# Kosher, Nut-Free Lunch Ideas for preschool?



## SleeplessinAZ (Jun 21, 2005)

My 3.5 yo ds is starting to take lunch to preschool next week, but it needs to be kosher and nut-free. Does anyone have any lunchbox ideas that meet these requirements?

Thanks!


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## P-chan (Jan 23, 2004)

Cheese/veggie pizza
Bagel and cream cheese
Cheese and crackers
Pasta salad
Cheese-filled tortellini
Hummus and pita

Don't worry about making it look like "lunch." Packing a variety of food that covers all the food categories (protein, fruit, grain, etc) is a good way to go, even if there's not a "main course."


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## honolula (Apr 11, 2005)

How kosher we talkin'?









Tuna fish, if she'll eat it. You can put a little tuna salad in a small container and let her spoon it on the bread herself, so it won't get soggy (and because it's fun). Pretty much any sandwhich sans PB or cheese, or cheese sans meat. Cereal, with milk in a seperate container. Fruit, fruit, fruit. You can't go wrong with fruit, can you? Veggies with dip. Gosh. Bagels, pretzels... come to think of it, there isn't a lot of non-kosher stuff you could put in a kid's lunch. I mean obviously you can't put it all in at the same time. Are you going to mark reusable containers m/d?


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## honolula (Apr 11, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *P-chan* 
Don't worry about making it look like "lunch." Packing a variety of food that covers all the food categories (protein, fruit, grain, etc) is a good way to go, even if there's not a "main course."


That's excellent advice from the mother of THE pickiest eater on earth.


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## zerby (Mar 28, 2004)

I totally agree with the sentiment of don't worry if it doesn't look like "lunch". I let my DD help with her lunch prep. Today, she had some shaved turkey lunch meat., a few cubes of soy cheese, an oat bran pancake, and broccoli florets with ranch. Some days it's pita chips and hummus, a tangarine thats segmented, carrots, and some fruit juice. She doesn't like sandwiches, and eats all of her food separate. But, it's balanced, and she eats it. It works for us.


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## Justmee (Jun 6, 2005)

The main thing is just meat OR dairy, not both in the same meal (fish is parve so you can send tuna w/ dairy). Pretty much anything you would pack, sandwhiches, rice salad, pasta salads, etc. Also see if they want you to send meat on certain days and milk on certain days, and check anything pre packaged for a kosher symbol.


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## SleeplessinAZ (Jun 21, 2005)

Thanks for all the suggestions and ideas, mamas! He main lunches at home are pb & j and turkey/cheese sandwiches, so those are both out. His teacher said it's more important to be nut-free (because there is a child with life-threatening nut allergy in the class), than kosher, but it is a Jewish school. I'm not sure to what degree it needs to be Kosher. I'm just concerned about the processed stuff, especially from Trader Joe's, that says processed in a facility with nuts, etc. I try to give him mostly whole foods, but he likes the occasional organic cookies and crackers too.


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## honolula (Apr 11, 2005)

Sorry for all the female pronouns up there. I don't know why I thought you were talking about a girl.


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## LaughingHyena (May 4, 2004)

The little pots sold for freezing your own baby food are great. We use them to send dips, yogurt, a few potato crisps. Basically anything DD would prefer kept separate.


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## trebleme (Feb 26, 2005)

You could also try sending sunflower butter or soy nut butter in place of the peanut butter in those PB&J sandwiches. I prefer soy nut butter myself, my DH prefers the sunbutter. Both are available at Trader Joe's, btw.

I also once saw a suggestion combining tahini and miso to make a kind of PB substitute. I'm going to try that one soon.

We have a nut allergic DD who goes to a Jewish preschool and are so thankful they have made it a nut-free environment. It doesn't remove all of our fears about possible cross-contamination, but it helps us feel that she's a bit safer when she's out of our supervision. Thank you for supporting the school's nut free policy in your area, on behalf of that child's parents, too.









Sharon


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## zaftigmama (Feb 13, 2004)

Both my kids had to bring kosher, nut-free lunches, but I think ours had to be specifically dairy - no meat at all. I remember packing:

-yogurt
-hard boiled eggs
-tuna - I'd send it in a container with crackers, and she'd scoop it on the crackers herself
-pizza
-bagels and cream cheese
-veggies and dip
-felafel
-pita triangles to dip into a container of hummus
-applesauce was popular
-string cheese
-fruit
-cereal in a tupperware bowl and some milk to pour on
-pasta (in a thermos to keep it warm)
-mac and cheese (thermos)
-one of my kids like cottage cheese and I sent that in with fruit

I can't remember any more, but I hope some of the ideas are helpful. The no meat was tougher for us than the no nuts.

Good luck!


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## User101 (Mar 3, 2002)

Moving to nutrition and good eating.

You might also try the allergy forum.


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## ORxPlant (Mar 18, 2006)

My DS is very picky. His school is kosher, nut-free, dairy and these are some things that will work for us (sometimes):

tortilla cheese wrap (just a slice or two of cheese rolled in a tortilla w/ extra on ends cut off)
sun butter (sun flower seeds) and jelly sandwich
cream cheese and jelly sandwich
yogurt
apple sauce
cheese sticks
avocado slices
petite carrots
cheese and crackers
Good luck!

Tracey


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