Need Help Finding New Foods

[Guhlia]

Ok, so we're finally trying some new foods with the little one. I'm looking for some prepackaged things to buy that I can take along on trips and what not. She needs to be gluten/casein/egg/corn/apple free and I would prefer soy/nitrate/nitrite free as well, but that's personal preference and I can be flexible there. Any ideas? Ideally I'm looking for things that don't need to be refrigerated. We already do the fresh, dried, and canned fruit thing, but I'd like some new ideas. She's currently doing well with rice products, but doesn't like rice cakes or rice crackers. LOL I would really like to find a few things that are grab-n-go so packing a diaper bag isn't so difficult. She's almost 17 months, so nothing too difficult to chew.

[Mother of Jibril]

What about vegetables? Steamed broccoli, carrots (steamed or boiled until your daughter can reliably eat them without choking), slices of zucchini. strips of red pepper, slices of mushrooms (canned would be fine for a trip... most are gluten-free), stems of fresh parsley, fresh peas and green beans (my daughter loves the crunchy texture)... Hummus makes a nice dip. Also, what about nuts, seeds, and nut butters? My daughter will happily eat peanut butter off a spoon. You don't necessarily need to spread it on something. My eleven-month-old son is a fan of avocados.

[kbtoyssni]

Thai Kitchen makes some "ramen" noodles that I think are free of all the foods you mentioned. You just add water and microwave for two minutes so it's good for a hot meal when you don't have time to cook.

[Guhlia]

I should probably also add that we need to stay away from all top 8 allergens (aside from soy) as well. My daughter is really picky and she isn't digging the whole veggie vibe. LOL I guess I should have written that in the first post. I'm really looking for premade, prepackaged, ready-to-eat foods like asian rice crisps, rice crackers, etc. I looked at the Ener-G stuff but everything has apple in it. Argh.

[Mother of Jibril]

I'm really looking for premade, prepackaged, ready-to-eat foods like asian rice crisps, rice crackers, etc. I looked at the Ener-G stuff but everything has apple in it. Argh.

I thought your daughter didn't like rice cakes and rice crackers?

Honestly, if you're strict about gluten and corn (I am, so I know from personal experience), that eliminates about 95% of processed foods from consideration. The only processed food I'm still eating on a regular basis is dark chocolate. Even rice cakes will give me abdominal pain Namaste has mixes without the top 8 allergens (including corn). I think Chebe does too.

A couple of fruit ideas... "Simply Fruit" makes little tubs and packets of freeze-dried fruit. So does Gerber (although I'm not sure if it's just fruit or has additives). Canned pineapple in it's own juice is safe. I recently found some cans of tropical fruit that didn't have any additives (organic pineapple, mango, passion fruit, etc...) so I bought a few to tide me over when I'm running low on groceries.

Have you ever tried coconut yogurt? You can also find coconut juice in little boxes.

You could also search for websites that sell pre-packaged SCD legal foods... www.pecanbread.com might be a good place to start.

[ang1e0251]

What about fruit roll ups? I haven't looked at those in a long while so I don't know if they have apple. My daughter & I used to like to go to garage sales together and I would pack our snack pack with grapes and cheese. You could sub your DD's kind of cheese.

Would she eat Rice Chex? My toddlers would love loose cereal. I like Hormel Naturals meats, too. They don't have nitrates or gluten. I don't know about the rest of your list but you could check. Does she like sweet pickles? I saw in the store this week little cups of sweet gherkins, how cute!

[Guhlia]

I thought your daughter didn't like rice cakes and rice crackers?

Honestly, if you're strict about gluten and corn (I am, so I know from personal experience), that eliminates about 95% of processed foods from consideration. The only processed food I'm still eating on a regular basis is dark chocolate. Even rice cakes will give me abdominal pain Namaste has mixes without the top 8 allergens (including corn). I think Chebe does too.

