Shool Lunches?

[TygerCubs]

Hi,

My daughter has been gluten free for about 2 weeks and is doing amazing!!! She is about to go back to school though and I am finding myself at a loss as to what to put in her school lunches. She hates corn tortillas and celery and the easier to put together in the morning the better. Does anyone have any ideas?

Thank you!!

Marie

[CarlaB]

My daughter makes a peanut butter and jelly sandwich every day. I've bought other stuff, but that's always her "main course." She also likes Lara Bars, BumbleBars, Envirokids bars, juices, and all kinds of chips. I think she's in a rut ...

[TygerCubs]

  CarlaB said:

My daughter makes a peanut butter and jelly sandwich every day. I've bought other stuff, but that's always her "main course." She also likes Lara Bars, BumbleBars, Envirokids bars, juices, and all kinds of chips. I think she's in a rut ...

What does she use for bread?

[Kassie]

i am in hight school and i have to pack a lunch everyday and i try and add variety to my meals so it doesnt get blah. my main course ranges from rice cakes with peanutbutter, sandwhiches with gluten-free bread, leftovers, cereal with milk( we can buy cartons from the lunch room for 25cents or in the vending machine), crackers and peanutbutter, there are some soups by chef boyardee that are gluten-free that are in little cups ment to take in lunch they can be eaten heated up or room temp which i often do, chips and dip, muffins, leftover breakfast, gluten-free bagels and english muffins with fillings, and many other stuff

I will always bring little side dishes like fruit cups, baby carrots, string cheese, pudding cups, jello cups, gluten-free cookies, enviro kid bars, homeade goodies, juice boxes, fruits snacks and so on

[skinnyminny]

peanutbutter is always good on anything from celery to apples.it is very filling. you could also send a bag of nuts.

you could always send left overs from the supper before like left over soup or meat and veggies if she is able to use a micro wave. I am sure the kitchen workers would help you out with heating it in the back if its not avaliable. Pacific soups makes a gluten free tomato soup.

Corn tortilla wraps with deli meat, or jus deli meat and cheese wrapped in "rolls" or wrapped in lettuce.

If your child likes tuna or chicken salad that is always an option. I used mayo, celery, lemon pepper and pecans, and corn chips are great to dip it out.

I learned to eat salads at a young age so maybe she would go for that. A salad with deli meat and cheese.

extras:

Pear or peach cup/ banana, grapes, apples, apple sauce,carrot chips, rice cakes, corn chips, potato chips, rice crispy treats made with gluten free rice cereal,little desserts, like m&ms, lara bars.

[CarlaB]

  TygerCubs said:

What does she use for bread?

Either Kinnikinnick or EnerG bread.

She also uses rice cakes occassionally. She's a little futher limited by her braces. She used to take carrots and celery, but they're too hard to eat now.

After I posted on this thread, I asked her if she feels she's in a rut, and she said sometimes. But I've tried to encourage her before to pack something different and I always end up throwing it away.

[Mango04]

What did your daughter eat for lunch before she stopped eating gluten? We might be able to come up with some substitutes that are very similiar to what she enjoyed eating pre gluten-free.

  TygerCubs said:

Hi,

My daughter has been gluten free for about 2 weeks and is doing amazing!!! She is about to go back to school though and I am finding myself at a loss as to what to put in her school lunches. She hates corn tortillas and celery and the easier to put together in the morning the better. Does anyone have any ideas?

Thank you!!

Marie

[celiacgirls]

My daughter takes Tyson chicken legs, shrimp, or lunch meat (usually without bread) which can be eaten cold. She also takes pizza and hamburgers but she can use a microwave. To go with that, she takes the usual school lunch items like chips, cookies, veggies, and popcorn. Sometimes she takes Pamela's bread mix made into rolls or mini loaves. Even her friends like the mini slices of Pamela's bread!

[Nikki2003]

Just make sure before

you bring peanut butter or any nuts to school. Make sure is is not a nut free school. My daughter's are it is much harder because they both love PB and some nuts but they are not allowed in the school.

