Nut Free Lunchbox Ideas

If your child’s school has a no nut policy, or if you’re navigating tree nut or peanut allergies, this one is for you!

My home is always nut free because of my allergies, and here’s a roundup of some of my favorite no-nut lunches. You’ll see that some of these lunchboxes have sunflower seed butter. We usually use a store bought variety for that, but I’ve also made my own. Patience is key with that, but the reward is great.

Don’t forget that the LaLa Lunchbox app has a special Nut Free Bundle available for download to provide you with some lunch packing inspiration. Let’s get to it…

Nut free granola, grapes, carrots, banana, dates with sunflower seed butter

There’s a lot to love about this lunchbox.

It’s got my favorite homemade granola - which is usually hard to find without nuts. If you’re nut free, trust me, you’re going to want this recipe. It’s perfect for snacking, breakfast or lunch, filled with a variety of wonderful textures and flavors, with exactly the right sweet/salt balance.

Here we’ve also got carrots, grapes, a tuxedo banana, a couple of strawberries and some dates filled with sunflower seed butter. I eat that regularly as a hearty, delicious snack and it always hits the spot.

Lunchbox with prosciutto, peppers, grapefruit, pomegranate, dates with sunflower seed butter and chocolate chips.

I like to think about this lunchbox as a cold busting-lunchbox. Here we’ve got vitamin C from both the citrus and the peppers, with fiber and magnesium from the dates, protein from the sunflower seed butter, and vitamins B and C from the pomegranate. 💪🏻 As for that prosciutto and the chocolate chips? Well, that’s for added deliciousness. 

In the lunchbox: Turkey BLT with guacamole and peppers, grapes and orange.

How about a turkey BLT for that lunchbox? We make ours with mustard instead of mayo, but you can customize yours however you’d like! The key is to toast the bread first, so that this sandwich stays crispy for lunchtime. This lunchbox features turkey bacon, but any bacon will do. My tomato-hating kid gets a BL sandwich with no T, occasionally with a scrambled egg. Make sure not to place the lettuce next to your condiment, or you’ll end up with limp soggy lettuce!

In the lunchbox: pizza rollups, banana with chocolate chips, cucumber and baby carrots, strawberries.

Here’s a lunchbox that is sure to make the kids smile. These pizza rollups are made with naan, but you can make them with any bread. Here’s how:
Spread marinara sauce on top of the bread. Add shredded mozzarella and fresh basil and place under the broiler for a few minutes until the cheese has melted. When cool enough to touch, roll the bread up, and slice to make these bite sized roll ups. The process is very similar to rolling sushi. Want a tutorial? Right this way.

To make that spotted banana, use the pointy tip of a chocolate chip and spear into the banana.

Grilled cheese wafflewich in the lunchbox with strawberries, grapes, tomatoes, cucumber and chocolate.

When I made grilled cheese wafflewiches for the first time, my kids celebrated! What a fun mash up of breakfast and lunch! They're easy to eat, delicious and my kids dig them hot and melty, or cold from the fridge. It’s a serious win in my book! Hop on over to find that recipe, and be sure to stash some in the freezer!

Brown Butter Bourbon Blondies

Is there anything that browned butter can’t improve?

Ok, fine. Maybe it won’t solve world conflicts. But it takes baked goods to a whole new level, and if you haven’t yet tried it yourself, the only thing standing between you baking with butter and baking with browned butter is patience. So if you can spare an extra five or so minutes, DO IT. Because these blondies with the absolutely divine browned butter and the hint of bourbon are magical, and I don’t say that lightly.

Brown Butter Bourbon Blondies

Here’s what I love about these blondies: they have the perfect balance of sweet and salt, they’re buttery but not oily, with that slight crackly top, and the brown butter and bourbon add incredible depth to each bite. I promise you, you cannot go wrong with these.
If you make them and post a photo on instagram, tag me @lalalunchbox - I love to see your recreations! And if you’re wondering whether the added bourbon makes these off limits for kids, fear not! The alcohol actually cooks off when you bake them, leaving you with all of the flavor, but none of the actual alcohol.

