BellaOnline Forums Food and Wine Low Carb Easy Low Carb Lunch Ideas

Someone needs ideas for easy low carb lunch ideas. Everyone, chime in to provide ideas!

Just to test out a no-salad lunch option I just made myself a turkey sandwich. I used Pepperidge Farm low carb bread, and preservative-free turkey.

My low carb dinner tonight is tasty steamed brussels sprouts, easy in the microwave, with minced garlic and a glass of wine. This could easily be a lunch too.

egg salad served in the center of a large tomato that is sliced nearly through into 8 wedges.

I make the egg salad by chopping a hard boiled egg, celery, pickels, mustard and mayonaise, adding seasonings and chives and parsley from the garden pots.

Lisa and Susan, I'm so impressed. I guess I'm such a meat person. If dinner (and sometimes lunch) does not include a meat I always feel so deprived...LOL...

I mostly follow the ayurvedic choice of foods for my blood type O+. Do others follow the diet for their blood type?

Tuna fish with a chopped hardboiled egg and mustard.

Dianne - protein is definitely important for one's health - but eggs are full of protein! Eggs are a meat . So is tuna fish!

It's good to have a mix of proteins in one's diet, since the body uses all sorts of proteins in its healing activities.

Dear Susan - I'll make a separate thread about blood type and diet!

Here are some low carb diet ideas that work well for me. I�m a working mom and I carry my lunch with me. I don�t have the time (or inclination) to put together an elaborate meal. My lunches contain SOME kind of protein (it�s usually chicken or turkey, sometimes fish) with non-starchy veggies that are either stir-fried or grilled.

My staple meals include- ginger and lemon grilled chicken, chicken Greek salad, eggs Florentine with turkey bacon, spinach and lime baked frittata, lemon and rosemary turkey and sea bass fillets with herbed oat bran crust. Simple to put together and really very filling.

Lentil salad is always filling & healthy too -- you could use any bean or a combinations of beans & lentils. Just cook them until tender, then toss with baby tomatoes, red onion, diced cucumbers, fresh lemon juice, lemon zest and your favorite herbs & spices. Feel free to serve on a bed of baby arugula or mixed salad greens, you can add some goat cheese & nuts too. Feel free to add your favorite veggies. A splash of red wine vinegar works instead of the lemon juice too :-)

I'm out of very veggie so I'm thinking up alternate lunch ideas . I am having tunafish with olives celery dill mayo. Good protein and fish oil

Another non-veggie day! I'm having tunafish with olives, celery, and mayo for lunch. What are you enjoying now?

Out of Very Veggie. Sad. Having a lite chicken veggie soup which is not quite the same but OK. How about you?

Tuna with pickles, onions, celery, and mayo on a bed of lettuce and tomatoes.

I love tuna as an easy backup plan. I need to develop more microwave recipes involving tuna.

I wanted a very veggie salad but it was all soggy. Sad. I had a turkey sandwich instead. Not quite the same! What have you guys had today?

I am new to the forum, but not new to low carb. And not sure if this is the proper place to post this? I skimmed through the posts, but didn't find a proper place to put this. I did a low carb diet about 13 years ago, when I went over the 200lb mark. I'm very tall and medium bone, but that weight was just too much for me. I lost the weight, and went down to 150lbs. and was comfortable. I continued to eat healthy watching my carbs. The problem was I kept losing and went down to 135 and was very skinny and sickly looking. I started eating a bit more higher carb foods, and viola! Put the dreaded weight back on. I am not as heavy as before, but still at 185, I am uncomfortable, and sluggish and well, pretty upset with myself. How do you maintain a healthy weight continuing with the diet without losing too much weight, or end up putting too much weight back on when trying to stablize the weight loss? I have started back on the diet today and for lunch I am having baked salmon with a nice fresh salad. Since I love to cook, I just have to make sure when those rosemary and thyme baked red potatoes come out of the oven tonight for dinner, I opt for a fresh salad. Thanks for any suggestions you could give me.

A friend of mine just showed me a great 'salad-for-lunch' trick. She uses mason jars, puts the salad dressing in first, then tomatoes, etc, lettuce last and closes the jar. At lunchtime, she shakes up the contents and voila.

The trick is to keep the liquid on the bottom and the lettuce on the top until you are ready to eat.

That's a great idea, Yvonnie! Especially if you add first any vegetables that will benefit from some marinating in the dressing such as cucumbers, kidney beans, artichoke hearts, beets, celery, red onion, etc.

Wow! I love this idea! Thanks so much for sharing!

