What Do You Do For School?

[ptkds]

I have a 3rd grader and a kindergartener. I need some good suggestions for gluten free meals to send w/ them to school. And what can they have during parties? At this school, they have a snack bar and they don't follow the "no sugar" rules. I don't have a problem w/ that, but most of this stuff also has gluten. The snack bar is full of ice cream sandwiches and cones that would contain gluten. We haven't started the gluten-free diet yet, but we will soon. And these 2 kids of mine will be tested this week, but I am pretty sure my oldest has celiac. I am not sure about my other dd.

Thanks!!

ptkds

[lonewolf]

My kids are a little older, but we still need to pack gluten-free lunches. Some of their favorites include: Deli turkey on rice tortillas or wrapped in lettuce leaves; peanut butter and jelly on gluten-free bread or rice tortillas; leftovers in a thermos bottle; chips and bean dip; chicken caesar salad; carrot sticks, nuts, turkey pepperoni sticks, applesauce, chips, apple slices, string cheese, Envirokidz cereal bars, homemade cookies, and juice boxes.

I try to have some type of treat that's easy to take in case of a party. Last year, when my son was still in elementary school, I gave the teacher several large, individually wrapped cookies (I think they're called Nana's). She kept them in her desk and whenever there was a birthday party or something, she could pull one out and give it to him so he had something special too. If I knew ahead, I would bake cupcakes and send one. (Putting them in the freezer sounds great, but nothing in my house really lasts that long.) I even made homemade donuts for Krispy Kreme day. Not nearly as good, but my son was happy.

You'll get the hang of it!

[Guest nini]

Try talking to your schools cafeteria manager and county school dietician about what food on the lunch menu are actually naturally gluten-free... They may be able to help you formulate a meal plan. Because my daugter has Dr.s notes on file at school we get special help from the cafeteria staff in preparing her meals at school. (but you could probably help your child figure out which menu items are safe and they can select them themselves... my daughter is not that confident with making her menu choices, this way it's all prepared for her when she goes through the line and kept in a safe area away from cross contamination... they also prepare her meal first) We've been doing this now for several months and so far it's working out great. This way she gets hot vegetables, fresh fruit, a salad and sometimes even a main dish and that way I only have to send one or two items each day in her lunch box to supplement what she buys at school. We had to get special permission from the principal for her to set her lunch box down at the table before going through the line, but it's worked great so far. At the beginning of each month I download the cafeteria menu off of the county website and then at the beginning of each week we select her menu choices for the week and I print out copies for the cafeteria staff and myself. This way I know what I need to send each day a week in advance. For example, this week, today I send gluten-free crackers, tuesday I will send a pb&j sandwich, wed, I will send taco meat for her to put on the cheese nachos she will get, thursday I'll send Beanies and Weanies, and Friday I don't have to send anything unless she wants a gluten-free bun for her bunless hamburger. But each day she's getting at least one fruit and one vegetable, milk, and the feeling that she's getting to eat like everyone else.

[wifeandmomofceliac]

I have a 3rd grader and a kindergartener. I need some good suggestions for gluten free meals to send w/ them to school. And what can they have during parties? At this school, they have a snack bar and they don't follow the "no sugar" rules. I don't have a problem w/ that, but most of this stuff also has gluten. The snack bar is full of ice cream sandwiches and cones that would contain gluten. We haven't started the gluten-free diet yet, but we will soon. And these 2 kids of mine will be tested this week, but I am pretty sure my oldest has celiac. I am not sure about my other dd.

Thanks!!

ptkds

My 3rd grader likes to take Humus and Mary's Gone Crackers, tuna salad, Dinty Moore Beef Stew, egg salad, fresh fruit, pancake sandwiches (she likes that better than most gluten-free breads), etc. She packs her own lunch each day, and lets me know if we are low on something she wants. I help with some things, like boiling the eggs, or mixing the tuna salad, but mostly she takes responsibility. To facilitate this, she has a reminder chart of what she needs to do to get herself ready in the morning, and one for what she needs to pack in her lunch box. (1 protein, 2 veggie/fruit, 1 carbohydrate, 1 dairy, 1 drink) I know this probably seems like a lot to expect, but we got here over time, and she really likes the feeling of being in charge of her own diet. If you decide to go this route, be ready with lots of instruction (what's acarbohydrate again?), reminders, and encouragement. Be ready to jump in and help when she is running behind schedule. (It's gonna happen.) But overall, I think you'll see a positive outlook on things.

Good luck!

Michelle