Advice on work lunches

(Scott) #1

Right now for lunch, I have brought cheese and hard boiled eggs , pepperoni on occasions . Even a cheese burgers ( homemade) and cooked chicken breasts . But never feeling satisfied ( full kind of but not satisfied ) I was thinking of chicken salads , but trying to see if lettuce is worth 4 carbs when , other things are not as high. Just trying to get ideas of real lunches. Use Renee dressing and only one carb . I would rather save my carbs for broccoli or asparagus or cauliflower at supper .

(Laurie) #2

Look at what you eat at home, and ask whether any of those foods could be used as lunch foods. Things like cold (leftover) roast beef or pork. Maybe a little avocado mayo on the side, in case you need the extra fat to feel full. (Too little fat can leave you feeling unsatisfied.) Try cold chicken legs instead of breast; they’re higher in fat. Could you enjoy a cold steak or chop, or cold sausages? I used to take things like this to work all the time.

If you might have to stay late unexpectedly, you can take sardines, or other canned foods as emergency foods. Some packaged dried meats can serve this purpose as well. Where I live, most jerky is high in sugar, but some pepperoni brands are okay. (Read the label.) I’m not crazy about sardines or pepperoni, but they come in handy sometimes.

I’ve been making cheese “sandwiches” using cooked salmon patties as the “bread.” At home I add bacon crumbles and heat them in the microwave, but for work you could add a bit of mayo and/or lettuce.

As you mentioned, I’d concentrate on the protein and fat for work lunches, and save the salads and other veg for supper.

I’ve assumed you don’t have a microwave at work. If you do have one, that opens up more possibilities.

(Susan) #3

Chaffle sandwiches. My favourite is to add a bit of caraway to the batter and make a Rueben.

#4

How far into keto are you? I only ask because I am considering providing you a suggestion that should (probably) only be tried when you are well into and very comfortable with keto. Meal replacement shake or bar. My Dr suggested I find one i like with the intention of it being a quick option when I need it. I end up having half a serving with my lunch because I cannot just have a shake and feel like it was a lunch (salad) but it does quickly satisfy keto requirements when I just don’t have the time to build an entire keto lunch. It ends up being a few times a week thing for me. I caution a dependence on meal replacements before you have an established daily way of eating. I am not sure why but my gut instincts tell me it is some sort of trap.

(Polly) #5

Perhaps round off your lunch with a nice piece of cheese. St Agur, brie, camembert, stilton, cambazola, cheddar, gouda, emmental. All good real food and fillingly low carb.

(Scott) #6

Thanks , I am
Only in 3rd week . At home on weekend I might cook eggs etc or left over chicken etc . The leftover meats are tasty but not really filling up . For cheese I am very plain. Only really like swiss cheddar etc . I have seen keto bread around us but 2 slices are 4 or 6 carbs and very thin and small and too much carbs . Thanks for the ideas . Ps . Not a big fish fan ( only like Icelandic haddock) and sometimes albacore Tuna

(Susan) #7

My favourites are Havarti and smoked Gouda.

#8

It’s quite individual, I need a big lunch with lots of fatty meat if possible so I would bring that. Cheese and eggs are nice but I would need my very fatty, satiating, satisfying meat too. It doesn’t need to be much. During the time when I ate no meat but plants too, I would have bring nuts as extra but they aren’t satiating to me (as for many others), they would act as some emergency food, little extra joy or something like this. I like to eat various things for lunch, at the same time, I mean.
Sometimes I feel I want something dry, it’s hard to explain but my baked things are good for that. It’s sponge cakes for now, not sweet ones and they often consist of eggs only, absolutely nothing else :smiley: It’s more fun for me than eating many boiled eggs, day after day. Other people have keto bread or chaffles…

(Scott) #9

Thanks, Inwill
Have to google chaffles

#10

Reddit has a whole group related to them: https://www.reddit.com/r/Chaffles/

Here’s a graphic of recipes that they have in their first stickied post:

My write-up on Reddit after I discovered Chaffles:

For me, chaffles are a game-changer. They’re great savory. Or sweet. And work well as bread or a bun. The basic recipe is 1 egg and 1/2 cup of shredded cheese, which would make two chaffles.

Check out the technique in this video

The Serious Keto YouTube channel has many videos with chaffle variations

My Chaffle Tools

To make my chaffles consistently, I put the mini-waffle maker on my kitchen scale and then do:

  • 10 grams of shredded cheese
  • 25 grams of beaten egg (or batter)
  • 10 grams of shredded cheese

The cheese on the top and the bottom helps to keep the chaffles firm and crispy. And no overflow of contents making a mess because I eyeballed the amount of filling incorrectly. Oh, and don’t stack the chaffles if you make a number of them. It keeps the heat within them and makes them soft. I see some videos where they put them individually on a cooling rack. That helps the cheese crisp up as the chaffle cools.

The fun thing is watching the weight go down as the chaffle cooks, as water leaves as steam. When it hits 40 grams of weight, I know the chaffle is done. :slight_smile:

I bought this shaker bottle, so I can do a lot of eggs (or batter) at once, to store in the fridge so it’s ready to go. With my method of creating the chaffles, it’s much easier to dispense 25 grams of egg/batter out of that shaker cup.

