Please help...need vegetarian meal ideas that are wheat, dairy, fish and pulse free!!

[karensb]

I am having a nightmare with feeding my 7yr old dd and 9 month old ds. They are both great eaters but because dd is vegetarian and wheat and dairy intolerant and ds is allergic to pulses and fish, I can't think of any meals that I can feed them both.

Dd has wheat free pasta ut too chewy for ds.
Ds can have meat but as I am vegetarian I can't cook it for him so has to have it at weekends with dh.

I am feeding them separate things but think it is holding ds back as he is a great eater and loves finger food but just don't have the time and energy to cook two different meals evey night, so he often ends up with less variety. To be honest he often has baby rice for tea as he loves it and helps him to sleep. But he can't have that forever.

I also can't just feed them what we have due to the number of different allergies.

Any ideas gratefully received!

Oh and haven't tried egg yet with ds and dd reacted until she was about 2.

So frustrating as they are both great eaters but so limited!!

Red pepper sauce

Guacamole

Veg kebabs

Stuffed aubergine/butternut squash

All with rice ... Sorry

Quinoa salad?

Thanks for the ideas.its so easy to get stuck in a rut and think of new ideas.

Could do roasted veg and cous course.

Never had quinoa. Will have to look it up.

I am vege but a lazy one so don't have lots of ideas in my head.

Will def try the stuffed Aubergine and squash as easy to prepare during day.

Jacket potatoes, scoop out and add cheese for little one, add beans for big one? Carrots etc on the side? Can they eat Quorn or soya mince for bolognaise type sauce? Presumably little one will be OK to eat chewier pasta soon?

How do they get their protein then?

Big one has lots of homous, falafels, beans and eggs. She has good school dinners so usually have smaller easier teas and don't have to worry too much about her.

Little one gets protein through milk still. He probably has dairy allergy too but haven't managed to test yet as all these other Allergies cropped up during weaning!! Wanted him to be semi vege so the lack of lentils and fish is a real problem!!

Waiting for allergy testing to know more.

Don't know about quorn as haven't heard good things about it and babies.

He mainly has pasta and various sauces with blended vegetables or peanut butter sandwiches at moment.

So hard!!

Does the problem with pulses apply to things made from soy, so tofu etc? We are vegetarian and eat a lot of meals based around rice/rice noodles plus tofu plus vegetables - not because of any allergies, I just have spent a lot of my life in east Asia and that is normal food for there, but it's also fine for most allergy-reducing diets unless there is a problem with soy.

Rice noodles would be fine (if a little messy) for BLW, as would ordinary rice if you cook it Chinese/Japanese style using the absorbtion method so it sticks together a little. Tofu can just be lightly fried in chunks with a little oil, very easy for a baby to pick up and eat. You can marinate it for added flavour for you & DD, or give some kind of sauce with it.

We haven't tries soya and tofu yet as I am not a big fan but think its probably a good solution.
I wouldn't know where to start though as don't know where you buy it, how you cook it etc!!

Baby is good with rice and likes risotto.

We aren't doing blw but mix of spoon feeding and finger food.

Think the rice and rice noodles with veg and tofu would be a great compromise for everyone and I coud have it too!! Would be great not to cook so many meals.

What sauces would go with it?

I lived on rice, noodles and veg in Thailand and loved it.

What a great idea..thanks. I know it's sounds simple but I had gone past thinking sensibly!

potato wedges

bubble and squeak

minestrone soup - home made, serve ds, then add beans and serve dd. maybe a bit of crumbled up cooked bacon on top for D's, served with toast fingers.

waitrose sell nice tofu sausages for dd

tesco do a good free from range

Beware, Cous cous is wheat.
You could try different brands of gluten free pasta / noodles and you might find one that is ok, the Bob the builder one is ok I think.

Lucy Burney's optimum nutrition for babies and young children has lots of alternative ideas with meat free, wheat free and dairy free suggestions.

From a quick skim including your restrictions...
(I'm assuming pulses means lentils and not soya / beans, is that right? Sorry if not)

Tofu cooked in tamari (wheat free soya) and agave syrup (honey / sugar alternative) with noodles and vegetables. Tofu fingers, polenta makes a good crumb

Vegetable stew.
Quorn mince with vegetables
Quinoa is good, mixing the red and white is nice.
Mashed white beans (cannelloni) with garlic and olive oil
Ratatouille with polenta
Potato cakes
Are nuts ok? Nut and millet burger, use creamed sweet corn to hold it together.
Vegetable bolognese with pasta of choice or baked potato
Roasted vegetables with hummus, guacamole, nut pâté.
She also has some nice soups and a recipe for herby millet that sounds good.

(I'm inspired to try introducing a few of these!! We are in a food rut!)

Didn't realise cous cous was wheat.duh!
With the legumes allergy, it is lentils, chick peas and beans but not quite sure which. Sick of him being ill from food so just been avoiding all legumes and pulses until allergy testing.

It's amazing how easy recipes seem about how hard it is to think of them yourself. Have been compiling weekly menu from these ideas and assuming they like them and ingredients don't cost a fortune, we should be all set to have one meal a nigh!! Amazing!

