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Eating a healthy lunch can be a challenge. We get so swamped at work that we grab some quick and unhealthy fast food or skip lunch altogether, sometimes without even realizing it.
I’ve forced myself to get in the habit of bringing my lunch to work with me. If I have lunch sitting in the office fridge, I’m less likely to overeat. And it’s a lot quicker to grab my pre-made lunch than figuring out where to order from. Plus, I seem to save more money when I bring my delicious leftovers from dinner.
All in all, it’s not hard to see why packing a healthy lunch is key to living a nutritious life.
The trick is getting in the habit of doing so, which takes a bit of recipe planning.
So in an attempt to garner more appeal for the most essential meal of the day (I think I’m sticking with this one), here are 7 healthy lunch ideas that will keep you powering through your day:
While researching ways to make healthier versions of foods I love, I came across these Clean Eating Power Meatballs over at He and She Eat Clean.
Instead of ground beef, this recipe calls for ground chicken or lean ground turkey. Choosing either of these options gives you lean protein to power through your day and keep you satisfied.
As Fit Day notes, both options will run you between 125-130 calories per 3 oz. serving, with turkey taking the edge for fewer calories. But both will net you 26 g of protein in that serving, which is a fantastic way to keep you going.
Plus, instead of using breadcrumbs, this recipe uses rolled oats. Since oats contain fiber to fill you up, you’ll be less hungry throughout the day.
And if you needed yet another reason to dig in, oats are also rich in folate, omega-3 fatty acids, and potassium.
This recipe makes 15 meatballs so you’ll have plenty for dinner and lunch the next day. Pair this with some tomato sauce and whole wheat pasta or even quinoa and you’re ready to go.
Here’s what you’ll need:
Here’s what you’ll do:
My love for eggs transcends just breakfast; I routinely make avocado egg salad on cloud bread for lunch and it’s an easy crowd pleaser for picnics.
I also like taking a page from the Italians who eat frittatas morning, afternoon, and night. This light and fluffy frittata marries perfectly with warm, hearty soup, or big cold salads.
I use Canadian bacon in this frittata.
Adding in the peas and broccoli for a little bit of protein and fiber rounds out this super healthful lunch option.
For the frittata you’ll need:
Instructions
It’s hard to resist ordering take out when you’re in the middle of a hectic work day, but I promise that you’ll be way more excited to look forward to this homemade noodle lunch instead.
Over at A House In The Hills, Sarah Yates Mora cooked up this soba bowl recipe that’s entirely vegan and gluten free.
A little known fact is that soba noodles are made of buckwheat, which is an essential grain. But they’re also naturally fat and cholesterol free. Just one cup of these noodles gives you 6 g of protein for only 113 calories.
This recipe makes about 2-3 servings, so you’ll have plenty to take to work for a few days. Trust me, you’ll need to keep yourself from devouring it all the first night you make it.
Not only is this noodle bowl good cold, but it also heats back up well in the microwave too.
Here’s what you need:
Here’s the directions:
These spinach quinoa patties combine two of my favorite healthy staples together. I like this recipe from Cassie at Back to Her Roots because it’s so versatile. You can make small patties and toss them in a salad for protein or snack on them during the day. You can also form them into larger patties and use them as vegetarian burgers.
Ingredients:
Directions:
Not only is this salad nutrient dense and healthy, but the colors in it are so beautiful you may be too busy Instagramming pictures of it to want to eat it. We can thank Megan at With Salt and Wit for this recipe.
Using superfood kale as a base provides us with essential vitamins, minerals, and even omega-3s. Kale is also packed with magnesium.
Your main source of protein in this salad comes from the chickpeas. One cup of chickpeas gives us 12 grams of protein.
Here are the ingredients for the salad:
Ingredients for the homemade Peanut Dijon Dressing:
Here’s how you make it:
These next two recipes feature avocado, a wonderfully healthy fruit I regularly praise.
This salad wins the award for delicious simplicity. In fact, you probably have all the ingredients for this one in your pantry right now.
Most vegetable salads rely on mayo as a binding ingredient, but not this one. By choosing to make your own vinaigrette, you’re adding healthy oil, lemon, and tangy Dijon mustard for flavor to the salad without adding a ton of calories.
Did you know that cucumbers fight off sugar cravings and even boost energy levels?
Both of those traits make me want to add cucumber to anything I eat in the afternoon, and they work perfectly in this salad.
The cannellini beans in this salad give you 14 g of protein per cup, plus their fiber will make this salad seem ultra filling. You can always add chicken if you’re trying to get more protein in your diet.
Here’s what you need for the salad:
And don’t forget about the dressing:
Here’s what you’ll do:
I love caprese salads; I can almost taste the juicy tomatoes, creamy mozzarella, and fresh basil right now. YUM.
But caprese salads are not exactly power lunch material…unless you’re using this recipe from Joyful Healthy Eats, which adds lean chicken for a major protein boost.
Bonus? It only takes 15 minutes to make two servings. Major score!
Ingredients:
Balsamic Vinaigrette:
Instructions:
All of these recipes have lean protein, healthy carbs, and tons of vegetables. By combining these ingredients, you’ll have perfectly healthy, power packed lunches to keep you going and satisfied until dinner.
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Many companies use shipping and handling fees to increase their profit margins, but here at Legion, we hate profits, so our shipping is free!
Okay, so we do dig on profits, but we also go in for happy customers, and free shipping works like gangbusters. So, if you live in the UK, Canada, Puerto Rico, or Guam, your order ships free when it’s over $99.
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Also, if you don’t absolutely love our stuff for whatever reason, we don’t request you deliver it to a PO box in the Gobi Desert by carrier pigeon.
We just . . . wait for it . . . give you your money back. No returns. No forms. No nonsense. Holy moo cows.
That means you can say “yes” now and decide later. You really have nothing to lose.
Many companies use shipping and handling fees to increase their profit margins, but here at Legion, we hate profits, so our shipping is free!
Okay, so we do dig on profits, but we also go in for happy customers, and free shipping works like gangbusters. So, if you’re outside the USA, your order ships free when it’s over $199.
Why the restriction on international orders? Unfortunately, shipping abroad is very expensive, and if we didn’t require a minimum order size, we’d lose a lot of money. But! We're also hustling to improve our international logistics and will be passing our savings along to our international customers.
Also, if you don’t absolutely love our stuff for whatever reason, we don’t request you deliver it to a PO box in the Gobi Desert by carrier pigeon.
We just . . . wait for it . . . give you your money back. No returns. No forms. No nonsense. Holy moo cows.
That means you can say “yes” now and decide later. You really have nothing to lose.
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