I’ve tried a number of different recipes, but I keep coming back to the basic recipe above. It’s savory if I spread some Jalapeno cream cheese on it. Or sweet if I top it with SF maple syrup. I tried making some churro chaffles the other night, making a special batter, but I didn’t care for them. It turned out much better to just do the basic recipe and then cut into strips and toss into a Ziploc bag of granulated sweetener and cinnamon. MUCH better.

I typically use an Italian blend shredded cheese. But if I’m doing savory, I might go for a sharp cheddar.

I haven’t tried it yet, but the latest version is a “Wonder Bread” chaffle:

https://www.copymethat.com/r/xHZoi0w/chaffle-wonder-bread-revision

I even saw a recipe with a sourdough flavoring added. :slight_smile:

(Jack Bennett) #11

My favorite lunch during the work week is a “burrito bowl” with seasoned ground beef. I add salsa, sour cream, and sometimes some sauerkraut or sauteed cabbage.

I’ll prep 5 lbs of ground beef with:

  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 2 tbsp dried onion
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp italian seasoning
  • ground pepper

and divide it into 5 containers. At lunch time, it’s very easy to microwave the meat and make a burrito bowl out of it.

(Bob M) #12

My wife has been taking ground meat (typically, pork), cooking it, adding some type of “salad” (lately, a kale salad), cooking it, and adding curry to it, with salt and pepper, and also coconut milk/cream (a can or maybe less, depending on your preference).

Although I detest kale, in this application, it’s not bad. And you can just throw in curry, salt, pepper until it tastes good.

It helps to have good curry, though.

Kinda like this, but not as fancy or time-consuming:

(Scott) #13

That Thai curry looks great . Will try and make a chafflemthis weekend

Thanks all

(Joey) #14

@macscott I wouldn’t worry much about the carbs in lettuce - or spinach, arugula, etc. Green leafy veggies aren’t particularly high in carbs to begin with and I believe their fiber content makes a big difference in terms of mitigating much of an insulin response per gram of carb.

Of greater concern would be achieving a sense of satiety. Lettuce typically doesn’t do much in that regard. That’s where the fat/protein come in. I’d try to find those meats, egg, cheeses, even a few selected nuts (portion control!) that will leave you feeling full and filled. For getting through lunchtime - especially in a work setting - that’s likely most important.

Best wishes - let us know what’s working for you.

(UsedToBeT2D) #15

Last nights leftovers for lunch. Soon you may be able to skip lunch. Go for a walk, and marvel in your improving energy, improving health, and improving looks.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #16

Everyone is different. I’d be happy on a diet of cheeseburgers, even if not reheated at lunchtime. If you prefer variety, then just make sure to make extra when you cook supper. You can take it for lunch either the next day or the day after, if you don’t want two meals of the same thing in a row.

One thing you can do, to help with the hunger, is to make gravy when you cook your meat, using heavy cream and the meat fat. Then the leftovers you take for lunch should be more satisfying, because of the fat in the gravy. Or you could put butter or bacon grease on the meat, instead. Bring buttered cheese for dessert. As long as you are getting enough protein, it is the fat that will satisfy your hunger. Pork rinds make a good snack, and so do pepperoni and Jarlsberg cheese. None of them need to be refrigerated.

I personally don’t worry about refrigeration all that much. If the meat comes out of the fridge before you leave for work, it will gradually warm up, and the butter and cheese will soften. It won’t go bad in the few hours between leaving the house and lunch time.

(Scott) #17

I have been kind of doing that . I will go out and bbq a few burgers or chicken breasts for a few days ahead . I can eat hamburgers everyday but it’s the mental game playing with me . I look at the fat and protein and calories and think that’s a lot ( no carbs and it’s not a real lot )!but trying to change the way my head is thinking . Also this strange things the last few days I’m
Full x my stomach feels so full , but my head is saying you are hungry it’s after 9pm etc

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #18

Eat when you are hungry, stop when you stop being hungry, and don’t eat again until you are hungry again. There is no law requiring us to eat three meals a day. And the three meals plus six snacks strategy evolved as a means of coping with the constant hunger from eating so much carbohydrate (high insulin interferes with the satiety hormones). As your insulin drops, you will most likely stop wanting to eat all the time. Then the challenge becomes how to deal with emotional needs that used to be satisfied by eating. Dr. Robert Cywes, the bariatric surgeon, says he keeps a cup of coffee constantly at hand to deal with his food addiction. It works pretty well for me, as well.

#19

Lean meat doesn’t satiate.

Try cooking (pink) chicken thighs in a pot (with a lid) on the lowest temperature in a little bit of water for 2 hours. The temperature will reach sufficient cooking temperature between 1-2 hours. The meat will flake and easily come apart.

(Jack Bennett) #20

:100::100:
Since being fat adapted, fasting for 20+ hours is no problem on a physical level. But I found myself craving “something” around 11-12. Like Dr Cywes, I have found that satisfying the need to drink something works for me (coffee or ketoade).