Tall order: wheat, nut, & choc free kid friendly protein bar?

moonangel12
moonangel12 Posts: 971 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Had a recommendation to get my daughter some tasty protein bars to have on hand for blood sugar issues (“hangry” is an understatement, it’s bad). Problem is, she can’t have nuts or chocolate. The Z-bars only have a couple grams of protein, doctor said to look for 6-8. We can do cheese or eggs at home, but bars would be good for on the go or if she has already reached her breaking point and needs coaxing to eat. (It’s a long story, very long story. Maybe a type of atypical epilepsy mixed in, but we know blood sugar drops can be a trigger for extreme rage).

Any ideas? She likes the zbars (iced oatmeal is the one she can have). No wheat either which rules out a lot of granola bars. There are other food allergies and sensitivities, but wheat, nuts, and chocolate are the main issues with this specific food.

Might be a lost cause, if so, open to other options and ideas! I am running on fumes so my train of thought has long since derailed...


Had the idea for shelf stable meat/sausage sticks, which may or may not work (can’t have peppers or tomatoes and most have at least paprika for flavoring). The turkey ones I get at Aldi aren’t tolerated very well.

Replies

  • eatyogarun
    eatyogarun Posts: 59 Member
    I know of bars without the nuts or wheat but they only have 2g protein as well. Maybe you could find a recipe for homemade bars?
  • moonangel12
    moonangel12 Posts: 971 Member
    eatyogarun wrote: »
    I know of bars without the nuts or wheat but they only have 2g protein as well. Maybe you could find a recipe for homemade bars?
    That’s true! Hadn’t thought about that... thanks brain fog 😂 I’ll have to research some options.

  • SuzySunshine99
    SuzySunshine99 Posts: 2,989 Member
    edited October 2020
    I think you may have to ditch the bar idea, unless you are making them yourself...like you said, it's difficult to find one that meets the requirements.

    String cheese sticks are very portable.

    You mention meat/sausage sticks...what about jerky? You'd have to check the label to see what seasonings are used, but you might find a brand that works.

    How would she feel about trying roasted edamame or roasted chickpeas?
  • littlegreenparrot1
    littlegreenparrot1 Posts: 702 Member
    Does yoghurt work?

    I'm thinking about those yoghurt coated nuts in the health food shop, peanuts/ Brazil nuts etc. easy to put some of those in a pot for travel.
    It's still a bit sweet which might help.
  • littlegreenparrot1
    littlegreenparrot1 Posts: 702 Member
    littlegreenparrot1 wrote: »
    Does yoghurt work?

    I'm thinking about those yoghurt coated nuts in the health food shop, peanuts/ Brazil nuts etc. easy to put some of those in a pot for travel.
    It's still a bit sweet which might help.

    I'm so sorry, I just noticed the no nuts part! Forgive my idiocy.
    I hope you find a workable solution, it must be difficult to deal with.
  • Dante_80
    Dante_80 Posts: 479 Member
    edited October 2020
    Homemade bars with oats, cranberries (or ripe bananas), protein powder, egg whites, cinnamon, honey and milk seems to be the most compatible choice for your circumstance. Here is how such a thing looks.

    photo.jpg

    I've got a recipe for that..but it's in Greek. If you are interested, I may try to translate it.
  • angel7472
    angel7472 Posts: 317 Member
    Try to see if you can find something from this website. It's recipes made from protein powder.

    https://proteinpow.com/recipes-category
  • lesdarts180
    lesdarts180 Posts: 3,063 Member
    High protein without nuts is difficult - look at seeds, and various legumes - chickpeas, broad beans, lentils etc.

    I have a "Nine" bar in my cupboard which is gluten free, says it is a baked mixed seed bar with raspberries with a carob coating. In the small print it does admit it may contain nuts but I guess that is a catch-all just in case.
    I also have some snack packs of "Happy Snack company" roasted chick peas, and some "Brave" roasted peas (actually yellow split peas). Both of these options are not bars but mini bags of roasted peas and require careful eating - the chickpeas are very crunchy. They are both gluten free. I've also had snack packs of roasted broad beans but don't have any to hand now.
    I have a granddaughter with coeliac disease so I'm very careful about gluten but none of us have any nut allergies.