A couple of fruit ideas... "Simply Fruit" makes little tubs and packets of freeze-dried fruit. So does Gerber (although I'm not sure if it's just fruit or has additives). Canned pineapple in it's own juice is safe. I recently found some cans of tropical fruit that didn't have any additives (organic pineapple, mango, passion fruit, etc...) so I bought a few to tide me over when I'm running low on groceries.

Have you ever tried coconut yogurt? You can also find coconut juice in little boxes.

You could also search for websites that sell pre-packaged SCD legal foods... www.pecanbread.com might be a good place to start.

She doesn't like rice cakes or crackers. I was just using them as examples because they travel well and are premade, prepackaged, and ready-to-eat. Sorry for the confusion. She actually does like the Asian Rice Crisps, but they have a bunch of added sugar and I like to keep them as an occasional treat rather than on the snack menu. LOL

I've never tried coconut yogurt. Is it just made from coconut milk? That actually sounds really good! We're also interested in adding good fats to her diet, so that sounds great. Where would I find such a thing?

That Simply Fruit stuff is awesome looking! I'm going to definitely have to order some! She hasn't had berries yet, but she LOVES peaches and they look like a perfect travel snack since they're freeze dried. Not too messy and nutritious enough to serve frequently. That's exactly what I was looking for!

What about fruit roll ups? I haven't looked at those in a long while so I don't know if they have apple. My daughter & I used to like to go to garage sales together and I would pack our snack pack with grapes and cheese. You could sub your DD's kind of cheese.

Would she eat Rice Chex? My toddlers would love loose cereal. I like Hormel Naturals meats, too. They don't have nitrates or gluten. I don't know about the rest of your list but you could check. Does she like sweet pickles? I saw in the store this week little cups of sweet gherkins, how cute!

All the fruit roll up kind of products that I've seen contain apple. I'm not sure she could chew it anyway. She's only been on table foods for a few months due to all her allergies and some other issues.

She does like Rice Chex and she also eats Honey Rice Puffins. That's normally what I pack, but I'm afraid she's going to get sick of them and, at this point, that's all we have that doesn't require a cooler.

[Mother of Jibril]

I've never tried coconut yogurt. Is it just made from coconut milk? That actually sounds really good! We're also interested in adding good fats to her diet, so that sounds great. Where would I find such a thing?

That Simply Fruit stuff is awesome looking! I'm going to definitely have to order some! She hasn't had berries yet, but she LOVES peaches and they look like a perfect travel snack since they're freeze dried. Not too messy and nutritious enough to serve frequently. That's exactly what I was looking for!

Here's the brand of coconut yogurt I've seen at my co-op:

Open Original Shared Link

If your local grocery store doesn't carry it you could always ask! The little co-ops are especially good about ordering specialty foods. Simply Fruit is delicious Kind of expensive, but it's perfect for toddlers since it comes in little pieces and softens up easily in your mouth. I should get some for my eleven-month-old son... He's off all dairy products, corn, and gluten too.

[RiceGuy]

Well, I guess if nuts are out, what about seeds of various sorts? Like pine nuts, sunflower seeds, etc? Does she like rice pudding or tapioca pudding? They won't be so unhealthy if sweetened with Stevia, and you could also add berries or other fruit. I know you're looking for prepackaged, but I think your best options will turn out to be homemade. You can make sesame or other crackers fairly easily too. Sesame or other seed butter can be made in the blender in a few minutes, which could then be used as a spread.

[Guhlia]

Thank you so much guys! We found the coconut yogurt and thus far no reaction to it. YAY! She really likes it. She also suddenly decided she likes rice cakes, so that helps a ton. I'm still searching for some Simply Fruit. I also managed to make some allergen free banana bread that survived a three hour trip. I finally feel like I have some options for her without it getting too boring. That takes such a load off. Thanks everyone!

[missy'smom]

Costco and Whole Foods(in our area-used to-I'm not sure that they still are) sells freeze dried fruit like the simply fruit in pouches. It comes in apple asian pear, banana and strawberry and maybe one or two other flavors. Brother's All Natural is the brand name I think. Costco only carries it in boxes of half asian pear and half fuji apple.