Yes, any thoughts would be great, especially if they don't involve tuna on a salad - I hate tuna, and I have trouble eating salad every day.

I am in the same boat. I have very boring lunches every day at work. I take a Lean Cuisine with me and a box of steam in the bag green giant veggies to have each day. I don't like to go out, I don't like to spend the extra money.
Brenda

I personally like to do Amy's soups. They're low in calories, have almost no fat, and are great for when it's cold outside. I usually just bring along a piece of fruit and some whole wheat crackers and am satisfied until I get home in the evenings.

I found out only a few days ago that soups are the quickest lunches to prepare! It takes about 10 mins to peel random veg you have in your fridge (and you can use anything, instead of shopping with a specific list), and then you just let it boil/simmer for as long as you want. And if you add a couple of toasts/cheese scones and a fruit the next day, you'll feel full AND get a hot lunch.

Also a day you have more time, you can prepare a big pan of tomato sauce with random veg in it, freze it for the rest of the week. Then in the eve you just defrost it, put it with lasagna pasta layers in a large dish with cheese on top and put it in the oven.

I was surprised at how quick it is to prepare that. Looking forward to getting more ideas from other readers!

My lunches are pretty healthy...I usually have a sandwich on wheat bread with avocado, cucumber, lettuce, sprouts, Swiss cheese, and honey mustard. Sometimes I throw some turkey on there too, but not always.

I also usually have a piece of fruit and yogurt for my snacks.

Throw some tofu and veggies together until nice and brown...throw any spices in as well.

My go-to lunch when I'm feeling uncreative is an Amy's burrito (the "breakfast" one is my favorite) and 1/3 of an avocado. I like to do hummus wraps as well (half a whole-wheat wrap with hummus, red peppers, sprouts & cucumber).

A simple salad or sandwich with some fruits and veggies.

Oh and if you're trying to cut calories/carbs, I make a sandwich and just eat it on a single slice of bread (as in, all the toppings on top of a slice of bread).

The trick is to make sure you've got some protein mixed in - it makes the lunch feel complete.

Also, I agree with the stir fry thing. Sometimes I take the leftovers from the previous night's dinner and just throw it in with rice. If it fits in my glass Tupperware, it's lunch!

I love having a peanut butter sandwich. It's cheap, easy and filling.

I LOVE the Kashi frozen entrees for lunch. They're super healthy and super tasty.

Besides a lot of the obvious (soups, frozen dinners)... Every Monday I goto my local grocery store and buy lean cut lunch meats, cheese and some multgrain bread (or buns). I then buy some fruit or salad. There is my lunch for the week...well almost all week. I usually eat out once (always healthy though).

I agree with the sandwich/wrap ideas. I eat a lot of humus, cucumber, sprouts with cream cheese sandwiches on either whole wheat bread or whole wheat pita. I also like to switch it up to soups, chili, or a light stew. Best piece of advice for doing those is get a slow cooker (6 or 8 crt size) and cook tons at once. Then just freeze it. In the morning, grab which ever one you feel like eating out of the freezer and go. I do that for my husband and I all the time.

The key to feeling full is snacking. I snack on carrots and low-cal dip and a handful of almonds.

Ezekial or hemp bread loaded with veggies like; spinach, tomatoes, pickles, onions, etc.... also hummus with pita bread that I've cut up the night before. I love amy's soups but the sodium content kills me (makes me feel really gross).

I usually do a soup when I don't have time (I like Baxter's soups - lots of veggies and flavour) or a sandwich or salad when I have more time.
To make the sandwich healthier I try to use mustards (like horseradish dijon) instead of mayo. I also try to switch up the veggies so I don't get bored to death.

My favourite afternoon snack is yogurt covered raisins. It's really not the best for you, but it's not terrible and it covers my sweets cravings.

Still. I do get bored. I'm hoping there are some great suggestions here!

I steam a bunch of veggies on sundays and then bring some with me every day. I just heat them up at lunch time. i eat about 2 cups of steamed veggies every day...lots of food, few calories, very filling.

I also have a sandwich every day...but that's pretty standard.

One of my favorite things to do is use a crockpot. If you cook up a huge pot of something on Sunday, you can freeze it and bring it to lunch for a whole week! I love Italian sausage and veggies, paired with some wheat bread and fruit for dessert. You can control your portions and it helps throw a change-up for your same-old sandwiches, soups, and salads.

Leftovers are great for lunches. Like YumSugar just posted - leftover meatloaf makes a great sandwich!

http://lunchinabox.net/ also has a TON of amazing pictures and ideas for bento boxes, which are Japanese lunch boxes. I love looking at the site, it gets me all fired up for lunch during the week!

Become a sandwich master! Think beyond just cheese and meat. I am a big fan of hummus and tons of veggies (cucumbers, green peppers, mushrooms, roasted red peppers, avocado, tomatoes, alfalfa sprouts, etc.) on whole wheat bread with maybe a slice of low-fat cheese. Also, you can put tons of things into low-calorie wraps: black bean dip, salsa, and veggies; melted low-fat mozzarella, tomato sauce, and turkey or grilled chicken. Once in a while, tuna is really great on a bagel with a slice of low-fat cheese, red onion, lettuce, and tomato. I also love Amy's soups and burritos. I often pair half a can (1 cup) with a low-fat wrap filled with some of the ideas above for a really filling lunch. And train yourself to do raw crudites instead of chips.

