Making Lunch Quick + Easy

Recently, I was throwing out some of my go-to easy meals that I make for myself and our family, and one of my clients challenged me to write them up and add to the list. They are more functional than fancy, but hopefully they help get you thinking about what else could work from your fridge and freezer. 

Typically any given week, I have in my fridge grilled chicken, spinach salad and roasted sweet potatoes from Sunday meal prep. I also have non-fat Greek yogurt, goat cheese, eggs and egg whites, fresh fruit and corn tortillas. In the freezer, I keep pre-riced cauliflower, stir-fry veggies, assorted fish and ground turkey. Recombining those things forms the foundation of most of my lunches and plenty of dinners. Subbing another protein instead of chicken is definitely an option depending on what you have ready. For meals that are extremely low in carbs, I’ll frequently add an apple or bowl of berries for a treat after the meal.  Beans, brown rice or quinoa would be another option for easily upping the carbs.

Zoodles and Chicken

I have a spiralizer, but buy the pre-spiralized zucchini noodles from the store. They are the bomb.

10 ounces of zucchini noodles

1 ounce of goat cheese

3.5 ounces of grilled chicken

273 calories (9g carbs, 10g fat, 39g protein)

Spinach Salad with Grilled Chicken

Spinach

Grape tomatoes

Diced bell peppers and carrots

3.5 ounces grilled chicken

2.5 ounces guacamole (I keep the single serving sized packs of Good Food guacamole from Costco in the freezer)

301 calories (16g carbs, 11g fat, 34.5g protein)

Stir-Fry Veggies with Chicken

6 ounces of frozen stir-fry veggies

3.5 ounces of grilled chicken

Warm up on the stove or microwave and top with 2.5 ounces of guacamole

309 calories (19g carbs, 12g fat, 37g protein)

Baked Sweet Potato with Ground Turkey

6 ounces baked sweet potato (I cook mine in in the instant pot for 15 minutes)

4 ounces of cooked ground turkey

5 ounces grape tomatoes

364 calories (45g carbs, 8g fat, 25g protein)

Note: This is a great post-workout recovery meal because of the starchy carbs to go with the protein.

Egg Scramble

2 whole eggs

9 tablespoons egg whites

2 cup spinach

2 tablespoons salsa

227 calories (8g carbs, 10g fat, 30g protein)

Note: I just scramble it all together in a ceramic pan, so I don’t add a cooking oil to it and the salsa adds the bulk of the flavoring.

Kabocha Squash and Greek Yogurt

300g roasted kabocha squash

1 cup non-fat Greek yogurt

280 calories (41g carbs, 0g fat, 29g protein)

Note: This is another great recovery meal and frequently what I have for breakfast after a workout.