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!

How to Pack Hot Foods in a Thermos {PLUS 35+ Ideas for Lunches}

This post is sponsored by Horizon Organic. All opinions are my own. Read our full disclosure statement by clicking here. 
One of the most popular questions I receive is "how do I pack hot foods for school lunches?"
We are fortunate that Little Miss has access to a microwave at lunch time, but some foods pack better in a Thermos instead of reheating that way. It's also not the case for all our readers, so even though I try to answer this question as it comes up... it's important to also take the time to share about it on blog.
One of her favorite hot lunch items that I pack for her macaroni & cheese. I'm thankful I can easily whip her up a box of Horizon Organic Gluten Free Cheesy Mac to satisfy her cravings.

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:

Pack a Healthier Lunch: Pear & Seed Chicken Salad #GlutenFree #Top8Free #USAPears #Giveaway

Day 3 of our Pack a Healthier Lunch week & Giveaway thanks to Pacific Foods, USA Pears, Franz Bakery, & ECOlunchboxes!
One thing we love packing for lunches are salads. I'm very blessed that my Little Miss loves a salad as much as I do (so long as I don't pack them every day for her, lol). This began by setting an example - I would eat mine and "ooo" and "ahh" over how good it was, all the vitamins I was getting, etc. 
She eventually became curious and wanted to try for herself. Guess what? She loved it. At that time, she actually preferred spinach salads over romaine but will now eat both. I usually mix her greens when I make them now. 
I, too, pack salads frequently for work. I don't want to eat the same one every.single.day so it's good to mix it up with new toppings and variety. That's where today's lunch idea comes in! A yummy Pear & Seed Chicken Salad packed in our ECOlunchbox cube. 

Lunch Made Easy: SunButter + Apple Butter Quesadilla #GlutenFree #AllergyFriendly

Often times, when I can't sleep, you'll usually find me on Instagram at 3am with a cup of coffee and eating one of my favorite combos: A slice of gluten free toast topped with SunButter and Apple Butter.
Heck, I even top pancakes with this delicious duo. Much like our SunButter & Honey Apple Sandwiches we make for lunch, there's something so magical about putting apples & sunflower seed spread together for the perfect nut-free bite.
I finally figured out a way to get my favorite pairing into my lunchbox. I didn't want to just do a traditional sandwich. No, this is so much better. My newest obsession... a SunButter + Apple Butter {Gluten Free} Quesadilla!
(Keep Reading + More Pics Below)

Lunch Made Easy: Mommy + Me Gluten Free Work & School Lunch Ideas

I love when I can keep things simple by packing the same foods for Little Miss and me for our lunches for work & school (or now that it's summer - daycare, camp, or just to enjoy at home)! 
One great way to mix it up from the traditional sandwich bread is to use waffles. A quick go-to solution are Van's Natural Foods gluten free waffles. They're also egg & dairy free, and made in a tree nut & peanut free facility.
Here we've made them into a yummy lunch idea using egg, guacamole, and deli meat. Check it out!

Lunch Made Easy: Work & School Gluten, Dairy, Egg, & Nut FREE Mommy + Me Lunches

Since packing lunches is an every day necessity in our household, due to my daughter's food allergy & food intolerances + my own dietary restrictions, I try to pack ours at the same time at night to keep things simple and more efficient.
That's why our Mommy + Me Work & School Lunches are so great - Always similar but different, since after all, we are different people with different likes. 
Here's our Gluten, Dairy, Egg, & Nut Free lunches we packed for today in our EasyLunchboxes containers:

How to Make PERFECT Silver Dollar {Mini} Pancakes + Fun Ways to Pack them for LUNCH! {Gluten, Dairy, Egg, & Nut Free}

The other night I shared a picture on my Instagram page: I had an idea to make making pancakes even easier (or as I joked, make them even lazier). ;) 
I usually make batches of pancakes or pancakes muffins (aka "puffins") over the weekends so Little Miss can have them ready for breakfast and lunches with a quick reheat.  
I had been toying with the idea in my head for quite sometime now to make them in my Babycakes Whoopie Pie Maker since the cavities are the perfect Silver Dollar Pancake size and thickness.
Well, I finally grabbed the machine and let it do it's thang! The results: PERFECTION. So simple! 
Here's how I did it and some fun ways you can use these cute mini pancakes for lunches and snacks, as well:

Lunch Made Easy: Work & School Mommy + Me Lunches

Little Miss is getting a little spoiled tomorrow. 
One of her very favorite things is smoked salmon and we haven't had it in quite some time. Frankly, it can be expensive. 
The store had it on special this past week so this Mama was able to splurge a little so we could both indulge for our "Mommy + Me, Work & School Lunches" for Wednesday. They also happen to both be yummy non-sandwich ideas to pack. ;) 

Lunch Made Easy: Gluten Free Quesadillas for Cinco de Mayo

Sunday is always the day Little Miss and I go to church, come home and enjoy some lunch together, and then get crackin' in the kitchen making delicious recipes and lunches for the next day.
Since Monday is Cinco de Mayo, Little Miss said quesadillas were in order. So, I set out making some homemade Vegan refried beans, diced up some chicken breast, fresh veggies, and grabbed our Udi's Gluten Free tortillas with a side of Wholly Guacamole. 
One for her for school and one for me for work. Perfect!

Lunch Made Easy: GF Cauliflower Crunch Salad for Work

Over the past few years, I've shared various lunches and round-up posts of the foods I pack for myself for work.
Being a mom and working full-time is a challenge and an adventure! Quite often, we focus so much on our kids foods we forget about ourselves and don't make the effort to pack ourselves a balanced meal to get us through our work day. 
You can scroll through my past #MomFood #WorkLunch posts I have shared on the blog by clicking HERE or many are shared by photo only on my Instagram account which you can follow by first adding me on your phone app (@KeeleyMcGuireBlog) and then view online HERE. 
One of my favorite things to pack? Cold pasta salads. Great for using up leftover pasta from dinner the night before.  This particular recipe I started making as a teenager: Cauliflower Crunch Salad. 

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: #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:

Lunch Made Easy: Healthy Adult Work Lunches

With the school year ending, for most families, this week seemed like a good one to focus on Healthy Adult Work Lunches. (Mom & Dad need to eat too!)
I don't just pack for Little Miss - I pack for myself, as well. Whether I'm at the office or traveling for work, it's important I have a healthy lunch to fuel me for the day!
My lunches are also now gluten free, nut free, and dairy free (& more). Here are some ideas + links to other adult work lunch round-ups I've posted to give you tons of inspiration!

Lunch Made Easy: Quinoa Gluten Free & Allergy Friendly Ideas

This week Little Miss and I both had fun trying Quinoa Gluten Free & Allergy Friendly recipes in our Work & School Lunches!
I've included links and recipes in the post below. If you've not experimented with Quinoa, this is a great way to try! Quinoa is a gluten free and a complete protein. It actually has all nine of the essential amino acids, as well as, being a great source of fiber and iron. Offering 100% whole grain per serving (even though it's actually a seed, not a grain). 
Towards the bottom of the post you'll also find our Quinoa Raisin Muffin recipe. Great for lunches, breakfast, or snacks!

Lunch Made Easy: Mommy & Me @CrunchAColor Lunches

I was honored to be asked again to participate in the Crunch A Color™ Healthy Lunch Challenge! 
Little Miss really enjoyed it the last time around, after we put ourselves to the challenge for a weeks worth of school lunches. 
Our Chicken Salad Stuffed Brussels Sprouts earned us one of the winning spots and a feature in the Huffington Post and on Jaime Oliver's Food Revolution website! How cool is that!? 
I always reiterate the importance of packing healthy lunches for Mom & Dad, not just the kids. So this week, I decided to get involved in the challenge right along with Little Miss. Packing a weeks worth of school and work lunches, trying to follow the Crunch A Color formula: At least 3 Colors, Healthy Grain, and Protein. 

Just because you're trying to keep up with food allergies or avoiding gluten, doesn't mean you can't still pack fresh & healthy school lunches!

Lunch Made Easy: Healthy Work Lunches for Mom {or Dad}

I often post photos and details of my own healthy work lunches on my Instagram feed, but it's been a while since I've done a round-up on the blog itself. Today seemed like a good day to share! 
Let's kick off Monday and spring with some yummy ideas on how to pack a healthy lunch for work {i.e. Adult Bentos}!

Lunch Made Easy: Veggie Lasagna Cups for School & Work Lunches

When I first made these Gluten Free, Grain Free Veggie Lasagna Cups for MOMables, Little Miss immediately fell in love. So much so, I had to pull more out of the freezer stash already so she could have more on hand.

I decided to pack them up for lunch today for both our school and work lunches!

First up, Little Miss:

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: Mama's Work Lunchbox

Bonus post ;) sharing my "Mama lunch" I packed for my day in the office today: