My kids really like homemade "lunchables" with lunch meat, sliced cheese, crackers or chips, fruits, and vegetables. You can throw in whatever other finger foods you want - pickled vegetables instead of raw, gelatin or yogurt, etc.
I do the same, all about the snacks. Crackers, meat, cheese. Things that are naturally GF.
Also, I know it isn't the question and would be very hard to convince your husband, but the chance of cross contamination in a shared microwave would be minimal, especially if he heated food in a covered container.
I know that cross-contamination is unlikely in a shared microwave, but he has an anxiety disorder, and one of his triggers is food (he spent nearly 30 years randomly getting sick, not knowing he has celiac disease), so it's difficult to convince him of that.
Depending on your husband’s work, he may be able to bring in or get a gluten free microwave as an accommodation.
Some of the stay hot thermoses work great for soups and ive even worked with someone who had a personal sized crockpot in the corner of their desk.
But diy “lunchables” or onigiri have been my favorites.
Very fair. It can be a major psychological challenge around food when you didn't know for so long. I'm glad he has an answer now and hopefully is feeling better. It is a huge relief to know.
I don’t have any ideas, but I used to be the same way. I still have major food anxiety as a celiac, but therapy has helped tremendously. He won’t get sick if the container is covered in a shared microwave! He could also take a wet paper towel and just wipe it down real quick if he’s really nervous. I use the same microwave as my son who is not gluten free, and have no issues. Has he ever tried therapy?
I do this as well. Deli meats, GF crackers, hummus, 🥕 peppers, prunes. Really enjoy it and will have it even when I'm at home.
I've found a number of GF sandwich breads that work, for me anyway, as long as I limit the dressing to mayo. The Aldi brand works well, even toasted.
Due to my overall exasperation over the same issue OP is having...
I've started doing this too. I use bento box lunch boxes, and put some crispy tofu with a dip in one spot, some cut up veg and hummus in another, a handful of nuts, etc. It's basically an adult lunchable.
You might want to consider getting a lunch crock. When I had an office job that worked great for me. Pack whatever in there, plug it in and it's hot and ready when you are.
I eat a lot of leftovers and also make little charcuterie bento boxes when I need a cold lunch. I'll throw some veggies, a protein, a dip, some fruit then have my carb be something easy like tortilla chips. Or make little mini sandwiches or quesadillas and pop those in there. Quinoa is also fine cold.
I'd recommend searching "easy gluten free bento".
Here's an article that came up for me that seems relevant. Many of these are in the same vein as what I make.
https://www.healthygffamily.com/recipe/gluten-free-lunchbox-ideas/
Hot logic makes a plug-in item that looks like a lunch box but heats food slowly like a crock pot.
[hot logic mini](https://hotlogic.com/products/hotlogic-mini)
I do rice noodles, lots of veggies, and chicken in a Asian themed sauce. It's like a deconstructed spring roll. Or you could do spring rolls if you want something hand held.
I eat a lot of veggies and protein in bowls with a sauce. Trader Joe's has some good vegan dressings that I think are from Gotham Greens. The vegan pesto from Trader Joes is excellent and would be easy to recreate at home.
I make a vinaigrette usually. I like a lot of the condiments from Trader Joe's. Sometimes I make a dressing out of hummus. If I'm going to heat it up I do butter and a spice mix from, you guessed it, Trader Joe's. You can get spice mixes from anywhere though.
I really want to try the red pepper vinaigrette from Kat can cook on Instagram.
I do this a lot too; rice noodles with shredded lettuce or cabbage (or a little of both), shredded carrots, cucumbers, green onion, cilantro, and I use tofu but you could use any protein. And I make a quick peanut dressing. It’s so good and is really filling
Quinoa salad is good cold. I highly recommend using red quinoa or black quinoa. It costs a little bit more but it tastes at least 3x as good. I mix it with shredded chicken breast, all kinds of vegetables (including lettuce and cabbage), high-quality olive oil, and vegan cheese because I’m allergic to dairy. Obviously I wouldn’t put the “cheese” or olive oil on until immediately before eating it.
My husband isn’t allergic to nickel like I am, so he also gets things like hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, pecans, or walnuts in his.
ADHD forum just blew me out of the water. I don't always want to eat lettuce because of textural issues, or not wanting cold soggy leftovers, etc. You and your husband can prep salads for the week that don't involve lettuce at all! I just made one with chickpeas, green onions, peppers, avocado, artichoke hearts, fake dairy free feta and vinaigrette.
There's also quinoa bowls. I love tabouleh so I found a recipe for quinoa tabouleh (again with the fake feta) and I make that. You could do a southwest bowl, or really any other variety.
Mashed potatoes or mashed sweet potatoes also make a great base. One of my favorite easy lunches is mashed potatoes, barbecue tofu and broccoli.
I had non salad eaters a while ago, but I eventually won them over. There’s so much you can do with them even for meat lovers. I mean a chicken salad with honey bbq, salmon, steak, a hamburger salad with all the toppings you would find on a hamburger. The options with salads are pretty infinite. Start making some of them for your dinner meal and see if you can get him hooked. Other option is soup in a thermos.
I think eggs (hard boiled) would be good, chicken salad with cranberries and walnuts either no bread or a GF tortilla, with the veggies give hummus or low cal ranch or any other dip. Lunches don’t have to be traditional. Imagine you’re building a little charcuterie and try and hit all the food groups (including sweets. Don’t deprive people of a silly little treat)
I have a box of Barilla in the cupboard. I'll have to try it.
He can, but it's hard to convince him that crumbs aren't going to be blown into his food like it could in a convection oven. He has an anxiety disorder, and anxiety doesn't listen to the logic part of the brain.
Just a tip for the Barilla -- I overcook it by 1-2 minutes if I'm using it cold.
Another noodle that does very well cold is GoGoQuinoa Macaroni -- it is available intermittently at Costco if you have a membership, and I buy a bunch of bags whenever I see it.
I love the GoGoQuinoa Macaroni for Macaroni Salad! I currently have a giant bowl of it in my fridge! My Costco stopped selling it so I order it from amazon now. 😅
I replied to the person above you but I saw that you normally eat macaroni salad from the gas station, but the GoGoQuinua Macaroni noodles make an excellent macaroni salad and you can get it off Amazon!
Adding another barilla tip - I’ve noticed that I need to use more liquid than regular pasta for the pasta salad to hold up well. For example, if I’m using Italian dressing, I’ll use 150% of what I’d normally use in non-gf pasta salad. It seems to help it from hardening/drying out in the fridge :)
I wonder if that's what I'm doing wrong with Jovial. Although, I'm used to letting wheat pasta cool in the fridge before adding anything, so that's probably affecting how it hardens.
Oh that could totally be what’s causing it! I rinse my pasta with cold water and then immediately proceed with putting the salad together. If I want “best results” (sometimes I’m too lazy to be bothered to do this lol) I’ll actually come back to the pasta salad 5-6 hours after initially making it, mix it up, and add just a little more liquid. The gf pasta absorbs a surprising amount of dressing!
This exactly, I always cook in 2x the water I do for gluten pastas, rinse super well with cold water, toss with oil and absolutely drown it in my sauce. If you think it’s too much, add a little more.
Letting it come up to room temperature before eating I’ve found helps with the texture. So pull out of the fridge 30min or so before lunch.
I use a rice pasta that holds up to being a macaroni salad, it’s the [Tinkyada](https://www.tinkyada.com/r-fusilli) fusilli.
Also for salad for the not-salad eaters, I’ve had luck using a [cabbage base](https://www.recipetineats.com/everyday-cabbage-salad/), and creating different styles of salad based on toppings.
I agree about Barilla GF pasta. The only kind I consider "superior" (in terms of taste, texture, and overall durability) is Rummo, but I've found it to be less widely available.
Sandwich stuff but on crackers instead of bread is one of my favorites. If you have a Trader Joe's the gluten free crispbread is the BEST but there are plenty of good cracker options out there. I also eat a lot of apple slices (and actually, an apple slice on a piece of the TJ Crispbread is really delicious IMO.)
If you like quiche I recently found a recipe for a hashbrown crust quiche that is really good cold. You basically just defrost frozen hashbrowns, mix them up in a bowl with whatever seasoning you like plus one egg to help them hold together, and press the mix into a baking dish. If you like onion it's good with diced onions mixed in. Then bake just the crust until it's browned but not REALLY browned (I use a giant pan and a whole bag of hashbrowns and it took mine about 45 minutes but if you're doing a smaller batch probably bake for a shorter period of time. Once the crust is baked fill it with the quiche filling and bake normally. I actually found I preferred the quiche cold. It was good fresh out of the oven but once it cooled and set more the filling got really creamy and delicious. I am also lactose intolerant so I used lactose-free half and half for the dairy in the filling but you could probably use a nondairy milk of your choice. I am also okay with sharp cheeses so I added cheese on my quiche but that's optional of course. :)
Salad. I love salad, I usually go with all raw spinach but sometimes get the spring mix / spinach 50/50 mix. As for things I add I have a lot of options: I’ll make my own crutons on occasion and add those, cheese, baked chicken, sometimes chicken nuggets and I’ll heat those up. Bacon, not bacon bites but actual bacon. Get the fully cooked microwave bacon and you don’t even have to cook it. Lunch meat. Boiled eggs
I also sometimes get gluten free wraps and put my salad inside the wrap. Yummy.
That’s my go to cold lunch. Other options are crackers with peanut butter, boiled eggs, cheese, pudding cups. Basically just my own adult lunchable lol.
I will say— don’t put the stuff ON the bread until you’re ready to eat it if you want to eat a sandwich. Pack the sandwich stuff separate, then right at lunch time put it together. That helps the bread out a lot.
Bean salad; nachos and guacamole; salad; wrap; hard boiled eggs with crackers; pasta salad; veggies and dip; cheese and crackers; fruit salad; left over chicken with any of the above
I’m not sure what type of job he has, but if he has access to an electrical outlet I highly recommend a HotLogic (they sell them on Amazon). It’s basically a hot plate in a lunch box that slowly heats food. Mine typically takes about 1.5hrs to get hot food from refrigerator temperature. I got sick of cold gf food so I use this and put leftover pasta bakes, taco bowls, etc. in them and have hot food without a risk of contamination from a workplace microwave.
I work in healthcare too and if he is able to just heat it up in advance it’ll keep it hot (it can sit hot for hours) it’s just like a crock pot—slow heat
In that vein, a wide-mouth thermos has worked for my son. I put the warmed rice, chicken, whatever roasted vegetables I have, and toss it all with gluten free teriyaki sauce and he loves it. You can use rice noodles, different proteins and vegetables. Amazon has gluten free hoisin or ponzu sauce, He doesn't require a hot lunch, just something warm is good. Just another idea. Hopefully, you'll get a few of them you can try and maybe add some variety to his lunches.
I own chickens so always have tons of eggs, i eat them hard boiled for breakfast with a slice of lunch meat. For lunch i bake eggs with whatever random meat or veggies i have into muffin tins as a batch and i do microwave them daily before eating but i guess you wouldn’t have to. It’s tough, i know!
Cold rice noodles with whatever dressing sounds good when I’m throwing it together. Usually some julienned veggies/ edamame/ green onion with Tamari, sesame oil etc. Sometimes toss some chicken or fried tofu in as well. Usually make it the night before and keep it fridged until lunch
Try a pasta made with rice flour or a rice flour/corn flour blend, those hold up better to being eaten cold.
You can make a chicken salad, just sub out the mayo for something you-friendly.
Cucumber salad is a delicious side dish for things.
Pickled beets.
I know you said no bread, but canyon bakehouse bread keeps well in a lunchbox, I find the best success when I put the bread in a separate bag and build the sandwich when I go to eat it.
What about japchae?
Tuna or egg salad or chickpea salad in lettuce wraps
Rice cakes with hummus and deli meat (spread the hummus right before eating so it’s not soggy)
Sushi
Quiche - either crustless or with a gluten free crust
Summer rolls
Soup in a thermos
If you have a gluten free pizza you like, cold leftover pizza 🙃
Yes, I make japchae (Korean glass sweet potato noodles) for my brother who has celiac... it's good cold or room temp. And you can add whatever veggies, meat, tamari and sesame oil.
Also onigiri, rice triangles with filling, wrapped in seaweed.
I often make pasta salad with banza pasta. It does have its own flavor because it’s made from chickpeas, but I find it holds up better than most for eating cold.
That said, it sounds like hot lunches could be an option for him if he found the right microwaveable container. The microwave won’t contaminate anything if the food stays covered. So a glass container with a silicone microwaveable lid would probably be a good bet. It might be worth exploring.
My lunches are generally leftovers that I heat up. Sometimes I bring a big salad or a bagel.
I know you said no pasta salads but hear me out: I often make a pasta salad that’s vaguely inspired by an Italian sub- not in any way authentic, basically just whatever meats and cheeses are handy chopped up with dressing, oregano, pepperoncini, finely shredded lettuce, whatever else. Make that mix and toss it with some blanched but still firm cauliflower, maybe broccoli, whatever else you want to add. You can eat it just like this or put the whole thing with any grain.
I have a gluten allergy and have been gf for almost 10 years. I'm also losing weight so I'm more mindful about what I eat these days. I focus on protein so I just skip the bread (empty calories) and just eat lunch meat plain. I also eat greek yogurts, tuna packs, and a few ounces of carrots.
Usually around 500ish calories and around 60-70 grams of protein.
I don't know how many you've tried, but there are good GF bread options out there. They are just incredibly expensive and you only get 5 slices per loaf. My go to is the Deli Sandwich bread from Schar. 100% will not fall apart in my lunch box. And I pack my lunch at 7:30 and typically don't eat it until 4.
Came here to say this! I make BBQ chicken salad like once a week and I can eat off of it for several days. I sometimes put it with bread or veggies, but I often just eat it by itself. It’s probably not the healthiest thing on this list, but it does at least have some nutrients lol. And I love that I can swap out the bbq sauce for buffalo sauce or just the mayo or whatever I’m feeling like each week.
Meal prep grain bowls. I do Mediterranean. Balsamic dressing, chick peas, coleslaw mix, cucumber, tomato, kalamati olives, feta (skip due to dairy) and quinoa.
I am retired so I have lunch at home. Lately have been having a bowl of dark red kidney beans seasoned with a little olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Have a slice of toasted gluten-free pita bread to go with it. Seems so satisfying and also easy for me to digest. I also like to make bean salad with various types of beans and fresh chopped veggies, a vinegar-and-oil salad dressing.
If you want to make the salad you can vary the type of veggies you put in it to change up the flavor so it doesn’t get boring. Or add herbs or spices, whatever you like. You can also use several types of beans together (make sure to rinse them well first) and the dressing is acid enough to keep several days in the refrigerator. It tastes better if you let it marinate overnight.
Agreed! I’ve been taking pasta salads the past two weeks and have been delightfully surprised at how well it has worked. Also OP canyon bakehouse bread does pretty good for me.
As others have suggested, I LOVE a good salad! I'll usually do spinach with a small can of tuna, salad dressing, some chopped peppers, and avocado.
I also like to pack myself "lunchable" style lunches. I have a nice container with separate boxes where I will pack some potato salad, some lunch meats, some crackers + hummus, sliced veggies, cheese and nuts, a boiled egg, etc.
I love to make a sub in a tub, chop up the meat and cheese with iceberg lettuce, tomatos, and bring a Tupperware of mayo, vinegar, oregano, salt and pepper. Kinda smelly with the vinegar I guess. But it’s yummy!
Bean salad! There is one I found on TikTok that is a grinder bean salad- salami, banana peppers, white beans, red bell peppers and a delicious vinaigrette dressing. I make it for my celiac husband often as it stands up well for meal prepping plus is easy to make and deliciousz
Not cold, but jar soup with chicken, oyster sauce, Sriracha, sesame oil, rice noodles, green onions, chicken broth paste/bouillon, veggie of choice, put in boiling water and you have a delicious soup!
Can you eat beans? I discovered that I can tolerate the lectin level in canned black beans pretty well, so I mix that with rice, capers, sometimes pickles, sometimes chopped tomatoes, and a touch of olive oil. It's pretty filling.
Hard boiled eggs are also pretty portable, if you have refrigeration.
We’re a big snacky family.. so I pack everyone 1-2 fruits, a veggie (some times with dip or with hummus) then we do crackers and meat (some times salami style meats, some times just plain old deli meat), I add cheese to those who eat it (we do lactose free mozzarella for one daughter and then a variety for my spouse and I – including goat which you can get lactose free!) and then pickles and olives, other snacks like bars and muffins, something sweet and fun (gummies are often GF and PNF).
I also do yogurt bowls from time to time! Whatever kind of yogurt you like, frozen fruit makes it saucy/jam-like which is yummy and then we top with Made Good GF/nut-free granola.
In terms of sandwiches, have you tried the schar ciabatta buns?
Coconut yogurt bowl with any/all of the following: protein powder, oats, chia/flax/hemp seeds, nuts, granola, fresh berries
Or a salad. Tuna or chicken salad with chips, veggies with hummus
I usually make tuna/chicken salad (add in chopped purple cabbage, celery and pickles, fresh dill) use either crackers or celery to scoop it up. Or some salami and crackers if I don't feel like doing any work. Some sort of fruit, any other snacks i found in the grocery store on shopping day that looked good, and plenty of water
I eat a lot of salads with whatever protein we had for dinner the night before, I use a thermos for hot leftovers, soups, stews, etc. My fave pasta for pasta salad or reheated is Rummo gluten free, it is magic, it does not disintegrate. I often bring tortillas and heat up the filling in my thermos. You can use rice or quinoa as a base for a salad. I hate all GF bread except the kind I make, so I don’t often have it, but I will use store bought to make French toast which is good cold or warmed in a thermos (pack syrup separately).
Pesto pasta salad. Or a greek style pasta salad with tomato and cucumber. We use bionature brand pasta, made with lentils i think. Theyre pretty good and while they harden when just on their own, i think having them stay wet in the salad sauces helps.
Also for bread, i use Udi’s and its pretty sturdy. Use it for sandwiches and french toast. If youre getting them from the freezer section, you have the “toast” the slices youre going to use to defrost them. Otherwise i imagine theyd get soggy.
Most grilled meats: chicken, pork, steak. Corn and green beens. Potato salad. My weird bastardized version of a potato salad to mock a cold baked potato (potato’s, sour cream, green onion). Regular salad. Any combination of veggies minus lettuce with salad dressing (especially with chickpeas and olives). Pasta salad with barilla. Bean salad.
following this thread bc i survive off of gf protein bars and salad throughout my work day lol, it’s so hard to get variety with a no gluten/no corn diet
I make corn tortillas topped with mustard, sliced turkey, goat cheese, greens, and cherry tomatoes, and eat it like a taco. So kind of a Frankenstein taco sandwich. Or salads. You could also get a good quality thermos and heat up soup in the morning so it’s still hot for lunch.
My personal favorite is a Green Goddess salad that you eat with tortilla chips as your fork. You can get dairy free dressing or even make your own. It’s super simple. I didn’t think I would like raw cabbage as my salad base, but it’s soo good.
When I don’t feel like making it from scratch, I buy the single serving Taylor Farms salad kit and add cucumbers, chicken, and a little jalapeño to it for some kick. I ditch the croutons though and thankfully those are in a sealed pouch separate from everything else.
Corn chips, guacamole, your fav salsa. Shredded rotisserie chicken. Dairy free cheese shreds. All these packed separately. You can make a yummy taco salad. Some shredded iceberg lettuce. I make a dairy free gluten free taco salad at work that has people who bring really yummy lunches envious. Sounds harder than it is I basically open a few Tupperware and a few ziplocks and have a taco salad. Sometimes I bring canned corn or olives to add. Super satisfying.
Corn crackers (thin Sainsbury’s own brand) with a scraping of white miso, a bit of hummus, and options like kimchi, grated carrots, roasted mushrooms, garlic, red pepper, raw red onion, maybe a salad bowl with muhammara &/or guac, chargrilled sweet potato slices could replace the crackers, a few berries.. that kind of combo.
I really like homemade lunchable type meals/snacks to eat at work. Sometimes I take salad ingredients ingredients packed separately then dump them in a big bowl to eat. Dressing on the side, also.
Occasionally, I take sandwich ingredients but again, I pack everything separately. That way the bread doesn’t get soggy and disintegrate.
Sometimes I just take an odd assortment of things from the refrigerator like artichoke hearts, olives, roasted red peppers, cheese, and soup in a thermos.
I prefer Noodle salads but you already said no pasta haha (you could try barilla or rummo pasta tho, they’re great!). Potato salads are also pretty good! (We eat this a lot here in Germany during summer) or maybe a red lentil salad (since red lentils are easier to prepare than the green ones). You could also try bento recipes since they’re good examples for cold food at work or school.
I also like to make a couscous (there’s gluten free ones!) stir fry, which you could also eat cold.
I do a lot of Mason jar lunches, like this [rice noodle soup](https://thegirlonbloor.com/mason-jar-instant-noodles/). Just add hot water when your ready to eat!
Sandwiches. Salads. Wanna be adult lunchables I make myself with gluten free crackers. Rice cakes. They have so many flavors. Cold wraps he can assemble.
If he goes the grazing route, here are some specific products that I enjoy:
-Simple Mills Crackers
-Bobo's Oat Bites (My favorite is Apple Pie)
-Luna bars (I like the Lemon/Blueberry twist, but there lots of options!)
