Protein Snack Packs filled with hard-boiled eggs, almonds, hummus, and crunchy veggies. An easy and delicious lunchtime meal-prep solution perfect for any protein lover, these fantastic little protein snack packs are perfect for school lunches, post-workout snacks, or picnics in the park.
High Protein Snacks for Easy Lunch Time Meal Prep
We’ve all been there- Monday rolls around, you forgot to plan lunches and snacks for the week and the rest of the week is complete madness filled with take-out and junk food.
Ok, I exaggerate…
But one thing I have learned since meal prepping is that I am a much happier, healthier, and more productive mom, wife, and overall human being when I don’t have to think about what I’m going to prepare and feed my family multiple times each day.
One of the easiest things I have started meal-prepping is snacks and lunches. I’ve found that an assortment of different foods and textures, as well as a focus on snacks high in protein, is key when planning your own lunch or snack packs.
Here are some of my favorite additions when making my own snack packs:
- Cheese cubes or string cheese
- Cherry tomatoes
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Deli meat
- Leftover chicken
- Chicken salad
- Cucumbers
- Sugar snap peas
- Hummus
- Mixed nuts
- Grapes
- Yogurt
- Beef or turkey jerky
- Chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
Reasons to Try Making your own Meal Prep Snack Packs
- They’re not just for lunch. They really should be called the “anytime snack packs” since you can grab one anytime: lunch, post-workout, dinner, road trips, etc.
- Low in sugar. Filled with lots of high-protein goodies like hardboiled egg and deli meat and crunchy veggies to dip in hummus, I skipped the crackers and sugar-filled treats.
- They are so super easy to make. And even easier if you purchase eggs that have already been hardboiled and peeled or have some leftover chicken sitting in the refrigerator. Simply divide between trays and call it a day.
- Kids love them. Ok, I take that back…my child loves them. At least, he loves the meat, cheese, hummus, sugar snap peas, egg, and nuts (sometimes).
- Easily customizable. Don’t let me hold you back. If you want to add crackers or fruit or anything else that YOU love, do it!
Snack Pack Tools and Equipment
Meal Prep Bowls: These are my recommendations.
- Glass Meal Prep Containers with 2 Compartments– Having two compartments is perfect if you prefer to keep flavors separate from each other, or you want to prevent a sauce from making something soggy. These glass meal prep containers are freezable, microwavable, and dishwasher safe.
- Glass Meal Prep Containers with 1 Compartment– One giant compartment perfect for burrito bowls, leftover pasta, or this chicken fajita meal prep idea.
- For non-glass options, you can try these BPA-free Bowls or Single Compartment Containers.
Other Recommended Items:
- Plastic cups with lids– (if anyone knows of a more planet-friendly option, please let me know) – these little cups will keep things like salad dressing, sour cream, guacamole, etc. separate from the other food. This is especially important when meal prepping salad bowls as the last thing you want for lunch is soggy lettuce.
- Spork– Attach one to your keychain or backpack and take it everywhere.
- Reusable Insulated Water Bottle– I have several different brands. I have carried the same Kleen Kanteen for years, but I love my Insulated Rtic Water Bottle because it keeps ice frozen forever.
- Silicone Reusable Straw
Looking for more delicious meal prep ideas? Try these reader favorites:
- Chicken Teriyaki Meal Prep
- Chicken Fajita Meal Prep Recipe
- Meal Prep: Chicken Shawarma Quinoa Bowls
- Curried Chicken Salad Meal Prep
- Meal Prep Skillet Kielbasa with Bell Peppers
- Buffalo Turkey Meatballs with Easy Meal Prep Bowls
Have you tried making your own high-protein snack packs?
Tell me about it in the comments below! I always love to hear your thoughts. And tag me #theforkedspoon on Instagram if you’ve made any of my recipes, I always love to see what you’re cooking in the kitchen.
RECIPE CARD
Protein Snack Pack - Lunch Meal Prep
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups hummus
- 1 ¼ cups mixed nuts
- 2 cups cheddar cheese - chopped into cubes
- 12 ounces deli lunch meat
- 2 ½ cups cherry tomatoes
- 2 ½ cups sugar snap peas
- 1 large English cucumber - sliced
- 5 eggs - hardboiled
Instructions
- Fill five mini Plastic cups with lids with hummus and seal (each will have approximately 2 ounces). Fill five more Plastic cups with lids with your favorite type of nut or nut mix and secure with the lid. Set aside.
- Divide remaining ingredients- cheddar cheese, lunch meat, cherry tomatoes, sugar snap peas, English cucumber, and egg- among five Single Compartment Containers. Add one cup filled with hummus and one filled with nuts to each container. Seal and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Enjoy!
Jessica's Notes
Nutritional Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)
If I want to avoid dairy, what do you recommend I substitute the cheese with?
Nutritional yeast flakes are a great choice, as they have a cheesy flavor and can be sprinkled over items like nuts or roasted chickpeas.
If you’re looking for something that closely mimics the texture of cheese, you might consider vegan cheese alternatives made from nuts like cashews or almonds. 🙂
is the calorie and protein per container or all together?
Per container 🙂
This is a perfect idea. I’m a breast-feeding mom (of a 2 year old whew) and I find that I don’t eat enough protein. I love all of these!
I also love all the cheese 😀
I have found some small containers with lids at a Dollar Tree near me. They’re reusable portion cups! Such a lifesaver!
Look this recipe gave me so many ideas!
I am happy to have inspired those ideas Dani 🙂
What can I use in place of sugar snap peas
Great question Shemeka – snow peas or fresh edamame or fresh fava beans will do 🙂
I don’t like Humus. What could I use instead?
Baba Ganoush is a good substitution for Hummus 🙂
Dear Jessica,
Thanks for your perfect menu 🙂 I really like it. I have decided to use this method for my breakfast, prepare once for a whole week, however I am not sure how I should keep them in refrigerator, which temperature and how many days?
Hi Unal,
The US Food and Drug Administration recommends refrigerators be set to 40 degrees, and I agree. Your meal prep should be good to prepare for 5 days ahead or so, assuming everything you buy is fresh at the time of preparing 🙂
Amazing idea. Going to try these out! Thanks!
so easy and healthy!
What would you recommanded to replace cherry tomatoes, for im not a fan of those?
Hi Shelly,
You can try substituting the cherry tomatoes with red bell peppers.
Do you find your cheese dries out and/or take on the smell/taste of the other foods? I can’t wait to make these this week.
Hi Ella,
No, I did not find that the cheese dried out while stored in the containers or take on the taste of the other food. If you find that this happens, I recommend storing the cheese in a small ziplock bag separate from the other food. It should still fit in the resealable container as long as all the air has been removed from the ziplock bag 🙂
This was so great for meal prepping – thanks!