My 6 yr old has celiac disease and must eat gluten free (no wheat, barley, oats, or rye). I'm a pro at cooking gluten free, but now I think he is having trouble with dairy (not lactose, but dairy itself). I had to go dairy free for the year I nursed him, but he outgrew the allergy. So, I DID know how to cook dairy-free. He has stomach pain related to eating and being hungry and terrible reflux.
Unfortunately right now my head is spinning from 2 months of his tummy hurting every morning and every night and from trying this and that to figure out what is wrong with him (And, *edit* no, he has not been exposed to gluten. He had his 6 month blood test last week and the numbers were great!) Anyway, what with my head spinning and being sleep deprived, I am overwhelmed trying to think of GLUTEN FREE DAIRY FREE KID FRIENDLY DINNER ideas. Everything I find on the internet is either for desserts or are crazy gourmet meals comprised of tree bark and 5 different nut flours.
By the way, he hates potatoes in all forms and his tummy troubles include reflux, so I need to avoid heavy tomato and citrus based dishes! Oh, and his iron count was low, so I really need beef dishes. Can you see why I feel a bit overwhelmed?
In case you wonder, yes, he has been on prilosec for the reflux for almost a month now (after the Pepto and Zantac didn't work) and he sees his gastrointerologist next week. And we tried lactose free milk first and it didn't work.
Thanks for your help.
Try rice cheese or other non dairy options. Find a health food store near you and you will find many alternatives. My nephew hasn't been able to have gluten or dairy for years.
We make meatballs with gluten fee panko - meatballs can be flavored with all kind of things - I've also learned to add veggie puree (run through food processor) to our meatballs.
I make my meatballs in the oven so it's less work than standing over the stove. (use lots of spray "Pam") If you use a deep enough dish you can add BBQ sauce or sweet & sour sauce right over the meatballs. You can make your own beef gravy for the meatballs by making a roux with potato flour (it's not quite as good as wheat flour - but also not bad)(I use "better than bullion" jarred broth concentrate. It's in a small jar next to the bullion cubes in the grocery store - it's like a paste and taste so much better.) I use corn starch to thicken it once it's made. There are differnt types of rice that have a good and tasty flavor. So instead of the usual boxed rice try Basmati rice - it has a good flavor - even eating it plain.
And although your son says he doesn't like potatoes there are different ways to make them. haev you tried home fries? or fried potatoes and ham?
Barilla makes a good gluten free pasta now - We often have pasta with broth and add sliced grilled chicken and veggies - and add only a few Tbls of tomato sauce for flavor.
I also make a lemon chicken dish - dredge chicken (I use boneless but bone-in would be fine too) in potato or rice flour (I add rosemary for taste but it's not needed), sautee in a deep frying pan in a little oil to golden on both sides, remove - add chicken broth to pan to deglaze (use cornstarch if needed to thicken the sauce) and squeeze lemon into the sauce. (I generally use a whole fresh lemon for a pound of chicekn - but we like lemon - use as much or little at you like) Add chicken back in and leave until at low heat until it's tender - at least 30 minutes - I often leave for 45-60 minutes to get more tender. The lemon is only for taste and shouldn't make it acidic. This freezes really well too. You can alter this menu to add mushrooms and marsala to make it chicken marsala (leave out the lemon). We serve with rice generally - but you could use gluten free pasta.
Stew and pot roasts or BBQ beef are also good options. you can find tons of recipes for them. What about marinated steak? If you like asian food make a marinate with 1/3 cup each of low sodium soy sauce, sesame oil and brown sugar. Add garlic, ginger and scallions or onion to taste and marinate steak. Flank or hanger steak come out really good with this marinate. I use a ziploc bag and marinate min 5 hours - max 24 hours. It's FABULOUS. If you use flank or hanger steak it grills really quickly on a hot setting.
I hope this helps. All the best for you and your son!
