25 Kid-Friendly Nut-free Lunchbox Sandwiches

School is in full swing which means I'm spending my evenings packing up bento boxes and washing out Snack Taxi bags. 3 kids times 170 school days equals 510 lunches. That's just this year! But hold onto your whole wheat, people, my kids are finally embracing the sandwich. This opens up an entirely new realm of possibilities for us. And I admit it. Placing a neatly wrapped sandwich in a lunchbox like a normal parent, knowing that in all likelihood it will be (partially) eaten by one of my children, by their own free will, is nothing short of spectacular.

By now you're probably more familiar than you ever wanted to be with our nut-allergy issues, but like it or not, we're not the only ones going peanut and/or completely nut-free at school this year. If you're in need of some nut-free sandwich spread ideas, look no further than my list here. Or if you're staring aimlessly into the fridge wondering what to pack your brood for lunch tomorrow, read on.

#2 Sunbutter and apple on a cinnamon raisin Bagel Thin

First, let's talk bread. There's a whole wide world out there beyond whole wheat. Sometimes jazzing up a boring old turkey and cheese sandwich requires nothing more than a toasted cinnamon raisin Bagel Thin and a few apple slices. How about any one of these?

• Whole wheat "white" bread, sourdough, Italian bread, multigrain, or rye
• Potato bread
• English muffin
• Pita bread
• Bagel, Bagel Thin, or Mini-bagel
• Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Bread
• Pepperidge Farm Party Bread
• Flat bread
• Naan
• Roti
• Croissant
• Baguette
• Buttermilk biscuit
• Graham crackers
• Raisin bread
• Tortillas (flour or corn)
• Matzo
• Foccacia
• Sliced and toasted banana bread, pumpkin bread, blueberry bread, or zucchini bread 
• Or lose the bread entirely and go with lettuce wraps

#1 Cream cheese, strawberry jam, and fresh, sliced strawberries

25 Kid-Friendly Nut-Free Lunchbox Sandwiches

1. Cream cheese, strawberry jam, and fresh sliced strawberries
2. Sunbutter and sliced apple (or for a dessert version, use Biscoff Spread)
3. Sunbutter and banana
4. Roasted Pepita Honey Butter and jelly 
5. Roasted Pepita Honey Butter and pear slices
6. Ham, pineapple slices, and cream cheese
7. Chocolate SoyNut Butter and fresh raspberries (try it on a toasted croissant)
8. Hummus, cucumber, and feta cheese
9. Turkey, goat cheese, and cucumber slaw
10. Turkey, cheese, and apple slices (nice on a cinnamon raisin bagel)
11. Ham, Swiss cheese, and honey mustard
12. Turkey, hummus, feta, and sprouts
13. Tomato, basil, and fresh mozzarella
14. Brie, pear slices, and honey
15. Edamame hummus, Havarti, and thinly sliced carrots
16. Turkey, mashed sweet potatoes, and a sprinkle of pepitas
17. Apple butter and cheddar cheese (yummy on raisin bread)
18. Smashed black beans, avocado slices, and Monterey Jack (or keep the black beans intact and mash the avocado)
19. Smoked salmon, cream cheese, and cucumber slices
20. Sliced hard boiled egg, cheddar cheese, and sliced tomato
21. Shredded chicken, Sunbutter mixed with honey and soy sauce, and shredded carrots
22. Pumpkin butter, Sunbutter, and a sprinkle of sunflower seeds for crunch
23. Chocolate cream cheese, banana, and shredded coconut
24. Sliced chicken, avocado, shredded lettuce and queso fresco
25. Turkey bacon, lettuce, and tomato with guacamole spread

I'm using this list as a jumping off point but the combinations are really endless. Mix, match, and experiment and let me know when you hit on a winner. I'd love to keep broadening our sandwich repertoire.

#8 Turkey, goat cheese, and cucumber slaw

Roasted Pepita Honey Butter and 25 Nut-Free Alternatives to Peanut Butter

Looly loves peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, which is a problem because, in case you missed the memo, Roo is allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. So, sadly, no almond butter or Nutella for us either. For years we've relied on Sunbutter for sandwiches, cookies, and pretty much everything else peanut butter-inspired. Huge props to Sunbutter. I don't know what we would do without you, my friend, and seriously, it is pretty freaking good. We're not tossing our jar of Sunbutter but with the school year looming and roughly 540 lunches to pack (that's 180 days times 3 kids!) perhaps it's time to expand our nut-free horizons.

Yup, that's a a smothering of homemade roasted pepita honey butter, baby. Chunky, salty, sweet, crunchy, nut-free yet nutty in flavor, and loaded with good stuff like amino acids, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals. Pepitas, by the way, are pumpkin seeds, but "pepitas" is a much snappier way of putting it, am I right?

