Packing lunches for work is one of the best ways to save money. Here are delicious and economical cold lunch ideas for work that your husbands will appreciate!
Buying lunch at work is quick and convenient, but it also comes at a price. And with inflation affecting almost every one of us, I believe that meal-prepping work lunches can be a great way to save money.
According to Numbeo, a single meal at a fast-food chain is around $8 on average, while lunch at an inexpensive restaurant is about $16. So if your husband spends an average of $10 per lunch, conservatively speaking, he spends $50 per work week or around $2,500 per year.
My frugal side says this could have been money saved or spent on something important, like paying down debt or contributing to our retirement fund.
So with some skilled budgeting and careful meal planning, it is possible to send our husbands off to work with a cheap, healthy lunch in hand.
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What Makes A Good Cold Lunch?
Table of Contents
Cold lunches are excellent lunches that your working husband can taketo work. But what constitutes a good cold lunch? Here are my top considerations:
- They can be meal-prepped. Meal prepping saves you time because you can make a good batch of cold lunches during the weekend. You don’t feel rushed in the morning because your husband can just grab a packed lunch from the fridge and leave. With that said, I suggest looking for lunch recipes that keep well in the fridge for a couple of days.
- They can be eaten cold. Some people, like construction workers or truck drivers, do not have access to a microwave during their lunch breaks. If your husband is in a similar situation, find lunch ideas that store well in a lunch box and are still yummy even when eaten cold.
- They are healthy and filling. Mid-day meals are important in re-fueling a busy man’s energy, so make sure to pack a satisfying lunch. If possible, prepare lunches that are already complete meals. Also, if your hubby is on a certain diet or has food allergies, make sure to tweak the recipes to accommodate those needs.
20 Best Lunch Ideas For Husbands
Here are the best lunch ideas for husbands that are cheap, healthy, and delicious. Most of these can be eaten cold, perfect for people who don’t have access to a microwave during their lunch breaks.
1. Grilled Chicken
Source: SkinnyTaste
Grilled chicken is a fool-proof lunch idea for working men. I particularly like this grilled chicken chickpea salad, as it’s high in protein and fiber, which are great in helping you feel full for longer and prevent unnecessary snacking. Add in some mini cucumbers and cherry tomatoes, then top with some feta cheese, and you have one of the best cold lunch ideas that’s both cheap and filling.
2. Chicken Salad Pita
Source: Nourish Nutrition Blog
This chicken salad pita by Nourish Nutrition Blog is one of the healthy cold lunch ideas that you can make quickly in the morning before your husband leaves for work. Simply put together pre-cooked chicken, mayo and Greek yogurt, chopped celery, mixed nuts, and grapes. Put chicken salad mixture inside pita pockets, along with some lettuce. This cold lunch keeps well for up to three days inside an airtight lunch box. You can put an ice pack in the lunchbox to keep things cool if you live in a warm climate.
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3. Egg Salad
Source: Kim’s Cravings
Want to pack a complete meal for hubby’s lunch? A quick and easy egg salad does the trick! Just combine chopped, hard-boiled eggs with dressing, herbs, and spices. It quickly turns into a sandwich when served with some sliced homemade bread, or you could serve it in tortilla wraps, along with some apple slices and cheese sticks. Don’t forget the ice pack!
4. Pasta Salad
Source: Carlsbad Cravings
Pasta salads are also some of the best cold lunches you can make for your hubby. A pasta salad makes a filling and delicious lunch and keeps well in a lunch box. The BLT pasta salad (bacon, lettuce, and tomatoes) makes a great packed lunch, combining a good amount of veggies, carbs, and meat mixed with lemon chive dressing. It’s a great cool lunch at work, especially in the summer season.
5. Tuna Salad Lunch Box
Source: Budget Bytes
Most men appreciate protein in their main meals, so when packing manly lunches, consider using a nutritious, flexible, yet cheap protein source like tuna. You can prepare a classic tuna salad for his work lunches and pair it with some crackers, celery sticks, and sweet peppers. Consider using a bento-style lunch box to separate the items. This is a make-ahead lunch idea, so you can prepare it a few days ahead.
6. Mason Jar Salads
Source: Eating Well
Another great way to prepare cold lunches for your husband is to keep them in a mason jar. You can use this idea to make some cheap and easy lunches ahead so your husband can grab them from the fridge before leaving for work. The Classic Cobb Mason Jar Salad is a fine example of such a lunch idea. It features fresh veggies, blue cheese, deli meat, and yummy dressing. If your hubby wants to practice eating healthier while at work, then this lunch idea is the way to go.
7. Leftover Turkey Stuffed Bell Peppers
Source: Ahead of Thyme
Using leftover turkey is a great way to save money on work lunches. You can use surplus turkey as a lunch meat alternative to costlier pork and beef meats. Just cut bell peppers in half, stuff them with turkey filling (consisting of turkey, mushrooms, fresh veggies, and seasonings), and top with mozzarella cheese before baking. This is one of the best prep ahead budget-friendly lunches you can make for your working spouse.
8. BBQ Chicken Sandwich
Source: Add A Pinch
Another awesome way to save money on lunch is to include last night’s leftovers in your meal plan for the next day’s lunch. Leftover chicken is used for great lunch ideas, such as the BBQ chicken sandwich. For this packed lunch, shred leftover chicken and mix it with BBQ sauce. Serve with yummy coleslaw in between a sliced bun or french bread. This manly lunch is great for construction workers, truck drivers, and others who need a filling lunch amidst their busy work days.
