I didn’t completely follow the menu plan last week since we were sick. I just didn’t feel like cooking at all, so we made it through Thursday and then I gave in and Jesse brought home takeout on Thursday and Friday evenings. Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do and not feel guilty. 🙂
At any rate, I didn’t do my freezer cooking plan, so I moved some of that to this week.
Does anyone have great gluten-free, dairy-free lunch ideas? I feel like I’m running out of inspiration–we’ve been doing a lot of eggs, veggies, and fruit recently and I feel kind of stuck in a rut.
Breakfasts
Cereal, orange juice
Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie (we’ll sub the chocolate milk for homemade chocolate almond milk)
Fresh orange juice, cereal
Coconut Flour Waffles, scrambled eggs, fruit
Oatmeal with brown sugar and raisins
Cereal
Flourless Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, fruitLunches
Scrambled eggs, carrot sticks, salad (for me), gluten-free cookies
Hard boiled eggs, sweet potato chips, applesauce
PB&J on rice cakes, carrot sticks, apple slices
Egg & Potato Hash, veggies
PB&J Milkshakes, carrot sticks
Leftovers x 2Snacks
Fruit/veggies
Flourless Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
German Fudge BitesDinners
Meatloaf, potatoes, steamed broccoli, gluten-free bread
Crockpot Chicken Fajitas, fruit
Goulash, tossed salad
Crockpot Chicken Tacos (we’re going to serve the chicken over corn chips with taco fixings)
Dinner out
Dinner with extended family x 2Freezer Cooking
What’s on your menu this week? Share details and/or your link to your menu plan in the comments.
Rather than try substituting GF things for our favorite wheat products, we simply switched to eating different cuisine. For example, our 3 year old loves to “eat the rainbow” when we have stir fry. Instead of making GF bread, pancakes, etc, we have smoothies, salads, stir fry, soups, roasted veggie salads, etc.
The biggest hurtle in this plan is redefining 1) food and 2) what is appropriate for each meal. Once we did that there were all kinds of foods to eat.
I would highly recommend Tinkayada pasta.
They advertise on their package as gluten free, “not mushy”, “and can withstand quite a bit of over-cooking”. Which I really like, but what I love is that it is freezable. I make regular pasta for my gluten eaters and boil separately a package of Tinkayada for the glutenless—-then take the extras and freeze them in serving size portions. I can make a bag of pasta last for quite a while this way, which makes it worth the price. (Here Walmart sells it for $2.93.)
We love menu planning in our house!
http://smainavenue.blogspot.com/2012/03/menu-plan-for-this-week-march-4-2012.html
Kelly from the Spunky Coconut does a a fantastic wraps recipe: http://www.thespunkycoconut.com/2011/02/tortilla-wraps-egg-free-grain-free.html
They’re grain free, dairy free, and egg free as well as surprisingly easy. I made up a batch of them and only cooked the ones we were going to use right away, the other’s were fine in the fridge for a few days. I grind almonds in the blender rather than buying almond meal.
The little corndogs in muffins pans are easy to make gluten free, so is meatloaf. Actually most things are easy once you get used to it! 🙂 My kids always want the same thing for lunch on our days at home….peanutbutter or sunbutter on gf bread, dried peas, fruit and yogurt. They’re happy and it’s easy enough for me!
I just downloaded a free amazon book for gluten free breads. Browsed it so far, bu optimistic about recreating some traditional breads. GF/dairy free here as well. Will post any success!
We are gluten free at our house too. Quinoa salads are so versatile (you can pretty much throw whatever you want in!), and we eat a lot of rice and beans. This garbanzo bean salad from Smitten Kitchen is really good too: http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/11/chickpea-salad-with-roasted-red-peppers .
I hope the 2 recipes help.
Tammy’s Spanish Rice
Brown 2 lbs. ground beef or Turkey with 1 med onion, 1bell pepper,
and celery chopped. Add 1&1 1/2 C dry rice, 1 large can
diced or stewed tomatoes and 3-4 C water. 1 pack chilli seasoning
or chilli powder, salt, pepper onion and garlic powder, about 1/2 C ketchup
3 Tbl. Salsa, 1 Tbl. Margarine or butter.
Cover and simmer on medium stirring occasionally. May add small
amounts of water if needed as it cooks until rice is done
Tammy’s Sausage Stew
Brown 1lb each fresh and smoked sausage in Olive oil.
Add onion, celery, sliced potatoes, baby carrots cut in half, garlic and
onion powder, parsley flakes, water to about 3/4 the pan, salt,
pepper, and 1 can of cream of mushroom or chicken or celery soupor golden mushroom.(I do not add the milk to the soup)
(no additional water is usually needed, but may add)
cook until potaoes stick done.
May add 1 can of cream corn if desired
As said before here, corn tortillas are great gf lunch idea. You can use refried beans and cheese ( a little salsa too, if you like more flavor ) quesadillas, we’ve done it with PB&J, or some type of meat mixture. I also like Taco in a Pan. It uses g.beef, cooked rice, salsa, shredded cheddar cheese, shredded lettuce, tomato, etc… . Brown the g.beef, add taco seasoning, then cooked rice with a little water ( you can also do it with minute rice and more water ) and salsa, after it’s all warm and tender, sprinkle on the cheese and let melt, then just throw on lettuce and anything else you might like!
Lunches can be tough I know. As a mom it’s a little easier for me to do without, especially since I can get bread at my local day-old bread store for $0.40 a loaf to feed my 5 children! But I do try to make all of our dinners gf, and often our other meals to, since my dr. told me that 50% of my kiddos will end up gluten intolerant as well, so far we only know of myself that is that way. I’ll pray for you as you continue on this journey. I know it can be a lot to change! Especially when you’ve been used to making so many yummy whole wheat things! How I miss them!
Personally, I eat mostly dinner leftovers for lunch. I don’t know if your kids would go for that, but if so it might mean cooking more for dinner.
My oldest son who is gf packs a lunch when he goes off to college or work and I use this recipe to make hamburger buns that he uses for sandwiches. The recipe is gluten and dairy free.
http://glutenfreehomemaker.com/2009/03/gluten-free-hamburger-buns-focaccia/
He also eats a lot of chicken salad with chips or gf crackers. I make it using chicken that I cook, gf rotisserie chicken, or precooked turkey breast, depending on how much time I have.
Finally, don’t forget about soup!
I get a lot of my GF cooking inspiration from the Gluten Hates Me blog. The blogger, Marlow, has really changed my outlook since I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease 2 years ago. Most of her recipes are fairly simple and delicious. I highly recommend it!
Use corn chips (Fritos) and beans with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, salsa, carrots (any veggies you like) to make what we call “haystacks” 🙂 Kind of like taco salad! If you just love ranch dressing or sour cream, you can google dairy free or vegan recipes for those, too!
Quinoa & black bean salads/casseroles (depending on if you serve hot or cold) and coconut flour bread are a couple of our favorites. Gotta have a lot of eggs for that bread tho! They often call for milk but we just use water or coconut milk or juice/water blend.
My daughter does wraps with lettuce leaves instead of tortillas. We get cases of GF english muffins from Azure when they’re on sale to make mini pizzas or sandwiches.
Dairy-free pesto can be made using sesame seed in place of parmesan cheese.
Buy 100% corn tortillas and you can make soft tacos, quesadillas ..etc…. Just be sure they are 100% corn…many that say corn often have flour as a binder.
The Udi’s and Rudi’s gf breads are quite good…especially the Rudi’s. Sometimes there are coupons out there and I always check the clearance bread rack at my store…this week they had the Udi’s pizza crest and some Udi’s cookies on clearance.
How about Stuffed Baked Potatoes? They’re quick enough to cook at 10 minutes in the microwave, or if you happen to think of it ahead of time, to bake in the oven for an hour while you finish up school. We like to load ours up with toppings– some of our favorites include cooked butter (of course!), broccoli, sour cream/yogurt, chili, lettuce, tomato, sauteed onions/mushrooms and cheese.
Another spin we LOVE is to do Stuffed Sweet Potatoes. The cooking time/method is the same as the baked potateos. While this usually isn’t a complete lunch in itself, it is great if you have fruit or applesauce or veggie sticks and such to make a meal out of it! We like to put butter, marshmallows, cinnamon and sucanat on our sweet potatoes!
