For those of you that take a lunch to work everyday....

What is your routine?  I am trying to get in the habit of bringing my lunch to work everyday but I realize that I am going to have to plan ahead because I know that there is no way I will be packing my lunch at 5:00 in the morning.

So I am interested in everyone's routine? Do you make your lunch at night? Do you plan your meals each week? Are they already made & sitting in your refrigerator? I would love to get some ideas!

My biggest problem with bringing my lunch is that I hate cold lunches.  Most of the time, I make a little extra dinner and pack it up when I clean the kitchen at night.  Otherwise, I'll take a Lean Cuisine--not the best choice, but better than McDonald's or Checker's Burgers & Fries.

For salads, I chop up all the vegetables I'll need for a week.  Then put everything but the lettuce in one container and mix it all up with a little light vinaigrette salad dressing.  I portion out 5 containers of chopped lettuce, then each morning, I put one scoop (1/2 cup) of marinated vegetables on top of the lettuce.  Sometimes, I'll take a little left over chicken or fish to put on top of it.

With fruits and veggies and yogurt, I portion out enough to take each day of the week as soon as I get home from the grocery store.

So, when I leave in the morning, I grab my lunch bag and toss in lunch plus the pre-portioned fruits, veggies, and yogurts for snacks and a bottle of water.  I keep popcorn and granola in my desk.  I've also been known to have a can of nuts and some sunflower seeds or something in a drawer as well.

sometimes if i love what im having for dinner the night before i double the portions while im cooking and then take it either the next day or that same week. i'm a huge chicken lover so i tend to make 4-5 breasts at a time and then use them on salad, with couscous, or in a whole wheat soft taco. Cook less, assemble more is sort of the motto. then i just vary what snacks i take so i dont get bored.

I also leave my house early, so I almost always prepare my lunch at night.  The one thing that helps me, is that I don't mind if I eat the same thing EVERY day.

Sometimes I'll make a pot of soup, portion it out into 6-8 tupperwares.  That makes it very easy to grab one every day along with my other snacks and head out the door.

Usually though, I eat salad.  I generally only make 2 at a time, because they start to wilt if they sit around any longer.  I'll spend 15 minutes on a Sunday night, and that means I have a thoughtless Monday and Tuesday morning.

I keep a stock of non-perishable snacks at work, so in the morning, I take out my salad/soup stick it in a bag, with 2 pieces of fruit, and I'm ready to go.

I too leave very early in the morning so here are some ideas.  I usually make a pot of soup on Sunday and portion that up for my husband and I.  I also buy a loaf of light bread, or flat out wraps  and either light turkey or ham and some lettuce, peppers or zuccini for my wraps.  I also make extra portions when I cook dinner at night and put the left overs away in single portions.  Then each night after dinner I put together what I need for breakfast, snack and lunch.  Down to measuring my cereal into the bowl and slicing my strawberries or pouring my frozen berries into a small bowl to thaw in the fridge and if I have to take my cereal with me, I measure out my milk into a separate container.  So in the morning cereal is ready to eat, I can grab a cup of soup and a wrap or sandwich and my snacks which are either a whole piece of fruit, a yogurt or a 1/2 of cup of cottage cheese.  If I don't make soup that week I take a can of Progresso or Chunky Campbells, the whole can of alot of varieties are only 200-250 calories.  Once you get in the habit it will be a no brainer.

I always do it the night before. Whenever I'm making dinner in the nighttime, I usually plan for leftovers. While I'm waiting for dinner to cook, I'll pack up the items I plan on bringing for a mid-morning (usually either nuts + fruit or individual cheese + fruit) and pre-workout snack (usually always a 1/2 bagel with peanut butter)... it's usually a no brainer. Then pack up whatever's leftover from dinner and let it cool while I'm eating.

I also don't mind eating the same breakfast and lunch day after day at work, as long as dinner varies. 

Week Days:  For breakfast I bring a piece of fruit and a Fiber One yogurt.  Morning snack is a Fiber One bar (Oats and Peanut Butter -- YUM).  Lunch is either a salad with baked chicken on top (I make 3 every Sunday) with a serving of Wheat Thins Fiber Select crackers and skim milk OR Progresso Lite soup with the Wheat Thins Fiber Select crackers and a wedge of Laughing Cow Light cheese and skim milk.  Afternoon snack is a handful of almonds.  Water all day long.

