Back to School Shopping for a Tender Foodie's Lunch

IT'S THAT TIME ALREADY?

YIKES!  It’s August and it’s already time for back to school shopping.  Got pencils, notebooks, glue sticks?  Got any ideas for what to pack for school lunches, especially for a Tender Foodie?  I do.

Here’s the deal: I’m all for those adorable little gadgets and  Bento boxes with food arranged into creative scenes from the latest episode of Spiderman®  - you know, the ones made out of intricately-sliced red peppers and black beans and celery strands fashioned into a spider web.  But, the first few weeks of school are so HECTIC – who has time?  Take the pressure off and try some of these new, healthy and allergy-friendly alternatives in convenient small portions for kids of any age.  Yes, they cost a bit more and perhaps you might not put these in your kids’ lunches/snacks every day, but that also makes them a nice treat every once in a while. 

(See Notes on Potential Allergens at the end of the Article).

FRUIT BLISS™

Let go of the stress and start experiencing a little Bliss.  Fruit Bliss’ ™ soft, dried and unsulphured (preservative-free) Turkish apricots come in a mini 1.76 package.  Moist but not sticky, they’re packed with iron and fiber.  They’re Certified Vegan and Non GMO Project Verified and just plain delish!  The mini apricots are sold at 39 Whole Foods stores across the Mid-Atlantic region, as well as many natural food stores from Maine down to Florida.  Want some now?  Use coupon code 10FRUIT for 10% off any order online.

COCOMAMA™

For kids old enough to operate a microwave in their cafeteria, try Cocomama™ Quinoa Cereals in Banana Cinnamon, Wild Blueberry and Orange Cranberry flavors.  Simply tear open the BPA-free pouch and warm slightly for 20 seconds and 

wah-lah – it’s quinoa! That means scrumptious gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free and vegetarian organic quinoa sweetened with light coconut milk and other yummy ingredients.  Unlike oatmeal, which can transform into glue in a matter of minutes, kids will love the consistent texture with no extra lumps, bumps or worse - drippiness. Cocomama™  is currently available in 28 Whole Foods in the North Atlantic Regionand launching this month with Whole Foods nationally, as well as Wegman’s stores in September.  

Just as easy, go online to purchase 6-packs for $21 (10% discount over retail).  The convenience and peace of mind knowing your child is having a nutritious  protein-rich food when you need a quick addition to the lunch box makes it worth it.  Plus, shipping for ANY order is always $3.99, so stock up.  

purely elizabeth™

Recently, purely elizabeth™ created mini packs of their fabulous ancient grain granolas.  Gluten-free certified, soy-free, no refined sugar and made with organic ingredients whenever possible, the 2 oz. bag mini bags even serve as their own bowl.  Just pour in milk or a dairy-free alternative  or ok, don’t;  I am  all for pouring it straight into your mouth.  My fave is the Pumpkin Fig, but just as yummy are the Cranberry Pecan, Blueberry Hemp and Original flavor.  A case of 8 bags is $22.  Try packing a tall container (I love a Ball canning jar) of yogurt with alternate layers of frozen fruit to keep it cold till lunchtime.  Your kids can add the granola on top for an instant yogurt parfait! 

Simple Squares™

If your Tender Foodie can enjoy nuts, try a Simple Squares™snack bar.  Choose from 4 flavors: Cinnamon Clove, Sage, Rosemary or Coconut.  Each kosher bar is infused with organic herbs and contains unsweetened coconut, organic nuts, 

organic honey, organic vanilla and a touch of sea salt.  Made of “unfired fare™” to maintain the integrity of the nutrient rich bars, the sweet treats contain just 10 grams of sugar (must be the lovely organic honey) and a whopping 10% daily value of iron and 6 grams of protein.  Now, that’s a satisfying snack that’s also good for your kids.  Sold in natural food stores, via  Abesmarket.com or simply visit the Simple Squares™  website, and use the coupon code GFD to get 10% off of these nutritious sweets!

Notes on potential allergens:

 Fruit Bliss™ products are produced in a facility that processes soy, milk, egg, wheat, peanuts and tree nuts.  

 Cocomama™ products are not manufactured in a gluten-free facility, but the line is cleaned thoroughly and each batch is tested to 10 pmm. The products are gluten-free, dairy-free, and soy-free, but are not necessarily peanut or tree nut-free since that is not part of their testing process.

