So, I have a child with celiac disease, which means that child cannot eat any wheat or gluten-containing foods or it will damage their digestive system, and ultimately their immune system. The disease can only be controlled by a careful, gluten-free diet. I also have a child who has the tick-borne disease of Alpha-gal. This child cannot eat any mammal products. No beef, lamb, pork, or red meat, no dairy and no gelatin. Are you wondering what on earth is left for us to eat?  I’m going to share a week’s worth of menu ideas, in case anyone else has these challenges and is looking for ideas.

Monday

Chicken stir fry is a go to meal here right now. Lately, I have been able to find safe teriyaki sauce at our grocery store, but if you need to make your own, be sure your soy sauce is gluten free. I like stir-fry because it can be made with whatever vegetables we have on hand or that we are in the mood for. Changing up the vegetables makes this meal more varied, so we can eat it often. I also make rice to go with it. I have found I like using my instant pot for that meal.

Sometimes we rotate to Egg-Roll in a Bowl, made with ground turkey as another Asian inspired option. Fried rice is another good option that is safe for everyone as long as I stick with chicken, turkey or shrimp if I want to add a meat. Otherwise, cooking with tofu is also another option that can work in any of those meal ideas.

Tuesday

We have some form of tacos or burritos every week. Sometimes I brown turkey to make a taco meat like I would with ground beef. Sometimes I throw chicken and a jar of salsa in the crockpot to simmer all day. The meat can then be shredded and go in our tacos or burritos. We serve them with gluten free tortillas, or ones made with only corn. I also heat up a can of vegetarian, gluten free refried beans as an easy side. We have found avocado or guacamole is a good substitute for having cheese for our kid with Alpha-gal, though the rest of the family does tend to use cheese with this meal.

If you make the quick chicken tacos in the crockpot, you can use left over meat to make tortilla soup.

Wednesday

I am delighted to say that we have a couple of nights of the week that my kids cook. A super easy meal for them to make is spaghetti and meatballs. It is easy, because we have found all pre-made ingredients and they just heat it up. I really like the brown rice noodles made by Tinkyada. They cook up the most “normal” of any noodles we have found. In general, many brands of marinara sauce are safe for everyone, though I still read labels like it is my job. We have also found that Amylu makes a good frozen chicken meatball that is gluten free, and they even come in multiple flavors! I like serving this meal with a side salad, as putting a bag of salad on the counter is a very easy side dish, and vinaigrette salad dressings are generally safe for everyone. 

Thursday

In recent years, our grocery store has worked on carrying various brands of gluten free buns. So, Thursday night is food on a bun night. One of the kids can heat up frozen burgers made from beef, turkey, or chicken that are gluten free. We just put them on a pan (separate pans if we aren’t all eating the same meat) and broil them until done in the oven. However, lately we have been making Sloppy Janes, which is a sloppy Joe made with ground turkey. I use a recipe from America’s Test Kitchen, but the basics of it involve sautéing some onion and garlic, browning your ground turkey and adding some seasoning and ketchup. Sometimes we substitute my shredded barbecue chicken.

This meal always goes with frozen french fries. You need to keep reading those labels, as some brands make their fries “extra crispy” by adding a wheat coating, but many brands and types of frozen fries are safe. The kids can throw those in the air fryer, too.  To add more fiber, this meal goes with corn on the cob, which I microwave in a glass pan in 1/4 cup of water with saran wrap over the top with a little gap to vent.

Friday

By Friday I want an easy meal. Our sheet pan dinners are boring but work for us. I cut a bag of baby potatoes in half and toss them with chopped up turkey sausage. I prefer Italian sausage but any flavor will work. For the family members that aren’t scared of vegetables I add chopped onions and peppers to the pan. Everything gets sprayed or tossed in olive oil and seasoned with at least salt and pepper. Through I like to add garlic powder and paprika, too.

Weekend

Lately, on the weekends, I make a big batch of chili with ground turkey or a big pot of soup.  For my most recent batch of vegetable soup, I chopped up turkey bacon and browned it before adding the rest of the soup ingredients. It was a substitute for the meat my grandmother would have used that was not safe for us: corned beef.

We also tend to make a big batch of baked potatoes that can be topped with chili or whatever each family member chooses. It is an easy meal plan that anyone can help with.

And the weekend is time to eat left overs and give me a break!

Meal Planning

Thanks for coming along with me for a week of meals at my house!  Let me know if you want to know more about our meal plans and how I keep us all fed.

What are your favorite meals right now? What are your kids eating? Do you also deal with food allergies? What is your go-to meal to deal with your family’s food allergies? Please share in comments!