Gluten-Free Lunch Ideas for Pre-schoolers

I am gearing up to my reflections on our personal full-day Kindergarten experience. I may wait until the end of the year, so I don't put the cart ahead of the horse, as I did in September. Lunches. Gluten-free in a room of 27, gluten-consuming 4 and 5-year olds!

Rylyn eats her lunch at a little table on her own to avoid crumb contamination with other students. Her table is still near enough to other students so that she is not by herself. We received back results from her annual January IgA test indicating her Celiac disease remains inactive!

Find below some lunches I have packed. Please keep in mind these are the best. The best for us is a full fridge with lunches prepared the night before in reusable containers. We have been guilty of the the last minute scramble too. Baggies help with that (although I wrestle with this strange fear of Rylyn sucking on the bags and suffocating, so I prefer the reusable containers). Forget taking a picture of those lunches, as we are shoving the lunch into the backpack as the bus is pulling up. If I ever have the time to do a photo, I will tribute a worst gluten-free lunch post too.

Water, squeezable apple sauce, homemade GF banana muffin, carrots, homemade dill dip, cheese and GF crackers

Water, squeezable apple sauce, GF turkey sandwich, pickles, cheese and GF oreo

Water, lettuce wraps with turkey and mustard, cheese, yogurt, Snapeas, GF M&M cookie

Water, grapes and all-fruit gummies, Snapeas, green peppers, homemade GF pizza

Unless designated "homemade" the item is either naturally gluten free, purchased from a local gluten free bakery or processed. I have noted GF where an item would normally contain gluten. The banana muffins I made and froze and the pizza was dinner leftovers. My children are not picky eaters, so these lunches would come home finished. I bake a couple times a month on Saturdays.

Snapea Crisps - We make label reading our business and Chris recently caught an anomaly on a bag of Snapea Crisps: a gluten free claim (which drew us to the product initially) and a "may contain wheat" claim on the same bag. We had not seen this on other bags. I, of course, wrote the company and was content with their reply. Mainly because the product is yummy and I didn't want to have to give it up on principle.

"Hello Kara Dalgleish,

Thank you for your interest in our products. Harvest Snaps are not made with any gluten ingredients – and they have never contained gluten ingredients. In the past we produced a wheat based product in our factory therefore we complied with FDA standards to make the claim “May contain Wheat or Produced in a factory with wheat”. Since December of 2014 – we discontinued production of any wheat based products in our factory. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused. Thanks for your support of the Harvest Snaps brand.

Regards,
Calbee North America Support

harvestsnaps.com"

Had the company attempted to maintain both claims it would have been goodbye Snapea Crisps. Since they have done away with gluten altogether on their production lines, we are happy to keep snacking.

By the way, packing lunches is a drag. I do an inner happy dance every night I get a "bye."

Linger

I have been adhering to standards of online posting. My own standards. Adopted from ideals of others. I may post: to bring other's joy or perspective, personal record keeping. I may not post: to brag, to complain, to eliminate boredom...to name a few. Censorship has it downfalls, it has been more challenging to write.

Additionally, I have been avoiding my blog, mainly because my last entry was about how kindergarten wasn't emotional for me. That was after one week into the program, when I thought all was peachy. Things got emotional about three weeks in, after I found out my 3 year-old wasn't adjusting as I thought. Happy at home, not-so-happy at school. These lessons are for another day, because I don't want to write about them today, but I would feel misleading as to say everything was still hunky dory in the kindergarten department, when it is not. My initial reflections, although genuine, completely ignorant.

I did some digging. My Grade 12 English teacher wrote me a note. Tonight I thought of this note and I was determined to find it. Success.

It is the P.S. in the note which I wanted to reread. A lost sixteen year-old, who sometimes wore a cat collar as a necklace, was described as having excellence. Excellence that lingered. I needed to reread that tonight. Sometimes despite our success (occupational, relational, cerebral...whatever), the rote parts of the day-to-day and the curveballs life throws our way cloud our self-perspective. I worked late tonight and went to a Christmas party, feeling like I passed on the important (and rote) duties of wife and mother. I was reminded that I have excellence. Not am excellent, but possess an ability to be. Empowered to be excellent.

If a teacher can empower me 14 years later, then how much more can God empower me? Who does my Father say I am?

I am strengthened with His power for all endurance (Colossians 1:11)
I am forgiven. Debts cancelled. (Colossians 2:13-14)
I am God's chosen. Kind. Patient. Forgiving. (Colossians 3:12-13)

For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in out hearts to give the light of the knowledge or the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power [excellence] belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair. ~2 Corinthians 4:6-8

Who might I empower today by speaking blessing over them?
Am I letting His excellence continue to linger for me?

Kindergarten

Rylyn happy and home after her first full day.

Rylyn started kindergarten this week. To be honest, while an exciting milestone, not an emotional one for me. Perhaps because school is everyday for a teacher? Perhaps because I know this is something she needs and from which she will have great benefit? Perhaps because Addisyn has two (seemingly long) years before she starts kindergarten? Perhaps because I am more concerned about having to teach 100 minutes of kindergarten myself this year and am wondering how I am going to survive it?!

Having the privilege of experiencing the first day of school with other's children makes sending my own to kindergarten exciting and not emotional for me. I believe in our public education system and know she is in capable hands. I believe all education first comes from parents, so the responsibility to educate is still mine first and not one I am handing over. I believe in the light that is Rylyn and that it will shine brightly to love others.

Memories from the first few days:

-the caterpillar in her class made a cocoon

-played on the iPad

-riding the big bus with her big friend

-coming home dry and in the clothes we sent her (!!!)

-"I was mean and went to the principal's office." (After much probing I learned that the new word they learned about that day was "principal" and she in fact was not sent to the office).

Rylyn, those 30 wide-eyed kindergarteners I teach twice a week will get my best because of all the things you have taught me thus far about the small and mighty. Congrats on your first day and week of school!

Rylyn and Mom on the morning of the first official day of school

Family photo as requested for homework