07 Jun 10 Gluten Free Snacks for Summer

Well, I lied. I said I wasn’t the practical one, but I am back with real-world ideas for gluten free snacks for your children all while staying in your grocery budget. (Which is a pipe-dream for us most days, but we are getting there. Baby steps, people, baby steps.)

First, the background: If you are new here, I have four kiddos ranging in age from 10-2. Two of them have emotions on overdrive all the time, and the other two are in an ongoing battle with eczema. I came across this book, Cure Your Child with Food, and combined with a boatload of research, we made the decision to go gluten-free as a family to try and combat some of the issues we are facing.

(Editor’s note: please understand that we are doing this in concert with a number of conventional and natural methods, and that there is no one-sized fits all solution for anyone. Please do what is best for you and your family, and check with your doctor before making any major health decisions.)

So – it’s summertime now – baseball season is wrapping up and swim team is just beginning. Cue the need for ALL THE SNACKS. Normally, I would just go to Costco and buy A MILLION THINGS, and spend the concurrent million dollars, but that’s not always conducive to the budget. Plus, kid Clif bars are decidedly not gluten free.

10 Gluten Free Snacks For Summer

First, I still buy (1) applesauce, (2) fruit strips, and (3) organic raisins in bulk from Costco, along with our usual metric ton of fruit. Stores well, the kids love them, and no artificial coloring or added sugar.

Second, I have discovered these two bar recipes, a fantastic replacement for kid Clif bars with lots of protein and natural sweeteners to make them tasty and delicious.

(4) Healthy Chocolate Granola Bars

*They were a big hit, but we use half the nuts per my children’s request. If you buy the dates and nuts in bulk, the cost is still half as much as a box of premade bars.

(5) Healthy Fig Newtons

(6) Tortilla chips, veggies, and hummus to dip them in.

(7) Boiled eggs (We eat these SO MUCH).

(8) Apples and peanut butter/cheese.

(9) Rice rollers and peanut butter, or Nutella for special occasions.

(10) Frozen grapes for a chilly poolside treat.

Full disclosure: So far, we have seen a clear decrease in eczema-related flare-ups with the younger two, but due to multiple birthday party/cupcake situations, we haven’t had a long enough trial period with the others to determine if going gluten-free is beneficial for emotional control.

Happy summer friends.

Soak it up, with gluten free snacks and a whole lot of sunshine.

~M.

P.S. If there is interest, I’d be happy to do a longer gluten-free recipe roundup with recipes that we have tried and loved, as well as resources I turn to as we start this journey.