You could do with this a large tightly-lidded container for potluck salads, too, I'll bet!

Dear Julieanne -

Welcome to our forums!

Definitely it is challenging sometimes to find that right mix so you are a healthy weight, not hungry, and not sluggy. It's great that you're working on it!

We all have different metabolisms and activity levels so a key seems to be to weight yourself at least once a week. That way you're aware of trends when they are beginning, and can adjust for them before they go too far.

It sounds like you want to lose a little weight, but not go overboard. Which is great! I think your changes like avoiding the potatoes will help. Do that for a week and see if the needle starts to slide down a bit. Your aim is for slow, gradual loss, so you can taper off as you approach your target weight.

Let us know how you do!

I'm lucky in that I work from home, so I just walk over to the fridge. So I definitely need to think more about people who don't have that luxury.

Today I had a preservative-free turkey sandwich with swiss cheese and a pickle, on low carb bread. I was out of very veggie

Enjoying the last of my natural turkey in a sandwich with swiss and pickle. What low carb items have you relished today?

Still fighting a cold so had a lite beef stew style soup for lunch today. How are you guys doing? What are you eating?

Still fending off this darn cold or walking pneumonia or whatever it is. I'm having pasta fagiole soup today. What are you having?

OK you guys wondered if I could ever get sick of very veggie. Since I've been sick I just haven't wanted any. Having cheddar and Triscuits. It's the only thing that seemed appetizing to me. What are you guys having?

Trader Joes has a great kim-chi (I am sure I spelled that wrong) so I will eat that with some edamame and an apple of something to negate the spice. I was just diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as an adult, so I am always looking for low-carb ideas so I don't have to take too much insulin - I hate getting really low blood sugar which happens to me a lot if I take a bigger shot to balance out the carbs! Oh, & Lisa I loved your post about brussel sprouts and a glass of wine! I am so glad it is brussel sprout season, they are my favorite!!!

Carolyn - I'm thrilled to meet another brussel sprout lover! They are so tasty. And round. And cute .

Edamame is a great treat

I'm enjoying some miso soup - unfortunately now I have a craving for sushi . Unlikely at 10pm. What are you guys eating today?

I love brussels sprouts. Triscuits are perfect with pepperjack cheese. I'm taking that and an apple for lunch tomorrow. With a
v-8, it's a complete meal.

Tonight I cooked brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and green peas together with garlic salt. They were delicious.

That sounds quite great Connie! I love garlic .

Lisa,
I used to HATE brussel sprouts, then I found out that my kids loved them, so I make them now and actually they're not too bad. Love? No, but I can eat them with enjoyment now.

Enjoying tunafish, always an easy go-to meal that's filling and tasty. What low carb things are you having today?

Wow still not back to salads. I wonder if this will be a permanent change. I am just not wanting them. Had soup today. What are you eating?

I love fresh vegetable soup. Potsticker soup is also a favorite. Eggdrop is so low carb, and I just fill it with veggies.

Bob just made me a delicious spinach, cheddar, garlic, and bacon egg-white omelet. Tasty! What low carb items are you having today?

I'm just not hungry - had some hard boiled eggs to get something into me. How are you doing? Anything low carb and tasty?

I am having a wrap. You could use a low-carb tortilla and fill it with salmon salad, fresh spinach leaves, 2/2 avocado sliced, and a drizzle of ranch dressing - about a teaspoon. Easy, yummy, low-carb, and high in good fats.

Here's an easy low carb and low cal main dish.

Stewed Eggplant

Put a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a pan and heat it. Throw in an eggplant that has been cubed. Stir it around in the oil for a couple of minutes. Then, add a cup of water, bring it to a boil, and cover it. Simmer on medium-high heat until all of the water is absorbed. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt (if desired) and a can of diced tomatoes with onion and garlic. Heat gently for 10 minutes and stir in 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese. This is enough for
4-6 side dishes or two main dishes.

To Connie,

Not a great cook.Sounds delicious.Do you peal the eggplant?told you not a great cook.Great recipe for a veggie like me.

loong

Loong, if the peal has blemishes, I peal that part. It's okay to leave it on or take it off. I do whatever is easiest.

I had my traditional EAS shake for breakfast. I was out of Very Veggie so I had nitrate-free turkey on low-carb bread sandwich for lunch.

If you have luncheon meats always aim for the nitrate-free ones, the ones as natural as possible. Yes, they don't last as along. That's OK. Plan to eat them soon .

Had my EAS shake, and now finishing off my nitrite-free turkey on low carb bread. Tasty. Do you guys have sandwiches sometimes?

