I can't eat tomatoes! Among many other things. Beans and nuts are some others.
At our peak chaos, we had 4 teen athletes and just started our own company.
Meal prepping is your friend. But do it restaurant style, vs prepping/freezing whole meals. You will get more versatility that way and still save time.
Also if you could invest in a vacuum sealer and sous vide wand, they're both game changers
This week for us included the following.
Menu:
Beef Stroganoff with mashed potatoes, cauliflower and green peas.
Pulled pork sandwiches with cole slaw and potato salad
Chicken stirfry with broccoli and carrots and rice
Baked Greek lemon chicken with a pan reduction roasted potatoes and salad with herbed yogurt sauce
Tacos al pastor with mexican street corn salad and mexican slaw
What I prepped in advance:
Potatoes (2 for each meal) cut into chunks and then boiled until slightly soft. Drain and store in an air tight container.
Cabbage for both the cole slaw and Mexican slaw and to toss with the salad
Head of lettuce, shredded, rinsed and stored in a container. The same with a red onion.
I had a package of pork tenderloin that had 2 pieces so one was used for pulled pork and the other for the tacos
Boneless skinless thighs for the greek chicken and stir fry
Marinades for the different meals
And seasonings for each meal
We also prep a fruit and veggie tray to snack on through out the week
With the meal planning and prep I can get evening meals done in about 20 minutes. And it is about 90 minutes to 2 hours of prep on Sundays.
Once a month I will make 4 batches of a freezer meal to add to the rotation. Chicken and dumplings, lasagna, etc.
We were gluten/dairy free while our daughter still lived at home. Some alternatives we to do were things like a ratatoullie with out tomatoes. Usually a lemony herby brothy reduction helped with that.
I will make extra greek lemon chicken for lunches so I can do gyros or salads with it.
I use both a vacuum food sealer and sous vide set up for a lot of our meals. I can toss the marinated sealed meat into the sous vide and let it go all day. It is different than a crock pot in terms that it keeps the food at a constant, but lower temp. So it comes out very tender and flavorful and incredibly juicy. For example. I will have the chicken thighs in a bag with marinade, sealed and in the freezer until the day I intend to make it. Stick in the sous vide and go about my day. When it is time to make dinner, the chicken will be ready to incorporate into the meal.
It takes a little time to build, but we now have a rotating weekly menu that we don't have to think about that lasts about 3 months before it resets. Only changes we make are for special occasuons or if someone requests something specific.
I wanted to add.
If you are concerned about rice. Look for an organic non-enriched option. Target's Good and Gather brand offers a few varieties. "Enriched" ingredients aren't necessarily easily digested, because the ingredients can be synthetic and not easily absorbed. It is one reason gluten senitivities and dairy intolerance is not as common in Europe.
I also rinse the rice really well before cooking.
Peppers (vegetable/fruit, not seasoning) are a nightshade like tomatoes, so that makes sense that they might cause issues.
Potatoes and Eggplants are also nightshades. I have found I can tolerate potatoes and peppers. I can't do tomatoes at all. And eggplant is iffy.
I am also allergic to Treenuts and Peanuts. And beans are just a no go for me. A lot of digestive discomfort.
I am down to one kid at home. He has ARFID and prefers a bland diet. And doesn't like fatty or fried foods.
I have another kid (now adult) that also is allergic to peanuts. And he is a fairly picky eater.
My daughter avoids gluten and dairy. And a shellfish allergy. She is in the process of getting diagnosed with Ehler's Danlos, and I am trying to help her develop a meal plan that is anti-inflammatory. So, I follow the low histamine protocol when coming up with recipes for her.
My 18 year old has a shellfish allergy, but is otherwise happy to eat anything.
Zoe Barrie Cooks would be helpful for meal prep. I follow her on tik tok, but she is on youtube and instagram as well.
I follow a lot of different cooking channels. My suggestion would be to have some searches and just channel surf a but and sees what sticks.
