4 Easy Packed Lunches To Keep on REPEAT!

4 Easy Packed Lunches To Keep on REPEAT!

4 PERFECT PACKED LUNCHES FOR SCHOOL OR WORK!

All packed lunches start out fresh and delicious, but not all of them survive the journey to school or work.. If you’ve ever had a soggy sandwich, you know what I’m talking about!

In my opinion, what makes a great packed lunch is something healthy and delicious:

  • That actually keeps well
  • That’s fast and easy to make 
  • And that obviously doesn’t cost a lot (otherwise why go to all the effort of making something yourself)

These are some of my favorite perfect packed lunches:

  • An all-in-one big sandwich that only costs about $1.50 
  • A speedy salad wrap that only takes about 3 minutes to make
  • A fancy paradise wrap that will make you look forward to lunch (and will make your friends/ colleagues jealous!)
  • And a power bowl that has over 50g of protein

There’s gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan options here – and I tried to make these lunches well-balanced meals (with all the food groups) so that they leave you feeling good!

Hope you enjoy these as much as I do!
Liezl

Ps. You can see me make all of these lunches in the video above!

LUNCH #1: THE ALL-IN-ONE BIG SANDWICH FOR $1.50

This all-in-one big sandwich is plant-based, high protein, high fiber, filling, delicious, and only $1.50!

INGREDIENTS: THE FILLING

  • 1/2 cup chickpeas (1/3 of a can)
  • 1 tbsp tahini
  • 1 small dill pickle (finely chopped)
  • 1 tbsp lemon or lime juice
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp maple syrup
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 sprig sliced spring onion (or 1 tbsp diced onion)

INGREDIENTS: THE SANDWICH

  • 2 slices bread (I like whole rye bread)
  • Lettuce/ leafy greens
  • Fresh cilantro (optional)
  • Micro greens or sprouts (optional)

HOW TO:

  • Lightly toast 2 slices of bread
  • Drain, rinse and roughly smash the chickpeas with the back of a fork in a bowl (I don’t like to make it too smooth, and leave a few of the chickpeas whole)
  • Mix all of the other filling ingredients together with the smashed chickpeas
  • Top one slice of bread with fresh lettuce and then the chickpea mix
  • Optionally add fresh cilantro or sprouts (I love adding cilantro!)
  • Close the sandwich with other slice of bread, and slice in half
  • Wrap in parchment paper and pack into a lunch container!

COST BREAKDOWN PER $1.50 PORTION

  • 1/2 cup chickpeas (1/3 can) = $0.26 
  • 1 tablespoon tahini = $0.23
  • 1 small pickle = $0.10
  • 1 tbsp lemon (1/2 lemon) = $0.22
  • 1 tsp olive oil = $0.05
  • 1 tsp maple syrup = $0.11
  • 1 sprig spring onion = $0.09
  • 2 slices bread = $0.34
  • Lettuce (2 leaves) = $0.10 
  • Salt and pepper (n/a)

CALORIES: 450 CAL TOTAL

  • Chickpea filling = roughly 290 cal
  • 2 slices bread = roughly 160 cal (brand dependent)

LUNCH #2: THE SPEEDY 3-MINUTE WRAP

This speedy lettuce wrap only takes 3 minutes to make (and you can make multiple at once).

INGREDIENTS (PER WRAP):

  • 5 to 6 pieces butter lettuce (can also use iceberg lettuce)
  • 1 tbsp mayonaise 
  • 2 or 3 slices deli meat, or vegan deli slices (I like smoked turkey)
  • 2 slices tomato
  • 1 piece parchment paper (I use 12 x 16 inches)

HOW TO (see video for reference):

  • Rinse and dry your lettuce before you begin!
  • Place a piece of parchment paper down on a flat surface 
  • Lay 5 to 6 pieces of lettuce down in the middle of the parchment paper (in a rectangle shape)
  • Roughly spread the mayonnaise onto the lettuce leaves
  • Place the 2 or 3 slices of deli meat in the middle of the lettuce leaves
  • Finally, add the tomato slices on top of the lettuce
  • Use the parchment paper to roll the lettuce wrap in, tucking the leaves in with your fingers after each roll, until the wrap is complete
  • Fold the sides of the parchment paper in, and slice the wrap in half
  • Pack into an airtight lunch container (I love having a few cucumber slices on the side!)

CALORIES: ROUGHLY 200 CAL PER WRAP (serving size: 2-3 wraps)

*calorie amounts calculated using smoked turkey deli slices

LUNCH #3: THE FANCY PARADISE WRAP

I think the name “The paradise wrap” suits this wrap really well – these are some of my favorite wrap ingredients all brought together to make one big fancy wrap! I like to grill my own chicken (or tofu) and pineapple for this, which gives the whole thing a delicious smoky flavor (grilled pineapple on this wrap is incredible!). However, any pre-cooked or leftover chicken and tofu work too!

