What's For Lunch?

[jpsych]

I am a new Celiac and am getting ready to return to work after being on medical leave. As a newbie, I was wondering what ya'll like to take to eat for lunch. I used to eat out everyday. I am looking for gluten-free lunch ideas.

Thanks and happy lunching!

[nettiebeads]

I am a new Celiac and am getting ready to return to work after being on medical leave. As a newbie, I was wondering what ya'll like to take to eat for lunch. I used to eat out everyday. I am looking for gluten-free lunch ideas.

Thanks and happy lunching!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Do you have a microwave at work? Campbells has a few soups that are safe. Dinty Moore beef stew is okay. I had leftover pizza (gluten-free of course)- still a kid at heart, I can eat that cold. Delimex has a couple of taquito varieties that are safe. Good ole salad, but I can only do that a couple of times a week. Otherwise my taste buds rebel! Have you gotten the triumph dining cards? Maybe then you can eat out again.

[artmeg55]

I still think lunch at work is the toughest gluten-free meal to plan. My favorite lunches are leftovers...I try to make enough of whatever we are having for dinner and just pop some into a microwave save container to reheat. Also, I like to make a batch of gluten-free soup and freeze individual containers. Annie's makes a good gluten-free mac and cheese that is micowaveable if you're in a hurry. gluten-free pasta reheats well and makes a good lunch too.

[jenvan]

i take either an amy's microwave meal when i'm in a rush. they are good--look for the ones that say gluten-free on the front, b/c not all are.

usually though i take a spinach salad with veggies, some kind of meat, sometimes beans, almonds. then an apple or fruit leather or a kettle valley fruit bar (yummie).

[happygirl]

I make "sandwiches without bread"---lunch meat, cheese, mayo/mustard, and roll them up into individual roll ups like I used to do when I was 5. I've also started making them with lunch meat and veggie cream cheese for a change of pace. If I have to grab a quick lunch, I get the baked potato from Wendy's and a side salad, or the charbroiled chicken breast, fries, and ranch dipping sauce from Chik-Fil-A. I bring a lot of leftovers too!

[ravenwoodglass]

  Campbells has a few soups that are safe. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Which ones? I haven't found one yet. I even checked chicken and rice and that lists wheat starch. I used to love campbells soup but every can has wheat starch so I have given up and just go with progresso.

I just did another search of their web site and the only thing that came up without gluten is the V8 juices. I had read on their site not too long ago that the Swanson broths were gluten-free BUT when I read the labels in the store wheat starch was clearly listed so be careful with their products, read the container.

[Carriefaith]

I often have to bring lunch and dinner. Here are some ideas:

veggie salad and dressing (Kraft will clearly indicate gluten)

pizza (Kinnickinick pizza crust)

Thai kitchen gluten free instant dinners Open Original Shared Link

Rice cakes and peanut butter

fruit (I usually take apples, bananas, or oranges)

Tinkyada pasta and Ragu sauce

Leftovers (I sometimes make extra food at dinner the night before)

Amy's gluten-free dinners

canned veggies and fruits

frozen veggies (cooked in the microwave) and soy sauce for flavour

fruit salad

[kabowman]

I usually take leftovers for lunch and now eat at my desk...I do live close enough I could go home too but I don't. Also, I have called some of the close restuarants (sp???) to find out which ones I could eat at and then sometimes treat myself but go early so they don't have to try to cook something special during a rush time. When we have staff meetings, the boss now plans on breaking early so we can go to one of my restuarants for lunch as a group.

For dinner, I won't go during a Friday or Saturday evening when they will be busy. I miss that sometimes but it is better than getting contaminiated.

[luvs2eat]

I usually make a sandwich every day with my Manna from Anna bread which I bake and slice and freeze in bags with 2 slices each. I toast the bread and make a ham and swiss or any kind of sammy I want. That, plus a banana or apple is my awesome lunch every work day.

