Whether you pack lunch for your child or yourself, it can be challenging to come up with gluten-free lunch ideas when you’re new to the diet. It can be easy to get in a rut of packing that same foods or types of foods, and then when you find out you or your child can’t eat those foods, you wonder what in the world you will pack for lunch.
Don’t worry. There are lots of options and you won’t go hungry, but it might mean thinking differently about lunch. If it’s a child you’re packing for, it can be a little difficult to get them to think differently, so before I get on to specific food suggestions here are a couple of tips for helping your kids adjust.
Helping Kids Adjust
Get the kids involved. Little and big kids can be given choices and help with packing a lunch. When it’s food they have chosen and helped prepare, they’re more likely to eat it.
Make it fun. They might not be happy about some of the food changes at first, so help make lunch special in other ways. Get a lunchbox they love, cut foods into special shapes, put food on skewers, sneak a note into their lunch, and pack some treats for them.
Educate them. Make sure you explain to your kids at their level of understanding why it’s important to be gluten free and to eat healthy food.
Think Outside the Sandwich
Sandwiches have been a staple of packed lunches for who knows how long, but packing a gluten-free sandwich every day will cost you quite a bit. Start thinking outside the box and make sandwiches only occasionally. Instead, try to pack more naturally gluten-free foods. For example, instead of making a ham and cheese sandwich, pack ham and cheese cubes along with some popcorn.
Gluten-Free Lunch Ideas
This is not an exhaustive list, but it gives you a good start. Combine foods from 3 – 5 of the groups to make a complete lunch. And, of course, you need to always read labels and buy gluten-free versions of foods that are not naturally gluten free.
Meats
- lunch meat – can be rolled up and slices
- chicken salad
- cubed chicken
- ham salad
- ham cubes
- taco meat (beef, pork, or chicken)
- tuna salad
Dairy & Egg
- egg salad
- cheese cubes or slices
- hard boiled eggs or deviled eggs
- yogurt
Nuts & Seeds
- granola bars (with oats or grain free)
- fruit & nut bars (try homemade banana nut bars)
- trail mix
- pumpkin seeds
- nut & seed mix
- peanut butter
- almond butter
- sunflower seed butter
Dips & Spreads
- hummus
- salmon dip
- guacamole (or black bean guacamole)
- spinach dip (with dairy or dairy free)
- cream cheese
Fruit & Veggies
- cucumber slices
- carrot sticks or baby carrots
- celery sticks
- bell pepper slices
- snow peas
- zucchini sticks
- cherry tomatoes
- broccoli florets
- lettuce and/or spinach salad
- apple/pear/peach slices
- pineapple chunks
- melon chunks
- grapes
- berries
- orange segments
- banana
Wraps
- lettuce leaves
- thinly sliced jicama
- gluten-free tortillas
- gluten-free crepes or pancakes
Breads, Crackers, Chips & Snacks
Most of the items in this category are not naturally gluten free. Be sure to use gluten-free versions (preferably certified gluten free).
- sandwich bread or bagels
- homemade hamburger buns
- cornbread
- muffins
- crackers (such as Crunchmaster)
- tortilla chips
- potato chips
- popcorn
- pretzels (such as Glutino)
Leftovers & Soup
Soups, stews, and casseroles make good lunch leftovers. They can be heated and packed in a thermos to be kept warm, or if taking a lunch to work they can be reheated in a microwave. These are a few suggestions
- Mexican quinoa and beef
- beans and bacon
- chili
- white bean chicken chili
- sloppy Joes
- potato chowder
- butternut squash soup
- chicken and broccoli chowder
- taco soup
- beef and vegetable soup
- Mexican lasagna
Treats
- cookies or bars (including brownies)
- sweet and salty snack mix (this is sweet enough to be a treat)
- homemade candy/treats (including peanut butter pretzels)
Lunch Supplies and Other Ideas
Packed lunches are a great opportunity to cut down on landfill waste. Lunch boxes with divided sections make packing easier such as Lunchbots, Yumbox, and Planet Box. Reusable sandwich bags can be used for a variety of foods and silicone snack and ice pop molds can be used for small snack items and frozen smoothies.
Lisa at 100 Days of Real Food has a gallery of school lunch ideas. She takes pictures of her girls’ lunch boxes and lists what is in them. Her site is not gluten free, so some of the foods would need to be substituted with gluten-free items, but it will still give you lots of ideas.
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