Meal Prep Plan: How I Prep a Week’s Worth of Lunches in Just 30 Minutes

All meal prep is incredibly useful, but if you’re looking to do the bare minimum yet receive the greatest reward, I firmly believe the very best gift you can give yourself is to prep lunch. Why? Because lunch isn’t particularly easy to pull together when you’re caught up in the middle of your work day, which all too often leads to ordering takeout or grazing in the pantry.

However, if you spend just 30 minutes making a couple of easy options, you’ll have delicious choices ready and waiting for you all week long when your stomach starts to grumble at noon. Here’s how to make it happen.

• Lunch: Two easy-to-make options that can be mixed and matched all week long so you won’t get bored.
• Nutritional Goals: This week’s meal plan doesn’t have any particular nutritional goals in mind, but it aims to provide wholesome lunch options that will energize your afternoon without leaving you sluggish.

• Feeds: 2 people
• Prep Time: 30 minutes or less
• Meals Covered: Lunch for 5 weekdays
• Weekday Cooking Required: Minimal (no cooking but some light assembly, such as toasting bread, required)

• Mix-and-Match Marinated White Beans
• Mix-and-Match Greek-Style Tuna Salad

This week’s shopping list is filled with feel-good things like veggies and lean protein, along with extra-tasty things like cheese and crusty bread. It assumes staples like olive oil, salt, and pepper are already on hand.

• Produce: 3 medium lemons, 1 medium shallot, 1 head of garlic, 1 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, 1 bunch fresh oregano, 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, 1 small cucumber, 1 clamshell of baby arugula, 1 avocado
• Refrigerated: 1 small block of feta cheese
• Pantry: 2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, 2 (5-ounce) cans tuna, pitted kalamata olives, red pepper flakes (optional), flaky sea salt (optional)
• Other: 1 loaf sourdough or other crusty bread

1. Make the white beans: Prepare the white beans according to recipe instructions.  
2. Make the tuna salad: Prepare the tuna salad according to recipe instructions.
3. Slice the bread: Thickly slice 1 loaf sourdough or other crusty bread and store in a large zip-top bag in the freezer.

• Monday, Marinated White Beans and Greens: Pile arugula into bowls and top with about 1/2 cup of marinated white beans each. Squeeze the juice from 1/2 a lemon over the bowls, drizzle with a little olive oil, and sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt or flaky sea salt.
• Tuesday, Greek-Style Tuna Salad on Garlicky Toast: Remove two slices of bread from the freezer and toast (no need to thaw first). Rub a garlic clove all over one side of each piece of toast and pile each with some of the tuna salad. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes, if desired.
• Wednesday, Marinated White Bean, Avocado, and Feta Salad: Dice the avocado and combine with about 1 cup of the marinated white beans and crumbled feta cheese. Divide the salad among two bowls, squeeze the juice from 1/2 a lemon over the top, and sprinkle with red pepper flakes, if desired.
• Thursday, Tuna Salad Over Arugula: Pile arugula into bowls and divide remaining tuna salad between each. Squeeze the juice from 1/2 a lemon over the bowls, drizzle with a little olive oil, and sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt or flaky sea salt.
• Friday, Marinated White Bean Toast: Remove two slices of bread from the freezer and toast (no need to thaw first). Rub a garlic clove all over one side of each piece of toast and pile each with the remaining marinated white beans. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt or flaky sea salt.

Power Hour Meal Prep is the series where we help you put it all together. We show you how to eat well during the week with an hour or two of Power Hour prep over the weekend. Every plan is different; mix and match to find your own personal sweet spot.