5 Easy Ways to Prep Protein for Lunches
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Do you often find yourself bored to tears by your lunch prep protein? Are you in that rut of plain chicken, broccoli, and sweet potatoes every single day?
While, yes, I stand by needing a protein, a whole grain, and a veggie for a well-rounded lunch prep, there’s so much room to play around. You’re not going to stick to it if you hate it. So, let’s make it fun!
Here are some of my favorite ways to prep protein for a week’s worth of lunches that I won’t get sick of by Wednesday. And sure, there’s meat in here, but there are a lot of good meat-free protein options to consider as well.
1. Greek Ground Turkey
First of all, know that you can use whatever percent ground turkey you like. You can swap in chicken, beef, tofu, or soy crumbles. It’s really a choose-your-own adventure. Just know that for this recipe, I’ve tested it for my own lunches with 99% lean ground turkey.
This one is super easy. We’re going to break up and cook one pound of ground turkey with no fat. So, you definitely want to use a non-stick pan. Once your meat is mostly cooked but shows a little pink, you’ll add your seasoning.
For Greek seasoning, you need garlic powder, onion powder, dill, oregano, salt, and pepper. You can totally add cumin or cayenne if you need some warmth. Toss this around in the meat so the flavors disperse.
Then, you might notice some little browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. This is called “fond” and it’s pretty tasty. So, deglaze your pan with a little bit of lemon juice and water. Use the moisture to loosen the fond, and mix it into the meat.
With 99% lean ground, you should be able to portion out exactly five 1/2 cup servings. Yes, a half cup of ground turkey should be plenty of protein for a meal for most people. The goal is for half your meal to be veggies anyway.
What to Pair with Greek Ground Turkey
I pair my Greek Ground Turkey with 1 cup of frozen spinach that’s been defrosted for easier portioning and 1/2 cup of brown rice. To keep it fun, I might add tzatziki, hummus, a little feta, or fresh tomato and cucumber after I’ve microwaved my jar.
Greek Ground Turkey
Equipment
- Large sauté pan
Ingredients
- 1 pound 99% lean ground turkey
- 1 tsp dried dill weed
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp water
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp pink himalayan sea salt
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a dry sauté pan, break up and brown your ground turkey.
- Sprinkle in salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, dill, and oregano. Stir to distribute.
- Deglaze pan with water and lemon juice.
- Portion out 1/2 cup servings to 5 meal prep containers, and serve with a whole grain and a vegetable.
2. Easy Seasoned Split Peas
I’ve recently become a big fan of split peas for protein. While, yes, they carry more carbs than protein, they still come with a solid 8 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber per half-cup serving. That makes for a filling meat-free option.
Split Peas also happen to be a nearly complete protein, containing 8 of the 9 essential amino acids your body needs for muscle maintenance. The missing one is tryptophan which is found in rice and quinoa.
For this recipe, you need 3 ingredients: dried split peas, vegetable broth (or water), and 21 Seasoning Salute. I got this from Trader Joe’s, but you can also find it here.
21 Seasoning Salute is a salt-free mix with citrus, herbs, and spices. It delivers a wallop of layered flavor so it’s tough to get bored with. I like it in many things (especially split peas and sweet potatoes).
I also make this recipe a lot faster using an Instant Pot. On the stove, it could take an hour or so for your split peas to cook through. In the Instant Pot, it takes half an hour once you factor in pressurizing and depressurizing time.
What to Pair with Easy Seasoned Split Peas
To serve this up, I like to use sweet potatoes for carbs. This gives me that tryptophan, but it also adds on another 2 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber. So, lunch is 1/2 cup of prepared split peas, 1/2 cup of diced and roasted sweet potato, and 1 cup of chopped broccoli or broccoli slaw.
Easy Seasoned Split Peas
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups yellow split peas
- 3 cups vegetable broth or water
- 1 Tbsp 21 Seasoning Salute
Instructions
- Mix all 3 ingredients together in the Instant Pot.
