Thread: Lunch Ideas please

Hey everyone,

I have had some personal stuff going on for quite a few weeks now which means I have been on a complete emotional rollercoaster and I also became totally unfocused on slimming world. However I am all set to get back on track now.

I am really looking for some Lunch ideas if you have any to share please. I follow the extra easy plan and normally use my HEb for breakfast (so no HEb lunches) and also everything must be cooked from scratch as we don't get things like savoury rices etc here in Canada. I am also not very keen on the slimming world quiche.

I want to plan my meals for the week so I know what I am having, but often get stuck with what to have for lunch so need some inspiration. Breakfast and dinners are not normally a problem.

Thank you

I tend to make extra portions of my evening meal & have them for lunch the next day. I also make a lot of pasta salads, with tuna or ham & salad. Also baked potatoes with tuna mayo, or beans.

have a wee look at the food diaries and recipes for some inspiration - they really help me out!

PS well done for getting back on track!

A great idea is taking leftovers from dinner the night before, like Jerri said. What I did this week was make a big batch of soup on Sunday and took a bowlful everyday for lunch. Very filling, warming and satisfying!

I like to think of lunch options as either soups, salads or sandwiches and pick my faves of each category and then take it from there. E.g.

Soups
Like I said above, I make a big batch of soup on a Sunday which lasts through the week. You could make a smaller batch so you have some variety with other foods for the week. My fave soups are;
Vegetable & chicken
Tomato soup
Chicken noodle soup
Chunky vegetable soup
Minestrone soup
Lentil & bacon soup
Pumpkin soup

I like to look at supermarket shelves for soup ideas, whatever comes in a tin can be made free from scratch at home! You could even go online to supermarket websites and browse their soup section.

Salads
Salads would probably take a back burner with the weather being so awful but my favourite salads are;
Potato salad (made with laughing cow light and hellmann's extra light, boiled egg, bacon, spring onions, carrots and peas)
Tuna pasta salad
Grilled salmon with spinach salad
Chicken salad
Rice salad
Couscous salad
Savoury couscous cakes (I know this is not a salad lol, but it goes really well on a bed of salad)

Sandwiches
For some reason I never feel satisfied if I have a sandwich on its own, I have to have it with a salad or a soup. When I have a soup with my sandwich, I always make it a plain vegetable one like tomato soup or chunky veg (without potatoes) just so its not too heavy. My fave sarnies are;

Tuna cucumber
Bacon & boiled egg
Club sandwich
Cheese & tomato
Smoked salmon & cream cheese (using laughing cow light or quark)
Prawn mayonnaise
Chicken & sweetcorn

Agan, I get inspiration from supermarkets and sandwich cafes, whatever I fancy I just make a note to make it myself at home! So easy!

Hope this helps

You don't say if your at home or at work. But here's a couple of ideas.

SW Spaghetti carbonara.
Boil spaghetti, cut up lean bacon (3-4 rashers) and dry fry in a large frying pan.

Mix 3 eggs, 3tbsp of low fat fromage frais, 1 tbsp of parmesan and salt n pepper in a jug or bowl.
Strain the pasta and add to the bacon, give it a stir. Pour over the egg mixture keeping it over a medium heat.
Once the egg mixture has thickened and started to set it's ready.
Serves 4 and use 1 tbsp of parmesan to sprinkle over the dish.

This meal is just 1 syn on EE. I eat it a lot as a very quick, filling and low syn meal.

Failing that....bacon, eggs, baked beans /tinned spaghetti and some fried potatoes.

J/pot with baked beans and cheese, or tuna, mayo and sweetcorn. Or what about any left over chilli or Spag bol as a topping?

Home made soup - leek and potato is very quick and simple to make. The recipe is in the recipe folder.

Poached egg on 1 toast and some baked beans - 3 syns

Pasta sauce (either made with water or with milk as HeA) and served with some roast chicken or quorn pieces cooked in garlic, ginger or honey (1 tsp - 1 syn).

Yesterday I had Thai Salmon Burgers, the receipe for which I found in the receipe section & they were very yummy, I had them with green beans.

I just do red or green days. If I'm having a green day I just make up some pasta, or rice with veggies & salad; or my favourite at the moment cous cous made with marmite & use my hexa cheese & tomatoes, very yummy.

If I'm having a red day it's usually some type of fish, with butternut squash & again salad or veggies.

During the week I prepare my lunch & take it to work I don't warm anything up. But at weekend's I'll make it from scratch.

If you have an ingredient in mind you could search this forum or www.bbc.co.uk/food for ideas, that's what I did yesterday with the salmon.

Well done for being so organised, I usually decide what to have in the morning chosing from whatever is in

what about salmon or tuna fish cakes?

Originally Posted by Ninja

SW Spaghetti carbonara.
Boil spaghetti, cut up lean bacon (3-4 rashers) and dry fry in a large frying pan.

Mix 3 eggs, 3tbsp of low fat fromage frais, 1 tbsp of parmesan and salt n pepper in a jug or bowl.
Strain the pasta and add to the bacon, give it a stir. Pour over the egg mixture keeping it over a medium heat.
Once the egg mixture has thickened and started to set it's ready.
Serves 4 and use 1 tbsp of parmesan to sprinkle over the dish.

This meal is just 1 syn on EE. I eat it a lot as a very quick, filling and low syn meal.

Mmmmmmmm

I would say soup, soup, soup. That's what I tend to go for on EE days at lunch - especially in winter! I also eat a lot of leftovers - whatever is in the freezer I'll grab and have for lunch.

What about chilli con carne on rice/wedges/jacket/pasta?

Originally Posted by MrsMc

Mmmmmmmm

I tried the carbonara today and it was very very nice. My husband couldn't tell the difference between this version and the full-fat cream version. Very pleased and very grateful for the suggestion!!!

I'm off to try couscous cakes now....

Carbonara sounds delicious - I'm not up to scratch yet on the different plans. How many points is it on green?

Thanks for sharing x