Protein rich snacks to sent to a nut-free school for a child with a dairly allergy?

[jilly]

So, my son is just entering Kindergarten, which is all day here. During a normal day at home he eats two breakfasts, a snack, lunch, a snack, another snack, and supper. If he doesn't eat enough or get enough protein, his intensity level ramps way up and we get major melt downs. We already eat lots of fruits and veggies and whole grains and unprocessed food.

I am trying to figure out how to get some protein into his snack at school so it will tide him over better, but I'm feeling pretty limited. He can't bring any nut products to school, he can't eat any dairy (so no cheese, yogurt or milk) and he is really sensitive to texture, so beans and hard boiled eggs are out. And he only eats lunch meat sporadically and has suddenly decided he doesn't like salmon or tuna.:

Any suggestions for ways I can get some protein into him other than sending little baggies of cut up meat as part of his snack? I am totally willing to bake like a fiend if needed, but not sure how to add protein to bread or muffins.

[akmeg]

How about making mini-muffins or healthy cookies with purreed beans? I made some for my son this week because he's obsessed with cookies, and this way I feel fine with him eating them. They also have oats, flax, and cranberries. Yum! Especially if you can find a recipe with a lot of eggs, then you'd get that protein as well. Good luck!

[notjustmamie]

Maybe some sausage with whole grain crackers?

Can he not have any dairy at all or just not cow's milk? Have you tried goat, sheep, or buffalo cheeses?

What about soy or other vegan "cheese" products?

I second the muffin idea. Pack them with protein: extra eggs, non-dairy protein powder, seeds (if they're okay), pureed beans, etc.

Ooh, and if seeds are okay, how about something like celery with tahini or sunflower seed butter in the cavity?

[notjustmamie]

Thought of another idea: how about miniature quiches made in a muffin or mini-muffin tin?

[jilly]

notjustmamie -- I'll have to see if he'll eat tahini -- that would be perfect. Unfortunately its the milk protein he's allergic to, and we're in a small town, so goats milk (all that's available here) is out too, and soy cheese has casein, a milk protein, in it so it melts properly. I'm sure he would love cut up sausage -- thats a great idea.

akmeg - so do the beans get subbed in for part of the shortening or fat, then?

[somegirl99]

Are roasted soy nuts ok?

[cristeen]

How would he do with something like a stuffed bread? empanada, piroshki, calzone, etc... stuff it with meat, it's handheld so not too messy, and it's fun. You can make then small enough to be 2 bites or big enough to be a meal. He can even help decide what you put inside them. My usual meat filling is a mix of ground beef with some hardcooked eggs, onion and fresh dill - which is a fairly standard Russian piroshki filling. But anything from pepperoni to leftover pulled pork would work.

[jimblejamble]

Hard-boiled egg
Chicken - by itself or mixed with some greens and whatever salad dressing you may like
Baked oatmeal
Bean & rice burritos

Here's the recipe for baked oatmeal if you want it; the oats have a bit of protein and the eggs add a bit too. This makes enough to fill an 8x8 baking dish:

3 cups plain or quick cooking oats
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp brown sugar (I've reduced it to 1 tbsp before and it came out fine)
1/2 cup (or more!) raisins
1/2 cup blueberries, or berry of choice
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups rice milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp olive oil
Bake for 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees

[notneb]

Would it be acceptable to use sunbutter (made from sunflower seeds) where you would use peanut butter at home? Sunflower seeds are a much less common allergen than peanut butter or tree nuts.

[Alyantavid]

My dairy allergic boys love hot pockets. I just use my regular pizza crust recipe, some pizza sauce (made of tomato sauce and absolutely anything else) and pepperoni. I've done ground sausage as well and they like that too.

Tahini is a good one. I add it to smoothies with rice milk and lots of fruit and honey and they love those.

Muffins are good too and little quiches, if he'd like those. Would he eat chili? Homemade chicken nuggets are good too.