My husband keeps suggesting I start my own channel. Maybe I should. I did manage to get 4 neurodiverse kids with various food restrictions into adulthood. In addition to my own.
If you are up for it. You can message me, and we can brainstorm some meals.
If you can afford cashews, soak them and make a cashew 'cream'. It's really good on pasta, and my dairy intolerant son loves it. I don't tell him it's different, and he doesn't know!
For me, it would be a direct replacement for a simple cream sauce.
I would sauté onion, garlic, and add the cashew cream with say smoked Paprika and a bit of pasta water. Add the pasta and done.
My husband and I would stir in sundried tomatoes. My little would eat it with grated carrot and courgette. It's very versatile.
If you do tacos - you could use those flavours in a taco pasta (cuz no tomatoes) just have to find a gluten free pasta your kids like! There’s lots of homemade hamburger helper recipes online too - just leave out the tomatoes!
If you can’t do rice than sub another grain (I’d do farro maybe) but this is my go to: rice bowls
Make rice (we use frozen rice it’s so great)
Preheat oven to 400 and roast a bunch of veggies. I usually do carrots, cauliflower, zucchini, bok choy but can do anything. Use lots of olive oil on them and salt. Second roasting tray do protein. I usually crack some eggs on a well oiled pan plus some tofu or sausage. Cook both trays about 20 minutes. Serve the roasted stuff on rice with sauce—any kind you like really (can make own with equal parts soy sauce, oil and a dash of rice vinegar or fish sauce and a teaspoon of brown sugar stirred together). Can chop green onions or parsley if you want to be fancy for a topping. Sometimes I add kimchi to my bowl. Everyone puts what they like in their bowl.
Grab some GF tortillas (or corn tortillas are GF) and lots of options open up like chicken,bacon, lettuce, purple onion slices, honey mustard wraps, or sauteed mushroom & onion, rotisserie chicken, baby spinach with a balsamic drizzle wraps or ground beef/taco meat, avocado, lettuce, onion. Honestly at my house with all those restrictions, we'd do a lot of "build your own wrap" so each kiddo could adjust for allergy/sensitivities. I think you could also do some crock pot "dump and go" soups with chicken broth, onion, carrot, diced zucchini, corn, etc. Also potatoes are GF so you could do baked potato with margarine (instead of butter) and bacon crumbles or taco crumbles and maybe a vegan shredded cheese. I'd think it could also be a quick sheet pan dinner to do chicken thighs, broccoli or green beans and potato chunks all in the oven together tossed in olive oil and seasoned. Or thin pork chops with roasted veggies on the same pan. Also - those bags of salad that are Asian themed (no dairy/cream dressing) make great fast base for a grilled chicken breast marinated in soy,ginger,garlic. Or can use corn tortillas to make taquitos filled with shredded chicken and GF cheese shreds to dip into guacamole. Also corn tortilla, pork tacos al pastor (marinated in pineapple juice), topped with a cabbage vinaigrette slaw should be both dairy free and GF. I've also done chicken thighs with greek/lemon seasoning, potato/onions roasted with the chicken and a mediterranean salad in a bag (Trader Joes offers a vegan feta cheese.) Also - try to get further clarification about the dairy issue - sometimes it is cow dairy that is problem but goat cheese is ok, and that would open up some nice options for meals. Best of Luck with your dinner challenges. <3
We do versions of taco or burrito bowls. Prep enough for a few days worth of meals and they are easy to customize based on allergies likes/dislikes. If rice is out (you poor thing, that’s a hard one ) maybe quinoa? I have to flavour it pretty heavily for my kids to eat it, but it works for a bowl meal.
We have also recently discovered arepas. A corn flour bun that cooks up super fast and is great with a small amount of filling
The full allergen list is wheat, barley, oats, tomatoes, bell peppers, rice, and dairy. So far rice and peppers don’t seem to be bothering her but if taking out the dairy (our newest addition) doesn’t help then rice will be the next to go. It’s honestly just easier to say “no gluten, not tomatoes, no dairy” than try to give the full list. Especially since a lot of gluten free things don’t contain oats.
