s/o--What did you pack for lunch/snacks today if all nut-free & no nut warnings?

[justlearning]

To show how it can easily be done, I thought it might be helpful for those of us who did pack lunches/snacks today without any nuts or any products with warning labels to post what we packed. Here's what I packed DS today--just took a couple of minutes:

Lunch (packed in his Sistema klip-it cube, like always):
* turkey and spinach sandwich
* apple (I cut his up and put lemon juice on it--he likes it that way.)
* baby carrots

Two snacks:
* raisins
* goldfish

[KpbS]

Ham sandwich on tortilla
a few corn chips
mandarin oranges in jello

DS1 is homeschooled this year but is excited for his first day at the hs co-op.

ETA My DS1 is allergic to milk, egg, nuts, oat, rice, shellfish, and some fruits and vegetables. It can be done!

[TamiRuns]

Lunch: Ritz crackers, Swiss cheese slices, blueberries, pretzel sticks, and will buy milk at school

Snack: water and goldfish

Thanks for starting this....I need ideas too.

[Kindra178]

My child has a peanut allergy and a sensitivity to almonds:

Snack:

Whole Foods brand Strawberry Cereal Bar

Lunch (packed in a planetbox):

Cream cheese sandwich on Natural Ovens whole wheat bread (with flax)
Two slices of rolled up ham
Green grapes
Cookie from TJs (amazingly chewy style or something like that)
Vanilla Milk

[lablover]

We are not nut free at school but DS's lunch would qualify:

Rolled up turkey slices, slices of cheddar cheese, grapes, yogurt stick, grape tomatoes, pretzels (rold gold). I would include ritz crackers but he is currently boycotting for some reason. Goldfish for snack.

I've relented on desserts and so I also included a Joe Joe cookie. These do have a nut warning. The nut free option would be oreos.

[hillview]

Great idea!
Here are some other ideas (DSs were nut free last year)

1) sunbutter and jelly on whole wheat
2) rasins or apple sauce or fresh fruit chopped (apple, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, pears, peach, grapes cut up, cherry tomatoes cut up)
3) bunny crackers, other crackers, pirate booty
4) (tough one) extra fruit, cut up carrots or cucumbers

Keep posting!
/hillary

[buddyleebaby]

DD1 has a turkey and provolone cheese sandwich (on nut free bread;)), a whole ginger gold apple, and carrot "chips" (carrot slices). She is drinking water. I packed her lunch last night so it's just a coincidence that it is nut free.


Other things that I have in my house RIGHT NOW (without any planning or special shopping on my part) that she likes and could potentially bring:


Fruit Salad (Cantaloupe, Honeydew, Mango, Blueberries, Strawberries, Kiwi, and Pineapple- I make a big batch at the beginning of the week and divy it out.)
Whole Pears
Pepper Slices
Celery Sticks
Apple Sauce
Salad (Lettuce, Tomato, and Cucumber)
Annie's Cheddar Bunnies
Jarred peaches


We also have cheese sticks and yogurt, but DD1 would not eat them.

[almostamom]

1/2 Bagel thin with cream cheese
apple slices
Pretzel sticks
Yogurt
Milk

Snacks
Chez-Its
cheese stick


DS is allergic to all peanuts, tree nuts, all citrus, mustard, fish, mangoes, and shellfish

We rotate the main part of his lunch - other choices he usually takes are soup, mac n cheese, turkey sandwich, turkey/cheese/crackers, cream cheese/jelly sandwich. He also buys school lunch about once a week. We've tried quesadillas and pizza, but I haven't been able to figure out how to keep them hot enough for him.

Linda

[doberbrat]

ham and 1 slice of buttered bread wheat free bread
1/2 a peach
a mango
raisins
100% fruit leather from TJs
envirokids rice/berry granola bar

dd1 has to sit at the nut free table at lunch b/c she has allergies to wheat, milk, strawberries.

Not sure exactly how it helps since she's NOT allergic to nuts and this means she cant drink milk at school (she only drinks almond milk) but its not otherwise a big deal.

ironically, I bought sunbutter this week and she took 1 bite and wrinkled her nose and told me it tasted just like peanut butter and she didnt like it. .... sigh!

[wencit]

Today DS1 had nectarines and Gouda cheese for snack (no lunch in half-day K). I just found out his classroom is NOT nut-free, but I was packing him nut-free snacks until I knew for sure. So far, he's also had goldfish, fruit, yogurt, cheese, carrots, applesauce, and freeze-dried fruit for snacks, too.

