Make Your Own Trail Mix – Does your child love apple rings, banana chips, or almonds? Head to the bulk bins and stock up on their favorites so you can throw together a quick, and less expensive, homemade trail mix. If your child or his or her friends or classmates have food allergies, try the wonderful new trail mix from Nonuttin’ Foods or No Nuts! from Enjoy Life Foods. Both companies run facilities that are free of milk, eggs, peanuts, and tree nuts. Enjoy Life Foods is also a gluten and soy-free company.

Eat Your Veggies! – Baggies filled with baby carrots, celery sticks, cucumbers, and salad tomatoes are an easy way to get vegetables in your child’s diet, especially when paired with a tasty dip! Some wonderful dip ideas that most kids can enjoy, regardless of diet, include hummus, salsa, and a homemade bean dip. Of course, Ranch is a very popular dip amongst little ones, and no child should feel left out. Organicville has recently released a Non-Dairy Ranch Dressing that is certified organic (read: no funny ingredients), vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, and made in a dedicated facility…. and really, it is quite good!

What Can’t be Dipped? – Sliced fruit benefits nicely from a sweeter dip for an easy and healthy dessert. Pack some applesauce, soy yogurt, or even a luxurious caramel dip for a special treat. What about those sneaky browning slices of apple? Check out this mother’s pineapple secret for keeping slices of apple fresh throughout the day.

(many more ideas after the jump)

Fruit Salad – Beyond dipping, colorful fruit takes on delicious appeal when mixed up in a variety of fun shapes. Serve up a container of melon balls, berries, pineapple chunks, chopped pears (with skin of course), or other colorful fruit.

Virtuous Bars and Bites – There are a few kid-friendly bars on the market, such as Clif brand Zbars, but really, homemade bites are always a less expensive and healthier option. Try this fine-tuned recipe for (vegan and nut-free) Granola Bars or some gluten-free Pistachio Sports Snacks.

PB & J Creativity – Switch out the regular bread with a bagel (lower “smoosh” effect) or an English muffin. Is your little one gluten intolerant? Try a bagel from Enjoy Life Foods or an English Muffin from Kinnikinnick. No peanuts allowed? Try some almond or cashew butter (Trader Joe’s can’t be beat). Better yet, switch to Sunflower butter for a safe and tasty alternative. Don’t feel stuck on the “J” either. Try a teaspoon of honey or maple syrup, or slices of banana or apple (don’t forget the cinnamon) for a fun stackable experience!

Bake Healthy Cookies – Even when I was a small child, the one way to get me working in the kitchen was to say the word cookies. But honestly, whether they were made with straight sugar or spiked with zucchini, I couldn’t have cared less, as long as I was making something that looked like a cookie. For a hearty option, bake up some versatile Breakfast Cookies, or play around with these basic Wheat-Free Sesame Raisin Cookies. Oh yes, and there actually is such a thing as Zucchini Cookies (substitute whole wheat pastry flour for a fiber boost).

Chips Lighten Up – The days of deep-fried munchies are numbered. Moms are wising up to the healthier baked alternatives such as Stacy’s Pita Chips, Pretzel Crisps, and Guiltless Gourmet. But why not step it up a notch and make your own at home for a fresher tasting chip? Tortilla chips, pita chips, and veggie chips are just a short oven ride away.

Freezer Muffins – Muffins are an excellent option for quick breakfasts and lunch boxes. Simply pop an individual muffin straight from the freezer into a lunch box — it should be perfectly thawed in time for lunch or an afternoon snack. For a breakfast treat, remove the muffins from the freezer the night before serving, or simply pop them in the toaster oven for a couple of minutes. For some breakfast-worthy ideas try Orange and Pecan Bran Muffins, Fall Harvest Muffins, or the more indulgent Banana Chocolate Chip variety.

Granola – As a child I could have eaten cereal any time of day. While those corn flakes or sugary cereals didn’t have the staying power for my high energy levels, the many new granolas on the market can make for a tasty and calorie-rich snack, even without the cereal bowl. Gluten-free consumers can enjoy brands such as Bakery on Main (gluten-free versions) and Enjoy Life Foods (cinnamon, cranapple, very berry). Of course, this is another great make-at-home option. Insanely easy and able to be prepared in mass batches, don’t underestimate the powers of homemade granola. Even gluten-free granola can be prepared in no time.

Of course, the above ideas work for “big kid” lunch boxes too!

For reprint, please contact Go Dairy Free.

Photo credits: Go Dairy Free, Domestic Affair, and little paths.

To make things interesting, Bunny Love is filled with bunny shapes, X’s, and O’s (for hugs and kisses), Honey Bunnies are a mix of bunny and heart shapes, while the Cinna Bunnies combine bunny, flower, and cotton tail shapes.

The cereals are available to purchase by the box or the case directly from Annie’s Online Store. Free UPS Shipping is available for all orders over $100.

Luckily, there are some fantastic allergy-friendly foods that all kids can enjoy together. In fact, in my pursuit for dairy-free products, I have come across quite a few “safe” companies. Though one has crossed my radar so many times in the past year that I felt it warranted further investigation. I obtained a package of the new nut-free trail mix from Nonuttin’ Foods to begin my research.

