by Margaret S Garrett - Published 6 months ago

2-Week Lunch Meal Prep Plan: Master Your Meals

Even if you love to cook, packing lunch can be challenging because it requires planning meals that will pack, travel, and reheat well, and that you'll actually enjoy. But, with consistent effort, mastering weekly lunch prep can become automatic.

To improve your lunch game and hold yourself accountable, we have created a two-week packed lunch plan. It's flexible enough to accommodate your tastes, schedule, and food preferences, but structured enough to eliminate excuses for not doing it. Our goal is to help you make lunch packing a habit beyond just two weeks.

A Simple Formula for Healthy Packed Lunches

Whether it's a sandwich or a grain bowl, the formula is pretty much the same. Start with a serving of macronutrients, then add as many veggies as you want. To keep things interesting and maintain excitement for your lunches, remember to switch up the ingredients as much as possible and try discovering new grains and vegetables.

Lunch Prep Tips

Choose a day (most people prefer Sunday) to shop for and prepare your meals.
Roast, grill, or pan-sear your protein with salt, pepper, and your favorite spice. Note: Protein will stay most tender if you don’t cut it ahead of time, so try leaving it whole (like chicken breasts or skirt steak) and cut off what you need as you go.
While your protein cooks, hard-boil the eggs. Peel and refrigerate. (You'll only need 4 for lunch, but you can eat the rest for breakfast or as snacks.)
Cook 4 servings of your whole grain in a pot or a rice cooker. Refrigerate.
While the grains are cooking, chop the vegetables you bought, then roast them in the oven at 400ºF (204ºC) with olive oil, salt, pepper, and your favorite spice. Once cooled, refrigerate.
Make a simple salad dressing using two parts olive oil, one part vinegar or lemon juice, a handful of chopped herbs, salt, and pepper.
Store salad greens, raw salad vegetables, cheese, and parsley in the fridge.
Store bread in the fridge or on your counter.

Sample Lunch Combinations for Week 1

MONDAY
VEGETARIAN GRAIN BOWL
1 CUP GRAINS + 1 CUP ROASTED VEGGIES + 2 HARD-BOILED EGGS + 1/2 CUP CHOPPED RAW VEGGIES + 1 TABLESPOON HOMEMADE VINAIGRETTE + 1/4 AVOCADO

TUESDAY
EASY AVOCADO-HUMMUS SANDWICH
2 SLICES 100% WHOLE-WHEAT BREAD + 1/4 AVOCADO + HUMMUS + 1 SERVING PROTEIN + SLICED TOMATO + LETTUCE

WEDNESDAY
NOT SAD DESK SALAD
2 CUPS SALAD GREENS + 1 SERVING PROTEIN + 1/2 CUP RAW VEGGIES + 1/2 CUP ROASTED VEGGIES + 1 OUNCE CHEESE + 2 TABLESPOONS HOMEMADE VINAIGRETTE

THURSDAY
CHICKEN GRAIN BOWL
One cup of grains, one serving of chicken, one cup of raw vegetables, two ounces of cheese, and one tablespoon of homemade vinaigrette.

FRIDAY
EGG AND AVOCADO TOAST
Two slices of 100% whole-wheat bread, half an avocado, two hard-boiled eggs, and one cup of roasted vegetables.

Sample Lunch Combinations for Week 2

MONDAY
GREEK-INSPIRED GRAIN BOWL
One cup of grains, one serving of chicken, one cup of roasted vegetables, tomato, cucumber, two ounces of feta, and Kalamata olives.

TUESDAY
SALMON GRAIN BOWL
One cup of grains, one serving of salmon, one cup of roasted vegetables, one cup of raw vegetables, one-quarter of an avocado, and one tablespoon of homemade vinaigrette.

WEDNESDAY
TOFU-HUMMUS GRAIN BOWL
One cup of grains, one serving of tofu, one cup of roasted vegetables, one cup of raw vegetables, one-quarter of an avocado, and two tablespoons of hummus.

THURSDAY HIGH-PROTEIN CHICKEN SALAD 1 CUP GRAINS + 2 CUPS SALAD GREENS + 1 SERVING CHICKEN + HARD-BOILED EGG + 2 OUNCES CHEESE + 1 TABLESPOON HOMEMADE VINAIGRETTE

FRIDAY LOADED VEGAN SANDWICH 2 SLICES 100% WHOLE-WHEAT BREAD + 1 SERVING SEITAN + 1/2 AVOCADO + 1 CUP ROASTED VEGGIES + CUCUMBER + TOMATO + 2 TABLESPOONS HUMMUS

Pro Tip: Pack Your Lunch the Night Before

Once you get into the habit of prepping ingredients ahead of time, you’ll realize that there are so many possible lunch combinations. Plus, you can repeat the same basic dishes week after week using different meats, grains, cheeses and veggies. That means your meal prep and packing routine will be on autopilot, but your lunches will stay interesting.

One thing to note: Cooked meat should only be kept in the fridge for 4 days, so opt for a meat-free lunch on Friday.