Is she a picky eater? The first things that came to my mind were chicken nuggets, lunchables ( they have options that would be suitable), sandwiches of course, with squishy bread and no cheese. Maybe filled with tuna or chicken salad if she will eat it. Fruit. (my mom used to pack me a small container of cherry pie filling in my lunch, but I know that would be frowned upon now. To me, it was neon red love and much needed for a shy, frightened, very unhappy to be there little girl that I was back then) Pasta salad with some chicken. PANCAKES!!! Or french toast sticks with some turkey sausage. Everyone like breakfast for lunch or dinner!

I am confused about the egg thing. I know that nut allergies can be so severe that even being in the same building as nuts can set off an allergic reaction. But eggs? Never heard that it can be that severe. Is it because there is a chance of mixing up lunches or something?

What a headache for you all! I myself would be so annoyed at having to adhere to such restrictions.

some of the flavored firm tofus are tasty. even if a liitle container of ketchup or bbq sauce for dipping was needed. just cut in little sticks.

My first thought was tuna salad because that was the mainstay of my school lunches. :)

If the child likes PBJ, and it won't freak out the teachers, you can do sunflower butter or pepita butter, instead of nuts. But nuts and seeds aren't high protein the way eggwhites and meat/chicken/fish are.

The meatballs or sausages are a good idea, but probably should be cut up. Here, it would have been salami, but that's too strong for a lot of little ones.

I suppose the no eggs is so they don't have to worry about the kids sharing food.

I know you said pre-made. I think there are some protein bars on the market that really have a lot of protein and not so much sugar, though it's easy to make your own. Those could be cut into cubes.

DIY Lunchables are popular. The actual ones are way too high in salt and fat, but cut a slab off a turkey breast/chicken/steak, etc., and cut into little cubes, rather than slices, and make a checkerboard with those and (cooked) carrot cubes, protein bar cubes, and apple cubes, and you have a fun little lunch. For a 2 year old, a couple cubes of each should do it Maybe a few goldfish on the side. The remainders should keep for a few days in a container in the fridge.

First, if my responses seem disjointed, it is because I’m at DD’s house. Trying to get twin 4-nearly-5 year-olds and a 2 year old fed and put to bed is not conducive to coherent writing.

DGD2 is not a picky eater at all. She’ll eat almost anything! She turned 2 less than a month ago, so she really doesn’t have a full complement of teeth yet. Meats have to be really soft. For example, tonight she had chicken breast that had been cooked in the slow cooker with salsa.

Grapes are a total PITA, becaue the state requires that at DGD’s age, all grapes sent to school must be quartered. That is a lot of prep work!

Pancakes are a distinct possibility. DD adds protein powder to the batter when she makes pancakes.

DD and I love the story of the neon red cherry pie filling. DD tries to make sure that her children are eating a balance of carbs, fats, and proteins. But if there is a day when it doesn’t work out, the world doesn’t end. Everything in moderation.

Sandwiches don’t work. She disassembles them and eats the components. At that point, they become a DIY lunchable. ;-) She can and will eat thinly sliced (nearly shaved) ham from the deli.

This year, there will be a teacher assigned to sit at the table with the children to make sure there is no sharing of food. We are unsure if this is allergy-related or COVID-related. We suppose there will also be no baked goods for class parties and birthdays due to the egg allery.

DD already has ”sunbutter“. DGS’s school does not allow nut butters of any stripe and a sunbutter sandwich has to be affirmatively marked as ”sunbutter.”

Goldfish are a mainstay.

Meatballs are a great idea and DGD2 likes them. I don’t think DD had thought of cold chicken nuggets. She’s found some at Costco that are actual cuts of chicken. I don’t know if DGD2 can chew them or not.

A barely 2 year old really doesn’t have the manual dexterity to eat chips/pretzels and dips. It would a clean-up mess for the teacher.

Thanks all. These have been some really good suggestions that have sparked additional ideas for DD and me.

When I was little, I liked leftover cold fish sticks with vinegar 🙂

Since the DGD2 is okay with sliced meat, it's home prep, not bought, but loaded biscuits pr roll ups might work, made toddler size. Just tear up some sliced turkey, ham or whatever into little bits and mix them into biscuit dough. Even add some minced veg. she can pick at it and deconstruct if she likes, and have fun, but it's easy to make ahead, even freeze, and pack. Alternatively, roll the same up in a wonton wrapoer, tortilla or premade dough. Basically, made ahead sandwichlets.

