Allergy Amen

I know that Food Allergy Awareness Week ended yesterday...but I thought this one was too funny not to share. And, hey, it is Sunday!

There actually are Gluten-Free Communion Wafers on the market. However, the Catholic Church does not allow them. They are allowed by Lutheran, Methodist, and Episcopal Churches. You can read more about that by clicking here.
It's a pretty interesting article! Have a great day!

I digress....

I know I was aiming to do a post everyday about food allergies...but today I'm just too worn out. So, instead, I'll just share one of my cute Jecilyn stories. The other day Jecilyn and Treavor were playing with superballs. You know, the balls that bouncy really high. She had a ball and she bounced it. Treavor chased it and grabbed it. She snatched it away from him and shouted, "NO! This is berry expensive!" I snickered and said, "Do you even know what expensive means?" "Yes!" came the reply. "What? What does it mean?"...."It means Treavor can't play with it." Hard to argue with that....

Top Eight Food Allergens

Peanuts, Eggs, Treenuts, Wheat, Milk, Soy, Fish and Shellfish account for 90% of food allergies. People who do not live with food allergies often do not realize just how much those eight ingredients are present in everyday food. Nearly all processed foods contain soy. Many contain wheat, milk and eggs. Many foods "may contain peanuts." It's just crazy!

When Treavor was first diagnosed with four of the top eight (peanuts, wheat, eggs and milk) plus bananas, I had no idea just how many foods--and even non-food items-- contained these allergens. I was already a food label reader...but I usually just skimmed the label to look for things like artificial colors, artificial flavors, partially hydrogenated oils, and high frutcose corn syrup. But, now I needed to pay attention to every little word. And, I had to make sure that others paid attention as well.

I was surprised to find wheat in my daughter's play doh. I was even more surprised to find it in my shampoo and conditioner. One would think that Cheerios--which is referred to on the box as a Toasted Oat Cereal--would actually be oats. Nope. Wheat in there too. Soy sauce contains wheat. Tomato soup contains wheat. Twizzlers contain wheat. Most rice mixes (Rice-a-roni, etc) contain wheat. Some seasonings contain wheat...Once, my friend brought over rolls for a cookout. He said, "Look, I got Potato Rolls!" Nope, first ingredient still wheat...It's been a challenge...but one I feel good about. I'm pleased that I am learning and am able to help others learn even if it's just in a small way.

To that light, I'd like to share this little story. Jecilyn is pretty aware of Treavor's allergies. She looks out for her little brother and will tell others about his allergies. She once told my friend Diana that she wasn't supposed to have peanut butter in her kitchen because Treavor was allergic. (Seriously, is this kid four?) The other day Treavor, Jecilyn and I were all cuddled up on the couch watching TV. There was a commercial for Beneful Dog Food.
You can watch the commercial by clicking here. As we were watching, Treavor got all excited--probably because of the dog--and pointed at the TV. Jecilyn turned to him and said, "No, buddy, you can't have that. It has eggs and wheat." Now, how totally sweet is that!?!? She didn't get that it was a dog food...but she knew it had wheat and eggs!

While you grocery shop, or even while cooking this week, take a moment to read a few food labels. Notice just how prevalent those top eight are in our everyday foods! Have a great day!

Food Allergy Awareness Week

May 11-17th is Food Allergy Awareness Week. I am going to try to post some information everyday this week. This is a subject about which I knew very little just one short year ago. I've come a long way in just eleven months! And, I feel it's important that others are made aware of the dangers of food allergies. So, I'm trying to do my part!

This is just a quick Public Service Announcement!

Wheat Free Wednesday

Jecilyn had a Grandparent Tea at her school this week. Parents were asked to bring in a dozen cookies for the tea. I remembered that last year there were a lot of grandparents who couldn't eat the cookies because of diabetis. There are also some children at the school with allergies to eggs and milk...and one little boy who can't eat gluten or sugar. Also, Pop Pop Al and Aunt Teffie need to watch their sugan intake. So, I was on a mission. I thought that I would attempt to make a cookie that was safe for everyone...No wheat, gluten, eggs, milk, cholesterol, or sugar. This was going to be a challenge...but I was up for it. (Of course, I also bought some premade cookie dough just in case.)

