Whether you work from home, in an office, or you are on-the-go midday, hunger is likely to call and taking a break to eat, much less prep or track down food, can feel inconvenient. I like to keep lunch as my most simple meal of the day, though I’ll never turn down a free office lunch or a reason to eat out!
Here are my top 3 items that have eased my lunch prep:
Individually packaged protein:
Fully cooked chicken breast bites – I typically pick up a large sleeve of these at Costco, but I’ve seen similar products at other grocers, whether skewers, bites, or shredded rotisserie.
Fish – tuna or salmon packets are shelf-stable and can be added to a salad, wrap or sandwich, or atop crackers.
Cottage cheese – single-serve containers (I grab the brand “Daisy” from my grocery chain) are easy to throw in my lunch bag and add to a leftover salad or veg side, toast, or a bagel in a pinch.
Nuts, seeds, or beans:
Bulk purchase dry-roasted edamame for a protein-rich snack or crunchy topping
Nuts and seeds – add healthy fats and a satisfying texture to your lunch
Color:
Pre-chop veggies – many veggies stay crisp for a few days if you have time to pre-cut over the weekend. You can typically find pre-cut veggies at the store, or single-serve packets of veggies like carrots or celery.
Easy-to-add veggies – I always have veggies like mini cucumbers, mini bell peppers, sliced mushrooms, carrots, radish, and sugar snap peas on hand. If all else fails, I can grab any combination of these veggies that don’t require slicing for my lunch.
Bonus: Single-serve hummus packets (another incredible Costco item) save time and add healthy fat + flavor to those veggies!
You can get creative with combining these foods into meals, but a few ideas to put it all together:
Have incomplete dinner leftovers? Leftovers can serve as a great starting point for lunch! I often have one but not all components of dinner leftover, like just grains, or some grilled protein, or a side of roasted veg. If I have the above components on hand, I’ll add whichever are missing to my lackluster dinner leftovers to make a more balanced lunch.
Toast – I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, but lots of magic can happen if you keep hearty bread on hand. Top with cottage cheese, eggs, hummus and chicken bites, etc. A friend recently stocked me up with heirloom tomatoes from her garden, and a simple toast stack with a juicy slice of heirloom, cottage cheese, and basil + balsamic glaze is nearly perfect.
Bowls – this is probably my most standard lunch. If you have a protein, some color, a grain, and flavor, most things can be combined together in a bowl. Sometimes the flavor combinations are odd, but mostly I am pleasantly surprised by simply throwing what I have on hand together and adding sauce, dressing, and/or spices to keep blandness at bay.
Simple and delish tomato bagel stack
Let’s see your lunch creations - snap a pic and tag @nutritionmechanic and @becs_slc on Instagram.
Thanks for reading and happy lunching!
-Becca