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  6. 23 Low-Calorie Lunches That Are Diabetes-Friendly

23 Low-Calorie Lunches That Are Diabetes-Friendly

Leah Goggins headshot
Leah Goggins Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD March 24, 2022
Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD
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Lemon-Roasted Vegetable Hummus Bowls

You'll look forward to the midday meal when these healthy dishes are on the menu. Make lunches for the week with one of our simple meal-prep recipes, or try a veggie-packed sandwich for a bright, fresh bite. Whatever you choose, you're in for a light, low-calorie lunch that's perfect for toting to work or enjoying at home. Recipes like our Lemon-Roasted Vegetable Hummus Bowls and Spiced Grilled Chicken with Cauliflower "Rice" Tabbouleh focus on complex carbs, like whole grains, and stick to heart-healthy levels of saturated fat and sodium, so you know they will fit into a diabetes-friendly eating pattern.

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Spiced Grilled Chicken with Cauliflower "Rice" Tabbouleh

spice grilled chicken
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Chicken breasts on the grill have a smoky flavor that's enhanced with an easy spice rub. We chose flat-leaf parsley in this salad because it has a stronger herbal taste than its sometimes-bitter curly counterpart.

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Sweet Potato, Kale & Chicken Salad with Peanut Dressing

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These hearty kale salads hold up well for 4 days, making them perfect for meal-prep lunches. To keep the ingredients from getting soggy, dress this salad and top it with peanuts just before serving. For a delicious vegan option, swap in roasted tofu for the chicken breast (see Associated Recipes).

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Chipotle-Lime Cauliflower Taco Bowls

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A bold, smoky marinade elevates roasted cauliflower in this meal-prep version of our popular Chipotle-Lime Cauliflower Tacos (see Associated Recipes). To cut down on prep time, look for precut cauliflower in the produce department. You can also save time by using microwaveable quinoa pouches (you'll need one 8-ounce pouch for this recipe) instead of cooking quinoa.

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Spinach Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes, White Beans & Basil

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Roasted sweet potatoes are paired with spinach, cabbage and white beans and tossed together with a bright basil dressing in this healthy main dish salad.

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Lemon-Roasted Vegetable Hummus Bowls

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Brimming with colorful roasted vegetables, these plant-based meal-prep lunch bowls are high in fiber to keep you full through the afternoon. The easy roasted veggies are based on a popular recipe from our sister magazine (see Associated Recipes). Feel free to use your favorite store-bought hummus to cut down on prep time, or make a batch of your own (see Tip). You can also sub in an 8-ounce microwaveable quinoa pouch to minimize cooking.

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Green Goddess Quinoa Bowls with Arugula & Shrimp

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We're taking advantage of all the healthy items you can find at your local specialty grocery store to create these healthy meal-prep lunches. To add extra protein (while minimizing prep time), we're using fully cooked quinoa and cooked shrimp, both of which you can find in the freezer section. With a few more simple items, including bottled salad dressing, you'll have all the ingredients you need to make these high-protein lunch bowls in under 20 minutes.

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Hearty Tomato Soup with Beans & Greens

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Garlicky kale and creamy white beans elevate simple canned tomato soup into a 10-minute lunch or dinner that really satisfies. Use a soup with tomato pieces for a heartier texture. Look for a brand that's low- or reduced-sodium, with no more than 450 mg sodium per serving.

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Thai-Style Chopped Salad with Sriracha Tofu

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Prep four days' worth of high-protein vegan lunches using just four easy ingredients from your local specialty grocery store, including a veggie-heavy salad mix as a base. Because this salad mix is hearty, you can dress these bowls up to 24 hours before serving to allow the flavors in this healthy chopped salad to marry. If you can't find a hearty mix, go with broccoli slaw or shredded Brussels sprouts.

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Quinoa, Avocado & Chickpea Salad over Mixed Greens

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Protein-rich quinoa and chickpeas add staying power to this zesty and healthy salad recipe.

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Middle Eastern Salad Bowls with Farro & Chicken

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We're pairing two shortcut products you can likely find at your local specialty grocery store--Middle Eastern bean salad and microwaveable farro--to add protein, fiber and satisfying texture to these high-protein lunch bowls. To cut down on prep time, we're also using preseasoned grilled chicken breasts from the refrigerated section, bottled balsamic vinaigrette and a few other ready-to-use ingredients to make these quick and easy meal-prep lunches.

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Charred Shrimp, Pesto & Quinoa Bowls

Charred Shrimp, Pesto & Quinoa Bowls
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These shrimp, pesto and quinoa bowls are delicious, healthy, pretty and take less than 30 minutes to prep. In other words, they're basically the ultimate easy weeknight dinner. Feel free to add additional vegetables and swap the shrimp for chicken, steak, tofu or edamame.

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Veggie & Hummus Sandwich

Veggie & Hummus Sandwich
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This mile-high vegetable and hummus sandwich makes the perfect heart-healthy vegetarian lunch to go. Mix it up with different flavors of hummus and different types of vegetables depending on your mood.

