A Day In The Life Of A Gf Child

[azedazobollis]

I have an idea! We were all new here once. Finding food ideas for children is frustrating. Sending them to school almost seems easier to me with packing a lunch and snack than having my gluten-free kid home for vacation this past week!

Let's each post a sample one day gluten free menu per post. Maybe we can come up with enough posts to create a little cook book of some sort. Please keep your menu child friendly- we all know how picky kids can be! If relevent, include the brand of the food or reference a few brands if need be!

Thank you!!!

Breakfast:

4 oz. strawberry pediasure blended with 1 frozen strawberry and BACARDI brand frozen non-alcoholic fuzzy navel concentrate

1 toasted frozen LIFESTREAM buckwheat wildberry gluten free waffle floded over with butter and POLANERS all-fruit seedless raspberry jelly

vitamins:1 ANIMAL PARADE multivitamin watermelon flavor and 1 ANIMAL PARADE calcium natural vanilla sundae flavor

Snack:

1 THE GLUTEN FREE PANTRY chocolate truffle brownie (baked and frozen in individual servings wrapped in aluminum foil) with DUNCAN HINES homestyle chocolate frosting

Lunch:

2 slices of THE GLUTEN FREE PANTRY old fashioned white bread

2 thin slices of BOARS HEAD deli ovengold turkey breast

in a 2 oz tupperware, shredded CABOT white sharp cheddar cheese

6 baby carrot sticks

in a snack bag, a handful each of jet puffed small marshmallows, NESTLE or GHIRADELLI milk chocolate chocolate chips, and 4 MI-DEL GLUTEN FREE GINGER SNAPS (I call this SMORES in a bag)- or you can replace the ginger snaps with BARBARA'S honey rice puffins cereal

Snack:

Hunts handi-snack chocolate lovers pudding

Dinner:

pork "nuggets" - Thin pork tenderloins- cut into nugget size

use three bowls:

1. make bread crumbs using a gluten free Corn flake or HEALTH VALLEY Corn-crunch-ems cereal- I also use ENER G wheat free crackers (crush them in a bowl or a food processor)

2. egg and some milk scrambled (throw in a little of your flour mixture to thicken this)

3. potato flour, rice flour mixture or a glten free baking mix flour.

In a cast iron skillet, pour in your vegetable oil- just enough to cover one side

dip your pork pieces: flour- egg- flour -egg -breadcrumbs (this is what works for us)

fry pork pieces until browned on both sides lay them on paper towels to absorb oil.

---

brocolli crowns in the microwave

canned sliced pineapple in natural juices

applesauce

rice

DESSERT: Edy's whole fruit popsicle

[Ruth]

Great idea!

I promise to reply with at least one day's menu when I've got more time!

[azedazobollis]

Breakfast: ARROWHEAD MILLS Waffle & Pancake baking mix

[angel-jd1]

Just a little FYI.......the Barbara's Peanutbutter Puffin's cereal contains oats. Research indicates that cross contamination of oats is HIGHLY likely, so I would advise against this cereal. Also, this cereal isn't even on Barbara's Bakery gluten free list. Open Original Shared Link

-Jessica

[azedazobollis]

Thank you- I edited that one- Phew! I hadn't opened the box yet- I would have checked it before puttting it in the snack bag- I have been using the ginger snaps.

[Lorraine]

This is great. My Grandson is allergic to gluten, soy and dairy and he is also autistic. My Daughter in love has such a hard time with what to give him and this will help with some ideas. He is in a special school ( he's 3 1/2 ) and she needs to send a snack and lunch everyday for him. I have celiac so I have interduced her to many of the good foods from the gluten free pantry. So I will keep checking to see what menus everyone posts, thanks, Grandma Lorraine

[azedazobollis]

Breakfast:

Amazon Flakes (like frosted flakes- now they come in tropical fruit flavor)

Milk

4 oz. Chocolate pediasure blended with HERSHEY

[Ruth]

Breakfast: Post Furity Pebbles/Cocoa Pebbles or Barbara's Honey Rice Puffins

& Furit

Lunch: (Taken to school)

Plain Rice Cakes with Smucker's Strawberry jam (Peanut butter would be good too, but my kids are allergic)

Danimals yogurt or Gogurt

Furit or raw veggies

EnviroKids bar

Juice box or water bottle (sometimes they buy milk at school)

Snacks:

Smartfood

Laughing cow Baby Bel Cheese

Dinner

Hebrew National Hot Dogs, no bun, Heinz Ketchup, Veggies, Potato

or

Tinkanyada Pasta with Classico Four Cheese Sauce

or

Homemade Chicken Soup: Chicken breast, rice, carrots, celery with water, salt & pepper

[Ruth]

Hi,

I just noticed... the referend to Stoneyfield's strawberry yogurt.