Bean worked the blender and helped taste test. After giving up one too many spoons to her constant lick stealing, I finally gave her a bowl and a spoon. Roo was intrigued but not ready to actually sample quite yet. And Looly, my usual holdout, she gobbled up half a pepita butter and jelly sandwich then wolfed down another thick slice of bread slathered in pepita butter. Yeah. That was after her lunch.

Roasted Pepita Honey Butter

2 cups pepitas, roasted and salted (I bought our pepitas already roasted and salted but you could easily roast your own pumpkin seeds instead).
3 tbsp. honey
1/4 cup canola oil
salt

Combine pepitas and honey in a food processor or powerful blender and pulse. Slowly drizzle in oil through top of lid and process until you have reached your desired consistency. I left ours just a little chunky and the extra crunch is awesome. Taste and adjust salt and honey to suit your mood.

And just in case you aren't swayed by my recipe, here are 25 more nut-free sandwich spreads to help get you through the school year.

25 Nut-free Sandwich Spreads

1. Sunbutter
2. Wowbutter (soy butter)
3. Nonuts Golden Peabutter
4. Biscoff Spread
5. Guacamole
6. Simple Foods Organic Chocolate Soy Butter
7. Mashed banana
8. Hummus
9. Edamame Hummus
10. Black Bean Hummus
11. Baba Ganoush
12. Roasted Vegetable Spread
13. Lemon Curd
14. Triple Berry Curd
15. Apple Butter
16. Vanilla Pear Butter
17. Pumpkin Butter
18. Mascarpone cheese
19. Goat cheese
20. Ricotta cheese
21. Schuler's Cheese Spread
22. Whipped honey
23. Marshmallow Fluff
24. Nut-free Kale Pesto 
25. Olive Tapenade
26. And of course, Roasted Pepita Honey Butter

Bahama Breeze Fiasco

We spent Memorial Day in Cleveland and overall it was stellar. Bouncy house, swimming pool, sunshine, barbecues, playgrounds, new shoes, a pinata, cocktails, good friends and one bad restaurant experience. Having been on the other side of the food allergy equation, I'm usually willing to cut restaurants some slack. Feigning knowledge, however, is never a good idea when allergies are in play.

Here's a copy of my letter to Bahama Breeze corporate office.

Dear Boss Man (not really his name),

On Saturday, May 26, 2012, my family of five visited Bahama Breeze in Orange Village, OH. My four-year-old son has food allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, and eggs. While we avoided the need for epi-pens and hospital visits, the attention we received in response to his allergies was abysmal.

I know that dealing with food allergies is a nuisance. I have worked in restaurants and am sensitive to the myriad unreasonable requests and demands we customers make.  Still, I wouldn’t be writing this letter if I didn’t sincerely believe it might help protect a future diner.

We purposely dined at an off peak time. I let our server, Tony, know of my son’s allergies immediately and asked if he would mind checking to see if the bowtie pasta from the children’s menu contained egg. Tony informed me that he didn’t need to check because all pasta contains egg. Obviously, as the mother of an egg-allergic child and someone familiar with food preparation, I knew this wasn’t true. I explained that generally only fresh pasta and egg noodles contain eggs, at which point Tony told me that Bahama Breeze makes all of their own pasta. How impressive for a Caribbean-themed family restaurant to make all their own pasta – and bowties at that! Still dubious, I opted not to argue further.

So, we ordered the grilled chicken instead. When I asked Tony to verify that the chicken wasn’t marinated in anything containing nuts or eggs, he told me that the chicken “should be good.” Well, “should be good” isn’t good enough when anaphylaxis is involved so I asked him to please check in the kitchen, but never heard back. When our food arrived the chicken was covered in a glaze. My husband questioned Tony yet again about how the chicken was prepared at which point Tony finally asked another server what was in the glaze. She responded “citrus juices and egg whites.” Thankfully my son hadn’t tasted his food yet. But what if he had? Fifteen minutes later Tony brought us a plain chicken breast but our confidence was shaky.

When we dine out we’ve learned that some restaurants are better equipped than others to deal with food allergies. That’s okay with me. But please have a plan in place even if that plan is to state that you do not accommodate allergy requests. When dodging a bullet, I generally prefer not to tip the shooter.

Thank you for your time.

Our Allergy-Friendly Restaurants

If you or someone you dine with has food allergies, trust me when I say I know how frustrating and downright dangerous it can be to go out for a meal. I could regale you for hours with stories of Roo's uncomfortable, but thankfully not lethal, restaurant adventures. Too many hives, tears, and fist-clenching tummy aches to count. And the vomit. So very much vomit I've taken to carrying a Tupperware container and washcloth in my purse. You think I'm kidding.

