Lost On What To Feed My Little One...

[RobynJ]

So I just took my 2 year old off gluten and I think we need to do a Gluten-free Casein-free since he has showed some reaction to cheese and yogurt. I was told in another post to start with whole foods so I know that cross contamination isn't keeping his symptoms around. Now I don't know what to feed him. I am on day 4 and have no idea what to feed him the rest of the day...

These are the things that he likes:

*Eggs and Tortillas (I got some corn tortillas so we are okay here)

Waffles and pancakes

oatmeal (he won't eat cold cereal though)

*Fruit (we always have a big supply of that around the house)

Toast with jam or peanut butter

Cereal Bars (he lived off these on our trip to China)

lunchmeat and ketchup

butternut-squash soup from TJ- listed on their gluten-free list but I am sure it has milk in it

pizza (goat cheese and spinach usually- allergy to regular cheese)

chicken nuggets

spaghetti

chicken, and pork stir frys

*baked chicken (as long as there is ketchup to dip it in)

Potstickers

*grilled meat

fish sticks

So I now realize how unvaried his diet was.. because that is what he ate most of the time. I figure us undying love of ketchup will help me out here. And I know that just plain meats and veggies are okay... but can anyone help me with what else I can do? Before the cheese allergy I did a lot of mexican style dish- but then the cheese allergy came- so my Chinese step-mom gave me some recipes. I work and sometimes dad has too cook. Neither of us have lots of time in the kitchen so I need something easy.

I would be so grateful! I am sorry if I sound like an idiot.... I just am so overwhelmed.

[deditus]

These are the things that he likes:

*Eggs and Tortillas (I got some corn tortillas so we are okay here) - crustless quiche

Waffles and pancakes - lots of gluten-free mixes out there, just use dairy sub, we usually use coconut oil instead of butter, So Delicious coconut milk beverage, or almond milk, we love buckwheat pancakes, can make ahead in big batches and freeze, rewarm in toaster

oatmeal (he won't eat cold cereal though) - Pocono cream of buckwheat is a great substitute, can be ordered from their website or Bob's Red Mill makes one

*Fruit (we always have a big supply of that around the house)

Toast with jam or peanut butter - we like Food for Life brand Raisin bread gluten-free purple wrapper, frozen section

Cereal Bars (he lived off these on our trip to China) - Enjoy Life brand

lunchmeat and ketchup - Applegate farms most are Gluten-free Casein-free, we uses Annie's ketchup

butternut-squash soup from TJ- listed on their gluten-free list but I am sure it has milk in it - easy to make your own, or I think Imagine foods makes one in cartons like soy or rice milk comes in

pizza (goat cheese and spinach usually- allergy to regular cheese) - we didn't try to replace, just no comparison

chicken nuggets - Ian's brand make sure they are the gluten-free ones, or make your own, I use ground pecans for breading often

spaghetti - Tinkyada rice pasta, safe sauce

chicken, and pork stir frys - stir fries are easy, Lundberg rice is gluten-free, Thai Kitchen rice noodles, wheat free soy sauce

*baked chicken (as long as there is ketchup to dip it in)

Potstickers

*grilled meat

fish sticks - Ian's brand

We do lots of meat, with at least 2 veggies usually one green, one starchy for dinner. Roasted root veggies w/olive oil, herbs, garlic (sweet potatoes, potatoes, carrots, beets, parsnips, etc). I make big batches of soup for lunch on weekends and freeze extra in lunch size portions. We do lots of salad stuff, like I just made "ungyros" with gyro seasoned ground lamb, tzaziki w/o dairy or could use mayo, tomatoes, greek olives over romaine. Meatloaf or meatballs w/rice or millet instead of breadcrumbs. Coleslaw, salads w/beans and veg seasoned to compliment main dish, like grilled jerk chicken w/black bean, cucumber, mango salad w/lime & evoo dressing, sweet potato fries. Hummus w/rice crackers or Mary's Gone Crackers. We still do lots of Mexican just minus the dairy, refried beans or avocados add creaminess. I make salsa verde and throw a pork roast or some chicken in the crockpot and shred that, eat w/rice, beans, avocado, lime wedges, cilantro.