The trail mix had not a speck of tree nuts, peanuts, dairy, eggs, or wheat/gluten, but it was pretty darn tasty. It gave me a sneak preview of their cherry chips (positively addictive) and had that sweet, salty, crunchy, chewy vibe all rolled up in one package. I was also impressed with the packed full one-pound bag.

Nonuttin’ Foods was founded in 2002 by the Elliott family, in honor of their peanut allergic child. Their first product line included three granola bar flavors, each free of peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, and dairy. For these, they have received countless orders throughout North America.

Noting the strong demand, Nonuttin’ has continued to expand their product line at a record pace, while improving their already high quality ingredients.

In November of 2006, cherry fruit chips, sulfite-free dried apples, mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, 70% dark chocolate chunks, and vanilla cinnamon granola clusters were added to the roster.

In February of 2007 two nut/peanut-free trail mixes, Energy Explosion and Hiker’s Delight (one with raisins and one without) expanded the Nonuttin’ product line further. I believe I sampled the Energy Explosion.

As if these additions weren’t enough, in late April Nonuttin’ made another big move. They implemented new gluten-free formulas, and became the first company to begin using pure, gluten-tested oats and oat bran in granola products. The Nonuttin’ facility is now completely wheat and gluten-free. This is a definite plus for the growing number of little ones who now live with Celiac Disease.

The switch to new formulas for all of their original granola bars and vanilla cinnamon granola clusters also marked the introduction of GMO-free ingredients and the ability to meet “all natural” requirements.

With their processes and ingredients in order, and the first annual “Food Allergy Awareness Week” in full swing, the Elliott family felt it was appropriate to release one more product in honor of the occasion. This week, a new flavor of Nonuttin’ granola bars was launched, double chocolate chunk with 70% dark chocolate chunks and organic free trade cocoa. I am hoping to get my hands on this one soon!

Not only do those four girls (aged six to ten) down bite-sized, trans-fat loaded Pepperidge Farm crackers by the little fist full, they also pester my sister continuously to buy more. If I could transition these cheese-loving little munchkins over to Eco-Planet’s all natural (and trans fat free) morsels without notice, success must be declared.

As we headed out to the local fair, I stashed a big baggie of the crackers into our snack sack for the day. Though I would typically love the girls to read the wonderful environmental messages on the box, I caught one of them reading it before I had even opened them, and I needed to avoid the all-natural and non-dairy discovery prior to their trial.

At the first whine of “I’m hungry,” I whipped out the baggie loaded with crackers of a familiar orange hue. Instantly all four of them jumped at the bag. They absolutely love them! These are not easy girls to please. They eat only sugar cereal, macaroni and cheese, and Top Ramen on a daily basis. Just about every “real” food we put in front of them got an “eeewh” or “what is it?” Heaven forbid they should eat something without chemicals. Yet, when we got home (after they had already polished off the baggie) they asked for more of the cheddar crackers!

At that point, I felt it was safe to pull the original package out. They immediately started taking note of the cool shapes and reading the messages on the box. I certainly don’t blame them for the intrigue. I found myself seeking one of each shape every time I went to have another. They come in four incredibly cool and detailed designs: a winking sun, a spinning windmill, the earth, and an electric car. On the box each shape is associated with an eco-message, and two websites for them to learn more.

As my nieces and I bit into these crackers, non-dairy, organic, and all natural were the last thoughts that went through our heads. They taste very similar to the much less healthy “Goldfish,” but are just a touch less cheesy if my memory serves me correctly. It has been a while. Beyond the delightful cheese flavor spiked with potent specks of salt, I can describe these only as perfect crackers. Eco-Planet doesn’t stray from the light, crisp, and slightly thick formation you would expect from any good cracker.

So where does this cheesy flavor come from? Honestly, I am not too sure. I didn’t spot nutritional yeast in the ingredients, but rather an assortment of natural flavors, such as paprika, onion powder, and red pepper. Perhaps the ingredient labeled as “natural flavor” conceals the secret weapon.

For those with special diets, these are kosher certified, vegan, and made without any dairy ingredients. For those of you who have severe allergies, they are manufactured in a shared facility with dairy, eggs, tree nuts, and peanuts, unfortunately. Due to the potential cross-contamination, they are certified Kosher-Dairy.

Beyond this, we found only one downside to Eco-Planet’s crackers … they are highly addictive! The box is a fair size, but with too many little hands around, ours disappeared quickly. Luckily, I hid a handful in my desk for some tasty inspiration as I wrote this review.

My Extra Notes & Tips:

• Each generous portion of 19 crackers (these are about two to three times the size of a goldfish cracker) contains just 100 calories and 5g of fat. The saturated fat is only a half a gram, and there are 0g of sugar per serving! Impossible, I didn’t think any snack food was made without sugar anymore.
• With just 1g of protein, 0g of fiber, and 275mg of sodium per serving, these crackers are not a nutritional powerhouse, but can easily be a great snack or treat to supplement a healthy energetic child or adult for that matter!

Where to Purchase: These crackers should be rolling out to your local Whole Foods, and hopefully to grocers nationwide in the very near future. Visit the Eco-Planet website for more information.