[alien_host]

DD is allergic to peanuts and treenuts and we avoid "nut warnings":

Snack - 100 calorie pack of Cheese-its and grapes, water

Lunch - Danino "yogurt"
Cheese stick
Ritz crackers
Cantaloupe
Water

[rlu]

snack - Motts All Natural Fruit Snacks (no warning on box so I assume ok)

lunch - DS doesn't eat much so I pack a salami sandwich, some pretzels (I now know to avoid the Synder and Raley's house brands) and juice box.

[Clarity]

Our school isn't nut free but our family is due to dd2's nut allergy:

DD1 packed this week:
Today
a.m. snack: apple
Lunch: cukes, carrots, celery w/Tribe hummus (no pinenuts), yogurt
Slice of deli chicken
p.m. snack: cheez-its

yesterday she packed:
a.m. snack: blueberries
lunch: chix/rice soup, roll, 1/2 a banana
p.m. snack: yogurt tube

Tuesday she packed:
a.m. snack: cantelope
lunch: mixed veggies/pasta soup, 1 piece celery w/cream cheese, pinapple chunks.
p.m. snack: string cheese

[fortato]

Jack LOVES freeze dried fruit. So we buy Little Duck Organics fruits. Love them.
We also pack carrots, apples, edamame, crackers and cheese, melon, fruit leather, cooked pasta with cheese...

Last year he lived on Uncrustables... now, I'm not taking chances with contaminating his shared table.

[g-mama]

For all three of my boys:

Snack:
homemade banana chocolate chip muffin

Lunch:
chicken noodle soup in thermos
Breton mini-crackers with wedge of Laughing Cow cheese
yogurt
apple

[TamiRuns]

Whole Foods brand Strawberry Cereal Bar

Can anyone suggest a specific brand of cereal and/or granola type bar that is nut free and "safe" other than Whole Foods? We don't have a WH or TJ within a reasonable drive. We do have a Costco. I'm uncertain at this point of the severity of the allergy so I want to make sure it 100% safe (no shared equipment) until I get further info from the school.

TIA!

[Pyrodjm]

I'm pretty sure kashi make an apple spice bar that is nut-free.

[almostamom]

Can anyone suggest a specific brand of cereal and/or granola type bar that is nut free and "safe" other than Whole Foods? We don't have a WH or TJ within a reasonable drive. We do have a Costco. I'm uncertain at this point of the severity of the allergy so I want to make sure it 100% safe (no shared equipment) until I get further info from the school.

TIA!

Cascadian Farms Chocolate Chip. I have found them at WalMart and Fry's (Kroger). I have called the company to confirm that they are safe.

ETA: I know we have bought Kashi cereal bars in the past. I'm pretty sure we've had mixed berry and strawberry cereal bars.

Linda

[TamiRuns]

I'm pretty sure kashi make an apple spice bar that is nut-free.


Cascadian Farms Chocolate Chip. I have found them at WalMart and Fry's (Kroger). I have called the company to confirm that they are safe.

ETA: I know we have bought Kashi cereal bars in the past. I'm pretty sure we've had mixed berry and strawberry cereal bars.

Linda

Thanks for the suggestions. I have seen both of these brands. The Kashi cereal bars might be a "hit" with DS1. For some reason he didn't care for the Cascadian Farms CC bars.

Thanks again!

[pastrygirl]

I happened to pack a nut-free lunch today, even though it's not required. I cut some deli ham, stacked 3 high, into strips and rolled each strip up. Put it on a toothpick, and put a cantaloupe ball on the end. I made about 5 of these.

I cut some baby carrots into strips.

I cut the side off an apple and sliced it, then peeled every other slice and dusted with cinnamon sugar.

Also sent some Wheat Thins and pretzels.

[sarahsthreads]

Lunch:
ham & cream cheese pinwheel wrap sandwich
cherry tomatoes
sugar snap peas
grapes
donut peach
newman's own chocolate alphabet cookies (these have a "may contain nuts due to equipment" type of warning on them.)

Snack:
small plum
homemade mini banana muffin (I use our store generic brand of grape nut cereal instead of nuts when I bake muffins...it has no nuts or processed on same equipment warnings)

The last two years we were in a nut-free room (this only applied to snacks, but we went nut-free at lunch so she could sit next to her classmate with the nut allergy if they wanted to sit together) but not a made-on-the-same-equipement-free room (since they don't actually share snacks and the classmate would have had to ingest the nuts to have a reaction.) This year I haven't heard yet so we're avoiding actual nuts in snacks until I find out - I assume if there were a life-threatening allergy where nobody could have snacks that were made on the same equipment even, they would have communicated that before the year started. She's in a double classroom (2 teachers/40 kids) so it seems likely there's at least one allergy in the room! (And I'm so conditioned to avoid nuts anyway from the past two years that it's really not a big deal.)

