Wheat & Dairy free healthy kids lunch

gemini_girl

Would love some ideas for packed lunch that are wheat, nut & dairy free for my kids to bring to school (aged 3 & 5). They are getting fed up with wheat free sandwiches & I'm running out of ideas. Eldest also wont touch soy even though he has no intolerance to it. 3 yr old only at playschool so he's not too bad but older boy is fussy & im finding it hard to find suitable foods for him that arent loaded with sugar either:)

Terry Wogans Inner Thigh

Rice cakes with spread of choice, or jam? Gluten free pasta salad, hummous and carrot sticks, make some wheat free banana bread?

Eggs and beans, ommlettes and salad, soup , cous cous salad, smoothies w coconut milk, sweet potato wedges with dippy eggs, fajitas.

gemini_girl

Terry Wogans Inner Thigh wrote: »

Rice cakes with spread of choice, or jam? Gluten free pasta salad, hummous and carrot sticks, make some wheat free banana bread?

Eggs and beans, ommlettes and salad, soup , cous cous salad, smoothies w coconut milk, sweet potato wedges with dippy eggs, fajitas.

Sorry shouldve said packed lunch for school. They cant have banana bread either (banana intolerant, so used to some things being omitted i forget!) but i could use raisins or apple maybe?
Any ideas for rice cake spreads? They like hummous. Cant have nut, mayo or dairy based. Salsa maybe or relish ... Also cant have coconut milk unless they have all day to sit on the loo! Pity cos tesco do lovely coconut smoothies.
Can you get wheat free fajitas? We've never had them

Sam Kade

WhiteTiger wrote: »

Would love some ideas for packed lunch that are wheat, nut & dairy free for my kids to bring to school (aged 3 & 5). They are getting fed up with wheat free sandwiches & I'm running out of ideas. Eldest also wont touch soy even though he has no intolerance to it. 3 yr old only at playschool so he's not too bad but older boy is fussy & im finding it hard to find suitable foods for him that arent loaded with sugar either:)

Soy milk healthy, don't think so

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/the-myths-and-facts-about-soy-milk.html

Terry Wogans Inner Thigh

Sorry didn't read the op properly! Yes most wraps are xornflour based, and you can get bfree gluten free wraps in Tesco etc.

Hmm as far as spreads go, hommous, perhaps you could make some homemade pesto?havrle you tried the coconut youghurts? I got them in my health food shop. You could give them a little pasta salad in a pot of soup in a thermos for packed lunch still.

Sure you could substitute Apple for banana, Apple carrot and raisin bread was a hit with mine,are to a similare recipe to carrot cake.

Could you make some fruit bars with gluten free oats perhaps?

And have a Google for paleo packed lunches, lots of ideas out there that could be tweaked meet your needs.

gemini_girl

Terry Wogans Inner Thigh wrote: »

Sorry didn't read the op properly! Yes most wraps are xornflour based, and you can get bfree gluten free wraps in Tesco etc.

Hmm as far as spreads go, hommous, perhaps you could make some homemade pesto?havrle you tried the coconut youghurts? I got them in my health food shop. You could give them a little pasta salad in a pot of soup in a thermos for packed lunch still.

Sure you could substitute Apple for banana, Apple carrot and raisin bread was a hit with mine,are to a similare recipe to carrot cake.

Could you make some fruit bars with gluten free oats perhaps?

And have a Google for paleo packed lunches, lots of ideas out there that could be tweaked meet your needs.

Ya I had a quick look at some of the paleo sites. Wonder if there is an irish or uk one as the U.S sites would have alot of things we dont here & vice versa.
In my sons school they only have 5 mins inside & then bring whatever lunch they have left out to the yard to finish outside so the thermos wouldnt work but its a great idea.
Gave him cucumber & yellow pepper with hummous dip today so will see how that goes down. Good idea too re fruit bars, kind of like flapjacks maybe. I'll have to get baking

gemini_girl

Sam Kade wrote: »

Soy milk healthy, don't think so

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/the-myths-and-facts-about-soy-milk.html[/QUOTE]

There are loads of different for & against arguments on soya milk.
My children are allergic to the protein in cows milk (& yes goats milk too).
They cannot tolerate nut milks or coconut milks as it gives them diarrhea & rice milk has worse reports than soy because of the arsenic traces that are in it. There isnt anything else to give them as far as i know ... Any ideas?

