Nut-Free Mommy and Me Lunches

I don't usually eat the same thing as my girls, mostly because I usually get salad or "yechy blechy" leftovers, but the unconventional popcorn lunch was too fun to miss out on! And then some blechy leftovers for me and more kid-friendly fare for them...

Monday, 2/24/14 - Leftovers

Z's lunch: Leftover GF chicken nuggets, organic ketchup, organic apples and peas, GF fun noodles w/nutritional yeast

I had a few leftover chicken nuggets (Ian's brand,) so divvied them up among the girls for lunch! I also had some leftover fun-shaped noodles, so I added some "cheese powder" (nutritional yeast) and packed that in too!

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E's lunch: Leftover GF chicken nuggets; organic tomatoes, apples, and peas; GF fun noodles w/nutritional yeast

Same stuff for Little Sis. And no. There was no way to arrange those tomatoes that didn't look naughty.

Tuesday, 2/25/14 -  Sunbutter Popcorn

Z's lunch: Organic popcorn with Sunbutter; organic carrots, sugar snap peas, and apples

I wanted to make some kind of peanut-butter popcorn ball, but couldn't find any recipes that didn't add a load of sugar. So I just mixed some Sunbutter into a big bowl of popcorn until it was mostly coated. And packed a napkin!

E's lunch: Organic carrots, sugar snap peas, blackberries, and apples, organic popcorn with Sunbutter

More of the same for the toddler. I was surprised this wasn't a big hit. Maybe they didn't like the messy fingers. Perhaps a spoon next time!

Mama's lunch: Organic popcorn w/GF tamari soy sauce and nutritional yeast,
dried organic mango and cranberries, GF raw sesame crackers with Sunbutter, organic carrots 

I had already taste-tested plenty of extra Sunbutter popcorn when I packed it the night before, so I opted for a childhood favorite from my Aunt's house - popcorn with soy sauce and yeast! I also had a sample of some weird raw spice crackers that said they tasted good with peanut butter, so I used Sunbutter to make little Cracker Stackers.

Saturday, 3/1/14 - Snacks for Mama

Leftover potato, golden beet, and carrot fries; leftover sauteed green beans;
organic carrots, broccoli, and sweet peppers; goat cheese

I still had some veggie fries left over from our trip to Great Wolf Lodge, plus some green beans left over from a dinner purchased there, sauteed in a petrochemical-infested cooking oil. Blech. The only things they had that were gluten-free, dairy-free, and petrol-free were the fresh fruits and veggies and hard boiled eggs. Oh, and their gluten-free pizza, but it wasn't very tasty without cheese.

I'm on the fence about calling goat cheese "non-dairy." Technically, it must be dairy, since goat milk farms call themselves dairies, right? But it doesn't contain the things that most people are intolerant to in cow milk (lactose and casein.) So I might still tag goat cheese stuff "dairy-free." I'm wild and crazy like that.

Tools of the Trade

Goldilocks and the Three "Berries"

Tuesday, 3/4/14 - Z got to go see a local children's theater production of Goldilocks and the 3 Bears with her public school Kindergarten class. So I put together some simple Goldilocks lunches for my girls! With three different kinds of berries. Get it? Bears... berries...!

Goldilocks and the Three Berries

Cosmos Creations Nuggets, GF PBJ; organic sugar snap peas, carrots, berries

I made a quick and easy Goldilocks for my Kindergartener using a circle cutter to make a PBJ sandwich head, and some nori face punches to make the face.
I skewered three assorted bear picks into three kinds of berries to represent the three bears, but was too lazy to make chairs or porridge or whatever. I did include three apple slices though. This one's juuuust right!

I couldn't find my little house pick, so I opted for a little woodland scene with a mushroom pick and carrots cut with tiny bug cutters.

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Baby Bear

Cosmos Creations Nuggets, GF Tinkyada fun shape pasta w/hemp hearts; organic carrot, tomatoes, berries

Little E got an even simpler Goldilocks using a girl-shaped cup. I packed some fun gluten free pasta (with dairy-free butter and hemp hearts) and used a silicone baran to separate them from some Cosmos Creations Nuggets to represent the golden locks.
For the three bears, I used a circus bear pick, a snip of carrot cut with a mini bear head cutter, and a mini bear cup filled with berries.

Tools of the Trade

Sister Snacks! Gluten-Dye-Nut-Free Snacks for Kindergarten and Day Camp

Instead of packing snacks for E's preschool each week, I just bring an assortment of snack crunchies and pick something to hand to the snack parent that is similar to what the other kids will be getting. But during our district's Midwinter Break, she got to go to some day camps with her big sister, so they got matching bento snacks!

Monday, 2/17/14

GF Annie's bunny cookies, organic orange wedges

One of the local kiddie gyms will take non-potty-trained kids under 3 for their day camps and such, so I got to send both girls! 3 hours all to myself! Well, since it was President's Day, Hubby was home too. So we hung out and watched a movie or cleaned the house or something. Giddy delight!

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Wednesday, 2/19/14

Enjoy Life GF Double Chocolate Cookies, GF Qwackers crackers

The girls did another camp later in the week, and this time I found out ahead what snack the gym had planned, so sent crackers and a cookie, to match what the other kids would be getting. And the gym had fresh fruit, which is always safe for us!

Tuesday, 2/25/14

GF Schar Cheese Bites crackers, organic blackberries

Back to school the week after break, and we had a wild and crazy time! I think we missed school Monday morning. Either that or I forgot to pack a snack and grabbed a bag of chips on our way out the door. But Z only had morning class through Wednesday that week, since we left for Great Wolf Lodge that afternoon, and didn't return until Friday.

Thursday, 3/6/14

GF Glutino pretzel sticks, pumpkin seed butter w/cinnamon

I got to try some nut-butter alternatives at VegFest in Portland last year and really enjoyed the pumpkin seed butter, so decided to grab a tub when I saw it at Whole Foods. Since it's nut-free, I sent some to school in a Mini Dipper, with pretzels for dipping. It's also good with apples, but I figured Z would be more likely to actually try it with pretzels!

Sadly, she barely touched it. So I finished it off with MY lunch!

Friday, 3/7/14

Naturebox Ranch Peas, organic apple slices

Both flavors of Naturebox peas (Ranch and Garlic) are popular with my girls, and while not the best way to get them to eat their veggies, it is an effective one!

Popcorn Friday!

Earth Balance vegan Buttery popcorn

The first Friday of each month is "Popcorn Friday" at Z's public school. It's a PTSA fundraiser, where you can buy popcorn for $.50 per child to be delivered to the classroom at the end of the day.
At the beginning of the year I looked into the oil they use, and it not only has fake Yellow dye, but also a petroleum-derived preservative. So we couldn't participate. But I don't want Z to feel left out, so I set an alert on my phone the first Friday each month and bring my own safe popcorn when I pick her up!

I found these paper popcorn cups, and they're a fun way to serve the popcorn to my girls!

Tools of the Trade

 

Food for Thought