Fun Gluten-free School Lunches
by Connie Sarros
Author of Wheat-free Gluten-free Cookbook for Kids and Busy Adults
(Every recipe in this book has dairy-free options)
www.gfbooks.homestead.com

Packing school lunches that offer variety and that your kids will actually eat can be challenging.  If your child is both gluten and dairy-free, the problem is compounded because you need to pack a lunch that's 100% free of these allergens yet is still fun to eat.  Even picky eaters are more likely to eat what you've packed if it's a fun lunch.  It's also more likely they'll eat their lunch if they help to make and pack it.  With a little pre-planning, your task is limited only by your ingenuity.

First, no matter what the age of your children, educate them about their diet restrictions.  Remind them daily that they can't exchange foods with friends. 

MICROWAVE LUNCHES

Explain your child's needs to the school's kitchen staff, stressing the need to avoid any cross contamination.  Ask if your child can warm foods in their microwave oven.  If permission is granted, remember that foods must be in a container or wrapped securely in wax paper before placing in the microwave to avoid cross contamination.  You can make your own "lunchables" from dinner leftovers.  To prevent spoilage, freeze your lunchable containers so frozen packages are put in the lunchbox in the morning; by noon, they will be thawed and ready to heat.  If you're making mashed potatoes for dinner (made with rice milk and milk-free margarine), bake the potatoes (instead of boiling them); remove most of the inside to make the mashed potatoes, leaving the skins intact.  Then make your own potato skins topped with shredded cooked beef and vegan cheddar cheese. Potato skins make a ‘fun’ lunch for kids.  Other fun microwavable lunches include hot dogs (National Hebrew are gluten and dairy free) topped with vegan cheese and wrapped in a corn tortilla (wrap in waxed paper to heat in the microwave), gluten-free tamales, Quesadillas, or pizza all add variety to lunch and can be warmed easily in the microwave.  Put sloppy joe meat in a container to be heated at noon, and send along a gluten-free hamburger bun.  Pork and beans with hot dog slices, sausage in barbecue sauce, or gluten-free pasta with marinara sauce are other great microwavable options.

COLD LUNCHES

To keep foods from spoiling, add an ice pack to the lunchbox.  The variety of cold lunches is endless.  For entrees, take baked or fried chicken or chicken wings (made with a gluten-free coating), or cherry tomatoes stuffed with tuna fish.  If you prefer sandwiches made on gluten-free bread, break the routine of deli lunchmeats (Hormel Natural Choice lunchmeats are gluten and dairy free) with meatloaf, egg salad, or Reuben sandwiches.  Any sandwich cut with a large cookie cutter is more fun to eat than a sandwich that's just cut in half.  Using a cookie cutter also eliminates the crusts, which makes the sandwich look special.  Use fun cookie cutters like an elephant, dinosaur, or gingerbread man.  Skewered food is fun food.  Let your child select what he wants to thread onto a toothpick:  cubed lunchmeat, slices of green pepper, pineapple chunks, olives, pickle slices, cherry tomatoes, orange slices... the choices are many.

SALADS

Salads make a perfect cold lunch, whether it's chicken, ham, potato or egg salad.  Kids love pasta salad; using gluten-free macaroni, add lots of cut up veggies to make the salad more nutritious. 

ESCAPE FROM BREAD

There are other viable sandwich ‘containers’ besides bread.  Corn tacos are a crisp, fun holder for a multitude of fillings. A taco lunch will be the envy of their friends.  In a divided container, pack shredded vegan cheese, lettuce, salsa, and shredded rotisserie chicken -- Don't forget to include the corn taco shell.  Tortillas make great wraps.  Spread your child's favorite sandwich filling on a rice tortilla, roll it up, then slice it into smaller pieces creating circles.  Even pancakes and crepes make wonderful wraps.  If you pack a peanut butter and jelly sandwich made with gluten and dairy free waffles instead of bread, it's guaranteed that lunch will be a hit! -- Or get even more daring by replacing the jelly with slices of banana or apple slices drizzled with honey. Belgium lettuce leaves are shaped like little boats and make a fun holder for casein-free tuna or chicken salad.  Cracker sandwiches can be fun, especially when you layer the crackers with lunchmeat, vegan cheese slices, and add a surprise like sliced black olives or sliced sweet pickles.  A smiley face is easy to create -- Spread a rice cake with peanut butter.  Make a smiley face using raisins or any cut up dried fruit.  Add a full head of hair with coconut flakes-- color the coconut with food coloring to add to the fun factor. 

