School Lunch Ideas - Protein (no nuts)

[lucyem]

My youngest DS is very much like me. No matter how many whole grains he eats he is still starving. While if we have a piece of chicken or an egg we are in good shape. What I am looking for are some protein rich foods that I can easily put in his lunch. We do not eat tuna and my DS is in a nut free classroom.

Things we have done:
-cooked chicken breast leftovers
-deli meats (this grosses me out so I avoid it)
-chicken salad (from canned chicken)
-egg salad
-chicken noodle soup

Any more ideas?

Thanks!

[Owen'nZoe]

If you are sending soup, I assume you have a food thermos? You could also send chili in it. If you do hotdogs or soydogs, you could also put a hotdog in a thermos and cover it with hot water to keep it warm for lunch.

If he likes cheese, you could make a cheese sandwich, or a slice of lasagna (I'll make it for dinner, then send leftovers to school). You could also make a little pizza - I take a piece of multi-grain pita bread, spread on a little spagghetti sauce and sprinkle with cheese, then broil until the cheese melts. It is cold by lunch time, but my son still loves it.

Chickpeas are also great and high in protein. Is the classroom just nut free, or is it also seed free? If you can use sesame seeds, then you could send regular hummus. If not, you can replace the tahini with yogurt. You can also make a salad similar to tuna salad and use it for a sandwich spread.

Soybeans are high in protein as well - you could send a container of edamame.

[HollyBearsMom]

My son is a protien kid too so I second the thermos idea. here are some things I put in my son's with leftovers being the key!

• chili
• all kinds of soup
• meatballs
• mac and cheese w/ nitrate free dogs
• lasagna
• meatloaf
• panko crusted chicken tenders

other things we make are:

avacado rolls w/ side of edamame
sunflower seed butter and jam sandwiches
creamcheese and jam sandwiches
cold pizza (a favorite!)

I almost always add a horizon organic cheese stick to every lunch becasue he loves those no matter what mood he is in!

lastly- I make my own "lunchables" since those nasty things are very popular in his class. I use a laptop lunch system and then basically make the same things they offer but using wholegrain, chemical free alternative.

Pizza Lunchable:

• base is a WW bagel or small WW wrap
• container sauce
• container cheese

Ham and Cheese Lunchable:

• whole grain round crackers
• whole milk xtra sharp cheddar, cut into rounds
• nitrate free ham, cut into rounds

[lucyem]

Great ideas Thank you! Those will help. The healthier lunchable idea is great as my DS is 4.

[wendyland]

We don't do many deli meats, either. But, our grocery store slices turkey breast and it's preservative free.

[noobmom]

You said you don't do tuna--do you do other fish? Canned salmon can be made into salmon croquettes or just like tuna salad. My DS loves canned oysters and sardines, but they are pretty stinky when you open the can, so the other kids might object enough to bother your DS.

DS loves cheese sticks, but he also loves Baby Bell cheese (they have Gouda and Cheddar). They're the little round waxed cheese. I watched a show on how they're made once and they're actually made just like regular big wheel cheeses, aged and everything, just in a small size. I thought that was pretty cool.

I don't know if you already do hardboiled eggs, but either way, egg molds are a fun way to "dress up" hardboiled eggs.

[lucyem]

egg molds! What are those? We have chickens that just started laying so eggs are on the daily menu

[2xy]

Cottage cheese or yogurt. Edamame.

[SophieAnn]

Hardboiled egg
Cheese
Lentils - in a bean salad?

I understand you feeling ick about lunchmeat - and I kinda agree. Instead, why not make a point of roasting a little extra meat when you have it for dinner? Leftover roast chicken, roast beef, ham, etc. can be sliced up and made into a very yummy sandwich.

[neptunemama]

How about a thermos full of black beans, w/small containers of grated cheese, salsa and guacamole to add to it.

Or heat up cannellini beans w/olive oil and a little salt. This works well for garbanzo beans too.

Or keep chicken nuggets warm in the thermos.