Last year Stoneyfield said only their plain yogurt was gluten-free. Has this changed?

I accidentally glutenized my daughter with this for a week last year.

We only use Columbo, Dannon and Yoplait now.

[Ruth]

Just a follow-up on the yogurt... I checked out Stoneyfield's web site and found this:

Does your plain, organic yogurt contain gluten?

Though we don't add gluten, there may be trace amounts of gluten in our yogurt, which come from the processing of the fruit and flavors with a grain alcohol. The only flavors we can be absolutely certain have no traces of gluten are our nonfat, lowfat and whole milk plain yogurts.

We are still in the process of learning more about Celiac disease and have been told that some individuals are sensitive to even miniscule amounts of gluten. We have difficulty answering questions because we are concerned about giving out information to individuals who have unique and sensitive health issues without the person going through their doctor, especially since the outcome could be very serious.

Then I checked Dannon and they are not "using the term gluten-free" they now say "gluten-safe" or "not gluten-safe" They say only their plain yogurt is "gluten-safe" and that their flavored may not be! Check out: dannon.com "eFAQs"

UGHHH Just when I think I've got it figured out!

[azedazobollis]

I just edited and removed the yogurt. I consider my daughter to be very sensitive to gluten. We have a dedicated gluten free toaster and cast iron.... all that. Zobey has had the STONYFIELD'S "gogurt" strawberry yogurt and no reactions. However, I removed it from my post to be on the safe end. I want this compilation of menus to be a good collection of safe foods able to be copied and taken to the grocery store. Thank you for helping me!

[ryebaby0]

Today's menu from Casa De Momi

Breakfast: AllergFree bar (we call 'em birdseed bars), glass of milk/Boost mixed together, one banana, and a peach YoPlait yogurt

Snack: skittles. because he can.... and a Polly 0 twistum string cheese and some homemade granola bars (peanut butter, corn syrup, almonds, choc chips, amazon flakes). They must have 900 calories each!

Lunch: Oscar Meyer turkey/ cheddar cheese quesadilla, glass of soymilk/rest of the Boost, Gluten Free pantry sugar cookies and some mandarin oranges

Snack: Breyer's ice cream and Snapple MealtoGo peach made into a milkshake. And he stole some of my popcorn

Supper: we're making pizza crust melted over with mozzarella, dipped in Contadina pizza quick sauce. No school today, ice storm... Last night we had tinkyada elbows with chicken and broccoli, which is more typical.

Tonight: i see skittles again and probably some cinnamon toast using EnerG brown rice bread. UGH! But he loves it

joanna

[angigz32]

All these menu's sound great.... Hopefully my son will be able to eat all these when he gets the G tube out and starts the feeding clinc. My son is also allergic to milk and soy. I still can only get him to eat two or three bits of anything. I try to get him food he really likes and it still doesn't work. Pedisure he also got sick on. So we put him on PEPTAMEN junior, that didn't work. So the DOC put him on NEOCATE junior and that didn't work. So now he is on Elecare, it is pre digested medical food. Also my 2 yr old son just doesn't have Celiac he has something else wrong with him and we are trying to figure it out. The doc will not do more test till he gains weight. So we are going in hospital the 22nd to put a PH probe in his nose. To see how much acid it coming up than if needed they will wrap the tube going to his stomach around his stomach.

I will save the menu idea's for when my son gets better. Thank You and God Bless.