Or make a stack of slices of meat stuck together with sunbutter, dried fruit spread or a paté of veg, and cut through with a small shape. That becomes a log that’s biteable or peelable.

not protein, and I haven't tried it yet, but I can, if you want—I recently got an apple spiral slicer, similar to my beloved pineapple one. It could make fast work of cutting an apple for a little one. Just cut through the stack.

I am lactose intolerant....and those "singles" slices really set me off....but I can eat an aged cheese like chedder or swiss or even edam. Perhaps try some 'sticks" of swiss cheese ands ee how she likes them and if she tolerates them well and maybe consider that. And how about hummus....home made and seasoned to a toddler's taste in thost little shooter plastic containers from the $Tree...sent with one of those little pleasic tasting spoons like they have at baskin Robbins...or even a hummos sandwich....but you said she won't eat a sandwich.

Thinking of what my grands ate at that age......whole cooked green beans? cooked carrots? Hot dogs cut up into little bites....but that's hardly healthy!

@carolb_w_fl_coastal_9/10 I thought about cold fish sticks last night. Once when DD and I accompanied DH to St Petersburg, Russia, on a business trip, we were feted at a big dinner. DD was only 11 and some of the food was quite foreign to her (no pun intended). One of the courses at the dinner was fish sticks. I think it was an admirable effort to provide familiar foods for DD in amongst the courses of local foods. My first bite was a shocker…the fish sticks were chilled!

@lindac92, good idea on the cheese sticks, but it doesn’t matter the cheese or the milk. She gets an unhappy tummy. Do you have a hummus recipe that is high in protein? Most of the nutrition labels I could find online were fairly low, in the neighborhood of 2 grams per 2 oz serving. I can’t see her eating 1/4 cup of hummus.

DD sent a cut up hotdog for snack today. So those will be in the rotation.

@plllog, I was all excited about loaded biscuits! I was going to make them like gougeres, then I noticed gougeres contain eggs. What do you think of this dairy-free biscuit recipe? https://www.thetasteofkosher.com/dairy-free-biscuits/ DD says that DGD2 really can’t eat apples except in small chunks or very thin slices.

Y’all have no idea what it is like to send lunch to school now (well, maybe you do, but I didn’t). DGD1 goes to a girls’ school. No one-use containers are allowed. Even the lunch bag has to be reusable. Drinks must come in a reusable container. DGS goes to a boys’ school. Everything has to be disposable including the sack his lunch is carried in and any drink container. DGD2 goes to a pre-school that allows the parents to decide. Finally, this year DGD1 is old enough to eat in the school dining room. DD is so relieved to have one less lunch to fix.

I’d totally be the mom on the left!

My grandson is 4 and has severe tree nut and peanut allergies. It is a PITA trying to find anything premade for him. DD and I prep for munches and dinners on Sunday for the week. Some ideas:

• Sunbutter and shredded carrot or apple roll ups. Cut in pinwheels to reduce the urge to disassemble. He loves carrots or apples with sunbutter.
• Chicken tenders cooked, chilled and cut into small bites.
• Chili is also a favorite. Cold is fine. I would give it a quick whirl in a blender to cut down the size of the pieces.
• Avocado cut in small pieces.
• Single serve hummus or guacamole with pretzel or pita chips.
• Homemade "pizza" Slice of toast with pizza sauce and real or fake cheese. Bake to melt cheese. Cut into strips. Serve cold.
• Green bean "fries" served cold. Shake fresh green beans in flour then in beaten egg then roll in a mixture of panko breadcrumbs, grated parmesan cheese, garlic powder and finely crumbled bacon. Bake at 425 on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper until crispy about 10-12 minutes. Just make sure you cook them enough so she can chewy them. You could skip the egg and use olive oil and omit the parmesan cheese.
• He loves thiings he can eat with a spoon so leftover Shepherd's Pie is a favorite as is Chicken Pot PIe or Chicken Noodle Soup sans broth. We just dice it up. Also mashed sweet potatoe with applesauce and sausage meat.
• Pasta with sauce. We whirl up some zuchinni in the sauce so he gets veggies.
• Steamed or raw broccoli with salad dressing for dip. He likes Ranch.
• This week when we went shopping he picked out celery and cukes and a new dip to try.

