On-the-go lunch ideas?

[westindiesangel]

Hi ladies,

I just joined the gym, and now I go there in the morning and school in the afternoon. Problem is, I would usually eat lunch, go to school, and have dinner when I came home. Now I eat breakfast in the morning, lunch outside, and dinner when I come home.

I need some lunch ideas for on the go? Or any input on what I'm doing is healthy?

I usually make eggs in the morning and eat it with some kind of a fruit, whole wheat crackers, or maybe some cereal and milk.

After the gym, I usually eat a fruit and wait till I'm hungry and eat a protein bar (270 cal., 20g protein). Before dinner, I got hungry AGAIN and ate another protein bar.

Then for dinner I usually eat chicken/some other kind of meat, veggies, and maybe a little rice, nuts and seeds. etc.

I don't know if this is ok? I mean, is all that protein bad for me? I'm just HUNGRY lol. The protein bars have 9g fat and 21g sugar too, so I'm not sure if I should be eating them like that. I mean, I'd rather eat something that's more like ...real food...than a protein bar. What do you think?

Also, give me some lunch ideas if you can! I like those single-serve cups of cottage cheese, fruit, protein bars...what do you ladies do that's healthy and can be carried around? I don't really like carrying around bowls of stuff, but maybe I'm gonna have to start making some salads or something...I also usually avoid rice/bread...

 

[Brie]

I would avoid eating them like that.

You mean stuff you don't have to heat up right??

What about making wraps, or if you don't want any bread type stuff you can use lettuce leaves to wrap them up. Then wrap them into baking paper, cut in half then wrap up with glad wrap (I don't know what you guys call it?)

I'd definately start making salads, get one of those containers with the different sections so it stays nice and fresh (you know how tomato can ruin things, maybe thats just me lol)

Do you like nuts, they go well in salad, or by themselves.

 

[kaliraksha]

You can make batches of your own healthy trail mix. It's nice too because you can customize the flavors and it's usually cheaper than buying granola bars. You can add all types of grains, sweeteners, nuts, dried fruit, etc. You can also make them savory, drives me nuts that almost all packaged food on the go is either sweet or super salty.

I'm a big fan of dehydrated fruits and veggies or baked chickpeas.

If you have a place to keep cottage cheese you will probably feel most satisfied by giving in and carrying a bowl around with lunch in it. It doesn't have to be fancy... I've learned to stop trying to create meals when you don't have time. It doesn't all have to go together or make sense together- if it's healthy, easy, fast, and taste good it can work. I actually kind of enjoy the variety. For example- hummus, olives, pita chips, carrots, celery, swiss cheese, yogurt, wheat crackers, greens w/ dressing, chicken (I roast mine on the bone and keep them that way for reheating), hard boiled eggs, etc. I could easily just pre pack all these things and grab a combination of any of them. I also really like to utilize my dinner left overs, so rice will get turned into stirfry or left over chicken or fish can be a salad, crunchy tacos, or sandwich.

If you live in a cold climate/ during cold months I love bring a thermos of soup, especially chili. It's so comforting and filling. Makes me happy to bring lunch instead of go out.

I'm sure I'll think of more and come back to add some.

 

[Simply Elegant]

You don't need all of those protein bars. One is fine but real food is better. I think you're low on vegetables and whole grains. Carbs won't make you gain.

I love wraps. I like to add leftover chicken breast, avocado with hot sauce mixed in, lettuce, tomato, turkey bacon, green pepper, white and green onions and cheese on a high fibre tortilla.

You can make your own cold pasta salad with greek yogourt and spices for the dressing with any vegetables you like and whole wheat pasta.

Quinoa is really healthy too and so is cous cous. You could turn those into cold salads as well.

For snacks, I like cheese, nuts, fruit, vegetables with dip, half a sandwich, big salad (usually includes chicken, nuts, bell peppers, olives, green onion, avocado, asparagus, broccoli)

 

[shatteredshards]

I think people buy into those bars being healthy, but they're really not that good - like you said, they are loaded with sugar. Maybe one a day as a snack, or if you're doing some heavy exercise that necessitates a little snack to keep your energy up. They're meant as a sort of supplement for people burning a lot of calories, because they help to replace what's being used up.

Again, wraps are an easy to transport lunch, and an easy way to nab servings of many of the food groups. Wrap it up in foil, throw it in your bag, and there you go.

When I worked at a mall and realized I was eating crap from the food court every day, I started making bento lunches to take with me to work. Bento is the quintessential Japanese lunch box, and is great not only for portion control, but for making sure you cover multiple food groups. I purchased a few bento boxes on eBay (they make many that are so incredibly cute), and would fill one portion with my staple, like a few dumplings or onigiri (rice balls) and shrimp. I would fill the other portion with yogurt, fruit (bananas were common), and an easy veggie like baby carrots, and slip a few pieces of cheese (usually cheddar or muenster, my favorites) into the little top compartment made to hold silverware (yeah, I cheated with that). There are plenty of blogs written by people who post their daily bentos (made for themselves, significant others, and children) as well as books that are great for inspiration; personally, I have a copy of Naomi Kijima's Bento Boxes.

 

[lara]

I pack a couple of boiled eggs into my lunch for when the mid-morning/mid-afternoon hunger hits: they're a nice hit of protein to fill you up, they're not loaded with fat, sugar and preservatives, and they're not messy or bulky.

 

[Meisje]

Almonds are a great snack, in portions of 12 (that's about 100 calories).

 

[abbyquack]

I love Fruit Strips (aka fruit leather)- Target's Archer Farms brand sells them in boxes of 10, and they're delicious! Only 45 calories a piece too, so it's nice to have that on hand instead of candy. I also like apples or bananas with peanut butter, and Kashi Go Lean Crunch bars...not excessively though, usually just one per day.