Hi there,
I just want to say I have been very blessed by your website and appreciate what you’re doing!
As the only GF person in my household – I just often do without, because I can. But if one of my children was GF & dairy free, I’d be trying out new things a lot more!
A couple of ideas:
Make a big batch of chicken nuggets – baked or fried – with any type of GF flour mixture. You could freeze them, then pull them out for a quick warm up for lunch
I check Amazon all the time for GF flour deals and will order a large batch of rice flour to bake bread with. I don’t have a bread maker – it’s super easy if you use a mix.
Corn Tortillas – as burritos, with hummus, as quesadillas
Did you post about the Black Bean brownies recently? I can’t remember – but search Allrecipes for “black bean brownies”. They’re delicious – I actually make them with only one whole egg, the rest egg whites and I substitute the oil with apple sauce to make them more low fat.
I make meatballs all the time – with no bread crumbs – just balls of meat! Great left over.
Also – meatloaf – use a dried piece of rice bread as the bread crumbs. If you make it from scratch, it dries out pretty quickly.
Good luck in your efforts to eat GF & DF. I hope it helps your little one.
A few lunch ideas:
a “snack” plate – kids especially love this – think hummus, gluten free crackers, cheese, veggies; my current favorite is an avocado / guac type dip (I add lots of veggies), then eat it with gluten free crackers and some fresh fruit
No meal plan here –a couple of things we have tried this week 1) toasted kale. Just tear it up into bite-sized pieces and toss with a drizzle of olive oil and sea salt. Toast in oven for 10 min. at 350. Also, toasted chickpeas –same concept except heat oven to 400 and toast for 25 min. That said, Crystal –I admire you for doing what is best for your family in going gluten-free. My son has Aspergers and I have been wanting to try this for a while but just lacked COURAGE. You have inspired me and I now know it CAN be done rather painlessly! I am very grateful that you post your meal plans! They are kid-friendly and healthy and I do try a lot of your ideas!
Baked potatoes with “fixings”; sweet potatoes alongside leftovers. This gives some of the carbs/calories you’d get from bread. (My son needs the carbs!–superthin.)
Breakfast for lunch.
White corn tortillas as a side to other things–tuna, salmon. Or use for leftover crockpot chicken tacos.
Yogurt with fruit. Beans, rice, quinoa, GF cornbread. Don’t feel that everything has to be perfectly matched/what you’d normally eat together so long as it’s a balanced meal–protein/fat, some carbs, fruit/vegs.
Smoothies with GF grilled cheese!
You can start with fruits and vegs and add a protein/carb–a wedge of cheese comes to mind, toasted GF hamburger bun, whatever’s in the fridge.
My son doesn’t eat salad, but the rest of us do. We all like different toppings, so rather than try to make one big salad, we set up a salad bar several days in a row. Can top with eggs (for those who need calories/fat), avocado, chopped/shredded carrots, chopped nuts, apple or pear, cheeses, tomato, cucumbers, chopped broccoli. Whatever’s in season! This is our favorite spring and summer meal–it often follows a trip to the big farmer’s market.
Can do breakfast for lunch sometimes.
Oh and tuna or chicken salad is really good too. Its easy to find gluten free and dairy free mayo to toss the tuna or chicken in and then you can add your own seasonings, grape halves or whatever. Then we eat them with gluten free crackers. {which there are are lots of yummy gluten free crackers!}
We do ham fried rice. You just saute up some green onions in olive oil, then scramble an egg in it, then add some cubed ham to the saute. Finally add some pre-cooked rice and some gluten free soy sauce.
I also do tamales. I am lazy so I buy them frozen, but I have lots of friends that make them up from scratch and freeze a big batch of them. I cover mine in enchilada sauce, then top with lettuce and dairy free cheese. Rice shreds are the best, in my opinion, when it comes to dairy free cheese.
I also make pizza with Rudi’s gluten free pizza crust and mozzarella rice shreds.
Another idea is to take corn tortillas and put some shredded beef or refried beans then roll up and fry in olive oil. Then sprinkle with kosher salt.
Honestly, mexican and Asian cooking is a great source of gluten free and dairy free food! We do a lot of curry, Phad Thai, or anything else with Asian rice noodles!
We do ham fried rice. You just saute up some green onions in olive oil, then scramble an egg in it, then add some cubed ham to the saute. Finally add some pre-cooked rice and some gluten free soy sauce.
I also do tamales. I am lazy so I buy them frozen, but I have lots of friends that make them up from scratch and freeze a big batch of them. I cover mine in enchilada sauce, then top with lettuce and dairy cheese. Rice shreds are the best, in my opinion, when it comes to dairy free cheese.
I also make pizza with Rudi’s gluten free pizza crust and mozzarella rice shreds.
Another idea is to take corn tortillas and put some shredded beef or refried beans then roll up and fry in olive oil. Then sprinkle with kosher salt.
Honestly, mexican and Asian cooking is a great source of gluten free and dairy free food! We do a lot of curry, Phad Thai, or anything else with Asian rice noodles!
My kids love to eat Gluten Free Pigs in a Blanket. I buy the gluten free, organic hot dogs and wrap them in a gluten free biscuit dough. Delicious!
For Dairy free and Gluten free recipes you might check out any of the primal cookbooks. I have one from the library right now. it has some very good looking recipes. I still have not tried them yet though. Some ideas in the book are frying a scrambled egg to make it into a tortilla to wrap meat and veggies in for a burrito type lunch. Also an idea I use myself is to take tuna and make it like you normally would for a sandwich but then put it into a lettuce leaf and roll it up. It is really good. You could make a stir fry type dish too. We just use what ever veggies we have on hand along with some chicken or beef. If we have leftover meat from a meal I will use that with veggies. We don’t eat gluten free at our house but my whole family eats dairy free except me.
Do you use Almond Flour? A *wonderful* quick bread recipe is:
Melt 1/2 TBSP butter in a small glass bowl, let cool
Wisk in 1 egg
Combine:
1/4 C Almond Flour
2 TBSP ground flax
1 tsp baking powder
Add to egg mixture and microwave for 1 min.
I slice it in half and toast it!
Ashley,
I was curious about your quick bread that I had to run into the kitchen and try it. While I’m used to experimenting in the kitchen, your recipe was by far the strangest thing I’d ever done!
I used almond meal from Trader Joe’s and ground chia seeds, so it kinda smelled like garden fertilizer coming out of the microwave. But, I sliced the round piece (I used a Corell “pasta bowl”) into four pie-shaped pieces and toasted one of them up with butter.
It was very, very good! Much different that I had expected, but very simple and healthy, and will be a lovely replacement for me when the rest of my family is eating gluten-filled banana bread.
Thank you for sharing!!!
Elizabeth
LOL! I’m glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Homemade soup is almost always gf, or at least you can easily make it that way. You can make a big pot and just heat it up at lunch time. It freezes well and is the perfect portion in quart size jars (w/ plenty of head space) for me and my 3 little kids.
We like to grill lots of chicken at once, cut in in cubes, and eat it for lunch either cold or heated. It makes a nice snacky lunch the kids love.
Adventures of a Gluten-Free Mom has a lot of great info. She has DF too.
http://www.adventuresofaglutenfreemom.com/2011/08/gluten-and-allergen-free-school-lunch-and-snack-ideas-plus-information-on-504-plans-and-downloadable-teacher-letters/
I just wanted to say that I made those German Chocolate Bites yesterday, and now I’m obsessed with them. Everyone needs to try those things. YUMMY!!!!!!!!
I just wanted to say thanks for posting this question! I eat GF because of my 6 year old’s allergy, and lunch is always the hardest meal. Most of my ideas are already posted in the comments above. I love easy soups too like Black Bean (in my link above) and Broccoli Cheese.
Sloppy joes over rice are really yummy. Also, I make a Hashbrown Quiche. Use your favorite DF quiche recipe, using hashbrowns as the crust. I have used patty hashbrowns but my mother in law uses the shreds and presses it into a pie plate just like a pie crust. Both are very good, freezer friendly, and never have any leftovers.