I think that looks like a good recipe, other than the optional sugar (which might taste good for a little one). I’d been thinking water biscuits with vegan baking sticks, perhaps Bisquik for the convenience, though it's salty (or homemade bicuit mix). In general, I find the kosher ladies have better recipes than the vegan moms, probably because many of the kosher women grew up baking dairy free. I think some small batch experimentation might be called for. Since your granddaughter isn't picky, I'd guess she'll eat them any way you make them, but if you try them out at home you can see what she likes most.

That video is hysterical! I've made that kind of bijoux meal for one, and it takes hours. Japanese moms packing bento boxes do the any mom grab of this and that. It would be a lot more believable if the video mom stirred up leftover guacamole from the fridge and popped leftover chips in the toaster oven to recrisp. :) Making fresh guacamole and chips for a couple tablespoons in one lunch is crazy. Or maybe she left out saying, ”The rest is going to be my lunch.” I liked the flower cut cucumbers, though. I had peeled cucumber spears in my school lunches. The flowers and rings probably are less effort and so cute!

Re the containers, I guess girls are being taught to save the earth (but you have to reckon with wash water), and the boys aren't ready to be counted on to bring their own lunch stuff home. :D

Lol, the video, 😂

My mother used to make bento type boxes when i was young. Probably tuperware. Not sure how she made dividers. But she did use cookie cutters. I forever did not care for bread. Crackers only. Wheat thins, triscuits, saltines, ...the crunch.

Loaded mini muffins are an easy prep. Lots of recipes without dairy. Like, HERE

A few months ago i made and tested some recipes for my parents. Then made 'kits' so they could make them easily....they are not up for it so brought the kits and tin back home...but left them with a few dozen in their freezer. I intended trying a few more recipes while visiting but ran out of time....next visit.

(cupcake papers not necessary....they popped right out of the tin no problem. ...the papers stuck)

A co-woker has, i think, a 26 month old. She does not cook but is trying. A TraderJoe's, WholeFoods, FreshDirect shopper. She makes a toddler 'gorp'. I can't find the 'mommie blog' she likes but it is a dozen soft crunchies including some cereals, crackers, freeze dried fruits.... not unlike the adult holiday chex mix. He is so over the handful of cherios. A handful of this mix buys her some time while trying to get something adult on the table. Lots of textures and colors. In fact he is liking and trying their meals like the falafel. She buys all the TJ frozen veggie bags. He does not like any sauces like tomatoe or cheese, but likes plain veg with small plain pasta shapes mixed in. (i'm sure that will change).

And the gnocci, even the cauliflower and kale versions.

Dips are difficult to navigate at that age. A fork and spoon at home is messy. I wonder if any messy proteins are necessary at a pre-school. Clean healthy snacks, then have meats and fish and chicken proteins later at home? No worries about keeping things cold and safe.

Anywho, so many choices now than in my youth. Annie's organic snacks....a variety of textures and flavors....seems smart until age ten when they hate all dinner offerings 😂

Not so sure about hot dogs...bottom of my list for that age.

@sleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA) Tupperware used to make a 3 section divided plate sort of thing. I think the initial purpose was for ”relish dish” — remember those? Celery, olives, pickles, etc. Wonder if your Tupperware bento box was actually a relish dish?

DD is very conscious of having ”long energy” food in the kids’ lunches. They talk about food being ”long energy” (protein) vs. ”short energy” (carbs). The gorp might be a good ”short energy” snack to take.

I’ll suggest that DD look at Annie’s. She buys a lot of organic food, but if she can’t get what she wants in ”organic,” she’ll buy regular.

Love the muffin ideas you linked, but the recipe contains eggs. I might try the add-ins with the biscuit recipe I linked in my response to plllog.

There are a couple on Sleevendog's link that are vegan or veganable. I don't know that the muffins fit the long energy directive. I only skimmed, but a lot are sweet. They might inspire some alternatives. There's "egg replacer", garbanzo bean goo (the stuff in the can or container that's cloudy can be used in baking as an alternative sticky and bubbly to eggs), chia, and other stuff that vegans make work. The big issue is that vegan baking takes time and attention. I suggested biscuits because they take very little skill or effort.

All those pre-made fairly heathy things look fab. A different take on the cubes thing I was thinking of. Easy variety.

I had to laugh at the video, I was thinking of Goldie Hawn in "Overboard", packing the boys' lunches, smearing peanut butter on white bread and cramming in handfuls of M&Ms, stick it in a brown lunch bag with no other wrapping, LOL.

