Gluten & Dairy Free Lunch and Food Prep!
When you have food allergies and intolerances, you are pretty much forced to bring food with you everywhere! I used to get discouraged about this, but over the past few years I have found ways to make preparing my meals a bit easier. About three years ago I wrote a very detailed post on packing gluten and dairy free lunches. You can read about that here. Since then, I have a found that the more meal prep that I do the better. I am now at a point where things are prepped in advance so all that I have to do is grab and go! Doing the following things have also helped me stay healthy and even lose 15 pounds! (A weight loss post coming soon). So here are a few of my tips that have really helped me prepare my lunches.
Tip #1 Wash and Chop Up Produce
This is going to sound terrible, but if I do not wash and chop up my produce, I sometimes forget about it :(. I HATE to be wasteful, but sometimes it completely slips my mind that I have a cantaloupe sitting there. The good thing however, is that I now prepare things as soon as I get home from the grocery store or the very next day. For things like berries and grapes, I soak them in a water & apple cider vinegar mixture and rinse them. It is AMAZING how much dirt is washed away. I also find that berries tend to last a bit longer. The next thing that I do is place the fruit in containers. This way, I know how much I am eating and it is super convenient. My husband also eats more produce because of this. The same goes for preparing my veggies. Below you will see a large salad that I throw together which makes grab and go super easy. I also made a kale quinoa salad with a side of blueberries and grapes. Two for me and two for the hubby. I should also mention that I also like to make soup or chili (when my stomach can handle it) and freeze small containers. Again, so easy to grab and go!
Tip # 2 Remember to add Variety
Far too often I see people making a week's worth of the same meals. If that works for you great, but I get bored very easily. There are certain things that I do not mind having more than once a week such as salad because salads can be varied, but I try to spice things up so that I do not feel limited. Above is a hummus veggie sandwich, a nut butter sandwich and a tuna salad. I do not eat sandwiches all of the time, but sometimes I crave one because I want to feel "normal." Fortunately, Costco sells a large bag of Udi's bread that is the same size as a gluten full loaf.
Tip # 3 Grab Some Containers!
I am going to start this off by saying that I LOVE glass containers, however, I am a teacher. I can not tell you how many times, a little kids wants to grab my lunch bag for me and then accidentally drops it, or knocks it off of the table. I also have difficulty finding partitioned glass containers, so I have quite a few BPA free plastic containers that work well for me and my husband. I should also mention that I do NOT like to spend a lot of money. I purchase things when they are on sale, or when I have a coupon, or both. There is no need to break the bank to purchase containers.
Rubbermaid lunch blocks are pretty darn neat! When I first saw them a few years ago, I refused to get them because they were pricey. My husband got me one and the other two were on sale (and I had a coupon to boot)! What makes these neat is that you can portion things separately with out things touching. They are also cool because you can warm one part up, and keep the other things cool, which is a limitation of all in one containers. I also have the lunchblox lunch bog (again on sale).
The purple sandwich container was $1 at Albertsons. I love this because a sandwich or wrap can go on top and there is a space for other things on the bottom. The salad tumblers are super great because you pack protein, vegan cheese and veggies on the bottom. Then top it with lettuce and you are good to go. There is a separate compartment for salad dressing so all you have to do is throw it in and shake. This is very convenient.
You will also see some of my water bottles. I love my mason jar tumblers to get my water in!
Rubbermaid lunch blocks are pretty darn neat! When I first saw them a few years ago, I refused to get them because they were pricey. My husband got me one and the other two were on sale (and I had a coupon to boot)! What makes these neat is that you can portion things separately with out things touching. They are also cool because you can warm one part up, and keep the other things cool, which is a limitation of all in one containers. I also have the lunchblox lunch bog (again on sale).
The purple sandwich container was $1 at Albertsons. I love this because a sandwich or wrap can go on top and there is a space for other things on the bottom. The salad tumblers are super great because you pack protein, vegan cheese and veggies on the bottom. Then top it with lettuce and you are good to go. There is a separate compartment for salad dressing so all you have to do is throw it in and shake. This is very convenient.
You will also see some of my water bottles. I love my mason jar tumblers to get my water in!
Tip # 4 Get Your Healthiest Meals in Early!
One thing that I strive to do that really helps me is to eat a healthy breakfast and lunch. I try to get in my fruits and veggies earlier in the day. This way I have a bit more freedom with dinner. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy my fruits and veggies, but sometimes afternoons and evenings can be unpredictable. Although I prep things for dinner, stuff happens and I may not reach for veggies like a should. On these types of days, I know that I at least had a healthy start to my day.
So there you have it! Some of the things that help me prep healthy Gluten & Dairy Free lunches. If you would like to know more about how I prep breakfasts and dinners, let me know in the comments. As always, have a great gluten and dairy free day!
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