Help me feed teenage ds lunch at school

amother

Tue, Dec 09 2014, 2:59 pm

DS dorms at his mesivta and comes home on the weekends. They serve milchigs at lunch and fleishigs at supper. His doctor recently told him to eat his bigger meal at lunch, and eat lighter at dinner.

This means I need to send him food to keep in the yeshiva fridge, because he is allergic to dairy and he's been eating whatever is parve at lunch (bread, sometimes soup). Also, there's an oven but currently no working microwave. So I started sending him a hearty vegetable soup that he ate cold. But he doesn't like taking it liquid because it can spill and if I freeze it first it takes days to defrost, plus he has to eat it cold.

What else can I send him? He doesn't eat parve versions of other things (soy cheese or burgers), and needs to stay away from beans. He hates chick peas. We're also avoiding raw veggies. And he really can't have fleishigs at lunch unless he runs back to his dorm every day to eat by himself in his room, which none of us want.

Ideas?

spring13

Tue, Dec 09 2014, 3:30 pm

Get him this to warm up whatever you're able to send frozen. Just make sure you're freezing in a volume that works in it.

http://www.crock-pot.com/speci.....plaid^63948767290-sku^SCCPLC200@ADL4PK@ADL4NP-adType^PLA-device^c-adid^45793213210

SplitPea

Tue, Dec 09 2014, 3:37 pm

Since this is a health/allergy thing why not talk to the yeahiva about getting a working microwave? Even if you need to pay for it right now you can get them for around $40. Then it opens so many options.
Can he have fleshig lunches you send or only parve/diary?

Parve you can do salmon (good cold) tuna, just about anything with tofu (you can use the plastic chinese food containers so they don't spill and heat up in the microwave you can purchase.
Tuna/salmon patties
Salads with beans, eggs, corn, nuts, raisins, veggies, everything he likes from a salad bar.
Quinoa and veggies (needs a fat with it to be filling)

Or if they will let him eat fleshig just about anything portioned out for lunches and heated up in a microwave (again that will be step one to get but its medical I don't see where a yeshiva should have a problem)

amother

Tue, Dec 09 2014, 4:19 pm

OP here. Thanks, guys. They will not let him eat fleishigs in the dining hall at lunch.

He doesn't eat fish, including tuna. He doesn't eat sandwiches. He hates anything fake, like cheese or shnitzel. Anything with liquid, in those Chinese containers, can spill when smushed into the overnight bag he shleps back and forth which is smushed and stepped over on his way to school. (Thick sauce tends to be fine- that just leaks a little.) A thermos is fine, but I'm sending on Sunday for a whole week.

He has braces. So no nuts or anything too sticky (peanut butter, any other of the butters). And as I said, no beans or raw veggies, as per the doctor. We would buy him a microwave if we could figure out what to put in it. They do have hot water available, so he eats oatmeal and I could send him pasta, but then he's just eating starch.

The eggs I think I will do. I can try quinoa and veggies.

Split Pea, I am interested in tofu recipes. He will eat tofu as long as it's easy to ignore the fact that it's there. I used to cut cubes of it into his veggie soup, for example, or if it's in a sauce.

Spring13, I want that pot! How long does it take to warm up food just out of the fridge?

studying_torah

Tue, Dec 09 2014, 5:43 pm

Maybe you need better containers that don't leak.
What about things like: Stir fry ( w tofu), blintzes, wraps instead of sandwiches, lo main- again w tofu, rice/veggie bowls.
Hard boiled eggs? Or are eggs a no no as well?

mummiedearest

Tue, Dec 09 2014, 6:55 pm

make a dozen hard boiled eggs in the beginning of each week. they'll be fine in the fridge.

you can make veggie kugels with lots of eggs. some noodles/rice/couscous/bread/potatoes with that and it's a whole meal.

pasta tossed with sautéed veggies with some form of added protein (eggs, tofu, etc.).

I make falafel out of lentils instead of beans. would that be ok? I'll be happy to post the recipe if you want it. they freeze well. freeze in small ziploc baggies in individual portions, he can take them out of the freezer at breakfast time to defrost.

amother

Tue, Dec 09 2014, 7:23 pm

Op here. Mummiedearest, veggie kugels sounds great! They work cold too. I hope he'll eat them. And the eggs are cooked already. Then I won't feel so bad about the pasta. I think I'll save quinoa for a little later... (I hate quinoa. I might be projecting Very Happy

)

And I would love the alterna-falafel recipe. Thanks.

bnm

Tue, Dec 09 2014, 7:35 pm

I used to bring roast beef in bags to school for lunch. if he can bring it in the morning from the dorm and store it in a fridge (I'm sure they have one for the coffee/milk) then he should be fine.

you need better containers
that individual crockpot thingy
and why does soup take so long to defrost? freeze in 1 pound individual serving containers and he can take it out the night before, should defrost overnight unless he is in Alaska.

mummiedearest

Tue, Dec 09 2014, 7:42 pm

ok, here's my falafel recipe:

soak lentils overnight. drain and rinse. iirc, one bag of dry lentils makes about three batches. you can make the batter all at once and freeze it uncooked, but make sure to squeeze out excess liquid when cooking it defrosted.

approx. a third of a bag of soaked lentils
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon parsley
1 teaspoon coriander
2 teaspoons cumin
1/8 teaspoon turmeric
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 egg

put all this in a food processor, blend until the lentils are broken down. I use a tablespoon to shape the falafel balls, and I do deep-fry them. I have never baked them, but a friend of mine has. she says they come out ok, but a bit sloppy-looking.

spring13

Sun, Dec 14 2014, 11:51 am

What about pancakes or waffles? They freeze and reheat well, and can be made with hidden protein and fruit/vegetable content. If they're allowed to have nuts, I can give you a recipe that involves cornmeal and almond flour, or you can find recipes with tofu blended in.