Hi Crystal,
I have tried this recipe, AMAZING is the verdict. http://jugalbandi.info/2011/08/gluten-free-all-purpose-flour-and-blueberry-pancakes/
p.s. Its a gluten free recipe, don’t go by the name.
Quinoa is delicious, as is barley. Kashka is wonderful, too. One thing I like to do (we do not eat gluten free but we do like to experiment) is, rather than using pasta, use spaghetti squash.
I think you should have a mom day and go to a barnes and noble! grab some gluten free cookbooks, plop at cafe table with a drink and look over the cookbooks till you find a couple you like–then go home and buy them cheaper off amazon:-)
😉 Sounds like a good idea to me!
My children like “rollups”. Take a slice of lunch meat and a strip of cheese and roll it up. My boys would rather eat this than a sandwich. I serve it with yogurt and fruit.
Crystal: I adapted the Pioneer Woman’s Beef with snow peas (or broccoli) in my case as a “take out” style meal. When I had to go gluten free, I simply made the meals I usually ate, just by substituting the ingredients. Check it out here: http://audgrad.blogspot.com/2012/02/pw-recipe-gluten-free.html
Thanks so much for sharing!
We have been experiementing with quinoa and spaghetti squash lately. Our newest favorite is Quinoa Mac & Cheese which you may be able modify with a dairy free cheese product.
http://couponingncooking.blogspot.com/2012/02/quinoa-mac-cheese.html
Here is our menu for the week:
http://couponingncooking.blogspot.com/2012/02/plan-my-menu-monday-with-recipemenu.html
Some of my favorites:
Sliced tomatoes w/a brush of vinegar & oil + italian seasoning (or your favorite vinagrette), topped with shredded mozzarella. Stick these in the toaster oven or under the broiler until the cheese is melted/starting to brown. Eat them just like this or over a bed of rice or a gluten free noodle, depending on what your diet allows. (Also good with a slice of toast made from gluten free bread.)
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Diced or smooshed up avacado with a little sea salt on corn chips.
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Tuna mixed w/ a little plain yogurt , seasoning of your choice, and green onion – scooped with potato chips , eaten like a dip.
__
Taco Baked Potato
(Taco toppings of your choice on a baked potato. Super complicated. :>)
—
Cut up 1 of each : tomato, cucumber, small onion (or 1/2 onion?), avacado & toss in whatever dressing you’d like. This is my favorite salad.
—
Egg salad (you might already have a favorite recipe, but I just kind of mix in some mayo, plain yogurt, green onion, celery, Mrs. Dash or other seasoning, a dot of mustard and a pinch of sugar) .
This is great on gluten free toast or eaten as a dip on chips or gluten free crackers.
I haven’ t read the comments (Kids need waking in a few minutes!) so this may have already been suggested.
My Go To lunch lately is Simple Bites baked brown rice pilaf (I mix in some other grains):
http://www.simplebites.net/eat-well-spend-less-food-resolutions-recipe-baked-brown-rice-pilaf/?doing_wp_cron=1327525577
My love of rice borders on the unnatural. 🙂 I eat this with veggies or beans. Sometimes just frozen peas or limas. It’s a holdover from my single days. A big pot of rice and grains is quite versitile. No idea if that’s the kind of thing you’re sick of or not.
My little girl just grew out of a dairy allergy so I’ve got a couple of good DF lunch ideas to share. Beans and lentils are a great, cheap protein source (since you’re getting less protein from milk and cheese) – my daughter will eat them straight, or I drizzle with olive oil, mix in garlic, tomatoes and basil, and warm slightly. It smells like a pizza and she loves it! Red lentil soup is creamy and appetizing (allrecipes.com/recipe/lentil-soup-with-lemon), and I second the commenters who mention that any bean or lentil soup is great served over rice!
I think beans are really where it’s at with GF/DF since you are omitting some very nutritious and basic foods – it’s important to replace them with similarly healthful foods! Without wheat and dairy, the diet is missing fiber, protein, and calcium – all of which beans provide. Every food cuisine in the world has legume recipes, so if the ones here aren’t tickling your fancy, there are other recipes that will! Good luck!
You have a lot of great fans with great tips and websites. I just recently found your site and I love it. I did want to add one more site for DFDFNF. The writer is allergic to almost everything and yet she has these wonderful recipes. http://www.bubblechild.com/recipes
We also eat mostly gluten free, and I like kabobs for lunch. I usually grill up 3-4 days worth of chicken, onions, peppers, etc. I eat it for lunch every day. I would also recommend coconut flour tortillas if you want to make a wrap, quesadilla, or burrito! Paleo Comfort Foods has a coconut flour tortilla recipe.
What about hummus or bean dip? We’ve been eating that a lot lately with veggies and those almond crackers that blue diamond sells (they say gluten free on the box, but since we’re not gf we buy them for the taste so I haven’t verified that).
Here’s our menu:
http://cookingluck.blogspot.com/2012/02/this-weeks-menu-plan_25.html
Our new lunch staple is grass-fed ground beef patties prepared on the stove top with a little sea salt, and served with the kid’s favorite steamed vegetables (usually broccoli!). They also enjoy a side of sliced celery and baby carrots that they dip in peanut butter.
Don’t forget smoothies. They are great anytime and can be dairy free using coconut milk. Our favorite recipe has spinach, frozen blueberries, frozen strawberries, and all kinds of other goodies. http://www.justalittlewhile.com/?p=1382
I think the key is to think about all the foods you can eat, instead of the ones you can’t eat.
Some ideas: beef stew, chicken and rice soup, apple crisp/baked apples (sub rice flour for regular flour in the topping), steak/chicken/pork chops and baked potatoes, steamed veggies, roasted veggies, fruit salad, fruit kabobs…
Another easy meal: slice flavored chicken sausage into circles and bake in a cast iron pan (coat with olive oil so it doesn’t stick) with cubed potato and some baby carrots, plus seasoning.
As a total foodie who had to go gluten free for a year, let me just say that if you don’t make things that taste familiar to you, it’ll be really hard to stay gluten free.
Some ideas:
-quesadillas in corn tortillas (cheese or dressed up)
-salads (probably not the best for littles)
-baked potatoes with any number of toppings
-sandwiches (udi’s is a great bread–particularly the whole grain)
-grilled cheese
-mexican or teriyaki rice bowls
-make your own lunchables w/rice crackers or nut thins (yum!)
One note about gf bread–it’s best toasted or cooked in a little butter like for grilled cheese or french toast. I hope you find something you like. 🙂
Crystal,
We’ve been doing GFCF for 16 years–yikes! For us, lunch is often leftovers. Here are some quick ideas: Udi’s is the best for sandwich bread, and often have coupons. PBJ, gf deli meats are standards. Stir-fry with leftover rice, veggies and ham or chicken; gf pasta leftovers to make a quick pasta salad with veggies and chicken (or just veggies) and salad dressing; gf pasta with chicken and veggies in peanut sauce; breakfast for lunch–waffles, pancakes–my dd likes banana pancakes with pb or sunflower seed butter; tacos or taco salad; soups; burgers or hot dogs w/out buns & gf baked beans; refried beans & tortilla chips; leftover chicken and rice with tamari and veggies; make extra gf pizza dough or make the whole pizza (sans cheese) and freeze; meatloaf; quiches, etc. Since you homeschool (like we do), it gives more options than sending a packed lunch. Your kids seem to be good eaters; that is a blessing (mine have texture issues–makes for additional challenges). There are SO many more options now than there were 16 years ago; it’s a good time to be gfcf. Hang in there; it’s so worth it!
Blessings,
Laura
Sorry if it’s a repost, but have you checked out Once A Month Mom’s GF/Dairy Free menus?? http://onceamonthmom.com/menus/gluten-free-dairy-free/
We do tuna fish on GF crackers. Homemade chicken nuggets (use rice flour instead of regular and add spices, works great), GF tomato soup from Fred Meyer with grilled cheese on GF bread. Corn tortillas with melted cheese inside. 🙂
I caved yesterday too, and let my husband buy us all a hot-n-ready Hawaiian pizza from Little Caesars. We don’t buy out often, but sometimes it’s just what you need. 🙂
Try Salmon patties!
