6 Back to School Lunch Ideas

6 Back to School Lunch Ideas
By Pamela J. Compart, M.D. and Dana Laake, R.D.H., M.S., L.D.N.
Author of The Kid-Friendly ADHD & Autism Cookbook

Lunch #1: BBQ Chicken for Champions

• One chicken breast, cut in half and pan fried in olive oil for 6 minutes a side. 
• Add salt and pepper. Cut into strips. Serve cold dipped in dipping sauce.
• BBQ dipping sauce -- ¼ C (put in BPA-Free container)
• Veggies: steam broccoli for 7 minutes, run cold water over it (or defrost frozen broccoli) 
• Place in BPA-Free container
• Veggie dipping sauce in BPA-free container

Use: BBQ sauce or honey
Drink: water, GFCF* V8 juice, GFCF juice box, fortified organic rice milk box
Snack if needed: GFCF chips & fruity salsa (¼ C) in BPA-free container
Toy Surprise: Girls: yarn bracelet, Boys: Miniature toy character figure

BBQ Sipping Sauce -- ¼ C (put in BPA-Free container):

• 1 C organic ketchup
• 1 Tbs lemon
• 1 tsp Worchestershire sauce (GFCF)
• 1 Tbs honey
• Dash of black pepper
• Blend all of the above until smooth

Fruity Salsa:

• 1 C Salsa
• ¼ C grape, blueberry or raspberry fruit spread
• Mash the fruit spread into the salsa

Lunch #2: DLT ("Deli" meat, Lettuce & Tomato Sandwich)

• Turkey or Chicken GFCF Preservative-free organic lunch meats (by Boar's Head, Applegate or Shelton)
• Toast 2 pieces of GFCF bread.

• Spread w/ 1 Tbs GFCF mayonnaise 
•  Place 2 slices of GFCF lunch meat
• Top with lettuce and tomato
• Cut into 4 squares
• Wrap in wax paper

GFCF Potato Salad ⅓ cup from recipe. Serve in BPA-Free container
Fruit (apple or grapes) -- in BPA-Free container
Drink: water, GFCF V8 juice, GFCF juice box, fortified organic rice milk box
Toy Surprise: Hair scrunchie for girl. Baseball card for a boy.
Snack if needed: Peanut butter on rice crackers

GFCF Potato Salad Ingredients:

• 3 pounds potatoes, cooked until just tender, cubed, cooled
• Optional: 5 or 6 hard cooked eggs, cooled, coarsely chopped
• ¼ to ½ cup chopped red onion
• ¼ to ½ cup chopped celery, optional

Dressing:

• ¾ cup mayonnaise
• 1 to 2 tablespoons prepared GFCF mustard
• salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
Prepare the dressing combining the mayonnaise, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste. Combine.
Combine potatoes, egg, onions, and celery and stir in the dressing.
Serves 6 to 8.

Lunch #3: Kids Favorite Chicken Salad & Deviled Eggs

Chicken Salad ⅓ to ½ C served in BPA-Free container
Deviled eggs (1-2) -- served in BPA-Free container
Carrot sticks (wrapped in waxed paper) dipped in applesauce (in BPA-Free Container)
Snack if needed: GFCF chips & hummus in BPA-free container

Drink: water, GFCF V8 juice, GFCF juice box, fortified organic rice milk box

Chicken Salad Ingredients:

• 3 cups cooked diced chicken
• 2 ribs celery, thinly sliced
• 1 cup seedless green grapes, halved
• ¾ cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons finely minced green onions
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation:
Combine first chicken, celery, and grapes in a large bowl; set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients; combine with chicken mixture, using as much or as little as necessary to moisten as desired. You may add a little more mayonnaise if you like a creamier salad. Chill and stir again before serving.
Serves 4 to 6.

