Lunch Time Ideas

I always have issues figuring out what to pack for lunch.  In order to make it easier for you, I’ve decided to create a list of ideas that you can mix and match during the week.  Pick one grain/ carb, protein, and one or two fruits and veggies.  Then you will have a complete lunch.

Five example lunches:

Lunch 1:

• Chicken Salad on a bagel
• Cucumber Slices
• Peach Slices

 

Lunch 2:

• Ham and cheese on whole wheat
• Carrot Sticks with Ranch Dip
• Grapes

 

Lunch 3:

• Tuna Fish Salad
• Club Crackers
• Celery Sticks with Hummus
• Applesauce

Lunch 4:

• Homemade lunchables with lunch meat, cheese, and Ritz or Club Crackers
• Strawberries
• Bell Peppers Slices

 

Lunch 5:

• Greek yogurt with blueberries and almonds
• Air popped popcorn
• Grapes
• Cucumbers

 

Grains/ Carb

Air Popped Popcorn or Homemade Microwave Popcorn

Pretzels

Whole Grain Bread

Crackers – Triscuit, Ritz, Club, Wheat Thins

Tortillas

Bagels

Chips – Potato, Tortilla, Pita

Pasta – Spaghetti, Mac and Cheese

Quinoa

Rice

Potato

 

Protein

Lunch Meat – I love Boar’s Head lunch meat because it doesn’t have nitrates.

Cheese – String, Shredded, Cubes, Slices

Nut butter

Quinoa – It is considered both a grain and a protein.

Hummus

Yogurt – I love Greek yogurt.  Make sure you don’t have a yogurt that is high in sugar.

Cottage Cheese

Chia Seeds

Tofu

Hard Boiled egg – Oven or Pressure Cooker

Fish – Tuna or salmon

Chicken

Beans

Nuts

Trail Mix

Fruits and Veggies

Apples or Applesauce – Make homemade applesauce or buy a jar of unsweetened applesauce.  Divide the applesauce into smaller containers.

Berries – Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries – In the winter, get frozen berries.  Divide into smaller containers and allow to defrost in your lunch bag.

Citrus – Oranges, grapefruit, Cuties

 Tropical – Pineapple, Mango, Kiwi

Stone Fruits – Peaches, Plums, Nectarines, Apricots

Grapes

Cherries

Bananas

Carrots

Celery

Cucumber

Broccoli or Cauliflower

Greens – Spinach, Romaine Lettuce, Kale

Snap Peas

Bell Peppers

Grape Tomatoes or Sliced Tomatoes

 

Other Ideas

Leftovers

Soup – Make a big batch and then freeze into smaller portions

Taco Soup

Stuffed Pepper Soup

Spanish Style Chicken Noodle Soup

Tomato Soup

Split Pea Soup

Mason Jar Salads

If all fails, pack a freezer meal.  Freezer meals are full of sodium so check the sodium content of the freezer meal.  My favorite is the small container of Stouffer’s mac and cheese.  It’s my comfort meal when I’ve had a stressful day with my students.

Here is a printable page of the grains/ carbs, protein, and fruits/veggie ideas.

Let’s connect on social media:

Instagram – @Believeinthemagictraci
Facebook – @imhungry15
Pinterest – @imhungry75
Yummly

I hope you have a great day.  Thanks for reading my blog post.  

Happy eating,
Traci