I homeschool my girls, but we often pack a lunch for field trips and park days. Also, Zoe attends a once a week enrichment program offered here in Colorado where she takes foreign language, art, music, drama, and sports. It’s a full day, so I get to make her a lunch to bring.
Before I get into this healthy school lunch, Ali’s theme for this months Go Ahead Honey It’s Gluten-Free , I have to talk about this fun, pretty bento box above. The reason for using bento lunch boxes is creating lead-free, BPA-free, Waste Free Lunches. “It has been estimated that on average a school-age child using a disposable lunch generates 67 pounds of waste per school year. That equates to 18,760 pounds of lunch waste for just one average-size elementary school.” Yikes, right?!! Click for the link to order these at Lap Top Lunches, or you can also find neat stacking stainless boxes on Amazon and at health food stores.
We also take Sigg Bottles (for school and everywhere else) because polycarbonate plastic #7 bottles leach the toxic chemical, BPA, into your water, and because Americans add over 30 million plastic water bottles to our nation’s landfills – everyday! It feels good not being a part of that, and keeping our family healthy at the same time.
One of the most important things I hope to teach my children is how to be good stewards of the earth. They are beginning to understand that we have to consume less, waste less, and reuse more, in order to protect our future. Sigg bottles, bento boxes, and cloth napkins are all ways we can help our kids choose to protect the environment, and our future.
And now on with the food! 🙂 Zoe loves cauliflower, lightly steamed or raw, and guacamole with crackers in her lunch. To make guacamole I cut the avocado in half, and remove the pit. Then I just mash the avocado with a fork while it’s still in the skin. I transfer it to a bowl and add lemon or lime juice and Herbamare. These crackers are Sesmark, Gluten-Free Rice Thins.
I’m also very excited to share this Teriyaki Veggie Cake recipe with you. It’s a spin on these veggie cakes that I make all the time, but I think this is my best version yet.
Teriyaki Veggie Cakes
dairy free, raw inspired, full of omega 3 & 6 essential fatty acids
Add to food processor:
2 cups beans (I used navy beans for the cakes in this photo, which gave me this fantastic orange colored veggie cake)
1 cup carrots, roughly chopped
1.5 green onions, roughly chopped
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes
1/4 cup gluten-free teriyaki sauce
2 tsp hot sauce (for mild to medium cakes)
1/2 tsp
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Puree.
Add:
1/4 cup Hemp Seeds
1/4 cup Chia Seed meal (I grind it in my coffee grinder. Two tablespoons seeds = four
1/4 cup Chia Seed meal (I grind it in my coffee grinder. Two tablespoons seeds = four
tablespoons
meal, or 1/4 cup)
1/2 to 1 cup almond meal flour
Puree.
Form into patties and dehydrate at 115 degrees for about 5 hours.
Makes six.
Click for the link to my dehydrator, the Nesco American Harvest
Also, see this video on why raw hemp seeds & chia seeds rock!
Why dehydrate these and not bake or grill them, you might ask? Heat destroys the omega 3 & 6 essential fatty acids, which are so good for you and vital to your health.
♥, Kelly
Amanda says
I bought the bento boxes on your recommendation, and my son loves them. He has home lunch nearly everyday. I’ve explained to him that he doesn’t throw anything away, he needs to bring everything home. I love this, because when he gets home I know exactly how much of his lunch that he’s eaten, and whatever he hasn’t eaten, he has for an afternoon snack. It’s perfect.
Thanks for the good tips for lunches. We get tired of the same things everyday. The veggie cakes sound like a refreshing change.
gfe--gluten free easily says
Terrific post, Kelly! I know I would love these new veggie cakes. I have everything except gf teriyaki sauce and well, no dehydrator. Hmmm. Maybe will just bake on low heat in the oven. Now that my love affair with my oven has resumed again. 😉
You should link to your very cute Spunky Coconut Siggs, although that other one on Amazon is very pretty. 🙂
Great post for Go Ahead Honey and lots of wisdom shared as well as the enticing recipe–thank you, dear!
Shirley
Amy @ Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free says
I have been thinking about Ali’s theme and I don’t have any kids to pack a lunch for…maybe I’ll feature one of my hubby’s. 🙂
I didn’t know that you homeschool…how neat!! I am loving your cakes – they look delish. I still don’t have a dehydrator. It’s on my Christmas list.
Sassybigbuttbeauty says
I stumbled across your blog this morning and am enjoying it! I, too, am GF, live in CO, and am a Bento, Sigg and cloth napkin using mama of 3 kids..the youngest being Zoe! Have a beautiful day 🙂
Catherine says
Yum! These look amazing Kelly! I have never tried hemp seeds and for good reason – they’re illegal in NZ! Very odd!
Do you think sunflower seeds may be an ok substitute? 🙂