Easy GF Lunch Ideas!
So, we're officially seven days into fall, and I'd say it's probably safe to assume everyone's back to school. And of course, going back to school means prepping for everyone's favorite part of the day- lunch! I'm in college now, so my schedule is a little more fluid. But I remember, especially in high school, how I would be looking forward to that lunch block from the moment I walked through the doors at 7:25.
I've thrown together three fun, overall easy-to-prepare gluten free lunches to take to school, work, or even a day out. I didn't actually have a bento or lunch box at my disposal, so I had to improvise and use a plate- but these could all easily be packed up. Additionally, keep in mind that these are NOT totally allergen-free. I focused on Celiac safe, so I have used products that contain other allergens such as dairy, soy and nuts. But of course, you could always alter these recipes to fit your lifestyle or health needs- they're just some ideas! Additionally, keep in mind that I'm a poor college student, so some of the ingredients are on the cheaper side. That said, enjoy!
Lunch One- Pasta Salad with Spinach
This one's definitely for when you have a bit more meal prep time the night before or during the morning. To make it, I used bionaturae gluten free penne, mushrooms, yellow bell pepper, corn, peas, artichoke, and balsamic vinaigrette.
I cooked about half the bag of pasta, but you can definitely use as much as you want! I then ran it under cool water, and let it sit to dry. In the meanwhile, I took about half the bell pepper (chopped), a handful of mushrooms, and a generous amount of peas and corn, and pan seared them together in olive oil. I did get the peas and corn from cans, just due to cost and where I could find ingredients last minute, but of course fresh veggies are always great! If you do end up using veggies from a can, though, I would recommend rinsing them through a few times with water- it gets a lot of the added sodium out, and in my opinion, makes them taste better!
I seasoned them with whatever I could find in the cabinet, because again, college. Once those cooled, I mixed them in with the pasta, and added balsamic, chopped artichoke hearts, and a dash of oil from the artichoke jar! This actually adds a super nice flavor, and it's a great way to make use ingredients you already have.
I put the pasta over fresh spinach, and it added a really nice crunch. The great thing about this lunch is that it's super veggie dense, so you don't actually need as much pasta to fill up. That makes it a great mid-day boost, if I do say so myself. I added some white cheddar SkinnyPop (let's talk about those 43 calories a cup though), a grapefruit Bai, and a double chocolate Enjoy Life crunchy cookie! The pasta salad itself was also vegan, so shout out to that plant-based energy.
Lunch Two- Turkey Wraps
This one's certainly quicker to throw together than the pasta salad. I took two corn tortillas and microwaved them for 20 seconds between damp paper towels. I spread Wholly Guacamole mild guac and peach-mango salsa in the center, then added turkey, red pepper sticks, and chopped spinach. I folded one side over the middle, and then folded that over again, to create wraps! I'd recommend cutting them in half for easier storage and munching.
I added a fruit salad of pineapple,
strawberries and blackberries, white cheddar SkinnyPop, a grapefruit Bai, and two Tate's Ginger Zinger cookies. Let me tell you all- I'm not usually a fan of crispy cookies, but Tate's does such an amazing job. This was definitely a fun, lighter take on a traditional sandwich! And, because the main part (the wrap) itself was relatively light, it was a lot more fun to mix and match the little side parts to serve with it!
Lunch Three- PB and Fruit Sandwich
Of course, being me, I had to have at least one peanut butter- based lunch in here. And not only was this peanut butter, but it was dark chocolate peanut butter. To create this spin on a classic pb and banana sandwich, I toasted two slices of Udi's white bread, and slathered it
with Peanut Butter & Co Dark Chocolate Dreams (those to-go packets are amazing). I added thinly sliced bananas and strawberries, and sliced the sandwich down the middle, because, well, that's how my mom would make it.
As this is already a pretty sweet lunch, I added some carrot and red pepper sticks, a pepper jack string cheese, a Wholly Guacamole to-go pack, and a lemonade Bai. I probably wouldn't eat this every day, but hey, sometimes we all need an extra pick-me-up to get us through the afternoon (Monday, I'm looking at you).
