If you’re looking to vary your lunches, these tasty make-ahead recipes are tasty options to try. Each recipe aligns with the criteria of a diabetes-friendly eating pattern by being low in saturated fat and sodium and conscious of carbohydrates to support healthy blood sugar levels and lower the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease. They’re also made with heart-healthy ingredients like whole grains, legumes, and vegetables, making them nutritious and flavorful. Plus, when you prep them in advance, they’re quick to grab and go when you need them. For a tasty lunch, try options like the Meal Prep Salad with Spinach and Strawberries or the Chickpea and Quinoa Bowl with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce.
Spinach and Strawberry Meal Prep Salad
One of our most popular salad recipes, Spinach and Strawberry Salad with Feta and Walnuts, has been transformed into a simple yet satisfying spinach salad bowl that requires minimal prep and can be customized to your liking – try roasted salmon instead of chicken thighs, almonds or pecans instead of walnuts, and any delicious fresh berries you have at the market.
Chopped Salad with Chicken and Creamy Chipotle Dressing
This chopped chicken salad is smoky and tangy thanks to the creamy chipotle dressing, and the cilantro adds a fresh kick to every bite.
Chickpea and quinoa bowl with roasted red pepper sauce
Photographer: Carson Downing, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco
Quinoa and chickpeas provide plenty of plant-based protein in this vegetarian grain bowl. Make a batch of these flavorful grain bowls and store them in a covered container in the fridge for easy, healthy lunches all week long.
Vegetable and hummus sandwich
Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey
This mile-high veggie and hummus sandwich is the perfect heart-healthy vegetarian lunch. Combine different flavors of hummus with different types of veggies to suit your mood.
Chickpea Green Goddess Salad
This cucumber, tomato, Swiss cheese and chickpea salad recipe uses avocado, buttermilk and herbs to create a healthy Green Goddess dressing that’s delicious served with grilled veggies.
Salmon and quinoa bowl with green beans, olives and feta
This flavorful and easy salmon quinoa bowl is a dish you’ll never tire of – pack leftovers for lunch the next day or make the entire recipe ahead of time and pack into individual containers for a quick meal.
Chopped salad with sriracha tofu and peanut dressing
This salad mix is hearty, so you can dress it up to 24 hours before serving to let the flavors of this healthy chopped salad soak in. If you can’t find a hearty mix, serve it with broccoli slaw or shredded Brussels sprouts.
Chipotle Lime Cauliflower Taco Bowl
A bold, smoky marinade enhances the flavor of roasted cauliflower in this meal prep version of our popular Chipotle-Lime Cauliflower Tacos (see related recipe). To cut down on prep time, look for pre-cut cauliflower in the produce section. You can also save time by using a microwave-safe quinoa pouch (this recipe calls for one 8-ounce pouch) instead of cooking quinoa.
Curried chickpea stew
Who said a meatless meal can’t be filling? Packed with fiber-rich veggies and chickpeas, this flavorful stew will leave you feeling satisfied.
Easy Turkey Bolognese with Zucchini Noodles
Skip the regular pasta (and most of the carbs) in favor of spiralized zucchini “noodles” in this make-ahead meal, and the zoodles soften and crisp up in no time when you heat up the veggie-packed Bolognese in the microwave.
Southwestern Black Bean Pasta Salad Bowl
With just five simple ingredients and 20 minutes, you can meal prep a week’s worth of delicious, satisfying, high-fiber lunches. This Southwestern Pasta Salad uses black bean pasta to boost fiber to 14 grams per serving. Combined with seasoned chicken strips and a flavorful corn salad (easy ingredients often found at your local specialty grocery store), this meal prep lunch is sure to be a treat.
Chimichurri Noodle Bowl
A hearty, low-calorie meal prep bowl made with a mix of whole wheat spaghetti and zucchini noodles, topped with a bright herb chimichurri sauce and packed full of flavor.
Spring vegetable wrap
A tangy mixture of tahini, ginger, and soy sauce not only marinates the tofu but also serves as the sauce in this colorful veggie wrap recipe, and spinach tortillas add an extra splash of green.
Quinoa Deli Salad
This healthy deli salad combines hearty quinoa and chickpeas with a bit of ham and mozzarella for lots of flavor without too much salt. This healthy quinoa salad is perfect for dinner or serves as a delicious lunch the next day.
Lemon roasted vegetable hummus bowl
Packed with colorful roasted veggies, this plant-based meal prep lunch bowl is high in fiber to keep you full well into the afternoon. The easy-to-make roasted veggies are based on a popular recipe from our sister magazine (see related recipes).
Pork Wrap with Lime and Jalapeño Slaw
This lunch is easy to make using leftover pork cutlets and coleslaw from a previous meal.
Sweet potato, kale and chicken salad with peanut dressing
This hearty kale salad keeps for 4 days, making it the perfect meal prep lunch. To keep the ingredients from getting soggy, drizzle this salad with dressing and top with peanuts just before serving. For a tasty vegan option, use roasted tofu in place of chicken breast (see related recipe).
Make-Ahead Spinach and Black Bean Burritos
These egg, bean and cheese burritos are designed to be made ahead and frozen – perfect for busy days and make a satisfying breakfast or lunch.
Chopped Vegetable Grain Bowl with Turmeric Dressing
With 4 simple ingredients from your local specialty grocery store, you can prepare a week’s worth of lunches in about 10 minutes. To minimize prep time, utilize a pre-chopped fresh vegetable mix and frozen quinoa (which heats up in the microwave in under 5 minutes). This crunchy chopped salad bowl is high in fiber and low in calories, making it perfect for those on a low-calorie diet.
Pesto Chicken and Cannellini Bean Soup
This healthy Italian chicken soup recipe is packed with fiber-rich veggies and beans, and finished off with a drizzle of pesto for extra flavor. To create the taste of homemade soup using store-bought broth, simmer bone-in chicken breasts in broth before adding the remaining soup ingredients.
Grilled vegetable salad with goat cheese
With just a few ingredients from your local specialty grocery store, you can have lunches ready for the week in about 10 minutes. To save time, use a bag of frozen grilled and marinated vegetables and add flavor with marinated goat cheese. If you’re looking to add more protein, leftover chicken breast or salmon are great in this hearty salad.
Chicken and cabbage salad bowl with sesame dressing
A bag of pre-shredded red and green cabbage serves as a crunchy, low-carb base for this chicken salad bowl that takes just 10 minutes to prepare. Topped with sesame-flavored almonds and a sesame dressing, it’s a delicious lunch you’ll look forward to all week long.
Green Goddess Arugula and Shrimp Quinoa Bowl
To top it off with protein (and minimize prep time), we use pre-cooked quinoa and pre-cooked shrimp, both of which can be found in the frozen food section. With a few more simple items, like a bottled salad dressing, you’ll have all the ingredients you need to make this high-protein Green Goddess Salad Bowl in under 20 minutes.
