Hey, if you'd like to know more about the chia/Salba debate, please visit my website. I also have plenty of recipes and information about growing chia seed. I'm actively looking for growers to field test my seed. If you're interested, please email me! Here is a link that might be useful: www.chiativity.org

You asked about non-whey protein drinks, and there are many other types of protein powders available including rice, egg whites, and vegetable sources like peas and soy. The Biological Value is highest in whey, eggs, milk, meats, then legumes and other foods. B.V. is the measure of a protein's ability to be used by the body. The higher the B.V. number the more protein your body will be able to use. It takes nearly twice as much protein from beans (49) to equal the same amount in beef (80), while whey is 100-159, eggs-100, milk-91, chicken-79.... Gelatin is an excellent source of protein and you can make healthy "Knox Blocks" and other gummy-type gelatin enriched snack recipes using 100% juice (apple, grape, orange, pineapple, etc.), coconut milk, almond milk..... Lots of recipes if you look on-line. There are two types of gelatin, the "common" one that gels, such as Knox, and the "better" brands like Dr. Benard Jensen's, NOW brand, and Great Lakes Gelatin in the red container. Great Lakes Gelatin in the green container mixes in cold liquids but doesn't gel - great as a smoothie add-in or added to nearly any beverage (6 grams protein per tablespoon). If I find my energy lagging in the afternoon (I suspect it has something to do with getting up at 3 a.m. everyday), I'll mix gelatin in a beverage (hot or cold) and drink that instead of finding a snack. While traveling I add 1/2 of a packet of Hansen's Natural Fruit Stix (sweetened with Truvia) to a bottle of water and also add 1 T. of Great Lakes Gelatin (green container). Lots of health benefits from gelatin and that includes the gelatin from making meaty bone broth. Broth in a thermos would be another good high-protein snack. No offense to anyone who enjoys soy in their diet, I personally wouldn't recommend any type of soy for consumption, and especially for a child. For more information: "The Whole Soy Story" by Kaayla T. Daniel, PhD, CCN. Other choices would be to make your baked goods with almond flour (or other nut flours) or coconut flour (which usually require a LOT of eggs in the recipes - the muffins I made yesterday have 1/2 an egg per muffin and is why one muffin for an adult is very satisfying and filling - plus coconut flour is very high in fiber). There are also some really good recipes that use cooked beans (or canned) in recipes including muffins, cookies, brownies, etc. I make several snack foods using sprouted beans/seeds/grains to increase the protein level. [I'm more concerned with sticking to low-glycemic foods and choose foods on the lower-half of the glycemic index of foods. Trying to avoid diabetes, which runs rampant in hubby's family.] Beans not only add protein and fiber, it also replaces most of the fat in these recipes. You can also replace a portion of wheat flour (up to 20%) with bean flour to increase the protein level. FYI: Use small white beans for bean flour (I mill my own) because it has the least amount of beany flavor when added to baked goods. Even better if you sprout, dry (in a dehydrator), and grind the beans into flour. Sprouting will increase the nutrition of the beans and reduce the hard-to-digest phytates and enzyme inhibitors. But foremost, keep in mind the daily recommended amount of protein for your small child. Generally, 0.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight for 4-to-6-year-olds. An extra-large egg (you could choose medium-size eggs when serving them to a small child to reduce the serving size), two tablespoons of peanut butter or one-half cup of beans provide six to eight grams of protein each, which is about the same amount in each ounce of lean meat, fish and poultry. There are also two to four grams of protein in each serving of breads and cereals and one to three grams in a serving of most vegetables. -Grainlady

Today my kids (6th grade DS, 8th grade DD) got home made apple pie for dessert in their lunches. We celebrated Pi day yesterday (3.14) with, of course, pie. Quiche for dinner and apple pie for dessert. Good dessert left overs today! Usually their lunches consist of a plain sandwich for DD (just bread and salami - that's what she likes!), with fruit, water, dessert. DS likes a mega sandwich -- a few kinds of meat, lettuce, tomato, cheese on a roll; plus the sides. Sometimes they do hot lunches, with soup or left over pasta or meat in a Thermos. DS is more adventurous - he likes to add salsa and other things to sandwiches. And he put extra hot sauce in our very spicy gumbo on Mardi Gras, while DD was reaching for her water glass due to the spice. I usually work from a home office, so I mostly eat left overs. Occassional trips to Whole Foods for sushi. Yum. When I work from our downtown office, I eat wherever my office buddies are going, and I pack some fruit in my brief case. (Clementines are perfect to-go food, IMO.) Lax - great pics! I'm coming to your house for lunch today.

Lots of good ideas for me to agonize over. Thanks. I happened to be at a center with a World Market today, so I checked out their selection. I didn't see one tagged as 'Jane', but I picked one up that seemed like it could work (I think the nalgene will fit and the pocket on the opposite side could hold things outside a cold zone). When they rang it up...it said Blue Jane. :) I'll give it a go tomorrow. I also got some Lunch Blox at Costco. It was a set with two salad and one sandwich, I think. Which is pretty good for what I take. I wasn't sure I was going to keep them, but they were a pretty good deal for what you get. Thanks.