gctest50

Would a food dehydrator open up a few more options for you ?

http://www.excaliburdehydrator.com/

Sam Kade

WhiteTiger wrote: »

Sam Kade wrote: »

Soy milk healthy, don't think so

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/the-myths-and-facts-about-soy-milk.html[/QUOTE]

There are loads of different for & against arguments on soya milk.
My children are allergic to the protein in cows milk (& yes goats milk too).
They cannot tolerate nut milks or coconut milks as it gives them diarrhea & rice milk has worse reports than soy because of the arsenic traces that are in it. There isnt anything else to give them as far as i know ... Any ideas?

Sheep milk, oat milk. The advantage of cows milk is calcium you would need to eat a bucket of spinach every day to get the same calcium as a glass of cows milk.

gctest50

http://nof.org/articles/886

flikflak

Topping for the rice/oat cakes
Guacamole/guac and salsa together
Ham and tomato
Chicken and mango
Caramelized Red onion, chorizo and rocket
Dark chocolate rice cakes topped with raspberries (the kallo dark ones contain no dairy)
Salmon and cucumber

You can use large lettuce leaves in place of wraps. Chuck in some chicken and some sliced peppers cooked in some kind of spice.

Rice salad? Gluten free pasta salad? Millet salad? Quinoa Salad? Loads of variations on the web.

runawaybishop

Are they gluten intolerant or something? Unless they are just give them a sandwich.

siochain

It’s a really a tough one to do for kids. Have your tried making your own breads form almond and coconut bread?

RacoonQueen

runawaybishop wrote: »

Are they gluten intolerant or something? Unless they are just give them a sandwich.

Why would she give them something she is clearly trying to avoid?

runawaybishop

RacoonQueen wrote: »

Why would she give them something she is clearly trying to avoid?

Why avoid something for no good reason?

RacoonQueen

runawaybishop wrote: »

Why avoid something for no good reason?

Because she wants to give her kids a healthy, nutritious diet?

Or maybe the kids are intolerant. They seem to be intolerant to a few things.

runawaybishop

RacoonQueen wrote: »

Because she wants to give her kids a healthy, nutritious diet?

Or maybe the kids are intolerant. They seem to be intolerant to a few things.

Not all breads are created equal, there are plenty of decent types. Why don't we let the OP answer.

RacoonQueen

runawaybishop wrote: »

Not all breads are created equal, there are plenty of decent types. Why don't we let the OP answer.

Like what? Educate me.

runawaybishop

RacoonQueen wrote: »

Like what? Educate me.

Just come out and state you think bread is evil and kills babies, it'll be faster.

RacoonQueen

runawaybishop wrote: »

Just come out and state you think bread is evil and kills babies, it'll be faster.

That your way of stating that you don't know?

runawaybishop

RacoonQueen wrote: »

That your way of stating that you don't know?

I'm not interested in pissing games, sorry. I'll wait for the OP to respond.

RacoonQueen

runawaybishop wrote: »

I'm not interested in pissing games, sorry. I'll wait for the OP to respond.

I'm not looking for a pissing contest. I want to know what the decent types of bread are. It's a pretty simple question really. I'm sure the OP would be interested also.

gemini_girl

runawaybishop wrote: »

I'm not interested in pissing games, sorry. I'll wait for the OP to respond.

My eldest son is intolerant to dairy, wheat, banana, nuts & strawberries. All cause him serious gastric issues.
My youngest son has an allergy to the protein in animal milks (cows, goat, sheep, buffalo) & is intolerant to wheat, banana & coconut.

Trust me, this is a major pain in the behind. I know wheat isnt good for humans in general but I wish it was still an option for every now & then. Plus I am broke from special breads & milks. The youngest tolerated almond milk for about a week & then had the usual intolerance reactions so the eldest has soya milk in his cereal but doesnt like the yogurts. The youngest doesnt like soya milk so eats dry cereal but he likes soya yogurt.

Im very conscious of them being calcium deficient so they have a vitamin supplement everyday that contains calcium to help.

Thanks for all the ideas

gemini_girl

Sam Kade wrote: »

WhiteTiger wrote: »

Sheep milk, oat milk. The advantage of cows milk is calcium you would need to eat a bucket of spinach every day to get the same calcium as a glass of cows milk.