Mix canned salmon (bones removed) with an egg, mustard, salt, pepper, and rice or corn chex. Wonderful pan fried in coconut oil!
I never remove the bones when I make salmon patties. They’re a wonderful source of calcium. Since they go through the canning process they’re super soft and you can’t choke on them. I just mash them with a fork with the rest of the ingredients. 🙂
A great idea for gluten free things is this website: http://www.freefromwheat.com great free recipes! Thanks for posting about this topic!
Spaghetti squash makes a very good pasta substitute. I thought it would taste squashy, but it doesn’t. Even my hubby who can’t stand winter squash taste liked it a lot 🙂 You could try that for dinner and then have the leftovers for lunch. Also, they’re not super cheap, but Blue Diamond makes some rice/nut crackers that might be nice for a treat.
Crystal,
If you devane swiss chard and steam it for 2 minutes, then cool immediately in ice water to stop the cooking, you can wrap your favorite gluten-free ingredients and have instant lunchtime wraps. Add some cooked shredded chicken, diced tomato, grated carrot, shredded lettuce, whatever your heart desires.
p.s. you can devein AFTER steaming (just take a knife and “shave” the thickest part of the vein, thinning it out as much as possible without cutting into the large leafy part.
We do a lot of PB& J’s around here, but when we’re out of bread we eat peanut butter with bananas or apples or make ants on a log! Mac and cheese with brown rice pasta is quick. And my new favorite health food: quinoa. I found a yummy way to eat it is in a southwestern style salad. Here’s my recipe:
http://www.alighterjourney.com/2012/02/07/southwestern-quinoa-black-bean-salad/
Hope you find some inspiration! 🙂
Speaking from experience, eggs are great, but kids tire of them after a while. GFDF lunches are the most challenging for me, which is why I menu plan for all three meals per day. Usually I plan a starch, protein and fruit/veg.
Ideas:
*Leftovers: Obviously. But would need to be planned ahead.
*Protein: lunch meat, tuna, egg salad, hard boiled eggs, pepperoni, black beans(my boys love them frozen), chickpeas, breakfast sausage, bacon, grilled chicken(grilled, sliced and frozen ready to use)
*Substitutes for bread: corn tortillas, corn chips, rice, GF bread, muffins, cornbread, pasta, pancakes, waffles
*Other ideas: “lunchbox surprise” my kids love this! It is simply taking bits of different things-like when you only have enough for two people- and dividing it up into muffin tins, each cup having a different item. Like a bento box, on the cheap. (oh! Look up egg molds on amazon!) a sample of what we have had: black beans, tortilla chips, snow peas, pears, diced lunch meat, choc chip/peanut/raisin mix for the ‘sweet’.
You may also want to have a loaf of GF bread in the freezer when you just need something like pbj. 🙂
Eating GFDF will get easier. Just remember, there are substitutions for everything now. And, sometimes you just have to splurge on a convenience item to relieve some of the pressure of literally having to prepare everything your family eats. God does provide though, always! 🙂
hope you like the coconut flour waffles, coconut flour is by far our favorite “grain free” flour!
*we do a quick crustless quiche for lunch quite often here’s the recipe i base ours off of:
http://www.onefrugalfoodie.com/2009/09/27/smoked-salmon-crustless-quiche/
(we modify it often using almonds or other nuts, we leave out the tahini and nutri. yeast… often use chicken & veg and tastes like a mock pot pie) I use a 6 oz can of wild salmon too (w/ 1/2 cup frozen peas) and it turns out great without adjusting anything else. my kids LOVE it.
*we also use this recipe for “green” sandwich rounds and my kids (who won’t eat a “crisp” salad) love this and know it’s made of spinach. http://thisprimallife.com/2010/08/a-primal-sandwich-solution/
it’s really easy to double or triple and refrigerate the rest. i alternate between other nuts too and haven’t had a problem, but you do need the shredded coconut for the right texture. you wont taste or notice though if it’s unsweetened (i use the finely shredded by ‘let’s do organic’)
*my daughter also loves tomato soup so we make that for lunch often and have with fruit and veggies. I haven’t found a canned brand we like that is gluten free, so i just drain a few cans or jars of tomatoes into the vitamix and add a bit of whatever milk we’ve made for the week (usually coconut or cashew) and some s & p and blend til hot… it’s delish…no real recipe here but it’s easy and tasty.
hope that helps, good luck.
We have “chips and cheese” at least once a week. It’s basically tortilla chips with melted cheese. My two older kiddos get real cheese and my little dairy free guy gets dairy free cheese. We’ve been buying Daiya at a local store, he loves the stuff but it is not cheap so I use it sparingly 🙂
I totally understand your comment about feeling in a rut. My 5yo has a slight allergy to egg and dairy. I also tried removing gluten for the month of January to see if it made a difference {it didn’t}. My kiddos aren’t big sandwich eaters, but they love their cheese…it was very hard to find a replacement for my littlest guy.
Crystal,
I am the mother of a son with multiple food allergies, two of which are dairy and wheat. Since most things have wheat in them, we just go gluten free. For lunches, my son will eat “turkey rolls” (Hormel Natural Choice Lunch Meat that is nitrate free and no traces of Carmel coloring which can be milk based) rolled up and I give him crackers to go with. I have found that the closest thing to regular cheese is a dairy free cheese called “Daiya” that is sold at Sprouts and even at my Ralphs (Kroger). It’s expensive but it melts and stretches like regular cheese. It comes in two flavors-cheddar type or mozzarella type. My son loves them both. You could do tortillas as others have suggested or use it on a sandwich. How about grilled cheese sandwiches with Earths Balance dairy free “butter” or tuna salad sandwich (or chicken salad) using Veganaise (also at Sprouts)?There are many GF/DF bread recipes or you can buy it, but it’s expensive. I find that I use the cheese in many casseroles that he eats as leftovers. I wish I had more suggestions. He is so limited as he has most of the top 8 food allergies that many suggestions by the other readers won’t work for us. So blessed to have him…such a joy! Blessings to you and your family:)
Corn taco fritters from heavenly homemakers is on my to make list for lunch. I read that they are just as good without the cheese.
Johny cakes (from allrecipes) very fast and simple and just like Laura and Mary used to eat! (Serve with maple syrup, and beans or a little meat on the side)
Rice and beans…
A YUMMY home made bread. It takes so many ingredients, so I mix up dry batches of it and then freeze them. Then it can be made in the breadmaker on the quick bread setting. Sandwiches are a treat now that we are gluten free! Here is the link for the bread: http://glutenfreemommy.com/baking-gluten-free-bread-millet-oatmeal-bread/
I am still looking for an inexpensive source for xanthum gum… Does any one know of any?
Every couple weeks we have soup from leftover stuff we froze plus spices for lunch. (veggies, tomato sauce, beans, whatever has collected)
Reading through the comments is getting my brain working…
Someone prepared chili over rice for us. It doesn’t sound that great, but it is DELICIOUS! You put a large scoop of rice in a bowl and then chili on top. I’m thinking I might try that for lunches as it would stretch the chili out.
Just found a new xanthan gum today at our Dillons. It was in a box in asian section by Hodgen Mills. Cost was around $7 and had individual tablespoon servings. Actualy came to about 1/2 the cost of buying one larger pack I usually get per ounce. Sometime we use unflavored beef gelatin (1 tablespoon gelatin replaces 1 tsp xanthan gum) and it works well to bind muffins and cakes together.
Unfortunately, xanthan gum is just plain expensive, from what I know. It costs a lot, but one package lasts for quite awhile…
The only possibility I can think of for making it a bit more affordable is to use Subscribe & Save on Amazon. Just don’t forget to cancel before your next shipment!
We love quinoa, too. I just made a quinoa mac and cheese the other night and we thought it was pretty tasty.
Here’s a tasty recipe for taquitos; it freezes well and I only needed to use about half the chicken the recipe calls for.
http://sweetpeaskitchen.com/2011/04/24/creamy-baked-chicken-taquitos/
We also LOVE this Indonesian rice recipe from Stephanie at KOTH! I could eat it for lunch every day–the peanut sauce puts it over the top. You could keep it vegetarian or add a little chicken for some extra protein.
http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2008/07/nourishing-frugal-food-main-dishes.html
Hope these help!
