Simple Work Meal Options

In an online world full of ideas of beautiful things, sometimes it's hard to get suggestions on something so simple that it feels dumb you didn't' already think of it. Just me? Okay.

But for real. You look up meal ideas on Pinterest, and you get these immaculate suggestions suitable for hosting guests, when you're just looking for something that's useful for the day-to-day. So I'm bringing this blog post down to a super-duper basic level that it's almost embarrassing (because again, most everything on the internet is so picturesque and beautiful).

If you're here because you listened to my She Seeks Pearls podcast episode #24 "Simple Work Meal Options", then you already know the three major categories of simple work meal options in my opinion!

For those of you who haven't listened to the podcast, check out this short and sweet episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or on my pod site.

I promised you a list of meal ideas. Okay, now let's get to it!

Charcuterie-Style Meals

no cook, no prep

These meals do not have to all be in the same container, arranged in some particular way. No, these meals can be very simply tossed in your lunch box, it doesn't have to be pretty. The goal here is *easy* meals, so let's not get off target.

• Protein: Sliced bologna, ham, turkey, salami

• Nuts: Pecans, walnuts, almonds, peanuts, cashews

• Fat: Sliced cheese, yogurt

• Fresh OR Dried Fruit: Apples, bananas, grapes/raisins, apricots, peaches, berries (fruits that you don't have to do a lot of prep for, unlike pineapples/melons where you have to cut up that entire fruit before eating)

• Carbs: Crackers, pretzels, sliced baguette bread

• Veggies and dip: Carrot sticks, cherry tomatoes, sugar snap peas

Quick Meals

no cook, some prep

These meals are ones categorized by not needing cooked prior to eating, and needing some preparation beforehand, but they are still very simple meal options.

• Lunch meat sandwich

• Lunch meat pinwheels

• Salad

• Caprese salad

• Sliced fruit with spread (ex. sliced apples with peanut butter)

• Chopped veggies/fruits with dip: celery, cucumber, broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers

Leftovers!

already cooked, just needs reheated

These meals go without saying, but just don't forget about the simplicity of simply packing your leftovers from dinner into smaller pyrex containers and you can label them with these labels to remember the date of when you made the meal, or label them with the name of whose meal it is!

PS: I've had these pyrex containers with these labels on them for YEARS and those labels are still stuck on the glass containers perfectly, even through the dishwasher!

In Conclusion

To summarize, make your own go-to list of simple meal ideas that stick out to you that you can keep coming back to. We often forget about how good a certain meal was until it crosses our minds, so just keep a running list of simple meal options that work for you and your family!

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