Lunch Ideas for Kids with Nut Allergies

All three of my kiddos have nut allergies. They are allergic to both peanuts and tree nuts, so we avoid anything with any mention of nuts ("contains nuts", "may contain nuts",  "manufactured in a plant with nuts", etc.)

This can make packing lunch a challenge. Unlike me though, they CAN eat gluten.  

So here are some simple school lunch ideas that I use for my nut allergy kids....

(These items are NOT all gluten free)

Ham or turkey sandwich (we love Boars Head!) 

Jelly biscuit

Blueberry muffins 

(Here's a simple healthy recipe http://glutenfreesimplygood.blogspot.com/2015/02/gluten-free-blueberry-muffins.html or you can grab the Udi's Blueberry Muffins, which are quick and yummy too!)

Carrot slices

Strawberries

Sliced grapes

Cheese sticks
Celery sticks
Apples

Applesauce (my kids LOVE strawberry applesauce!)
Original Cheerios

Snack Pack Chocolate Pudding or Vanilla Pudding 

Honey Maid graham snacks

Goldfish brand crackers

Oreos

Betty Crocker gummy snacks
Smartfoods White Cheddar Popcorn
Gogurt yogurt

(Always remember to double check labels too, as ingredients can change)

Lasagna Soup

A while back I went to a friend's house for dinner.  She made lasagna soup. Now I had never heard of this dish, but by the end of the meal....make that the end of our first bite, everyone at the table was asking for the recipe! It's one she actually found on Pinterest, so she was more than happy to share :)

 You actually assemble the soup as you serve it, and she was SO sweet to make GF pasta for me so that I could eat it!  I know from the picture it looks like just your average bowl of pasta with meat sauce...but it is soooo much more!  SO fabulous!

You'll see in the recipe there is this unbelievable cheese goodness that goes in, but I didn't add this last night, as Im trying to cut back on dairy.  Even without it though...so great! Hubby, who hardly ever asks for seconds ate three bowls. :)

Here's the link to this oh so yummy recipe! Just make sure all brands are GF and to use GF Italian sausage (I use Ingles Market GF bulk sausage) and GF pasta :)

I do as she suggests, and cook the pasta separately from the sauce then assemble before serving.  I also cheated a bit and use onion powder instead of chopped onion and dried minced garlic instead of fresh...still delicious!

Here's the link to this yummy soup....
http://www.afarmgirlsdabbles.com/2011/03/24/lasagna-soup/




Linked to Full Plate Thursday at http://www.mizhelenscountrycottage.com/2015/01/full-plate-thursday-1-29-15.html

Back to School with Nut Allergies

Back to School this year was even tougher than usual for me.  My baby girl started Kindergarten! I knew she was ready...she's been begging to go with her brothers for years! :) My biggest concern was and is her nut allergy.  Now, since all my kiddos have nut allergies, we've been through this before with both boys. So we explain to all teachers about their allergies and how to keep them safe.  But she has the most severe allergy. And, as I've shared before, we've already had to use the EpiPen due to a reaction....so this was my main concern for her.  I prayed that God would give her a teacher who would take care of her and be mindful of her allergy.  And those prayers have definitely been answered! We explained to the teacher about the allergy, and together have taken steps to keep my daughter safe :) The teacher has been great about accommodating the requests I've made.  Baby Girl is in her second week of school and is doing great!

Here is a letter I sent to all my kids' teachers about nut free foods.  It's helpful for them to have on hand to refer to through the year... You can find nut free lists online.  I made mine from a list I found and mainly included snacks my kids like. So these are definitely not the only nut free snacks available :) You just have to check labels  :)

(This list is NOT gluten free, only nut free :) )

Hi,

Since ___________ is allergic to all nuts, I thought it might be helpful if you had a list 
of some snacks that are safe for him if you need snacks for class, etc. Since ingredients 
can change, we always double check labels too. He cannot have anything that contains 
nuts and we also stay away from products that have any mention of nuts 
("manufactured in a plant with nuts", "may contain nuts", etc.) We also do not let him 
eat baked items brought in from students or from bakeries.  If you ever have any 
questions please let me know :) 

Thanks for all your help!

