When first going vegan, it might be hard to find yummy and healthy vegan options for lunch at work or school, especially if you’re not privileged to have a big variety of options. I felt the same way again when I decided to go gluten-free for a few weeks, so meal prepping for work became a weekly ritual.
Once I had figured out how to make simple, nutritious & practical to-go-meals, I stuck to the same composition of meals (which I will show you below). And since there are so many options for substitutions, I do not get bored eating the same meals every week.
Here is what I usually take to work with me:
- Breakfast: oatmeal
- Lunch: big veggie salad
- Snacks: apple, banana, carrots + hummus, dark chocolate, granola bars, chocolate milk
Breakfast
Overnight oats are something I always bring to work because they are so quick to prepare and easy to take with you. Plus there are about a million variations of it. Here are a few oatmeal recipes I have posted on the blog (including white chocolate & berry), but my go-to-choices are the ones below:
Chocolate & Peanut Butter Oats
Mix the following in a jar at night & take to work the next morning:
- 1 cup oats
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tsp carob powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp maca (optional)
- 1 tbsp chia seeds (optional)
- enough vanilla oat milk to reach desired consistency
- top with a dollop of peanut butter (optional)
Poppy Seed & Prune Oatmeal
- 1 cup oats
- 1 tbsp poppy seeds
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- a few prunes, cut into small pieces
- 1 tsp maca (optional)
- 1 tbsp flax seeds (optional)
- enough vanilla oat milk to reach desired consistency
Lunch
As mentioned above, the composition of my lunches is always the same. They need some carbs (usually grains or potatoes), protein (beans, lentils, tofu) and whichever fruits or veggies are available. Here is how I put them together:
Base of Carbohydrates
Choose 1
- rice
- millet (helps alkalize the body)
- quinoa (adds extra protein)
- potatoes (sweet or normal)
Protein Boost
Choose 1-2
- mixed beans
- baked beans
- lentils
- tofu (for instance this one in peanut sauce)
Veggies & Fruits
Choose as many as you like
- zucchini (spiralized)
- tomatoes
- cucumber
- pickled beetroot (one of my favorites)
- sweet corn
- baked eggplant
- avocado
- baked pumpkin
- jalapeños
- the right fruits can also spice up a boring salad: blood orange, pomegrenate, apples
Dressing
You can either add pre-made sauce like pesto or pasta sauce, add vegan yogurt or make your own dressing. My favorite is this one:
- juice of 0.5 lemon
- 1-2 tsp tahin (= sesame paste)
- 0.5 tsp maple syrup (optional)
- salt & pepper to taste
I hope this gave you some inspiration for easy vegan & gluten-free to-go-meals! How do you prepare your lunch if you do?
Merken
