MissMuppet
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Food strategy for going back to work...Really need your help guys... As I'm going back to work next Wednesday I really need to work out what I am going to eat. This has been a thorn in my side for years and I need to sort it out...
Ok... I can't afford to buy lunch everyday at work, so need to take lunch with me, but there are a few buts:
1. I can't eat bread during the day as it sets my IBS off.
2. I can't eat tomatoes or kiwi, same reason as 1.
3. It needs to be filling (as I get really hungry at work).
4. It needs to be cold to start with as I'm not sure if there's a microwave.
I'm going to be doing my shopping online this weekend so need to buy some things that I can prepare for lunches, easy things.
I also need to think about breakfast, I will be up early every morning and to be able to get ready and leave on time I really could do with a very fast filling breakfast!
I don't ask for much do I?! :lol:
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hec
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Porridge for breakfast. Preferable not the instant sort as because that is partly broken down in order to cook more quickly it doesn't keep you full as long. Mix it the night before with semiskimmed, fully skimmed milk or water and put it in the fridge. Put it in the microwave in the morning when you put the kettle on. Eat it with a sprinkle of raisins and/or a spoon of honey.
Mid morning piece of fruit or handful of berries.
Lunch make yourself a chopped sald with pasta bows or shells or whatever. Add half a tin of tuna and/or half a carton of cottage cheese. I find Tesco's healthy living Dutch Melba Toast a good low cal bread substitute (75 cals in each little packet of 6). Other variations could be - small avocado, tin of sardines (for your omega 3) or a couple of slices of sliced cooked meat.
mid afternoon a 'good for you' or healthy eating cereal bar or a yoghurt (probiotic yoghurt good for IBS generally) or a handful of dried fruit (apricots dates) or another poertion of fresh fruit.
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MissMuppet
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Thanks Hec, I do like porridge but putting it in the fridge the night before sounds like just what I need to do... will see what else I can put in it as I find plain porridge a bit boring.
Will add these things to my shopping list, thanks again! :D
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dingsy
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What time will you be leaving home in the morning? Personally I find that I can't really eat too early, so I'm wondering if you might be better having breakfast when you arrive at work. Obviously not practical to do for the first few days, but worth considering! I'm imagining you could be leaving as early as 7 , and depending on journey times might be away for up to 12 hours?
If you could delay breakfast to 9ish then it would help. I mix my own muesli, so you could do the same, adding in all your favourite bits. This also has the advantage of working out substantially cheaper than shop bought.
I adore oatcakes-like you, I can't eat bread, so this is my regular alternative. Being oats they are filling. Great with cheeses/pate/cold meats. I even have them with soup in the winter. Salads are really your only other alternative-although you might be ok with the gluten free tortilla wraps (worth checking, as that would be a good sandwich substitute).
The best filling type of snack, especially if you want something filling, is a slice of home made flapjack. Fabulous-again I vary what I add-crystallised ginger/dried fruit/nuts and seeds. And if you want to be really decadent, top it with chocolate. A medium traybake would easily last a week.
A good savoury snack I've recently found, again for the self indulgent moment (on the train home?!), are Kettle crispy bakes:
"Nothing artificial.
Call it an obsession but we believe in only using natural ingredients. Take lentils for instance.
No, trust us - lentils rock!
The yellow ones we use aren't just tasty; they're low in fat and incredibly low in salt. Once baked to crispy perfection, we simply add a delicate, all-natural seasoning of fresh tomato, basil and green peppercorns.
Crispy baked snack made from lentil flour and potato starch, with sunflower oil and tomato, basil and green peppercorns seasoning.
Vegetarian Society APPROVED."
If you have a microwave-which is likely-let us know and we can think again. If not, they're so cheap nowadays, it might just be worth your while buying one.
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MissMuppet
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I will probably be leaving about 7.30 or 8, so yeah will be out quite early. I could take my breakfast to work, so that's another idea... as long as it's nothing that will leak on the bus! :lol:
Thanks for the other stuff Elaine, will see what I can find shopping... I also saw Glynis' banana bread recipe, I bet that's nice and filling so I might make one of those too, should last me a week!
Not keen on oat cakes, find they taste of cardboard... but I think I could cope with the melba toasts Hec suggested.
:D
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dingsy
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The big advantage to oatcakes is the fact that they're filling-what a shame you don't like them!
Do you have sturdy food containers-Lakeland's click and lock are good. They have seperate compartments too, which you might find useful. And despite the awful weather, I'm resisiting the temptation to suggest taking a flask of soup!!!
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MissMuppet
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I tried them recently actually because of that reason but they just didn't float my boat, maybe I wasn't eating them properly! :lol:
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sparkymarky
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if u cannot eat bread how about making some kind of corn tortilla wrap.....fill it with your favourite fillings and as good as a sarnie!!
pasta salad is also a good idea and filling!!
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Nannyp
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Can you eat Pitta bread Jo....if you can, then you could fill one of those with some tasty food snf have it for lunch or breakfast.
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MissMuppet
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Not that keen on pitta bread... They always split on me and the food goes everywhere! :lol:
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MissMuppet
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Food all sorted for tomorrow... (please see thread in chat for what I'm taking!)
I also have some cottage cheese, corned beef, mackerel and frozen king prawns (they were on offer) for some variety.
I also got some porridge with apple and sultanas for breakfast and some organic museli which I'll mix with some activa yoghurts I also bought.
Hopefully as I get used to taking lunch I will think of some more exciting things, have loads of rice and pasta so will probably do something with those, I found a recipe for spicy sausage pasta which looked nice!
Now I just need to be organised and prepare my lunch the night before, this is where it usually goes wrong for me... and I end up buying lunch instead! :lol:
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Nannyp
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Maybe preparing all your lunches for the week over the weekend and freezing them might help.
:D
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dingsy
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| Nannyp wrote: | Maybe preparing all your lunches for the week over the weekend and freezing them might help.
:D |
That's a great idea-I'm all in favour of doing as much in advance as possible.
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Nannyp
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It's much easier to do that, than find you haven't the enrgy and fall back on money you haven't got. Even if they don't quite taste so good, at least you know what you're eating which will also be far healthier.
Ssshh, quiet here without her :lol:
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