Luna Grill’s purpose, as it has been for centuries in the Mediterranean, is to inspire good food choices by providing scratch made cooking using fresh ingredients. We believe everyone should be able to live the sunny and healthy Mediterranean lifestyle and of course, eat the most delicious food everyday.

Luna Grill has been making fresh Mediterranean cuisine since 2004. When you don’t have time to meal prep but want to enjoy a healthy Mediterranean meal, here are a few favorites from Luna Grill. And we’ll offer a few options you can easily meal prep at home when you have the time and space!

Family Fare With Family Origins

Luna Grill was founded by husband and wife, Sean and Maria Pourteymour, back in 2004 with the premise that good food is made in kitchens. Maria grew up cooking in the kitchen with her grandmother and worked in her family’s restaurant for over a decade where she learned that quality cuisine and the enjoyment of a tasty, nutritious meal in the company of family and good friends is one of life’s precious delights.

Sean and Maria felt like there was no healthy, affordable fast-casual restaurant locally where they could take their kids for dinner. Thus, Luna Grill was born. Check out Luna Grill’s website for more information about the restaurant’s founders.

Luna Grill’s commitment to sourcing as many all-natural ingredients as possible shines through in every one of Luna Grill’s dishes. From sustainable salmon to cage-free chicken and gluten-free koobideh kabob, Luna Grill is committed to serving food made from ingredients that you can trust; avoiding antibiotics, preservatives, or GMOs wherever possible. After all, Luna Grill is a passion project born out of Maria and Sean’s search for a restaurant fit for their own health-conscious family.

Restaurants don’t always have options for the whole family, but Luna Grill is unlike other restaurants. Luna Grill’s personalized lifestyle menus make it easy for guests to identify menu items that meet their dietary needs, meal preferences and nutrition-related goals. All that, and your meal is made to order? It almost sounds too good to be true.

Why Meal Prep?

When Maria and Sean founded their fast-casual Mediterranean concept restaurant, they had their own family in mind. That’s why they decided on an important yet simple mission: to inspire good food choices. That family-focused mindset is why Luna Grill created a menu to make meal prepping with Luna Grill easy.

As it turns out, meal prepping, or the assembly of entire dishes days in advance is the definition of a “good food choice.”

Here are a few reasons why meal prepping is so good for us.

• It keeps us from impulsively snacking and eating out.
• It allows us to ensure that our meals are nutritious and diverse.
• It gives us full control over portions.
• It’s cost-effective.

Meal prep is good for our minds, too. Setting aside time to prepare food in advance allows us to be fully present at mealtime. In other words, by getting cooking out of the way early on in the week, we can avoid the daily stress of cooking and spend more time savoring our food and catching up with family over our mealtime, even in the midst of a busy week.

Thanks to all the benefits we just mentioned, meal prepping is a hot trend that is continuously picking up steam. If you’re wondering how to meal prep, here are a few simple steps to follow:

1. Consider your budget, favorite foods, and personal dietary goals.
2. Decide how many meals you want to prepare. (For example, you could prepare five meals to ensure you have pre-cooked lunch during the workweek.)
3. Select healthy recipes with ingredients from each food group — fruits, veggies, grains, proteins, and dairy.
4. Make a grocery list to purchase all the required ingredients for however many meals you want to prepare.
5. Once you purchase your ingredients, you can either prepare your meals in their entirety by following the whole recipes or prepare separate ingredients to cut your cooking time later on.

Benefits of the Mediterranean Diet 

Another popular culinary choice (and the backbone of Luna Grill) is the well-known Mediterranean diet. This way of eating, based on the traditional cuisines of food capitals of the world such as Greece and Italy, is reliant on whole grains, vegetables, legumes, fruits, nuts, seeds, herbs, and spices.

According to Harvard University, a long line of research shows that the Mediterranean diet supports heart health and overall lifespan. It can help you maintain healthy cholesterol levels with fewer meats and carbohydrates and more healthy fats like olive oil.

It’s no coincidence that family time is a key value of the Mediterranean lifestyle. At its core, the Mediterranean diet is more than just food. It’s about slowing down and enjoying meals surrounded by loved ones.

What better way to do that than spending less time cooking and more time being present with a relaxing Mediterranean meal with friends or family members?

Whether you’re looking for an opportunity to get ahead in your week by meal-prepping healthy Mediterranean dishes, or saving time by eating a delicious, nutritious meal out, Luna Grill is your go-to for all things Mediterranean. Before we offer some meal prep ideas, here are some of the health-forward dishes you can find at Luna Grill when you don’t have time to meal prep.

Our Top Picks Off the Menu

When you don’t have the time to prepare meals at home, Luna Grill’s menu is full of delicious, healthy dishes that make for easy meals for you and your family. Here are a few Mediterranean lunch ideas that we recommend.

