As promised here is our great list of Sandwich-less Lunch Ideas. We have made all of the recipes below and they are yummy and most of them are easy. The ones that require some preparation, I serve it for dinner the night before and make enough to pack some in their lunch. This list is going up on my fridge.
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For more Sandwich-less lunch ideas, breakfast to go recipes, back to school crafts go here.
Sandwich-Less Lunch Ideas
(First 5 are pictured above)
1. Apple Peanut Butter Sandwiches
2. Grilled Cheese & Apples Kabob
3. Empanadas I love these, you can make them for dinner too!
4. Pulled Pork Wraps with Slaw
7. Quesadilla Wedges- This is an easy one. Place refried beans, cheese in a tortilla and add meat! image via Southeast Dairy
8. Pinwheels
10. Corn dog Muffin Pops – My kids love these!
For More Sandwich-Less Lunch Ideas go here.
I don’t understand why so many bloggers and site suggest and list lunch and snack items that contain peanuts! There are so many kids today that can literally die if they come into contact with them… It may not be you child who is allergic but would you want it to be you lunch item that puts another child possibly in the hospital?
many of us love peanut better and CAN eat it. Just know if you have a child or you can’t eat peanut butter to do something else, there are lots of options out there!!! Don’t get mad just because YOU can’t or your child can’t. have peanut better.It is like someone talking about milk or other things, we all have them and just think, well, I can’t do that one. BUT I don’t get mad at the one who put it up
Anonymous,
I am sorry if that is your situation, I am sure it can be frustrating. The list is for anyone and everyone whether you homeschool, go to a school building, dont’ have kids and are looking for lunch ideas, have kids but are not in school yet…. I certainly didn’t claim that the list was for special diets whether it’s gluten, peanuts or sugar free. I can only speak for myself and I am sure if there was a child in my sons class that had such a strong reaction to a certain type of food by just being around it our school would notify us. At that point I would definitely be sensitive to that when preparing my child’s lunch. Hope you find some good recipes out there!
Mari- I gave our experience on your facebook page! There are so many other allergies and combinations of allergies that it would be impossible for all bloggers to address this challenge. Unless there were a school mandate to keep certain foods out of school lunches, I will pack my kids lunch to ensure her nutrition knowing she will eat it. Teachers and students can all have a hand in helping a child with allergies to not come in contact with it- In our daughters’ Montessori classroom, there is a child with several severe allergies to gluten, dairy and nuts. He simply cannot eat what the kids eat- his parents pack his lunch and all the kids and teachers are made aware and help him to not come in contact with allergens….
Yes, I agree it would definitely be a challenge to address and then you add likes and dislikes to that. I am happy with my list and will definitely be using it throughout the school year and if we are presented with a situation where there is a child with allergies then we will adjust it as needed.
Hi. I understand the other side too but think that it would be easy to add a reminder something like “make sure to check with your child’s class in case of allergies”.
Anonymous, great tip.
Thats really stupid. This is pinterest- she shouldn’t need a disclaimer. If your child has allergies I would search elsewhere for snack tips.
As a parent of a child with severe food allergies, I already know to check everything for allergens. I check, double check, re-read, get ready to serve it to eat, and then panic and check again! I love these types of food alternative lists because even if they’re not geared specifically to our nutritional needs, they give great IDEAS! Thanks for the fun post. I can make the apple peanut butter sandwiches with sunbutter instead for a peanut-free lunch, grilled cheese and apple kabob can be made with daiya shreds instead of cheese, empanadas are easy to make allergen free, I already make allergy free pretzels but had never thought of having them in lunch!, and I have a bunch of other substituion ideas for the rest of the list!
Thanks Deanna, for sharing your perspective. I am glad you have a hand full of substitutions. When I was a preschool teacher one of the moms did the same for her daughter so she wouldn’t feel left out. I could tell the daughter appreciated it even at that young age.
Deanna I have a son that was diagnosed years ago with EE(Eosinophyllic Esophagitis). The EE has caused problems with his airway,eosphagus & stomach. So until recently he hasnt had any food allegies that we knew of until recently. He now has a milk,tree nuts and oranges allergies. What do you suggest as a mom with a child with dietary restrictions to give hime. All suggestions would greatly be appreciated.
Hi Crystal,
Wow, I am sure that is a huge change for you family life. I will share on our FB and see if any of our readers have suggestions.
Hi Crystal- I asked my FB readers to share and this is some of the responses they shared. Hope this is helpful and good luck as you learn how to cook for a special needs diet. Here’s the link to the FB suggestions- https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=346508438770617&id=178699485551514&ref=notif¬if_t=feed_comment#!/permalink.php?story_fbid=346508438770617&id=178699485551514
I’m not a mom but I work full time and taking sandwiches every day is so BORING. I love all of these ideas and I’m going to use them for my grown-up lunches.
Jill,
I am so glad to hear that our article can give so many people ideas, not just moms! I know I would use it for my work lunches :).
It’s so great to have options for lunch time! Thanks so much for sharing at Mom On Timeout!
Trish,
Thanks!
Anonymous…don’t get all worked up over nothing. No one said YOU MUST MAKE this peanut butter sandwich and take it to your child’s classroom…Not everyone has a nut allergy and therefore we are allowed to enjoy nuts if we like and these ideas are great ! Go take your anger out somewhere else 🙂