Over the years of doing the GFCF diet, if we have learned one thing it is to always go packing! We keep a bunch of insulated lunch boxes on hand (our kids tend to lose them) and we try to keep stuff on hand that we can stash in a bag for a quick get away on those days when we are traveling or it is one of those busy fall nights when we are shuttling between soccer fields. The real trick to it is learning to think outside the box. Need to grab dinner on-the-run, and are stumped because McDonald’s is out of the question? Stop at the grocery store instead- even at a big box chain store you can find quick gfcf things you can eat. Try the produce department: you can find tiny peeled carrots, already cut up broccoli trees that people usually buy for salads or stirfry, a bag of apples or grapes and a bag of pre- washed romaine. You can even find a small container of raw sunflower seeds, also for salads. Next hit the deli and get some sliced chicken breast. (Ask the butcher if the meat is gluten free- make him go look at the label!!) Grab a roll of paper towels, a bag of plastic cups, and some small bottles of water. In the car, one parent hands out plastic cups full of veggies and a piece of fruit, while the other does this: spread some paper towels on your lap to work on. Take a romaine leaf and a slice of chicken and roll them together like a wrap. Wrap a paper towel around the bottom for a “holder”. The kids pass up their cups, and trash, which you then put in the garbage bag you keep in the car. (You’re really organized!) You pass them back their cups full of seeds and give them some water when they are done with their wrap. No, it is not as convenient as McDonald’s, and to the beginner, I’m sure this sounds like a nightmare, but with practice you will learn to get throught the grocery store pretty fast. We divide and conquer, I do produce, my husband does the meat department. This strategy has saved us on road trips tons of times. We have been known to hit the grocery store before going out to dinner with friends or family just in case the restaurant doesn’t have anything gfcf to eat. Is this a glamorous meal? No. But it is healthy, and safe. Next time you are in the grocery store, look around. Check out the salad bar. You will be suprised at what suddenly grabs you as potential fast food!
Here are some fast ideas for things you can keep on hand at home to grab and throw in a bag on your way out the door :

Tiny boxes of raisins
baby carrots or other finger food veggies
fresh fruit
plain rice cakes
snack sized container of frozen peas
GFCF chicken chunks from a can
Canned chick peas, rinsed and put in a snack sized container are fast protein
sunflower or pumpkin seeds
awesome food you made yourself that you had stashed in the freezer for emergencies
for recipes, look here.
hard boiled eggs
“snack mix”
baggies of GFCF cereal
Hol-grain crackers

Another good place for ideas of this sort is my page about filling your child’s lunch box.
Do you do something brilliant you could share? Contact me and I’ll post your idea for everyone to read!