Good GF Freezer Lunches

[fidgiegirl]

I am struggling with lunches lately. Usually I have a stash of frozen stuff to just grab and bring in - stews or soups, usually. But lately if I make a big batch of something we usually eat it all up before I freeze any.

I was lamenting the days when I used to make my own frozen burritos with a bean/rice/salsa filling in a flour tortilla. Corn tortillas wouldn't really work the same for this as they are so small.

Then today I bought a rice noodle bowl and wondered if I couldn't assemble my own of some of those.

A bonus would be that if I could get out ahead of it and encourage my husband to take some of these, we might save some $$ on the lunchmeat he likes to always take. It ain't cheap to buy quality lunchmeat.

What good ideas do you have for cheap, make ahead, frozen or dry GF lunches?

[puglogic]

Kelli,

You could make something like this, only with rice noodles and you'd have to figure out the soy sauce:

http://www.theorganicview.com/other-shows/featured-guests-on-the-organic-view-radio-show/wildly-affordable-organic-recipes/
(we just mix the sauce and noodles/veggies together before freezing, but freezing them separately then combining at lunch is probably nicer-looking)

Black beans and rice (with tomatoes, onions, cilantro) is a favorite too, as are hearty soups of all kinds, like the one on my blog today. I need to buy another collection of snap-top glass containers for lunches.....and one thing I started doing was dishing up my lunches-for-the-freezer BEFORE we eat dinner, effectively hiding it from ourselves LOL

Also, don't give up on the burrito idea, maybe just change it up? We make ours into sort of a lasagna with corn tortillas, layering the fillings in between them and then pouring over a nice green sauce. (we make it right in a tupperware/glassware so it's nukeable, and eat with a knife and fork)

Good luck with your lunch quest. It's SO great to have something healthy you can just grab and go.

[The Storyteller]

I don't know anything about this gluten stuff, so excuse me if this is a stupid suggestion, but we just make bean (multiple types), lintel, tomato, peppers, and rice meals (and dishes like that), put them serving size in quart freezer bags and throw them in the freezer. Makes multiple meals. We can then grab them on the way out the door, microwave them just like your burritos, only you need a bowl and spoon to eat them. There are probably quite a few meals you could do this with.

We also freeze up serving sizes of vegetable juices the same way, but somehow I don't think that is what you are looking for. :)

[creaker]

I am struggling with lunches lately. Usually I have a stash of frozen stuff to just grab and bring in - stews or soups, usually. But lately if I make a big batch of something we usually eat it all up before I freeze any.



Maybe it's time to make a really big batch? :-) I know this problem, the only way I know how to deal with it was getting it cooled, divvied up, and into the freezer as quickly as possible.

[Kestra]

Stir fry - the veggies get a bit soggy but I don't care.
Pasta
Chili
I've been doing a look of curries lately.
I agree it helps to freeze it immediately but DH and I don't have that much overlap in food so he doesn't eat what I make right away.

[ApatheticNoMore]

I was lamenting the days when I used to make my own frozen burritos with a bean/rice/salsa filling in a flour tortilla. Corn tortillas wouldn't really work the same for this as they are so small.

trader joe has corn tortillas called "handmade tortillas" anyway I remember them being HUGE, but I forget whether they were crumbly or sturdy etc. Stronger corn flavor than some of the supermarket brands though and so the junk food junkies I was feeding objected ("we want the bland tasting brands with weird chemicals ..." >8) ).

Other than that I struggle with lunches too. I dislike heating stuff up (standing in a long line with 1/2 dozen others waiting for my turn at the microwave) so I usually eat cold lunches. One good salad dish is garbanzo beans, canned tuna, onions, parsley, a vingarette. I've been eating a green bean dish for lunch though it's not quite as filling as I'd like (green beans, olive oil, tomatoes, onions, garlic - long cooked) - a little more filling that it looks due to generous olive oil but still. In summer I brought ratatouille a few days for lunch but those days are fading fast.

[profnot]

Cook the things you love, just cook twice or thrice the amount. It takes just a little more time to make the dish, not double the time.

I have a show-stopper chicken recipe that I serve at my cocktail parties. There was never any left over for me. So I started making enough for 50 servings and that did the trick.

[Tussiemussies]

The only thing with corn tortillas is that the corn in it will be GMO...