Packed Lunch Ideas for School / Work / Uni (Healthy & Vegan)
As I have had such a positive response to my 'Breakfast Ideas for Lunch / School / Uni' post (you can view it here) I have decided to do a post on vegan packed lunch ideas for school (or work / uni). When I was at school this was definitely something I struggled with even when I wasn't vegan, as the school canteen food just wasn't particularly great, or affordable, and even though I had the option to leave school for lunch not everyone has that luxury! Therefore thinking of a diverse range of options for my school lunches every week was pretty challenging for me! The ideas that I have compiled for this post are suitable for those of you who have access to a microwave at work / school / uni and also to those of you who don't, so hopefully there is something for everyone! They are also 100% vegan and healthy(ish) and are categorised into varying levels of time required to make them.
PACKED LUNCH IDEAS FOR SCHOOL / WORK / UNI (HEALTHY & VEGAN)
I always found that preparing my lunches the night before, or even the weekend before was much easier than scrambling around 10 minutes before I had to leave attempting to make my lunch! Therefore a lot of these recipes can be made in bulk and sectioned out for the whole week (or next few weeks) or are easy and quick enough to put together in the morning! As usual you can substitue any of the ingredients mentioned in this post to suit your dietary requirements and preferences and please let me know if you recreate any of them over at my social media accounts (@positivesoph).
Easy Bulk Recipes
These recipes can easily be made at the weekend to serve you for the whole week or alternatively the night before to save you time in the morning! All recipes have rough measurements for EACH serving, so adjust if making in bulk for how many portions you wish to make!
1. Rice Noodles with Vegetables (REQUIRE A MICROWAVE AT SCHOOL / WORK)
This is probably one of the easiest meals you can put together, whilst also keeping you full all day and being really delicious! All you need to do is mix together rice noodles (no need to cook them at this stage if they are pre-cooked ones such as this brand), baby sweetcorn, chickpeas, mange-tout / sugar-snap pease, sweetcorn and any other veggies you want. When portioning off into your lunch box, add in a handful of spinach and some sweet chilli sauce and then at lunchtime just put in the microwave for 1-2 minutes and its ready to eat! I would suggest using around 150g of noodles per serving (which is half of the packet shown in the link above) and its up to you how many veggies you prefer! You can keep a bit container of this in the fridge (without the spinach and sweet chilli sauce added) to dish out for lunch when wanted!
Another easy, healthy bulk meal is rice with tofu and veggies, as all you need to do is cook your rice and peas (from frozen) in a large pan and then when sectioning off for your lunch just add some marinated tofu pieces (such as these) and add sweet chilli sauce, you can also add any other veggies you like and some spinach! Make sure that when your rice is cooked you let it cool but as soon as it is cool transfer straight to an airtight container and refrigerate until you put it into your airtight lunchbox! DO NOT LEAVE IT AT ROOM TEMP FOR A LARGE AMOUNT OF TIME - this can give you food poisoning!! When at school / work just put it into the microwave until PIPING HOT - this is crucial!! Then its ready to enjoy!
This lunch item does not require any heating up at school therefore would be more suited to people who don't have access to a microwave or who eat lunch on the go! To create this all you need to do is cook some quinoa with seasonings such as a veggie stock cube (1/4 stock cube per portion), salt and pepper and mixed herbs. Once cooked and cooled store in an airtight container in the fridge. If you have enough time in the morning you can just fry some mushrooms in olive oil or coconut oil (however you can leave this step out if you prefer). When assembling your wrap just add quinoa, sweetcorn, the mushrooms, grated carrot, spinach and sweet chilli sauce (optional). Cut in half and store in your lunchbox until lunch time, and then enjoy!
Okay I stand corrected, this is the easiest vegan, healthy meal you could possibly create for a packed lunch! Just combine tinned kidney beans, chickpeas, mixed beans and cannelloni beans into a container along with chopped raw red onion, baby sweetcorn and when portioned into your lunchbox add a handful of spinach along with a squeeze of lemon and its complete! Such a simple, healthy and delicious meal!
Another super quick and easy meal is this combination of raw veggies and beans topped with spices and seeds! Just combine raw broccoli pieces with grated carrot, cannelloni beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, chopped up carrot and when portioned into your lunchbox add chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, spices (I used paprika) and a squeeze of lemon! And there you have a nutritious, easy and super healthy lunch!