9. Buffalo Chicken Wrap
Source: Tastes Better From Scratch
The Buffalo Chicken wrap is another great lunch idea for working husbands. I also love that it is super easy to prepare — just cook chicken in buffalo sauce and wrap it in a tortilla. You can add toppings to achieve the desired flavor (ranch dressing, avocado, and lettuce are some of the best options). This is one of the easiest and quickest packed-lunch ideas, and it’s cheap to boot!
10. Chicken Tenders Salad
Source: Laura Fuentes
Another recommended cold lunch idea that your hubby will love is the chicken tenders salad. I love that it comes with crispy chicken tenders, is balanced with fresh greens, and is dressed with ranch dressing. If your hubby is tired of the usual fried chicken, you can replace it with easy-to-eat chicken tenders, which are just as kind to your grocery budget (but tastes like it’s from a restaurant!).
11. Meal Prep Taco Salad
Source: Kristine’s Kitchen Blog
If you’re inclined to plan your meals on the weekend, I suggest making some of these meal prep Taco Salads for your husband to bring to work. This is one of the best cold lunch ideas that strikes a balance between delicious and healthy. It is packed with taco meat, lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and irresistible salsa. You can assemble the ingredients in lunch boxes, put them in the fridge, and your hubby can just grab one and go in the morning.
12. Cold Noodles in Peanut Sauce
Source: The Cozy Cook
This is probably one of the easiest yet yummiest cold lunches you can make for your spouse. Just toss cooked noodles in peanut sauce, refrigerate, then pack the dish in a lunch bag. If your hubby wants his lunch cool, this dish perfectly fits that bill!
13. California Roll Wraps
Source: The Kitchn
If you’re looking for healthy lunch ideas for your husband, then you should check out this recipe for California Roll Wraps. It’s perfect for men who love sushi, but even more perfect for wives who want to save money while preparing healthy packed lunches. It features sliced avocados, cucumber strips, crab meat, and mayo sauce wrapped in a wheat tortilla.
14. Broccoli Salad
Source: Everyday Family Cooking
Looking for great ideas for a side dish that goes with your husband’s meat-heavy lunch? Then this broccoli salad is the answer. I love that’s quick to make, and the ingredients are healthy and cheap (featuring broccoli, cheese, in-season veggies, and some bacon). If your husband is a vegan, cancel the bacon and consider adding nuts instead.
15. Greek Pasta Salad
Source: Skinny Taste
The Greek Pasta Salad is another enjoyable salad variation that’s oozing with flavors! It features any pasta of your choice, feta cheese, kalamata olives, bell peppers, and cucumbers tossed in yummy Greek dressing. It is light, colorful, and healthy — and is great for hubbies who want to enjoy good food but are also watching their weight.
16. Spinach and Cheese Lunch Box Muffins
Source: My Fussy Eater
Kids and adults alike love these spinach and cheese muffins. Making a large batch of these makes sense if you are preparing lunches for your husband and school kids. These savory muffins have healthy vegetables and are teeming with a cheesy taste and texture. If hubby is craving some carbs, then these are great bread alternatives to put in his lunch box, along with his main meal.
17. Ham and Cheese Roll-Ups
Source: Food Lovin Family
The Ham and Cheese Roll-Ups are one of the most budget-friendly, tasty cold lunches you can make. It calls for ham layered in a tortilla wrap, cheese, and some cream cheese. You can also easily substitute the ingredients depending on what your husband likes or what you have on hand. Plus, you can easily make these amazing cold lunches in under ten minutes!
18. Chicken and Rice Salad
Source: Pure Wow
This is another meal prep lunch idea that comes with extra flavors at no extra cost. The spicy chicken and rice salad calls for cooked chicken breasts or rotisserie chicken, purple cabbage, brown rice, and thin carrot sticks. You can make this recipe ahead of time as it keeps well in the fridge for four days. If you are having one of your lazy days, you can just grab one of these as your own lunch.
19. Chicken and Egg Salad
Source: Diabetes Strong
Chicken and eggs are some of the cheapest proteins you can buy, and they make excellent cold lunch items, too! I love how easy it is to put together this salad recipe. Just mix baked bite-sized chicken breasts and hard-boiled eggs, add mayo and curry powder, and mix. You can consume this lunch as a standalone dish, but you could also add some bread or sliced fresh veggies.
20. 7- Layer Mexican Dip
Source: Momables
Prepare something new for your working husband by packing him this Mexican dip recipe that boasts fresh vegetables, yummy tortilla chips, guacamole, pinto beans, black olives, and salsa. It’s a filling snack that keeps hubby full mid-day, preventing him from swinging by a nearby doughnut shop to snack on sugary foods. Just layer everything in a mason jar and store it in the fridge. This delicious dip keeps well for 5 days, so you can make one for every workday!
Conclusion
There are several benefits of prepping and cooking work lunches for your husband. Primarily, it helps you extend your food and grocery budget because it is a lot cheaper than buying lunch from a cafeteria. restaurant, or cafe.
Also, it allows you to control portions and ingredients. Whether your husband is trying to lose weight by eating healthier or has food sensitivities, making homemade lunch for him addresses these important issues.
Brown bagging your hubby’s lunch can be a great money-saver. So with some creativity and meal planning, you can make healthy and delicious meals, and he will probably never buy lunch at work again.