3 Delicious, Stress Free Lunch Meal Prep Ideas

Use these simple tips, strategies and recipes to plan ahead and create simple and delicious lunch meal prep plan that never gets old.

After years of coaching busy, on-the-go women I’ve learned a thing or two about what it takes to eat healthy, consistently. Honestly, it all boils down to preparation. You’re either prepared – you have a plan, a back up plan and the resources to succeed – or you feel like you’re scrambling. And with all that’s happening in your day already, you don’t need lunch to be the added stressor.

Benefits of Meal Prep

Meal prep. Maybe you’ve heard of it? It’s become super trendy in the fitness and health world for good reason: it works. Here are just a few reasons why you might consider meal prepping:

1. Healthier eating will feel easier. Even on the busiest, hungriest, most stressful of days, having meals that are healthy, tasty and most importantly, already prepared for you, is a game changer. When you plan and prep your meals ahead of time you can focus on things like nutrient balance and portion control. That’s particularly helpful when your stomach is growling and really and you feel like you could eat a horse!
   
2. Save time and money. Instead of wasting time figuring out what to eat, or having to head the grocery store, or resorting to take out, meal prep has it all figured out for you.
   
3. Improve your relationship with food. I’ve found that a lot of human-food relationships, at least for the women I work with who’ve grown up submersed in a diet culture, is based on trust. Or more accurately: mistrust. Meal prep helps you to build that trust with yourself and your ability to make healthy food choices because it takes the in-the-moment stress and decision making out of the picture. Meal prep mean it’s done – lunch is made for you.

Tips to Get Started with Meal Prep

If you’re slightly (or overwhelmingly) intimidated by meal prep, don’t be! I’ll show you that meal prep doesn’t have to be complicated. With a little bit of practice, you’ll be surprised by just how easy it is. And you’ll wonder why you didn’t hop on the band wagon sooner!

First up, get organized. That means: have an understanding of how many meals you’re going to need. From there you can calculate how many servings you need, how many pieces of Tupperware you need to clean, and exactly what you need to pick up at the grocery store.

Next, block off some time. Honestly, you won’t need more than an hour or two for these lunch meal prep ideas. But you do want free time to concentrate on what you’re doing because you will be multi-tasking a bit!

You’re going to want to invest in some decent containers. Ideally, buy multi-use, dishwasher and microwave safe, BPA free containers that stack easily. It’s a good idea to get various sizes, too. For example, you’ll want a container that is big enough for a giant salad, but you are also going to want a container small enough to portion our dressings.

That’s it! Nothing fancy or complicated. But I promise, if you have trouble keeping it healthy and easy at lunch – this will help.

(p.s. if you really want to level up your lunch meal prep game, read this and make sure that you have all of the tools you need for simple, delicious, chef-inspired meals!).

3 Simple and Delicious Lunch Meal Prep Ideas

Each of these lunch meal prep ideas will give you 5 days’ worth of lunches. If you’re just getting started with meal prep, test out one at a time. You can always shake things up flavor-wise with my Fit Foodie tips below. If you’re a seasoned meal prepper, go ahead and pick 2-3 that you like. Make sure to stock up on containers because you’ll be freezing some (or sharing!).

What I love about these lunch meal prep ideas is that you cook once but have endless ways to create a different lunch for each day.

Sheet Pan Chicken and Vegetable Fajitas

It doesn’t get easier (or make for a better clean up) than one pan meals.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2# boneless, skinless chicken (breast or thigh)
• 1 large red onion, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• olive oil
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• salt
• pepper
• 1 lime, cut into 6 wedges
• cilantro
• 1 cup brown rice
• 4 small corn or whole wheat tortillas
• 1 large whole wheat tortilla
• 1 bag mixed greens
• 1/4 cup grated cheese
• pico de gallo
• guacamole
• plain Greek yogurt

Start by preheating your oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. On one side, lay 1 1/2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken (breast or thigh), that’s been cut into strips. On the other side, spread out red onion, red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper and green bell pepper that have all been cut into thin slices. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle both chicken and veggies with a homemade fajita mix: chili powder, cumin, dried oregano, granulated garlic, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Toss veggies to coat, and then rub the seasoning on all sides of the chicken. Bake 20-25 minutes until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are just cooked, but still have a bite.

Once cool enough to handle, portion chicken and veggies into 5 portions.