[missy'smom]

I often send gluten free breakfast style lunches for my son(non-celiac but we often eat the same food). Pamelas' pancakes or french toast(in his case, regular bead, but easy enough to do gluten-free) and gluten-free hormel natural ham with fresh fruit and milk. Sometimes I add a hard boiled egg. I pack a very small plastic container of pure maple syrup with the french toast and smear the kid size pancakes with jelly, making a pancake sandwich. I got a waffle maker for Christmas and tried the Pamela's mix and they were great so may add this. All these can be made ahead and frozen or kept in fridge for a few days. On those days he gets different stuff for breakfast so it doen't get too repetative. For myself, I've been making a carrot, raisin salad with crushed pineapple and unsweetened coconut a little oil and OJ or lemon juice. if soy is not an issue frozen edamame(we use them in their shells) are a lunchbox staple in our house.

[azmom]

  TygerCubs said:

Hi,

My daughter has been gluten free for about 2 weeks and is doing amazing!!! She is about to go back to school though and I am finding myself at a loss as to what to put in her school lunches. She hates corn tortillas and celery and the easier to put together in the morning the better. Does anyone have any ideas?

Thank you!!

Marie

My son likes to take luncheon meat and sliced cheese rolled up. I usually put them in baggies the night before so I can just toss it in the lunchbox in the morning. He just rolls it up at lunch time..No bread or cracker needed. He's not very fond of the gluten-free bread unless toasted. He also likes to take gluten-free soup or leftovers in a Thermos since there is no microwave available at school.

Good luck..

[chrissy]

if your daughter likes hot dogs, you can cook one in the morning and put it in a drink thermos with the hot cooking water. it can be eaten plain with ketchup, or with a gluten-free bun. jello jigglers are fun. nutella on rice cakes.

[Sharon C.]

For my son I use Ener-G Tapioca Lite bread (softest and most like regular bread that I can find) and make him sandwiches. Tuna, lunchmeat (Thumann's is gluten-free, and Hormel, and Oscar Meyer), or Soynut Butter and jelly sandwiches (he is allergic to peanuts and the soynut butter is tasty.) Eggsalad is another, chicken salad, or shrimp salad. To give a variety, I sometimes pack soup in a thermos, or heat up a frozen gluten-free mac and cheese and pack that in the thermos. He also likes Hormel Chilli heated up in a thernos with a cheese stick on the side. Sometimes I send yogurt with a piece of fruit, or a cottage cheese with a piece of fruit. I have also sent pepperoni, cheese, and crackers. Because his appetite is small, I stay away from "filler" snacks and just send "the good stuff" for lunch.

[FeedIndy]

Nacho Lunchables are a favorite for DD. She likes that it is a "normal" food. She took her lunch every day even before going gluten free so it hasn't been too bad. Instead of Spaghetti-Os in her thermos, I can cook Mrs. Leeper's animal pasta and add spaghetti sauce. Rice cakes and peanut butter work, but she can't take them to school because of the no peanut rule (yet everyone is welcome bring bread and crumb all over my DD!) She'll take turkey wraps, but isn't a huge fan of corn tortillas either. She likes hot dogs with no bun, but it is a harder thing to send to school because it makes it obvious she can't have bread.

I usually try to add a few snacky things I'm not a big fan of to make her feel better about it-she usually takes chips (Fritos and potato chips are gluten free), but I balance it out with fruit too. I just try to bulk it up with sides since her "main dish" is usually not much for lunch. Raisins, applesauce, chips and oranges are favorites for her.

[prinsessa]

I am starting to run out of ideas for lunch. But these are some of the things I have sent with DD before....

shrimp cocktail

pancakes with syrup

peanut butter sandwich

leftovers from night before

scrambled eggs w/cheese

grilled cheese sandwich

apple w/peanut butter

chicken or beef taquitos

quesadillas

salad

[TygerCubs]

Thanks everyone, it is much appreciated. I am making a list of all of this and will go over it with her. We sent a hot dog and corn chips today. I think I am more stressed about it than her, she is happy, before this I hardly ever let her eat chips LOL!

Marie

[Kassie]

nacho lunchables are gluten free but just not the crunch bar in it. just a warning.

[Cam's Mom]

Hi!

My daughter is pretty sick of most school lunch ideas but here are a couple of recipes that usually perk her up:

Pasta Salad:

Tinkyada pasta (dream shapes)

any veggies diced, we usually use

celery, carrots, red pepper

cheese stick cut up into little rounds

cut up black olives

Toss with gluten-free ranch dressing.

