Let’s face it, sometimes the last thing you want to do is meal prep. Whether it’s due to a time constraint, inability to get to the store, or other reasons, sometimes the best way to meal prep is to prepare a picky plate, or what is commonly referred to as a grown-up lunchable box. A little bit of this, a little bit of that, some protein, veggies, carbs, and you have yourself a healthy lunch (or snack) that is super easy to prepare for a busy week ahead!
What’s a lunchable box, anyway?
Have you guys ever had one? I used to eat them occasionally as a kid, and they were so much fun (maybe not the healthiest? But no judgment here). There were different kids of lunchables: a pizza one, a deli meat one. But they all had the same general idea: a container with little openings for different types of foods, like crackers, cheese and ham, or a mini kit to build a pizza, followed by a snack like a cookie or chips. Similar to today’s Bento Boxes.
It’s honestly a great idea, not only for kids, but for adults too. Sometimes you just want a little of this and a little of that, to keep things interesting. Meals like that are great for people who enjoy to graze and snack, too. This also makes a filling and healthy snack instead of turning to something overly processed. Perfect to munch on by the pool this summer!
What’s in your grown-up lunchable boxes?
You can make a lunchable out of anything you want, but for me, I focus on foods that are going to keep me full. Let’s face it, snack size portions of things aren’t really filling, so the focus for me is in protein, fiber, and fat.
To cover all the major focus points, I included the following in my lunchables:
- meat-based protein source
- full-fat cheese
- protein-packed spread, like hummus
- lots of veggies
- a carb
You can incorporate other ingredients, like:
- a hard-boiled egg
- fruit
- trail mix
- candy
The options are endless!
Specific items and methods used for this grown-up lunchable box:
- meat-based protein source
- full-fat cheese
- protein-packed spread, like hummus
- lots of veggies
- I used mini peppers, baby carrots, and Persian cucumbers
- a carb
- I used Stonefire mini naan dippers
Note: the recipe below is for one meal; but you can easily adjust the serving sizes.
How I prepared this grown-up lunchable box
To make things more interesting, I put little twists on some of the ingredients I used here. Are rolled up turkey slices good on their own? Sure. But why not spruce them up a bit?
For the turkey slices, I weighed out my serving size (here I am using 4 ounces). This equates to about 3-4 slices (depending on the thickness of the cut). I stacked the slices on top of each other, and then spread the Dijon on top of the turkey. After the Dijon was spread on, I rolled up the stack of turkey slices into a log, and then cut the log into rings. The end result is a delicious roll of turkey, with spicy Dijon on the inside!
For the mini peppers, I washed them, trimmed the tops, and then cut them in half lengthwise. Then, I took one of the spreadable cheese wedges, and divided the cheese among the mini pepper halves evenly. I finished these off with a sprinkle of everything bagel seasoning.
The rest of the box is just assembly; hummus portioned out into cupcake liners (to keep the hummus from getting into the other ingredients and making them soggy). A cut Persian cucumber, and baby carrots. To finish, a few mini naan dippers.
My plan for eating this is pretty simple (and I am really excited about it, I must say!). Top the mini naan with a few rings of the turkey; dip the cucumber and carrots into the hummus, and eat the stuffed mini peppers as-is.
Grown-Up Lunchable Box
- glass storage containers
- 4 oz turkey breast lunch meat, Used: Boars Head Ovengold
- 1 tbsp dijon
- 3 mini peppers, halved, cleaned, seeds scooped out
- 1 wedge spreadable cheese, Used: Laughing Cow Asiago
- everything bagel seasoning
- 2 tbsp hummus, Used: Taste of Inspirations Roasted Garlic
- 3 mini pita or naan, Used: Stonefire Naan Dippers
- 1 Persian cucumber, sliced
- 1/2 cup baby carrots
- Weigh out the turkey slices and stack them (about 3-4 slices per serving).
- Add the dijon to the center of the stack of turkey slices and then spread in an even layer. Roll the slices up and then cut into rolls.
