Need Foods With Protein!

[CantEvenEatRice]

I need some suggestions for gluten free snacky type foods that have protein. My son just turned 2 and has always preferred baby food. He will eat any crunchy type snack, but will not eat chunks of regular food such as meat, veggies, potatoes (unless they are pureed). He will eat gluten free waffles, french fries, and soft gluten free cookies so I know he will eat those textures. I have completely stopped the baby food because I don't feel he should keep eating that way past age 2. My problem is getting him adequate protein. He is dairy free as well and his rice milk does not have protein. I need some ideas on how to get him more protein. Are there any frozen waffles, cookies, snack foods that have added protein? Is there any gluten free/dairy free protein powders I can add to his rice milk. I am hoping he will eat some chicken nuggets, but no luck so far. Please help!

[Jestgar]

food process together equal parts dates and walnuts and form them into balls. I also do this with other dried fruits and raw nuts, but it's a little trickier to get the texture to hold together. You can throw in shredded coconut and chocolate chips as well.

edamame? He might like playing with the little pea bits.

mashed potato swirls. Swirl chunky (meat bits) gravy onto the mashed taters on his plate.

will he eat it if it comes off of your plate? Maybe sharing a meal would work

[angel-jd1]

Peanutbutter (make pb cookies 1c pb, 1cup brown sugar, 1 cup chocolate chips 1 egg and 1 tsp baking soda bake 350 for 10-12 min).

Beans (maybe some bean dip type thing)

Put peanutbutter on waffles.

Peanutbutter on apples. Peanutbutter on anything

Scrambled eggs (he can pick them up with his fingers)

Just a couple of ideas

-Jessica

[Mountain Mama]

Try avacado. Lots of young children love it and it is very good for them. Try adding almond flour to your cookies and make them peanut butter cookies while you're at it. I had a child that didn't like textures. I would take our dinner, say spaghetti with meat sauce, and throw it in the blender. Every couple days I would blend it less to let a little more texture in. Pretty soon he was eating it just chopped up into little noodles.

[RiceGuy]

I second the peanut butter!

What about peanut butter on gluten-free bread/crackers? Mix peanut butter into applesauce, and/or blend with other fruits. I saw some recipes for peanut butter soup on a few sites too. Nuts butters are quite versatile.

Beans are also good protein sources of course. Refried beans are a puree, but you could probably put any cooked beans into a blender to form a paste, which could then be used as a spread, mixed into things, or even eaten as-is with or without spices/flavorings. You could also try putting tofu in a blender along with just about anything, to make smoothies and such. Bean dips for tortilla chips are very tasty - such as nachos.

Buckwheat and millet are fairly good sources of protein as far as grains go (buckwheat isn't technically a grain). Both can be eaten as a hot cereal too. I'd personally recommend Kasha (roasted buckwheat). It cooks up very smooth/creamy too.

[RiceGuy]

I had a child that didn't like textures. I would take our dinner, say spaghetti with meat sauce, and throw it in the blender. Every couple days I would blend it less to let a little more texture in. Pretty soon he was eating it just chopped up into little noodles.

Good suggestion!

One thing that makes sense to me though, is that the child's body is working from experience. When the digestive system does better with something, over time it could become instinctual. So an acclimation period of sorts might be what's needed to get the body/mind to realize it can now handle other foods.

[CarlaB]

How about scrambled eggs?

I think the Van's waffles with flax have more protein, but I'm not sure.

What about cheese? Most kids seem to like cheese on top of their veggies.

How about buying the baby food that has more texture to it to ease him into new textures?

Will he eat nuts? Maybe if you eat them he will become interested in them.

Maybe instead of weaning him off all baby food now it would be easier to wean him off one type, say fruits, and let him continue with veggies and meat. Then do veggies next. And ease him into it -- blend the food and gradually let there be more texture to it. Do meat last.

Don't act like it matters much to you, the more you push the more he'll resist!

[Jestgar]

I would take our dinner, say spaghetti with meat sauce, and throw it in the blender.

:lol:

My first thought was YUCK!, but then I thought it would be a little like drinking a V-8.

Made me think of all kinds of adults that eat baby-food consistency stuff. Funny picture

[RiceGuy]

Made me think of all kinds of adults that eat baby-food consistency stuff. Funny picture

It's not so funny when you have to eat like that every day to get any nutrient absorption I'm looking forward to solid food again, the sooner the better.

