Healthy Lunchbox 2012: Naomi Devlin from Straight Into Bed Cake Free and Dried

My friend Naomi Devlin has an amazing profile.  Having trained in London at the London College of Homeopathy, Naomi practices as a homeopath and nutritionist.

In addition to this, Naomi is also the mastermind behind the Go Ahead Honey, It’s Gluten-Free events which began back in 2008 on her blog, Straight Into Bed Cake Free and Dried. As if the Go Ahead Honey, It’s Gluten-Free event wasn’t great enough, from September 2012 through September 2013, GAHIGF is going Primal!  I cannot wait to see all of the grain-free goodness this stirs up!

Naomi’s Low Carb Lunchboxes are a wonderful way to round-out our Healthy Lunchbox Series.  I am so pleased she joined us this year.

Thanks Naomi! xo 

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Low Carb Lunchboxes

Over the years we have experimented with varying amounts of carb in our diets and found that, like our primal ancestors, we thrive on lots of plants and animals.

For me, one meal can so easily be replaced with another at any time of day. Soup for breakfast? Fried eggs for supper? Why not? I’m just happy to eat what I like, when I like. I am lucky to be able to eat most of my meals fresh from the kitchen.

For Finn and Nick however, the issue of lunch-boxes can present some challenges. For Nick, how to eat well and not get bored, or how to eat a bowl full of leaves and dressing on the train back from London? For Finn, how to eat well and avoid the incredulous stares of your fellow students as you produce yet more green from your tiffin tin and eat yet another piece of succulent chicken thigh with the skin bronzed and intact.

My solution is to offer a mixture of salads through the shoulder seasons and summer, with days that include sandwiches made from nut bread or pancakes or a slice of juicy frittata. Maybe some egg crepe rolls and dipping sauce or an impromptu cheesecake (recipe below).

When colder weather descends, a wide mouthed flask is unbeatable for Finn. It can contain soup and stew that stay warm right until lunch – perfect for dipping a buttered almond pancake or two.

In the winter, when I make lots of tray bakes, Nick will just fill a jar with a generous portion and heat it up at work. This is brilliant if you have the facilities. The key is to always overcook and freeze anything you’re not going to eat in the next 48 hours. Instant fast food!

I offer you a selection of links for tasty low carb lunch boxes, that won’t raise your blood sugar or have you reaching for a snack bar mid afternoon. Have fun!

Grain Free Breads (more on the sidebar)

Pecan and Apple Bread is perfect for cheese or ham sandwiches, spread thickly with some soft butter or thick yogurt.

Carrot Pulp Bread, uses the leftovers from juicing to make a nourishing loaf that’s pretty versatile.

Banana Bread – for a sandwich that thinks it’s dessert, try a couple of slices of this sandwiched with cream cheese and some extra walnuts.

Pancakes for Dipping and Rolling Stuff Up In

Almond Pancakes – delicious any way if you ask me. Ideal spread with some paté, thick yogurt or creme fraiche. Great buttered and dipped into a hearty soup in winter. Make a ton and freeze, for instant mini pizzas when covered with tomato sauce and cheese (not Heinz ketchup though!).

Pea Pikelets – little fluffy drop scones made with mashed peas, basil and nuts. Can be made with any mashable vegetable and are great hot or cold.

Egg Crepes – the ultimate low carb wrapper for anything you can think of!

Savoury Treats

Aubergine Crostini – throw away the bread and replace it with a slice of griddled aubergine. Melanzane parmigiane – eat your heart out!

Cheesy Crackers – sable, cheesy biscuits. Store them in a high place or they won’t last five minutes!

Courgette Frittata – a succulent, savoury wedge that is totally satisfying. All it needs it a handful of greens to make it a meal.

Fresh Chorizo Sausages – struggling to find sausages that aren’t full of preservatives and cheap meat? Try these little spicy numbers, delicious dipped into something cool and creamy.

Salads

A Salad For All Seasons – you can’t go wrong with a big bowl full of salad for lunch. Pop it in a tiffin tin or tupperware, smothered in a delicious dressing, with some satisfying protein and maybe some seeds in there. Yum!

Cucumber and Poppyseed Salad – cool cucumber, chilli, lime, soy and poppy seeds make this salad incredibly moreish. Great with some cold lamb, roast meat or egg crepe rolls.

Carrotslaw – make with carrot or red cabbage depending on your taste. Use mayonnaise or yogurt, or creme fraiche. Great piled into a gem lettuce leaf with a slither of cold meat or salami.

For soups, stews and broths – check out my sidebar.

Instant Lowish Carb Cheesecake

Per person:

a small handful of raw or unsalted roasted nuts – pecan or hazelnut are the best IMHO.

salted butter

1/2 tsp raw honey

two heaped dessert spoons of Greek or dripped yogurt

half a banana mashed or a small handful of berries lightly squished

In a food processor, grind the nuts to a finish crumb. Add honey and enough butter to make damp crumbs that will press together into dough, but not so much that they are sticky.

press into a dariole mould (or small tart tin, metal ring etc) lined with a scrap of baking parchment.

Spoon in the fruit and top with yogurt.

Chill for a couple of hours and then dig in! Can be semi frozen for an iced version or made in a small round tupperware for a portable dessert.