- Cut the tops of the mini peppers off, and then cut them in half lengthwise. Scoop the seeds out.
- Add an equal amount of the cheese wedge to the inside of each mini pepper and sprinkle with the everything bagel seasoning.
- Slice the cucumber.
- Portion out the hummus into a smaller container (I used a cupcake liner).
- Assemble each box: turkey rolls, stuffed peppers, cut cucumber, baby carrots, hummus.
- 6 WW Points (green plan)
- 5 WW Points (blue and purple plans)
Check out these other light lunch ideas:
Classic Chicken Salad with Herbs
Cranberry Pecan Apple Chicken Salad
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Looks yummy!
Adding all of this to my grocery order tomorrow! It’s genius! I’m 6 months pregnant and just can’t get on board with my usual lunch anymore. This will be the ticket! And so cool and refreshing for summer. Thanks Steph!
Love how you take the practical and make it appetizing!
Made this to go wine tasting tomorrow! So excited to eat them!
Made this yesterday am for my meal prep for the week. Well, as of this am, there is only 1 serving left, my 16 year old said it was the best lunch he’s ever had!!! Thanks buddy, but my point is that these are great, for all ages, perfect summer snack/meal to keep in the fridge for us and the kids! Another winner Steph!
Delicious!
This looks like an awesome idea!! Definitely adding these ingredients to my click list so I can do these next week!!
I can’t wait to make these. Such a great idea! Can you share where you bought your containers?
Hi! The containers are from Ello. 🙂 They are sold at Amazon or even Costco
What a fun idea! I think even my kids would enjoy this healthier alternative!
This was such a fun and tasty lunch! It was great having a “little bit of this and a little bit of that”!
This is my lunch this week – such a fun and easy meal prep! Thanks for being so awesome!!!
Such a great idea! It was super delicious.
Easy and delicious meal prep! Great idea! I love the variety of foods in this adult lunchable!
I love this idea. I think it really helps when I’m in a slump or just need something simple for lunches. I used the triscuit thins in place of naan and added a few dried cherries to snack on too.
Tried this today, it was so good and easy to put together. Perfect for after the long weekend and no time for an extensive meal prep.
I substituted the Laughing Cow with Alouette and the taste was amazing. Thanks Steph!
Quick easy and delicious! Kept me full too!
Already have eaten this twice. LOVE it!
What a great idea! I had this one day this week! Thanks!
Thank you for this great recipe and giving us exactly what you used. I didn’t think it would be filling but it really was. I couldn’t get the naan so I used Joseph’s Pita, cut up, which is only 1 point. I made my homemade hummus for 0 points so it was only 2 points altogether.
Another delicious creation to help me through the week! I really enjoyed this ithdea and tailored it to my liking! I have been trying to incorporate MORE veggies in my meals. This was VERY helpful! The mini bell peppers with laughing cow cheese and everything but the bagel seasoning blew me away!! Thanks again!
I made this for lunch today. I loved all the fresh ingredients and crunch from the veggies. I didn’t even miss bread or chips!
I love that Steph provides a variety of meal prep options. I never would have considered making Grown-Up Lunchables. Another great idea for grab and go for busy schedules.
Lunch for the next 4 days. So easy and can mix it up a bit. I don’t eat cucumbers so I put 10 small grapes in a cupcake liner. Thanks for another great idea Steph.
This was honestly the perfect meal prep for a weekend when I didn’t have a lot of time. Quick, easy, and delicious!
Such a genius idea! So easy and it is absolutely one of my favorite lunches.
The perfect on-the-go work lunch! These are no a go-to for me for the work week when I don’t feel like “meal prepping”. I was out of town for work and it was so easy to even make these in a hotel and replace the ingredients in one contanier daily(hello mini fridge). I highly recommend! Such a smart idea!
Took me about 10 minutes to navigate from tiktok to this recipe. Hopefully someday you will reconsider being on tiktok. Glad the user there gave the name to credit you. These look yummy. As. Teacher returning to school, I needed something new. I need to find those mini naan breads.
This is my kind of lunch, simple and filling