healthy lunch ideas

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Do you love packing lunches as much as I do? (I’m kidding, that’s not a real question.)

I love cooking, but prepping lunches? Not one of my favorite things to do. And I get the feeling that those of you who pack lunches day in and day out get sick of it real quick as well. And it’s totally understandable – it takes a ton of planning, prepping and energy to pack lunches every day.

When I think of the goal of this little website of mine, it’s to provide simple, delicious and healthy inspiration to eat well. For kids, for adults and for everyone in between. With that in mind, these healthy lunch ideas are suitable for the entire family, and I kept them as easy as possible.

Ideally, each lunch (and meal for that matter!) should consist of a protein, vegetable and whole-grain or starch component. The fruit and treat are optional, but may help you score good lunch cred! Portion size will depend on the size of the human. 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

Healthy Lunch Ideas: Protein | deli meat, cheese cubes, hard boiled eggs, edamame, beans, cottage cheese, greek yogurt, nut or sun butter, grilled or leftover meat, tuna or egg salad, smoothie (frozen in molds), meatballs, frittata, cheese quesadilla, grass-fed hot dogs

 

 

 

 

 

 

Healthy Lunch Ideas: Vegetables | carrot sticks, grape tomatoes, lettuce wraps, cucumber slices, roasted vegetables, red pepper strips, snap peas, coleslaw, sautéed zucchini, steamed broccoli, roasted cauliflower

 

 

 

 

 

 

Healthy Lunch Ideas: Fruits | berries, apple slices, orange segments, grapes, melon chunks, sliced kiwi, mango

 

 

 

 

 

 

Healthy Lunch Ideas: Whole-Grains (or Starch)| crackers, pasta, bread, popcorn, tortillas, pita bread, mini bagel, waffles, pancakes, english muffin, focaccia, cereal, baked oatmeal, cinnamon raisin bread, cubed sweet potato, roasted squash, mashed potatoes, potato pancakes, sweet potato fries

 

 

 

 

 

 

Healthy Lunch Ideas: Treats | fruit leather, whole-grain cookies, mini-muffins, trail mix, dried fruit, granola bars

 

Helpful Products: these products might make packing lunch a little easier and a little more fun! The popsicle molds are great for filling and freezing with healthy smoothies (add some greens!) and the baking cups are helpful for keeping foods separate in bento-box style lunch containers.

LunchBots Quad Container | Silicone Popsicle Molds | Silicone Baking Cups | Laptop Lunches Bento Buddies (affiliate)

What do YOU pack for lunch?