[Yulia_R]

Originally Posted by jilly

notjustmamie -- I'll have to see if he'll eat tahini -- that would be perfect. Unfortunately its the milk protein he's allergic to, and we're in a small town, so goats milk (all that's available here) is out too, and soy cheese has casein, a milk protein, in it so it melts properly. I'm sure he would love cut up sausage -- thats a great idea.

akmeg - so do the beans get subbed in for part of the shortening or fat, then?

Quinoa and buckwheat have lots of protein in it. I usually buy Russian buckwheat in Russian/Mediterranean stores (it tastes so much better to me). I usually cook it in fresh homemade chicken broth with fried onions and carrots. Russian buckwheat takes 15 minutes to cook (1 cup of buckwheat to 3 cups of water). Tons of protein since both: broth and buckwheat have quite a bit of it.

[amcal]

Originally Posted by akmeg

How about making mini-muffins or healthy cookies with purreed beans? I made some for my son this week because he's obsessed with cookies, and this way I feel fine with him eating them. They also have oats, flax, and cranberries. Yum! Especially if you can find a recipe with a lot of eggs, then you'd get that protein as well. Good luck!

Any chance you would share the recipe?

My DD won't eat anything!

Ooh! I think I found it:
http://definitelynotmartha.blogspot....-together.html

I'm going to try these and see if my DD will eat these for lunch.

[Storm Bride]

If he won't eat a hard boiled egg, because of texture, would he eat egg salad? You can make it with very minimal mayo...

[somegirl99]

I just saw a recipe for roasted chickpeas, similar to roasted soy nuts. You could put some flavorful seasonings on first too.

[Purple Sage]

Does he like meat other than lunch meat? Cold cooked strips of chicken or steak are great finger foods and quite yummy. They can be a lot cheaper per pound than deli meats and without all the additives.

[jilly]

thanks so much for all the helpful ideas.

I've started out with banana muffins with a lot of eggs and wheat germ in them for tomorrow, and I'm excited about trying some sort of dough wrapped thing and those cookies with the white beans (although cookies with things that are not chocolate do tend to get pulled apart. But I might enjoy them). I think he might like roasted soy nuts, too.

Ironically, my MIL used to always cook turkey or roasts on the weekends, then freeze them and send dh and his brother to school with actual beef and turkey sandwiches. I always thought it was kind of funny, but I shall swallow my pride and do likewise.

[amcal]

Ok, I made the bean cookies this morning for my kids lunch and they were FANTASTIC!

I can not stop eating them. You can not taste the beans at all. The have the consistency of a soft cookie. They are super delicious.

I used fresh beans that I soaked overnight and then simmered this morning.

I also used coconut palm sugar in place of the brown sugar and I added a tablespoon or two of molasses.

I also golden raisins in place of the cranberries and raw sunflower seeds in place of the nuts since they're in a nut free classroom.

Oh and I baked them in a bar pan as opposed to individual cookies thinking it might look better to send the kids to school with a "protein bar" as opposed to a cookie

[Curlyfry7]

How about hummus? You could send carrots, celery, cucumber spears or even small pretzels to dip into it....

[carmel23]

we have bean flour from a co-op, a health-food store might have one near you.

We make homemade granola bars, which are pretty good for a snack.

Beef jerky? /turkey jerky?

Romano is a sheep milk cheese, my daughter with a cow dairy protein allergy loves Romano on pasta. There are a lot of sheep cheeses that aren't as barny as goat cheese.

tofu--does he like tofu?

scrambled eggs on bread?

We're in the same boat. My son is sensitive to textures of food, doesn't eat a lot of dairy (certain cheeses) and nuts are banned at school.


I look at a lot of vegan cooking books and blogs for ideas.

Oh, and we make egg salad/tuna with a bit of olive oil and a little mustard. It is WAAAY better then with mayo.

[alison77]

Molly Katzen's Sunshine Cafe (or something similar) has a lot of breakfast recipes with added protein (powder, however, not natural!). We've made pancakes, waffles, and muffins from there all with good success.

I can't wait to try the pureed bean cookie recipe for my guys!