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gluten-free back-to-school

SPONSORED POST: Gluten Free Tips for Fall

SPONSORED POST: Gluten Free Tips for Fall

Organic fruit and vegetables. Farmers hands with freshly harvested apples.

 

Fall is in the air, which is great for those of us who love pumpkin spice, football and fall foliage. But the downside of those disappearing lazy summer days is that our schedules tend to fill up with school events, holiday planning and that long list of projects we put off all summer. This hectic time of year can pose an extra challenge for those following a gluten-free lifestyle. But if you follow these tips, staying sane and gluten-free this fall doesn’t need to be hard.

Back to School Basics

With the kids back in school, making sure they’re well fed, on time and gluten-free in the morning could be a handful. But making meals ahead of time is a great way to have a quick, filling and hot breakfast every morning. These gluten-free steak breakfast burritos using Mission Gluten Free tortillas are perfect for meal-prepping. Simply make the filling in bulk, have the kids help you roll them up and then pop them in freezer. In the morning you can simply unwrap and reheat in the microwave for a quick, filling and gluten-free breakfast.

Gatherings without gluten

From school events, Halloween parties, Thanksgiving, football Sundays and even the start of holiday gatherings, the fall season is filled with social events, which of course means plenty of food.

The best option is to—when your schedule and situations allow it—host gatherings yourself. Not only will this allow you to control the foods being served and ensure they follow your dietary guidelines, it’s a great way to introduce people to gluten-free foods.

Embrace the season

One of the best ways to eat gluten-free is to eat in-season, and fall is filled with an abundance of delicious, nutritious and naturally gluten-free fruits and vegetables. Broccoli is more sweet, cauliflower is at its best, pumpkin and winter squash are coming into season and there’s a whole array of apple varieties that are at peak flavor.

For more tips about living gluten-free, delicious recipe ideas and to find where you can buy Mission Gluten Free tortillas, the softest, most flavorful tortilla to bring together all these amazing gluten-free tastes, be sure to visit GlutenFreeMission.com.

SPONSORED POST: Safe and Yummy Snacks for Gluten-Free Families and Nut-Free Schools

SPONSORED POST: Safe and Yummy Snacks for Gluten-Free Families and Nut-Free Schools

When you’re looking for gluten-free on-the-go snacks, check out the yummy snack bars and dips from Don’t Go Nuts. Not only are they gluten-free, they’re also school safe, non-GMO and certified Organic. Take 20% off one Don’t Go Nuts product through the end of September on Amazon.

All Don’t Go Nuts products are certified gluten free by the Gluten Intolerance Group to under 10 parts per million. Bestselling granola bars Gorilla Power (chocolate chip) and Whitewater Chomp (white chocolate) and baked bars Blueberry Blast, Lift Service (chewy brownie), Boogie Board Bash (honey graham) and Celestial Campout (honey oat crunch) are all made from trusted GF Harvest oats.

Our single-serving Dips are perfect paired with apple slices or gluten-free pretzels. Choose Chocolate or one of our peanut-butter alternatives–each has at least 5g of protein, 4g of fiber and no more than 5g of added sugar. Made with organic roasted soybeans, these spreads also come in 16 oz. jars for spreading on gluten-free bread, making school safe alternatives to PB&Js and creating fun snacks at home.

Whether you’re attending a nut-free school or sharing a snack with a nut-free friend, our products are delicious, safe options. We ensure there’s no cross contamination through our Field-to-Fingers™ process and dedicated peanut-free, tree-nut-free, gluten-free facility.

Like GF Harvest, our company was inspired by a need for safe food. In our case, it was our severely allergic co-founder Lily, then 12, who needed delicious snacks that were safe from cross contamination. Along with Lily and her twin brother, Gray, parents Jane and Doug Pinto created Don’t Go Nuts to help kids like Lily and the world around them.

Order Don’t Go Nuts products on Amazon: https://goo.gl/ajrqAY

SPONSORED POST: Red Rover, Red Rover, DON’T Send Gluten Over! 5 Tips for Crushing the School Year

SPONSORED POST: Red Rover, Red Rover, DON’T Send Gluten Over! 5 Tips for Crushing the School Year

Just when you think you’ve got a hold on summer, school is back in session! From breakfast madness and mid-day snacking, to safe and tasty gluten-free lunches, Canyon Bakehouse has your go-to products to make this school year a little more delicious. Make school days a breeze with these fun and simple tips for crushing it at lunchtime:

1. We Checked the List and Gluten, You Aren’t On It! Write a list of all allergens, as well as approved snacks, foods and drinks, for your child’s teacher and school staff. It helps to include what they can and cannot have so those who aren’t familiar with the allergen have a quick and easy reference. You can also sit down with your child and have him/her help write out the list so they remember and have a better understanding of any restrictions. Keep it more positive than negative, focusing on all the delicious naturally gluten-free / allergen-free foods there are!

2. Think Outside the Lunchbox! Find fun reusable lunch containers to hold their sandwiches and snacks. The more fun and unique the containers, the better! You can find lunchboxes with customizable stickers, love notes or get it personalized with their name. Plus, they’re an easy way to avoid cross-contamination.

3. Smiley Faces, Happy Bellies! Playing with your food is never a bad thing! Have a little fun with lunch by topping our gluten-free breads with fruits, veggies and spreads to create Koala bears, Owls and Fishies for lunch!

