Udi's Bread bring protein and fiber to the game Gluten free dairy free

In the world of gluten free eating, many people find themselves transitioning from refined wheat products to refined white rice and starch based gluten free products. The result is high sugar, low fiber, low protein. This combination is not ideal for a healing gut, or for long term health. In the past, I have praised breads for bringing a bit of fiber to the game, but Udi's is coming out with options that surpass previous companies, and I am very glad to see it.


First, the Millet Chia bread serving (2 small slices) contains :

• 5g fiber, 
• 2g sugar, 
• 6g protein. 

This is a great balance and when you compare the vast majority of breakfast cereals or prepared gluten free breads, you'll find they typically contain far more sugar and far less fiber. Served with eggs, greens, and salsa, this would be a fantastic breakfast rotation item.

The other bread I have to sample is the Udi's Omega Flax & Fiber (serving is 2 small slices). This powerhouse carries with it

• 6g of fiber, 
• 3 g sugar, and 
• 6g of protein per serving.  

This is so much better than many alternatives have been in the gluten free market over the past 10 years. I'm excited to see this. Udi's bread has a nice textures, and it toasts up great. It's convenient as you can pick it up at many locations (Target, Whole Foods, many more). While it doesn't taste as good as a homemade bread, the convenience and health components are hard to resist. The package boasts the 530mg of Omega 3, which sounds wonderful, but the Nutrition Educator in me has to question if your body receives that Omega 3, or if it has already broken down in the making and baking process? I don't know the answer to that, off hand, but I would be interested in researching that further.

The only other downside that I have to address is that some Udi's loaves come with large air bubbles in the bread, making it somewhat unusable. It doesn't happen with every loaf, but it happens sometimes.  Udi's is aware of this problem and they are working on fixing it.  In the meantime, if you have a loaf like that, save your plastic tag and information and just let them know via their comment section of their website for a replacement loaf. Hopefully their fixes will be made soon. In the meantime, enjoy your bread again! Just don't forget to balance it with fruits, vegetables, and healthy proteins.  Not all Udi's products are dairy free, but these two are both gluten free and dairy free. Keep checking Udi's options for new and improved delights.

Sushi and school lunch gluten free dairy free

So, I will be adding some new school lunches this year, now that my youngest is joining the middle school ranks.  She is currently requesting a variety of Asian food delights, and we have had fun making some new things together. For our first try, we made these Maki rolls. It is a very simple list of ingredients:

• Sushi Rice
• Nori sheets
• Rice Wine Vinegar
• Water
• Sliced cucumbers, carrots, leftover chicken or any filling you like

I bought 1 bag of Lundberg Sushi Rice and I followed the instructions for cooking 2 cups of rice, which involved
Lundberg Sushi Rice Directions:
2 cup sushi rice, rinsed well and soak for 30 minutes. Drain. Add
2 1/4 cup water and bring to boil with lid on.
Simmer 10 minutes.
Remove from heat and let sit another 10 minutes (leave lid of throughout).
Add mix of 1/4 cup Rice Wine Vinegar, 1/2 Tablespoon salt, 1/2 Tablespoon sugar or honey. Stir into rice and let rice cool.

Now that the rice is ready, you can cut your veggies and proteins. You will need a bamboo mat to roll the sushi easily. I picked mine up at a bookstore for $5 with a step by step book on how to make sushi. I would imagine these are available at local Asian markets as well.

I laid the Nori sheet on the bamboo mat and layered with rice, leaving 1/2 inch space around the edges. I kept my hands wet with water to press the rice down without it sticking. I recommend you look up images of how to do this if you don't have a book, as I didn't think to take step by step photos this time. My youngest rolled the sushi and they turned out great and easy to make. You will need to wash your knife between each roll to continue clean cuts. This was a fun way to make another gluten free dairy free lunch option that travels nicely.

