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Home | Recipes | High-Protein Lunch Box

High-Protein Lunch Box

Published on September 1, 2024 by Stephanie Kay

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Filled with boiled eggs, deli meat, cheese, crackers, veggies, and dip, this high-protein lunchbox is a delightful combination that is quick and easy to prepare. With over 30 grams of protein per serving, it’s sure to keep you energized and full throughout the day.

Stainless steel high-protein lunch box with a fork and tea towel.

Whether you need a high-protein lunch for the office or a simple lunch your kids can take to school, this high-protein lunch box is a great option. Not only is this snack-style lunch fun to eat, but it’s incredibly versatile and you can mix and match the ingredients based on what you have on hand or your personal dietary preference.

In fact, this high-protein lunch box is just one of the many high-protein lunch ideas in my bistro box cookbook which is filled with over 50 quick, easy, and healthy lunch combos.

High protein lunch box with a side of crackers, hummus, and veggies.

Why You’ll Love Them

  • Quick and Easy – Ready in 15 minutes, this high-protein lunch box is super fast for meal prep.
  • High in Protein – Each lunch box contains over 30 grams of protein.
  • High in Fiber – Each lunch box contains over 7 grams of fiber.
Ingredients for a high-protein lunch box; crackers, hummus, snap peas, carrots, hard-boiled eggs, cheddar cheese, turkey deli meat, salt, and pepper.

Ingredients + Substitutions

  • Egg – To add some protein. I added one egg, but you can add as many hard-boiled eggs as needed.
  • Deli Meat – To add some more protein. I used sliced turkey, but any style of deli meat will work well, such as ham, roast beef, or salami, or you can also use leftover chicken if preferred.
  • Cheese – To add a bit more protein and some healthy fats. I used cheddar cheese, but you can use other high-protein cheeses such as gouda cheese, Swiss cheese, or cottage cheese.
  • Crackers – To add some complex carbohydrates. I used whole-grain crackers, but any style of cracker will work well, or you can swap them for some whole-grain bread or a wrap if preferred.
  • Hummus – To add some fiber and healthy fats. If you don’t like hummus, baba ganoush or black beans dip would also work well.
  • Veggies – To add some micronutrients and fiber. I used snap peas and carrots, but you can use any veggies you like, cucumber, broccoli, or cherry tomatoes would work particularly well.

Dietary Adaptions

To Make them Gluten-Free: Use gluten-free crackers or rice crackers.

To Make them Dairy-Free: Use dairy-free cheese or swap the cheese for nuts or nut butter instead.

Close up of a lunch box with hummus, deli meat, hard-boiled egg, veggies, crackers, and cheese.

Red’s Nutrition Tip

Eating a high-protein lunch, along with breakfast and dinner, is a great way to ensure you are eating enough protein to meet your optimal daily protein intake to support your personal health goals. While how much protein you need depends on your goals, on average, it is recommended that individuals looking to maximize general health consume 0.7 to 1.0 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day.

Variations

These lunch boxes are a well-balanced meal idea with protein, complex carbohydrates, fiber, and healthy fats and can, therefore, be enjoyed as a complete meal. Albeit, they are incredibly versatile and the ingredients and portions can be adapted to suit your personal dietary needs. For example:

To increase the protein content, you increase the portion size of the eggs, deli meat, and cheese, or add an additional source of protein, such as:

  • Meat and Fish – Leftover chicken, smoked salmon, and canned tuna are great high-protein, low-calorie foods, while beef jerky and turkey jerky are great high-protein snack foods.
  • Dairy Products – Plain yogurt, Greek yogurt, skyr, and cottage cheese are all high-protein dairy products.
  • Nuts and Seeds – Add a small portion of high-protein nuts, such as peanuts or almonds, and high-protein seeds, such as pumpkin seeds, or a bit of trail mix.
  • Whole Grains – Use crackers made of high-protein grains, such as whole-wheat crackers or quinoa crackers.

To make them low carb, swap the whole grains crackers for rice crackers or almond flour crackers.

To make them higher in fiber, add more veggies, such as broccoli, cucumber, celery, and cauliflower, or fresh fruit, such as apples or raspberries.

To add a healthy treat, dark chocolate chips, dried fruit, or a small cookie or healthy baked good, such as chocolate banana brownies.

To make them lower in calories, use lean deli meat, and low-fat cheese, use oil-free hummus, and swap the crackers for rice crackers or rice cakes.

Packed high-protein lunch in a stainless steel container.

Storage

Assemble each high-protein lunch box in airtight lunch boxes or containers, with the hummus in separate smaller airtight containers, and store it in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can use plastic, glass, or metal lunch boxes. I highly recommend the stainless steel lunch box from Dalcini Stainless.

More Protein Box Recipes:

  • Starbucks Protein Boxes
  • Charcuterie Lunch Boxes
  • No-Cook Work Lunch Boxes
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Stainless steel high-protein lunch box with a fork and tea towel.

High-Protein Lunch Box

Author: Stephanie Kay

Ready in minutes, this protein box is perfect for a quick and easy high-protein meal. While designed for lunch, it works equally well for a hearty breakfast or a simple dinner.

  • Author: Stephanie Kay
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 1 lunch box
  • Category: Lunch
  • Method: No Cook
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Ingredients

  • 1 egg
  • 2 ounces deli meat, turkey or chicken
  • 1 ounce cheddar cheese
  • 1/4 cup hummus
  • 10 whole-grain crackers
  • 1/2 cup snap peas
  • 1/2 cup carrots sticks

Instructions

  1. Bring a small pot of water to a boil then, using a spoon, gently add your egg to the pot and boil for 10 minutes. Once cooked, remove the egg from the pot and transfer it to a bowl with ice-cold water until cool enough to handle, and then peel the egg.
  2. Once the egg is peeled, place the deli meat, cheddar cheese, crackers, and veggies in a lunch box or meal prep container, and place the hummus in a separate small air-tight container.
  3. The lunch box can be eaten immediately or stored in the fridge for up to 4 days.

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    Comments

    1. Debbie says

      November 6, 2024 at 7:44 am

      Great lunch! So easy to make and keeps me full for a long time.

      Reply
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