<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> In our personal correspondence, Karen asked for kids lunch and snack ideas. As I started writing a reply, I thought other parents might be interested ... At 06:12 PM 1/22/97 -0500, Karen Mahoney wrote: >Thank you for your reply to my letter, I am trying very hard to keep her >gf, and plan to do that...I just hope she conitnues to be happy and >healthy..If you have any good suggestions on school lunches, cereals, >and snacks, I would greatly appreciate it..Thanks again for your >time..Karen Mahoney With loving parents, I'm sure she'll be happy and healthy. As a matter of fact, I have found that since the GF diet, my 6 yr old son and toddler daughter are healthier than any of their peers. My son has not missed a day of school or day care since on the GF diet. As the toddlers pass colds and flu around, my daughter never gets them. The teachers have commented on the healthy foods my kids eat, mostly fruits, vegetables, cheese, yogurt, rice, compared to all of the prepared foods full of nebulous ingredients that the rest of the kids are eating. I've even heard from parents of my son's friends that they want to be on a diet too, because Arthur's food looks so much better than theirs. I pack lunches and snacks for both kids every day. Some ideas: Cheese - slices, grated, or individually wrapped string cheese GF Bologna, GF ham, tuna fish (Using cookie cutters, I make cool designs with the cheese and bologna for a special treat) Just pack the stuff you'd put in a sandwich w/o the bread Rice cakes can be used to make great open faced sandwiches or mini pizzas. Just spread on some pizza sauce and mozerella, pop in the microwave, and the kids will love it (these don't pack well because the rice cake gets soggy). For lunches, I melt the mozerella on the rice cake and put the pizza sauce in a little tupperware container for dipping. Fruit - fresh fruit or indivually packed fruit cups Vegetables - my older one loves fresh veggies like tomatoes cucumbers, carrots, celery Both of the kids eat vegetables cold from the refrigerator the toddler loves canned green beans and corn. The older one prefers peas and carrots, asparagus, brocolli (we told him they are little trees), beets A cheese tostada lasts well for lunch, just sprinkle grated cheese on a corn tostada shell, microwave to melt it and put it in the lunch box. Yogurt - beware of low fat varieties Nuts - pistachios, peanuts, cashews Raisins I pack a lot of left over dinners from the night before including, pizza, macroni & cheese (corn pasta with melted velveta works great), potatoes, rice, hamburgers, ... They both love cereal for snacks...some of their favorites include Malt-o-Meal Corn Pops, Post Fruity & Cocoa Pebbles, Puffed Rice, Kelloggs Crispix, Frosted Flakes, Puffed Corn. I always have a couple of baggies filled with cereal for snacks. Rice crackers (in the oriental section of the supper market) with Cheese Wiz. Popcorn and Carmel Corn Rice Crispy Treats For school parties, I always volunteer to bring some of the snacks, the most popular to date are jello jigglers. (Most of the kids prefer these to the cupcakes brought by other Moms). Once I brought mixed nuts and a nut cracker for the 4 year olds, many had never used a nut cracker and thought it was wonderful. One consolation I take is that with my kids diagnosed so young, they are not developing a taste for gluten laden foods. Debbie, Colorado, USA