55+ Healthy Lunch Ideas

Heather Dessinger

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healthy-lunch-ideas

Does the lunch hour taunt you? Does it stick out its tongue and dare you to go beyond PB&J sandwiches? No fear, brave one, this post is for you! Here’s what I’ll be packing this year for my kids weekly homeschool meet-ups and other outings this school year.

Lunch Meat & Beyond

healthy lunch recipes

Quick & Easy Options

While I usually cook from scratch, there are times whenpre-made options make more sense. Here’s what I buy:

Leftovers that make good lunches

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Wraps

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Veggie Sides

Pre-Made Options

  • Bubbies naturally fermented pickles
  • Sea Snax – It’s a sea vegetable, so it definitely counts. Seaweed is a great alternative to chips, and it’s rich in minerals such as iodine, calcium, sodium, magnesium, potassium, iron, zinc, copper and selenium.Unfortunately most seaweed snacks are made with canola or safflower oil. Safflower I don’t have a big problem with, but companies often switch between the two depending on what’s cheapest so you never know what you’re going to get. Fortunately, I recently discovered these mineral rich from Sea Snax that use olive oil instead. (Also, they test radiation and the last time I checked with them there were no detectable levels.)
healthy-paleo-lunch-recipes

Energy Bars, Granola & Such

Nut-Free

With Nuts

Pre-Made Options

Primal Kitchen makes several protein bars that incorporate grass-fed gelatin. They’re not super sweet like most bars, which I prefer. The coconut cashew bar is my favorite.

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Gelatin Treats

These really deserve their own category. Gelatin is rich in nutrients that studies suggest may make skin look more youthful, support digestion and improve sleep, among many other things. They also happen to be delicious and portable. Here are a few of my favorite recipes:

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For The Thermos

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Sweets & Treats

Nut-Free Options

If nuts are a-okay . .

Here are a few of my favorite recipes.

55+ Paleo Lunch Ideas #healthylunchideas #paleolunch #paleosnacks

Misc

So, I wasn’t quite sure where to put these, but as I mentioned in 15 Ways To Be Kind To Your Adrenals, carb cycling can help support normal cortisol/melatonin rhythms. For that reason, we start with a high protein breakfast that includes a small amount of carbs, followed by a larger portion of carbs at lunch and a little larger portion at dinner. When we’re on-the-go, my favorite recipes are:

Homestyle potato salad with bacon and egg

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Packing Tools

These 4 oz. leakproof rounds are perfect for dips, gummy snacks, while these 8 oz. rounds are better for yogurt or a small amount of soup/stew.

For hot soups, I use this 16 ounce thermos. It holds a bit too much for my kids, so I’m getting them the 12 ounce version.

We’ve been using Lunchbot Duos (with two compartments) and Trios (with three compartments) for years and love them. Random stuff that won’t fit in the Lunchbots usually gets tucked into a reusable snack bag like this one.

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About HEATHER

Heather is a holistic health educator, herbalist, DIYer, Lyme and mold warrior. Since founding Mommypotamus.com in 2009, Heather has been taking complicated health research and making it easy to understand. She shares tested natural recipes and herbal remedies with millions of naturally minded mamas around the world.