You wouldn’t necessarily go to all this effort for just one packed lunch.. but this makes an amazing meal, and it keeps really well. So what I like to do is make it for dinner, make a few extra and then I’ve got some fancy packed lunches ready for the next few days (basically, it’s fancy meal prep!).

INGREDIENTS: PER WRAP

  • 1 tortilla (burrito size)
  • Lettuce (2 or 3 leaves)
  • Purple cabbage (about 1/4 cup)
  • Red bell pepper slices (2 or 3 thin slices, about 1/8 cup)
  • Avocado (1 or 2 thin slices, 1/8 medium avocado)
  • Grilled chicken or tofu (2 or 3 long strips, about 1/4 cup)
  • Grilled or fresh pineapple (1 or 2 long strips, about 1/4 cup)
  • Fresh cilantro (a few pieces)
  • 1/2 to 1 sprig spring onion 
  • Pinch salt 
  • 1 or 2 tbsp teriyaki sauce to dip (bbq sauce or steak sauce also work)

HOW TO:

  • Slice up your veggies, chicken (or tofu) and pineapple into long thin strips
  • Heat your tortilla so it’s ready to work with!
  • Place your lettuce leaves down in the middle of the wrap first, followed by the purple cabbage, red bell pepper, avocado, grilled chicken, pineapple, cilantro and spring onion
  • Lastly add a sprinkle of salt before wrapping it up!
  • I like to wrap it up in parchment paper before packing it up into a lunch container
  • Serve your teriyaki sauce in a small container (to dip your wrap in)
  • This wrap is delicious with tortilla chips on the side (you can dip your tortilla chips in the sauce too!)

CALORIES: ROUGHLY 315 CAL PER WRAP

*calorie amounts calculated with chicken, amount includes 2 tbsp teriyaki sauce 

LUNCH #4: THE PROTEIN POWER BOWL WITH 50+ GRAMS PROTEIN

This bowl (the full portion) has over 50g protein – enough said! It’s a really filling lunch that will leave you feeling great with good sustained energy. It’s really tasty too!

I like to use up leftover ingredients for this one! I always seem to have leftover rice in my fridge, and when I have some leftover chicken and edamame too, I know it’s time to make this bowl!

INGREDIENTS: THE BOWL

  • 1 cup cooked brown rice
  • 1 cup grilled chicken (or grilled tofu)
  • 1 cup purple cabbage (shredded in strips)
  • 1 medium tomato
  • 1 cup sliced cucumber
  • 1/2 cup edamame (cooked and shelled)
  • Fresh cilantro (a few pieces) 
  • 1 sprig spring onion
  • Salt and pepper
  • Sesame seeds (optional)

INGREDIENTS: THE DRESSING

  • In bowl: 1 tbsp sesame oil (or any oil)
  • In bowl: Lemon juice from 1/2 lemon 
  • In side container: 1 or 2 tbsp teriyaki sauce (or coconut aminos/ low-sodium soy sauce)

HOW TO:

  • Shred about a cup of purple cabbage into strips, a medium tomato into big bite size pieces, a cup of cucumber into slices and some grilled chicken or tofu into strips
  • Add the cooked brown rice to your lunch container with the chicken or tofu, the veggies (cabbage, tomato and cucumber) and the edamame
  • Top the bowl with spring onion slices, fresh cilantro, salt and pepper, and sesame seeds (optional)
  • Finally, drizzle lemon juice and oil all around the bowl to keep everything fresh and juicy, and cover your container with an airtight lid!
  • Serve the teriyaki sauce in a small container to drizzle over your bowl later (adding this just before you eat will help to keep your lunch fresher for longer)

PROTEIN BREAKDOWN: 55.9g 

  • 1 cup cooked brown rice = 5g protein 
  • 1 cup grilled chicken = 36.5g protein
  • 1 cup purple cabbage = n/a
  • 1 medium tomato = 1.1g protein 
  • 1 cup sliced cucumber = 0.6g protein 
  • 1/2 cup edamame (cooked and shelled) = 11g protein 
  • Fresh cilantro = n/a 
  • 1 sprig spring onion = 0.1g protein 
  • Salt and pepper = n/a
  • 1 tsp sesame seeds = 0.5g protein 
  • 1 tbsp teriyaki sauce = 0.9g protein 
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil = n/a
  • Lemon juice (from 1/2 lemon) = 0.1g protein 

CALORIES:

FULL PORTION (55.9g protein): Roughly 708 CAL without dressing, 828 cal with dressing

HALF PORTION (27.95g protein): Roughly 354 CAL without dressing, 414 cal with dressing 

*amounts calculated with chicken 

Images and video by Liezl Jayne for liezljayne.com