Peanut - free lunches

Who has some ideas for healthy, nut-free lunches. I end up packing the same old thing every day and my kids start bringing back the same old thing every day.

My child never liked sandwiches, they were always brought back.

There's always friuts and vegs, with different dips, like cheese or ranch dressing. I used to put a cold pack in with his lunch every day and that kept the food nice and crunchy which is always nicer than room temp foods. Apples sprinkled with a bit of lemon juice will prevent them from turning brown. If you do your own baking, you can ensure what ingredients are in your cookies. I used to make a fabulous chocolate chip cookie that all the kids loved. It's pretty easy to create a peanut=free lunch menu, if you stay away from over=processed, prepackaged food items.

Those little pita's cut up with dip are good. Carrot and celery sticks with dip. If you freeze the yogurt tubes they work as ice packs too and when they thaw by first break or recess there ready to eat. Cut up cheese and polish sausage with crackers (better than those lunchables). Banana bread with cream cheese. Carrot muffins. salsa and chips.

If they have access to a microwave, as some classrooms do, you could always send a mini pizza, hot dog, or some soup and crackers. Making lunch was always a chore at my house and I only had one to make but kids do get sick of sandwiches regardless of what kind you make them. If they like salad, then send salad and some dip for it. I never bought those Lunchables as I find they are just disgusting and not something I would ever have given my daughter no matter how much she begged me for them.

A few more....my granddaughter likes those Tostitos Scoops (corn chips) with little M&M meatballs tucked inside. They fit perfectly! Good hot or cold.

Another idea is cheese slices or thin ham rolled up in a whole wheat tortilla and left as a roll...or cut in half..or sliced into pinwheels with toothpicks poked through. Can also use cream cheese in these roll-ups. With spinach or whatever your child likes. Ham and cream cheese. Cheese Whiz.

Small wraps can be made with half a tortilla. Add the filling. Fold the bottom of the curved side up like a short flap, and roll. Like they do at Seraphina's.
You can add grated carrots to a wrap, bits of chicken, ham, lettuce, spinach, shredded cheese etc. Depends on what your child eats.

Last of all..12 Grain Bread toasted and lightly buttered. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. So yummy! A good way to get kids to eat hearty whole grain bread. Good cold or warm. I cut the toast into strips or circles or squares or stars and cut off the crusts. Makes for cute little easy-to-eat mouthfuls. With some cubes of cheese, this makes a good lunch.

Oh, also a ziplock with cereal or popcorn. Kids always like that.

Harder and harder to get good protein into lunches. If kids don't like chicken or lunchmeat, eggs are hard to pack because they smell! And salmon too. And no refrigeration makes it risky.

And schools are peanut-free...so no peanut butter. I guess they just have to eat their protein at suppertime.
Sunflower seeds are OK. SPTIZ brand are peanut-free.

cking.. what great ideas for lunches! Thank you!

Thanks. The biggest problem with kids and eating is the shortage of time. They need something that's just a mouthful. They get a few minutes at recess and need to pop something and run.

Some kids are just embarrassed and overwhelmed to have huge food items like a big bun with meat. They prefer something in pieces....like pepperoni sticks cut up or a couple cubes of pineapple and grapes on a skewer. Or bite-sized pieces of white chicken meat on toothpicks. Small stuff and a good variety.

Especially as kids get to grade 5 to 8, they are very self-conscious about their lunches..afraid that someone will comment on the smell or appearance of their food. So many kids stop eating their lunches all together!

Some of you may know that I write a column in The Hub, the NYCA newspaper. In August, I wrote an article on just this topic...school lunches.
Here's more of what I wrote:

Lock n' Lock plastic boxes are sold at Zellers. They are divided plastic containers with a snap lid. My granddaughters like them because you can put about 6 to 8 different little food items in the box..like Japanese Bento boxes. And it's always a surprise. Lots of good little bits and pieces which will surely appeal to the pickiest eater! For example, a couple of Mini-Wheats, a marshmallow, carrot coins, one Hershey Kiss, 3 grapes on a toothpick,
a few small wedges of whole wheat tortilla (baked in the oven until crisp,)
a cube of cheese, 2 pretzels, rolled up half slices of ham with a toothpick or around a gherkin pickle...and any of the ideas mentioned previously.

The kids actually get a bit more time to eat in a lot of schools now. They have gone to the Balanced Day. Less garbage too, as the kids are ready to eat when they get their breaks and seem to be eating whats in their lunch pails.

More time then in High school! the kids now get 35 minutes and everyone has the same lunch time! My kids usually dont get lunch because the line up are too long

They get plenty of time at HT ... 70 min. and they stay in school later in the day. Its well worth the extra minutes