School Aged Kids And Lunch

[Tony'sMom]

Hello

My son will be entering the 1st grade next year and I'm already stressing about lunch. What do you usually pack for your children?

My son likes sandwiches but the bread doesn't seem to hold up so well. Of course that could be because I'm not doing a great job with baking it. I'm just trying to think of other kid friendly stuff that I can send.

Thanks!

[Guest nini]

I get Kinnikinick bread, keep it in the fridge and warm it in the microwave in the morning, make sandwich and put in ziploc sandwich bag, it holds up just fine...

I also heat up chicken nuggets or fish sticks (Ian's allergen free) and wrap in foil and send with packets of Ketchup collected from Chick Fil A or McDonalds, Fruit cups, fresh fruit like bananas, or apples, Leftovers heated up and served in Thermos, Amy's gluten free soups in Thermos, Dinty Moore Beef stew in thermos or Hormel Beanies and Weenies in thermos, Tacos wrapped in foil, Salads with dressing on the side, cheese toast on Kinnikinick bread, lunch meat roll ups, cut up hot dogs in thermos or whole hot dog wrapped in corn tortilla and wrapped in foil... hope that gives you some ideas.

[2Boys4Me]

Ty has the same lunch every day. The first 4 days of school he had an egg salad bunwich. Then for two days he had chicken with rice soup. All the rest of the days he has 2-3 slices of banana bread (from the Incredible Edible Gluten Free Food for Kids cookbook), a sliced hard boiled egg and either pepperoni, cold left over steak, roast beef or chicken or cubed cheese and a juice box of Wildberry juice.

On the days when the school offers "Fun Lunch" Arby's roast beef sandwiches or chicken strips or Panago Pizza, he taked chicken fried rice. I have to be there for fun lunch anyway, so either I take it up hot or I use the staff room microwave to heat it up for him.

His teacher also has a stash of gluten-free treats in her desk so if someone shows up with timbits, cookies, cupcakes or rice krispies for a birthday he has something to eat.

[eKatherine]

If the bread's a little fragile, put it in a sandwich box rather than a baggie.

[lonewolf]

My son likes deli meat wrapped up in lettuce or corn tortillas, secured with a toothpick. A 100% juice box, carrot sticks, chips or pretzels (Ener-G brand), homemade cookies, Envirokidz cereal bar, piece of fruit and sometimes popcorn. He also likes tortilla chips and a little thermos of warm refried beans to dip them in. If your son can handle milk, string cheese is a good idea or yogurt. A thermal lunch bag or box and a little ice pack can keep cold things cold. My gluten eating kids like lettuce wraps and the gluten-free cereal bars too, so all the kids take a similar lunch.

[Tony'sMom]

I got a lot of great ideas, thanks everyone!

[momandgirls]

My daughter takes salad with oil and vinegar in a separate container, fresh or dried fruit, raw veggies, soy pudding, Ener-G pretzels, celery with PB and raisins, dry cereal (usually Panda Puffs)...

[johalex]

My son also has to be dairy-free. He takes turkey slices with soy cheese, crackers with soy cheese, hot dogs in a thermos, tuna salad or sandwiches on bread made from The Gluten Free Pantry mix. He has fruit of all kinds, cashews, gluten'free fruit bars, dry cereal (Envirokids), fresh popcorn, things like that.

[Smunkeemom]

my girls and I have to bring our lunch to a lot of the play dates we go to, we get the Oscar Meyer meat and cheese combos at the Walmart, it's like a lunchable without any crackers and it's gluten free, we add to that some fruit and maybe some good veggies and it's all in all a pretty good lunch (some days we are "bad" and sub. the fruit for some hershey kisses )

we like chicken salad, tuna salad, egg salad, and pea salad (not all at the same time) on gluten free crackers.

oh and tortilla wrap ups, corn tortilla, cream cheese, meat, and veggies, rolled up. It's pretty good.

Just remember it doesn't have to look like everyone else's food, in fact most kids would be jealous when he comes in with a ziplock of grapes