School lunch ideas

[Sugar Jones]

So YOU can't send anything with nuts? Really?

It's pretty common these days. We can't send anything with nuts, nothing can be made from scratch for fear of cross contamination in the baking items. It's not hard to do, just read labels and pay attention to what you sending. Totally worth it to keep a child's life save

 

[Sugar Jones]

Also wanted to add that most parents of the child with allergies are more than welcome to hearing from you and getting some food ideas from them. There is a child in Max's class with a severe allergy. She made up a list of snacks, brand name foods, no name food etc.. something to fit everyone's budget of foods that were safe. She also made a list of products that were not save and things to avoid. She provided her phone number and email address for anyone who had questions.

 

[southernbelle20]

I knew y'all would come through!!!!

There are some great ideas, and good links posted on here. Thank y'all so much for your help!

 

[apnep]

I have been looking into getting a system for my daughter. She refuses to eat the school lunches (and I don't blame her) but for the most part, last year all she took was turkey sandwiches. Sometimes I could send her with a salad. She is a really good eater, and I think a bento type system would be great.

I am wondering, those of you with these systems, can you send hot food in these containers and will it still be hot when they get to the food? Cold food??

Thanks!

 

[Mkaz]

We love a bento style lunch here. Check out lunch in a box for ideas. We don't do full on asian bento here but I've adapted a lot of the ideas and cute and cut presentation means more often my son will actually eat his lunch (instead of talking...such a chatterbug...dh says's he gets it from me)

Here are some more kid friendly bento sites (even if you don't bento it might inspire different lunch choices)

Wendolonia
Everyday things

Thanks for the websites. My children have been asking for Bento Boxes.

 

[Dunkeress]

What a great thread!!!

 

[RN01]

subbing...

 

[dismom301930]

I have been looking into getting a system for my daughter. She refuses to eat the school lunches (and I don't blame her) but for the most part, last year all she took was turkey sandwiches. Sometimes I could send her with a salad. She is a really good eater, and I think a bento type system would be great.

I am wondering, those of you with these systems, can you send hot food in these containers and will it still be hot when they get to the food? Cold food??

I use the Lunchsense system and the thermos that fits it (10 oz. Thermos - says Thermax on the back) keeps the food hot. My DDs say that sometimes they even have to let the food cool off a bit before eating! This thermos fits very nicely into the Lunchsense boxes, but it can be purchased at many stores (got mine at Walmart) and can be sent in many lunchboxes.

I am not sure how warm food would stay in a traditional Bento style box. I was interested in sending Bento lunches when I first heard about them, but I ended up getting the Lunchsense system (after much research!) because it was more flexible. I can still do some Bento-style food in the larger container on mornings when I am feeling creative! But for the most part, I pack a large variety of foods and my DDs seem happy with what they bring.

 

[badblackpug]

I have the added fun of the "fat police." They dictate what you can and cannot feed your kids. No juice box larger than the toddler size. No chips, cookies, snack cakes, or puddings. Only certain types of yogurt and crackers.

Other than sandwiches and soups:

Celery with cram cheese or peanut butter (if you can)
Raisins
Sliced apples with fat free caramel dip (individual size)
Raw vegetable with fat free ranch dip (individual size)
Bagels with cream cheese
String cheese
Cheese cubes
no sugar added fruit cups
unsweetened cereal

I let my kids buy lunch on Fridays ....pizza day.... I guess the fat police have Fridays off!

 

[jacksmomma]

I have the added fun of the "fat police." They dictate what you can and cannot feed your kids. No juice box larger than the toddler size. No chips, cookies, snack cakes, or puddings. Only certain types of yogurt and crackers.

Other than sandwiches and soups:

Celery with cram cheese or peanut butter (if you can)
Raisins
Sliced apples with fat free caramel dip (individual size)
Raw vegetable with fat free ranch dip (individual size)
Bagels with cream cheese
String cheese
Cheese cubes
no sugar added fruit cups
unsweetened cereal

I let my kids buy lunch on Fridays ....pizza day.... I guess the fat police have Fridays off!

No Doubt! They dictate how much fat your kids can have?! What do the school lunches look like?! When I was teaching and eating lunch at school regularly I gained 15 pounds!

 

[PixiePlanner]

As far as the lunch systems go, I just bought a set of the smallest gladware/ziploc type containers I could find. I think they hold 6-8 oz. I pack one with grapes, one with crackers, etc. I make my own system. I think I started with a set of 6. As of this morning, I still have four: one, DS lost the only time he took his lunch last year; the other, the top just split after so many uses. I think the 6 cost me <$3. They don't owe me any money. I am ready to spend another $3 for this year.

 

[badblackpug]

No Doubt! They dictate how much fat your kids can have?! What do the school lunches look like?! When I was teaching and eating lunch at school regularly I gained 15 pounds!

Yes...we are "fighting childhood obesity" here.

No soda
Nothing listing the 1st ingredient as sugar in any form
Artificial sweeteners are discouraged
All forms of candy (no fruit snacks)
No more than 8g of fat per serving
No more than 2g of saturated fat per serving
snacks only in single serving size
No more than 8oz whole milk
Fruit juice may only be 100% and only toddler size

Obviously, home made items are impossible to police.
I am not impressed with the school lunches. My kids only eat the pizza, I just don't think they are worth the price. They are $2.25 per day. They are typically chicken nuggets, hoagies, ravioli, chicken patty sandwich, hot ham and cheese, baked chicken, and once a week "breakfast for lunch" pancakes and turkey sausage. Each is serve with 1 vegetable, 1 fruit, and milk.

