So many of my clients have told me that they dread lunch. Whether they’re packing it to eat at the office or running to the kitchen from their home office, that midday meal can be a pain to plan, pack and cook! People don’t want to eat too much since dinner is right around the corner, but they also don’t want to be hangry come 5 PM. Enter my quick high-protein lunch that doesn’t suck fix. The tips I’m going to share have made lunch easier and more enjoyable for lots of folks and I’m excited to share them with you!

The annoying thing about lunch and my solution

I like to refer to lunch as the middle child of meals. You know the birth order stereotype that the middle child often gets forgotten, lost in the shuffle per se. Well, lunch is the middle child of meals. How can we give it the attention it needs? The key is to either plan in advance, make it simple, or both!

One of the quickest and easiest nutrient-packed meals is none other than the protein smoothie. You can blend up things you may otherwise dread eating like spinach, kale, and cauliflower while adding lots of great nutrition such as fiber, protein, healthy oils, vitamins, and minerals. 

If you’re at home for lunch, you can quickly blend all these things in a smoothie to eat right away. If you’re going into the classroom or office, you can blend one up in the morning and take it with you on the go. This is also a great option for kiddos who may be picky eaters! My toddler drinks one with me every day and he loves it.

The other great thing about protein smoothies is that there are endless options for new concoctions. Experiment and try new combinations to mix things up and avoid getting into the rut of eating the same flavors every day. To get started, follow my base formula and add in the specifics according to your preferences!

Smoothie base formula

*Adapted from the Fab4 Smoothie

1 cup of fruit (mix and match however you choose)

Fruits are a great way to get essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants which are vital to every bodily function. Some of my favorites are:

• Bananas
• Raspberries
• Strawberries
• Blackberries
• Blueberries
• Elderberries
• Orange (great for an extra immune boost)
• Pear
• Apple
• Mango
• Dragon fruit
• Peach

1 cup of vegetables (mix and match however you choose)

Do I really need to explain why veggies are important? They are extremely nutrient-dense, meaning you get lots of nutrition for very few calories. Veggies are packed full of the essentials that keep our bodies running smoothly. I like:

• Spinach
• Kale
• Chard
• Zucchini
• Sweet potatoes
• Carrots 
• Beets
• Squash
• Cauliflower (I promise you can’t taste it!)

*Note: If you’re using more bitter veggies like kale or chard, use sweeter fruits to help mask the taste.

1 tablespoon of healthy fats

The “fat is bad for you” myth continues to be busted year after year (except for artificial trans fats). Hormones, neurotransmitters, and certain vitamins need fat in order to function. Plus, healthy fats make you feel fuller, longer. My go-tos are:

• Nuts
• Nut butter
• MCT oil
• Coconut oil
• Avocado
• Ghee

1 tablespoon of fiber

Fiber keeps your gut bacteria happy and all recent research shows that a healthy gut is so important for everything from regular bowel movements to immune function and mental health. Fiber is what feeds your gut microbiome, so show them some love and eat your fiber! Try out:

• Chia seeds
• Flax seeds
• Psyllium husk
• Cauliflower (counts as both a veggie and fiber)
• Cocoa powder
• Cocoa nibs

 20 grams of protein

If you read my blog posts from last year, you know that protein is incredibly important, especially for women in peri-menopause or postmenopause. It’s the building block for muscle and also plays an important role in the functioning of the immune, nervous, and hormonal systems. Great protein sources for your smoothie include:

• A serving of vegan or whey protein powder
• Beans
• Hard-boiled eggs (they blend right in)
• Nuts (counts as both a healthy fat and protein)
• Seeds

Blend all the above ingredients together with water, nut milk, or oat milk if you’re using frozen produce, or with ice and your favorite milk if you’re using fresh produce. Enjoy a quick high-protein lunch!

Tips and tricks

I recommend buying frozen fruits and veggies. This way you’ll have the freshest store-bought produce possible. Nothing is more disappointing than opening up the container of spinach only to find that it has gone bad…trust me. 

The other thing you can do is create frozen smoothie packs. Combine all the above ingredients of your choice (except for water or milk) in a resealable bag or container and keep a stash in your freezer. Then all you have to do is toss the contents into your blender at lunchtime.

Lastly, it’s really helpful to have a high-speed blender such as a Ninja, Vitamix, or Nutribullet. This will blend up everything more smoothly, making it less likely you’ll swallow a big chunk of spinach.

I hope this makes planning, prepping, and eating lunch a cinch! This quick high-protein lunch has been such a staple for me over the past couple of years. I believe in it so much that it’s what I had on my wedding day before leaving for our afternoon ceremony as you can see from the photo (courtesy of Jeff Schaefer Photography).

Let me know how it goes for you by leaving a comment. Want to build a more customized plan to make sure you’re getting all the proper nutrients to fuel your body? Let’s chat.