Try These Affordable Lunches for $3 or Less

We get it — it's sometimes easier to buy lunch at work than think up new and exciting recipes every single day. But do this on a regular basis and the cost starts to add up.

Since Americans spend about $3,000 annually on buying coffee and lunch at work, packing your own lunch bag can help cut that cost and even increase your energy levels.

To help get you started, we've pulled together seven days of healthy and delicious food options for affordable prices — less than $3 per serving, in fact. Think hearty, seasonal salads such as BLT panzanella with turkey bacon and protein-packed grain bowls with quinoa and roasted sweet potato.

The following recipes are nutritious, filling, and loaded with fiber, protein, and healthy fats to get you through that midday slump.

Best of all, they'll come together in 30 minutes or less.

Check them out!

Pro tip Pick your favorite recipes and double up on dinner to pack leftovers, meal prep for the week, or mix and match to prevent workday lunch boredom.

• Day 1: Mediterranean Tuna Pasta Salad
• Day 2: Quinoa and Roasted Sweet Potato Bowls with Lemon Yogurt
• Day 3: Kale, Tomato, and White Bean Soup
• Day 4: Chickpea Taco Lettuce Wraps
• Day 5: Lentil and Barley Salad with Pomegranate and Feta
• Day 6: Wild Rice and Chicken Kale Salad
• Day 7: BLT Panzanella Salad with Turkey Bacon

Tiffany La Forge is a professional chef, recipe developer, and food writer who runs the blog Parsnips and Pastries. Her blog focuses on real food for a balanced life, seasonal recipes, and approachable health advice. When she's not in the kitchen, Tiffany enjoys yoga, hiking, traveling, organic gardening, and hanging out with her corgi, Cocoa. Visit her at her blog or on Instagram.