Kid's Lunches

I asked my daughter if she knew anyone allergic to nuts or peanuts at her school and she named a girl in her class. Then I asked if she ate lunch with everyone else in the cafeteria and she said yes.

So I guess it depends on the severity of the allergy. This girl's obviously is not that bad. Hence, other children are allowed to eat peanut butter around her. No one is allowed to share anything in their lunches with other students and most kids with food allergies know what they're allergic to. (In my experience anyway)

Maybe some schools just find it easier to ban nut products from their school altogether rather than have to find out the severity of each child's allergy. I don't know - just a guess.
 
What about almond butter? Or whole nuts (raw walnuts, almonds) if the "butter" makes people think it might be p.b. (the whole nuts won't be mistaken for the "disallowed" nuts). A 1/2 cup of a trail mix (homemade) with dried fruits, nuts, etc.
 
>1. Appalachian Trail mix--it has wheat chex cereal, peanuts
>(I guess you can leave those out), raisins, mini chocolate
>chips.

A perfect place to substitute almonds or walnuts for peanuts!
 
>Maybe some schools just find it easier to ban nut products
>from their school altogether rather than have to find out the
>severity of each child's allergy. I don't know - just a
>guess.

American Airlines gives out pretzels instead of peanuts nowdays because of the allergy problem. Which is why I was surprised that Northwestern airline sells (doesn't GIVE!) trail mix with peanuts in. Guess they don't care as much about people with severe peanut allergies (who could go into anaphalactic (sp?) shock just by inhaling the "dust" from someone eating peanuts next to them.

(Sorry to go off on a tangent!).
 
Another idea is to do home made wheat pretzels, and then have dipping sauce with them, they are easy to make, and you can put whatever topping you want on them, so it doesn’t have to be salt.

My niece loves yogurt, fruit, raw veggies, different types of pasta salads, nuts, seeds, cheese, crackers, bread but not in a sandwich.

One thing to do is list everything she likes and then start putting things together, once you start a list it makes it so much easier to make lunch and you’ll even be able to look down it, and see which are quick lunches when your short of time. That’s basically what I did. But then again I kind of got a kid toss at me, and had no idea of her likes and dislikes just I ended up playing Mom for about a year, and tried to keep everything going smoothly for her. The poor thing got stuck with me to live with, and to top it off we didn’t know much about each other, the last thing I wanted to do was send her to school with something she wasn’t going to eat.

The schools around here outlawed any type of nut products as well. I got in trouble about a year ago, I was working with academics and fitness, and I was setting up everything for my first class at one of the elementary school gym's as that’s what I was given to hold a fitness class, it was geared the stay at home and working mom's and it was close to their neighborhood so they didn't have to go all the way across town to workout. I was snacking on some almonds when a janitor came in and told me I wasn't allow to have nuts in there, as that is also where the kids eat at lunch. This was when school had just gotten out and they weren't even using it for summer school that year, so the kids wouldn't even be there for 3 months. I still had to go outside to have my snack as I got a letter from the school board stating if I wanted to keep holding classes I must have nuts of any kind outside. It made me shake my head, it was 5 pm in the evening, I know smell stays in the air for a while with as breezy as this gym was, do to all the foundation cracks in the walls and floors. I don’t think the smell would have stayed for 3 months. But it really makes it hard when you got a kid that love PB &J or just other nuts as my niece is a vegetarian. As no type of nut product are allowed even at the high school level as the cafeteria personnel doesn’t want to have to figure out if what the child brought is peanuts or another type of nut.

But I can now understand it some; we did have one kid (18 year old) die at U of M last year. He some how ended up eating something with peanuts or made with peanut oil in it, and didn’t know it. No one is sure where or what he ate, it was never announce in the newspaper. But had his throat swell up while he was sleeping and suffocated to death. I always thought if you were allergic wouldn’t you check before you ate something. Or if you went over to had dinner wouldn’t you say hey don’t cook any anything for me with peanut oil? Or say something or ask before you ate it? To me that’s just common sense, I’m allergic to both cabbage and onions, and I always make sure to tell anyone I’m going to their house for dinner, to please not make anything with either of those two items. As even the smell, will make me react. But I generally believe parents try to experiment with food when the child is young and not just give them hamburgers to eat. So they’d know if the child is allergic to different types of food or not, before they turn 18. But some of the diets I’ve seen that parents allow their children to have; I’m starting to doubt my theory more and more. So there may be kids out there, that don't know if they are allergic to a certain kind of food or not.

Kit
 
The story of the 18 year old who died is tragic. I'm so glad my children don't have peanut allergies or any other food allergies for that matter.

I'm always careful when I send treats to school that they contain NO NUTS (or manufactured on machinery that uses nuts) but I never thought of my child's peanut butter sandwich as being potentially fatal to another child. :-( It's a real eye-opener.