Meal 1: Chicken and Veg Fajitas
You made fajitas – you should have fajitas! 1 container of chicken and veggies + 2 small tortillas + small containers of pico and guacamole. Top with cilantro and 2 tablespoons of cheese.

Meal 2: Baja Rice Bowl
Top brown rice with chicken and vegetables and 2 tablespoons of cheese. Then, in another container portion out greens, pico and guacamole. Pop the rice and chicken mix into the microwave to heat up and melt the cheese. Top with greens. Finally, squeeze a wedge of lime over top and then add your pico and guacamole.

Meal 3: Chicken Tex Mex Salad
Prepare a big container of greens topped with chicken and vegetables. In a small container mix 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt with cilantro and lime to make a crema (add water to loosen). When you’re ready to eat, toss salad with 2 tablespoons of lime crema and then top with pico.

Meal 4: Chicken Tacos
Pack yourself a taco lunch! 2 corn or whole wheat tortillas with chicken and veggies, fresh cilantro, pico de gallo and a drizzle of yesterdays crema.

Meal 5: Spicy Chicken and Vegetable Wrap
Use up your leftovers by packing it all into a hearty, whole wheat wrap. First, drain 2 tablespoons of pico de gallo. Mix the tomato and onion that’s left with 2 tablespoons of Greek yogurt. Then spread your yogurt mix onto your wrap and then add: one last portion of chicken and vegetables, a handful of mixed greens, cilantro and guacamole.

Make it your own by adding your favorite hot sauce. You can also add more vegetables to this roast (just make sure not to crowd the pan). I like to throw on zucchini and mushrooms for color and flavor.

Snack-able Lunch Box

This is a really fun way to eat, especially if you’re not a big lunch person (like me).

Ingredients:

• 5 hard boiled eggs
• 1/4 pound low-sodium, natural deli turkey
• 1/4 pound low-sodium, natural deli ham
• 1 container hummus
• small bag of almonds
• small bag of cashews
• 1 English cucumber, sliced
• 2 large carrots, cut into sticks
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 small container raspberries
• 1 small container blueberries
• 1 box whole wheat crackers
• Everything Bagel Seasoning

For these meals, you’re truly going just going to mix and match, creating your perfect snack box! I love that this makes balance so easy. A little bit of sweet, a little bit of savory. Protein, healthy fats and carbohydrates to keep you fueled. And of course, color!

Make it your own by subbing in your favorite fruits and vegetables, nuts and crackers. Don’t like eggs? No problem, just add some more deli meat, or smoked salmon, or cottage cheese.

Zoodle Grain Bowls (for days)

Grain bowls are great. They’re so satisfying to eat because they’re fun, flavorful, BIG and colorful. And you can get really creative with your sauces here (see below).

Ingredients:

• 5 cups of your favorite grains: quinoa, wild rice, brown rice, or farro
• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 rotisserie chicken, skin discarded, shredded
• 2 zucchini, spiralized
• 1 quart cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 cucumber, diced
• 1 small bag sunflower seeds
• 1 container of plain Greek yogurt
• dressing seasonings: see below

Grab 5 containers and divide your grains evenly. Top with chickpeas and chicken, and even portions of zoodles, tomatoes, cucumbers and sunflower seeds. Then, pick your flavor profile for the day:

Lemon Tahini – 1 tablespoon of lemon + 1 tablespoon tahini + grated garlic + 1 teaspoon maple syrup + salt + pepper + water to loosen.

Spicy Yogurt – 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt + 2 teaspoons Sriracha + 1-2 drops maple syrup + salt + water to loosen

Creamy Herb – 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt + 1 tablespoon fresh chopped herbs of your choice + squeeze of lemon + salt

Scallion Soy – 1 tablespoon soy sauce + 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar + 1-2 drops maple syrup + hot chili oil (optional) + sliced scallion + 1 teaspoon sesame oil

Maple Balsamic – 1 teaspoon Dijon + 1 teaspoon maple syrup + 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar + 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil + salt + pepper

Tex Mex – 2 tablespoons of Greek yogurt + 1 tablespoon salsa (seriously)

There you go! Three very simple, very delicious lunch meal prep ideas that will have you in and out of the kitchen in an hour or less (thanks, lunch boxes!).

What are your favorite lunch prep ideas?