cooked veggie meals for lunch

[Elsie150]

I am looking for ideas for lunch. Cooked ones that I can have ready ahead of time that include 1 cup or more of the veggies I need to get in a day instead of eating a salad. I am thinking if I have meals made ahead of time that it will be more likely to get them all in.

[valcan]

Hi,

Check out Linda's site, she has lots of casseroles that have meat and veggies.

Linda's Low Carb Menus & Recipes - Recipes

Val

[Elsie150]

Thanks Val..I have already thought of that site. Was looking for more ideas. Maybe something obvious but that hasn't entered my head. HHmmm...maybe cauliflower pizza. Or cauliflower or broccoli soup.

Way to go on the weight lost. You look like your much younger sister or daughter now.

[sugarsack]

elsie,, may sound icky but i eat raw broccolli with ranch dressing every day for lunch.... occasionally if i dont have fresh broccoli i will pack some frozen flouretts.... by lunch time they are thawed.. a bit mushy but works in a pinch...

[BunnyD]

Hmm, when I thought of frozen stuff I automatically thought of pizza. Could you partially cook some portabello mushrooms, top them with meat and cheese and other veggies, then wrap and freeze them to bake off later?

Stuffed peppers filled with veggies and some meat? Or maybe take a looksee at the frozen meals you see at the grocery store for inspiration, and just substitute the carby stuff, ie. instead of turkey and sweet potatoes, maybe turkey and pumpkin "sweet potatoes" or butternut squash, partially cook them and freeze individual meals for later?

[Greeneggs&ham]

I made this casserole-like dish last week and used it for several packed lunches. I substituted ricotta for the cottage cheese and thought it was pretty good, plus I got my veggies in without a salad -- always a plus!

[Elsie150]

Sugar...nothing icky about broccoli and dip. Thanks Buddy!

Bunny...great ideas. The stuffed peppers would definately help get the veggie carb grams up there. Will look in the frozen section next time I go shopping. Thanks a lot!

Eric...great idea! Not that I have anything against salads but sometimes I just want to not prepare another thing during the day or do not have the fresh stuff on hand and so a grab and go that fits the bill is better than just having a slice of cheese or a piece of last nights meat when I am in that mood. I have no problem preparing a bunch of stuff ahead of time and putting into servings. Thank a bunch!

[not2late]

I prefer to eat salads and raw veggies for supper. They are lighter and I don't like feeling "full" in the hours before I go to bed. In fact, I typically eat "dinner" type foods for lunch and "lunch" or "breakfast" type foods for supper. By eating a heavier lunch, I don't get hungry mid-afternoon and I'm able to concentrate more on my work than what I'm going to eat for a snack.

I love soups---the brothy Asian types with green veggies like bok choy, finely sliced cabbage, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, etc. I also love creamy vegetables soups: zucchini, pumpkin, cauliflower and leek, spinach, cucumber, tomato and red pepper, avocado and chicken, etc. Many of these soups are good cold too and are refreshing during summer months. I typically pack them in a Thermos food jar and bring it to the office, along with some kind of protein like grilled chicken, shrimp, etc.

If I don't have soup, I bring whatever leftover cooked veggie I have cooked for supper. I love a very simple gratin of zucchini, tomato and cheese---slice the zucchini and tomato, then layer them with cheese, fresh basil and garlic, sprinkle liberally with olive oil and top with more cheese, bake until it's all bubbly and golden brown. Eggplant can be put in that too.

During fall, I buy buy pie pumpkins (or winter squash like acorn if you are on OWL), I peel the pumpkin and slice them into about 1/4 inch slices. Then I layer the pumpkin with ground meat sauteed with alittle tomato, onion, herbs and spices, then I bake that until it's nice and cooked through. The pumpkin casserole is absolutely delicious, imo. And it reheats beautifully for lunch. I also do the same thing using eggplant.

Then there's the old cottage pie---sauteed ground meat, topped with a veggie puree like cauliflower mash-potatoes.

Speaking of veggie purees, broccoli, green beans, snow peas, etc. can all be pureed like cauliflower. When I bring them for lunch, I mix them with a raw egg and zap it in the microwave. It turns into a kind of "souffle" and I use that as a base for whatever protein.

then there are the "noodle" veggies: zucchini, yellow squash, carrots (when you are in OWL), leeks. I noodle them, steam them lightly and toss them with a lemon juice, olive oil vinagrette while they are warm. That's a nice salad.

What I've found to be INCREDIBLY useful is looking through vegetable or vegetarian cookbooks in the library. They have loads of great ideas. I borrowed one last week that has a few interesting soup recipes that I'll try. And some of the appetizers would make nice side dishes.

[Elsie150]

Thanks Megs!!!! Great ideas!