I’m looking for easy and cheap options for lunches on weekdays. I mostly eat deli sandwiches and hot dogs right now and I always feel like shit after eating them. I think I need something healthier but I don’t have time over my lunch hour to cook anything too fancy. What do you all do for reliable healthy easy lunches?
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5 min in the morning making, a sandwich, usually ham or turkey, and 2 sticks of string cheese.
Healthy… Not the best but definitely better than a hot dog or burger. Especially with whole wheat bread and not going overboard on condiment.
some things that worked for me and advice
If you are not very active at work, and you have the flexibility to shift your breaks, try taking a bunch of shorter breaks and start working on preparing side dishes like you are cooking for a holiday or a family gathering.
Food can last ~2 weeks in the fridge. For me, if my food variety feels repetitive, it is because my cooking needs some work. I can eat the same thing every day easily, if the food is really good.
Here’s the thing, “healthy” and how you feel is complicated and likely has to do with IBS to some degree. You likely have many very poor quality options available, but are not looking at the ingredients in detail. Like the oil used is a major factor in how you feel just under the surface of most people’s awareness. Unhydrogenated oils may make an enormous difference, as will either sticking to grass fed dairy or eliminating dairy all together.
I was 350lbs and lost all of it down to below 190lbs while riding and eventually racing bicycles. At around 3500-4000 calories per day, a lot of subtle problems become much larger and require attention. Processed industrially produced foods are universally terrible. Almost everything in the center isles of an American grocery store are garbage to avoid. Only eat things that look like how they grew.
All you need to do is shop for nice containers to use for all stages of cooking and transport. This is the “convenience” conditioning we were all trained to forget as dumb little American consumers.
The healthiest person I ever worked with in a bike shop back office was an Olympic athlete. He never ate “meals.” He came to work looking like a tupperware salesman. He ate small amounts of a bunch of different side dish like foods he made in their own small containers. His diet shifted to exactly what he was doing physically each day and he was amazing on a bike.
“Meals” are the primary problem. How much you eat at one time determines a whole lot. Your body does not keep cycling that glucose through your bloodstream. It does a few laps and turns to fat. Then you have low blood sugar until your next pie hole infusion. All your muscles can deal with that except for your brain. That one requires glucose only, and so you feel bad when it is resource poor.
The solution is to eat more often, but far less, and things that take time to break down as they will provide more glucose over longer periods of time. Processed means predigested; means the nutrition info is garbage. It will go through you quickly and that will inevitably lead to low glucose for the grey goo. I cook several large casserole dishes full of meat and veggies every 8-12 days.
How much you eat at once and how often is the most important factor. Second is the micro nutrient density. Third is isolating IBS factors.
keep some washed fruit around i like to have some oranges or a bowl of grapes or something at my desk to pick on over the course of the day. sometimes ill make oat balls or just keep some sunflower seeds out too for extra protein
Could you share your recipe for oat balls, please? I am looking for a high protein snack to switch things up a little bit. TIA
I mix together oats, peanut butter, protein powder, some sweetener (agave, honey, sometimes maple syrup if I’m out of the others, I find a liquid sugar helps them stick), and then something with a crunch, maybe chocolate chips, maybe sunflower seeds, and then a little bit of salt and vanilla for flavor (unless the protein powder adds enough flavor already). Mix it well then stick in the fridge till it solidifies enough to mold with your hands, roll into balls, then I usually throw them right back into a container and into the fridge. If you use natural peanut butter, you can add some coconut oil to help them stick a little more.
Thanks for sharing your recipe, they sound delicious and just perfect for an upcoming camping trip.
Cup of noodles is easy and light
OP said they want to eat a little healthier, not a little less healthily.
We don’t spend 16 hours in the fields anymore, a cup of noodles is fine
Missing the point.
I cook large batches of stew every now and then, freeze in 2 or 3 portion packages. Then each sunday I prep some carbs, defrost and pasteurize stew and put it all together. Boom! Lunches ready to go into the work microwaves.
I make a week of lunches all at once. I have 12 hour shifts so it’s kinda breakfast and lunch that I snack on through the day. I get everything from Aldi so it’s pretty cheap too.
Baby carrots, honeycrisp apple, light string cheese, yogurt, and a sandwich containing lunch meat and cheese and mayo. Recently, I started fridge pickling jalapeños for my sandwiches too, and that was the right call. I have this pretty much every day. I was broke af when I was younger, so eating the same thing every day vs maybe not getting to eat… I learned to really appreciate getting consistent meals even if it’s not something different very often. It’s not for everybody and I understand if this doesn’t sound remotely appealing to you lol.