- Cook on High Pressure for 10 minutes. Let it depressurize naturally. This should take an additional 20 minutes or less.
- Portion out 5 ½-cup servings into meal prep containers, and serve with a ½ cup of prepared quinoa, rice, or sweet potato and 1 cup of a delicious vegetable.
3. Smoky Marinated Tofu
While this recipe for tofu is a little more intensive, I highly recommend it for the most flavorful tofu possible. Tofu is pretty bland, but it’s also a good way to get meat-free protein with almost 11g per 1/2 cup serving.
The key with tofu is pressing out as much water as you can. To do this, you’ll wrap your brick in a clean dish towel, and sandwich it between two plates. Weigh the top plate down with a cast iron skillet or a large can of beans. If you don’t mind having another kitchen gadget, I recommend this OXO Tofu Press because it is dishwasher-safe and easy to use.
After about an hour, your tofu is ready to marinate. Stir together soy sauce, maple syrup, sriracha, lemon juice, liquid smoke, garlic, and vegetable broth. Slice your tofu into 10 even slices. If you prefer thinner slices, try 15.
Marinate for another hour. Then, lay the tofu out on a sheet pan, and roast it for 20 minutes. Flip it (spoon a little marinade onto each plank after you flip), and roast for another 20 minutes.
The result is well worth the time put in. Trust me. The long roast leaves your tofu firm and hearty with condensed, intense flavor. I usually recommend this recipe for people trying to eat fewer animal proteins because the texture is fairly meaty.
What to Pair with Smoky Marinated Tofu
While this smoky protein prep is great with about anything, I’m a big fan of it as part of a burrito bowl. Try it with 1/4 cup of rice, 1/4 cup of black beans, 1 cup of sautéed peppers and onions, 2 Tbsp sliced avocado, and 1 Tbsp salsa.
You could also go for an Asian flair with 1/2 cup rice noodles, 2 cups of vegetable broth, 1/4 cup kimchi, 1/4 cup sautéed spinach, 1/4 cup zucchini, and 1/4 cup mushrooms.
Smoky Marinated Tofu
Ingredients
- 1 package extra firm tofu
- ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce or coconut liquid aminos
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp minced garlic
- 2 Tbsp sriracha
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- ½ tsp liquid smoke
- 1-2 cups vegetable broth
Instructions
- Drain the package of tofu. Then wrap tofu in a towel and press between two plates with a weight on top (I have used a cast iron skillet, or cans of beans in the past). Press tofu for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Unwrap tofu and slice into quarter inch slices.
- In a glass storage container, large enough to store tofu and marinade, mix together the ingredients of the marinade (excluding the vegetable broth). Add in tofu, turning to coat it. Now, pour in vegetable broth until the tofu is submerged. Seal the container, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Place strips of tofu on a lined baking sheet, reserving the marinade, and roast for 20 minutes. Turn the tofu slices over and sprinkle additional marinade on this side. Return to the oven for an additional 20 minutes.
4. Instant Pot Ranch Chicken
Chicken is really popular amongst meal preppers for their lunch prep protein. It’s high in protein, the breasts are low in fat, and generally, you feel pretty full after eating it.
The downside is that it can get SOOOOOOO boring. Plain chicken every day of the week will drive you nuts. Well, I care about your mental health, so let’s make some unboring chicken, okay? But let’s also make it really easy.
For this recipe, all you have to do is dump your chicken into the Instant Pot with some Ranch seasoning, a little water or broth to prevent sticking, and let it go. Easy! Heck, there’s even a “Poultry” button so you don’t even have to think about how long to cook it.
The beauty of this recipe is really in how you serve it up. Yes, ranch flavor is bonkers good. I mean, have you ever had Doritos? Okay, see?! But it’s still just pretty good chicken unless you make a fun lunch with it.