Hope you all enjoyed the post. Let me know in the comments which of these you'd be most likely to try for lunch! And as always,
Peace, love and gluten free donuts
Natalia
I've thrown together three fun, overall easy-to-prepare gluten free lunches to take to school, work, or even a day out. I didn't actually have a bento or lunch box at my disposal, so I had to improvise and use a plate- but these could all easily be packed up. Additionally, keep in mind that these are NOT totally allergen-free. I focused on Celiac safe, so I have used products that contain other allergens such as dairy, soy and nuts. But of course, you could always alter these recipes to fit your lifestyle or health needs- they're just some ideas! Additionally, keep in mind that I'm a poor college student, so some of the ingredients are on the cheaper side. That said, enjoy!
Lunch One- Pasta Salad with Spinach
This one's definitely for when you have a bit more meal prep time the night before or during the morning. To make it, I used bionaturae gluten free penne, mushrooms, yellow bell pepper, corn, peas, artichoke, and balsamic vinaigrette.
I cooked about half the bag of pasta, but you can definitely use as much as you want! I then ran it under cool water, and let it sit to dry. In the meanwhile, I took about half the bell pepper (chopped), a handful of mushrooms, and a generous amount of peas and corn, and pan seared them together in olive oil. I did get the peas and corn from cans, just due to cost and where I could find ingredients last minute, but of course fresh veggies are always great! If you do end up using veggies from a can, though, I would recommend rinsing them through a few times with water- it gets a lot of the added sodium out, and in my opinion, makes them taste better!
I seasoned them with whatever I could find in the cabinet, because again, college. Once those cooled, I mixed them in with the pasta, and added balsamic, chopped artichoke hearts, and a dash of oil from the artichoke jar! This actually adds a super nice flavor, and it's a great way to make use ingredients you already have.
I put the pasta over fresh spinach, and it added a really nice crunch. The great thing about this lunch is that it's super veggie dense, so you don't actually need as much pasta to fill up. That makes it a great mid-day boost, if I do say so myself. I added some white cheddar SkinnyPop (let's talk about those 43 calories a cup though), a grapefruit Bai, and a double chocolate Enjoy Life crunchy cookie! The pasta salad itself was also vegan, so shout out to that plant-based energy.Lunch Two- Turkey Wraps
This one's certainly quicker to throw together than the pasta salad. I took two corn tortillas and microwaved them for 20 seconds between damp paper towels. I spread Wholly Guacamole mild guac and peach-mango salsa in the center, then added turkey, red pepper sticks, and chopped spinach. I folded one side over the middle, and then folded that over again, to create wraps! I'd recommend cutting them in half for easier storage and munching.
I added a fruit salad of pineapple,
strawberries and blackberries, white cheddar SkinnyPop, a grapefruit Bai, and two Tate's Ginger Zinger cookies. Let me tell you all- I'm not usually a fan of crispy cookies, but Tate's does such an amazing job. This was definitely a fun, lighter take on a traditional sandwich! And, because the main part (the wrap) itself was relatively light, it was a lot more fun to mix and match the little side parts to serve with it!
Lunch Three- PB and Fruit Sandwich
Of course, being me, I had to have at least one peanut butter- based lunch in here. And not only was this peanut butter, but it was dark chocolate peanut butter. To create this spin on a classic pb and banana sandwich, I toasted two slices of Udi's white bread, and slathered itwith Peanut Butter & Co Dark Chocolate Dreams (those to-go packets are amazing). I added thinly sliced bananas and strawberries, and sliced the sandwich down the middle, because, well, that's how my mom would make it.
As this is already a pretty sweet lunch, I added some carrot and red pepper sticks, a pepper jack string cheese, a Wholly Guacamole to-go pack, and a lemonade Bai. I probably wouldn't eat this every day, but hey, sometimes we all need an extra pick-me-up to get us through the afternoon (Monday, I'm looking at you). Hope you all enjoyed the post. Let me know in the comments which of these you'd be most likely to try for lunch! And as always,
Peace, love and gluten free donuts
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