28 Make-Ahead Lunches That Can Help You Lose Weight

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Updated on October 20, 2023

Reviewed by Dietitian

Jessica Ball, M.S., RD

Meal-Prep Chili-Lime Chicken Bowls

Whether you're looking for pack-and-go salads you can bring along to the office or flavorful bowls for a day of working from home, these lunches will be ready whenever you need them. All of the recipes in this mix of reheatable soups, veggie-packed salads and tasty grain bowls are low in calories and high in fiber, so you can enjoy something light but satisfying to get you through the day. Recipes like our Chickpea & Quinoa Bowl with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce and Meal-Prep Chili-Lime Chicken Bowls are healthy ways to prep ahead and meet your nutritional goals.

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Spicy Weight-Loss Cabbage Soup

Based on a popular weight-loss plan, this healthy cabbage soup recipe gets tons of flavor and a metabolism-boosting kick from spicy chiles.

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Chickpea & Quinoa Bowl with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Quinoa and chickpeas pack this vegetarian grain bowl with plenty of plant-based protein. Whip up a batch of these flavorful grain bowls and pack them in lidded containers to stash in the fridge for easy, healthy grab-and-go lunches all week long.

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Vegan Superfood Grain Bowls

Vegan Superfood Buddha Bowls

This nutrient-packed grain bowl recipe comes together in 15 minutes with the help of a few convenience food shortcuts like prewashed baby kale, microwavable quinoa and precooked beets. Pack these ahead to keep on hand for easy meal-prep lunches or dinners on busy nights.

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Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowl with Cauliflower Rice

This easy-to-make and meal-prep burrito bowl is even better than takeout! You'll never miss the carbs in this protein-packed, super-flavorful meal that replaces the cilantro-lime rice with cauliflower rice. We love this with chicken, but it would be just as delicious with shrimp.

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Meal-Prep Chili-Lime Chicken Bowls

Skip takeout and whip up these equally delicious and easy-to-make burrito bowls at home. They're great for a fast and easy dinner or as meal-prep lunches to pack for work throughout the week.

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Falafel Tabbouleh Bowls with Tzatziki

Meal-prepping a week's worth of lunches doesn't need to take hours in the kitchen. These Greek-inspired meal-prep bowls can be prepared in just 10 minutes and only require four ingredients—greens, falafel, tabbouleh and tzatziki. We love going to our local specialty grocery store for fast shortcut ingredients like these. The high-fiber falafel and tabbouleh will help to keep you feeling satisfied all afternoon.

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Teriyaki Tofu Rice Bowls

With a handful of shortcut ingredients from your grocery store, including precooked rice packets and seasoned baked tofu, you can prepare several high-fiber, high-protein meals in about 15 minutes.

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Chopped Rainbow Salad Bowls with Peanut Sauce

Chopped Rainbow Salad Bowls with Peanut Sauce

Make good use of crunchy and colorful seasonal produce in these meal-prep-friendly vegetable bowls. With just 30 minutes of prep, you get four healthy lunches that are ready to grab and go. We use bulgur, which cooks faster and is higher in fiber than brown rice, but you could swap in quinoa (or any hearty whole grain). Feel free to add chopped cooked chicken, shrimp or tofu for extra protein.

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Lemon-Roasted Vegetable Hummus Bowls

Brimming with colorful roasted vegetables, these plant-based meal-prep lunch bowls are high in fiber to keep you full through the afternoon. The easy roasted veggies are based on a popular recipe from our sister magazine. Feel free to use your favorite store-bought hummus to cut down on prep time or make a batch of your own. You can also sub in an 8-ounce microwaveable quinoa pouch to minimize cooking.

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Chipotle-Lime Cauliflower Taco Bowls

A bold, smoky marinade elevates roasted cauliflower in this meal-prep version of our popular Chipotle-Lime Cauliflower Tacos by Carolyn Malcoun. To cut down on prep time for these healthy taco bowls, look for precut cauliflower in the produce department. You can also save time by using microwaveable quinoa pouches (you'll need one 8-ounce pouch for this recipe) instead of cooking quinoa.

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Chicken Caprese Pasta Salad Bowls

chicken caprese pasta salad in glass food storage container

Pasta salad is a classic summer side dish, but adding protein (leftover grilled chicken is perfect here) and extra greens makes it a super satisfying lunch. We use baby spinach, but arugula or baby kale works too. Top with a bright and tangy basil vinaigrette just before serving. The great news is that these easy meal-prep lunches take just 20 minutes to prepare—that's four days of lunches in less than 30 minutes.

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Crispy Chickpea Grain Bowl with Lemon Vinaigrette

Our favorite part of these vegetarian grain bowls is the tangy lemon vinaigrette, which ties together a satisfying combo of quinoa, toasted pumpkin seeds, and roasted chickpeas and kale. Whip them up for easy meal-prep lunches or a healthy and satisfying dinner.

