My Plant-Based Family

Eating Whole Food, Plant-Based Diet recipes, On a Budget.

allergies

Lunch Box Check In

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I thought it was time I check in with a lunch box update! When school started last fall I posted lunch box recipes, tips, and even back to school meal plans, it was basically a two month event.

I’ve gotten a lot more lax about what I pack in my kids lunch boxes since then. Their lunches are always vegan and my little guy always has an allergy-friendly lunch box but I need more convenience these days. When school started our schedule was so different. I had a lot of extra time then, now I need easy items that are safe for my sons allergies.

snack and lunch

 

So Different

My 5 year old barely eats anything, he would skip lunch all together if I let him. My 4 year old eats everything. My boys are completely different with what they can (and will) eat. I’m constantly searching for things that make them both happy. I pack a minimum of 10 lunches per week (and 10 snacks per week).

The photo above is the 4 year old’s snack (on the left) and lunch (on the right). The mystery item in the lunch box is black eyed peas in case you are wondering. Everything is gluten-free!

They each get a main dish which may be half a sandwich, a rice-based casserole or sometimes a baked sweet potato. They each get fruit, typically apple slices, cuties, or blueberries depending on the season. Lastly, I like to pack something with a little crunch, this is their treat. My go-to crunchy snack has been Quaker Popped in the Apple Cinnamon flavor.

I found them in Walmart, I’ve been buying a lot of great gluten-free items there lately. I can pass them off as snack or dessert which makes my job easier.

Disclosure: This post was brought to you by Walmart, AMP, and Sverve. All opinions are my own.

No Biggie Bunch Book Giveaway

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If you have a kid with food allergies you’ve probably already heard of The No Biggie Bunch. If you haven’t you are in for a treat!

Last month I went to the Food Allergy Bloggers Conference and bought the whole No Biggie Bunch Collection. They were sold out of a couple of the books so they had to be shipped to me. There was an error and I got sent an extra copy of Trade-or-Treat Halloween. I emailed the No Biggie Bunch headquarters and asked if they would like me to mail it back or if I could give it to a reader. Guess what, I’m doing a giveaway and one of you is going to win this book! You will love it!

trade or treat halloween

I’ve been wanting these books since I learned about them last summer. This one, Trade-or-Treat Halloween follows the No Biggie Bunch as they go trick or treating. The kids talk about their food allergies and what they need to do with their candy. I’m not going to give all of the details away.

Since Halloween is almost here this is going to be a quick giveaway and will end Friday at midnight (AZ time). I’ll email the winner Saturday, they will have 24 hours to respond or I’ll pick a new winner. I want to mail this book out on Monday morning!

Since I’m paying for shipping this giveaway is for US only. I’m sorry to all of my Canadian readers. I got some shipping quotes and it is VERY expensive. I’ll try to make it up to you one day!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You can also buy the books from the No Biggie Bunch website or from Amazon! In addition to The No Biggie Bunch Trade-or-Treat Halloween you should also check out The No Biggie Bunch Peanut-Free Tea for Three, The No Biggie Bunch Sports-Tastic Birthday Party
and The No Biggie Bunch Dairy-Free Dino-Licious Dig. If you have Amazon Prime shipping is free.

This page contains affiliate links.

The Gluten-Free Lunch Box Class

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School has started and I’m guessing you’ve already found yourself standing in the kitchen wondering what to pack for lunch. Whether you need to pack a lunch for yourself, your spouse or a child (or all of the above) it’s not an easy task. Throw in food restrictions and it gets harder.

Back to School Month

I strive to come up with tips and recipes to make it easier. If you are in the Phoenix area I have a special treat for you!

Gluten-Free Lunch Box Class

Save the Date

September 20th from 9:00 am to 11:00 am I’ll be hosting a Gluten-Free Lunch Box class in East Mesa!

This class will cover lunch box ideas for both children and adults. To make sure I meet your needs I’ll have you fill out a brief survey before the class (this will include allergies and food restrictions).

Loads of Information

You’ll receive 2 hours of instruction, light snacks, lots of great printouts including pretty printables to help make lunch packing easier on the whole family. I’ll be sharing all of my tips, favorite products and exclusive recipes. There is really too much information to mention here.