• Family Meal for 4. The dish, which is available for delivery or take-out, comes with four juicy grilled kabobs, a smattering of seasonal veggies such as mushrooms and bell peppers, a heaping plate of basmati rice, colorful salad, warm pita bread, and your choice of traditional Greek hummus or another one of their famous dips. Not only are the ingredients high-quality and delicious, but this dish is perfect to take home and redish into tupperware so that you have 4 meals to eat during the week.
• Family Meal for 6. This dish comes with all the same wholesome ingredients as the Meal for 4, but with two extra kabobs. Just throw the ingredients together, and you’ve got the perfect well-rounded meal for 6.. Remember that when you’re ordering, Luna Grill offers 20 percent off Family Meals every Sunday with promo code SUNDAYSUPPER at checkout.
• The Santorini Bowl.This loaded dish includes sweet, Greek pearled couscous and melt-in-your-mouth tzatziki made from creamy yogurt, ripe cucumbers, a squeeze of lemon juice, fresh herbs, garlic, salt, and olive oil. It also includes a crunchy kale medley, tangy pickled red onions, just-picked olives, a generous helping of fluffy basmati rice, Schug sauce, and your choice of protein.
• The Classic Luna Vida Bowl. Just-grilled sustainable salmon is served on top of a bed of crunchy lettuce, a tangy lemon vinaigrette, shredded Greek cabbage, a hearty chickpea salad, fresh cucumber, sun-kissed tomato, and bold feta drizzled with bold housemade tzatziki. Mixing all of the finest ingredients makes for one heck of a bowl and a great, healthy lunch option. And it’s gluten-free!
• The Modern Greek Salad. Clocking in at only 370 calories, this greek salad features a lettuce medley, handfuls of crumbly feta cheese, Greek Kalamata olives rich in vitamins and minerals, sweet sliced pepperoncini, perfectly ripe diced tomato and cucumber, homemade pickled onions, crispy chickpeas, and a robust house vinaigrette. You can also add chilled chopped chicken, gyro, or falafel to give your loved ones a healthy serving of protein that will power them through the week.

Want to throw in an additional treat for your family? Add in one of Luna Grill’s extras to take your meal prepping to the next level. Your family members will thank you.

Here are a few of our favorite options:

• Specialty Mediterranean sauces like spicy harissa made of roasted red peppers and fresh spices and herbs, zesty Schug, and smoky chipotle.
• Handmade baklava that consists of flaky filo pastry filled with chopped walnuts and sweetened honey. This rich dessert is a safe-bet addition to any dish you choose to meal prep.
• Luna Grill’s Non-GMO classic chocolate chip cookies are chewy on the outside and soft and gooey on the inside. The semisweet chocolate chunks and notes of toffee are sure to brighten your family members’ weekdays, kids and parents alike.

Homemade Mediterranean Lunches

Here are a few you can prep at home for another fantastic source of healthy meal prep-ready foods.

• Chicken kabobs. Before threading your chicken onto skewers for the grill, create a marinade using yogurt, olive oil, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, red pepper flakes, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and garlic. Once marinated for eight hours or more, thread the chunks of chicken onto moistened skewers. Grill until they reach 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Make side dishes like herbed basmati rice, toasted pita bread, tzatziki sauce, or a Greek salad. This high-protein dish is a real winner.
• Grilled salmon. For pescatarians and kosher eaters, this heart-healthy seasoned salmon offers a rich, smokey taste. Mix a marinade of olive oil, lemon juice, honey, garlic, oregano, dill, salt, and pepper. Once marinated for at least 30 minutes, put your salmon skin-side down on a baking sheet in the oven for 10 to 20 minutes, checking for doneness every few minutes. Feeding your family a meal of healthy fish is a great way to show them you care. You can meal prep with the finished salmon and herbed rice, Greek salad, or on pita for a midday salmon sandwich.
• Falafel. If you’ve never made falafel, you may not realize how quick and easy it can be. All you need is a can of chickpeas, an onion, spices, and a few tablespoons of all-purpose flour. For the spices, mix together parsley, coriander, cumin, salt, and pepper. Mix this into the mashed chickpeas and two tablespoons of flour. Form the mixture in flat discs and shallow-fry them in vegetable oil. You can pair falafel with rice or pita bread or eat them by hand on a busy workday. And it’s vegan!

Eat Mediterranean Today

Now you have some ideas to incorporate into your lunch prep plans. Meal prepping keeps us from snacking when we aren’t hungry, helps us save time and money, and offers delicious options every day of the week!

Check out Luna Grill today for more food ideas for you and your whole family.

Sources:

San Diego-Based Luna Grill Named a Top Fast-Casual Restaurant | Times of San Diego

What is Meal Prepping? | CPD Online College

Diet Review: Mediterranean Diet | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health