I am going on my 6th week post op. I can eat anything except raw veggies at this time.

I am on the road all day seeing patients. So I bring cottage cheese, yogurt, and bring GENEPRO Protein to add to this. I can't tolerate shakes anymore.

I don't know what to bring to eat!!

I don't want to keep eating dairy and cheese all the time. I also don't want lunch meats as I know they are highly processed.

I don't have access to a microwave.

Any ideas what to take for lunches or small meals for the day? Thank you!

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I was going to say hummus, but I don't know what you'd eat it on if you don't eat veggies yet and I'm assuming you're low carb. :/ I love the Oscar Meyer P3 packs, but that's a lot of processed meats and cheeses.

Tuna pouches are an easy solution. How about a boiled egg? Rotisserie chicken is good cold. I assume you are carrying a mini cooler since you take cheese and yogurt. I would still do a Premier shake during the workday so you know you are getting adequate Vitamins, nutrients and Protein. My Dr. actually requires a shake from here-on-out.

I was going to say chicken or tuna salad made with lowfat or nonfat mayo.

My standard lunch is chopped chicken breast with green veggies (asparagus, artichoke hearts, or green beans, usually) with a little bit of light salad dressing.

I'm a lazy cook so I use either the pre-cooked grilled chicken breast from Trader Joe's, or the frozen grilled chicken breast. I also use frozen veggies. My usual MO:

--defrost 3 oz chicken in microwave (50% power for 45 seconds). Chop and add to small tupperware container.

--defrost 1.5 oz veggies in microwave (30% power for 30 seconds). Add to tupperware container.

--add 1/5 T. light champagne vinaigrette, shake, and put in insulated lunch bag with a plastic fork.
This lunch does not need to be refrigerated unless you do something like leave it in the car on a hot day.

Depending on the veggies you use this ends up being 110 - 125 calories or so and very filling.

i second the tuna and salmon pouches. easy to carry, dont need refrigeration, lots of flavors, lots of protein/low carb/low calorie. I lived on them during the soft foods stage!

I buy a rotisserie chicken at least once a week and use it for meals. I've also found that in a pinch, some places have grilled chicken (wendys, sonic Just ask for it without the wrap/bread) that you can buy while driving but it depends on the places you go to.

Also there's a mini crockpot I saw recently for traveling and you could always buy an old fashioned thermos for soups!

String cheese and jerky (the latter if allowed on your program. I was cleared for everything at 5 wk but I know every program is different) travel good.

Boiled eggs, edamame, good quality lunch meats like Boar's Head = little processing, jerky, almonds, imitation crab legs, olives ...

But really. There is no such thing as too much cheese.

I like the tuna packages with the rice crackers. You could also have some canned beans or a protein bar. I keep some protein bars in the car in case I'm out and get delayed. A cup of milk also has 9 grams of protein.

I love edamame. I'll often make a salad with tomatoes, fresh basil, olive oil, mozzarella, and chicken. I also make a couple tablespoons of PB2 and eat it with a banana. In a pinch, I'll hey frozen meals. Check out Lean Cuisine Sweet Sriracha Beef, for example, 17 grams of Protein and 190 calories--if you have access to a microwave. There are several frozen meals that are bariatric-friendly.

Also, there are some very high- quality lunch meats you can try. Do you have a local butcher shop/ meat market?

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Thank you all for the ideas. I forgot about Boars head lunch meats. Do you just eat the slices without bread?

I appreciate the ideas.

I want to try to stay away from processed foods as much as possible because it defeats the purpose of "being healthy"

I also have to learn to sit and enjoy my lunch instead of rushing to the next patients house

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Humus has a lot of calories unless you make it from scratch. My dietitian said store bought humus contains a lot of oil.

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I love restaurant hummus but trying not to eat it because I don't want the bread and not on raw vegetables yet.

Store bought hummus tastes VERY salty. I tried it months before my surgery. I had to throw it out because I couldn't handle the sodium content.

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Grill any meat, cut it into strips. Now it's finger food and you can eat it on the go.

And early on good quality lunch meat like boars head is an awesome solution