They cant have sheeps milk (where would you even buy that? Ive never come across it) & they tried the oat milk alright but it kept going sour within 24 hours. It was the dream oat milk. About 24 hours after opening it was a thick as yogurt & lumpy. This happened us a good few times so i stopped buying it

runawaybishop

WhiteTiger wrote: »

My eldest son is intolerant to dairy, wheat, banana, nuts & strawberries. All cause him serious gastric issues.
My youngest son has an allergy to the protein in animal milks (cows, goat, sheep, buffalo) & is intolerant to wheat, banana & coconut.

Trust me, this is a major pain in the behind. I know wheat isnt good for humans in general but I wish it was still an option for every now & then. Plus I am broke from special breads & milks. The youngest tolerated almond milk for about a week & then had the usual intolerance reactions so the eldest has soya milk in his cereal but doesnt like the yogurts. The youngest doesnt like soya milk so eats dry cereal but he likes soya yogurt.

Im very conscious of them being calcium deficient so they have a vitamin supplement everyday that contains calcium to help.

Thanks for all the ideas

Thanks OP. I just wanted to check - is that wheat or gluten? Depending on what it is you could try rye or spelt. You've probably noticed this yourself but as they get older they get choosier and may go off foods they previously liked.

Rice cakes are inexpensive and easy to load with tasty spreads.
You can get corn based wraps but they can be hard to find and pricey.
Fruit obviously, but its not very filling
You can also make your own snack bars

gemini_girl

runawaybishop wrote: »

Thanks OP. I just wanted to check - is that wheat or gluten? Depending on what it is you could try rye or spelt. You've probably noticed this yourself but as they get older they get choosier and may go off foods they previously liked.

Rice cakes are inexpensive and easy to load with tasty spreads.
You can get corn based wraps but they can be hard to find and pricey.
Fruit obviously, but its not very filling
You can also make your own snack bars

Thankfully its just wheat & not gluten! Prob be gone off my tree trying to cut out gluten on top of everything else

runawaybishop

WhiteTiger wrote: »

Thankfully its just wheat & not gluten! Prob be gone off my tree trying to cut out gluten on top of everything else

Try a homemade protein bar - you can get non-dairy whey easily and substitute soy milk (or whatever you choose) without compromising on the flavour. I cant see kids turning their noses up at chocolate bars and they are packed with good stuff and really inexpensive - plus you can experiment with them.

http://dailyburn.com/life/recipes/homemade-protein-bar-recipes/

Tiriel

I would suggest corncakes instead of ricecakes - they are so much nicer. I love the Mrs. Crimbles ones but they are getting harder to find these days, I don't know why.

They are great with hummus too! Carrot sticks are also nice to have in a lunch box and some grapes, sometimes I freeze the grapes before I pop them in a lunch box so they gon't get squished..

Rice noodles with some bits and pieces mixed through are lovely too or a simple rice salad. Probably better for older kids though or adults, it's not easy on kids to have something too 'different' in their lunch box!

The B-Free wraps really are great - especially if you heat them, put them on a frying pan and add your ingredients then wrap it up - makes them much nicer I find!

Oryx

Buy odlums tritamyl flour and make your own white bread if you need a cheap option instead of the crazily priced packaged stuff. It also makes great buns and cakes but not pastry.

Tesco now do gluten and wheat free breadsticks and there are loads of different types of crackers in their range too.

sunnyview

+1 for the bfree wraps they are really similar to the real thing. Have you tried corn taco shells I find them handy to fill up when I'm sick of gluten free bread

greenpilot

WhiteTiger wrote: »

My eldest son is intolerant to dairy, wheat, banana, nuts & strawberries. All cause him serious gastric issues.
My youngest son has an allergy to the protein in animal milks (cows, goat, sheep, buffalo) & is intolerant to wheat, banana & coconut.

Trust me, this is a major pain in the behind. I know wheat isnt good for humans in general but I wish it was still an option for every now & then. Plus I am broke from special breads & milks. The youngest tolerated almond milk for about a week & then had the usual intolerance reactions so the eldest has soya milk in his cereal but doesnt like the yogurts. The youngest doesnt like soya milk so eats dry cereal but he likes soya yogurt.