I make a chickpea/garbanzo bean spread:
(1) 15oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed (I also take the skins off but that’s optional) (1) tbsp of Nutritional yeast (.5) tsp garlic powder (.5) tsp onion powder (.5) tsp salt (1) tbsp lemon juice (.5) tbsp dijon mustard (.5) cup of mayo (any mayo works)
Optional: 1 nori sheet (seaweed adds a fishy flavor)
Instructions: smash everything together with a fork in a bowl until mixed or use a food processor/blender to puree, it should have the consistency of a cheese spread or dip. Serve on anything and keep refrigerated for up to 5 days
I was about to comment this one. Its one of my fav lunches cause its so easy to make. The name I have for it though is ‘chickpea of the sea’ because its similar to tuna. My recipe is similar except I like to add onion and pickles to mine. Also I usually use some Old Bay seasoning instead of salt.
Damn I’m gonna try the old bay next time! Thanks
Salad. Some lettuce or spinach, a few toppings, a little dressing.
I get one of those rotisserie chickens from the store and cut the meat up. It’ll last a few weeks (freezing portions of it) for not that much. Cucumber is cheap. There is an olive bar at our grocery store, I pick some of the up and sometimes make my own croutons and cut up an apple with some veggies.
If I’m at home, udon noodle soup: just vegetable stock cube in a pot of water, boil it, chuck the noodles in, chuck in whatever you want to put in the soup (I just chop up tofu and one vegetable of my choice), boil for a few mins, and it’s done. Put Laoganma on to serve. Obviously use whatever other noodles you prefer if you have a preference other than udon. Takes like 15 mins total and it’s so simple for something that’s an actual full meal. I don’t take it with me when I’m on the go though, as it’s hard to carry a bowl of noodle soup with you.
For something you can take with you on the go, I’ve been making this vegan smoked tofu carbonara recipe lately. You’ll still need a microwave to heat it up once it’s lunchtime, unless you want to eat cold spaghetti for lunch, but it’s really tasty, especially the tofu.
Udon broth is also available premade and is very quick and easy to make from scratch.
I’ve been drinking a Soylent shake for lunch at work for probably two years now. It’s very convenient, nutritious, and you can have it at room temp or chilled. If you buy it by the case, that amounts to a cheap and healthy lunch. Yes, I find it quite filling.
Edit: Also it comes in different flavors. The ones I remember are strawberry (my favorite), vanilla, chocolate, banana, and mint chocolate. They also have high-protein and caffeinated varieties.
Soylent is terrible for nutrition, as long as you’re eating a balanced diet otherwise and taking a multivitamin it should be OK but it really is not good for long-term
Many end-consumers and dietitians disagree with you.
Dietitians… good one
OP can do their own research, as I have. Or take your word for it.
I have a sandwich on whole wheat bread with some cheese, one pickle and a conservative amount of mayonnaise spread on the side that touches the pickle. Its been the same on average 3 times a week for 2 years.
I’ve been into making adult lunchables. I’ll have some deli meat with crackers and cheese slices, mixed nuts, fruit and hummus. It’s easy to prep, cheap and fun.
I’m someone who doesn’t mind repetition/eating leftovers.
So I would swap between leftovers, and then my quick lunch would be 2 hardboiled eggs, some babybel or string cheese, and then some kind of fruit.
Minimal cooking, easy clean up, easy to take with you.
2 eggs, 2 cheese, and a banana is surprisingly filling.
I ordinarily don’t eat lunch. Or breakfast. I eat a large dinner. If you eat less carbohydrates your body won’t feel bad when it runs out, which might be why you feel bad after eating, if it’s a while after.
Today, i’m eating lunch, and it’s some pasta with olive oil, dill, and some canned tuna. Most of the time I eat the pasta right out of the fridge without heating it. You don’t even need olive oil if you use tuna packed in olive oil.
Other times, I’ll eat some raw vegetables and a can of some sort of meat, or I’ll eat leftovers. Usually cold.
I’ve been intermittent fasting for quite some time, and it kind of makes you reevaluate your relationship with food. A meal can certainly be a luxurious experience, or it can just be fuel to get you through your day. I actually prefer eating one large meal a day, but it does tend to increase your cortisol levels, so when i’m already very stressed I tend to eat some lunch.
