Most lunch options during a workday are either low in protein, expensive, or both. This isn’t a recipe. It’s a structure — two ingredients, no cooking at lunchtime, and enough protein to matter.
The whole thing takes about thirty seconds to put together, assuming you’ve already done the one step that makes it work: batch-boiling eggs on Sunday and keeping them in the fridge all week.
The Build
Two slices of high-protein bread. Two or three hard-boiled eggs, sliced. Wholegrain mustard. That’s it.
The protein adds up faster than you’d expect. Here’s why.
The Numbers
High-protein bread is now available from most UK supermarkets — brands like Biona, CarbZone, and others sit around 10g of protein per slice. Check the label on whatever you buy, but 10g per slice is the standard you’re looking for. Two slices gets you to 20g before you’ve added anything else.
A single hard-boiled egg contains roughly 6g of protein. Two eggs bring the total to around 32g. Three eggs push it closer to 38g.
Either way, you’re well past 30g of protein in a single lunch, with no meat, no prep at midday, and nothing that needs heating up.
Why This Works as a Weekday System
The bread lives in the cupboard or freezer. The eggs are already done — batch-boiled on Sunday, shell-on in the fridge, good for the whole week. Wholegrain mustard keeps for months. There’s nothing in this sandwich that degrades or requires thought on a Tuesday.
That’s the point. The protein target is hit not because the food is exciting, but because the system is frictionless. You remove the decision, and the nutrition follows.
A Few Practical Notes
Egg size matters slightly. A large egg gives you around 6g of protein. A medium egg sits closer to 5g. If your eggs are on the smaller side, use three rather than two — the difference in calories is negligible, and you stay comfortably above 30g.
The bread protein content varies by brand. Some sit at 8g per slice, others at 10g or slightly above. Read the back of the packet once, note the number, and adjust from there. You don’t need to hit exactly 30g — anywhere in the 28–38g range is doing the job.
Wholegrain mustard adds a small amount of flavour contrast and practically nothing else nutritionally. It also stops the sandwich being dry, which is the main reason it’s there. You could swap it for a thin spread of butter or a few slices of cheese if you prefer, though that changes the fat and calorie profile slightly.
The Takeaway
This isn’t the only thing you should eat for lunch. It’s one option that reliably delivers a high-protein meal with almost no effort. Pair it with whatever else you’re having — a piece of fruit, some nuts, a handful of crisps — and you’ve got a complete midday meal that took you less time to assemble than it took to walk to the kitchen.
The hard work is done on Sunday. The rest of the week is just putting it together.
If you haven’t batch-boiled eggs before, see: How Long Do Hard-Boiled Eggs Last in the Fridge? The Shell-On Strategy