I am pretty picky so it’ll be a lot of guess and test. I’m also a vegetarian which can make lunches a pain sometimes. But I do OK
Talked with the menfolk and we’re going in on a costco membership. Now to decide if the upgrade is worth it…
A lot of what I eat is fresh produce so I hesitate to buy in bulk… but the overwhelming majority of reviews say that their costco produce tends to keep much longer than regular grocery stores.
I have a soft spot for costco given how they treat their employees. I’ve just never really been able to justify a purchase.
Salad in a bag. There are some things worth paying for at the grocery store. $3 for lunch.
I think the secret to frozen meals is what you pick. I like the Mexican rice dishes because they seem to cook evenly in the worst of microwaves. Things like chicken breast don’t reheat as well IMO.
Hummus now comes in single serve. But not tabouli, so I just put my own portions in little cups and throw them in, yup, the freezer. Bring some naan slices and/or a hunk of cuke.
WF has a nice low sodium tabouli (not marked LS, but you can see it on the label.) A lemon slice can replace salty.
Cuz, folks, if the fat in prepared foods doesn’t get you, the sodium will knock your socks outta the park.
Same goes for the dressings packed with those salad bags.
I find what I like and can eat the same lunch repeatedly. Works for me. Sometimes, the trick is not to have to think too much. Make a healthy/happy choice or two and stick with them.
I like the pre packaged salads. I portion out the greens into baggies, then in a quart size container have all the fixings, garbanzo beans, chopped onion, cucumber, sliced hard boiled egg, etc. When ready to eat, I then just dump the baggie of greens into the fixings container, add a bit of dressing and done. Easy to make several days of these in advance and then just grab and go. Shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes to prepare enough for several days.
I think the Costco membership is good for 2 adults per address. So unless you plan to go alone, perhaps leave your name out, you can always go with your roommate or husband.
Just had a dinner of a pre-packaged Costco Cesar salad. Saved the other 2/3 for lunch and dinner tomorrow. Mr. B is out of town… not in the mood to cook, so I will just grill a steak and supplement with the salad.
Romani - if Costco does not live up to your expectations, they will refund the leftover portion of the membership.
My mother was chronically ill later in life and there were times when she just didn’t have the energy to eat, never mind having to shop for or make the food. It doesn’t have anything to do with discipline or planning. Fortunately, she lived with us so she had people around to help her.
Too many preservatives give me a headache, so I try to avoid Lean Cusine type foods. I like brown rice. The minute rice in a box goes further than a bag of frozen rice, but both are good. I stock the freezer with frozen veggies and toss in whatever I have on hand. I keep bags of chopped nuts, raisins, & cranberries at work so I can add a little variety. I mostly eat it without sauces, but it’s good with lemon juice, or curry powder, or a Tbs or 2 of balsamic glaze. If preservatives don’t bother you, there are all kinds of bottled sauces you could use too .
If you have a microwave at work, all you have to do is toss a container into it for a couple minutes. If your husband could make a few for you every week and freeze them, you could just grab one and go. I keep a box of rice, a couple of bags of frozen veggies, lemon juice, and curry powder at work so in a pinch I can always make something.
Re: Costco membership and @romanigypsyeyes’s mobility, I was thinking the opposite. She seems to be a little more active lately. A weekly trip to Costco throughout the winter would be a good outing with the opportunity to get some steps in and plenty of room even with a wheel chair to explore the aisles.
Just think of it as a one-time investment for one year. If you don’t like it, explore what BB said about the refund. Get your gas on the same day you visit Costco and you’ll save $$ there (likely) and be gassed up for the week!
One of those frozen meal like Lean Cuisine or even an Amy’s would never satisfy me. Plus it always seems sad to be to be eating out of those plastic trays!!! (weird, I know!0
I’ve found Costco has the best produce in our area, plus great prices on organic berries. I do have to be careful nott to buy more than we can use, but the Rubbermaid Fresh Works containers really help keep produce longer.
The sodium issue isn’t about going from moderate to low or no. Rather, being aware of how much processed foods add, to get their taste (and your loyalty.) And the impact is (or can be) on much more than blood pressure. It’s kidneys, can be water retention and swelling, some long term stress on the body.
I love salty, have since a young 'un. I’m not the salt police, lol. But once I started “observing,” I rethought. At that meal out, while dieting, the shrimp dinner looked fab, low calorie, but 1800 sodium. The chicken soup alone was over 2500.
I actually need higher salt intake than most people because of one of my meds. I don’t have a high salt diet and I’ve had to consciously add more in lol.
Speaking of folks with limited mobility… At our Costco, there’s a bunch of motorized ride-on shopping carts. That Costco employs a person in a wheelchair who has been there for as long as we have been shopping there. The isles are very wide and relatively easy to navigate, and people are friendly and will always help to load things into the cart. It might vary elsewhere.
Honestly, I’d switch over to Soylent and an apple before resorting to the pre-packaged meals. We have tried several and they are way expensive for the quality and quantity. The best ones were from a local shop in downtown Seattle, perhaps @BunsenBurner knows the name because I can’t remember it. Maybe around Union and 6th?
I think Union and 5th? Forgot the name! Folks seem to like them. Sorry I personally never tried those… The best meal on the fly is a container of very good yogurt and a hard-boiled egg. Fruit for dessert!
Found it, it is called Eat Local with two Seattle locations nowhere near 6th and Union (thought it was one of our Benaroya nights, guess not). We bought a few things from them to have quick meals, but pricing it out came to about $35/day for each of us.
We buy the Costco containers of pre-washed baby spinach and arugula, a big bag of “baby carrots,” and the big containers of pearl tomatoes. It becomes super simple to throw together a lunch salad that way. I usually throw in a couple slices of turkey but there are easy vegan friendly protein choices.
We make hard boiled eggs 12-18 at a time in our Instant Pot. And we almost always have yogurt. Sometimes we have crackers, salami and slices of cheese. Apples. These are our “fast foods”.
