Peanut-free meal ideas (part deux)

Might as well make it cute!

Alright, back to my peanut free meal ideas.  This time I, hopefully (Lord willing, if naptime works out), will have the time to devote to the ideas that I have.  And....as I type this, I hear my dear daughter starting to fuss. Probably related to accidentally leaving my son's monitor on in my bedroom.  Whoops!  I'll start and pick up later, if need be.

• Bento Boxes!  My son loves when I do something similar to a Lunchable but with our regular items from home.  Too tell you the truth, I find Lunchables a little gastly.  But then, I don't like processed cheese.  Give me the real stuff any day!  So, I will either cut my son little cubes or slices of cheese and send those with rolled slices of ham or turkey.  I'll add some whole wheat crackers on the side and then include a couple of items like Annie's prebagged bunny grahams or (one of my favorites) Brother's freeze-dried fruit slices. You can find both at Costco, and I find  they make lunch packing a breeze!  Shelled, hard-boiled eggs are great, too.  Lots of protein and easy to make ahead at the beginning of the week.  I've also included a vegetable of some sort: carrots, steamed broccoli or steamed cauliflower.  Children LOVE dips, so I try to include something along those lines, too.  My son adores hummus- he will eat it with a spoon!  That is a common staple in our house, but if that's not the case for you, there are many options, depending on what you are serving:

• vinaigrette/ranch dressing
• applesauce
• alfredo
• pesto
• soy sauce
• mustard
• ketchup
• yogurt (With herbs, spices or honey)
• oils and herbs
• marinara
• curry sauces
• salsa
• guacamole
• sour cream (plain or with herbs mixed in)
• cream cheese (with honey and milk to thin it out a bit)

Baby calls!  I'll try to get back....

Other ideas:

