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Healthy High School Lunch Bowl Prep Easy 5-Day Meals in 15 Minutes

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A quick and easy lunch bowl recipe perfect for prepping five nutritious and delicious meals in about 15 minutes. Balanced with quinoa, roasted chickpeas, fresh veggies, and a creamy lemon-tahini dressing, it’s a crowd-pleaser for teens and adults alike.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 ½ cups cooked quinoa (about 270g or 9.5 oz)
  • 1 cup baby spinach, chopped (about 30g or 1 oz)
  • 1 cup shredded red cabbage (about 70g or 2.5 oz)
  • 1 can (15 oz / 425g) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 medium carrot, shredded
  • 1 small cucumber, diced
  • ½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved (about 75g or 2.6 oz)
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
  • 3 tbsp tahini
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp olive oil (extra virgin preferred)
  • 1 tbsp water (to thin as needed)
  • 1 tsp maple syrup or honey (optional)
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Cook quinoa: If not pre-cooked, rinse ¾ cup (135g or 4.75 oz) dry quinoa under cold water. Combine with 1 ½ cups (360ml or 12 fl oz) water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
  2. Prepare chickpeas: Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Toss drained chickpeas with 1 tsp smoked paprika, ½ tsp garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Spread evenly on a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes, shaking halfway through to ensure even crisping. Chickpeas should be golden and crunchy.
  3. Chop veggies: While chickpeas roast, shred carrot, dice cucumber, halve cherry tomatoes, and chop parsley. Combine with chopped spinach and shredded cabbage in a large bowl.
  4. Mix dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, water, maple syrup (if using), salt, and pepper. Adjust water for desired creamy but pourable consistency.
  5. Assemble bowls: Divide quinoa between five meal prep containers (about ¾ cup or 135g or 4.75 oz each). Top evenly with the veggie mix and roasted chickpeas.
  6. Drizzle dressing: Pour dressing over each bowl or pack separately to keep fresh until lunchtime.
  7. Store: Seal containers and refrigerate. Keep for up to 5 days. Add dressing just before eating to keep chickpeas crunchy.

Notes

Roast chickpeas just before assembling or reheat in a toaster oven to keep them crunchy. Rinse quinoa well to avoid bitterness. Add dressing just before eating to prevent sogginess. Use pre-cooked quinoa to save time. Substitute brown rice for quinoa or almond butter for tahini if needed. Dressing consistency can be adjusted with water.

Nutrition

Keywords: healthy lunch bowl, high school lunch, meal prep, quinoa bowl, roasted chickpeas, lemon tahini dressing, quick lunch, vegetarian, gluten-free

Find it online: https://lirafood.com/healthy-high-school-lunch-bowl-prep-easy-5-day-meals-in-15-minutes/