Sarah :)

[crayonblue]

Raisin bread and cream cheese sandwich
Grapes
Goldfish
Water
A cookie :)

[smilequeen]

My middle son has to have a peanut free lunch.

He had a sunbutter and jelly sandwich, a fruit masher, cheese and grapes, yogurt, and teddy grahams. They supply snack. (and I send a lot b/c they'll let them snack on the leftovers in the afternoon or he eats it on his way home.

DS1 just has to have a nut free snack. Today he took goldfish. Often we send fruit, cheese and crackers specified by his teachers as nut safe, or fruit mashers. His lunch would be safe though...turkey and cheese sandwich, edamame, fruit (watermelon, cantaloupe, and grapes), yogurt, and a piece of chocolate.

They both take milk.

We get a list of nut safe foods from our school and it does make it easier. Definitely no big deal.

[boolady]

DD is in preschool, but her room is peanut-free due to a new classmate's allergy, and we're happy to help. Her school does heat up, since it's still preschool, but today she took leftovers:

brown rice
cut-up turkey dog
peas
no-sugar added applesauce
water

[Kindra178]

Can anyone suggest a specific brand of cereal and/or granola type bar that is nut free and "safe" other than Whole Foods? We don't have a WH or TJ within a reasonable drive. We do have a Costco. I'm uncertain at this point of the severity of the allergy so I want to make sure it 100% safe (no shared equipment) until I get further info from the school.

TIA!

Kashi's cereal bars are totally safe. Target sells them.

[sste]

I just wanted to add to this thread - - apropos of prior threads - - that one BENEFIT of nut-free/allergy-safe for ALL children is that it encourages less processed food and more fruits and vegetables and whole grains. I haven't read the whole thread but I can see that clearly in the responses I skimmed.

One of the reasons it has been fairly easy for our family to switch to nut free is that we are I would say low-average on the continuum of eating processed foods. My understanding is that processed foods are pretty much the single worst thing to happen to the american diet because of the amount of hidden fat, salt, preservatives, etc in seemingly innocent products. I can't say we are super-healthy or have eliminated them but we are very restrained in those purchases.

Anyway, I think that nut-free has the potential to improve the diets of all children. No small matter given our nation's childhood obesity problem . . . (OK, off soapbox now!).

[justlearning]

homemade mini banana muffin (I use our store generic brand of grape nut cereal instead of nuts when I bake muffins...it has no nuts or processed on same equipment warnings)

I'm not a baker so I need things spelled out for me, so are you saying that you substitute grape nut cereal whenever a baking recipe calls for nuts? If so, I love that idea and want to try it! How do you substitute--for example, if a recipe calls for 1/4 c. chopped walnuts, would you put in 1/4 c. grape nuts or a different amount?

[anamika]

DD is allergic to all nuts.

I sent: Noodles with veggies and soy sauce for lunch. Plus a cheese square.

Carrot sticks, Goldfish, dried cherries and a cheese square for snack.

We just got back from a long visit home and I was scraping the bottom of the fridge for snacks and lunch. Must do grocery shopping today!

Tomorrow will send: Dal with rice for lunch
Snack: Probably some crackers, cheese and an organic applesauce cup from TJs


Great thread OP!

[sarahsthreads]

I'm not a baker so I need things spelled out for me, so are you saying that you substitute grape nut cereal whenever a baking recipe calls for nuts? If so, I love that idea and want to try it! How do you substitute--for example, if a recipe calls for 1/4 c. chopped walnuts, would you put in 1/4 c. grape nuts or a different amount?

Yep, that's all I do, substitute equal amounts. I am sort of an improvisational baker, though, so I don't tend to really measure, just pour in about as much as it looks like it needs. I'm not a fan of nuts in baked goods in general; the cereal gives a little (but not as much) crunch as well as extra fiber-y goodness. :)

Sarah :)

[sarahsthreads]

I just wanted to add to this thread - - apropos of prior threads - - that one BENEFIT of nut-free/allergy-safe for ALL children is that it encourages less processed food and more fruits and vegetables and whole grains. I haven't read the whole thread but I can see that clearly in the responses I skimmed.