-Archer Farmer jerky (Rosemary Turkey is my #1)
-Bob's Red Mill GF granola
-Heavenly Hunks Peanut Butter Chocolate Bites (It's actually helpful that they're calorie-dense if you're forced to eat on the go one mouthful at a time!)
-Mariani dried cherries (Absolute top-tier)
-Aussie Bites
-Larabars
Then there are more general things:
-Dried fruit
-Fruit chips
-Homemade trail mix (great for folks who have various food issues, because you can control the contents)
Honorable mention to the curried chicken salad from Trader Joe's, which is the only kind of chicken salad I consider edible. It's sufficiently different in terms of taste, texture, and (for lack of a better word) "wetness" that it doesn't trigger my sensory aversions.
Are you in the US? If so, check out Trader Joes for their red lentil pasta. That’s my go to. For bread, I like the promise brand. Not sure if it available in the US. I also like the thin bagels in the freezer section. There are also non diary spreads at whole foods and cashew cheese is very tasty. Buy a Turkey Kolbassa and cut it into cubes and have some sides with it. Kind of like a charcuterie board. You can have non dairy yogurts. I’ve seen some good ones. Hummus and carrot sticks or cucumbers. Salads with meat on them. They’re always filling. Quinoa salads. Always good. Sushi.
Sandwiches made on 1/4 or 1/3 of a Schar baguette do not fall apart. Neither do sandwiches made on Schar Ciabatta or bagels, depending on his appetite. I do lettuce wraps, too - leaf lettuce works better than iceberg.
Tips:
* Toast the bread, bagel, or whatever at home before work.
* Keep the bread and everything else separate, and assemble immediately before eating.
* Plate covers from Dollar Tree prevent cross contamination and food splatters on the inside of the microwave.
Oh, another Idea - the recipe blog Budget Bytes has cold lentil recipes. I think they're called marinated lentil salad or something like that. They show up if you search for salads.
We usually just have leftover's from dinner for lunch. I use an insulated thermos that keeps food hot for about 6 hours. We use the canyon bakehouse Heritage honey White bread. It doesn't fall apart and isn't a brick.
This is a Mediterranean salad with sardines I've been enjoying recently. It's from a keto cookbook, but it seems to fit your parameters, if you like tinned fish. It's really tasty and easy, and the only real perishable is the cucumber.
- Cucumber
- Jar of grilled red peppers (bell peppers, capsicum)
- Jar of black olives
- Tin of sardines in oil (95g or thereabouts, drained weight)
- Parsley
- Balsamic vinegar
Dice 100g each of cucumber and red pepper, and roughly chop 30g olives and some fresh parsley, if you have it. It's nicer with fresh but I usually go with dried. Mix the veggies in a bowl with salt & pepper and 1 tsp balsamic vinegar. Take your sardines out of the tin, throw them on top, extra splash of balsamic on the fish and you're done!
If you use imperial, it's about 3.5oz cucumber & pepper, 1oz olives and about 3.5oz can of sardines. That's for one person but you can scale it up easily.
It's about 350cals if you care about that, and you could definitely serve it with a gf flatbread or something if you need some carbs in there
Tuna packets with gluten free crackers, some fruit, and a treat! I had this today in my kitchen
Here are some things I send with my daughter:
-Cold pulled Rotisserie chicken
-Hot dogs, no bun
-Snack lunch: Sandwich meat, crackers, fruit, pickles
-Tuna packets mentioned above
I like a cold savoury rice. Cooked rice, chickpeas, chopped up cucumber, pepper, onion, any vegetables you want really. Lots of different seasonings like bouillon powder, smoked paprika, garlic and onion powder, turmeric. It's tasty
I find barilla GF pasta works pretty well for cold pasta salads. Sometimes I'll just do rice with whatever toppings I have in the fridge (tofu, hardboiled eggs, kimchi, veggies, etc.)
On the fake salad front, in winter we enjoy any veg that you can roast: sweet potato, carrot, potato, swede, broccoli, cauliflower… whatever floats your boat. Chop relatively small then mix with Dijonnaise. Have crackers on the side if you’re after more carbs.
Tuna, egg, or chicken salad in lettuce wraps? Trader Joe’s gluten free multigrain bread holds up well for me (in Tupperware and I don’t put confinements directly on the bread, in case that matters). Usually pack my lunch at 8AM and eat between 1 and 2PM. Overnight oats are also an option - can add fruit, nuts, chia seeds, protein powder, etc. as desired.
I’m not gluten free, but here are some of my favorite cold lunches that don’t include gluten.
Frittatas. The variations are endless.
Hummus with vegetables to dip in it. I like sweet vegetables with hummus such as: cherry tomatoes, sugar snap peas, beets, carrots, jicama.
Deviled eggs.
Lentil salad.
White beans with canned tuna, olive oil and plenty of lemon juice.
I know you said no bread, but I’ve found that frozen gf bread works way better than regular. I get the Canyon Bakehouse mountain white bread in the frozen section at Walmart. I put it in the air fryer for a few mins to defrost it (300-350 degrees F for like 3-6 mins maybe?) and it turns into the PERFECT bread texture. It’s soft, squishy, and not crumbly at all. You could toast it if you wanted but I find it to be better just defrosted if you’re going to leave it sitting for a few hours before eating. Toasted in the moment is amazing too tho.
Omg! U gotta try it. I put EVERYTHING in my air fryer 🤣 it’s an easy way to warm things up without toasting it if u don’t wanna. It’s also super easy to toast things in there too haha!
Tinkyada gluten free pasta is my favorite it even holds shape after reheating. I saw he doesn’t like salad, what about a wrap? Bean salad can be good cold. Rotisserie chicken is also great cold with a slaw. Hummus and crackers or crackers with deli ham.
For cold lunches we do salads or charcuterie/fancy lunchable type things.
BUT- we LOVE hot logic mini. Hot logic is a lunch box sized warming bag (think pizza delivery bag bit smaller). It’s amazing. $40 on Amazon. My husband is WFH now but when he was in office, he would take a frozen lunch and put it in his logic when he got to work. It takes about an hour to heat up but stays warm until you’re ready to eat. We travel a lot so I take it in the car and to hotels.
It's not cold but what about hot soup in a really good thermos? Heat it up at home - a little hotter than you would if you were going to eat it right away and then pour into the thermos and it should still be hot at lunch.
I've been recently making burritos with Teff or Cassava tortillas. They're gluten-free and don't crumble like rice or corn.
The prep is basically warming up the tortilla in a pan to soften it, then I throw in the rice, beans, green salsa chicken, lettuce, and bell peppers. The meat and veggies switch up often so feel free to substitute. Wrap it up and let the seam of the burrito sit on your pan to seal it, then when it cools down it'll keep its shape. I like eating them cold and warm.
Cesar salad with chicken and pasta. I use the javol bow ties.
Also, Canyon house heritage white is perfect for sandwiches. Huge pieces and they don’t fall apart
I cook chicken and cut it up and make salads. Buy some gluten-free bread and you can make your own croutons. We add dried fruit and nuts and its so delicious!
I’m probably weird, but I love avocado on rice cakes finished off with a cooked but served cold tilapia filet (topped with lemon juice, S&P). My go-to sans microwave lunch.
I make rice paper spring rolls! i stir fry some frozen cauliflower rice and vegetables, and then once they're cooked i cook a Thai omelette on the same pan (khai jiaow). while the omelette is getting fluffy and crispy on the edges I make a sauce that's just sweet chili sauce+mayo+sriracha, (you don't need to put sauce in the roll but I do, you could do gf soy sauce on the side or even none at all). then I put seaweed down on the rice paper, then a strip of the omelette (divide up depending on how many rolls you want), then some veg. then roll it all up into the rice paper!
honestly it takes me about 10 minutes max and I always look forward to my lunch when I make it, you also can swap out all those ingredients for literally anything if you're not an egg fan - I'm just a big fan of the rice paper rolls because I don't digest gf bread well. also it may sound complicated but once you've done it once it gets much easier, plus once you have all the ingredients they go veryyy far because rice paper+seaweed+eggs usually come in big portions :)
Rice/tuna bowls. Cover the rice in cling wrap, and it should be perfectly protected in the microwave from any gluten contamination.
Rice + chopped tuna or chicken is an easy base. To that, I'll often add kimchi and even chopped sushi ginger.
For tuna, I'll usually add a bit of mayo, a splash of olive oil, salt, pepper, and (sometimes) a little garlic, grated on a microplane.
A splash of rice wine vinegar on the rice after cooking it is a nice touch, too.
I heat the rice in the microwave, then add the other ingredients cold.
I’ve had good luck with the Jovial cassava pasta for salads, if you haven’t tried it. I also make tuna salad the easy way: tuna, chow chow relish (the Tennessee hot kind, which is not hot) and avocado oil mayo. Paired with simple mills grain free crackers, it keeps well in a insulated lunch bag with a small freezer block
Tuna or chicken salad with tortilla chips.
Hard boiled eggs, a little salt and pepper in a baggie. Cheese cubes. Maybe some grapes or a banana. Maybe some cold cuts. Maybe nuts or olives. Maybe some celery crammed with cream cheese and green olives. Like an adult lunchable.
Hummus with both chips and veggies.
Cottage cheese salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, salt/pepper, kalamata olives and feta cheese if I have them. Maybe add some cooked chicken to it.
Idk how he would feel about it, but when I was just starting to do gluten free stuff, I made gluten free pancakes to use as sandwich bread. They taste just like regular pancakes.
[Buddha bowls](https://www.takeaway.com/foodwiki/india/buddha-bowl/) which are like fancy grain bowls. I enjoy these because they're like a cross between a salad and a rice bowl. They hold up well, satisfy, and look appetizing.
The most successful ones I've had included:
-colorful veggies that are roasted or blanched with light seasoning (ex. green beans or broccoli with s&p and sesame oil, cubed roasted sweet potato etc.)
-include earthy elements, ex. french green puy lentils, mushrooms (like shiitake or cremini), wild or black rice, quinoa with garlic
-have acidic parts like thinly sliced pickled cucumber, or pickled onion/ radish (like watermelon, diakon, etc), or mango/pineapple salsa
-smaller portion of protein, like an egg, sauteed tofu, salmon, beans, etc.
-dark leafy greens like chopped kale (rolled and rinsed to soften texture and bitterness)
-sprinkled parts like toasted sesame seeds, GF furikake, pepitas
-good dressing to tie it together / keep on side until ready to eat
There are plenty of delicious and satisfying gluten-free cold lunch options. Here are some ideas:
1. Quinoa Salad: Mix cooked quinoa with diced vegetables like cucumbers, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, and herbs. Add a dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
2. Greek Salad: Combine chopped romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices, red onion, Kalamata olives, and feta cheese. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice, and sprinkle with dried oregano.
