Cooking GF/CF and for variety of other needs is zapping my joy of cooking

[junipermuse]

My dd is 4 and has spd w/ likely ADHD (too young for definite diagnosis, but she has been seen by developmental ped who says it's more than likely). We've had her on a GF/CF diet and saw some improvement, I then added dairy back in and her OT and I agree we were seeing regression in her behavior, so we're back to complete GF/CF diet. In addition to this issue we also have to be mostly nut free because she is allergic to many nuts (not almonds or peanuts). She is also somewhat picky and because of her SPD she also is very sensitive to food temp (doesn't want to eat anything cold if it is something typically served warm). She is also allergic to salmon.

In addition to her issues my husband and I are both on Weight Watchers, which complicates things further because I want to eat things that are reasonable in points values as well as things that I find particularly satisfying or delcious because being on a diet can otherwise be very frustrating.

So here's the problem, I'm the one solely responsible for cooking for everyone at our house. I'm exhausted, and I've run out of ideas. I'm relying way too much on convenience foods (like Vans gluten free waffles) because I don't know what else to feed her. She'll eat meat only if its served warm. She craves gluten free grain substitutes and would eat a ton if I let her, but they're expensive and not particularly nutritious. I miss feeding her dairy products because both cheese and yogurt were high in protein and she'd eat them cold, but now I have nothing to substitute it with. She has to take a packed lunch with her to school three days a week and often we go out and need a packed lunch on several other days too. I've run out of ideas of what to pack. I also feel so uninspired about dinner. I don't mind the gluten free issue so much (though it means not getting to eat my favorite tortillas and no bread as a side dish to soup   ) but no dairy really kills me. Especially no butter. I just struggle with finding something I can cook that will make everyone happy. 

So to sum it all up the two things I really need help with are

1. What to pack for lunches that are balanced (especially need protein ideas) that are GF/CF and nut-free that she won't mind eating cold

2. What to make for dinner that is also balanced GF/CF, nut-free, and that won't break the bank.

and actually there are twp more thing

3. snack ideas -- right now I've been popping pop corn and making fruit smoothies, but all of a sudden dd is rejecting popcorn, so I'm kind of at a loss

4. Dd does really like pancakes and muffins, so if anyone has good recipes for these that maybe sneak some extra protein or veggies, that would also be very helpful

Please help inspire me because I've been so down about the food situation I haven't wanted to cook all week

[leomom]

Sorry you are so frustrated- I can understand why!

I'm not sure how much of this you can do, but here's what I do...we are mostly GF, and we avoid dairy, but we do use butter....

For a butter substitute, you might try coconut oil.

For yogurt sub, you could try SO Delicious brand Coconut yogurt...but it can be pricey.

Lunch ideas:

Hummus with celery or pepper sticks?  Or GF crackers?

Black Bean Dip with GF crackers or on GF bread  (there's an easy recipe in this book: http://www.amazon.com/Vegetarian-Mothers-Cookbook-Pregnant-Breastfeeding/dp/0972469060/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1297540958&sr=8-1 )

Cucumber sandwiches with Tofutti cream cheese

rice cake sandwiches (I top with hummus/tofutti/nut butter and then make a smiley face with dried fruit)

Snack ideas:

Fruit, fruit, fruit....

fruit smoothies with protein powder added (I like hemp protein powder)

GF pretzels

veggies with hummus to dip..or black bean dip...

homemade popsicles with fruit and veggies pureed (and you can also add protein powder)

Breakfasts...just add some protein powder to whatever you cook...the book linked above is a GREAT resource, and not just for vegetarians...I sometimes add chicken or beef to the recipes in in.

Good luck!

[puffingirl]

I feel for you--it's hard cooking with multiple restrictions!

Pancakes--How about veggie pancakes?  You can steam broccoli & asparagus and add to mushrooms, zucchini, whatever you like, pulse in food processor and then bind it all with egg (or egg replacer), brown rice flour, some liquid (almond or rice milk, even water), add a little oil, cook on greased griddle.  Add seasonings that your family likes.  Or you could do potato pancakes with a variety of veggies---we've done them with sweet potato, celery root and beets to make them pretty healthy.

