Gluten free portable lunch ideas

[Tulipomania]

Ds is coeliac and has just started his first job.

He is really struggling with cheap and easy ideas for lunches to take to work.

There is no fridge, and he's not sure if there's a microwave.

Please share your ideas!

He's on minimum wage, so takeaway from Leon isn't an option ... and he doesn't consider sandwiches made with GF bread are a 'proper' lunch.

You could get him an insulated pot/thermos flask and then frankly you can put anything in. Also what I tend to do is make slightly more then needed at dinner and then freeze a portion for lunches. So ideas:

Pasta (gluten free) with sauce/bolognaise.
Cottage pie
Sausage and mash
Curries and rice
Soups

I buy Tesco gluten free macaroni and make pasta salad, chicken and sweetcorn today with a bit of mayo. I have a small, flat freezer pack to keep it cool. Other days I have an M and S white roll, they aren't too bad.

Make a frittata style thing that can keep for a couple of days in fridge so can take a piece each day, add in whatever to make substantial meal and can eat hot or cold - like pp said keep with ice pack

I've been gf for 10 years and you can get gf substitutes for almost everything nowadays, which is great. If he has no access to a fridge, then a lunch box or bag with one of those freezer blocks in to keep the food fresh/cool works well. Then you can just make a sandwich with gf bread/wrap, make gf pasta salad, any kind of salad actually, Spanish omelette, soup in a thermos cup/flask, anything that a non-gf person would eat!

Spanish omelette/tortilla is really filling as has eggs for protein and potatos for carbs. Could make a big one and take a slice 3 days running. It's really nice cold.

Rice or quinoa (think quinoa is GF?) /roasted veg salad with yoghurt or cheese for protein

Gf pasta salad

As there's no fridge, he'll need a coolbag or lunchbox with a cooling thing in it, especially for rice as it's dodgy keeping rice at room temp

DS thinks a sandwich isn't a 'proper' lunch which restricts his options considerably.

He also claims GF pasta is disgusting cold and does not reheat well.

Today he made an elaborate quinoa salad. Tortilla is a great idea, I will suggest that.

What do his colleagues take for lunch? They probably all have a sandwich. Literally everyone regards a sandwich as a proper lunch, he would have this problem even if he wasn’t gluten free.

The thermos/flask idea up thread is perfect; my daughter takes the Thermos food flask (might make him a nice Xmas pressie) and has leftovers which are hot hours later. It’s about £15 on amazon but the price changes according to colour

Some gluten-free suggestions (if what he has as an evening meal can’t be sized up to make leftovers);

Chilli & rice
Quinoa with veg/sauce
Gluten free bangers and mash
Curry and rice
Beef stew

Soup and bread can be really substantial if you can persuade him to try-especially a soul with chickpeas/beans or chunky stuff in it (like a stew)

Gluten free bread obviously!

I take soup in a thermos flask, salads, savoury muffins, cold pasta, sandwiches.

Most things are possible if you use a gluten free alternative, although he might need to make some things from scratch that could normally be found ready made.

Becky Excell's book or website might help with ideas

Paella is simple to make and nice hot or cold.

Sushi is good as well. That's my standard lunch when I need to buy something when I'm out. I'm only intolerant, though, so don't need to be as careful. It's easy to make your own

Get him to batch make himself some sausage rolls /scotch eggs or something at the start of the week using the jus roll gluten free pastry or breadcrumbs

Alternatively if you have plenty of freezer space you could bulk buy pies from Jackson's gluten free bakery.

Baked potatoes can be pre cooked and reheated with baked beans/cheese/ tuna/ chilli etc as toppings.

Asda do some gluten free versions of pot noodles

Also there's a lot of sachet/ microwaveable flavoured rices that you just add hot water to or microwave for a couple of minutes

Marelle I know! I have told him this. We have had arguments. I guess he will see it for himself when he has spent a bit more time in an office environment.

And sandwich can be supplemented with crisps, fruit, a sweet treat to make it more substantial. I despair!

Will be getting the thermos thing for him though.

Cheese and kale muffins.