If you’re like us, you spend almost an hour every Saturday or Sunday morning trying to figure out what to make for lunch & dinner the next week. Deciding on dinner is usually easy in comparison to lunch since typically your work or school lunch needs to fit in a small container, needs to be good cold or microwaved, and it has to smell good so people don’t peg you as the “smelly lunch” person. While we still love a good quinoa & broccoli meal despite what our co-workers think, the day is noticeably more pleasant without the harassment. We’ve done the hard work for you, so look no further than the list below! All four of these amazing meal prep lunches are in our rotation. Click the photos or titles to head to each recipe!

Indian Tandoori Meal Prep BOWL from The Girl on Bloor

We just tried these last week & love them! We left out the pakora & subbed extra firm tofu instead of chicken. The recipe is so easy! You just chop up the onions, potatoes & cauliflower, mix with aloo gobi spice, and throw it all on a baking dish! Then after marinating the chicken or tofu in a seasoned yogurt, you throw those on a baking sheet as well, along with the peas and onions. After about thirty minutes, not only will your kitchen smell amazing, but you’ll have lunch made for the week! Tip: If you’re a fan of spice, add some sliced serrano peppers for some added heat.

Mediterranean Bowl from Tasty

There are a ton of Mediterranean meal prep bowls out there, but we love how simple this one is to make! The recipe shows you how to make your own hummus, but we love the Mediterranean hummus from Trader Joe’s so much, that we just use a dollop of that in each bowl. And if you’re one of those people that thinks quinoa is boring? It is far from it in this recipe! The quinoa is made with veggie broth (instead of water), spices & lemon juice. This meal is perfect for those long days at work when waiting for the microwave isn’t on your agenda.

West African Peanut Soup from Cookie + Kate

This isn’t as much of a meal prep recipe as the others. In fact, we originally bought the ingredients to make as dinner, until we realized we had nothing for lunch & thought it would be perfect for our glass meal prep containers. And we were right, it was perfect and delicious! We didn’t change anything about the recipe, so just follow the instructions & you’ll have a hearty soup full of flavor. We still remember the first time we had West African peanut soup at Native Foods in Los Angeles at least 6 or 7 years ago & we were so glad that this recipe tasted just as good – or even better – than the soup that day. Enjoy!

Glowing spiced lentil Soup from Oh She Glows

Talk about healthy & delicious! This comforting soup is bursting with flavor & nutrients. The base is a blend of spices (including turmeric!), vegetable broth, diced tomatoes, and lentils. After it all simmers for about 20 minutes, you’ll add a whole bag of baby spinach & watch it wilt down. The lentils keep you full all day after lunch & it just feels good knowing you’re putting healthy food in your body when most people are microwaving a hot pocket.

We can’t wait to hear what you think of these meal prep lunch recipes! Let us know if you try any of them out. We’d also love to know what your go-to lunches are for work or school! If you’re looking for food inspiration online, be sure to check out our favorite food bloggers to follow.