400 calorie lunches

This chunky Greek salad recipe is quick to make and packed with protein. The wholemeal pitta makes a high-fibre accompaniement.

With a GI of 45, this meal is <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/diets/high_protein_low_GI_diet">high protein, low GI</a>.

Greek salad

red onion, thinly sliced

tomatoes,

½ cucumber, deseeded and roughly chopped

grams/3½oz reduced fat feta cheese,

grams/1¾oz black olives, oil

mint leaves

oregano

tsp extra virgin olive oil

lemon juice

sea salt and black pepper

wholemeal pitta breads, warmed

This healthy noodle salad is packed with vegetables and flavoured with a spicy, low-fat soy dressing. This is ideal for lunch if you’re on a low-calorie diet of 1200–1500 calories a day. 

Each serving provides 404 kcal, 30g protein, 45g carbohydrates (of which 16.5g sugars), 10g fat (of which 2g saturates), 7g fibre and 2g salt. 

Chicken noodle salad

grams/2½oz egg noodles

grams/1¾oz frozen soya beans peas

carrot, peeled

red pepper, seeds removed, sliced

75 grams/2¾oz mangetout, trimmed and halved lengthways

chicken breast (about 125 grams/4½oz)

spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced

long red chilli, finely sliced (deseeded if preferred)

grams/½oz coriander leaves

grams/½oz roasted cashew nuts, roughly chopped

water

tsp caster sugar

½–1 tsp dried chilli flakes, to taste

tsp dark soy sauce

sesame oil

Grating cheese is a simple way to make your calories go further because it looks so generous. The punchy pickle in this salad offers an alternative to high-sugar chutney. It's a good idea to make twice the amount of pickle and keep it in the fridge for another day; it will last up to five days.

Each serving provides 404 kcal, 19g protein, 29g carbohydrates (of which 10g sugars), 22g fat (of which 11.5g saturates), 6g fibre and 1.9g salt. 

Ploughman's lunch salad

olive oil

grams/1¾oz mature Cheddar, grated

cherry tomatoes, halved

grams/1 ounces salad leaves, washed

grams/1¾oz bread,

salt

½ red onion, thinly sliced

½ tsp runny honey

1½ tsp cider vinegar

Strips of chicken breast are tossed with spiced rice, flaked almonds, sliced apple, cherry tomatoes and long stem broccoli to make a colourful, filling and portable lunch. Simply pack into a plastic container, pop into a cool bag with a couple of ice blocks and keep well chilled.

With a GI of 51, this meal is <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/diets/high_protein_low_GI_diet">high protein, low GI</a>.

Curried chicken and rice salad 

75 grams/2½oz wholegrain long-grain rice

tsp medium curry powder

grams/3½oz long-stem broccoli, trimmed and cut into short lengths

chicken stock cube

chicken breast, boned and skinned

small onion, half thinly sliced, half finely chopped

bay leaf

low-calorie cooking spray

grams/½oz flaked almonds, toasted

eating apple, cored, halved and thinly sliced

grams/3½oz cherry tomatoes, halved

coriander

½ lemon, juice only

salt and black pepper

By swapping the traditional chickpeas for soybeans you almost halve the carbohydrate content in these falafels. Traditionally deep-fried falafels can be quite high in saturated fat so these are baked and served with a fat-free dip and roasted vegetables.

This meal is <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/collections/low-calorie_recipes">low calorie</a>  and if served as four portions provides 363 kcal, 25.5g protein, 30g carbohydrate (of which 10g sugars), 15.5g fat (of which 1.5g saturates), 11g fibre and 0.3g salt per portion.

Edamame falafel 

soya

red onion, finely chopped

garlic cloves, crushed

½ small bunch coriander, leaves

ras-el-hanout,

egg,

sesame seeds

breadcrumbs

sea salt and black pepper,

olive oil cooking spray

red pepper, seeds removed, quartered

yellow pepper, seeds removed, quartered

courgettes,

aubergine, halved lengthways then sliced into half moons

tsp sweet smoked paprika

sherry vinegar, to taste

½ small bunch coriander, torn

garlic clove, crushed

100 grams/3½oz fat-free Greek yoghurt

leaves

Watch our low-carb falafel with roasted veg video.

Low-carb falafel with roasted veg

This is a great winter salad for freshening up your diet - crisp veg and crunchy nuts, lightly dressed with vinaigrette.

This meal is <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/collections/low-calorie_recipes">low calorie</a>  and provides 321 kcal, 4g protein, 16g carbohydrate (of which 14g sugars), 27g fat (of which 4g saturates), 5g fibre and 0.3g salt per portion.

Top 6 400 calorie lunches recipes from across the web

The most viewed 400 calorie lunches recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Top Tags

Greek salad

Chicken noodle salad

Ploughman's lunch salad

Curried chicken and rice salad

Edamame falafel

Ma's macadamia salad

Top 6 400 calorie lunches recipes from across the web

The most viewed 400 calorie lunches recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Greek salad

Chicken noodle salad

Ploughman's lunch salad

Curried chicken and rice salad

Edamame falafel

Ma's macadamia salad

The most viewed 400 calorie lunches recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine