School Lunch Ideas

[Esther Sparhawk]

This question gets posted periodically, and since I've been the mom of a celiac kid for 6 yrs, every now and again, I like to re-start the topic, because I always get great ideas to add to my school lunch repertoire. Everybody submit your ideas please! What do you like to put in your child's lunchbox?

Here are my child's two favorites:

STICK DAY:

• 
  
  
• 3 Old Wisconsin pepperoni sticks
  
• 3 mazzerella cheese sticks
  
• 8-10 Glutino Bread Sticks
  
• 6 carrot sticks
  
• 6 peanut butter or cream-cheese filled celery sticks
  
• juice
  

gluten-free LUNCHABLES:

• 
  
  
• gluten-free lunchmeat cut into cubes (ham or turkey or a little of both)-- Buddig lunchmeats have been labeling their meats with a gluten-free label lately.
  
• Swiss cheese squares
  
• cheddar cheese squares
  
• rice crackers
  
• apple slices
  
• raisins
  
• juice
  

You can also do PB&J lunchables or cream cheese lunchables. They're fun to make at school. Just send a plastic knife along with the ingredients. With PB&J or cream cheese lunchables, the raisins and apple slices are yummy on the crackers too.

YOUR TURN! What do you put in your kids' lunchboxes?

[Mizzo]

We just tried the Bisquick biscuits and they are great with some jelly or I suppose flavored whipped cream cheese.( the non whipped might ull the biscuit apart.

We do bologna and cheese rollups in corn tortilla's. I heat up the tortilla ,put fillings in it and roll it up and wrap in foil.

A cup of granola with added dried fruits along with some plain or vanilla yogurt. Mix in yourself. I usually put in a protein of some kind on the side.

I get Tostito's rounds and slice up some cheese and build a pyramid alternating the two items. You could add in pepperoni slices also.

keep idea's coming

[Kimmik95]

Good idea! We really struggle with this. Chris also has ADHD, so his meds cause an appetite suppressent through the day - which makes preparing a lunch he will eat even more challenging!

We do:

meat rollups

Pudding cup

pear cup

orange drink/gatorade

or:

nacho lunchable

pudding cup

pear cup

drink

or:

homemade chef salad

ranch dressing (made with gluten-free mayo and the powdered ranch)

pudding cup

pear cup

drink

The pudding cup and pear cup is about all he consistantly eats.

We lucked out that the cafeteria supervisor will heat items up for him, but we haven't made use of that yet.

This question gets posted periodically, and since I've been the mom of a celiac kid for 6 yrs, every now and again, I like to re-start the topic, because I always get great ideas to add to my school lunch repertoire. Everybody submit your ideas please! What do you like to put in your child's lunchbox?

Here are my child's two favorites:

STICK DAY:

• 
  
  
• 3 Old Wisconsin pepperoni sticks
  
• 3 mazzerella cheese sticks
  
• 8-10 Glutino Bread Sticks
  
• 6 carrot sticks
  
• 6 peanut butter or cream-cheese filled celery sticks
  
• juice
  

gluten-free LUNCHABLES:

• 
  
  
• gluten-free lunchmeat cut into cubes (ham or turkey or a little of both)-- Buddig lunchmeats have been labeling their meats with a gluten-free label lately.
  
• Swiss cheese squares
  
• cheddar cheese squares
  
• rice crackers
  
• apple slices
  
• raisins
  
• juice
  

You can also do PB&J lunchables or cream cheese lunchables. They're fun to make at school. Just send a plastic knife along with the ingredients. With PB&J or cream cheese lunchables, the raisins and apple slices are yummy on the crackers too.

YOUR TURN! What do you put in your kids' lunchboxes?

[missy'smom]

There's a link on my profile to lunches that I've sent in the past.

Now my son's a middle schooler so we stick to a certain rotation of peer approved lunches.

Bagel sandwiches on Udi's bagels, small fruit(raisins usually)

Trader Joe's brown rice pasta tossed with steamed broccolini and pepperoni slices and olive oil, parmesan cheese, some fruit offering or juice

thermos of broccoli cheese rice(leftover white rice with steamed, diced broccoli stem pieces, ham or leftover roasted chicken, and shredded cheese, salt and pepper-all warmed up together in the microwave)

thermos of homemade Italian meatballs and pasta, parm on the side, cheese stick

chicken quesadillas with Food for Life brown rice tortillas, fruit

occasionally fried rice with some extra meat offering on the side, fruit

[teresasupermom]

My dd hates lunch meat or any meat that is cold at all so that eliminates a lot of the roll up type foods or lunchable ideas. We do a lot of leftovers from dinner that get popped in the microwave for her. We also send in gluten free chicken nuggets which also go in the microwave. The only thing that she will eat cold is pb&j on Udi's bread.

[CeliacMom2008]

Tuna salad with potato chips for dipping into the tuna salad

Chicken salad with grapes, apples, carrots, pecans in it

Crepes! - Ham and Cheese rolled up inside them when they're warm, then packed cool to be warmed in the microwave (or eaten cold)

Canned turkey with ranch dressing (like a tuna salad consistency) with crackers or chips for dipping

PB&J on a pancake

Leftover pizza

Thermos foods:

Sloppy Joe (with or without a bun, my son likes it plain or...you guessed it, with chips for dipping)

Fried Rice

Lasagna

Soup

Scrambled Eggs

Chicken pot pie (without the "pie" and with noodles instead)

Mac & Cheese

Big favorite around here: take leftover chicken from a roasted whole chicken (or whatever you have leftover), make gravy with juices from roasted chicken and/or chicken stock or broth and cornstarch, and mix with rice. This is a great "planned leftover meal".

Sides:

muffins (goes well with scrambled eggs)

yogurt

pudding cups

cheese

fresh fruit

fresh veggies with ranch

nuts

raisins

trail mix

bars - Enviro Kids, General Mills Nut Crunch, Kind Bars, Lara Bars, Boombi Bars, etc.

Cliff Twists

Stretch Island Fruit Leather

Crispy Rice Treats

Apples and caramel dip

[mikyraso]

I saw someone post that they packed Granola for the child's lunch. Can you tell me what brand of Granola you use?

[Mizzo]

I saw someone post that they packed Granola for the child's lunch. Can you tell me what brand of Granola you use?

Udi's is gluten-free and Trader Joe's has a gluten-free type.

[srall]

I don't think I'm adding anything new here. My daughter also doesn't have dairy or corn so this is what's worked for us:

Home made muffins

soups/pesto/stews in thermos

PBJ on Ud's bread

Sliced apples/grapes/fruit

carrots/celery

mandarin oranges not in corn syrup

apple sauce

bunny snacks

fruit leather

home made smoothies in a "coffee" mug (you know...to go mug adults use)

I will say buying the $13 thermos at Target as been the best investment. I figure at school I have a captive audience, so that's when she'll eat her one good nutritious meal of the day.

[GFreeMO]

When you mention Lunchable, are you talking about the product called Lunchables or something else? I thought that these contained meat, cheese and crackers. Are there some gluten free ones? Are they labeled as such?

Thx!

[Mizzo]

I believe that was just a header BUT supposedly the nacho , salsa and cheese dip lunchable is gluten free. I would believe it is made on share equipment though.

We have never thought it worth the risk to try them.

[Kelleybean]

Bagel and tofutti "cream cheese", PB&J made with sunbutter (I know some schools won't let you send peanut butter b/c of allergens so we've been using sunbutter), muffins with stuff sneaked into the batter. I like an idea I saw on this forum a while back with bento boxes that let you send a bunch of different things rather than a sandwich and side.

[coffeetime]

I saw someone post that they packed Granola for the child's lunch. Can you tell me what brand of Granola you use?

[/quote

I make this one, although I usually cut the recipe in half and I usually leave out the raisins and cherries and add in when using. I found the gluten-free granola hard to find and expensive.

Nutty Granola

* 1/2 cup canola oil

* 1/3 cup hot water

* 2/3 cup honey

* 6 cups gluten free rolled oats

* 3/4 cup sliced almonds

* 3/4 cup chopped pecans

* 3/4 cup chopped walnuts

* 1 cup raisins

* 1 1/2 cups golden raisins

* 1/2 cup dried cherries

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, hot water and honey. In a large bowl, stir together the oats, almonds, pecans, and walnuts. Pour the honey mixture into the oat mixture and stir until the oats and nuts are evenly coated. Spread out the granola onto 2 baking sheets.

3. Bake for 10 minutes, stir, and bake 10 more minutes, or until toasted. Allow granola to cool completely before stirring in the raisins, golden raisins and dried cherries. Granola will harden as it cools. Break apart any large lumps, and store in an airtight container at room temperature.

[Esther Sparhawk]

I saw someone post that they packed Granola for the child's lunch. Can you tell me what brand of Granola you use?

We buy "Nutty Cranberry Maple Granola" from Bakery on Main, but it's not cheap. It's fantastically yummy though. As a fair substitute, you can make your own (as other users noted) and Chex cereals are now labeling some of their products gluten-free. They are, of course, a handy grain product to easily mix with raisins, nuts (if you're not allergic), and other dried fruits.

[Esther Sparhawk]

When you mention Lunchable, are you talking about the product called Lunchables or something else? I thought that these contained meat, cheese and crackers. Are there some gluten free ones? Are they labeled as such?

Thx!

Yeah, I probably should've put quotation marks around "LUNCHABLES" because they're our own, home-made "Lunchables". I pack them in a Hello Kitty divider lunchbox, so they look fun, like the real thing.

Sorry for the confusion.

[Esther Sparhawk]

Just today, I discovered two new items to put in my little one's lunchbox:

• 
  
  
• Post Fruity Pebble Treats
  
• Betty Crocker Fruit Gushers
  

They're both labeled with "gluten free" on the front of the box. I'm glad more and more companies are starting to label products as gluten-free! I do worry, though about cross-contamination in the assembly lines.

I'm going to try these out w/ my kiddo this week and see how things go.

[sa1937]

Just today, I discovered two new items to put in my little one's lunchbox:

• Post Fruity Pebble Treats
• Betty Crocker Fruit Gushers

They're both labeled with "gluten free" on the front of the box. I'm glad more and more companies are starting to label products as gluten-free! I do worry, though about cross-contamination in the assembly lines.

I'm going to try these out w/ my kiddo this week and see how things go.

I just bought a box of gluten-free Post Cocoa Pebbles and it came with a free sample of a Cocoa Pebbles Treat. I had one bite to taste it and then my granddaughter devoured it. She'll have Cocoa Pebbles for breakfast today...I figure they might make a good gluten-free chocolate pie crust. Glad to see Post has jumped on the gluten-free bandwagon following in General Mills footsteps...now if only Kellogg's would!