Lunch box ideas for allergy folk

[mrs mtx]

Sorry for the long post but I'm thinking a fresh mind may help

Rhys attends the hospital Creche four days a week and I supply his food. We've not long increased from half days to full. The lunch I send him with is usually lamb or fish based with vegetables or chips, fruit pouches or the organix oat bars or crisps.

He needs something for an afternoon tea and Creche have said that the other children usually have a sandwich or toast, with a yoghurt or bit of cheese etc.

It needs to not include wheat, dairy, soya, egg, rice, beef, pork, chicken, turkey, strawberrys, lentils and tomatoes.
He used to enjoy tuna wraps, and bagels which would have been perfect until a bad reaction to soya lost us wheat

Any ideas or alternatives people can think of? Preferably quick to make or able to cook in bulk and freeze.
He doesn't want another big meal as its too close together but just a nice snack that's not his normal fruit or crisps

 

[Mrs Holwell]

Just looking through my cookbooks for ideas for you - ruddy hell it's so limited. Only thing I have come up with so far is soup. Have one recipe for carrot, apple and red pepper soup so far. Will keep looking and let you know what I find. Are the crèche happy to re-heat food for you?

 

[mrs mtx]

Just looking through my cookbooks for ideas for you - ruddy hell it's so limited. Only thing I have come up with so far is soup. Have one recipe for carrot, apple and red pepper soup so far. Will keep looking and let you know what I find. Are the crèche happy to re-heat food for you?

Is it just that or do you add anything to thicken? He used to love soup but I find most have wheat in now
Yes Creche are very good with things like that. They've offered to supply his food but I feel happier knowing exactly what he has and what it's cooked in etc, I tend to cook things in bulk and then freeze it.
Take it out the night before to defrost and they'll heat it up for him

 

[Lincs Lass]

Will he grow out of these food allergies or is the wee lad stuck with it for life

 

[Mrs Holwell]

Veg and potato bubble and squeak style, lamb sausages, scotch broth, tiny portions of Irish stew, potato wedges, tiny portions of lamb hotpot, roasted pepper hummus with veg to dip, butternut squash and apple soup. Have now gone through 3 cookbooks, but will keep looking tomorrow. Hope some of the above may help with ideas for you

 

[Mrs Holwell]

Is just a veg stock with the carrot, onion, apple and red pepper - boiled up and blended - doesn't need thickening. 1 carrot, 1 Apple, 1 red pepper, 1 onion, veg stock or water if can't get suitable stock cubes. Blended it comes up pretty thick and wholesome. Think I use about 1/2 pint water, blitz it after boiling and is pretty yummy.

 

[jade35]

Simple potato rosti?

Is it just wheat and rice or barley, oats, rye, maize and buckwheat as well?

 

[Mrs Holwell]

Just a thought -- could you ask the crèche to supply you with samples of the food they would supply with details of ingredients, how they are prepared etc. I'm sure they would understand and may lighten the load for you. As I said - just a thought and totally respect how you feel about preparing the food yourself. Hugs from all here x

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

Just a thought -- could you ask the crèche to supply you with samples of the food they would supply with details of ingredients, how they are prepared etc. I'm sure they would understand and may lighten the load for you. As I said - just a thought and totally respect how you feel about preparing the food yourself. Hugs from all here x

We were just discussing this. One of my retired ex work colleagues is now an artisan baker. I'll ask if she has any ideas for alternative loaves.

 

[mrs mtx]

Will he grow out of these food allergies or is the wee lad stuck with it for life

It's a sort of wait and see thing, hopefully some of them if not all

 

[mrs mtx]

Just a thought -- could you ask the crèche to supply you with samples of the food they would supply with details of ingredients, how they are prepared etc. I'm sure they would understand and may lighten the load for you. As I said - just a thought and totally respect how you feel about preparing the food yourself. Hugs from all here x

Thank you for that I shall have a look at them all after work
They work with a 2 week rota of a set menu and at the moment he can't have anything on the menu, but the way they see it,
Is that I'm paying for meals to be included and if he was in hospital then the canteen would have to make him something so they are prepared to get that done every day.
It's all a bid of a mind field though wondering if it's another mild reaction, reflux, teething etc so I think it would just confuse things if I let them do that because I'd be wondering if they'd contaminated food etc.
I have agreed they can give him any finger veg the others are having as veg is pretty safe, as long as they record it for me to know if anything happens

 

[mrs mtx]

Simple potato rosti?

Is it just wheat and rice or barley, oats, rye, maize and buckwheat as well?

Oats are fine, it's the main part of his diet, maize is ok ish. He reacted to corn flakes but I think it was more an additive rather than the actual maize as he's had other things with it in.
We haven't tried rye or barley but shall be trailing buckwheat as soon as my tesco delivery arrives

 

[mrs mtx]

We were just discussing this. One of my retired ex work colleagues is now an artisan baker. I'll ask if she has any ideas for alternative loaves.

