I've been reading quite a few blogs in the past few weeks and I have to say the cultural differences between here in Australia and what I've been seeing from American mothers is breathtaking.
I went looking for ideas for lunchbox fillers. And I found a ton of fantastic suggestions. Avocado and fruit pastes, tossing in a boiled egg, peanut butter filled celery with sultanas on them. All wonderful ideas. All banned from the school the Smurfling attends.
No eggs: Allergies
No Nuts of any kinds: Allergies
No yogurt/tinned fruit/jelly (Which also kills the pastes): Too messy
Jam/honey no more than twice a week: they're "sometimes foods"
No fruit juice: Jealousy issues with the kids who can't have them
No muesli bars: Allergens in them (nuts)
No chips/crisps: Unhealthy
By the time you run through the list of disallowed foods that get added to every couple of months... I'm almost at the point of bringing lunch in every day and having him eat in the car - so that he gets something to actually eat. I'm waiting for them to ban all meat and dairy products because of either allergies or the fat content. Then I will HAVE to bring him home for lunch.
So... what do you send to school in the lunchbox of an ASD child who when at home eats Nutella, peanut butter or egg sandwiches for lunch, who doesn't eat the same fruit 2 days running and who has periods where he doesn't eat either cheese OR meat, sometimes both at the same time?
Popcorn. And water. I bought an air popping popcorn maker last year so I could send popcorn with him to school. I'm personally not a fan of plain popcorn, I like mine dusted with icing sugar - but that's evil and unhealthy.
Occasionally I use another of my little bench top machines that I bought in the last couple of years and send tiny doughnut shaped pancakes as well. Why doughnut shaped pancakes? Because we tried the doughnut mix recipe and he's not a fan, but he'll eat pancakes like they're going out of fashion, and it cooks up just as fast anyway.
I had all these wonderful ideas before Smurfling went off to school. Homemade muffins, egg salad sandwiches, mini quiches, home made sesame snaps, home made fruit and nut bars.... I still make all these things. It's just I'm making them in tiny batches for weekends and school holidays instead of the masses that I was going to fill the freezer with so I didn't have to get up every day and make ruddy sandwiches.
Every day I make 2 devon and cheese sandwiches - or rolls - fill a bottle of water and try and sneak in half an apple or a handful of grapes.
I don't know who is more bored with school lunches - me or the Smurfling.
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