I used to send "ham and cheese boys" to school with Amanda, she also did not care for sandwiches, but liked crackers. I used little gingerbread men cookie cutters and cut the ham and cheese into "boys" to go with her lunch. Sometimes I used other small cutters, we had one shaped like a dog bone, but that wasn't as popular, for some reason. (grin) Another favorite was a slice of deli turkey spread with a little cream cheese and rolled around a spear of steamed asparagus or a pickle spear. Ashley was the opposite, her favorite lunch was a piece of white bread, rolled out flat, spread with peanut butter and jelly, then rolled up and cut into pinwheels. I just shook my head, it wasn't the worst thing she ate. (sigh)

If GD likes hot dogs, maybe some mini corn muffins with bits of hot dog baked in? I've seen that lately, billed as a healthier version of a corn dog and I haven't tried them but I see egg-free corn muffin recipes all over the internet. She might also just like the sliced meat and one of those breadstick/cracker things, they don't need to be put together, although the breadstick could be wrapped with a slice of proscuitto. Small balls of falafel might be acceptable too. All my grandkids love pizza, so maybe a sandwich thin or English muffin, spread with pizza sauce and some fake cheese, baked and cut into smaller pieces? My kids eat cold pizza all the time, so it wouldn't need rewarming.

I also see recipes for those "energy balls" all over the place. Oatmeal, flax, honey, sometimes protein powder, mix with the sunbutter, add mini chocolate chips or coconut or bits of dried fruit, whatever the particular child likes. Doesn't need baking or refrigeration, can be eaten with the fingers, you control the ingredients so you control the sugar/sweetness. Gluten free alternative flours are also sometimes surprisingly high in protein, like chickpea flour or almond flour, so muffins made with those may have more protein than you expect.

You reminded me that I don't miss packing lunches at all, not for me or for my kids. We lived in a small town and the courthouse I worked at had no cafeteria. No fast food in town either, so lunch always got packed and carried or I walked home for lunch. It was sometimes easier to just skip it and eat peanut butter right off the spoon!

Good luck!

Annie

I would keep it very simple and she doesn't need much. A few cubes of meat, probably turkey, some crackers, strawberries, dairy free cheese cubes.She can have the same thing all the time. Adults want more variety than most kids.

Until she can eat harder foods I would copy lunchables which I find children love.

Google tells me that chick peas have 2.4 grams of protein per tablespoonful.

I make my own hummos...pretty mush cooked ( or canned) chick peas in the processor with flavorings or your choice and enough olive oil or cooking liquid to make it dip like. Less liquid to make it more spreadable.

My 21 month old GGson loves cold french fries, and a bacon strip.

We have several of these bento box lunchboxes for my GS.

https://bentgo.com/collections/bentgo-kids

There are also non-plastic bento boxes for kids (stainless, fur sure, and I think some other materials), if you want something that will work for the girls' school as well, if they don't like plastics..

DGD1 had her first lunch in the school dining room yesterday. When DD asked what she had, she said ”a cheese sandwich and 2 bananas.” She also had ”burned corn.” I looked at the menu for the day. It was roasted Mexican street corn. 😂 Snack was ”potato chips with applesauce that had whipped cream with green sparkles.” DD is still trying to puzzle out that one!

Annie, I have made the mini corn muffins with hot dogs in the middle for football games. They are so easy to make and are a great substitute for corn dogs! Maybe they would be good with chopped hot dogs folded into the batter! See potential cornbread recipe below.

Bumblebeez, I agree about the variety thing. Much to my mother’s chagrin, my sister insisted on taking a tuna salad sandwich every.single.day! I took a variety of sandwiches: tuna salad, chicken salad, pimento cheese, etc. But what I really wanted was a ”cheese sandwich” like my friend Kathy had. I’d trade whatever I had for Kathy’s cheese sandwich. I begged Mom for a cheese sandwich and she tried. I was in my early 20s before I discovered why Mom’s cheese sandwiches didn’t taste like Kathy’s mom’s. Kathy’s were American Singles. Mine were sliced cheddar. I was 20-something before I ever tasted American cheese!

What do y’all think of this cornbread recipe? It ticks the “no eggs” and ”no dairy” boxes. It is from the Taste of Kosher website, same as the biscuit recipe above. I am posting a screenshot of the ingredients because you have to scroll and scroll and scroll to get to the actual recipe! I would like to leave out the sugar because I’m in the no-sugar-in-cornbread camp. If it were a tablespoon or 2, I wouldn’t think twice about omitting it, but 2/3 cup is a lot! How would you adjust the recipe to omit the sugar?