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Chimichurri Noodle Bowls

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We're mixing whole-grain spaghetti with zucchini noodles to add volume and save calories in these simple, flavor-packed meal-prep bowls. The bright and herby chimichurri sauce originally appeared in Katie Workman's salmon recipe for EatingWell magazine (see Associated Recipes). Leftover chicken, tofu or canned beans can be swapped in for the shrimp.

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Chopped Cobb Salad with Chicken

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This healthy chopped salad is a great way to use up leftover cooked chicken. You can reserve the remaining hard-boiled egg half for a snack.

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Make-Ahead Spinach & Black Bean Burritos

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These egg, bean and cheese burritos are designed to be made ahead and frozen. They are perfect for busy days and make a satisfying breakfast or lunch.

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Meal-Prep Vegan Moroccan Lettuce Wraps

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For these meal-prep-friendly lettuce wraps, we swap the traditional warm filling for a cold plant-based bean salad filling loaded with fresh herbs and lemon. Topping each lettuce leaf with a little quinoa before adding the filling helps to keep the lettuce from getting soggy.

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Tex-Mex Pasta Salad

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A light and creamy green-salsa dressing highlights this easy pasta salad with Southwestern flavors.

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Chopped Chicken & Sweet Potato Salad

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This easy salad recipe allows for a wonderful use of leftover cooked chicken. Look for escarole in the produce section near the leafy greens; if you can't find it, you can use romaine instead.

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Vegan Kale Caesar Salad with Tofu Croutons

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Swapping tofu for the bread in these meal-prep Caesar salad bowls bumps up the satiety factor with 18 grams of protein. These crispy tofu croutons originally appeared in Lauren Grant's recipe for Diabetic Living magazine (see Associated Recipes). Lacinato kale, also known as dinosaur kale or Tuscan kale, has flat, dark green-blue leaves--and its tenderness makes it perfect for eating raw, like in this salad.

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Hearty Chickpea & Spinach Stew

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This satisfying stew comes together in a snap. Mashed chickpeas add body to the broth, and tomato paste adds a savory note without piling on the sodium. To simplify the prep, look for chopped fresh onion and shredded carrot or a soup starter mix in the produce section.

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Vegan Superfood Grain Bowls

Vegan Superfood Buddha Bowls
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This nutrient-packed grain bowl recipe comes together in 15 minutes with the help of a few convenience-food shortcuts like prewashed baby kale, microwavable quinoa and precooked beets. Pack these ahead to keep on hand for easy meal-prep lunches or dinners on busy nights.

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Meal-Prep Chili-Lime Chicken Bowls

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Skip takeout and whip up these equally delicious, and easy-to-make burrito bowls at home. They're great for a fast and easy dinner or as meal-prep lunches to pack for work throughout the week.

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Spicy Slaw Bowls with Shrimp & Edamame

Spicy Slaw Bowls with Shrimp & Edamame
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The quick 10-minute Spicy Cabbage Slaw serves as the low-carb base in this veggie-packed lunch recipe. Topped with high-protein edamame and shrimp, this satisfying lunch will help you power through the afternoon.

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    1 of 23 Spiced Grilled Chicken with Cauliflower "Rice" Tabbouleh
    2 of 23 Sweet Potato, Kale & Chicken Salad with Peanut Dressing
    3 of 23 Chipotle-Lime Cauliflower Taco Bowls
    4 of 23 Spinach Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes, White Beans & Basil
    5 of 23 Lemon-Roasted Vegetable Hummus Bowls
    6 of 23 Green Goddess Quinoa Bowls with Arugula & Shrimp
    7 of 23 Hearty Tomato Soup with Beans & Greens
    8 of 23 Thai-Style Chopped Salad with Sriracha Tofu
    9 of 23 Quinoa, Avocado & Chickpea Salad over Mixed Greens
    10 of 23 Middle Eastern Salad Bowls with Farro & Chicken
    11 of 23 Charred Shrimp, Pesto & Quinoa Bowls
    12 of 23 Veggie & Hummus Sandwich
    13 of 23 Chimichurri Noodle Bowls
    14 of 23 Chopped Cobb Salad with Chicken
    15 of 23 Make-Ahead Spinach & Black Bean Burritos
    16 of 23 Meal-Prep Vegan Moroccan Lettuce Wraps
    17 of 23 Tex-Mex Pasta Salad
    18 of 23 Chopped Chicken & Sweet Potato Salad
    19 of 23 Vegan Kale Caesar Salad with Tofu Croutons
    20 of 23 Hearty Chickpea & Spinach Stew
    21 of 23 Vegan Superfood Grain Bowls
    22 of 23 Meal-Prep Chili-Lime Chicken Bowls
    23 of 23 Spicy Slaw Bowls with Shrimp & Edamame

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    23 Low-Calorie Lunches That Are Diabetes-Friendly
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