 Purely elizabeth™ granolas are certified vegan by Vegan Action, certified gluten-free by GFCO and are non-GMO Project Verified. 

 Simple Squares™ are certified gluten-free and are soy and dairy-free with no refined sugars. Simple Squares packaging states “Good manufacturing practices are used to segregate ingredientsin a facility that processes other products, which may contain peanuts, tree nuts, wheat (gluten), milk, soy and/or eggs."

About Melanie

Melanie Potock, MA, CCC-SLPMelanie Potock is speech language pathologist who specializes in feeding.  Her work brings her into the homes and schools of her clients, kids, who for various reasons have difficulty with food or with eating. She works with kids and their parents to develop effective strategies that help children become “more adventurous eaters”.  At least 50% of her clients have food allergies or intolerances, and for them, “adventurous eating” takes on a special meaning.  Melanie is also the author of Happy Mealtimes with Happy Kids” and the executive producer of “Dancing in the Kitchen.”

More Posts From Melanie

Why Children with Autism are Often Picky Eaters

Review:  The Magic of the BellyFull Kit (From the Hopeful Company)

The 12 Days of Christmas -- My Favorite Lunchtime Things (Part 1)

Tips to Help Your Food Allergic Child Belong During the Holidays

How to Talk Turkey (and Food Allergies) at Thanksgiving

How Can Parents Feel Less Stress with a Food Allergic Child in School?

Follow Your Gut:  What's Eating My Daughter's Stomach? (Part I)

Kyra's Perfect Gluten-Free Picnic

By Guest Blogger, Kyra Bussanich of Crave Bake Shop

My husband and I are both avid hikers, and because we are obsessed
with good food, a hike is an opportunity for a picnic. Food always
tastes better when you've physically exerted yourself, but it's not
necessary to travel far in order to enjoy a good picnic. A lot of
public parks have free summer concerts where you can bring food and a
cozy blanket and enjoy the live music.

I absolutely adore picnics! I prefer to spread a blanket out on the
grass and take off my shoes and squinch up my toes in the cool grass,
but in Portland it tends to rain--a lot--so sometimes we light candles
and have a picnic in our living room. Because I always get so excited
about the prospect of picnic dinner, I often end up overpacking and we
end up with enough food for 6 people in addition to us! It's a great
way to make friends (human or furry!) at parks.

Absolutely critical in our picnic dinner baskets:

• Manchego or Beechers Flagship cheese
• Quince paste (and a butter knife or cheese spreader)
• Pears
• Seedless grapes
• Cold turkey breast or fried chicken (we make our own chicken using a
• Combination of rice flour and erewhon corn flakes as a breading)
• Kalamata olives
• Baby carrots and boursin or rondele cheese
• Pinot gris
• Cheese board and slicer
• Wine bottle opener and glasses

A Few Dairy-Free Replacements

• Use roasted red pepper or garlic hummus for the baby carrots (in lieu of the boursin).
• Replace the cheeses with avocado and cucumber sandwiches.  Use the cukes as the "bread".
• Spread the avocado over Rudis toasted multigrain sandwich bread with roast beef or turkey and lettuce (see other ideas for using avocado as a dairy replacement)

Sometimes we'll add the Glutino Multigrain Crackers to our basket, but
there's always dessert.

Picnic Desserts (of Course)

Dairy free truffle brownies (see my recipe) travel really well; just wrap them
individually in waxed paper and store in a small container with firm
sides, or pack them on top of the picnic basket so as you're
unpacking, you can get excited about the dessert to follow the meal.

Other picnic treats that travel well: lemon bars or blackberry crumb
bars, or rice crispy bars (or my favorite: peanut butter fudge rice
crispy bars--the recipe will be in my upcoming cookbook). I also adore
chocolate-dipped strawberries, which are super easy and don't require
you to turn on the oven, which is a bonus if it is super hot out.

How to Make Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

Melt good-quality chocolate in a microwave-safe container at 15 second intervals, stirring in between each interval, until the chocolate is smooth. Then just dip your washed and dried strawberries into the chocolate and place on waxed paper or parchment paper and let the chocolate set.

A picnic basket isn't necessary: a small cooler, open top basket or
even a backpack will do!

