Lunch Box Ideas

[mmaldavs]

Hi all,

New to the forum but have been Celiac for about a year. I also have a 13 yr. old daughter who was diagnosed around the same time I was. I am hoping that someone can give me some good ideas for lunches my daughter can take to school.

She is unable to eat anything that the school regularly serves for hot lunch and although they do have a fresh salad bar for the kids...there is only so many times you can eat salad before you never want to see it again! I am having trouble finding good, travels well, can sit for a few hours in the lunch box and offers some variety when it comes to packing her lunch.

I have found some good g.f. bread but she claims that it gets too mushy after it sits for a while. I guess that I am just looking for some alternatives....any help would be so appreciated!

[Jestgar]

here's a place to start: https://www.celiac.com/gluten-free/index.ph...mp;#entry416792

[eeyore]

Is there anything else your daughter can't have? Before I went soy-free (two days ago), I found that a mix of just canned chicken, corn chips, and some type of vegetable works well. Millet is also a good replacement for corn chips if you want to do it that way.

[mmaldavs]

here's a place to start: https://www.celiac.com/gluten-free/index.ph...mp;#entry416792

Thanks for the link!

[Mother of Jibril]

In high school I took a lot of whole fruits and vegetables and cut them myself (back in the stone age when you could still have a knife!). I also had a can opener in my locker for cans of pineapple.

Now that my daughter is in school I'm sending her with lots of pre-cut veggies and fruit, corn chips, leftovers from dinner, cheese, nuts, etc... Corn thins (like rice cakes, but made of corn) are nice for peanut butter "sandwiches" that stay crisp.

[Jestgar]

Is there anything else your daughter can't have? Before I went soy-free (two days ago), I found that a mix of just canned chicken, corn chips, and some type of vegetable works well. Millet is also a good replacement for corn chips if you want to do it that way.

Millet chips?? Is there such a thing?? Where can I get some?? (I'm corn and soy free)

[Juliebove]

You can get single serve packets of peanut or almond butter and jelly at minimus.biz and other places. You can then send those in with the bread separately to make a sandwich. Or you can get single serve packets of mustard or mayo and send the cheese and meat separately.

Trail mix is another good lunch. You can mix up your own so have what you want in it.

[GFLisa]

I haven't started school lunches yet, but my DD will be going to school in the fall. I am getting her a Open Original Shared Link so I can give her some variety. We've been practicing at home with other plastic containers and she really likes the concept. We've been making a lot of cold pasta salads and fruit.

[missy'smom]

Lunch in a Box is a good resource of info. on packing lunches. Open Original Shared Link

[Ahorsesoul]

I agree with missy'smom about the Bento Box sites! It's not just japanese food that can go into them.

[Amyleigh0007]

My son takes a small, single serving size Thermos to school each day. He usually takes a hot dog or leftovers from dinner.

[buffettbride]

I would be lost without our thermos or Open Original Shared Link.

Usually leftovers in the thermos.

[taweavmo3]

We use Laptop Lunches too....and a Thermos. Now that it's cold, I make big batches of beef stew, chicken soup, or stir fry and put them in the thermos. If I preheat the thermos for 10 minutes with boiling water, the food is still piping hot when my son eats at 12:30. Taquitos (Delimex is the brand we use) and chicken nuggets keep well too.

My kids like sandwiches, so I pan fry the bread in some olive oil to toast it on both sides to give it more flavor. It's a pain, but really good, and the bread doesn't get mushy. Then I just add a fruit, something crunchy, and a cookie.

The laptop lunches are nice, the food looks more interesting when it's presented in a colorful box, lol. And for kids, how food looks is a biggie. There are some really cute Bento accessories out there too, which would probably be a big hit since your dd is 13. My son is almost 10, and he wants something a little more grown up to carry his laptop lunch in, so I need to do some looking myself. But the box itself is great!

[CeliacMom2008]

Here's our lunchbox list:

PB&J - Very easy on gluten-free pancakes

Fried Rice in thermos

Pasta (with marinara, spaghetti, or alfredo sauce) in thermos

Lunchmeat roll ups and cheese chunks

Hard boiled eggs

Fresh fruit and veggies

Left over chicken with ranch salad dressing for a dip

Cold shrimp

Beef Stroganoff leftovers

Cookies

Larabars

Glutino Breakfast Bars

Glutino