Help! Need Some Low Salt Lunch Suggestions

Discussion in 'Your Lovely Kitchen' started by CdnTBear, Dec 4, 2007.

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  1. CdnTBear

    CdnTBear Every minute spent in anger is a minute wasted

    Wow ... this has sure been a real 180 degree turnaround for me, going to low salt. Salt was my favourite food group, but I'm adapting. I now using use Mrs. Dash Table Blend at the table to shake on meats, baked potatoes, eggs, etc. It's pretty good!

    I found a cereal bar for brekkie, Smart Start Healthy Heart Strawberry & Vanilla. 85 mg per bar. Pretty low as far as cereals go. And handy for the on-the-go person ... hopefully I get back to that!

    I'm having trouble with lunch, though. I'm eating tons of salads with fresh veggies & using Wishbone Salad Spritzers (100 mg sodium per 10 sprays). But I'm looking for something to go with my salad. I used to eat deli sandwiches or soups!

    Any suggestions??? Any comments, suggestions very, very appreciated!!
     
  2. joy

    joy New Member

    Wellllll ... there's baking your own chicken or turkey and slicing it for sandwiches. There's lower-sodium peanut butter. Make yourself some low-sodium soup, then freeze individual portion containers of it for lunches.

    I usually eat weird stuff for lunch - canola spread on wheat bread or a boiled egg or tomato & onion sandwich or mixed veggies or just peas or whatever leftover veggie we have that hasn't sprouted wings ;D Oh, and sweet potatoes - fried or baked or boiled or mashed - and the ever-popular musical fruit: beans! I suppose it kind of sounds like a vegetarian thing.

    That Mrs. Dash has saved me from insanity :eek: ::) And you might watch out for preservatives and flavor-enhancers like MSG ... they can be triggers as well, maybe even worse than salt.
     
  3. jrw

    jrw New Member

    Joy has it right on the soup. Make a batch and freeze portions for later use. I don't use any salt in my homemade soups, rather using herbs. French tarragon goes in chicken soup, bay leaf in green pea soup, thyme and white pepper in yellow pea soup, and basil in tomato soups. On the pea soups, keep the heat low or they'll scorch easily.
     
  4. CdnTBear

    CdnTBear Every minute spent in anger is a minute wasted

    Thanks for the ideas ... I saw a recipe somewhere around here for low-sodium chicken broth. Think I'll check that out!

    I've even switched to butter spray ("I can't believe it's not butter") for use on cooked veggies, potatoes, etc. It has 0 sodium and surprising good taste. With that and the low sodium, I've lost 5 pounds! Yippee!!
     
  5. tm53

    tm53 New Member

    I've plugged this cook book before and will continue to do so (no fee here). Just good food!

    Sue Spitler 1,001 Delicious Soups and Stews

    All kinds of recipes, how to make stock, etc. Nutritional values, including sodium, stated per recipe.

    I've liked every recipe I've tried from this book so far.



    Tom
     
  6. twogirlsandaboy

    twogirlsandaboy New Member

    Whole Foods has a no-salt peanut butter that I eat on my no-sodium bread for breakfast. I also have been known to eat it for lunch too! For lunch I also make pasta and have low sodium pasta sauce on it. My favorite lunches since going low salt has been leftovers from the previous nights dinner. It's easy, fast and usually pretty tasty.

    Trader Joe's carries a low sodium chicken broth that's good.
     
  7. deercharmer1

    deercharmer1 Somewhere in the forest....

    When I was working, I'd make a big casserole on Sunday, so I could take some for lunch every day during the week.

    I do make some tasty dishes....using no-salt-added foods (or lower sodium foods) and lots of spices....I never use a recipe, and they always taste great. I just need to be mindful of what goes in them. Even DH begs for more - especially my Mexican Lasagne!!! :D
     
  8. joy

    joy New Member

    Okay, deercharmer, let us in on the recipe for Mexican Lasagna....is it very complicated? I'm lousy at cooking & usually too tired to try anything that takes lots of brain power.
     
  9. deercharmer1

    deercharmer1 Somewhere in the forest....

    Recipe? RECIPE? ? ? ? ? :eek: :eek: :eek:

    Let me see what I can come up with...
     
  10. deercharmer1

    deercharmer1 Somewhere in the forest....

    MEXICAN LASAGNA

    1 ½ lbs ground turkey
    1 onion, chopped
    Cumin to taste
    Garlic powder to taste
    1 cup (or more) frozen corn kernels
    1 can kidney beans (no salt added) rinsed and drained
    ½ C chopped black olives (optional)
    ½ C chopped cilantro (optional)
    2 –3 C shredded cheese, or more
    1 C fresh salsa
    2 cans diced tomatoes (no salt added)
    4 - 6 flour tortillas

    I use a Mexican blend cheese, but you can substitute low sodium cheddar.
    I use the salsa in the tub that’s found in the refrigerated section of the store.
    If the salsa you have has too much sodium, just use more canned diced tomatoes, but add some cayenne pepper or hot sauce.
    You can also use corn tortillas.

