Help..I need more lunch at work ideas. Lean Cuisines and WW meals are just not cutting it anymore. Anyone have a nice creative option???

Thanks Banders !:hungry:

A fav of mine is a can of lentils, a can of chickpeas, a can of salmon, a can of crushed tomatoes, an onion and garlic and herbs to taste. Makes about 5 or 6 1 cup serves. I just pack it up in containers and freeze it. I pop it in the microwave at work to warm it up and its super tasty.

My staple lunch at work was the insides of a deli sandwich. This can get pricey, but professionally made sandwiches always have great garnishes I'd never make at home. Smoked turkey or thin-sliced roast beef, asagio or gouda cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, chipotle or garlic mayo, cilantro, all of these are things I'd never be able to put on a sandwich made at home. Toss the bread and you have a great, portion-controlled, protein-rich yummy lunch!

Thanks Friends. Peas idea sounds great. Off to grocery store. Deli sounds good too, but I am not much on deli.

Alexandra, what a great idea. They order out all the time at work and I've been holding back on doing that while I try to prepare for the changes I will have to make in my life after banding. Occasionally if they order from Jimmy John's I will order an Unwich (Jimmy John's sandwich minus the roll, wrapped in a lettuce leaf), but I guess I didn't think of ordering from other places and just tossing the bread. Such a simple and tasty thing to do!

I'm not a chick pea nor a lentil fan. Actually I don't like any beans/legumes (except as hummus). Nor do I care for canned Salmon, but She Smiles' recipe gave me a GREAT idea to use those packets of salmon filets and the canned tomatoes to create some yummy things. I wouldn't have thought of mixing tomatoes with the salmon and some garlic. Sounds really good for a summer dish!

I usually take a salad to work, making sure I have some Protein in it. I put all kinds of veggies in it and top it with vinegar/olive oil. Since I don't get many veggies in other times of the day, it works well for me.

Other times I do the Jimmy John's and eat mainly the insides, or Wendy's chili. Sometimes I order a side salad, pour the chili over it and it's yummy too!

Lunchmeat with some cheese rolled in it works great too!

I cook some beef or chicken stips (or both) up with some onions, bell peppers, and tomatoes with some fresh garlic and eat it just like that or put it on top of a salad and it's really filling and good too!

I am still fighting the "can't cook for less then a small army" syndrom even tho my DH is also eatting less so I seem to have left overs that freeze and are perfect for lunches. I keep a supply of lean cuisines or healthy choice in the freezer at work for when I have no left overs. Did do the take out at the chinese buffet on time- ate that for 3 lunches! Mostly I don't like to eat out and rely on the left over routine.

That's going to be my hardest thing to change about cooking, to not cook so much food. It's only DH and I now, but I was so used to cooking enough food for four or six, and we'd eat it all (the two of us). DH would complain that I made too much, but he'd eat it!

A typical day at work for me ..

I drink Dunkin Donuts tea in the morning w/ skim milk, 2 teabags, 2 equals.

(Sometimes I will get an egg & cheese crossiant but only eat the egg)

Carnation Instant Drink (the 4 pk pre-made drinks)

String Cheese

For lunch sometimes I will have tuna fish on crackers but now that I am on stage 5 .. I am hoping the Mini chicken Noodle Soup by Campbells will work!

Another Carnation Drink

And lots and lots of Water.

Pretty boring, Eh? But it works and keeps me full!

Don,

I've found WW meals and other frozen meals nasty as well. What I have been really enjoying lately is deli ham and/or turkey and cheese. I absolutely LOVE ham roll ups (ham with cream cheese and onion in the middle, rolled up). So I make my "lowfat" version by rolling up Laughing Cow light cheese (they are spreadable) with the turkey or ham and either put a pickle or onion in the middle. 4 slices of the ham has 50 calories and 12 grams of Protein, the cheese has 35 calories (and spreads amongst the 4 slices of ham) and the onion of course is free. I LOVE them.......the Laughing Cow cheese has been my savior!! Another great low cal - high protein lunch are the South Beach Diet wrap kits (found by the deli meats - only about 220 calories for the whole mean and about 25 grams of protein). My favorite is the Sesame chicken.....(other brands include Chicken Ceaser, Turkey and Bacon club, Southwest Chicken, - all are great) Try them - you'll love these too. !! Hope this helps!!

Thanks Ann. I have gotten tired of the WW meals, but will definately try the South beach ones. They sound great. What type of band d oyou have..a 10cc kind? How many fills have you had?:hungry:

I never liked the Southbeach Diet frozen meals. I liked some of Healthy Choice main food parts (The sides/desserts were yuck), and SmartChoice has some good ones. Lean Cuisine wasn't very good either. All my opinion. Ham with cream cheese and green onion rolled up..we use to make those for potlucks.. Mmmm.. Now I'm going to have to check out laughing cow to see what that's all about.

south beach diet meals are great, Soup is a staple for me at work I usually have coffee in the morning then a V-8 juice ,some soup,Campbells select mediterranean style w/meatballs and pasta 14 g protein in acan with 220cal.string cheese in the afternoon water,tea then fish for dinner .

I work nights, and have been doing the following:

- if I have a sandwich for lunch (chicken or turkey, low fat mayo, on toasted whole wheat bread) I have a salad for dinner.

- if I have a salad for lunch, I have a South Beach microwave meal for dinner.

My salads have been the following: 2 shredded lettuce leaves, 4 grape tomatoes (cut into quarters), some sort of meat (chicken, steak, crab, or tuna), and 2 tbsp. of a low-fat no carb vinegrette. It fills me up and is pretty tasty, and only takes about 5-10 minutes to prepare (I cook up my chicken and steak on Sunday evenings and store them in tupperware in the fridge for the week).

Now I'm going to have to check out laughing cow to see what that's all about.

Laughing Cow has a light garlic/herb cheese spread and it is really tasty!!

I make chicken salad in the morning from chicken breast I get at the deli. They will shave it very thin so it mixes easily. It would easily count as a mushie. I still eat a lot of it even though I'm way past the mushie stage - just tight from a recent fill.

My 15-year old son likes it that way, too. I had to tell him that "Mama's chicken" is OFF LIMITS!!