Yikes, that is a load of sugar. I use the Edna lewis corn muffin recipe that has no sugar. I mix it up and add blueberries, cherries, 1/3rd oats, ...different every time. Seeds, cacoa, tahini....muffins are very forgiving. I would re-visit the link i posted. 25 muffin recipes for toddler and some do not have egg or dairy. All can be made without, using dairy/egg replacers. Many have vegetables and fresh fruit. At the bottom of the recipes is listed how to make them vegan/allergen-free/dairy/egg free.

Like this one, HERE ...has carrots, zuccini, fresh fruts...my mini muffin tray make 24.

Don't try to adapt that recipe. It's cake, not cornbread. Surely you have a cornbread recipe you like. Real cornpone might be too sour for a little kid, but proper Southern cornbread should be adaptable to your purposes. You can use water or hemp milk or soy milk (I'd choose organic), and vegan baking sticks (or veg shortening). The trick with the baking sticks is that they have to be 100 kCalories per tablespoon to bake correctly. With zero transfat shortening, you have to add a couple of tablespoons of water.

I know your hands are full. Do you need some help testing recipes?

Sleveen, the link that you posted has some great ideas for add-ins. I’m especially eager to try some of the veggie combos in biscuits and cornbread mini-muffins.

Plllog, thanks for the offer to help test recipes, but I need something to do these days. DD and I are going to sit down soon and decide which ideas to try. Our testing will be based primarily on what ingredients we have on hand between us and what she thinks DGD2 will eat although she eats almost everything that is put in front of her. Eliminated will be anything where we have to buy special ingredients.

Below is my standard cornbread recipe. I am going to try it using water instead of milk and using this substitute for the egg: 1-1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil mixed with 1-1/2 tablespoons water and 1 teaspoon baking powder per egg (Source: https://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/egg-allergy-recipe-substitutions.aspx)

Bumblebeez, your comment about not needing much reminded me of a favorite post by a pediatric dietician that I follow on IG.

That sounds like a good egg substitute. Really, it's just for texture and loft in cornbread. You don't actually need eggs for decent cornbread, though it'll be dense without any lofting agent. If you're using that recipe, however, you probably don't need the extra baking powder and you might get a metallic taste. Try it! If y'all don't like it, find a teenage boy to feed it to. :) The water and oil should make up for the missing liquid and fat. Actually, you might be able to use liquid oil one for one instead of the butter if that's what you have around.

Re the last picture, whoa!! First of all, kudos to a dietician who makes appetizing food. IME, most dieticians are all about function and don't even care if the food tastes good. I learned the "dinosaurs eat trees" trick from a friend re toddlers eating broccoli. :) Do people really expect a two-year-old to eat the first plate?

Does your two year old GD like cornbread? I would think the muffins in Sleeve's link would be more tasty and also less crumbly for school. If you scroll down it shows how to make each of the muffins egg free and the banana would be naturally sweet (if you use really ripe black bananas). Another has several vegetables. The recipes look really healthy and don't have added sugar. Then add small cubes or roll ups of meat, such as turkey, chicken, ham, etc. in her lunchbox. For the times you don't have anything prepared and want to grab at the store, Boar's Head brand deli meat is nitrite free and you can get lo- sodium roasted turkey and chicken or pick up a rotissiere chicken. My grands had food intolerances and one would only eat chicken nuggets and then only Bell & Evans brand. They are frozen and you bake in oven for 15 minutes IIRC. And they are very tasty. Applesauce is an easy to eat food. Another food most kids like is sweet potatoes. You could bake and cut up in small pieces or do baked fries. What does she eat at home?

TraderJoe's has cut and cooked frozen sweet potatoes and cooked baby beets. It was on the toddler 'mommy' blog i can't locate. She uses silicone muffin cups as dividers.

I'm prepping for a weekend road trip and am making mini chocolate muffins using up an abundance of zuccini. Vegan as i'll be seeing some friends. I use Bob's corn flour, ground oats, ground seeds...flax, sunflower, pepitas. Dates for the sweet. The corn flour is finely ground corn meal. Makes a less crumbly corn bread or muffin. I've never used the Bob's egg replacer as i always stock chia and flax.

Might be interesting to ask what the other parents are sending as a snack. Especially the parents of the allergy toddlers.

