10 Easy Lunch Ideas for the week
The week gets busy and the last thing you want to do some days is think about what you’re fixing for lunch. I thought I would share a few of my go-to’s for making a quick, easy and delicious lunch. You always want to make sure you’re having a lunch that will keep you feeling satisfied throughout the day. These 10 Easy Lunch Ideas should help as you plan out your week!
10 Easy Lunch Ideas
- Pre-made salad: you probably already know the this is one of my favorite things to have around for an easy lunch during the week. There’s nothing like having something already in the fridge to easily throw together when it’s lunch time. Good thing, we have plenty of these to choose from based off what you like!
Pre-made salads on One Balanced Life:
- Healthy Chicken Salad
- The Best Egg Salad
- Mediterranean Tuna Salad
- Southwestern Chicken Salad
- Curry Chicken Salad
- Chipotle Chicken Salad
2. Lavash wraps: one of my go-to’s for an easy lunch is making a lavash wrap! These are so easy to switch up and literally take 5 minutes to throw together. I like using these lavash wraps.
A few options for fillings in a lavash wrap:
- Turkey or Chicken Breast
- Tuna or chicken salad
- Greens
- Favorite dip or sauce (dijon mustard, ranch, hummus, etc)
- Pickles, tomatoes or onions
- Shredded cheese (throw it in the microwave real quick to get melty!)
3. Sheetpan Meal: the best thing about a sheetpan meal is that it’s all made on one pan and it makes for something great to prep for the week! If you’re doing a little prep on the weekends, plan to add this Sweet Potato, Brussels sprouts and Chicken Sausage Sheetpan to your weekly prep. It makes for something easy to throw into a container and pull out for lunch during the week!
Other meals that come together on a sheetpan:
Turkey Marinara Stuffed Zucchini
4. Chopped Salad: If you buy everything at the beginning of the week to make salads all week long, a chopped salad is a great lunch option that you can make filling and nutritious! If you haven’t checked out my post on How to spice up your salads at home, be sure to read all the tips and tricks I give to make a salad not only TASTE good but fill you up.
A few things I love to add into a salad at home:
- Mixed greens
- Turkey breast or shredded crockpot chicken
- Nuts or seeds
- Banana peppers
- Pre-chopped veggies: try chopping these up at the beginning of the week so they are ready to go! Cucumber, bell peppers and onion are great ones to do this with.
- Avocado
- Dressing! If I’m not making a dressing at home some of my favorite pre-made ones are Primal Kitchen and Tessemaes.
If you want to make a big salad, check out these recipes:
Roasted Sweet Potato Kale Salad
5. Dinner leftovers: Whenever I’m planning out my meals for the week, I always try to think of which ones I can use for leftovers for the next few days.
A few recipes that make for great leftovers:
- Spring Roll in a Bowl
- Sweet Potato & Ground Turkey Skillet
- Honey Mustard Sheetpan Meal
- Salmon Cakes
- One Pan Chicken Fajitas
6. Pasta or Pasta Salad: I love a good pasta dish! Not only are these great for an easy weeknight dinner, but you can easily reheat them for lunch the next day. Pasta salad is another dish that pairs well for dinner side or lunch.
A few of my favorite pasta/pasta salad for the week:
- Southwestern Pasta Salad
- One Pot Taco Pasta
- Grilled Chicken Pesto Pasta
- Smoked Mozzarella Pasta Salad
- Shrimp & Asparagus Pasta
7. Sweet Potato Toast: Another favorite that I will make during the week is Sweet Potato Toast. These are great to make at the beginning of the week and store and easily reheat when you want them during the week. You can top them with sweet combos like yogurt, nut butter and fruit or savory like avocado, egg or tuna/egg salad. Check out the full post on making sweet potato toast here.
8. Easy Tortilla Pizzas: another easy meal to throw together at anytime are tortilla pizzas! All you need are a couple ingredients and they can easily be switched up with whatever you have at home. Check out the full recipe for the Tortilla Pizzas here.
9. Grain Bowls: Making a grain bowl is a great way to fill up on macronutrients and make a super satisfying lunch. When I plan to have these for lunch during the week, I typically prep some of the ingredients ahead of time like the protein, grain and/or sauce. That way when it comes down to making the bowl for lunch, you can easily assemble with everything that you already have ready.
A few grain bowls to make:
- Buddha Bowl with Peanut Sauce
- Harvest Grain Bowl
- Copycat Sweetgreen Chicken & Brussels Salad
- Shrimp Grain Bowl
10. Stuffed Sweet Potatoes: an easy meal that can be prepped ahead of time are stuffed sweet potatoes! I love doing this with my shredded crockpot chicken that I’ve made and just prep some cooked sweet potatoes so you can easily make these for a quick meal. Check out the BBQ Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes here.
