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Gluten/dairy/nut free kid friendly snacks and meals on a budget?? Is this impossible?

2K views 7 replies 6 participants last post by  seamaiden399 
#1 ·
We are a household with multiple food allergies/intolerance. Our house is completely nut free due to a severe allergy in my older son, and my youngest is intolerant to gluten and dairy. I'm also very concious of the amount of processed/packaged food and snacks my children consume. I am therefore finding it very difficult to come up with budget friendly meal and snack ideas that satisfy everyone and don't take a ton of time (which I don't have). I am looking for any ideas/resources/books etc that can assist me in this, especially in the area of snacks for my 20 mth old (no gluten/dairy). I find I am really struggling to give him snacks that are substantial and satisfying for him; he's too little to eat raw veggies, has difficulty chewing GF snacks like crackers/bagel chips etc because they are so hard/crunchy, and can't obviously can't have any dairy. I also worry that he's not getting enough protein in his snacks to satisfy him. Any help would be so appreciated. TIA.
 
#2 ·
I try to stick to mostly gluten/dairy free with my daughter, for health reasons, though, so we don't have to be as strict. I've learned to try to think of meals based around a protein, a fat, and then veggies and fruits. We are not paleo, so we do some carbs, too. We really like the Food Should Taste Good brand chips for dipping with guacamole, and we use them with sunnyside up eggs, too. I believe they are certified gluten free, but they're not the cheapest snack in the world. We do a lot of deli lunch meat, eggs, and meatballs for our lunches. If your 20 month old will eat hard boiled eggs, that might be a good option for a snack. Little fritatta muffins could work, too. Sunbutter may be a good option for a protein spread. My DD loves it on rice cakes with a drizzle of honey. I'll add more if I think of stuff....
 
#3 ·
Grated carrot
Frozen peas
Roast a chicken or buy a decent rotisserie one
Soups (reuse leftover chicken)
If you can do eggs, there is so much. Simply google Paleo recipes.
A quick one for us is egg drop soup - drop beaten egg in boiling broth +/- veggies
I also do chicken tortilla soup. Leftover bird plus can of tomatoes.
Avocado
 
#4 ·
My youngest is dairy free and gluten free. I do rice cakes, veggie straws, raisins, cut up apples with skin off (diced or in strips,) steamed peas, grapes cut in little pieces, gluten free Cheerios type cereal, any gluten free dairy free cereal, gluten free/dairy free animal crackers. You can make gluten free pancakes and add purred fruits and veggies. Vans gf waffles or you can make your own. Eggs, diced fried potatoes you can use olive oil instead of butter, mashed potatoes using chicken broth in place if milk. I buy rotisseries from SAMs club and dice up chicken. Or I make a whole chicken. Then I use the leftover chicken to make meals. He eats ground meat. Gf noodles with sauce. ( Walmart has them at a good price) then when I make the sauce I hide veggies in it. Just to list a few lol
 
#5 ·
We are gluten,dairy and soy free...for snacks we do fresh fruit except apples which she is also allergic...gluten free crackers w lunchmeats.I make muffins and waffle sticks which she adores...I also send boiled eggs,hot dogs,meat rollups..she loves fruit and veggie pouches...calls them smoothies...one treat I do buy her is Skinny popcorn in the individual mini bags...it is non GMO and gluten free...
 
#6 ·
Not at all impossible. Expensive items tend to be processed foods, which aren't that great anyway.

GF Corn tortillas with refried beans as filling, daiya cheese if you want to be fancy

quinoa with daiya cheese and beans mixed in (you can get big bags at Costco for a good price)

roasted potato home fries in the oven

onigiri white rice balls with tuna fish and mayo in the center (google recipes)

spring rolls with shrimp, lettuce, rice noodles, lettuce, mint with a sunflower butter "peanut" sauce or sweet chili sauce (my DD doesn't like the latter)

kale chips

Roasted vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, sliced carrots, beets, sweet potato, celery root, parsnip, butternut squash, brussel sprouts etc)

For school: applesauce packets or pouches, sunflower seeds, roasted chickpeas, cold refried beans (not my cup of tea but the DD likes it!), bean salads, daiya quesadillas or vegan tamales (homemade)

Enjoy Life also makes some nut-free, dairy-free trail mix, but it isn't cheap. you could make your own, though.Their chocolate chips are spectacular. Trader Joe's has dairy-free chocolate chips (NOT THE CHUNKS) as long as possible trace contamination with dairy is ok. They are a fraction of the cost of Enjoy Life.

I have a gluten-free blog that has periodically had dairy, nut-free recipes www.bookofyum.com and there are many other allergy-friendly gluten-free blogs with tons of ideas. Just google gluten-free dairy-free lunches (or bento) and I bet you'll find lots of recipes.

Hope this helps!

-Brenda
 
#7 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by seamaiden399 View Post

Not at all impossible. Expensive items tend to be processed foods, which aren't that great anyway.

GF Corn tortillas with refried beans as filling, daiya cheese if you want to be fancy
quinoa with daiya cheese and beans mixed in (you can get big bags at Costco for a good price)
roasted potato home fries in the oven
onigiri white rice balls with tuna fish and mayo in the center (google recipes)
spring rolls with shrimp, lettuce, rice noodles, lettuce, mint with a sunflower butter "peanut" sauce or sweet chili sauce (my DD doesn't like the latter)
kale chips
Roasted vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, sliced carrots, beets, sweet potato, celery root, parsnip, butternut squash, brussel sprouts etc)

For school: applesauce packets or pouches, sunflower seeds, roasted chickpeas, cold refried beans (not my cup of tea but the DD likes it!), bean salads, daiya quesadillas or vegan tamales (homemade)

Enjoy Life also makes some nut-free, dairy-free trail mix, but it isn't cheap. you could make your own, though.Their chocolate chips are spectacular. Trader Joe's has dairy-free chocolate chips (NOT THE CHUNKS) as long as possible trace contamination with dairy is ok. They are a fraction of the cost of Enjoy Life.

I have a gluten-free blog that has periodically had dairy, nut-free recipes www.bookofyum.com and there are many other allergy-friendly gluten-free blogs with tons of ideas. Just google gluten-free dairy-free lunches (or bento) and I bet you'll find lots of recipes.

Hope this helps!
-Brenda
Daily a cheese is very expensive though!
 
#8 ·
Daiya cheese is not cheap, but it can be used sparingly to give extra texture and flavor to a dish. One package can be stretched out to last quite a while if you're just sprinkling small amounts of it on top of, say, refried beans. Since the requirements were dairy AND nut free, it is one of the few "cheesy" options as a special treat. These days even regular dairy cheese isn't cheap!

Sometimes Safeway or Whole Foods have a sale on daiya and this is a good time to stock up. You can also freeze individual servings.

Trader Joe's also has a similar cheese product but it isn't as good as Daiya. It may be a reasonable alternative and I think may be a little cheaper.
 
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