OK, so I realized after I posted this comment that you wanted gluten-free AND dairy-free recipes. 🙂 So, the rice one would work, but the other two ideas are only good for people who are just gluten-free. Maybe there’s some sort of substitute for the cheese…? I really admire the mommas who, on top of the daily challenge of getting food on the table, have to make these adaptations for themselves or their families. It looks like there are some great ideas on this post!
A good friend of mine is on the Paleo diet and everything that I eat that she makes is super yummy! She is getting most of her recipes from Pinterest. I am sure if you just search for Paleo on pinterest tons of great recipes will come up!
This is what I was going to suggest, along with basic meat and potatoes.
Can you serve corn because I just remembered grits is a delicious dish served with scrambled eggs. Some people like to fry up their leftover grits.
Chili would be on our lunch menu a couple days a week at least.
Chicken rice soup would also be on our soup rotation.
Fried rice? Rice with eggs and veggies–yum!
Have you made meringue cookies? Macaroon cookies? So easy and yummy, too! http://glutenfreeeasily.com/coconut-meringues/
Veggie frittata, omit the cheese and use coconut flour or brown rice flour as the flour in the recipe. Any frittata recipe will do! YUM.
Simple stir fry with either rice or brown rice pasta noodles.
Homemade Chicken Salad with tortilla chips – easy using canned chicken or canned tuna. I like to eat it on Tapioca flour buns…I buy Chebe brand. Yummy, too.
Truthfully, I mostly just eat leftovers from the night before. I get a lot of my recipes from http://www.cookingtf.com/ most of her recipes have gluten/dairy free option in how to cook them. They are yummy, too.
We do a lot of PB&J’s at our house for lunch. But when we don’t have bread, we eat peanut butter or yogurt with apples and bananas or make ants-on-a-log. Mac & Cheese with brown rice pasta is quick to make and gluten-free. And last but not least, quinoa! I found a yummy way to make it as a southwestern salad, but there’s a lot of other ways to eat it. Here’s my recipe: http://www.alighterjourney.com/2012/02/07/southwestern-quinoa-black-bean-salad/
Hope you find some inspiration!
I fell off the menu planning bandwagon last week.. but we are back this week 🙂
http://www.thegrantlife.com/2012/02/menu-monday_27.html
I second what T says! We love Udi’s bread, the kind in the green labelled bag. I forget what it’s called. We also eat lots of leftovers for lunch and enjoy Boar’s Head hot dogs and Boar’s Head deli meat (sliced at the deli counter, after requesting the deli person to clean off the slicer for us) on occasion for a treat. We love quesadillas (soy cheese, maybe, for you?) with corn tortillas and soups, too. Hummus and veggies, cheese and fruit with crackers, peanut butter with veggies are all snacks that we sometimes will eat for lunch, rounded out with some leftovers or soup.
My daughter is gluten intolerant and I am lactose intolerant, so I feel you with trying to get creative at meal times. I have found that I can tolerate cultured dairy, like yogurt, and hard cheeses, like cheddar (but not mozzarella), so experimentation is key.
My kids love rice noodles with a gluten free asian sauce, and rice paper rolls. We also love to eat Italian wedding soup without the pasta or we add gluten free pasta as well. We also make gluten free cornbread and add cut up pieces of hot dogs and bake them in muffin tins. My kids also enjoy alot of indian dishes made with chickpeas. Their favorite is a chickpea spinach dish in a tomato sauce.
Crystal – I also wanted to mention this yummy GF/DF muffin on my site: http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/gluten-free-dairy-free-muffins. It uses coconut flour which is super healthy. We think these muffins taste like cupcakes – when we use enough honey, that is! 🙂
Soup is wonderful for me (I’m not on a restrictive diet, but still). I frequently make a big pot of Veggie-Rice, or Beef-Vegetable, Squash-Carrot, or Ham-Lentil (the possibilities are endless) on the weekend, and then eat as leftovers for a week. Soup is one of those foods that are better the 2nd & 3rd days.
Even better is to get a rotating soup “archive”. Make a different kind every week, and freeze one day’s worth from every batch. In a few weeks, you’ll be eating a different soup 3-4 days a week from the freezer.
Here is our dinner plan:
http://bigredpot.com/menu/menu-plan-227-34/
We like to eat Pavo Nachos with baked plantains (instead of tortilla chips). here’s the recipe if you are interested.
http://healthynbalanced.com/pavo-nachos
Here is what we are having this week:
http://healthynbalanced.com/weekly-menu-plan-227-34
Thank you for featuring my Crockpot Fajita recipe! I think you will enjoy it!!
http://www.onceamonthmom.com posts freezer menus, and I think she has a gluten/dairy free menu – you might find some of the lunch/dinner menus work for you all 🙂
You can make “wraps” with corn tortillas OR lettuce leaves, using the fillings of your choice (chicken, lunchmeat, avocados, etc.).
For breakfast, Indian pudding is a change from regular oatmeal or hot cereal. It’s basically cornmeal pudding with spices. There are tons of recipes out there – I know you’ll find one where you like the blend of flavors.
Polenta with a veggie or meat-based sauce (Italian or Mexican in flavor) served with salad. You can make chilled salads with cooked quinoa, cooked rice or cooked barley instead of macaroni noodles. Barley is fabulous in pilaf – my family has a wonderful recipe. I’ll try to find it (sorry, my recipe file is a disaster!). Cooked millet is another grain that was recommended to me when I went GF. You can serve it simply with melted butter and salt or add it to soup or… endless possibilities.
You are probably going to start feeling pretty deprived if you don’t break out some gluten free bread on occasion and have some sandwiches. We like Udi’s sandwich bread best. We eat soups. We like an organic tomato one made with water, and there are some chicken and rice soups available…and of course homemade soup. Occasionally I will splurge on gf crackers–they are pricey. They make some yummy gf graham crackers too (I don’t look for dairy as an ingredient on some things–we aren’t that sensitive, so you may need to look at cookies). Mi-del cookies make gf types, and they have some like animal crackers–these are fairly inexpensive. Chicken and tuna salad. My kids can’t have dairy in general, but can tolerate yogurt okay. You can buy soy yogurt as well. We cannot tolerate the greek yogurts though. You may test yogurt later on once things are resolved more. Popcorn makes an okay side, and there are lots of ways to season popcorn. Veggies and hummus. Leftovers from supper–I quite often will make twice as much for supper and then serve it for lunch the next day or even for a few days. I know this isn’t lunch, but we eat a lot of rice at breakfast…it helps replace the wish for bread. We eat “duck” type sauce on it like you’d eat at a Chinese restaurant and accompany it with eggs and veggies. You could try turkey pepperoni and gf crackers with veggies. I have not found a soy cheese that doesn’t bother me yet, so I just stay away from it–it all has caseine if you look–as do most dairy-free items such as cool whip and coffee creamer. Parmesan grated up fine however, does not seem to bother us too much. It’s all experimentation. We sprinkle parmesan cheese on our mashed potatoes and brown them in the oven since we can’t eat gravy unless we make it from scratch. They make tofu sour cream and cream cheese that are good substitues for the real stuff. You’re going to notice a difference, but eventually you get used to it.
Being gf and dairy free is a lot of work–no doubt about it. It is definitely easier and cheaper when we just eat leftovers.
For homemade GF crackers, try these: http://glutenfreeonashoestring.com/cheese-crackers/
I think the cheese could be left out, and a dairy-free substitute could be used for the milk.
I love these crackers – so much cheaper and better-tasting than storebought!
{And having been GF for 6 years, I totally agree that one becomes deprived of bread after awhile. Love Udi’s!}
We do a lot of leftovers for lunch. Cook once and eat twice. We make fried rice to reuse/re-purpose leftover rice, meat and veggies. Nachos are a quick fix. There are lots of Mexican/Asian inspired options that are naturally gluten and dairy free.
Make a big batch of soup and freeze them in lunch size portions. Muffin tin lunch is a great way to use up a little bit of this and that (http://frugalfamilyfeasts.blogspot.com/2009/07/no-ambition.html).
