Dietitian Recommended Healthy Lunch Ideas for Hybrid Work

Lunch can be challenging, especially if you’re working from both home and work (i.e. hybrid work) and are constantly changing work environments. Or maybe you’re running around with the kiddos all day and find it difficult to stop for lunch.

Regardless of your situation, if you’re struggling with healthy lunch ideas, I have a few easy ones for you. 

One top recommendation that I have for clients when we’re building meal plans for the week is: 

Use your dinner leftovers for lunch the next day. 

But what happens when there isn’t anything leftover? OR you simply don’t like leftovers? 

This is where a Back Pocket lunch idea comes in. These are the ideas that you can always stay stocked with ingredients for so that you can easily whip up one of these lunches. 

I have a confession, despite the fact that I’m a dietitian, I don’t always love grocery shopping, meal planning and cooking. Although I certainly find joy in cooking, I think it’s so important to have some easy options at the ready so that when cooking [heck, even eating] feels like a chore, I can have these items ready to go with minimal effort. 

Here are my Top Five Favourite Easy and Healthy Lunch Ideas

1. Grain, bean and veggie salads (bulk prep) 

This is a staple for me, especially in the spring/summer. What I’ll do is prep one of these on the weekend and have these salads as meals or sides throughout the week! 

Here are the components to include along with some ideas to help you build a balanced lunch:

Grains: rice, quinoa, pasta, farro 

Beans/Lentils: chickpeas, bean medley, white kidney beans, black beans, lentils 

Note: you can totally use canned beans here!!

Veggies: peas, canned tomatoes, green beans, spinach/kale 

Herbs: dill, basil, cilantro, and my most commonly used in these: parsley 

Here are a few recipes that I love:

Louisiana Style Red Beans and Rice - Budget Bytes

Puerto Rican Beans and Rice - Ambitious Kitchen 

Spanish Rice and Beans - Dishing Out Health 

2. Girl lunch (dietitian recommended edition): 

Basically we're throwing random ingredients together here to make it balanced and perfect for hybrid work. So think, a carbohydrate, source of fat and protein.

For example:

• Small can of tuna (I like the cloverleaf ones that are flavoured) 

• Veggies (e.g. baby carrots, cucumber, mini peppers, snap peas), 

• Hummus 

• and any whole grain cracker (I like Ryvita)

3. Yogurt parfait 

Who says lunch can’t be sweet? To make this a healthy, balanced lunch you’re going to need protein, fat and fibre.

I’d recommend the following formula:

• ¾ cup Plain Greek yogurt

• ½ cup fruit (frozen fruit defrosted in the microwave or on the stove works)

• ½ cup granola (optional) 

• 1 tbsp sweetener of choice (optional, e.g. honey or maple syrup) 

• 1 tbsp chia seeds or pumpkin seeds 

• 1 dash of cinnamon 

Also optional: 1 tbsp natural peanut butter, I love the way this tastes mixed into yogurt

4. Toasts!

Toasts can be a great, quick, easy and healthy lunch idea that is 100% dietitian approved. The great thing about these options is that they're quick to whip up for work from home (WFH) days.

Here are some ideas:

• cottage cheese toast (add ½ cup cottage cheese to toast with berries and honey, peaches and honey or tomatoes with basil and balsamic) 

• Avocado toast with 2 eggs

• Avocado toast with smashed beans (I’d recommend navy or white kidney beans) 

• Hummus on toast with smashed beans or hemp seeds and a dash of olive oil

5. Omlette 

If you have any pre-chopped or leftover veggies this would be really helpful here. I recommend using at least two eggs. For extra protein I like to add some egg whites (I always have a carton in the fridge) and cheese (preferably feta or cheddar). 

It’s a good idea to pair this with a slice of whole grain toast and/or fruit as well to help you feel energized and satisfied longer. 

If you have other back pocket recipe ideas that you love, let me know in the comments below or reach out here.

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