Spice up your midday meal with these exciting, healthy, and easy to make lunch ideas!

11 Quick, Healthy Lunch Ideas to Keep You Fit

 

1. Tomato Panzanella

Calories: 485

Cooking Time: 45 minutes

If you’re looking for quick healthy lunch ideas to replace the boring pre-packaged salads from your local convenience store, then you’ve found it. This Tomato Panzanella recipe is a quick, healthy lunch salad you can whip up in just a matter of minutes.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 loaf sourdough bread
• 2 large cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 6 anchovy fillets
• 3 cups basil
• 2 tbsp. sherry vinegar
• 4 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 2 lbs. heirloom tomatoes, sliced
• Pepper
• Kosher salt

How to:

1. Tear the sourdough bread into large pieces and cut the crust off. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Throw in the garlic, ¼ cup of salt, and 1 ½ cups of basil in a food processor then pulse until it forms a rich, creamy blend. This’ll be the salad dressing.
3. Toss the tomatoes in the dressing and let it stand in room temperature for around 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, throw a ¼ cup of oil into the saucepan and melt the butter in it. Then, coat the bread with the melted butter and arrange the slices in a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake for around 15 to 20 minutes.
5. Place the tomatoes with the croutons, mix in the basil, and then seasons with oil and pepper.
6. Serve and enjoy.

2. Herbed Ricotta and Fresh Tomato Tart

There are plenty of quick and easy lunch ideas to make you forget about your favorite pizza place. For example, this herbed ricotta and fresh tomato tart is a delicious, easy healthy lunch that gives you all the exciting flavors of a pizza, but minus the guilt.

Plus, it’s one of the best easy lunch recipes to eat after a workout. In fact, these healthy lunch foods pack about 10 grams of protein and only 25 grams of carbs per serving.

Calories: 300

Cooking Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 1 large egg, beaten
• Pepper
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• Kosher salt
• 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• Flaky sea salt
• 1 lb. heirloom tomatoes, sliced
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, small

How to:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and place the rack in the lower third of it Next, spread the pastry onto the parchment paper, leaving about half an inch of roll on all sides for the crust. Place the parchment on the baking sheet.
2. Using a knife, slice a half-inch border all the way around the pastry.
3. Brush the corners with the beaten egg and poke a hole in the pastry using a fork.
4. Bake the pastry for 20 to 25 minutes
5. Throw the ricotta, salt, pepper, and lemon juice in a large bowl then mix. Fold in the parsley and scallops then spread it on the pastry you just finished baking.
6. Carefully place the tomatoes on the tarts then drizzle the oil, sea salt, and pepper.

3. Peanut Butter Banana Bread Granola

Calories: 350

Cooking Time: 50 minutes

Meal preppers short on time will love this peanut butter banana bread granola recipe. It’s one of the easiest healthy lunch recipes you can prepare ahead of time.

Prepare seven days’ worth of this healthy lunch over the weekend, then stock them in the refrigerator. That way, you can get your fix of protein and carbs any time.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup banana chips, crushed
• 1/2 cup ripe banana, mashed
• 3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup salted peanuts
• 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 6 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup creamy natural peanut butter
• 1/4 cup pure honey

How to:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper, then the combine the banana chips, oats, quinoa, peanuts, salt, cinnamon, and sugar in it.
3. After that, heat the peanut butter, honey, and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat for two to four minutes.
4. Remove from heat then stir in the vanilla and banana. Pour the butter mixture over the oats and stir.
5. Next, place the granola on the baking sheets you prepared. Bake for 25 to 27 minutes. About halfway through, rotate the pans for even cooking.
6. Let the pans cool, then break the granola into pieces. You can store these lunch meals in different containers for up to one week.

4. Scrambled Tofu Tacos

Calories: 400

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Forget that greasy, calorie-packed Mexican fast-food chain you go to for lunch. Instead, opt to pack your own healthy, delicious, guilt-free scrambled tofu tacos.

This is one of the best healthy, plant-based lunch recipes both vegan and non-vegan fitness buffs can try. What makes these tofu-based lunch ideas so great is it can taste exactly how you want it to by using the right herbs and spices.

Plus, unlike many vegan lunch foods, these tacos contain enough protein and minerals to keep you strong till dinnertime. So you don’t have to worry about not getting enough nutrients from these tacos.

Tip: When preparing your healthy lunches ahead of time, simply cook the tofu scramble then store it in your refrigerator. Place it inside the taco shells once you’re ready to eat it.