HTH,

Emily

[GottaSki]

Do you have a Trader Joe's near you? If so, they have many gluten-free selections including frozen waffles and pancakes...don't forget to check that your maple syrup is gluten-free..that was one of the last items we found gluten in our diet -- so bummer we went back to eating pure maple syrup - yum!

Trader Joes gluten-free List:

Open Original Shared Link

If no TJ's, SOME of Van's frozen waffles are gluten-free.

Spaghetti - I still use Prego for simple/quick kids pizza and pasta. We prefer the texture of Quinoa pasta to rice pasta, but try both. I keep cooked pasta in the frig and then add sauce or ? for quick lunches.

2yr might be too young, but my kids eat cattle drive chili for lunch.

There is a brand of chicken nuggets called Naked Nuggets - we get them at Costco, not sure if they are sold elsewhere.

Might want to try some of the Envirokidz cereals, etc. If you don't have a store that carries, they are available at amazon at a good price with free shipping, just have to by six boxes at a time. Amazon has been our source for cereal, pasta and gluten-free flours -- we use the subscribe and save to save an additional 15% - you can cancel if you don't want to repeat an order.

Fruit smoothies...without yogurt -- we freeze any fruit that is about to go bad like bananas and use canned fruits - peaches and pineapple - along with frozen blueberries or strawberries and fresh fruit. You can even sneek in some fresh spinach without them knowing.

Rice Crackers / Nut Thins....you can find these in many flavors.

I'm having a hard time thinking of things without milk...i'm sure others will post.

Oh...for a treat...Environkidz Cocoa Rice Crispies makes rice crispy treats...make sure you buy Jet marshmellows...we had a reaction with store brand marshmellows.

I'll post if I think of more.

Hang in there...it will become easier with time.

[EmilyR83]

I do a lot of soups and chilis. We are very new to this. My 14 month old has celiacs. Luckily he hasnt had a lot of time to form a lot of preferences.

We do Taco soup a lot. It has 1 can black beans(drained), 1 can kidney beans(drained), 1 can of chopped tomatoes, 1 lb of hamburger, 1 can of corn(drained), 1/2 an onion, 2 tablespoons of cumin, dash of pepper-salt-garlic, 2 tablespoons of sugar.

It yummy and super fast.

One of the best things I did was make a list of everything I usually buy and look it all up online to see what I could find that was gluten free. I was pleasently surprised to find out there is a lot of gluten free regular food out there.

My grocery store sells gluten free pasta-both corn and rice. I prefer the rice. You can buy animal cookies that are really good.

Dont bother with spending 5-6 dollars for a tiny box of gluten-free cereal. Chex is gluten free and they have chocolate, cinnamon, and a couple other flavors. I think name brand rice crispies are gluten-free too.(just look it up first.)

Also check out Bobs red mill brand pizza crust-it is so good. I wouldnt switch back for anything!

[ang1e0251]

Eggs and Tortillas (I got some corn tortillas so we are okay here) Good!

Waffles and pancakes buy these gluten-free

oatmeal (he won't eat cold cereal though) No oatmeal, there is a certain kind to try but not in the beginning

*Fruit (we always have a big supply of that around the house) Good!

Toast with jam or peanut butter gluten-free breads might not be to his liking but you can use a tortilla

Cereal Bars (he lived off these on our trip to China) buy gluten-free variety

lunchmeat and ketchup check for gluten-free lunchmeat, ketchup OK

butternut-squash soup from TJ- listed on their gluten-free list but I am sure it has milk in it find some without milk added

pizza (goat cheese and spinach usually- allergy to regular cheese) get a gluten-free crust

chicken nuggets buy gluten-free or coat them yourself with instant potato flakes

spaghetti buy gluten-free pasta & check the label on sauce

chicken, and pork stir frys use rice noodles and buy gluten-free soy sauce

*baked chicken (as long as there is ketchup to dip it in) Good, make sure chicken is gluten-free.