4. Pack the Fun Size! Include easy-to-handle (and easy-to-open) foods that are fun and easy to eat, but also quick and easy to pack! Individually wrapped snacks like single-serve gluten-free pretzel packs or hummus and veggie sticks save time and add lots of variety to your child’s lunch.

5. Boost Their Confidence! It’s never easy for a child to say ‘no’ to sharing food with their friends, and even harder for them to try to explain what they’re going through. Help boost their confidence by practicing their ‘elevator pitch’ to explain to their peers and teachers. The more normal you make the conversation, the more normal they’ll feel in tough situations.

 

SPONSORED POST: 7 Simple Snack Tips for A Successful Back-to-School Season

SPONSORED POST: 7 Simple Snack Tips for A Successful Back-to-School Season

We know fall can be a busy time of year. Students are adjusting to new schedules, parents are trying to do it all, and just about everyone is thinking how they can make life more simple. It’s easy to let healthy habits like sleep and nutritious eating fall to the wayside. Not this season. Simple Mills is here to help you stay on track with your healthy lifestyle and set you and your family up for success with snacks that are both nutritious and delicious, and have fun while doing it! 

Here are some of our favorite tips:

  1. Trade in the usual after school snack for one made up of nutrient-dense ingredients, like Simple Mills’ Almond Flour Crackers. A trifecta of almonds, sunflower seeds, and flax seeds, these crackers provide three grams of plant-based protein per serving. Pair them with a homemade hummus or dip. Tap into your culinary side and get creative with flavorful combinations that will please everyone’s palette or try a sweet and salty combo, like a nut-butter and farmhouse cheddar cracker sandwich. Be sure to ask your little ones to help!

 

  1. Get your little ones more comfortable in the kitchen. Grab some Mama Motivation from Simple Mills’ VP of Marketing and busy mom, Michelle. Enter our #SimpleFoodFun contest for a chance to win a simply amazing prize.
  2. Choose smart sugar. Have a sweet tooth (or a couple)? Count on Simple Mills’ Ready-to-Eat Crunchy Cookies to satisfy them all. Made with tigernuts, a prebiotic root vegetable, and smartly sweetened with coconut sugar, a natural sweetener, feel-good snacking has never been so simple.
  3. Play with your food! Download your very own “Tic-Tac-Toe Board” and let your family play with their food (or make your own board using your favorite simple ingredients). If your little ones prefer art to games, download & print our “Colorful Foods” Activity Page.
Photo Credit: Ashley McLaughlin on Instagram @Edibleash
  1. Take the sprouted route. Foods like Simple Mills’ Sprouted Seed Crackers are a balanced blend of sprouted sunflower seeds, flax seeds, and chia seeds. We love sprouted seeds because their nutrients are more readily available to your body. And just like their almond flour crackers, these crackers contain 3g of protein per serving and provide a good source of Vitamin E and over 1,000mg of Omega 3s.

  1. Follow Simple Mills on social. Head to their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest for endless tips & resources throughout the season.
  2. Grab Simple Mills’ “Back to School” bundle. Make the transition from summer to fall seamless with our favorite snack products. Bundles are available for a limited time only (and 30% off), so don’t wait!

Check out these additional resources below that will help keep things simple this season.
Shopping List and Weekly Menu
How to Build a Healthy Lunch Chart
Simple Mills “Color the Rainbow” Activity Page
Back-to-School Recipes

Whether you’re packing snacks for school, the kid’s soccer practice or you just want a better-for-you snack for your desk drawer at the office, #SimpleFoodFun is the way to go.

Lunches packed with love and a little flair

Every story I’ve read about lunches for this back-to-school season mention the bento-box style of lunch preparation.

My reaction is a mix of fascination and relief.

Who could help but be intrigued by the Japanese bento, described as a compact, balanced and visually appealing meal packed in a box?

First, they always look great in a photo. The collection of colorful, little containers in all kinds of shapes are designed to tuck snugly in the bento box. Then there is the food itself, everything from apple slices deftly sliced into bunnies to cucumbers cut into links like a construction paper chain to yellow peppers snipped into stars.

Aside from being really cute, it also struck me immediately that the bento box is perfect for a gluten-free lunch.

So I wasn’t really surprised when I went to the blog “lunch in a box” and read that its founder, Deborah Hamilton, had originally started making bento box lunches for her husband when he was diagnosed with celiac disease. (He later found out he was misdiagnosed, but Deborah now makes bento box lunches for their young son, who is called “Bug” on the blog.)

The bento box takes the homemade lunch and turns it into a desirable meal instead of an also-ran to pre-packaged Lunchables or cafeteria fare. The little containers are perfect for cut-up fruit and vegetables, dip, cubed meat and cheese, and a little candy treat. And they don’t emphasize the sandwich the way typical American lunches do.

There are a few blogs you can go to for packing ideas and recipes, some of which are gluten-free and others which can easily be adapted. Two possibilities are lunchinabox.net and lunchnugget.blogspot.com. It’s not unusual to find that the blogger has some connection to a food allergy or intolerance. Be forewarned that some bento bloggers are actually artists with a paring knife posing to be merely moms making lunch. I’m just kidding!

But that’s where my relief comes in. My gluten-free daughter is now in college and there’s no way I can whip up culinary artwork — I mean make lunch — for her everyday.

Amy