My one year old (eep! did I just say that? DS is a whole year old?? holy moly!) had some pretty sever allergic reactions to milk and eggs, so bad that we now have to carry an epi-pen with us. We went to see the allergist and an allergy test confirmed that he is indeed allergic to not only milk and eggs but peanuts as well (though soy is ok). It's possible that he may outgrow the problem, but for the time being we need to avoid all foods with said ingredients in them as well as foods that have been manufactured on equipment that uses those ingredients.
Does anyone have any easy ideas for simple toddler meals that don't include cheese/eggs/milk/peanut butter? I'm trying to introduce more foods and broaden his nutritional horizon as it were. I'd like to be able to feed him things that DH and I eat (or at least simplified versions of it) so that I'm not preparing too many different meals. As of right now he still eats jarred baby food with infant cereal (I'm trying to move away from that and give him "real" food), fresh fruits, and sometimes cooked veggies. He's still nursing too, but it's more for comfort/hydration/supplementation, as his main meals are no longer breast milk.
Any suggestions or tips are appreciated!
ETA: A lot of bread and pasta products are off limits too, because many of them contain milk products or eggs (or were manufactured on the same equipment), so any good allergy-friendly grain product suggestions would be welcome too.
Last edited by Missy Krissy; 06-21-2013 at 09:50 AM.
My naturopath recommended an amazing book to me when we were experimenting with removing dairy and gluten from my son's diet. It's called The Kid-Friendly ADHD & Autism Cookbook. Don't be freaked out by the title. It's written for kids with behavioral challenges in mind, but it's full of so much good information and tons of recipes for anyone removing allergens (dairy, gluten, soy, peanuts etc) from their child's diet for any reason. I would highly recommend it!
Ballerina - Yes, DS eats a variety of fruits and veggies (and loves them!) but I'm looking more for meal/menu ideas. I don't want to make him meals made up entirely of side dishes, you know?
Shutterbug - Thanks for the recommendation, I'll check it out!
I don't really have any other ideas for meals but a friend recently posted this chart on her facebook of replacements for eggs while cooking so I thought I'd pass it on
I would be feeding the way I normally do - a veggie, a fruit, and a main course. Main courses would be things like tuna salad (no mayo, but with butter and vinegar, capers, seasoning salt, extra), pot roast, herbed chicken breasts, and the like with some safe starches (rice, potatoes) as the garnish. My kids don't have allergies and we still eat like this for many meals.
In this sense, the crockpot is your friend. Throw on a soup or meat dish and cook it until shredded, then portion it into baggies in the freezer. Just thaw as needed and add to whatever fruit and veggie you've chosen. It's a lot less work than making those things daily.
And really, do consider using nut substitutions like walnuts or pine nuts, if they are okay and peanuts are not. That is likely your quickest snack/protein substitution given his allergy list.
Ah, I didn't realize you were looking for specific recipes. A lot of the time that IS what I do for meals -- fruit, veggie, protein, a little carb.
What are some dishes you and your husband eat?
Last edited by Quiet Ballerina; 06-21-2013 at 10:18 PM.
Back again!
Have you looked at skinnytaste.com ? There are loads of recipes and some are catered to allergy restrictions -- dairy free, gluten free, and egg free.
Try a local health food store. Vegan optiond to many familar meals could be helpful. Like vegan cheese has no milk (its soy based). In case you aren't familiar with vegan, its free of animal products, no no eggs or dairy...but you will still ahve to be careful of nuts. I know our local health food store also carries A LOT of nut free options. I believe there is a nut free "peanut" butter, called sun butter?? I can't remember, but it is nut free, and safe for those with nut allergies. The labels will tell you.
I never make special meals for my toddler. We did baby-led-weaning since he was 6months old and he eats exactly what we eat at the table. We never did purees either, went straight to finger foods.
Arctic – Ah, crock potting! I haven’t used mine in at least a month, that’s a good suggestion. Roasts and soups are definitely do-able. Unfortunately butter is out (milk product) as well as tree nuts. Although he hasn’t been tested for tree nuts yet, the allergist advised that we stay away from them for the time being, which really stinks because a nut butter sandwich would be so convenient!
Ballerina – I haven’t looked at skinnytaste in a while, but I do like her website. I’ll have to search for some dairy-free recipes on there. DH and I eat a fair amount of casserole type dishes and other one-pot sort of meals. We will do things like grilled chicken with sides, or hamburgers, or tacos too. I really like one-pot things because they’re easy.
Glamor – Thanks for the sun-butter suggestion! I’ll have to talk to the allergist before giving it to him though, as I suspect he might have a problem with sunflower seeds. A few weeks ago I made some home-made hummus (just chick peas, tahini [sunflower seed paste], olive oil, roasted red pepper, lemon juice, salt, cumin, and garlic powder) and I gave some to DS. He really loved it, but shortly after eating some I noticed some redness around his mouth and a hive. This allergy thing has me really freaked out!
Skinny – That’s kind of what I’m getting at, I’d like to find some good recipes or meal suggestions that I can make for all of us to eat together rather than have to make a bunch of separate things. It’s just hard because he’s allergic to a lot of things, and many food stuffs that you wouldn’t think have milk or egg products in them so I have to check labels carefully.
Thanks for the suggestions everyone, this allergy thing is real pain in the butt!
I'm making a whole batch of chicken thighs (with olive oil, Italian spices, salt, garlic, pepper) right now, so we have snack/quick food for the week. Pairing that with an apple and a salad would be a very quick dinner for my kids, or pairing it with well cut green beans dressed with olive oil for a baby.
Really, once you get two or three cooked meats and five appropriate soups he can have, and rotate among those, there should be PLENTY of variety there. How many families, for example, really pack more than a few lunches or serve a few entree baby foods to their kids? Most of us have three or four fallbacks and a a little variety from there.
Frozen vegetables have been a saving grace for me. My son likes peas, carrots, green beans, corn, broccoli, anything at all. I keep a lot of variety in my freezer and always have fresh veggies for him on hand. Going further, you can mix these with pasta (rice or corn pasta), potatoes, rice, etc.
Something else I love doing is to make soup and keep broth on hand for meals. I store the broth in small containers and freeze and then take out for individual meals. I stir in veggies and noodles. Even cut up cooked chicken breast in it.
My son also loves loves loves legumes. He loves lentil soup, navy bean soup, black bean soup, etc. I also make a whole pot and freeze individual portions.
For breakfast it's usually oatmeal with fruit. Sometimes I put in real fruit that I have on hand and if not I stir in nut butter for protein, and/or frozen berries, or even apple sauce.
Toddler Meals + Allergies = Help!
