GF Living on the Go

Life doesn’t stop for celiac disease. You have a job, responsibilities, places to be. You can’t spend hours cooking every day.

Here’s how to eat GF safely when you’re always on the move.

The Reality Check

The ideal GF life involves:

• Meal prepping on weekends
• Cooking fresh daily
• Carefully vetting every restaurant
• Plenty of time for food management

Your actual life might involve:

• Working long hours
• Commuting
• Kids’ activities
• No time to cook
• Eating on the run

Let’s work with reality.

The Grab-and-Go Breakfast

At Home (Under 5 Minutes)

Minimal effort:

• GF toast with butter or nut butter
• Yogurt with fruit
• Hard-boiled eggs (batch prep earlier)
• GF cereal with milk
• Overnight oats (prepared the night before)
• Protein shake

Prep the night before:

• Set out breakfast items
• Pre-portion smoothie ingredients
• Make overnight oats

Portable Breakfast

Take with you:

• GF bar
• Fruit
• Cheese stick
• GF muffins (batch bake, freeze, grab)
• Greek yogurt cup

On the Road

Drive-through options:

• Starbucks egg bites (many locations)
• McDonald’s eggs without the muffin/biscuit
• Plain yogurt parfait without granola (ask)

Know your local options.

The Workday Lunch

Packed Lunch (10 Minutes to Prepare)

The night before or morning of:

• Leftovers from dinner
• GF sandwich or wrap
• Salad with protein
• Rice bowl with whatever you have
• GF soup (canned or homemade)

Batch cooking helps:

• Cook protein on Sunday (chicken, etc.)
• Make a big batch of something (soup, chili)
• Assemble different lunches from same ingredients

No Lunch Packed

Emergency options:

• Grocery store (rotisserie chicken, salad bar, fruit)
• Chipotle or similar (bowl, skip flour tortilla)
• GF bar + grocery store items
• The stash in your desk

The Desk Stash

Keep at work:

• GF bars
• Nuts
• Crackers
• Canned goods (soup, tuna)
• Utensils

For when lunch plans fall through.

Quick Dinners

15-Minute Meals

When you have no time:

• Eggs in any form + GF toast + vegetables
• GF pasta with jarred sauce + bagged salad
• Rice + canned beans + salsa + cheese
• Stir fry with pre-cut vegetables + protein + rice
• Grilled cheese on GF bread + soup

Rotisserie Chicken Magic

Rotisserie chicken from the grocery store enables:

• Chicken + rice + vegetables (5 minutes if rice is pre-cooked)
• Chicken salad
• Chicken tacos (corn tortillas)
• Chicken soup (add broth and vegetables)

Buy one, eat for three days.

Frozen Meals

For truly desperate nights:

• Amy’s GF frozen meals
• Saffron Road
• Against the Grain pizza
• Udi’s options
• Other GF frozen options in your area

Not ideal, but better than unsafe alternatives.

Time-Saving Strategies

Batch Cooking

When you have time, make extra:

• Double dinner recipes
• Cook a week’s worth of rice
• Make a big batch of soup
• Prep vegetables for the week

One hour of effort saves many hours later.

Strategic Grocery Shopping

Shop for convenience:

• Pre-cut vegetables
• Rotisserie chicken
• Pre-made GF sauces
• Ready-to-eat items

More expensive but: Time has value. Pay for convenience sometimes.

Grocery Delivery/Pickup

• Order ahead
• No wandering the store
• Time saved for other things
• Many stores have GF filtering options

Meal Services

Some meal kit services have GF options:

• Filter for GF
• Ingredients delivered
• Recipes simplified
• More expensive but convenient

The Snack Arsenal

Always have safe snacks available:

In your bag:

• GF bar
• Nuts
• Dried fruit

In your car:

• Non-perishable snacks
• Backup for emergencies

At your desk:

• Several options
• For missed meals or emergencies

At home:

• Easy-to-grab items
• For when you can’t cook

Restaurant Efficiency

Know Your Options

Develop a mental map:

• Safe restaurants near home
• Safe restaurants near work
• Safe restaurants along commute
• Safe options in areas you frequent

When you need to eat out, you know where to go.

Repeat Orders

At trusted restaurants:

• Order the same safe thing
• Less decision fatigue
• Less risk

Apps Help

Use apps like Find Me GF:

• Quick searches
• See nearby options
• Saved favorites

Mental Shortcuts

Decision Fatigue Is Real

Simplify decisions:

• Eat the same breakfast most days
• Rotate same lunches
• Have go-to dinners

You don’t need variety at every meal. You need to eat safely and move on.

Good Enough Is Good Enough

Perfect GF eating: All homemade, all fresh, all perfectly balanced.

Good enough GF eating: Safe, nutritious enough, sustainable.

Good enough is actually good enough.

When It All Falls Apart

Some days:

• You forgot to pack food
• The plan didn’t work
• You’re running on fumes

Emergency mode:

• GF bar + apple = a meal
• Grocery store + 10 minutes = a meal
• Your desk stash saves you

Don’t starve. Don’t eat unsafe food. Just get something safe into you.

The Sustainable Balance

What matters:

• You eat safely
• You get adequate nutrition (most of the time)
• You don’t burn out

What doesn’t matter:

• Instagram-perfect meals
• Elaborate cooking every day
• Being “good” at celiac cooking

You’re managing a chronic illness AND a busy life. Give yourself credit.

Eat safe. Keep moving. That’s enough.