Can you try sunbutter (made from sunflower seeds) for a spread?

Will she eat a hard boiled egg cold?

We sometimes send DD with jerky for a protein at lunch.  We have someone fairly local that makes buffalo jerky and she'll eat a package of it.

DD will eat cold beans (black beans, white beans), though I wouldn't. 

Have you looked into some of the GF whole grains (quinoa, kasha, teff, etc)?  They are mostly incredibly nutritious and you may be able to buy them in the bulk bins at a store, making them pretty cheap.  With those, you can do a zillion things---quinoa tabbouleh, teff pancakes and muffins, etc. 

Lunches for DD (who is GF) at school usually include some of the following (with fruit and a veggie):

yogurt (could do coconut or soy yogurt)

PB&J on GF bread (could do sunbutter)

jerky with veggie sticks

hummos with GF crackers and veggie sticks

"chunks of energy"--we get these in the health food store and they are made with nuts, honey, etc  (you may find a nut-free one)

leftovers from dinner

Dinners are usually a meat and 2 veggies (or 1 veggie and a GF grain like quinoa, kasha, rice or potato).  Soups, tacos (with corn tortillas) are also in heavy rotation here.

HTH!

[Sandyandhaley]

I noticed you said that she can have almonds or cannot?  I make homemade almond milk and use a kefir culture from an online retailer to make almond milk kefir.  We are not dairy free, but I try to limit it.  I then take the almond milk I make and blend it with blueberries or bananas or whatever fruit we have.  You can also do this with coconut milk but that would not be as cost efficient.  There are recipes online on how to make nut milks and you could make it with whatever nuts she can have.  I would use this as a base for smoothies as snacks with fruit and spinach and you can even add olive oil if you are concerned she is not getting enough fat.  Make homemade hummous or quacamole for dipping with veggies.  You could make granola at home with gluten free oats, honey or maple syrup, dried fruits, sunflower seeds, any nuts that she can have and bake @ 350 stiring every 10 min until brown.  What if you put meat in soup or something in a thermos?  Maybe it would stay warm enough that she would like it?  I hope you find some help here!

[bodhitree]

The best nondairy yogurt I have ever had is what I make using this recipe. It's much less expensive than buying soy or coconut yogurt ready-made, plus you get to control what goes into it in terms of flavorings and sweeteners. I store it plain and add a bit of honey and vanilla when we're about to eat it. Yum!! You can also drain the liquid out of it by placing it in a coffee filter, and it turns into kind of a cream-cheesey sort of thing that you could use as a spread (and you could add herbs or other flavorings to make it taste however you want). That way you can also avoid having to buy the expensive, highly processed Tofutti cream cheese.

For restoring your joy in cooking, what about some new cookbooks? Do you like Asian food? Most Asian recipes are naturally GFCF, so you wouldn't have to deal with substitutions. If you could find some cookbooks with nutritional values for each recipe, that might make it easier for you to count your WW points too.

[krankedyann]

I make coconut milk yogurt using gelatin, coconut flour and tapioca starch.  I use the heating pad method, as I find it to be easiest.  My kids love it.

Have you tried roasted chickpeas as a snack?  My kids love them warm or room temp.

[Momo123]

Just wanted to point out that many Asian recipes call for soy sauce, which usually contains wheat, so you have to specifically look for gluten-free tamari. I second the suggestion for coconut milk yogurt (bought or homemade).
 

Originally Posted by bodhitree 

For restoring your joy in cooking, what about some new cookbooks? Do you like Asian food? Most Asian recipes are naturally GFCF, so you wouldn't have to deal with substitutions. If you could find some cookbooks with nutritional values for each recipe, that might make it easier for you to count your WW points too.

[leomom]

Thanks for posting the coconut yogurt recipe!