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If you are struggling with “cheap but gluten free for lunch on the go”, I have the answer for you
I don’t know what to call this post to make people want to read it. Which is frustrating, because if you live a busy gluten free life (or have a husband who does) you NEED to read this. Cheap, healthy, gluten free lunch on the road is HARD.
Our horrible, no good, very bad dilemma
When G was first diagnosed with colitis and given his strict grain free diet, we were stuck between a VERY big rock and VERY hard place. He works out of a truck. Sometimes he doesn’t even see a restaurant… but let’s face it. Even if he did, a restaurant meal a day (especially of the gluten free variety) is gonna get pretty expensive pretty quick.
Say he spent 10 bucks a day on lunch. 10 x 5 = 50, with about 50 weeks of work per year… 50 x 50 = $2500.00!
(And I’m being pretty conservative with my 10 dollar lunch there.)
Not to mention his diet was so limited at the begging, there was almost nothing available in the average restaurant he could eat anyway. Even raw vegetables had to be limited as his stomach healed… (raw veggies can be hard to digest). Because of his peanut allergy and the fact that ALL grains were out, we couldn’t even send him a granola bar or two…
That basically left him with a gluten free lunch of cold steamed veggies or an apple and cold rice or quinoa in a rice wrap. (For anyone who doesn’t know what a rice wrap is you’re not missing much, according to G. They are paper thin rice sheets that you soak in hot water and then can wrap around filling… they are rubbery and sticky and taste like not much.)
Once I suggested that he plug a small microwave into his truck. He explained to me that a truck battery can’t actually power a microwave. Go figure.
I can get by with an apple and some nuts until diner time if I have to, but apparently a man at work physically can’t.
Basically, he was starving most of the time (when there was no restaurants around) and he was wasting tons of money the rest of time. When he’d get frustrated and just eat what was available, he’d get sick. Aside from quitting his job we actually couldn’t come up with how he could continue this way. He lost 14 pounds in the first three months (he didn’t have 14 pounds to lose, if you’re wondering).
The Solution to all G’s gluten free lunch Problems
I was sort of complaining, sort of just expressing how truly bad I felt for G to my mom one day, when she came up with the most brilliant idea I have ever heard.
It was a recycled idea… years ago my dad was also on a strict diet. He’s a trucker, and always on the road. My mom would buy those little foil take out containers from big supply stores and make him meals, freeze them, and he would cook them in this funky little plug in lunch box in his truck.
It heats to 300 degrees and it can heat food FROM FROZEN! Much faster if you remember to thaw the food first tho. 😉 And it only requires 12 volts. So not the same as a microwave.
She figured it must still be around somewhere, and we could borrow it if it worked. We dug it out, cleaned it up, I spent one Saturday shopping, cooking and freezing. And G put his 14 pounds back on.
I was hesitant about having to buy the tinfoil take out containers to make the meals in, cus a) they seem wasteful and b) they felt like money down the drain.
But you do what you gotta do, when your husband’s pants are falling off and he’s unhappy and hungry all the time, and gluten free lunch is ruining his life.
Can you imagine how pleasantly surprised I was when I calculated the cost of the meals I was making, including the price of the containers, and almost all of them came to between 2 and 3 bucks each!?
PLUS, in one massive Saturday afternoon of cooking, I can put enough meals in the freezer that I don’t have to THINK about his lunches for another 3 months.
If you have a hubby (or yourself) that spends their time on the road and is stuck on a limited diet or if you just want to save a BUNDLE of cash on gluten free lunch on the road, or eat healthier in general, you NEED one of these plug in lunch box stoves. I wanted to write this post for a while but I didn’t actually know if these things were available anymore, and the whole post is sort of null if you can’t get your hands on one. But you TOTALLY can! This is the exact one that we have now (well, this one is cleaner than ours).
And these are the little foil take out containers we use. They look small but they hold more than enough food for lunch.
Looking for more easy gluten free inspiration? Check out this list of gluten free staples I NEED in my house for “instant dinners” – cus frozen pizza is just not an option anymore!
I would love the recipes you used for all of this.
EEK Jennifer I have no idea why I missed your comment a few days ago – I would be happy to send you the recipes, I just need your permission to email you 🙂 Send me a quick email and I’ll get back to you! I will warn you in advance that a food blogger I am not and my own recipes are very much “guidelines” 😉
My husband is also on the road a lot and also has colitis and, therefore, a restricted diet. I would love your recipes!
My daughter has Celiac Disease and this would be SO GREAT for her. Work lunches are a major expense and she recently has moved out to live on her own. I would like to give her some recipes and the ‘plug-in lunch box’ as a gift.
Thank you so so much for this new, but old, “gadget”.
marilyn
Hey Marilyn – I TOTALLY get the headache of gluten free work lunch 🙂 I’m so happy this might help her! I’m hoping to get the recipes I use up on the blog ASAP, so be sure to check back to find them. (I say recipes, I mean “cooking guidelines”… there’s a reason I don’t have a food blog!)
What a great resource. Really good idea. We are looking for guest posts on Living Young and Healthy so if you are ever interested, let me know. My team started it because it fit my Beautycounter business and I’m a Young Living Member. My main blog is built around travel so I’m now starting from scratch.
Leigh Hines
Co-Host Small Victories LinkUp/HinesSightBlog
Editor-Living Young and Healthy.com
Hi Leigh! Thanks for hosting the link up – I’m pretty new to the blogging world and I am just getting going with link ups, and really enjoying them. Thanks also for reading and for the invite to submit! I’m also just getting started with guest posting, so I will absolutely keep that in mind… Starting a new blog is so exciting and I can’t wait to see what your team comes up with. Hopefully we will be in touch in the near future then 🙂
Please email me the recipes (guidelines) these look perfect to me!
Hi Sandra! You bet! Watch for the email in the coming week (ish!) I’m re-typing everything and getting it all “pretty” due to the amount of requests I’m getting 🙂
I have celiac a d would love the recipes! Thanks so much!
Okidokie Krystal, you’re on my list too 🙂 “guidelines” remember 😉
I would like these recipes please.
Karen I emailed you with the link 🙂
Great idea for a food business, I would like to try this. Thank you for sharing Carly.
I love if you share the recipies
My email is ivoneramones@gmail.com
I’ve emailed them Ivone!
My husband needs to eat better and with a child that has celiac disease I’d love these recipes!!!
Thanks
I’ve emailed the link Tanner!
Great idea! You are a caring wife! I have UC also and know the struggles. Especially being hungry but fearing digestion. I do something similar for myself in glass containers that I can microwave at work. I hate the thought of spending $7-10 for lunch everyday!
HI Loni! I actually suggested my husband plug a microwave into his truck… I learned that that is not possible, apparently LOL.
I would love your recipes if that was possible?
Sure thing Candice – I’ll email them 🙂
I would love to get your recipes. Hubby and son just diagnosed with Celiac–So I am relearning how to cook. :o)
Thanks,
Susan
Could you send me your guidelines (recipes) My Husband has a wheat intolerance and I am at a loss as to what to send him for lunch. Thank you!
My daughter is gluten and dairy free and it would be amazing to do what you did, freezing meals ready to go for lunches!
Would you please share your recipies with me?
Carly,
I just found your GF posts today and was super excited and motivated by them. I would love to receive your lunches on the go “guidelines”!
Thanks so much!
My daughter has recently been diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and we are having to change our diet. This looks like something that might help. Please send the recipes.
Thanks!
Husband and daughter can only eat gluten free. Would definitely appreciate your recipes. Thank you in advance, – Ann –