About Kyra

Kyra BussanichKyra Bussanich is the owner of Crave Bake Shop, and the first gluten-free winner of the Food Network's Famed, "Cupcakes Wars".  Kyra graduated with honors from the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu patisserie program, which gave her a solid foundation of knowledge about classical French baking techniques which she was able to apply toward baking gluten-free.  Kyra was diagnosed with an auto-immune disorder when she was 20 years old. Part of staying healthy meant switching to a gluten-free diet, avoiding all wheat and overly processed foods. Whenever possible, she uses local ingredients, and serves customers with multiple allergies, as well.

Truffle Fudge Brownies from Crave Bake Shop (Paleo Version)

Paleo Version

Copyright 2011 and published with permission from Kyra Bussanich, Crave Bake Shop

This is the Paleo Version of the gluten-free and dairy-free truffle brownie.  Like the other recipe this makes SUPER fudgy brownies (so fudgy in fact, that when the brownies are finished baking, the toothpick inserted in the center of the pan won’t come out clean, like with most cakes. If the toothpick does come out clean, chances are high that you have overbaked the brownies!)

I actually like to put ginger and cinnamon and cardamom and chili pepper and make it chai spiced!

This recipe is also fantastic made with coffee in place of the water. It bumps up the dark chocolate flavor without giving a discernable coffee taste.

Ingredients

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup GF coconut flour
1/4 cup GF almond flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups agave syrup
4 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water (or coffee)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Yields 12 super-rich brownies

Put it All Together

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil an 8-inch square baking pan and then line with parchment paper so the ends extend up over the top of the pan. Lightly oil the parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine the cocoa powder, coconut flour, almond flour and salt. Whisk in the eggs, oil, water, agave, and vanilla extract. Stir until well combined and uniform in texture.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the brownies comes out almost clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Let the brownies cool completely in the pan and then refrigerate in the pan for 1 hour. Using the ends of the parchment paper, lift the brownies out of the pan and cut into squares.

About Kyra

Kyra Bussanich is the owner of Crave Bake Shop, and the first gluten-free winner of the Food Network's Famed, "Cupcakes Wars".  Kyra graduated with honors from the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu patisserie program, which gave her a solid foundation of knowledge about classical French baking techniques which she was able to apply toward baking gluten-free.  Kyra was diagnosed with an auto-immune disorder when she was 20 years old. Part of staying healthy meant switching to a gluten-free diet, avoiding all wheat and overly processed foods. Whenever possible, she uses local ingredients, and serves customers with multiple allergies, as well.

More Posts from Kyra

Kyra's Baking Class:  Replacing Common Ingredients in Allergen-Free Baking

Kyra's Baking Class: Replacing Common Ingredients

Welcome to New guest blogger, Kyra Bussanich!  Kyra is the first gluten-free winner EVER of the Food Network's Cupcakes Wars and owner of Crave Bake Shop in Portland Oregon.  Once a month will be helping us with tips and tricks to allergen-free baking -- how lucky are we!  Plus, she will be sharing some of her wonderful recipes.  Thank you for jumping on the blog, Kyra, and for becoming part of the Tender Foodie community.

~ Elisabeth Veltman

The Three Legs of Baking

There are three legs to fantastic baking: gluten, eggs, and sugar.

Each contributes something to the texture and structure of the final product, and when you have already replaced one of the legs of the stool, it makes it more difficult to successfully swap out the remaining two legs without adversely affecting flavor or texture (or both).  This is why gluten-free and egg-free baking present such a challenge. 

So in this first post, I'm going to offer an overview of replacements for some of the common allergens in baking, offer my opinions on them, and help you understand how they react together.  This kind of understanding is a first step in making some baking magic in the kitchen.

Egg Replacements

I personally am not a fan of egg-replacers in bread, or most baked goods that need structure.  Sandwich bread, for instance, needs a lot of structure.  That said, you can swap out things like ground flaxmeal for the eggs, but it WILL affect the flavor and the texture. That's not to say it can't be delicious; but it WILL be different.

Yeast Replacements (for Rising)

To replace yeast, I use mechanical leavening in the form of baking powder or baking soda.

If you use baking soda, there should be some sort of acid to enact the baking soda (vinegar, apple cider viegar, lemon juice). The trick is to get the bread to rise without tasting too tangy from the baking soda and acid.

