Not allowed to have nut butters at summer camp

[RubyWild]

My daughter attends day camp while during the summer. Her staple lunch is almond butter or peanut butter. Both my Dd and my Dh love that and take it virtually everyday. It's a cheap lunch, too, with protein.

Now there's a child with a nut allergy and we're banned from bringing nut products to the camp. I am at a loss what to give her each day that doesn't involve cooking and doesn't involve cheese. Tuna once a month isn't going to go very far, but she needs a lot of protein.

So, no nut butters, no cheese, and she doesn't like beans. She used to eat eggs at breakfast, but got tired of them. The only things left are very expensive, such as cold cuts, but she doesn't like those very much anyway.

[katheek77]

Sunbutter - made from Sunflower Seeds. Very similar to peanut butter. We can get it at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods...Not at our regular grocery, but it is at the "expanded" version of our grocery (if I'm in that area of town).

:

[~Megan~]

Can you find out what kind of nuts and get a butter of a different type? Or the sunflower butter someone else suggested.

[mama-aya]

You can make sunbutter yourself at home for not much money at all. Or pumpkin seed butter. Just grind up the seeds in the food processor til they're creamy and spreadable. Add salt if you want, some people add a little oil, or honey.
You said she doesn't like beans, but lots of kids who don't usually like beans like hummus. Its even easier to get in them if you make it without tahini.
Canned salmon is safe to eat more than once a month, and if you can get it someplace like Trader Joes shouldn't be too expensive. I buy the kind without skin and bones. And its stretchable, like tuna salad, for sandwiches.
Does she like cream cheese? My kids always like smoked salmon and cream cheese whirred together. It sounds expensive but a little smoked salmon goes a long way if you use the ole food processor. Also, cream cheese and cucumber, tomato, or radish sandwiches.
Meatloaf sandwiches or "hamburger" sandwiches, or chicken patty sandwiches (leftover chicken, bread crumbs, an egg, shredded veggies if you want, seasoning, fried in to "chicken cakes", made into sandwiches).
Good luck!

[midwestmom]

Sunbutter tastes SOOOO much like peanut butter. My older two didn't even notice the switch when one of my twins came up with a peanut allergy.

[RubyWild]

Originally Posted by midwestmom

Sunbutter tastes SOOOO much like peanut butter. My older two didn't even notice the switch when one of my twins came up with a peanut allergy.

Yes, I bought that. It was fairly expensive, but then I was told no seed butters, either.

[Rose-Roget]

What about soy nut butter??? I know - technically, it's a nut butter, but my son's school allowed it.

[Fairy4tmama]

I second the hummus sugesstion and I would ask the staff to double check on the seed butters maybe they are being overly cautious in regard to cya. perhaps if you could show them the jar as proof that it is not made in a facility that produces nut butters? also how bout eggsalad or soup in a thermos.

[Mihelinka]

How about canned salmon? My son LOVES tuna and I just can't give it to him every day so I had him try the salmon & he loves. Will your dc try it? It's not much more expensive than tuna.

[mama-aya]

What about thins like dal? Lentils cooked with veggies or not, different spices, different colors of lentils. Cold and mashed without much liquid they're a good sandwich filler. Guacamole and veggie sandwiches. Send her with tortilla chips and pureed beans, salsa, guacamole. Its easy and fun to make up a bunch of "sushi" with sticky rice and nori and slivers of different veggies and meats, then give her homemade versions of california rolls for lunch.

[fek&fuzz]

Instead of deli meats, what about if you cooked and cubed meat then put it in in a container and she could eat it cold with some veggies and crackers.

Or make chicken salad.

And she can have the nut butter sandwich for dinner or snack when she gets home.

Maybe get your daughter involved in making the lunches, too. She might have some ideas about what she wants.

It sounds frustrating for you to have to come up with new lunches for a few weeks, but I'm guessing its a lot easier than having to worry if your kid will die from what someone else eats for lunch.

Maybe post over in allergies, I'm sure some of those mamas are dealing with this same issue and might have some great ideas, too.

[courtenay_e]

I was going to mention sunflower seed butter, but beware! some brands are processed in a plant with nuts and can be bad for sensitive people. The brand we use specifically says on the lable that it is processed in a nut free plant.

Or you can make your own like an OP mentioned. Mmmmmmmm.

Oh, and if she'll eat hummus it's a good protein source and makes a great dip for dippers!

[junipermuse]

A lot of schools and camps nix sunflower seed butter because it looks so much like peanut butter Its too hard to monitor it so its easier to just say no nut/seed butters at all. What about making chicken salad sandwiches. You could use canned chicken which I think is pretty cheap. What about hardboiled eggs? Little cubes of cheese? yogurt? Could you make a corn and black bean salad. It's cheap and it throws together very quickly, you could make it in a big batch to last the whole week. You could also get a thermos and fill it with chili with beans and meat. It does involve cooking but you could cook it in a big batch on sunday night and then just heat it up in the morning when you put it in the thermos.

[Port Orchard CBE]

I was going to suggest the same someone else already suggested. Just go without the protein at lunch and make up for it with protein at breakfast and dinner.
Also, you said she's not crazy for cheese but what about "cream cheese" or that .. I can never spell this.. neutchel cheese? put some into celery and top with raisins. "Ants on a log" we call it, here. :0)
Love the hummus and veggies dip idea too!
Can these lunches be kept cold? Yogurt is a fave with my kids. We add bits of fruit and a dusting of cinnamon. Be a good protein source if you can keep it cold till lunch time. Maybe even fill a small thermos with it to keep it cold?

Camp is so much fun! Wishing her the best

Kendra in WA State

[veganf]

Nut-free seems to be the norm now at kids' schools & camps. Our boys' preschool is completely nut-free. You could get more ideas at http://lunchinabox.net/ because I know her son's preschool is also nut-free. And you might check out the archives at http://veganlunchbox.blogspot.com/ .

[Shantimama]

Does she have a thermos? Pasta and soup are favourite lunches with my kids - they often take leftovers to school.