Making lunch for yourself and your kids can be a chore when the days of slapping together a sandwich or grabbing a yogurt are no longer available. I don't miss bread very often except in Middle Eastern restaurants as I watch soft, warm pita breads bask on patrons tables in front of a plate of yummy hummus but I digress...... I realize lately that I miss the convenience of grabbing a bagel or cookie when I just need a quick bite. Being gluten free makes that an impossibility. There are some great raw food cookies/bars at natural food stores that can stand in, but those stores are not as readily available as many retail chains that have those convenience foods. I am not suggesting those foods are healthy by any stretch of the imagination. I would love for those places to have healthy, gluten free alternatives, but that is not a common place reality. Anyway no more pity party today.
Planning and Budgeting
What to make for lunch? There's always the stand in of leftovers and I specifically plan my weekly menu plan which includes breakfast, lunch and dinner with a few snack ideas for the week to avoid eating out or eating things that are not good for us. I plan some of my dinners to become planned leftovers such as Butternut Curry Squash Soup or Cobb Salad. Soup makes a great breakfast by the way!
When we think about lunch, we have to get outside of the breadbox. This means to avoid focusing on bread related foods all the time. You can of course purchase gluten free breads or make them yourself, but this can add unnecessary carbohydrates to your midsection. It can also lead you away from more exciting choices.
If you are needing frugal, but healthy choices, try to rotate the same lunch menu staples each week so that you can stock up when those items are on sale and you will have a basic idea of how much it is costing you each week.
Here is an example: Mondays, Tuna, crackers, carrots and fruit/ Tuesday, chef salad, crackers, apple/ Wednesday, Egg salad, celery, tomatoes and carrots, brown rice wraps/ Thursday Leftovers, fruit and salad/ Friday Waldorf salad, banana and cookie.
Let's say this lunch menu costs $20.00 a week for a family of 6. This is helpful to me because there is limited work and planning involved. The basic cost doesn't fluctuate too much, in fact the cost can go down because when tuna is on sale for 50 cents a can, I can stock up on that item. This is how my costs can go down in the future. I can also purchase my gluten free whole grain crackers for example from Costco and calculate the cost over the month which can reduce my weekly expenses on lunch.
This is just a basic food plan. You can put your favorites in there and rotate the menu. You can also vary the fruits and vegetables to accommodate what is in season and on sale.
Adult and Kid Friendly Ideas
Tuna salad (if you can't have mayonnaise try oil and vinegar instead)
Egg salad
Chicken salad with celery, grapes and scallions
Pair these salads with gluten free crackers or wrap in large lettuce/cabbage leaves, hold in place with a toothpick. Probably better to make these prior to eating and bring all the ingredients in separate containers. These salads can also be served on top of a bed of greens, in a tomato that has had the flesh taken out (can use in salad or save for broth, juicing, pasta sauce or soup), a zucchini boat, other squash that has been baked such as acorn filled with chicken salad or half of a red bell pepper.
Kabobs always a kid and adult favorite
Take toothpicks and thread chunks of turkey ham, chicken or any other meat (save money and avoid chemicals such as nitrites if you bake these meats yourself) alternating with fruit and vegetables. Gently cooked squash chunks, raw peppers, zucchini, grape/cherry tomatoes, onions, olives, grapes, apple chunks, cherries, berries, peaches, and celery.
To be continued next week..........
No comments:
Post a Comment