GF DF Lunch Ideas for Children

Lunches are the most difficult meals in the day for me. I never know what to make. For all those who are in the same dilemma here are some ideas:

Black Bean Pate - on Rice Crackers. Puree 1 cup cooked black beans, 1 cooked carrot and a sauteed onion together.

Hummus - on baked rice taco chips (brown rice taco chips can be made from brown rice tacos baked in the oven until crisp)

Deviled Eggs - Carefully cut a hard boiled egg in half. Scoop out the yolk and mix it with DF mayonnaise, bacon bits, salt and pepper. Put the egg yolk mixture back into the two halves of egg white.

Sweet Potato with Almond Butter - Puree a baked sweet potato, a tablespoon of orange juice, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, a tablespoon almond butter, a dash of cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg together.

Black or White Beans - with a little salt and pepper or ketchup

Refried Beans - served with tomato, lettuce, guacamole and GF DF chips

Canned or home made soup - (either leftovers or frozen in cup sized portions) - chicken and wild rice or beef and vegetable (using brown rice flour as thickener), or GFDF cream of mushroom.

Sandwich Meat Wraps - wrap vegetables up in sandwich meat. Thin carrot sticks, pickle sticks, cucumber sticks, celery sliced into sticks (with a little almond butter!)

Banana Pancakes - one mashed banana mixed with one egg and fried in a little oil. Keep the pancakes small as they tend to fall apart otherwise.

Fresh Fruits and Vegetables - cut in a variety of ways or served with different sauces and dips to keep them interesting. Some sauces for vegitables include hummus, almond butter and mayonnaise.

Fruit Salad - served either plain or with a light syrup

Fruit Kabobs - Skewered on a toothpick and marinated in lemon juice

Rice Tacos - a copyrighted recipe for Brown Rice Tacos can be found here. Trader Joes also has some tasty rice tacos.

Sushi Rolls - Cook sushi rice as according to directions on the package. Add rice vingar while still hot. Spread the rice evenly and in a thin layer over nori seaweed sheets. Put such fillings as canned tuna, thinly sliced cucumber sticks, avocado and thinly sliced carrot sticks down the one edge of the rice. Carefully lift the end of the seaweed, and gently roll it over the ingredients, pressing gently. Roll it forward to make a complete roll. Cut using a very sharp wet knife.

Onigiri (Rice Ball) - Mold a handful (about 1/2 cup) at a time of warm medium-grain rice with wet hands (dip hands into salted water) into a cup shape. Fill with plum jam or canned tuna or salmon. Close the rice over the filling and mold it into a triangular shape. Mold the rice firmly, pressing just hard enough to hold it together. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds over the top.

Spring Rolls - Wrap vegetables and rice vermicelli noodles (optional) in moistened rice paper. Vegetables should be either lightly steamed or sauteed and sliced into thin slivers. A great way to get children to eat sprouted food. Can also serve with almond butter and honey.

Nuts and Dried Fruit - Raw nuts are best.

Chicken or Tuna salad - After adding the DF mayonaise, some variations can be a squirt of mustard, finely chopped celery, chopped walnuts, sunflower seeds, raisins, or grapes.

Smoothies - Almost any vegetable or fruit can be put into a smoothie and be made tasty. Sweetening baby spinach with a little banana, apple juice and orange juice is just one delicious way to sneak some good vitamins into a child.