L.L.
We had Subway at Walmart only because my tire had to be replaced or repaired we were there for 3 freakin hrs.
Looking for lunch ideas. For some reason I am blocked on lunch ideas. I can come up with Breakfast and dinner ideas all day long. But lunch, I'm programed to think Taco Bell or Jack in the Box. Looking for quick and easy, healthy, budget friendly lunch ideas while at work. Things I can buy and have on hand so I don't end up at the drive thru.
We had Subway at Walmart only because my tire had to be replaced or repaired we were there for 3 freakin hrs.
Wendy's. I didn't have any bread to make a sandwich. :(
I had smoked turkey breast (straight from the smoker) and broccoli.
Are you looking for quick and easy lunch ideas? Healthy? Fast food?
Added: The thing I do most often is on the day I go grocery shopping, I buy a bag of lettuce or spinach, come home and separate it into small bags (like sandwich bags) with carrots, chopped meat and whatever else and then put it in the fridge. Then when lunch rolls around, I grab one out, stick it in a bowl, add croutons and dressing and viola! I have a quick and healthy meal.
Just as a side note, each bag is slightly different so I have some variety. It only takes about 30 minutes to get all the bags made up and saves me tons of time in the long run.
Frozen pizza for the kiddos, salad with nuts and crutons for me. Ranch dressing!!....dinner on the other hand..blah!
We had mac and cheese, hot dogs, apples, and green beans. Some of our favorites are goulash, spaghetti left over from supper, toasted cheese and tomato soup, peanut butter and jelly, egg salad sandwiches, sloppy joes, and nachos.
I usually have sammies on "serious" bread (aka not cellophane bread) ;) but baguettes, sliced como, foccacia, etc.
- Toasted Ham & Swiss
- Roast beef, spinach, purple onion, roasted red peppers, garlic mayo
- Toasted Roast Beef & Chipotle
- Gyros (I buy gyro meat by the pound at a local restaurant/greek grocery)
- Caribbean (like a cuban sammie, just a little different; mojo marinated & broiled pork, grilled onions, cilantro, jalapenos, garlic mayo)
Easy to assemble the night before and just toss in the toaster oven at school (open faced so the whole thing gets hot and crispy/melty). My school doesn't technically *have* a toaster, but they do have outlets... so I brought a garage sale toaster oven and plugged it into the wall a few years ago, and there it still sits.
Multigrain bread roll with slices of roast chicken and a mix of roast veg and fetta with fruit on the side. Homemade cauliflower or pumpkin soup with a multigrain bread roll. Salad with walnuts, apple, lettuce, hard-boiled egg, and avocado.
Leftover taco meat and some tortilla chips, fruit, and a kashi go lean cookie. (We are low on food at the house!)
Lunch ideas:
- salads topped with tons of yumminess - chicken, cheese, whatever you like! This is often my last choice as I run out the door, but I am always pleasantly surprised at how yummy it is and how good I feel after eating it. No afternoon slump!
- lean cuisine meals - I eat these not for the caloric value, but cause they are good and easy. The french bread pizzas are fab.
- PB and J and some chips - this is my budget friendly go to meal.
- I make a ton of pasta, chop some fresh tomatoes, add chuncks of fresh mozz cheese, some basil, and olive oil, dried oregano, mix all up and viola - easy healthy meal! I will make tons of this and bring some to work for leftovers. You just need to start HIDING your leftovers so the midnight eater doesn't see them!
- make you own subs - get hoagie bread and lunchmeat. Much cheaper than sandwhich places
- I love soup for lunch. They have some great kinds in the Kroger deli section, but they are pricer than just the campbells. But, I know I will eat and like it and it is still cheaper than a restaurant.
I went to a local take-out Thai restaurant & got green curry chicken w/ green beans & baby eggplant over jasmine rice. It's pricey at $10, but so delicious I get it once every few weeks.
I often do leftovers for lunch. Today I had Mtuzi wa samki, a Kenyan style fish dish, wild rice, and green beans (leftovers from what I cooked last night).
Often, I have sandwiches but switch it up. Instead of ordering lunch meat by the pound and hating it before I'm done, I order by slices so I have a couple different sandwiches during the week and it's not boring that way. If you're at work and can't cook a sandwich on the stove (for the grilled ones), you could just put the stuff together and microwave to warm/melt the cheese and it works. In my weekly menu, I'll plan to serve (examples) reuben sandwiches (pumpernickle, corned beef, swiss cheese, saurkraut--cooked like a grilled cheese), or cucumber feta sandwiches (toast wheat bread, a little mayo, slice feta and cucumbers: not heavy but filling), any combination of lunch meat (whatever is on sale that week, with spinach leaves and tomato slices), or grilled cheddar-feta sandwiches (cheddar cheese, sliced red onion, slice of tomato, feta cheese, cooked like a grilled cheese). A sandwich and a piece of fruit or a little thing of carrot/celery sticks. A seafood salad sandwich on a roll with homemade sweet pickles is awesome, and you can have a little green salad with it. Tomato basil soup (or whatever soup you've cooked and served the night before) is good. I like PBJ and milk sometimes too, lol. Tuna, chicken, or taco salad with an emphasis on the greens is good. (I make my taco salad by just cooking an onion with meat, draining, throwing in a packet of taco seasoning, a can of chili beans, and some drained rotels, then adding it to a full salad of spinach, romaine, carrots, celery, tomato, cucumber, whatever I have, and fresh guacamole, salsa, some cheese, maybe a couple chips).
If making sandwiches though, I like the bread in the toaster before putting on mayo or mustard so it doesn't get soggy. Also, I put the sandwiches in one ziplock container with a lid, and a smaller one for the produce (tomatoes, lettuce, saurkraut, whatever) so it doesn't get the sandwich gross before time to eat it.
We had a Pizza Party at work celebrating the Death of Osama.
Lean Cuisines. I love them. They are low calorie and full of flavor. They are super easy and I can keep them in the freezer at the office.
OMG I forgot about lunch today... meh.
Usually it's whatever the kids are eating; I make lunches in the morning and make my own at the same time. Sandwiches, lots of sandwiches. I mix up regular sandwich bread with hoagie rolls, pita bread, or flatbread ;)
Cold pizza is great too. I make this amazing veggie pizza that tastes even better cold the next day! So if I make it for dinner, I make double what we eat so we can all have it for lunch :)
healthy choice cafe steamer entrees (red pepper alfredo is good)
sandwiches
leftovers from last night
make soup or chili, freeze into individual portions and reheat
buy a rotisserie chicken and cut into individual portions
I always like a BIG salad.. when I say big, I mean I use an extra big size bowl and it's not uncommon for me to use up an entire bag of arugula.. :) you can cut up all the stuff you need ahead of time and pop into a container and add dressing when ready to eat..
I add all kinds of things, from red pepper to avocado and sunflower seeds... also, if for example you have grilled chicken the night before, that always taste good in a salad as well.. salads may seem like a drag to make but NOT if you cut up most things ahead of time. I also like to add fruit.. basically, I will add most anything to a salad :) I love it!!!
The other thing I usually keep on hand.. turkey... you can roast a breast and not only have that for dinner, but it also makes a good treat the next day.. no need to wait for Thanksgiving.. :)
Lastly, beans.... they are so underrated but make such a yummy lunch.. again, it's one of those things where I will take northern beans and eat them as is OR add some smoked ham. add a good piece of french bread and a piece of fruit and you have a complete lunch ...yum................ Also, you can bring some chili to work. nowadays, they offer a variety in a can... from veggie black bean to chili with meat.. chili is good and filling... or make a batch of your own and bring leftovers..
bon appetite :)