I usually have left overs from the night before, which is always easy. Just make a little extra of your dinner and pack it away while making your dinner.

Other times I have ready made food from whole foods.

Some other lunch ideas:
*Turkey/Pear sandwich
*Bean, Rice, 2% cheese, corn & pico de gallo Bowl (just used straight Rosarita refried beans or black beans)
*Bean & Cheese burrito (just used straight Rosarita refried beans or black beans)
*Nates Fake Chickn Tacos with Beans and Rice
*Morningstar chickn patty on a bun
*Morningstar chikn nuggets with ranch
*Peanut butter toast

Mrs. May's Trio bars have become a big part of my diet. They are Nut/Seed/Fruit bars without additives or preservatives and are quite tasty. Although I usually eat them for breakfast / snacks, they are satisfying enough to be paired with a salad/vegetable dish and be a meal.

My byfriend and i have gotten into a great habbit for lunch!. Over the weekends we usually have a giant crockpot of soup cooking we start saturday morning and freeze, into two large containers for dinner portions and a few smaller for frozen lunches to go.

We also make veggie burgers with some lentils and wheat bulgar that we freeze individually, for lunch i hit the microwave and my man eats his cold with crakers like a spread.

We cook with lots of dried beans b/c they are so cheap, but b/c of the time we usually just cook large amounts of each bean and keep some frozen in the freezer every two weeks or so we get some tortilla shells cheese, and use leftover rice from stir fry night and make killer burritos, it only takes a few minutes to assemble a bunch (15 sometimes in 20 minutes!) wrap them in plastic wrap and keep those in the freezer, microwave up your own "burrito" for under 50 cents a meal!

B/c we make it all, and it is SOOO easy we end up knowing what we eat, its all healthy and real low in salt and processed stuff and we just keep it all in the freezer and take it as we need it. And on nights i just dont want to cook dinner, guess what. I have an easy dinner, soup and burgers anyone?

One thing i have discovered all of those "easy" frozen meals usually have so many ingrediants I can not read or pronounce so i hate eating it. Ive found if you figure out the words you know you can usually make a much cheaper and healthier version at home for minimal amounts of time!

I like to take poached chicken/fish to school in a box.
Its so easy to make just get some foil, add the chicken or fish, season with herbs, salt and pepper, add some onions, peppers or olives you choose! Wrap this in foil and cook over vapor, using those metal things with holes that u stick in a pan with water. With the foil wrap inside the pan, add in some green beans and carrots and viola!

if u don't have that metal thing, you can use a metal sieve, put that over a pan with boiling water and cover with a lid.

A couple weeks ago I made some great wraps at work. I brought small whole-wheat tortillas, turkey lunch meat, an avocado, and a bag of broccoli slaw from the grocery store. I topped it with some fat free ranch dressing...it was SO good! I loved it because it was filling, I didn't need to prep anything at home, and the ingredients were small enough that I didn't need to use to much fridge space at work.

I like tuna or chicken salad made with a little fat free mayo, either on whole wheat bread, on a whole grain English muffin, or wrapped up in a wheat pita. Another good option for pitas is the pre-sliced turkey or chicken breast strips, I toss them in a pita with some spring mix salad. These strips also work well on salads! For healthy snacks I usually bring fruit or some type of easy to carry vegetable, like carrot sticks. The new 100 calorie snack packs are pretty nice if you still want to indulge - they've already portion controlled it for you!

Most frozen / prepared meals & soups are very high in sodium, which is not good, especially if you are trying to lose weight. I agree w/sandwich on whole wheat bread. I usually make turkey on whole wheat with lettuce & tomatoes and a little honey mustard. Then I bring a piece of fruit and/or low fat yogurt for a mid afternoon snack.

On cold days, like today: soup, either a can of low sodium soup or homemade soup, with a multigrain English muffin

On warm days: I assemble a salad at home using pre-cut veggies and put it in a plastic container. At lunchtime, pour in a little vinaigrette and put the lid on and shake until the dressing is evenly distributed.

Every day afternoon snack: large apple or pear

These are all great! But I have a question: Everyone freezes the food...is it thawed by lunch time??? Also, this is a 'boy' question, but what is hummus? and do you make it or buy it???

These are all great! But I have a question: Everyone freezes the food...is it thawed by lunch time??? Also, this is a 'boy' question, but what is hummus? and do you make it or buy it???

Soups and salads are my main 'go to' lunches. The are all fast and easy...dont require a lot of thought in the morning. I sued to be a huge frozen food lunch person...but they are just not so good for you when you read all the fine print on the label.

One rule I read somewhere that for any great salad if you add any greens+fruit+nut you will make a great salad. There are sooo many things to try that you dont have to get into a rut w/ salad. I just use olive oil and balsamic most days for dressing....then it is even less to think about.

The other nice thing about salads is they can go right onto a sandwich or in a pita just as easily.