[Nancym]

You can buy rice protein and bake that into things, or make into a smoothie with fruit and perhaps coconut milk.

[Jestgar]

I meant "normal" people. The kind that live such a fast paced life that they habitually drink their meals for speed's sake.

[RiceGuy]

I meant "normal" people. The kind that live such a fast paced life that they habitually drink their meals for speed's sake.

Yeah, I know your comment was only in jest...I didn't take offense.

But yes, people do sorta drink their food anyway, as they don't seem to take the time to chew, along with the habitual guzzling of coffee, etc. They practically inhale their meals. That, and those insane diet shakes.

[Jestgar]

RiceGuy, are you still having absorption problems? Haven't you been gluten-free for over a year?

[shayesmom]

I need some suggestions for gluten free snacky type foods that have protein. My son just turned 2 and has always preferred baby food. He will eat any crunchy type snack, but will not eat chunks of regular food such as meat, veggies, potatoes (unless they are pureed). He will eat gluten free waffles, french fries, and soft gluten free cookies so I know he will eat those textures. I have completely stopped the baby food because I don't feel he should keep eating that way past age 2. My problem is getting him adequate protein. He is dairy free as well and his rice milk does not have protein. I need some ideas on how to get him more protein. Are there any frozen waffles, cookies, snack foods that have added protein? Is there any gluten free/dairy free protein powders I can add to his rice milk. I am hoping he will eat some chicken nuggets, but no luck so far. Please help!

Larabars would have plenty of protein.

If he can eat pasta, try grinding up cashews and making an "alfredo" sauce with it. I use a bit of chicken broth, garlic, onion, salt, pepper and then add a bit of cornstarch (in rice milk) and stir until I get a gravy. The cashews in it give it the texture of parm cheese as well as a buttery/cheesy taste. Cashews are also packed full of magnesium....something sorely lacking from most of our diets which is necessary to absorb calcium.

Also, someone posted a sliceable "cheese" recipe made from cashews and a bit of nutritional yeast. It's really quite good and your son may like it. The ingredient list is fairly odd....and it's hard to imagine that the cheese could be that tasty...but it's very good.

Smoothies made from coconut milk are also full of protein. And if you add blueberries, the texture is almost like a yogurt.

If you go the peanut butter route.....try to use those that aren't packed full of hydrogenated oils (trans fat). Organic varieties are free of these, but they are a bit stickier and not as sweet. I've worked the organic peanut butter into rice bars with a bit of banana and agave or maple syrup. It's a snap to make and is really good.

[Slackermommy]

Here is a gluten/dairy free recipe that my kids love, and they can eat gluten.

They are fluffy, moist and don't taste gluten free. Takes 2 minutes to mix them up. Coconut flour is high fiber, and expensive, but you use very little. The mashed banana is optional.

Oh, one more tip, they can stick. I use the natural paper liners, and they work great with these. If you don't use liners, grease VERY well.

3 tablespoons butter, melted (or coconut oil)

3 eggs

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup coconut flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 mashed banana

chopped nuts (optional)

toasted coconut for tops (optional)

1. Just mix up the ingredients.

2. Scoop batter in a muffin tin with liners.

3. Bake 15 min at 400 degrees.

4. Enjoy!

[Ursa Major]

If your son will eat meat only when pureed at this point, why not give it to him that way for a while longer? Meat is such an important source of iron as well as protein, which are both essential for proper brain development at his age, that he really needs it. I am sure he'll eventually eat regular food. Why does it matter when he'll finally switch?

The idea of gradually easing him into eating food that is a little chunkier is a good one.

[Mountain Mama]

:lol:

My first thought was YUCK!, but then I thought it would be a little like drinking a V-8.

Made me think of all kinds of adults that eat baby-food consistency stuff. Funny picture

LOL Accually I know what it tastes like. My jaw was broken as a teenager and I had to eat my spaghetti pureed. It was better than ensure, lol. But really, if you look at the processed baby food out there, you can find pureed spaghetti in little jars. Only homemade is more nutritious and it gets Jr in the habit of eating what everyone else is eating. You can throw anything in the blender and little kids eat it! lol

On another note, he could also have a milkshake with a milk replacement with banana and peanut butter in it. Even blending up spinach with apples to make green applesauce would help, there is some protien in spinach, lol. There is lots of sneaky ways to get things into kids that they don't want to eat.

[CantEvenEatRice]

Thank you so much for all of the responses!!!! I really appreciate your help!