[Carriefaith]

Breakfast:

1. EnviroKidz Organic Peanut Butter Panda Puffs Cereal with sliced banana on top

2. Lifestream Natural Buckwheat Wildberry Waffles with Aunt Jemima Syrup

3. Eggs (scrambled, sunny side up, boiled)

100% Pure Red Grape Juice

Lunch:

1. Gluten free Bread (unfrozen, found at most health food stores) with Kraft Peanut Butter

2. Gluten free bagels with cream cheese (Kraft Plain, Apple Cinnamon, Cinnamon Brown Sugar) (Canada)*

3. Rice Cakes and Kraft Peanut Butter

Grapes and Chedder Cheese (very very good)

Orange/Banana/Kiwi Fruit

Gluten free cookies (found in most health food stores, or homemade)

100% Pure Orange Juice

Snack:

Kraft Gel Snacks (Grape, Lemon Lime, Ice Blue Raspberry, Cherry...) (Canada)*

Yogurt

Watermelon/Cantaloupe

Supper:

1. Tinkyada brown rice noodles, with Ragu Sauce, and hamburger (onions, red/green peppers, garlic).

2. Kraft Shake n' Bake Barbeque Chicken Glaze, Teriyaki Chicken Glaze, Spicy BBQ chicken wings glaze (Canada)* with potatoes, and carrots.

3. Gluten Free Pizza with favorite toppings (homemade gluten-free crust or one from health food store).

4. Sweet and Sour Chicken Stir fry

Sauce (Heniz White Vinegar, white sugar, Heinz Ketchup, gluten-free soy sauce (VH), water)

chicken, preferred veggies, and white rice.

* Open Original Shared Link

[jendenise]

I'm 21 and have celiac disease, and I just wanted to say that your menu's look good, and I plan on trying some of them for myself, my office doesn't have a microwave so a lot of the lunch ideas are really good. Hope you guys don't mind my dropping in.

[Carriefaith]

4. Sweet and Sour Chicken Stir fry

Sauce (Heniz White Vinegar, white sugar, Heinz Ketchup, gluten-free soy sauce (VH), water)

chicken, preferred veggies, and white rice.

I forgot to mention that the sauce has cornstarch, the sauce won't thicken without it.

[momof2]

GOOD IDEA!!!

Breakfast:

Gerber Rice Cereal & fruit mixed with milk

Gorilla Munch from ENVIROKIDS

Snack:

Grapes

TRADER JOES Pirates Booty

milk

Lunch:

Cut up turkey meat (Oscar Meyer)

Cut up Cheese pieces

Apples

milk

Snack:

Breakfast Bar from ENVIROKIDS

Apple Juice

Cheese Puffs

Dinner:

Chicken with Italian Dressing

Steamed Brocolli w/parmesan cheese (KRAFT)

Red Potatoes w/garlic

Dessert:

Dreyers Chocolate Ice Cream!

[lbsteenwyk]

This is a great idea. I am copying all of these for my kids. All of you have been very creative. It's great to get some fresh ideas. I feel like we eat the same things all the time!

My husband stays home with our children, so I leave him menus everyday for breakfast and lunch. I fix a lot of things ahead and freeze them. Here's a sample menu, I'll try to add more when I have more time.

Breakfast:

4-6 oz of milk mixed with 2 oz of Boost

Sliced Bananas or other fruit (my gluten-free daughter has been refusing fruit for the past 2 years, but my son always eats fruit)

Homemade gluten-free Waffles with real maple syrup (I make these on the weekends and freeze them to use during the week.)

Recipe:

1/2 cup gluten-free flour (2 parts brown rice flour, 2/3 part potato starch, 1/3 part Tapioca flour)

1/2 cup Sorghum Flour OR 1/2 cup Buckwheat Flour

3 tbs ground flax seed

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp Xanthan gum

1 1/4 cup gluten-free Buttermilk

1 egg

2 Tbs Canola Oil

Lunch

Bush's Best Vegetarian Baked Beans

Oscar Meyer Hot Dog with Mustard for dipping (I'm pretty sure Oscar Meyer is gluten-free, does anyone know differently?)

Steamed baby carrots with butter and brown suger

Fruit

Dinner

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese with Bionaturae gluten-free pasta (soy, rice & potato)

2 tbs butter

2 Tbs Tapioca Flour

1 cup milk

8 oz shredded cheddar cheese

(make a roux with the butter and tapioca flour, add milk slowly, stir until thick, add cheese.

My husband and I like to add Salsa to this for a little zest. The kids like it plain.