Prizes

Two attendees (depending on the number of registrants) will win Lunch Box Prize Packs that will include my favorite products!
This class isn’t just about kids lunch boxes, it’s also great for adults who take their lunches to work each day AND adults who eat at home but want a faster, easier solution to lunch time cooking and clean up.

At a Great Value

The class is $25 per person OR 2 people for $40! This class is worth it!

I had great feedback from the last class and I know this one will be even better!

Register Today

To register for the Gluten-Free Lunch Box class just send me an email and I’ll request payment through paypal. Space is limited! This class will fill up fast so register today!

Cookie Bars (Vegan, Gluten-Free and Nut-Free)

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I first made this recipe when I was trying to make cookies. It tasted good but the consistency was off. I tweaked it to develop the Sunbutter Cookie Recipe (also GF and Vegan) that I shared last week. This recipe is easier and works really well as Cookie Bars. They are very sturdy and perfect for lunch box packing. My kindergartener ate them daily after school.

Gluten-Free, Nut-Free, Vegan Cookie bars

I make this recipe with Sunbutter because my youngest son is allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. You could try this with peanut or almond butter if you are not allergic. Also, if you do not have brown rice flour and sorghum flour you could use a gluten-free baking mix. If you make it with any adaptations I’d love to hear how they go. I’m considering making them with oat flour next. I imagine they would work fine with wheat flour also but I haven’t tried it.

Gluten-Free, Nut-Free, Vegan Cookie bars

Cookie Bars

Ingredients

Do

  1. Cream Sunbutter and Sugar together.
  2. Dump the rest of the ingredients together, except chocolate chips.
  3. Mix well, adding extra rice milk if needed.
  4. If using chocolate chips mix them in or just sprinkle them on top.
  5. Pour into a 9×9 pan that is lined with parchment paper.
  6. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.
  7. Allow to cool before removing from pan and cutting into bars. Store at room temperature in an airtight container for about 5 days.

Serve

This is perfect for an after school snack or in the lunch box.

The odd thing is that my super picky kid loved these and the one who eats everything didn’t like them. He doesn’t always want to try new things because of his food allergies so I don’t force it.

Do you need to work around various food allergies or restrictions? I try to make them as accommodating as possible. What restrictions do you deal with?

Yield: 8 bars

Cookie Bars

Gluten-Free, Nut-Free, Vegan Cookie bars

Gluten-Free, Nut-Free, Vegan Cookie Bars

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Additional Time 20 minutes
Total Time 47 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup SunButter
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup Brown Rice Flour
  • 1/2 cup Sorghum Flour
  • 1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/8 cup rice milk
  • 1/2 cup Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (optional)

Instructions

  1. Cream Sunbutter and Sugar together.
  2. Dump the rest of the ingredients together, except chocolate chips.
  3. Mix well, adding extra rice milk if needed.
  4. If using chocolate chips mix them in or just sprinkle them on top.
  5. Pour into a 9×9 pan that is lined with parchment paper.
  6. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.
  7. Allow to cool before removing from pan and cutting into bars. Store at room temperature in an airtight container for about 5 days.

Notes

You could try this with peanut or almond butter if you are not allergic. Also, if you do not have brown rice flour and sorghum flour you could use a gluten-free baking mix.

Did you make this recipe?

We'd love to see it! Tag us and use #MyPlantBasedFamily!

© Heather Mayes

Food Allergy Bloggers Conference

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In a few weeks I’ll be traveling to Las Vegas for the Food Allergy Bloggers Conference. I cannot tell you how excited I am!

I'm going to the Food Allergy Bloggers Conference! #FABLOGCON

I wanted to mention it to you in case you haven’t heard about it yet. It’s not just for bloggers, anyone interested in food allergies will benefit greatly from this conference.

The Food Allergy Bloggers Conference takes place September 26-28, 2014 at the Southpoint Hotel and Casino. If you have food restrictions and have to attend events you know how difficult it can be to eat; that is not the case at FABCon. ALL meals are included and customized to your dietary needs. I was blown away.

