Need Menu Ideas For Multiply Food Allergic Child And Sibs

[Guest alex j]

As well as avoiding gluten, my son is allergic to fish, eggs, beans/peas/lentils/soy, and nuts. He used to be allergic to dairy foods, and I'm not convinced he's fully outgrown, so we're mostly avoiding those too. He used to be allergic to beef and chicken and still dislikes them pretty strongly so we don't often eat them. His brother is gluten-free only; my daughter could theoretically eat anything but is picky.

We are all getting sick of the meals I usually make and I'm trying to get together with my kids to come up with a week's menus in advance (hoping if they're involved there'll be less complaints). We need some new ideas.

For protein, we rely on pork. We also eat ground turkey and lamb, but less often. He can eat sunflower seeds but I have yet to find a source of raw sunflower seeds that is not cross contaminated with nuts.

At the moment our staples are Tinkyada pasta with bolognese sauce, chilli (no beans for son), taco salad, shepherd's pie, Beeler's sausages with mashed or baked potatoes, pot roast (in crock pot). Would make risotto but daughter hates. Have made chicken pot pie and my son did eat the chicken in that (and it was delicious - used a modified version of Roben Ryberg's biscuit recipe for the crust).

The kids all like Vietnamese style noodle dishes, but I can't find a source of Asian noodles that I can verify are gluten-free. We were using some from the Asian market but both sons reacted (and it took a couple of weeks to figure it out, and so far a couple of weeks to get better - sure made for a fun month).

I lOVE cooking things in the crock pot so anything that would work that way is a plus.

Alex

[ArtGirl]

I'll try to dig out the recipe, but I used to make a pork enchelladas with green chilies and corn tortillas that was very good (I didn't notice corn in your list).

How about kabobs - that would make for a different kind of meal and the kids could scewer the foods.

I eat a frozen turkey sausage that comes in a roll, I buy it at either Whole Foods or Wild Oats health-food stores. Diestel turkey ranch - breakfast sausage, or Italian sausage.

Breakfast sausage ingredients (i don't have an Italian sausage in my feezer just now): turkey, water, sea salt, spices and turbinado (unrefined sugar). It makes great sausage patties, but you could also break it up to use in a casserole with wild rice and vegetables, or make sausage fingers (shaped like hot digs).

Hope this helps a little. Maybe others will have some more to add. I can't eat dairy, egg or soy either, so I know how one can get in a rut.

[Guest alex j]

Thanks - thsoe are good ideas. Yes, he can have corn, but I haven't yet found a corn tortilla that seems to be x-contam free. I have masa harina and keep meaning to make them, but haven't got round to it yet. It looks like you can't have corn - but does anyone know an x-contam free corn tortilla?

[HawkFire]

Does he have an actual meat allergy? I know them to be extremely rare.

Nevermind. I see where you said he outgrew that. That is good. I have read about meat allergy. I knew a mother many years ago with a child who she said had a meat allergy. He was actually allergic to the packaging material of the meat! That is where I learned about how rare an actual meat allergy is.

[lonewolf]

Hope it's okay if I cross-post this. All of these are gluten-free, egg, dairy and soy-free and no nuts or legumes. My 4 kids eat all of it. I'm sure you could substitute pork in several of the meat recipes.

Breakfasts:

Homemade pancakes made with egg replacer.

Homemade waffles, made with egg replacer and coconut oil (prevents sticking)

Trader Joe's uncured turkey bacon (or Applegate Farms brand)

Isernio's chicken breakfast sausage

Smoothies with rice milk, fruit and rice protein powder

Rice cakes with whatever topping - used to use sunflower seed butter

Homemade muffins with flax seed meal and egg replacer

Homemade "sausage" - ground turkey seasoned with salt, garlic and italian herbs, mixed up the night before and fried in little patties

Sunflower seed butter on apples or bananas

gluten-free cereal with rice milk

Leftover chicken or turkey and a piece of fruit

Lunches:

Chicken salad with balsamic vinaigrette

Taco salad - seasoned meat and salsa, Soyco foods rice based sour cream substitute (no soy)

