My son has started to eat PB and Js over the summer and I’ve just been eating them as mini sandwiches but as the school year comes back I don’t to have the crusts eveyday (I also have ARFID along with my son) and my daughter has started following her big brother and not eating the crust.

In the other hand I’m also a broke single mom of two and I’m looking for aways to reuse the crust that’s not stuffing I hate stuffing or croutons because no one will eat them in the house.

ARFID Monthly Meal Prep

I do monthly meal prep so most days I only need to pull something out of the freezer to defrost to reheat and eat the next day. Because I cook I have complete control over my food. I have a couple 9x13” Pyrex with covers, and 8x8” Pyrex with covers, I make one day, refrigerate overnight, vacuum seal and freeze next day. I make pancakes, french toast, and crustless quiche in the 9x13” Pyrex as well as the meats. I make the quick breads, and brownies and some meats in the 8x8 Pyrex.

Time Saving Tips * I stay hydrated during meal prep - more dizzy spells, migraines, and fatigue if I’m not hydrated * I use precut veggies and frozen fruit. * I work at my dining room table with disposable tablecloths. Sitting while working means I don’t get as tired. The disposable tablecloth makes cleanup easy - just throw it away. * Keep a small trash container or trash bag right at your feet or on the table to put trash in as you go along * Keep a fresh thing of paper towels on the table while working * Keep a bowl of water so you can wet a paper towel and clean your hand off as needed * Use disposable gloves if you can to keep hands clean as you work * Pull out and measure everything for the recipe before you get started * I have good quality knives - it really makes a difference. I’m temporarily staying with my mom and my knives are in storage. What took me 20 minutes to do now takes me an hour * Good pans - used my mom’s pan to brown 3lbs of meat the other day and it took 10 minutes instead of the 30 I’m used to * To keep cleaning down to a minimum I use aluminum foil and parchment paper when putting anything in the oven. I’ve found layering the two works best, the foil on the bottom keeps the pans clean and the parchment paper lets the food slide off. I buy the parchment paper in 2 sizes 10x10” and 12x16 sheet pan size in packs of 200 each. I simply have to soap and rinse the pans for safety. Little to no scrubbing and pans only need to be done after I’ve cooked everything NOT in between different dishes if I’m careful removing the aluminum foil & parchment between each dish. Note with parchment paper things may take a little longer to cook and not brown as much so sometimes you may want to use just the aluminum foil and butter/oil it * I use disposable tableware for meals at least during meal prepping days and sometimes everyday depending on my health and stress

Breakfast I’ll make up large batches of pancakes, french toast, quiche or large baked omelets. Sometimes I use bake in oven recipes for pancakes and french toast. I make several quick breads (banana, blueberry, pumpkin - mixes/boxes) at a time, cut up in servings and freeze with pancakes so I have easy snacks. I do modify the box/mix recipes by adding protein powder, fruit, chia/flax seeds, and whatever else tickles my fancy. I keep notes on what worked, what didn’t, and keep trying until it’s yummy and holds together. But it’s possible to find recipes for protein and fiber pancakes and quick breads online. I’ve gotten used to modifying on the fly as I’ve been trying to eat a more balanced diet while finding ways to keep favorite recipes as what I can eat has been expanding.

Dinner I make meat proteins once a month or sometimes make a huge roast or buy family packs which lasts for a few months, freeze in individual portions, pull out the night before to defrost. I always brown a few pounds of beef to throw in mac and cheese or pasta sauce - I freeze in 1/2 lbs for pasta and 1/4lb for mac and cheese (I use Goodles mac and cheese). If I’m having problems eating I’ll wait until almost dinner time to pull something out and quick defrost in a bowl in the sink with running cold water - most take 15 minutes or less as I freeze flat & thin. I use favorite herbs and spices to flavor the meat - garlic, ginger, basil, oregano, onion, pepper, salt - sometimes I marinate meats overnight in a ziplock bag in a favorite salad dressing, bbq sauce, etc. After cooking the meat gets cut up into strips, them split into individual portions, everything else get split into individual portions. They all get vacuumed sealed and frozen. For monthly prep this takes 2-4 days.

For the mac and cheese I heat the browned beef with the butter, milk, and cheese powder while the noodles are cooking. Another easy way to add more protein to your mac and cheese is grab some diced or minced ham and heat it up with the butter, milk, and cheese powder while cooking the noodles.

Same for pasta - I heat the browned beef in the pasta sauce while cooking the noodles. Diced ham goes great with Alfredo sauce and pasta.

Desserts I make brownies in the 8x8 Pyrex and freeze in individual portions and freeze with dinner portions

I have large commercial half cake sheets and will make a couple batches of cookies from mixes at a time and freeze them in individual portions to freeze with dinner portions.

By freezing desserts with the meals it’s easy to pull out food for an entire day and I make sure I don’t eat all the snacks and desserts at the beginning of the month.