Try romain lettuce + apples+ walnuts one day as a salad for lunch...then the next day take those same ingredients put into a whole wheat pita w/ some turkey add a little hummus or avacado and you have a great sandwich.

You can make these as low cal as you need....but at least it is all fresh...all natural

My Favorite easy lunch is:

1/2 Wheat Pita
1/4C. Hummus
1/2C. Non-Fat Yogurt w/ 1tsp. Extra Virgin olive Oil
and Green Onions (to taste) mixed in
Cucumber, Cherry Tomatoes & Muchrooms

It's like your own awsome dip party for lunch!!

electro pop tart -- hummus is a middle eastern/mediterranean dip made from pureed chickpeas, sesame seed paste (tahini), olive oil, and spices. it's really tasty and healthy. you can make it, but the kind you can buy in the store is great, too. look in the area around cheeses/refrigerated dips. i like it with cut up vegetables, on crackers or pretzels, or in a wrap with veggies

I work in a great office and we always have organic Nile soups, fresh fruit, almonds, and Lara bars around.

I'm spoiled

Other than that I've been making whole wheat oatmeal bread at home lately, and I'll just top it with peanut butter and bring along fresh fruit and veggies to snack on throughout the day.

On Sundays I pick out a new or favorite old crockpot recipe. I throw it together Sunday night and by Monday morning I have lunch for the week! Usually something with chicken and vegetables. So far my fav has been salsa w/chicken, beans, and veggies. Sooooo yummy and easy to throw together. Plus super healthy.

i work in retail so its really hard for me to eat on a schedule, so my go-to lunch is

baby spinach (straight from the bag)
4 slices cooked turkey bacon (perdue thin & crispy)
2 tomato slices
low fat mayo
whole wheat bread

it's so good!!!!, and it's really filling

typically i pack cucumber slices with a spoonful or two of greek style hummus, a banana, and i'll grab a small cup (8 oz) of organic tomato veg. soup from the cafe down the street. lots of veggies, protein from the hummus, and all around delicious!

For lunch I usually have last night's dinner leftovers plus a salad! It's not too healthy (aside from the salad) but it's either that or cafeteria food at my uni (eek!) and I don't have much time to cook in the morning... so whatever fits into my lunchbox and doesn't leak too much is good

I tend to have salads or salad sandwiches in summer and in winter it's leftovers (I put them into separate tubs in the freezer so that the portions aren't too big) or soup and toast.

I like to make a simple egg salad at home (hard boiled eggs, veganaise, cilantro, salsa)and just tear off some baby bok choy leaves and use them to scoop up the egg salad. The leaves are strong enough to hold the salad really well.

My coworker and I sometimes have what we call "fish lunch" . We'll go outside so no one will smell the stinky fish, and eat canned trout or herring on whole grain flatbread. Yum!

Stirfry bowls! Make a big batch on the weekend and shove single servings in the freezer for a quick, healthy lunch.

Start a pot of

.

Saute an

in a large pan, remove.

Add

(meat optional).

Add the onion back into the pan with the meat. Add

. I use a TON. If you think you have enough, add more. Use fresh or frozen, even precut vegetables from a salad bar. Suggestions: vegetables that can be eaten raw

so they don't have to cook as long.

Add

(you can homemake, but there are plenty available at the store. Suggestion: Thai sweet chile sauce with a dash of V8 or orange juice makes a spicy and tangy sauce).

Layer stirfry over brown rice in a reusable container and freeze. (Brown rice won't get soggy when reheated.)

When you reheat, the sauce steams and rehydrates the rice and vegetables. If the stirfry isn't terribly saucy sprinkle water over the bowl to ensure it will rehydrate.

Does everyone here eat this healthy for lunch everyday or are people holding out? Yeah, I eat like this a lot of the time but I think some people are forgetting some stuff...

Also, side note, the Ad that's flashing on this page is for a 3 musketeers! Just thought that was funny...

I have a couple of favorite combos that are easy:
Couscous, chickpeas, frozen artichoke hearts and roasted peppers or fresh peppers. You can also add parsley or arugula or chopped cherry tomatoes.

The couscous only takes a couple of minutes to make, even in the morning. Just cook with chicken broth, and if you have lots of extra time, chop some garlic/onions and sautee with the beans, then cook the couscous in the same liquid. I have pulled this off in about 15 minutes in the AM. Or just do it right before bed

Another easy combo: use some frozen cooked chicken, black beans, frozen or fresh bell peppers and corn (optional) with some salsa served on the side, in or out of a tortilla.

And the last easy combo: chicken (optional), chickpeas, tomatoes, roasted peppers, any sort of relatively hearty leafy greens (arugula, chard, spinach) and serve with a dressing of olive oil and lemon. (Heat accordingly based on the leafy green you have, or serve at room temp.)

Tonight I made whole wheat spaghetti mixed with spinach and smashed cherry tomatoes. For the sauce, I added in a teaspoon of olive oil and two teaspoons of marinara (I like as little sauce as possible). Then I threw in some chopped onion and black pepper, tossed it in a Tupperware, and put in the fridge for lunch tomorrow!