• Obvious option: leftovers!  I just pack some in a Thermos and send him on his way.  His favorites tend to be pasta related. The nice thing about Thermos is that it regulates the temperature so I don't have to worry about food safety issues, since his school can't heat the meals.  
• Skewers would be a safety issue, but you can use a few pretzel sticks to "skewer" some meat and cheese.  
• Tuna salad made with olive oil, lemon juice and thawed frozen peas.  You can have them put it on crackers or cucumber slices, depending on whether your child likes tuna or cucumbers.  I think this sounds delicious, and I may have to make it for myself one of these days.  (Especially the cucumber option!)
• I like to send at least a veggie or a fruit with the meal, if not both.  I have been known to send plain black beans as a side.  I also like sliced apples, segmented oranges, melon chunks, halved grapes and strawberries.  For veggies, it's hard b/c he really only likes a few things that are easy to send, however, I have been known to mix them in with part of the meal.  I always try to add carrots and peas to rice, couscous, or quinoa.  I've found that rotisserie chicken or grilled chicken makes a great addition to the rice to turn it into a meal.  (Any other cooked meat works well, too.)
• Wraps: two ways, savory or sweet.  The nice thing about this option is that you have many options for wrappers as you do for fillings.  You can use tortillas, flatbread, lettuce, wonton wrappers or naan bread.  (Whole Foods has a fantastic whole wheat naan.  Makes my mouth water!)  I like to make it on top of waxed paper and then wrap it up so that you can slowly peel it down as you eat.  It keep everything from exploding out of the bottom of your wrap.  
• Savory- I love the usual sandwiches, made into a wrap.  There are as many options for this as there are for sandwiches.  You can go the veggie route, with sprouts, tomatoes, cucumber, spinach, hummus and cheese.  I like to use pesto as a spread with turkey or salami and fresh mozzarella cheese, and some veggies and fresh basil.  Mmm!  You could drizzle that with balsamic, too!  (Now, granted, some kids won't be that adventurous, so mayo, turkey/ham, cheese.  The end.)  Include pasta sauce or taco meat and make burritos or "sloppy wraps."  I did the "Sloppy Wrap" one day when desperate for a meal while we were all sick.  It's just leftover meat sauce, shredded mozz, rolled in flatbread, and then heated.  The cheese will melt and make it seem like pizza in a wrap.  Taco meat is obvious for fillings.  Just add your usual taco toppings and make it into a burrito....or just make a burrito!  haha  By that, I mean, people don't usually add rice and beans to tacos, so you can go either way.  
• Sweet:  At home, when I don't have to worry about nut allergies, I like to do my riff on a crepe. I take a whole wheat tortilla, smear it with nutella and peanut butter, then top it with banana slices and small chunks of chocolate.  Microwave.  Yum!  Now, I know this won't work at school, but I believe that you can transform it into a fun dessert (and maybe get in some more fruit) by using sunbutter, bananas and possibly chocolate sauce or chunks.  I'd microwave it at home, then send it to school.  Then you don't have to worry about burn injuries, and they get the fun of a "crepe".  I've also done something similar with butter, nectarine slices and a small amount of sugar.  You need to microwave this longer, or microwave the fruit first so that it becomes pretty soft.  Either way that you go, just fold the tortilla into quarters so that it resembles a triangle.  Then they can nibble away, while keep the mess to a (slight) minimum.  Other ideas: sweetened cream cheese with strawberries, cherries, kiwi, mango and/or chocolate.  Fruit salad mixed with some cream cheese or yogurt, then wrapped in a tortilla, burrito-style.  
• Baked potatoes: This sounds complicated, but it's almost the easiest.  It's kind of extends from the leftovers above. If you make baked potatoes for dinner, throw in a couple extra.  Then, you can send your child with the potato, and possibly leftover chili, soup or taco toppings.  Then there is the ubiquitous broccoli and cheese.  Just send all of the leftover toppings in a Thermos.  Your child can dump it on the potato (whole or half depending on appetites) when lunchtime arrives. They'll have hot toppings for their food, and a well-rounded meal!
• Pizza: Again, leftovers.  Or, make your own using naan or flatbread, jarred sauce and cheese.  Include your child's favorite toppings, if they extend beyond cheese pizza.  Cook the night before, slice, then pack and refrigerate.  Who doesn't like cold pizza?
• Breakfast!:  Who says that breakfast needs to be first thing in the morning?  Remember those hard boiled-eggs?  Include them whole, but shelled.  Add in french toast strips, pancakes, or waffle strips.  In our house, we dip more often with applesauce than syrup.  Include either (though I imagine that the lunch staff would appreciate applesauce over icky, sticky syrup.  Then again, send it on the same day the school lunch has syrup and then it won't be just your child that is the "troublemaker!"  Just kidding.  Or am I? *sly smile*)  You may also be able to manage breakfast meats in a thermos, but I admit that I haven't tried that one yet.  
• Sides for lunch:
• crackers
• pretzels
• cut fruit
• cut veggies
• Desserts:
• chocolate- esp. a few small pieces of dark...if they'll eat dark choc.  It's worth it for the antioxidants, though!
• graham crackers or bunnies
• freeze-dried fruit 
• tortilla "crepes" (mentioned above)
• pudding cups 
• jello 
• fruit mashups/smoothies
• "fruit crisp" 
• candy 
• cookies  
• A word on the "fruit crisp".  I figured this one out when I was living on my own after graduating from college.  I've always loved fruit and granola.  One day I heated the fruit in the microwave.  You need to do this until it bubbles and starts to soften the fruit.  Then I just top it with granola.  It comes out very similar to a fruit crisp, with less fat and sugar.  When you heat frozen fruit to this extent, the sugar in the juice seems to reduce into a syrup.  The granola has a similar texture to a crisp, minus the flour.  It's already somewhat sweetened, enough to add some sweetness to the fruit, and you don't have to add butter.  This seems to work best with peaches and raspberries.  
• The fruit "mashups" are those awesome little packets that come with a lid/straw combo.  The child unscrews the top, sucks it out of the straw, and then if there is any left, they pop the lid back on to save it.  Usually, we don't have any leftover, but I still think they are nice because they don't take up much space but add some fruit.  (Albeit, less fiber than a whole piece of fruit.)

I hope this helps you out!  If I come up with some other ideas, I'll try to add them in later.  Good luck and God bless in this new school year!  May it be safe and fun for everyone!

Peanut-free meal ideas (in two parts)

I have little time to focus on this today but I did not want to skip a post.  Ironically, today was my son's preschool orientation and they covered something similar.  His school is peanut free and I learned a few things that I had not known before about peanut-free foods.

Dunkin Donuts is the only donut shop that has peanut free facilities.  So, while not my favorite, yay for knowing who is peanut-free!  "Mmm...gotta make the donuts..."  (Does that date me?)

Sunbutter is a safe peanut butter alternative, according to our preschool director, who took a class on peanut allergies before the year started.  It is a butter made from sunflower seeds, apparently it tastes pretty good and is not a risk for allergic students.  (If I get a chance to try some, I'll let you know what I think!)

Also, Hershey's milk chocolates, including Kisses, chips, and bars, are all from peanut-free facilities.  Good to know, if you are planning to bake cookies for the class.  I have not looked into their Special Dark or other blends, but can tell you that the milk is definitely fine.  When in doubt, read the label.

