Monday, September 30, 2013

Lunch Made Easy: OVER 25 Gluten Free & Allergy Friendly Lunch Box Ideas

I try to post daily Little Miss and my work & school lunches to Instagram and FacebookRounding-up all the photos, I have over 25 I knew I needed to still share here on the blog. No time like the present!

Here's a great round-up of gluten free & allergy friendly school and work lunch box ideas to help inspire!

Again, these are just 25+ ideas that hadn't made it to the blog yet. If you're new to KeeleyMcGuire.com, our site is packed full of gluten free and allergy friendly lunch ideas for your family! 

We eat completely nut free (peanut & tree nut), as well as gluten free. I am also dairy free, but Little Miss is not. Many of our recipes and posts are free from the Top 8 Allergens or list substitutions otherwise. Take a look around and thanks for coming by!


Last week, I made potato ham soup in the crockpot for supper. Leftovers make the best lunches! Little Miss loved the soup so much she asked for it the next day. So, I packed some up in her thermos, along with a side salad, and watermelon.

Looking for a delish potato soup recipe? Try this GF/DF one from Once A Month Mom


Mom loves yummy lunches too! I packed myself ham, honey mustard, & spinach roll-ups, mixed fruit, leftover gluten & dairy free Weelicious Veggie Nuggets, and baby carrots in an EasyLunchboxes container. 


One of my other favorites for lunch is cold pasta salads! Mmm... here I packed up gluten free & allergy friendly noodles with zucchini, tomatoes, sweet peppers, salami, and mixed with Italian dressing. I also have fresh fruit on the side.


Little Miss loves taco night probably more than any other dinner. We've used up our taco meat leftovers here on the blog numerous times, whether it be nachos, walking tacos, taco salad, and just a straight up taco, like she has here. 

Also packed is a gluten & allergy friendly homemade brownie, side salad, and fruit in her EasyLunchboxes container.  


In this lunch, I slightly adapted our chicken salad recipe by just using Earth Balance Mindful Mayo to mix it up. It's packed with CrunchMaster Vegan & gluten free Sea Salt crackers, fresh fruit, and veggies. 


Little Miss loves tuna salad, so I packed her some here with Ener-g brand table crackers, carrots, pears, and HomeFree cookies


For myself, I mixed it up by packing my tuna salad with romaine leaves instead to eat it with. Also packed is fresh fruit and two mini carrot & zucchini muffins made with our King Arthur Flour Gluten Free Muffin Mix (made in a Top 8 Free facility) packed in our Planetbox Shuttle


Romaine wraps are one of my favorite gluten & grain free ways to eat "sandwiches" now. Here I made them with turkey, salami, honey mustard, and carrot for a little added crunch! Packed with additional carrot sticks and watermelon dices in an EasyLunchboxes container. 


Just because Little Miss can't have the store bought "Lunchables" (not that they're very healthy - bleh! fake cheese and processed meat) doesn't mean she still can't enjoy the fun. Here she has a "Homemade Lunchable" by packing Ener-G brand Table Crackers, lunch meat roll-ups, fruit, and a carrot in her Goodbyn Bynto lunch box.


Using my crockpot for dinners during the week is a must for our busy schedules! Here I packed leftover Zesty BBQ Chicken with rice & veggies and fresh fruit for lunch the next day. 

By packing up the leftovers while I was cleaning up supper, it made lunches a breeze for the next day!



I also love the super simple lunches. Here in our Planetbox Shuttle, I gave Little Miss half an Udi's gluten, dairy, nut & soy free bagel sandwich, popcorn, pears, carrots cut out with our piggy shaped veggie cutter, and applesauce packed in a reusable pouch


I eat salads often for lunch, so to keep them "interesting" so I don't get bored with eating them, I love to mix up the colorful toppings. Here I have a lovely "confetti salad" filled with mixed greens and topped with zucchini, tomatoes, carrots, sweet peppers, and turkey slices. 

Packed on the side are CrunchMaster Vegan & GF Sea Salt crackers with a cup of SunButter and yellow plums grown locally. 


Once again utilizing leftovers, Little Miss has gluten free & allergy friendly alphabet pasta leftovers packed in her thermos. Along side is carrots & dip, apple slices, and an Enjoy Life Foods Cocoa Loco bar. 


Another great way to pack tuna is with our Tuna Ball recipe. Only three ingredients that are great for snacking, topping on salads, or packed for lunch. They're great warm or cold! Packed along side are BBQ popcorn chips, baby grapes, and carrots. 