ADD VARIETY

Variety is the key.  Switch foods and alter combinations to make lunch an event of anticipation.  One day add deviled eggs; the next day add celery sticks filled with peanut butter.  If time is a factor, add ‘no-fuss’ items like a small container of applesauce, gelatin cups, or flavored soy yogurt; or pack a few gluten-free crackers to spread with hummus.  Kids like small things that fit in their hands, so send one or two miniature gluten and dairy free muffins with a hard boiled egg, sweet pickle, ham and vegan cheese cubes, and a small container of cole slaw.

Trail mix is a favorite with kids and it can be varied from week to week, including options like dried fruits, gluten and diary free cereals, mini dark chocolate chips, nuts, or even popcorn.  In a recent survey, it was found that kids love to find granola packed in their lunches -- so make up some granola to have on hand.  If using oats in your granola, make sure they are pure, uncontaminated oats processed in a dedicated facility.  (Creamery Hill offers pure oat products.). 

KIDS LOVE TO DIP

Kids love to dip foods.  Use cookie cutters to cut rice tortillas.  Bake the cut outs at 400 degrees for about 6 minutes or until crisp.  Send along a bean dip or salsa for dipping.  Pack carrot, celery, and green pepper strips with a dairy free dressing for dipping.

For a dipping dessert, cut a rice tortilla with cookie cutter.  Brush with a very small amount of olive oil then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and bake at 400 degrees for about 6 minutes or until crisp; pack a container of applesauce for dipping.  Send a few gluten and dairy free sugar or shortbread cookies with a small container of flavored soy yogurt for dipping.  Cut up fruit and toss it with pineapple juice (to prevent browning), then pack some caramel topping (made with dairy-free margarine and almond or vanilla rice milk) for dipping. Bake meringue cookies in the shape of bread sticks, then pack a container of pudding (made with coconut or vanilla soy milk) for dipping.

DESSERTS

Sure, you could pack fruit cups or a piece of fresh fruit, but fruit presentation can be more ingenious than that. Mandarin Orange Salad or Waldorf Salad makes a refreshing dessert.  Or assemble stacked apple slices (dipped in pineapple juice) filled with layers of peanut butter and honey.  Core an apple and fill it with peanut butter and raisins.  Air-popped popcorn is a hit, especially when you mix in a few dark chocolate covered raisins.  When you're short on time, you can toss in a gluten and dairy free protein bar.

ANOTHER FUN IDEA--

Pack by color for holidays.  For Halloween, consider black bean chili with gluten and dairy free crackers, shredded carrots with raisins, bat-shaped vegan cheddar cheese slices, a small bag of dried apricots and dark chocolate covered almonds, and orange juice to drink.  Add a Halloween napkin for a finishing touch.  A Valentine's Day lunch may consist of heart-shaped turkey sandwiches of turkey with roasted red peppers, vegan cheese-stuffed cherry tomatoes, red bell pepper strips and radish slices with ranch dressing for dipping (OrganicVille ranch dressing is dairy-free), white meringue cookies with raspberry pudding for dipping… perhaps topped with a dark chocolate dipped strawberry. Patriotic holidays will be red, white, and blue foods.

Don't forget to add a funny note or draw a picture on the napkin.  These little touches help to make lunch a time to look forward to for your child.

HOMEMADE GRANOLA
INGREDIENTS

3 cups gluten and dairy free corn puffed cereal (EnviroKidz Peanut Butter Panda Puffs are gluten and diary free)
1 cup peanuts
1 cup banana chips, dried
1 cup golden raisins
½ cup dried cranberries
3 Tbsp. dairy-free margarine
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
¼ cup pancake syrup
1 tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp.
1 cup shredded coconut

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  In a large bowl, combine cereal, peanuts, banana chips, raisins, and cranberries.   In a small saucepan, heat margarine, brown sugar, pancake syrup, cinnamon and salt until melted; pour over cereal mixture, tossing till evenly coated.  Spread on a baking sheet. Bake 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in coconut and bake until golden, about 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool. 

by Connie Sarros
Author of Wheat-free Gluten-free Cookbook for Kids and Busy Adults
(Every recipe in this book has dairy-free options)
www.gfbooks.homestead.com