Help please...Need Meatless lunch ideas

[wannabethin57]

Hi friends,
I need some suggestions for lunches at my work. I have access to a microwave. I am getting tired of tuna and mayo. Thanks!

[wannabethin57]

BTW_I can bring in salmon, tuna, any fish, just no meat.

[creseis]

I am a very picky eater. When I was a vegetarian low carb eater, I got a selection of vegetarian lunch meats Sun Life brand, eat a package of that (6 slices) with a package of tofu cheese. The only problem was that it was too low fat, so I did not get very full, but satisfied enough. I ate a lot of sunflower seeds, too, and I still have a large jar full of salted roasted sunflower seeds on my desk. And roasted almonds.

I also still eat a lot of Morningstar Grillers Original for lunch. So quick and easy and tasty.

Not the best options if you are watching soy content, too, because vegetarian products often are made from soy.

TVP, textured vegetable protein, is a good soy alternative, it is protein from vegetables. Wheat gluten and seitan is also good and very tasty. It is all protein, no fat, so you have to add fat and you might overdo the protein this way since it has so much more protein per mass than meat.

[wannabethin57]

Thanks for your reply! I am not vegetarian, but my school that I work out is srtickly Kosher. Basically, just no meat allowed. This does make it hard for me.

[nolcjunk]

What about a big salad? Lots of different vegetables, a few ounces of cheese (I like Feta), and dressing like evoo/fresh squeezed lemon juice (in a separate container so the salad doesn't get soggy before lunch).

[wannabethin57]

Thx, I love salads with evvo and lemon!
I will add Feta to my list.

[LCJunkie]

I recently seen a recipe for vegetarian shepards pie that looked really good. I was going to try making it and subbing cauliflower for the potato.

[floridagirl6]

Do they have separate refrigs for dairy and meat? Could you have your own frige in your classroom?

[spoiltmomof2]

Oh wow. That would be so hard for me. I like fish but not enough to eat it every day.

[theredhead]

This may sound a little crazy, but how about making almond flour based muffins, such as pumpkin. The recipe I use makes about fifteen delicious muffins, and have about 5 grams of protein each, almost as much as an egg! Although it's a "sweet", it's very nutritious.

Here's the recipe I love:

Pumpkin Muffins

2 cups almond flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ - ¾ can Libby’s pure pumpkin (More pumpkin makes them more like pie)

3 large eggs

1/2 cup peanut or melted coconut oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

20 drops liquid splenda (Sweetzfree) (*Of course, use whatever sweeteners YOU like)

1/4 cup erythritol

Mix dry into wet and pour into muffin cups. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean.

Linda's Sue's recipe site also has this great Almond Muffin recipe with a lot of suggestions for different flavors. I've made the plain ones and they're fabulous!
BASIC ALMOND FLOUR MUFFINS - Linda's Low Carb Menus & Recipes

[creseis]

Oh, I've been kosher, too--raised that way! A lot of the vegetarian products are kosher and they will have a KP for kosher-parve (non-dairy, non-meat), so they should be fine to bring and they're not all that bad tasting. Also maybe egg products? Shakes, I think there are kosher whey products, but that is dairy. So I guess dairy is allowed in the refrigerator? I'm pretty sure Morningstar is KP, too.

[taokeema]

you can scramble eggs in the microwave. how about taking eggs for lunch, and eating meaty leftovers for breakfast?

i started eating "regular food" for breakfast before i discovered low carb. i really quite enjoy it, especially when i've just roasted up a whole bunch of chicken thighs, or if there's leftover pork butt. i'm not quite as fond as a hunk of beef for breakfast, because i tend to associate softer foods with my first meal, but i don't mind if it's ground or in soup.

[Strawberry]

If feta is ok, I am assuming that dairy in general is not a problem?

Greek yogurt or cottage cheese is a good protein source to bring in. Egg salad or quiche is good.

Linda's site has a number of low carb meatless recipes. You could also do her deep dish pizza (its listed under "pork" because she adds sausage to the toppings, but you could do veggie toppings"
Linda's Low Carb Menus & Recipes - Meatless Recipes

[svenskamae]

If you can bring in dairy, then you can do a whole lot of variations on lowcarb crackers (I use flax crackers) or crudite with some sort of dairy-based spread or dip. There are a bunch of such recipes in this thread;
High fat, low to moderate protein recipes?
some of the recipes contain meat but many, many do not. Also, there are lots of salad main dish recipes, and the meat is missing or optional in most of them.

I bring hard-boiled eggs, wedges of cheese, and 1/4 cup bags of nuts to work with me for lunches, also, when I want something quick. Greek yogurt with berries or cottage cheese with chopped veggies are other options.

[Janknitz]

Protein choices are eggs, fish, nuts, and cheese. That's challenging.

I've been working out ways to bring eggs for work (is that allowed or do they worry that they may be cooked in a fleishig pan?). Hard boiled eggs, of course (egg salad or add as a topping on a green salad) but I want hot eggs. I've been poaching eggs in the microwave--it can be done in a mug of water, very easy. I like a hot, runny poached egg over a bed of spinach or other salad.

I've also made one minute muffins in a round, wide bowl, then sliced them horizontally and toasted the halves like an English muffin. Then I can have almond butter sandwiches with a tiny schmear of no sugar added jam (low carb peanut butter and jelly!). Or you can use other "schmears"--cream cheese sprinkled with sunflower seeds, for example. How about a cheese and avocado sandwich?

You can also make a cottage cheese "Sundae"--top it with chopped veggies. You can do this with full fat yogurt too.