JANUARY 17 2019 / FOOD
Healthy Lunches That Are Perfect For Meal Prep
Easy lunch meal prep ideas prove that eating healthy can be delicious and is anything but boring! A little prep work on the weekend will set you up to eat healthier, save money, and reduce your stress throughout the week.
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Start the new year out on the right foot and commit to eating healthier. It makes an absolute world of difference in saving me time in the mornings, reducing our stress, and saving us money. I don’t even have to consider buying lunches, because I just reach in the fridge and pull out my pre-made lunches and I am good to go!
I’ve rounded up seven healthy lunch recipes for you that are perfect to meal-prep for the week and give you a little inspiration to start the week off on a healthy note.
You’ll find unique soups, delicious sandwiches, and even tacos to power you through your week.
Grilled Chicken Caesar Wrap
For an easy, protein-packed lunch, pack a Grilled Chicken Caesar Wrap!
Rediscover all your favorite Caesar Salad flavors in sandwich form.
I decided to follow suit with just a few fresh, tasty ingredients and have the whole thing set to go in under 5 minutes.
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Instructions:
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Place wrap on a flat surface. Spread Caesar dressing in an even layer.
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Top with romaine, grilled chicken, and Parmesan cheese.
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Roll tightly, slice, and serve! Or, wrap in foil and keep refrigerated until lunch time!
Recommended Reading: 5 Easy Smoothie Recipes
Turkey Spinach Pinwheels
There are also so many amazing choices for wraps these days from sprouted grain, gluten-free to these awesome spinach wraps. They are much healthier than your average tortilla wrap and tastes a lot more exciting too! The baby carrots provide just enough crunch and are highly nutritious, providing beta-carotene, fiber, vitamin K, potassium and antioxidants. The cucumbers provide healthy digestion and contain multiple B vitamins known to help ease feelings of anxiety and stress. The grapes will help satisfy that craving and stop you reaching for the refined sugary snacks instead. You can also substitute the grapes for your fruit of choice.
Substitutes:
You can substitute the turkey for ham or chicken or even make a PB&J for a kids’ version.
You can use a different type of cheese depending on your preference like pepper jack for a kick of heat.
You can substitute the spinach for arugula or kale, or any other type of greens that you prefer.
Instructions:
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Place cheese, turkey and spinach in center of tortilla. Bring the bottom edge of the tortilla tightly over the spinach, folding in the sides. Continue rolling until the top of the tortilla is reached. Cut in sixths.
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Place wraps, carrots, grapes and cucumber into meal prep containers.
Spicy Chicken With Rice & Beans
Spicy Chicken Meal Prep with rice and beans + a yummy cilantro sauce = healthy meal prep to last you all week!
Meal planning that is healthy, delicious, AND beautiful!
Instructions
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Cook: Place the rice, water, tomatoes, salt, and oil in the pot. Stir to combine. Place the chicken pieces on top and sprinkle generously with your favorite spices and some salt. Turn the instant pot on high pressure for 7-8 minutes. When done, use the quick release valve for the steam.
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Mix: Remove the chicken. Mix the black beans (and maybe a little sunshine sauce) in with the rice.
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Meal Prep Yourself: Divide the rice and beans amongst 4-6 meal prep containers. Top each with a piece of chicken. Sprinkle with cilantro and drizzle with a spoonful of sauce.
Easy Vegan Red Lentil Dal
Using just one pot and ready in under 20 minutes, this easy vegan red lentil dal is a flavorful, plant-powered meal!
Serve with quinoa or rice, and save the leftovers for meal prep!
Not only is it quick – only takes about 15 minutes – but it's also inexpensive and freezes beautifully.
Instructions:
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Bring water to a boil, then add lentils and coconut milk. Return mixture to a boil then reduce to simmer. Cook for 10 minutes, until the lentils have softened, then stir in spices and cook for another 5!
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Serve with quinoa, cauliflower rice, white/brown rice or flatbreads!
SAVANNA LEIGH
Hello! My name is Savanna and I am from the Virgin Islands. I love surfing, scuba diving and anything involving the beach. While relaxing, I enjoy blogging <3
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Veggie Pasta Salad
A fresh summer veggie pasta salad is a great way to use up all of those vegetables from the fridge or garden. It’s super easy to make and the perfect side dish to take to BBQs and parties! It is also really easy to stick in the microwave and eat another day.
This salad is so easy to make, all you need to do is boil a large pot of pasta (1 pound), chop up the veggies and toss it together with the dressing. It’s ready to go in just 20 minutes!!
You can serve it right alway or you can cover it and let it refrigerate for a few hours beforehand. I prefer to let it sit because the veggies and noodles soak up the flavor from the dressing and get extra tender too. Either way it’ll taste delicious!
Instructions:
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Place a large pot of water over high heat, bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package's directions. Drain and set aide.
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Meanwhile, prep the veggies, then in a medium bowl, whisk together the dressing, parmesan, parsley, garlic powder, paprika, salt and black pepper.
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In the large pot, combine the pasta, veggies, and dressing. Stir until combined. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Quinoa Black Bean Tacos with Creamy Avocado Sauce
Yum! Healthy tacos…
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They’re vegan and gluten free, too. Recipe yields about 6 hearty tacos. Perhaps the best part is that these tacos are ready in 30 minutes.
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Instructions
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To make the filling, warm the olive oil in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion and garlic with a dash of salt for 4 to 5 minutes, until the onions are softened and turning translucent. Add the tomato paste, cumin and chili powder and sauté for another minute, stirring constantly.
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Add the rinsed quinoa and 1 cup broth or water. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then cover the pot, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Remove the quinoa from heat and let it rest, still covered, for 5 minutes. Uncover the pot, drain off any excess liquid and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Stir in the drained black beans and add salt and pepper, to taste. Cover and set aside for a couple of minutes to warm up the beans.
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To make the avocado sauce: Simply combine the ingredients as listed in a food processor or blender. Blend well and season with salt, to taste.
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In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the tortillas in a single layer, flipping halfway. Wrap the warmed tortillas with a lint-free tea towel until ready to serve. To assemble the tacos, spread quinoa and black bean filling down the center of the tortilla, then top with a generous drizzle of avocado crema, a handful of chopped romaine and any additional garnishes you’d like to add. Eat up!
Cold Sesame Noodle Meal Prep Bowls (Vegan)
These cold sesame noodle meal prep bowls are the perfect vegan prep ahead lunch: spiralized vegetables tossed with chickpeas and whole wheat spaghetti in a spicy almond butter sauce.
Instructions
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Cook pasta according to package directions. Rinse under cold water and set aside to cool completely.
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Portion out pasta, zoodles, carrot noodles and chickpeas between four 2-cup storage containers. Sprinkle with green onions and sesame seeds.
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Stir or shake together all almond butter sauce ingredients, and divide amongst 2 oz storage containers.
Storage
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Store in the fridge for up to 4 days. This recipe is not freezer-friendly.
To Serve
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Enjoy cold. Drizzle with the almond butter sauce and toss up before serving.