    I bought the last two from Amazon but I can't remember where I got the nine bar - probably a health food shop - I'm in the UK.
  • Strudders67
    Strudders67 Posts: 989 Member
    I was going to suggest Nine Seed Bars too. I always have a few packs of the Original version in my cupboard. They're seeds, topped with carob, and give you 6.6g of protein per bar.

    I'm also in the UK though. I get mine in Tesco, which is a mid-range supermarket. Might be worth emailing them to ask about supplies elsewher,e if you can't find anything suitable. Or trying making your own, maybe getting your daughter involved in the process.
  • moonangel12
    moonangel12 Posts: 971 Member
    She loves to be in the kitchen, so her helping would be a fun option for her. What would be a good protein powder to try? One that would appeal to kid tastes... probably a vanilla for more versatility. She does like roasted chickpeas, but not in huge amounts. I am thinking an oat/seed bar with protein powder would probably be the best option, thank you!
  • MaltedTea
    MaltedTea Posts: 6,286 Member
    Try the SimplyBar brand (they happen to be Canadian but I'm sure you could get it elsewhere).

    They have a kids product line but the adult/regular product line might suit your child's needs as well.
  • charmmeth
    charmmeth Posts: 936 Member
    Yoghurt coated raisins? (Not enough protein I think.) Could ou include pumpkin seeds into whatever you make? Or does she react to them like nuts??
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,961 Member
    edited October 2020
    Could you make and freeze quinoa muffins for her to have when needed? You can make them any flavour you want that way. I made some recently that were 5.6 g of protein each, which is close (but they had a lot of cocoa in them so that particular recipe isn't a good fit). If she drinks some milk or something with it she'd easily hit the 6 g of protein. You could probably make it in a 9x13 dish too and cut them into squares if you prefer that, it would potentially be easier to clean up.

    I have a picky eater and have been really disappointed with the protein bars available. Though that picky eating tires me out and your situation is harder so I understand being too tired to make them.

    My kids also didn't love them as much as I had hoped. But that doesnt mean someone else won't.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    moonangel12 wrote: »
    She loves to be in the kitchen, so her helping would be a fun option for her. What would be a good protein powder to try? One that would appeal to kid tastes... probably a vanilla for more versatility. She does like roasted chickpeas, but not in huge amounts. I am thinking an oat/seed bar with protein powder would probably be the best option, thank you!

    Other people have mentioned Quest PP for cooking. (I have not tried it myself.) You could certainly add vanilla extract.

    https://www.questnutrition.com/products/us-1-6lb-protein-powder-multi-purpose
  • moonangel12
    moonangel12 Posts: 971 Member
    The quinoa suggestion triggered the thought of the little Aussie Bite things at Costco that are different seeds and things - need to double check/verify protein content (I saw one thing that said 2g per cookie). Picked up some jerky/steak bites tonight, label looked OK but sometimes there are “spices” that she reacts to🤞

    I’ll check out the quest powder, thank you! I could make her some white chocolate milk with a little extra protein powder mixed in.
  • moonangel12
    moonangel12 Posts: 971 Member
    Thank you for all the ideas and suggestions!
  • Noreenmarie1234
    Noreenmarie1234 Posts: 7,492 Member
    edited October 2020
    What about go macro bars non nut variety?

    b8l2fvi6p2gd.jpeg

    Or Amrita they have quite a few flavors with no chocolate https://www.amritahealthfoods.com/collections/high-protein-bars/products/sunflower-butter-jelly-plant-protein-bar

    pbx9tjlp6gfc.png
    znvve990ik7z.png



    Or no nuts bars. They all have around 180 calories and 12g protein and have some non chocolate flavors.
    https://gononuts.com/collections/no-nuts-energy-barscexy206l0gru.png

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