No idea where to post this for help... Work lunches!!!!!!

[HaloKelly]

Hey guys,

No idea where to post this but I'm looking for some help with work lunches...

Basically, I don't like taking food into work - I never really do it and it would involve actually staying in work and I enjoy my lunch break going down to tesco too much!!

I always buy my lunch at tesco and so far all I have been buying is some form of cooked meat (usually chicken, occasionally roast beef) and maybe a salad box, or something like that. Then I get a fruit pot & a zero fizzy.

I've heard good things about mugshots? are they actually alright, are they free??

I'm getting pretty bored of it so does anyone have any alternative suggestions for either free or low syn foods, or things that they buy/can cook in work? We only have a microwave!

Thanks in advance!!

 

[Phoenix_Girl]

They are syn-free food but you need to bear in mind that they may not be brilliant to eat a lot.
The nutritional value of them is lacking in obviously speed food so you potentially would need to get speed food to go with it if you went down that route.

A Microwave is a great resource to have, you can do all sorts, even poach eggs in the microwave.
It may be worth doing that occasionally and maybe having them on toast (if you have a toaster in your kitchen).
Slimming world Quiche/frittata may be worth investigating for when it gets warmer.
Other things you could consider are savoury rice, packed with Protein and speed foods or maybe a stir-fry to reheat?

If you dislike having to watch a microwave cook your food at lunch, you could get special lunch boxes such as Bento boxes which allow you to put hot food in them in the morning or reheat as soon as you get into work then close the lid. They are sufficiently good that you can still have hot food at lunch time so you could sit down with your friends/colleagues and enjoy the majority of your break without having to gaze into that poorly-lit window in anticipation of a meal.

 

[HaloKelly]

Is that the mugshots or the chicken/salad you're talking about Phoenix. I thought chicken & salad & fruit would have been good speed foods

I made a bacon & mushroom quiche which is really nice, I could take slice of that in with the mixed vegetable packets you get in tesco, best of both worlds?!

 

[Phoenix_Girl]

The mug-shots are not brilliant.
Fruits and vegetables come under the free and speed food categories and are proven as good for you when regularly consumed.

Mug shots do have some goodness in them but not as much as something you made from scratch. They are however good in a pinch when your back is against a wall and it's the choice of a mug-shot, horrendous rubbish like KFC or eating nothing at all.

If you made a quiche and liked it, it's a good thing to have, you could grab a small salad bag and have your walk to the supermarket and food optimise as much as possible

 

[HaloKelly]

I'll definitely do that next week, I'll take a slice of quiche in with me and have it with my salad & fat free dressing! yum

 

[Ponytales]

Assuming you have a kettle you can make cous cous.

I know what you mean about enjoying a walk to the shops. I get round this by having a jacket spud or something from home and then walking out for a yoghurt or fruit for pud.

Best of both worlds ☺

 

[Nettee]

supermarket sushi is low syn but not free and you would need some salad with it for the speed food. I usually do a potato in the microwave with salad and cold meat. If you are feeling organised you can make roasted vegetable cous cous or pasta salad in advance to take in. Left over curry/chilli/bolognaise/stew etc is a real treat for me when I have it to take.

 

[HaloKelly]

I think I might actually start thinking about bringing in baked potatoes. That with some salad, ham & spaghetti hoops would be a really nice lunch! Thanks guys

 

[Phoenix_Girl]

Leftovers from the night before are very popular as people tend to batch cook while getting enough goodness in

 

[HaloKelly]

I do batch cook - but my partner is ravenous and has a bottomless pit for a stomach!

I cook enough to serve 4 people and it does me one portion and he eats a portion big enough for 3 people!!

 

[OpalLilyEats]

Tell him to sod off! I'd portion it into 4, 2 each for you for dinner, 1 for you for lunch and 1 if he wants more!!

My vote is leftovers. I always just make extra dinner and use it. Today I had roast chicken, broccoli, cabbage, carrot & swede mash and a little mini roastie - all heated up for 3 and a half mins in my tupperware container in work!

Tonight I'm making mushy pea curry and cauliflower rice so tomorrow I'll have that! I tend to leave slightly smaller portions for lunch the next day though.
Big batches of soup are good too. As are pasta salads as somebody said above. Last week I made one with orzo just to mix it up a little bit!

Ryvitas are good too with HExA philly/laughing cows and veggies. Homemade hummus/falafel is lovely too as it syn free pate.

The choices are endless with a bit of imagination

 

[sarahc4536]

I'm with OL_1234, I take in lunches of the previous nights meal (today was diet coke chicken... yum!), or just something I've batch cooked at the weekend (chilli, bolognase, lasagne). I tend to eat my lunch and then go for a wander somewhere so I'm still getting out of the office for a bit!

 

[Quins]

I have breakfast and lunch at work. I take a couple of eggs from my chooks and love having omlette on toast , sometimes microwave a couple of Quorn sausages as they are only a syn each. Lunch ,Tesco's chicken thighs, hot deli or chilled with a bag of sweet salad and healthy options cottage cheese is a favourite for me. Sprinkled with encona pepper sauce! Everyone at works can't believe the lovely meals I have. I keep jar of beetroot and gherkins in the fridge to add to salads. On green days I have a packet of microwave rice, ( check syns for the brands) mushy peas sprinkled with good amount of curry powder and some Quorn Swedish balls. Sounds weird but it's delicious, so fragrant every one comes to see what I'm eating.v filling and have enough for 2 lunches. Crab stick and or prawns on bed of salad. Sometimes I have a jacket spud and beans bought locally with a salad. Plenty of options to get you through the week. I've stopped the mug shots, only need them to stop an emergency hunger pang before I leave work, rarely now as I'm full from lunch and snack on fruit.

 

[EmmaJH90]

Sushi is a good option as it's generally 1-2 syns per pack. I'm the same as you, I like going out at lunch rather than sitting in the office.

I've also been buying the roast chicken salad sandwich on wholemeal bread from Tesco lately, but I must stress that this is a little tweak I've allowed myself. The bread I count as my HEB, and as it's got no butter on it, and is essentially just sliced chicken breast and salad, I just make sure I'm light on other syns for the rest of the day. The food search tool puts it at about 15 syns I think, but I take that with a pinch of salt given that I could make that exact sandwich myself for a fraction of the syns using all the same ingredients. I've consistently lost 2lbs a week since I started having the sandwiches once or twice a week, so it hasn't affected my losses.

 

[EmmaJH90]

I've just started reading the new magazine, and there's an article about where to buy low syn lunches. Worth buying if you don't already have it.

Emma x

 

[Lealea19]

I've just started sw (have done it before) and lunch is the thing I struggle most with. I try but just don't enjoy salad, I eat plenty of fruit n veg but was trying to do different salads for lunch. The problem was I'd find I just wasn't eating enough as I could only manage half so I now do a mix of either chicken with rice (you could buy ready cooked hot chicken from the counter in tesco) soups or when I'm craving carbs and would have normally gone for a baguette ive been having warburtons thins which are really nice. I have Alpen light/hifi bars as my hex b but for me, the 5syns are worth it. I also find it easier to eat some salad if it's in there with ham, chicken etc and just eat plenty of fruit after so I'm getting my speed.

 

[newtum]

I take in a potato, baked beans and two philadelphia light pots and have that, filling and delicious.