Nut free school lunches for teachers

[PastTheGin]

I am moving schools to a strictly nut free school. All of my go to lunches and snacks contain or are nuts!

I would be very grateful for some inspiration, especially for nut free emergency snacks that can be kept in your bag. Also: are there any things that contain “surprise” nuts or that I should be aware of?
Added difficulty: I am trying to eat low carb where possible.

The traditional teacher’s apple. Or is that carbs? I never understand that stuff.

Basically anything that isn’t nuts, ha!

Salad, soup, roasted vegetables and pasta, sandwiches (using thins or other lower carb options)

Chickpeas/bean salads for protein.

Fruit for snacks

Don’t be mislead by the low carbing, @noblegiraffe! I like my snacks to be a bit more substantial - think 2 bottom sets in a row

All of your snacks and lunches?

I rarely eat nuts, so for me that's unusual.

I take salads. Cereal bars. And keep a stash of fruit with me in the staffroom or in my classroom. But I don't snack (in school time anyway) so they are for my lunch.

Swap the usual nuts for avocado and seeds to keep those sustaining healthy fats?

that would drive me crazy, I even put cashews in my salads!! 😭😭 I feel for you! You could make some nut free flapjacks? Obviously fruit, fruit with granola and yogurt. Crackers with grapes and cheese. I love tomato, mozzarella and pesto salad. I usually take a small portion of dinner leftovers for lunch too.

I would struggle without nuts too as I keep cashews and walnuts in my desk for a break snack . I use almonds instead of flour in a lot of recipes too. Nuts for snacks are hard to substitute without adding more sugar or carbs to the diet.

DH works in a nut free environment (disciplinary offence if found with nuts). He just takes fruit, mainly bananas if he feels peckish.

Pesto contains nuts ...
So does humus!

Snack ideas-
Dates
Fruit
Breadsticks and dips
Crudités

Our school is nut and seed free so do check.

I’m amazed you’ve found schools that aren’t nut free to teach in thus far tbh.

Cured meat sticks, cheese like Babybel, make your own crackers with chia seed and parmesan?

Pesto contains nuts ...
So does humus!

Humus doesn’t contain nuts. Pesto is really easy to make (and buy) without nuts in.

I do keto and I eat a lot of meat sticks and babybels. I'm not in a nut free school so I do have peanuts or "cake" made of almond flour, but babybels are probably my main snack. Or the little marmite cheddars! I could bloody live on those.

Pesto traditionally doesn't contain nuts but most now use cashews instead of pine nuts (not actually nuts), which is a huge PITA.

You can make hummus without nuts very easily by blitzing cooked chickpeas and tahini in a food processor with lemon juice, garlic, cumin, and if you like a bit of a kick, some pepper flakes.

Some people use peanut butter instead of tahini, which of course contains nuts. Tahini is made from sesame seeds, not nuts.

Bring some carrot and other cut up veggies to dip, plus maybe some rice crackers.

A handful of grapes makes a quite non-messy snack without having to peel anything.

Crackers that are nut free can go well with a bit of cheese or tuna salad.

My emergency snacks are seaweed, wasabi peas and naked bars. Also Brunch bars but not so healthy as they have chocolate in them.

You can make hummus without nuts very easily

You don’t have to. Shop bought houmous doesn’t contain nuts.

Naked bars are totally unsuitable-they pretty much all contain nuts.

"May contain" is very common though. Most cereal bars either contain or "May contain" nuts. Avoiding "May contain" would be very difficult!

But free schools don’t expect you to avoid “may contain nuts”.

Nut free not but free!

Thanks for the ideas! Strangely enough neither me nor dcs have ever been at a nut free school.
Looks like I have to kick my naked bar habit!

Pesto contains nuts ...
So does humus!

Not if you make it at home, and hummus is very easy to make.

Little cheese portions, not just babybel but brie and cheddar.

Dried and salted broad beans - Tesco do them in an antipasti pack but I'm sure you could get them or similar from a health food shop.

Veg batons to dip in the hummus. Or bread sticks.

Some people use peanut butter instead of tahini, which of course contains nuts.

Technically it doesn't as peanuts are not actual nuts. Although they are usually banned anyway.