If she had an alternative that works that would be amazing thank you

 

[llamedos]

Have you tried rice flour based wraps? I know you say he is allergic to rice, but some who are seem only to be allergic to it in its whole grain state, and not once ground.
Or corn tortilla.

There are umpteen soups which can be made which are vegetable based, just use your imagination and trial all he can eat in different combinations, non need any thickening, and can be far better without being liquidised, also look more appealing too. If you want to thicken a soup without mushing it up add over cooked mashed up cauliflower as a thickening agent. Buy some of the takeaway cups with lids, and decant your soups into these add the lids and freeze upright, just write on the side what is in them, if you made a few pans of this he could have a different one each time.

But soup in the afternoon may leave him not wanting his evening meal.

Make some flapjack add berries or other dried fruit to it.

If there are any Chinese mothers at the creche or hospital, ask them if they have any ideas, as their diets tend not to contain the crap ours do.

 

[mrs mtx]

Have you tried rice flour based wraps? I know you say he is allergic to rice, but some who are seem only to be allergic to it in its whole grain state, and not once ground.
Or corn tortilla.

There are umpteen soups which can be made which are vegetable based, just use your imagination and trial all he can eat in different combinations, non need any thickening, and can be far better without being liquidised, also look more appealing too. If you want to thicken a soup without mushing it up add over cooked mashed up cauliflower as a thickening agent. Buy some of the takeaway cups with lids, and decant your soups into these add the lids and freeze upright, just write on the side what is in them, if you made a few pans of this he could have a different one each time.

But soup in the afternoon may leave him not wanting his evening meal.

Make some flapjack add berries or other dried fruit to it.

If there are any Chinese mothers at the creche or hospital, ask them if they have any ideas, as their diets tend not to contain the crap ours do.

Thank you
Rice flour is ok in very small quantities, as in the last thing in on the list of ingredients but it's too much in like bread and wraps, I didn't know you could get corn wraps? I shall have a Google

The soups will be good for us at home and something we can all eat together but maybe a bit bulky for his snacks.
I've got buckwheat and corn cakes coming today to trial so I think with everyone's suggestions we may have doubled his menu

Thank you everyone

 

[orchard]

A suitable replacement for your wraps would be oatcakes, simply replace the small wheat flour constituent for more finely ground oats.

Our daughter (4yrs), has severe allergies to milk,egg, beef, lamb, and a few others, so if you need someone to bounce ideas off...

 

[jade35]

Sweet potatoes? (member of the plaintain family) if little mtx can tolerate sweet potatoes they are very versatile and can be used in many recipes inc making oven chips which could be reheated as a snack at nursery or just plain sweet potato microwaved

While looking to see if sweet potatoes caused an intolerance I found this website. It is American but there are some useful lists towards the bottom of the page that may give you some ideas for food groups to try. http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/allergy.htm

llamedos is spot on with making soups and freezing so you have a variety. Would also suggest some simple vegetable mixes (thicker version of the soup) as a simple standby if frozen in small quantities.

 

[H.M.]

You might have already seen this website, it's American but looks to have a lot of recipes free from different things
https://www.glutenfreegigi.com/gigis-rice-free-flour-blend-gum-free/#comments

https://www.glutenfreegigi.com/4-ingredient-grain-free-thumbprint-cookies/

And another American one with their own flour and recipes with tips for egg replacements, but there might be similar flour blends in the uk somewhere
http://breadsfromanna.com/blogs/recipes/51392965-gluten-free-lemon-poppy-seed-bread

 

[mrs mtx]

Sweet potatoes? (member of the plaintain family) if little mtx can tolerate sweet potatoes they are very versatile and can be used in many recipes inc making oven chips which could be reheated as a snack at nursery or just plain sweet potato microwaved

While looking to see if sweet potatoes caused an intolerance I found this website. It is American but there are some useful lists towards the bottom of the page that may give you some ideas for food groups to try. http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/allergy.htm

llamedos is spot on with making soups and freezing so you have a variety. Would also suggest some simple vegetable mixes (thicker version of the soup) as a simple standby if frozen in small quantities.

Sweet potato is a common fpies trigger but lickily we are ok
He loves it mashed but won't eat it likes chips
I shall give the soups and mixes ago though thank you

 

[mrs mtx]

You might have already seen this website, it's American but looks to have a lot of recipes free from different things
https://www.glutenfreegigi.com/gigis-rice-free-flour-blend-gum-free/#comments

https://www.glutenfreegigi.com/4-ingredient-grain-free-thumbprint-cookies/

And another American one with their own flour and recipes with tips for egg replacements, but there might be similar flour blends in the uk somewhere
http://breadsfromanna.com/blogs/recipes/51392965-gluten-free-lemon-poppy-seed-bread

Thank you all the alternatives I'd found contained rice flour so these look good thank you