Work Lunches- What do I do now?
(29 posts) (23 voices)-
CaveGirl
MemberAnyone know what are good primal options I can bring to work with me and microwave (or not) to have for lunch?
I'm new at this primal way of eating but am seriously giving it a shot. I have in my freezer right now things like scallops, shrimp, wild salmon, duck breast, chunks of smoked duck and some buffalo patties. I am planningon picking up some grassfed beef/bison and some pastured pork at the farmer's market this weekend to round it out.All my lunches have been things like pastas, pasta salads, rice and beans with meat, dill potatoes with chciken types of meals (so yeah, carb heavy and it shows). I'm tired of ending all my meals feeling "carbatose" so I want to try something new but I'm not sure what meals/kinds of foods would taste ok after sitting in my fridge overnight, office mini-fridge for half a day and being warmed up in the microwave.
Sorry this post is so long but I really want to go primal and being outside of my home makes my meal-planning a little harder.
Thanks much!
Posted 8 months ago # -
timconradinc
MemberI generally bring salads, and that works pretty well. I'll roast a chicken or chicken breasts and cut up the meat and put that on top, since it doesn't need to be heated. I usually make a week's worth of meat at once - which is 3-4 meals for me.
I've also roasted vegetables and brought those to work, which worked pretty well. Had one container with meat of some kind and the other container with vegetables.
Spaghetti sauce over vegetables & meat works nice. I also don't mind salsa over vegetables & meat. Biggest downside to spaghetti sauce & salsa is the sodium in it.
depending on how much you like to cook, you could find some indian curries - they are generally better the following day. I've made this before:
http://katskitchentalk.blogspot.com/2008/01/indian-spiced-cauliflower-and-potatoes.htmlBut, don't use potatoes. I added some carrots and it worked out pretty well.
Posted 8 months ago # -
egmutza
MemberThere are, of course, many options. One quick primal lunch I've been throwing together when I'm in a hurry is a large pouch (7oz) of wild salmon, mixed with an avocado and a dash sunflower seeds. Surprisingly tasty and filling. For dessert, I usually bring a small container (1/2 cup) of mixed frozen berries that thaw out in the fridge by lunch time.
Posted 8 months ago # -
I end up not really eating lunch because I eat such a nice fatty breakfast that I'm fine until dinner. But on days that I have something planned after work that will delay my supper, I will bring something for midday. Since I have errands tonight, I snagged an avocado, smoked salmon, walnuts, and a few strawberries. (I guess I could have just stolen your lunch, egmutza!)
Posted 8 months ago # -
Sir Grandma
MemberI do the salad thing. I bring a greens from home and keep OO/V in my desk drawer. I usually bring protein from the night before. Today, there wasn't an appropriate left-over, so I am having sardines. Which I also keep in my desk. I guess the smell might nix those for you :)
Posted 8 months ago # -
morrieb
MemberMy standard lunch for work is sliced lunch meat, generally chicken or turkey breast, salami, and a few slices of cheese (I do dairy). Sliced veggies like red peppers and carrots etc and some hummus (not primal for the hardcore) to dip in. Generally a piece of fruit and some trail mix for dessert.
This all keeps well, doesn't have to be cooked, and when I went to school after work, I'd eat half at work and half at school. Hard boiled eggs are good too.
Posted 8 months ago # -
darienx19
MemberI tend to cook once a week and portion everything out into containers for the fridge. Grilling things is one of the best methods of prep I've found for having food last through the work week in the fridge. If you do decide to make other dishes, be careful using tomatoes or tomato based sauces with things like squashes or broccoli, by day 4 or 5, the vege's end up 'pickled' (in smell and consistancy only, kind of stomach turning if you ask me). I recommend putting tomato sauces in separate containers and pouring them on just before eating. Whatever you don't eat, you can freeze, and preportioned frozen containers work well also. If you want, you can pre-freeze them, that way no need to refrigerate, and they should be mostly thawed before lunch. I also keep almonds on hand at work to snack on, which can help with the amount of food you need to bring for lunch.
Posted 8 months ago # -
I bring my left over meat and vegetable from the night before. This week I made a mess of pork chops so that's been the bulk of my lunches for a few days- along with saurkraut. I also bring fruit, nuts, sometimes greek yogurt etc.
Posted 8 months ago # -
Peggy
Memberbesides my "daily apple" :-) I have all kinds of stuff! always keep various nuts & dried fruits in the desk. I love "ants-on-a-log"! Almond or sun butter on celery with dried cherries on top. Like most everyone else, i do the leftovers on salad a lot. I love the balsamic vinegar in a spray bottle! I got a toaster oven for the office kitchen so I could roast brussel sprouts & bake fish. Now that good veggies & fruit are avail, sometimes that's all I eat. You can make "wraps" using lettuce leaves too. The un-initiated might think this way of eating is too restrictive, but that's far from the truth! There are so many tasty options out there. Be creative. use garam masala or cajun blends on foods. yummmm
Posted 8 months ago # -
Yup. Leftovers. *thumbs up*
Lately, since I started working at a restaurant (Texas Roadhouse) I've been bringing home the extra roaster chickens from the end of the night. It's half a chicken and makes a great lunch. Just nuke and eat.
Otherwise I usually just cook enough extra dinner to take something the next day, or in a pinch cook up some eggs that morning to reheat at lunch time.
Posted 4 months ago # -
lil_earthmomma
MemberOMG Diana I'm jealous!!!!!!!!!!!!!
