One very very basic simple suggestion is to fill up a portion side container of frozen mixed veggies (you know the ones in the freezer cabinet with lima beans, corn, carrots, green beans.) Top off with a couple pats of butter and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. This used to be my goto lunch when I barely had a minute to fix something to take to lunch. Easy to get a bag of frozen veggies and bag of frozen parmesan in the freezer for days like this. Also, glad to have a chance to post this recipe for a Lentil Mediterranean salad. Almost wish I wasn't now retired as I would think fixing a bunch on the weekend would work with leftovers for lunches during the weekday. I've included a lot of the comments, some of which had ideas for substitutions that I thought I might want to try. I already LOVE lentils (and so does DH). Not sure if those who don't like lentils would find this good but then this might be a good way to find out if you still don't like Lentils even if it is a recipe that comes highly recommended. There were a whole lot more comments that were all positive - only some included here: from: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/printerfriendly/Mediterranean-Couscous-and-Lentil-Salad-13106 Mediterranean Couscous and Lentil Salad Gourmet : September 1995 Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time. Yield: Serves 6 ingredients 1 cup lentilles du Puy* (French green lentils) or brown lentils 3 tablespoons white-wine vinegar 1 1/4 cups water 1 cup couscous 1/2 teaspoons salt 1/4 cup olive oil (preferably extra-virgin) 1 large garlic clove, minced and mashed to a paste with 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh mint leaves 1 bunch arugula, stems discarded and leaves washed well, spun dry, and chopped 2 cups vine-ripened cherry tomatoes, halved 1/4 pound feta, crumbled (about 1 cup) *available at specialty foods shops and some supermarkets preparation In a small saucepan simmer lentils in water to cover by 2 inches until tender but not falling apart, 15 to 20 minutes, and drain well. Transfer hot lentils to a bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Cool lentils completely, stirring occasionally. In a saucepan bring water to a boil and add couscous and salt. Remove pan from heat and let couscous stand, covered, 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with a fork and transfer to a large bowl. Stir in 1 tablespoon oil and cool completely, stirring occasionally. In a small bowl whisk together garlic paste, remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar, remaining 3 tablespoons oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir lentils and dressing into couscous. Chill salad, covered, at least 3 hours and up to 24. Just before serving, stir in remaining ingredients and season with salt and pepper. reviews 11/29/09 jennaren from Alberta, Canada I usually use spinach and basil for this recipe, because my husband has a real aversion to mint. It's great with the variation, really clean flavours. However, last time I made it with mint and arugula exactly as written - even my husband loved it. The pungency of the arugula and the earthiness of the mint really bring the salad together. Great dish every time. 09/26/09 peeblesl from Austin, TX Oh man, how is this so delicious? Even my boyfriend had four helpings, and he hates lentils more than anyone I've ever met! I definitely recommend the French green lentils - they hold their shape so nicely and don't tend to go all mushy on you. Will me making this for lunch this week and maybe next week too. 09/25/09 A Cook from Toronto, ON This is my go to lunch now -- it's absolutely delicious, but after making this a few times, I recommend the following adjustments: 1. I agree with other reviewers: definitely double the dressing. 2. I use quinoa instead of couscous. Much healthier, and the texture works better in this. 2. Omit the cheese; replace the mint with cilantro (I'm not a huge fan of mint and I don't eat much dairy, but cilantro is lovely here). 3. Omit the arugula and tomatoes. Instead, I throw in chopped green onions, chopped cucumber and chopped red pepper. I think it's nicer than with the greens, and the big batch keeps in the fridge better (one batch will last me most of a week). Delish, delish delish. 08/23/09 momesty from San Francisco Bay Area Made this for a picnic at a winery. The combination of flavors was excellent and everyone enjoyed this salad. Used small red lentils because that was all there was at home, but would recommend using regular lentils next time. 08/15/09 lucindah This was excellent, a good combination of flavors. The more mint and arugula the better. And healthy too! 08/10/09 A Cook from Cleveland, Oh Made this for the first time and was very pleased. It's a wonderful dish for a summer evening. I used brown lentils and they took much less than 15- 20 minutes to cook, I checked them after 12 minutes and they were already too mushy. The texture and appearance of the salad is better if the lentils are not mashed. 