Gift Ideas for Cooks

SnapLock Containers (Amazon link): Perfect for Meal Prepping and Snacks

If (like me and several members of my family) you have to eat some form of a restricted diet, you know how difficult it can be. Convenience flies right out the window – and the more food restrictions or intolerances you have, the further it files.

Your restricted diet may include…

• low FODMAP
• Gluten-Free
• Dairy-Free
• NO red meat
• NO red meat products (broth or ingredients made from cows or their kind)
• NO pork
• NO eggs
• as few processed foods as possible

Or… if you’re one of those with an extra dramatic digestive system, like me, you have to follow all of the above. There’s a reason I call my digestive system Greta Garbo… it brings ALL the drama and then some.

There are plenty of struggles about having to eat a restricted diet or choosing to eat a restricted diet (such as vegans, vegetarians, or those simply trying to lose weight). One of the greatest headaches is dining out – the more limitations in your diet, the more limitations in your restaurant options.

If your health depends on your diet, please always check a restaurant’s allergen and nutritional information. While low FODMAP isn’t listed as one of the categories on these charts, a quick check with a trusted resource (such as Monash University FODMAP) will let you know what foods are low FODMAP, what foods are low FODMAP, depending upon the serving size, and what foods are high FODMAP – think of these guys as toxic energy and avoid them like the biggest grouch in your world!

Monash University FODMAP is where the whole low FODMAP diet originated, so I trust their information explicitly.

Dining out is a headache with dietary restrictions, but… let’s face it… dining in can also be a pain in the gut (see what I did there??). The biggest issue is convenience when it comes to many diet restrictions, especially low FODMAP and especially if you have more than one restriction.

For gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan.. you can still find plenty of options for snacks and condiments. But when you have to eat low FODMAP, it gets trickier. See, when you have to eat this particular diet, you have to avoid garlic and onions (including garlic powder, garlic salt, onion powder, and onion salt).  When’s the last time you read the ingredients on the label of ketchup, mustard, or even pickles?! Garlic and onion are everywhere.

I have to buy Fody Ketchup (Amazon link) and either Fody seasonings (Amazon link) or Smoke & Sanity Seasonings (Amazon link) – both brands are low FODMAP and are excellent.

Some Fody foods are starting to show up in select stores: I’ve seen Ketchup, Salsa Verde (once, until it sold out seemingly everywhere in the world!), Salsa, Taco Sauce, and Spaghetti Sauce in Kroger, Meijer, and (word is) they’ll be in Wal-Mart soon.

Wonder if it’d help if I begged?

Companies like Fody and Smoke & Sanity save a LOT of extra work, efforts, and give make your world a lot more flavorful.

Flavorful is glorious.

Anthony’s Organic Pumpkin Seeds (Amazon link.. these are addictive!)

Food Containers for Portioning, Snacks and Meal Prep

Many foods are considered “low FODMAP” only in certain proportions. For example, Pumpkin Seeds are “low FODMAP” if the serving is approximately 2 tablespoons. More than this? No longer low FODMAP.

Welcome to my nightmare of trekking through the FODMAP jungle.

Small containers keep you on track by allowing you to measure your safe serving – when it comes to IBS, IBD, or any other health issue, “eye-balling it” simply does not cut it.

Continued below two of  my personal obsessions, strawberries and pineapple…

Strawberries and Pineapples in a SnapLock Container

I have always loved food storage containers (Amazon link) but never more than NOW. I’ve only had to start eating Low FODMAP (and dairy-free, egg-free, red meat-free, pork-free… luck meee) this year, but have been gluten-free for many years.

Let’s suffice to say, this is a whole new ballgame and it’s anything but an “easy win!”

Winnable? Absolutely. Easy? No freaking way. Honestly, the low FODMAP part of the program is the toughest, thanks in part to, not just avoiding the high FODMAPS, but also keeping the “safe” foods at a “safe” portion.

Containers like SnapLock Containers (Amazon link), help set me up for a win by giving me the tools I need. I can easily portion my snacks and prep for my recipes by measuring the food into the containers and placing them into the refrigerator.

The smaller ones are also very handy for taking my own condiments into restaurants. So many people have or choose to do this these days, it’s not a big deal whatsoever.

When we go to Cracker Barrel OR Wendy’s, I take small containers of vegan butter (delicious), vegan sour cream (also delicious), and chopped chives with me if I plan to order a baked potato (be sure to always specify you want it without any butter or other toppings).

They’re also handy for carrying with you on the road, since goodness knows grabbing a snack on the go is all but safe.

Obviously there are many, many food storage options on the market, I’ve highlighted the SnapLock Containers (Amazon link) for a few reasons:

1. They’re very durable. I’ve used mine for months on end and they still look as good as the day I got them.
2. They’re colorful! When you have food restrictions, health issues, and such ridiculousness, the more FUN and COLOR you add to your world the better. Trust me, they’re a psychological boost and, let’s face it, with things like IBS, some days call for as many boosts as possible!
3. Most families have only one or two people who have to eat restricted diets. A few even have people who eat DIFFERENT restricted diets. Having your very own containers lets everyone else know to keep their delicious doughnuts, red meat, and sautéed onions elsewhere!
4. These beauties have leak proof silicone seals that keep your food safe all day, without spilling out.
5. As I mentioned above, the smaller ones are excellent for carrying your own condiments into restaurants and are ideal to take on the road, to school, or to work.
6. I use them! I only recommend products I’ve tested and loved. If I wouldn’t recommend something to my husband, daughters, sons-in-law, or grandbabies… I won’t recommend it to you.

SnapLock 14 Piece Lunch Container Set (Amazon link)

I’ll be having a lot more restricted diet tips, advice, cookbooks, recipes, and product reviews coming up. The recent health scare and paradigm shift rocked my very world a bit. I mean, can you imagine? You’re a food blogger and BAM! Suddenly a LARGE bulk of the foods you cook with and eat are suddenly toxic slime to you.

In fact, being a food blogger came up in one of my conversations with God after I got terribly ill and realized I was facing even more food restrictions. I believe the conversation went something like this…

Me: ” How could this even happen? I’m an AVID cook! I live to create recipes, try new recipes, cook for my family… and I even have a food blog!” (as though any of these were surprises to God)

God: “Then who better than YOU to face something like this? You know how to cook, you’re very familiar with ingredients and food.”

Me: – – – –

God: “And you could be there for others in similar situations to encourage and help them.”

Me: “I’m all in! Let’s do this…”

NOTE: Not all of the recipes on this blog are geared toward restricted diets. I’ve had this food blog for MANY years (even before I had to give up gluten). My dream is to go back and rewrite and redo every recipe on the blog and make them “safe” for everyone.

After all, I’ve been blessed with a situation where, hopefully I can bring information, encouragement, and “this is how I got through this and this is how I keep smiling.”

Let’s do this…

~ Joi (“Joy“)

Fruit in Container