Lunchbox suggestions

[LeeLee]

I always take a packed lunch to work because then I can control what I eat. I have lost loads of weight with Slimming World, and these suggestions follow the principles of the plan - though not to the letter!

Bread:
Tip no. 1 - never ever buy a large loaf of bread. Two slices from a small wholemeal or Burgen loaf still feel like you've had a proper sandwich, but with a much lower carb/calorie count. A good alternative to sliced bread is a Warburtons Brown Sandwich Thin, at just 20g carbs and 100 calories.

Fillings:
- lean sliced meat (cut all visible fat off) and top with salad and/or a scrape of pickle or mustard
- bacon (cut off all the fat before cooking), lettuce & tomato with Lake District quark instead of mayonnaise
- boiled egg, mashed with Lake District quark instead of mayonnaise
- 40g of grated reduced fat cheese with a bit of sandwich pickle, or spring onion
- cottage cheese if you like it
- low fat soft cheese (e.g. Philadelphia Light)
- mock-coronation-chicken (cooked chicken with Lake District quark, a dash of lemon juice, curry powder, granulated sweetener, a bit of grated apple)

A separate post for non-bread lunches will follow...

 

[LeeLee]

No-bread lunches:

Salad - blinking obvious one, sorry... top a bowl of fresh raw veg with one of the sandwich fillings suggested in the previous post. Take a separate pot of fat-free dressing to pour over immediately before eating.
Ham rolls - for this you have to use processed ham, not the good quality off the bone type. Use the ham as if it's a tortilla wrap, fill with a sandwich filling and roll up. Secure with a cocktail stick.
Crustless quiche - make up a batch at the weekend
Homemade soup - if you have access to a microwave at work, or use a wide-mouth flask to keep it hot

 

[LeeLee]

Extras/snacks:

Fruit - everyone is different, so choose a selection of fruit that doesn't send your BG rocketing
Veg - e.g. carrot sticks, celery, cucumber
Yogurt - go for the 0% fat varieties, check the labels for hidden sugars (and don't forget to pack a spoon or it can get very embarrassing!)
Cheese - individual portions e.g. BabyBel Light, or cur your own sticks of low fat cheddar

 

[AlisonM]

You covered everything I can think of except I sometimes took a selection of veggie strips and a dip such as low fat humous.

I used to work in an office and often had the place to myself most of the day so grazing was a possibility. I had a hard time then eating a full course all at once, sometimes it would take me hours. With my numbers out of control, I had a hard time keeping things stable eating all at once and found it helped to eat small portions more often. If there were other folk in the office I could take a couple of tea breaks in the day and have something in the kitchen, same at lunch.

 

[LeeLee]

For an even lower carb/fat/calorie alternative to reduced fat hummus, try this:

Lake District Cheese Company plain quark (no other brand will do, but if you really can't find it, try using natural fat free fromage frais instead)
Stir in any of the following:
- finely grated garlic and onion
- mashed roasted garlic and a dash of lemon juice
- chopped spring onion and chives with finely grated low fat cheddar
- a little sweet chilli dipping sauce
- italian herbs and a squirt of tomato puree

 

[AlisonM]

Now you have me drooling dammit an I have to go shopping again. 😎