Attention Feingold people

[ohmama]

What do you feed your kids for snacks and lunches when they are in school? I'm trying to think of some creative choices so it's not always the same old things. I refuse to let them eat the junk they serve in the lunchroom called hot lunch.

[AustinsMom]

I guess I'm lucky that my ds does not want to buy his lunch, never has, and is content to eat the same thing all the time. He eats peanut butter sandwiches everyday; don't know how he stands it, but that's what he wants. We switch other stuff; use pears, bananas for fruit with occasional applesauce. He likes carrots but likes ranch dip and is not as fond of the Feingold variety. We also use tortilla chips or nuts for crunch. But we don't have much variety more from his preference. I put gummy bears or worms that I get from Planet Harmony in his bag in case they have some kind of treat at school.

[catatonic]

I make 5lbs of meatballs at a time and freeze them by the half dozen in snack size bags. They're good for snacks or lunches. I also boil a couple of extra chicken breasts when I'm making them and keep a batch of chicken salad for lunches (you can freeze the sandwiches already made if you don't put lettuce on).

Lots of cashews for snacking (I get them raw and roast some with salt, some with sugar). I make fruit-and-nut mixes, like cashews with dried pineapple and chopped dates. We do Crispix snack mixes, too...same thing as Chex mix...you can make them sweet or salty. They also like to take tuna salad and crackers, or what they call "sleeping bags" which is a slice of turkey and a slice of cheese rolled up like a tube and preferably with homemade "ranch" dip. Or use ham and cream cheese. Olives and cheese or apples and cheese usually get eaten.

I emphasize high-protein for school lunch because Challenge Boy doesn't have so many attention problems in the afternoon that way. If I do put in desert, it's Peanut Butter Power Bars or homemade granola bars that I know contain a variety of nuts and a minimum of sugar. Or banana wheat germ muffins.

I do lots of making ahead and freezing. Before I turn the kids loose on a batch of Power Bars, I make sure there are enough for the week's lunches stashed in the freezer. This works for hamburgers on homemade bread, too.

We're pretty limited on snack items because we can't do any corn syrup, no processed corn in any form (only regular corn in its actual vegetable form), no chocolate, and nothing containing MSG. Rule of thumb seems to be if I don't make it we don't eat it. So there are times when it's hectic, the freezer is poorly stocked, and the kids go off with hardboiled eggs, a banana, and a baggie of cashews. All the kids will sometimes take leftovers (but only the really good stuff).

Some times, "creative" is as simple as cutting the sandwich into 4 triangles instead of 2 halves. Or sending a green salad with tuna on it instead of putting the tuna on bread.

Don't put too much effort into it, because half the time they'll trade with the kid next to them for some horrible nutrient-deficient garbage. God knows where they ever find anyone willing to hand over a Kool-Aid drink for a carton of vanilla soy milk, but it's been known to happen! I had to threaten Challenge Boy with a fate worse than death to get him to stop trading food (I told him I would come eat lunch with him every single day and he acted as if I'd just told him I planned to attend teacher conferences naked!)

[Kimmers]

Cat,

I know you have posted recipes before but I LOVE trying new things...do you have any recipes you could share? If you want you can e-mail some to me at [e-mail]. If it is too time-consuming that is perfectly fine! I just love trying new things and the healthier the better!

Thanks a bunch!

Kimmers

[DenverSarah]

Carrot sticks
Celery sticks
An eggo (buttermilk only!!!) waffle folded in half with Philadelphia cream cheese
Bacon slices (Oscar Mayer these contain nitrites so some must avoid always we just avoid when easy )
Dried mango slices (an occasional treat they aren't cheap)
Crispix cereal
cheese slices
Pear slices
Bananas (I have to limit these to no more than one a day)

I will give him treats like homemade cookies or pudding for his 10 am snack at school occasionally and this is a nice treat for him. As long as the treat is small and the BF and lunch are big and have protein this is fine and it really makes a difference in his overall attitude when he gets treated regularly.

[ohmama]

Thanks everyone! You have given me some great ideas!

[catatonic]

Kimmers -
There's an archive of Feingold recipes here: www.geocities.com/feingoldpicrecipes/archiverecipesindex.html Some of them are real life-savers (like the homemade Hamburger Helper, since my kids think Hamburger Helper is some kind of heaven-sent gourmet food). All are designed to be Feingold-safe, which does not always translate into "healthy" but at least it generally qualifies as "healthier".
Cat

[Kimmers]

OMG Cat,

Thanks so much! ;D

Kimmers