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Loaded Chicken-Quinoa Salad

Turn simple precooked ingredients into a delicious one-dish meal, high in fiber and with plenty of protein to keep you feeling satisfied.

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Rice & Bean Freezer Burritos

Rice & Bean Freezer Burritos

Save money and sodium when you make a batch of homemade frozen burritos. Mashing the beans and mixing them with tomatoes, cheese and jalapeños before filling the healthy burritos means you get all the ingredients in each bite. Serve with your favorite toppings—we like sour cream, salsa and hot sauce.

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Meal-Prep Falafel Bowls with Tahini Sauce

These quick couscous bowls come together in 20 minutes thanks to healthy convenience items like frozen falafel and steam-in-bag fresh green beans. Whisk together the simple tahini sauce while the other ingredients cook.

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Vegan Burrito Bowls with Cauliflower Rice

These meal-prep vegan burrito bowls are healthier and more flavorful than takeout. Make them early in the week for grab-and-go meals when days are busy. We use frozen cauliflower rice, a low-carb substitute for white or brown rice, to cut down on prep time.

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Edamame & Veggie Rice Bowl

The ingredients in this vegan grain bowl recipe can be prepped ahead for an easy lunch to pack for work. The tangy citrus dressing is a refreshing flavor with the sweet caramel of the roasted sheet-pan veggies.

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Roasted Veggie & Tofu Brown Rice Bowl

A healthy and satisfying vegan lunch for one, featuring roasted butternut squash, broccoli, peppers and onions with simple brown rice, lime-marinated tofu and creamy cashew tahini sauce.

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Meal-Prep Roasted Vegetable Bowls with Pesto

Meal-Prep Roasted Vegetable Bowls with Pesto

Your co-workers will be jealous when you pull out this healthy lunch of roasted veggies and brown rice. Put together four lunches when you have time, and you will have packable lunches (or ready-to-eat dinners) for several days—just grab a container on your way out the door in the morning.

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Bean & Barley Soup

This hearty bean and barley soup tastes like it has simmered for hours, but actually, it's quite quick to throw together. Plus, this recipe for healthy bean and barley soup freezes beautifully. If you have cooked barley on hand, omit the quick-cooking barley and stir in 1 1/2 cups cooked barley along with the broth in Step 2.

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Quinoa-Black Bean Salad

a recipe photo of the Quinoa-Black Bean Salad — Alison Miksch

Enjoy this quinoa and black bean salad as a delicious and quick vegetarian main dish or as a side for grilled chicken or steak. And don't forget the leftovers! They make an easy lunch on the go.

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Roasted Salmon Rice Bowl with Beets & Brussels

Roasting vegetables and salmon together on one sheet pan while the rice cooks makes an easy, satisfying meal packed with protein, whole grains and veggies. To ensure that you're getting 100% whole grains, look for a wild rice blend that consists of wild and brown rice.

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Roasted Veggie Mason Jar Salad

This vegan Mason jar salad is easy to pack up and take for lunch. Layering the creamy cashew sauce into the bottom of the jar ensures that your big, bold power salad won't become wilted by the time you're ready to eat.

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Vegan Grain Bowl

This easy grain bowl has so much to love—sweet potatoes, protein-packed chickpeas, creamy avocado and homemade tahini dressing. Make the full recipe on the weekend and pack it into individual serving containers for ready-to-go lunches for work all week.

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Meal-Prep Cilantro-Lime Chicken Bowls

Prep all four servings of this easy recipe at once for ready-to-eat dinners or packable lunches for the rest of the week. If you don't like a lot of heat, try using mild chili powder, and leave out the jalapeño from the rice.

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Vegan Kale Caesar Salad with Tofu Croutons

Swapping tofu for the bread in these meal-prep Caesar salad bowls bumps up the satiety factor with 18 grams of protein. Lacinato kale, also known as dinosaur kale or Tuscan kale, has flat, dark green-blue leaves—and its tenderness makes it perfect for eating raw, like in this salad.

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Sweet Potato, Kale & Chicken Salad with Peanut Dressing

These hearty kale salads hold up well for four days, making them perfect for meal-prep lunches. To keep the ingredients from getting soggy, dress this salad and top it with peanuts just before serving. For a delicious vegan option, swap in roasted tofu for the chicken breast.

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Spring Green Salad with Hard-Boiled Eggs

This salad capitalizes on fresh spring produce and gets a simple protein boost from hard-boiled eggs. Meal-prep this healthy lunch salad by mixing the salad base together and simmering a batch of hard-boiled eggs on the weekend. Then, you'll be ready to just add one or two eggs with a drizzle of tangy vinaigrette for the simplest spring salad-to-go.

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