Leftovers for Lunch: Ways to Use Chicken Leftovers!

When I am meal planning for the week, I purposely buy chicken and have it once a week just so I can have the leftovers for lunches. The fella actually teases me about my love of chicken leftovers.
It's my favorite! So versatile and so many ways to incorporate it into different meals.
I figured it would be a great idea to put some of those into one post so the next time you have a leftover chicken breast or two in the fridge, or a container of leftover chicken from a fryer or roaster, you'd be inspired to make some fantastic lunches from the leftovers!

20+ Easy Lunch Ideas for Work or School

When your child has food allergies and/or dietary restrictions, you pack lunch. Daily. It's just part of the normal routine. 
Some days, we get creative and make (what I call) "silly sandwiches" or sometimes the lunches are completely sandwich free. They don't have to be complicated or artistic, but it is fun to mix it up from the usual.
Lately, life has been busy. I've been traveling a lot for work and due to my health issues I require a lot more sleep than I use to. That's why having an arsenal of easy and quick fix lunch ideas are a necessity. I still want my daughter to be excited for her school lunches, and not feel left out, but keep my sanity intact. I'm sure many of you feel the exact same way!
Here are 20+ inspiring ideas for work or school lunch:

Lunch Made Easy: Healthy & Fun School Ideas

As many of you know, I don't blog every lunch from every school day... but, I do share them daily on our Facebook and Instagram pages. 
So, I try to put together "round-up" posts every so often for the blog where you can get a bunch of healthy school lunch ideas in one spot!
As always, all our lunches are completely nut free (no peanuts, no tree nuts). They're also all gluten free and many are dairy free or top 8 allergen free. Perfect for your food allergy family or if your child attends a school that has a "free from" classroom. 
Here's what we've been packing:

Horizon Organic GF Macaroni & Cheese #MealtimeSolutions #Ad {How to Make Tuna Goo}

I'm often asked by our readers what some of my favorite quick-fix dinner options are. Let's face it - we all lead busy lives. Managing a full-time job, website, family, volunteering, and kiddos after school activities can often leave us home late and scrambling to fix supper.
Macaroni & cheese is one of those meals. You know it will be ready in under 30 minutes, kids love it, and it's a staple to keep on the shelf in the pantry.
That's why I was so thrilled when Horizon Organic released their new Gluten Free Macaroni & White Cheddar Cheese! It's a WIN-WIN-WIN with great ingredients, delicious taste, and convenient... It's the perfect dinner trifecta! 

Lunch Made Easy: Weekly School Round-Up #NutFree #GlutenFree #AllergyFriendly

What a fabulously fun last week and half!  I was in Las Vegas for the Food Allergy Bloggers Conference (#FABlogCon) until Monday. It was such a great experience - filled with laughter, tears, education, and surrounded by inspiring advocates within the gluten free & food allergy community. 
I'll be sharing more from this year's conference in the next week or two, but you can read my recap from last year if you want to know more about it. 
Just because this Mama is gone, Little Miss still has to eat! Here's a round-up of our latest lunch posts we've been sharing on Facebook and Instagram. Make sure you're following us there too! 

The EASIEST Tomato Soup Recipe + Leftovers for Lunch! #GlutenFree #DairyFree #AllergyFriendly

This year, Little Miss joined Girls on the Run at school. 
It was a big deal for us! I was so worried about how she would do with her asthma - if it would be too much, if they'd run outside too often in the cold (which makes the asthma worse), and I didn't want her to feel defeated or that she wasn't "good enough" to do something so special with her girl friends. 
She has done AMAZING. She loves it! They start them slow and let them build up their strength before their "big run" in few weeks that'll take place at the University in town. 
That also means two nights a week, she gets home much later than normal so we're cramming to get homework done, tests studied for, memory verses completed, etc etc etc... I'm sure you can all relate. 
After picking her up from practice the other day, all she wanted for supper was Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup. Well, we were out of our pantry staple gluten free Tomato Soup and I had been playing a few months back making my own dairy free version. This time, I finally cracked it with this simple & quick recipe! Perfect for dinner and leftovers packed for lunch the next day for work or school. 
The EASIEST Tomato Soup Recipe {Gluten Free, Dairy Free, & Allergy Friendly}

Lunch Made Easy: Mini Corndog Muffins {Gluten Free & Allergy Friendly}

Mini Corndog Muffins is something Little Miss and I love making. They're great little finger food items for appetizers, party snacks, and even packed up for school lunches.
Corndog... Corn Dogs... however you spell it, the fact remains the same, they're a fun food for kids! (And let's be honest, adults too.)
I shared our gluten free & allergy friendly recipe for them about a year ago, along with a lunch post on using leftovers. 
They're simple, quick, easy to make. They only take 15 minutes to prep & bake! Best of all, they freeze great so you can make them ahead for lunches or meals in the future.

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 Facebook. Rounding-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!