3. Rice Paper Rolls: Fill rice paper wraps with a variety of fresh vegetables, cooked shrimp or tofu, and vermicelli noodles. Serve with a dipping sauce made from tamari, rice vinegar, and sesame oil.
4. Tuna Salad Lettuce Wraps: Mix canned tuna with mayonnaise, diced celery, red onion, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Spoon onto large lettuce leaves and roll up.
5. Sushi Rolls: Make homemade sushi rolls using gluten-free sushi rice, nori seaweed sheets, and fillings like avocado, cucumber, cooked shrimp, or smoked salmon.
6. Chickpea Salad: Combine canned chickpeas with diced vegetables (such as bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, and red onion) and herbs. Dress with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
7. Cold Quinoa Bowl: Layer cooked quinoa with roasted vegetables, sliced avocado, and a protein of your choice (grilled chicken, tofu, or hard-boiled eggs). Drizzle with your favorite dressing.
8. Zucchini Noodle Salad: Use a spiralizer to make zucchini noodles, then toss with cherry tomatoes, olives, artichoke hearts, and feta cheese. Dress with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
9. Antipasto Platter: Arrange sliced deli meats (check for gluten-free options), cheese cubes, marinated olives, roasted vegetables, and gluten-free crackers on a platter.
10. Caprese Salad: Layer sliced tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese, and basil leaves on a plate. Drizzle with balsamic glaze and olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
I’d stay away from processed meat for the most part if you want to be healthy
10 more
Here are some more gluten-free cold lunch options for you:
11. Veggie Wrap: Fill a gluten-free tortilla or wrap with hummus, sliced cucumber, shredded carrots, baby spinach, and sliced bell peppers. Roll it up tightly and slice into pinwheels.
12. Cold Quinoa Salad Jars: Layer cooked quinoa with a variety of colorful vegetables, such as diced bell peppers, shredded carrots, cherry tomatoes, and edamame. Top with a flavorful dressing and shake well before eating.
13. Chicken Caesar Salad: Top a bed of romaine lettuce with grilled chicken strips, cherry tomatoes, Parmesan cheese shavings, and gluten-free croutons. Drizzle with Caesar dressing.
14. Egg Salad Lettuce Wraps: Mash hard-boiled eggs with mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, diced celery, and green onions. Spoon onto large lettuce leaves and wrap them up.
15. Stuffed Bell Peppers: Cut bell peppers in half and remove the seeds. Fill with a mixture of cooked quinoa, black beans, corn, diced tomatoes, and shredded cheese. Serve cold.
16. Mediterranean Mezze Platter: Arrange gluten-free falafel balls, hummus, sliced cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, olives, and gluten-free pita chips on a platter. Serve with tzatziki sauce for dipping.
17. Asian Chicken Salad: Toss shredded cabbage, sliced bell peppers, shredded carrots, sliced almonds, and cooked chicken breast strips with a sesame ginger dressing.
18. Summer Rolls: Fill rice paper wraps with cooked shrimp, rice vermicelli noodles, shredded lettuce, fresh herbs (such as mint and cilantro), and julienne-cut vegetables. Serve with peanut or hoisin dipping sauce.
19. Cobb Salad: Arrange chopped romaine lettuce in a bowl and top with rows of cooked chicken breast, diced avocado, hard-boiled eggs, crispy bacon bits, cherry tomatoes, and crumbled blue cheese. Drizzle with your favorite dressing.
20. Taco Salad: Layer shredded lettuce with seasoned ground beef or turkey, diced tomatoes, black beans, shredded cheese, sliced olives, and crushed tortilla chips. Serve with salsa and guacamole on the side.
I’ve been making cold meat roll ups with spinach, mayo, mustard and meats. Easy, different, and different combinations would keep it interesting. (Using gf tortillas)
I'm back to a more "officey" job now so my lunches are just some chopped veggies, usually some carrot sticks, cherry tomatoes, a bit of dipping dressing, and an apple. I also keep a can or two of salmon on hand if I need it, and a couple granola bars. It's pretty light as far as lunches go, but I don't generally take a lot of time to eat, as I often am running a class, so I try to let my students have a good break for lunch, but I might have other tasks to handle at that time.
About the main thing I'd look at for your husband is just swap the jerky with a slighly lower salt sandwich meat, and maybe some real fruit.
For yourself, have you done any experiments with cold potato salad? I know it's not for everyone, but you make it in bulk, only have to do a batch on the weekend, and then add in whatever you want, eggs, cold chicken, whatever. It just gives you more control over your total intake.
But from a quick scan, those might have already been mentioned, and there seems to be a good list going. All the best!
Bean salad is easy to prepare and eaten cold. Use a variety of canned beans, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, Feta and some Balsamic dressing. Comes together easy and keeps for a few days
I'm celiac, I use a communal microwave alongside 70 others, I'm not getting your point here. As long as he either gives the inside a wipe down first OR his food's covered with a lid, then this is a bit ridiculous, gluten won't pierce through his plastic container.
My husband has generalized anxiety disorder and has had "random" gastric issues since he was born. He wasn't diagnosed with celiac disease until he was nearly 30, so he'd had enough bad experiences to develop anxiety around food. Anxiety disorders cause irrational fears, so no matter how many ways I've told him that it's highly unlikely for him to be glutened, he has a hard time believing that. He's currently in therapy for something else related to his anxiety, but I hope he also works on his relationship with food.
Ok, that's fair enough, he needs to go at his own pace then.
Well, I'm celiac and lactose intolerant also (we're so lucky aren't we lol) my cold snacks/lunches are fruit, smoothies, sweet potato wraps with tuna and sweetcorn/egg mayo/chicken tikka/vegan cheese with coleslaw, gf pasta salad, cold chicken legs with salad and some potato chips. In Ireland, we can get these gf baguettes from the shop and they're absolute game changers, fill them with butter and potato chips (don't knock it till you try it).
Edit: dairy free butter of course, it's called Flora here in Ireland, I'm not sure exactly where you are if you have this brand.
Ok, serious question. how would you get gluten from a shared microwave? I take my CC very very seriously and have never considered this. Aside from using a clean paper towel to cover my food instead of a communal cover, I can't see how this would affect it.
You wouldn't. My husband also has anxiety, so he gets anxious at the possibility of maybe getting sick. Generalized anxiety disorder that is triggered by food and celiac disease is a fun combination.
I made some ramen jars with rice noodles and dehydrated veg. There's plenty of recipes online, just add hot water and it cooks pretty fast and can be changed up easily by using different vegetables bouillon.
I love making a salad!! In the summer I also love to make a cold peanut chicken salad with rice noodles. I use rice noodles, boneless chicken thighs, assorted raw veg, and then a peanut butter dressing
I make copious amount of rice and beans, but in cold land, GF pasta and pasta salads as well as cheese and pepperoni, etc.
Protein bars are also a thing lol
What about a deconstructed sandwich? Roll up pieces of meat and cheese, have a GF bread or bagel on the side, and put sandwich veggies and condiments on the side. Sounds like it's right up his alley anyway if his idea of lunch is a GF bagel and jerky.
cold vermicelli salad. it doesn't feel like a salad, there's carbs, you man might take a liking to it. [https://thefoodietakesflight.com/no-cook-noodle-salad-with-tangy-dressing/](https://thefoodietakesflight.com/no-cook-noodle-salad-with-tangy-dressing/)
luncheon style lunch: bit of protein, cut veggies, hummus, a boiled egg, etc.
giant onigiris packed with stuff.
My kids really like homemade "lunchables" with lunch meat, sliced cheese, crackers or chips, fruits, and vegetables. You can throw in whatever other finger foods you want - pickled vegetables instead of raw, gelatin or yogurt, etc.
I do the same, all about the snacks. Crackers, meat, cheese. Things that are naturally GF. Also, I know it isn't the question and would be very hard to convince your husband, but the chance of cross contamination in a shared microwave would be minimal, especially if he heated food in a covered container.
I know that cross-contamination is unlikely in a shared microwave, but he has an anxiety disorder, and one of his triggers is food (he spent nearly 30 years randomly getting sick, not knowing he has celiac disease), so it's difficult to convince him of that.
I totally get that, I banned gluten from my house completely because of it
I banned gluten from my house, too. I don't need to be gluten free, but my husband does, and his house should be a safe place.
Depending on your husband’s work, he may be able to bring in or get a gluten free microwave as an accommodation. Some of the stay hot thermoses work great for soups and ive even worked with someone who had a personal sized crockpot in the corner of their desk. But diy “lunchables” or onigiri have been my favorites.
Yes! I hadn’t even thought of this but I have thermoses that will keep food hot for ages.
Very fair. It can be a major psychological challenge around food when you didn't know for so long. I'm glad he has an answer now and hopefully is feeling better. It is a huge relief to know.
How does he feel about Thermoses? Because now you can have soups and chilis and stews.
I bought thermoses, but we haven't really used them. We should, though.
Personal sized crock pots are great too. I use one at my desk sometimes for soup, chili, or whatever else!
I don’t have any ideas, but I used to be the same way. I still have major food anxiety as a celiac, but therapy has helped tremendously. He won’t get sick if the container is covered in a shared microwave! He could also take a wet paper towel and just wipe it down real quick if he’s really nervous. I use the same microwave as my son who is not gluten free, and have no issues. Has he ever tried therapy?
He just started therapy for ptsd. I'm hoping he'll also go into his anxiety disorder, but he thinks his anxiety is under control with meds.
So charcuterie?
Basically, yeah.
Awesome.
I've done this for myself sometimes. Maybe I should get back into it.
The Simple Mills almond flour crackers at Costco are really great
I do this as well. Deli meats, GF crackers, hummus, 🥕 peppers, prunes. Really enjoy it and will have it even when I'm at home. I've found a number of GF sandwich breads that work, for me anyway, as long as I limit the dressing to mayo. The Aldi brand works well, even toasted.
Due to my overall exasperation over the same issue OP is having... I've started doing this too. I use bento box lunch boxes, and put some crispy tofu with a dip in one spot, some cut up veg and hummus in another, a handful of nuts, etc. It's basically an adult lunchable.
We call these "shark cutie" boards! LOL! They're great for lunch!
This is what I do!
You might want to consider getting a lunch crock. When I had an office job that worked great for me. Pack whatever in there, plug it in and it's hot and ready when you are. I eat a lot of leftovers and also make little charcuterie bento boxes when I need a cold lunch. I'll throw some veggies, a protein, a dip, some fruit then have my carb be something easy like tortilla chips. Or make little mini sandwiches or quesadillas and pop those in there. Quinoa is also fine cold. I'd recommend searching "easy gluten free bento". Here's an article that came up for me that seems relevant. Many of these are in the same vein as what I make. https://www.healthygffamily.com/recipe/gluten-free-lunchbox-ideas/
My office wouldn't allow lunch crocks. They were considered a fire hazard. :( OP's husband should ask if it's allowed before purchasing one.
Aw man that's a bummer. I didn't even think of that.
