Lunch pots

 Whilst in hospital in March, my daughter was keen to try some of the rather delicious Bol lunch pots / salad jars available in the newsagents on site. Problem is, with her collection of food reactions this was unlikely to be possible. We did however discover that one was safe, as long as we discarded the sealed dressing inside. *

It was OK, but nothing special and to be honest, not as filling as it could be. But it got me thinking! So I bought another, saved the pots and created a couple of my own!

The idea is really simple. First you add a grain/carbohydrate layer. We've used different kinds of rice (long grain works very well, as does wild rice) and free from couscous. The current favourite is quinoa, you could use pasta too if you didn't mind breaking it up a little at lunchtime. 

I then add roasted vegetables. I use Marks and Spencer's frozen chargrilled veg, as they have nothing else added - no wheat, no garlic. I pan fry some with olive oil and mixed herbs, layer them on top and leave the contents to cool.

Next you choose your protein layer. This can be tofu - plain or marinated, tempeh, cubes of "cheese" such as coconut based "feta"cheese. You can use chicken and we've also used tuna or beans. Whatever takes your fancy really! If I'm using tofu or tempeh, I always use the same pan I cooked the veg in, it helps give it flavour. I often add gluten free soy sauce, or other flavours.

Lastly, once it's all cool (be patient here, otherwise your leaves will wilt and you will have condensation inside the pot...) add spinach leaves, salad leaves and sprinkle with seeds of your choice, we use sunflower and pumpkin seeds. I also have a few tiny dressing bottles from the Sistema range, perfect for popping in the top filled with your safe dressing!

Lastly, don't be fooled. These are really very filling, if tipped out into a bowl or onto a plate you will see there is a significant meal here. It's perfect for packed lunches, for adults and teens, and means they are getting a balanced and nutritious meal. I make them up twice a week, two days at a time. Then for Day 5 we do something different. Enjoy!

*NB We have NOT been advised to avoid items labelled "may contain",  neither does my daughter suffer from IgE allergies nor carry an Epipen. This was a personal choice, which I would NOT advise others to make without first checking with their health professional.

Meal in a bottle - some wonderful new options!

Some really useful finds this week! Our daughter is still on a really restricted diet and I've been on the look out for complete meals for ages, for those times when you end up in hospital and they can only feed your child cold chips, (which is all they ever seem to be able to offer a child on a medical exclusion diet... goodness knows how they think parents manage!) or a school/choir overnight trip where you need a nutritional back up for the inevitable times the caterers get it wrong.... and now I have some! 

HUEL shakes and bars. I've known about HUEL complete meal supplement powder for a while. You can live on it, it's complete... but it was still a little too "medical"and lacking in convenience. The shakes are A delicious, complete, and affordable meal in a handy bottle, containing all 26 essential vitamins and minerals, carbohydrates, protein, fat, fibre and phytonutrients. They are quite thick, like custard and in fact we now use the vanilla one instead of custard, and they are very palatable, not sickly sweet. (A rare thing in free from food world!) 

Flavours are Chocolate, Vanilla, Berry and now creamy Banana. I'll be honest, if your child has become used to the over-sweet free from treats from the supermarket food aisle, then you are going to have a tough time convincing them that these are acceptable. The chocolate one for example tastes like chocolate milk - the dairy sugar sweetened type, not the fake artificially over-sweetened hot chocolate taste of a Starbucks hot chocolate. You can taste the cocoa, not the sugar as the primary taste. (I think it's perfect, I've struggled for over a decade to find sensible free from alternatives which don't sacrifice flavour for artificial sweetener!)

Interestingly, my youngest son (who is now on a full diet) has asked if he can have a bottle of Huel instead of sandwiches (which he hates) for lunch on the odd day for school. He is 15, so it must be socially acceptable..... and he *does* have a sweet tooth, so it can't be that bad!

BOL Brekkie power shakes. We can't use any other BOL products, they have tomato and or garlic in, or wheat or one of the many other things K has to avoid, but these are FAB and very high in protein. 

They come in six flavours, and are really high in protein and contain a full spectrum of essential vitamins and minerals. The Columbian Coffee one might not suit young children but it's 15g protein is pretty impressive, and Bol offer a "Build a Box" option, with free delivery for 12+ shakes. Given the weight of these that's also pretty impressive. The glass bottles are of course recyclable, but make rather smart smoothie bottles to use again.....