Cooking Gluten Free For Kids

[SAHM2one]

I am looking for fun and quick things for my son to eat for meals and snacks. We have very little gluten free foods where I live so if you even have cracker recipes they would be a huge help. He gets snack at church and I will have to start to bring his own so any ideas are appreciated. I am a SAHM but we stay really busy and are on a tight tight budget so fast, simple and cheap are what I really need.

[amybeth]

The Chex website has snack recipes using the new Rice Chex which are gluten free! (just make sure it has the new "Rice Chex is now gluten free" box. Check out the site.

The one with ginger and banana chips is yummy!!!!

It's quick and easy, too!

[SAHM2one]

Thanks! He will love the sushi own with fruit instead of gummy worms!

[happygirl]

If you have specific foods/recipes you would like converted, post those and I'm sure others will pop in with a good substitute/safe brand, recipe, or ideas.

[purple]

Check out some of the threads on Parents of Kids also,

Go here:

Open Original Shared Link

[Amyleigh0007]

My son and daughter enjoy the following for snacks and lunch. Most of these items are found in a regular store. The gluten free pasta, the Pamelas flour mix, and the crackers are the only special items.

deli turkey rolled up with string cheese

a thermos of mac and cheese or any pasta leftovers

hot dogs

Lays Stax

nachos made with Velveeta and Mission chips

applesauce in the single serve containers

sliced apples

carrots

sweet potato with sour cream

regular potato with butter and sour cream

Glutino crackers with cheese

waffles and pancakes(made from Pamelas mix - I make a ton and freeze them) and syrup

bananas

Delimex tacquitos (cheese)

toastadas with ground beef and cheese

[amybeth]

Also, chicken "fingers" coated in instant potato flakes (with pepper, garlic salt, or other seasonings) is VERY good...don't have my exact concoction in front of me. I do it more by sight.

Meals on a baked potato are good too...(and quick if you microwave the baked potato instead of oven...)...ground hamburger with taco seasoning (Old El Paso), black beans, and cheese, for example - yummy!

[Applefamily]

My children do not have Celiac disease, but I love yummy snacks. One I just made this am is so simple and good.

Plain Quaker rice cake

Spread Jif peanut butter on top

Slice bananas to top of the peanut butter!!

I actually am eating this for breakfast right now!!

[bear6954]

I am looking for fun and quick things for my son to eat for meals and snacks. We have very little gluten free foods where I live so if you even have cracker recipes they would be a huge help. He gets snack at church and I will have to start to bring his own so any ideas are appreciated. I am a SAHM but we stay really busy and are on a tight tight budget so fast, simple and cheap are what I really need.

We don't live near a whole foods either. We have a few health food stores that sell gluten food. My son is 2 1/2. My son loved ravoli before he went gluten-free. Our sub is whole grain brown rice pasts and then I mix it with Ragu Traditional (medium size) and 7 garden (smaller size) and he chows! Enjoy Life cookies are real good.

[GFqueen17]

potatos, ground beef, cheese, veggies, corn chips, corn tacos, refried beans, rice, and salsa are all foods that could be found at a normal grocery store and be made into alot quick of things. you could make bean tacos, beef tacos, nachos, fried rice (gluten-free soy sauce of course), cheesy potatoes, beans and rice...im sure theres more. if you have gluten-free pasta available to you thats always quick and easy too.

[Juliebove]

This is my favorite cracker recipe. Due to a dairy allergy, I left out the cheese, but added a sprinkle of nutritional yeast and subbed rice milk for the milk. I also used olive oil because that's what I had.

The recipe comes from "Gluten-Free Celebrations", by Carol Fenster, Ph.D.

The recipe says these travel well and you can also add your favorite herbs.

Savory Crackers

1/4 cup brown rice flour

1/4 cup potato starch

1/4 cup sweet rice flour

1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese (cow, rice, soy)

1 teaspoon onion powder or 1 Tablespoon fresh grated onion

2 Tablespoons butter or canola oil

1 Tablespoon honey

3 T. toasted sesame seeds

2 Tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon cider vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease baking sheet.

2. In food processor, combine flours, xanthan gum, baking soda, salt, cheese and onion. Add butter, honey, sesame seeds, milk and vinegar. Mix until until dough forms a soft ball.

3. Shape dough into 20 balls, each 1 inch in diameter and place on greased baking sheet at least 2 inches apart. Using the bottom of a drinking glass or a rolling pin, flatten balls to approx. 1/8 inch thick. Use your fingers to smooth the edges of circles.

4. If you prefer not to hand shape the crackers, roll to 1/8 inch thick and use a cookie cutter to make shapes. Re-roll scraps.

5. Bake 12-15 minutes until crackers look firm and slightly toasted. Turn each cracker and bake another 5-7 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle with additional salt and sesame seeds if desired. Makes about 20 crackers, 10 servings, 2 crackers each.

[Juliebove]

For meals and snacks, the cheapest things are things that are naturally gluten free. You can sometimes find rice noodles in the Asian section of the grocery store as well as sweet rice flour.

