It's your child's birthday and you want to bring treats, but what do you bring? You know there is at least one child who has food allergies and the school has strict policies about what can and cannot be brought for treats. The last thing you want to do is alienate those who have food allergies. It is already hard enough to be different. With the rise in allergies and food intolerances, gone are the carefree days of sending treats. It doesn't have to be that stressful. There are many options that are safe for most of the common food allergens.
Fruit and Vegetable Snacks
One of the easiest treats to provide are fruit and vegetable snacks. You can create fun animals and even pictures with fruit and vegetables. Here are some fun ideas that kids love.
1. Butterfly snacks- there are several ways you can do this. You can use the fruit to make the butterflies, or you can use the packaging of the fruit to create the butterfly.
2. Fruit served in a gluten free waffle cone
3. Fruit on a stick- you can have little bowls of cream cheese or chocolate for dipping for those who can tolerate those foods. In a school setting you would want to provide individual cups to avoid the potential “double dipping”
Other Treats
4. Chocolate Macaroons that are no bake, Dairy free, Gluten free, Nut Free, and Grain free.
5. Gluten free Pretzels and crackers – some of the favorite brands are Glutinos, Snyder's, and Crunchmasters. These could be eaten plain, or with nut butters if allowed, cream cheese spreads for those who tolerate dairy, hummus, and vegetable and fruit pieces.
6. Boxed cake or brownie mixes. There are several companies that now provide gluten free cake and brownie mix. My recommendations are Bob's Red Mill or King Arthur as these tend to have less of the chemical additives.
7. Here are some other sources of fun ideas for snack for children.
50 Gluten Free Healthy Snack Ideas
Easy Gluten Free, Grain Free Snacks for Kids
7 Allergy Free Snacks for Kids
Sending Your Child to School Gluten Free