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 8 corn tortillas
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 package super firm Nasoya Tofu
• Black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/4 tsp. cumin
• Salt
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 1/2 cup grape tomatoes, quartered

Optional:

• Goat cheese crumbles
• Hot sauce
• Cilantro

How to:

1. Place a large skillet over medium heat and coat it with oil.
2. Sauté the garlic and pepper for two minutes.
3. Afterward, crush the tofu using your hands, throw it in the pan, and then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Stir and cook for five minutes while adding salt and pepper if you want to.
5. Fill the tortillas with the tofu scramble then top it off with some tomatoes, goat cheese, and avocado. You can dress it with cilantro and hot sauce if you want.
6. Serve and enjoy!

5. Vegan Burrito

Calories: 350

Cook Time: 20 minutes

We often wonder what the best plant-based healthy lunch ideas are. Without using any meat, is it really possible to create a bodybuilding meal?

Vegan bodybuilders looking for easy protein-packed recipes can try this delicious plant-based burrito. It’s one of the best healthy food recipes for vegan athletes looking for quick lunch ideas that’ll support muscle growth.

Plus, it only takes 20 minutes to cook and prepare these burritos. Bodybuilders looking for plant-based lunch ideas to replace their usual meals can try this vegan burrito recipe.

Tip: Are you sick of eating the same chicken and rice after your workout? Spice up your post-workout meal with this excitingly delicious vegan burrito.

Prepare the burritos ahead of time, seal them in a plastic bag, and then store them in the freezer. Defrost and heat the burritos once you’re ready to eat them.

Ingredients:

• ½ medium red onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 12 oz. extra firm tofu
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• ¼ tsp. turmeric powder
• 2 large whole wheat tortillas
• ¼ tsp. cumin
• ½ cup black beans
• ½ avocado, chopped
• Sea salt
• Pepper
• ⅓ cup low-calorie salsa

How to:

1. Take a medium-sized skillet, coat the surface with oil, and place it over medium heat.
2. Sauté your onions then season with salt and pepper. Afterward, throw in the garlic then fry for a minute.
3. Crumble the tofu with your hands then throw it in the pan.
4. Season with cumin, turmeric powder, salt, and pepper then stir until they combine.
5. Divide the burrito stuffing among the tortillas then roll each one.
6. Serve and enjoy.

6. Chinese-Style Chicken Salad Recipe

Calories: 300

Cooking Time: 40 minutes

One popular way to eat healthily is to stick to a paleo diet. Many quick lunch recipes have paleo-friendly alternatives.

For example, instead of making a high-carb chicken sandwich, you can opt for a Chinese-style chicken salad. It’s high in fiber, protein, and minerals, which can help your body maintain peak performance both inside and outside the gym.

Plus, if you prepare the vinaigrette beforehand, it only takes 10 minutes to toss the ingredients together. It’s one of the best healthy lunch options for fitness buffs who want to start a paleo diet but don’t know much about cooking.

Tip: To make things easier, prepare about a week’s worth of chicken salad over the weekend, then store them in your refrigerator for later. Pack them cold so that they’re still fresh when lunchtime comes.

Ingredients:

Salad

• 4 cups savoy cabbage, shredded
• 1 cup carrot, sliced
• 3 scallions, sliced and trimmed
• 1/4 cup radishes, sliced
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 cups cooked chicken
• 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped

Vinaigrette

• 2 tbsp. coconut vinegar
• 1 chipotle pepper
• 3 tbsp. coconut aminos
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1/2 fresh lemon, juiced
• 1 tsp. fresh ginger, grated
• 2 tbsp. sesame oil
• 1 tsp. raw honey

How to:

1. Toss the scallions, cabbage, carrots, and radish in a large bowl.
2. Top it with chicken, mint, and cilantro then set the salad aside so you can make the vinaigrette.
3. Remove the seeds from the chipotle pepper, place it in a small bowl, and then cover with warm water for 30 minutes.
4. Pulse the chipotle pepper in a food processor along with the other ingredients for your vinaigrette.
5. Drizzle the vinaigrette on the salad.
6. Serve and enjoy!

7. Broccoli and Chicken Thigh Recipe

Calories: 450

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

When coming up with good lunch recipes, many fitness buffs dismiss chicken thighs and go straight for the breast. While breasts have fewer calories, the thighs contain more phosphorous, calcium, and potassium.

This broccoli and chicken thigh recipe is one of the best easy healthy lunches that utilize the thigh’s higher nutritional value. Plus, we’re not adding any unnecessary calories to the meal, since broccoli has few of them to begin with.