My Favorite Gluten-Free Flours

I adore millet flour, sorghum, teff, quinoa (which is spendy) and sweet white rice flour (mochiko)!  I prefer teff flour over buckwheat for that dark, almost nutty taste and texture!

Difference in Gluten-Free Flours

When formulating our products at Crave, I really went back to basics and studied the protein content of the different "gluteny" flours and how that affected the texture of the baked goods. 

For instance:

Pastry flour: has a relatively low protein content of around 9% which helps make very light, flaky crusts and cookies. 

Bagels:   are made with "high-gluten" flour which has a protein content of 14% to make the bagels dense and chewy.

These differences in protein may not seem like much, but when you think about the finished product (like pie crust versus bagels) you see that the protein content of the flours results in completely different textures. I'm simplifying a lot here, but the point I'm making is that instead of using a one-stop "all purpose" mix for everything, I tailor each recipe according to the texture I want the finished product to have, and I select various gluten-free flours and starches based on their protein content.

So, when I'm making bagels, I want them to have a higher protein content than our cakes, so I use sorghum and millet flour (and sometimes teff), instead of starchier components. I realize this doesn't adequately answer this question, so let me retrace my steps...

The Protein Differences in Gluten-free Flours

Because gluten-free flours tend overall to be very refined and starchier than wheat flours, and because they are missing that vital protein for structure and elasticity, it is imperative to add extra protein or binders into gluten-free bread recipes.

Sometimes I simply add additional egg whites; sometimes I use xanthan gum, and sometimes I use psyllium seeds. I've heard of other places also using gelatin for stretch, but I don't prefer to go that route.

Xanthan Gum -- How it works & What to Replace it With

Xanthan gum is a binder, acting much in the way of gluten in terms of holding everything together. And just like gluten, the more you work it, the stronger it acts (so don't overmix your dough)! With xanthan gum, as with gluten, baked goods will shrink up after they're baked if you've played with the dough too long or too vigorously.

Other binding agents: guar gum, ground psyllium seeds, gelatin, agar agar...the list goes on!

Dairy Replacements

Rice milk, or almond milk, if you can tolerate nuts. Coconut milk if you're making a sweeter bread or for dinner rolls.  Or, you could just use eggs and no milk at all, if you can tolerate the eggs!

No "One Size Fits All" Replacement Method

I find that there is no all-purpose formula for replacements (I know you don't like this answer!).  A lot of it depends on the ratio of flours to hydration, what you're using to hydrate, and then the other ingredients that are present in the recipe. I'm sorry I can't be more help, but sometimes I find that I might need 1 tablespoon of xanthan per cup of flour or starch and other times that's just way too much and 1/4 teaspoon will do.  See what I mean?

Hopefully this answers some of your "why's" and "wherefore's" of how allergen-free baking is different.  I'll see you next month with more tips.  If you have any questions, post them here!  Or give the Tender Foodie an E-Jingle.  I'll do my best to include answers to them in upcoming posts whenever possible!

About Kyra

Kyra Bussanich is the owner of Crave Bake Shop, and the first gluten-free winner of the Food Network's Famed, "Cupcakes Wars".  Kyra graduated with honors from the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu patisserie program, which gave her a solid foundation of knowledge about classical French baking techniques which she was able to apply toward baking gluten-free.  Kyra was diagnosed with an auto-immune disorder when she was 20 years old. Part of staying healthy meant switching to a gluten-free diet, avoiding all wheat and overly processed foods. Whenever possible, she uses local ingredients, and serves customers with multiple allergies, as well.

Love & Belonging Through Bread & Tea

My maternal grandmother

Making Someone's Presence Valuable

My maternal grandmother was a baker.  She had passed away when I was around 12 years old at the beautifully ripe age of 92.  I only knew her for a short time, yet her presence in my life was large and loving.  There was a wisdom, a naughtiness, and the knowledge that she could (and would) take on any life circumstance and make it right.  Navigating the bizarre and the trivial, she charted the world to her course and no one else's.  I remember invading her world often, and whenever I did, she always found a way to make my presence valuable. 

It's no wonder then, that when I find myself tossed about by life or the fickleness of friends, I think of her.  She was a faithful spirit who suffered no fools. 