Sue
 
I freeze their juice boxes and it acts as a little ice cooler. This way I can pack anything I want in the lunch and not have to worry about it spoiling in the hot weather. I usually have the standard sandwich, but ham and cheese is ok, with the frozen juice box. I can also pack yogurt or cheese slices or anything I want and not worry about it spoiling.

That being said, I should also add that my kids don't like this because they say that the juice is not all the way thawed by lunch time, so I also need to pack bottled water in their lunch as well. But I don't really care if they don't like it because I think the water is better for them then the box of flavored sugar that sometimes passes for juice, and it's thawed enough for them to get a few sips out of it. Also I don't have to worry about it getting returned like I would a real ice cooler. Besides, I'm pretty sure they just throw away most of their lunch at school anyway, and I don't care. I did my mom duty by providing the lunch. If they want to throw it away then it serves them right if they have to go hungry.
 
Wow. It's amazing no one we all went to school with who had peanut allergies came into any contact with any of our PB...

That still sounds inane to me. And unfair. PB is lovely. It must really suck to have that allergy.

As for pasta salad, I make one that is pasta, veggies like carrots and broccoli, tofu cut up, olives, and green onion and then put some italian-type dressing on it and YUM.

I don't have kids but I have me who I make lunches for. We generally end up making dinner for 3, the third person being me at lunch the next day.

I rarely had hot lunch. My mom made my lunches for years. Then she stopped. And I got a job, so I could eat Its-its and diet Pepsi for lunch. At 14. SHUDDER.

I like a lot of the suggestions here. I'll have to use some of them!! :D Does this mean I'm a kid at heart? LOL reading this thread makes me wonder if my mom knew I threw out most of my lunch.
 
Our schools have the "no peanut butter" policy restricted to the students classroom. You can bring in PB sandwiches to school, but those students with alleries are placed in a separate room to have their lunches. In that students classroom you can not bring in any type of nuts.

Oh, then there are the milk allergies, but only 1 or 2 students have the severe kind where they can't have a drop on them or they have a (possibly deadly)reaction.

A friend of mine has a daughter who had to be rushed to the hospital because her throat was closing up. The little girl took 1 sip of a drink from another childs drink. This other child was eating Nabisco Cheddar and PB crackers the time. I think the crackers contains trace amounts of milk products.

We also have had the no chocolate rule, no latex and a few others rules in effect when we have had students attend with those types of allergies.

I think our school has done a great job on cleaning up lunches and making them healthier and as kid friendly as they can get. I know they use whole wheat when making PB sandwiches and other bread related foods. They provide salads, cut up veggies and so on. We are also not allowed to send in junk foods for snack time. No cup-cakes for birthdays, only fruit or another suitable choice.
You can also tell the school what your child may or may not purchase for school lunches, it flashes up on the screen. They have also switched recess to being first and not after lunch. This cuts down on kids throwing out and rushing to get out to recess instead of taking the time to eat lunch.
 
My son's preschool is very healthy too. Last year in orientation the director said, "we encourage healthy eating, please do not pack candy or junk food in your child's lunch."

I thought this was great.

Lori
 
Wow - I wish our schools encouraged healthy eating. In our district, the teachers give out candy to reward/motivate the kids constantly. It drives me crazy. The kids bring in cupcakes for birthdays, there are class parties for various events and the school lunches are loaded with junk. Every year, I put in a suggestion that the teachers do not use candy for rewards, but it doesn't seem to bother the other parents. I don't get it. It drives me nuts. One of my son's 8th grade teachers last year had the nickname, "the candy lady" because she gave out so much candy. It's ridiculous.

I try to pack relatively healthy lunches for my kids, but I get so many complaints from them when they see what other kids bring for lunches and snacks.

Erica
 
Erica ~ I know what you mean about the complaints when they see what other kids bring. My DD and DS always want me to buy those lunchables, I think that's what they are called. Yuck! I refuse.

Shelley ~ I have the same problem. My dd won't eat a sandwich for a packed lunch, but she'll eat a sandwich at home! Doesn't like peanut butter, so that's out. Last year it was driving me crazy that her lunch box would come back barely touched. So, I started packing her salads. Then her salad container came back with just the veggies eaten. At least, it was something. I let her pick 2, maybe 3 days, to buy a hot lunch. I"m not looking forward to this next week.

I'm going to try the pasta salad idea and load it up with all kinds of veggies.

As for the peanut allergy thing, I know that no treats, etc. can enter the class room if someone is allergic. However, I know that kids bring pb&j for lunch. Interesting? I wonder if those kids sit at a different table for our school?

Good luck all you moms!

Dallas
 
The no peanut rule is difficult for me because my son loves pb&j sandwiches and granola bars! Plus he loves munching on nuts. It almost makes me wish I hadn't introduced those things to him.I understand why the classroom has to be nut free - a mere trace of the stuff can be deadly to a child with allergies! I almost freaked last year when my son came home one day with a granola bar wrapper ( my DH had packed his lunch that day and gave him the granola bar..) - thank goodness nothing happened! CAn you imagine? I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if another child had gotten sick.