It’s a great alternative for gym-goers sick of eating easy healthy lunch recipes made of chicken breast. Cook a few meals in advance, then store them in the refrigerator for a quick and healthy paleo lunch on the go.

Ingredients:

• 12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 1 cup light chicken stock
• 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 tbsp. tapioca starch
• 2 tbsp. coconut oil
• 1 tsp. chili pepper flakes

How to:

1. Scrub the chicken with salt and pepper.
2. Place a large skillet pan over high heat then melt the coconut oil.
3. Cook the chicken for around eight minutes, flipping them about halfway through. Place the chicken on a plate then set aside.
4. Without removing the coconut oil and chicken juice, cook the broccoli over medium heat for around five minutes until they soften.
5. While waiting for the broccoli to soften, mix the vinegar, mustard, chicken stock, chili flakes. tapioca starch, and mustard in a large bowl.
6. Pour this over the broccoli then cook for another two minutes until it boils.
7. Throw in the chicken thighs in the saucepan and put some sauce over it.
8. Remove from heat then let it stand for five more minutes.
9. Serve and enjoy.

8. Paleo-Style Egg Salad

Calories: 400

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Eggs are superfoods various athletes incorporate into their diet. In fact, a lot of easy, healthy lunch ideas make use of eggs.

They’re great foods you can use to help support muscle growth and fat loss. Plus, there are dozens of ways to cook them.

But perhaps one of the best ways to serve them is paleo-style. This egg salad only has 450 calories and contains around 52 grams of calories.

It’s the perfect midday meal for gym-goers who want to sustain muscle mass. Remember: all your resistance training at the gym would be meaningless if you don’t consume the right nutrients.

Also, it only takes 15 minutes to prepare this delicious egg salad. Fitness buffs short on time only need to set aside a few minutes every day to toss the ingredients together.

Similarly, you can opt to make a few batches ahead of time, then store them in your refrigerator.

Tip: Remember to use uncured bacon for this recipe. We shouldn’t use any artificial ingredients when cooking paleo-style recipes.

Ingredients:

• 4 hard-boiled eggs
• 2 tbsp. coconut milk
• 4 strips uncured bacon
• 1 large avocado
• Sea salt
• Pepper
• Hot pepper (optional)

How to:

1. Peel the hard-boiled eggs and throw them inside a large mixing bowl.
2. Pour in the coconut milk and crush them until it creates a rich, creamy texture.
3. Peel and pit the avocados, toss them inside the bowl, and then mash the ingredients again.
4. Throw in the bacon and spinach into the bowl.
5. Season with salt and pepper.
6. You can top it off with some hot peppers if you want.
7. Serve with your preferred paleo bread and enjoy!

9. Root Vegetable Buddha Bowl

Calories: 300

Cooking Time: 50 minutes

Ever since we were kids, our parents have always taught us to add more color to our meals. They say the more colorful a dish is, the healthier it is –and nothing’s more colorful than this root vegetable Buddha bowl.

It’s a healthy, vegan, paleo meal that contains loads vitamins A and C, calcium, and potassium, among other nutrients. This Buddha bowl is definitely the palate-cleanser you need after eating so much meat in the past few days.

Plus, cooking gurus will be happy to know that these roots are in season all year round. From January to December, fitness buffs can get the freshest roots for their delicious Buddha bowl.

Ingredients:

Salad

• 1-inch large sweet potato, chopped
• 10 oz. spinach or greens of choice
• 2 large parsnips, peeled and sliced
• 3 cups cooked brown rice
• 2 medium golden beets, peeled and chopped
• Grape-seed oil and sea salt for roasting or olive oil
• ½ small head cabbage sliced

Dressing

• ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons tahini
• ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
• Fresh lemon juice
• 2 tbsp. pure maple syrup
• ¼ tsp. sea salt or to taste
• ¼ cup water

How to:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Carefully place the roots on two large baking sheets.
3. Drizzle the grape-seed oil over the veggies then coat it with your hands.
4. Season the veggies with salt and pepper then bake for around 30 to 40 minutes until they soften.
5. Meanwhile, take all the ingredients for the dressing and pulse in a food processor until they form a smooth, rich texture. If you feel the sauce is too thick, you can opt to add more water to the blend.
6. Divide the cabbage, spinach, and brown rice into different containers then top off with roasted vegetables and tahini dressing. Make sure not to overdo it with the tahini.
7. Garnish with chopped parsley, cilantro, or sunflower seeds.
8. Refrigerate the ones you won’t eat.