Deviled Egg Recipe:

• 6 hard-cooked eggs -- cooled, shelled, cut in half, yolk removed
• 1 ½ tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon prepared mustard
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish, or to taste
• Paprika

Preparation:
Mash yolks and combine with mayonnaise, mustard, salt, and relish. Refill centers of the egg whites with the mixture. Garnish with ground paprika.
Serves 6 (2 halves per person)

Lunch #4: Meatball Spaghetti Sauce

Meatballs in Spaghetti Sauce (1 C) without the spaghetti -- served warm in thermos
Wonderful Waldorf Salad: ⅓ to ½ cup
Broccoli trees, cold asparagus or carrot strips dipped in Russian Dressing or honey ( ¼ C in BPA-Free Container)
Snack: Organic GFCF "O"s
Fruit smoothie ½ to ¾ C in cold thermos or GFCF V8 juice, GFCF juice box, fortified organic rice milk box
Snack if needed: GFCF chips & bean dip in BPA-free container
Toy: Stickers appropriate to the child

Spaghetti and Meatballs:

• 1 small yellow onion
• 1 slice GFCF rice bread
• 2 Tbs water
• 1 teas salt
• ½ teas oregano
• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 jars GFCF pasta sauce

Put onion in food processor and mince. Add bread, water, salt, and oregano and mix again. Pour mixture into a mixing bowl. Knead by hand together with ground beef until thoroughly mixed. Shape into desired meatball size. Put meatballs into a slow cooked with spaghetti sauce and cook for 4 hours. Refrigerate.
Serves: 4 to 6

Wonderful Waldorf Salad Recipe:

• 1 C pineapple chunks (fresh or unsweetened canned)
• 3 C apples, peeled and cute in ½ inch cubes
• ⅓ C raisins
• 1 C carrots, thinly sliced
• ⅓ - ½ c walnut pieces (optional)
• 1 C GFCF mayonnaise

Fruit Smoothie:

• 1 ¼ C rice milk
• ½ glass crushed ice
• 1 Tbs rice powder
• 1 Tbs coconut milk (optional)

Add one of the following and blend at high speed until smooth and thick.

• 1 sliced banana
• 1 cored and chopped pear
• 1 handful of berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries or combination

Russian Dressing:

• 1 C GFCF mayonnaise
• 1 C GFCF ketchup

Servings: 8

Lunch #5: Chicken & Magical Muffins

Baked or grilled chicken (leftovers from dinner) ½ cold chicken breast
Apple salad served in cold thermos
Veggie-Muffins 1-2
Fruit smoothie ½ to ¾ C in cold thermos or GFCF V8 juice, GFCF juice box,
fortified organic rice milk box
Snack if needed: Carrots & bean dip in BPA-free container

Apple Salad:

• 2 large Red delicious apples, unpeeled, cored and but into 1 inch chunks
• ⅔ C crushed pineapple, drained or fresh pineapple minced - reserve juice
• ⅓ C celery, diced
• 2 Tbs raisins

Dressing:

• 3 Tbs soy yogurt
• 2 teaspoons GFCF mayonnaise
• 1 Tbs pineapple juice
• ¹⁄₈ Teaspoon cinnamon

In a medium bowl, combine the salad ingredients. In a small bowl, combine the dressing ingredients, Pour the dressing over the fruit mixture and stir.

Veggie-Muffins:

• 1 store-bought GFCF cake mix prepared according to package directions- but not baked
• Add 1 C pureed vegetables -- using one or more of the following: carrots, squash, peas, green beans
• Add ½ C applesauce to batter
• Option -- stir in 1 C GFCF chocolate chips

Mix purees in with the batter, stir in chocolate chips (optional). Transfer the mixture to a muffin pan, filling each cup about two-thirds of the way. Bake at 375º F for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Do not overcook, as this will result in dry muffins. Once cooled, these muffins can be frozen to be eaten later.
Yields 12 muffins

Lunch # 6: Sensory Sensible (for those who avoid "lumps and bumps")

Pot Pie Muffins (2)
Hummus
Fruit smoothie
Snack: Bean dip

Pot Pie Muffins:

• 1 store-bought GFCF cake mix prepared according to package directions -- but not baked
• Add 1 C pureed vegetables -- using one or more of the following: carrots, squash, peas, green beans
• Add ½ C applesauce to batter
• Add ½ C pureed chicken
• Option -- stir in 1 C GFCF chocolate chips

Mix purees in with the batter, stir in chocolate chips (optional). Transfer the mixture to a muffin pan, filling each cup about two-thirds of the way. Bake at 375º F for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Do not overcook, as this will result in dry muffins. Once cooled, these muffins can be frozen to be eaten later.
Yields 12 muffins

*Gluten-Free Casein-Free