Green peas with butter (1 use PictSweet Tiny Green Peas - they are sweet and tender for the kids)

Snacks

Milk mixed with 1-2 Tbs of Carnation Instant Breakfast powder or 2 oz of Boost

Mi-Del gluten-free Chocolate chip Cookies OR

Pamela's Shortbread Swirl Cookies

Hummus w/ Snyder's of Hanover Veggie Crisps

(I make my own Hummus; if anyone wants the recipe, let me know)

[lbsteenwyk]

  My biggest challenge is to create is positive eating atmosphere.  These past several years, Eating has been the source of pain for my little one.  I try to make eating a family event in a happy atmosphere.

Christine:

I totally agree with you that eating should be a pleasant experience for our kids. That's sometimes quite a challenge! It sounds like you are doing a great job, though! My daughter was very uninterested in food for a long time. Now, after 9 months gluten-free, she is finally starting to ask for food and even say she is hungry! It can be so stressful to see your child eat only bites of food day after day. You wonder what on earth they are living on. Even now, my 17 month old son eats 3-4 times the amount that my daughter does. But, I'm seeing improvement everyday, and am thankful! I found it very difficult not to just hang over my child to encourage her to eat; but I've actually found she does better when she sits by herself at the table. I think she must feel stressed always having someone bug her about eating.

[FreyaUSA]

Here's a menu of items that are all available at stores. I make a great deal of our food from scratch, so I thought this would be more helpful in this instance than posting 5 recipes. Also, I'm posting 1's and 2's because my two younger kids nearly never agree on anything, so 10 yr old son is #1, 7 yr old daughter is #2.

Btw, I think this is an awesome thread! I've gotten some great ideas so far. Everyone, please post!

Breakfast:

1. Gorilla Munch Cereal (EnviroKids)

2. Corn Crunch'ems (Health Valley) w/a little bit of Fruity Pebbles on top

whole milk

vitamin (Kirkland Signature's Chewable Children's Complete Multi - from Costco)

Snack:

1. Genisoy's Xtreme Peanut Butter Fix (Power bar type thing. This is the one all my kids will eat. It's packed with vitamins, minerals, protein and calories. And, it really tastes good!)

2. Crispy Rice Bar, Chocolate only (EnviroKids)

Lunch:

1. PB&J sandwich (BH's Sesame Bean Bread Recipe, crusts removed )

2. Ham or Roast Beef or Turkey and cheese sandwich (same bread, using Hillshire Farms thin sliced deli meats, in the dairy/meat section, in little reusable containers.)

Fruit (apples, clementine oranges, pears, grapes, bananas...whatever I have ripe)

Chips (Giant brand corn chips, Cheetos, Lays potato chips or Stax)

3 mini candies (Reese PB cups, Snickers, H.Kisses)

100% juice box or Lemonade

After School Snack:

(This is almost always something I've baked, muffins, cookies, custards, etc. But, if I've nothing around:)

1. Cinnamon Donut or Cinnamon Roll (Kinnikinnick-hmm, can't spell)

2. Cheese (string cheese, babybel cheese, Laughing Cow soft wedges)

Dinner:

Mac & Cheese (Pastato has the best one we've found!)

Chicken Burger (Casual Gourmet, found at Wholefoods, cooked on the Foreman grill for 5 min's are simple and really tasty)

Vegi of some sort

Milk (often with Nestle's Quik added, I've reluctant milk drinkers)

Dessert:

1. Starbucks coffee ice cream

2. Rainbow sherbet

[brdbntL]

This is a great thread. It has given me some really good ideas and I would like to share some of the things I have come up with. The one thing that I would like to say is that my daughter,who is 4, doesn't have any symptoms, so I might have some things listed that have trace gluten. She is also type 1 diabetic so some of my suggestions might include sugar-free or artificial sweetners, you could always substitute the real thing. I am also not sure about Annatto, some books say not a problem some say it is ok (same with vinegar). I guess it depends on each individual. Since she doesn't have a typical reaction I have no way of knowing. Her bloodwork came back with no antibodies so the gastro and endo agreed that the gluten free diet is working.

Breakfast:

Toast with margarine- I don't know what brand we normally buy, because I have been using up my Bob Red Mill's gluten-free bread mix. Sliced and toasted she loves it.

Sausage -jimmy dean or little smokies

or

Buttermilk Pancakes I use Bette Hagman's recipe- Both my kids love them and I even made them for non gluten-free family and they all enjoyed them (my Dad couldn't tell the difference)

We use Cary's sugar free maple syrup (It has carmel color, but it also only has 6 g of carbs verses 54 for those of you that have to count carbs)

Lunch:

Sandwich meats and cheeses (if she doesn't want bread we make meat and cheese rolls)or peanut butter and gluten-free crackers, or peanut butter and gluten free rice or corn cakes.

