Trying to leave bad habits behind is a goal of ours here, and as part of the quest to live a healthier lifestyle we have been thinking about a big question: “What are we having for lunch today?” No matter how good our morning routine, we all fall victim to this trap of wanting a sugar spike to beat the 3pm slump. Remember those nostalgic days of taking that perfectly packed lunchbox mom made and pulling out each item proudly? And maybe even the occasional encouraging note. We are on a mission to bring that back and in the most resourceful way possible. Check out all our tips for preparing the perfect, healthy, packable lunch. There is even a little free meal prep printable in it for you too.
How to Make Healthy Packable Lunches + Free Meal Prep Printable:
When starting to make any lifestyle change it is best to start small and build upon your success, thus we began with our number one slip up when it comes healthy eating, LUNCHTIME.
You know we do not like waste around here. Buying greens or really anything and letting it go bad ain’t good.
Meal prepping eliminates waste and most important encourages clean eating.
A well-balanced healthy meal has 4 main parts: PROTEIN, HEALTHY FAT, FIBER, and GREENS.
Before setting a menu for our week’s lunches we like to keep this in mind.
And we also begin with…
Protein:
This is the key to feeling satisfied with your meals and supporting any exercise efforts.
When meal prepping we like to pick a protein you can use in multiple recipes so that you don’t become bored with it over the week.
We often like chicken or turkey. The possibilities are simply endless here.
PHOTO: Valerie’s Kitchen
Chicken:
You could start out Monday with a healthy take on chicken salad, then Tuesday you could enjoy a warming bone broth soup, Wednesday could be a great Cobb salad, and if you’re feeling a bit fancy maybe chicken in coconut-lime peanut sauce.
Turkey:
Turkey Meatballs, a nice turkey salad, turkey burger, I bet you’re catching on here.
Up next consider your healthy fats.
Healthy Fats To Consider:
- Avocados (We’d have them at every meal if we could.)
- Ghee
- Coconut oil
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Walnuts
- Almonds
- Eggs (Win/ Win with the added protein.)
- Olives
Now, we talk fiber.
Fiber:
- Broccoli
- Artichokes (Love these on a salad.)
- Lentils (Great addition to your bone broth soup.)
- Peas
- Brussel Sprouts (Seriously, can’t get enough.)
- Carrots
- Sweet Potatoes
Now we head to greens, the greatest beauty secret ever.
Greens:
- Collard Greens
- Romaine Lettuce
- Parsley
- Leaf Lettuce
- Spinach
- Beet Greens
- Cucumber
- Sprouts (A great macro-nutrient addition to just about anything.)
After considering all of this it’s time to plan your menu and then head to your local market. Don’t worry, no reason to be overwhelmed, we have you covered with this great printable meal prep worksheet:
DOWNLOAD YOUR MEAL PREP PLAN WORKSHEET HERE!
There’s a little spot for each day’s lunch menu, a grocery list, and any notes you may need. We like to write about any special prep for menu items, or if we didn’t like a particular meal and don’t want to carry it over to future weeks.
Meal Prepping Tips:
Make a day of it, we suggest a Sunday. It can seem overwhelming at first, but you can turn it into a beautiful Sunday ritual. Turn on your favorite tunes and enjoy the smells. Get into that chopping, it really can be a blast. Maybe even enjoy a well-deserved glass of wine.
Eat before. You don’t want to be snacking on all your lunches in advance so make sure you are well and fed.
Pretty portioned containers go a long way. It may seem silly or even vain, but seeing those beautifully prepacked containers gives us a true sense of bliss. It also helps with portion control and transportation. We found some great pattern ceramic bowls with LIDS at our local TJ max and they’re divine for under $3 so keep an eye out.
Get a buddy. Everything is easier when you have a friend by your side to hold you accountable and swap recipes with. In this case, the buddy system is key to staying consistent.