Weekends:  I really watch it during the day, but then by evening, all bets are off!

i TRY to pack my lunch at night, but that doesn't always happen, so i'll throw something together early in the mornings. 

i try to balance every meal with a whole grain, protein, and a vegetable.  all of my snacks are usually raw veggies, yogurt, or fruit, or sometimes a mixture of both. 

i'm famous for making a huge pot of veggie soup with no meat and eat it until it's gone throughout the week.  i always put brown rice in it, so i kill three birds with one stone.  i have my whole grains+protein+veggies all in one meal.  i usually pair that with a PBJ with all natural peanut butter on whole wheat double fiber bread. 

another one of my faves is whole wheat pasta.  i have a few different boxes that are different kinds in my pantry.  i'll boil extra when i'm using it for a dinner recipe or i'll just boil it to boil it, leave it plain in the fridge, and toss it with different things.  yesterday, i had whole wheat rotini pasta tossed with steamed white corn, baby carrots, asparagus, and green beans.  today, i had whole wheat rotini pasta tossed with fat free italian dresing, 1/2 of a diced chicken breast, and a little feta cheese.  my favorite pasta "lunch" is whole wheat pasta tossed with feta, cucumbers, tomatoes, and fat free italian dressing. 

i usually buy a bag of clementines at the beginning of the week and grab two for my lunch box everyday. 

once you think of some easy things to throw together, it's simple to come up with a healthy lunch that takes no time to put together.

Original Post by tblover900:

sometimes if i love what im having for dinner the night before i double the portions while im cooking and then take it either the next day or that same week. 

I follow the same logic.  Works great for me.  Keeping snacks at work also helps - less to remember (or forget) in the morning.

I don't necessarily pre-pack my entire lunch.  I will pack the cold food in containers in the fridge and all other items in my lunch container on the counter.  So, in the morning, I just gather everything and go. 

Original Post by cellulitedelite:

i usually buy a bag of clementines at the beginning of the week and grab two for my lunch box everyday. 

 I have a clemetine for breakfast every morning!  They are so easy to grab and go, and I peel and eat them while I'm driving to work...now that's a person who doesn't have enough time in her day . 

I pack everyday. I definitely plan ahead and pack ahead. My normal lunch is a sweet potato. I bake them in the microwave. I do this on Sunday for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I let them cool and cut them up and put them in Tupperware. Then I take cottage cheese. I measure it out and put it in containers. 3 days worth. I cut up fresh fruit and veggies and put them in large Tupperware containers. Then I pack for each day. I put a days worth in baggies. Do this for the next 3 days also. I cut up my pita bread and put them in baggies. 3 days worth. I make tuna, salmon, chicken, turkey, fish ahead of time. Sometimes a Boca burger and pack that in containers also 3 days worth. So everything is all set in the frig on Sunday night. I just pack the days food in my lunch box and go. On Wed night I get things ready for Thursday and Friday. Planning ahead is key. Have it on hand. I basically stick with the same staples and just mix it up a little. Always fresh fruit and veggies some kind of pita sandwich and a side. I love sweet potatoes and they are excellent for you. I put my cottage cheese on top. I try to only eat them 3 days a week or so and choose something different for my side like brown rice or brown pasta mixed with veggies.

Do you work in an environment where you can store food there?  Dry goods and/or frozen & refrigerated? 

If yes, then I'd grab some Lean Cuisines or something similar to have on hand.  (Just be careful about the sodium.)  Trader Joes also has some good frozen veggie and chicken & veggie quesadillas that you can just throw in a microwave.  That and a dollop of sour cream makes a great lunch.

Also, if you have access to a fridge, see if your boss/co-workers would mind you partitioning off part of a shelf or drawer for your food.  I keep things like milk, yogurt, cheese, salad dressing, pickles (for my sandwiches), lunchmeat, baby carrots, apples, cottage cheese, jello pudding cups, hummus, salad, etc. in a small drawer in our fridge here at work. 
I also have a small section of a cabinet claimed and I keep things like canned soup, PB, bread, english muffins, rice cakes, popcorn, oatmeal, cereal, pretzels, canned tuna or chicken, etc.  in stock there. 
That way, I buy for the week and then just keep my little stash so I don't have to worry about bringing stuff in every day.  As long as I've got some combination of basics on hand I can usually find something good every day.

I realize this may not be an option for you though... in which case it's all about planning ahead.  Buy for the week and then, as others have said, do as much pre-portioning as you can.  It will save you loads of time.  (Cereals, salad dressing, pre-slice fruits, etc.) 

Making your lunch ahead of time is also a great way to go (I used to do this at my old job when I couldn't store food there).  Just make sure to include a good balance of all the food groups. 

