3 Easy Make-Ahead Lunches I’ve Had on Repeat All Summer
I guess you could say I’m in my simple, homemade salad era.
All summer long, I’ve been rotating some combination of tuna salad, chicken salad, and a ridiculously easy chickpea salad for lunch. They’re filling, affordable, easy to make ahead, and, most importantly, things I actually want to eat when I open the refrigerator.
Because sometimes feeding ourselves does not need to involve a beautifully planned meal, seventeen ingredients, or an hour in the kitchen. Sometimes we just need something good waiting in the fridge when lunchtime rolls around.
And if you’re pregnant, newly postpartum, caring for little people, working from home, or simply a human being who gets hungry every single day, having a few easy meals in your back pocket is a gift to your future self.
So here are the three currently on repeat in my house.
(I am NOT a mayonaise person, even though 2 of these salads feature it. When I have time, I made this homemade mayo; When I don’t, I keep a couple jars of this Trader Joe’s option on hand to speed up the process.)
1. My Go-To Tuna Salad
There’s a reason tuna salad is a classic. It’s quick, inexpensive, packed with protein, and you can make enough at once to cover lunch for a couple of days.
What You'll Need
2 cans (5 ounces each) tuna in water, drained - be sure not to get canned tuna in oil, I made that mistake once and it was NOT my fave!
1/3 cup finely chopped dill pickles
1 tablespoon dill pickle juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill (or 1 teaspoon dried dill)
How to Make It
Mix it all together - it’s really that easy! I like mine a little more pickley so I’ll often add more brine or chop up more pickles than what it lists above, but this is totally customizable to your taste!
Make It a Meal
I love this with crackers, sandwiched between some sourdough, or eaten with whatever vegetables happen to be hanging around the fridge. Add some fruit on the side, and a handful of chips (my weakness) and lunch is handled.
2. Easy Chicken Salad
Chicken salad is another one of those meals that feels like you put in considerably more effort than you actually did. Even better if you start with leftover or rotisserie chicken.
What You'll Need
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken (rotisserie works great or even canned)
1/2 cup diced red grapes
1/2 cup celery, finely diced
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (I’ve also done pecans or almonds, depending on what’s in the pantry)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup to 2/3 cup mayonnaise
Garlic powder, salt and black pepper to taste
How to Make It
Mix it all together and enjoy on toasted bread, with crackers, on salad greens or however you like it!
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3. The Chickpea Salad I’ve Been Making All Summer
And then there’s this one. This chickpea salad has been one of my favorite discoveries of the summer because it checks all the boxes: easy, tasty, filling, affordable, and great to make ahead. This isn’t a recipe I made up on my own; it comes from The Pioneer Woman - here you go!
Make It a Meal
Eat it on its own, stuff it into a pita, or serve it alongside something else you already have, like a turkey sandwich, a burger, or grilled chicken. It’s also a great option when you want a filling lunch that doesn’t revolve around meat.
A Little Meal Prep Goes a Long Way
I’m not someone who needs every meal portioned into matching containers on Sunday night to feel like I have my life together.
But I am a big fan of making one thing that makes feeding myself easier for the next few days.
That’s especially worth thinking about during pregnancy and postpartum. Your body is doing a tremendous amount of work, and having satisfying, easy-to-grab food available can remove one more decision from an already full day.
Pick one recipe. Make a batch. Put it in the fridge. Congratulations, Future You now has lunch.
Nourishing Yourself Doesn't Have to Be Complicated
If there’s a bigger takeaway here beyond my apparent devotion to foods ending in the word “salad,” it’s this: feeding yourself well doesn’t always have to be elaborate.
Simple counts. Convenient counts. Affordable counts. Food you genuinely enjoy counts.
And sometimes a container of chicken salad waiting in the refrigerator is exactly the kind of life organization we can manage.
While You're Here...
If you found your way here because you’re pregnant, I have plenty more for you than lunch.
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