Many years ago when she lived in her house on Leonard street, she would regularly invite us over for tea.  My mom, my sisters, and I would dress properly, and then walk up the steps to her home.  It was rather formal and mysterious, this "going to Grandma's house."  I couldn't quite wrap my mind around the simple fact that my mother had a mother, and that this woman lived by herself.  I thought it strange that she was "old", and did not understand what "old" really meant.  I just knew that my sisters were "much" older than me (and they never let me forget it), and that my mom was much older than my sisters, which meant that Grandma must be very, very old, indeed. 

Grandma receives a teapot from my sisters, before I was born.

Grandma gave birth to her last, my mother, when she was 49.  Her first child, my aunt, was 22 years my mother's senior.  She had 7 more children in between.  These numbers were incomprehesible, and my mom has always looked freakishly young for her age which confused things even more. Today I watch in utter bemusement, as the faces of my nieces and nephews consider this puzzle between their moms, grandmas and aunties.  A puzzle that adults can only pretend to have deciphered.   Grandma was a mystery.  Age was a mystery.  It still is.

An Unlikely Tradition

Besides bearing a freakishly young-looking youngest, my Grandmother also made freakishly amazing Dutch pastries.  The tea... well...I've never tasted orange pekoe tea like Grandma's.  That spicy, slightly flowery scent and the forbidden-grown-up taste became part of my DNA, its detail brewed into my memory.  Grandma gave us each our own cup, my sisters and I.  We were a part of her house, and as we grew up, our tea cups grew up, too.  My first was the tiniest tea cup I had ever seen.  But with Grandma, I never, ever felt small.  Even that tiny teacup made me feel like I belonged.  It was my size, after all.

My first "tea" cup

As a food allergic adult, I have never felt that I could transform the flakiness of her Banket (almond roll), or the doughy goodness of her Olie Bollen (Dutch Fritters/Donuts) into a gluten-, yeast-, and dairy-free version that would do her justice.  My grandmother was a true talent and became a resourceful single mother when my mom was but seven.  She milked her own cow (Bessy) and was also no stranger to food allergies.   When my mom had an allergic reaction to Bessy's milk, she bought a bunch of goats.  She used this "new", alternative ingredient without missing a beat. 

 My mom and her goat, Molly

After I grew up and moved away, I would fly back into Grand Rapids to visit, and sometimes would find my mom and Grandma's  oatmeal chocolate chip cookies in the kitchen.  These cookies were my favorite.  When I couldn't eat them anymore, I thought, "No big deal.  It's just cookies."  In a sense this is very true.  Then one day I saw my mother's furrowed brow mulling over "gluten-free" boxes of this and "dairy-free" bags of that and I had a moment of profound realization.  It wasn't just about cookies.  I thought that I had to actually surrender my grandmother into the abyss of my allergen-free world.  I was secretly mourning the loss of, not cookies, but precious memories and with them some sense of real belonging.  But by transforming a favorite, traditional recipe into one that her daughter could eat, my mother was honoring a sacred food tradition.  Food traditions have a spiritual importance, even if carried on in an unlikely way. 

I haven't yet been able to alternatively duplicate many of my Grandma's toughest recipes, but I've been able to adapt this Dutch Cinnamon Bread that my mom used to make.  When the cinnamon wafts through the house, it brings me back to my mom's kitchen and always, for some reason, reminds me of my grandmother.  I offer this recipe to you as I carry a family food tradition into my world of alternative ingredients.  I hope that Grandma would feel loved and be proud.

My Mom, about the same age as my Grandmother in her portrait at top

So on this Mother's Day, I appreciate my smart and generous Mom.  She taught me how important our ancestors are to us and kept us connected to her brothers, sisters and mother for as long as she could.    I also remember my Grandmother.  I never wanted to leave her table.  Thank you for teaching me that love and belonging can come through something as simple as bread and tea.  Even in a memory.  Even if it's gluten-free.

About Elisabeth

Writer, owner of Blue Pearl Strategies, and lover of all culinary delights, Elisabeth is a Tender Foodie. She started The Tender Palate, a website for foodies with food allergies where she consults with experts from every area of the Tender Foodie life. She believes that everyone should live deliciously and have a healthy seat at the table. Find her at www.tenderfoodie.com and www.bluepearlstrategies.com.