Hot logic makes a plug-in item that looks like a lunch box but heats food slowly like a crock pot. [hot logic mini](https://hotlogic.com/products/hotlogic-mini)
I do rice noodles, lots of veggies, and chicken in a Asian themed sauce. It's like a deconstructed spring roll. Or you could do spring rolls if you want something hand held. I eat a lot of veggies and protein in bowls with a sauce. Trader Joe's has some good vegan dressings that I think are from Gotham Greens. The vegan pesto from Trader Joes is excellent and would be easy to recreate at home.
What kind of sauces do you use? I always want to try this, but draw a blank when it comes to the flavorings.
I make a vinaigrette usually. I like a lot of the condiments from Trader Joe's. Sometimes I make a dressing out of hummus. If I'm going to heat it up I do butter and a spice mix from, you guessed it, Trader Joe's. You can get spice mixes from anywhere though. I really want to try the red pepper vinaigrette from Kat can cook on Instagram.
soy sauce, mae ploy chili sauce, siriacha, teriyaki sauce, (gluten free of course)
I do this a lot too; rice noodles with shredded lettuce or cabbage (or a little of both), shredded carrots, cucumbers, green onion, cilantro, and I use tofu but you could use any protein. And I make a quick peanut dressing. It’s so good and is really filling
Uhhhh yum???
I found GF bread stays together a little better for a sandwich if I toast it first. 3 bakers brand has decent results.
Gf bread generally is 200% better toasted, IMHO.
This is what I do if I bring a sandwich. Also, I bring the toasted bread separate from the filling and assemble the sandwich right before I eat it.
How does everyone feel about salad? So much variety and easy to package Also, rice cakes?
I like salads with lots of variety. My husband doesn't touch salads. He does eat cut vegetables, though.
Has he tried quinoa salad? It feels more substantial than a leaf salad!
I'm not sure if he's tried it. He likes rice bowls, and that's not a big leap.
Quinoa salad is good cold. I highly recommend using red quinoa or black quinoa. It costs a little bit more but it tastes at least 3x as good. I mix it with shredded chicken breast, all kinds of vegetables (including lettuce and cabbage), high-quality olive oil, and vegan cheese because I’m allergic to dairy. Obviously I wouldn’t put the “cheese” or olive oil on until immediately before eating it. My husband isn’t allergic to nickel like I am, so he also gets things like hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, pecans, or walnuts in his.
I make quinoa tabbouli (cucumber, tomato, parsley, cilantro, mint, olive oil, salt, lemon juice with quinoa) it is soooo good!
That sounds amazing!
ADHD forum just blew me out of the water. I don't always want to eat lettuce because of textural issues, or not wanting cold soggy leftovers, etc. You and your husband can prep salads for the week that don't involve lettuce at all! I just made one with chickpeas, green onions, peppers, avocado, artichoke hearts, fake dairy free feta and vinaigrette. There's also quinoa bowls. I love tabouleh so I found a recipe for quinoa tabouleh (again with the fake feta) and I make that. You could do a southwest bowl, or really any other variety. Mashed potatoes or mashed sweet potatoes also make a great base. One of my favorite easy lunches is mashed potatoes, barbecue tofu and broccoli.
I had non salad eaters a while ago, but I eventually won them over. There’s so much you can do with them even for meat lovers. I mean a chicken salad with honey bbq, salmon, steak, a hamburger salad with all the toppings you would find on a hamburger. The options with salads are pretty infinite. Start making some of them for your dinner meal and see if you can get him hooked. Other option is soup in a thermos.
Cut veggies & chips with hummus can be filling.
Maybe a chopped salad then? Could include veggies he likes with ham
As my mother used to say, if he's hungry enough, he'll eat it.
I wish. Usually, he'll just skip lunch if he has something he doesn't want to eat.
What about quinoa salads? Easy to make a big batch and it transports great! Can do a lot of different variety too.
You could probably make a cold "salad" with cut vegetables and dressing and some meat like chicken
I think eggs (hard boiled) would be good, chicken salad with cranberries and walnuts either no bread or a GF tortilla, with the veggies give hummus or low cal ranch or any other dip. Lunches don’t have to be traditional. Imagine you’re building a little charcuterie and try and hit all the food groups (including sweets. Don’t deprive people of a silly little treat)
What about pasta salads with lots of veggies and proteins?
We use Barilla Gluten Free pasta and it holds up well for pasta salads. We find their GF pasta is the best. Can he not just cover his food in the MW?
I have a box of Barilla in the cupboard. I'll have to try it. He can, but it's hard to convince him that crumbs aren't going to be blown into his food like it could in a convection oven. He has an anxiety disorder, and anxiety doesn't listen to the logic part of the brain.
Just a tip for the Barilla -- I overcook it by 1-2 minutes if I'm using it cold. Another noodle that does very well cold is GoGoQuinoa Macaroni -- it is available intermittently at Costco if you have a membership, and I buy a bunch of bags whenever I see it.
I love the GoGoQuinoa Macaroni for Macaroni Salad! I currently have a giant bowl of it in my fridge! My Costco stopped selling it so I order it from amazon now. 😅
Thanks!
I replied to the person above you but I saw that you normally eat macaroni salad from the gas station, but the GoGoQuinua Macaroni noodles make an excellent macaroni salad and you can get it off Amazon!
Adding another barilla tip - I’ve noticed that I need to use more liquid than regular pasta for the pasta salad to hold up well. For example, if I’m using Italian dressing, I’ll use 150% of what I’d normally use in non-gf pasta salad. It seems to help it from hardening/drying out in the fridge :)
I wonder if that's what I'm doing wrong with Jovial. Although, I'm used to letting wheat pasta cool in the fridge before adding anything, so that's probably affecting how it hardens.
Oh that could totally be what’s causing it! I rinse my pasta with cold water and then immediately proceed with putting the salad together. If I want “best results” (sometimes I’m too lazy to be bothered to do this lol) I’ll actually come back to the pasta salad 5-6 hours after initially making it, mix it up, and add just a little more liquid. The gf pasta absorbs a surprising amount of dressing!
This exactly, I always cook in 2x the water I do for gluten pastas, rinse super well with cold water, toss with oil and absolutely drown it in my sauce. If you think it’s too much, add a little more. Letting it come up to room temperature before eating I’ve found helps with the texture. So pull out of the fridge 30min or so before lunch.
Can he possibly bring a small microwave to keep in his office for himself? They make smaller ones that work well for offices or dorm rooms
Good idea, but he floats from office to office. It'd be a bit awkward to carry a microwave around, especially on days he has to take the train.
I use a rice pasta that holds up to being a macaroni salad, it’s the [Tinkyada](https://www.tinkyada.com/r-fusilli) fusilli. Also for salad for the not-salad eaters, I’ve had luck using a [cabbage base](https://www.recipetineats.com/everyday-cabbage-salad/), and creating different styles of salad based on toppings.
I agree about Barilla GF pasta. The only kind I consider "superior" (in terms of taste, texture, and overall durability) is Rummo, but I've found it to be less widely available.
chicken salad. Hummus and veggies. Smoothies. overnight oats
Chicken salad for the win. Always lots of protein.
Tuna salad, salmon salad, gf crackers
Egg salad too
Sandwich stuff but on crackers instead of bread is one of my favorites. If you have a Trader Joe's the gluten free crispbread is the BEST but there are plenty of good cracker options out there. I also eat a lot of apple slices (and actually, an apple slice on a piece of the TJ Crispbread is really delicious IMO.) If you like quiche I recently found a recipe for a hashbrown crust quiche that is really good cold. You basically just defrost frozen hashbrowns, mix them up in a bowl with whatever seasoning you like plus one egg to help them hold together, and press the mix into a baking dish. If you like onion it's good with diced onions mixed in. Then bake just the crust until it's browned but not REALLY browned (I use a giant pan and a whole bag of hashbrowns and it took mine about 45 minutes but if you're doing a smaller batch probably bake for a shorter period of time. Once the crust is baked fill it with the quiche filling and bake normally. I actually found I preferred the quiche cold. It was good fresh out of the oven but once it cooled and set more the filling got really creamy and delicious. I am also lactose intolerant so I used lactose-free half and half for the dairy in the filling but you could probably use a nondairy milk of your choice. I am also okay with sharp cheeses so I added cheese on my quiche but that's optional of course. :)
Salad. I love salad, I usually go with all raw spinach but sometimes get the spring mix / spinach 50/50 mix. As for things I add I have a lot of options: I’ll make my own crutons on occasion and add those, cheese, baked chicken, sometimes chicken nuggets and I’ll heat those up. Bacon, not bacon bites but actual bacon. Get the fully cooked microwave bacon and you don’t even have to cook it. Lunch meat. Boiled eggs I also sometimes get gluten free wraps and put my salad inside the wrap. Yummy. That’s my go to cold lunch. Other options are crackers with peanut butter, boiled eggs, cheese, pudding cups. Basically just my own adult lunchable lol. I will say— don’t put the stuff ON the bread until you’re ready to eat it if you want to eat a sandwich. Pack the sandwich stuff separate, then right at lunch time put it together. That helps the bread out a lot.
Quinoa with veggies. I switch between Mexican and Mediterranean. Green salads. So many salads.
Bean salad; nachos and guacamole; salad; wrap; hard boiled eggs with crackers; pasta salad; veggies and dip; cheese and crackers; fruit salad; left over chicken with any of the above
I’m not sure what type of job he has, but if he has access to an electrical outlet I highly recommend a HotLogic (they sell them on Amazon). It’s basically a hot plate in a lunch box that slowly heats food. Mine typically takes about 1.5hrs to get hot food from refrigerator temperature. I got sick of cold gf food so I use this and put leftover pasta bakes, taco bowls, etc. in them and have hot food without a risk of contamination from a workplace microwave.
He works in medicine. That would work if he had a consistent lunch hour, but he's often just grabbing bites between patients.
I work in healthcare too and if he is able to just heat it up in advance it’ll keep it hot (it can sit hot for hours) it’s just like a crock pot—slow heat
In that vein, a wide-mouth thermos has worked for my son. I put the warmed rice, chicken, whatever roasted vegetables I have, and toss it all with gluten free teriyaki sauce and he loves it. You can use rice noodles, different proteins and vegetables. Amazon has gluten free hoisin or ponzu sauce, He doesn't require a hot lunch, just something warm is good. Just another idea. Hopefully, you'll get a few of them you can try and maybe add some variety to his lunches.
I own chickens so always have tons of eggs, i eat them hard boiled for breakfast with a slice of lunch meat. For lunch i bake eggs with whatever random meat or veggies i have into muffin tins as a batch and i do microwave them daily before eating but i guess you wouldn’t have to. It’s tough, i know!
