Lunch Ideas for Meal Prep

Eating healthy at work or school can be hard. When you’re already busy it’s very easy to stop by your nearest drive through or spend money on yet another meal delivered to your workspace. Instead of feeling guilty and eating unhealthy, make the commitment to start meal prepping! These easy meal prep ideas will have you saying ‘hello’ to eating healthy and saving time as well as goodbye to spending extra money. 

If you’ve never meal prepped before, you might think meal prepping is all about eating salads out of a mason jar and other similar recipes. While this works for some, it’s certainly not the only impression you should have of the process. Planning your lunch ahead of time is more than just putting salads in Tupperware. It’s about giving yourself a healthy lunch that will be filling and will also be easy to put together. 

If you’re still not convinced, here are some excellent benefits of meal prepping: 

• It will save you money. If you bring something delicious to work, you’re not going to spend money eating out for lunch every day, which can really add up overtime.
• You will feel less stressed. No more running around in the mornings trying to think about what you’re going to eat for the day because your lunch is already ready and waiting for you in the fridge! Simply grab and go, and what can be easier than that? Plus, you’ll feel like your lunch period is longer since you won’t have to waste time leaving the office to pick up food.

• You will be eating healthier meals. When you’re busy working hard and feel yourself start to get hungry, it’s easy to make an impulsive choice to buy something to eat that is maybe not the healthiest option for you. However, when you’re bringing a meal prep lunch to work, it means you’ll be eating less unprocessed food and healthier options more consistently, which is great for your overall health and wellness. 
• You’ll have more energy. If you’re someone who eats out for almost all your lunch meals, you’ll notice a difference when you make the switch. When you start eating healthier and fresher meals prepared at home, you might start to notice that you have more energy and feel less sluggish due to the healthier food.
• You’ll be more organized for the work week. Have you ever sat around at work spending time thinking about lunch ideas and wondering about what food you’re in the mood for? It ends up causing you to expend extra time and energy on something that could have been solved by meal prepping. Not to mention, you’ll be less focused on work and may even get less work done. When your food is already prepped for you, you might find it helps you feel more organized and you can use that extra energy on other projects. 

After reading through the top benefits of meal prepping, are you ready to get started? Some people when first starting out opt to partake in a meal prep challenge to keep them motivated. There is a wide variety of meal prep challenges, most of them consisting of challenging yourself to make a set number of prepped meals for a certain amount of weeks. Whether you want to set a challenge for yourself or simply see what meal prepping is all about, the first step is sometimes the hardest. That’s why we’ve added some friendly tips to help get you on your way to becoming an expert at meal prepping. 

Here are some quick tips for getting started with meal prepping:

• Schedule a set time for meal prepping. Since this will be a brand new task, make sure you set aside a specific block of time for yourself to work on your meal prepping. We recommend Saturday or Sunday morning. You can even set an alarm for yourself so you can remember to start prepping! While it may be difficult at first, the more you do it, the easier it will become as it will start to fit into your usual routine.
• Find all the recipes you want to make before you begin. If this is your first time meal prepping, it’s recommended to start with just two or three recipes that you’ll use for the week. When you choose your recipes ahead of time, you’ll have a list of ingredients to grab when you go to the grocery store. Gone are the days when you have to make multiple trips to the grocery store every week just because you’re missing an ingredient or two that you need for your meal. When you already know what you’re making, you’ll be set and ready to cook!
• Keep your goal in mind. Whether you’re trying to eat healthier, save money, or reduce your stress levels, be sure to keep your reason for meal prepping top of mind. This will help you to achieve results and might make it easier to say ‘no’ to that take out meal for lunch. 

Now that you’re excited and ready to begin, here’s one last tip - using a pressure cooker or slow cooker to meal prep will save you even more time along the way! Through batch cooking, simply add in all the ingredients, walk away to do the rest of your weekend errands and when you’re done, your lunch for the week will be ready! You can also use a pressure cooker to cook rice perfectly every time or make lots of healthy veggies quickly and easily. 

Here are lunch recipes using a crock pot or pressure cooker that are perfect for meal prep lunches! 

Honey Sesame Chicken

This might be one of the easiest one pot recipes around. You’re able to saute the onions and garlic and cook the chicken all in the pressure cooker. Simply throw everything in and then enjoy the tender and flavorful chicken. Serve over rice.  

Crockpot Curry

Making rice bowls is a quick and easy way to meal prep your lunches. Consider this vegetarian-friendly rice bowl featuring flavorful spices that easily makes multiples servings. While you can serve the curry over white or brown rice, consider switching things up and using cauliflower rice. Try this easy Cauliflower Rice recipe using a pressure cooker. 

Chicken, Bean and Rice Burrito Bowl 

Chicken meal prep recipes are always a favorite as they provide a good source of protein to keep you full throughout the work day. Not to mention, making chicken in the slow cooker is a sinch. Consider adding black beans or brown rice to make this an even healthier meal! 

Quinoa Veggie Bowl 

Who said eating vegetables had to be hard? This healthy and hearty crockpot recipe combines quinoa and a number of vegetables into a tasty lunch that’s so easy, you’ll find it might become your go-to favorite! 

Slow Cooker Sausage and Kale Soup

When the weather cools down, sometimes all we want is a comforting bowl of soup. This veggie filled soup, featuring yummy sausage, will hit the spot every time. You can also choose turkey or chicken sausage if you’re looking for a healthier option. 

Pressure Cooker Orange Chicken 

When you’re in the mood for some chinese food, try this orange chicken recipe that delivers the sweet and tangy flavors of orange chicken that you love. While traditionally served over rice, consider making lettuce wraps for a low carb option. 

Cheesy Chicken Pesto Pasta

With just 5 ingredients, you’ll be on your way to a tasty and cheesy pasta that you’re sure to enjoy. This slow cooker recipe will quickly become one of your favorites!

Slow Cooker Teriyaki Noodles with Chicken

This effortless recipe serves up big flavors thanks to the soy sauce and other tasty ingredients. Mix and match whatever veggies you have lying around the house for added ease. 

Pressure Cooker Garlic Noodles

You’ll be amazed at the flavors this seemingly easy recipe offers. The secret is that the pressure cooker cooks the pasta quickly, but with the results of a slow cooker, making it incredibly tasty and tender!

Slow Cooker Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas

With a prep time of just 15 minutes, this recipe is full of warm flavors that makes a number of servings as well. The recipe shows you how to make your own enchilada sauce but if you’re really pressed for time, a store bought can of sauce will perfectly suffice. 

Maybe one of the easiest recipes to make with a pressure cooker is fried rice. With a versatile recipe you can add whichever fresh or frozen vegetables you have on hand so you can always change it up. Here’s a quick recipe that will be done in just 20 minutes including prep time!

Simple Chicken Fried Rice 

Ingredients:

• 2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into quarters
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup snow peas
• 1 medium Spanish onion, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked long-grain white rice
• 1/2 cup sweet peas, drained for garnish

Directions:

1. Season the chicken with salt.
2. Select the Sauté setting on the BSTY Pressure Cooker and preheat the pressure cooking pot. Add oil and chicken and brown, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Add the garlic, snow peas and onion and sauté for 3 minutes more.
3. Add the cumin, oregano, chicken stock, and rice, and then stir to combine. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 additional minutes. Lock lid in place. Select Rice and 17 minutes cook time.
4. When timer beeps, let the pressure release naturally. After the pressure is released, open the cooker and fluff the rice with a fork. Serve on a large platter garnished with sweet peas.