A brand-new school year is upon us – and if you have a school-age child, you are probably already preparing in a number of ways. Perhaps most importantly, you will need to be more organized with your time– which includes the planning of weekly meals.
This can be especially tricky when your child (or entire family) is gluten-free. However, with a solid collection of gluten free lunch box ideas – as well as (you guessed it!) careful planning – making sure your child eats right at school will be a nutritious, delicious breeze.
These Quinoa Crunch Snack Bars are just the thing to throw into your child’s lunchbox, or serve as an after-school or weekend snack. Additionally, they’re great to take along on field trips or to extracurricular activities.
The quinoa flakes and millet provide great ancient grain nutrition, while tasty extras like chopped dates, raisins, shredded coconut and even chocolate chips will delight your little ones’ taste buds. It only takes half an hour to make one dozen – so bake a batch over the weekend, and enjoy them through the end of the week! The full recipe is available at AncientHarvest.com.
Other great gluten free lunch box ideas:
- Make a tasty sandwich (like turkey and avocado, or good old-fashioned PB&J) on gluten-free bread.
- Pack a thermos of kid-friendly, gluten-free soup and a side salad.
- Make fresh fruits and veggies feel a bit more fun by cutting them into shapes (with either a knife or cookie cutter) or displaying them in a creative way. A traditional Japanese bento box or segmented lunchbox can be a fantastic blank canvas for your imagination. (For some inspiration, check out The Paleo Mama’s 40 Days of Gluten-Free School Lunches.)
- Leftovers from dinner the night before can also make a wonderful lunch. However, keep in mind that your child might not have a way to heat things up – so it is probably best to stick to things that are just as delicious served cold or at room temperature. This Gluten-Free Pesto Caprese Pasta Salad is a great option.
For more gluten-free recipes and cooking tips to help ease you into the new school year, be sure to visit the recipes page at AncientHarvest.com.