[tarnalberry]

Today, leftover chili. Last week, leftover beef stir fry. Other times, leftover fajitas, leftover chicken rice soup, tuna tacos, shrimp salad, lunch meat rolled in lettuce with tomatoes and mustard, rice cakes with peanut butter, hot cereal... And of course, fresh fruit and veggies.

[LLCoolJD]

Sandwich (gluten-free tapioca or rice bread)

^ This is my most common lunch. Otherwise, it's reheated leftovers (chicken and rice, gluten-free spaghetti, etc.) Lunch is definitely a pain, but so are all meals...

[bluelotus]

I make salads and homemade soups (make a huge batch of soup on the weekends to freeze and it will last for a few weeks). I have learned how to dress up salads and make them filling. Example - today I had a salad with baby spinach, lettuce mix from store, mushrooms, black olives, avacado, cucumber, cooked white potato (approx 1/4 a potato), chicken drumstick meat (off the bone).....very good and very filling with the chicken, potato, and avacado. I used Amy's French dressing (gluten-free,DF, corn free too). Yummy.

Other ideas for salads would be to use raisins (SunMaid is gluten-free - just found that out on here a few days ago), real bacon crumbled up, cheese if you can eat dairy, etc. The trick is to either have some of your veggies already cut up or to make a little extra time in the morning - that's the downside to salad - takes much longer to throw together than a sandwich.

I agree with the rest of you though, lunch is definitely the hardest to take care of....not many ideas or easy take-along food.

[skbird]

I get more eggs and boil some up. Then I can have a generic salad and put eggs on it and make it more filling. I also buy those small cans of salmon (like the pull top tuna cans) and use those on salad. Or cheese and avocado.

Leftovers, which I used to hate, I love now. I have found the best way to make sure I'll eat my leftovers is to freeze them. If I leave them in the fridge more than two days (easy to forget when you rush in the morning) then I'm usually too skeptical to eat them. But if frozen, I don't worry about them going bad. Then I usually can keep it at my desk, by lunch it's thawed some, but doesn't go bad.

I just tried Manna from Anna bread the other day and suddenly, sandwiches are reborn for me, first time in a year I've had good bread. I'm blown away. I had a great salami, cheese, spinach, and sprout sandwich at lunch today, and I felt at home with the other people gorging on their big sub sandwiches in the breakroom, too.

This is a good thread. I start a new job in two weeks where no one really leaves for lunch, they eat at their desks. So I'll definitely be planning out more lunch foods, now.

Oh yeah, the soup - that is a great one. I started that recently - make a huge pot of soup over the weekend, then pour servings in to pint canning jars when the soup is still pretty hot, close, then stick in the fridge. It lasts longer and is individual sized. Or let it cool some first, then freeze for longer storage. Mmmmmm.....

Stephanie

[Carriefaith]

Oh yeah, the soup - that is a great one. I started that recently - make a huge pot of soup over the weekend, then pour servings in to pint canning jars when the soup is still pretty hot, close, then stick in the fridge. It lasts longer and is individual sized. Or let it cool some first, then freeze for longer storage. Mmmmmm.....

That is a really good idea!

[MySuicidalTurtle]

I take fruit with me to campus.

[lilliexx]

i bring bumble bars, bananas, avacados, yoghurt etc.

also, if there are a lot of restaurants in the area go in & talk with them to find out possible things you can eat. i did this, and found out that i can eat taco's from the authentic mexican restaurant, and anything on the menu at the thai restaurant ( they dont use any wheat what so ever!!! i even get the chinese restaurant to make the garlic chicken with out soy sauce for me.

another thing i do is get deli salads from the grocery store. the dressing and crutons are usually in seperate packages so i dont have to worry about conamination. i keep a bottle of annies natural salad dressing in the fridge at work.

other things i snack on at work: nuts, string cheese, chocholate.

[elonwy]

I want to second the Thai Kitchen mention earlier. Great thing about the noodle bowls and noodles carts is you don't need a microwave, all you need is a water cooler with a hot water spigot.