Brown Butter Bourbon Blondies

2 sticks (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar 
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons bourbon
1 teaspoon flake salt
2 scant cups ap flour
1 scant cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350F. 
Line a 9x13 baking dish with parchment. 
Place butter in a saucepan on high heat and turn down to medium when it begins to bubble at the sides. Keep it on the heat even after it’s completely melted. Stir occasionally and wait for it to start forming brown bits on the bottom of the pan. 
Pour butter into a large bowl, and make sure to include those bits. Let cool for five minutes. 
Add brown sugar, vanilla extract, bourbon and eggs to the butter and whisk to combine. Sprinkle the salt all over the batter and stir to combine. Add the flour slowly until it’s completely mixed in. Finally, mix in the chocolate chips. 
Once this is thoroughly combined, pour into your prepared dish and bake for 30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting.

Roasted Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons

Though only one of my 3 kids likes tomatoes, Tomato Soup is something that all 5 of us love, so it’s in steady rotation around here. 🍅

I love to freeze perfect summer tomatoes to use for this in the winter, but the truth is, we eat tomato soup often, and my stash disappears quickly. I’m grateful for canned tomatoes for this exact reason. For my 2 kids who eat dairy, crispy, melty grilled cheese croutons are the thing that makes this meal an absolute favorite!

This soup freezes beautifully, it’s made in the blender and works well for lunch, making it an all around win! Of course, this meal can be made gluten free by using gluten free bread, and it can also be made dairy free by using dairy free cheese.

Roasted Tomato Soup 
(serves 3-4)

2 beefsteak tomatoes, cut into chunks
1 medium red onion, sliced 
1 bell pepper, cut into chunks 
1 large clove of garlic, peeled and smashed
2 tablespoons olive oil 
3 teaspoons fresh thyme, divided
28 ounce can whole, peeled tomatoes
4 cups vegetable broth
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
Fresh black pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon sugar (optional)
1/8 teaspoon cayenne (optional) 

Method
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and add the chopped fresh tomatoes, onions, peppers and garlic. 
Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with 1 1/2 teaspoons of fresh thyme. Roast for 15-20 minutes or until the vegetables have softened and become fragrant. 
Place the roasted vegetables into a blender. 
Add the canned tomatoes (including juices), vegetable broth, remaining fresh thyme, salt and pepper. 
Blend together until smooth. Taste to determine whether more salt or pepper is needed. If you find the flavor too acidic, you can add 1/2 teaspoon of sugar. If you like it spicy, you can add cayenne.

Grilled Cheese Croutons
4 pieces of sourdough bread
4-5 ounces sharp cheddar cheese
1-2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Method
Preheat the oven to broil.
Place sourdough slices on a baking sheet lined with foil and smear butter on one side of each slice. Place that butter side down and add cheese on top of each slice. Place into oven, open faced.
Broil for 1-2 minutes or until cheese is nice and melty.
Place two open-faced sandwiches together to create two closed-faced grilled cheese sandwiches. Let cool for about 5 minutes and cut into crouton chunks.

Clementine Cupcakes

Clementines are a thing of beauty. They're juicy, flavorful, high in vitamin C, perfectly transportable, easy to peel, easy to eat. The list goes on and on. Am I right? Plus, they've got to be one of the best accoutrements for a Halloween lunch. Just draw a pumpkin face on the peel and call it a day! 

After buying two bags of clementines, I wanted to get creative with them. How about Clementine Cupcakes? My son was on board immediately. My older daughter and her friend bake together every Monday, so as it turned out, I didn't have any white sugar in the house. I used maple syrup instead and am happy to report that it worked out beautifully for these cupcakes! These cupcakes have a bold citrus flavor, so if you're looking for more of a "hint" of citrus, reduce the amount of zest that you use. I’ve also added cardamom to add brightness to these cupcakes, and I’ve made them dairy free by using olive oil. The flavor of the olive oil really comes through here, so choose something fruit and flavorful. I paired it with a chocolate sour cream frosting, (because chocolate) and that recipe is also below. 

Clementine Cupcakes

Ingredients
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup of maple syrup
2 large eggs
zest of 3 clementines (or one tightly packed tablespoon)
1/2 cup of orange juice (or a combination of freshly squeezed orange, lemon and clementine)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
clementine segments for garnish

* Preheat the oven to 350. 
* In a large mixing bowl, combine the olive oil and maple syrup.  Slowly add in the eggs. Once thoroughly combined, add the zest, orange juice and vanilla extract. 
* In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients together. 
* Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and use a whisk to make sure there are no clumps. 
* Pour into a muffin tin lined with paper cups and bake for 20-24 minutes or until a knife comes out clean. This recipe makes 12 small cupcakes, or 10 large ones.

Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting

What you'll need: 
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

Once the chocolate chips are melted and slightly cooled, add the sour cream, vanilla and salt. Mix thoroughly. This recipe will make more than enough for your cupcakes, which is a good thing because it's kiiiiiiiiiind of irresistible! Garnish the cupcakes with clementine segments and enjoy! 

Grilled Cheese Wafflewiches

It took me a while to broaden my breakfast horizon beyond pancakes. I dedicated loads of time to perfecting the pancake recipe, and once that was settled, I had a grand old time experimenting with variations. Pancakes were a great building block for all sorts of lunchboxes for my kids. In general, I thought we were chugging along just fine.  

And then one day, my older daughter discovered not one, but two waffle irons in the back of a kitchen cabinet that rarely sees the light of day. She looked up a recipe and promptly made breakfast for all of us. The kids were elated. From there, we spent several weekend mornings testing out various waffle recipes and building our freezer stash for lunchboxes. A sea change was in the air. 

I yearned for waffles, and I wanted them savory. After lots of recipe fails, I figured out that the key to crispy waffles was the addition of corn starch, and in fact, waffles aren't just pancakes with abs. With that little bit of knowledge under my belt, and many rounds of recipe testing, I created our family's favorite savory waffle recipe. They're slightly salty, with a hint of bold flavor, all nestled within the comfort and reliability that you'd want from waffles. These savory waffles are the perfect canvas for all sorts of toppings, but hands down, our favorite is a simple grilled cheese wafflewich. Crispy outsides, gooey insides. This is the stuff of dreams!

Grilled cheese is a staple in so many homes, and this recipe elevates that concept and makes it perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner. This recipe was created in partnership with TheFeedfeed and Land O Lakes® and it quickly became a staple in my home. I use Land O Lakes® Deli American cheese because it melts beautifully, and it's creamy deliciousness brings me back to my own childhood. My mom used to make open-faced grilled cheese sandwiches with Land O Lakes® Deli American in the toaster oven and heat them until big brown bubbles formed on top. Those bubbles were absolutely magical. They still are. For breakfast, we serve these waffles open-faced with that same toasted bubble, but when it comes to the lunchbox, we're all about the closed face wafflewich. 

Grilled cheese wafflewich

Making grilled cheese wafflewiches for my kids is both a celebration of new discoveries, and a nod to my past. They're easy to eat, delicious and my kids dig them hot and melty, or cold from the fridge. Here's what else I love about them: Land O Lakes® Deli American cheese is available at pretty much every deli counter near me, so it's reliably easy to find, and always sliced fresh. These days, I can send my 12 year old out to buy it, and the only thing I don't know in advance is whether she will pick up yellow or white (which by the way, is a heated debate in my house, but that's a story for another day). 

grilled cheese Wafflewiches 

Ingredients

20 (3/4 ounce) slices of Land O Lakes® Deli American cheese
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons chopped chives
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat the waffle iron and the oven to 200 degrees F. In a medium sized bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients.

2. In a separate bowl, add the chives, buttermilk and eggs and whisk together until just combined. Whisk in the melted (and cooled) butter and grated parmesan.

3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, making sure that everything is fully mixed.

4. When the waffle iron is hot, pour about 1/4 cup of batter to create each waffle (may change depending on your waffle iron). Close the waffle iron and cook for approximately 3 minutes, or until the steam stops spraying out of the sides.

5. Use a spatula or your fingers to remove the waffle and repeat until the batter is finished.

6. Place the waffles on a rack and place that rack in the oven to stay warm and crispy.

7. When you have finished using all of the batter, remove the waffles from the oven and heat the oven to broil.

8. Lay out the waffles on a cookie sheet. Place 2-3 slices of Land O Lakes® Deli American cheese (3/4 ounce each) on each of the waffles, making sure to drape them over the edge slightly. Place under the broiler for approximately 1-2 minutes or until the cheese has completely melted. Alternate method: place the sliced cheese on top of each waffle just after it finishes cooking. Create a pressed wafflewich by placing a waffle on top and closing the lid. Slice each wafflewich into 4 equal squares, or serve whole.

Makes 5 full wafflewiches. I typically cut these into quarters. 

My favorite part about these Savory Wafflewiches? Definitely the fact that my dairy-eating kids love to pack them for lunch! If you make this recipe, share it on Instagram and be sure to tag #lalalunchbox #Feedfeed and #LandOLakes 

*Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Land O Lakes® and TheFeedfeed. All opinions are my own.