Im very conscious of them being calcium deficient so they have a vitamin supplement everyday that contains calcium to help.

Thanks for all the ideas

"Wheat isn't good for Humans in General" ....what happened to the Eons of us eating wheat with no problems, until the Alergy market burst onto the scene in the 20th Century. I know, I was forced into a Gluten Free Diet for 20 years until one day I said Fcuk this and started eating wheat. Problems? none. That was 20 years ago and Today I am a meat eating, Wheat eating fit healthy 42 year old. Call me cynical...:cool:

gemini_girl

sunnyview wrote: »

+1 for the bfree wraps they are really similar to the real thing. Have you tried corn taco shells I find them handy to fill up when I'm sick of gluten free bread

The Bfree wraps are 4 euro! some of the wheat free stuff is so expensive!

sunnyview

WhiteTiger wrote: »

The Bfree wraps are 4 euro! some of the wheat free stuff is so expensive!

It is so expensive eating gluten free and I think you can only claim the tax back on the products if you are a certified coeliac? i remember a few years back Superquinn used to send out statements of how much gluten free products you bought if you had used your clubcard(maybe all supermarkets do this now) and I was astonished to find out how much I had spent in one year.

runawaybishop

sunnyview wrote: »

It is so expensive eating gluten free

No its not!

sunnyview

runawaybishop wrote: »

No its not!

Sorry meant as regards any of the processed stuff you would end up buying for convenience like the breads biscuits or cakes. If I was busy I do fall into that trap easily of buying a lot of the gluten free processed stuff.

gemini_girl

runawaybishop wrote: »

No its not!

Trust me, I have a budget of 70 euro a week to feed 2 adults & 2 children who cant eat wheat or dairy, it is expensive.

What would you feed a 6 yr old & a 3 yr old in terms of breakfast, school lunch, dinner & tea?

As it is they have for breakfast:
bowl of ready brek with soya milk
2 slices of gf toast & sugar free jam & Pure olive butter
* sometimes they have scrambled egg instead of ready brek (wont touch porridge)

School lunch : GF roll filled with turkey/ham/chicken with relish & lettuce or cucumber
red apple or blueberries & sliced yellow pepper with hummous
Alpro vanilla yogurt/fruit yogurt
2 GF crackers

After school: veg soup or ryvita & peanut butter

Dinner: Usually GF pasta & homemade bolongaise/ shepards pie/ Fish pie
Stewed apple

Supper: GF scone or more GF toast or crackers

Any ideas what i could change to make it more cost effective.
I picked up some xanthum (sp) gum today & baking yeast but I'm not great at baking but will give it a try. I have a big freezer so hopefully i can freeze some things too

runawaybishop

WhiteTiger wrote: »

Trust me, I have a budget of 70 euro a week to feed 2 adults & 2 children who cant eat wheat or dairy, it is expensive.

What would you feed a 6 yr old & a 3 yr old in terms of breakfast, school lunch, dinner & tea?

As it is they have for breakfast:
bowl of ready brek with soya milk
2 slices of gf toast & sugar free jam & Pure olive butter
* sometimes they have scrambled egg instead of ready brek (wont touch porridge)

School lunch : GF roll filled with turkey/ham/chicken with relish & lettuce or cucumber
red apple or blueberries & sliced yellow pepper with hummous
Alpro vanilla yogurt/fruit yogurt
2 GF crackers

After school: veg soup or ryvita & peanut butter

Dinner: Usually GF pasta & homemade bolongaise/ shepards pie/ Fish pie
Stewed apple

Supper: GF scone or more GF toast or crackers

Any ideas what i could change to make it more cost effective.
I picked up some xanthum (sp) gum today & baking yeast but I'm not great at baking but will give it a try. I have a big freezer so hopefully i can freeze some things too

You are buying expensive gluten-free substitutes instead of using food that doesn't have gluten in it. Eating gluten free is not expensive in the slightest.

sunnyview wrote: »

Sorry meant as regards any of the processed stuff you would end up buying for convenience like the breads biscuits or cakes. If I was busy I do fall into that trap easily of buying a lot of the gluten free processed stuff.

