Why Is It So Hard?

[Bridy]

I am going to do some shopping today and tomorrow for my daughter but I am finding it hard to come up with ideas to subsitiute her favorite things.

She is a very picky eater to being with so finding things she likes is already hard.

Can anyone give me some good lunch suggestions. I think I am okay with Breakfast and Dinner, but lunch is always a hard one.

[flourgirl]

What kinds of things does she like to eat? What are you trying to replace? It would be easier to make suggestions with a little more information. Hope we can help...thanks.

[Bridy]

She likes to eat macaroni and cheese.

I have tried to buy cheese powder but it never works out for me to be the same as boxed stuff.

She likes Chicken nuggets, they all have breading of some sort.

She likes to eat breaded fish, not batter, but breading.

She likes the fun pasta shapes like Dora and Princes shapes in soups.

[missy'smom]

Amy's makes a rice mac and cheese microwaveable frozen meal. Annies? makes a good box mix but a little more expensive than regular. Tinkyada makes a bag of fun shapes pasta. For nuggets and fish sticks there are many options and ways to make your own. check out this recent discussion. https://www.celiac.com/gluten-free/index.ph...mp;#entry498211

If your looking for school lunch ideas click on the link on my profile to see what we do. Lunchinabox.net is a good resource. Even if you don't care for the kinds of foods she includes, then you can take away the concept and method. I have learned to introduce new things at home before sending them in a lunch.

[Darn210]

For store-bought, we eat Bell & Evans breaded chicken, but the kids prefer my own (below).

We use Tinkyada's shaped pasta with butter and parmesean . . . or . . . the cheese packet out of the Kraft Blue Box Mac & Cheese is gluten free. I throw away the Kraft pasta, rinse off the outside of the cheese packet and pat dry, (wash my hands after handling everything) and prepare Mac&Cheese using the Kraft cheese packet and some type of Tinkyada pasta.

My breading for chicken (could be used for fish too) (totally guessing on quantities as I always just wing it)

1/2 cup gluten-free flour mix

1/2 cup Pamela's baking mix

1/2 teas onion powder

1/4 teas garlic powder

1 teas lawry's season salt

1 teas salt

dredge chicken in beaten egg first then dredge in flour mixture then fry.

[bear6954]

My son likes lays potatoe chips and mi del arrow root cookies (like animal crackers). Pamelas cho. chip cookies are really good. Yogurt and go gurt are also a favorite. Sams club sells a chicken base called Tones (i called to verify gluten free and it is). I mix his noodles with the tones and boil to make "his soup". My son also likes the enjoy apple cookies.

[dandelionmom]

For Mac n cheese, I make the Ancient Harvest quinoa pasta and then melt a little butter and a piece of American cheese on top of it. My picky eaters love it and it only takes a few seconds to make it if you keep cooked pasta on hand in the fridge.

Also, the girls love quesadillas. I use Mission corn tortillas and American cheese for a basic one and often add smashed black beans, salsa, sour cream, and/or veggies.

Our go-to lunches are apple slices with peanut butter and Glutino pretzels -or- pb&j on rice cakes.

It definitely gets easier with time. I had a hard time believing it when we first started the diet but it is true.

[MaryJones2]

Open Original Shared Linkmakes a pasta shape called "Little Dreams". It has bunnies and other fun shapes. Open Original Shared Linkmakes gluten free fish sticks and chicken nuggets.

[ang1e0251]

I also prefer my own chicken nuggets. Instead of flour I use instant potato flakes and it is yummy. I also like corn tortillas fried in butter then layered; buttered corn tortilla, provolone cheese, Hormel Natural pepperoni, another cheese, than another tortilla. Then I cut these into triangles and dip into gluten-free spaghetti sauce. M-m-m-m...

I also like meat wraps. Take gluten-free lunchmeat, her favorite kind, spread with cream cheese and roll up! Some grapes on the side and lunch! My friend's kids love pickles so she wraps these around a pickle.

Chicken or tuna salad on crackers or rolled in a corn tortilla is good too. I would make these fancy looking on a small plate, like a restaurant presentation, and tell my kids it was a "feast". They ate a feast better than just plain old lunch.

[Bridy]

Thank you for all the suggestions!

But Lunch meat isn't gluten free??? ahh!

I am a label reader but I really have to study all those hidden glutens I guess.

Well, I think we had a good first day of absolutly no gluten, I "think". I have no idea if it was 100%, but my intentions are there and we never fed her anything with obvous gluten.

How soon should I see some changes in her moods swings?

[JKNFC]

Thank you for all the suggestions!

But Lunch meat isn't gluten free??? ahh!

I am a label reader but I really have to study all those hidden glutens I guess.

Well, I think we had a good first day of absolutly no gluten, I "think". I have no idea if it was 100%, but my intentions are there and we never fed her anything with obvous gluten.

How soon should I see some changes in her moods swings?

It took my daughter about 1 week to see changes and about 4 weeks before she seemed to be a typical toddler. It seems like forever but it will come quickly.