Super Fast Lunch suggestions

my boyfriend tells me i have the worst diet ever. im not overweight or anything but after plugging in what i typically eat, my analysis came back at D- :/

I work in adversting and do not have any time to prepare lunch. Lunch is my biggest meal of the day with 3-4 cups of coffee. (I know what your thinking...)

Can anyone suggest some tasty very healthy quick microwaveable solutions for me?

Thankkkkkkkks!

In the last month I switched departments at my job and am in a cubical for the first time. My solution for healthy lunch is more of every day health snack food. Since, I am constantly working and rarely take breaks I like to have snack type foods helps.

From home (you can prep these the night before)

1) in a tupperware add 1cup fresh fruit with plain fat free yogurt add a drizzle of honey for flavor

2) sandwich bag of baby carrots (or any veggie, red pepper, cucumber, celery) and a serving size of hummus (or light ranch dressing)-- these can be found in your supermarket

3) whole fresh fruit (oranges, apples, bananas)-- you can keep a fruit bowl at work on your desk, pretty and colorful

My work SNACK Drawer (keep stocked):  granola bars, microwave (99% fat free) popcorn, tea bags, crystal light packs for water bottles

I would also look at the analysis and see what it is you are intaking too much of especially sodium (salt intake) keeps us bloated.

Also, I love to take leftovers to work cause usually you treat yourself for dinner, keep half for work the next day.

I hope this helps!! :)

Well aren't you the lucky one with a good metabolism!!! :)

 I've just retired lately but mostly brought my lunch to work and the "girls" were always looking to see what I brought for lunch saying "ooh, that smells gooood"!  One thing I would do, if I cooked something for supper that could easily be reheated, was to make extra to bring for lunch...thats a no brainer.  But since you said lunch is your biggest meal, I'm thinking you don't go home and cook a dinner every night (I didn't!!!).

But I would also cook lots of stuff in bigger portions (on the weekend as already mentioned) and then freeze individual portions in good quality (I can't stress the "good quality" enough!!) freezer ziploc bags.  If you use the cheaper bags, watch out for leaks and put them altogether in one large good bag.  This way I had my own "frozen dinners" that were much healthier and better than anything I could buy.  LOL it made me really fussy too, prefering my own dinners to storebought frozen dinners or lunches out.

Freezing lunches in ziploc bags makes them freeze faster and stores easier; I put a couple of open weave plastic baskets in my fridge freezer and stock it with my "quick picks".  Just make sure you label them well, I would even put the Weight Watchers pts on the pkg.  Grab one in the morning, bring a container to use to heat it up.  I would let it thaw a bit on my desk, when it started to get soft would break it up into the container and by lunch time it was ready to go to the nuker!

If you like to cook, then just experiment with things you like. I have a chicken recipe in a spicy tomato sauce I really liked and would freeze it with portions of rice, I swear, every day I brought it, someone would ask for the recipe! and it was easy!! Also would make soups, turkey chili, anything like that freezes well.  Also, a veggie lasagne (or meat) I would cut in portions when cooled, and wrap single servings in wax paper and freeze in a ziploc bag.  It was more labor intensive but again, do it on the weekend~

Sorry for the long post, hopefully you even see this....  You may want to look at sites for "once a month cooking" not that you'd make that much but there are good recipes that you may want to try if you have the freezer space for it.

Take care,

Cathy

Original Post by jewelie1981:

Another option is to make something like chicken soup. It can be really healthy for you, and you can easily freeze it for months. Then when you want to eat it, take it out the night before, let it thaw in the fridge and you're good to go. You can either make noodles to go with it, or go without. It's a delicious idea and quick and easy later on.

I also do big batch meals over the weekend for myself and my boyfriend. It saves alot of money as well as calories. One great meal is a chicken grape and walnut salad. It's SO delicious and you can turn it into sandwiches or eat it on crackers. Another big batch meal I love is Colcannon... it's just mashed potatoes that you mix with some chopped boiled cabbage and some chunks of ham. If you buy the precooked ham chunks or slices, and the steam in bag potatoes... all you have to do is boil some cabbage and mix it all together. It's great on time and delicious with a little bit of mustard or apple sauce.

You can even throw together an easy delicious meatloaf that's pretty healthy as far as meatloaf goes and is the perfect comfort food. We adore it and make it maybe once a month.

I have a head of purple cabbage and wanted to try something new, this sounds great!  I'm going to throw in a bunch of roasted garlic too (I work from home so can get away with this one :)   This would be great w/o the ham and as a side for meatloaf.

As for meat loaf, I love to make a buffaloaf.  Buffalo burger instead of hamburger.  It does need a bit of olive oil because the meat is so lean and I use organic rolled oats instead of bread crumbs which helps bind it and keep it moist.  Yum.

I think this freezes well too, but mine never lasts that long.  I will eat too much of this so have to be careful not too make it too often.  My lack of control around comfort food is appalling.

A buffaloaf sandwich is as good as a meatloaf sandwich and makes a fast and very easy lunch. (If you have any leftovers)