What to feed the kids when you are gluten/wheat free?

[TraciWA]

We are in process of going wheat free in the family. It is easier to come up with things to feed myself and dh for lunch and breakfast but I have no idea about the kids. What do you feed your kids at lunch that they won't turn their nose up to? Mine are so used to having sandwiches.

[BarbecueMom]

They still have sandwiches once a week or so on GF bread. GF homemade macaroni and cheese, pizzas on corn tortillas, scrambled eggs and sausage (if they didn't have it for breakfast), fruit-veggie-cheese platter (served in a muffin tin), nachos, grilled chicken strips. I know there's more on our short-list for lunches, but I can't remember right now.

[rieshy]

I don't know what your kids are like, mine have always liked almost everything but it was an adjustment when we went wheat free this summer but here are some of the things we eat:

 

My kids like polenta boiled and then put in a casserole dish and topped with sauce, parmesan and mozzarella that's then baked long enough for the cheese to melt.

They also like soups of all sorts.

Omelets.

We often have left-overs reheated.

Stir fried rice.

Corn tortillas can be cooked quickly with refried beans and cheese.

Chicken breasts can be thrown in the oven and cooked in some salsa and cooked in less than 30 minutes.

Baked potatoes.

I sometimes make pancakes with Pamela mix and sometimes I add a mashed sweet potato to the batter with some cinnamon so that it has a bit more nutrition.

Salad.

Fruit salad.

egg salad on greens.

Humus with raw veggies (this is actually one of their favorites)

bean dip with spinach served with corn chips and salsa.

Eye of round thinly sliced and cooked on the stove top and served with tomatoes or spinach and garlic.

yogurt with or without oats and raw nuts.

[AdventureMoms]

Mine don't like sandwiches so that's easy. They usually have dinner leftovers or chicken, carrots, and ranch with fruit. Sometimes cheese and fruit. Occasionally a quesadilla (corn tortillas).

[TraciWA]

Thanks everyone! We usually send the left overs with daddy for lunch. Please keep them comming!

[NancyNellen]

Leftovers -I purposely make enough food for at least 2 meals...that way hubby doesnt get all the leftovers

Soup

Chili

Egg salad or chicken salad with gf crackers or veggies

Quesadillas with chicken and cheese

Hummus

Salads - I have some great salad recipes using quinoa or barley (we are wheat free here)

[AdventureMoms]

DW takes leftovers to work too. I almost always double recipes, sometimes triple them, so we have leftovers for her lunch, our lunches, and evenings where I don't want to cook, evenings where some of us are out, etc. Leftovers are a huge portion of our meal plan.

[I.Dup.]

Fruit with peanut butter, yogurt, tortilla chips, cheese (thankfully they can have dairy), dried fruit, nuts, rice cakes, rice........

[edeemarie]

Here is a general idea of what we eat. I try to cook enough for at least 2 days of breakfasts so I am not always cooking something.

Breakfast (a P after the recipe means it is found on my Pinterest boards):

*oatmeal (homemade- I soak old fashioned oats overnight and then they cook very quickly in the morning)

*puffed pancakes made with coconut flour (P)

*Oatmeal bars (P)

*yogurt with fruit

*eggs with either sausage or bacon

*grain free granola (P)

*any of the muffins or breads on my boards (again, I double the recipe so I am not baking every day)

Lunch

*hummus with rice crackers

*salsa or guacamole with tortilla chips

*lunchmeat (be careful there is no gluten) and cheese wraps with lettuce, tomato, pickle, avocado, etc.

*nut butter and apples

*nut butter and banana slices

*cottage cheese with fruit and crackers

*egg salad (or just hardboiled eggs)

*tuna salad in cucumber boats (i cut a cucumber in half, scoop out the seeds, and fill with the tuna)

I am sure there are more, but that is all I can think of for now.

When we started wheat free I took it slow and replaces foods in one meal a day. We started with breakfast because the kids were eating a lot of cereal. But a year later things are still going well:) Best of luck!

[dbmamaz]

we make bread in the breadmaker and they like it better than any of the available breads. Udi's bread is the one they like best of the store bought. one of my kids actually likes sandwiches on rice cakes and the other likes tuna on crackers. there are lots of good gf crackers

[cassiemc]

lunch things we eat include:

meat and cheese sandwiches on gf bread I make

pb&j

hummus & tortilla chips

soup & grilled cheese

sausages or hot dogs no buns

ian's fish sticks

leftovers

quesadillas on corn tortillas

[texasmama]

You can buy gf bread if you want sammies. My kids don't mind sammies on corn tortillas.

[Runningmom80]

My twins eat wheat, but my DS does not. He eats soup, lots of rice dishes, rice pasta, salad, burgers without the bun, sandwich on safe bread.

 

 

Oatmeal or oat flour muffins or pancakes for breakfast.

[Staceyshoe]

Breakfast--GF oatmeal (you can use all kinds of fun toppings to keep it interesting), Chex, or GF Rice Krispies. (We're very low maintenance at breakfast!)

 

Lunch--they get a protein and then fill up on fruits and vegetables

dinner leftovers

scrambled eggs or hotdogs rolled in a corn tortilla (microwave for 15 seconds between damp paper towels to make them pliable and avoid cracks)

bowl of egg salad or chicken salad

soup

smear some nut butter on thin apple slices or make "sandwiches" with chicken salad on cucumber slices

 

If they are missing grains--potatoes, rice, or polenta

We do GF bread sandwiches, but they are a once-a-week treat for us. GF bread might help the transition go more smoothly.

The paleo diet is so popular right now that there are lots of great recipes out there. My kids have multiple food allergies (in addition to being gluten free), so paleo is wonderful for us.

[BlueTaelon]

I feed them the same stuff, I just sub the GF version of it. Lunch is usually sandwiches, either Udi's bread or homemade or leftovers from dinner. This morning they had pancakes, eggs and bacon, tonight dinner is taquitoes:)

[gardenmom5]

have you done GF bread? if you have a breadmachine, you can make your own.

 

there's also chicken or beef teriyaki with rice. that's what dudeling get's now instead of hamburgers. it's also better for you than a hamburger.

[BlueTaelon]

have you done GF bread? if you have a breadmachine, you can make your own.

 

there's also chicken or beef teriyaki with rice. that's what dudeling get's now instead of hamburgers. it's also better for you than a hamburger.

 

I quit using the machine, it tends to make GF breads more dense then they already are.

[BlueTaelon]

have you done GF bread? if you have a breadmachine, you can make your own.

 

there's also chicken or beef teriyaki with rice. that's what dudeling get's now instead of hamburgers. it's also better for you than a hamburger.

 

I quit using the machine, it tends to make GF breads more dense then they already are.

[mommaduck]

Veggies. Meat and cheese (rolled together if need be). Basmati rice (the only kind of rice my daughter can have) mixed with anything. Quinoa mixed with anything. Salad. Omelet. Cream Cheese pancakes (there is a recipe online...no flour of any kind). Baked potato (butter, sour cream, salt, pepper, cheese, bacon, broccoli, pico de gallo whatever they want to put on it). Fruit and yogurt. Homemade California Rolls (sushi rolls with basmati rice, veggies, and nori). Pinterest has many ideas on gluten free eating if you do a search for it. There are also blogs I believe. It's a learning curve, but not impossible. My daughter has also learned that she has to check ingredients, can't do most canned items, particularly dressings, soups, and beverages she has to watch out for, and she is developing a sense for what works.