Japanese Noodle Soup - gluten free dairy free vegetarian option

 These kids love soup! It's summer, and the house is full so this seemed a perfect time to push along some veggies in a fun vehicle. My kids love Ponyo and we referred to this as our Ponyo supper (minus the ham that she gets so excited over in the movie).
Ingredients:

• 5 green onions, diced
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 sheets Nori or Lavar, sliced
• 4oz spinach, cleaned and sliced
• 1 pack organic firm tofu, chopped into small cubes
• 6 hard boiled eggs, cooled and sliced in half
• 2 packages rice stick noodles (3 wedges of dried noodles per pack)
• 8 cups veggie broth (I used Edward and Sons gluten free veggie broth cubes)
• 1 tsp fish sauce (omit for vegetarian option)
• 2 tsp tamari gluten free soy sauce
• additional tamari or salt to taste

Eggs: Have your eggs cooked first. Consider cooking more for egg salad the next day. You can bring to boil  for 1 minute, rolling boil, then turn off heat. Leave eggs covered for 15 minutes. Cool in ice bath and peel.

Soup: With all veggies chopped and ready, the rest goes quickly. 
In a large pot, bring water to near boil and turn off heat. Add rice stick noodles and let sit, covered, for 10 minutes. You can use any other noodle of choice, and follow package cooking instruction.
While noodles sit, heat veggie stock in separate large pot and add all veggies and tofu as well as tamari and fish sauce. Heat stock and veggies for the 10 minutes, covered, over medium heat.

Dish one serving of noodles into each bowl, then top with veggie and broth.  Add egg and enjoy!
The kids all enjoyed eating this dish, and some tried using chopsticks for the noodles. A fun soup that would be a great addition to a lunch thermos.

Better Tuna Salad - gluten free dairy free with variations for vegetarians

Tuna salad. It's a mush that goes on bread, mayo and canned fish, right? Well, not around here. This method adds a burst of flavor that will please any palate. First, if you're using tuna, I recommend looking for chunk light tuna in water (no broth added). Wild caught, dolphin friendly is best. 3 small cans can easily feed 4-6 people when added to this recipe.

If tuna is not your favorite option, consider using sardines for a great boost of Omega 3 and protein (chill this to cut the strong scent of sardine). You can also use chicken, turkey, eggs, or even a vegetarian option through the use of ground up steamed tempeh. All of these work great. Concerned about mercury levels in fish? Check the ever changing FDA guidelines here, and be sure you are purchasing wild caught sources from reputable companies.

Ingredients:

• 3 small cans chunk light tuna in water - no added broth (or other protein of choice)
• 5 stalks celery, cleaned and sliced
• 4 small dill pickles, diced
• 1 green onion stalk, cleaned and chopped
• juice from 1/2 lemon
• 1/4-1/2 cup mayo of choice (homemade is fantastic, but you can use any type you prefer)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons dijon mustard
• dash of salt

Stir ingredients together and serve over celery, lettuce leaves or bread of choice. We often top a bed of greens with this tuna, or we wrap it in small butter or Romain lettuce, taco style.

Chicken, Rice, Cucumber salad- gluten free dairy free

What we set out to make, and what we ended up with were two different things, entirely, but the result was great. Grilled chicken tenders seasoned with a basic Chicken Shawarma recipe, (just the first part, not the sauce) but using a Masala Curry powder. This created a fabulous Indian spiced grilled chicken. The cucumber salad was lightly tossed in oil and parsley. The rice is dressed with  a lemon olive oil and white wine sauce. To make the dressing, mix 6 tablespoons olive oil with juice of 1/2 lemon and 1 tablespoon of white wine. Mix in salt, pepper, and herbs to taste. Wisk well. We enjoyed this meal so much, that we did a repeat the next day. Click here for my hummus recipe (which accompanies this meal very nicely). Enjoy!

Gluten free dairy free lunchbox - salad day.

My oldest is has just moved out of her soup phase and into her salad phase for lunches. To be honest, both area very easy for me to prepare for her, and both are very healthy homemade options, so ... win win!
Here you see a simple salad mix of spinach and romaine. I added cucumbers, tomatoes and strawberries today, as well as turkey for protein. My kiddo prefers her salads undressed, so I don't mind sending along a homemade gluten free treat like the brownie pictured above. Some days I opt to send popcorn, a Larabar, or gluten free bread with jam and earth balance. She always carries a water bottle in her bag. Eat up!
Need more ideas for lunch and food on the go? Check out this great list of lunches that travel to help you on the way.