Lunch Ideas

[staci002]

Hey everyone,

I'm failing on the gluten free diet. I have no will power. When I don't eat it I feel soooo much better but why can't I stop?

I'm looking for some lunch ideas. I work in a small office with about 10 other girls and we have a bad habit of ordering lunch out everyday. I've tried to order just salads but always end up getting glutened from them. Maybe from cc or who knows?

I normally only have coffee for breakfast so by lunch time I'm starving. I need some easy suggestions that I could take to work with me. Please help! Thanks!

[CarolinaKip]

I'm going to say what you may not want to hear. Bring your own food. It is sad at first, but to be well and pain free it is best! There may be a resturant or you may be able to trust. I had a chic-fil-a today have a manager put on gloves and make me a brand new salad. That was a first! It gets better to accept being gluten free as you feel better! For me anyway. Good luck!I couldn't think of eating out 5 days a week after having pain free days, it's not worth it to me.

[lilu]

So, suggestions on what to bring FOR lunch...

There are some good frozen gluten-free meals available if you have a microwave. EVOL bowls, Amy's bowls and some other products, Glutino frozen lunches to name a few. You can also bring dinner leftovers (which is what I try to do). I freeze them for a couple days first so I'm not eating the same meal two days in a row. You can also do stuff like make tuna or chicken salad and take w/ gluten free crackers, or pack a sandwich on gluten free bread. I round out lunch with yogurt, fruit, a couple pieces of gluten free chocolate, etc. You could also take homemade soup?

[Juliebove]

I've found that salads can be the worst because they often have croutons lurking in them. If you say you want no croutons, they might put them on there and then pick them off when they realize their mistake.

My daughter loves Amy's gluten-free frozen burritos. I have yet to try them. But when I worked and ate frozen burritos, I would put one in a microwavable dish with a lid. I would pour tomato or enchilada sauce over it. Whatever I had in the house. I would top it with a mess of white onion and green pepper strips and some cheese. Then heat it up for lunch. Everyone was always jealous!

If you don't have a microwave you can take cold foods. Use an insulated bag if there is no fridge. I used to take half a canteloup hollowed out and filled with cottage cheese. If I had some other fruits like berries or grapes I would sprinkle those in.

I would make big salads, adding substantial foods like olives, cheese cubes and walnuts or pecans. I don't personally like dressing. My daughter likes a salad of greens, baby carrots, cold, cooked chicken, black olives and sesame or Italian dressing.

I make a pasta salad with large tri-colored quinoa pasta. Add assorted veggies such as cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced green onion, florets of broccoli or cauliflower, baby carrots, sliced radishes, sliced celery, chunks of assorted bell peppers, sliced cucumbers, olives, kidney and garbanzo or black beans and dress with Italian dressing. You can add cubes of cheese and slices of hard/dry salami or chunks of ham if you like.

I make Teff wraps for my daughter. They are put out by La Tortilla Factory. Heat for 10 or 15 seconds in the microwave to soften. Spread with butter, margarine, mayo, mustard, whatever you like. Add a good sprinkle of shredded lettuce then whatever thinly sliced meat you like. Roll up. I wrap these in foil.

Apple slices and peanut butter.

Carrots and/or rice crackers and hummus.

[sa1937]

Staci, you might also check this topic for school lunch ideas Just because they are suggestions for children's lunches, doesn't mean some of them won't work for you, too. You might even want to use the google search button on the top right of your screen and search for lunch ideas.

Your lunches could very well end up being the envy of the office. And you'll also be saving a lot of money by bringing your own...it's expensive to eat out every day.

[SarahJimMarcy]

I find that a lot of salad dressings have gluten in them. Lighthouse brand is one that doesn't. Maybe if you try bringing your own salad dressing and leaving it in the fridge at work, you can still order in a gluten-free salad?

[psawyer]

Almost all Kraft salad dressings are gluten-free. There are a couple that aren't, but Kraft will clearly disclose any gluten in the ingredients list, so just read the label.

[sb2178]

I like soup! Get a thermos, or microwave. Lentil soup, black bean soup, potato soup, pumpkin soup, navy bean soup, vegetable soup, egg drop soup, corn bean chowder, sweet potato soup, split pea soup, green pea soup, 3 bean soup, carrot soup, cabbage soup, miso soup, greens soup, veg-pasta soup... and then there's the ones I don't really like: chicken and rice soup, gumbo, chicken noodle soup, beef stew, turkey noodle soup, lamb tagine, borscht...

I also usually keep some non-perishable back-ups at work: containers of applesauce, dehydrated/tetrapaks of soup, crackers/corn thins, trail mix. Then, if I forget my lunch, I still have food.

I'm more of a fan of cooked vegetables and beans/tuna tossed in dressing without the lettuce, sometimes with rice or quinoa. Lettuce kinda dies/get soggy.

Basic DIY dresing is wicked easy. Olive oil + vinegar or lemon juice + mustard + salt + pepper. If you want something snazzier, add a little minced garlic or an herb blend (Italian, perhaps?).

Egg dishes are nice too. Frittatas in muffin tins are easily packed.