15 High-Protein Meal-Prep Lunches to Help Manage Blood Sugar (2024)

Make meal prep satisfying with these nutritious lunches. These dishes are packed with foods like legumes, poultry and seafood to offer at least 15 grams of protein per serving. This protein can help you stay full for longer, and aid in muscle recovery and regular digestion. Plus, every meal in this collection is made lower in saturated fats, sodium, calories and carbohydrates to seamlessly fit a diabetes-friendly eating pattern.

Pack recipes like our Sweet Potato, Kale & Chicken Salad with Peanut Dressing into storage containers for something you can grab and go. Or, keep our Salmon & Quinoa Bowls with Green Beans, Olives & Feta ready for fresh and tangy midday enjoyment.

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Sweet Potato, Kale & Chicken Salad with Peanut Dressing

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These hearty kale salads hold up well for 4 days, making them perfect for meal-prep lunches. To keep the ingredients from getting soggy, dress this salad and top it with peanuts just before serving. For a delicious vegan option, swap in roasted tofu for the chicken breast (see Associated Recipes).

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Mason Jar Power Salad with Chickpeas & Tuna

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This power salad will keep you fueled for hours, thanks to 26 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber. Tossing the dressing and kale, and then letting it stand in the jar, softens it enough so you don't need to massage or cook it to make it tender.

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Spicy Slaw Bowls with Shrimp & Edamame

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The quick 10-minute Spicy Cabbage Slaw serves as the low-carb base in this veggie-packed lunch recipe. Topped with high-protein edamame and shrimp, this satisfying lunch will help you power through the afternoon.

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Salmon & Quinoa Bowls with Green Beans, Olives & Feta

This flavorful and easy salmon quinoa bowl is a meal that keeps on giving. Pack up any leftovers for a next-day lunch, or make the entire recipe ahead and pack it into individual serving containers for ready-to-go meals.

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Vegan Superfood Grain Bowls

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This nutrient-packed grain bowl recipe comes together in 15 minutes with the help of a few convenience-food shortcuts like prewashed baby kale, microwavable quinoa and precooked beets. Pack these ahead to keep on hand for easy meal-prep lunches or dinners on busy nights.

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Chopped Salad with Sriracha Tofu & Peanut Dressing

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Prep four days' worth of high-protein vegan lunches using just four easy ingredients from your local specialty grocery store, including a veggie-heavy salad mix as a base. Because this salad mix is hearty, you can dress these bowls up to 24 hours before serving to allow the flavors in this healthy chopped salad to marry. If you can't find a hearty mix, go with broccoli slaw or shredded Brussels sprouts.

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Chicken, Quinoa & Veggie Bowl

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With a whopping 19 grams of protein, this one-dish meal will keep you feeling full and satisfied for hours.

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Chicken & Cucumber Pita Sandwiches with Yogurt Sauce

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Cucumbers do double duty in this healthy Greek-inspired chicken pita recipe—they're grated to lend a refreshing flavor to the quick cucumber-yogurt sauce and sliced to provide cool crunch tucked into the pita. Serve these sandwiches for a healthy dinner or light lunch.

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Southwest Black-Bean Pasta Salad Bowls

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Meal-prep a week's worth of delicious and satisfying high-fiber lunches with just 5 simple ingredients and 20 minutes. In this Southwestern-style pasta salad, we're using pasta made with black beans to bump up the fiber to an impressive 14 grams per serving. Paired with seasoned chicken strips and a flavorful corn salad--shortcut ingredients you can often find at your local specialty grocery store--this meal-prep lunch is one you'll get excited for.

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Green Salad with Edamame & Beets

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This big salad is a feast for the eyes and an everyday way to incorporate nutrient-rich beets and plant-based protein from edamame (green soybeans). If you're not a fan of cilantro, mix in freshly chopped basil or dill instead.

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Meal-Prep Curried Chicken Bowls

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Curry doesn't have to take hours to prepare. With the help of our sheet-pan meal-prep chicken (see associated recipe) and some cooked whole grains, you can make these meal-prep bowls in just a few minutes! Keep them in the fridge for an easy dinner on a busy weeknight or for healthy grab-and-go lunches throughout the week.

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Chimichurri Noodle Bowls

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We're mixing whole-grain spaghetti with zucchini noodles to add volume and save calories in these simple, flavor-packed meal-prep bowls. The bright and herby chimichurri sauce originally appeared in Katie Workman's salmon recipe for EatingWell magazine (see Associated Recipes). Leftover chicken, tofu or canned beans can be swapped in for the shrimp.

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Green Goddess Salad with Chickpeas

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In this cucumber, tomato, Swiss cheese and chickpea salad recipe, a healthy green goddess dressing is made from avocado, buttermilk and herbs. The extra dressing is delicious served with grilled vegetables.

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Veggie Wrap with Cilantro Hummus

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These healthy multi-grain wraps are filled with mixed greens, chopped cucumber, tomato and red onion, as well as feta cheese and a homemade cilantro hummus. As a time saver, the hummus can be prepared up to 3 days ahead, and chilled until you're ready to make the wraps.

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Five-Spice Turkey & Lettuce Wraps

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These turkey lettuce wraps come together fast for a healthy dinner or try them as a fun appetizer for entertaining. Adding instant brown rice to the filling increases the fiber, making them more satisfying. Serve with chile-garlic sauce and rice vinegar for extra zip.

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15 High-Protein Meal-Prep Lunches to Help Manage Blood Sugar (2024)

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