One of the things that had to go away when Bulldog was diagnosed with a peanut allergy were the boxed granola bars from the market. There is a cross contamination risk, as the box says they “may contain peanuts.” The kids couldn’t eat them anyway, because they also contain gluten and dairy, but Mr. FMK really missed them. These are not the same thing, but they help fill the gap. They are sort of like a chocolate chip cookie with lots of extra goodies.
Chocolate Chip Granola Bars (from Feeding My Kid)
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp agave nectar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg (or Ener G Egg Replacer equal to one egg – 1 1/2 tsp.)
1 cup gluten free flour mix
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups certified gluten free rolled oats
1 1/2 cups gluten free Rice Crispies or puffed rice
1 cup Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips (or you could use their mega chunks)
In a large bowl, cream together sugars and butter. Add agave, vanilla and egg. (If using Ener G Egg Replacer, add with dry ingredients). Mix well. Blend in flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Stir in oats, rice cereal and chocolate chips.
Using clean hands, press into a well-greased 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes*.
* My egg allergic kid can tolerate egg in baked goods as long as they are baked at 350 degrees for at least 30 minutes. I let these go a little longer in the oven so that he can eat them too. Your edges will be a little more crisp, but if you have an egg allergic kid that you are trying to desensitize through baked goods, you can try it too. Otherwise, stick with 20-25 minutes.
This recipe is from Cooking Light. So says the yellowing newspaper clipping from whence I make it. But the recipe is so old they don’t have the recipe online. Which is really a shame. They do have a Roasted Garlic, Sun Dried Tomato and White Bean Dip, but it requires you to roast a head of garlic and who has time for that? This one is much easier and probably just as tasty.
Cooking Light’s Sun -Dried Tomato Dip
1 -3 oz package sun dried tomatoes (not in oil)
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves
2 Tbsp basalmic vinegar
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/8 tsp each salt and pepper
1 – 15 oz can white beans, drained
1 garlic glove, minced
In a small bowl, combine tomatoes with 1 cup boiling water and let sit for 15 minutes. Drain tomatoes, reserving 1/2 cup liquid. Place tomatoes, reserved liquid, and all remaining ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. This dip gets even better after it sits in the fridge for a while. I put it on Glutino Brand Veggie Crackers. Mmmmmm.
My kid doesn’t like to sit down and snack. He thinks of it as a waste of precious playtime. Some days smoothies are the only way to get him to the table, but I get tired of the garden variety strawberry banana flavor. Here are three more exotic, yet still kid-friendly concoctions, that make use of stuff I always have on hand.
Carrot Cake Smoothie (from Feeding My Kid)
Blend together:
4 oz. (1 small jar) carrot baby food
½ – ¾ cup canned pineapple, with plenty of the juice
1/3 c. coconut milk
1 frozen banana
1/8 tsp cinnamon
I have a baby, so I always have carrot baby food. But even after he grows out of baby food, I will still keep it on hand. Many carrot cake smoothie recipes call for carrot juice – which expires in your fridge pretty quickly. Baby food can hang out in your pantry for a good long while. Also, I peel bananas that are past their prime and stick them in the freezer whole. This is partially for baking, but more often for smoothies. I always have a bunch at the ready.
Incidentally, this was the boy’s favorite of the three:
Monkey: “Is this peach?”
Me: “No, carrot cake.”
Monkey (emphatically): “I love it!”
Me: “I’m glad!”
Monkey: “I can tell Daddy that it was my favorite.”
Very Berry Smoothie – with Beets! (from Feeding My Kid)
Blend together:
½ banana (frozen or fresh)
1 ice cube of pureed beets
¼ cup frozen raspberries
¼ cup frozen strawberries
¼ cup frozen blueberries
½ cup grape juice
¼ cup milk of your choice (almond, coconut, soy)
So “ice cube of pureed beets” is easier than it sounds. I keep these in the freezer because I make Pink Pancakes (from the Deceptively Delicious cookbook) with them. I don’t bother with fresh beets – who has the time? I grab a can of cooked beets, rinse very well to get as much salt out as possible, stick it in the blender, then freeze in ice cube trays. Beets are awesome for you, but I hate how they taste, so this is the way that I sneak them into our diet.
I keep separate frozen berries in my freezer, but you could also make this with a handy dandy frozen berry mix.
Blueberry Banana “Frozen Yogurt” Smoothie (from Feeding My Kid)
Blend together:
1 banana (fresh or frozen)
½ cup frozen blueberries
¼ cup milk of your choice (almond, coconut, soy)
1/3 cup plain yogurt of your choice (coconut, soy)
This is by far the most traditional smoothie recipe, but makes use of blueberries, which are nutritionally better for you then strawberries. If you (or your kid) likes things a bit sweeter, you could also add agave nectar. My kid gets excited about the “frozen yogurt” aspect – it’s all in the marketing, people.