This is the list I wish I had three years ago. It's definitely not exhaustive, but I hope it might give someone out there a starting point for traversing the restaurant scene with food allergies.

Roo's current allergies include eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, peaches, and beef. I do not claim that the restaurants listed below have menu options suited to every person with food allergies because there are just too many variables to consider. In our personal experience, however, these standouts have gone above and beyond in helping our family enjoy a safe meal time after time. Perhaps more importantly than what's on the menu is the restaurant's attitude about food allergies in general.

All-stars:

California Pizza Kitchen
Our personal experience here has never been bad, dating back to the days when Roo was off all dairy and apple (in addition to the eggs, nuts, beef, and peaches). The waitstaff has always been willing to check labels, ask questions in the kitchen, and use foil under pizzas in the oven to avoid cross contamination. They've allowed us to dress our own pasta at the table, which sounds so small but when you're presented with a plate of glistening noodles in a bowl, how can you really be sure that's olive oil and not butter? Better still, here's a link to their allergy information.

Chipotle
Chipotle is our safety net. Did you know that Chipotle is a nut-free establishment? It took me long enough to figure that out. Did you know they have kids meals that include a cheese quesadilla (or taco or whatever), a side of rice, beans, and a small bag of tortilla chips? They make their allergy information readily available and are always willing to put on clean gloves or grab a fresh tub of beans to avoid the potential of cross contamination. Perhaps the best part about Chipotle is that they are ubiquitous. We can almost always find one in a time of need. One word of caution, however, if you suffer from a soy allergy, Chipotle is not your savior. There is soy in almost everything.

Seasons 52
Interestingly, owned by the same parent company as Bahama Breeze, but SO much better equipped to handle allergies. 

Steak n' Shake
Health food it is not, but the service and attention to allergies we get here is fairly awesome for a fast food joint. Managers routinely let us read any and all labels, deliver food personally, and make sure everyone is breathing and smiling. Read the labels because everything is not transparent (for instance there is egg in the milkshake base), but I love the attitude toward allergy disclosure at Steak n' Shake.

Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants
How freaking awesome is it that all the Lettuce Entertain You restaurants, and there are a lot, have allergy info available and a responsible protocol in place for dealing with allergies? Many offer a gluten-free menu too! The downside is that Lettuce restaurants are not everywhere. We are lucky here in Chi-town that we can choose from a vast array of cuisines and varying levels of fanciness within the Lettuce Entertain You family. But, unless you're in Chicago, Minneapolis, Las Vegas, or Washington DC, you're out of luck.

Honorable Mentions

Noodles and Company
Tasty pastas and noodles, allergy info is available online and behind the counter (just ask for the allergy menu) but be careful of cross contamination. Remind them to use a clean pan or clean the griddle and watch out for the nuts.

Red Robin
They talk a big game about allergy sensitivity and they have allergy menus available but they probably shouldn't need to run up to the office to print them out and then act uncomfortable when we choose to order something.

Cracker Barrel 
Not the most consistent in handling allergies, but we always seem to be able to find something suitable and safe.

The Not-So-Good

Buffets scare the crap out of me. There is just way too much potential for cross contamination.
Five Guys (in case the peanut shells on the floor weren't a clue)
TGI Fridays
Sbarro
Bahama Breeze - Yikes! Read about our Bahama Breeze fiasco here.

And no, that doesn't mean that these are terrible restaurants and that no one should ever go there. It's just that in terms of allergies, we personally have had one or more sub-par experiences there.

Crowd-Pleasing Middle Eastern Salad

Ok, y'all. In case you haven't noticed, it's Food Allergy Awareness Week. Also in case you haven't noticed, food allergies, or more accurately, cooking delicious meals for those with food allergies, is kind of my wheelhouse. And that, my friends, is why I love this salad.

Peanut-free, tree nut-free, egg-free, easily dairy-free (just skip the feta), soy-free, fish-free, shellfish-free, and wheat-free (without the pita), this Middle Eastern Salad is a bright, tangy, colorful crowd pleaser of a side.  

Middle Eastern Salad

1 English cucumber
20 grape tomatoes, halved
3 green onions, sliced, white and light green parts only
1 tbsp. flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 cup pickled beets, chopped
3 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled (optional)
1/4 tsp. ground sumac, or smoked paprika, to sprinkle on top

1. Combine cucumber, tomatoes, green onions, parsley and beets. Squeeze lemon juice over veggies and drizzle on olive oil. Toss to coat.
2. Portion onto plates and top (or not, depending on dairy tolerance) with feta cheese. Sprinkle a little sumac or paprika on top. Serve with pita triangles or rice crackers, as appropriate.

