Snack-Style Lunches: 3 Ways

Snack-style lunches are a convenient meal option that can be easily adapted to meet your specific nutrition goals. Plus, they’re a great way to use up leftovers in the fridge!

I don’t know about you, but I get tired of making lunch. And while meal prep is a great way to not have to make your lunch every day, there are also afternoons when I’d rather munch than have a full sandwich or grain bowl. And for days like those, I turn to snack-style lunches.

While you can invest in bento boxes (storage containers with separate compartments), as many of us are working from home right now you can also just assemble your snack-style lunch on a plate or shallow bowl. 

In addition to getting a wider variety of flavors and textures, snack-style lunches also make it easy to adapt your lunch to better fit your nutrition goals for the day. 

Below are three variations of snack-style lunches. In general, you’ll notice that while the ingredients and nutrient breakdowns are different, they all consume some type of fresh produce (fruit, vegetable, or both), protein source, and healthy fats. 

Feel free to use these three snack-style lunches as a jumping off point for your own combinations based on what you’re in the mood for or happen to already have at home! 

Plant-Based

• Chickpea Salad (made with avocado instead of mayo)
• Whole grain crackers
• Baby carrots
• Grapes

Starbucks-Inspired Protein Box 

• Hard boiled egg
• Natural nut butter
• Whole grain crackers
• Mixed fruit
• Cheese

Low-Carb

• Roasted chicken 
• Raw veggies
• Almonds
• Low-carb dip, like Primal Kitchen’s Ranch Dressing or this Keto-Friendly Ranch Dip. Note: If you aren’t keto, you can also make a dip by combining plain Greek yogurt with ranch seasoning mix. 

 

Print Recipe

Snack-Style Lunch Ideas: 3 Ways

 

Snack-style lunches are a convenient meal option that can be easily adapted to meet your specific nutrition goals. Plus, they’re a great way to use up leftovers in the fridge!

 

Prep Time15 minutes mins

 

Course: Lunch

Keyword: Snack-Style Lunch Ideas

Servings: 1

Calories:

Ingredients

Plant-Based Snack-Style Lunch

• 4 ounces chickpea salad for non-plant based can also use tuna or chicken salad instead
• 5 whole grain crackers or ½ whole wheat pita bread sliced into triangles
• 10 baby carrots or other raw vegetable
• 1/4 cup fresh fruit such as grapes, berries, melon, or sliced apple

Protein Box Snack-Style Lunch

• 1 hard boiled egg
• 1 tablespoon natural peanut or almond butter
• 6 whole grain crackers or 1 whole wheat mini bagel
• 1/4 cup mixed fruit
• 1/2 ounce light cheese like 1 mini Babybel cheese wheel or a cheese stick

Low-Carb Snack-Style Lunch

• 3 to 4 ounces meat such as leftover roasted chicken or freshly sliced deli turkey
• 2 tablespoons nuts such as almonds or walnuts
• 1-2 cups raw veggies
• 2 tablespoons dip such as Primal Kitchen’s Ranch Dressing or homemade Keto Ranch Dip (recipe link in post)

Instructions

• Option to prep you snack-style lunches earlier in the week, so all you have to do is grab one and go. You can also just prep the individual ingredients and then assemble them fresh each day.

Notes

Nutrition

 

Note: nutrition facts will vary based on exact ingredients and brands you end up using.

 

Plant-Based:

 

Servings 1 | 350 Calories per Serving

 

14 g fat; 2 g saturated fat; 15 mg cholesterol, 760 mg sodium, 52 g carbohydrate; 10 g fiber; 16 g sugar, 8 grams protein

 

*Nutrition calculated using Lose It!’s Chickpea Salad recipe, 5 Back to Nature Plant-Based Stoneground Wheat Crackers, ¼ cup grapes, and 10 baby carrots.

 

*to reduce the sodium, choose no salt added canned chickpeas and omit extra salt from the chickpea salad recipe

 

Protein:

 

Servings 1 | 350 Calories per Serving

 

20 g fat; 6 g saturated fat; 201 mg cholesterol, 419 mg sodium, 23 g carbohydrate; 2 g fiber; 5 g sugar, 18 grams protein

 

*Nutrition calculated using 1 large hard-boiled egg, 1 tablespoon 365 Natural Peanut Butter, 5 Back to Nature Plant-Based Stoneground Wheat Crackers, 1 Sargento Part-skim Mozzarella String Cheese, and ¼ cup mixed fruit.

 

Low-Carb:

 

Servings 1 | 374 Calories per Serving

 

28 g fat; 3 g saturated fat; 0 mg cholesterol, 264 mg sodium, 14 g carbohydrate; 4 g fiber; 4 g sugar, 21 grams protein

 

*Nutrition calculated using 3 ounces rotisserie chicken (no skin), 2 tablespoons roasted almonds, 1 cup raw mixed vegetables, and 2 tablespoons of Primal Kitchen’s Ranch Dressing.

Reviewed 08/2021