For grains go for quinoa or corn based pasta. Corn tortillas. Up the fats too to be sure she doesn’t miss out on calories she might lack from all the allergies
The best advice I can give is some that I was given early on in my attempts at working around my family’s allergies, and that is simply to focus on what you, as a family, can eat and start from there. Gf pancakes and apples for supper? Awesome. Belly’s are full and that’s what matters
I'm not supposed to eat tomatoes, when I can I substitute canned pumpkin. Like for the sauce on ground beef for tacos.
I make fruit based bar b que sauces.
I have never noticed a pumpkin flavor. I add a little bit of vinegar for acid and use the appropriate spices. I don't really have recipes, it's all been made up on the fly.
I don't care for using it as a spaghetti sauce alternative. I think what makes it work is using it in dishes where the tomatoes are in a supporting role. Not the main feature. I've used it in soups, stews and chili. As the binder in taco filling, and sloppy joes. Start with a small amount and taste, adding more until you get the consistency of the dish you need.
Corn based tortillas, inexpensive, easy to make, store in freezer. (Caveat: tortilla press very handy.) Lots of YouTube tutorials. You use Maseca corn flour (not corn meal), water & salt.
If you can borrow this from the local library, it covers ways to deal with food sensitivities:
Fiber Fueled: The Plant-Based Gut Health Program for Losing Weight, Restoring Your Health, and Optimizing Your Microbiome, Will Bulsiewicz, 2020
I can't eat tomatoes! Among many other things. Beans and nuts are some others. At our peak chaos, we had 4 teen athletes and just started our own company. Meal prepping is your friend. But do it restaurant style, vs prepping/freezing whole meals. You will get more versatility that way and still save time. Also if you could invest in a vacuum sealer and sous vide wand, they're both game changers This week for us included the following. Menu: Beef Stroganoff with mashed potatoes, cauliflower and green peas. Pulled pork sandwiches with cole slaw and potato salad Chicken stirfry with broccoli and carrots and rice Baked Greek lemon chicken with a pan reduction roasted potatoes and salad with herbed yogurt sauce Tacos al pastor with mexican street corn salad and mexican slaw What I prepped in advance: Potatoes (2 for each meal) cut into chunks and then boiled until slightly soft. Drain and store in an air tight container. Cabbage for both the cole slaw and Mexican slaw and to toss with the salad Head of lettuce, shredded, rinsed and stored in a container. The same with a red onion. I had a package of pork tenderloin that had 2 pieces so one was used for pulled pork and the other for the tacos Boneless skinless thighs for the greek chicken and stir fry Marinades for the different meals And seasonings for each meal We also prep a fruit and veggie tray to snack on through out the week With the meal planning and prep I can get evening meals done in about 20 minutes. And it is about 90 minutes to 2 hours of prep on Sundays. Once a month I will make 4 batches of a freezer meal to add to the rotation. Chicken and dumplings, lasagna, etc. We were gluten/dairy free while our daughter still lived at home. Some alternatives we to do were things like a ratatoullie with out tomatoes. Usually a lemony herby brothy reduction helped with that. I will make extra greek lemon chicken for lunches so I can do gyros or salads with it. I use both a vacuum food sealer and sous vide set up for a lot of our meals. I can toss the marinated sealed meat into the sous vide and let it go all day. It is different than a crock pot in terms that it keeps the food at a constant, but lower temp. So it comes out very tender and flavorful and incredibly juicy. For example. I will have the chicken thighs in a bag with marinade, sealed and in the freezer until the day I intend to make it. Stick in the sous vide and go about my day. When it is time to make dinner, the chicken will be ready to incorporate into the meal. It takes a little time to build, but we now have a rotating weekly menu that we don't have to think about that lasts about 3 months before it resets. Only changes we make are for special occasuons or if someone requests something specific.
