5 Packable Healthy Lunch Ideas for Anyone

Do you want to start packing healthier lunches for work or school than you do now? If you think that it’s high time you take better care of your health and nutrition, we’ve got some great healthy lunch ideas that are perfect for your bento box.

Eating a variety of healthy foods and consuming less sugars, salts, and trans-fats will protect you against many chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer. Therefore, you may even want to prepare these recipes for your entire family.

Whether packing lunches for the busy work week or for your school bento box, these healthy lunch recipes will make your diet healthier.

5 Packable Healthy Lunch Ideas for Work or School

Not only do these recipes are healthy, but they are also delicious and incredibly filling. And, most of them are easy and quick to prepare.

1. Tuna Cakes

Tuna is loaded with protein and healthy omega-3s so you may want to include it in your diet more often. One way to do that is to make these crispy cakes that will take canned tuna to a whole new level.

Try using plain oats instead of breadcrumbs to make them even healthier. The protein in tuna will keep you full until your next meal.
Ingredients

(for 1 serving)

• 1 egg
• ½ cup rolled oats
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 pouch solid white tuna in water, 2.6 oz.
• 1/8 tsp. kosher salt
• ½ tsp. lemon rind, grated
• 2 tsp. fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• ¼ tsp. garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
• 2 cups arugula
• 1 tbsp. hummus

Preparation

Pulse oats in a food processor until ground. Put them in a bowl and add beaten egg, mustard, tuna, lemon rind, parsley, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mix well.

Take a dry measuring cup and fill 1/3 of it with the tuna mix. Invert it onto something flat, and pat it gently to form a ¾ inch-thick tuna patty. Do the same thing with the rest of the tuna mixture.

Put the tuna cakes in a large skillet with heated oil and cook for three to four minutes on each side. Cook until they are golden.

Pack your tuna cakes with some arugula, hummus, and a piece of lemon to squeeze it on top of the cakes right before eating.

2. Veggie Wraps

A veggie wrap makes the perfect packable healthy lunch idea that will satisfy your cravings in between meetings. The healthy fats in the avocado will keep your full, as well as the protein in hummus and edamame.

Ingredients

(for 4 servings)

• 1 cup cooked and shelled edamame
• 2/3 cup hummus
• 4 large tortillas, whole wheat
• 1 shredded carrot
• 1 or 2 peeled and thinly sliced avocados
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 1 chopped cucumber
• Some olive oil
• Ground black pepper to taste
• Other vegetables you can use: tomato, alfalfa sprouts, bell peppers, cabbage, radish, beets, lettuce, corn.

Preparation

On each tortilla, spread hummus and add avocado slices, baby spinach, edamame, cucumber slices, shredded carrot, and any other vegetable you want.
Sprinkle with ground black pepper and drizzle with a little olive oil. Roll up your tortilla into a wrap and pack it into your bento box.

3. Lentil, Spinach, and Beet Salad

Here’s another delicious salad packed with fiber and protein from lentils and spinach.

Ingredients

(for 1 serving)

• 2 tbsp. crumbled feta or goat cheese
• 2 tbsp. walnuts, chopped
• 2 tbsp. shaved carrot
• 2 tbsp. red beet, thinly sliced
• ½ cup lentils, cooked
• 1 ½ cup baby spinach
• ½ tsp. maple syrup
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 2 tsp. tahini

Preparation

Mix baby spinach, lentils, and other ingredients, and put the salad in your bento box. Stir lemon juice, tahini, and maple syrup in a bowl and add them to a separate compartment of your bento box. Drizzle the sauce over the salad right before eating.

4. Salmon Sushi Sandwich

Sushi sandwiches are the perfect alternative to sushi rolls. You can combine them with some vegetables of your choice and pack a healthy lunch for work or school.

Ingredients

• 6.3 ounce or 1 packed cup brown sticky rice, cooked
• ¼ cup reduced-fat cream cheese with 1/3 less fat (tub-style)
• 2 nori sheets (8-inc.)
• ½ cup cucumber slices, thinly sliced
• 2 ounces cold-smoked salmon such as lox, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp. green onions, thinly sliced
• ½ cup julienne carrots

Preparation

Heat rice by following the instructions on the package.

Place nori sheets on a work surface with the rough side up, arranging them as if they have a diamond shape. Fill ¼ cup with cooked rice and pat it into a 3 ½ inch square in the center of the nori sheets.

Put two tablespoons of cream cheese on each square of cooked rice. Spread it and top with onion slices. Add layers of salmon, cucumber slices, and julienne carrots. Pat ¼ cooked rice over each salmon stack.

Bring two opposite corners of nori sheets together over the filling, and press lightly to seal. Repeat with the other pair of opposite corners.

Use parchment paper or wax paper to wrap your sushi sandwiches to maintain their shape. Cut them in half and pack them into your bento box.

5. Chicken Salad

You can always make chicken salad healthier by omitting the mayonnaise and using a combination of Greek yogurt, lemon rind, olive oil, and fresh thyme. Once you try this version, you’ll never want to use mayonnaise again. Pack your healthy chicken salad with some celery stalks and cantaloupe cubes.

Ingredients

(for 2 servings)

• 9 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1 ½ tsp. fresh thyme leaves
• ¼ cup plain reduced-fat Greek yogurt
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tbsp. silvered red onion
• ¼ tsp. black pepper
• ¼ tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. lemon rind, grated
• 4 cups water

Preparation

Pour the water into a saucepan and add the bay leaves. Bring to simmer and add chicken. Simmer until done, or about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and drain the chicken. Remove the bay leaves and let the chicken cool before shredding it.

In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil, Greek yogurt, salt, lemon rind, pepper, and fresh thyme. Add onion and shredded chicken. Toss to combine.

Conclusion

With these packable healthy lunch ideas, you can eat healthy at work or school while gaining all the benefits of consuming nutritious foods.

 

Image Credit: wikimedia.org

Article Posted In: Healthy Lunch Recipes

Tags: healthy lunch, healthy lunch ideas, healthy lunch in office