One of the reasons it has been fairly easy for our family to switch to nut free is that we are I would say low-average on the continuum of eating processed foods. My understanding is that processed foods are pretty much the single worst thing to happen to the american diet because of the amount of hidden fat, salt, preservatives, etc in seemingly innocent products. I can't say we are super-healthy or have eliminated them but we are very restrained in those purchases.

Anyway, I think that nut-free has the potential to improve the diets of all children. No small matter given our nation's childhood obesity problem . . . (OK, off soapbox now!).

I agree with all this. That's why it's not a huge issue for us to send in nut-free snacks & lunch, you don't have to read a label on a banana! We do buy granola bars and other packaged snacks, but I already read labels looking for HFCS, trans-fats and artificial dyes (this narrows the field down to a small handful of snacks in the first place) so I just also look for nut-free at the same time. (And then I go to the bulk food department and buy almonds. My kids just eat those at home, is all.)

Sarah :)

[BelleoftheBallFlagstaff]

Cream cheese and jelly sammie, grapes, Stoneyfield "gogurt".

[LarsMal]

Can anyone suggest a specific brand of cereal and/or granola type bar that is nut free and "safe" other than Whole Foods? We don't have a WH or TJ within a reasonable drive. We do have a Costco. I'm uncertain at this point of the severity of the allergy so I want to make sure it 100% safe (no shared equipment) until I get further info from the school.

TIA!

There is a Cliff bar- Cliff Kids, I think it's called. The chocolate chip one is safe, but you might want to double check for shared equipment/facility. I think it's fine, though (or I wouldn't have bought it). They are crunchy.

[Thatchermom]

Chiming in with a picture to add that lunch can even be FUN with no nuts!! DS is not in a nut free classroom (there isn't one at his school) even though there is a girl in his class with nut allergies. I choose to go nut-free for that reason, even though it isn't required.

This was actually yesterday's lunch as I didn't take a picture of today's, and I totally ripped this idea from Pinterest and take no credit for the creativity. I did, however, totally take the cool-mom props from my kid :)

Turkey and cheese sandwich, grapes, sugar snap peas, and themed fruit snacks just because I was afraid Perry would be mistaken for an angry bird, who will be debuting another day made from a BabyBel cheese round.

http://i994.photobucket.com/albums/af66/thatchermom/IMG_5044copysmall.jpg

[Tondi G]

Turkey sandwich
apple juice box
sliced watermelon
tortilla chips

[anamika]

Yep, that's all I do, substitute equal amounts. I am sort of an improvisational baker, though, so I don't tend to really measure, just pour in about as much as it looks like it needs. I'm not a fan of nuts in baked goods in general; the cereal gives a little (but not as much) crunch as well as extra fiber-y goodness. :)

Sarah :)

will have to try this out. I don't even know what grape nuts are!

[anamika]

Chiming in with a picture to add that lunch can even be FUN with no nuts!! DS is not in a nut free classroom (there isn't one at his school) even though there is a girl in his class with nut allergies. I choose to go nut-free for that reason, even though it isn't required.

This was actually yesterday's lunch as I didn't take a picture of today's, and I totally ripped this idea from Pinterest and take no credit for the creativity. I did, however, totally take the cool-mom props from my kid :)

Turkey and cheese sandwich, grapes, sugar snap peas, and themed fruit snacks just because I was afraid Perry would be mistaken for an angry bird, who will be debuting another day made from a BabyBel cheese round.

http://i994.photobucket.com/albums/af66/thatchermom/IMG_5044copysmall.jpg

super cute - what did you use for the eyeballs and eyebrows?
you'll have to post a pic of the angry birds!

[TamiRuns]

There is a Cliff bar- Cliff Kids, I think it's called. The chocolate chip one is safe, but you might want to double check for shared equipment/facility. I think it's fine, though (or I wouldn't have bought it). They are crunchy.

Thanks! I'll check on those.

[maestramommy]

We have half day K, so no lunch, but for snacks the kids get some combo of

cheese sticks
Whole wheat saltines or
Triscuits
Alouette cheese spread
apples
yogurt
applesauce
goldfish

If we are eating lunch on the go right before drop off, I've done ham and cheese sandwhiches and fruit, usually apples. However, Alicia's post just reminded me that our bread might not be nut free! Better check from now on.

Dora's class is nut free, although the teacher said it was okay to bring snacks with packaging that says it was made in a shared facility, because the kids are drilled not to share snacks. But ehhhhhhh, coming off my years on this board, it still sounds sketchy, given the number of kids on epipens this year (20 in K alone!). Seems easier to play it totally safe.

