A meal-prep plan for five days of healthy lunches
Because buying your lunch every day just isn’t friendly on the wallet. And because having a plan for your mid-day meal is just a good idea.
For many years working in gyms and from home, I had no problem fixing almost all of my mid-day meals in the comfort of my own kitchen — I didn’t really have to plan ahead all that much, and that was fine. But I don’t have that luxury anymore, nor do a lot of people out there. Sometimes you leave your house in the morning and won’t return until dinner. That means you need some food on hand, unless you want to end up at the vending machine or drive-through. No thanks.
I’ve come up with a strong line-up for my Sunday meal prep, and because it’s so easy, I wanted to share it with all of you. It’s simple, and it’s meatless. This will yield five filling and nutritious lunches. If you are especially particular about your food being extra fresh, then you could definitely split this up into two parts (cooking once on Sunday and once on Wednesday). I’ve done it both ways and have no problem with the food tasting great even on the last day of the week. To each his own.
Shopping list
- 2 bags of organic Brussels sprouts
- 4-5 organic sweet potatoes or yams
- 1-dozen brown eggs
- 3-4 large organic avocados
Pantry staples
- Coconut oil
- Salt and pepper
- Aluminum foil
The cooking process
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
- Wash the Brussels sprouts. Cut them in half if you prefer, or you can cook them whole to cut down the prep time. Coat them with coconut oil and salt and pepper. (Or you can add your favorite spices, sometimes I use Lawry’s salt for a little kick.)
- Roast the Brussels sprouts for 18-22 minutes.
- Put 10 eggs in a sauce pan with one inch of water. Bring the pot to a boil. Cover. Remove from heat, and let sit for 10 minutes.
- Run cold water over the eggs, then put them in the fridge to cool. After about 30 minutes, peel them.
- Let the oven cool down to 375 degrees.
- Wash the sweet potatoes, poke a few holes in them. Cover them in aluminum foil.
- Bake the sweet potatoes for 60-70 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes.
This whole process will take a little over an hour, and much of that time is just for the cooking — which means you can actually be scrolling Instagram or taking your puppy for a walk. Your choice.
Then, once all the cooking is done and cooled, you can split it all up and package in some nice reusable containers. Each lunch will consist of …
- 3-4 round slices of sweet potato
- 1 big handful of Brussels sprouts
- 2 hard-boiled eggs
- half of an avocado (You should wait to cut open and slice up the avocados until the night before you take each in your lunch.)
In the end, you’ll have five delicious lunches, featuring greens, carbs, protein and healthy fat. You can’t go wrong! The best part about this meal? You can definitely eat it cold. However, I tend to heat it up for about 90 seconds before eating. I just remove the eggs and avocado from the container during the heating process and then throw them back in. Eat up!
An easy and cost-effective meatless meal prep plan for 5 delicious lunches ... #food Click To TweetQuestions of the day
Do you do meal prepping each week?
What’s your go-to lunch?
I”m meal prepping for Alex right now for his work (Because he is working weird hours). We are still waiting on the fridge at my work. For some reason, my sweet potatoes and such always get almost wet while in the container. It’s part of the reason that I don’t prep more than a few days out at most.
What a good wife you are! And with the potatoes, if you give them enough time to cool before putting in the fridge, that helps keep them a bit drier it seems.
Yum this all looks delicious and seems pretty simple to prep. I always try to meal prep for a few hours on Sunday. I usually always do some egg sandwiches, energy bites, roasted veggies, a big salad, and sometimes I also get all the ingredients together for a dinner I can throw in the crockpot. It can definitely be time consuming, but saves so much time during the week. My go to lunch is always a salad with chicken and extras like sweet potatoes, quinoa, or legumes and a greek yogurt.
Wow, you have an intense routine — which must feel GREAT to complete for the week. Nice job, Patricia. 🙂
i religiously do my meal planning each week and it saves me so much $$ and i definitely eat better. i stick with mostly chickpea salad and sometimes make a sandwich/wrap.
Chickpea salad? Sounds yummy! And yes, it definitely saves money to plan ahead! Have a great day, Dixya!
What a great combo! Thanks for the tips, lady! Hard boiled eggs seem difficult for you to mix, but something tells me you still find a way to combine all elements into one bite. Xoxo.
You know this combo can be mixed together for the perfect bites… each and every bite! 🙂 Have a great day, lady!
I have been meal prepping since college and I have found roasting to be such an easy method! Recently I have used the crockpot to cook my meat and then I use the oven to roast my veggies, portion it out and I am good to go! I love making crust less quiches or big batches of chia seed pudding or oatmeal for breakfast too then all I need is my dinners when I get home!
Do you know I’ve never ever made chia seed pudding? Clearly I should check out your recipe, Hilary. 🙂
Mmm Sweet potatoes and brussels sprouts!
I typically just plan out dinners for the week and eat leftovers for lunch. Sometimes I’ll make something just for lunches though, like I did this week. A sweet potato, black bean quinoa bowl.
Leftovers are a great option too, Jessie. I like the sound of the black bean quinoa bowl. Happy eating! 🙂
I love prepping lunches, snacks and a few breakfasts on Sunday. My snacks are usually veggies & avocado hummus, energy balls and yogurt bowls, lunch is always a big salad with protein (beans, quinoa, tuna or leftover protein from the night before) and breakfast is overnight oats or a frittata. Supper I always prepare fresh but I have a meal plan for the week so that we don’t waste food.
