Today I thought I’d share about how I prep quick-grab lunches for my husband. Since he’s gluten-free, he can’t just grab a sandwich and go. Therefore, I’ve been spending Sunday afternoons prepping a week’s worth of lunches that he can grab. That way I don’t have to worry about it again and he has a healthy lunch ready to go.

Recently, I fixed him some salads with two kinds of beans, marinated grilled chicken and cheese. I actually had two boxes of Ziploc bowls that I’d gotten free on a promo and never used. The salads worked perfectly in them. I prepped the salads, boiled up a bunch of hard boiled eggs and filled sandwich bags with some mini carrots, string cheese and almonds. I also made up some brown rice with lentils and peas and put them in bowls as well (not pictured.) I put some dressing in tiny cups and put some yogurt nearby. Now hubby has all his lunch items on one shelf and can easily grab what he wants.

This week I made a TON of potato salad. I filled six bowls with it for hubs and kept a tub for us to eat as well. I made my version of Southwest chicken salad. I used a package of the cubed chicken I’d prepped from my Zaycon foods purchase, mixed it with black beans and corn and dumped in some taco seasoning. Then I topped them with cheese.

I then cooked up a bunch of rice and added the rest of the chicken/corn/bean mixture to that to make a “rice bowl” type dish. I had some extra taco sauce packets from Taco Bell in my odds & ends drawer so I stuck a couple right on top of each bowl.

Another week down! Here’s a pic of things “in process”.

Here’s a shot of the rice bowl. You can put pretty much any kind of meat & veggies in these and have them come out well.

I took another shot of the fridge this week to show how I label dishes with my pink hair tape labels. I like these because they’re cheap, easy to write on, and peel right off. I decided I’d better label them after hubs took two of the same dish for lunch last week. I thought they were see-through enough (or that one could lift the lid and look?!), but I guess not.

Oh! And if you look at the cost of a pre-made salad bowl you’ll find that they’re right at $3!! And rice bowls are about the same, I believe. CRAZY! it’s definitely worth the time to make your own. Same with potato salad. It’s very inexpensive to make, but costs a fortune to buy pre-made. These tips work whether you have food issues or not.

What about you? Do you have any easy lunch tricks or tricks for dealing with allergies or intolerances?

Valentine’s Day is just right around the corner! Here are some lovely freebies ranging from DIY Crafts to Classic Stories!

Martha Stewart always has fantastic ClipArt. Check out theValentine’s Clip Art for cards, labels, and other decorations!

Just for simply “Liking” Living Locurto’s facebook page, you can print out their Valentine’s Party Collection! This includes 2 Circle Tags, 4/6 Card and Mini Tags, and Water Bottle Labels! This is perfect for a valentines day lunch with the family. The circle tags make fabulous cupcake toppers!

You may want to add these cute DIY treat bags to your lunch party via TwigandThistle.com. These are easy to make and even easier to download!

Speaking of treats, when I think of Valentine’s Day, I think of wonderful Desserts! Here is a free Valentine’s Dessert Cookbookthanks to MrFood.com!

Diabetic? Check our these Sugar Free Treats thanks to Diabetic Gourmet Magazine.

Gluten Allergy? Here are some recipes for you as well from Elana’s Pantry!

FairyTales are the perfect fit for this day of love and care. You can find free audio stories like Cinderella and The Sleeping Beautyon StoryNory.com. Natasha is a perfect narrator and you can not  help but love Prince Bertie the Frog!  The audio stories are free to stream as well as download! I will admit, although these are geared towards younger children, I have a few StoryNory’s sitting happily in my iPod.

Looking for a novel instead? Download “Pride and Prejudice“, one of the most famous novels about family, love, and independence. The full novel is available for your listening joy via LibriVox Recordings.

PBS.org is streaming the “LA Philharmonic performs An American in Paris“. Gershwin wrote some of the most timeless love songs in history. This is a truly great performance, and can be a perfect end to your day.

Disclaimer: All these products were available at the time this post was written. All deals are subject to change at the discretion of individual sites.

Last month I shared my trick for fast-fix salads at home. Today I thought I’d share about how I prep quick-grab lunches for my husband. This time of year he’s working harvest, which means 13 hour days. And since he’s gluten-free, he can’t just grab a sandwich and go. Therefore, I’ve been spending Sunday afternoons prepping a week’s worth of lunches that he can grab. That way I don’t have to worry about it again and he has a healthy lunch ready to go.

Last week was just a partial week of harvest and I fixed him some salads with two kinds of beans, marinated grilled chicken and cheese. I actually had two boxes of Ziploc bowls that I’d gotten free on a promo and never used. The salads worked perfectly in them. I prepped the salads, boiled up a bunch of hard boiled eggs and filled sandwich bags with some mini carrots, string cheese and almonds. I also made up some brown rice with lentils and peas and put them in bowls as well (not pictured.) I put some dressing in tiny cups and put some yogurt nearby. Now hubby has all his lunch items on one shelf and can easily grab what he wants.

This week I made a TON of potato salad. I filled six bowls with it for hubs and kept a tub for us to eat as well. I made my version of Southwest chicken salad. I used a package of the cubed chicken I’d prepped from my Zaycon foods purchase, mixed it with black beans and corn and dumped in some taco seasoning. Then I topped them with cheese.

I then cooked up a bunch of rice and added the rest of the chicken/corn/bean mixture to that to make a “rice bowl” type dish. I had some extra taco sauce packets from Taco Bell in my odds & ends drawer so I stuck a couple right on top of each bowl.

Another week down! Here’s a pic of things “in process”.

Here’s a shot of the rice bowl. You can put pretty much any kind of meat & veggies in these and have them come out well.

I took another shot of the fridge this week to show how I label dishes with my pink hair tape labels. I like these because they’re cheap, easy to write on, and peel right off. I decided I’d better label them after hubs took two of the same dish for lunch last week. I thought they were see-through enough (or that one could lift the lid and look?!), but I guess not. 

Oh! And if you look at the cost of a pre-made salad bowl you’ll find that they’re right at $3!! And rice bowls are about the same, I believe. CRAZY! it’s definitely worth the time to make your own. Same with potato salad. It’s very inexpensive to make, but costs a fortune to buy pre-made.

What about you? Do you have any easy lunch tricks or tricks for dealing with allergies or intolerances?

Linking up to Tackle it Tuesday and Works for Me Wednesday.