GFCF Packaged School Snacks

I’m right there with all the mamas who want a quick, easy snack to send with my kids to school. Our school has a peanut free policy, but fortunately other nuts are okay. Here are the main packaged snacks I send with my kiddos. I’ll also throw in a cutie orange, bag of grapes or an apple, too, because they can have two snacks a day (which seems excessive to me!).

LARABAR (all peanut free flavors)

KIND Bars (these are 100% nut free and gluten/dairy free and found at Target or Costco)

Justin’s Hazelnut Butter Packs

REAL Sticks Turkey Jerky (my kids are obsessed with the Honey Mustard flavor)

NibMor Daily Dose of Dark Chocolate (these are a special treat)

What packaged GFCF snacks do you send to school with your kiddos? New ideas would be GREAT, so leave a note in the comments!

GFCF Bliss By Chocolate Cupcakes

This is the last cupcake recipe I will ever need because with it, cupcake nirvana has been achieved. I know, those are fighting words, but trust me when I say we’ve tried a lot of cupcakes in the last four years of birthday parties, school events and holiday celebrations. To boot, my parameters have consistently gotten tighter: now I bake without grains, refined sugar, casein or hydrogenated fats (typically found in frostings). My family absolutely loved these little gems and my kids asked if we could make them for Halloween with spooky decorations on top. I think I’ve found a unanimous favorite! Oh, and they’re nut free and super simple to make!

Enjoy!

GFCF Lunchbox Idea

The photo may not be great but I thought the lunch idea was worth sharing! My daughter has always like the Dr. Praeger Gluten Free Fishies because they’re bite-sized and fun. I like them because they’re such an easy lunch to make. Just broil them for about 10 minutes in a toaster oven and they’re done. I also like that they use wild-caught haddock rather than farmed, which means no antibiotics in the meat. Also, a tip on strawberries – always get organic because the flesh is super absorbent to pesticides.

Protein: Dr. Praeger GF Fishies + Macadamia Nuts

Veggie: Carrot

Fruit: Organic Strawberries

Healthy Fats: Nuts + Fish

The Perfect GFCF S’more

For five years, I thought it couldn’t be done. GFCF graham crackers taste like cardboard, so I assumed my children would never know how tasty a “real” s’more could be. And because we camp several times a summer, this situation was actually worth some thought. I’m happy to report, our recent camping trip proved we found the gluten-free trifecta of s’more ingredients!

Do I love the ingredients in the graham crackers and marshmallows from a nutritional perspective? Absolutely not. But because I choose the rest of our meals so carefully, we can splurge on things like s’mores occasionally knowing it won’t break our health. There’s a fine line with feeding kids in modern America!

Best GFCF S’more Ingredients:

Schar Gluten Free Honeygrams

Dandies Vegan Marshmallows

Lindt 70% Dark Chocolate Bar

Directions:

– Lay out the graham crackers in pairs of two.

– Put one square of the chocolate on one cracker of each pair.

– Roast the marshmallows over the fire and place one marshmallow on each piece of chocolate.

– Top with the other graham cracker, press lightly and let sit for a minute to allow the chocolate to melt.

Enjoy!

GFCF Road Snacks

Spring break is upon us! We’re going on a 2-week road trip tomorrow, so I thought I’d share some of our road food. Road trips can be mind-boggling, especially when you’re new to GFCF.

Some of the fresh foods we’re also taking along are:

Applegate turkey slices and turkey pepperoni

Olives

Dill pickles

Holy Guacamole single serve packs

Apples

Cutie oranges

Pistachios

Baby carrots

Sliced celery and bell peppers

Almond butter for dipping

Water

A few Zevias for when we’re on hour 10 and need something fizzy (yet not overly detrimental to our health!).

Hope everyone has a great spring break! Let the rest of us know what you take on your road trips – suggestions are always so helpful!

2-Ingredient GFCF Pancakes

See that breakfast up there? It has a grand total of THREE ingredients. Turkey bacon + the dynamic duo that makes delicious, nutritious pancakes. Over the last four years, I’ve made every GF pancake recipe out there. I’ve used rice flour, sorghum flour, almond flour and coconut flour, as well as several GF pancake mixes. Some were okay, some were great but called for sugar, and some were way less than ok. So, I didn’t have much hope for these pancakes when a friend told me about them.

GFCF Rice Crispy Valentine Hearts

These adorable hearts are what my kiddos will be receiving on Valentine’s Day this year. They are chocolatey, crunchy and of course, are the obligatory heart shape! The best part is they take five minutes to make and won’t break the bank. You can decide your level of sugar based on the kind of chocolate chips you use. I used 67% dark chocolate chips to cut back on sugar, but Enjoy Life brand would also be a good allergy-friendly choice. I do include peanut butter in these, but that is completely optional.

GFCF Yogurt Parfait

It can be difficult to get enough protein out of a breakfast parfait when you can’t use Greek yogurt. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible! Here’s my go-to parfait recipe. It’s packed with nutrients, protein, good fats and best of all…flavor! The key is using a chopper or food processor for the walnuts to get them chopped very fine. My son wouldn’t go near a walnut that actually looks like a walnut if his life depended on it, but he gobbles this topping right up. I make a double batch and store the remainder in a jar in the fridge for super rushed mornings. Enjoy!

GFCF Lunchbox Idea

For 3 years, I have given my daughter a veggie in her lunch nearly every day. And now, in 2nd grade, she requests salad in her lunch routinely. As a parent, pretty much nothing could make me happier than my kids asking for leafy greens! We are a testament that it can be done – your children can actually enjoy veggies, but patience and persistence are key. I don’t do guilt about what she eats or doesn’t eat from her lunchbox, I simply put the options in and over time she has really gravitated towards them on her own. The other thing I don’t do is hide veggies in adorable muffins, etc. I DO make breakfast muffins routinely, but my kids know they’re filled with carrots and zucchini, etc. In the lunchbox, I put fresh veggies that look like vegetables. After all, this is the healthiest way to consume them. Good luck to those beginning this journey. Know that your passion and gentle persistence to feed your children a cleaner than standard diet will pay off – sooner rather than later!

Protein: Applegate Farms Turkey Hot Dogs 

Salad: Mixed greens with walnuts and dried blueberries w/ Organicville Non-Dairy Ranch Dressing on the side

Carb: Late July Organics Sea Salt Tortilla Chips

Drink: Water

GFCF Power Breakfast Cereal

Many people have asked me what I feed my kiddos for breakfast, but the real question is what do I NOT feed my kids for breakfast? At the very top of that list is cereal from a box. I occasionally buy fun, natural gluten-free cereals for an afternoon snack, but they do NOT make a decent breakfast! Breakfast should be packed with good fats, protein and healthy carb choices. Every cell in our bodies is made of fats, proteins and water, so this is what every cell in our body needs to thrive.

And guess what? This little bowl of cereal is filled with just that. I keep a bag pre-made in the fridge at all times for those mornings we’re in an extra hurry. There are endless ways to modify this for your family, so get creative. And enjoy – this is one bowl of cereal you can feel good about giving your kiddos for breakfast!