man, i need some lunch ideas (no grains preferable)

Shazkar Shadowstorm · September 2010

i started my jerb, and after a month of buying lunch every day and spending too much money and eating unhealthy, i am trying to get my eating habits back to like they were when i was at school and bring in my lunch to save cash.

thus i need ideas for meals that are easy to prepare or can be prepared ahead of time easily, can be eaten cold or heated w/just a microwave, and are preferably grain free.

so far the last 2 days i've done a boring salad with avocado and a can of tuna and some bell pepper
which is not bad.

and i don't mind salads, but i can never come up with good ideas for what to put in salads, especially for simple protein (though i guess a hearty enough salad could do without protein seeing as my breakfast is usually eggs) so salad ideas would be good.

but other than salads i dunno.

VisionOfClarity · September 2010

If you like grilled chicken, chicken salad, tuna salad or grilled steak you could put all of those on top of a salad and eat them cold.

Shazkar Shadowstorm · September 2010

mmm, yeah, i should look up some tuna salad recipes

but i dunno how to make chicken salad i will have to google that
nor do i have a grill, but i guess i could broil things?

VisionOfClarity · September 2010

You can do it in a pan on your stove-top too. Chicken salad is cooked chicken + mayo+ whatever you want. I imagine tuna salad isn't too different. Broiling the chicken would work too.

Spacemilk · September 2010

Tuna salad is really easy. Tuna + chopped up pickles + boiled eggs + mayo + salt n' pepper to taste. You can vary the ratio of the ingredients based on what flavor you like - so the first time you make it, add ingredients little by little til you find a ratio you like.

If you want more protein in salads, add nuts (sunflower seeds or pecans are really good, zero prep time to add them) or chopped-up boiled eggs or cheese (goat cheese is the bomb) or beans (garbanzo beans are the bomb and require zero prep time except for opening a can).

Personally I frequently eat frozen lunches because you can find some decently healthy stuff out there and the flavors/types vary wildly so there's something for everyone. Plus, no prep time which is what I like.

I also will eat cans of chicken noodle soup (low or reduced sodium).

The #1 tip for bringing your lunch is: Make a big-portion meal at some point during the week, then eat it for lunch for the rest of the week. Or freeze it and spread out when you eat it so you don't get sick of it. If you don't want grains/pasta, other good ideas are: Chicken breasts or any kind of meat (fish, steak, etc.), or homemade soups like chili and the like.

edit: Also you can cook chicken on your stove. Slice up the meat and put it into a skillet, add olive oil for extra health + super tender chicken, salt+pepper to taste and in 5-10 minutes you have cooked chicken bits. Slice into smaller pieces as needed for the salad.

Wassermelone · September 2010

Vegi chili - it makes a lot, tastes amazing, is really filling, and while not diet food, is definitely healthy. I'm not a vegetarian, but I love this chili.

6 cloves of garlic sauteing in a pot (12 quart) with a small dollop of olive oil

chop up and throw in:
Half an onion
A zucchini
Three biggish carrots
Two peppers (I used red and orange)

Saute saute saute saute

Then throw in:

a beer

6oz can tomato paste
28oz can diced tomato (undrained)
8oz can tomato sauce

drained:
can cannelini beans
can kidney beans
can black beans
can pinto beans
can corn

undrained
can beets

1tb spoon Cumin
1tb spoon paprika
1tb spoon mustard powder
3tb spoon cayenne powder

1tea spoon oregano

chop the top off a habenero and discard it (or jalepeno you wusses)
throw the rest in. Take it out when you reach the desired temp.

Add salt to your preference and let cook for about 30-45 minutes!

Shazkar Shadowstorm · September 2010

chili is a good idea

and you can even freeze it and stuff

i dig

Xaquin · September 2010

Spacemilk wrote: »

Tuna salad is really easy. Tuna + chopped up pickles + boiled eggs + mayo + salt n' pepper to taste. You can vary the ratio of the ingredients based on what flavor you like - so the first time you make it, add ingredients little by little til you find a ratio you like.

If you want more protein in salads, add nuts (sunflower seeds or pecans are really good, zero prep time to add them) or chopped-up boiled eggs or cheese (goat cheese is the bomb) or beans (garbanzo beans are the bomb and require zero prep time except for opening a can).

Personally I frequently eat frozen lunches because you can find some decently healthy stuff out there and the flavors/types vary wildly so there's something for everyone. Plus, no prep time which is what I like.

I also will eat cans of chicken noodle soup (low or reduced sodium).

The #1 tip for bringing your lunch is: Make a big-portion meal at some point during the week, then eat it for lunch for the rest of the week. Or freeze it and spread out when you eat it so you don't get sick of it. If you don't want grains/pasta, other good ideas are: Chicken breasts or any kind of meat (fish, steak, etc.), or homemade soups like chili and the like.

edit: Also you can cook chicken on your stove. Slice up the meat and put it into a skillet, add olive oil for extra health + super tender chicken, salt+pepper to taste and in 5-10 minutes you have cooked chicken bits. Slice into smaller pieces as needed for the salad.

