Before "girl dinner" was in the national spotlight, there were "lunchables"—the compartmentalized meal of deli meat, cheese, and crackers that were all the rage in elementary school.
Well, get ready to bring the cafeteria fave into your grown-up life.
Introducing "adult lunchables," a fun, nostalgia-filled way to pack your midday (or end of day) meal with protein. More elevated than the childhood pre-packaged version, these go beyond the typical bologna, cheese "product," and salty crackers.
These protein snack plates or protein boxes have other benefits, too: They’re easy to assemble, they offer tons of variety, and they can load in a ton of protein with low-lift ingredients like sliced turkey, canned tuna, hard-boiled eggs, and low-sodium cheese.
You can meal prep and pack everything up in a cute bento-style container the night before, then take it to work and have it all in one go or graze on it at your whim. (Or prepare one of these guys for dinner when you just don't feel like cooking.)
The super-easy steps to build a protein snack plate:
- Start with a protein (and boost with more protein, if you want).
- Amp it up with some fiber (nuts, dried fruit).
- Round it out with some fat to make it satisfying (hello, cheese!).
- Add fruit and raw veggies for crunch.
- Complete the meal with healthy crackers.
The components are endlessly customizable so feel free to swap in your faves for any of the recs. Keep scrolling to peep a template for every type of diet (pescatarian, vegetarian, or vegan? We got you!). Looking for an even bigger protein boost? The food and nutrition experts in the WH Test Kitchen—who developed these delicious combinations—have that covered, too.
5 Protein-Packed Snack Boxes That Double As A Meal
Meat Lover
- Protein: sliced turkey + boost with another deli meat, like uncured soppressata
- Fiber: pecans or your favorite nut
- Fat: aged Gouda wedges, Baby Bels, or your favorite cheese
- Fruit: green apple wedges or your favorite fruit
- Vegetable: fennel slices
- Cracker: stoneground wheat crackers
Pescatarian
- Protein: canned tuna, salmon or sardines + boost with hard-boiled egg
- Fiber: avocado half with lemon
- Fat: mayo to mix into fish (or prep tuna/salmon salad the night before)
- Fruit: Sumo citrus sections or your favorite citrus
- Veg: radishes and pickled peppers, like piparras or guindillas
- Cracker: rye crispbread
Vegetarian
- Protein: hard-boiled eggs + boost with cottage cheese
- Fiber: sliced cukes
- Fat: vegetarian chili crisp for drizzling + chocolate almond butter cup
- Fruit: grapes or your favorite fruit
- Veg: cherry tomatoes
- Cracker: whole-grain crackers, like Triscuits
Vegan
- Protein: hummus + boost with nut butter
- Fiber: dried apricots, dates, or your favorite dried fruit
- Fat: pistachios and chocolate
- Fruit: pomegranate seeds
- Veg: sugar snap peas
- Cracker: lentil crackers
Fancy Feast
- Protein: prosciutto + boost with thin Parm wedge
- Fiber: Marcona almonds
- Fat: triple-crème cheese, such as Brie or Nettle Meadow Kunik
- Fruit: sliced pear
- Veg: endive spears + cornichons
- Cracker: artisan nut and dried fruit crisps, such as Raincoast Crisps Hazelnut Cranberry or Maine Crisp Co. Savory Fig & Thyme
Susan (she/her) is the recipe editor at Good Housekeeping, where she pitches ideas, parses words, and produces food content. In the Test Kitchen, she cooks (and samples!) recipes, working with developers to deliver the best written versions possible. A graduate of Brown University and a collaborator on several cookbooks, her previous experience includes stints at Food & Wine, Food Network, three meal kit companies, a wine shop in Brooklyn and Chez Panisse, the pioneering restaurant in Berkeley, California. She enjoys playing tennis, natural wines and reality competition shows.
