Today I am sharing the first of several weekly meal plans that will be included in the eczema transformation book that I am helping Dr. Ana-Maria Temple write. In the Eczema Transformation Course that I have the privilege of working on with her, we talk extensively about food. All of the families in the program go through some degree of a food elimination step, in order to reduce inflammation and calm the skin. Many of the families have to eat a gluten free, dairy free, nut free, egg free, soy free, and refined sugar free diet in order to heal theirs or their childrens’ leaky guts. It can feel overwhelming!

My family was in that spot a couple of years ago, so I can empathize with the parents who are living it. I wrote this meal plan as a guide to help the mamas and daddies who feel anxious every time they have to think about what they’re going to feed their kids. This is a week of breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, plus some snack ideas, that adhere to the elimination guidelines. All of the details and any recipe links are written below the meal plan. 

I know the feeling of standing in the pantry, trying to make a grocery list, almost in tears. This process can feel daunting, but it is possible! And witnessing a family member, especially a child, heal from the inside out, is worth it! I hope this meal plan will be beneficial to you. My plan is to build out more of these so that you can have more than one week of ideas in the future.

Week 1 Instructions:

Breakfasts:

For the smoothie bowls, you can use your go-to smoothie recipe. To keep it thick, make sure some of your ingredients are frozen, or add some ice. Blend it slowly and with less liquid – add just enough so that the blades will turn. One great combination would be frozen berries, a few dates, spinach or kale (sometimes I like to buy frozen organic kale because it’s more affordable), plant milk, chia seeds, and banana or mango. 

Kite Hill and Forager both make good unsweetened nut-based yogurts. But Kite Hill also has a coconut based one that is nut free. 

Granola Recipe:

• 4 cups organic gluten free oats (Bob’s Red Mill Quick Cooking GF)
• 1/2 cup ground flaxseed meal
• 1/2 cup chia seeds
• 3 cups of a mix of your preference: raw sunflower seeds, raw pumpkin seeds, unsweetened coconut flakes, flax seeds
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup raw honey or maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a large rimmed baking sheet or pan, mix together the oats, flaxseed meal,  seeds, coconut, salt, and cinnamon. Melt the coconut oil in a glass measuring cup, and then stir in the honey and vanilla. Drizzle the coconut oil, honey, vanilla mixture over the oat mixture, and stir well to coat. Make sure you scrape the bottom of the pan with a heat-proof spatula while stirring. Bake at 300 degrees in 4, 12 minute increments. Between each 12 minute session, stir well with the spatula. Bake for 40-50 minutes total.

We use this recipe for the Apple Cinnamon Oat Pancakes, and I always make extra. You can use hemp, flax or thin coconut milk if you are avoiding nuts. If you want to freeze them, make sure they are completely cool first. Then lay them flat, one or two layers, in a freezer safe ziploc bag.

Lunches: 

We like the Aidell’s brand Chicken Apple sausage, and have found it at multiple grocery stores, but it seems most affordable from Costco. I slice it and either roast it or cook it in a sauté pan. 

Make sure to shop for a variety of fruits and veggies that your children like, and prep (wash and chop) those before the week begins. This will make it much easier to add to their lunches.

Simple Mills has awesome nut flour based crackers, but they also have some that are made with seed flours! So they are nut free. 

If you make the Minimalist Baker Vegan Caesar Dressing at the beginning of the week, you can have it on wraps with either lettuce or a cassava tortilla. 

I like to make gluten free croutons by dicing a couple pieces of GF (your choice of allergy-friendly bread) using a serrated knife. I sauté the bread cubes in a pan with some olive oil, garlic powder, sea salt, dried Italian herbs, and black pepper. Season to taste. Make sure there is enough olive oil in the pan – I tend to use a few tablespoons with 2 slices of bread. Heat in the pan until the bread is lightly golden brown. Triple this recipe for a week with multiple caesar salad type meals. Keep in an airtight container and use throughout the week for the lunch wraps and the Friday night dinner.

For Thursday’s lunch, try mixing it up by doing a little finger food tray. Using beans or roasted chickpeas provides fiber, protein, and is affordable. Try changing up the fruit by using melon or apple slices. My kids like the Good Foods brand avocado mash individual packs (found at Costco or Target). 

On Friday, if you have some leftover cassava tortillas, you can do a roll-up with sun butter or tiger nut butter. Tiffany from the eczema course introduced me to this concept, and then I found a recipe from Thriving on Paleo here.

Dinners: 

MONDAY: 

Crockpot shredded taco chicken is one of the easiest things that I make on a regular basis. My kids love it, it is economical, and so very simple. I like to add 4 chicken breasts, some taco seasoning, and several spoonfuls of salsa to the crockpot and cook on low 3-4 hours. Then shred with a mixer or 2 forks. This should provide enough meat for Monday and Wednesday night’s meal, but you could certainly increase the quantities. Sometimes I will make more for the adults to have on lunch salads.

The sour cream we purchase is Simple Truth Organic Plant Based Sour Cream alternative. It is GF, DF, SF (soy free). It does contain some gums, but the meal plan this week is overall very clean, and the sour cream is one of those things that you factor into the 10% when you’re approaching this with a 90-10 philosophy (more on that in this post). 

I have purchased the Siete brand cassava tortillas, and also the 365 brand from Whole Foods. Another idea is to make your own! My oldest son and I did that together for dinner one night and they were delicious!

TUESDAY:

Tuesday’s dinner is all about max nutritional value by incorporating omega-3s, vitamins, and collagen from the bone broth. You can roast the veggies together, and then add the salmon to the oven when the veggies are close to being done. Slice the zucchini and quarter the mushrooms. Toss in some avocado oil and a few dashes of sesame oil. Season with fresh garlic (or garlic powder), fresh ginger (or powdered ginger), salt and pepper. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, and spread the veggies out evenly on the lined pan. Roast at 375 degrees for around 30 minutes, or until lightly browned. 

Season the salmon with the same ingredients as the vegetables, plus some coconut aminos, and place it skin-side down on a lined baking sheet. Roast for about 7 minutes per inch of thickness. 

Cook the Lotus Foods GF ramen according to package directions while the salmon is cooking, then add to some shallow bowls. 

Heat the bone broth to a simmer in a small stockpot and add some fresh chopped garlic and ginger, and season as desired with salt and pepper. 

To assemble the bowls, remove the skin from the cooked salmon. Add a piece of salmon and some veggies to the cooked ramen. Spoon over some of the bone broth. Sprinkle on some extra sesame seeds. Add a few dashes of coconut aminos.

WEDNESDAY:

Use the leftover shredded taco chicken for burrito bowls. We like to do a mix of jasmine rice and cauliflower rice for the base. Add black beans, avocado, tomato, cucumber, radish, peppers, onions – any veggies you prefer. You could roast or sauté the peppers and onions as well. 

To make a chipotle cream sauce, use the plant-based sour cream, add the juice of one lime, some chipotle powder, paprika, salt, and cayenne to taste.

THURSDAY:

Here is the recipe link for the chicken thighs. Make extra chicken for Friday’s dinner. 

For the cauliflower mash, try a DF butter instead of ghee, and you could add Violife parmesan! 

FRIDAY: 

Make a large Caesar salad with chopped lettuce and mixed greens. Use the Minimalist Baker Vegan Ceasar dressing, the croutons mentioned in the lunch section, or roasted chickpeas for crunch. Dice up some leftover chicken from Thursday. 

Serve with baked regular or sweet potatoes.

 

I am hopeful that this allergy friendly food elimination meal plan will be helpful as you navigate the journey to lower inflammation!