Is your vegetarian (non-vegan) in public school? What are you packing for lunches? - Page 2

[palma]

for those of you who have children that require dairy free foods and even gluten free, try some sites for raw foods such as www.goneraw.com. it's an awesome site with great recipes that could really help you out. i recently made chocolate mousse with avocados, dates, cocoa powder and vanilla.......super yummy!! no dairy or grains. and no soy. i noticed alot of soy being mentioned but if it's not unprocessed fermented, then it's not that good of a food choice. too many hormone imbalancers in there especially for developing sexual organs in our kids. for other yummy lunches try beans and rice, lentils and rice, dal and rice, may need heating though for best taste. veggie chili is also nice with winter coming soon.

[satchelack]

peanut butter and jelly dogs

My little boy loves Not Dogs (what we call veggie Smart dogs), but I find those weird to eat cold, so I don't send them for lunch. We often end up with extra buns, and organic ones don't last long.

So I make him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in the hot dog bun, call it a "peanut butter and jelly dog," and he loves them. You know how a clever name or unusual presentation can make a meal more desirable to a kid ...

Of course you can mix it up with what goes in the bun. It simply becomes the handy vehicle for the meal or snack.

[Tsubaki]

I lunch-pool with another mama so I only have to pack lunches every other week. I love it. Not only do I get a week off, my son eats new things I wouldn't have thought to pack him, and when it is my turn to pack lunches, I'm a lot more motivated and creative than I would be if it were every day.

Our kids are just 3, so I think a lot about finger foods. Often, I plan dinner and the next day's lunch together. Usually it goes something like this:

Monday: Potstickers, made for dinner Sunday night with four reserved for each kid's lunch (you can buy frozen ones or make your own filling with tofu, egg and veggies)

Tuesday: Calzones (Monday night dinner was pizza, when I'm making it I make a calzone for each kid with tomato sauce, cheese, and some diced veggies inside.)

Wednesday: Pasta with pesto and veggies (again left over from dinner)

Thursday: Some kind of wrap, nut butter and jam, or cream cheese with shredded carrots, etc.

Each lunch usually also includes some raw veggies (cherry tomatoes and carrot sticks, cucumber sticks, green pepper or green beans) and a cup of fruit. I have a bunch of frozen berries and pineapple in the freezer I add to fruit salads, they seem to like it.

[Tsubaki]

I also love the ideas at justbento.com

You can search for vegetarian bentos.