Cheez-its, Goldfish, Ritz, Rice Krispie Treats, Nilla Wafers and certain marked fruit snacks are also safe for kids with peanut allergies.  Most products will list any possible contamination in the labeling, usually with bold print.

Also, on of my family favorites are Annie's products: the Graham Bunnies, Whole Wheat Bunnies, and fruit snacks.  From their website, I am assuming that they are safe if the label does not include a warning.  Here is the wording, make your own decision:

• While there has been no product reformulation or change in manufacturing facilities, Annie's  has recently decided to go above and beyond FDA requirements and include an allergen statement on all of our products that are manufactured on shared equipment with any of the top eight allergens. Our manufacturing facilities meet with the highest standards of cleanliness, and we maintain all allergen cleaning, and Quality Control protocol on file. We recognize the needs of our customers who have allergies or sensitivities to nuts, gluten, certain spices, etc. Annie's always fully discloses all ingredients on the ingredient statement and will answer any questions that will help consumers decide what products they can safely consume. At Annie's, we take every precaution to ensure that cross contamination of ingredients does not occur in our production facility. We run the products in a particular order to reduce the risk of cross contamination, take the equipment apart and thoroughly clean it in between runs of product. However, we want you to know that some products are produced in a plant that processes foods containing wheat, dairy, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, crustaceans/shellfish, and egg. This is why we voluntarily chose to update our packaging to include this allergen information.

Now, I'm not saying that you have to avoid products that were manufactured in a peanut facility, but if you were planning to do so, or needed to worry about doing that for a class party or play date, at least here are a few suggestions for you.   :)

Tomorrow, I will try to follow up with some actual meal ideas.  I've pulled some together, but have not had the time to format it for your viewing pleasure!  ;)

[And by the way, I have in no way been paid to endorse any of the above products, I just felt it was worthwhile to share the suggestions that the school made for us, in the hopes of helping you with future ideas.]

Food, glorious food!

This past summer, we joined a CSA for the first time.  CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture.  You basically pay for a share of the farm and the farmer will give you part of the harvest.  You hope that you will have a good year, as that effects the amount of food that you receive.  We truly enjoyed being a part of our litttle farm.  She sent newsletters every week with details of the farm life, and we received a box of certified organic produce, wheat berries, and eggs delivered to our house. 

Our original purpose for joining was to take advantage of cheaper and somewhat locally grown food. Our CSA is a bit of a drive, and therefore, they do not expect you to put in time working there as other CSA's might request.  But, it still beats food coming from California to the Midwest.  The variety that we received was incredible.  We tried a few new items like Gooseberries and Delicata Squash.  I made a gooseberry pie for the first time, and it wasn't bad!  They were a little too sour to eat alone, but I did enjoy them.   Our shares included loads of zucchini, onions, squash, and tomatoes.  I chopped, roasted and froze as much as I could.  It felt good to know that my son would be getting food through the summer and winter that was grown with care.  His joy in eating their green beans made it all worth it to me!  This has got to be one of the best ways to get a toddler to eat their fruits/veggies.  If they are this fresh, they will enjoy them! 

I found over time, that aside from getting great organic food, for a great price, we were really helping to be stewards in so many aspects.  First, and most obvious, we were supporting an organic farm.  They take care to grow their produce organically, and this is very good for the environment.  Another great bonus, is that they collected compost from everyone who was willing to save it for them every week.  I was able to save bags of food from entering our landfills every week.  In fact, now that our CSA is done for the year, I'm at a loss with what to do with our produce scraps.  Our homeowners' association does not allow bins in the yard but now I feel guilty throwing it all away! 

The "lightbulb moment" that I barely had recently, though, is that we are helping to support a locally owned farm.  So many farms are reaching corporate production levels that family farms are really hurting, especially during bad years.  You might argue that government subsidies help but it really doesn't do enough to support a farmer's livelihood.  I don't know why this never crossed my mind this summer.  After sending an email saying that we would join for the next year, Marie emailed me back with a "Bless you!"  Suddenly, it dawned on me that this wasn't just like buying from a grocery store.  Everything we do with this farm affects their well-being and ability to make a living.  Our current check was going to help them build some new areas on their land for growing seeds and protecting the plants from harsher weather.  You might want to think about joining one in the coming year to see if it is good for your family.  We will see next summer what the CSA might bring, but even if the proceeds are meager, I will feel that I am doing my part to support someone else's livelihood and the stewardship of the land.