We do a lot of meat and rice or meat and potatoes. Homemade soups, chili and stew are good choices. Nachos made with gluten-free corn chips or corn tortillas cut in wedges and baked till crisp. Top with cheese (if you can have it), refried beans or cooked meat, tomatoes, onions, salsa, sour cream, guacamole, or whatever you like.

We also like enchilada casserole. This is easy to make by putting down a layer of corn tortillas then topping with meat and sauce. I use cooked ground beef that has some added chili powder. Sometimes I add chopped onions and peppers if I have them. Or I add slices of onion and pepper that have been sauteed in between with the sauce. For the sauce, I use plain tomato sauce, Rotel tomatoes and chiles or jarred salsa. Whatever I have. Be careful with salsa. Recent posts have indicated that some brands are not gluten-free. I usually use Amy's or Muir Glen. I know they are safe. You can add cheese here if you can eat it. Cooked chicken or turkey can be used if you prefer that. You can also add a layer of pinto or black beans, or use the beans instead of the meat. You can even use all cheese. You will have several layers, but you want to end with a layer of sauce to fully cover the tortilllas. Put cheese on top if you are using it. Then bake till heated through or leave in the crockpot for about 2 hours on low. Black olives are also good with this. They can be put between the layers or sprinkled on top.

Stufffed baked potatoes make a cheap, good meal. I like to do that in the crockpot. Simply wash, prick, wrap in foil and cook for an hour or two on high, then another 6 hours or so on low. You can even bake them the day before. I also do at least a couple of extras because we like them overstuffed.

When you are ready to stuff them, cut them lengthwise. We are pigs in this house so I cut them near the top, but you can cut them in half if you want smaller ones. Scoop out the potato, leaving about 1/8 of a inch shell. Then mash the potatoes and add whatever you like. I use a combination of rice milk, green onion or chives , plenty of nutrional yeast, salt and pepper. I sprinkle the top with sweet Hungarian paprika. You can use real milk, cheese and sour cream if you can have those things. Cooked, crumbled bacon is also nice mixed in or sprinkled on top after they are baked. Place in a shallow baking dish and bake until heated through and browned on top.

Baked potatoes are also good topped with chili or some sort of meat gravy. I like to make a sausage gravy by browning ground sausage then adding some sweet rice flour, plenty of black pepper and then rice milk to form a gravy.

Spanish rice is another cheap dish we eat often. I start by browning a couple of handfuls or white or brown rice in some olive oil. Just a few minutes gives it wonderful flavor. Then I add some ground beef, a chopped onion, some chopped bell pepper and cook until the meat is browned and the veggies are soft. I then add some tomato sauce or paste and water. I don't really measure this but I want a lot of liquid. If I use one large can of tomato sauce, I add an equal amount of water. If I have paste, I add twice as much water. Sometimes I just have salsa and that works well too, but I need to add about half a jar of water to that, or more, depending on how thick it is. I season this with chili powder, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on a low simmer for about 20 minutes, checking to make sure it doesn't run dry. Add water if needed. I tend to add too much liquid and in this case, just cook for longer with the cover off. To this you can add corn or canned beans if you desire. I add these at the end of cooking unless I am using fresh corn. Then I cut it from the cob and add it at the beginning of the cooking.

To make a quick meatless chili, combine three different kinds of canned beans, one can of corn and a jar of salsa. Heat through and serve over rice. Can top with cheese, sour cream, avocado, chopped tomato, onion, cilantro and corn chips.

Another quick meal is mashed potatoes or rice with meat gravy. I use browned ground beef, canned chicken or turkey or fresh chicken cut in bite sized pieces and cooked through in a skillet. Then simply add some sweet rice flour to coat, a bit of parsley and then appropriate broth to make a gravy.

For snacks, you can't beat fresh or dried fruits, vegetables and nuts. My daughter loves hummus as a dip and she will use baby carrots or apple slices to dip in it. Popcorn is another cheap and naturally gluten-free food. I pop it in a pan with coconut oil.

[Wonka]

I am looking for fun and quick things for my son to eat for meals and snacks. We have very little gluten free foods where I live so if you even have cracker recipes they would be a huge help. He gets snack at church and I will have to start to bring his own so any ideas are appreciated. I am a SAHM but we stay really busy and are on a tight tight budget so fast, simple and cheap are what I really need.

I make the following recipe 2-3 times per week. I use Perky's Nutty Flax cereal, I skip the dried fruit (I have one child who will not eat fruit or vegetables) and sub in 1/2 bag of Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips. I like to use a variety of nuts and seeds (usually use almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, walnuts, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, pinenuts). I can't tolerate peanuts so I use almond butter instead. These are really good. I found the recipe on the glutenfree gobsmacked bog site.

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Granola Bars

Ingredients:

Granola Base

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup peanut butter (creamy or crunchy) or almond butter (if you want to make almond granola bars)

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups granola base

2 cups nuts/seeds

1 cup dried fruit

GRANOLA BASE could be: