The last few weeks of lead up to the holidays have been a bustle of activity. You’ve savored the moments watching your son sing with his choir. You’ve busted at the seams watching your daughter accept an award at her sports team banquet. You’ve sat through corporate year-end meetings and lunches. You’ve submitted your last term paper for the semester. You’ve baked and baked and baked. You’ve endured the mall to wrap up gift shopping. You’ve visited ailing friends or relatives. Sound familiar?
And that’s just the stuff we all do. If your family is also juggling food allergies, some of those tasks came with the added responsibility of making lots of meals and treats from scratch to ensure they were safe. It involved making extra items to make sure your daughter had something special to enjoy at that banquet just in case there wasn’t an allergy-friendly option provided. It included stocking your son’s college fridge with a week’s worth of allergy-safe meals just as you have since his semester began.
Now is the time to catch your breath, and yet, the need for ‘from scratch’ allergy-friendly meals hasn’t abated. It’s still there, even in the quieter space of the final week of the year. Maybe these quick, easy to make meals can help you find the time to slow down.
One-Pot Mushroom Chicken Rice
The Pretty Bee has a host of allergy-friendly recipes you could pick from, including this easy one-pot comfort dish using mushrooms, chicken, and rice. One-pot dishes like this one are quick – quick to prep, quick to cook, and quick to clean. They are also filling and delish. You can customize this one with the spices and seasonings your family likes best. Experiment and have fun but keep it quick and easy. We’re aiming for filling meals with less stress in this post-holiday season.
30-Minute Sheet Pan Dinner
Whether you’ve been out with the family catching that new film everyone has been talking about or you’ve spent the day reading books from your “to-be-read” pile, pulling together a healthy, hearty meal in 30-minutes may feel like an oxymoron. Good thing there’s this recipe from Allergy Awesomeness. The mix of vegetables, chicken, and warm-you-from-the-inside-out spices sounds perfect for a post-holiday dinner, or any other time you want to make sure your family is eating well on the go.
Eggroll in a Bowl
This dish from Whole New Mom may require a little tweaking depending on your allergies. The good news is that the substitutes aren’t the sort that is going to require you to experiment too much to find the right mix of alternatives. In this instance, if sesame is on your list of items to avoid, you can substitute another oil. The tamari can be swapped out for coconut aminos or something similar from the brand No-Soy if that’s an allergy consideration for your family.
Chicken Tetrazzini
Some dishes are simply comfort dishes just by thinking about them and the warm, creamy mixture of pasta, chicken, and sauce may be one of them. The good news is that Eating With Food Allergies has a recipe that makes the classic chicken tetrazzini possible without the typical wheat-pasta and milk ingredients. Even better, it’s quick to make and clean-up after.
Slow-Cooked Brisket
Just because something takes hours to make well doesn’t mean it takes hours of attention. In fact, slow cooked meals like this brisket from Deliciously Allergy Free takes a little hands on time to produce a tender, scrumptious dish. That lazy afternoon of reading or crafting or just napping is a perfect accompaniment for this sort of meal. You can prepare your dinner, drop it in your favorite Dutch oven or deep-dish pan and let it cook for hours. Even better, it’s free of the top 9 allergens as written.
Butternut Squash Curry
The good news is this dish from The Gracious Pantry is quick and satisfying. The better news is you can even make it ahead of time (up to two days!) so you can prepare when you’ve got the time and just warm it up when you’re ready for dinner. The curry is loaded with flavor thanks to the combination of warm spices and vegetables used to create it. You can serve it with your favorite allergy-friendly naan and/or rice.