We take this on the road for lunches and dinners out or times we think we won't make it home in time.

I also recently made mini quiches by using the gluten-free Pantry pasty mix and smooshing it into mini muffin tins. Pre bake the cust then add a mixture of 3 eggs and 1 cup of milk (I usually have left over egg mixture after filling the tins). I then put a little sauteed spinach and a few pieces of shredded cheese in the bottom on each quiche and then fill with the egg mix. Top with parmesean cheese. Bake at 350 until slightly golden on top. These can be a little challenging to get out to of the pan - try spraying with cooking spray first. Then I put them in the freezer. They are tastey on the go. Also very good with gluten free potato pancakes on the side for a whole meal.

Basic Potato Pancake consists of potatoe shredded, onion shredded, egg and a little general gluten-free flour mix. You can fry 'em up in a pan or for lower fat version, smoosh it all into a sprayed pan and cook in the oven and then cut into squares.

OK one more fun one is to take gluten-free tortillas (brown rice works ok if it is fresh). Smear it with cream cheese and sprinkle with veggies: Colorful diced peppers and olives are fun. Then roll it up tightly and slice into 1" pinwheels. They are tasty and fun to eat.

And, last but absolutely not least: Chinese vegetable dumplings - my daughter's absolute favorite food on earth. If you want a detailed recipe just e-mail me. But the gist of it is, make a gluten-free pasta dough and an asian like filling (spinach, carrots, tofu, gluten-free soy sauce, ginger, garlic, etc. all mashed up) Then take small pieces of the dough and roll it flat - put in a little filling then fold over the dough and pinch shut. These can be steamed or boiled or boiled and fried. We steam a bunch then pop 'em in the freezer (yes we have a really big freezer). When you want a treat you take out a few throw then in boiling water for just a few minutes (unitl they float) and put them in a thermos. Dip in San J wheat free soy sauce and join my little angel in dumpling heaven.

As you can see I love to cook and have used it as a way to deal with my pain over my daughter having this disease so if you want any recipes or help adapting your old favorites to gluten-free just drop me a line.

[kbtoyssni]

Oh, I used to love hot dogs for lunch when I was a kid! We only got them as a special treat! Not sure how old your daughter is or if she has access to a microwave, but here's some things I take for lunch:

-baked potato (nuke it at work) with cheese and salsa on top

-rice with cheese and salsa

-string cheese - fun for kids!

-pickles

-chips and salsa (obviously salsa is one of my favorite foods

-soup in a thermos

-cheetos or other flavored chips

-chocolate (dove, almond joy, mini M&Ms, etc)

-apples with peanut butter (I use sunflower seed butter now that I'm peanut free)

-hard boiled eggs

-cold pizza

-salad (but maybe only big kids like me are salad fans). Sometimes I put the salad on the baked potato.

-crackers and cheese

That's all I can think of right now.

[missy'smom]

Here are two variations on plain old PB.

My local Kroger has a cinnamon raisin PB made by a company in NYC called Peanut Butter and Co., I think. It is Yummy! and says gluten free on the label. They also make white choco. and a milk choc. version I think. Great with apples or bananas.

I occasionally mix ground sesame seeds and honey into plain unsweetened PB for added flavor and nutrition. My son and I both like it. Good on hot toast.

This is a great thread! Gives me ideas for travel.

[Theheatons]

I just wanted to add my thanks to all that have responded to this thread. Our daughter was just diagnosed with Celiac about 3 weeks ago, just before Christmas, oh yay!..... Today was her first day back to school, and of course, in the rush, I didn't have time to put anything together, so she got to have a bunless cheeseburger for lunch.... I've really been wracking my brain trying to come up with easy stuff to give her, while at the same time considering carbs, and how to count how many carbs she gets. In addition to having Celiac, she is also Type 1 diabetic, so the carb counting is very important.

We've also been given a breadmaker, so we are looking forward to trying to bake our own, and hopefully we can get her to eat it...lol; at 7 years old, she definitely knows when something is the least bit different. We tried a brown rice loaf, which was very dense (I thought it was pretty good, warmed up, with butter and jelly on it...hehe) and a tapioca lite loaf, which was crumbly (she said it tasted like sand in her mouth...) Anyway, rambling here, but I just wanted to thank everyone for the ideas, gives us lots to think about...