Bob's egg replacer does have psyllium. Probably very little. It is a good binder but also a laxative. Not at all a dietitian so not sure if it would be toddler friendly.

It's all about the quantity. Flax and chia, as well as the psylium, make gels. In relatively large quantity, gels lubricate guts. They also give some of the body in cooking and baking that the eggs do. For a quickbread, the baking powder alternative is a good idea, giving the liquid and fat of the egg. The garbanzo goo is supposed to work well for the structural characteristics of the egg, but I haven't tried it.

Here's a great article I just found on the goo, "aquafaba", and its use as an egg substitute: https://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/ingredients/article/aquafaba-health-benefits

Apparently, you can get the goo from lentils as well. To the best of my ability to figure it out before breakfast, the goo is from starch, somewhat analogous to when you put too much cornstarch in a thin sauce, but there are other properties that pure starch doesn't have. The gel from chia, etc., is from fiber. But this isn't thorough or authoritative.

I feel old today as I asked one of my students, he's in 8th grade, to xerox something and he asked what that is.

Also, growing up in the seventies, I had a peanut butter sandwich, a little debbie or chip bag, and milk for lunch every single school day except the occasional ham sandwich. Occasionally I had an orange or grapes and/or too. Occasionally I asked to eat a school lunch, usually baked chicken day. 5 years of this, I think I was happy lol

Bumblebeez, I loved eating in the school cafeteria. It was the first place I ever had broccoli! Granted, it had been cooked to mush and was a disgusting shade of gray, but I thought it was wonderful. We had a huge garden, but broccoli would not grow in our heat. I have no recollection of ever seeing it in the grocery in our little town, either.

Lizbeth, you asked if DGD2 were an adventurous eater. YES! She’ll eat anything that doesn’t eat her first. She is especially fond of the hot salsa at the Mexican restaurant. Her favorite food is whatever is on someone else’s plate. HA!

DD made a Costco run yesterday and brought back these chocolate muffins. Neither of the twins would touch them. DGD2 devoured hers. I thought they were pretty tasty. But they can’t go to school because they contain eggs. :-(

To recap the goals of this project:

- enough protein to keep 2 y/o hunger at bay for a couple of hours.

- very limited dairy

- no eggs

- no nuts

I’m going to test some recipes this week. I’ll post the results here.

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/

Olychick, I suspect you are correct about the egg issue. However, the school has asked that DGD2’s class not bring food containing eggs or nuts, so DD will comply.

Yesterday, I was surfing around and what should pop up but an OXO grape cutter for $10. I’d buy it for DD but she is adamantly opposed to ”one-trick ponies.”

I found single serving packs of hummus at Costco! 4g protein per pack. Sent DD the link.

This child will ”deconstruct” anything. Sandwiches and pinwheels aren’t going to make the cut. I’ve seen her ”deconstruct” ravioli! She’ll open it up, eat the filling, then eat the pasta sheet. DD serves it as finger food with sauce on the side for dipping, so it isn’t as messy as it sounds.

FWIW, in DGD2’s room this year, a teacher or a teacher’s aide will be seated at each table of 5 children when they eat to make sure there is no sharing. DD is unsure of whether that is COVID related or allergen related.

If you are talking 5 two year olds, it might be just to help them with their food, such as opening containers,helping with spills, etc.

My mother's egg allergy was as Olychick said. They weren't a problem in cakes and such like where a relatively small amount is very well distributed and cooked, but not flu shots. OTOH, I know a man who is vilely allergic to the smallest amount of eggs. He always asked ingredients of baked goods, and was assured in a coffee shop that the pastry he was buying had none (it's a kind that is usually made without eggs, and they weren't listed on the ingredients from the bakery). He didn't require an ambulance, IIRC, but was very very sick. The shop checked with the bakery. The amount of egg wasn't enough to require listing on the ingredients. That's why there ae allergy warnings on the ingredients lists nowadays, and they say whether there was even a common dangerous allergen in the building.

Given that, I'd follow the instructions carefully. Kids with that kind of allergies used to keep kids at home. Pre-school, while it might be important for the parents for the childcare aspect, is also good for socializing the kids, teaching them to follow directions, teaching them how to go to school, etc. While accommodating the allergy directions might be a difficultly at the beginning for some parents, it's also a good teaching opportunity. Even a 2-year-old can understand that we make certain food choices so that we can all eat together.

The kind of feeding Nancyjane's kids are doing, with small exposures to those things can work to head off allergies, or at least bad reactions.