Any suggestions for packed lunches (child with allergies)

[springcleantime]

I wondered if anyone could help me with some new ideas for DS1's (9) packed lunches for schools? He has multiple allergies and so we have got into a bit of a habit of just doing a ham or chicken sandwich, soya yoghurt and bit of fruit, but it would be lovely to have some alternatives.

He is allergic to milk, eggs, shellfish, whitefish, sesame seeds, peanuts and tree nuts.

He is reasonably good about trying new things, although isn't a big fan of other types of fish (he'll eat a small amount of tuna, but probably not worth doing a tuna sandwich) and I always feel that fish might not be the best thing to sit about until lunchtime, but any other ideas would be very welcome.

TIA.

Would you be able to send a good flask with hot food? That would open up lots more options. Soup/jackets etc
Could do a pasta salad with chicken and bacon, sweet corn, peppers and dairy free mayo.
Or try making a bean or mushroom pate that could be used as a dip for pitta fingers.

Pate sandwich, crackers and humus. Salted popcorn or packet of crisps.

pasta or cous cous salad with roast veg or diced salad bits like pepper, etc.

wraps instead of sliced bread
veggie sticks/pitta slices with homemade salsa style dip

soup and a roll at lunch time or pasta salad - you can get wide lipped thermos for him to kep hot meals in

Wraps are a good idea - also pitta pockets

Pate sandwich, crackers and humus.
OP said he was allergic to sesame seeds, humous is no.

I grew up in Australia and always ate these tuna packs that came with a mini tin of flavoured tuna, crackers and mayonnaise. They were fun to 'make' up at lunchtime and very tasty. Just looking on Ocado the John west 'tuna infusions' are a similar idea for the tuna - you could pack crackers separately to spread the tuna on?

Thanks for all the suggestions - some we have tried before (he doesn't particularly like cous cous - but we should try it again since he is so limited with choice), but some we haven't so I will give them a shot.

Pate does work sometimes, but part of my worry about his lunch is with the information about not having processed meat too often, and I guess pate is another version of that. I could definitely try the dip with veg though.

Ooh - have never seen dairy free mayonnaise AtLeast - thanks - I'll have a look for that. He's not enjoyed cold pasta salads before, but maybe its time to try them again too.

We do wraps for tea sometimes (fajitas etc) but no reason I couldn't add them to lunch - just would be nice to not always pack them with ham or chicken though.

I'm going to give the soup a shot. He absolutely loves soup. Don't know why I didn't think of that before. Thanks for that suggestion in particular.

OP: most normal full fat mayonnaise is dairy free but all contain egg.

sorry, pressed too soon: if you seek out a health food shop and get a vegan 'mayonnaise' it will be egg and dairy free but you'll need to check for nut oils etc. There must be one out there!

Sorry when I said dairy free mayo I did mean both egg and dairy like this one from Holland & Barrett

Yes sorry - I meant egg free as well. Obviously most are dairy free. Sorry - must check what I'm typing before pressing go.

Thanks for the link AtLeast - might take a wee trip into Holland and Barrett this weekend to look at their free from range. The Tesco ones all seem to be full of Gluten Free products, but still with egg and dairy, so would be interesting to see some different products at H&B.

most of the contents of my little ones lunchbox are not appropriate apart from her favourite (and slightly weird obsession) of olives and/or gherkins. A bit different from fruit and suspect it gets some weird looks from the other kids and teachers!

We often make up veggie sushi on a sunday night and DD has it for lunch. We use Tamari instead of Soya sauce as it is gluten free.

Serious question but is he bored with the regular choices or are you concerned about the variety?

My son has similar allergies. He likes soup in a wide top flask, or bolognaise with Pitta bread to dip in it. I also give him fruit smoothies (no dairy), cocktail sausages (only some brands are ok), and oats & honey bars or homemade flapjacks. Egg & dairy free banana muffins are another favourite.

Sorry to sound a bit thick but does tree nuts include coconut?

Ooh - wouldn't have thought of a bolognaise type sauce, with things to dip in it. If the soup works out, I'll give that a shot next.

Penfold - he sometimes says that he is a bit bored of the sandwiches, but its probably more me being a bit worried about how many days in the week he eats processed meat.

Jilted - No coconut is fine - I think it is classed as a seed.

Sushi might be something to try too - we make it now and again at weekends, so no reason it couldn't be a weekday food!

Thanks for all the suggestions.

Oh that's good. Would this cheese be ok on mini pizzas?

Could you make something like these and send them in cold, with a wrap and crudites?

mypamperedlifeuk.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/chicken-goujons-egg-dairy-and-gluten.html

My son is also allergic to eggs and nuts. He starts school in September so this thread is great for lunch ideas!

28/01/2017 18:02

Sorry to sound a bit thick but does tree nuts include coconut?

Not thick at all JiltedJohnsJulie . Coconut's definitely a seed, which we only found out recently after avoiding it for seven years!

We got a new Doctor who actually knows what she's talking about, unlike the previous one who advised against it . It's been sooooo wonderful to add a food to the otherwise rather dull repertoire

interestingly ds 21 allergic to treenuts and seeds recently had a test which was positive for coconut but has never had a reaction