Lunch and dinner ideas

[Gemziemalone]

At the moment I'm eating chicken salads for lunch and then chicken veg and with brown rice or pasta for dinner but it's getting boring!

Can anyone suggest different lunch ideas? What does everyone have for dinner?

[WendyB]

I look for recipes on the internet and make something different every night.

I used Skinnytaste.com a lot

[USAF-Larry]

The problem with "crash" diets, @Gemziemalone, is that they can't last. If you try to drastically limit your diet to a few items, you will soon get sick & tired of them, and then go off on a binge to get some of the foods that you have missed. Through the past 7 decades I have learned that the key to weight control, and general health for that matter, is always eating a well balanced diet and using portion control to limit calories. I don't eliminate anything from my diet that I love, I just eat much smaller portions of those that are high calorie or high fat or high carb, and eat larger portions of fresh fruits & vegetables.

[Gemziemalone]

I am not trying to crash diet just want to be healthier I still have some chocolate and treats just in moderation and I can't give up my glass of wine in the evening 🙂

I enjoy having salads in work as it's light, I just wanted ideas from other people of what their daily diet was

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[Gemziemalone]

Thank you Wendy will have a look 🙂

[Ukase]

What is your goal? 

What sort of diet are you trying for? 

[Gemziemalone]

I want to lose half a stone and tone up and I just want to eat healthier

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[A_Lurker]

For work I take a combination of things for lunch.  Lately I got into making my own couscous salad (couscous, celery, red onion, pepper - with some type of salad dressing).  At lunch time I'll chop in cucumber, tomato, and crumble some feta into it.  This week I've been making turkey burgers (it's a homemade meatloaf mix) cooked over frozen mix asian stir-fry mix.  I top it with some memories of thailand (PC, a brand) sauce and serve with some pre-baked mixed rice.

Dinners are a complete grab bag.  The weather is getting cooler so soup is a good choice.  However, I'll have whatever I'm in the mood for:  pot roast, roast chicken, pork tenderloin.

I do sometimes get into food ruts.  I used to be a huge fan of batch cooking.  At any point I would easily have 6 or more meals that I could pull out.  Stewed beef, chili, curries, lasagna, and other items.  Once the pool is closed and I give up on the garden for the season I plan to get back to it.  Actually, I may have to buy a freezer before I start (my little one died), or at least organize the other one.  My favourite from last winter was lasagna rolls.  I would make them up (count on an afternoon to make a lot of them) and then they could be pulled out of the freezer and cooked up with some sauce.  Add some green beans and/or broccoli on the side and they're a good no effort meal.

Tonight I'm going with souvlaki pork chops (purchased from Costco) roasted over some beans and I'll use some of the baked rice with it too.  I actually haven't been doing lettuce/veggie salads lately, except maybe on the weekends.  I should probably put those on this weekend's shopping list as well.

[DerrickS]

@Gemziemalone I just bought a George Foreman grill and I've been eating grilled chicken for dinner with steamed veggies and then I make sure that I cook extra for the next day.

If for some reason I don't have enough left overs for the next day or want to pack more food, I bring those brown rice cups that take 1 minute in the microwave to cook.

What's incredibly nice about this whole process is that the grill is incredibly easy to clean so there isn't a lot of dishes afterwards which is a HUGE plus.

[Ukase]

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@Gemziemalone wrote:
I want to lose half a stone and tone up and I just want to eat healthier

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Well, to lose half a stone, as an American, I would ignorantly suggest you stop putting rocks in your pocket. 

Not that funny? Eh, I tried. 

So, 7 pounds for us Yanks. 

A comment I heard on a podcast comes to mind: "People forget that what we eat - it's not about what it tastes like. Eating is a method of oral nutrition delivery." 

Oral nutrition delivery. It's catchy. OND. Makes a nice acronym. 

So, 7 pounds to lose, or half a stone to use "the King's English".  Is there still a king? Nevermind, I digress. 
Either way, it's about 25000 calories you'll have to avoid. So, you can do this one of many different ways. The longer you give yourself to lose the half/stone, the easier it will be. 

I would give yourself about 2 months to lose this weight and go for a 500 calorie reduction, per day. 

The foods I would suggest - given that you want to eat healthier - hmm....healthier than chicken and brown rice and veggies. 

Ok - see, here's the thing - healthier isn't always conducive to a calorie deficit. Be forewarned. But, I think some steamed broccoli, and chicken stock and some avocado all mixed up in a blender or food processor makes an incredible soup. You can add onions, peppers, whatever your heart desires, as long as it has solid nutrition in it. 

Combine 2 Avocado's and two entire steamed heads of broccoli, florets and all (most of the nutrition is in the florets - feel free to just use the florets if you don't mind just tossing the rest of the broccoli.) and about 32 ounces ( I guess you could use a liter) of chicken stock. Or Bone broth. (without the bones, of course) 

Season to taste. It's healthy. The avocado makes it calorically dense, but it's healthy. It's a bit bland, unless you season it well. 

Another you can try is what I call Kale Salad. 

Chop up 2 cups of Kale - (previously washed, of course) toss it into a big bowl. 

Slice some uncooked squash, zucchini and cucumbers - maybe 4 slices each, each slice about 1/4 to 1/8 of an inch wide. Or, I guess .5 cm. 

Throw some baby carrots in there - washed, of course. (You washed the zucchini, cucumber and squash, right?) 

Toss in some grape tomatoes, or some small wedges of larger tomatoes. 

Toss in EITHER some sliced almonds or some feta cheese, or maybe a hard boiled egg or two. Or all three. 

Open a can of tuna - I like the tuna in oil, but any kind you like is fine. Put half in the salad, the other half in a tupperware container or some sort of container that will protect the rest of your food from the tuna smell. Or use the whole can, if you can afford the macros. 

Add a citrus vinagraitte or the dressing of your choice. 

[A_Lurker]

~400 calorie dinner (served over some baked rice blend, 70g serving at 75 calories).

 Lemon Garlic Shrimp with Red Pepper and Asparagus

[marfar]

Before you know what are we to eat morning, noon and night, we need to understand why! So it's good to know that patterns of sleep and wakefulness are largely regulated by an internal clock that corresponds circadian cycle of 24 hours of light and darkness. This circadian rhythm is divided into three parts of eight hours. Between 12pm - 8pm we are in the food cycle. Between the hours of 8pm - 4am we are in the cycle of assimilation and repair. Between the hours of 4am -12pm we are in the cycle of detoxification. I think no surprise that fruit is the best breakfast! Come with fructose that goes directly to cells and not interrupt the cycle of detoxification! Lunch is free from bans! But beware of combinations! Potatoes or rice entrees are not mixed with meat or eggs (dairy products are removed from the equation!) And a steak or fish is recommended for a large serving of salad! What to eat in the evening to not disrupt the assimilation and repairs in the body? Approximately one liter of vegetable juice - leaves like spinach, parsley, celery APIO, squeezed by squeezing slow juicer, cucumber, carrots, lemon juice, apple and other vegetables such as beets, broccoli or local vegetables. Warning! Not all at once! Of course, add motion! How much can move! I mean brisk walking!