Have a healthy, packed lunch by your side during the day
It’s essential when you’re out and about, or at school or work. This way, you have a nutritious meal when you need it most. You won't go hungry, head for the vending machines, or aim for the closest drive-through, desperate for sustenance.
Don’t have time to make lunch before you head out for the day?
Didn’t have any leftovers from last night’s dinner?
Not a meal prepper?
All good; we’ve got your back.
Here’s a list of super fast, super nutritious, “snackable” lunches you can throw together–super easy. These combinations go almost directly from your shopping list into your refrigerator, then into your insulated tote. And they give you balanced, nutritious, and tasty lunches you’ll look forward to snack on every day.
The Supplies
These supplies come in very handy for grabbing your snackable lunches before heading out:
A good-sized, insulated lunch tote (with enough room to store all your food)
Plastic zip bags (you can easily find reusable ones in stores like Target, Walmart, or Amazon if you prefer)
Lunch & snack-size glass containers with snap-on lock lids (in several different sizes, including a small one for dressings, dips, and sauces)
Ice packs (flat ice packs work well to slip in between items inside your tote to keep things cool)
A set of utensils that travel with your lunch tote
Note: you may need to do some quick basic prep for these lunches, such as dicing onions or cutting celery sticks. Many shortcuts are available at your local grocery store, but you will pay more for the convenience. Planning to spend fifteen minutes to prep for the coming week will save you money in the long run.
The Snackables
Hummus Dip ‘n Veggies
Ingredients:
Hummus
Pita rounds
Carrots sticks
Celery sticks
Snap peas
Baby bell peppers
Bartlett pear
Instructions:
Use your snap-on lock lid glass containers for items like hummus so there are no leak surprises for lunchtime. The veggies can go in either bags or glass containers. The fat in the hummus and the fiber in the veggies should keep you full and satisfied until dinnertime. Plus, your gut microbiome loves fiber! The pear is a sweet treat to cap off your snacktime lunch. Enjoy.
Chicken Salad Wrap
Ingredients:
Cooked chicken - either leftover from a previous meal or canned chicken
Lemon mayonnaise - or your favorite flavor
Celery - you can find pre-diced celery in the grocery store or quickly dice 1-2 stalks yourself
Green onions - if you have time, chop up one green onion (optional)
Carrots - stores carry packaged shredded carrots, which are perfect for this snack
Butter lettuce leaves - stores sell containers of lettuce leaves; you can go with that or grab a whole head of lettuce and pull off leaves
Whole grain or seed crackers - use to dip into any leftovers
Nectarine, apple, or banana
Instructions:
The minimal prep is super easy for this lunch. Place your celery, carrots, and onion (if using) into a large glass container. Add in your diced leftover or canned chicken and 1 tbsp of your mayo. Mix to incorporate and cover. Pack your salad, lettuce leaves, 4-5 crackers, and a piece of fruit, and you’re ready to go!
Falafel Salad
Ingredients:
Frozen or prepared falafel - if your falafel needs a little oven toasting, do it while you are getting ready to go in the morning, and wrap it in foil to go
Baby spinach (or spring mix)
Creamy cucumber dill dressing (or tzatziki, if you have)
Cherry tomatoes
Pita bread
Grapes
Instructions:
Prep the largest glass container with a bed of baby spinach and cherry tomatoes (halved, if you prefer). Many different brands of cucumber dill dressing are available at your local store, but if you have tzatziki or want to make it for your falafel, feel free! Store your dressing in a small glass container with a tight lid. Grapes top off this Middle Eastern snack feast.
Mason Jar Salad
Ingredients:
Kale (or spinach, or radicchio, or other leafy green)
Canned tuna (see note below)
Hard-boiled egg (pick up a pack of premade hard-boiled eggs at your market)
Cannellini beans (canned, about a ¼ cup, rinsed and drained - keep the remainder for your next salad)
Shredded carrots
Alfalfa sprouts
Your salad dressing of choice
Instructions:
Note: When it comes to tuna, you’ll need to select a canned tuna that fits your needs from all angles: oil or water-packed? Light or white? How is the tuna caught? What about levels of mercury? All things to consider (if you are pregnant, it is best to skip tuna altogether and just go with the egg) when you make your selection at the store.
This salad stacks up in a 32oz. mason jar quickly. Your salad dressing (about 2 tbsp) should go in the bottom. Your carrots should go next, then your sprouts, and then kale should make up most of your salad ingredients, a little under half the jar. Next, your beans, tuna, and egg (halved or diced). Pack the jar in your lunch tote with ice packs and step out for the day. At lunchtime, give the jar a healthy shake for 30 seconds to distribute and remix the dressing. Ensure your fork is long enough to reach the bottom of the jar. If not, include a bowl to pour your salad into. Crunch and enjoy.
