If you're not going in a specific diet but want to eat healthier, what are you taking for work lunches next week?

[NorthernGirlie]

I usually cook a chicken then make white bread sandwiches with it for the week (and another, family meal)

I want to eat healthier but without the pressure.

I've seen chopped filling bagels etc online and fancy trying that. I need to try a better alternative to white bread.

Not much time at work to heat soup etc up.

Wraps? Lower cal and carb than bread.
I like good salads, so not just leaves but chopped meat, roasted veg, cheese etc.

I'm so excited for next week and getting back to healthy lunches! Not losing weight specifically though do hope to drop a dress size this year.

I'm doing a warm salad - kale base, chicken, chickpea, sweet potatoes all done in the air fryer, then chopped apples and feta with loads of honey mustard dressing 😋 Can confirm it tastes good cold too! I've ordered flatbreads as well, in theory I don't need them but will add one on the days I'm extra hungry!

Do you really not have a few minutes to heat soup? You mentioned time rather than no microwave. I've just made a batch of vegetable soup and put into 6 portions. Once cooled I'll put in freezer and take one out whatever mornings I fancy soup for lunch. I've also made a big pot of red lentil dhal and portioned/frozen in same way. Only takes a few minutes to reheat, and both are really nutritious as well as tasty. I often also have beans with toast or even leftover dinner from previous night if it's suitable (bolognese, pie etc)

I like wraps and bagel slims.

I also do a cooked chicken and make salads, it’s nicer out of glass Tupperware. I keep dressing/any ‘wet’ ingredients in separate pots, so sundried tomato etc.

Carrot sticks, apple, pomegranate seeds, dates, nuts, all nice for snacks.

It's uninterrupted time I struggle with. I'll be running revision sessions over lunch too when I get back so will be in the classroom rather than the staffroom.

I'm so boring - I was literally taking a Warburtons wholemeal thin with ham for breakfast and then a white bread chicken sandwich for lunch then wondering why I feel sluggish and put on weight! 🙈

I love the sound of glass tupperware, my plastic stuff is all mismatched and difficult to store.

I like to prep the whole week on a Sunday.

Bagels are pretty much the worst type of carb around: they’re densely packed carbs, high calorie and the absolute worst solution for solving the mid-afternoon slump.

I make a bunch of “things” at the weekend: roast a couple of sweet potatoes or cubed butternut squash; roast some broccoli; roast some chicken or salmon; cook some sausages and slice them. In the morning I’ll put a very heaped tablespoon of each of whatever I’ve made plus something out of a tin (sweet corn, cannellini beans, chick peas), a dollop of cottage cheese or some feta, sliced cucumber and cherry tomatoes, and a squeeze of whatever dressing I have. Apple or satsuma for dessert, or last of Xmas chocolate. Sometimes I’ll open a can of tuna or boil some eggs instead but maybe not ideal for a staff room! Basically I just watch the ratio of protein to carbs. I want more of the former and less of the latter.

@Onlyonekenobe your lunches sound amazing.

I wonder about wholegrain rice - half a packet with chopped meat and veg? I'd have to eat it cold but think that would be fine?

I'm fairly time poor in general but tend to batch cook etc on Sundays.

Evening meals are fine - varied and lots of veg etc. It's breakfast and lunch I struggle with.

even swapping out the white bread for a wholemeal pitta will be a step in the right direction, you can shove in a whole pile of salad into it , along side the chicken

I do like my overnight oats ( I make in the morning and its ready for the time I want breakfast ) just plain porridge oats, a good dollop of greek yoghurt and then a pile of frozen berries - more yoghurt and berries then oats - I just have the oats in it for the feeling of something substantial

I also make a vat of soup on the weekend, here in NI we are partial to vegetable broth so all supermarkets sell the bags of prepared veg.. We also add pearl barley or a dry soup mix and bring to the boil and simmer till its done - using stock or stock cubes . I pressure cook mine - done in minutes. Then put half in the fridge to do the first half the week, the rest in the freezer for the second half

I WFH and will have either a tin of soup or a crumpet. If I was at work I would take the soup heated in a flask.

Wraps or pittas are good. Cold meat or fish or houmous and salad.

Layered salads with quinoa or couscous search bbc good food layered salad there are loads

I love soup but appreciate the issues

I have portioned up the leftover smoked salmon for sandwiches and salads, and there may be cheese involved (in small portions)

Fruit and or yoghurt, and you're sorted

What about overnight oats in a pot rather than a ham sandwich for breakfast?

I like Allinsons brown bread or lidl sourdough. I can't do the normal square shaped white one really. It's under "meh" category. Go wild 😁 Most of mine are actually quite ok - helathy overall imo

You can have much fun with fillings!
My faves simples are
spring onion, crumbled feta, soft cheese, black pepper
Chicken, harissa, yogurt, tomato, lettuce
Beef slices, horseradish mixed with bit of quark, rocket or similar leaves, tomato, onion (unless at work...), bit of mustard

Not so "simple" sandwich
Rachel - pastrami (can use any beef really tbh), sauerkraut, mustard, strong flavour, sliced cheese, pickle

Wraps
Beef, labneh mixed with chopped magdoush, rocket or spinach leaves, olives, tomato,
Air fried crispy chicken, lettuce, onion (unless at work, can use spring onion instead), pickle, tomato sriracha yogurt sauce

And then ton of weird combos of what's in the house...
Chaotic salads are proper fun too in warmer months especially!

I tend to do leftovers.

So I will cook chicken and roast veg and add to some salad. My most recent favourite was the chicken, some edamame beans, sweetcorn, tomatoes cucumber, little bit of rice and topped off with some crispy onions and hoisin.

Also I make a nice evening meal which is salmon, tomatoes and broccoli roasted with soy sauce and sesame seeds over it, served with some rice. That is also nice cold the next day.

To cut down on simple carbs, I keep fruit/berries in the freezer & take a pot of fruit with the Fage higher protein yogurt to work for breakfast. I throw in a handful of Bran flakes which I take in a bag seperately & it's delicious & nutritious. Definitely better than the bacon rolls & pastries I kept buying on my in way before! Maybe you could try multigrain/seeded bread instead of white & add lots of salad to your sandwich. Veggie sticks with houmous make a good snack for those afternoon slumps too.

For healthy lunches I cook quinoa in a big batch and add cucumber cherry tomatoes and sometimes beets ( I love these but DH hates so up to you) and add in leftover chicken etc in the morning with the quinoa salad and drizzle balsamic vinegar over it - feels much healthier than sandwiches so I'm doing this again starting Monday

I try and have a smaller portion of the evening meal and take the leftovers for lunch. Or I take homemade soup or salad.

I'm not keto, just try and keep sugar in check. So I rarely take bread, potatoes and pasta for lunch. So often it's a big tub of veg or salad and some fish/meat/other protein.

Every week I batch cook some healthy low sugar muffins/tray bake (Doctor Bowl on Instagram has some great recipes) and take one for a snack every day.

I've not thought it it through to that much but I've bought sweet potatoes to have instead of regular jacket potatoes.

Could you get a food flask? It would give you a lot more options.
Soup is my go to. It's just so easy to pack in a ton of veg.

You could try a fritata, I'm not sure you could make it for the week but if you made it Sunday evening you should be ok until Weds.

Soup or leftovers in a food flask - we have ones from Thermos. If I preheat the flask with some boiling water for 5 mins and heat the food piping hot, it easily stays ‘properly hot’ from about 8am until lunch time, even if I leave it in a cold car.
I like chunky soups, either home made or tinned; or leftover bolognaise, chilli, curry, goulash, stew etc.

Otherwise Cous Cous is a good base for a salad, I use half a pack of the flavoured ones (eg spiced, med veg etc) and top with either chicken or feta, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, spring onion, grapes, chopped pecans, whatever I fancy/is in the fridge.

Those aren't going to make you put on weight, what else are you eating?

I eat sushi at work quite a lot (also teacher). It's pretty filling.

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This food flask is your friend

Make a large soup - enough for your five days and you are good to go for the week

Take only one slice of bread (if you must) and use Jason’s sourdough from Sainsbury’s

No butter or only a light scrape!

I eat a few crackers with cheese spread or miss lunch altogether

Soup is good to fill a gap