5 Quick and Easy Gluten-Free Lunches

When you have special dietary needs, simple things like figuring out what to bring for lunch can become a challenge. Here are five quick and easy gluten-free meals that you can pack for lunch:

1. Leftovers from dinner the night before. I almost hesitate to mention this one because it's a no-brainer, but sometimes I'm standing in the kitchen in the morning trying to figure out what to have and completely forget that I have some leftovers in the fridge. I often make "planned leftovers" so that I'll have lunch the next day.

2. Stuffed tomatoes. Slice off the top quarter or so, scoop out the seeds (a small melon baller works wonders for this job), and fill. What can you stuff it with? Both tuna and egg salad are quick to make (even the "cheater" method of just mixing a little bit of mayonnaise in with either egg or tuna works here). Chicken salad is wonderful in this, too, if you have leftover chicken from the night before. After you've filled your tomato, put the top back on and either wrap in plastic wrap or secure with toothpicks or small skewers.

3. Wraps. Almost anything that gluten-free that could go in a sandwich can go in a rolled-up corn tortilla. I buy a big bag of these every week and use them for wraps and snacks. Some corn tortillas don't roll up very well, so you could just bring each ingredient separately and assemble at lunch or just use two tortillas (one on top, one on bottom) and leave flat. This feels a bit more like a sandwich to me, which is nice because I sometimes miss being able to bring sandwiches.

4. Mixed rice. I love rice. It's so versatile. One of my favorite things to do is cut up any bits of meat and (cooked) vegetables that I have and mix in with cooked rice. Leftover tuna or chicken salad mixes in nicely, as well. If you can have dairy, try topping with cheese. This is good served warm or cold.