New to GFCF

[micah_mae_]

I need some meal ideas mostly for a picky, autistic 2 year old. :( I am so overwhelmed but we are starting if all the kid eats is lunch meat and eggs. I'm hoping to avoid that though. :)

I need easy, cheap, yummy meal ideas. I am completely new to this diet so if anyone can help... :)

[micah_mae_]

Ah boo. I was hoping to have some ideas before going shopping today.

[springmum]

Sorry you didn't get any replies before going shopping...

I'm not sure if your DS (DD?) has any texture issues?

Is this for lunch at home or to pack?

Some things that pop into my head

- leftovers (rice, beans, lentils made in various ways are great the next day)

- hummus, baba ganoush, avacado dips with veggies, or even spread of some GFDF bread as a sandwich

- egg salad, salmon salad

- salmon burgers

- meatballs in sauce (if you have a container to keep it warm, if you're out)

- soups (meat + whatever veggies are not "yucky")

Have to run, but hopefully those get you started? 

Good Luck, it's overwhelming at first, but it gets waaaay easier as you go. Look out for hidden ingredients in processed foods. 

Get your 2 yr old to help you in some baking (GFDF) adventures - always perked my picky toddler enough to try some new things while having fun :)

There are lot's of great GFDF blogs out there (can come back with links if you like) so you don't have to experiment too much.

[mehmig]

My son is GFCF too. We eat sausage, eggs, GFCF pancakes, GFCF cereal with rice milk, Mexican pizza which is corn tortilla with beans cilantro and rice cheese -although we just introduced raw cheese so we may try that. Bacon is good-pastures pork of course. Pbj on udi bread, lots of fruit. Quinoa is nice, so is rice dishes. We do lots of grilled meats, chicken, etc with veggies.

[micah_mae_]

Thanks ladies, do y'all know if peanut butter and nutella are gfcf? What brand of sausage/bacon is safe? I'm so overwhelmed.

[springmum]

I see you're in Texas, so you have different brands than I do.

You're biggest learning right now will be with label reading. You have to read labels on everything you buy - hidden gluten, and milk can be anywhere. 

There are lists online to help you know the "hidden" names (eg. balt marley would mean gluten)

You'll want to look for PB that is JUST PEANUTS (some big name brands usually have something added in). In fact if you buy bulk peanuts you can grind your own.

To make your own nutella, I believe grinding your own nuts and melting Enjoy Life chocolate chips (which are the only dairy and gluten free chocolate chips I know of) in it would be better than a store bought brand - I haven't seen the label (I'm guessing it has milk for sure b/c of the chocolate)

Not sure about the bacon and sausage as we tend to buy from a local farm that is gluten/dairy free, and don't eat it often.

The more you can get away from store bought - processed foods, the easier it will be to avoid gluten and dairy. I know it's not always easy, but making things at home to mimic the store bought things will mean you know what's in it. Luckily there are many gluten & dairy free options out there now.