I'm always trying to be creative. Like I said earlier, sometimes the warm oatmeal works (in a thermos). the yogurt mixed with a nut-free cereal can be a hit. mostly though, its ham and cheese sandwices and whole wheat crackers and cheese for snacks. Or, apples, peaches, strawberries and grapes. I do love those mini-muffins and make some really great recipies that are super nutritious, sweetened with apple sauce or only a bit of brown sugar.
Good luck.
 
Ok here's one that I modified from a zucchini bread recipie.

1 1/4 cups of whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp each of baking soda and ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp each of salt and nutmeg
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup each canola oil and unsweetened applesauce
1 egg
1 egg white
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups finely shredded zucchini
2/3 cup grape-nuts cereal

preheat oven to 350

combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg

whisk brown sugar, oil, applesauce, egg, egg white and vanilla. add flour to mixture. mix until dry ingredients are moistened. stir in zucchini and grape nuts. batter will be very thick.

Spray mini muffin tins. spoon batter into tins. bake approximately 10 minutes.

as baked: per 2 muffins: 202 calories, 5.3 g fat, 36.2 g carbs, 3.5 g of protein. cals from fat: 23.1%

variation: omit zucchini and add 3/4 cup shredded carrots and 8 ounces of drained crushed pineapple. reserve 1.4 cup of juice from pineapple and add to the wet ingredients.

And, I know I've tried to eliminate the brown sugar and I just can't remember what I did. I do know that once I used raspberry-applesauce and it was delicious. the apple/pineapple one is delicious too!

Bananna Breakfast Muffins

1 1/2 cups 100% Bran
1 Cup low fat milk
1/4 margarine, melted
1 egg
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup mashed banana
1/2 raisins

mix bran, milk, margarine and egg. let stand for 5 minutes. in bowl, blend flour, brown sugar, baking powder and cinnamon, stir in bran mixture until blended (batter is lumpy). stir in banana and raisins. spoon into greased mini muffin cups. Bake 400 for approx. 7 to 10 mins.


Carrot-Bran muffins

2 cups finely shredded carrots
1 cup 40% wheat bran flakes
3/4 cups skim milk
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 egg
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp salt

combine carrots, bran and milk in large bowl. let stand 5 minutes. stir in oil, lemon juice and egg. combine flour sugar, b. powder, b. soda, spice and salt in bowl. stir into bran mix until moistened (batter will be lumpy) spoon batter into muffin cups. bake at 350 for approx. 10 minutes.

Apple Spice Muffins

1 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 1/4 cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup peeled chopped apple
1 cup low fat milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup nuts ( leave out if school is nut free)
2 tbsp margarine or butter melted
combine flour, wheat germ, 1/4 cup of sugar, b. powder 3/4 tsp cinnamon and the salt. stir in apple. combine milk, oil and egg in another bowl - add to flour mix. fill muffin cups almost full. in another bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup of sugar 1/2 tsp cinnamon, nuts and margarine and sprinkle over muffins.

bake 10 minutes at 400 degrees.

ETA - I put in 10 minutes for all of the recipies - I usually just guestimate because all of these recipies are for regular sized muffins.

Enjoy!
 
Sam gets Subway dropeed once a week. Turkey on Italian herb, no cheese with mustard, letuce and extra pickle. x( But otherwise, it's tough. That fat baby who'd eat ANYTHING is gone and I often open his lunches to fine most of it still there. He's a zombie in the morning and i practically have to feed him to get him to eat. But he does well at dinner and always has an afternoon snack. He likes to beg for food half an hour or so before dinner hits the table too. :) He is picky to say the least but I just keep offer him fruit, lean sandwiches and he likes soup. Our school lunch program is pathetic and he only likes pizza day which is fine by me. He's a string bean and looks a lot like my dad. My eldest the vegetarian will eat the bes variety of vegetables and fruits and tries to keep her diet healthy. Sydney in the middle, loves starch, skips breakfast ;( and tends to overeat after school. I figure one of these old days they will all adopt the complex carb, lean, organic protein, organic veggie thing I like and I just keep offering the best food I can and nagging a lot! :D
Bobbi http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/chicken.gif "Chick's rule!"

Tell me, what it is you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? -Mary Oliver
 
>at our school - everything is nut free - so PB & J is out as is anything with peanuts or 'traces' of peanuts in it!


Our school has a "NUT" table. Anyone who has peanuts or peanutbutter in their lunch eats at this table. Some friends of ours fought for this table so their child(who has a nut allergy) could eat in the cafeteria with the other children.

It works very well.

If I couldn't send peanutbutter I would be so stressed trying to figure out what my son would eat.

Elaine
 

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