How to Create an Easy Meal Prep for Work lunch Routine
Easy meal prep for work lunch, breakfast and a snack became essential after I was layed of from a hybrid job. I had worked fully remote and hybrid for 3.5 years before I was back in the office full time.
While I was always somewhat good about having enough food at home to get me through the day, I needed to learn to have a solid idea of what I was going to eat between 7:30 & 4:30 once I knew that Monday through Friday, I was going to spend more time in the 6-mile-away office than in the 6-feet proximity of my fridge.
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In this post, you’ll learn:
- how I plan my meal for my work week
- the meals I prepped for work this week
- the ways meal prepping for work improves my well-being over all
Have fun.
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Step by Step: How I Create My Meals for Work
Getting into a meal prep routine for work took me some time. I struggled to find a designated afternoon or evening to do only that – meal prep. Why would meal prepping take so much time? Well, because meal prep includes all of the following:
- deciding on the recipes for the week
- making a grocery list (Do not walk into a grocery store without a plan, my friend!)
- cooking the meals
- putting the meals into containers and
- cleaning the kitchen! (Yep! This is part of the process!)
All this takes time and sometimes it is hard to dedicate this time.
Over the years I learned that what works best for me is to split up these tasks into different chunks throughout my days at the end of the week. The goal is always: Have your meals ready by Sunday night! How you get there is up to you.
My Ideal Weekly Meal Prep Planner
Thursdays (on the bus):
- Decide what you want to eat next week for work lunch and snack.
- Make the grocery list.
- Plan when you can get the groceries over the next 3 days. For example: Sometimes I get a bakers dozen bagels for work at brueggers bagels. Brueggers is only open until 2p.m., so I have to be strategic about when I get my bagels.
Fridays after work:
- Buy non-perishable groceries on the way home from work. For the chili that I am explaining below, the only real fresh ingredient is the jalapeno and onion.
Saturdays:
- Prep any food for cooking in the morning. For example: The beans in the chili below need to be soaked overnight.
Sundays early morning:
- By fresh produce. Especially for salads I like my produce to be as fresh as possible. I know this creates an extra grocery run, but to me personally, it is worth it.
Sundays mid-morning:
- Cook and portion. I really like this ritual on Sunday mornings. I am typically done at noon or 1. This gives me the rest of my Sunday to relax and enjoy. Also, I just really enjoy cooking Sunday mornings.
Meal Prep is so Cheap!
Healthy Work lunch for $1.95
On the left, you can see all the groceries I bought at Aldi to make 10 lunches.
The grocery list on the left lasts you for a double batch. The images below, however, only show you the cooking of 1 batch = 5 luches.
Meals for work:
This is an example for meals I bring to work. Meals look different every week, but this is what I brought to work in the week of writing this post.
In order of being eaten:
- Breakfast: 1/2 apple with greek yoghurt and 1/2 cup of granola: $2.00 | 13g protein
- Snack: 2 hard-boiled eggs & 2 tangerines: $1.54 | 14g protein
- Lunch: Chili with whole-grain rice: $1.95 | 26g protein
Breakfast: Granola Yogurt
You need for the week:
- 1 whole greek joghurt
- 2.5 apples
- Granola
Per portion:
- 180g yoghurt | ca. 3/4 cup
- ½ apple in slices
- 60g (½ cup) granola
Lunch: bean Chili with Brown Rice
You need for the week:
- 2 cups brown rice
- 1 cup dry pinto beans
- 1 cup black beans
- 1 onion
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 3 japenos
- 2 cans crushed tomatoes
- 1 can of corn
- broth, cayenne pepper, black pepper
Snack
You need for the week:
- 10 eggs
- 10 tangerines
Per portion:
- 2 hard-boiled eggs
- 2 tangerines
Having a Meal Prep Routine Reduces Stress
When I have meals ready in my fridge for work, I am generally less stressed. Even better, when I have all my meals in the correct for the next morning. Then I just need to grab them from the fridge.
For this breakfast recipe, I will add the granola fresh on top before leaving for work, because that way the granola stays crunchy.
My 15 little meals for my work day, ready for me on Sunday, mean:
- I don’t have to think about what I am going to eat at work.
- I save money because those home-cooked meals are so cheap compared to eating out.
- I eat healthier, because I have a home-made meal with me and don’t hit the candy bowl at work.
- I feel more energized because I don’t get a sugar high from the office-donut, and the inevitable 2 p.m. low.
- I have more energy after work.
- I relax while cooking – it’s almost like meditating.
Learning to Meal Prep Takes Time
Meal prep for work lunch in a habit. Habits take about 60 days to form. Give yourself time.
You don’t have to start fancy. I showed you a recipe, that needed beans soaking over night.
Instead, you could start with canned soup – I don’t judge. Not every meal has to be cooked from scratch.
Important is, that you have meal prepped, so that you take the bus into work on Mondays not having to worry about what you’re going to do about the hunger-onset at noon.
Sometimes Meal Prepping Just Doesn’t Work Out
Do you ever have leftovers at work from catered events? We do almost weekly. On those days, my meal prep plan goes out the window, because I often much rather eat the leftover bagels or Mexican buffet.
That’s ok. Save your lunch for dinner or freeze it. It doesn’t have to be perfect.
I hope this post inspired you a little bit to try meal prepping for your work lunch yourself!
Tell me how it went in the comments.
With clarity,
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