Nut-free lunchbox ideas

[LimeSlice]

I have just found out DD1's new school next year is nut free. I am really disappointed about this for several reasons, chief one being she LOVES nuts. LOVES THEM. They are a staple part of her diet AND her school lunch box, always have been, and it makes me cross she isn't allowed to eat them.

I choose the meusli bars she gets because they are crap-free, which means they are made with nuts. She loves trail mix we make together every week, and I make my own nut butters often for her sandwiches.

I refuse to give her a lunch box full of processed crap and useless food, so I need some new ideas that are TOTALLY nut free please and not boring!

I want to start giving them to her now so she can get used to it.

[PumpkinZulu]

For main lunches or snacks? Lunches, things like salad and hummus wraps, homemade sushi rolls, bean salad, homemade savoury slices (like dill and feta). Snacks, fruit skewers or salad, crackers and cheese, dip, bread and olives, cold meats rolled up with a toothpick, sweet slice or fruit muffin.

[nothing2lose]

For main lunches or snacks? Lunches, things like salad and hummus wraps, homemade sushi rolls, bean salad, homemade savoury slices (like dill and feta). Snacks, fruit skewers or salad, crackers and cheese, dip, bread and olives, cold meats rolled up with a toothpick, sweet slice or fruit muffin.

If you can pull off that stuff every day for your DD's lunch, you're a better mum than me!!

In fact, PZ, can you pack my lunch for me??!!

Most schools are nut free these days. I just go for muffins and slices or bickies without nuts.

[PumpkinZulu]

Lol! My mum used to make that sort of stuff for my lunch and my brother's lunch...I'll see how I go in a few years

[Phteven]

Popcorn.
Yogurt squeezies (freeze them in summer)
home made museli bars
Cheese/baby bel
savory muffins

Try googling bento boxes - although you mightn't want to get as extreme as some of the japanese mums.

[sangie]

Give her the trail mix and muesli bars as an after school snack so she isn't missing them totally!

My DD loves avocado and cheese sandwiches. Other things I put in her lunchbox for kinder are cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices, cheese, homemade muffins/biscuits, fruit pieces or whole fruit, yoghurt, cruskits with vegemite, rice crackers.

[meow]

I find this stuff so frustrating too. My son loves nuts and doesn't eat any grains so I'm left with coconut flour to make him things for school.

Mini-muffins and then everything else you can cook in a mini-muffin pan- quiches and meatloaf are good.

Anything eggs- boiled eggs, pikelets, fish cakes (I basically make these pikelet things with a can of salmon & 2 eggs).

Homemade crackers with seeds. Salted roasted seeds. All seed things are a good way to go nut free too- sunflower seeds make a good "nut" butter.

[Nai]

You will find that pretty much every school in Melbourne is nut-free. We have 14 kids (including my DD1) who are anaphylactic to nuts so there is a very good reason why they are nut free. You can give nuts as an after-school snack.

For lunches we pack fruit - bananas, mandarines, apples; squeezy yoghurt, wraps with avocado cheese meat and salad, dried biscuits, home made mini-muffins, popcorn, crudites and dip, home made slices

There are so many things you can make and pack that are nut-free.

[RhiChiChi]

We do the following for kinder lunchbox:
- Fruit salad or just fruit
- Popcorn
- Rice wheels or rice cakes
- Salada or equivalent with a non-nut spread
- Hummus
- Kabana, cheese
- Cheese & crackers
- Homemade mini cupcakes/muffins
- Cut up capsicum, olives etc...
- Sandwich

[LoveKnowsNoBounds]

Hello,

Saw this and had to reply.

My DS has a nut allergy. I get annoyed with people's blaise attitude to it. My son isn't anaphylactic but we have regular testing and you never know... It is quite scary to watch a reaction. I'm sorry it is a pain for you not to bring nuts but I think every child deserves to be safe at school. We encounter this problem everywhere so it would be nice not to have to worry about it at the place he will be spending so much time in!

