Those of you who follow me on Instagram are probably familiar the photos I post of my husband’s lunches.

As you know, I’m a health-nut. My husband? Not so much.

He’s come a long way over the past few years so I have to give him credit, but when given the choice, he’d rather eat a burger and fries than a healthy, balanced meal.

He is blessed with an incredibly fast metabolism and is a natural athlete. He’s never had to worry about his weight and for the most part, he feels good throughout the day so has never had to consider changing his diet for reasons that many people do. He does care about his health, but won’t necessarily put the time into creating healthy meals on his own.

While he’s not much a health-nut on his own, he is fully supportive of eating a healthy diet and appreciates the healthy meals I cook for our family. But ultimately, if I want him to eat well (which I desperately do) then I have to make it easy for him.

I do all the grocery shopping and cooking in our house. So each week I prep healthy lunches and snacks that he can grab on his way out the door on his way to work.

After seeing some of his lunches on Instagram, many of you requested a blog post on “husband lunch ideas.” So here are a few staples that I make for him on a regular basis. The key is to find recipes that are healthy, yet filling & substantial so they don’t feel like “diet food.”

I generally make one big batch of food on Sunday that is divided into 3 servings that he can grab on his way out the door. On the other days he has a turkey sandwich or dines out with colleagues.

BLTA Bowls With Chicken & Dairy-Free Ranch Dressing

Bowl Ingredients:

6 cups romaine lettuce, chopped 1 cup cherry tomatoes 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded 3 slices of nitrate-free bacon, cooked (I like Applegate Farms) 1 avocado, sliced

CLICK HERE for Danielle Walker’s Dairy-Free Ranch Dressing. It is SO good.

Directions:

Divide all ingredients among 3 bowls. On the morning of, top with avocado and send with a side of dressing.

Taco Bowls

Ingredients:

1 cup black beans, drained & rinsed 1 rotisserie chicken, chopped (or ¾ lb. ground turkey, cooked) 1 cup brown rice, cooked (or cooked quinoa) 2 cups spinach, chopped 1 cup cherry tomatoes, chopped Salsa to taste 1 avocado or ¾ cup pre-made guacamole

Directions:

Divide ingredients among 3 bowls. Add spinach and avocado or guacamole the morning of.

White Chicken Chili

This White Chicken Chili Recipe from Shauna Niequist’s book, Bread & Wine is on regular rotation in our house. It’s super easy to toss in the crockpot on Sunday and have it ready for meals throughout the week.

I make a batch on Sunday and then send it with a side of diced avocado and some organic tortillas chips for topping.

I’ll share more meal ideas soon as I continue to find easy, filling options that satisfy the both of us.

Keep in mind that my husband would gladly make his own lunches, but I have chosen to take on this role to ensure that he eats in a way that supports good health. I won’t lie, we’ve battled over this difference before (and still do at times) but we’ve found what works for us and at the end of the day, we balance each other out in a good way. He keeps me from becoming a crazed, health-obsessed wife and I keep him on the straight & narrow when it comes to his daily diet.

It’s all comes back to finding a healthy balance right?

xo,

PS – have you considered joining The Balanced Life Sisterhood yet? If so it’s a great place to get encouragement on topics like this and swap recipes with other women striving to create healthy, balanced homes. You also get a new recipe bundle each month that will keep meal prep fresh & stress-free. Click here to read more.