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Reinvent Your Lunch

Reinvent Your Lunch

Lisa Eirene

About Lisa Eirene Lisa lost 110 pounds through calorie counting and exercise. She swims, bikes, runs, hikes and is enjoying life in Portland, Oregon. Her weight loss story has been featured in First Magazine, Yahoo Health, Woman's Day and Glamour.com.

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15 Comments

  1. kalin

    On days I work I generally take greek yogurt with some cereal to go on top (I love the Kashi Go Lean stuff), and then either veggies and hummus or a salad for bulk. And snacks! If I don’t pack snacks I’m a grumpy teacher by the time I go home. I eat mini lara or cliff bars, fruit, or more veggies for my snacks. (The beauty of teaching is that there’s usually a set snack time! So when the kids snack, I do too)
    We freeze up leftovers into lunches for Josh. He mostly takes sandwiches, but the frozen meals mean we’ve got something easy and healthy for him on days where the morning is hectic.

    1. Lisa Eirene

      I’m a snacker too. It keeps me sane throughout the day!

      I like the idea of freezing leftovers in portions for lunch. I used to do that with soups and stuff. And I also used to cook those big frozen lasagnas and freeze individual portions for lunches.

  2. Roz@weightingfor50

    Hi Lisa. These are great tips, thanks!!! I’m definitely a “lunch toter”, and often have salads, soups or leftovers. I also make sure I pack a couple of snacks (one for morning, one for afternoon) so I don’t pick at things that will derail my healthy efforts if I get hungry.

  3. Karen@WaistingTime

    I’ve changed my lunch a lot in the last couple of years. I used to be a big fan of carbs for lunch, whether it was bread on a sandwich or pasta or… Now my lunches are pretty much protein and veggies. I like to have leftovers and will make things with the intention of them lasting several lunches. But I do have some easy “go to” lunches like frozen salmon burgers and black bean burgers.

    1. Lisa Eirene

      I hear ya, Karen! My lunches used to be super carby too. I ate a lot of sandwiches, now I’d rather have soup or a salad or something like that. Sandwiches have become a last choice for me. Those black bean burgers sound good.

  4. Lori Lynn

    At my school we were having staff development today, and they brought in Pizza Hut for lunch. I knew ahead of time that they were doing it, so I brought Trader Joe’s Vegetable fried rice with some canned salmon. Everyone noticed the “fishy” smell when I was heating it in the microwave. Never knew I would cause such a stir over salmon!

    1. Lisa Eirene

      Good for you resisting the Pizza Hut! I don’t know that I could have been that strong.

      I have a coworker who eats sardines and shrimp on a regular basis and often heats them in the microwave. I have to say, it’s pretty awful. πŸ™ But salmon isn’t that smelly. I’m surprised your coworkers were bothereD!

  5. Dan @ Essentials of Nutrition

    If breakfast is the most important meal of the day, lunch is solid second.
    When at home I’ll saute onions and peppers in olive oil, add a chopped tilapia filet and lay the creation over those new Uncle Ben’s brown rice bowls. Some gorgonzola adds creaminess. Takes like 10 minutes.

    1. Lisa Eirene

      That lunch is right up my alley, Dan. I love some veggies over rice. And Gorgonzola is awesome! A “quickie” meal I used to make for myself was heating up some brown rice or quinoa, topping it with steamed veggies and a serving of chickpeas and then using some Goddess Dressing on top. Perfect meal!

  6. Katie Squires

    I eat lunch at home (stay at home mom) and we are usually just getting in the door from the gym when its lunch time and I am HUNGRY! So I usually have a huge VAT of soup or chili in the fridge waiting for me to heat up….lots of HOT SAUCE..and a side of something like cottage cheese…LUNCH is my fav meal of the day πŸ™‚ Its my quiet time (as quiet as it gets with two kids at the table) and I am bad I eat and surf the net on my laptop…but I love it!

    1. Lisa Eirene

      Soup and cottage cheese are my FAVORITES. That’s usually my lunch at least 2x a week!

  7. Jess

    I usually take a filled pita (chicken, salad, hummus) or frozen dumplings that I can microwave. Pair it with some fruit and it is a nice and filling lunch πŸ™‚

    1. Lisa Eirene

      I always forget about pitas! They are a great idea for lunch.

  8. Haruki Eto

    Egg sandwich is the best for me.

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