My dh will be pleased not to have to come home and cook ask just cant be bothered once it gets to us!,

You can get Cauldron foods tofu in most supermarkets, or even nicer fresh tofu in Chinese/Korean groceries if you happen to have one nearby. It comes in water, so I wrap it in kitchen roll to dry it out for 10 minutes or so before chopping it up to fry, otherwise it has a tendency to stay soggy in the pan rather than crisping up. As for sauces, I most ofen use the Chinese basics of soy sauce and sesame oil, plus garlic, ginger and chili (but your DCs may not be ready for anything too spicy).

Health-food shops often have different kinds of pressed or flavoured tofu (I like the smoked kind) which are firmer and less likely to fall apart when you cook them.

You can also use tofu to make your own veggie burgers - I don't have a recipe to hand, but if you google I'm sure you'll find some.

Obvious, but not yet mentioned ( I think, just did a quick sweep)- vege stews are the best!! as many vegetables as poss, but the basics-potato, onion, carrots with good stock (or celery n salt), herbs-basil, rosemary, marjoram, bay, thyme.....lush.
Protein hard, but as exexpat said, tofu is good.

Thanks for that. Have seen cauldron range but their stuff is a bit hit and miss. Will try the health food shops. Will def google recipe for burgers.

Thaey are quite good for strong tastes so will experiment with sauces.

Baby likes homous and falafels etc but just can't have them.

Thanks so much! Dh is amazed at what yo have all come up with as was convinced there were no food groups left!

Agree about vege stews, just trying to get protein included as dd also has ketotic hypoglcemia so always focused on high carb meals but needs protein.

Ds has chicken and beef stews in freezer so that can be lunches sorted while dd at school.

I find that some of the firmer kinds of tofu, like the smoked kind, work quite well in non-Asian meals too, eg I often make a kind of veggie goulash with the smoked tofu, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, smoked paprika etc. You could also put it in vegetable stews.

Also, if nuts aren't a problem, you can add ground almonds to all sorts of things for extra protein and calcium - stirred into sauces (do they like curry? veggie korma is good), mixed in with burgers, even in cakes and puddings if you have time to make them.

'as I am vegetarian I can't cook it for him'

Why can't you cook meat?

Great idea about ground almonds as nuts are fine.

I dont like to cook meat for many reasons. I don't like the feel of it, don't really know how or want to cook it and can't taste to check if nice or its hot.

Don't think it's really necessary normaly either as other ways to get protein....except when children have crazy allergies!!

Dh always cooked dd meat but she asked to go veggie when turned 6. Didn't encourage it as was easier when she ate meat but still has fish.

Narked - most vegetarians I know would not cook meat. Just the idea of handling dead animals makes me feel sick.

I am a former vegetarian and vegan and I am now eating Paleo. I had often thought of going gluten free but because I was already not eating meat, there just wouldn't be much left for me to eat!

So you basically want to avoid all grains if there is a gluten intolerance. Try making cauliflower rice (google it), it is easy and most kids like it. Use this a your substitute for pasta and rice. Also make mashed potatoes with lots of butter (can your ds tolerate butter?) and/or olive oil to get some good fat inside your kids. I advice really focusing on fats, and an excellent dairy alternative is coconut milk (come sin tins and also milk cartons) and coconut fat. Most kids like coconut. Also lots of avocado as it is so nutrient dense and fatty.

Can they have egg? Make omelets and almond flour pan cakes, hard and soft boiled eggs, egg muffins etc.

Haven't tried eggs yet as dd had allergy but outgrew.

Just discovered coconut milk this week..they love it!

Avacodo bit expensive but he likes it.

Never heard of paleo...will google .

Really? I must know different vegetarians . And eating fish isn't veggi.

Be careful with quorn if eggs are an issue as it contains egg white. As mentioned earlier in the thread tofu is made from soya beans, so if pulses are off the menu so is tofu.

I think you need advice from a qualified paediatric nutritionist not an internet forum as with so many foods excluded it is going to be very difficult to ensure your dcs are getting the full range of vitamins and minerals they need in their diet. You probably already are - I appreciate people don't have any desire to give their life history when asking a simple question

Also plant proteins do not contain the full range of amino acids so need to be combined correctly e.g. beans and wheat (for those that eat beans), whereas animal proteins are complete. It is therefore more difficult to ensure correct protein requirements if meat, fish, eggs and milk are all off limits. Not impossible, just more difficult.

Veggie chilli made with kidney beans, tinned tomato, red peppers etc, with rice
Mushroom risotto (google for recipe, use arborio rice, add whatever green veg they like)

I agree about getting proper help which why I have pushed for referral. In meantime I need some ideas as may take a while.

As the reactions are not anaphylactic i am not going to worry too much and just try these things out and see what happens. I would just like to cook meals we could all eat.

It's amazing what is in everything but I am hoping a little wont do any harm. Haven't tried soya yet so fingers crossed its fine!

narkedare you bored as seem very aggressive?I am well aware that eating fish is not veggie and I don't but I am not going to tell a 6 year old that as it is hard enough as it is.