I love these things. If you have heartburn issues though I would recommend not using the entire spice packet to start out, especially on the garlic ones. they're good but can be a little strong. May be personal preference. AND they say gluten free right on em, which always makes me happy. NOt all of them are gluten-free though, so you do have to read the labels.

Elonwy

[jmarie]

i take either an amy's microwave meal when i'm in a rush.  they are good--look for the ones that say gluten-free on the front, b/c not all are.

usually though i take a spinach salad with veggies, some kind of meat, sometimes beans, almonds.  then an apple or fruit leather or a kettle valley fruit bar (yummie).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I don't trust Amy's. It says "Gluten Free" on the front but in tiny, tiny letters on the back it has a message "for those with food allergies" that the food shares a facility with wheat products, among other things. Am I wrong to fear them? I assume that if it's dangerous for people with allergies, it's dangerous for me!

[darkangel]

I usually eat at my desk... organic veggie soups with my own grilled chicken added or I make a beef/veggie stew in the crockpot. Add some gluten-free crackers or corn chips and a snack pack of apple sauce and I'm full.

Breakfast has always been more of a challenge for me.

[4getgluten]

I start at 5am, so I eat breakfast and lunch at work. We have a microwave, so my favorite lunch is corn tortillas with cheese melted in the middle. I usually bring fresh fruit, yoghurt and a hard boiled egg for breakfast. I also keep rice cakes, peanut butter, nuts, Lay's classic potato chips, gluten-free cereal and gluten-free bars (envirokidz) in my desk drawer.

[codetalker]

I would just second the many good suggestions already made. If you have a microwave at work, then leftovers make a good, easy lunch. I often cook dinner with the idea that half of what I cook will be lunch the next day. After dinner, leftovers go into a microwavable container which I take to work the next day.

I make my own soups and they make good, filling lunches. I have had bad experiences with brand-made soups so making soup myself eliminates possible gluten issues. I eat Ener-G brand crackers with the soup and find them reasonably close to Saltines.

Salads are another easy lunch.

I take sandwiches only rarely. My staple bread is the Ener-G Tapioca Loaf. I find that I have to toast it first. That way it will hold together in a sandwich. Toasting also helps the flavor.

In regard to business lunches, I have had to take a, "Just say no" attitude due to too many accidental poisonings. I have brown-bagged catered lunches, much to the consternation of my bosses and much to the delight of my gut.

Chuck

[PreOptMegs]

I eat a lot of brown rice and green peas with turkey burgers. Nearly every day I have to pack breakfast, lunch and dinner with me.

[jpsych]

Thanks everyone for the awesome lunch ideas. Now I can return to work and work with a full stomach. Now....if I could just skip the "What was wrong with you questions" that will be headed my way.

[Idahogirl]

I just found a cheap gluten-free microwave meal from Healthy Choice. It is the enchilada with rice (sour cream sauce). I called to make sure, and it is gluten-free. Best of all-much cheaper than the specialty brands!

Also, I had the Nachos Bel Grande from Taco Bell minus the meat (extra cheese and sour cream-yum!) and it didn't give me any problems.

My husband used to work at Taco Time (long time ago) and he said they have a separate fryer for their mexi-fries that is a different size than the fryers they use for other stuff, but I haven't tried them. Has anyone else had them before?

I am finding that I may have to buy a much bigger purse, so I can tote salad dressing to restaurants, and extra snacks with me!

I had a horrible experience this weekend, broke down into tears at a Chinese food buffet-I couldn't eat hardly anything! Any advice on fast food restaurants would be much appreciated, or any restaurant advice, actually-there are times that it is hard to avoid the need, and I'm not always prepared like I should be.

Oh, one more question-I know that Frito Lay has tons of products that are gluten-free, but they state that although they wash their lines between products, there is a chance that there could be traces of wheat. Has anyone run into problems with Frito Lay products? I love Fritos and Cheetos!

[Felidae]

I stick with the Lays Stax because they are made in a separate factory.