Udi's gluten, nut, dairy, & soy free tortillas are delicious! Here I made Little Miss a pizza roll-up by filling it with sauce, cheese, and pepperoni slices for lunch. Packed with it is a salad and fruit. 


Of course, with those tortillas you can also make yummy quesadillas! Here I made myself a turkey, spinach, honey mustard, and non-dairy cheese shred quesadilla. Packed with it are tomatoes, grapes, orange slices, and carrots.


One of Little Miss' other favorite things are chocolate chip pancakes. Here I made mini baked allergy friendly & GF pancakes, aka "Puffins". Packed with it is watermelon, leftover chicken, carrots, and a So Delicious Chocolate Coconut non-dairy milk box. 


Forget the bread and roll-up deli meat slices around a cheese stick, if you can handle the dairy. Here I've packed this simple lunch for Little Miss with fruit, veggies, BBQ popcorn chips, two No-Bake Bitty Bites, and a sweet Lunchbox Love Note


I like lunch meat roll-ups too, but hold the cheese! I packed mine with pickles in the center. Yummy! Also packed are grapes, sweet potato chips, carrots, an apple, and a reusable pouch of applesauce for snack later in the day.


SunButter & honey sandwiches are favorite of both me and Little Miss. Here we've packed half a sandwich on Udi's gluten, dairy, nut, & soy free Cinnamon Raisin bread. Paired with a side salad, grapes, cherries, & watermelon for a perfectly filling lunch combo.


I love taking a little time to show Little Miss how much I love her with her lunches, like when I made her this heart themed lunch packed in our Spencer bento box from Pottery Barn Kids. 

Here she has a salami heart shaped sammie on Udi's GF bread, grape hearts, heart shaped watermelon cut outs, tortilla chips, and a salad.


From lovely hearts, to silly mustache fun for lunch! Using a mustache cookie cutter, I added some fun to our lunch meat and cheese stackers on Ener-G brand crackers. 
I colored a mustache face with a food safe marker on her hard boiled egg and packed it with watermelon and carrots on the side.


Simple and quick is often the best too! Here I used an Udi's gluten free bagel to quickly toast Little Miss a pizza bagel for lunch. I packed it with carrot sticks, apple slices, and SunButter for dipping.


I also love using Chebe All-Purpose Mix as a pizza crust. It's gluten free and allergy friendly. Here I topped mine with sauce, non-dairy garlic & herb cream cheese alternative, and fresh veggies then toasted it slightly in the toaster oven. 


I love leftover pasta for lunch, even cold. Here I packed some for myself with a side salad and grapes in an EasyLunchboxes container. 


I love sneaking veggies in places where ever I can. On this GF bagel sandwich, it's filled with romaine, turkey, honey mustard, shredded carrots, and shredded zucchini. I love the added crunch it gives!

Pack along side are extra carrot sticks, an apple, and grapes.


Leftover chicken breasts are great for dicing up for chicken salad or even topping on salads for lunches. Here I added some to a salad of fresh greens and sweet peppers. Packed, as well, is fresh fruit and two No-Bake Bitty Bites

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Lunch doesn't have to be boring just because you have allergies or a restricted diet. Mix it up and enjoy it!

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10 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for posting this! I really needed ideas so I will be using these for sure. I have to ask where you find all of the wonderful containers and spoons and forks. I think my daughters would love them and the healthy lunches all the more!

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  2. These look incredible! Can't wait to try them out.

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  3. Where did you get the little salad dressing bottle? I've been using spice jars and they leak!!

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    1. Hi Kristen, you can find the links on the Lunchbox Goodies tab at the top of the page to them. :) http://www.keeleymcguire.com/p/lunchbox-goodies.html

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  4. Thank you so much for this post! It is immensely helpful as I start my GF journey. After reading this post, I can see that it is totally attainable.

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  5. Question: What do you do about stuff that needs to be refrigerated/stuff that shouldn't be refrigerated? For example, I see that in one lunch you have packed a sandwich that would need to be cold, but there is popcorn in the same lunch, which obviously isn't a food you'd want cold/refrigerated. Do you just stick it all in the fridge, or take out what shouldn't be put in there, or what? Love these ideas! :)

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  6. These all look great! I've been back and forth on the GF thing and really want to make it work for my entire family. I think everyone could handle all of these. Thanks!

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  7. Where do you find non-dairy cheese? In fact, does whole foods have most of these crackers and such?

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  8. This was very thoughful and super helpful. I have alot of food allergies myself and being an adult having to go to work- it can be an extra burden have to find things to eat.

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  9. What amounts do you use to make those carrot zucchini muffins?

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