Best Gluten Free Lunchbox Ideas for Child with Celiac Disease

metaphysicalstudio
metaphysicalstudio Posts: 293 Member
in Recipes
My kid has Celiac Disease and I need some fresh ideas for gluten free lunchbox foods. We eat very clean, anyway, with no processed foods. Gluten was really not a big part of her diet, as we tend to avoid wheat in our home. However, lunchbox ideas are getting stale over here! I follow many gluten free recipe blogs but I am curious about your go-to options that your kids love! ❤️

Replies

  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,941 Member
    Vietnamese summer rolls.

    This recipe is an example using prawns and rice noodles. I like the main body to be a half and half mixture of chopped cooked rice or bean vermicelli mixed with finely grated raw carrot. I use any protein, such as thin slices of leftover roast chicken, poached pork, or grilled steak besides poached prawns. Buy the largest rice paper rolls available because making the rolls becomes less fiddly. You want to wrap each roll individually in a little baking paper or cling film so that they don't stick together. If making the night before cling film will prevent them from drying out.

    If the fish sauce in the dipping sauce is too challenging for your child's palette use a gluten free soy or coconut aminos.

    https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/vietnamese-prawn-summer-rolls
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,941 Member
    For inspiration google "bento box lunch" to see what Japanese kids take to lunch, which will be mostly rice based.
  • penguinmama87
    penguinmama87 Posts: 1,155 Member
    theswandark wrote: »
    My kid has Celiac Disease and I need some fresh ideas for gluten free lunchbox foods. We eat very clean, anyway, with no processed foods. Gluten was really not a big part of her diet, as we tend to avoid wheat in our home. However, lunchbox ideas are getting stale over here! I follow many gluten free recipe blogs but I am curious about your go-to options that your kids love! ❤️

    Maybe this is simpler than what you're looking for, but I remember when I learned that my kids frequently threw away the bread from their sandwiches and ate only the fillings. Homemade bread, too! :rage: But then I started just packing the fillings, sometimes in rolls if what we had worked for that. They still think it's very fancy. Hummus or baba ghanouj is also a big hit with my kids for lunches, with veggies to dip.

  • whoami67
    whoami67 Posts: 297 Member
    Turkey, cheese and apple skewers with gf crackers or a gf muffin and yogurt
    Chicken salad with gluten free crackers and celery and carrot sticks with nut butter or hummus
    Ham quesadilla (on gf tortilla or wrap) with applesauce and grapes
    GF pasta salad (mix with peas and parmesan) with turkey/cheese rollups, strawberries and popcorn
    Mini turkey meatballs dipped in hummus with vegetable sticks and pineapple
  • metaphysicalstudio
    metaphysicalstudio Posts: 293 Member
    acpgee wrote: »
    For inspiration google "bento box lunch" to see what Japanese kids take to lunch, which will be mostly rice based.

    Thank you! What a great idea! 😃
  • metaphysicalstudio
    metaphysicalstudio Posts: 293 Member
    @penguinmama87 Yes! I often do just pack the fillings of the sandwich without bread. Good thought!
  • metaphysicalstudio
    metaphysicalstudio Posts: 293 Member
    @whoami67 Thank you for this wonderful list! Great ideas!
  • littlegreenparrot1
    littlegreenparrot1 Posts: 702 Member
    Oatcakes with hummus or cream cheese, cherry tomatoes and other veg.
    Potato salad, quinoa salad with roast veg.
    Soup if Thermos flask are allowed
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,941 Member
    If you want an easy gluten free flatbread made with chickpea flour for sandwiches google "socca" recipes.

    For people suggesting combinations with gluten free crackers such oatcakes, maybe also look at ryvita crackers and rice cakes.

    I would also consider Spanish tortilla (egg, onion, potato) which is often served room temperature. You could make this on the weekend and put a slice in the lunchbox with extra veg (raw or roasted). This is the recipe I use but I reduce the amount of olive oil big time.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JceGMNG7rpU

  • moonangel12
    moonangel12 Posts: 971 Member
    Not sure your definition of “clean” but our go-to to-go lunches are usually chips (corn or potato), meat and cheese (slices rolled up or separate pieces in the form of Beybel or string cheese sticks), and raw fruits and veggies but that’s probably not what you are looking for.

    Hard boiled eggs (although in a school lunchroom that might not go over well)
    Egg salad and pork rinds (sounds weird, but tasty!)
    Ham and cream cheese rolled around a dill pickle
    Cream cheese and chopped green olives rolled up in ham

    I have been making sweet potato/cassava tortillas and am sad I went 9 GF years without them! They are almost like an Indian fry bread, mild enough in flavor to go sweet or savory, and they hold up better than any GF tortilla I have had. I have WAY overstuffed them and they didn’t split!

    I’m too tired I think, I’ll have to think some more later...
  • janicemlove
    janicemlove Posts: 459 Member
    moonangel12 wrote: »
    I have been making sweet potato/cassava tortillas and am sad I went 9 GF years without them! They are almost like an Indian fry bread, mild enough in flavor to go sweet or savory, and they hold up better than any GF tortilla I have had. I have WAY overstuffed them and they didn’t split!

    Oh that sounds amazing! Do you have a recipe?
  • moonangel12
    moonangel12 Posts: 971 Member
    janicemlove wrote: »
    moonangel12 wrote: »
    I have been making sweet potato/cassava tortillas and am sad I went 9 GF years without them! They are almost like an Indian fry bread, mild enough in flavor to go sweet or savory, and they hold up better than any GF tortilla I have had. I have WAY overstuffed them and they didn’t split!

    Oh that sounds amazing! Do you have a recipe?

    This is the one I have been using...

    https://paleoglutenfree.com/recipes/two-ingredient-sweet-potato-tortillas/

    They can be made ahead and kept refrigerated, it’s not at all like rice based stuff that gets brittle/gritty once it cools.

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