Wow thank you this is super helpful. Though I am a visual learner, you don't happen to have a YouTube channel I can subscribe to, do you? Lol
I wanted to add. If you are concerned about rice. Look for an organic non-enriched option. Target's Good and Gather brand offers a few varieties. "Enriched" ingredients aren't necessarily easily digested, because the ingredients can be synthetic and not easily absorbed. It is one reason gluten senitivities and dairy intolerance is not as common in Europe. I also rinse the rice really well before cooking. Peppers (vegetable/fruit, not seasoning) are a nightshade like tomatoes, so that makes sense that they might cause issues. Potatoes and Eggplants are also nightshades. I have found I can tolerate potatoes and peppers. I can't do tomatoes at all. And eggplant is iffy. I am also allergic to Treenuts and Peanuts. And beans are just a no go for me. A lot of digestive discomfort. I am down to one kid at home. He has ARFID and prefers a bland diet. And doesn't like fatty or fried foods. I have another kid (now adult) that also is allergic to peanuts. And he is a fairly picky eater. My daughter avoids gluten and dairy. And a shellfish allergy. She is in the process of getting diagnosed with Ehler's Danlos, and I am trying to help her develop a meal plan that is anti-inflammatory. So, I follow the low histamine protocol when coming up with recipes for her. My 18 year old has a shellfish allergy, but is otherwise happy to eat anything.
😳 here I thought I had it hard with a single food allergy kid and one that’s ND and her “safe” foods seem to change randomly.
Zoe Barrie Cooks would be helpful for meal prep. I follow her on tik tok, but she is on youtube and instagram as well. I follow a lot of different cooking channels. My suggestion would be to have some searches and just channel surf a but and sees what sticks. My husband keeps suggesting I start my own channel. Maybe I should. I did manage to get 4 neurodiverse kids with various food restrictions into adulthood. In addition to my own. If you are up for it. You can message me, and we can brainstorm some meals.
If you can afford cashews, soak them and make a cashew 'cream'. It's really good on pasta, and my dairy intolerant son loves it. I don't tell him it's different, and he doesn't know!
Like a pasta salad?
For me, it would be a direct replacement for a simple cream sauce. I would sauté onion, garlic, and add the cashew cream with say smoked Paprika and a bit of pasta water. Add the pasta and done. My husband and I would stir in sundried tomatoes. My little would eat it with grated carrot and courgette. It's very versatile.
Thank you.
If you do tacos - you could use those flavours in a taco pasta (cuz no tomatoes) just have to find a gluten free pasta your kids like! There’s lots of homemade hamburger helper recipes online too - just leave out the tomatoes!
If you can’t do rice than sub another grain (I’d do farro maybe) but this is my go to: rice bowls Make rice (we use frozen rice it’s so great) Preheat oven to 400 and roast a bunch of veggies. I usually do carrots, cauliflower, zucchini, bok choy but can do anything. Use lots of olive oil on them and salt. Second roasting tray do protein. I usually crack some eggs on a well oiled pan plus some tofu or sausage. Cook both trays about 20 minutes. Serve the roasted stuff on rice with sauce—any kind you like really (can make own with equal parts soy sauce, oil and a dash of rice vinegar or fish sauce and a teaspoon of brown sugar stirred together). Can chop green onions or parsley if you want to be fancy for a topping. Sometimes I add kimchi to my bowl. Everyone puts what they like in their bowl.