Left-overs, left-overs, left-overs! I agree, that is what we mostly do too for lunches. We don’t do gluten free, but we don’t have a lot of gluten in our dinners. Also, if you are looking for gf ideas, check out some of these Real Food blogs: Kitchen Stewardship, Kelly the Kitchen Kop, Nourished Kitchen, and GNOWFGLINS – Wardeh’s family was gf, but slowly introduced sourdough and are now able to handle soaked and sourdough grains. I have seen lots of gf and dairy free recipes/ideas on these sites. Oh and some of our favorite gf meals are Korean – Bulgogi (a type of lettuce wrap which I plan to post a recipe for tomorrow on my blog) and Bibimbap, which we will have on our menu next week (with a link to the recipe we have tried). Here is our meal plan for this week: http://delicious-nutritious.blogspot.com/2012/02/menu-monday-2272012.html
Here is the Bulgogi recipe. http://delicious-nutritious.blogspot.com/2012/02/little-help-from-friend.html
gluten-free homemade pizza would be great for dinner and then have the leftovers for lunch!
How about tostadas? You could use tostada shells, beans and veggies/cheese. We have it for dinner often, but it would be easy to put together for lunch.
Ah yes, this was my first idea, too!
Super simple to put some refried beans over a corn tortilla, top with shredded cheese (or not if dairy free) and warm them in the oven. They are done in only a few minutes; top with chopped lettuce, salsa and sour cream (again if not dairy free).
Even quicker if you skip the lettuce and just serve with salsa.
Taco salad would be quick and gluten free, too.
You can broil shredded Daiya or Vegan Gourmet on top (it’s how I make them). Oh, and tofutti makes an amazing Dairy Free sour cream.
I grew up in another country and we had tostadas very often. You can make guacamole and smear that on the tostada, top it with some crumbly cheese and a bit of salsa and you are good to go!
Sometimes we would just top the tostada with red salsa, shredded cabbage and a bit of cheese. Yum!
Black beans were also a huge part of our meals. We were poor so my friends and I would joke that we had beans and rice on Monday, rice and beans on Tuesday, refried beans on Wed, and so on… So of course we’d put it on tostadas as well.
Meat was something that was normally eaten only on weekends, mainly on Sunday for lunch, so we looked forward to it.
Now I feel like a spoiled brat because a lot of times I don’t want to eat what I have at home, just because I don’t feel like it…
Gotta go back to my roots!
I have been experimenting with some soups. Here is my yummy Gluten Free broccoli soup.
http://www.mycouponteacher.com/2012/02/cheddar-broccoli-soup-recipe-gluten-free/
I also made a delicious Fritatta. I don’t have the recipe posted yet, but it combines the veggies and eggs in a new way!
I like to make a big batch of Taco Corn Fritters for lunch – they freeze well and warm up well as quick lunch leftovers: http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/taco-corn-fritters. (Skipping the cheese and using rice milk as a sub for regular milk, of course.) Also, you might try CornDog Muffins for lunch http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/homemade-corn-dogs-and-corn-dog-muffins using only corn meal instead of a mix of corn meal and wheat flour.
Here are all of the GF recipes I have on my site, although many of them o include dairy. http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/recipes-2/gluten-free
Are you all trying to go gluten-free? The reason I ask is that I deal with a dairy and egg allergy here and I have gotten really good at making separate items for my dd. I make dairy/egg free muffins for her and keep them in the freezer to pull out when I make regular muffins. So is there some way you can maybe get gluten-free bread for your child and then when you have sandwiches, use regular bread for everyone else and the special bread for that child? Just a thought.
Why not do baked potatoes or baked sweet potatoes for lunch? It would pair well with cheese cubes or string cheese and a fruit.
Tons of great ideas. On thing I found that might work for y’all is when I wanted the creaminess of say cream cheese–I found that hummus was a nice way to add creaminess to rice/quinoa dishes. HTH!
gluten-free lunch idea – tuna salad (made with hard boiled eggs and diced water chestnuts) served on rice crackers with carrots on the side.
I’m in the same boat. I’ve got a couple new recipes to try on my plan this week. Not only am I supposed to be wheat and dairy free I also can’t do eggs, corn, oats and yeast and pork! can’t wait to read through all the ideas here. Here’s our menu: http://saveliveeatlove.com/2012/02/eat-this-weeks-menu-226/
I almost forgot! Pasta salad made with rice noodles, grilled chicken, fresh veggies and an oil/vinegar based dressing is great for lunches!
http://glutenfreegirl.com/ I came across that site a couple of years ago. Might be helpful to you.
Here’s our menu: http://jandjnewleaf.blogspot.com/2012/02/whats-for-eats-this-week_26.html
And if you could like our Facebook page, I would appreciate it 🙂
Homemade soups and stews are easy to make gluten free. Posole is a mexican stew that is VERY tasty and gluten free. We eat it for dinner or lunch (you can make it in the crockpot). It is mostly a dump it in recipe. Check out the recipe on my blog. http://blessedonthenet.blogspot.com/2010/04/posole.html
Enjoy!
My meal plan doesn’t post until tomorrow, but I wanted to go ahead and give you a few resources for allergy/gluten-friendly lunch ideas. I did a couple of posts on this issue back in the summer.
This post is for packable lunches (school/work):
http://willingcook.com/lunch-ideas-schoolwork-repost/
These 2 posts are for lunches served at home (broken into salads & sandwiches, although you might have to sub corn tortilla, gluten-free bread, or rice cakes for the sandwiches):
http://willingcook.com/lunch-ideas-eating-at-home-salads/
http://willingcook.com/lunch-ideas-eating-at-home-sandwiches/
Finally, this blog has a link-up every Friday called “Lunchbox Love” where everything is allergy-friendly and packable.
http://allergyfreecookery.blogspot.com
I hope those are helpful. I have a gluten-free bread recipe on my meal plan this week. If it turns out easy and digestible, I’ll let you know. 🙂
Here’s our menu plan for the week:
http://www.everydayhomecook.com/2012/02/weekly-menu-plan-feb-26-mar-3/
I will be making what we call “German Pizza”, which is gluten-free. The recipe is not up on my blog yet, but I will be taking pictures in order to post it soon!
I’ve got a new blog & I’m using it to stay disciplined with my weekly meal planning.
http://nearlynaturalnicole.blogspot.com/2012/02/menu-plan-227-34.html
Have you ever used the Chebe products? We love them in our home.
A new fave for my girls is pizza balls.
I use the Chebe Cheese Bread mix & make according to package directions (you can leave out the cheese if needed) adding in some chopped pepperoni & a little garlic powder if you like. Roll into balls & bake according to the directions & serve with a sauce of your choice for dipping. You can make a ton of these at once & throw in a bag & put in the freezer to have on hand.
My girls can’t get enough of these.
The Chebe products are amazing! My husband loves Chebe bread more than me – and he is not GF!
I like your idea of adding the pepperoni – I’ve never thought of that and it sounds awesome!
At the moment I am in love with plain corn tortillas. The soft ones. I use them almost daily. The secret I have found is to cook them. I pop them one at a time into a small skillet and cook until they are just lightly browned on both sides not quite crisp and nicely foldable. Then I usually use them for tacos of some sort, my current fave is Guapa Tacos. Guacamole on a corn tortilla, fold and add some lettuce, tomato or whatever other fresh veggies you have. I’ve also used hummus, refried beans, and nut butters. For the nut butter taco I use the white corn tortillas (milder taste) and top the “taco” with diced fruit. I also slice them up and use them as a noodle substitute in lasagna recipes. I don’t generally use the non dairy cheeses, most of them have at least some casein in them and those that don’t I just don’t seem to care for. I do make a parmesan substitute with nutritional yeast, garlic powder and sunflower seeds whirled up in a mini food processor. In the summer, Sorbet’s are naturally dairy free as are popsicles, etc.
If you just have the one gluten free kiddo and don’t necessarily want to make all of your desserts gluten free for the rest of the fam, check out recipes for Microwave Mug Cakes. It’s pretty easy to whip up a single serve gluten & dairy free cake in a mug to serve your GFDF child or spouse or friend.
