What's For Lunch?

What does “lunch” really constitute these days? And who really eats at the standard time of noon?

Think about it. Our personal definition of “lunch” has been erased and rewritten since the 5^th grade, and for many of us, no longer does a Snack Pack, Zingers, a CAPRISUN, and a PB&J fit our macros.

Perhaps we can all agree that lunch is a meal that takes place mid-day; a source of fuel for the carb back-loader, the carb cyclist, the vegetarian, the powerlifter, the bodybuilder, the strongman, the crossfitter, the arm wrestler…you get the idea.

As a take-two of our previous article, Breakfast of Champions, our staff members, sponsored athletes/coaches, and columnists decided to share what's for lunch. In an in-depth look, much deeper than just peering over a plate of food, team elitefts™ explains why they’re eating what they are eating, with simple instructions on how to create it for yourself.

Consider this an opportunity to get ideas, especially if someone here has similar platform, stage, or field goals as your own.

Vincent Dizenzo

Low-Carb Chicken Parmesan

Coating for Chicken:

• Crush a bag of pork rinds
• Add 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
• Add garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper to taste
• Beat an egg

Coat chicken (I like to use tenders over breasts) with egg then the pork rind mixture
Bake in oven at 425 for 15 minutes

Topping:

• Remove from oven, sprinkle canned crushed tomatoes on chicken
• Cover with mozzarella cheese

Bake in oven at 425 for an additional five minutes

I am presently following Carb Nite Solution. It has helped me get to the 275's and will assist me getting down to the 242's. This is the perfect meal for a ketogenic diet. I find variety really keeps me sane while cutting back.

Another key to dieting success is preparation. This meal heats up well so make sure to prepare extra. My lunches are usually leftover dinner from the prior night. This meal is so good I don't mind eating it again the next day.

Steve Diel

Today I had the nearby Mongolian stir fry, which is a staple in my workday lunch rotation. It is the best bang for the buck I've found for protein.

• First, lay a base of chicken chunks.
• Then add copious amounts of shredded beef. Shredded is much better than chunks for the beef because you can pack it firmly in place to form a meat bowl with edges that rise far above the height of the bowl provided.
• Go minimal on the veggies and starches, as you will be getting your choice of rice or noodles later.
• For flavor, top with cilantro and jalapeno's.
• Then jam a couple eggs into the meat bowl sides and you are good to go.

In the end, there was over a pound of decent quality meat protein (120 grams protein), a cup or two of brown rice (45-90 grams carbohydrates) and a couple eggs as a bonus (approximately 14 grams fat).

Fred Duncan

This is my chipotle meal.

• 2 chipotle chicken bowls
• 1 brown rice
• 1 white rice

Chipotle is right down the street from my gym so I pretty much live there. I will have this on a day I am training and then follow it with my pre-workout meal before my lift. For this meal, I aim for a blend of high and medium/low glycemic carbohydrates along with protein (hence the mix of white/brown rice). Because I eat fewer meals per day, I get to enjoy larger meals like this. Why Chipotle? Because it's amazing, that's why.

Eric Maroscher

• Salmon (half already gone in the photo)
• Some slow cooked rice
• Steamed broccoli
• I was home on this day so a treat for my bull dog Stella to eat.
• Not in the photo is my Nutrex Research muscle infusion protein (I mix it with 12 Oz of 2% organic milk) a large glass of water and three desiccated liver tablets (I am a big believer in desiccated liver).

• "The Yummy"
• Pickles
• Root Beer

Justin Harris

• Chicken (60g protein)
• Grits (40 carbs)
• Swedish oat starch shake (40g carbs)
• Meijer brand diet soda (support local business)
• Beer (5% alcohol)
• Iocaine powder (building a tolerance in case I ever have to save a princess via a battle of wits)

Dave Tate

In close to a year now I have skipped lunch about every day. I eat great for meal one, and then I end up forgetting about eating until it's around 2:30 and then I will have another good healthy meal (lean beef and rice) and then it all goes down hill from there. So, I don't eat lunch. No excuse, but I blame this on working. I just forget. And if I do think about it, I do not want to stop what I'm working on.

Sheena Leedham

On Sunday after lifting, this is my post-workout "lunch":

• 3/4 cup egg whites (18 grams protein)
• 1/2 cup oatmeal (30 grams carbohydrates)
• 1/2 beet (5 grams carbohydrates)
• 1 cup kale
• 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 green apple (7 grams carbohydrates)
• 1/4 cup Trader Joe's 100% Cranberry (4 grams carbohydrates)
• 3 carrots (3 grams carbohydrates)
• 3 celery stalks

The egg whites are poured into a hot skillet that is coated with coconut oil. At about four minutes I flip the eggs over as if they are a big pancake. Once flipped I turn off the burner and add garlic salt and pepper. The oatmeal is cooked on the stove top for approximately four minutes. Once it is cooked I add cinnamon and stevia. The juice takes about a minute to prepare, as the fruits and vegetables are used whole (no peeling necessary). The beet and apple are cut in halves so they fit in the juicer head. The most amount of time spent on cleaning the juicer is five minutes.

