CHALLENGE: Help me plan work meals Please :)

amother

Firebrick

Wed, Dec 21 2016, 10:26 am

I am having so much trouble coming up with enough food to pack to take to work and looking for some suggestions.

1 - Need the equivalent of 3 balanced meals (carb, protein, veges/fruit)
2 - I'm nursing/pumping for multiples so I probably eat about double what a normal person eats.
3 - Not too much that needs refrigeration, and nothing that needs to be heated, but I'm pretty chilled about eating a lot of things cold/room temp and I can use an insulated thermos for soups and such
4 - Healthy food is expensive, (and I've semi made peace with that) but, I'm looking for the lower cost options
5 - Items that can be prepped in bulk or very easily so my mornings aren't so stressful anymore.

Ok, now, with all that said Smile

Looking forward to some great suggestions!

Rubber Ducky

Wed, Dec 21 2016, 11:21 am

Many items can be repackaged into single servings ready-to-go. You can cut up veggies or cheese on Sundays, and repackage bulk items into single servings. Write and post your menu on the fridge so you don't need to think too much in the morning. Here are some ideas to mix and match:

Proteins:

Carbs:

Fruits and Veggies:

besty

Wed, Dec 21 2016, 11:27 am

not sure where you located but heres some ideas

yogurt with granola and blue berries

cereal and milk put the milk in a container it should spill and when you eat it do it from the container

you could do tuna,eggs all kinds of ways, avacodo pair it with veggy salad or cut up veggys with crackers or bread

do any kind of cheeses

you could take along yogurt,leben,diet cheesecake, diet cookies,ready lunch boxes,

any fruit that you don't have to cut up before

if you don't want to have hectic mornings prepare everything in advance

cbg

Wed, Dec 21 2016, 12:36 pm

Eggs make a great snack, and are affordable.

Can you eat beans? Too gassy?
You can make in bulk and freeze.

I love black bean and sweet potato dressed with cilantro and lime juice.

Chick pea salad with sliced radishes, strips of peppers dressed with olive oil parsley, fresh garlic, salt, pepper.
You can always process the beans and make parve burgers. Freeze already baked.

Tuna and salmon patties with grated veggies. Freeze already baked.

Quinoa freezes nicely.

Egg and veggie muffins, like mini kugels just made from eggs and lots of veggies.

Wraps are also great. With any filling and greens.

bake a sweet potato the night before and eat at room temp.

Salad or red cabbage that come in a bag, expensive, but convenient.

I usually make extra dinner and serve myself extras for lunch.

I think the problem is organization.
I agree with the poster that said to make yourself a menu for the week so you know exactly what to pack.
Also freeze in single servings, whatever that means to you.
And, pack lunch the night before, so that you don't have to do it in the am all rushed.

Another tip I use, when chopping veggies for the week, place a paper towel on the bottom of the container to soak up moisture.
And dry the veggies well after you chop them.
Every Thursday night, I chop a big container of each:
Green peppers
Red peppers
Yellow peppers
Cucumbers (without the seeds)
Tomatoes (without the seeds and juice)
Onions
Radishes (sliced in the food processor)
Cabbage (sliced in the food processor)
Carrots (these I buy already julianned, or grate in the food processor).

Then they are ready for salad or sautéing.
This lasts me till about Monday, but you can do this on Sunday's for the week.

Do you have access to hot water.
Pack oatmeal in a mason jar. Pour hot water and let it sit. This with a banana, very healthy. You can add raisins, dates, any dry fruit to the oatmeal. And it's a hot comfort food.
This may be strange, but I add dry parsley, salt, pepper, and have it as a savory dish.

amother

Firebrick

Wed, Dec 21 2016, 2:08 pm

Thanks so much! Keep the ideas coming.

Rubber Ducky - a menu is a good idea. I already do that for dinners, but preparing breakfast, lunch, and snacks for myself should make it onto the menu, so that the ingredients make it onto the shopping list also.

Just to clarify, I'm not looking for low cal/diet options, just healthful.

tichellady - how do you make lentil rice casserole, zuchinni gratin, tofu and sweet potatoes?

CBG and betsy - good ideas thank you.

I can do some beans, just not too much

tichellady

Wed, Dec 21 2016, 2:41 pm

I sprout lentils to make them more digestible. Otherwise they are too hard on my stomach. It's really not hard but does take some time. Here's how: http://www.thenourishinggourme......html
then I freeze them raw in ziplocs.

This is the lentil rice dish,

http://www.fromachefskitchen.c.....bake/

I use much much less cheese (maybe 1/2 cup cheddar total) and left out the chilis. I don't think this will work in a disposable pan, I think it needs the heat from something heavier for cooking. I use short grain brown rice because I like it best.

Here's the zuchinni gratin: http://www.food.com/recipe/zuc.....91279

I don't exactly follow the recipe, I add garlic powder and onion powder salt and pepper to the zuchinni until it tastes seasoned and used about 1/4 cup mozzarella in the egg cottage cheese mixture and a few tablespoons of cheddar or parmesan to the breadcrumbs with oregano. It really tastes better than it sounds.

For sweet potatoes, this is my favorite method:
http://shewearsmanyhats.com/qu.....toes/

really good with lime juice and chili powder or cashew sour cream or sautéed onions or mushrooms or just plain!

For the tofu: either http://cooking.nytimes.com/rec.....beche or http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2......html (I cut into more strips than just one block)

lora

Wed, Dec 21 2016, 5:07 pm

hese items off my work menu don't really need fridge or oven: cheese pancakes, cheese blintzes, cheese muffins or any muffins veggie salad (dressing in separate container) veggie sticks melons in container or fruit with peel as is. rice cake with American cheese rice cake with peanut butter or bread with spread.
wrap with tuna, egg, avocado with veggies. snack bags. granola bars oatmeal cookies.
when I need to keep something a bit cold like sandwich I wrap it in silver foil and keep it in bag together with ice water bottle.

ra_mom

Wed, Dec 21 2016, 5:58 pm

I usually grab a coffee yogurt and add granola at my desk for breakfast.
Individual packet of pretzels and a whole apple for snack.
Most of the time I slap together 2 slices of whole wheat bread and empty a package of turkey breast to make a sandwich. I munch baby carrots from a bag or rinse off a carton of grape tomatoes.
I don't have time to prepare food for myself to take to work but in general I like to eat sensibly.