Back to School - time for ideas

Back to school... and back to allergy free classrooms

It is that time of year again, and my picky little dude needs to start thinking about lunches he will eat again.  I always find with a picky eater that it is best to actually go through lists of food you would be willing to make for a lunch and have the child say their "yay or nay" to each item.  This isn't about him having some crazy power over us parents, it is all about finding food that doesn't end up being left in the box uneaten at the end of the day while they claim to be starving. 

Here is the current working list for my little dude:

- rolled lunch meats
- egg frittatas
- fruit kebabs (his approved fruits were apple, melon, pinapple, berries, grapes, and kiwi)
- possibly mushrooms in small amounts.
- sesame seeds
- pumpkin seeds
- eggs
- meatballs
- kale chips
- sea snax
- potatoes

Then of course I have my secret list of things I know he will eat if he doesn't think about what is in it, like chocolate avocado pudding.

Let's try not to forget that sometimes children will eat things in fun shapes and colours.  I try and avoid the food colourings but I like to keep egg molds, cookie cutters and sandwich cutters, and food picks with fun stuff on them.  cocktail stirrers with fun colours and shapes can make excellent kebab sticks too.

So, what is your favourite 'go to' foods for paleo, nut-free lunching? 

No-Flours Chocolate Brownies

I was looking for something chocolate for my picky little dude that wouldn't engulf him in sugar but also would use something other than the typical choices in paleo baking.  Usually you get to choose between your nut flours, like almond flour, which are not school-safe, or coconut flour and various starches.

 Don't get me wrong, I love those options, but for this I wanted to tweak and change the normal into something that I can make on the days I can't get those ingredients.  I wanted a truly flour-less individual sized brownie.  As a plus, this one has a protein kick with the tahini.  

NO-FLOUR CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

Ingredients, Assemble!  

• 3/4 cup tahini (sesame paste) or seed/nut butter of choice
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
•  4 tbsp maple syrup (adjust to taste)
• 1 banana, mashed
• 2 eggs  *
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon 

Method:  Oven: 350 degrees  Bake: 12-15 minutes

Preheat oven to 350.  Next either load all the mushy stuff into a blender (like my magic bullet)  or mash the banana and mix all squishy ingredients together as well as possible.  Immersion blender would probably be great here too, I am just partial to the bullet.

Mix the dry into the wet ingredients, scraping the sides until just well mixed.  Grease a 12 muffin tin (I brush with coconut oil) and fill about half way.  Bake for 12-15 minutes, then cool before removing.  These brownies do not get crusty on the sides (sorry) but they are soft and approved by my kids.  It may help to run a knife around them before removing but once removed they actually stay together fairly well.

* I haven't tried substituting out the egg, but the flax egg (1 tbsp flax, 3 tbsp boiled water) would probably work to help bind it if you can't have eggs.  You would need 2 flax egg replacements.  On a side note as well, the banana could be replaced by 3 tbsp coconut oil 3 tbsp coconut mana/butter if bananas leave your house as fast as mine do.