15 Healthy Lunch Ideas for Busy Mothers

As a busy homeschooling mama of four kids, I understand how weary and sometimes malnourished busy mothers can be. Here are 15 healthy lunch ideas for busy mothers curated by a Holistic Nutrition Consultant.

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Lunches have never been my strong suit when it comes to mastering my nutrition at each meal (are they anybody’s?!).

I make sure to have a healthy, protein packed smoothie in the morning and cook a nourishing dinner at night, but lunch? Meh! I will often whip up something last minute, that takes minimal effort but is not very filling or I will have dinner leftovers on the very rare occasion that we have any.

However, since becoming a mum to four, I have decided to hone in on making my lunch balanced and nutritious because a) I get cranky and tired when I haven’t eaten a balanced and filling lunch and b) it messes up with your blood sugar and hormones when you skip a meal (especially while breastfeeding).

As a mother, we are constantly giving of ourselves, whether it be our time, our literal bodies to sustain life and a whole lot of energy if we have boisterous toddlers. If this is not enough to persuade you to eat more calories during the day, mama, then I’m not sure what is.

The truth is, mothers of young children are often depleted of many nutrients, the most common being:

• Iron
• Vitamin A
• Vitamin D3
• Choline
• Iodine
• Omega 3

This is particularly true of pregnant, postpartum and lactating women, but I would assume it would be true of most busy mothers who don’t keep a regular check of their bloods.

So, while eating a balanced and nourishing lunch won’t correct ALL of these deficiencies, it certainly can contribute to repleting those lost nutrient stores.

What I will cover in 15 Healthy Lunch Ideas for Busy Mothers

• Some busy mama lunch time hacks
• 5 lunches you can make in 5 minutes
• 5 lunches you can make in 15 minutes
• 5 lunches you can make in 30 minutes
• Your nutrition matters

Some busy mama lunch time hacks

Here are some hacks for ensuring you eat nourishing lunches each day:

• Store a whole bunch of different meat in the freezer and keep some meat in the fridge for last minute uses
• Keep your meat separated in freezer bags so you can take small portions out at a time for lunch
• Chop up an assortment of salad ingredients at the start of the week to have as a side each day
• Keep lots of easy to prepare foods on hand for when you are short on time (rice cakes, cheese, kimchi, sourdough bread).
• Batch cook meat to keep in the fridge purely for lunch times
• Make extra dinner to use as leftovers for lunch the next day
• Don’t make separate lunches for each family; make one large pot/dish of something you all can eat.

Here are some glass tupperware containers (at a great price) to make use of when preparing your lunches for the week.

5 lunches you can make in 5 minutes

1. Chicken wraps (whole grain wrap, shredded chicken, salad of choice, sauce of choice) or to make it without grains, use a lettuce wrap.
2. Scrambled eggs on sourdough toast (with a side of salad).
3. Rice cakes with tuna and avocado (with a side of your favourite veg/fruit).
4. Chickpea salad (chickpeas, cucumber, tomato/capsicum, red onion, avocado, greek yoghurt and lime).
5. Chicken salad (shredded chicken, salad of choice, mayo or greek yoghurt).

5 lunches you can make in 15 minutes

1. Burrito bowl (ground beef or chicken, lettuce, corn, tomato, guacamole, salsa, cheese and sour cream)
2. Omelette (fried onion, mushroom, capsicum, cottage cheese, eggs and herbs)
3. Grilled chicken and couscous salad (grilled chicken, olive oil, couscous, cucumber, tomato, lemon juice and herbs)
4. Nourish bowl (your favourite protein: chicken, turkey, lamb, beef, fish, eggs, beans. Your favourite whole carbs: sweet potato, pumpkin, brown rice, quinoa. Your favourite veggies: zucchini, broccoli, tomato, asparagus, mushrooms. Your favourite dressing/sauce: honey mustard, tomato, soy sauce, Greek yoghurt, lemon and olive oil)
5. Rice paper rolls (rice paper, tuna/chicken/salmon, lettuce, carrot, cucumber, sweet chilli sauce)

5 lunches you can make in 30 minutes

1. Grilled salmon and vegetables (salmon, butter, garlic, lemon, roast or steamed vegetables)
2. Mediterranean chicken traybake (recipe)
3. Vegetable loaded spaghetti (minced beef, passata, garlic, onion, herbs, shredded carrot, zucchini, capsicum)
4. Eggs and avocado open sandwich (poached eggs, avocado, salt, pepper, sourdough bread)
5. Mini pizzas (pizza dough: 1 cup Greek yoghurt, 1.5 cups self raising flour, salt, sugar, pizza toppings of choice).

Your nutrition matters

A nourished mama is a happy mama: a mantra I like to remind myself of.

Whether we like it or not, we as mothers, dictate the atmosphere in our homes. So when we feel depleted or malnourished, then we will have a mood to match. However, if we thrive with our nutrition, we will feel good and joyful.

So, it’s no secret that having a delicious, nourishing lunch is just as easy as throwing together a vegemite sandwich. It takes time and preparation, but when you are intentional about nourishing your body, it pays off tenfold! I promise you, mama.

Your family will thank you for it!

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