20 weeks pregnant: Seriously need help with lunch ideas. It’s a serious situation.

Have recently become addicted to Progresso Light soups.

I just wanted to say congrats on making it to the 1/2 way point! After this point things should get a little more interesting, you should start feeling the baby soon, and each week usually brings a new little thrill. Like when the baby can recognize light and might start jumping at loud noises.

As for food, blah, I'm where you are, it's easier and more convenient to just run out and grab something rather then making stuff at home. It does get old though, and when it does I always keep pasta fixings on hand (spaghetti sauces and noodles), and baby carrots. And if I can find fruit on sale I might pick up some grapes or apples or something fast to munch on. I keep oatmeal on hand too for breakfast or a snack, and it's pretty good for you even with the sugary flavors. I always keep cans of tuna as well because it's cheap and fast to make and you can quickly whip up a tuna melt if a cold sandwich doesn't sound good. Or make some up and have tuna and crackers...And if you're hungry NOW, munch on something small while cooking a real lunch or something. Baby carrots are awesome for that..

Cottage cheese is good too. You can eat it alone, with fruit, with veggies, dip chips in it.

Wow, thanks for all the comments so far! I should probably go to the grocery store later today or this weekend, so I'll add so much of what you all said to my list!

Stephanie - I do like soup, but only when it's a little chilly outside (which isn't often in Houston). It gets really hot in the summer (today it is supposed to be 80 degrees), so I prefer salads and cold things to eat. Thanks for your suggestion though, I'll def. keep it in mind when it is colder out.

Em - Not too talkative at all. I appreciate everything you said and thanks for the great ideas!

Donielle - Thanks for the links. I'll definitely take a look in a minute!

To everyone else - Thanks again! It doesn't seem like lunch will be a problem anymore!

I ate a ton of spinach salad when I was pregnant. Usually with feta cheese (make sure it's pasteurized), sunflower seeds, raspberry or walnut vinaigrette and blueberries. Sounds a little weird but super good, and all kinds of baby-growing nutrients.

I had fruit/granola/yogurt a lot for breakfast , but that would be an easy lunch too. Frozen mixed berries just take a few seconds to thaw in the microwave.

I usually make something simple. You can have all the salad ingredients pre-cut in the fridge. Buy the lettuce in a bag or carton or so your own, cutting it before you put it away. Store it in a tupperware container with a paper towel at the bottom. You can chop carrots, olives, mushrooms, etc any veggie you like and store them in separate containers. Then throw it together when you want. You can add some shredded cheese to the top for some added protein. I buy grape tomatoes because just have to wash them, no need to cut, but I generally do slice them in half.

You could cook up a couple chicken breasts (or have Tarzan grill them) and shred or chop them before putting them in the fridge. You could easily put those on top of a salad or make them into a sandwich. Hard boil some eggs. Instant protein, great on salads and of course, egg salad sandwiches. If the eggs are already cooked, all you have to do is peel and chop.

I've been eating a lot of grilled cheese and cheese quesadillas. You can buy pre-sliced cheese and easily melt in between bread or tortillas in a pan. I eat it with a salad or fruit salad. I'm addicted to fruit salad (apples, grapes, strawberries, kiwi, orange, banana or whatever's on sale) right now, but it does take quite a bit of chopping.

You could have yogurt with granola and frozen or fresh fruit. A smoothie (yogurt, frozen fruit, orange juice in a blender) and some toast or whole wheat crackers.

I have to be a little creative with me meals because I'm also feeding a gluten intolerant toddler. Most things I eat are also gluten free since she likes to steal from Mommy. Just remember, cheeses (and juices) must be pasteurized and lunch meat and hot dogs should be heated until steaming. You can microwave the lunch meat and then let it cool to kill any possible listeria.

whoops - here's the direct link to the lunch post:
http://www.naturallyknockedup.com/2008/09/menu-pla...

I have a bunch of menu plans on my blog that includes what I eat for lunch everyday @ www.RaisingPeanuts.com and I also did a whole post just on lunches at my other blog www.NaturallyKnockedUp.com.

It's so important to give your baby what it needs! Make sure you never skip lunch!

Try chopping up the salad veggies in advance - put them into containers/bags in the fridge. Then all you have to do is get the lettuce and the pre chopped veggies and make a quick salad - you don't have to stand there chopping while you are starving. Try adding cubed ham, or boil some chicken and chopped it up ahead of time. (this works really well because you can keep an eye on things individually and see when they start to go bad instead of just having to toss a big bowl of salad - since some veggies go bad quicker than others)

I also like using wheat pasta, light Italian dressing, chopped tomatoes, onion, black olives , garlic and black pepper to make a good light pasta salad. It stores well in the fridge and if you make it from scratch you can control the amount of pasta you cook - so you don't have to make a ton and have leftovers.

Veggie sandwiches (green pepper, purple onion, tomato, cucumber, portobello, whatever you want) on wheat bread with light ranch or honey mustard and cheese are awesome! YUM!

Quesadillas are also quick and easy - you can get a Quesadilla Maker at almost any store for pretty cheap. We have one from Walmart it was $20 and is awesome. I love these because you can do anything with them. You can find white, wheat, multigrain tortillas and put anything in them. My favorite combo is sliced cherry tomatoes, black ovlives , chicken and fresh spinach with colby jack cheese.

Try keeping quick healthy sandwich fixings around if you don't want to plan ahead. Have a sandwich with some fruit or veggies and light dressing. Keep healthier chips in the kitchen, lower salt varieties, pretzels, multigrain etc. Or have some of the pasta salad on the side with the sandwich.

Don't forget about your freezer too - you can always make casseroles/ lasagnas anything that freezes ahead of time - break them down into lunch size portions and store them for later.

Good luck! :-) I LOVE food and helping people with ideas - sorry if I was to talkative! :P

Do you like soup? My favorite thing to do is make a big batch in the crockpot, and freeze it in individual servings. Take one out in the morning to defrost and by the time your pregnancy hunger monster comes a knockin' it's ready. Super Easy and delicious. Works great for dinner to! Anything fav thing of mine are wraps. Tastier than sandwiches, and easy too. Big four tortilla with bacon, turkey and cheese....yum!!! Enjoy!

Well, this is ironic, because once little Tarzan makes his appearance and starts attending school (I know....long way off), lunches will haunt your forever.

It is my #1 think I HATE doing. So I should not be giving advice, but here goes anyway.

#1 - always have some carrots cut up in some water in the fridge. They are easy to grab and when I was pregnant I craved very crunchy things (can't tell how many times my husband had to hammer a big bag of icecubes so I could satisfy my crunching craze).

#2 - my latest lunch that kids & I love is super simple. Grill up some chicken breasts and keep them in freezer (or just go buy some already done at the local deli.). Cut chicken in strips, cut some pepper in strips (your choice of colour), place on a whole-wheat wrap and put some Paul Newmans low-fat Sesame Thai dressing on top. Wrap it up and enjoy. It is healthy, quick and super-delicious.

Gotta go.....I'm hungry.
Congrats on reaching the 1/2 point.

I generally try to have a few Lean Cuisine's in the freezer at all times. That way if I feel like there's NOTHING I want to eat and I'm about to reach for a carton of ice cream, I say "Oh yeah. Super easy fast tasty frozen lunch." I often add a cup of frozen veggies to it, or have a small salad to make it more filling. I'm super picky about processed meat though, so I usually have the vegetarian or fish selections, all of which I REALLY like.

Not a great solution for everyday, but certainly helps in in a bind.