I love spaghetti squash as a GF pasta substitute… and also, I had never heard of PB&J on rice cakes until I saw it here. I got rice cakes from the store and tried one and LOVE IT! I’m also going to try mini pizzas on rice cakes this week… a dallop of warmed sauce and cheese with a few pepperonis. My husband is also dairy-free so he’ll be trying his with soy cheese. We’ll let you know how they turn out. =]
Try some tuna on crackers. We like to open a can or 2 of tuna, add in some mayo (you’ll have to make sure it’s dairy free but I know there are options), and spread it over some GF crackers. It’s nice and filling, and breaks up the monotony 🙂
Here’s a recipe for homemade mayonnaise:
http://www.cookingforengineers.com/recipe/43/Homemade-Mayonnaise
We love this soup: http://www.food.com/recipe/creamy-chickpea-rosemary-soup-133563. Such good, healthy and low fat comfort food! I have it almost every other day for lunch.
My favorite GF meals are salads. Anything you’d put in a sandwich, I throw on a bed of lettuce. Good luck! It isn’t easy.
Check out the this link and I am pretty sure you will be inspired again:
http://healthyblenderrecipes.com/about/the_blender_girl/
I definitely was and I am not even too specific about being GF at all…but Tess has great recipes to copy off…
Just discovered an awesome gluten-free, dairy-free cookbook at our library.
It’s called Cooking For Isaiah by Silvana Nardone. My whole family is drooling over the recipes. She has everything from breakfast to desserts.
We love baked potatoes topped with salsa, steak sauce, or steamed veggies. Add some dairy-free margarine or sour cream, and it’s super yummy!
My kids also love taco salads or “nachos” which is really a taco salad with tortilla chips on the side 😉 We use refried beans (homemade from dry beans), black beans, leftover taco meat, plus lettuces, tomatoes, or whatever condiments I have on hand.
My oldest is highly allergic to dairy, and for what it’s worth, she’s never even tasted cheese, but can’t stand the taste of practically any dairy-free cheese. I guess it just goes to show that sometimes there’s nothing better than the real thing 🙂 But, Crystal, if you are looking for dairy alternatives, tofutti brand sour cream and cream cheese are excellent and pretty affordable.
Good luck!
oh u mentioned the tofutti sour cream, bet u had the tofutti ice-cream as well…its delicious and its available @ BJs i do not know where else
I eat gluten free and my husband does not…this week we are having Chicken and Rice with Homemade Cheese Sauce (delish!), Fiesta Chicken with Rice, and a few other meals (plus 2 Lenten dinners at each of our churches).
http://ourfrugalhappylife.blogspot.com/2012/02/menu-plan-226-chicken-rice-with-cheese.html
For lunch…for us, at least…the key is simple. We don’t have children yet. We eat leftovers quite frequently. My husband eats one or two sandwiches each week. I like to have grilled cheese (with Udi’s), cheese quesadillas (corn tortilla), etc. I try to save the creative meals for dinner and keep lunch simple. I don’t intend to change that too drastically when kids come along either! I think it’s important not to spend the ENTIRE day in the kitchen. 😉
Does your family like fish or shrimp? Its a bit pricey but if you watch for a sale it won’t be that bad. Plus, it can mix up the menu and make for an adventurous meal!
We do tostadas alot! The round crunchy taco shells found at your local walmart (29th and Rock!) with refried beans, lettuce and cheese (optional of course depending on dairy). This is one meal all my kids can eat with different food restrictions.
CROCK POT CHICKEN CAESAR SANDWICHES! http://www.jennifervandahm.com/2012/02/crock-pot-chicken-caesar-sandwiches.html
CREAMY SPINACH & ARTICHOKE PASTA! http://www.jennifervandahm.com/2012/02/creamy-spinach-artichoke-pasta.html
…just to name a few 🙂
I think we’re on the same page this week Crystal….I’m totally uninspired in the kitchen too right now 🙂
Here’s what we will be having for dinners this week:
http://www.mymommyworld.com/2012/02/weekly-meal-plan-february-27
chicken strips- slice chicken breasts or use chicken breast tenderloins, dip in egg and then seasoned gluten-free flour. bake on greased cookie sheet. My gfcf 3 year old loves em! gluten free spaghetti is good, extras freeze well.
Quinoa salads. I make a chili lime quinoa, santa fe quinoa, quinoa chili, quinoa with fruit, quinoa and red bean burritos (you’d have to use corn tortillas), etc. Pinterest also has a lot of quinoa recipes. Quinoa also makes a great porridge.
We do a lot of hummus (I like to make my own). We eat it with whatever we have on hand like fresh vegetables, corn tortillas, rice cakes or simply just over basmati rice. We all love it and its fairly inexpensive when you make it. Plus if you use plenty of olive oil when you make it it has the protein and fat that you don’t get when you can’t have dairy.
Baked potato/sweet potato bar? Throw them in the crockpot first thing in the morning and they’ll be hot and ready by lunch.
Tostadas or taquitos (FishMama has good freezer ones).
Rice bowls?
Here’s our menu for the week. Looking forward to hearing some gluten-free ideas.
http://www.gettingthroughtheday.com/2012/02/staceys-menu-plan-monday-227.html
Something my kids love is turkey pepperoni and rice cakes/crackers, along with cheese slices and honey roasted peanuts. A weird combo!!
Mmm! The flourless cookie, coconut waffles, and chocolate pb smoothie are going on my try-it list! Thanks for always sharing your menus and ideas. Here’s our menu for the week:
http://cozycakescottage.com/2012/02/27/our-menu-week-of-february-26-2012/
Oh, and how about a muffin tin lunch? My kids love them but I hardly ever think of it.
Pasta is my go-to for lunch. Our local store sells bulk rice pasta. Here are some things I like to do with pasta for lunch:
http://be-it-ever-so-humble.blogspot.com/2011/12/five-ways-to-eat-pasta-for-lunch.html
I think they could all work for you with a little adaptation.
What about tuna or chicken salad on rice crackers? or cucumber boats?
Ah, yes another great combination is tuna fish on cucumber rounds; it is like a fancy tea party food.
Great menu ideas!
I hope my suggestions will be helpful to you for your lunches…
Lettuce/meat roll ups – take your favorite lunch meat and a large leaf of lettuce. Roll together into a long tube (like a roll up). You can also add things like mustard, italian dressing, etc. Roll up and stick shut with a toothpick.
Big, hearty salad. I chop up some romaine. Top with desired meat and dressing, and other veggies like cherry tomatoes, grated carrots, etc. For the meat, it works well if you use up something that is already cooked – leftover bacon from a breakfast meal, leftover baked ham, cooked and sliced chicken breast. Or, you can always do hard-boiled egg cut up and added to the salad.
Soups! You can do a chicken tortilla soup – cooked chicken, diced tomatoes, chicken broth (Progresso is GF), onion, chili powder and cumin. Bake sliced corn tortillas at 400 degrees for 6-7 minutes, or until crispy. Serve soup topped with the crispies.
I frequently make big batches of soup and freeze them in containers for lunches later in the week.
Hope this helps!
I live alone so I only cook a couple of times a week and then freeze the left-overs in individual portions. This means lunch is usually left-overs. I do sometimes bring soup and a sandwich – I use either Udi’s bread for PB&J or Canyon Bakehouse makes a focaccia now if I go with lunch meat – usually turkey or roast beef.
I’ve got some left-over turkey cubed from a turkey breast I made last week in the freezer that I’m going to make with asparagus and brown rice.
I’m also planning on making my Arroz con Pollo Recipe: http://glutenfreedairyfreenj.blogspot.com/2011/06/arroz-con-pollo-recipe-chicken-and-rice.html
I’ll probably finish out the week with GF pasta with tomato free pasta sauce (can’t have tomatoes either).
Oh, and I think there is still another roast turkey, gf/df stuffing and df mashed potatoes meal in the freezer!
