Mason Jar Salads and More: 50 Layered Lunches to Grab and Go

This is my take on a mason jar salad—using easy to find ingredients  that create a rainbow or vegetables. This one quart jar of salad is super satisfying and gives you 238% vitamin  A and 472% vitamin C and only 250 calories. (vitamin A and vitamin C are markers for the nutrient density of the food found at the bottom of food labels.) I figured the nutrient content out on My Fitness Pal (another great tool for those trying to track calories and nutritional information!)

I usually have the salad with a side of lentils and rice, a veggie burger or leftover chicken or shrimp. The salad itself is only 202 calories, so although it is a large volume of food, you really need to eat some carbohydrates and protein with it.

Rainbow Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• splash of plum vinegar (optional)
• salt – a generous sprinkle
• fresh pepper
• 1-2 carrots depending on size, sliced in thin rounds (1/3-1/2 cup)
• 2 tablespoon red onion, sliced thin and chopped in 1 inch pieces
• 1/3 red pepper, diced into 1/2 inch dice
• 1/3 yellow pepper, diced into 1/2 inch dice
• 2 cups romaine lettuce pieces
• 1/4 cilantro

Directions:

1. In the bottom of a 1 quart mason jar, put olive oil, rice wine vinegar, plum vinegar, salt and pepper.
2. Layer the following chopped vegetables:
   -carrots
   -red onions
   -red pepper
   -yellow pepper
   -romaine lettuce
   -cilantro
3. Secure with lid.

To serve:

Shake the jar so that the dressing from the bottom  covers all the vegetables. Serve on a plate or bowl or eat right from the jar! I like to serve it on a plate—but if you are at work or on the go eat it right from the jar.

The post My Mason Jar Salad! appeared first on Our Gluten Free Family.

This lentil kale bowl packs a powerful nutritious punch for lunch or dinner. It’s my new favorite meal. The recipe below has 439 calories and 413% of vitamin C and 335% of vitamin A! And it’s perfectly balanced with 14% protein, 29% fat and 57% carbohydrate. It’s vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free–but keeps you going for hours because of the nutritious profile. If you are in a rush and don’t have time to sprout lentils–you can find sprouted, dried lentils. The vitamin c from the kale and orange help with absorption of iron from the lentils. Feel free to add red pepper flakes, lemon zest and spices to give it more flavor.

2 cups chopped kale
1/2 cup white rice
1/2 cup sprouted lentils, steamed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 orange segments, chopped
salt and pepper

Steam chopped kale for 5 minutes.  Add 1 cup lentil and rice mixture with 1/2 chopped orange, 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt, pepper and spices. Enjoy!


To make rice:
1 cup white rice
2 cups water

Bring to a boil in a small pot. Cover. Reduce heat to low. Cook for 15 minutes. Do NOT remove lid–even to check. Let rest for 15 minutes with lid on. Then fluff with fork.

To make sprouted lentils: 
1 cup green lentils
Soak lentils for 1 day in water at room temperature. Rinse and drain. Then sprout them for 2 days in a colander covered with a dish towel until sprouts are 1/4 inch long. Rinse every 12 hrs. To keep them moistened.
Cook in 1 cup boiling water for 10 minutes.

Combine rice and lentils in a bowl for a base of a meal.

The post Lentil Kale Bowl appeared first on Our Gluten Free Family.

This is my sister’s perfect fresh hummus recipe. “The secret to great hummus for kids is to leave out the tahini!” she told me when she shared this recipe with me. Without the tahihi, hummus is mild and more appealing to kids. I prefer to soak dried chickpeas overnight and then boil them in water until they are soft. If you are in a rush and using canned chickpeas I would suggest Eden organic chickpeas, which are in BPA free cans.

Ingredients:

• 2 cans Eden organic chickpeas or  3 cups soaked/boiled chickpeas
• 1 medium clove garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper
• juice of one whole lemon
• 1/3 cup of olive oil
• hot paprika or turmeric for garnish
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspooon black pepper or 15 turns of the pepper mill

Directions:

• In a large food processor, process garlic clove until finely minced.
• Add red pepper flakes and chickpeas and blend until chickpeas are ground up, they should look like meal.
• Add lemon juice blend a few seconds
• Stream olive oil with processor on until puree is smooth and fluffy
• Add salt pepper and process a few seconds
• Sprinkle paprika over top and garnish with some more olive oil

Serve immediately or cover in glass bowl in fridge. Hummus keeps for a week or so in the fridge

The post Perfect Fresh Hummus Recipe appeared first on Our Gluten Free Family.

• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Cut Schar baguette in half. Reserve one half in the fridge sealed in a ziplock bag for another time. Place one half baguette in the oven on a sheet tray for 5 minute.
• Shred a cup of ice berg lettuce. Slice olives. Chop up jalepenos.
• Remove the baguette from the oven and slice in half. Let cool.
• Spread mayo or mustard on the inside of the bread.
• Place 3 slices of Applegate Farms organic ham (or turkey or salami) on the bread.
• Add shredded iceberg lettuce, olives,  red onions and salt and pepper.
• Wrap in parchment paper or saran wrap.

The post Gluten Free Homemade “Subway” Sandwich appeared first on Our Gluten Free Family.