Potstickers I'm not sure these can be gluten-free

*grilled meat Perfect! Look out for marinades and seasoning mixes

fish sticks buy gluten-free.

See, nearly everything on your list can eaten gluten-free. It is overwhelming at first, but you'll get the hang of it before you know it.

[luvs2eat]

Are there gluten free pot stickers out there somwhere?????

[RobynJ]

Thanks so much. This helped a lot. I forgot all about taco soup. He likes that. I found some waffles on the way home from the NMD today and got some tinkidas pasta I think with all that I should be able to make it through the next week at least. By then I should have had more time to think too.

Thank you again so much!!!

[Juliebove]

We still eat a lot of Mexican food. I just leave the cheese out. Or sometimes I put in rice cheese. If you buy it be sure to use the Vegan kind because the other kind still has dairy in it. You can also get cheese made of soy or nuts but again, be sure to make sure it doesn't have whey or casein. Some does.

I have bought squash soup that doesn't contain dairy. We didn't try it though. It went bad before we ate it. It was either the Pacific or Imagine brand. Can't remember which.

[GottaSki]

Chex is gluten free and they have chocolate, cinnamon, and a couple other flavors. I think name brand rice crispies are gluten-free too.(just look it up first.)

Check all cereals

Chex - some flavors still contain barley malt -- Orig Rice Crispies also contain barley malt -- I've found most of the cereals in our grocery store isle contain malt.

[celiac-mommy]

I'm sure you already know this, but you need a new toaster for the waffles and gluten-free toast

[RobynJ]

I'm sure you already know this, but you need a new toaster for the waffles and gluten-free toast

We have a toaster oven. I thought I read it was okay as long as you line it with tin foil. It is not convection so there is no fan. Is that okay?

[GottaSki]

We have a toaster oven. I thought I read it was okay as long as you line it with tin foil. It is not convection so there is no fan. Is that okay?

We use a regular toaster for gluten items and our toaster oven for gluten-free - each on opposite sides of the kitchen -- we changed to this system after about a month gluten-free as this seemed easier for us.

If you are careful your toaster oven with foil lining should be safe.

[CeliacMom2008]

Udi's bread is fantastic for sandwiches, toast, etc. You can order it online direct from Udi or you can call them and ask what stores near you carry it. They are extremely helpful. When I called they gave me store names and addresses.

Pamela's pancake mix makes great pancakes and waffles. You can freeze the waffles. We like the pancakes made into PB&J sandwiches also.

My son LOVES crepes. His three ways of eating them: rolled and dipped into maple syrup (we use pure maple and Log Cabin Country Kitchen), filled with vanilla yogury (you could do a non-dairy version) with fresh berries, and for lunch - I wrap ham slices (we use Hormel pre-packeaged (say gluten free on the box)) and cheese (again, you could do non-dairy cheese) inside the crepe.

Fried rice might be something he would go for.

Bell & Evans makes fantastic gluten free chichen nuggets. Just be sure to get the gluten free ones. They also make regular ones.

Envirokids makes lots of kid friendly cereals. My son likes to eat them dry and with milk (again, you will have to find a lactose free kind).

Kellog's Rice Krispies are NOT gluten free. In fact, per Kellogg's website they do not have anything gluten free. The closest product is their fruit snack line, but even then they say they may be contaminated. In you need a fruit snack, General Mills fruit snacks are labelled gluten free. Fruitabu fruit snacks are gluten free and very fun for kids. They are rolled up like long tape and they're made with real fruit instead of just chemicals and sugar.

On the dairy issue - many (if not most) dairy issues go away once the gut starts to heal, so you may only have to avoid dairy temporarily. The parts of the small intestine (villi) that are damaged due to Celiac are the same portions that produce lactaid, which leads to lactose intolerance is some Celiacs until the gut heals. There are many gluten free products that are also dairy free.

