Allergic kids will have a blast with these safe and bite-size snack foods by Keeley McGuire, the food-allergy blogger known for her incredible lunchtime ideas. Here’s a taste of her allergy-friendly creations, which were featured in Allergic Living’s Spring 2015 magazine.
Cruisin’ Corndogs
For a party or to up the fun factor at dinnertime, you can transform cookbook author Kelly Rudnicki’s Mini Corndogs into a meal on wheels.
Horizontally insert toothpicks or broken safe spaghetti noodles through the front and back end of a corndog and poke 4 sliced carrot rounds into the exposed ends to create tires. Insert a crescent of peeled zucchini into the top for a windshield.
Recipe: Allergy-friendly mini Corndog recipe
Waffle Dippers
Muffin tins provide tidy dividers for food, are easy for children to carry around and are a must for letting little ones build their own waffle bites. Cut allergen-free waffles into pieces or strips and place in the well of a muffin tin. Fill the remaining wells with tasty toppings, like sunflower seed butter, fresh berries, maple syrup, banana slices and dairy-free chocolate chips.
Give pudding cups an allergen-free upgrade. Combine 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup cocoa powder and 1/4 cup cornstarch in a medium saucepan. Whisk in 2 cups dairy-free rice or coconut milk beverage until no lumps remain. Place the saucepan over medium-high heat, bring mixture to a boil, and whisk as it bubbles 3 minutes, or until thickened. Let cool 15 minutes, then cover and refrigerate 2 hours.
Divide pudding among clear plastic cups and top with crushed allergen-free chocolate cookies. Add gummy worms and pick with a child’s name as a garden stake in the cookie “dirt”.
Pick Up Sticks
Keep it simple and healthy by cutting peeled apples, carrots, and jicama into sticks and placing them in cute snacking cups. Jicama looks like apple when prepared but it’s lower in sugar and packed with tummy-friendly prebiotic fiber. It’s also delicious with a small squeeze of lime juice.
See more of Keeley McGuire’s creative lunchbox ideas and food allergy-friendly recipes at www.keeleymcguire.com