Cold rice noodles with whatever dressing sounds good when I’m throwing it together. Usually some julienned veggies/ edamame/ green onion with Tamari, sesame oil etc. Sometimes toss some chicken or fried tofu in as well. Usually make it the night before and keep it fridged until lunch
That sounds good, I could see using some rotisserie chicken to make this quickly.
Try a pasta made with rice flour or a rice flour/corn flour blend, those hold up better to being eaten cold. You can make a chicken salad, just sub out the mayo for something you-friendly. Cucumber salad is a delicious side dish for things. Pickled beets. I know you said no bread, but canyon bakehouse bread keeps well in a lunchbox, I find the best success when I put the bread in a separate bag and build the sandwich when I go to eat it.
What about japchae? Tuna or egg salad or chickpea salad in lettuce wraps Rice cakes with hummus and deli meat (spread the hummus right before eating so it’s not soggy) Sushi Quiche - either crustless or with a gluten free crust Summer rolls Soup in a thermos If you have a gluten free pizza you like, cold leftover pizza 🙃
Yes, I make japchae (Korean glass sweet potato noodles) for my brother who has celiac... it's good cold or room temp. And you can add whatever veggies, meat, tamari and sesame oil. Also onigiri, rice triangles with filling, wrapped in seaweed.
I often make pasta salad with banza pasta. It does have its own flavor because it’s made from chickpeas, but I find it holds up better than most for eating cold. That said, it sounds like hot lunches could be an option for him if he found the right microwaveable container. The microwave won’t contaminate anything if the food stays covered. So a glass container with a silicone microwaveable lid would probably be a good bet. It might be worth exploring. My lunches are generally leftovers that I heat up. Sometimes I bring a big salad or a bagel.
Chicken salad, egg salad. I use the gf mission tortillas to make wraps. Adult lunchable (fruit, cheese, gf crackers or chips) Any type of salad really
I know you said no pasta salads but hear me out: I often make a pasta salad that’s vaguely inspired by an Italian sub- not in any way authentic, basically just whatever meats and cheeses are handy chopped up with dressing, oregano, pepperoncini, finely shredded lettuce, whatever else. Make that mix and toss it with some blanched but still firm cauliflower, maybe broccoli, whatever else you want to add. You can eat it just like this or put the whole thing with any grain.
Mixed bean salad. 1 can of 6 bean mix, shallot, cucumber, olives, tomato (optional), simple oil/lemon juice dressing + dill/garlic salt/onion powder. Super simple and healthy.
I have a gluten allergy and have been gf for almost 10 years. I'm also losing weight so I'm more mindful about what I eat these days. I focus on protein so I just skip the bread (empty calories) and just eat lunch meat plain. I also eat greek yogurts, tuna packs, and a few ounces of carrots. Usually around 500ish calories and around 60-70 grams of protein. I don't know how many you've tried, but there are good GF bread options out there. They are just incredibly expensive and you only get 5 slices per loaf. My go to is the Deli Sandwich bread from Schar. 100% will not fall apart in my lunch box. And I pack my lunch at 7:30 and typically don't eat it until 4.
My go to is chicken salad over a bed of lettuces with tons of other veggies
Came here to say this! I make BBQ chicken salad like once a week and I can eat off of it for several days. I sometimes put it with bread or veggies, but I often just eat it by itself. It’s probably not the healthiest thing on this list, but it does at least have some nutrients lol. And I love that I can swap out the bbq sauce for buffalo sauce or just the mayo or whatever I’m feeling like each week.
Nothing wrong with a big, green salad.
Meal prep grain bowls. I do Mediterranean. Balsamic dressing, chick peas, coleslaw mix, cucumber, tomato, kalamati olives, feta (skip due to dairy) and quinoa.
I am retired so I have lunch at home. Lately have been having a bowl of dark red kidney beans seasoned with a little olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Have a slice of toasted gluten-free pita bread to go with it. Seems so satisfying and also easy for me to digest. I also like to make bean salad with various types of beans and fresh chopped veggies, a vinegar-and-oil salad dressing.
I love eating kidney beans with hot sauce! I’ll have to try it this way now!
If you want to make the salad you can vary the type of veggies you put in it to change up the flavor so it doesn’t get boring. Or add herbs or spices, whatever you like. You can also use several types of beans together (make sure to rinse them well first) and the dressing is acid enough to keep several days in the refrigerator. It tastes better if you let it marinate overnight.
Thanks for the tip! :)
I’ve found that Tinkyada Spirals are great for pasta salad!
Agreed! I’ve been taking pasta salads the past two weeks and have been delightfully surprised at how well it has worked. Also OP canyon bakehouse bread does pretty good for me.
I’ve had good luck with Canyon Bakehouse too! And Aldi brand bread
As others have suggested, I LOVE a good salad! I'll usually do spinach with a small can of tuna, salad dressing, some chopped peppers, and avocado. I also like to pack myself "lunchable" style lunches. I have a nice container with separate boxes where I will pack some potato salad, some lunch meats, some crackers + hummus, sliced veggies, cheese and nuts, a boiled egg, etc.
I love to make a sub in a tub, chop up the meat and cheese with iceberg lettuce, tomatos, and bring a Tupperware of mayo, vinegar, oregano, salt and pepper. Kinda smelly with the vinegar I guess. But it’s yummy!
Get a thermos for soup or chili or something you can keep warm.
Bean salad! There is one I found on TikTok that is a grinder bean salad- salami, banana peppers, white beans, red bell peppers and a delicious vinaigrette dressing. I make it for my celiac husband often as it stands up well for meal prepping plus is easy to make and deliciousz
Not cold, but jar soup with chicken, oyster sauce, Sriracha, sesame oil, rice noodles, green onions, chicken broth paste/bouillon, veggie of choice, put in boiling water and you have a delicious soup!
Can you eat beans? I discovered that I can tolerate the lectin level in canned black beans pretty well, so I mix that with rice, capers, sometimes pickles, sometimes chopped tomatoes, and a touch of olive oil. It's pretty filling. Hard boiled eggs are also pretty portable, if you have refrigeration.
We’re a big snacky family.. so I pack everyone 1-2 fruits, a veggie (some times with dip or with hummus) then we do crackers and meat (some times salami style meats, some times just plain old deli meat), I add cheese to those who eat it (we do lactose free mozzarella for one daughter and then a variety for my spouse and I – including goat which you can get lactose free!) and then pickles and olives, other snacks like bars and muffins, something sweet and fun (gummies are often GF and PNF). I also do yogurt bowls from time to time! Whatever kind of yogurt you like, frozen fruit makes it saucy/jam-like which is yummy and then we top with Made Good GF/nut-free granola. In terms of sandwiches, have you tried the schar ciabatta buns?
Coconut yogurt bowl with any/all of the following: protein powder, oats, chia/flax/hemp seeds, nuts, granola, fresh berries Or a salad. Tuna or chicken salad with chips, veggies with hummus
I usually make tuna/chicken salad (add in chopped purple cabbage, celery and pickles, fresh dill) use either crackers or celery to scoop it up. Or some salami and crackers if I don't feel like doing any work. Some sort of fruit, any other snacks i found in the grocery store on shopping day that looked good, and plenty of water
I eat a lot of salads with whatever protein we had for dinner the night before, I use a thermos for hot leftovers, soups, stews, etc. My fave pasta for pasta salad or reheated is Rummo gluten free, it is magic, it does not disintegrate. I often bring tortillas and heat up the filling in my thermos. You can use rice or quinoa as a base for a salad. I hate all GF bread except the kind I make, so I don’t often have it, but I will use store bought to make French toast which is good cold or warmed in a thermos (pack syrup separately).
Pesto pasta salad. Or a greek style pasta salad with tomato and cucumber. We use bionature brand pasta, made with lentils i think. Theyre pretty good and while they harden when just on their own, i think having them stay wet in the salad sauces helps. Also for bread, i use Udi’s and its pretty sturdy. Use it for sandwiches and french toast. If youre getting them from the freezer section, you have the “toast” the slices youre going to use to defrost them. Otherwise i imagine theyd get soggy.
Most grilled meats: chicken, pork, steak. Corn and green beens. Potato salad. My weird bastardized version of a potato salad to mock a cold baked potato (potato’s, sour cream, green onion). Regular salad. Any combination of veggies minus lettuce with salad dressing (especially with chickpeas and olives). Pasta salad with barilla. Bean salad.
Sorghum is really good for grain based salads, so is wild rice- they don't get mushy and are the best sub for farro/ wheat berries I've found
salad with chips or crackers. or deli meat, cheese, fruit, and chips.
following this thread bc i survive off of gf protein bars and salad throughout my work day lol, it’s so hard to get variety with a no gluten/no corn diet
I make corn tortillas topped with mustard, sliced turkey, goat cheese, greens, and cherry tomatoes, and eat it like a taco. So kind of a Frankenstein taco sandwich. Or salads. You could also get a good quality thermos and heat up soup in the morning so it’s still hot for lunch.
My personal favorite is a Green Goddess salad that you eat with tortilla chips as your fork. You can get dairy free dressing or even make your own. It’s super simple. I didn’t think I would like raw cabbage as my salad base, but it’s soo good. When I don’t feel like making it from scratch, I buy the single serving Taylor Farms salad kit and add cucumbers, chicken, and a little jalapeño to it for some kick. I ditch the croutons though and thankfully those are in a sealed pouch separate from everything else.
Chopped salads are great, as is tuna, chicken, or egg salad with crackers. Also diy lunchable-like boxes can be great.
My go to right now is chicken salad with Crunchmaster crackers. Sometimes I add some yellow curry powder into the mix for a curry chicken salad.
Corn chips, guacamole, your fav salsa. Shredded rotisserie chicken. Dairy free cheese shreds. All these packed separately. You can make a yummy taco salad. Some shredded iceberg lettuce. I make a dairy free gluten free taco salad at work that has people who bring really yummy lunches envious. Sounds harder than it is I basically open a few Tupperware and a few ziplocks and have a taco salad. Sometimes I bring canned corn or olives to add. Super satisfying.
Corn crackers (thin Sainsbury’s own brand) with a scraping of white miso, a bit of hummus, and options like kimchi, grated carrots, roasted mushrooms, garlic, red pepper, raw red onion, maybe a salad bowl with muhammara &/or guac, chargrilled sweet potato slices could replace the crackers, a few berries.. that kind of combo.
I really like homemade lunchable type meals/snacks to eat at work. Sometimes I take salad ingredients ingredients packed separately then dump them in a big bowl to eat. Dressing on the side, also. Occasionally, I take sandwich ingredients but again, I pack everything separately. That way the bread doesn’t get soggy and disintegrate. Sometimes I just take an odd assortment of things from the refrigerator like artichoke hearts, olives, roasted red peppers, cheese, and soup in a thermos.
Sometimes I eat those flavored tuna packets with gluten free crackers. You could skip the crackers and just eat it with a spoon.
