School Snacks that Work For Everyone

Getty ImagesThese recipes are practically the Holy Grail of acceptable school snacks -- suitable for the "allergy classrooms" at my daughter Michaela's school: no meat, no wheat, no dairy, no berries, no nuts. If only I'd found them sooner.

Even when Michaela was in preschool, I was flummoxed by what kind of treat I could bring in for her third birthday -- one of the kids in her class had a severe nut allergy. Children could not bring any kind of peanut butter or nut products in their lunch. So I very carefully made a cake that contained NOTHING that had been processed in a facility that also processed nuts, but I wasn't sure about frosting. I didn't have time to make my own, or so I thought.

But the time I spent reading every single label in the frosting section at the supermarket might have been better spent concocting my own icing. I ended up buying an extra can of frosting and bringing it into the classroom for the teacher and the child's mom to check so we could be doubly sure it was safe (it was).

If I had to do all that over again, I'd make the butter cookies, or maybe the coconut corn muffins and stick a candle in them.

Now, though, I get to make them for me. After much resistance, I've given up gluten. Sure, I've gone down a pants size, but I miss cookies and cake. A lot. Fruit salad only goes so far in satisfying my craving for sweets -- that is to say, not far at all.

Safe Snacks

• Oatmeal Crisps recipe -- Flourless, crunchy oatmeal cookies with a little bit of chocolate thrown in for good measure. If you are looking for a dairy-free cookie, you can omit the chips or seek out chocolate that has no milk solids and finely chop.

• Sunflower Seed Butter Cookies recipe -- Perfect for kids (or anyone) who is allergic to peanut butter. Just check the label to be certain the sunflower seed butter wasn't processed in a plant that also processes peanuts. These are also gluten-free.

• Corn and Coconut Muffins recipe -- Coconut takes the place of flour in the lightly sweetened muffins, while buttermilk keeps them nice and tender. Angel flake coconut is what you'll typically find on the supermarket shelf-no need for a trip to the health food store. These will freeze successfully; wrap well and keep frozen up to 3 months.