My Top 12 Gluten and Sugar Free Snack Suggestions for Hungry Kids

It's been a long time in between posts here. I've been too busy enjoying my break before school goes back next month. The kids and I have also been very busy smashing candies "Candy Crush Saga" style.

Yep!

Here's a question I get asked a lot, in social media and also in my personal life.

What are some quick gluten free/sugar free snacks to feed the kids.

Firstly I must point out that my kids do not have Coeliac disease (that we know of) and do eat wheat from time to time. But they (and I) do enjoy lots of gluten free snacks.

Now that two of the kids are at school, there is less time during the day for them to be whinging at me for food. But god, a few years back they used to drive me batty with their constant requests for food. WHY ARE THEY SO HUNGRY?

Now my 2 year old opens the fridge and will stare at it for hours if I didn't tell her the fridge might blow up if she leaves the door open.

So here are my top snack options for kids

1. Nuts! My 2 year old eats a lot of nuts. She has her faves. She likes the most expensive ones (of course). Macadamia's are popular in our house, along with raw almonds and raw cashews. You want your nuts raw if possible. Beware of nuts which may have been roasted in a seed or vegetable oil. Heck you can even activate them if you have time. Alternatively you can buy them raw and roast them yourself.

2. Cheese. We love us some expensive cheese. We have some posho kids at our place. Kids like "hole" cheese, otherwise known as Jarlsberg cheese. My son likes parmesan cheese. My 2 year old will knock off a whole of wheel of Cambembert or Brie. They also have cheddar. Cheese is great because a good slice will fill them up.

3. Baked goods which have been made and frozen. If you're a busy mum, then I'm guessing you probably don't have the time to bake everyday. I love big batch baking. Make something you know the kids love and freeze them. Just about any wheat recipe can be made gluten free, using the appropriate flours. Just as any recipe can be made sugar free. I love savoury muffins for kids. Fill them with cheese and vegetables. Zucchini muffins are a favourite in this house. Make a few different types so the kids don't get sick of the same one over and over again. Make some sweet ones and make them sugar free. Get what you need out of the freezer each day and defrost them slowly so you're not having to use the microwave every single time.

4. Vegetable sticks - carrots, celery, fennel can be dipped in a yummy dip. If you have a Thermomix, it's easy to whip up a batch of hummus. A dip that is popular in my house is a block of cream cheese mixed in with spring onions and garlic and a little milk to thin it out.

5. Sushi is a great option but it can be time consuming. If you have rice left over from a meal you can just use that in between some nori and fill it up with whatever protein you have and some vegetables.

6. Polenta is great and very easy to make. Here is how I make it.  If I don't have chicken stock I just use salt and water. Polenta needs to be seasoned VERY WELL otherwise you'll be eating a cardboard tasting equivalent. You can serve it warm straight out of the pot or let it set in a rectangular dish and cut out little "chips". Warm these in the oven, grill them or fry them off and serve. Polenta keeps well in the fridge for about a week.

7. Popcorn. Possibly the best ever gluten free snack known to mankind. I'm not talking about popcorn you buy in bags from the supermarket that are cooked in vegetable oil! YUCK. Buy a popcorn maker at Kmart for a few bucks and pop the damn kernels yourself. Coat it with melted butter and salt and watch the kids go nuts. My popcorn maker sits permanently on our kitchen bench.

8. These muesli bars are great and also lunchbox friendly

9. Fruit is easy and convenient. But it's easy to give the kids too much. No more than 2 pieces of fruit a day. David Gillespie says no more than 1 piece a day for kids. Do what's best for you.

10. Eggs! Hard boiled eggs are delish! We like them with the yolk still a little gooey. Add a little salt or dip them in some home made mayo. Frittata makes an easy and delicious meal and snack which will go a couple of days in the fridge. I add cream to my egg mixture and throw in whatever you can find lurking about in the fridge.

11. Yoghurt! Full fat Greek yoghurt with no added sugar can be a delicious treat for the kids. Jazz it up a bit with putting in some berries, nuts, fruit or even some steamed fruit. Adding cream into it is also delicious.

12. Custard! Do you have a Thermomix? Making custard in one of these babies is easy. Custard lasts a few days. If you add some cocoa or cacao you have yourself a chocolate custard which beats any crap you can buy at the supermarket. There are many alternatives to sweeten without using fructose. Look at dextrose, stevia, Natvia or Rice Malt Syrup. Put them in little containers for the kids to take to school.

If you're stuck for ideas, have a look at the recipe section above.

I've become an affiliate for Sarah Wilson's Chocolate Cookbook

I've become an affiliate for Sarah Wilson's new ebook.

It's the I Quit Sugar CHOCOLATE COOKBOOK.

OMG HOW EXCITEMENT!

I'm never been this excited!

Well, there was that time once, when my husband vacuumed the floor. That was exciting. This is kinda the same!

If you click on the big picture banner at the top of this post it will take you to the page on Sarah's blog where you can purchase this ebook.

I get 30% commission from all sales that come from me and this post. The ebook is for sale for the sweet price of $16 which is excellent value for so many recipes.

You still pay the same price for it, but by clicking on the above picture I get $4.80. This will go to my wardrobe fund, which keeps me clothed in an endless supply of Kmart tops and Target jeans.

The recipes are excellent and I am happy to become an affiliate.

Sarah Wilson and I share a lot of similar ideas about food. But I'm not much of a bike rider and you're not likely to see me zipping around in Perth on my bike, looking gorgeous. You may see me walking the kids every now again, screeching at them to look out for cars.

Here is proof that quitting sugar doesn't mean you have to miss out on sweet treats. It just means you will be getting back to the kitchen and making lots of yummies yourself. Now we have access to such great recipes, the process is all the more enjoyable and successful!

