and/or veggies (we all aim for at least 5 servings a day)
- 1 or 2 grains (whole wheat bread, brown rice, whole wheat pita, tortilla, etc)
Makes it easy that way to ensure a balanced meal.
Wow! Jenmcc, it sure sounds like you are leading by example! My mom packed us relatively healthy lunches, but I cannot imagine taking the initiative on my own at the age you are talking about!
Talk about setting some healthy habits for life - gold star for you!
Talk about setting some healthy habits for life - gold star for you!
Thanks n0tal0t!! I was having a terribly awful perfectly bad no-good day, and your reply has cheered me up. :-)
The trick was to start really young... and to basically be a lazy mom who doesn't want to have to get out of bed too early in the morning to pack lunches! They have been "trained" to pack their lunch while I'm cleaning up the dinner dishes. That way, I can supervise and coach them. They used to have to pass a final check by me, but no longer... I trust their choices. As an added plus, they will actually eat what they pack!
They did go through a period last year when they thought brown-bagging it was too uncool, so I let them buy their lunch. But they got sick of that after a few months of greasy food and long lunch lines. So now they are back to packing their own, and they've gotten more creative than ever, about once a week they'll bake muffins or corn bread.
The ultimate goal is to have each of them cooking dinner for the family on one weekday per week when they hit high school, but that may just be wishful thinking!
The trick was to start really young... and to basically be a lazy mom who doesn't want to have to get out of bed too early in the morning to pack lunches! They have been "trained" to pack their lunch while I'm cleaning up the dinner dishes. That way, I can supervise and coach them. They used to have to pass a final check by me, but no longer... I trust their choices. As an added plus, they will actually eat what they pack!
They did go through a period last year when they thought brown-bagging it was too uncool, so I let them buy their lunch. But they got sick of that after a few months of greasy food and long lunch lines. So now they are back to packing their own, and they've gotten more creative than ever, about once a week they'll bake muffins or corn bread.
The ultimate goal is to have each of them cooking dinner for the family on one weekday per week when they hit high school, but that may just be wishful thinking!
I usually bring:
low-fat yogurt (anywhere from 60-80 calories)
sandwich with 2 slices of wheat bread (120 calories) & 2 slices of turkey (about 20-30 calories)
5 saltines (60 calories)
At your highest, you're around 280 calories, which allows room for more eating later.
low-fat yogurt (anywhere from 60-80 calories)
sandwich with 2 slices of wheat bread (120 calories) & 2 slices of turkey (about 20-30 calories)
5 saltines (60 calories)
At your highest, you're around 280 calories, which allows room for more eating later.
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