8 Adult Lunch Box Ideas | Healthy Meal Prep Recipes for Work Lunches (2024)

You are going to love these creative8 Wholesome Lunch-Box Ideas for Adults and Kidsalike, that go way beyond your typical deli sandwich! Lunch really can be easy and healthy!

I’m sure you have heard the phrase, “If you are prepared, you shall not fear.” That is the name of the game when having healthy, tasty, on-the-go lunch options. I’ve been working on prepping ingredients, lunches, and meals for the freezer, and it has been such an awesome thing to have done and ready to use!

I’m getting into a great make-ahead groove, and having more make ahead lunch box options has been a game changer for mornings.

Why You’ll Love These Lunch-Box Ideas

• Planning for lunches like you plan for dinners will be a sanity saver
• It helps you be intentional so your family will eat healthier foods
• So crazy easy and will save you time and energy
• And these simple lunchbox ideas might even save you money on your grocery bill

How to Make These Wholesome Lunch-Box Ideas

• Easy Pasta Salad (leftover pasta + chopped zucchini/red onion/tomato/bell peppers/ham + salad dressing (roasted garlic, creamy Italian, and classic vinaigrette are awesome in this)
• Cashews + dark chocolate chips
• Kiwi + blueberries

• Hummus
• Celery/carrots/bell peppers/broccoli
• Crackers
• Dried fruit (mango/pineapple/blueberries/apricots) + dark chocolate

• Butternut Squash and Red Lentil Curry + brown rice (my favorite leftovers!)
• Dark chocolate
• Broccoli/radishes/tomatoes
• Red and green grapes

• Salami + provolone
• Crackers
• Radishes/cucumber/carrots/black olives
• Raspberries

• Apple and Peanut Butter “Sandwiches”
• Blueberries
• Cashews + almonds + pecans + dark chocolate chips
• Boiled eggs
• Carrots + celery

• Egg Salad
• Crackers
• Black olives/celery/carrots/broccoli/radishes/bell peppers
• Dried blueberries/apricots/pineapple + dark chocolate + almonds

• Cooked Quinoa + Roasted Veggies + Chicken Breast (great with optional dressing on top, and I love the roasted garlic on this)
• Red and green grapes
• Pecans + almonds + dates + dark chocolate chips

• Green Salad (all the veggies + optional ham/cheese/boiled egg). If I’m going to eat it within an hour or two, I’ll add the dressing before I leave the house. I’ll bring the dressing in a separate container if I’m not going to eat it for a few hours. Don’t dress the day you make it; it gets soggy fast.
• Crackers
• Blueberries + raspberries
• Dark chocolate

Wasn’t that awesome and pretty painless? The noodles and curry are leftovers from a dinner and the boiled eggs and salad dressings can be made ahead of time. Even if you were whipping these up one at a time in the morning, they shouldn’t take more than a few minutes to put together.

If you are looking for other lunch-box inspiration, you might also like these posts:

• 12 Healthy Lunch Box Ideas for Kids or Adults
• 5 Secrets to Healthy Packed-Lunch Success
• Lunch-Box Inspiration
• Packed Lunch Ideas for Kids
• Six Quick and Easy Hummus Lunch Boxes
• 6 Sandwich-on-a-Stick Lunch Box Ideas

My favorite page on all things meal prep and food prep (lots of make ahead meal ideas!)

I am so excited for you to make and try a few of these wholesome packed lunch ideas for adults! It’s a simple way to get whole foods for lunch, even on the craziest of days

Lunchbox FAQs

Expert Tips

• Meal plan so you know what to prep ahead for lunch-box meals. This helps you streamline your grocery shopping and preparation process.
• Look for good-quality, leak-proof containers. Separate compartments or stackable containers will help keep foods fresh and the fridge organized when lunches are prepped ahead.
• Be creative with leftovers from dinner and purposely cook one or two meals during the week that will make good lunch-box foods.
• Pack foods that are safe to eat at room temperature if refrigeration or reheating isn’t available.

How To Make Meal Prep Easier

I like to prep lunches while I’m making dinner and already have out my knife and cutting board. You can also do a big meal prep session, or you can prep a little as you go. Whatever is easiest for you!Check out all of my meal prep tips here!
I am so excited for you to make and try a few of these wholesomepacked lunch ideasfor adults! It’s a simple way to get whole foods for lunch, even on the craziest of days.

The Best Way to Store and Carry Lunch To Go

You must get some lunchboxes you love!These Easy Lunch Boxesare super great for my kids and myself alike. It helps you portion everything out easily, plus it makes clean up and transporting simple.

Freezable lunch bags are also a really great option if you know you are going to be out for a while and want to bring a packed lunch. I use these year round when I need to keep lunches cold.

What To Have For Lunch Instead Of Sandwiches

It is easy to get stuck in the sandwich rut for lunch but the sky is the limit when lunch is involved. Don’t overcomplicate it. A few ideas: you can enjoy some type of salad, whether it be a pasta salad, a green salad topped with protein or quinoa salad. You can replace a traditional sandwich with a wrap. I like to mix it and use lettuce as a wrap or naan bread. However, the most efficient way to create a lunch is using leftovers. I tend to make extra servings of dinner just for this purpose. Kill 2 birds with 1 stone I say.

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