07/06/09 A Cook from Washington, DC I have made this salad many times over the years - it has so many wonderful flavors and textures and is so healthy. I took a previous reviewer's suggestion of using Trader Joe's "Harvest Grains Mix" in place of the lentils and couscous and really liked that variation. 06/14/09 hungrypeanut Cannot go wrong with this recipe. Used ISRAELI COUSCOUS which made for a much more beautiful presentation with the lentils. 05/19/09 A Cook from Mountain View, CA I've made this salad several times, usually as a side dish to chicken kebobs and Greek yogurt sauce. One substitute I like to make is replacing the lentils and couscous with the "Harvest Grains Mix" sold by Trader Joe's. This nutty mix contains the larger Israeli couscous, quinoa, red and green orzo, and split-dried garbanzo beans - a great combination! 04/23/09 radariii from UK made the recipe exactly as stated except double the garlic and it was a big hit. I got a few suggestions to perhaps add a bit of lemon, some olives, and maybe some cucumber for a little more crunch 02/26/09 kgrim from New York This recipe is just fantastic. Great combination of flavors. I followed the suggestion of several other reviewers and doubled the dressing, which turned out to be just the right amount. This is a wonderful alternative to the traditional side salad and a great choice for a potluck. 02/22/09 avbrown I thought this was great. I made it exactly as written. The only change I will make next time is to leave out the feta all together. I love feta but it didn't enhance this dish in my opinion and would be better left out. I am not a vegetarian and actually served this with grilled steak (gasp, I know). Loved the arugula and mint. Nice and healthy. 02/11/09 A Cook from Charlotte NC Great dish! Alot of flavor and really nice combination of ingredients. I fluff the cous cous after it sits with my hands rubbed with olive oil. It seperates it nicely and keeps it seperated. I used about 4 med. cloves of garlic and it could have taken more but was fine with that amount. The arugula MAKES it and is a great vegan dish if you eliminate the feta and add more tomatoes and cucumbers. I might try olives next time as well. I also added slivered scallions and cilantro as I didn't have mint. I couldn't really taste the cilantro (surprisingly). Makes enough for 8-10 generous servings and them some...but the leftovers will rock tomorrow! Cant' wait! YUM! 01/05/09 marcellene from Beaufort, SC If you need a good vegetarian lunch option, this is an excellent choice. I made it ahead and then followed the other reviewer's advice about adding the tomatoes and arugula right before serving. I also added a little extra olive oil and vinegar before eating. 08/26/08 tttterri from Wauwatosa WI I really love this salad. I made it exactly as directed except I added seeded cucumber and deleted the cheese. Impressed with how well it keeps over several days. I'm taking it to work for lunch and the only thing I've done to accomodate the salad is to slice and add the cherry tomatoes each morning when I package it. I highly recommend this salad. I'm very glad I found this recipe and all the great reviews. 08/25/08 tree1456 from Alameda, CA Wonderful salad! I added a bit more olive oil as it seemed a bit dry when I was ready to serve - try to find fresh, peppery arugula - it really makes the dish! MAde this with lamb kebobs and everyone loved it. 07/22/08 A Cook from Long Island This salad was delicious! People have made some suggestions about adding more dressing or veggies, but I thought the original recipe worked just fine...I could be wrong, but it seems that the dressing was meant to just give flavor to the bland lentils and couscous, and I don't care for food swimming in dressing. Obviously an easy salad to adapt to your liking though. Great for a summer side with anything grilled. 06/17/08 mish_lc I really enjoyed this recipe but would make a few changes next time. As others said, I doubled the dressing which worked out perfectly. I would add cucumbers or more tomatoes as well as using only 3/4 cup couscous or substituting quinoa. Otherwise it was a delicious blend of flavors, healthy and easy to make. 04/29/08 A Cook from Westport, CT This salad is beautiful and delicious. I used the food processor to chop the arugula (I used half a bag of prepped arugula salad.) Couldn't find mint, so I used about six stems of basil leaves; also chopped that in the food processor. It resembles taboule; I will try it with mint next time. Loved the suggestion of using precooked lentils from Trader Joes. I also needed to double the dressing. 04/09/08 taniquaa from San Diego, CA I made this dish on Easter for 24 family members. I added cucumber and increased the tomatoes a bit for more color. This recipe got so many compliments at the table, from the picky kids to my 90-year-old grandmother. Everyone asked to take leftovers home and for the recipe. Healthy, light, and delicious! I absolutely recommend this recipe. 