[egoldber]

There is a Cliff bar- Cliff Kids, I think it's called. The chocolate chip one is safe, but you might want to double check for shared equipment/facility. I think it's fine, though (or I wouldn't have bought it). They are crunchy.

The Clif Kids Zbars have a "made on shared equipment" warning.

[maestramommy]

I just wanted to add to this thread - - apropos of prior threads - - that one BENEFIT of nut-free/allergy-safe for ALL children is that it encourages less processed food and more fruits and vegetables and whole grains. I haven't read the whole thread but I can see that clearly in the responses I skimmed.


I would agree with that. Whole foods or homemade makes it easier.

[LarsMal]

Thanks! I'll check on those.

Crap! I was wrong! They are NOT safe for school. I checked the label this morning and it says "may contain traces of peanut or tree nut". I wonder if the label changed because I am really careful about that stuff since L has tree nut allergies.

So sorry!!!

[almostamom]

Today's lunch and snack:

turkey, cheese, and multi grain crackers (homemade version of a lunchable)
applesauce
yogurt
fruit chews
milk
Kashi cereal bar for snack

[Jo..]

Ham and cheese on an Oroweat whole grain sandwich round...with butter. He hates mayo and mustard.

Raisins.

Baby organic carrots split in half lengthwise (fear of choking).

Yogurt.

He buys milk at school.

For a snack:
Pre-packaged crackers and cheese from WM (16 cents per packet)

[bubbaray]

Both of my girls are allergic to peanuts and DD#1 is allergic to treenuts. Their daycare/aftercare and school are completely nut free.

Typical entree: sandwhich (whole wheat nut-safe bread, mayo, cheese, sliced turkey), bagel (with cream cheese), quesedilla (whole wheat tortilla, refried low-fat black beans, melted cheese -- they like it cold), rollups (same as sandwich, just using a whole wheat tortilla instead). Hot entrees (I send in a thermos) are chili or pasta.

Snacks: unsweetened applesauce, fresh fruit (grapes, blueberries, strawberries, oranges), granola bars (we have a WIDE selection of nut-safe products here in Canada).

I also make a snack mix of my own, using popcorn, Cheerios, Shreddies (kinda like Chex or Life, but whole grain), pretzels and Goldfish.

Occasionally I toss in a banana muffin. DD#2 prefers store-bought over my cooking, though :(

There are the SchoolSafe items (sold at Costco, in a green box) that are all nut free. I'm not sure how the Dare brand items are labelled in the US, but they are all nut-safe here in Canada. Many Quaker bars are nut safe in Canada, but they are NOT in the US. Nutrigrain bars here have no nut or may contain warnings on them, though they are not labelled nut safe -- my girls eat those too. I can't remember the label in the US for Nutrigrain, though. I will say that finding nut-safe processed snacks in the US is more of a challenge for me. We generally bring boxes and boxes of our own from here.

[TamiRuns]

Crap! I was wrong! They are NOT safe for school. I checked the label this morning and it says "may contain traces of peanut or tree nut". I wonder if the label changed because I am really careful about that stuff since L has tree nut allergies.

So sorry!!!

No worries...I didn't find them when I was shopping this morning!


There are the SchoolSafe items (sold at Costco, in a green box) that are all nut free. I'm not sure how the Dare brand items are labelled in the US, but they are all nut-safe here in Canada. Many Quaker bars are nut safe in Canada, but they are NOT in the US. Nutrigrain bars here have no nut or may contain warnings on them, though they are not labelled nut safe -- my girls eat those too. I can't remember the label in the US for Nutrigrain, though. I will say that finding nut-safe processed snacks in the US is more of a challenge for me. We generally bring boxes and boxes of our own from here.

Zach LOVES the chocolate chip Quaker bars and seems to be able to tell the difference b/w them and a few "safe" items I've tried to swap that are very similar - like the Cascadian Farms CC bars.

I was going to post about Nutrigrain bars. I bought some this morning. They seem to be safe. No warnings on them regarding nuts. Now they just have to get Zach's "approval". :rolleye0014:

[bubbaray]

Zach LOVES the chocolate chip Quaker bars and seems to be able to tell the difference b/w them and a few "safe" items I've tried to swap that are very similar - like the Cascadian Farms CC bars.



AFAIK, Quaker does not sell any nut-safe granola bars in the US. At least not in WA, CA or Hawaii (because I always look when I shop on vacation).

Costco (Kirkland) and Walmart (Great Value?) house brands also sell nut-safe granola bars here. My girls do NOT like either of those brands, however.