40+ Easy, Nutritious Lunchbox Ideas For Adults

Feeling uninspired when it comes to prepping your midday meal? Are you out of grownup lunchbox ideas?

I’ve got you covered!

In this article, you’ll find easy, nutritious lunchbox ideas for adults to enliven your lunch break. I’ll also teach you my proven method for packing balanced lunches that will keep you full and satisfied for hours. 

Your lunches will look so delicious, you’ll have to keep your co-workers from raiding the work fridge!

Ready? Let’s pack lunch!

Tips for building a balanced lunchbox

Building a balanced to-go lunch five days a week can feel stressful, so let me break it down into easy-to-digest pieces (see what I did there?) Here are my 6 tips for creating a filling grownup lunchbox.

Let’s start with the basic components that go into any balanced lunch: 

• Proteins
• Fruits and veggies
• Starches and whole grains
• Fats

Tip #1: Start with a protein-rich food

Protein is important for building and repairing tissues and muscles and is needed in every cell In the body. This is why it’s a good idea to let the star of the plate be a lean protein source – either animal-based (including eggs or dairy) or plant-based (like tofu, beans, or lentils). 

Protein-rich foods provide many key nutrients we need, like B vitamins, iron, zinc, and amino acids. B vitamins are critical for converting food into energy inside your cells, while amino acids serve as the building blocks of your muscles, skin, hair, organs, and other structures in your body.

If you do choose plant-based proteins, be sure to pair them with grains or dairy products to give your body all of the amino acids it needs.

Tip #2: Add a fruit or vegetable (or both!)

Research shows that fruits and vegetables are essential for many reasons, including the antioxidant role they play in preventing disease, such as heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers. But they’re also fun, colorful and delicious! 

They provide key vitamins (A, B, C, E and K) and minerals like potassium and magnesium your body needs to function properly and fiber to improve gut health and bowel regularity.

Don’t be afraid to mix it up! If you’ve never tried star fruit, broccolini, or passion fruit, put them in the rotation.  

Tip #3: Include a whole grain or a starch

Grains and starches are very important components of a healthy eating pattern, providing us with numerous nutrients, vitamins and minerals. For example, the starches and fiber in complex carbohydrates help make a meal more filling and satisfying and provide you with long-lasting energy. 

The fiber in complex carbs slows down digestion, which helps control blood sugar levels. Fiber also traps cholesterol and removes it from the body, which lowers cholesterol levels. Fiber bulks up stool, making constipation less likely.

Whole grains, when paired with legumes, beans, or nuts/seeds, provide us with a full complement of the amino acids we need for muscle building and tissue repair. Starches and grains also help the body spare the protein you eat for use in muscle building, so don’t skip the starch!

Tip #4: Don’t forget the fats!

Fats play numerous roles in the body. They help us absorb key vitamins (A, D, E, & K), make hormones, protect our organs, and keep the body warm and cushioned. Also, our brain cells are insulated by fat, and fats are a part of every cell in the body. 

Fats from fish, nuts, seeds, olive oil, other plants (like avocado, coconut, etc.), and egg and dairy products are all excellent choices. If you include animal products in your eating, some fat will be provided from those foods as well. Fats also add flavor, can increase satisfaction, and help keep you fuller longer.

Tip #5: Use prepared foods

Using prepared foods is a quick, easy way to make packing lunch less stressful. Hummus, canned beans, tzatziki, individual yogurts or cottage cheese, and sliced meats can speed up lunch prep. Having some fun foods on hand, like trail mix, granola bars, chips or cookies, can also keep lunches interesting, tasty and satisfying. All foods can fit in a healthy eating pattern.

Tip #6: Don’t overthink it!

There’s really no need to overthink lunch (or any meal, for that matter). Unless you have a medical diagnosis that requires attention to specific nutrients, weighing foods, counting grams of this or that, or obsessing over whether you had enough potassium on Monday or met your iron needs on Tuesday is unnecessary. If you are eating a wide range of foods over time, you can be sure you are getting the nutrients you need. 

Now that you’ve got the basics down, let’s move on to the lunchbox ideas. The recipes are simple and the menus are already balanced, but feel free to play around with them. If you don’t like the veggie or fruit in the menu, swap it out. Prefer peanuts over almonds? No problem. Choose what you love and, most of all, pack what satisfies you.

Filling Lunchbox Ideas For Adults

Prep time on most of these fresh lunchbox ideas is 5-10 minutes. Quantities are left open to interpretation. Follow your hunger signals to determine how much is right for you. Get your bento box or lunch box ready!

