The ABC’s of Back to School

Recently I’ve been to several gluten-free conventions and have had the pleasure to either instruct cooking classes or lecture on how to eat well on a gluten-free diet. Inevitably, simply due to the large number of children diagnosed with Celiac disease, the question arises about what to send with our Celiac kids to school. Through my own experience and, it appears to be the same for many other mothers, this tends to be more of an issue for us, mothers (and fathers) than it tends to be for our kids. My son is very forgiving about gf bread and is ecstatic about special treats like gluten-free cookies. In fact, he gets so excited about his food that he wants to share it with all of his friends. That said, he is also quite comfortable with his standard favorites (much like most kids are having boring peanut butter and jelly sandwiches 5 days a week!). I’m not sure if my child is just unusually relaxed about this or if this attitude is fairly common. We parents, I think, struggle so hard to have their lives be "normal" and wish their diets could be like every other "average" kid. But let’s face it — our kids are truly special — and I mean that in the most positive way.

If you are discouraged with school lunches, bag lunches and so forth, I’d like you to think about the positives this diet offers your children. Being on the gluten-free diet actually forces your children to eat healthier. All the processed junk food is now on the forbidden list, many fast food, pre-packaged ‘quick’ foods are also eliminated from their diet. Your children now can focus on eating wholesome foods, largely organic, in addition to fresh fruits and vegetables. Think about it — most "average" kids are consuming copious quantities of junk that their bodies simply do not need and could also benefit by eliminating these ‘empty’ foods from their diet.

So let’s talk about lunch and what your child can easily take to school and enjoy with pride. Here are some great tips for your child’s next ‘sack’ lunch:

Purchase small hot/cold containers that will hold a single portion. This way you can cook an extra serving or two for dinner and pack a hot lunch serving in your child’s lunch.

For some unknown reason, children who usually turn up their noses to hard-boiled eggs will eat a hard-boiled egg if it is any other color than white or brown. Color a dozen eggs and slip one into your child’s lunch as a colorful and nutritious surprise.

Cut up fresh vegetables and include a small sealable container of dip.

Make extra popcorn for an evening snack and mix some with nuts for a snack for lunch.

Print this calendar out and stick it on your fridge for great lunch ideas. Quick and easy meals your kids will enjoy every day of the week.

Week 1:

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Gf Macaroni & Cheese Apple Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies	Celery Sticks w/Peanut Butter Colored Hard-boiled Egg Orange Popcorn w/Nuts	Boar’s Head lunch meat wrapped around cheese sticks and pinned together with colorful toothpicks Carrot Sticks Grapes Strawberry Bread	Hormel Mini Salami or Pepperoni Cheese Slices Blue Diamond Nut thin Crackers Banana Strawberry Bread	Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich (made with the Gluten Free Pantry’s Favorite Sandwich Bread mix) Gf Corn Chips Apple Decadent Brownies

Week 2:

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
GF Spaghetti w/ Meatballs Carrot Sticks Grapes Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies	Polenta Pizzas Applesauce Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies	Chili & Hot Dogs Gf Corn Chips Orange Lemon Blueberry Squares	Colored Hard-boiled Egg Cheese Sticks Carrot Sticks Apple Popcorn	Gf fruit flavored yogurt (transfer to a thermos to keep cold) mixed with fresh fruit Corn Chips Grapes Chocolate Almond Biscotti

Week 3:

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Apple Waffle Sandwiches with Peanut Butter & Jelly Red Grapes Chocolate Chip Cookies	Beef & Noodles Cherry tomatoes Popcorn w/Nuts	Chicken Nuggets Gf Chips Grapes Chocolate Chip Cookies	Chili Mac Cheese Slices Blue Diamond Nut thin Crackers Banana Carrot Spice Muffins	Taquitos Gf Corn Chips Apple Decadent Brownies

Week 4:

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
GF Pasta with Herb Cheese Carrot Sticks Grapes Orange Polenta Cookies	Polenta Pizzas Applesauce Snickerdoodle Cookies	Gf Chili Gf Corn Chips Orange Snickerdoodle Cookies	Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich (made with the Gluten Free Pantry’s Favorite Sandwich Bread mix) Apple Popcorn	Pizza Macaroni Corn Chips Grapes Orange Polenta Cookies

These menu ideas are just that…’ideas’. Don’t break your back trying to make each and every thing on this calendar. But instead use the calendar as a idea place to vary your kid’s lunches and keep them excited about their food!

We hope you and your kids have a great school year!!!