6. Vegetable Soup
In the winter, soup was my favourite thing to take to school with me as it was just so warming on a cold day! I usually just combine whatever veggies I have in the house to make soup but some good recipes are here. You can warm up your soup in the morning and take it with you in a flask or alternatively warm it up at work / school in the microwave, its up to you!
7. Pasta
Pasta is such a versatile dish that you can pretty much pair anything with it! Just cook your pasta in bulk and keep in the fridge until you section it out into your lunchbox the night before. Then add your topping, some of my favourites are dairy free pesto or my vegetable pasta sauce (which you can also make in bulk) - recipe can be found here. You can then eat your pasta either hot or cold for lunch, whichever you prefer!
Leftover meals from the night before or the weekend are the perfect lunch item as they have already been prepared and you can just pack a portion in your lunchbox for the next day! One of my favourite leftovers to take to school / work is chilli (a great recipe can be found here), just heat it up in the microwave and you have a delicious and warming lunch, that didn't even require any extra effort!
Snack-Style Easy Lunch Components
The next category of lunch ideas are more snack-style foods that you can combine with some of the ideas above or with each other to create a nutritious and filling lunch (basically don't have these ideas alone as they will NOT fill you up!!)
1. Hummus with Carrot Sticks
My all time favourite snack is anything that contains hummus!! Hummus is great as it contains healthy fats that will keep you energised throughout the day, and it also is just really delicious! I love having raw vegetables such as carrots or broccoli with hummus as part of my lunch, alternatively pitta and hummus is another great combination! Just pack it in your lunchbox and you are good to go!
2. Fruit !!
Of course fruit has to be mentioned, I always used to take fruit to school as its just so easy to get out and snack on and it will boost your energy levels for a long day of school or work!! I loved taking any type of fruit from strawberries, to mango, to grapes! Make sure you store your fruit in a hard container so they don't get squashed and you are good to go!
3. Apple and Peanut Butter
If you have never had this combination you might be thinking its a weird one but trust me when I say that it is INCREDIBLE !! Just pack one apple and a few tbsp of peanut butter (organic and 100% peanuts) and you will have such a delicious and healthy snack.
4. Vegan Baked Treats
Needing snacks for your packed lunch is a perfect excuse to do some baking at the weekend! My favourite treats to take in my lunchbox are vegan peanut butter cookies (view the recipe here) and banana muffins (view the recipe here), as sweet treats are always necessary!
I have already featured this sandwich in my vegan picnic post but it's too good not to share again! Just spread one side of your bread (I used sundried tomato ciabatta) with pesto, and the other side with hummus and then place sliced avocado and spinach in the middle and its done! SO easy to make, really healthy and it tastes amazing!
6. Fruit & Nut Bars
Having an energy bar in your bag at school or work is essential as you never know when you will need that pick-me-up of energy and they are so convenient to eat on the go or between classes! Some of my favourites are nakd bars as they are so healthy, being made from only a few ingredients, with the best flavours (in my opinion) being Cashew Cookie, Cocoa Orange, Cocoa Delights and Cocoa Mint (which I can never find but tastes exactly like After Eights!). Another brand of energy bars I love is 9Bar, with the peanut ones (pictured above) being my favourite, as it consists of an abundance of seeds and what tastes like peanut butter! Snacks like almonds and raisins are also great for a lunchbox as they are so easy to just slip into your bag and can be eaten in your breaks!
7. Dairy Free Flavoured Milk
Okay so this isn't an essential in your lunchbox but they sure do taste good! Dairy Free milk is great at providing calcium, B12 and other essential vitamins, and realistically who doesn't like chocolate or strawberry milk?! These are perfect to just slip into your bag for a convenient and tasty snack! And people will get over the fact you're drinking out of a carton pretty quickly don't worry!
8. Smoothies
I have talked extensively about smoothies in lots of blog posts now but they really are one of my favourite things! If you have a large bottle that you can take your smoothies with you in then this is a perfect addition to your lunch! If you want a smoothie that stays cold for longer in your bag I would suggest you add some frozen fruit, but for a whole list of recipes you can check out my smoothie post here.
I hope some of these lunch ideas have given you some inspiration for this week's packed lunch and that you are never stuck for lunch ideas again! As always, make sure that you are drinking enough water throughout the day as you need to stay hydrated to be on top form at school / uni / work (more on that in my last post). Please let me know if you have any other ideas or if you try any of these recipes out!! Thanks for reading!
Keep your soul happy! - Sophie :)
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