healthy lunch ideas

[rainingcats&dogs]

help,i know this was discussed alot on the old board lots of wonderful ideas and recipes,well i had all recipes and ideas written down and i cant find them,ive been taking cheese and crackers and sandwiches but im getting bored,and fat,and i feel very sluggish mid afternoon need a pick me up
thanks for the ideas
trish

[mustluvdogs1]

oprahs' Dr. Oz

Oprahs' Dr Oz says nuts area good snack w/ good fat...helps curb appetite. I love Pecans. Walnuts better so he said. Fruit never spoils. I use Lock N Lock won't spill. Spinach saladsw/ toms cukes nuts sometimes chicken too. Be sure to keep cool. Bacteria form on front seat w/ heat from windshield.I hve tried battery operated fridge... but can drain battery.. cooler w/ ice best. In summer I freeze my water and the heat melts enough as I go to keep water cold a few hours.I like sandwiches.Or P&J san.

[Raggs]

Salads are easy and portable. Try not to keep any food in the "temp danger zone" for more than 2 hours. It's just waiting to breed bacteria. If you take Chicken, it needs to be reheated to a temp of at least 160.

Fruit, nuts, veggies, granola, cereal bars. (I love Special K Red Berries)

[Helly]

Yogurt with chunks of fresh fruit and a bit of granola makes a good snack or lunch. Peanut butter and fruit slices.

Cold pasta, diced vegetables, a can of tuna or some diced, cooked chicken; toss with yogurt dressing (plain yogurt, a dash of lemon juice and some dill weed. Salt & pepper to taste.)

Gazpacho: Dice fresh cucumber, onion, bell pepper, Roma tomatoes. Add some diced avacado if you like it. Mix equal amounts of chicken broth and V8 juice. Pour over vegetables. Season with oregano, parsley, cilantro, garlic. Eat it chilled with crusty bread or croutons.

[SpikeyTheYorkie]

Oh, Helly, gazpacho is SOOOOO good.

Ok, girl, what kind of cheese and crackers are you taking? Are they the triscuits? I am one of those fortunate people that could eat McDonald's day in and day out and still not get too fat. So maybe the cheese isn't good for some of you.

Boiled eggs are good, a salad with a can of tuna tossed in. A tuna sandwich, etc. Peanut butter on whole wheat bread. SOmeone else said NUTS.

What about V8? DO you like it? I can be filled up after drinking just one can of that. But it has a LOT of sodium, so beware.

Tammy in Utah

[misscatahoula]

I work at home so I usually end up eating leftovers . The only downside is I have to cook dinner every night (Darn!)

[mustluvdogs1]

Ritz

I keep a box of ritz crackers in van...my mother always had some in glove compartment. If really busy..no time to make lunch...I always have tose fasttening ritz to eat. have kept them in MY Acura too. I need botled water tho' water gets yucky if left in van.customers give me warm bottled water...not refreshing but at least it is water.

[sheilabgroomer]

Try to stay away from breads and glutten crackers (Ritz, Saltines,) and eat Triscuits or wheat thins or other whole wheat crackers. Instead of using bread for sandwiches, use a wrap. They come in lots of flavors. Try to stay away from the "white" wraps, they slow you down too. In fact, try to stay away from white foods period, most are not healthy and you can get more natural and healthy alternatives. Cheese is good for you, but fattening. Limit what you use. Goat cheese is great to use and very tasty and not as fattening. You can toast it on top of a triscuit and add some sliced tomato or cucumber....yummy

I will add granola or flaxseed meal to yougart. Try to have a variety of fresh cut fruit and veggies to snack on and don't keep junk at work because you will eat it if it is there. You can make yummy dip out of Yoplait (spelling?) whipped yougart and cream cheese for your fruit.

Something else I do during the winter months is to build a soup in the crock pot and let it cook until lunch. Very easy and healthy and you can make soooo many variety's. Who doesn't love soup in the winter!! In the morning at home I will chop veggies and spices and put them in a ziploc baggie. If I am using a meat I put that in a different baggie or container (cooked of course, usually leftover chicken, beef or turkey) Put it in the pot at work, add water, and presto soup!!! I keep "Better than Boullion" brand boullion at work (all natural no MSG). I got the crock pots from Walmart last year for $5. They are smaller than the normal ones, but big enough to hold soup for 3 people.....perfect for my shop. It is funny to see the dogs that come in after the soup has started simmering. Those noses go up in the air and it looks like they are asking, "whats for lunch"!

You will not believe how much energy you will have if you ditch the heavy lunches and the winter weight will come off soo easily w/just some moderate exercise. Sorry this is so long, but it is a subject that I enjoy....lol... My "girls" at work get a little tired of my "health nut" lifestyle I think but they put up with me.

[Helly]

Instead of using bread for sandwiches, use a wrap. They come in lots of flavors.

You have to read the lables carefully on flat breads for wraps. They're more dense than sliced bread, and a lot of them have just as many carbs, and just as much fat, as bread. A good, multi-grain bread can be just as healthy.