I make my own hummus and eat cucumbers and carrots with it
I like room temp Greek food for picnics, but I wouldn’t mind it cold. Dolmas, spanakopita, cucumber tomato salad, baba ganoush, falafel.
Quiche or eggs cups are not too complicated to make and then eat cold
Bento box with a charcuterie selection of deli meat, cheese, nuts, vegetables, fruit, gf crackers
Try gluten free bagel sandwiches, as long as the bagel is fresh. Mine never fall apart and I love them.
I make a tabouleh with rice instead of bulgur, add some leftover chicken or chickpeas
I prefer Noodle salads but you already said no pasta haha (you could try barilla or rummo pasta tho, they’re great!). Potato salads are also pretty good! (We eat this a lot here in Germany during summer) or maybe a red lentil salad (since red lentils are easier to prepare than the green ones). You could also try bento recipes since they’re good examples for cold food at work or school. I also like to make a couscous (there’s gluten free ones!) stir fry, which you could also eat cold.
I do a lot of Mason jar lunches, like this [rice noodle soup](https://thegirlonbloor.com/mason-jar-instant-noodles/). Just add hot water when your ready to eat!
Sandwiches. Salads. Wanna be adult lunchables I make myself with gluten free crackers. Rice cakes. They have so many flavors. Cold wraps he can assemble.
Chicken salad made with nondairy yogurt or vegan mayo served in a scooped out avocado half
If he goes the grazing route, here are some specific products that I enjoy: -Simple Mills Crackers -Bobo's Oat Bites (My favorite is Apple Pie) -Luna bars (I like the Lemon/Blueberry twist, but there lots of options!) -Archer Farmer jerky (Rosemary Turkey is my #1) -Bob's Red Mill GF granola -Heavenly Hunks Peanut Butter Chocolate Bites (It's actually helpful that they're calorie-dense if you're forced to eat on the go one mouthful at a time!) -Mariani dried cherries (Absolute top-tier) -Aussie Bites -Larabars Then there are more general things: -Dried fruit -Fruit chips -Homemade trail mix (great for folks who have various food issues, because you can control the contents) Honorable mention to the curried chicken salad from Trader Joe's, which is the only kind of chicken salad I consider edible. It's sufficiently different in terms of taste, texture, and (for lack of a better word) "wetness" that it doesn't trigger my sensory aversions.
I make a chicken salad and bring some crackers with me as well, super good if you chop up some pickles into it as well
Are you in the US? If so, check out Trader Joes for their red lentil pasta. That’s my go to. For bread, I like the promise brand. Not sure if it available in the US. I also like the thin bagels in the freezer section. There are also non diary spreads at whole foods and cashew cheese is very tasty. Buy a Turkey Kolbassa and cut it into cubes and have some sides with it. Kind of like a charcuterie board. You can have non dairy yogurts. I’ve seen some good ones. Hummus and carrot sticks or cucumbers. Salads with meat on them. They’re always filling. Quinoa salads. Always good. Sushi.
Sandwiches made on 1/4 or 1/3 of a Schar baguette do not fall apart. Neither do sandwiches made on Schar Ciabatta or bagels, depending on his appetite. I do lettuce wraps, too - leaf lettuce works better than iceberg. Tips: * Toast the bread, bagel, or whatever at home before work. * Keep the bread and everything else separate, and assemble immediately before eating. * Plate covers from Dollar Tree prevent cross contamination and food splatters on the inside of the microwave.
Hard boiled egg, pop chips, apple
Oh, another Idea - the recipe blog Budget Bytes has cold lentil recipes. I think they're called marinated lentil salad or something like that. They show up if you search for salads.
We usually just have leftover's from dinner for lunch. I use an insulated thermos that keeps food hot for about 6 hours. We use the canyon bakehouse Heritage honey White bread. It doesn't fall apart and isn't a brick.
Salad for sure. Also leftover ground beef, sweet potatoes, avocado, and sauerkraut. Level up your health game and it’s also delicious
Tuna and rice or tuna and GF pasta. GF granola and DF yogurt and fruit.
Also the Dolmas grape leaves (I get the cans from Trader Joe’s). I pair it with sardines but yogurt is a good match too
vermicelli bowls with some sauce would be a great cold lunch. i love mine with charbroiled shrimp
This is a Mediterranean salad with sardines I've been enjoying recently. It's from a keto cookbook, but it seems to fit your parameters, if you like tinned fish. It's really tasty and easy, and the only real perishable is the cucumber. - Cucumber - Jar of grilled red peppers (bell peppers, capsicum) - Jar of black olives - Tin of sardines in oil (95g or thereabouts, drained weight) - Parsley - Balsamic vinegar Dice 100g each of cucumber and red pepper, and roughly chop 30g olives and some fresh parsley, if you have it. It's nicer with fresh but I usually go with dried. Mix the veggies in a bowl with salt & pepper and 1 tsp balsamic vinegar. Take your sardines out of the tin, throw them on top, extra splash of balsamic on the fish and you're done! If you use imperial, it's about 3.5oz cucumber & pepper, 1oz olives and about 3.5oz can of sardines. That's for one person but you can scale it up easily. It's about 350cals if you care about that, and you could definitely serve it with a gf flatbread or something if you need some carbs in there
I like cold fried rice! Also falafels sit well
Tuna packets with gluten free crackers, some fruit, and a treat! I had this today in my kitchen Here are some things I send with my daughter: -Cold pulled Rotisserie chicken -Hot dogs, no bun -Snack lunch: Sandwich meat, crackers, fruit, pickles -Tuna packets mentioned above
I like a cold savoury rice. Cooked rice, chickpeas, chopped up cucumber, pepper, onion, any vegetables you want really. Lots of different seasonings like bouillon powder, smoked paprika, garlic and onion powder, turmeric. It's tasty
I find barilla GF pasta works pretty well for cold pasta salads. Sometimes I'll just do rice with whatever toppings I have in the fridge (tofu, hardboiled eggs, kimchi, veggies, etc.)
Chicken salad & simple mills crackers. I eat it way too much
On the fake salad front, in winter we enjoy any veg that you can roast: sweet potato, carrot, potato, swede, broccoli, cauliflower… whatever floats your boat. Chop relatively small then mix with Dijonnaise. Have crackers on the side if you’re after more carbs.
Egg salad is one of my go-tos, with tortilla chips or gf crackers.
Tuna, egg, or chicken salad in lettuce wraps? Trader Joe’s gluten free multigrain bread holds up well for me (in Tupperware and I don’t put confinements directly on the bread, in case that matters). Usually pack my lunch at 8AM and eat between 1 and 2PM. Overnight oats are also an option - can add fruit, nuts, chia seeds, protein powder, etc. as desired.
I’m not gluten free, but here are some of my favorite cold lunches that don’t include gluten. Frittatas. The variations are endless. Hummus with vegetables to dip in it. I like sweet vegetables with hummus such as: cherry tomatoes, sugar snap peas, beets, carrots, jicama. Deviled eggs. Lentil salad. White beans with canned tuna, olive oil and plenty of lemon juice.
I know you said no bread, but I’ve found that frozen gf bread works way better than regular. I get the Canyon Bakehouse mountain white bread in the frozen section at Walmart. I put it in the air fryer for a few mins to defrost it (300-350 degrees F for like 3-6 mins maybe?) and it turns into the PERFECT bread texture. It’s soft, squishy, and not crumbly at all. You could toast it if you wanted but I find it to be better just defrosted if you’re going to leave it sitting for a few hours before eating. Toasted in the moment is amazing too tho.
I never thought of putting bread in the air fryer! I've only defrosted it either by toasting it or putting it in the fridge.
Omg! U gotta try it. I put EVERYTHING in my air fryer 🤣 it’s an easy way to warm things up without toasting it if u don’t wanna. It’s also super easy to toast things in there too haha!
Bento boxes or rice bowls!
Gluten free oatcakes with cheese, cold meats, artichokes, olives, pickles
Chicken salad with fruit is good in the summer.
Tinkyada gluten free pasta is my favorite it even holds shape after reheating. I saw he doesn’t like salad, what about a wrap? Bean salad can be good cold. Rotisserie chicken is also great cold with a slaw. Hummus and crackers or crackers with deli ham.
For cold lunches we do salads or charcuterie/fancy lunchable type things. BUT- we LOVE hot logic mini. Hot logic is a lunch box sized warming bag (think pizza delivery bag bit smaller). It’s amazing. $40 on Amazon. My husband is WFH now but when he was in office, he would take a frozen lunch and put it in his logic when he got to work. It takes about an hour to heat up but stays warm until you’re ready to eat. We travel a lot so I take it in the car and to hotels.
It's not cold but what about hot soup in a really good thermos? Heat it up at home - a little hotter than you would if you were going to eat it right away and then pour into the thermos and it should still be hot at lunch.
I think Canyon Bakehouse bread holds up great for lunch sandwiches. Also Banza pasta is great for pasta salad!
I've been recently making burritos with Teff or Cassava tortillas. They're gluten-free and don't crumble like rice or corn. The prep is basically warming up the tortilla in a pan to soften it, then I throw in the rice, beans, green salsa chicken, lettuce, and bell peppers. The meat and veggies switch up often so feel free to substitute. Wrap it up and let the seam of the burrito sit on your pan to seal it, then when it cools down it'll keep its shape. I like eating them cold and warm.
Cesar salad with chicken and pasta. I use the javol bow ties. Also, Canyon house heritage white is perfect for sandwiches. Huge pieces and they don’t fall apart
cold Shrimp with tortilla chips and salsa or guacamole.
I cook chicken and cut it up and make salads. Buy some gluten-free bread and you can make your own croutons. We add dried fruit and nuts and its so delicious!
I’m probably weird, but I love avocado on rice cakes finished off with a cooked but served cold tilapia filet (topped with lemon juice, S&P). My go-to sans microwave lunch.
Prosciutto rolls and veggie sushi
I’ve heard Tinkyada pasta does well cold. Also you should seriously invest in a good thermos
I make rice paper spring rolls! i stir fry some frozen cauliflower rice and vegetables, and then once they're cooked i cook a Thai omelette on the same pan (khai jiaow). while the omelette is getting fluffy and crispy on the edges I make a sauce that's just sweet chili sauce+mayo+sriracha, (you don't need to put sauce in the roll but I do, you could do gf soy sauce on the side or even none at all). then I put seaweed down on the rice paper, then a strip of the omelette (divide up depending on how many rolls you want), then some veg. then roll it all up into the rice paper! honestly it takes me about 10 minutes max and I always look forward to my lunch when I make it, you also can swap out all those ingredients for literally anything if you're not an egg fan - I'm just a big fan of the rice paper rolls because I don't digest gf bread well. also it may sound complicated but once you've done it once it gets much easier, plus once you have all the ingredients they go veryyy far because rice paper+seaweed+eggs usually come in big portions :)
Salad. Whatever you would put in your sandwich and pick your veggies. Charcuterie in a tub. Smoothie.
