School Lunches

By mold recovery 9/19/2011 , , , 10 comments
What will my kids pack for lunch? This was my most daunting question as we approached the start of the new school year. With our specific GAPS diet, a daily hot lunch seemed overwhelming. (See this previous post for more information on the GAPS diet.)

To my surprise, our system has worked! The kids look forward to their lunch and their friends say it smells delicious.

Each lunch is hot and consists of beef, chicken, or salmon, along with vegetables. I purchased stainless steel thermoses from Life Without Plastic. I fill each thermos with boiling water and let heat for a minimum of 15 minutes before filling.


Favorite meals include chicken and pepper stir-fry, salmon stir-fry, and beef "burritos," substituting lettuce for the tortilla.

Snacks consist of kale chips, beef jerky, or dried apple slices, all made in our dehydrator. I pack them in Ziploc bags lined with parchment paper. Here is the kale chip recipe:

Blend in food processor or high-powered blender:
  • 1 red pepper
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 onion
  • Beet greens, carrot greens, or any greens of choice (a couple of handfuls)
  • 1 tsp. cayenne pepper

Add a small amount of water if needed to make a nice "paste" or "sauce."

Rinse approximately 8 cups of fresh kale. Gently tear off kale from stems and place in large bowl. Pour oil of choice (see below) into bowl and toss until kale leaves are coated. Add salt to taste (I use approx. 1 tablespoon). Mix. Add "paste" and mix with hands. If using a dehydrator, place kale on trays and dehydrate at 110 degrees for 4-12 hours. This can also be done in an oven at 200 degrees for 2 hours.

Suggested oils:
  • Olive oil (olive oil must be heated at less than 250 degrees to avoid toxicity)
  • Expeller-pressed coconut oil (no coconut flavor)
  • Avocado oil

Store kale chips in glass jars until ready to pack.

I also keep several treats (ginger flaxseed crackers, energy bars, dehydrated strawberries) at school for the kids to have as an alternative when birthday treats are passed.

Toxic Talk Alert! On Tuesday, September 20, I will be talking about all-natural personal care on the Chris Fabry Live! broadcast on Moody Radio. Tune in live at 2:00 p.m. Central time or listen via stream or podcast by clicking here.

10 comments :

  1. BethanySeptember 20, 2011 at 9:47 PM

    I've been making kale chips with a slightly different seasoning, but I'm wondering--do you know how long this will stay good in storage?

    My garden is overflowing with kale right now and love to make a ton, but I'm worried they'll go bad before we can eat them.

    Ginger flax crackers sound interesting! Would love to see that recipe.

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  2. mold recoverySeptember 21, 2011 at 6:13 AM

    Bethany,
    I see kale chips for sale at health food stores...I'm wondering if they have an expiration date...I'll have to check. Seems to me they would last awhile if they're fully cooked.
    I'll post the flax cracker recipe in this comment section.

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  3. BethanySeptember 22, 2011 at 11:49 AM

    Thank you!

    I've been making the kale chips with olive oil, but I'm thinking with coconut oil their shelf life will be longer since it's a more stable oil. I had a fleeting thought that I could borrow a friend's vacuum sealer and package them that way to extend shelf life, but I'm pretty sure that process would crush the dry leaves and leave me with kale dust. ;)

    I love it when you and your husband are on the radio together. The way that you interact is delightful!

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  4. mold recoverySeptember 23, 2011 at 10:23 AM

    Here is one flax cracker recipe:
    1 c. flax seeds covered in water. Allow to gel. Can add more water or more seeds to get a good consistency. Something you can spread onto the trays.
    Blend in food processor: sprouted sunflower seeds, ginger, apple, cinnamon, vanilla, coconut oil..anything that gives flavor that you would like. You want it to be like a paste..something that tastes good.

    Mix the paste into the flax seeds. Add water if needed.

    Spread onto parchment paper on dehydrator trays.

    Dehydrate for 8-12 hours at 110 degrees. Halfway through peel off of parchment and flip them. Finish drying.

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  5. AnonymousSeptember 23, 2011 at 10:57 AM

    Hi Andrea. Do you think I could do the flax seed crackers in the oven?

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  6. mold recoverySeptember 23, 2011 at 11:01 AM

    Sure worth a try..use the lowest setting and crack the door open and see if it works! I'd love to hear.

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  7. LineeSeptember 23, 2011 at 12:57 PM

    Wow. I have a lot to learn! It's overwhelming.

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  8. BethanySeptember 23, 2011 at 11:20 PM

    Thank you for the flax cracker recipe!

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  9. WISPRSeptember 24, 2011 at 1:48 AM

    Think of a school lunch, how does the fuel tank. If you choose the wrong type of fuel, you may run out of energy before the day is done.

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  10. AnonymousSeptember 24, 2011 at 6:17 AM

    Yes, Andrea,
    Thanks for the recipes and lunch ideas. I was hungry after reading this post!:) kt

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