Friday, July 19, 2013

Lunch Made Easy: #GFCF Adult Work Lunches ~ Gluten, Dairy, & Nut Free

I told you I had some catching up to do this week. ;) 
I realized I had a pretty little backlog of my own work lunches to share!

I've been completely gluten and now dairy free (we are always nut free) for almost 2 months. It's helped immensely with my MG and, overall, I feel so much better!

I've always made a point to pack my own lunches, as well as, Little Miss'. (Check out my past Adult Work Lunch Round-ups by Clicking Here, Here, & Here.) It's helped me be healthier and, in the long run, save money!

Here are 10 of my most recent lunches packed for work:




One thing I love is repurposing "scraps" from lunches I make for Little Miss. Here I used her carrot cutout "scraps" to make my own salad more festive! 

I also packed organic grapes and leftover cold pasta salad we had made the weekend before. The pasta salad was made with Quinoa Ancient Harvest brand noodles, carrots, peas, cauliflower, and Earth Balance Mindful Mayo. (You can find the basic recipe HERE.) 


I love this grain free pizza option for lunches! I used a Portabella Mushroom as my "crust", after cleaning it and removing the stem. I then added sauce, a slice of Daiya Provolone non-dairy cheese, and Italian seasonings. Toasted in the toaster oven until "melty". It was delicious, packed up in my EasyLunchboxes container.


Another yummy salad was this one I whipped up on the fly! I topped my mix greens of romaine and spinach with red cabbage, carrot, freeze dried peas, freeze dried corn, and veggie tortilla strips. I loved the added crunch it gave.

Get adventurous with your salad toppings! I don't mind eating them so much when I mix up what I'm pairing my greens with. New flavors each time!


This MOMables inspired idea has already become a regular in my lunch rotation! I love it. Using big leaves of lettuce and making my own tuna salad with Earth Balance Mindful Mayo. I scoop it into each leaf and wrap it up and eat it - almost like a taco. ;) A great non-sandwich lunch option that's full of omegas and delicious!


Cold pasta salads are the best in the summer, aren't they? 
Here I took leftover gluten & allergy free pasta noodles, added diced (cooked) chicken breast, spinach, Italian seasoning, and a little Mindful Mayo. 

I packed it with organic fruits & veggies in my PlanetBox Shuttle, along with Enjoy Life Foods Mountain Mambo Seed & Fruit Mix in my PlanetBox Dipper container. (I'm addicted to this stuff! Gluten and Top 8 Allergy Free!


Yes, I know, another salad... but as I said above, I try to make them all a little different so they have their own appeal and I don't get bored with them! Try different toppings or switch up your dressing. 

This one was packed with Annie's Homegrown Lite Honey Mustard Vinaigrette. Yum! Plus I love the fun little dressing container, too. 


This lunch was actually packed for Little Miss featuring pizza leftovers, but I wanted to show you the option. We had made ourselves a pizza the night before using one of our premade Udi's crusts. They are gluten, dairy, soy, & nut free... and we love them! 


I made her (more than half) plain with real cheese. On my portion of the pizza (pictured above) I spread on the sauce, then dabbed dollops of Go Veggie Foods Garlic & Cheese non-dairy Cream Cheese Alternative on the crust and added spinach before cooking. OH MY YUM! There's a reason I had no leftovers for lunch the next day, HAHA! But if I had *ahem* I would've packed them just as I had for Little Miss. ;) 


I've only recently come to know and love the superfood known as "avocado". Now, we're inseparable. If you had asked me a year ago even, I'd say "bleh, no thanks!" Thus proving the old adage, don't knock it til' you try it. ;)

Here I made myself a "veggie sandwich". In between my Udi's gluten, nut, soy, & dairy free bread slices is carrot, avocado, red cabbage, and romaine. I also spread a thin layer of my Go Veggie Garlic & Chive spread on each slice. It was a delicious and nutritious sandwich!


Speaking of avocado, here I added it to a yummy salad! It mimicked the smooth texture that cheese typically gives so it's a great choice when being mindful of a dairy free diet. Also in my salad is romaine, spinach, red cabbage, and radishes. 

PS: Avocados are great for anti-aging (reducing wrinkles and skin aging) in conjunction with being full of antioxidants and vitamins. 

PPS: According to a study done by the Journal of Nutrition in March of 2005, Avocados in a salad increases your absorption of alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, and lutein than the average amount of these carotenoids absorbed in an avocado free salad. Just some food for thought. ;) 

I also packed my salad with leftover Ener-G brand tapioca hot dog bun ends with Go Veggie garlic & chive spread, along with freeze dried pineapple & bananas. 


Remember lunches don't have to be boring just because you're an adult. Mix up your toppings, mix up the colors. The better your food LOOKS the more appealing it will be to your stomach. Aren't REAL foods so naturally beautiful? I love the colors in this lunch above!

For even more lunch box inspiration for adults - for home or work - Check them out HereHere, & Here.


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5 comments:

  1. I am cracking up! I love that term re-purposed scraps! Okay, I'm now 100 % inspired and am going to jazz up the grown-up lunches.

    You are just so darn brilliant. I love your creativity and easy of everything.

    Keep up the good work and I'm still grumbling over that why can't I be your child?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. HAHA Ohhh Caroline... you can be me adopted daughter any day! ;)
      Do you want me to make you a bento in Vegas? lol

      Thanks so much for the love! XO

      Delete
  2. Hi ,
    am nishija from india and i live in dubai. I came across your blog by accident and ve been a regular visitor since. Morning I go thru it to get ideas for packing lunch for my 5 year old.. he is wondering how did mama become so creative :-) thank yu so much.. we send our love and good wishes to you.

    ReplyDelete

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