Here is our delicious and simple-prep menu for the week:
http://www.savemoneylivejoyfully.com/2012/02/weekly-menu-february-26-march-2-2012.html
As for lunch ideas, GF Corn Tortilla Roll Ups, Baked Potatoes, Brown Rice Noodles with Spaghetti Sauce, Tamales (if your children will eat them), chicken salad or tuna salad served in lettuce cups, and these Coconut Milk Fruit Smoothies are a favorite in our house: http://www.savemoneylivejoyfully.com/2011/06/recipe-of-week-fresh-fruit-smoothies.html
I also made the Energy Bites last week and we LOVE LOVE them. I’m already thinking of the next variation I want to try 🙂
I often have Mexican rice & beans in the fridge that can be heated up for lunch. (See Fish Mama’s recipe–it’s the best!)
We also like these Nutty Blender Waffles for an occasional lunch. They’re hearty–a little more than we would normally eat for breakfast:
http://theprudentpantryblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/nutty-blender-waffles-gfcf.html
And lately I’ve been making dairy-free soup using coconut milk. Here’s our latest favorite, Corn Chowder:
http://theprudentpantryblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/curried-corn-chowder-with-coconut-milk.html
And for a snack, we’ve recently discovered coconut oil on popcorn, who knew? I tried the DIY microwave instructions you posted:
http://theprudentpantryblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/diy-frugal-healthy-microwave-popcorn.html
I hope that helps. I know it can be really hard to come up with new ideas. We can’t have anything with dairy or soy, and I try to limit the amount of gluten we eat.
I am hoping your readers have good dairy free recipes, as I could use more inspiration.
This week we are trying to eat healthier and lower the grocery bill, so we are having lots of salads, bean soups, and oatmeal. . .
http://www.momsplans.com/2012/02/menu-planning-february-26-2012/
Bake 1/2 lb. Italian sausage, some potatoes, onions, and peppers on a baking sheet. Works great for lunch or dinner and the leftovers are yummy in scrambled eggs the next day.
Wasn’t sure about the potatoes…you could leave them out or use sweet potatoes.
From my friend’s blog, who’s daughter is gluten/dairy intolerant- http://oursimplekitchen.blogspot.com/2012/01/favorite-gluten-and-dairy-free-snacks.html
My family’s handed down version of “goulash” is fried potatoes, sliced hotdogs and scrambled eggs all fried together 🙂 Guess it was a WWII thing – goulash became whatever was available. Funny thing is its one of my family’s favorite meals 🙂
Thanks for asking for dairy, gluten free suggestions! My poor son eats the same foods over and over again! We just went gluten free last week but have been diary free for 1 month. May I ask what symptoms your child has?
Have you thought about making gluten free bread in your bread machine?
If you use your bread machine, see if it has either a gluten free setting or if you can adjust the settings. There are parts of the cycle (like extra kneading) that aren’t needed with gluten-free breads.
My mom has been gluten free for close to 10 years now, and I think she likes the Pamela’s baking mixes for pancakes and Jules gluten free for a lot of other things. It’s’ a lot of trail and error though, becuase a mix of flours that works for bread or even one type of cookie can make other cookies that just disintegrate (they tasted good, the texture was just so bad they were hard to eat). Unfortunately it’s expensive trail and error when you’re playing with gluten free flours.
I eat mainly dairy free and just sub coconut/almond milk for milk, and use Veggie Shreds for things like pizza. On the veggie shreds, the only flavor I really like is the pizza blend. The other flavors are a bit bland. They may have some milk protein in at least some flavors though, so if you can’t have any of it check the bag first.
If your child is very sensitive, watch out for cross contamination though using a bread machine that has had wheat in it. I can’t use my old one because it has wheat bread crumbs stuck in it. I make my bread using Pamela’s Amazing bread mix and my Kitchen Aid. GF bread is actually easier than regular bread because there’s only one rise cycle and no kneading necessary.
I totally understand the “do what you gotta do” sentiment! In my first trimester of this pregnancy (due in August), I also had mono. My poor husband did all the cooking, cleaning, laundry…sometimes my parents would come help him, but their were days I couldn’t walk to the bathroom, let alone do housework! He finally just bought his lunches for two weeks. It gets to a point where your health is worth more than the money you are saving. Glad you all are on the road to recovery!
As far as gluten-free foods, I’m trying to think back to my GF days. I did lots of soups and stews. One of my favorites is homemade tomato basil. I would do a big (40oz?) can of tomato sauce and another of tomato purée. Then I would add in a lot of parmesan and basil and a little sugar (I have a terrible sweet tooth!). Cook for 30 minutes or so on medium heat.
I also did lots of beef/pork/deer stew with lots and lots of fresh-grown veggies from our garden. Summer squash and zucchini are really good in stews in my opinion, but something my mom never used. Pretty much whatever I had in from the garden that night would go into the pot! 🙂
Chicken salad/tuna/egg salad on corn tortilla, tostada, or rice cake
Salad w/chicken and veggies
rice cake w/chicken and avocado
quesadilla w/corn tortila, beans and chicken or beef
beans and rice
make a pot of soup and eat from it all week
Brown rice tortilla quesadillas.. for dairy free the Daiya cheese is good..but pricey..
jenetta
oh, and tacos!!
I’ve been dairy free for a couple months and have tried just about every dairy free cheese out there…soy, almond, etc…and I just can’t like it. What is the Daiya cheese made out of? I would love to be able to make enchiladas and pizza again 🙂
Daiya is soy free, I think it’s mostly tapioca flour. I prefer the vegan gourmet but it is soy based.
I find the key to any DF cheese (I’ve been DF for 20+ years) is to broil them on top of whatever you are making at the end. They really don’t melt if just baked or if you try to cook them in something.
Yea.. Daiya is weird stuff..( how do they make cheese out of Tapioca flour??) But my girls like it a lot.
I think the Traders Joes block of soy cheese is pretty good too, but we are trying to get away from soy.
jenetta
I’m not a big fan of soy products either. But, I will check TJs; they have a good supply of the allergy substitutes.
Are you sure TJ’s soy cheese is fully dairy free? Most soy cheeses contain casein (milk protein). TJ’s doesn’t have their ingredients online but the cheese is only listed as vegetarian, not vegan.
jason- You are right about that..
I am definitely having trouble with the partially melted texture. Great tip to broil!
the hotter the better 🙂
Have you tried cheeses made from sheep, goat or buffalo milk? If you have a dairy allergy it might only be to cow’s milk. Buffalo mozzeralla is pretty tasty! If you are vegan, I’m not sure if there’s anything out there that even comes close to tasting good.
My kids love Quinoa cooked up in water or broth with cut up veggies such as broccoli (frozen works well), carrots and sliced mushrooms (we add powdered garlic at the end). We then saute tofu or some sort of meat and mix it in. It is yummy and filling and best of all easy.
I cannot get enough Quinoa either! I soak it for 15 minutes before cooking it, then when its done I add margarine and salt and pepper and serve with raw veggies.
I tried Quinoa and just can’t get past the texture – not sure why. Do you have any good recipes that I can hide the texture in? I have 8/10 of a bag left and I just can’t throw it out (I do have a GF friend I could give it to but she rarely eats it). I can just suck it up and eat it, but it would be just me – Hubby and kids won’t touch the stuff! 🙂
Thanks!
Lea
My honey makes really great quinoa crackers for us! Not the best pictures but I posted his recipe on my blog.
http://daydreamingnightowl.blogspot.com/2011/10/quinoa-crackers.html
This this pancake recipe and throw some quinoa in there, in place of one of the other grains. We’ve tried lots of combinations and it’s always good: http://www.glutenfreelyfrugal.com/2011/10/16/favorite-gluten-free-pancakeswaffles/
Meant to say “try this” 🙂
@ Lea, do you rinse it thoroughly? i know a lot of people are turned off by the bitterness and texture at first because they cook/use it straight out of the bag. it needs to be rinsed and re-rinsed several times to remove the resin like outer coating.
you could also grind it into flour, that, or quinoa flakes are my personal preference. we use a magic bullet to grind it and add it to breads, muffins etc. good luck.
Thanks everyone!
I do soak it but to me it has the texture of tapioca (sp?) beads without the tapioca part! 🙂 Not sure why I don’t like it since I LOVE tapioca pudding!
The taste is fine, just the texture!
I’m going to try both the crackers and the pancakes…. Adding those to my list for next week….
Thanks again,
Lea
I mean “rinse it” not “soak it” – sheesh. 😛
Lea