Gearing up for the next grocery shopping and thought i'd better consider the fact that I"ll need to be packing in a lunch to work. What do you take that is fairly inexpensive but healthy/low calorie?

When I used to pack dh's lunch I would always try and make extra of dinner and pack that for lunch the next day. We would keep frozen dinners on hand for emergencies. We are also big fans of those soups that you heat and eat.

when I take a lunch I take leftovers. If I don't have time I grab something from the cafeteria, but probably 50% of the time there's food there. Patients and their families always bring us "thank you" food lol

Chef Boyardee Ravioli

I started taking a sandwich with turkey breast, cheese & lettuce. After a couple of week though, I started running late and had to buy lunch at the store, usually a slice of pizza or maybe a couple of yogurts. Now, I'm back to taking lunch and have some nice Deli roast beef and swiss to take! I might consider taking soup in a thermos a couple of days next week.

Every day, this week, I took an avocado (I slice it in half at work and eat it with a spoon) and a bowl of frozen fruit. I love frozen fruit. This week, I went through a bag of Dole mixed fruit and a bag of mangos from Trader Joe's.

Depends, but generally I take left overs. Often I'll cook a bunch of stuff ahead of time and freeze it. Examples would be black beans over mashed sweet potatoes.

I also have several meal replacement shakes in my desk for those times when I either forgot lunch or I'm starving in midafternoon - it's better than the vending machine.

not me, but dh usually takes left overs if we have them. If not, sometimes a can of soup, other times he will eat out.

do you know what you will have available to you? will you have a micro to reheat or anything? i'm guessing you'll be working out of an office, so that may help with being able to heat things that need heated.

dh works for the phone co. so is out and about all day, but we still had my small micro from when i was in college and he put it in his truck. the truck has a generator so he uses that, lol.

the first two weeks I'll be in orientation , so not sure what'll be available. After that i"ll be in an office. I'm guessing will have micro and fridge but wont' know for sure til I get there.

Tommy told me that if its a pita to get to their fridge/micro and I have an actual office (I think I get an office, not a cubicle but I"m not s ure yet lol) ...I should buy a mini dorm fridge and small micro for my office so I'll not gain all my weight back. He's so darn supportive. lol

Ok so leftovers, fruit, sandwhiches, soups,

was thinking for breakfast I could bring oatmeal and just heat in the micro. I thought I might buy a jar of peanut butter to keep at the office and a bag of apples since I do that alot for snacks - apple with a bit of pb. Maybe keep some carrots and hummus in the fridge too. Do people steal other ppl's food at offices? LOL
maybe yogurts?

you'll have access to a fridge and a micro. You won't need one in your office. People generally - in my experience - do not steal other peoples' food. If anything, they forget about their own food and, not wanting to possibly take someone else's (even though they think it *might* be there's), let it still until it stinks. That's the biggest shared fridge problem.

I ususally buy some microwave type things. Lately I've been taking Lean pockets, Amy's pizza bites, Amy's burrtios, and other vegetarian stuff like that. I also usually keep snacks in my bag in case I don't take a lunch or et hungry when I'm not able to take a break. I keep organic banana chips and fruit leathers in my bag pretty much all of the time.

The chances of you being allowed to have appliances in your office are nil. Big big fire hazard. What job did you go with? USAA?

I have short days and long days, short days are water and snack usually some nuts or crackers
long days are the above plus a sandwich.
I am mostly by myself in the building and I have a full sized fridge, microwave, coffee machine and toaster oven.
I am thinking that I will start making use of the kitchen and taking better food for my long days. I've been getting home and being hungry and eating dinner at midnight those days.

I take either
an apple or pear or banana
a yogurt
water
half sandwich

or

a lean cuisine (if there is a microwave and frig there)
water

I like to nibble on carrots and raisons during the day too!

Left overs and/or a whole bunch of whatever fruits and veggies are in the house.