Kindy lunchbox help!

[camper]

I've just had an e-mail from the kindy where MJ starts at the end of the week. Due to children attending MJ's class who have nut and egg allergies, they will not allow kids to bring in anything containing these products. Fair enough, I understand this totally, and if he was one of those kids I'd be happy that was their policy.
But... this includes pesto and hummus. MJ doesn't eat meat (although does eat fish) and pesto, hummus and eggs are his favourite foods, so the rules exclude a large part of the protein in his diet for three lunches a week. Although we eat fish, we usually avoid tinned tuna, but may have to reconsider that. He likes cheese, but I try not to have too much cheese in the house as DH will happily go through a kilo a week or more (that's for a whole 'nother thread!) and anything that even resembles something sweet, like savoury muffins will apparently be confiscated!
So does anyone have any tried and tested suggestions? I'm sure I'm just panicking and there will be something other than tomato pasta and cheese and vegemite sandwiches that he can eat. It just seems like rather more hard work than I was hoping for.

[cvious]

My daughter has nut allergies and we make our own hummus of chickpea and olive oil. I'm sure the parents of the allergic children are also just cooking things that normally would have eggs/nuts but making substitutions. I hope the school will allow the other parents to do the same. I am happy these policies exist for young children because if kids eat nuts and touch toys without washing their hands, my LO would react if she touched these before eating. But home-cooked foods is the best way to avoid allergens, so ask to see if they are allowing you to make egg-free muffins, etc.

Until you know what they allow, tinned beans that are not blended into a spread would be a good protein. Also cubes of tofu. My LO loves both of these things. That could get you some protein variety. We also do sunflower seed butter, but that might freak out the teachers unless you send him with the whole jar and label.

[wacky12]

Make the muffins in a cake pan and cut into squares so it looks like a piece of foaccacia bread. Add in some butter in the middle so it looks like a sandwich. It's a daft rule tho, you can usually tell a savory muffin form a sweet one just by looking at it.

I've got a recipe for a veggie lentil pie that in no way looks sweet if you'd like it. And you think he'll eat it. Will he eat canned salmon? Or how about savory pancakes with veg in them like pakoras? Or samosas? Or a cannelini bean dip w/crudites to eat with it? How ethnic will he eat?

cvious, i think that if they wont' allow a savory muffin with brocolli or other veg in it, making anything that looks like it could have nuts/egg in it will be confiscated.

[camper]

[Rahgamuffin]

HAve you checked its no egg at all? We are allowed to send things with egg *in* but not whole egg/egg sandwiches iyswim?

Another vote for home made humous. Also, if things are square, they don't get counted as sweet/pudding, especially if they have fruit too (this isn't the rule, just how I've seen it interpreted) so savoury flapjacks etc. are all ok.

[wacky12]

make your own samosas I meant. Use filo dough and your own filling and bake them. Do you need a recipe? Pakoras are easy to make as well as are spring onion pancakes (Chinese).

Lucky you tho, mine right now will not consider any ethnic food other than pasta. He used to eat everything, now I get a face and a "yuck, I dont' like that." *sigh*

[camper]

Oooh yes, if you have a low-fat samosa recipe I'd love it. You can take DH and I out of the Black Country, but you can't take the Black Country out of us: we hail from the home of the balti, after all
MJ also loves spring rolls so if you have any recipes for those too, they'd be very gratefully received.
Rahgamuffin - I'm not sure what you mean about "square" things. I asked my friend about sending sugar-free banana bread/ carrot muffins and she said they wouldn't be allowed (even if they're egg-free!) because they are so strict on sweet stuff. Muesli bars are banned, as is pretty much anything sweet unless it's raw fruit or yoghurt.
I hadn't planned on sending him with a lunchbox full of chocolate and crisps, but there's so many layers of complexity and contraband here!

[Rahgamuffin]

Ah, here (well, B&J's nursery) if they're not sure if something is sweet or savoury, they (seem to) usually guess on the shape of it - muffin shaped or round = sweet, square = savoury. B finds it amusing 'Mummy, they gave me my (round) crackers for pudding!'