As for great pack and go lunches, I like egg salad salad. Instead of putting it on bread, I put it on baby spinach. Yum. You used to take pasta salad? Just skip the pasta and bulk it out with more seafood or chicken or whatever. Dilly potato chicken salad? Make it dilly chicken and veggie salad. A container full of devilled eggs is scrummy too. I also like just slicing up a bunch of ham and dipping it in mustard. Yesterday I took some cold shrimp, shredded cheese salsa and sourcream and wrapped it in lettuce. It was really yummy, so lettuce wraps are definitely a fun variation on the sandwich. I would just wrap them when you eat them.
Soups are great too. You can make a big batch and have it last the week.
Posted 4 months ago # -
Soup, absolutely!
Nothing's easier than throwing a bunch of stuff in the crock pot, going to bed, and scooping it into a bowl the next morning. :)
Posted 4 months ago # -
My stand by meal, either work lunch or for evening if I am feeling lazy is a tin of tuna (either in water or olive oil), some cucumber, raw mushrooms, onion or whatever salad veg you fancy, with a dressing of olive oil, garlic, white balsamic vinegar and some mustard of your choice. Mix it all together, put in a lunch box and stash it in the fridge for later. It's got everything you need - and the more olive oil, the better! The dressing can be whatever you want too - sometimes I use a different vinegar, leave out the garlic and add chilli instead. Make it however you wish!
Posted 4 months ago # -
AuH2Ogirl
MemberI can't bear to spend the time to make lunch for some reason, unless it's hard boiled eggs. I usually make enough dinner to bring leftovers the next day.
And thank you for being kind enough not to heat curry at work. I don't like curry and one of my co-workers heats curry dishes all the time and it permeates the whole hallway. Blech.
Posted 4 months ago # -
Eating at work has always been the sticking point with me, when it comes to eating healthy. I finally came upon a solution that has been working for me for a couple of months now and is amazingly simple: fasting.
I just stopped eating during the day.
I basically eat all of my food during the hours of 5pm to 10pm, and staying on track with my eating has never been easier. I don't have to worry about making food ahead of time, I don't have to worry about bringing anything to work or cooking at work, or trying to choose a place to eat out that has "good choices" (which are often compromises anyway).My energy levels are better during the day, I don't get hunger pangs or cravings, and I don't have to "debate with myself" when there are doughnuts or sandwiches or other unhealthy choices presented to me throughout the day; I'm just not eating, so of course I won't have any.
It may sound extreme, but it's easier than it sounds. If you read Son Of Grok, that's pretty much how he did it, too.
Posted 4 months ago # -
MariaNYC
MemberI made something new and I think pretty different for lunch today. I'm a huge sushi lover, but since going primal, I limit consumption to once or twice a month. There was a thread on here about seaweed, and it made me think that nori (the seaweed sheets used to wrap sushi) could be used as snacks on their own or to wrap primal foodstuffs.
So this morning I had extra time and made a filling of canned salmon, scallions, avocado, a bit of mayo and lemon juice. I cut the nori sheets in half and rolled them into little hand rolls (wet the nori a bit to make it more pliable and to make the edge stick closed). These would be really convenient for when you are on the go (take out the mayo to reduce need for refrigeration) since they do not require utensils (I don't drive for my commute, but these would work great when you're driving).
oh and i just ate them and they were delish! Some other ideas for fillings (with salmon) are capers, cucumber, alfalfa sprouts, wasabi mayo (sorry but I Love me some mayo!)
Posted 4 months ago # -
Rozsa
MemberMariaNYC,
I made the same thing this summer! It kept fine (no mayo) in my backpack while I hiked for about 3 or 4 hours midday.
I made more of a smoked salmon frittata, sliced it in long rectangles and rolled them up in nori with long, thin sliced cucumber and avocado (if you've ever made sushi rolls, any vegetables sliced this way would work)
My friend looked at my lunch questioningly while eating his subway sandwich..Posted 4 months ago # -
MariaNYC
MemberSushi hand rolls were indeed my inspiration :) I'm thinking of digging up the ol' mandoline to get some nice, thinly sliced sticks of cucumber. What other veggies are firm enough to work? I'm not a fan of carrots.
Oy, subway sandwiches! Don't even get me started, hehePosted 4 months ago # -
Wow, I used to eat a pricey lunch four months ago. Now I'm broke so I just keep a carton of eggs in the office fridge and microwave a couple whisked with butter if I get hungry. I really haven't been eating breakfast or lunch regularly anymore, though. I'm just not hungry as long as I have a nice big plate of fatty meat the night before.
Posted 4 months ago # -
I am new to the primal lifestyle but I am giving it my best shot. For lunch I make a large spinach salad with diced tomatoes, broccoli, diced carrots, sprouts (if I have them), and a few dried cranberries (the real ones, not Craisins). For my dressing I cut a piece of grapefruit and squeeze it over my salad and then I place the lid back on the container and shake it to evenly spread the dressing. Its simple, maybe boring to some, but it leaves me energized and satisfied.
I am looking forward to trying some of the "Top 10 DIY Dressings" that I read about this morning.
Posted 3 days ago # -
Primalchild
MemberWorking has been a boon to my fat loss. Like Shine, I have a big, fatty breakfast and don't start to feel hungry until about 4 or 5, but since I'm out of the house and busy it's so easy to not snack.
But these nori-rolls sound incredible. I'll have to try them when I do eat!
Posted 3 days ago # -
It's been stated, but I get me some meat on the weekends, trim it leave and cook it up in some butter and seasoning, and then portion it along with either organic baby spinach or spring mix from the HEB.
Posted 3 days ago #
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