After lifting, I consider it an opportune time to consume nutrients I'd otherwise not eat, especially when the goal is to replenish after breaking down. This is why I add the juice blend to this meal. This meal fits my dietary needs as my goals are to build muscle and get stronger while staying healthy.

 

Jennifer Petrosino

Ingredients:

• Peanut butter
• Coconut oil

Prepared by going to store, purchasing, and then consuming with a tablespoon.

I'm in the lab all day, often times running around OSU campus between a million different buildings. Often, I don't have time to eat, so I keep a jar of peanut butter in the lab kitchen and it is almost always my lunch!

Clint Darden

This was my food before I went to train today, also known as lunch.

• Wild and basmati rice cooked in LOTS of olive oil from our own olive fields
• 2 pieces sieftalia (think of it as meatballs-ish)
• Plate of gyros meat (shaved chicken breast and pork)
• 2 large avocados covered in salt and olive oil
• Electrolyte Drink with Maltodex-Dextrose , apple juice, as well as 1 scoop of PeptoPro
• 1 Package Animal Pak
• 2 Scoops Protein Powder (60 g protein)

I then got in my car and headed to the gym, drinking another 45g of carbohydrates and 20 grams of PeptoPro mixed with electrolytes.

Amy Wattles

Summer time lunch consists of coffee and a sandwich. Not too interesting and can vary from day to day. Generally coffee. However, during the school year I am generally competing and need to sustain proper nutrition for competition prep. In general, my program consists of five ounces lean meat, 10 baby carrots and 17 almonds for lunch.

While teaching I often miss lunch or need to eat on-the-go. Life for me is all about simple and the less frills the better. I do not do containers or fancy lunchboxes. That's just more junk to haul around, wash, and keep track of. I prefer the baggie approach. Prepping for the week is super easy; everything goes in a baggie and when I am done, I throw it away. If there's a bag left in my drawer at the end of the school day, I know I missed eating something. I can pull a baggie out and snack between classes or sit down and eat it all at once. My meat bags can vary depending on the meat and they are generally cut up into bite size pieces. If I have a meeting, someone coming in during lunch for help or just get caught up in other things and I know I am going to miss lunch, I pull out my meat bags. Nothing says delicious finger food like a salt shaker, my fingers, and a bag of cold meat. Granted, people around me are sort of disgusted the first time or two I do it but it works, people gets used to it and enjoy making fun of my meat bags and makes it far less likely someone will try to schedule a meeting during my lunch time.

Dragging a container, fork, dressing and whatever else people bring to working lunches grosses ME out. I can't stand listening to people crunch away on their food, much less talking during a meeting of professionals. If we all had meat bags, I think meetings would probably be a far more positive experience for us all. If you're really snobby and high maintenance, feel free to bring a fork along. I will just clean my fingers with a baby wipe when I am done. If I have to maintain a professional appearance I will keep my meat bags in my classroom closet and go in there as the opportunity presents itself and grab a chunk from my meat bags.

The picture represents a bad prep week. I had time to cook the meat but not cut it up and bag it all. I just brought a big bag of meat to work, threw it in the fridge, estimated portions and rather than delicious finger food, I ate my lunch Fred Flintstone style.

I totally own that this is gross. But it works and is easy. Deal with it.

 

David Allen

This is my "I have five minutes to eat and nothing prepared meal:"

• Muscle Eggs
• Rice Krispie Treats
• Gatorade

After spending all weekend traveling to and helping at a meet, I didn't have time to prepare all my food over the weekend. But I do keep some type of easy protein and carbs stocked all the time. It's not the most balanced or healthy meal but it keep nutrients in my body. Working on my feet all day long and then training requires me to constantly eat to maintain my weight so a little "unclean" food doesn't worry me too much.

Brian Schwab

My lunch usually consists of leftovers from the night before, followed by a shake since I can never seem to get enough calories in. 

I’m a big believer in balance in life, and my meals are no exception. I usually try to get in around equal amounts of lean protein and carbohydrates with a limited amount of fat. Here’s an example, which one of my friends affectionately refers to as the “Cowboy Surprise.” I’m lucky that my wife, Trinity, is a great cook. Although we usually have a salad with dinner I’m bad about getting any veggies in at lunch.

• Lean ground beef
• Beans
• Spicy BBQ sauce
• Biscuits
• Cheese

Here’s the shake that I normally have following lunch along with the “macro” breakdown:

• 1 cup Almond Milk (I switched from regular milk to this a while back since I think we’re all a little lactose intolerant. It’s much lower in protein, but works otherwise).
• 2 Scoops Protein (I used MusclePharm Combat now since it’s a good combination of whey, egg, and casein)
• 1 Tbsp. Raw and Unfiltered Honey (this is a great source of high glycemic carbs with numerous health benefits as well)
• 2 Double Stuff Oreo cookies (not such a great source of carbs but they taste good)
• ½ Cup Frozen Yogurt

Macro breakdown in shake:

Calories - 660

Fat - 16 g.

Carb - 74 g.

Protein - 56 g.

(if the breakdown of the meal is around the same as this then I'm obviously getting about double this).

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