Simple Meal Prep Lunch Container

Sometimes you don't need a recipe. You need ideas for a simple lunch prep container. We've got you covered!

Consider this an adult Lunchable! No cooking is required and it’s a fun grab-and-go meal that's endlessly customizable. And that's because sometimes a recipe is not what you need: You need an uncomplicated combination of lunch ingredients that taste great. This simple lunch meal prep idea is just that!

Ingredients for Simple Meal Prep Lunch Container

The key here is to use some common foods you likely have on hand. We're using grapes, hard-boiled eggs, cooked chopped chicken, sliced cucumber, a bell pepper, and chopped up string cheese.

What to Put in My Lunch Prep Container?

Ok, so maybe you don't have all of those ingredients, but take a look at what we've got here and use your imagination.

Protein: egg, cheese, hummus (plant-based), and chicken

Veggie: cucumber, peppers

Fruit: grapes

The idea is to pack yourself a little bit of everything across the major macros/food groups. But an easier way to think about it beyond those three types of food involves color! What colors can you eat today? Because eating colorful real foods, as we know, usually means we are eating healthy foods!

Substitutions and Alterations

Sometimes we just need ideas, and the more, the better. If you end up putting together this simple lunch container as we've described it, awesome. If you wanna work with what you've got on hand, even better. Of course, your own dietary needs might be different if you eat carbs (we don't really have any included here), higher-sugar fruits (like bananas), and so forth. Feel free to customize this to your liking.

Other fun additions include marinated veggies, olives, pickles, and so forth.

Veggie swaps: The sliced peppers and cukes are great for dipping into the hummus, but feel free to use carrot or celery sticks if you like instead, or slice zucchini in a similar stick-like manner, lengthwise.

Grape tomatoes are good, but so are chopped broccoli and cauliflower florets. Baby spinach or arugula is great too if you're aiming for more of a green-veg kind of vibe.

Fruit swaps: Apple or pear slices; orange, tangerine, or clementine segments; blueberries, strawberries, raspberries or blackberries; pomegranate arils (seeds); sliced bananas, mangos, pineapple.

Plant-based swaps: cooked tofu or edamame; peanut, almond or cashew butter; other kinds of hummus; cubed avocado, almonds, cashews, walnuts, pecans, pistachios, macadamia nuts, Brazil nuts; sunflower or pumpkin seeds.

Animal protein swaps: cooked steak, pork, or shrimp are great. Canned tuna, salmon, or chicken also comes in handy in a pinch and requires no cooking, just seasoning. (Maybe a little bit of mayo, plain yogurt, some salt, pepper, and mustard?)

Dairy: chunks of cheddar, Havarti, or Monterey jack; plain regular or Greek yogurt.

Tips for Simple Lunch Container Prep

If you stock your pantry and your fridge with a variety of these foods, you'll never be bored. Sometimes you don't need a whole big production for lunch.

We joke that this is like an adult Lunchable, but there's no reason why you can't have your kids assemble their own versions! You likely know the mass-produced ones are typically loaded with preservatives and more salt than you might want in your diet. Any parent who's watched their child do something for themselves for the first time has likely witnessed that kind of "aha" moment of satisfaction in their child. Prepping food is no different. That sense of empowerment will likely excite them—even if it's just for a couple of days and they go back to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Hey, it's a start.

Need container ideas? Check out our guide to the Best Plastic Meal Prep Containers!

Here are a few more basic lunch meal prep ideas:

• Kid Friendly Back to School Lunch box
• Easy and Colorful Lunch box
• Tuna Snack Box
• Antipasto Skewer Snack Box
• Turkey Bacon Ranch Pinwheel Lunch Box
• Roasted Chicken and Winter Persimmons Make This Sweet & Savory Meal Prep
• Chicken Sausage & Parsnip Fries Meal Prep