10. Grain-Free Paleo Sushi

Calories: 250

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

If you’re craving for Japanese food, this grain-free, keto-friendly sushi recipe is perfect for you. It’s a modern take on traditional sushi where we remove the rice –which means it has way fewer carbs and more protein.

Instead of white rice, we’ll use cauliflower rice as an alternative. It’s lower in carbs and higher in fiber which makes it a great meal for weight loss.

It’s a great way to satisfy your cravings without sacrificing your diet. Plus, it’s fairly easy and fun to prepare.

Make about a dozen so you can eat them over the weekend. It’s one of the best lunch ideas for gym-goers who are always short on time.

Tip: Are you thinking of introducing Japanese food to your children? This delicious meal is a creative way to trick picky eaters into eating veggies and fish.

Ingredients:

Cauliflower Rice

• 1 head cauliflower
• 1 tsp. organic rice vinegar
• Salt
• 1 tsp. organic maple syrup

Seasonings and Wrap

• 1 1/2 organic nori sheets of seaweed
• organic wasabi
• 3/4 tsp. organic tamari
• organic pickled ginger (optional)

Filling Options

For this temaki sushi recipe, feel free to choose among these filling options:

• Avocado
• Canned salmon or tuna
• Carrots
• Crab
• Cream cheese
• Egg
• English cucumber
• Fermented radish tops
• Grilled asparagus
• Grilled tenderloin
• Mango
• Pickled fish
• Radish or clover sprouts
• Raw fish (tuna, salmon, or mackerel)
• Smoked fish

How to:

Wrapper

1. Fold the nori sheet into quarters.
2. Unfold then cut along the lines.
3. Set aside the sheets.

Cauliflower Rice

1. Throw the cauliflower and water in a food processor then pulse until the blend starts to look like rice.
2. Pour the blend into a pot then simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Filter using a strainer
4. Mix the maple syrup, vinegar, and salt in a bowl then stir.
5. Pour it into the cauliflower rice then mix.
6. Place the cauliflower rice in a bowl then set aside.

Cucumber

1. Slice the cucumber lengthwise in half then cut small, thin triangles from the center. We want to emphasize the green layer for a well-curated look.

Carrots

1. Slice the carrots into long, thin strips then steam until they soften.

Eggs

1. Crack the eggs into a large bowl then whisk with salt.
2. Fry on a non-stick pan over medium heat.
3. Remove from heat once you finish cooking the underlayer. We want the top side to be a bit mushy.

All Other Filling Options

1. Slice the ingredients into multiple long, thin strips then set aside on a plate.

Putting the Sushi Together

1. Lay a nori sheet flat on your hand.
2. Fill it with some cauliflower rice and the fillings you chose.
3. Close the sheets then dip in tamari.
4. You can eat the pickled ginger in between sushi rolls as a palate-cleanser.

11. Keto-Friendly Avocado and Egg Salad

Calories: 430

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Who says you can’t have delicious breakfast meals for lunch? This avocado and egg salad is one of the best lunch ideas for gym-goers who want to cut back on sugar.

It’s rich in healthy fats, vitamins, proteins, minerals, and has very low carbs. Plus, it only takes 15 minutes to prepare.

You can easily squeeze in making this after your morning workout. Make sure to store any leftovers in the fridge so they don’t go to waste.

Ingredients:

• 4 large hard-boiled eggs
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 4 cups mixed lettuce
• 1 large avocado
• 2 tsp. Dijon mustard (you can make your own)
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• Salt
• Pepper

Optional:

• Chives
• Fresh herbs
• Extra-virgin olive oil

How to:

1. Peel the hard-boiled eggs, slice them into thin pieces, and then set them aside.
2. Mix the sour cream, Dijon mustard, crushed garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.
3. Wash the greens, shake off any remaining water, and then place them in a separate bowl.
4. Peel and pit the avocado then slice them. Place the slices on top off the greens.
5. Top off with eggs then serve.

 

Do you want to know if the Intermittent Fasting diet is right for you? Watch the video below to learn more about this type of diet:

When deciding what to eat for lunch, make sure to stick to a healthy meal that contains the nutrients your body needs to grow. Whether you’re training for strength, performance, or aesthetics, you’ll need to eat the right foods.

Don’t be afraid to explore and try other good lunch ideas, too. Trying different tasty meals is a good way to avoid boring yourself with the same bland meals every day.

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