Healthy eating at work can be challenging for busy people. It’s easy to forget to eat or skip meals when there’s no time to think about and much less sit down and eat a meal.
I wanted to eat healthy at lunch, but I never got the planning and shopping details organized in enough time. Then, my morning would fly by, lunchtime would come, and I suddenly felt like I was starving.
The quickest option was the local cafeteria where I could eat something slightly icky tasting and mostly pre-packaged. Not only was this an underwhelming lunch for my palate, but it was also lacking any real nutrients. So, my hunger was quieted, but my body didn’t feel great after eating it.
This left me with the only option of having to order something in. As you all know however, I usually prefer to follow a low sodium diet that is packed with important antioxidants and other body-strengthening compounds.
On work-from-home days, I might fall back on warming up a fast convenience meal like a frozen dinner, just to get something in me quickly so I could survive the rest of the day. Again, this was essentially dead food. It was taking care of the hungry feeling, but it wasn’t strengthening my immune system or my metabolism.
I know it’s not easy dreaming up clean eating lunch ideas for work. Who has the time? You’re just trying to get through each day. But eating healthy at lunch can be done with a few smart strategies.
After implementing these strategies I started to get all the benefits of what happens when you eat healthy, like better focus and brain power, getting better sleep, and squashing sugar cravings.
So, I put together 5 clean eating lunch tips and 7 easy, packable recipes for healthy eating at work.
In this article, I’ll show you
- Simple, but genius-level ideas for making healthy lunches more packable
- 7 “Why didn’t I think of that?!” easy and healthy recipes with a huge variety of textures and taste
- Salads that you’ll actually look forward to eating (and might even fantasize about when it’s almost lunchtime)
Easy clean eating lunch ideas for work
Tip #1: Pack a lunch in a jar
It’s so easy to pour healthy ingredients into a jar, maybe even the night before, and just grab in the morning. The beauty of the jar is that it won’t spill on your commute, it’s easy to eat from at your desk, and easy to rinse and take home to reuse.
I LOVE jar lunches!
Scoopable Skinny Burrito in a Jar
This Skinny Burrito in a Jar from Skinny Ms. is a great jar lunch with mild or spicy flavor. It’s scoopable but doesn’t turn to mush.
Scoopable Skinny Burrito in a Jar
Ingredients
- 1 cup salsa no sugar added`
- 1 15 ounce can black beans, drained
- 1 cup reduced fat cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup Greek Yogurt, non-fat (optional non-fat sour cream)
Instructions
- Evenly divide each ingredient into 4 (1/2 pint size) canning jars. Add ingredients in this order: 1/4 cup salsa, 1/4 heaping cup black beans, 1/4 cup cheese, and 2 tablespoons yogurt or sour cream.
- Refrigerate for up to two days. Eat straight from the jar or add to a whole wheat wrap.
- TIP: Try adding 1/4 cup cooked quinoa or brown rice to each jar.
Savory Minty Chickpea Yogurt Parfait
Parfaits can be savory and satisfying for healthy eating at work. Here’s a delicious one by From the Land We Live On. I recommend using Greek yogurt to make sure there’s enough protein to hold you over for the afternoon.
Savory Minty Chickpea Yogurt Parfait
Ingredients
- 2 cups grated cucumber
- 2 cups sheep’s milk, full fat, or Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup cup finely chopped fresh mint
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas
Instructions
- It’s really important to draw most of the juice out of the cucumbers, otherwise the end result will be swimming in cucumber juice. Once the cukes are grated, collect them in a paper towel or cheese cloth and use your hands to squeeze out as much juice as you can. Set cucumbers aside in a strainer to let any remaining liquid drain.
- Combine the yogurt and chopped mint and season well with salt and pepper. Stir it all together.
- Starting with the raisins, followed by chickpeas, cucumbers, and yogurt, layer each of the ingredients, divided between jars.
- Top with chopped walnuts and a few mint leaves.
- Alternatively, if you’re not into the layering thing, you can just mix it all together and store accordingly.
Tip #2: Swap noodles for zucchini zoodles or other veggies Eating Well offers a fun, healthy spin on the traditional cup of noodles. This recipe uses low-carb, nutrient-rich zucchini noodles instead of the starchy, empty calories in the original. Plus, it gives us a flavor boost with a chicken curry flavor. Yum!! Beginners How-To Guide for Easy Meal Planning Tip#3: Salads are still a winner Salads might be the first thing you think of for healthy eating at work. But they don’t have to be boring. I cannot force myself to eat bland, iceberg lettuce with no flavorful toppings, and you shouldn’t either. They must have protein or you won’t be satisfied and you’ll binge on something later. This Mediterranean Tuna Spinach Salad from Eating Well is so simple but packed with diverging flavors of tuna, orange, and feta to make eating lunch an experience, rather than just something to fill you up. Another savory and sweet combo, try this Grilled Chicken and Blueberry Salad from Skinny Ms. It’s another flavor-popping salad that will have you rethinking the salad stereotype and heading for the mixed greens with a grin. To make healthy eating at work even easier, skip cooking the chicken breasts and buy a whole rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, remove the skin and slice it up for your salad. Tip #4: If you like handheld meals for lunch, try making sandwiches or wraps with a big leafy green like kale or chard instead of using bread 10 ways to eat healthy without cooking Tip#5: Avocados are portable and packed with omega 3s, a healthy fat that your brain and body need and can’t make on their own. It’s also a healthy fat that fills you up and sustains you through the afternoon (1), especially when combined with high-protein Greek yogurt. Healthy eating at work can be fun and inventive. Like with enjoying the benefits of avocado in creative mini bowls. Crab and Pimiento Stuffed Avocados from Eating Well can easily be assembled and packed at home, or brought to the office as parts of the whole to be assembled at lunch. Or another Eating Well take on avocado bowls are these Chicken Salad-Stuffed Avocados. Follow the same time-saving tip as for the grilled chicken and blueberry salad and use up your rotisserie chicken for this. What are your favorite healthy eating at work lunches? I’m always looking for new ideas. Let me know what you’ve come up with that works for you!Chicken Curry Cup of Noodles
Chicken Curry Cup of Noodles
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
Clean lunch ideas for weight loss
Mediterranean Spinach and Tuna Salad
Mediterranean Spinach and Tuna Salad
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Instructions
Grilled Chicken and Blueberry Salad
Grilled Chicken and Blueberry Salad
Ingredients
Dressing
Instructions
Portable healthy fats for healthy eating at work
Crab and Pimiento Stuffed Avocados
Crab and Pimiento Stuffed Avocados
Ingredients
Instructions
Chicken Salad-Stuffed Avocados
Chicken Salad-Stuffed Avocados
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
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