[sheilabgroomer]

You have to read the lables carefully on flat breads for wraps. They're more dense than sliced bread, and a lot of them have just as many carbs, and just as much fat, as bread. A good, multi-grain bread can be just as healthy.

Your right, that is why I suggested staying away from the white. You can still get fatty wraps, but if you choose the ones made from spinich, wheat or other veggies they are usually a better choice. And you are also right about the bread, again, usually staying away from the white or lighter color ones is the way to go. Reading labels is the only sure fire way, but not many of us have time to read that much...lol... With time and practice it gets easier to choose the best product. Just keep educating yourself on nutrition as you go along and it will become second nature when you are shopping to make the better (best?) choices.

Something else to remember Trish, don't give up if you backslide or indulge! Don't think of what you are doing as a "diet" because "diet" is temporary. Look at it as a lifestyle and just adjust a few things at a time. If you change your whole diet at one time you are setting yourself up to fail. It is okay to treat yourself just remember to moderate the junkies. I love my sweets and I allow myself to have them w/out guilt. I just offset the junk w/a healthy base diet and exercise!

[misscatahoula]

Crockpot soup idea sounds mmm good

Try to stay away from breads and glutten crackers (Ritz, Saltines,) and eat Triscuits or wheat thins or other whole wheat crackers. Instead of using bread for sandwiches, use a wrap. They come in lots of flavors. Try to stay away from the "white" wraps, they slow you down too. In fact, try to stay away from white foods period, most are not healthy and you can get more natural and healthy alternatives. Cheese is good for you, but fattening. Limit what you use. Goat cheese is great to use and very tasty and not as fattening. You can toast it on top of a triscuit and add some sliced tomato or cucumber....yummy

I will add granola or flaxseed meal to yougart. Try to have a variety of fresh cut fruit and veggies to snack on and don't keep junk at work because you will eat it if it is there. You can make yummy dip out of Yoplait (spelling?) whipped yougart and cream cheese for your fruit.

Something else I do during the winter months is to build a soup in the crock pot and let it cook until lunch. Very easy and healthy and you can make soooo many variety's. Who doesn't love soup in the winter!! In the morning at home I will chop veggies and spices and put them in a ziploc baggie. If I am using a meat I put that in a different baggie or container (cooked of course, usually leftover chicken, beef or turkey) Put it in the pot at work, add water, and presto soup!!! I keep "Better than Boullion" brand boullion at work (all natural no MSG). I got the crock pots from Walmart last year for $5. They are smaller than the normal ones, but big enough to hold soup for 3 people.....perfect for my shop. It is funny to see the dogs that come in after the soup has started simmering. Those noses go up in the air and it looks like they are asking, "whats for lunch"!

You will not believe how much energy you will have if you ditch the heavy lunches and the winter weight will come off soo easily w/just some moderate exercise. Sorry this is so long, but it is a subject that I enjoy....lol... My "girls" at work get a little tired of my "health nut" lifestyle I think but they put up with me.

Sorry I still haven't figured out how to condense a quote. But nehow, I really like the crockpot soup idea! Will have to try it. It might even get the more timid dogs in the door,lol.

[Maggy]

What a good topic, I try to watch what I eat, but my problem is I find most healthy foods to be repulsive. lol I'm especially weird about textures. Lately I've been taking either a thing of yogurt or breakstones cottage doubles.

I'm usually a good 10 minutes behind schedule most mornings so I have to have something ready to grab and go. For breakfast I usually have a nouriche (sp?) smoothie.

[SpikeyTheYorkie]

You have to read the lables carefully on flat breads for wraps. They're more dense than sliced bread, and a lot of them have just as many carbs, and just as much fat, as bread. A good, multi-grain bread can be just as healthy.

Basically, watch for "white flour" "Bleached flour," and "enriched flour." This is the stuff that goes right to your belly (belly fat), and doesn't hold you over for very long, and if I eat stuff like that, I get the shakes a couple of hours later.

That's why I stick with Triscuits, whole grain bread (from the bread store, not the grocery store), etc...

Tammy in Utah

[SpikeyTheYorkie]

What a good topic, I try to watch what I eat, but my problem is I find most healthy foods to be repulsive. lol I'm especially weird about textures. Lately I've been taking either a thing of yogurt or breakstones cottage doubles.

I'm usually a good 10 minutes behind schedule most mornings so I have to have something ready to grab and go. For breakfast I usually have a nouriche (sp?) smoothie.

Get the ones that are lower in Sugar, and that will be better---wont cause you to be on a sugar high, then a sugar "low," and will keep you from having the "shakes" longer.

Tammy in Utah
PS: Sometimes I eat my cheese and triscuits for breakfast!

[RevWind]

Sorry I still haven't figured out how to condense a quote.

When you get to the "reply to thread" box, just delete whatever you don't want in between the 2 [ ] areas. There's 1 [ ] before the quote, then the message, then another [ ]. Delete what part of the original message you don't want to keep. Just don't delete any part of the 2 [ ] areas.
Help any?