40 Healthy Lunch Ideas For Work Or School

Meal prep is the best option for easy lunches during the week

If you haven’t heard, we are huge advocates for meal prep! We even wrote a full how to meal prep blog post, where we outline some tips and strategies for successful meal prep. We think that prepping healthy food for lunches to take to work or send with the kiddos to school can be a game changer for you!

Some suggestions for prepping healthy lunches

When looking for healthy lunch ideas for work, it’s a good idea to consider the following:

Do you have an option to heat up your lunch, or will you be eating it cold? (Cold lunch options below)Can you eat the same thing 5 days in a row, or do you like to mix it up?What sounds good right now? Soups and casseroles might not be appealing in the heat of summer.How much prep time do you have? Can you save time by making a Crockpot, Instant Pot or one pan/sheet pan meal?

If you don’t want to eat the same thing every day, here is what we suggest

Make up a batch of protein that you can pair with different vegetables/sides to make a completely new meal each day. See the protein recipes in the crockpot/instant pot section below for some ideas or roast up some chicken breasts or thighs in the oven with some simple seasonings. Some ideas for making a different lunch with the same protein:

Salads or bowl meals (can use different dressings/toppings to make add some variety)WrapsPair it with leftover roasted veggiesServe over cauliflower riceTacos anyone?

Full meal recipes can make easy, healthy lunches

Another idea for easy lunch meal prep is to make recipes that include everything you need to make a full meal (protein, veggies, healthy fats). Think casseroles, one pan meals, sheet pan meals and soups. This way, you simply prep one or two recipes and use that for lunch during the week.

How do I store everything?

Storing the lunches you meal prep is important, because you want to be able to just pack your lunch in the morning (or night before), grab it, and go. We recommend getting Glasslock Containers (or similar) in different sizes for this. The lids are leak-proof and you can safely use them to re-heat food in the oven or microwave.

Don’t forget your lunch box!

A small, soft lunch box is ideal for transporting your healthy lunch to work or school and keeping it cool until noon. Sometimes fridge space in the office is limited and the kids don’t have that option. We suggest getting an insulated bag that’s large enough to fit your containers and an ice packet. Some good options are:

Built brand – Very practical with several different style options for adults and kids.Packit brand – This bag has the freezable gel built in, so you don’t need a separate ice pack. Tons of style options for adults and kids.Mokaloo – A larger and more stylish option for adults.

On to the listing of healthy lunch ideas for work or school

The listing is organized into sections. Click any of the links below to jump directly to the section you are interested in:

Cold – Recipes for full meals that can be eaten cold.Instant Pot or Crockpot – Recipes that utilize these tools for easy prep and provide large batches of food that can be made into a variety of different lunches.Sheet Pan and One Pan – Full meals that can be prepared in a sheet pan and packaged up for an easy lunch.Soups – Make ahead soups for easy lunch reheating.Casseroles – Full meals with large servings to make several lunches that reheat easily.