Gluten Free Chicken Fried Rice Lunch Dairy Free lunches

My youngest likes chicken fried rice in her lunch, and what an easy quick lunch to throw together the day after we have had chicken and rice with supper.
In the morning, I take 1-2 cups of leftover cooked rice and start warming it in the pan with a splash of water. I add in thin sliced carrots and gluten free soy sauce. When the temperature is up, I mix in a raw egg, stirring as it cooks. Super easy. Once the egg is cooked, I then top with green onions and mix them into the fried rice.  This pairs nicely with a side of fresh fruit or a fruit smoothie in a thermos.

Sushi and school lunch gluten free dairy free

So, I will be adding some new school lunches this year, now that my youngest is joining the middle school ranks.  She is currently requesting a variety of Asian food delights, and we have had fun making some new things together. For our first try, we made these Maki rolls. It is a very simple list of ingredients:

• Sushi Rice
• Nori sheets
• Rice Wine Vinegar
• Water
• Sliced cucumbers, carrots, leftover chicken or any filling you like

I bought 1 bag of Lundberg Sushi Rice and I followed the instructions for cooking 2 cups of rice, which involved
Lundberg Sushi Rice Directions:
2 cup sushi rice, rinsed well and soak for 30 minutes. Drain. Add
2 1/4 cup water and bring to boil with lid on.
Simmer 10 minutes.
Remove from heat and let sit another 10 minutes (leave lid of throughout).
Add mix of 1/4 cup Rice Wine Vinegar, 1/2 Tablespoon salt, 1/2 Tablespoon sugar or honey. Stir into rice and let rice cool.

Now that the rice is ready, you can cut your veggies and proteins. You will need a bamboo mat to roll the sushi easily. I picked mine up at a bookstore for $5 with a step by step book on how to make sushi. I would imagine these are available at local Asian markets as well.

I laid the Nori sheet on the bamboo mat and layered with rice, leaving 1/2 inch space around the edges. I kept my hands wet with water to press the rice down without it sticking. I recommend you look up images of how to do this if you don't have a book, as I didn't think to take step by step photos this time. My youngest rolled the sushi and they turned out great and easy to make. You will need to wash your knife between each roll to continue clean cuts. This was a fun way to make another gluten free dairy free lunch option that travels nicely.

Gluten Free Dairy Free School Lunches

Lively Lunchboxes - That kids will eat!

As a mother of young children, I know how it is to be on the go and in need of some quick foods from time to time. In addition, we want a healthy diet to be a positive experience for our children so that they are encouraged to stick to it as they grow older.

Sending school children off with gluten and dairy free lunches may sound like a challenge, but here is a great link to help you get started. Click here to see more of Bean's Gluten Free, Dairy Free lunches. In addition, you'll notice her lunches are free of artificial dyes or coloring agents. Furthermore, many if not all of the lunches can be made without soy and egg, if needed. Enjoy!

Pictured: This lunch includes a fresh fajita salad, utilizing leftovers from the night prior. Bean likes cabbage and cilantro in place of lettuce, but you can use whatever you like! Sides include carrots, Pirate Booty, all natural fruit roll up and Honest Kids juice.

Better Tuna Salad - gluten free dairy free with variations for vegetarians

Tuna salad. It's a mush that goes on bread, mayo and canned fish, right? Well, not around here. This method adds a burst of flavor that will please any palate. First, if you're using tuna, I recommend looking for chunk light tuna in water (no broth added). Wild caught, dolphin friendly is best. 3 small cans can easily feed 4-6 people when added to this recipe.

If tuna is not your favorite option, consider using sardines for a great boost of Omega 3 and protein (chill this to cut the strong scent of sardine). You can also use chicken, turkey, eggs, or even a vegetarian option through the use of ground up steamed tempeh. All of these work great. Concerned about mercury levels in fish? Check the ever changing FDA guidelines here, and be sure you are purchasing wild caught sources from reputable companies.

Ingredients:

• 3 small cans chunk light tuna in water - no added broth (or other protein of choice)
• 5 stalks celery, cleaned and sliced
• 4 small dill pickles, diced
• 1 green onion stalk, cleaned and chopped
• juice from 1/2 lemon
• 1/4-1/2 cup mayo of choice (homemade is fantastic, but you can use any type you prefer)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons dijon mustard
• dash of salt

Stir ingredients together and serve over celery, lettuce leaves or bread of choice. We often top a bed of greens with this tuna, or we wrap it in small butter or Romain lettuce, taco style.

Reusable Lunch Bags

When lunches need to travel, I am eager to send them off with the most earth friendly (and body friendly - low or no toxins please!) food containers and bags as possible. A few years ago, I stumbled onto www.reusablebags.com where I picked up some safe drinking containers for the kids. 5 years later, they are still going strong, so I can see that was a good investment.

Recently, I decided to try the Wrap-N-Mat in place of those handy dandy ziplock bags. There are several variations of these reusable food bags, but this cute checkered adjustable style appealed to me, so I ordered one for each of us, and here is how it works. It's so darn cute!

In this photo, I have made a very tiny gluten free sandwich with the small slices of Udi's bread, which I recently reviewed. The closure system adjusts nicely for small or larger items. Besides sandwiches, I use this for wraps, cut fruit and veggies, and anything that I don't worry too much about "smashing". Basically, anything that could have traveled in a disposable bag. Clean up is a cinch, so that is why I have to shout out some love for this product. Looking at it, I can see that it would be easy to sew if you had the materials available (and the talent!). Knowing my eagerness to splurge at the fabric store, I figured I would come out ahead by just purchasing these bags online.

Want to see more lunches that travel? Look inside Bean's lunch bag to see what kind of gluten free and dairy free foods she takes to school on any given day. Let it inspire you for some fun travel lunches for those times when you feel stuck in a lunchtime rut.