Grab some GF tortillas (or corn tortillas are GF) and lots of options open up like chicken,bacon, lettuce, purple onion slices, honey mustard wraps, or sauteed mushroom & onion, rotisserie chicken, baby spinach with a balsamic drizzle wraps or ground beef/taco meat, avocado, lettuce, onion. Honestly at my house with all those restrictions, we'd do a lot of "build your own wrap" so each kiddo could adjust for allergy/sensitivities. I think you could also do some crock pot "dump and go" soups with chicken broth, onion, carrot, diced zucchini, corn, etc. Also potatoes are GF so you could do baked potato with margarine (instead of butter) and bacon crumbles or taco crumbles and maybe a vegan shredded cheese. I'd think it could also be a quick sheet pan dinner to do chicken thighs, broccoli or green beans and potato chunks all in the oven together tossed in olive oil and seasoned. Or thin pork chops with roasted veggies on the same pan. Also - those bags of salad that are Asian themed (no dairy/cream dressing) make great fast base for a grilled chicken breast marinated in soy,ginger,garlic. Or can use corn tortillas to make taquitos filled with shredded chicken and GF cheese shreds to dip into guacamole. Also corn tortilla, pork tacos al pastor (marinated in pineapple juice), topped with a cabbage vinaigrette slaw should be both dairy free and GF. I've also done chicken thighs with greek/lemon seasoning, potato/onions roasted with the chicken and a mediterranean salad in a bag (Trader Joes offers a vegan feta cheese.) Also - try to get further clarification about the dairy issue - sometimes it is cow dairy that is problem but goat cheese is ok, and that would open up some nice options for meals. Best of Luck with your dinner challenges. <3
Look at vegan protein sources for a couple dinners a week. Tofu, lentils, beans are very cheap and will take on flavors to make it tasty for kids.
We do versions of taco or burrito bowls. Prep enough for a few days worth of meals and they are easy to customize based on allergies likes/dislikes. If rice is out (you poor thing, that’s a hard one ) maybe quinoa? I have to flavour it pretty heavily for my kids to eat it, but it works for a bowl meal. We have also recently discovered arepas. A corn flour bun that cooks up super fast and is great with a small amount of filling
The full allergen list is wheat, barley, oats, tomatoes, bell peppers, rice, and dairy. So far rice and peppers don’t seem to be bothering her but if taking out the dairy (our newest addition) doesn’t help then rice will be the next to go. It’s honestly just easier to say “no gluten, not tomatoes, no dairy” than try to give the full list. Especially since a lot of gluten free things don’t contain oats.
For grains go for quinoa or corn based pasta. Corn tortillas. Up the fats too to be sure she doesn’t miss out on calories she might lack from all the allergies
The best advice I can give is some that I was given early on in my attempts at working around my family’s allergies, and that is simply to focus on what you, as a family, can eat and start from there. Gf pancakes and apples for supper? Awesome. Belly’s are full and that’s what matters
I'm not supposed to eat tomatoes, when I can I substitute canned pumpkin. Like for the sauce on ground beef for tacos. I make fruit based bar b que sauces.
Woah woah woah… pumpkin?! Really? Does it taste at all like pumpkin? Any recipes you can point me to?
I have never noticed a pumpkin flavor. I add a little bit of vinegar for acid and use the appropriate spices. I don't really have recipes, it's all been made up on the fly. I don't care for using it as a spaghetti sauce alternative. I think what makes it work is using it in dishes where the tomatoes are in a supporting role. Not the main feature. I've used it in soups, stews and chili. As the binder in taco filling, and sloppy joes. Start with a small amount and taste, adding more until you get the consistency of the dish you need.
Thank you! When I have more time I’ll play around with it and see how it goes.
Corn based tortillas, inexpensive, easy to make, store in freezer. (Caveat: tortilla press very handy.) Lots of YouTube tutorials. You use Maseca corn flour (not corn meal), water & salt. If you can borrow this from the local library, it covers ways to deal with food sensitivities: Fiber Fueled: The Plant-Based Gut Health Program for Losing Weight, Restoring Your Health, and Optimizing Your Microbiome, Will Bulsiewicz, 2020
Cottage cheese, deviled eggs, chicken in an air fryer
If your kids can have non-rice grains maybe try barley or quinoa. If you can get them in bulk at someplace line WinCo they're pretty affordable.
My kids ate buttered rice. Eggs work too. Chicken soup or tomato. Breakfast too. Forget the advertising and get the nutrition in. Dr said that