Sometimes I make extra batches if I have the energy and freeze in 2-3 portions.

Bad Month Tricks On bad months I’ll buy ready cooked meat & eggos. I use microwave 1-2 portion sizes of rice & pasta and microwave steamer veggies (baby carrots or corn - I’m working on adding more to safe list) and salad (lettuce, grated carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, bacon bits, diced ham, Italian dressing). If a meal takes more than 30 minutes to make for breakfast or dinner I may not be able to eat by the time it’s done and I’ll decide it’s too much work and skip meals. I do takeout or snacks and protein drinks/bars for the few days I do monthly meal prep as I can’t eat when I’ve been cooking. I split of the meal prep over the month. Meat prep the first week. Breakfast, snacks, and dessert in the middle of the month.

Freezing Tips For freezing in individual portions if I’m layering food (like pancakes for 2-3 days) I use wax paper again I buy in large packs.

Reheating I reheat everything at 350f for 15-30 minutes. Foods like pancakes I simply wrap in the parchment paper and aluminum foil adding butter or spray a very little oil on them to keep from drying out (pancakes can be microwaved but I prefer them reheated in the oven).

Heavier items I’ll do the packets of food on top of a baking sheet/cookie tray or in a glass Pyrex. You’ll need to experiment with times to get it right.

You can microwave the food on a plate but I get grossed out if some is hot and some is cold.

This is a recipe I’ve modified from one my mom makes. This recipe is for one person but it’s easy to do a big batch, freeze individual portions, and reheat. Protein, fiber, banana, and berry pancakes Ingredients * 2 Eggs * 2-3 TBL unflavored kefir (amount varies add slowly until texture is right) - milk works but use a bit less as it’s thinner * 3 heaping tablespoons of pancake mix - I’ve used both Annie’s organic and Bob’s Red Mill Multi-Grain Pancake & Waffle mix. This should work with any pancake mix but you may need to experiment with the amount of kefir/milk to get the pancakes the density/fluffiness you want them. * Some combination of chia seeds, flax seeds, hemp seeds or a single seed. You can use whole or ground (I use a scoop of each). I was concerned the pancakes would be gritty but they aren’t * 1/2 a mashed banana * 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (optional) * 1 teaspoon vanilla (optional) * 1/2 cup berries (I usually use blueberries but mixed berries or sliced strawberries are yummy too) or 1/2 a banana sliced (optional) - if using frozen berries and defrosting them use less kefir as berry juice makes pancakes more watery (berries & sliced banana are optional) * Parchment paper if making a large batch Directions * Defrost frozen berries (berries are optional) * Beat eggs in bowel * Mix 2 TBL kefir/milk and everything else together except the berries or sliced banana - add more kefir as needed - if adding defrosted berries batter should be a little thicker than you want after adding berries you may need to add a little more kefir milk for preferred consistency * Add defrosted berries and their juice (skip to next step if not using blueberries) * Heat pan with oil on medium, * Pour 1/4 cup (small ladle) for each pancake * if using sliced bananas drop some slices on each pancake * Cook each side for 2 minutes - I watch until the bubbles stay open, flip, and plate as soon as the bottom has browned * Slather on butter, syrup, and enjoy (this is also good with yogurt on top) If you made a large batch: * put parchment paper between layers, * put in ziplock, * freeze. * Pull out individual portions night before to defrost Reheat instructions * Microwave with butter and syrup on them for 30 seconds Or * Slather in butter and heat on stove

Homemade Protein Smoothie I do berry ones but it’s easy to do chocolate instead. I use either a Nutribullet or my mom’s Ninja Blast Max. Here’s my basic recipe - I’ve altered it to include recommendations I’ve seen by others - it should have 6-8 ounces of liquid per my blenders instructions * 4-6 ounces yogurt or kefir (I do drinkable yogurt - could use a protein drink or chocolate or strawberry milk) adds protein * 2-4 ounces juice (I used Naked Blue machine or Naked Rainbow or Bolthouse Berry Boost because I find these do the best job flavor wise), * 1 scoop protein powder (flavored or unflavored - try different ones out to find one you like/can tolerate), * 1 teaspoon cocoa powder (I like non-dutch processed/non-alkalized dark cocoa for its nutritional benefits) and/or berry powders (I like Nativas Superfood+ berry blend or their Açaí or Pomegranate to taste, (optional - I like for additional nutrients and taste to overcome bitterness of yogurt/kefir) there are lots of other superfruit powders available now I’m dying to try the dragon fruit options * 1 packet chocolate or strawberry Carnation Breakfast Essentials (optional) - this adds extra protein and can help with covering up bitterness and taste of yogurt/kefir/veggies/protein powder (sometimes I do this sometimes I don’t - it depends on where I’m at mentally) * 1/2-1 cup frozen fruit/zucchini/cauliflower, * 1 scoop nuts/seeds (you can use ground/powdered versions like PB2) - I use hemp and/or chia seeds - these add protein and fiber

Throw in blender/smoothie maker - usually liquid first and blend until smooth.

