Like so many people, I’ve been working from home consistently since the spring of 2020. Working from home has had it’s perks, like the ability to switch the laundry from the washer to the dryer in the middle of the day, and some challenges, like feeling trapped in my house.
At least one thing has stayed the same — I want tasty, somewhat nourishing, uncomplicated lunch prep meals to enjoy throughout the week. Whether I’m at home or at an office, I don’t want to spend forever making my lunch and I don’t want to spend the time or money going out everyday (for me, that’s a special occasion type of activity). I haven’t quite broken the eating lunch while working habit 🙂 and if I take a longer lunch it’s to squeeze in a workout, otherwise I’d rather keep working.
My criteria for lunch prep meals
- Something that I can eat straight out of the fridge or heat up in a few minutes.
- Contains nourishing ingredients that won’t snatch my energy in the afternoon.
- Doesn’t take long to prep.
- Has familiar ingredients (no special grocery trips to get the fixings).
My favorite lunch prep meals
Depending on how busy our Sunday is, I try to have a lunch prep meal available each week. Otherwise, I make sure to have an option or a options that are really easy to put together (like PB&J easy). Check out my favorite lunch prep meals!
Spicy Mexican-style cauliflower bowl
You only need four things for this simple lunch prep meal. Snag the Spicy Mexican-Style Riced Cauliflower and the CORN, both from Trader Joes, cook as directed and pair with a pound of ground beef cooked with a packet of taco seasoning.
This recipe is great as is and make 3-4 lunch prep meals. If you want a little something more, top with shredded Mexican-style cheese and/or sliced avocado.
Lemony chickpea tuna salad
I first tried this lemony chickpea tuna salad when my mom made it and dropped it off at my house during my maternity leave after having Willa. She was pumped to have my try it because she loved it, and as a fellow lemon-flavor-lover, I had a suspicion I would enjoy it too.
This has quickly become one of my favorite lunch prep meals, especially in the summer. It’s truly only 10 minutes of prep and now I’ve made it so much that I just eye all of the ingredients. It felt chickpea heavy the first time I made it so I add more tuna than Jamie from Dishing Out Health has in her recipe — just reminder that you can adjust recipes to fit your preferences!
Follow me on Instagram and check out my reel making this tuna salad!
Greek quinoa salad
The Greek quinoa salad is one of my tried and true make ahead lunches. I’ve been making it for years and years and I will certainly continue.
Egg salad
There are so many ways to eat egg salad! Dip veggies or crackers, make a sandwich, make a wrap, put it over a bed of greens. Egg salad is a simple mixture of hard boiled eggs, mayo, mustard, salt + pepper and it makes a perfect lunch prep meal.
Follow me on Instagram and check out my reel on the 6 simple ways to eat egg salad!
Asian-style cauliflower bowl
This is a cousin to the Mexican-style cauliflower bowl above. Let’s head back to Trader Joe’s and snag the Stir Fry Cauliflower Rice. Pair that with ground pork and a ginger dressing and you’re set for lunch that takes 2 minutes to reheat. If you want some additional veggies, add shredded carrots and or shredded cabbage.
For the dressing I like to mix plum sauce with chili sauce for a sweet + spicy option or snag the pre-made ginger dressing while you’re at Trader Joe’s — both are great!
It’s time to make your lunch prep meals
What recipe will you start with from this list? Comment below and share what lunch prep meals you love!