Healthy Lunch Foods

Free recipe book! – Territory Earth is sponsoring a giveaway. Deadline Friday October 2. Share your favorite healthy lunch items in the comments below. The person with the best (simple, healthy and a little different) contribution will receive this great little book “The Top 100 Recipes for Happy Kids" by Charlotte Watts Dip.ION & Gemini Adams. Healthy and yummy looking recipes full of nutrients & using natural sweeteners designed to balance moods, not send the blood sugar in summersaults.

Here are some of our favorite healthy snacks and easy meals, as well as a few I’ve seen that look special. Hopefully some will intrigue you. I’ve included a few nut and gluten free too.

Organic fruit treats - My daughter still teases me about the organic fruit roll ups I’d put in her school lunches. These days there are a lot more options - organic gummies, roll –ups, raw nut & fruit balls and other treats. They taste just as good as the sugar laden ones, and they have natural sweeteners that won’t send your blood sugar into a free fall.

Yogurt-If you like yogurt, you just have to try Yo Baby 3 in 1 Meals organic yogurt from Stoneybrook Farms. It’s so creamy I sometimes have it for dessert. The peach and squash is my favorite. Full of live active cultures for your digestive health, Stoneyfield’s yogurts are great.

Wraps – Get the organic ones. By the way, multigrain whole grain products are better than solely whole wheat because they give you more of a variety of nutrients. Just add a dab of your favorite spread like hummus or nut butter. Be sure to include some protein in your mix.

To Try:

~Nut butter and bananas
~Hummus & avocado, sprouts optional
~Tuna, small amount mayo, shredded carrots, cukes
and/or celery
~Chicken, spread, shredded cucumber mixed with crushed
almonds

Healthy carbs – Try some alternatives to salty chip style snacks. I love the Happy Baby
Organic puffs. I’ve seen them in health foods stores, Baby’s R Us and some grocery stores. Stroll the health food snack aisle and you’ll be sure to find something different. Look for alternatives with high fiber content (3 grams or more is great) and low or natural sugar. Avoid chemical sugar substitutes!

Veggies – Don’t forget the old classics- Celery filled with your favorite nut butter, flavored hummus or other spread, carrot sticks, cut up veggies with a little dressing or lemon/vinegar/herb mix over them. Get organic vegetables, especially if you use celery, carrots, bell peppers, kale or lettuce, the vegetables with the highest likelihood of pesticides on them.

Fruit - For a protein enriched fruit snack -your favorite fruit with a dab of your favorite yogurt, or a sprinkle of granola mix that includes nuts, if you can eat them. It's especially important to get organic if you use pears, peaches, nectarines, apples, strawberries, cherries or grapes, the fruits with the highest likelihood of pesticides on them.

Check out “The Dirty Dozen” regarding the top 12 pesticide laden produce.

More Gluten free ideas:

Gluten Free Puffs

1 cup soy flour

1 cup brown rice

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons honey or agave nectar

1 tablespoon applesauce

1/3 cup water

Combine ingredients, mixing well. Drop by spoonfulls onto lightly oiled or non-stick baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes at 325 degrees until brown on edges.

Gluten free Corn Bread

2 cups cornmeal

1 cup brown rice flour

2 1/2 cups water

hot 1/4 cup soy flour, defatted

Mix flours in a large bowl. Add hot water, a little at a time, and mix thoroughly. Place batter in a lightly oiled or non-stick round or square cake pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 50--60 minutes.

For more gluten free recipes & tips check out: http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/

Share your favorite snacks with us - & win! Check back on October 3 to see the winner.