Easy lunch ideas for a non cook

[JG24]

Hello.
I have to make a change with how I eat, I could do with losing a fair bit of weight I have no idea how much but 2 years ago I was classed as obese. But the thing that's just triggered me to make a change now is I'm knackered about half way through the day and I think it's mainly because I eat rubbish. Plus I want to take my 3 year old swimming but I won't put a swimming costume on.

I can't really cook and salads and vegetables are so alien to me. But I've discovered I like radishes (thank you hello fresh!) so I brought a salad for lunch today along with a sandwich and I really enjoyed it. But I don't want to just eat that same salad every day and get bored and give up. Today I had salad leaves, sliced radishes, sliced cucumber, beetroot and red wine vinegar (and a cream cheese bagel but I'm hoping to slowly wean off things like that).
I've been googling healthy lunch ideas but I just get so many different salads recipes and it's overwhelming. Where do I start?
Any very easy to prepare, office friendly lunch ideas?
Thanks all

I used to be a bit like this!’ I went for fancier salads and the like from Sainsbury’s and Pret and took note of what bits I liked and what I didn’t to
recreate for cheaper. A bit like food research. Now I have a little rota of healthy lunches I can make
easily.

also make healthy meals for dinner and double the portions so you can have leftovers

Take a pot of veg soup or similar - the Covent Garden Soup Co ones are 200-300 cals for a big bowl; that with one slice of good bread is an excellent and filling lunch, most supermarkets have these or an equivalent. (And down the line you can learn to make your own.)

Thanks, that's a good idea, even if I just buy 1 prepared one a week. (I could do with cutting down on lunch spends)
Any favourite recipes? Preferably not with chicken, I finish chicken with salad odd!

I like tuna with lots of cucumber,carrot and peppers for a nice crunch, definitely could add radishes!!

also I add a cup of rice to some to make it filling and reduce bread intake.

sweet potato falafel with hummus is good too.

Thanks all. I might do soup every now and again on a rainy day!

I like tuna too but I'm never sure if taking fish into the office is acceptable?

Avocado with tuna and a squeeze of lemon, maybe low cal mayonnaise too, as a basis then add your radishes and whatever else you like.
Lettuce wraps, fill lettuce leaves with a bit of low fat cream cheese and add onions, tomato, whatever you fancy. Roll into a wrap shape.
Hope that helps for starters and good luck

What do you do with the avocado - just chop it up into cubes?

@JG24
Cut it in half and fill (overfill really) the hole. You could do this right before eating it.

You can also buy a tray of ready prepared Mediterranean vegetables and cook them in the air fryer or oven as directed. Leave them to chill and have with low fat hummus or in the lettuce wrap.

Do you have a supermarket which does a salad bar? I remember when I was living in London Morrisons had a really good one. A salad bar is a good place to be able to sample various salads and ingredients before going out and buying to recreate

Salads can be made of everything. I like a mixed bean one and I like chickpeas, I like couscous with chopped veg and dried fruit mixed in with a sweeter dressing. I also use lots of pickles - onions, roasted peppers, beets, cabbage

I also like roasted veg like aubergine, courgette, peppers and red onions all roasted together with lots of herbs - cut to kind of equal sizes, drizzle with oil, season with herbs and salt and pepper , chuck onto an oven tray and roast till tender - and maybe a little bit charred - eat hot or cold

I also love a dhal made with a lot of veg cooked into it - spinach, sweet potato, peppers. I find it very very filling as its full of protein and its just as nice cold as it is hot

Cold weather is easy, soup maker and easy to make and get your 5 a day.
summer is hard (particularly when you’ve just come back from hols and 10 pounds heavier).
Lunch is 3 rice cakes with low fat hummus or cream cheese, spring onions, baby plum tomatoes, protein (think Serrano ham, chicken breast shredded) followed by an aero mousse with strawberries.
Supper is half a bag of salad leaves, red onion, frozen sweetcorn (cooked obvs), 30g of cheddar cut into tiny cubes, balsamic glaze and then chicken, red peppers and baby tomatoes done on the bbq (air fryer works too) with melon, pomegranate seeds and more strawberries for dessert.
If I eat breakfast it’s usually a yoghurt with 10g high protein granola.
use MyFitnessPal to track and my relationship with gravity (which is what my PT says all the number on the scales is) is becoming more distant :-)
Preprepared stuff is more expensive so I’ll batch cook the protein and stuff on the bbq.
crispy chickpeas in the air fryer are a great snack!

i love just diced red onion, cucumber, cherry toms & avocado with a splash of red wine vinegar and change what I add to it, So a grilled sliced chicken breast one day, grated cheese the next, tuna another day.
i also love Rocket leaves with chicken, cucumber, tiny slices of olives & a few sprinkles of pistachios. It’s a bit of a rip off of a Pret salad I like 😃
just experiment & Chuck bits in you like.

Can I just say ...put the costume on and go swimming with your little one. It will do you both good and no-one is looking trust me...it will be the best thing you ever did! I felt the same but I'm so happy I just did it when my boy was tiny - i never wanted him to miss out because I was self conscious. It was my biggest motivator.

How do you do your avocado?

