Friday, September 13, 2013

{Enjoy Life Foods Friday} Pack Lunch with Plentils! #AllergyFriendly #GlutenFree

I'm thrilled to announce our new partnership with Enjoy Life Foods

Each month we'll be featuring a different line of their amazing allergy free food products. All Enjoy Life  products are free of the Top 8 Allergens & Gluten Free. They're made in a dedicated facility and have no artificial anything. They're also a member of the Non-GMO project.

For the month of September, I was challenged to "think outside the chip bag" and come up with lunch box ideas using Enjoy Life Plentils.  Plentils are crunchy lentil chips. Lentils happen to be one the best plant-based sources of protein. That's why they call them the "chip with benefits"!

Rather than just sticking a baggy of chips in with lunch, here are some creative ways you can use these allergy friendly crunches of goodness for your family:





First up! Meatloaf Cupcakes. Printable recipe is located at the bottom of this post. 

The great thing about this recipe is you can use any of the flavors of Plentils for equal deliciousness. We chose to test it out with Light Sea Salt


These Meatloaf Cupcakes are easy to assemble and packed full of veggies - we use shredded carrot & zucchini. A great way to sneak in some added nutrition for your kids! They're also Top 8 Allergy Free. That's right - No eggs, no gluten/ wheat, or dairy. 


They hold together perfectly and are great for portion control. The recipe yields 12 "Cupcakes" which makes them great to feed the whole family or freeze for future use

If you have shaped silicone baking pans, you can add a little extra fun to the lunch box by using those instead of your standard muffin tin. 


Here I've packed them up for lunch, baked in a heart shaped muffin pan for my Little Miss. I completed her lunch box with heart shaped watermelon cutouts and an Enjoy Life Double Chocolate Cookie for dessert. Printable recipe for the Meatloaf Cupcakes is located at the bottom of this post. 


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The next idea actually came from Little Miss! One of her favorite things at our house is Taco Night. Girl loves her tacos! And I love being able to repurpose leftovers for lunch the next day. 

So when Little Miss picked up one of our Grab & Go size bags of Dill & Sour Cream Plentils, she immediately said "Walking Tacos"! Brilliant. 


We packed up the leftover taco meat in a silicone muffin cup, along with non-dairy & allergy free cheese shreds and romaine. I included a container of fresh salsa, as well, for the Walking Taco. Grapes on the side. 


All you, or you child, has to do is open the chip bag, add the meat, cheese, lettuce, salsa (and any other toppings of choice), mix together and enjoy! 

Now, I am fortunate Little Miss has access to a microwave in her classroom, so for those that don't want it at room temperature or cold, you could pack the meat in a thermos instead. 


Not keen on eating out of the bag? No problem. Just mix it together in the main compartment of your lunch container instead for a delicious Plentils Taco Salad! Again, this is just another example of a Top 8 & Gluten Free delicious lunch idea. 

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Kids love chicken nuggets, tenders, and strips. They also love foods they can eat on a stick! That's why this next recipe is sure to be a lunch box hit for your family. Printable recipe is located at the bottom of this post. 


Using the Garlic & Parmesan Plentils we created a yummy coating for the chicken, that bakes up beautifully. Again, we've kept this Top 8 & Gluten Free by using a Honey Mustard Vinaigrette dressing to bread them with. It adds a layer of flavors that mixes well with the chicken and Plentils

Add a popsicle stick for lunch time fun! Keeping with the "stick" theme I also packed up carrot & watermelon sticks to complete this allergy friendly lunch box. Printable recipe is located at the bottom of this post. 

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Finding Top 8 & Gluten Free pizza options can sometimes be a challenge. Now, thanks to the Margherita Pizza Plentils you can enjoy a different spin on the traditional crust. Printable recipe is located at the bottom of this post. 


By processing the chips into a crumble, I was able to make and bake a crust, much like you would if making a cheesecake. Add toppings of choice - we chose sauce, non-dairy & allergy free cheese, fresh basil, and dices of salami.

The pizza offers a flaky, and crunchy, crust that is allergy friendly and easy to make! 


We paired the pizza for lunch with a side salad and grapes. A great use of leftovers or just bake one up to feed the entire family for lunches!

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This post was sponsored by Enjoy Life Foods. All opinions are completely my own and based on our experiences and likings. Read our full Disclosure Statement here





10 comments:

  1. I have found that Enjoy Life Foods products tends to make me think outside of the box as well. I did similar recipes last March :) http://allergyphoods.blogspot.com/2012/03/plenty-of-plentils-to-go-around-enjoy.html

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    1. Awesome! Love all your dip recipes, I'll have to try the black bean dip for sure. Yummy!! Thanks Tracy!! xo

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  2. These are all great and creative recipes. You certainly know how to transform a bag of chips into something delicious and nutritious.

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  3. Oh My GOSH Keeley these all look so delicious!!!! Awesome post!!! And you KNOW how much I love Enjoy Life Foods! I'll have to try some of your recipes!!

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    1. Thanks Michelle! I'm *sure* Eliana would love the chicken on a stick. Those are now Little Miss' FAVORITE.

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  4. I love Enjoy Life Foods products. Great ideas!

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  5. Again...why I am not related to you and receiving all of these yummies? Seriously, can't you pretend we are related and you send me birthday and Christmas gifts?

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  6. Walking tacos OH MY what an awesome idea!

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  7. so excited I found your site! more meal ideas for my little girl! (wheat, dairy, egg, and peanut allergies)

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