Quitting sugar is fun. It changed my life. Will it change yours?

Almond and Raspberry Slice (Gluten, Fructose and Grain Free)

I've been staring at boxes and boxes of frozen raspberries for months now. My husband was throwing them into his shake every day and it was becoming a full time job keeping the freezer in full supply.

Then he stopped having them.

It was the same time he stopped drinking milk and found myself with 15 odd litres that needed using up!

He's very thoughtful like that.

So it got me thinking. Raspberries and almond meal could be friends, yes? You know I prefer to always bake with nut meal or coconut flour where possible, and I do try to avoid wheat flour and gluten free flour as much as possible. Gluten free pre mixed flour is expensive and full of starch which has no nutritional value. Stuff made with it tastes good for a few hours then it goes crumbly and dry. Almond meal keeps things moist and adds a bit of nutrition as well.

What a surprise it was when these worked perfect on the first bake. Let me just say this recipe is delicious! It's also not very sweet but this is how I like it. The joy comes from the texture, not from the sweetness. Add more sweetener if you need it. Add less butter if you don't like it too rich. It's very forgiving.

Almond and Raspberry Slice - smells like heaven

Almond and Raspberry Slice (gluten, fructose and grain free).

1 1/2 cups almond meal
120g grass fed butter
2 heaped dessertspoons of Natvia or any sweetener.
2 eggs
1 tspn of baking powder
squeeze of lemon juice
1 - 2 cups frozen organic raspberries
Handful of sliced almonds

Line a brownie tin (about 20 x 30cm) with baking paper and preheat the oven to 180 deg Celsius.

Cream the butter and your sweetener. Add the rest of the ingredients. Combine well.

Scatter frozen raspberries over the top of the slice. They will sink in naturally when they are in the oven. Scatter over your sliced almonds too.

Bake in a moderate oven for about 30 minutes until springy and golden brown on top.

Slice and eat! YUM!

Chocolate Muesli Bars - Gluten, Egg, Fructose and Nut Free

Please visit me here at Childhood 101 for this yummy recipe!

Fructose and Gluten Free - Easy Nutty Clusters

I know. I know. I can't get out of the kitchen! I love cooking! Yes I'm weird! I love sharing my successes with you and being smug and pretending there are no failures (trust me there are lots!)

Nutty Clusters! Back off kids, these are for mumma.

I had accidentally ordered half a kilo of flaked almonds the other day. Normally we chuck these into our yoghurt for a bit of crunch, but half a kilo? Crap. What am I going to do with all of these?


Last night the kids were driving me bananas so I put them to bed early. I closed all the blinds at 3pm and exclaimed it was "very late and it's time for bed" at 5.30pm in the afternoon. Then it came over me. I needed to get my baking on. The urge was strong. I needed to use these almonds! Soon I was gazing into the pantry wondering what they could be combined with to make a "Cornflake kisses" type of treat, using real food and not a tonne of sugar! So I pulled a few things out of the pantry and here we have it!

OMG! Deliciousness!

These little gems have a delicate sweetness about them. Add more Rice Malt or a pinch of stevia if you like them sweeter.

Yes you can quit sugar and eat yummy sweet things (you know...if you want....)

Fructose Free and Gluten Free - Easy Nutty Clusters
Makes 24 small clusters

3 dessertspoons of Rice Malt Syrup
1 tablespoon of butter
1/2 cup of natural peanut butter made from 100% peanuts with no sugar and nothing else. Buy it or make your own. Crunchy or smooth, doesn't really matter.
1 1/2 cups of flaked almonds
2 pinches of sea salt

Combine the ingredients in a small saucepan. When the butter and RMS is well combined, let the mixture cool slightly, then spoon clusters onto a baking paper lined tray. Put into the fridge to set.

If you have a Thermomix, chuck it all in, Give it 100 deg Celsius for 2 minutes and put the blades in reverse position. Scoop onto your tray and put in the fridge.

THAT'S IT!

Pear, Ginger and Almond Tea Cake - Gluten Free and Low Fructose

A few weeks ago I came across this recipe on Mamabake and decided to change it up a bit and see how it would turn out with less sugar.

I served this dish to our family as part of dessert for my sons 5th birthday. It was so yummy, it was eaten before I remembered to take a picture! Annoying!

Pear, Ginger and Almond Tea Cake. When the kids are in bed, I'm eating this!

There's so much to like about this recipe! Buttery pears with an almond meal cake mixture on top, with the little hum of the ginger in the background. Served with a massive dollop of cream!

HOLD ME.

Pear, Ginger and Almond Tea Cake - Gluten Free and Low Fructose

Serves 6 - 8 slices

Ingredients
1 large pear
100g softened butter
2 tablespoons Natvia
100g almond meal
1-2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 eggs
A squeeze of lemon juice.
Pinch of salt

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180 deg Celsius.
2. Peel the skin off your pear. Cut the pear into thin slices.
3. Generously grease a small round cake tin or casserole dish with butter and arrange the pear slices on the base
4. Put the pears in the oven to start the cooking process and start making your cake mixture
5. Cream the butter and the Natvia together until it's soft and smooth
6. Chuck in all the other ingredients and mix well.
7. By this stage your pear slices should be quite soft. Spoon the cake mixture oven the pears and pop back in to the oven for about 15 minutes or until brown on top.
8. Pull it out of the oven and drool all over the counter.

The pear slices are cooked and ready for the cake mixture to be spooned over

Some words of wisdom

• If your cake tin is too big, you're not going to have enough cake mixture to cover it all! Choose a nice small one.
• Just to answer your question before they come rolling in: I call this "low fructose" because I have used only one pear for the whole dish which is a low fructose fruit. 

Enjoy xxx