We all know that food allergies can be super scary and if you’re new to the allergy world you probably have lots of questions – one of them likely being:
What do I pack for school lunch that is allergy free?! And how do I make it fun?
There is a ton of information out on the interwebs {thank you Google!} but we wanted to share some real-world advice from those who are long standing members of the local allergy club. As part of our back-to-school series, here are some great allergy free lunch ideas from Indianapolis parents just like you:
“My son is allergic to dairy and egg. On my list this week is pasta salad with veggies, pepperoni and Italian dressing, grilled cheese quesadilla with his vegan cheese, chicken and rice soup, turkey and bacon sandwich, tuna wrap. I made chicken and noodles with egg free noodles. Another favorite is a mix of hamburger, rice, black beans and corn. We buy Ortega soft taco boats and I include lettuce. For all the things, I make some for dinner and freeze some down for a future lunch. One thing he likes is Dinte Moore beef stew and it is legal for dairy and egg. Oreo cookies are also okay. We supplement with fruit cups, applesauce, fresh veggies, etc.” – Stacey, Fishers
“Vegetables, fruit, cheese wraps, nuts, boiled eggs, Popcorn. There are some specialty options but we stick with the basics for real food and it’s less expensive.” – Kendra, Indy resident fall of 2016
“My son has a dairy allergy – he has a lot of pb&j with his dairy free bread.” – Lauren, Zionsville
MORE BACK TO SCHOOL TIPS: 3 ways to beat back to school jitters
“Keep it simple for yourself. Kids are COMPLETELY okay with having only a small menu. For some reason as adults, we want to always create so much variety or find something new. It’s okay if they only have 5 or 6 things that you repeat over and over and over. They really won’t care.” – Lindie, Fishers
Does your family have an allergy that we missed? We would love to hear your lunchbox ideas – Please feel free to share in the comments below!
[meganl]