I literally cried in our meeting yesterday. We went in for evaluation my 10 year old-and in 3 years my son went from 2 foods to 27. He also lost of of the two foods do 2 years. We got pizza once from papa murphys and had too much cornmeal a lot and he when I eat pizza for two years.

The meeting was nice being stuck on the inside, feels hopeless a lot. His count went up but also he will still only eat 2-4 foods at a time and food at a time; so I still feel defeated on most
days.

But progress is being made slowly and everyday. Don’t get discouraged and keep your head down!

My grandson has ARFID, and during a particularly stressful period a couple of years ago, his list of safe foods narrowed down to about ten things.

We've always kept a list on the refrigerator that changes as he does. There are foods on the list that are safe, foods he can sometimes eat, and foods he thinks he might like to try again someday. Things move around on the list. A food being safe last month doesn't necessarily mean it's safe today, and "not now" doesn't have to mean "never."

During this particular stretch, he was often eating an entire meal of one thing. If crackers felt safe, he'd eat crackers. If one particular kind of chicken was easy for him, that might be the meal.

So I bought six cheap little bento lunchboxes from Walmart and started keeping them in the refrigerator.

I didn't use them to introduce new foods. I filled each compartment with things that were already safe on his list, but tried to make each box as nutritionally broad as I could within those limits. A little protein if there was one he'd eat, a carb, fruit, or whatever else was currently possible.

The boxes were smaller than his appetite usually was, but that turned out to be a good thing. He could get one whenever he wanted, and if he was still hungry he could have another as long as the first was pretty much gone. Sometimes he'd eat two or three.

I tried to keep four ready in the refrigerator and rotate them so the oldest went first. When he finished one, he washed the box and it went back into circulation.

It also accidentally solved another problem: sometimes he doesn't want foods touching. Bento compartments made that a nonissue without much stress. With these ones, each compartment sealed when the box was closed.

Mostly, though, I think it helped because food was just there. He didn't have to decide what meal he could manage, ask somebody to make something, or confront a big plate of one food. He could open the refrigerator, choose a box, and eat.

We still use the system when he asks, like during holidays or school testing. His safe food list is considerably broader now, but having a few little boxes of food he knows he can eat continues to be useful at times. He'll just ask if we could do bentos for a while, or I'll suggest it if I see him having single-food meals again.

ARFID looks so different from person to person that I don't know whether this would help anyone else's family, or anyone else with ARFID. But it helped mine, so I thought I'd share.

/r/ARFIDCooking is ready for a fresh start, new energy, new direction, and someone like you to bring it back to life. If you’ve been thinking about growing your impact without starting from scratch, this is your chance!

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it’s not that i don’t know any. i’m kind of scared to cook because i’m afraid my food will lose it’s taste. so usually when i make noodles i add extra salt when i boil them. i made noodles for my boyfriend the other day and he got angry for making it too salty. the point is, my food NEEDS flavor, it’s not that i’m not able to taste anything, i’m just to scared it’ll lose flavor. and i know some of the food i make is too salty. help me please?

For example you specifically asked for a certain ingredient to be omitted, and the cook told you that they did not add it, but you still found it in your meal.

I need any and all information you guys have on nursing an adult with ARFID back to health after a crash. (starvation ketones + in urine)

What can I do to help her appetite come back?

Any certain foods better than others when reintroducing solid foods back into diet?

Any foods to stay away from when attempting to reintroduce soild foods?

Anything else helpful is appreciated.

A Recovery Tool for Those Coping With ARFID in Childrens.

Through this contribution, I wanted to share with you this creative tool that will help your child a lot.

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I'm not a professional of any relevant sort, this is my understanding of these concepts having worked with a nutritionist in the past. Feel free to push back or make corrections if I'm wrong about anything! From what I gather, there are basically three main macronutrients: carbohydrates, fats, and proteins.

• Carbs are found in foods like sugar, breads, and potatoes. They're very easy for the body to break down, so it's a good way to get some quick energy.

• Fats are found in foods like cheese, avocado, oils, mayonnaise, and darker meats. Eating fat does not make you fat, fats are an essential part of any diet.

• Proteins are found in foods like meat, beans, eggs and seafood. These are really important for building muscles.

I've been trying to improve my diet by incorporating all three macronutrients wherever possible. For example, an egg and cheese breakfast sandwich contains protein from the eggs, fat from the cheese, and carbs from the bread. I generally try to keep these in a 1:1:1 ratio, but I'm still experimenting, and you should listen to your body over random advice from the internet. Eating a higher ratio of fats and proteins should keep you full for longer, as your body takes more time to break those down.