Ok, so I'm seeing the benefit of regular meals. Having eggs or cottage cheese in the morning means I don't have to think or decide among too many options.

Maybe this will work for my lunches. We have sandwiches on sourdough or rye bread. Maybe 7 grain bread. But perhaps my "go-to" choice should be soup or salad.

Dinner can be protein with veggies?

Lori -

Yes having a healthy routine is good. It helps prevent poor eating choices, because you always have something to reach for that has ample nutrition for you.

I had an EAS shake for breakfast, whole-fiber sandwich for lunch, and probably a Chobani yogurt as a snack in a short while. So these are all standards for me, healthy, and take little thought.

I used to abhor routine but that rebellious attitude is self-defeating. There are so many other things to think about, I should allow routine to lighten my load.

Lori -

You can always vary. You always have creativity. Having a "fallback" ensures you have at least something rather than nothing.

Had my shake for breakfast, and now having a nitrate-free roast beef sandwich on low carb bread. I'm out of salad. So it's good to keep healthy sandwich items around, for backup.

Out of salad mix so I'm having my nitrate-free roast beef on low carb bread. Tasty and easy. Do you keep sandwich meats around?

Had my EAS shake for breakfast, now having nitrate-free hot dogs for lunch. Was craving protein .

It's good to have a few quick-easy but relatively healthy things in the fridge.

Having a nitrate-free roast beef sandwich with homemade saffron aioli - I'll post the recipe soon!

Healthy luncheon meats are another great thing to keep around.

What are some of your go-to lunches?

I had my EAS protein shake for breakfast then soup for lunch - it was too chilly for salad. Still hungry though. Maybe cheese?

Do you have soups around for when you're chilly?

Had my protein shake, but it was too chilly for a salad so I'm having pasta fagiole soup. A bit of comfort food.

What are some of your favorite soups?

We keep frozen meatballs in the freezer as emergency food for me. I'm having some turkey meatballs now, with sauce and fresh basil from my kitchen window. So yummy, and quick and easy!

Had my morning EAS protein shake and now having nitrite-free hotdogs. If you're gonna have hot dogs try to avoid the preservatives.

What are you guys having today?

Out of salad, so having broccoli with cheese and rotisserie chicken for lunch. Tasty. How are you doing?

I had my EAS protein shake for breakfast. Now I'm having braised beef with tomatoes + cold sugar-free iced tea. Drinking cold liquids burns calories

What are you having?

For lunch I was out of salad, so I had a light canned veggie soup. It was all right. I miss my salad. I like the crunchy freshness.

Lunch is nitrite-free turkey on Carb Style 7-grain wheat with lettuce and cheese. Just right on the back deck while writing.

Are you guys inside or out?

Had my EAS protein shake for breakfast and now having tuna fish. I keep the can chilled in the fridge so I can have it cold. Do you do that?

I've had protein shakes recommended to me. Where does one buy an EAS shake? When working, I usually have a hard-boiled egg, veggie sticks, and a piece of fruit, sometimes some almonds. It's funny how I don't mind my breakfast being the same (yogurt, fruit and either cereal or flaxseed for most of the last twenty-eight years), but lunch gets boring.

Had an EAS protein shake for breakfast, peapods as a snack, and now a bologna sandwich. How are you guys doing today?

I had my EAS protein shake for breakfast. Now I'm having a delicious salad with slivered almonds and pea pods. How did you do today?

I made a chopped spinach salad. We also made veggies roasted in olive oil to go with our salmon steaks.

Had my EAS protein shake for breakfast, now having delicious rotisserie chicken with green beans. How are you doing?

Happy Monday! EAS protein shake for breakfast, rotisserie chicken and creamed spinach for lunch. How are you doing?

I'm working on only 3 hours of sleep. I began to have insane cravings for chocolate cake and ice cream. Only the easy chicken & spinach waiting in fridge saved me. Get ample sleep every night and, if you can't for some reason, stock healthy food within easy reach. It'll keep you resisting those temptations.

Hello there. I had a Chop Suey meal for lunch. For a change from meats, it was truly delicious.

Wikepedia: Chop suey is a dish in American Chinese cuisine and other forms of overseas Chinese cuisine, consisting of meat and eggs, cooked quickly with vegetables such as bean sprouts, cabbage, and celery and bound in a starch-thickened sauce.
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Styxx
DIY Enthusiast

Yup I enjoy chop suey a lot!

Today I had an EAS protein shake for breakfast, now hamburger w/ broccoli & cheese. How are you doing today?