Quick and Healthy Lunch Ideas for Every Day of the Week
The following article was written by Heinen’s Chief Dietitian, Melanie Jatsek RD, LD.
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Whenever I opened my Strawberry Shortcake lunchbox and found a bologna, cheese, and mustard sandwich on white bread, I knew it was going to be a good day at John Glenn Elementary School. And if mom tucked a chocolatey snack cake beside it, good quickly became great!
That was 1982. Even though my lunches today look nothing like those early years, they still excite me, but in a more health-fulfilling way. The fact that I get to decide how many nutritional boxes I check with each lunch I pack fills me with a sense of empowerment.
In this article I pulled together 35 of the best Fx™-approved lunch options Heinen’s has to offer. These feel-good lunches come together in a flash and offer everything you need for maximum brain power and energy!
To make the most of this midday meal, I recommend stuffing your lunchbox with one suggested Fx™-approved main dish (sandwich/wrap, soup, salad, or grab-and-go frozen meal) and 2–3 side dishes.
Fx™-Approved Main Dishes (Pick 1)
Sandwiches and Wraps
- Cashew and Sprout-Stuffed Nori Wraps: Nori is the dried seaweed paper that is commonly wrapped around the outside of your favorite sushi rolls, and it’s available in Heinen’s international foods aisle for you to use at home. In addition to being delicious, nori wraps are high in iodine, which is a mineral that many of us lack, but is key for optimizing thyroid and overall immune health.
- Overstuffed Sprouted Turkey Sandwich: Try serving Two Brother’s organic oven-roasted turkey on Ezekiel or Silver Hills Bakery sprouted bread with leafy greens, broccoli sprouts, tomato, avocado, and a dollop or two of Cedar’s Reserve Za’atar and Tahini Hommus.
- Baconless BLT: This plant-based version of a BLT calls for seitan in place of bacon. Seitan is a meat substitute made from wheat gluten that mimics the flavor and texture of chicken. Assemble two slices of heated Upton’s Naturals bacon seitan, Buckeye Fresh lettuce, and sliced tomatoes on lightly toasted Ezekiel or Silver Hills Bakery bread spread with Hummus Goodness hummus.
- Nut Butter and Fruit Wrap: Spread 1–2 tablespoons of Heinen’s Fan Favorite fresh ground walnut, peanut, or almond butter on an Ezekiel sprouted wrap or Siete almond flour wrap (gluten-free), add a row or two of fresh blueberries, raspberries, diced strawberries, or bananas and sprinkle with Heinen’s organic ground flaxseeds or chia seeds. Roll up and enjoy!
- Buffalo Chickpea Salad Sandwich: Heinen’s canned chickpeas stand in for chicken in this plant-based version of a buffalo chicken salad sandwich.
Soups
- Amy’s light in sodium lentil soup
- Karine & Jeff Mediterranean harvest soup
- 18 Chestnuts Tuscan tomato soup
- Dr. McDougall’s split pea soup cup
Salads
- Leafy Green Garden Veggie Salad: Throw together a quick leafy green salad with your favorite diced raw veggies and Melissa’s steamed beets. Top with a Freshe Aztec Ensalada tuna meal and drizzle with Livwell creamy miso Caesar dressing.
- Wild Planet Quinoa and Tuna Salad: Serve with Top Seedz crackers.
- Mediterranean Zucchini Pasta Salad: This light and healthy salad combines Heinen’s fresh spiralized zucchini noodles (a true time-saver) with chickpeas, fresh vegetables, olives, feta cheese, green onions, and parsley, and it’s topped with a light Greek dressing.
- Creamy Fruit and Nut Salad: Top one container of Cocojune coconut yogurt with Heinen’s Fan Favorite fresh cut fruit and sprinkle with a tablespoon of Heinen’s organic ground flaxseed and ¼ cup of raw walnuts.
Grab-and-Go Frozen Meals
- Blue Zones Kitchen burrito bowl or heirloom rice bowl
- Heinen’s organic farro and quinoa with broccoli and feta bowl
- Amy’s Kitchen vegetable pot pie
- Amy’s Kitchen black bean burrito
- Amy’s Kitchen Thai red curry
- Kevin’s Natural Foods roasted tomato chicken pasta bowl
- Path of Life southwest mango quinoa blend
Fx™-Approved Lunch Sides (Pick 2–3)
- A cup or piece of fresh fruit
- Bottle of cold-pressed vegetable juice (Garden of Flavor mean greens, Garden of Flavor twisted roots or Suja organic celery juice)
- Raw veggies
- Mamma Chia squeeze
- Single serving pack of Heinen’s raw almonds or one serving of Go Raw sprouted pumpkin or sunflower seeds
- Bag of Brad’s crunchy kale chips or Brad’s veggie chips
- Serving of seed crackers (Top Seedz, Mary’s Gone Crackers, or Flackers)
- Serving of Biena chickpea snacks
- Bellwether Farms grassfed yogurt cup or Siggi’s coconut-based yogurt cup
- One Nellie’s free range hard-boiled egg
- Organic Valley grass-fed cheese stick
- New Primal beef or turkey stick or one serving of Pan’s plant-based mushroom jerky
- One Fx™-approved nutrition bar (Over Easy, Wellwerks, Balanced Tiger, Wise Bar, Quantum, Raw Rev Glo, Larabar, RxBar, That’s It, Mezcla, or IQBar)
- A ready-to-drink smoothie (Remedy Organics plant-based power shakes, Noka Superfood smoothies, or Koia protein drinks)
- 1 serving of a sweet treat (Navitas Power Snacks, Melissa’s pumpkin seed Clean Snax, Clusterbucks granola clusters, Joolies brownie date pops, or Undercover dark chocolate sea salt quinoa crisps)
Key Takeaway
Imagine packing a wholesome lunch that has the power to put you in the driver’s seat of your health. Fortunately, this is a reality! Roll up your sleeves and get creative mixing and matching the above ideas to your heart’s content.