What to Pair with Instant Pot Ranch Chicken
Get ready for the best meal prep for bored lunchers! Cook up 5 slices of bacon or turkey bacon. To each of 5 containers, give yourself 1/2 cup of diced ranch chicken, a slice of bacon (cut up), 1 cup of mixed greens, 1/2 of a Roma tomato, 2 Tbsp of avocado, 1/4 cup of sweet corn, and 1 Tbsp of ranch dressing.
For the best results with your salad, layer it in this order:
Ranch (bottom)
Avocado
Tomato
Corn
Bacon
Chicken
Lettuce (top)
To serve, shake your salad up really well and dig in! I like to use quart jars for salads so I have room for things to move while shaking. That gets everything evenly dispersed and coated in dressing.
Easy Instant Pot Ranch Chicken
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken breasts whole
- 1 packet ranch seasoning
- ½ cup water or chicken broth
Instructions
- Place the chicken breasts in the pot of your Instant Pot.
- Sprinkle with ranch seasoning. Pour water or broth over top.
- Seal the Instant Pot lid, and press the Poultry button. Let the pot depressurize naturally.
- Remove the chicken to a cutting board. Let it rest for about 5 minutes before dicing and portioning out into meal containers.
5. 2-Ingredient PB Yogurt
The final protein option I have for your lunch prep is PB Yogurt. Sometimes, lunch gets boring because our sweet tooth is unsatisfied. So, this is a dessert-for-lunch option that I personally love any time of day.
A half cup of nonfat Greek yogurt packs a walloping 12 grams of protein, and a tablespoon of PB powder contains an extra 4 grams. Together, they net 1 gram of fat and 6 grams of carbohydrates. Not too shabby!
To sweeten the deal, I like to use 1/2 tsp of sugar-free vanilla coffee syrup. You can use maple syrup, liquid stevia, or go without any sweetener at all. Just steer clear of artificial sweeteners that can mess with your blood sugar and insulin levels.
I love this option because it feels like dessert. It’s sweet, rich, creamy, and seems oh-so decadent while also being filling. It’s also great for warmer months when you don’t really want to heat your lunch up. So, how do you serve it up?
What to Pair with PB Yogurt
Get ready for a sweet treat at lunchtime! Start with a baked sweet potato. You can even get wild and cut your sweet potato into rounds for “nachos,” but for the sake of simplicity, I go with a whole potato cut down the middle like a little canoe.
In a separate compartment of your meal prep container, portion out 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt mixed with 1 Tbsp PB powder. In a third compartment, portion out 1/2 cup of strawberries, raspberries, and/or blueberries. For an extra little treat, include 1 Tbsp of chocolate chips (you can use sugar-free if you prefer).
When it comes to lunchtime, spoon your yogurt over the sweet potato, top with berries and chocolate, and dig in for your midday dessert packed with protein and fiber! What a way to stay satisfied!
PB Greek Yogurt
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
- 2½ cups nonfat plain Greek yogurt
- 5 Tbsp PB powder
- 2½ tsp sugar-free vanilla syrup
Instructions
- Stir all three ingredients together.
- Portion out ½ cup servings into 5 meal prep containers for your protein.
Tools You’ll Need for Lunch Prep Protein
You’ll need to refer to each recipe to see what specific tools you’ll need. For example, you might need:
But for any meal prep, you’re going to need containers. If you want to mix everything together, I highly recommend using glass jars.
- Pint Jars
- Quart Jars
- Plastic Jar Lids (because the metal ones will rust after a couple of months of repeated use)
If you like having all your lunch components separate, especially if you’re making Sweet Potato PB Yogurt Boats, I recommend these prep containers. They’re glass but they also have 3 compartments. You can run them through the dishwasher, and the lids are really snug.
Learn More about Meal Prepping!
For more information about meal prepping and planning, please check out my posts:
If You Liked My Top 5 Ways to Prep Protein for Lunch
Comment below if you have questions, concerns, or opinions. And tag me @ellejayathome on Instagram or Twitter if you share pictures from any of my recipes. I love to hear from you!
