Low carb meals using the office microwave

[BIWI]

I try to take leftovers with me to work for lunch, but don't always most days remember.

We have a Pret-a-Manger and a Sainsbury's Local about 50m away from the office, but

a) I don't always want to shell out for a Pret salad
b) Am getting bored of only being able to choose from 2 or 3 things at Pret that are low in carbs
c) There's a limited selection of convenient foods in Sainsbury's that are low carb - all the ready meals and most of the pre-prepared salads have rice/pasta/noodles etc

Which means that I end up buying stuff like ham/cheese and salad. Which is fine, but I get a bit tired of that too!

We have a very small kitchen area with a fridge and a microwave (and a kettle, obviously!) But no other means of cooking.

I've made a few things, though, that have been easy and successful, so wondered if it was worth sharing? And obviously, if anyone has any ideas they'd like to share that would be fab

[BIWI]

Lemon butter salmon

Pack of salmon fillets (usually 2 in a pack)
butter
a lemon
salt/black pepper

Other equipment you'll need - a bowl of some kind, with clingfilm to cover it, or a plastic box with a lid

1. Put a decent dollop of butter in the bowl and microwave on high for long enough for it to melt - probably about 20 seconds
   
2. Put the salmon into the bowl and squeeze the juice of the lemon over the fish, season, then cover the bowl
   
3. Microwave on high for 3 minutes
   

That's it!

(The only downside of this is that sometimes people complain about the smell of fish cooking. Tough, is my view ... )

[MaeMobley]

Hi BIWI, no help on your question but wanted to check what are the 'acceptable' low carb options in Pret. I have been going for the hard boiled eggs + spinach, the naked nuts & the gazpacho. Is there anything else?

[BIWI]

Cauliflower/broccoli cheese

one pack of cauliflower/broccoli florets
bag of grated cheddar (mature cheddar is better)
small pot of double cream
black pepper

Equipment needed: one bowl + clingfilm, or a plastic box with lid

1. Rinse the cauliflower/broccoli in the plastic pack
   
2. Put the cauliflower florets in the bowl and cover with clingfilm; pierce the film, and microwave on high for 2 minutes
   
3. Add the broccoli, re-cover, and microwave again for another 2 minutes; cauliflower takes longer to cook than broccoli. Test to make sure they're cooked enough for you
   
4. Add a generous couple of handfuls of cheese, and then pour over the cream; season with black pepper
   
5. Microwave on high for about 2 minutes, until the cheese has melted into the cream and everything is piping hot.
   

This one you do have to be careful with as the smell of the veg can be quite strong/offensive - open any windows that you can!

[BIWI]

I tend to have the Italian Chicken salad, or the Tuna and Hardboiled egg salad. Can't remember their carb counts, but they're pretty low. The Pret website is really good in terms of providing the nutritional information for all their food, so worth checking that.

[Parsnipcake]

Soup can be good. I have used spinach soup ( bought from home but I think bought could be ok) with that crispy bacon crumbled into it and a bit of blue cheese.

Cooked chicken with avocado, mayo and salad

Scrambled egg with smoked salmon or pastrami

Lettuce leaves with a suitable sandwich filling inside them

Mini cheeseboard

Cheese omelette

Cooked meatballs - some are lowing carb, with passata, pesto and cheese

Clotted cream and strawberries!

Sainsburys do nice pulled pork which I mix with passata and have on celery

[RiojaHaze]

I often take a homemade ratatouille with loads of veg and garlic and a tin of tuna mixed in.

[magso]

Most veg do well in a microwave but you do need a couple of suitable containers, to cook up a few veges (mini sweetcorn, asparagus, mushrooms) to go with cold meat instead of salad?

[SayraT]

I just make double my dinner and take it for lunch. I think most things work, we have a fridge and a microwave but I usually don't bother putting anything in the fridge, it seems to survive fine in my office. In previous weeks I've had:

Prawns in coconut cream sauce with various spices + salad
Courgetti with mushrooms
Courgetti carbonara
Omelette + salad
Salmon + vegetables (I don't cook the salmon, just cook it in microwave otherwise it end up overdone)
Chicken stuffed with ham and cheese
Chicken drumsticks + salad
Pulled pork
Sausages + vegetables
Stir-fry vegetables with prawns
Mushroom stroganoff

or I take smoked salmon and salad, tuna mayonnaise with lettuce wraps, fajita fillings in lettuce wraps.

[pregnantpause]

Salmon/ haddock on shredded kale -

Put a layer of kale on the bottom of your microwaveable lunch box. Top with a salmon fillet ( I've usually had to pick up a fillet in emergency visit to tesco on way to work) put three tablespoon of water around the kale, a very large dollop of butter of the salmon, cover and microwave for four minutes. Add salt and pepper and you have quick dinner fully prepared at work
While kale is high at 9 g per 100g you really don't need much to act as an accompaniment, -100g of kale is a LOT of kale, I usually end up with 25 - 30 g.