Plant-based Proteins

1. Veggie and hummus rollup, sunflower seeds mixed with chocolate chips and dried fruit, cottage cheese cup
2. Mashed avocado & cucumber sandwich, fruit/nut granola bar, melon mixed with Greek yogurt and honey
3. Pasta salad over greens with herb dressing, peppers, cucumbers, tomato, feta cheese & white beans, Larabar
4. Banana & chocolate/hazelnut spread rollup, carrot sticks with tahini, almonds & grapes
5. Tofu nachos: chili-powder seasoned tofu, black beans, guacamole, salsa, shredded cheese, tortilla chips, pineapple
6. Sunflower seed butter on a tortilla with apple slices, veggie sticks, fudge cookies
7. Hummus sandwich with sliced cucumbers, fruit salad, chocolate soy milk
8. Nut butter & banana sandwich, bell pepper sticks with hummus, popcorn, blueberries
9. Peanut butter on graham crackers, snap peas & carrot sticks with tzatziki dip, strawberries & watermelon
10. Almond butter with carrot sticks and green beans, apple, crackers & cheese
11. Whole grain crackers and tahini, bell peppers & celery sticks with ranch dip, peach, brownie bite
12. Tabbouleh salad with chickpeas, cucumber chunks, tomato, & bulgur wheat, nectarines, fig cookies
13. Energy bites, hummus with cucumbers & pita, radish slices, cherries
14. Hazelnuts, pears with blueberries, carrot & cabbage salad with avocado, crackers (not pictured)

Dairy/Egg Proteins

15. Tortellini with pesto, sliced cherry tomatoes and mozzarella cheese, bell pepper sticks, cucumber rounds, pineapple chunks
16. Black bean and cheese quesadilla with salsa/guacamole, baby carrots, raspberries, blueberries
17. Cheese & crackers, zucchini sticks and greek yogurt dip, apple sauce, chocolate dipped pretzels
18. Cream cheese & preserves sandwich, bell pepper sticks, almonds, mandarin oranges
19. Pizza slice(s), mango cubes, yogurt with raisins and walnut pieces
20. Egg salad, pita triangles, cucumber slices, tangerine, cookies
21. Cottage cheese, blackberries, popcorn, carrot sticks, peanut butter on graham crackers
22. Crackers with hummus, carrots, string cheese, fruit leather
23. English muffin pizza, cucumber sticks, yogurt, mango
24. Cream cheese, cucumber & sprouts sandwich, apple, cashews
25. Boiled eggs, rice, roasted brussel sprouts, green beans, tomatoes, pear, chocolate

Breakfast for Lunch

26. Grape/cheese/strawberry skewers, egg “muffins,” zucchini bread
27. Yogurt/berry/spinach smoothie, cheddar crackers, apple, pistachios
28. Raisin/cinnamon bagel, nut butter, banana, mango, yogurt, coconut flakes
29. Avocado toast slices, boiled egg, strawberries, chocolate pudding
30. Yogurt, cinnamon graham cereal, almonds, strawberries, fig cookies
31. Banana nut bread with cream cheese, boiled eggs, pear and cashews
32. Yogurt, granola, blueberries, almonds, coconut flakes, chocolate chips

Animal Proteins

33. Chicken quesadilla, guacamole, salsa and tortilla chips, kiwi and blueberries
34. Tuna salad rollups with lettuce, pickle slices, grape tomatoes, star fruit, potato chips
35. Roast beef sandwich, raspberries & blackberries, edamame, goldfish crackers
36. Chicken salad made with red grapes and walnut pieces, made into a sandwich, green beans and ranch dip
37. BLT, snap peas, fruit & nut trail mix
38. Turkey & spinach sandwich, blood oranges, almonds with dried blueberries
39. Roast beef “sliders” on a mini rolls, dill pickles, raspberries, cookies
40. Ham, cheddar & apple sandwich, pumpkin seed trail mix, clementines 
41. Pasta salad with peppers, cucumbers, tomato, mozzarella & cooked chicken with Italian dressing, orange, almonds

Lunchbox Ideas For Adults Summed Up

These nutritious lunches contain a variety of food types (proteins, starches, fats, fun foods) to keep you full and satisfied until your next meal. Balancing your midday meal and making sure you’re getting enough to eat can help you stay focused at work, increase concentration, and keep your mood steady.

So mix it up and have some fun! I’d love to hear from you if you use any of these lunchbox ideas for adults! Leave a comment below.