Lettuce wraps - lunch meat wrapped in lettuce leaves with mustard

Sandwiches on Enjoy Life Brown rice tortillas

Leftovers from dinner - meats, soups, casseroles

Dinners:

Roast chicken with baked potatoes - experiment with different types of seasoning -garlic, or rosemary and lime juice, or Italian herbs

Meatloaf and mashed potatoes - use crispy rice cereal for breadcrumbs, don't need egg

Baked chicken breasts with Italian dressing marinade

Tinkyada pasta with homemade meatball, meat sauce or marinara sauce. Also with no sauce, but chopped tomatoes, garlic and olive oil. Sheep milk cheese if you can get away with it. (I could after avoiding all dairy for 7 years.)

Chicken simmered in sauce, served over rice. Sauce ideas: enchilada sauce, homemade BBQ sauce, coconut milk with curry powder, salt, raisins and chopped apples, sweet and sour sauce - pineapple juice, vinegar, ginger, sesame oil

Taco salad

Stews - any meat cooked with onions, potatoes and carrots, garlic, salt, pepper

Vegetable soup - start with chicken broth and tomato sauce and add chicken, onions, carrots, zucchini, garlic, Italian herbs and ?

Chicken noodle soup - use Tinkyada or favorite pasta

Chicken and noodles - thicken chicken broth with sweet rice flour, use favorite pasta

Chicken and dumplings - use rice flour mix and Spectrum shortening, follow recipe in Betty Crocker or Better Homes and Gardens cookbook

Grilled chicken, marinated in balsamic vinaigrette

Swedish Meatballs with rice or boiled potatoes

Pizza with no cheese - Trader Joe's turkey bacon and pineapple is the best topping

Turkey pot pie - make crust with rice flour mix and Spectrum shortening, thicken gravy with sweet rice flour

[Guest alex j]

Thanks for all those great suggestions. I need to get shopping...

[daffadilly]

Hormel makes an all natural lunch meat that say gluten free on the package - a brownish paper package.

Mission Brand White Corn tortillas, I never react to them. I am in Texas, not sure where you are...

Lundberg Rice Chips have no cross contamination - they only do rice. I also buy their rice cakes and their rice blends. I use the rice chips like crackers & put PB & jelly on them & bacon for breakfast - yummy, portable & quick, perfect with a piece of fruit.

Maybe get the kids involved in doing stir fry things and sneaking in some broccoli, kale, etc.

baked sweet potatoes with brown sugar on top. tomorrow I am cooking thick porkchops in the oven with a chopped onion & carrots - like a pot roast - you could do in the crock pot.

One of my favorite dishes is sliced cantaloupe, yellow & orange bell peppers sliced with cold shrimp & pour some A taste of Thai Sweet red chili sauce over the top, it is spicey with a lot of sugar but might get the kids intersted in bell peppers etc., I serve with a rice salad.

Homemade spring rolls - these are so easy to do. Assemble all the ingredients, then take a rice wrapper - those round things you can get at the asian markets - I like the brand with the red rose on the top...

dip the rice wrapper in a bowl of warm water - lay on a dish towel to soften - I lay out four of them, then layer the ingredients: (no need to wait for wrapper to soften it will be just right by the time you finish getting the filling on it) This is my favorite combination at the moment, I split three shrimp in half & lay at one end, top with kale that the stem has been removed, a strip of fresh pineapple, some grated carrot, a couple thin stips of jicama (use a peeler), some fresh cilantro leaves, some fresh mint leaves, & bean sprouts. ( you can sub something else for the bean sprouts, maybe some chopped cabbage?) Using both hands pick up the end with all the filling on it & roll tucking the ingredients in, fold in the ends & complete the roll, place on a plate or in a large glass container. I like to chill them till the next day or if making early in the morning for the evening meal. The texture of the rice paper changes once it is chilled & I like it better. make a sauce or use the Thai sweet chili sauce. I think this is a great dish for kids to make because they can each put the ingredients in them that they like. Hints: do not put the wrappers on a paper plate - they will stick to them, also do not make them with lunchmeat - I did that one time & the pineapple etc made it all mushy - those got trashed. Ham would be good, but chicken also gets mushy unless eating right away. Sometimes I make a bunch & keep in refrig for two days.