03/19/08 A Cook from San Francisco I used Israeli couscous, which mixed with the lentils, were tasty and satisfying. 03/14/08 chungclan from Cincinnati OH Really delicious, but more labor intensive than I expected, with cooking couscous and lentils separately, and a fair amount of chopping to do. Will definitely make again. 10/16/07 A Cook from NY My family and guests could not stop eating this...really delicious. Used frisee instead of arugula and it was very good. 09/17/07 A Cook from Ventura, CA This is really tasty - addictive. I followed the recipe exactly with the exception of using whole wheat couscous. Also delicious leftover. 07/31/07 erflores This was really good. I used quinoa instead of cous cous to add more protein and I also added cucumber to give it more of a crunch. It turned out well but I agree with the other reviews that it needed more dressing so I doubled the dressing myself. My husband loved it and more importantly I loved it too since I'm always looking for easy, healthy, filling meals. It's a keeper! 07/01/07 stravis2 from Tampa, FL My husband loved this so much, he asked me to make it again the next day. I obliged, but made some changes to the recipe based on the outcome as written. I used red, green, and brown lentils (no big difference). I doubled the Israeli couscous and the sauce (it seemed a little dry the first time, but nice and moist the second - big difference). I subbed spinach for arugula as someone else suggested. I used grape tomatoes and a French feta. The French feta I purchased at a Mediterranean market and boy, is it tasty! 03/21/07 hikergirl31 from longwood, FL. WOW! I spent two years in Israel and gained 15 pounds from the food. This dish brought me back to the delicious land. The fresh mint, and arugula really made it super fresh tasting. This dish says it serves 6 but i brought it to a party and it was enough for 20 with leftovers... Everyone loved it. 02/17/07 andynbron I've been making this since the recipe appeared in 1995. It is a great recipe, and it is so refreshing! I usually make this exactly as written, except I substitute spinach for the arugula. However, like others have suggested, you can substitute basil for mint (I prefer the mint and spinach combination). You can also substitute fresh mozzarella for the feta cheese--I used to do that because I didn't like feta, but now I love it so I only use feta cheese in the recipe. But the mozzarella adds a nice, very subtle flavor to the salad for those who would not eat feta cheese. This is definitely one of my favorite recipes, and anytime I make it people finish it quickly and always ask for the recipe! 02/04/07 A Cook from New York, NY This recipe is excellent. Get French lentils if you can; it makes a huge difference. I used a little less feta cheese than the recipe called for. Goes really well with herb roasted pork tenderloin. 01/21/07 A Cook from Los Angeles, CA This recipe is so delicious and easy to make!! If possible, use the French green lentils as brown lentils tend to fall apart. Green lentils keep their firmness and work better in this dish. I cooked the couscous in vegetable broth to give it more flavor and sometimes add diced and seeded persian cucumbers. This salad is great to take to parties or bring to work for lunch because it keeps for a couple days and the arugula doesn't get soggy. 08/29/06 missperkin from Scottsdale Superb. Great on a hot summer day since there is little cooking on the stove involved. The mint is a must, in my opinion. 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I use a lot of those "snack sized" baggies. Then I measure out a portion of almonds, peanuts, dried mangos, muesli, granola -- lots of little snacks -- you can put almost anything you like to eat into one of those little baggies. I love yogurt, and will mix the muesli or granola right into the yogurt. I take packages of flavored oatmeal along with a package of fruit -- for example, peach oatmeal with peaches packed in water -- and I make that up for lunch, with a sprinkling of toasted slivered almonds on top (for protein). I hard boil eggs, and take them along (make sure you don't hard boil fresh eggs; they are dreadful to peel. Wait until the eggs are at least 1 week past the "sell by" date, and then cook them. The shells will just fall off. Trust me. I used to raise chickens.) All of the pasta salads are wonderful, as mentioned. One I use is 2 pounds rottelle (? spelling - that spiral pasta) pasta, cooked al dente, mixed with a package of dry bacon Ranch dressing that has been made up with fat-free mayo. I usually add more mayo than the package says to add, as it keeps the pasta nice and moist, and you don't skimp on the flavor at all. To that I add whatever variety of shredded veggies I'm in the mood for that week, or is available at the market. It's simple and quick. You can add string cheese, low fat cheddar (or regular, if calories aren't an issue), those cartons of