Packing a Healthy Lunch

Whether you’re preparing meals for yourself or for your family, one challenge that many face is finding the balance of time, using healthy ingredients and staying within budget. For the sake of time, it is easy to opt for the meal that is ready in minutes or is a convenient and prepackaged item. Oftentimes, convenient meals are not made with fresh ingredients and contain high amounts of sodium and other additives. Prepackaged meals are convenient, but can be high in price. Below are a few lunchtime ideas that are timely, healthy and budget-friendly.   

Sandwich Recipes

These ingredients don’t require any cooking; just a few assembly steps. 

*Tip: Make enough sandwiches as needed for a few days. Freeze them in individual bags so they’re easy to grab and pack for lunches; they’ll then be thawed by lunchtime.

Gourmet PB Sandwich

Flatout flatbreads + peanut butter + granola + diced apples 

Veggie Ribbon Sandwich

Whole-grain sandwich thin + 1 light laughing cow cheese wedge + zucchini ribbons + 1 serving sliced deli turkey

Tip: Use a vegetable peeler to slice cucumber, carrots, and zucchini into thin ribbons for sandwich fillings.

Waffle Pretzels

Hy-Vee waffle pretzel + 1 serving reduced fat cheese + veggies (carrots coins, cucumber slices, thick cut pepper strips work well)

Open Face Bagel Thin

Whole-grain mini bagel half + 1 wedge strawberry Laughing Cow cream cheese spread + dried cranberries or sliced strawberries + sliced almonds 

Inside-Out Sandwich

Spread mustard on slice of deli turkey + wrap around sesame breadstick, pretzel rod, or mozzarella cheese stick.

Sub-On-A-Stick

Thread onto bamboo skewer or pretzel stick: cubed whole-grain bread + deli meat + spinach or lettuce leaf + grape tomato + cheese cube + olive

Pack Per Department

Below are just a few items that are easy to add to your lunch bag.

Salad Bar:

DiLusso salads

Grape and cheese cups

Table-ready veggie packs

Health Market:

Horizon Organic Milk singles

Almond Breeze Almond Milk singles

Produce:

Whole fruits

Wholly Guacamole snack packs

Baby carrots

Dippin' Stix apple slices/dip

Meat:

Sargento Balanced Bites

P3 Protein Packs

Healthy Beverages

Packing a healthy lunch beverage is also important. Choosing water or non-flavored milk will not lead to added sugar consumption. Below is a brief calorie and sugar comparison chart for various beverages per 8 ounces. As you can see, water and low-fat milk (skim or 1%) are the lower sugar options.

Drink	Calories	Sugar (g)
Water	0	0
Low-fat milk	100	11
Orange juice	110	22
Juice drink	150	28
Powdered drink mix	90	24
Soda	100	27

-West Lakes Hy-Vee Dietitians Team