    1. Brown ground turkey in a large pot. Add chopped onion and sauté til soft. Add cumin and garlic powder.
    2. Add frozen corn and drained, rinsed canned beans, and set aside.
    3. In a separate bowl, stir canned tomatoes (with juice) into salsa, or if you don’t use salsa, add seasoning to diced tomatoes.
    4. Grease a deep 9x13 pan, or lasagna pan.
    5. Put tortillas in a stack and cut them into quarters.
    6. Place some of the tomato mixture in the bottom of the pan. Lay out some of the tortillas, barely overlapping, to cover the bottom of the pan.
    7. Add half the ground turkey mixture on top of the tortillas.
    8. Pour some tomato/salsa mix over the top and sprinkle with cheese.
    9. Repeat with another layer of tortillas, meat, sauce, and cheese.

    Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 - 45 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly.
    Serves a gazillion people (or one hungry husband) and tastes even better the next day.

    The sodium in this dish comes mainly from the cheese, the salsa, and the tortillas. If you look for lower sodium products, you can keep it REALLY low.

    If it sounds too complicated, I suspect that you could also just mix all the ingredients together without layering them (cut the tortillas into smaller pieces) and bake it and it would come out just fine.
     
  11. joy

    joy New Member

    This sounds terrific ... we're supposed to get some messy weather tomorrow. Maybe I'll try it then. I already have most of the ingredients, I think. Thanks!
    :)
     
  12. angels29

    angels29 New Member

    Oh have I got a treat for you! I too have been wanting to find a low sodium but filling and healthy lunch. The SteamFresh veggies in the bags are wonderful! They have many varieties but the ones that say MIXTURES are low low low in sodium!!! One bag is 3 servings of veggies! So this is what I do for my lunch:

    The ones I like are:
    Broccoli, Sugar snap peas, carrots mix
    Corn, Asparagus, carrots mix
    Mixed vegetable mix
    These are all low in sodium..the other varieties are too too much especially if you have the whole bag for lunch. The ones I use..the whole bag is under 150 cal, and no more than 120mg of sodium!! I add one handful of garbanzo beans for protein, 2 tsp of Parmasean cheese, and the Kraft Light Italian dressing. Even with that it stays low in sodium. If you need seasoning I suggest using Mrs Dash. This is a fantastic meal!
     
  13. Janice

    Janice New Member

    Nice homemade sandwiches.

    Today I had tomato, a small piece of jarlsberg and 1/4 avocado
     
  14. saltlesstears

    saltlesstears New Member

    I like to make a lo-so hummus. I now mostly cook whole wheat pasta and eat with a small amount of either eppplant parm, tuna and avacado, or some chilli beans mixture that I also cook up. And yes, the freezer is your friend and savior when it comes to bringing lunch.
     
  15. June

    June New Member

    Yogurt is doable.
     
  16. shelly3257

    shelly3257 New Member

    I eat sandwiches for lunch. Lowest sodium bread I could find without making my own is 180 mg. for 2 slices.
    Then I use a little mayo, swiss cheese, low sodium turkey breast (or leftover turkey) and tomato and lettuce. Sometimes just the swiss and veggies.
    Lunch is usually my highest sodium meal.
    Dinner, I try to either have pasta or meat/veggie/potatoes/rice
     
  17. DaveP21

    DaveP21 New Member

    I am also a sandwich fan. Kroger Low Sodium Wheat Bread (25mg per 2 slices) and either PB & J:

    Smucker's Natural Peanut Butter w/ Honey (30mg per 2 Tbsp) & Jelly (0mg)

    or tuna sandwich:

    Bumble Bee Very Low Sodium Chunk White Albacore (35mg per 1/4 cup) & Kraft Mayo (70mg per Tbsp), and maybe some finely shredded carrot.

    Both taste great!
     
  18. tired

    tired New Member

    low sodium tuna and chicken are good in the salad. I eat salad everyday but make my own dressing with olive oil, vinegar, some lime and dash of sugar if you want.
    I also add an egg to my salad sometimes, or I will poach a piece of chicken the night before and cut it up for lunch the next day. Low sodium cheese is good too.
    Be careful with the I can't believe it's not butter. It only has 0 mgs of sodium for a few sprays. I think it is about 95mgs for 15 sprays. Check out their website it should tell you how many sprays are within the 0mgs range.
     
  19. burd

    burd New Member

    No-salt-added tuna.  Alvarado St. flax seed bread has only 60 mg sodium per slice and it's delicious!
    If you have access to a microwave then leftovers are great. 

    If I'm home, I love fried egg sandwiches, can add a slice or 2 of Niman Ranch no nitrate/nitrite bacon.

    Burger patties with fresh spinach, mayo, no-salt-added catsup and a touch of jalapeno hot sauce.  There are some lower sodium burger buns available or just use half a bun.  Burgers, eating out, just watch the sodium content as many salt their burgers, you can get fast-food info online.

    Bacon/lettuce/tomato sandwiches, yum! 

    Eating out I can get a veggie sandwich at Subway and add my own bacon. I always cook up a whole package ahead of time and freeze 2 slices packets, it's (Nimans) relatively low sodium for bacon too, and will heat them up in the microwave and take with me to the local Subway.
     
  20. wlyeager

    wlyeager Fly fishing is good for the soul

    One way to get around the salt habit is to use different seasonings. You can buy the Mrs. Dash products, but here is one I use. I put in on all meats, soups, veggies, just about anything.

    8 Tblsp Paprika
    4 Tblsp garlic powder
    4 Tblsp onion powder
    2 Tblsp black pepper
    1 Tblsp ground thyme
    1 Tblsp ground oregano
    1 Tblsp Cayenne
     

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