And as always, read your labels. I used Rick's Picks Phat Beets which state they are manufactured in a facility that handles wheat, soy, milk, peanuts, and tree nuts. For us, that's a risk I'm willing to take. But if you're not sure about the severity of the allergies of the crowd you're cooking for, the best thing you can do is keep all of your labels handy.

Nut-Free (and easily dairy-free) Granola

It's funny, though not in the ha ha sense, what a wreck I was back in 2009 when Roo received his first peanut and tree nut allergy diagnosis. No more hazelnut latte? No peanut butter cookies? No mid-afternoon hand full of chocolate covered almonds? What about Pad Thai? How about my favorite breakfast, granola?!

Today our nut avoidance is par for the course, and at this point it's so ingrained in our daily routine that I don't devote much energy to it. And you know what? With recipes like this, what's to miss?

Nut-Free Granola

Cooking spray or flavorless oil of your choice
1/2 cup honey
1 tbsp. butter (or dairy free margarine, such as Fleischmann's Unsalted Margarine)
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 and 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant)
2 cups puffed corn cereal (or puffed rice, if you prefer)
1/4 cup dried cherries
1/4 cup dried mango, chopped
1/4 cup dried pineapple, chopped
2 tbsp. pepitas
2 tbsp. sunflower seeds
1 hand full of fresh berries

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray or grease with your oil of choice.

2. Place honey, butter, and brown sugar in a medium, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave 25 seconds and stir until butter is melted, sugar is dissolved, and honey is runny.

3. Toss rolled oats and puffed corn with honey-butter mixture. Spread on greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees 10-12 minutes, stirring often to promote even browning. Remove oat mixture from oven and cool completely.

4. Gently stir together oat mixture, dried cherries, dried mango, dried pineapple, pepitas, and sunflower seeds. Serve over yogurt, milk, or munch on its own as trail mix. For a dairy-free version, serve over soy milk or yogurt, rice milk, coconut milk yogurt, hemp milk, or anything else you like. Top with a few fresh berries or other seasonal fresh fruit.

Kid Cultivation

Well Fed Garbage has become Kid Cultivation!

Despite the recent name change our garbage can still eats pretty well sometimes. This week it was chicken, rice, and broccoli casserole. White people food. When will I learn that any time a recipe calls for a can of cream of mushroom soup, I need to just stop. Seriously.

Still, it's exciting to be focusing on the thrill of food again. Reading back on some of my older posts I'm struck by what a whining, driveling fool I sound like sometimes. And while I can't promise that's going to change, I can promise that we're having a lot more fun in the kitchen these days. 

Yes, Roo still has food allergies, eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), textural sensitivities, and barfs a lot, but for the moment, he's under control. He can't eat peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, beef, or peaches. So that leaves about a billion other things he can eat.

Mufasa's controlling diabetes with diet and exercise alone. No easy feat and he's rocking it with no help from his cake pop-crazed housemates. 

Looly prefers ice cream and pizza to salmon and Brussels sprouts but her self-control is unparalleled. Who eats half a cookie?!

Bean, my little Beanie Bean, dream child of culinary delights, counts kale, lima beans, pickles, hard boiled eggs, avocado, and filet mignon among her top 10 foods and is just about always willing to try a bite. Thank you for having been born.

And as for me, I'd still love to lose 5 (meaning 10) pounds. At some point I am going to have to face the cruel reality that two nightly servings of salted caramel gelato are not part of a healthy weight loss plan. Fortunately today is not that day.

Nut-free Kale Pesto

We eat a lot of pasta. Or more accurately, I make a lot of pasta. Bean, Looly, and Roo eat a lot of pasta as long as it's coated in butter and Parmesan cheese or slathered in Rao's Marinara sauce, which by the way, you can order online by the case. Just saying.

I know I could make my own tomato based pasta sauce at home but really, what's the point? They want their Rao's. As far as jarred pasta sauces go, Rao's Marinara is hard to beat. I've got nothing against Rao, and certainly no bones to pick with butter, but seriously, pasta has been getting a little boring over here.

This week I decided to play on Bean and Roo's recent ardor for all things kale and created my own version of pesto. Given Roo's allergies, I opted for sunflower seeds instead of nuts and wasn't quite sure how they'd hold up against the kale, but the results were fabulous. I will be making this again and plan to experiment with other greens...spinach, chard, collards. Give it a try! 

Nut-Free Kale Pesto

2 cups raw, fresh kale leaves, thick stems removed, roughly chopped
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
1/4 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Put all ingredients into a food processor and blend to perfection. Mix with warm pasta and a little pasta cooking liquid as needed. Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan and more sunflower seeds.