Skittles

Hershey plain chocolate Kisses

Wonka Nerds

Laffy Taffy

Air Heads

Tootsie Pops and Tootsie Rolls

Junior Mints

Lifesaver Gummies

Smarties

Whoppers

Sweet Tarts

Dum Dum lollipops

York Peppermint Patties

Twizzlers

Starburst

Kraft Marshmallows

Oreos (Original, Name-Brand)

Chips Ahoy (Original Name-Brand)
Goldfish Crackers (Name-brand)

Cheez-its

Easy Gluten Free Bistro Chicken

Before going gluten free, I made Easy Bistro Chicken from kraftfoods.com a lot. Chicken, tomatoes and Italian dressing all together in one big skillet...very tasty! It's very simple to make this dish gluten free! You can find the original recipe here http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/easy-bistro-chicken-91432.aspx

Here's my GF version...Delicious! I left out the cheese and bacon from the original recipe, and we thought it tasted even better without it...and it's healthier too!

Here's what I used...

2 tsp olive oil

1 onion chopped

salt and pepper

1 15 oz can stewed tomatoes, undrained

1/4 cup GF Italian dressing

3 tbsp. tomato paste

2 boneless chicken breasts cooked and shredded

HEAT oil in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add onions; cook 5 min., stirring occasionally. Add a dash of salt and pepper. Stir in tomatoes, dressing and tomato paste.

ADD chicken; cover. Simmer on medium-low heat 12 min.

I served this over brown rice.

Simply Scrumptious Gluten Free Baked Beans

This baked bean recipe is one of our favorites! I have made them for years and they are just scrumptious! I mean, with maple syrup, brown sugar, and bacon thrown in, how could they not be delicious? The original recipe comes from Paula Deen.


Ingredients:
1 large onion, diced
2 (16 oz) cans Bush's Best Original Baked Beans
3 tablespoons yellow mustard
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup light brown sugar
4 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 pound bacon strips, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a deep baking dish, mix beans, onion, mustard, maple syrup, brown sugar, ketchup and lemon juice. Stir till combined.

Top with bacon pieces.

Bake covered for 45 minutes. Remove foil, stir, and bake another 15 minutes uncovered.

Enjoy!

Zucchini & Rice

For lunch today I made zucchini and rice. YUM! Easy to make, it was a perfect lunch for this hungry girl!

What you need:

2 organic zucchini

Olive oil

salt and pepper

San-J Tamari gluten free soy sauce

GF Brown Rice (I use Uncle Ben's Fast and Natural)

Cut the zucchini into small pieces.

Heat olive oil in large skillet over med heat

Add zucchini

Sprinkle with salt and pepper

Saute zucchini, stirring occasionally

When zucchini has softened a little add some of the tamari (I love soy sauce, so I added quite a few dashes)

Continue to cook zucchini until tender

Cook rice according to package directions.

Transfer rice to a plate and pour the zucchini and remaining soy sauce from skillet over rice.

Enjoy!

The Best Gluten Free Spaghetti Sauce

Years ago, someone gave my a Southern Living cookbook called Everyday Menus.  In it, I found a pasta recipe called Beef Lombardi.  It's a layered dish with pasta, meat sauce, cheese, sour cream and green onions...and it was delicious.  But what really stood out was the incredible sauce!  This simple meat sauce was so wonderful, my hubby remarked once that he'd just like it served alone over spaghetti noodles...So that's what I did, and ever since, it's been my go-to sauce for spaghetti! As I was cooking it for dinner last night, I realized I had never shared it here.

So here it is...the oh so simple, oh so fabulous Best Sauce....

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef
1 14oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 10 oz can diced tomatoes w/ green chiles, undrained
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 6oz can tomato paste
1 bay leaf

Directions:

Cook ground beef over medium heat until crumbled and browned.
Drain and return to pot.

Stir in both cans tomatoes, sugar, salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes.

Add tomato paste and bay leaf.  Simmer on medium low heat 30 minutes, stirring occasionally .

Remove from heat. Remove bay leaf.

Serve over gluten free pasta.

That's it!  Short and simple...and delicious!  Enjoy!