[Eenee]

It's still annoying though, especially for children who are allergic and intolerant to other foods. My DD can't have dairy or yeast so we use nuts in a lot of things too. Doesnt leave much for her to eat. But I get it my brother is allergic to nuts.

[Phteven]

Sometimes I think that schools need to take thing son a case by case basis.
We had a child who had life threatening reactions to strawberries and seafood at school for the last couple of years so the school had a policy where those foods weren't allowed but now they have left so it's tuna sandwiches and strawberries all round. The nut kid is still there (although no-one knows who s/he is) so we continue with the nut free policy. We're a small school so the policy can be flexible but in a large school I guess there is much less room for flexibility.
A life threatening or fatal reaction isn't just traumatic for the child who reacts. It distresses teachers and fellow students too. By adhering to a nut free policy we save ourselves the trauma of being the person who was responsible for little Suzy being rushed off in an ambulance.

[LuluHB]

I agree with both sides of the argument - and depending on my mood will side with one or the other (mature I know!!). My DD2 is a nightmare to feed but something I know she will always eat is a peanut butter sandwich so my child can effectively go hungry due to the requirement not to take nuts so others can be safe. The flip side is that I have a nephew who is anaphylactic and I would hate to think of him eating something he shouldn't. Hard to get the balance, and unless I'm in a particularly obstinate mood I will favour the side that keeps all kids safe, albeit not giving them what might be their first choice to eat.

My kids have a piece of fresh fruit, rice crackers and dried fruit (either pineapple or sultanas) for morning tea. They then have a sandwich for lunch. I'll also put in either homemade fruit or savoury muffins, muesli slices etc for after their sandwich, or plain biscuits like Scotch Fingers if I haven't done any baking.

As others have said, I save the nut stuff for after school snacks so that's when the kids will have muffins with almond meal, peanut butter etc.

[meow]

My DD2 is a nightmare to feed but something I know she will always eat is a peanut butter sandwich so my child can effectively go hungry due to the requirement not to take nuts so others can be safe.

This has been my issue. I understand that children's lives are very important so of course we never send nut products to school but it's still frustrating in trying to care for my own child. I get frustrated with society in general that things like nut allergies are becoming so common and rather than fix our lifestyles and stop the epidemics we just ban an otherwise healthy food.

[Phteven]

I agree with both sides of the argument - and depending on my mood will side with one or the other (mature I know!!).

LOL, me too.
I will admit that sometimes at 7am when I'm making sandwiches I find myself thinking less than charitable thoughts about allergies and sharing but I don't have to make sandwiches today so I'm feeling a little more well disposed to the nut kids.

[Floweryfields]

I suppose when just the breath of a child who's eaten a peanut butter sandwich can be life threatening it's easier to understand. It does make it very hard to pack an interesting lunch though.

[LoveKnowsNoBounds]

I actually think that nuts are used and eaten more than we ever used to. Go back hundreds of years and did they eat peanut butter? It's something I'm curious about.

I'm lucky the school I'm sending DS to next year takes allregies quite seriously. Apparently they have a girl there that they describe as being allerguc practically to everything and they have managed to keep her well.

We've never been huge nut eaters so I don't find it to be such an annoyance to exclude it, even before DS' allergy.

I'm curious as to the lifestyle changes that would eradicate allergies? I would have thought obesity would be at the top of the list of things that should be fixed, that causes many many problems for individuals and society yet that is swept under the carpet. I often get upset looking at the rubbish people eat then my boy gets the allergy when we eat very well (sigh)

[LoveKnowsNoBounds]

I suppose when just the breath of a child who's eaten a peanut butter sandwich can be life threatening it's easier to understand. It does make it very hard to pack an interesting lunch though.

Apparently that lady of the biggest loser lost her son to anaphylaxis, not sure what caused it. It is very sad and very serious.