60 Healthy Lunch Ideas For Work

September 1, 2019 62 Comments

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60 healthy lunch ideas for work- save yourself money and eat healthier by making your own lunch. Get a ton of lunch ideas including cold salads, hot lunches, granola bars, snacks and soups! Simple and healthy lunch recipes.

This post has been updated in 09/2019 with more healthy lunch ideas and lunch packing tips!

Are you stuck in a work lunch rut? Then look no further, because you’re about to find a TON of healthy lunch ideas for work!

I used to find myself completely lost for work lunch ideas when we didn’t have dinner left-overs, and it led to me buying lunch more often than I’d like.

Lunch packing tips

Plan ahead- make sure to include your lunches in your meal plan. Often we will plan for dinner leftovers to eat for lunch the next day and that goes on the plan. See How to Write a Meal Plan
Use the right equipment- I personally love these 2 cup meal prep containers, but 3 compartment meal prep containers and 1 pint jars are also on repeat. See The Best Lunch Containers for more ideas!
Keep condiments separate- (unless stated on the recipe). This is usually a good bet when it comes to salads etc. I like layering salads in 1 pint jars, or storing dressings in these condiment containers
Set a reminder- forgetting your lunch is the WORST! Set a reminder on Alexa, your iPhone, or even just leave a post it on the door. See 5 Ways to Use Amazon Echo in the Kitchen

These healthy lunch ideas for work are nutritious, delicious, will travel well, and will last in the fridge until lunch time! Here’s some lunch inspiration!

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This post covers a LOT! Click on any of the links below to go directly to that section

Cold Salad Lunch Ideas

Salads do not necessarily mean lettuce. All of these salads have a few things in common: healthy, delicious, they have some staying power, and they are portable! Perfect for lunches!

Meal prep it- Keep salad dressings separate until just prior to serving (unless otherwise directed).

Best lunch containers- For salads, I like these condiment containers, layering in 1 pint mason jars, or storing in these 3 compartment meal prep containers.

1. Chicken and Rice Salad with Ginger Sesame Dressing // 2. Kale, Barley & Feta Salad with a Honey Lemon Vinaigrette

3. Meal Prep Chopped Chickpea Salad // 4. Roasted Carrot Falafel Salad with Citrus Tahini Dressing

5. Caprese Chicken Salad Meal Prep Bowls // 6. Pearl Barley Salad with Chickpeas & Lemon

7. Healthy Greek Chicken Pasta Salad // 8. Refreshing Quinoa Black Bean Salad

9. Taco Salad Recipe // 10. Wild Rice & Sweet Potato Salad

Hot Lunch Ideas

Cook these lunch recipes ahead and re-heat at lunch! These hot lunches are going to make your lunch feel a bit more of a meal. These recipes are portable, healthy and have a good dose of protein to keep you feeling full.

Meal prep it- Many of these hot lunch ideas are freezer-friendly (check directions on each recipe for storage info). Freeze for up to 3 months and thaw as needed.

Best lunch containers- For hot lunches, I like my 2 cup meal prep containers.

1. Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs // 2. Instant Pot Fiesta Rice Bowls

3. Lighter Mongolian Beef Meal Prep // 4. Honey Sriracha Glazed Meatballs

5. Turkey Taco Lunch Bowls // 6. Creamy Black Bean Taquito Meal Prep

7. Honey Sesame Chicken Lunch Bowls // 8. Spicy Chicken Meal Prep Bowls

9. Healthier Firecracker Meal Prep Bowls // 10. Chicken Fajita Meal Prep Bowls

Granola Bars & Energy Bites

Hands up if you spend too much money on granola bars! Me me me!! I would much prefer to make my own from scratch, and I’m feeling inspired by all of these creative granola bars and energy bites.

Meal prep it- Granola bars are often fridge and freezer-friendly (refer to storage directions in each individual recipe)! Freeze for 1-3 months, or store in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Best lunch containers- We freeze energy bites and granola bars for a few hours on a baking sheet, then transfer to reusable stasher bags or 6 cup meal prep containers.

1. Chewy Peanut Butter Granola Bars // 2. Chocolate Tahini Oat Bites

3. Pumpkin Trail Mix Granola Bars // 4. Easy Homemade Protein Bars

5. Blueberry-Vanilla Greek Yogurt Granola Bars // 6. Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Energy Bites

7. No Bake Energy Bites // 8. 7 Homemade Granola Bars

9. Homemade Kind Bars // 10. Apple Quinoa Breakfast Bars

Muffins & Snacks:

Let’s call this the ‘misc’ category! Here’s some healthy and delicious muffins and snacks!

Meal prep it- These snacks can all be prepped ahead, but storage directions vary greatly. Refer to each recipe for specific instructions!

Best lunch containers- I like these 6 cup meal prep containers to store muffins, kale chips, egg muffins and more. I like 1 pint mason jars to store chia pudding, roasted chickpeas, and hummus.

1. Healthy Blueberry Muffins // 2. Foolproof Crispy Baked Kale Chips + 4 Flavors

3. Crispy Baked Falafels // 4. Morning Glory Breakfast Cookies

5. Peanut Butter & Jam Breakfast Cookies // 6. 7 Healthy Breakfast Egg Muffins

7. Crispy Air Fryer Chickpeas // 8. 7 Homemade Hummus Recipes

9. Easy Baked Oatmeal Muffins // 10. Chocolate Chia Pudding

Sandwiches & Wraps

Sandwiches and wraps…these seem like they would keep in the fridge until lunch, perhaps leaving the condiments separate until just prior to serving.

Meal prep it- Sandwiches and wraps can be prepared the same day you serve them OR you can store the filling separately. For some of these wraps & pitas, I heat the filling, then roll my wraps and fill the pita just before eating.

Best lunch containers- Sandwiches store great in these reusable LunchSkins sandwich bags, and I like to store wrap fillings in 2 cup meal prep containers.

1. Avocado Caprese Wraps // 2. Cajun Chicken Wrap Recipe

3. Green Goddess Sandwiches // 4. Spicy Carrot & Hummus Sandwich

5. Meal Prep Pesto Chicken Pita Pockets // 6. Thai Turkey Lettuce Wraps

7. Smashed White Bean & Spinach Quesadillas // 8. Freezer Cauliflower Rice Burritos

9. Vegan Mediterranean Wraps // 10. Greek Chicken Wraps

Soups

Probably my favorite type of lunch 🙂 If you have a good microwave-safe dish with a lid, they aren’t too difficult to transport to work. Heat them up in the microwave, and you have a healthy and delicious warm lunch!

Meal prep it- Cook a big batch ahead and portion out through the week. Leftovers can often be frozen for long term storage.

Best lunch containers- some options for soup include 20 oz meal mugs from Corningware, store in 1 pint mason jars, then reheat in bowls in the microwave, this super popular Crock Pot lunch warmer, and this 24 oz thermos.

1. Thai Curry Sweet Potato and Lentil Soup // 2. Broccoli Cheese Soup

3. Moroccan Soup with Kale and Chickpeas // 4. Thai Curry Wild Rice Soup

5. Healthier Beef Barley Soup // 6. Anti-Inflammatory Broccoli Turmeric Soup

7. Stuffed Pepper Soup // 8. Instant Pot Summer Soup

9. Hearty Vegetable Soup // 10. Creamy Butternut Squash Soup

So that takes care of our Healthy Lunch Ideas for Work! I hope this post has inspired you with a whole bunch of new healthy lunch ideas!

Let me know if you try them.

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