There's an excellent book called Cooking for Isaiah that you should get right away. It's written by a mom in your situation and it's simple, well-written, and family-friendly. No tree bark! (It's available on Amazon)
I'm not sure I am understanding you. You said it's not gluten, and that his bloodwork numbers were great. But you still want to feed him a GF diet anyway? Did I understand you correctly?
Anyway, to answer your question, here are some GFCF dinner ideas:
GF pasta (I like Quinoa pasta b/c it has a lot of fiber and protein) with Smart Balance butter spread (it is dairy free). You can add meatballs to it for his iron.
Hot dog (preferably nitrate/nitrite free) on a GF bun.
Hamburger on a GF bun.
Beef tacos - skip the taco sauce, since it contains tomatoes. A taco shell is GF. Of course you will have to skip the shredded cheese, but you can buy shredded lettuce.
Eggs! I started giving my kids eggs for dinner and they love it! Eggs are so important and nutritious (including the yolk - they are the most nutritious and they do NOT contribute to LDL cholesterol - it's a myth). So if you are all out of dinner ideas, you can always resort to eggs - scrambled, over easy, over hard, hard boiled. Scrambled eggs with salami is yummy! Or you can put a cooked egg on a GF english muffin with Smart Balance butter - delish! If possible, buy cage free, hormone free, vegetarian fed eggs that contain omega 3's.
Also, go to any bookstore and buy a GF recipe book. There are hundreds! Whenever the recipe contains any kind of dairy, just omit it/tweek it. For example, if a recipe calls for milk, use almond or coconut milk instead. Good luck!
Hi... sorry to hear your son is dealing with all of this. I don't have meal ideas... but I did want to send an unsolicited recommendation that you may want to see a chiropractor for his reflux. One of my daughters had horrible reflux - spent time in the hospital because of it, and she has been on every reflux medicine ever made. We eliminated whole categories of food from her diet for years at a time and the reflux continued. Two years ago as a last ditch attempt, I took her to a pediatric chiropractor and voila - reflux gone. She goes every six - eight weeks now and it totally eliminates the reflux symptoms with no need for medicine (and we were able to add some dairy back to her diet).
This wouldn't do anything for your son's celiac, of course, but it might free you up to put tomatoes, citrus and dairy back into the meal planning. Good luck!
hamburger on gf bread
hot dog on gf bun
ground beef/ grilled chicken/ tialpia/ shrimp steak burrito on a corn burrito (with beans, rice, spinach, guac (everything but sour cream and cheese).
pressed sandwichwes with sandwich meat, and your choice of the following-
tomato, spinach, sprouts, olives, onions, carrots, celery, asparagus, mushrooms, etc etc.
spreads could include-
hummos, pesto, mustard, etc.
paella
Sounds like you need to speak with a nutritionish/ dietician too.
Best,
F. B.
We try to make what we normally would, just differently...
*We use GF pasta for any pasta dishes
*Corn tortillas instead of flour, for tacos or enchiladas
*Nachos with corn chips (no cheese, but beans, meat and veggies and salsa)
*Rice and meat dishes (like jambalaya)
*Mini pizzas on corn tortillas (each kid can design their own)
*Lots of grilling (meats and veggies)
It's overwhelming at first, but it's actually not TOO hard, once you have a good idea of things to make!
Also, my daughter had horrible reflux, and after lots of tests and medicines, I did some research and found that a lot of people with reflux don't make ENOUGH acid! That's why the meds don't work for them. A lot odd people use Apple cider vinegar to successfully treat their reflux! I couldn't get her to take it, so we gave her small amounts of Orange juice a couple times a day and she hasn't had any problems since! Maybe this wouldn't work for your son, but I thought I'd throw it out there :o)
Good luck!
Most Chinese cookbooks are pretty much dairy free (I think dairy just isn't a big part of the diet) and many/most are gluten free. A basic stir fry over brown rice or rice noodles can incorporate any meat and lots of veggies. Nina Simmonds' books are pretty simple to start with if you are not used to cooking ethnic foods.