The foods you featured in this food prep are all my faves so I might try this one week to switch it up from my usual salads 🙂
Enjoy the rest of you week!
Sounds like you have a pretty good thing going with all of your food choices and planning! Good work, my friend!
I don’t have to prep my meals anymore (the perks of being a student now). I did for over 15 years so I get it. The prepping on the weekend can be a lot of work, but it is so worth it! Looks like you’re adjusting to your new routine fantastically!
Sure am, Megan! Oh how we have switched roles heheh!! Enjoy that kitchen!
I fell out of the meal planning routine and I definitely need to get back on board. I tend to get sick of the same meals on the third day, so I try to whip up two different meals that I can rotate throughout the week.
Sadly brussels sprouts upset my tummy. I love them, but they definitely don’t love me back.
I know some people do, but not me. I love to repeat food! And too bad about Brussels! Maybe spinach or kale sautéed instead?
This is perfect! Have you tried mason jar salads? Basically throw all the ingredients in (wet ones on the bottom) and your golden. I will tried sweet potatoes for next week!
I haven’t! I haven’t had salads for lunch in so long, but I know that’s an easy option. And with the mason jar, just looks so chic hehhe!
Brussels sprouts, eggs and avocado are a staple in my house! Now you have me thinking that sweet potato would be a nice additive 🙂 your meal prep looks delicious! Very inspiring!
Sure would be, Victoria! I can’t have a day without a sweet potato. Thanks for saying hi!
yum! I either prep meals ahead or make more than needed at dinner to save for lunches! my favorite is stir fry!
Leftovers for lunch are such a good thing! Nice work, Heather!
I just recently got back on the meal planning wagon, and I’m seriously loving it. There was a while there where I was just flying by the seat of my pants, and it usually meant I was having cereal or oatmeal for dinner because it got time to eat and I was starving but nothing was around. Doing a little bit of work ahead of time definitely makes a huge difference.
Oatmeal for dinner is so sad, but yes, it happens to all of us heheh. Glad you ate back on the preparing and planning, Amanda! I bet you fill up on all your recipe creations anyways.
I’d take this to work everyday!
Yup! It’s a winner! Hope you’re having a great week, Dani. 🙂
I’m all about the meal prep now and have noticed how much better my eating habits (and bank activity) are throughout the week when I do it! I love the idea of making a ton of hard boiled eggs to use in lunches, so I’ll definitely be stealing that this weekend 🙂
Thanks for sharing!
Hi Mackenzie, Yes! It’s definitely cheaper to cook your own food. And YES, hard-boiled eggs are good for everything. Keep up the good work with your food, lady!
Just curious since I’ve never cooked with coconut oil (but I know its consistency)… Do you melt it first before you put it on the sprouts ?
Hi Rebecca! Yup, I heat up the jar of coconut oil in the microwave for 25 seconds. Then I use a little brush to coat the veggies. Good luck! 🙂
So organised! I’ve started meal planning this year because I’m flatting and cooking for myself. I haven’t quite got to the meal prepping stage, I feel my organisational skills need some work first.
Meal planning and prepping saves my sanity, even though I get to eat at home it’s great to be able to pull food out of the fridge and assemble. Roasted brussel sprouts are the best! I love your system!
Thanks, Heather! And I think roasted Brussels are my top veggie choice! Have an awesome day!
My boyfriend and I are going to start meal prepping on the weekends together. I think it’s a great way to stay on track with whatever your health goals are. And save money!
Sure is, Sarah. Even better when you can do it together too!
This resembles a staple of mine when I used to have to pack a lunch. I work from home now #blessed so I don’t really need to, but I definitely used to plan out everything and make sure I was stacked with food bc I am so hungry all day!
It’s very nice to make lunch in your own kitchen at home, that’s for sure. 🙂 Have a great day, Christina!
My go to lunch, when I haven’t done any food prep, is soup. It’s easy, light and filling. I need to get back to my food prepping on Sunday. It’s really such a life saver!
I wish I got excited about soup, because it’s convenient and many versions are SO good for you! 🙂 Good work, Doc!
So much yum! I usually bring all my salad ingredients to work and stash them in the fridge. Then I just make a fresh salad every day. I usually have greens, tomatoes, avocado and some form of protein like tuna or grilled chicken.
Good work, Nicole! Salads are a great go-to for daily lunches. Hope you have a nice weekend! 🙂
I eat this meal at least once a week, but I usually poach my eggs and then reheat them so that I still get some drizzled yolk to mix with the yams. It’s such an easy, healthy, and delicious lunch! Plus, it keeps me full till dinner.
Hi Kellen! That’s a great idea to poach the eggs… I’ll have to try it one day. Have a great weekend! 🙂
I love that you meal prep! I try to do that too, however, I get so bored! What do you do when you start getting bored of the same meals? I feel like I’m always on the go and end up stopping for a snack which drains my wallet.
xo NM
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I actually don’t get bored with eating the same things– but you can switch up your spices or sauces? Add hummus or salsa etc??
i’ve been doing brussel sprouts and sweet potatoes for my meal prep too! so good and brussels are SO filling! i also love that it can be hot or cold 😀 I usually do baked tofu for protein! yumm
I love Brussels, and YES — they are quite filling. 🙂 Keep up the good work with the prep.