Eating healthy for lunch can feel tricky, but with just a little bit of planning and preparation, you can easily make lunch the highlight of your day. These crazy delicious meals are proof that healthy lunch ideas go way beyond a boring bed of greens. And while some of these are a little more labor-intensive, most of them are 30 minute meals or less. A handful are also make-ahead dishes, meaning you can throw them together the night before and assemble when you’re ready to eat.
Many of our favorite lunches feature nutrient-dense foods like proteins and vegetables, which can help you feel satisfied all the way up until dinner. Think healthy chicken dishes and salmon, tasty dairy sources like cottage cheese and yogurt, and add-ons like sunflower seeds and nutritional yeast. And don’t be surprised if you see lots of fiber-filled ingredients like avocado and chickpeas, which both keep you full and give you tons of long-lasting energy. Whether you’re looking for some filling and delicious low-calorie meals, healthy sandwiches, salad dishes or a crispy homemade flatbread pizza, we have your back because eating healthy should never make you feel limited.
These lunches aren’t just tasty: many of them are also seriously affordable, which means you won’t have to splash out on big-ticket “health foods.” Of course, healthy eating doesn’t start and end with lunch, so you’ll also want some healthy dinner recipes and maybe even a healthy dessert or two.