That stuff is a rip off indeed.

gemini_girl

runawaybishop wrote: »

You are buying expensive gluten-free substitutes instead of using food that doesn't have gluten in it. Eating gluten free is not expensive in the slightest.


That stuff is a rip off indeed.

And what would you suggest instead to give small children?

liliq

WhiteTiger wrote: »

And what would you suggest instead to give small children?

Are the gf oats any cheaper than redy brek? Could you blend them to redy brek consistency?

gemini_girl

liliq wrote: »

Are the gf oats any cheaper than redy brek? Could you blend them to redy brek consistency?

No major price difference, maybe a euro. They can have gluten but not wheat

KayPea

My daughter is allergic to milk proteins and my husband is on a low FODMAP diet so no wheat.

I bake an oat and white spelt flour bread that is very tasty. If anyone would like the recipe just let me know. It is wheat free but not gluten free.

Re: Oats for small children, I mill regular oats in a food processor to make them finer for baby porridge. Regular oats cost just 1 euro per kilo so very economical as well as very healthy.

Cornbread is another option. It is very popular in the U.S.
Or Corn Tortillas are simple to make.
Or mini pancakes made with spelt flour (I have a good recipe for these)
Or savoury pancakes make with buckwheat flour. These are a Breton favourite called Gallettes.

WhiteTiger - Re your baking. I have made a few varieties of gluten-free breads using flour blends, or tritamyl (sp?) flour, xanthan gum etc. They can be quite good but in general they don't freeze well. When you defrost them the texture has changed and it falls to bits.

Ps. Lidl do a very nice multi-grain gluten-free loaf that is not too expensive and surprisingly tasty (I am not fond of gluten free bread products myself)

Pps. While I was looking for a recipe I found this site...I have only had a quick glance but it looks interesting...and relevant
http://glutenfreeonashoestring.com/

Edit- I have just read back this post and it is a bit random and disjointed - Sorry! I am very tired.

gemini_girl

KayPea wrote: »

My daughter is allergic to milk proteins and my husband is on a low FODMAP diet so no wheat.

I bake an oat and white spelt flour bread that is very tasty. If anyone would like the recipe just let me know. It is wheat free but not gluten free.

Re: Oats for small children, I mill regular oats in a food processor to make them finer for baby porridge. Regular oats cost just 1 euro per kilo so very economical as well as very healthy.

Cornbread is another option. It is very popular in the U.S.
Or Corn Tortillas are simple to make.
Or mini pancakes made with spelt flour (I have a good recipe for these)
Or savoury pancakes make with buckwheat flour. These are a Breton favourite called Gallettes.

WhiteTiger - Re your baking. I have made a few varieties of gluten-free breads using flour blends, or tritamyl (sp?) flour, xanthan gum etc. They can be quite good but in general they don't freeze well. When you defrost them the texture has changed and it falls to bits.

Ps. Lidl do a very nice multi-grain gluten-free loaf that is not too expensive and surprisingly tasty (I am not fond of gluten free bread products myself)

Pps. While I was looking for a recipe I found this site...I have only had a quick glance but it looks interesting...and relevant
http://glutenfreeonashoestring.com/

Edit- I have just read back this post and it is a bit random and disjointed - Sorry! I am very tired.

Thanks so much for all the info! I will def use it

KayPea

Spelt And Oat Bread

250g White Spelt flour (You can substitute half White and half Brown spelt flour if you are not on a low fodmap diet)
75g milled porridge oats
25g Instant hot oat cereal (ready brek)
1/2 teaspoon salt
7g sachet of dried yeast
1/4 pint oat milk and 1/4 pint warm water mixed

Heat oven to 180-190C
Line a loaf tin.
Put all dry ingredients in a large bowl (make sure you don't put the salt and the yeast on top of one another) and mix.
Add the liquid slowly and mix with spoon or hand until you get a soft dough. You probably won't need quite all of the liquid!
Knead for about 2 minutes, shape and place in the loaf tin.
Cover tin with cling film and leave in a warm place (kitchen counter, not in a cold draft is fine) to prove for 15-20 minutes.
Spelt does not need as much time proving as wheat.
Bake for 35 mins until golden.
Take out of tin, wrap in a clean dry tea-towel and leave to cool on a wire rack. (the tea towel stops the crust being too hard)
Enjoy!
This does freeze ok. Not quite as nice after defrosting though.