cottage cheese that are a single serving with fruit on the top that you mix in, or any other cheese you like. I make my own bread, so I'll often include a piece of that, and sometimes wrap the cheese up in the bread and eat it that way. If you like veggies out of a can, you can include those. I sometimes add small cans of peas or corn (my favorites). Don't forget fresh veggies, with or without hummus (yummy and so good for you and so filling as well!) Of course, you can always make your own soup or salad ahead of time. If you made up, for example, some chili on the weekend, you could eat it all week, or eat it a couple of times and freeze the rest in individual portions. Same with other soups. Salads don't take long to toss together, and will keep in the fridge as long as you don't add the tomatoes (which will end up mushy in a fridge), so you add those at the last minute, along with the dressing. Oh, yes, and every now and then, I really do eat a sandwich. It's just that I've had to pack a lunch for most of my career, and by now, sandwiches have really gotten old! Anyway, hope I've offered a few ideas you like. MacThayer

I told DF my plan, and got "the look", which means his mom will probably get offended yet again...whatever. But things change from day to day with her - I'm going to go ahead and just plan a nice meal anyways, and if we need it, great, if not, I'll use the menu for another time. LOL Anita - I *want* to pay to take everyone to lunch ourselves, but my FMIL has a serious problem with the bride & groom paying for lunch on thier wedding day, which is why *she* wants to pay for it (but won't do it in a discrete way, which is why we refused). See the problem here? I can't have each mom make something, because then if one's dish was "more gone" than the other, they would be whining behind our backs (to us, individually) that everyone liked the *other* dish better. I know, it's pathetic, but true. That's why we can't grill either - both dad's grill, and both think they have the "perfect touch", and neither think that *we* should grill ourselves...aye karumba...what a mess. LOL Tally Sue, thank you!! I don't think I'll borrow the cookie cutters, but that is a wonderful idea! I'm going to keep your salad recipes too, because they sound great (esp. the pasta one). That would work with the baked chicken quite nicely (my sis will help, but she can't really cook, so nothing too fancy). Joann's fruit bowl would go nicely with all of those, I think...I'll have to check out that brunch menu. So many options!! Anita, that salmon dish sounds *phenomenal*, but unfortunately, it's hard to find good fish here (we're kind of land-locked). But I'm definately going to look into that... Thanks for all the options, gals!! Cross your fingers that this plan doesn't get nixed too...the rate we're going (everything I suggest seems to get shot down for some reason or other), we'll be having cake, punch, and going our merry way (what a relief *that* would be, eh?). *eyeroll* Whoever thinks a wedding is for the bride & groom is absolutely insane - with ours at least, it's for everyone *but* us, we just draw the line occasionally! LOL

I would double check on the egg allergy rules to make sure it really means no baked goods with eggs. Everyone I've ever know who was allergic to eggs was just allergic to them in the flesh but usually not in cooked goods. Even then, I wouldn't think they would be a proximity worry if incorporated and cooked in baked goods. I wonder if the parents actually know the parameters of their child's egg allergy and are misinterpreting what it means. Of course, anything is possible and maybe it's as severe as it sounds. I'm glad someone mentioned cutting grapes and cherry tomatoes. No 2 year old should be given those whole because of the choking hazard. They should still be cut for even older children until their airways are larger and their chewing is more efficient. I think hummus is a great choice and it can be put into sandwiches instead of used as a dip. Same with thinks like tofu - you can make a tasty tofu salad, like tuna salad with well drained tofu. Season it or buy tofu products that are already seasoned. Coconut yogurt might be a good choice...it comes in many flavors. Edamame is healthy and kids love it. I buy the already shelled kind, but my grandson sometimes likes opening the pods and eating the beans. Be careful of things like Lunchables. They are loaded with salt and the smoked meats are not good for anyone to eat with any regularity. Tortillas or flatbread spread with seasoned refried beans, then rolled and cut into pinwheels might work for her. The seed butters are also good choices - sandwiches made with that and some jam or honey are yummy. It's a challenge, that's for sure. Good luck! eta: I see that coconut yogurt is not high protein but has lots of good nutritional elements. Here is a list of high protein vegan yogurts...some have nut milk, but many do not: https://foodsguy.com/high-protein-vegan-yogurt/