Good luck!! The first couple of months are hard, but it really does get much easier. For us, it really isn't that big of deal any more.

[RobynJ]

On the dairy issue - many (if not most) dairy issues go away once the gut starts to heal, so you may only have to avoid dairy temporarily. The parts of the small intestine (villi) that are damaged due to Celiac are the same portions that produce lactaid, which leads to lactose intolerance is some Celiacs until the gut heals. There are many gluten free products that are also dairy free.

Is this true even if his stomach enzymes where low for milk? Can that go away too?

[CeliacMom2008]

I don't know the answer to that. If the low enzyme is lactaid, then I'd think so. Lactaid is produced/released from the tips of the villi in the small intestine. The damage from Celiac starts at the tips and works its way down as it the damage increases. So once it is healed the gut starts producing lactaid again. At least that was how it was explained by our GI.

[Frances03]

Can you tell me if you are making the crepes and how, or if you are buying them what kind? Thanks!!

My son LOVES crepes. His three ways of eating them: rolled and dipped into maple syrup (we use pure maple and Log Cabin Country Kitchen), filled with vanilla yogury (you could do a non-dairy version) with fresh berries, and for lunch - I wrap ham slices (we use Hormel pre-packeaged (say gluten free on the box)) and cheese (again, you could do non-dairy cheese) inside the crepe.

[ang1e0251]

I would be sceptical about your son returning to dairy. I'm no dr, so I could be wrong. Usually you see someone reacting initially to fresh dairy not something low lactose like cheese. Also if he has an allergy to casein and not lactose intolerant, no amount of healing will trump the allergy. You'll have to find out.

[RobynJ]

We are waiting on the blood results for allergies. I am really hoping he doesn't have a big list. But whatever will be, will be I guess. I think I am having more trouble with the casein free stuff then the gluten free. gluten-free stuff is really well labeled or if I google it I can usually get an answer.

I am starting to feel less lost everyday. Mostly because of this board. It is very helpful!

[CeliacMom2008]

Here's the recipe I use for crepes:

3 eggs

1 Tbs cornstarch

1 Tbs potato starch

3 Tbs milk

pinch salt

1/4 tsp vanilla (optional)

Combine cornstarch, potato starch and milk. Mix well. Add in vanilla, salt and eggs. Mix until there are no lumps. Cook in small nonstick skillet. Make them as thin or as thick as you like. I tend to make them thinner for syrup and yogurt and thicker for ham and cheese roll ups, but it really personal preference.

These are super easy and very yummy. I'm guessing you could sub whatever sort of milk you're using for the cow's milk (lactaid, soy, etc.).

I completely agree on the dairy issue being difficult. We removed dairy for about 4-6 weeks and that was hard! It was several months after going gluten free and for whatever reason I found dairy more difficult to deal with. We used Lactaid milk during that time.

[Darissa]

I have a 7 and 9 year old. A few of our favorite Gluten Free Food Items are:

Pameals Pancake and Baking Mix (We use this in all of our old recipes...makes great pancakes and waffles and muffins)

Envrio Kids Bars

Corn Pasta (much better than rice...at least we all think so. We use Mrs. Leepers Corn Pasta and buy it at Walmart of all places or at Whole Foods if you have one close)

Mission Corn Tortillas.

Enviro Kids Cereal: Gorilla Munch and Amazon Frosted Flakes are our favorites

Rice Chex (not the store brand) We like the Chocolate and Honey Nut and Corn Chex

I make home made chicken nuggets with 1/2 rice flour and 1/2 cornstarch and dip them in egg and fry them.

Also, we like the Glutino Frozen Pizzas and Frozen Dinners

For lunchmeats we just use Hormel Naturals (ham, turkey) they say right on the back of the Box Gluten Free

Good luck!

Check out Gluteen Free Mommy web site..it is one of my favorites for recipes!