Thank you, it's because I want to keep up running around then that I want to do it

Just diced it up & mix it through

Cous cous. Sadly I can't do it well but dp can. He puts some in a pot with dried cranberries and a few other things then adds the water to fluff it then i think he puts it in the fridge and takes it in the morning. If I post a recipe it will be half remembered and not good but there are some lovely ones out there.

I do 2 hard boiled eggs cut in half and 3 chopped anchovies on a bed of green leaves with a few cherry tomatoes and some vinaigrette. If that's not going to be solid enough I'll add 2 tablespoons of tinned green lentils and some grated carrot.

I often take salads to work and find you have to change things up to keep it interesting adding herbs and changing your dressing can really help:

Herbs: dill, corriander, oregano, mint, parsley are all nice options and can really add some freshness

Proteins: chickpeas, mixed beans (can buy tinned), egg, tuna, cheese, taco meat, prawns

Dressings: olive oil, lemon, balsamic, salt, pepper, chilli flakes, sesame oil, mustard

Adding fruit?

Chopping salad really small and eating with a wrap or even on tortilla crisps is nice. Or add baby potatoes, or croutons.

Having a few of these things in you can add in different things every day and it will really change your salad.

Good on ya getting healthier- i have recently seen a lot on social media about the increase in bowel cancer in younger people and it's due to lack of fibre!

I asked my AI for you. This was the answer:

*First, well done on recognising the need for change and already making steps towards it. Eating better isn’t about eating the same boring salad day in and day out—it’s about making small changes that feel good and build up over time. You’re already ahead of the game by enjoying radishes!

Let’s get you started with some super easy, office-friendly lunch ideas that don’t need fancy cooking skills. These will keep you from getting bored and help you keep up that energy for swimming with your little one. Plus, they’re all about building confidence and comfort with new foods*

A Simple Weekly Meal Plan

MONDAY
Breakfast: Greek yogurt with a handful of berries (frozen berries work great!)
Lunch: Salad jar with red wine vinegar dressing, radishes, cucumber, salad leaves, and leftover roast chicken
Dinner: Wholegrain pasta with jarred tomato sauce, add frozen peas or spinach at the end.

TUESDAY
Breakfast: Wholegrain toast with peanut butter (or almond butter) and sliced banana
Lunch: Hummus, veggie sticks (cucumber, radish, carrot), wholemeal wrap with sliced chicken or chickpeas
Dinner: Omelette with any leftover veggies and a side salad

WEDNESDAY
Breakfast: Porridge with a drizzle of honey and some nuts or seeds
Lunch: Leftover pasta or a tinned soup with a piece of wholegrain bread and a side of sliced radishes and beetroot
Dinner: Stir-fry with frozen veg mix, add tinned tuna or chicken for protein, soy sauce for flavour

THURSDAY
Breakfast: Greek yogurt with a spoon of muesli or granola
Lunch: Wrap with hummus, grated carrot, salad leaves, and radishes
Dinner: Baked potato with beans (low-sugar) or cottage cheese and a radish salad

FRIDAY
Breakfast: Smoothie with banana, frozen berries, milk or yogurt
Lunch: Salad jar (like Monday) with tinned fish like sardines or mackerel
Dinner: Chicken or veggie traybake—just chuck everything on a tray with oil and roast (carrots, onions, potatoes, radishes!)

SATURDAY
Breakfast: Eggs any way you like—boiled, scrambled, or fried—on wholegrain toast
Lunch: Veg sticks with hummus and a sandwich with sliced cooked meat or veggie alternative
Dinner: Shop-bought pizza with added fresh salad

SUNDAY
Breakfast: Porridge with fruit again, if you like
Lunch: Leftover traybake as a warm salad
Dinner: Something comforting like a veggie curry (buy a jar of sauce, add tinned chickpeas and frozen veg)

Snacks to Keep You Going

A piece of fruit (apple, banana, orange)

A small handful of nuts

Veg sticks with hummus

A yogurt pot

Hard-boiled eggs

A Few Final Words for Your Friend

Don’t worry if you miss a day or swap things around—this is meant to be easy and comforting, not rigid. It’s all about feeling more energised and having fun with the changes.

Full fat Greek yogurt with fruit, ideally berries, fresh or frozen but all fruits work well.

I've just wanted my child off the rubbish kids yogurts and on to Greek yoghurt so I think we'll be having it in the house a lot for both of us

I think I'm going to pick up some couscous tonight for Thursday and Fridays lunch, I'm going to go for a Moroccan style I think with apricots... wish me luck!

Be careful with avocado. It is full of good things but that includes oils and that puts the calorie count up.

Do you have a blender or a stick blender?

Soup is easy to make if you do.

I make a courgette and coriander soup.

1 courgette per person
1 veg stock cube
1/2 a bunch of coriander
a small amount of oil
Boiling water

Slice the courgette in 1/2 inch slices. Put the oil in the pan, put it on low and add the courgette, stir occasionally but you want the courgette to 'seat' rather than cook.

After about 5 mins add the coriander and boiling water and simmer for 15 mins.

After 15 mins blend and you have a soup. An advantage of this soup in summer is that it can be served chilled.

I like to add a swirl of cream or crème fraiche but that obviously adds fat and calories.

Thanks for the recipe, we might have a stick blender...I've obviously never used it!
And thanks fur the heads up about avocado but tbh the main motivation is to get some energy and if losing weight is a side effect then great