My usual lunch choices...
- A lean cuisine/smart ones/ some sort of diet frozen meal
- Salad, either made myself or pre-bagged
- Soup and maybe a hunk of french bread if we happen to have some in the house
- A sandwich (pb&j if it's been a hard day.. or more often turkey & low fat swiss w/ pickles on multigrain bread)
- with all of those I usually do some sort of fruit as well.  Depending on season that could be a peach, pear, grapes, an apple sliced with an ounce or so of cheddar cheese or sliced and then microwaved with a bit of sweetener and cinnamon (a cheater's version of stewed apples), baby carrots (sometimes with ranch or hummus too)... just depends on what you like. 

I hope that helps!?

I'd prepare my luch the night before so I can sleep in. :P I'm a sandwich person so I'll always grab random ingredients to put in between slices of wholemeal bread. My favourite ingredients are hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, peanut butter, Nutella, strawberry or bluerry jam and canned tuna. If I've got absolutely none of these ingredients or I'm way too busy, I'd just grab a few digestive biscuits or cookies. At least they keep me going throughout the day.

Lunches are always hard because it really does take a lot of planning and extra grocery shopping on the weekends!

I'll usually bring leftovers and when I make dinners I'll make way more than I need so I'll have lots of leftovers for the week. But if I don't have any leftovers then I'll make something easy the night before like whole grain pasta and tuna and make sure to bring clementines, pears, and carrots. I need to start making salads though because they would be great for lunches.

Make sure to label your Tupperware bins as mine have gone missing from co-workers being confused!

I live in a big city, so I usually stop by a corner store on my way to work to pick something up for later.  I usually get a big ol' container of pineapple wedges for breakfast and a bag of pretzels and a container of hummus for lunch.  The hummus is really filling and low-calorie and yummy.

Original Post by aesb:

What is your routine?  I am trying to get in the habit of bringing my lunch to work everyday but I realize that I am going to have to plan ahead because I know that there is no way I will be packing my lunch at 5:00 in the morning.

So I am interested in everyone's routine? Do you make your lunch at night? Do you plan your meals each week? Are they already made & sitting in your refrigerator? I would love to get some ideas!

 

I pack my lunch every night...as soon as I finish dinner I make my lunch for the next day.

I am up early but am a little too lazy to make sandwiches for myself.  Also I tend to like salad in my sandwiches and if they're left for 6 hours with tomatoes in all you end up with is soggy bread - not pleasant.  We have a microwave at work so I just bring a New Covent Garden soup and two slices of Hovis Seed Sensations (I'm on Rich and Roasted at the moment but Light and Nutty is equally nice).  The soup will last me for two days and the preparation time is the amount of time it takes me to cling film two slices of bread and chuck them in my bag with an apple and a carton of OJ.  Filling AND warming :)

Original Post by stormgirlz:

I am up early but am a little too lazy to make sandwiches for myself.  Also I tend to like salad in my sandwiches and if they're left for 6 hours with tomatoes in all you end up with is soggy bread - not pleasant.  We have a microwave at work so I just bring a New Covent Garden soup and two slices of Hovis Seed Sensations (I'm on Rich and Roasted at the moment but Light and Nutty is equally nice).  The soup will last me for two days and the preparation time is the amount of time it takes me to cling film two slices of bread and chuck them in my bag with an apple and a carton of OJ.  Filling AND warming :)

 Pack your fruit and veggies in sandwich bags then put them on the sandwich when you are ready to eat it. I carry a lunch box too. With a small ice pack so I don't have to worry about a place at work to keep my cold food.

Since the weather is cold now, I'm into soups a lot. I buy the Campbell's Select or the Progresso Light when it's on sale for 8 for $10. That makes a can only $1.25. I keep a bowl at work. I eat the whole can with a few crackers and I feel full and satisified.

I also do left overs, because I too prefer a hot lunch. I do more cold sandwiches and things like that in the spring and summer.

Most of the soups are 200-300 per can. About 5 crackers is adds 40 calories or so. I don't worry about the sodium content in the least.

I take my lunch AND breakfast to work, because I enjoy that extra 20 some odd minutes of sleep I get in the morning.  I'll take oatmeal in a baggie, with some milk in a baggie (pre measured of course) and put it together in the microwave on my first break.  The other option is yogurt w/ PC fibre first cereal and berries, or cereal and milk and fruit.  Lunch is usually a wrap, or home made soup, or leftovers from dinner the night before.  I usually make my lunch in the morning before I go to work, or if I'm making hubbie lunch, I'll do them both the night before. 

I usually stock up on Lean Cuisines or SmartOnes at work. I also keep a bag of baby carrots in my fridge at work for when I'm feeling like a snack. Or if I'm getting bored of the frozen lunches, I buy bagged lettuce and a bag of julienne carrots. It's so easy to throw them in a tupperware in the morning. Instead of bringing a bottle of dressing, or portioning it out in a tiny container, I keep one of those salad spritzers at work.