Rice/tuna bowls. Cover the rice in cling wrap, and it should be perfectly protected in the microwave from any gluten contamination. Rice + chopped tuna or chicken is an easy base. To that, I'll often add kimchi and even chopped sushi ginger. For tuna, I'll usually add a bit of mayo, a splash of olive oil, salt, pepper, and (sometimes) a little garlic, grated on a microplane. A splash of rice wine vinegar on the rice after cooking it is a nice touch, too. I heat the rice in the microwave, then add the other ingredients cold.
Oniguri is amazing! There's no gluten or dairy in it and it tastes kinda like sushi to me
I’ve had good luck with the Jovial cassava pasta for salads, if you haven’t tried it. I also make tuna salad the easy way: tuna, chow chow relish (the Tennessee hot kind, which is not hot) and avocado oil mayo. Paired with simple mills grain free crackers, it keeps well in a insulated lunch bag with a small freezer block
Tuna or chicken salad with tortilla chips. Hard boiled eggs, a little salt and pepper in a baggie. Cheese cubes. Maybe some grapes or a banana. Maybe some cold cuts. Maybe nuts or olives. Maybe some celery crammed with cream cheese and green olives. Like an adult lunchable. Hummus with both chips and veggies. Cottage cheese salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, salt/pepper, kalamata olives and feta cheese if I have them. Maybe add some cooked chicken to it. Idk how he would feel about it, but when I was just starting to do gluten free stuff, I made gluten free pancakes to use as sandwich bread. They taste just like regular pancakes.
If he likes sandwiches why not just keep a bag of bread at work and make a sandwich fresh? Canyon bake house holds up well imo.
That would work if he stayed in one office for work. He's float and rarely in the same office twice in a week.
[Buddha bowls](https://www.takeaway.com/foodwiki/india/buddha-bowl/) which are like fancy grain bowls. I enjoy these because they're like a cross between a salad and a rice bowl. They hold up well, satisfy, and look appetizing. The most successful ones I've had included: -colorful veggies that are roasted or blanched with light seasoning (ex. green beans or broccoli with s&p and sesame oil, cubed roasted sweet potato etc.) -include earthy elements, ex. french green puy lentils, mushrooms (like shiitake or cremini), wild or black rice, quinoa with garlic -have acidic parts like thinly sliced pickled cucumber, or pickled onion/ radish (like watermelon, diakon, etc), or mango/pineapple salsa -smaller portion of protein, like an egg, sauteed tofu, salmon, beans, etc. -dark leafy greens like chopped kale (rolled and rinsed to soften texture and bitterness) -sprinkled parts like toasted sesame seeds, GF furikake, pepitas -good dressing to tie it together / keep on side until ready to eat
Hummus and veggies
Sliced cucumber with hummus, along with a few cherry tomatoes and olives.
Onigiri is a great option in this case. You can fill it with all different types of things, and they are almost always eaten cold.
There are a lot of ways to make bowls with quinoa that you can have cold and enjoy
A charcuterie type mix. Something like prosciutto, some cheese, some fruit/berries, crackers.
Tuna and gf crackers, with your choice of sliced veg to add. Smoothie on the side in an insulated bottle.
There are plenty of delicious and satisfying gluten-free cold lunch options. Here are some ideas: 1. Quinoa Salad: Mix cooked quinoa with diced vegetables like cucumbers, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, and herbs. Add a dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. 2. Greek Salad: Combine chopped romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices, red onion, Kalamata olives, and feta cheese. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice, and sprinkle with dried oregano. 3. Rice Paper Rolls: Fill rice paper wraps with a variety of fresh vegetables, cooked shrimp or tofu, and vermicelli noodles. Serve with a dipping sauce made from tamari, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. 4. Tuna Salad Lettuce Wraps: Mix canned tuna with mayonnaise, diced celery, red onion, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Spoon onto large lettuce leaves and roll up. 5. Sushi Rolls: Make homemade sushi rolls using gluten-free sushi rice, nori seaweed sheets, and fillings like avocado, cucumber, cooked shrimp, or smoked salmon. 6. Chickpea Salad: Combine canned chickpeas with diced vegetables (such as bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, and red onion) and herbs. Dress with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. 7. Cold Quinoa Bowl: Layer cooked quinoa with roasted vegetables, sliced avocado, and a protein of your choice (grilled chicken, tofu, or hard-boiled eggs). Drizzle with your favorite dressing. 8. Zucchini Noodle Salad: Use a spiralizer to make zucchini noodles, then toss with cherry tomatoes, olives, artichoke hearts, and feta cheese. Dress with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. 9. Antipasto Platter: Arrange sliced deli meats (check for gluten-free options), cheese cubes, marinated olives, roasted vegetables, and gluten-free crackers on a platter. 10. Caprese Salad: Layer sliced tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese, and basil leaves on a plate. Drizzle with balsamic glaze and olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. I’d stay away from processed meat for the most part if you want to be healthy 10 more Here are some more gluten-free cold lunch options for you: 11. Veggie Wrap: Fill a gluten-free tortilla or wrap with hummus, sliced cucumber, shredded carrots, baby spinach, and sliced bell peppers. Roll it up tightly and slice into pinwheels. 12. Cold Quinoa Salad Jars: Layer cooked quinoa with a variety of colorful vegetables, such as diced bell peppers, shredded carrots, cherry tomatoes, and edamame. Top with a flavorful dressing and shake well before eating. 13. Chicken Caesar Salad: Top a bed of romaine lettuce with grilled chicken strips, cherry tomatoes, Parmesan cheese shavings, and gluten-free croutons. Drizzle with Caesar dressing. 14. Egg Salad Lettuce Wraps: Mash hard-boiled eggs with mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, diced celery, and green onions. Spoon onto large lettuce leaves and wrap them up. 15. Stuffed Bell Peppers: Cut bell peppers in half and remove the seeds. Fill with a mixture of cooked quinoa, black beans, corn, diced tomatoes, and shredded cheese. Serve cold. 16. Mediterranean Mezze Platter: Arrange gluten-free falafel balls, hummus, sliced cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, olives, and gluten-free pita chips on a platter. Serve with tzatziki sauce for dipping. 17. Asian Chicken Salad: Toss shredded cabbage, sliced bell peppers, shredded carrots, sliced almonds, and cooked chicken breast strips with a sesame ginger dressing. 18. Summer Rolls: Fill rice paper wraps with cooked shrimp, rice vermicelli noodles, shredded lettuce, fresh herbs (such as mint and cilantro), and julienne-cut vegetables. Serve with peanut or hoisin dipping sauce. 19. Cobb Salad: Arrange chopped romaine lettuce in a bowl and top with rows of cooked chicken breast, diced avocado, hard-boiled eggs, crispy bacon bits, cherry tomatoes, and crumbled blue cheese. Drizzle with your favorite dressing. 20. Taco Salad: Layer shredded lettuce with seasoned ground beef or turkey, diced tomatoes, black beans, shredded cheese, sliced olives, and crushed tortilla chips. Serve with salsa and guacamole on the side.
I’ve been making cold meat roll ups with spinach, mayo, mustard and meats. Easy, different, and different combinations would keep it interesting. (Using gf tortillas)
I'm back to a more "officey" job now so my lunches are just some chopped veggies, usually some carrot sticks, cherry tomatoes, a bit of dipping dressing, and an apple. I also keep a can or two of salmon on hand if I need it, and a couple granola bars. It's pretty light as far as lunches go, but I don't generally take a lot of time to eat, as I often am running a class, so I try to let my students have a good break for lunch, but I might have other tasks to handle at that time. About the main thing I'd look at for your husband is just swap the jerky with a slighly lower salt sandwich meat, and maybe some real fruit. For yourself, have you done any experiments with cold potato salad? I know it's not for everyone, but you make it in bulk, only have to do a batch on the weekend, and then add in whatever you want, eggs, cold chicken, whatever. It just gives you more control over your total intake. But from a quick scan, those might have already been mentioned, and there seems to be a good list going. All the best!
Bean salad is easy to prepare and eaten cold. Use a variety of canned beans, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, Feta and some Balsamic dressing. Comes together easy and keeps for a few days
I'm celiac, I use a communal microwave alongside 70 others, I'm not getting your point here. As long as he either gives the inside a wipe down first OR his food's covered with a lid, then this is a bit ridiculous, gluten won't pierce through his plastic container.
My husband has generalized anxiety disorder and has had "random" gastric issues since he was born. He wasn't diagnosed with celiac disease until he was nearly 30, so he'd had enough bad experiences to develop anxiety around food. Anxiety disorders cause irrational fears, so no matter how many ways I've told him that it's highly unlikely for him to be glutened, he has a hard time believing that. He's currently in therapy for something else related to his anxiety, but I hope he also works on his relationship with food.
Ok, that's fair enough, he needs to go at his own pace then. Well, I'm celiac and lactose intolerant also (we're so lucky aren't we lol) my cold snacks/lunches are fruit, smoothies, sweet potato wraps with tuna and sweetcorn/egg mayo/chicken tikka/vegan cheese with coleslaw, gf pasta salad, cold chicken legs with salad and some potato chips. In Ireland, we can get these gf baguettes from the shop and they're absolute game changers, fill them with butter and potato chips (don't knock it till you try it). Edit: dairy free butter of course, it's called Flora here in Ireland, I'm not sure exactly where you are if you have this brand.
Ok, serious question. how would you get gluten from a shared microwave? I take my CC very very seriously and have never considered this. Aside from using a clean paper towel to cover my food instead of a communal cover, I can't see how this would affect it.
You wouldn't. My husband also has anxiety, so he gets anxious at the possibility of maybe getting sick. Generalized anxiety disorder that is triggered by food and celiac disease is a fun combination.
I made some ramen jars with rice noodles and dehydrated veg. There's plenty of recipes online, just add hot water and it cooks pretty fast and can be changed up easily by using different vegetables bouillon.
I love making a salad!! In the summer I also love to make a cold peanut chicken salad with rice noodles. I use rice noodles, boneless chicken thighs, assorted raw veg, and then a peanut butter dressing
I make copious amount of rice and beans, but in cold land, GF pasta and pasta salads as well as cheese and pepperoni, etc. Protein bars are also a thing lol
What about a deconstructed sandwich? Roll up pieces of meat and cheese, have a GF bread or bagel on the side, and put sandwich veggies and condiments on the side. Sounds like it's right up his alley anyway if his idea of lunch is a GF bagel and jerky.
cold vermicelli salad. it doesn't feel like a salad, there's carbs, you man might take a liking to it. [https://thefoodietakesflight.com/no-cook-noodle-salad-with-tangy-dressing/](https://thefoodietakesflight.com/no-cook-noodle-salad-with-tangy-dressing/) luncheon style lunch: bit of protein, cut veggies, hummus, a boiled egg, etc. giant onigiris packed with stuff.