Add dried minced onion flakes and a dash of crushed red pepper flakes to this and you will have it nailed.

wogi · September 2010

I do a stir fry, which usually makes enough for a week or so. I usually do it with chinese noodles or sticky rice, but both can be substituted or left out entirely, if you want to avoid grain.
I get some beef, or chicken, cook it up with some sesame oil and schezwan and a bit of hoisin sauce, and toss in veggies, which are really your choice, and be done with it. There's very little prep if you get frozen veggies, you'd only have to cut up the meat. It goes together in just a few minutes, and can be thrown in the fridge right away. If your avoiding rice and/or noodles, then you've skipped the messiest bit, so clean up is pretty quick too.

ransim · September 2010

I make this for dinner and it generally lasts two of us two meals and I can take it to work one or two days. So three meals out of it total for two people, six individual servings and it freezes well.

Moroccan Chickpea stew
1 can chopped tomatoes (I get them with onions and garlic but plain tomatoes works
3 cans chick peas (drained and rinsed)
1 medium onion (I use vidalia or yellow sweet) chopped
1/8 cup Olive oil - really i'm kinda guessing here just make sure the pot has a thin coat inside you really don't need a ton
1 quart vegetable broth (I've used chicken as well)
6-8 cloves of garlic pressed
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cumin
dash of cayenne pepper
1 heaping tsp sweet paprika

In a stew pot add the olive oil and turn on medium high heat.
Chop the onion and add it to the oil.
Let the onion cook for a few minutes then press the garlic cloves into the pot.
Let the onion and garlic cook for a few more minutes then add the cinnamon, cumin, paprika and cayenne pepper. (I actually add a bit more seasoning then it says here its to taste so make it the first time and add more as you want.)
Stir the contents of the pot and let it simmer.
While its simmering open the cans of chickpeas into a strainer and rinse them thoroughly.
When finished rinsing add the chickpeas, tomatoes and broth to the pot. Mix well.
Let cook on medium high for 45 minutes.
Smash the chickpeas with a potato masher.

You can also add fresh spinach to this, its great, healthy and very filling. And don't let the directions scare you its actually incredibly easy to make after you do it once. Prep takes me about 10-15 minutes.

Peter Principle · September 2010

Breadless sammiches? It's like a sandwich, but instead of bread, use a lettuce leaf. Wrap your turkey, cheese, tomato, mayo, whatevs in a leaf of romaine lettuce.

devCharles · September 2010

In my experience, most people don't like *insert meat* salad because it's all very bland unless you smother it in some dressing. That being said, I made a Mexican Salad last night with lettuce, carne asada, grilled mushrooms, red bellpepper, jalapenos, cheese, sour cream, fresh salsa, pinto beans and guacamole. That has flavor for days if you season your meat correctly. Reduced fat cheese and sour cream is still pretty good and adds a lot to it as well.

Personally, I'm a big fan of curry for lunch. It's all done in pretty much one pot usually and it stores really well and feels really hearty.

Shazkar Shadowstorm · October 2010

good ideas, stir fry would be really easy definitely

made a salad today with goat cheese which made it 100x better

ceres · October 2010

Goat cheese does definitely do wonderful, heavenly things to salad, like making it worth eating, for instance. It's also a bit easier on my stomach than regular cheese. You can put it into pretty much any salad, but it seems to be especially good in salads that contain fruit.

Usagi · October 2010

Can I make a healthy grain suggestion even though you said no grains in the title? I'd like to introduce you to quinoa, which is delicious, mega healthy (woo protein and fiber!) and stores really really well

Specifically, quinoa with sausage and peas, quinoa salad with tomatoes and black beans and a moroccan squash stew on quinoa

All delicious, all easy to put together and very filling and healthy

. · October 2010

I'm not sure why you don't want to eat grains, but if Usagi's suggestions do interest you except for the grains, substitute kasha for the quinoa. Kasha is not a grain, but will act similarly to quinoa (or other grain).

Also, for interesting salads, try using a tasty mix of greens. Then add couscous, olives, queso fresco (or feta), some herbs, and a light vinaigrette (Olive oil or maybe grapeseed oil and some type of vinegar or citrus juice). Add meats or beans if you want.

Also, look into casseroles. They can be made cheaply, provide food for multiple days, freeze well, transport well, and can be heated in a microwave.

BuddyDoQ · October 2010

You can make an easy chicken salad from a deli rotisserie chicken, or just baked chicken breasts-

Chicken (just whatever amount you happen to make)
Mayo or Plain Yogurt
Halved purple grapes
Chopped Walnuts
Chopped Onions, Celery, or any vegetable you have available really
Just a touch of mustard (dijon or yellow is fine)
Salt, Pepper, Parsley, and a dash of tarragon if you have it on hand

All of that is just basically "eyed" until you get the right ratio.

You can bring a few lettuce leafs to work in-between two paper towels to keep them crisp and wrap your chicken salad in it along with some sliced avocado or even a few strips of turkey bacon.

Pablo the Penguin · October 2010

SANDWICH. There are practically infinite amounts of sandwich types you can make. And if you don't want Grain, then you can use gluten free bread since it's made out of rice or corn usually.

Or just go to a supermarket, buy what's delicious looking, and have a mouth watering day of experimenting.

Penny Arcade

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man, i need some lunch ideas (no grains preferable)

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