Lunch Made Easy: Spaghetti Sandwich #Leftovers

When we have {gluten free} spaghetti for dinner, Little Miss loves when I make "garlicky toast" (as she calls it) along side.
I typically make our garlic bread by toasting in the oven Udi's bread and/or bun slices (whatever is handy), add Earth Balance spread, garlic, and a little Italian seasoning.
Little Miss takes her slices and forks her spaghetti right on top of the slice eating it like an open faced sandwich. That's her absolute favorite way to eat it. Whyyyy it never occurred to me to pack up leftovers that way for her school lunch until now, is beyond me... but when I asked her if that's what she wanted, she gave a very excited "YES!" in reply. 

Non-Dairy Buttered Noodles with Italian Shrimp #Recipe

I love when a dinner idea comes together so deliciously. I also love when there are yummy leftovers to pack for lunch the next day.
Since personally going dairy free (for health reasons), I've been trying to plan meals as best I can to fit everyones dietary needs, and wants, in my household. Gluten free... Dairy free... Nut free... lower protein (less meat)... more Omega-3... 
This dish was a hit! It was filling without being "heavy" and was able to fit into our needs as a family.
(Depending on the brands you use, this recipe can also be egg free & soy free.)

Lunch Made Easy: Allergy Free School Lunchboxes + Crockpot Sloppy Joe Recipe!

This week was another hodge-podge week of delicious allergy free school lunches for my Little Miss!
Some non-sandwich ideas, simple flowers of SunButter nut free spread, allergy friendly muffins, and leftovers. 
Make sure to read through to the bottom of this post to also get our yummy Crockpot Sloppy Joe recipe. You'll love it - trust me - and nothing is better than using your slowcooker and coming home to a meal done at night!

Lunch Made Easy: Allergy Friendly Lunch Box Ideas

I hope you all had an amazing week!  It's been one of ups and downs, with a side of busy busy busy at our house. TGIF!
No matter how crazy our days are, we always manage to find time and have fun with our food. :)  If you gotta pack it, might as well enjoy it - right!? 
This week in lunches, we had everything from Earth Day, to Allergy Free, Pandas, and even leftovers. Yummy!
As always, our school lunch box ideas are gluten, wheat, tree nut, peanut free & more: 

Lunch Made Easy: Leftovers - Cook Once, Eat Twice!

"Cook Once, Eat Twice!"  I learned this philosophy from MOMables and it makes packing lunches so much easier for my family.
As it worked out this week, Little Miss was on Spring Break from school but that doesn't mean we don't still pack lunches! Anywhere she goes because of her dietary needs - to my folks, the babysitter, or a friend's house - we pack it. 
I was able to turn all our dinner leftovers into deliciously fun lunches this week! 

Lunch Made Easy: Nut Free & Gluten Free Fun Lunches

This week we had a variety of fun themed school lunches - From Easter to Leftovers and even a Half Birthday!
{Allergy Friendly} Nut Free, Gluten Free, & More: 

Lunch Made Easy: {Gluten & Nut Free} School Lunch Box Ideas

Happy March! I am sooo ready for Spring, aren't you??
It was another fun filled week of school lunches here for my Little Miss, which means another great round up of ideas for you! 
{Gluten Free & Nut Free} and More: 

Lunch Made Easy: A Week of {Gluten & Nut Free} School Lunches #AllergyFriendly

This is the first week Little Miss has all five days of school in a couple! We survived the snow storms this week - WOO! ;)
Here's our weekly round-up of Allergy Friendly School Lunches. {Gluten & Nut Free} & More:  

Lunch Made Easy: This Week in {Gluten & Nut Free} Bento

Just four days of school this week, so here are our fun bento school lunches Little Miss enjoyed!
{Allergy Friendly} Gluten, Peanut, & Tree Nut Free: 

Lunch Made Easy: Taco Leftovers = Nachos for School!

I've said it before, "taco night" is probably Little Miss' favorite thing in the world. She and the fella have "taco races" to see who can eat the most.

 

I can say proudly that my daughter... WON last night! LOL

Girl ate FOUR tacos to his three. She was quite proud of herself! ;)

 

I thought she might be "taco'd out" after that but I asked if she wanted the perfect amount of remaining taco meat for school lunch today so she could make nachos. Without hesitation I received an emphatic "YES PLEASE!" in reply.

 

I love repurposing leftovers for lunch:

 

Oriental Pork & Rice RECIPE + Lunch Made Easy with Leftovers!

Finding delicious and quick weeknight meals isn't always easy. Especially when trying to accomodate a gluten free diet, nut allergy, and a picky fella's appetite (he's a simple meat & potato kinda guy).

 

This dish was not only fast to make, but the whole family enjoyed it. It also made one of the best leftover lunches I've ever taken to work!

Lunch Made Easy: Leftovers for the Lunch Box

Little Miss has picture day tomorrow at school! Yay!

I had *planned* on making her a Picture Day themed bento like I did for her school lunch last year... BUT whenever we have tacos for dinner, this little girl gets her heart set on the leftovers in her lunch box the next day. Seriously. lol

So, I gave her the choice: Picture day lunch or leftover taco meat? She chose leftovers. :)