They also have a "bag lunch" option which is bagel with cream cheese, PB&J sandwich, or turkey and cheese sandwich.

Stories:

My sister sent a snack pack of Doritos to school with her son on his birthday. They took it away from him, and sent a note home regarding the nutrition policy.

A coworker sent a Lunchable with her daughter on Friday (pizza day) because at her daughter's school you have to purchase a whole meal plan, you can't pay by the day, so she could have a treat, too. She received a very terse letter about the nutrition policy.

A friend has a son with autism. He eats the same thing every day. Pretzel sticks, a bagel with cream cheese and jam, raisins, and juice. She received a call from his teacher stating that his lunch was "nutritious." My friend was floored. This is a special ed teacher who supposedly has a ton of experience with autism.

 

[jodifla]

Yes...we are "fighting childhood obesity" here.

No soda
Nothing listing the 1st ingredient as sugar in any form
Artificial sweeteners are discouraged
All forms of candy (no fruit snacks)
No more than 8g of fat per serving
No more than 2g of saturated fat per serving
snacks only in single serving size
No more than 8oz whole milk
Fruit juice may only be 100% and only toddler size

Obviously, home made items are impossible to police.

Stories:

My sister sent a snack pack of Doritos to school with her son on his birthday. They took it away from him, and sent a note home regarding the nutrition policy.

A coworker sent a Lunchable with her daughter on Friday (pizza day) because at her daughter's school you have to purchase a whole meal plan, you can't pay by the day, so she could have a treat, too. She received a very terse letter about the nutrition policy.

A friend has a son with autism. He eats the same thing every day. Pretzel sticks, a bagel with cream cheese and jam, raisins, and juice. She received a call from his teacher stating that his lunch was "nutritious." My friend was floored. This is a special ed teacher who supposedly has a ton of experience with autism.

Wow! This is TERRIBLE! Can't believe parents put up with it.

It's true...schools are going fascist these days.

 

[badblackpug]

Wow! This is TERRIBLE! Can't believe parents put up with it.

It's true...schools are going fascist these days.

It's a little crazy. I really don't think the average child is harmed by a small treat in their lunch box. As kids my mom always packed a nutritious lunch, but always a small treat. A couple of cookies, a pudding pack, a fruit roll up... but no one want their kid embarassed by having the teacher point it out.

..... on a funny note, my friend whose son has autism offered to pack a more "nutritious" lunch for her son. She did however, warn the teacher that it was SHE who would have to deal with his meltdown from lunch time until dismissal! She never mentioned it again!

 

[bookgirl]

http://www.lhms.org/nut-free-lunch-ideas.html

Okay, I just was struck by how they kept saying "tree nut". They listed peanuts but peanuts are a lequme then grow in the ground. It's two seperate allergies. It's a school you think they would know that.

 

[mommyoeo]

Okay, I just was struck by how they kept saying "tree nut". They listed peanuts but peanuts are a lequme then grow in the ground. It's two seperate allergies. It's a school you think they would know that.

Peanut allergy is an indicator of tree nut allergy risk and vise versa, I believe.

 

[semo233]

Here's an old thread with lots of great ideas....not all nut free, but there are lots of posts with tons of great ideas:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1918277

 

[onescgirl]

I pack my kids lunch almost everyday because it's more nutritional than school lunch.

We usually pack baby carrots or sliced cucumbers as a snack everyday. I used to pour Ranch dressing in a small container for the dip. I then started asking for extra Ranch dip packs at McDonalds, Chick-fil-a, etc... & now use those packs for their lunch.
Just thought I would share that tip for the ranch dip.

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

Im a parent with a child that has a severe peanut allergy. I always feel like I have to apologize to all the parents in her class. Trust me it tough !! There are 3 kids in her school with the Nut allergy and they group them together in the same class. Her class is peanut free but not the whole school. Its scary. She starts 1st grade next week and Im already dreading field trips etc. People just don't understand. Lunches are hard for us as well. She loves fruit and veggies so I stick to mainly that plus string cheese, lunch meat with crackers. Its hard to think of new things. The cafeteria lunches at her school are awful. We might try the thermos with soup this year. Thanks for the ideas.

DD is going to K this fall and I am so dreading it, not sure how the school handles FAs. When registering I asked to meet with the nurse and haven't heard anything from her thus far.

DD will only be there half a day, no lunch, but snack time. Hoping her room is peanut free.
Had an awful experience while in a school, teacher brought in cheddar cheese balls and a little one was severely allergic to milk, I noticed the little girl was handed a cheese ball and was opening it, I took it out of her hand and saw CONTAINS: MILK. Thankfully she didn't get the chance to eat it.

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

Peanut allergy is an indicator of tree nut allergy risk and vise versa, I believe.

DD has a peanut allergy, was tested for some tree nuts she blew up slightly for almonds, but just the almonds, and it wasn't anywhere near as bad as the peanut reaction, so I just keep her away from all nuts lol.