Sometimes, getting a good, healthy lunch can have it’s challenges, especially a lunch that is packed with protein. It’s easy to grab a sandwich, a granola bar or even a bag of chips (Move Daily Movers would never grab that…), but how good is that your overall health? If I’ve learned anything in this business, consistency is key. We need to be consistent in our food choices. This recipe makes it super simple to be consistent with your lunches.
This recipe makes 6 meals, so it’s perfect for a week of lunches. One time of prep and you’re good to go for 6 days! I actually really liked this concept of prepping my lunches for one week. I know a lot of you do this on a regular basis, so you know the satisfaction of having your meal planned and made ahead of time, will make it easier to eat healthy.
It’s really a great concept, so if you haven’t tried making your lunch ahead of time for a week, this recipe is a good one to try it on.
It’s really simple.
Fry the turkey, cook the quinoa, chop the veggies and put the dressing together. Then, get your packaging ready and put your little assembly line together to create the lunches.
Use airtight packaging to help preserve your meals. Once they are assembled, keep in the fridge for 6 days.
This recipe is packed with foods high in protein – turkey, quinoa, chick peas, and feta. You can also change up the recipe, by simply changing up the ingredients. Here are some alternative salad ideas:
Beet Lovers Mason Jar Salad
Chopped pickled beets, fresh grated beets, grated carrots, sliced green onions, roasted sliced almonds, feta, shredded rotisserie chicken, cooked farro and chopped spinach – use the same Hummus Dressing.
Mandarin Chicken Mason Jar Salad
One can of unsweetened mandarin oranges, roasted slivered almonds, feta, sliced green onions, roasted sesame seeds, sliced thin snap or sugar peas, chicken, shredded cabbage and sliced spinach. Add the juice from the mandarin oranges to the Hummus Dressing recipe for this salad mixture. Try our Hummus recipe!
Power Protein Packed Mason Jar Lunch
A quick prepare ahead lunch made in mason jars or whatever you have on hand that is packed with protein!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 1/2 cup water
- 1 1/2 tsp chicken bouillon
- 1 tbsp dried or fresh parsley
- 1 pkg ground turkey or chicken
- 1 minced garlic clove
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2-3 cups chopped spinach
- 1 yellow pepper chopped
- 4 mini cucumbers sliced
- 8-10 grape or cherry tomatoes sliced
- 6 tsp crumbled feta cheese
- 1/2 red onion chopped (optional)
Dressing
- 1 cup hummus
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp soya sauce
- 1/8 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
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Make the quinoa first. In a pot put 1 1/2 cups water, chicken bouillon, quinoa and parsley. Bring to a boil then put a lid on and cook on low for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork. Set cooked quinoa aside and allow to cool completely.
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In a frying pan, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil then add the ground turkey. Break up turkey and cook till no longer pink. While cooking, add the garlic, salt and pepper. Once fully cooked, remove from heat and allow to cool completely.
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Chop the veggies. Once quinoa and turkey are cooled, divide each evenly between 6 containers. Then add the veggies in even amounts to each bowl on top of the the quinoa and turkey. In the middle of each container, scoop one tsp of crumbled feta cheese on top of each salad.
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Place lid on each container and store in fridge.
Dressing
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Make this quick, easy delicious dressing in a magic bullet or small blender. Simply put all dressing ingredients together and blend until smooth and then your dressing is done. If you want an even simpler dressing, just add the water and hummus together to create it, which is really tasty. Make Move Daily's hummus for an even cleaner, whole food recipe!