The Agenda is very impressive, as is the Speaker List. I would feel awful leaving even one name off so click over to check it out for yourself. If you follow me on Pinterest or Twitter then you’ve seen many of the names. The top doctors and medical professionals who are working tirelessly to bring awareness and advocacy to the food allergy community will also be there. I’m also excited to connect with the Sponsors! I met many of them at the Gluten and Allergen Free Expo last February.

If you have some vacation days coming up be sure to grab your ticket to the Food Allergy Bloggers Conference and let me know you are coming so I can meet you!

I’ll be sure to write up a recap in case you can’t attend. I’ll also tweet throughout the event using #FABlogCon.

Did you attend the Food Allergy Bloggers Conference last year? I’d love to hear about it! Are you coming in September?

Allergy-Friendly SunButter Cookies

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It’s been a really long time since I’ve shared a dessert with you. I don’t make dessert often. With my little guys food allergies I have to use specialty ingredients. Thankfully they are becoming more mainstream and I can find SunButter at most grocery stores.

I first made these allergy-friendly SunButter Cookies last year. It’s taken me a long time to share them but I hope the wait is worth it.

SunButter Cookies that are Vegan, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, nut-free

I still prefer to buy most of my “special” items on Amazon. I have an Amazon Prime membership so they are delivered to my door so I don’t have to take the kids in the store. Win-Win. I’ll share links to the products I buy if you are curious. I buy them in bulk but you can purchase smaller amounts.

SunButter Cookies that are Vegan, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, nut-free

Sunbutter Cookies

Ingredients

Do

  1. Preheat oven to 350° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or use a Silpat Non-Stick Baking Mat.
  2. “Cream” first four ingredients together in a medium bowl.
  3. In a separate bowl (I use my measuring cup) mix warm water and chia seeds together. Allow them to sit for a few minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
  4. In a large bowl mix the remaining dry ingredients together.
  5. Dump all of the wet ingredients into the large bowl with the dry ingredients and mix well.
  6. Use your hands to scoop out ping-pong sized cookies and roll them into balls. Roll them in sugar. Use wet hands to keep the dough from sticking to your hands.
  7. Flatten them onto the prepared cookie sheet.
  8. Bake for 12 minutes. Allow to cool before eating.

Serve

This recipe makes about 12 cookies. They will be soft in the middle but firm on the edges, the best of both worlds. They are great for lunch boxes too!

For a little change try adding a 1/2 cup Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips.

SunButter Cookies that are Vegan, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, nut-free

Substitutions:

I haven’t made this with peanut butter or other nut butters but if you do please let me know how they turn out. You could use a Gluten and Wheat Free Baking Mix instead of using the flours mentioned above. Be sure to read the labels to check for allergens.

If you like these allergy-friendly SunButter Cookies you should try my Brownies!

Yield: 12 Cookies

Allergy-Friendly SunButter Cookies

SunButter Cookies that are Vegan, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, nut-free

SunButter Cookies that are Vegan, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Nut-Free

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Additional Time 10 minutes
Total Time 42 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1/2 cup SunButter
  • 1/2 cup Sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 cup warm water + 1 Tbsp Chia Seeds
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 cup Rice Flour Brown
  • 1/4 cup Sorghum Flour
  • 1/4 cup Tapioca Flour
  • 1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum
  • additional sugar for dipping

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or use a Silpat Non-Stick Baking Mat.
  2. “Cream” first four ingredients together in a medium bowl.
  3. In a separate bowl (I use my measuring cup) mix warm water and chia seeds together. Allow them to sit for a few minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
  4. In a large bowl mix the remaining dry ingredients together.
  5. Dump all of the wet ingredients into the large bowl with the dry ingredients and mix well.
  6. Use your hands to scoop out ping-pong sized cookies and roll them into balls. Roll them in sugar. Use wet hands to keep the dough from sticking to your hands.
  7. Flatten them onto the prepared cookie sheet.
  8. Bake for 12 minutes. Allow to cool before eating.

Notes

For a little change try adding a 1/2 cup Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips.

Did you make this recipe?

We'd love to see it! Tag us and use #MyPlantBasedFamily!

© Heather Mayes