Chips- sometimes pork rinds (no carbs/no gluten) / Fritos and Cheetos big favorite here

Crystal Lite lemonde, milk, or Kool-aid has a new lite pouch- only 2 carbs

Food Lion individual pudding (choc or vanilla)

Chalupa- Fried corn tortilla (can oven crisp if desired) with refried beans, cheese and left over baked chicken and Southwest seasoning

Dinner:

meats and veggies are always a good stand by

Last night I made enchiladas and my kids loved them and they are usually picky- I apologize to anyone that actually makes good enchiladas but this is how I made them- left over cut up chicken(2 thighs and 1/2 chicken breast) with about 2 or 3 tablespoons tomatoe sauce, cumino, garlic powder and Southwest seasoning to taste. I added the same seasoning to the rest of a small can of tomatoe sauce. Shredded about 8-10 oz of cheese.I heated the 6 tortillas (corn of coarse) in the microwave to get soft. Sprayed 8x8 pan with pam. put chicken and cheese in tortillas and rolled them. topped with remaining tomatoe sauce and cheese. Baked for about 10-12 min at 350. I got a scrumptious from my 4 year old.

Snacks: carrots with dip ( I use hidden valley ranch mix)

Corn chips with Velvetta dip( I am not sure about the Annatto in Velvetta)

fruit, candy (M and M's and skittles are very popular here)

Hope this helps.

Laura

[angel-jd1]

Hidden Valley Ranch Products are NOT gluten free...you will want to switch dressings. Their ready made dressings and packets to make yourself are ALL full of gluten sorry.

-Jessica

[brdbntL]

What ingredient in the ranch dressing packet has gluten? I am trying to learn what to look for and I don't have a packet in front of me and I have reviewed the ingredients everytime.

Also Food Lion Pudding not gluten free- try Hunts I called there's is. That is what I get for thinking I could save some money.

Laura

[angel-jd1]

Don't know......called the company a couple years ago when I was diagnosed and they said that all of their products contain trace amounts of gluten.

-Jessica

[OneSillyYak]

Here are a few meals from the last several days.......

DAY 1

Breakfast:

3 Jimmy Dean PreCooked Sausage Links

1 Ore Ida Hash Brown Patty

1 Scrmbled Egg "Toast Stick Style" (made in my new Cuisinart Waffle Stick Maker)

Lunch:

Cheese Sandwich made with Ener-G Foods Rice Bread

Banana

Snack:

Betty Crocker brand "Nemo" fruit snacks

Dinner:

Grilled Tuna seasoned with Lemon Pepper Seasoning

Steamed Broccoli

Steamed Rice

Snack:

Kozy Shack Rice Pudding

SmartFood Popcorn

GoGurt

Dessert:

Hershey Chocolate Swoops

DAY 2

Breakfast:

Malt-O-Meal Brand "corn pops" (even with a name like Malt-O-Meal, they do make several gluten-free cereals)

Milk

Lunch:

Ham & Cheese RollUp (Carl Buddig Ham, Kraft American Cheese Slices, White Corn Tortilla)

Lays Staxx Chips (original flavor)

Dinner:

Ball Park Individuall Wrapped Hot Dog (no bun)

AlphaTots baked fries

Steamed Green Beans (with Kraft Ranch Dressing on the side)... our little on loves ranch dressing.

Dessert:

SpongeBob PushPop Ice Cream

DAY 3

Breakfast:

gluten-free French Toast Sticks (Made from mix by Authentic Foods) and made in the Cuisinart Waffle Stick Maker

Danimals Yogurt Drink

snack:

gluten-free pretzels from Ener-G foods

Lunch:

Turkey (Carl Budding Brand) RollUps

Polly-O String Cheese

Grapes (although she didn't eat them)

Snack:

gluten-free Pumpkin Bars (made from mix found at 123glutenfree.com)

Dinner:

Tinkyada Spaghetti Noodles topped with Ragu Spaghetti Sauce

slice of gluten-free bread made by Ener-G foods Rice Bread

Dessert:

A handful of Hershey kisses

Enjoy!

Melonie (in Virginia)