Your Child Menu?

[Bellasmama]

What are your childrens staples in their diet thats not bought from a health food store?

Some of Isabella's are:

Oscar Myer Ham

String Cheese

Cheetos

Ruffles

Eggs

Bacon

Fruit Snacks

Just to name a few....I want to get more verity of "regular" non gluten foods.

I just tried giving her Chicken salad (just like tuna) and she loved it with little tostitos scooper chips.

[JennyC]

I wish the list was healthier, but here are some of our standbys.

Popcorn

Lay's Stax

marshmallows/fruit snacks for a treat

Cheetos's

yogurt

string cheese

fruit

cheese quesadillas

Thai Kitchen noodles (like Top Ramen)

cereal

[Guhlia]

BREAKFAST

Green eggs and ham - just use green food coloring, kids love 'em

omelet w/ their favorite foods in it (I've even done cookie omelets w/ chicken bits and cookie bits)

Eggs and Oscar Meyer bacon

Gluten free muffins (Incredible Edible Gluten Free Food for Kids by Shari L. Sanderson - the best cookbook ever!)

LUNCH

Oscar Meyer hot dogs, no bun, you can cut them into half circles and arrange them into pictures on his plate, decorate with ketchup

Lunch meat roll ups - oscar meyer lunch meat, kraft american cheese, rolled up and stuck together with a dull plastic toothpick

Skewered Burger - on kabob skewers string hamburger pieces, cheese, tomato, lettuce, onion, etc...

Smiley Burgers - Cut smiley faces out of burgers or just make smiley faces w/ ketchup, serve w/ McCain smiles (fried mashed potato smiley faces)

Macaroni and Cheese made w/ Tinkyada pasta and Cheese Whiz (double check that label, I buy the Walmart brand and it's gluten free)

"Baked" beans and franks - 1 small can Bush's baked beans, 2 oscar meyer hot dogs cut into semi circles, 4 slices of bacon, brown sugar to taste - this will feed 2 or 3

SNACKS

Fresh fruit

Fresh veggies with Kraft ranch dressing to dip in

Pinwheels - sweet balogna wrapped up around Philadelphia cream cheese or ham wrapped up around pineapple cream cheese

"salad" - lettuce, cherry tomato, favorite nuts, apple pieces, cherries (pitted), with a marshmallow cream "dressing"

Gluten free crackers w/ Easy Cheese

Banana pictures - slice a banana and arrange it into pictures, decorate lightly with colored sugar and/or cinnamon

Gerber lil' crunchies zesty tomato flavor (YUM!!!)

DINNER

Spaghetti - Tinkyada spaghetti, Classico italian sausage sauce, Kraft parmesean cheese, serve with salad

Rice Casserole - White Rice, Chicken (cooked and cubed), Kraft cheddar cheese, brocolli (chopped) - mix cooked ingredients together and throw into oven to bake until cheese is melted

Rice Casserole 2 - 1 can stewed tomato, 1-2 cups precooked brown or white rice, Kraft precooked sausage (south beach diet), diced veggies of your choice (we like zucchini in it) - throw precooked ingredients into oven until bubbling and hot through

Steak, baked potato, and veggie (great to make on the grill)

Shish Kabobs (great marinade recipes on allrecipes.com - la choy soy sauce regular flavor is gluten free, check label)

Most dinner recipes are easy to convert to being gluten free without anybody noticing. Allrecipes.com is a great resource for recipies. I use it constantly. I just use gluten free ingredients instead of glutenous ones.

[Kibbie]

WE do a ton of fruits

Veggies with dip (ex. Celery, peanut butter, and raisins)

Fruit-A-bu

Corn tortilla chips

popcorn

otter pops

Yogurt Smoothies

gluten-free Pretzles

I rarely shopt a a health food store but my local grocery store has a large selection of gluten free foods... and will get me just about anything I ask for

What are your childrens staples in their diet thats not bought from a health food store?

Some of Isabella's are:

Oscar Myer Ham

String Cheese

Cheetos

Ruffles

Eggs

Bacon

Fruit Snacks

Just to name a few....I want to get more verity of "regular" non gluten foods.

I just tried giving her Chicken salad (just like tuna) and she loved it with little tostitos scooper chips.

[Esther Sparhawk]

You can write to Hormel or call them, and they'll send you a wonderful list of gluten-free products. We use their pizza toppings, some of their ready-to-bake marinated dinner meats, and some of their chilis. They have a two or three-page list of products which are gluten-free.

The Hormel Canadian bacon is great with cheese and rice crackers for a home-made "Lunchables" for kids. They're even round like real "Lunchables"!

Frito chili pie (also called Texas pie) is a fun casserole dish for kids too. You just layer Hormel's gluten-free chili, shredded cheese, and Fritos. Bake it until bubbly. Yum!

Lays will send you a gluten-free list too, but I've heard they have issues with cross-contimination on their assembly lines.

Mechelle

[sjust]

I just got Robbie some rice cakes. I got the chocolate ones for a treat and he seems to love those. He is also into raisins and he likes the tortillas I make. Cheese is huge, yogurt, apple slices, grapes. We have not gone the specialty route at all cause it is so new. Oh, he likes Envirokids Gorilla Munch cereal as a snack and the Envirokidz Organic crispy rice bars are good too.

Sarah

[taweavmo3]

I love to see what everyone else is eating! Here are a few of our staples (gluten-free/CF and soy free)

Fruit A Bu

rice cakes

popcorn

apples with peanut butter and honey or agave nectar

bananas with chocolate syrup and whipped cream from coconut milk (got that idea here, kids LOVE it!)

squeezable applesauce

dried fruit and nuts

corn chips or carrots with hummus

Oscar Myer natural hot dogs, lunch meat, and bacon

hard boiled eggs, bacon

rice, rice and more rice....LOL

Jennie's coconut macaroons (can be found at some Walmarts)

I also keep a stockpile of muffins, pancakes, and peanut butter cookies (the 3 ingredient recipe) so the kids can have some snacks around. We also do alot a ton of fruit, thank goodness it's summer and there is more variety now. I can't wait to hit the farmer's market!

[janelyb]

some of our staples that are gluten/casein free found in my local grocery:

Gorilla Munch

chicken

french fries

fresh fruit or container fruit like in the plastic cup

Gluten-free Casein-free ranch dressing *tofutti sour cream mix w/mayo & spices* I make my own

ketsup

pasta (either rice or corn)

rice

taquitos

tunafish sandwich

Gluten-free Casein-free bread

otterpops

lollypops - dum dums

Gluten-free Casein-free pizza (Amy's brand)

homemade goodies (the rice flours are in my reg store)

corn tortillas

tortilla chips

p'nut butter and apple butter sandwich

sorbet

Larabars

specialty items I go to another store for:

premade sweets/cookies

pretzels

waffles *however these are a staple for my son*

365 trailmix bars (all nuts and fruit)

premade mixes for cakes/muffins

Gluten-free Casein-free cheese

anything I see that's Gluten-free Casein-free and sounds good to try

[taweavmo3]

What are Otterpops? I saw these on a couple of lists, so now I'm curious!

[Esther Sparhawk]

What are Otterpops? I saw these on a couple of lists, so now I'm curious!

They're like Koolaide in a long, plastic tube. It's frozen, so it's a fun treat in summer. You just push the frozen Koolaide out into your mouth, kind of like Pixie Sticks, but frozen Koolaide style.

Until I read this thread, I didn't know they were gluten-free. I'll be adding them to Annie's list now!