What is more #adulting than meal prep? You're too busy during the week (because of your work, your school, your friends, your family, etc.) to pack a lunch for yourself every day, and you're too good to settle for the sad salads offered at the cafeteria or the cold sandwiches served at the cafe next door. The answer –setting out an hour or two every Sunday, specifically for easy meal prep. The Internet is full of easy lunch meal prep ideas and I found the best, so sit back and get inspired.
1. Veggie, Goat Cheese, and Chicken Mason Jar Salad
Courtesy of Organize Yourself Skinny, you can treat yourself to roasted balsamic vegetables mixed with pasta and cheese for a filling but, overall healthy meal. The beauty of these recipes is that you can incorporate your own tastes into it; use your favorite veggies to make it your own. You also get protein with the rotisserie chicken, but you can also opt for your protein of choice. The recipe uses 1/4 cup of pasta to add whole grain, but if you are looking to keep the calories below 400, feel free to just substitute for more greens.
2. Fresh Mozzarella, Tomato, Pasta, and Spinach
Balsamic dressing, tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, whole wheat pasta, and spinach –a classic but delicious combination and it only takes 15 minutes so you'll be ready for your week in no time. This is a great lunch meal prep idea because the tomatoes will be able to really soak in the balsamic vinaigrette and get really juicy before you eat it.
3. Asian Noodle Salad
Thanks to Foxes Love Lemons, you can wave goodbye to Chinese takeout. Nutritionists suggest "eating the rainbow", and here you cover so many colors with the edamame, red bell pepper, carrots, and green onion. All these vegetables, plus the rice noodles, add for a delicious crunch. The spicy peanut dressing also adds some protein from peanut butter.
4. Pomegranate and Pear Salad
So fresh and perfectly crunchy. The blue cheese compliments the sweetness of the pear and the pomegranate adds texture and tartness. I'm so excited about this lunch meal prep idea.
5. Cajun Honey Chicken Bowls
This recipe is a bit more intense than the mason jar recipes, but not because of active work. The chicken has to marinate in the Cajun Honey Mustard sauce for 8 hours in the fridge, but the trick to getting the glaze is pouring the sauce and chicken into a simmering pan. From that, the cooking process only takes 30 minutes and then it will be ready for your week ahead. You can incorporate whichever grain and vegetable you crave and sort out the spiciness to fit your tastes.
6. Turkey Taco Lunch Bowls
Healthy, filling, and unique– your friends and coworkers will be impressed. The recipe calls for turkey with taco seasoning, homemade salsa, and brown rice, but you can add cheese, corn, more veggies, sour cream, and even replace the turkey with beans to make it vegetarian-friendly.
7. Thai Coconut Healthy Instant Noodles
Grab whole wheat pasta, chicken (or if you're vegetarian: chickpeas), veggies, green curry paste, and coconut milk, and you're ready with a meal in 5 minutes time.
8. Creamy Vegan Mexican Pasta Salad
This pasta salad is PACKED with spice, vegetables, and healthy fats and is therefore guaranteed to satisfy (even if you're gluten free or vegan). I'm excited to venture out of my culinary expertise to try this because Mexican food is my weakness. If you're not feeling that vegan lifestyle, add chicken.
9. Chicken and Avocado Burrito
All you have to do is wrap the chicken, avocado, cheese, salsa verde, sour cream and cilantro up in a tortilla and grill it. It's portable, it's fun, and it's light yet filling.
10. Bacon Turkey Burger
These Turkey burgers take meal prepping to the extreme. Once the patties are made, they can last up to a month in the freezer. All you need to do is defrost and prepare the sandwich the night before. These turkey burgers are made of bacon and zucchini aka they are delicious. Mix the ingredients all together and grill away!
10 easy lunch meal prep ideas, all perfect for those busy productive weeks. Now all that's left is to decide what to make first.