I decided that Oatmeal Raisin Cookies would probably be the best way to go. I started by scouring the internet for recipes which substitute Agave Nectar in place of sugar. The first recipe I found was Elise at Simply Recipes . At the bottom of this recipe was a link to this one at Altered Plates. This recipe includes instructions for using Agave Nectar in lieu of the sugars. Great! Now, all I had to do was get rid of the wheat, gluten, milk and eggs....No problem! Ha!

So, I used 1/2 cup of Earth Balance Buttery Spread to replace half the butter. I also used Spectrum Naturals Organic All Vegetable shortening to replace the remaining half of butter. .

All right...I'm on a roll. This is easy! The original recipe called for 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour. Gluten free flour is SO expensive. So, I made some oat flour (Stuck some oatmeal in a food processor!). I used about 1/2 cup of that. Then, I used a cup of Whole Food's 365 Organic Gluten Free All Purpose Flour.

Ok, now, all I need is an egg replacement. This is an easy one. I've done this before. No problem....Or so I thought. I tried to use Knox Unflavored Gelatin and warm water. I'm disgusted by gelatin since my dear friend Beth educated me on just what that is... GROSS! If you want to know, click here....I'm not going to tell you! But, I've used it before...so, I'll try it again. NOPE! I'm not sure exactly what happened...but I ended up with a great big ole nasty gelatinous blob of disgustingness. OK, no big deal. Plan B. Scoop out the aforementioned nasty blob and move on.

It's funny. At this point, I thought What Would Emily Do? Emily Hendrix is the author of Sophie Safe Cooking. As you may remember, she is my inspiration for trying to cook and invent my own recipes! Anyway, I thought about it. Emily probably would have used Apple Cider Vinegar and Baking Powder. As I stood and stared into my pantry...I decided that I'd just use white vinegar. I didn't want the flavor to change too much.

Ok...now, I've got all the ingredients mixed and in the bowl. They smelled really yummy...but they looked disgusting. They were VERY sticky and difficult to shape. I felt like there was more dough left on my hands than on the cookie sheet. Hmm. I'll just stick them in the oven and wait it out...

Patience is a virtue. It's just not one I have. I started messing with the batter while the first batch was cooking. I added some more gluten free flour. I just shook it in. And, then some more. Then, I played with the dough and it seemed to be a good consistency. Ok! This is good! So, I took the first batch out of the oven. I tasted one. They were actually REALLY GOOD. The subsequent batches were good too...but not as good as the first. Oh well...

Everyone that tried them said they liked them. Treavor absolutely loved them! I let him eat them for breakfast two days in a row. I figured, they contain only natural and healthy ingredients. Way better than petroleum laced Lucky Charms or Pop Tarts some kids get! Here's the recipe the way I made them:

Ingredients
1 cup gluten free flour (Whole Foods 365 Organic Brand)
1/2 cup oatflour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger,
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup Earth Balance Buttery Spread
1/2 cup Spectrum Organic All Vegetable Shortening
1 1/2 cups Agave Nectar (I used Trader Joe's Brand)
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons vinegar
3 cups rolled oats (I used Quaker Quick or Old Fashioned. Do NOT use instant.)
1 1/2 cups raisins

Method
1 Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper or waxed paper. (I didn't do this--I used Pampered Chef Baking Stones!)

2 Either by hand or with electric mixer, beat buttery spread and shortening until creamy. Add agave nectar; beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat vinegar and 2 teaspoons of baking powder.

3 Mix flour, salt, baking powder, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, cinnamon and allspice together in medium bowl. Stir dry ingredients into the "Butter" and "Sugar" mixture. Stir in oats, raisins and optional walnuts.

4 Working with generous 2 tablespoons of dough each time, roll dough into 2-inch balls. Place balls on parchment-lined cookie sheet, leaving at least 2 inches between each ball.

5 Bake until cookie edges turn golden brown, 22 to 25 minutes. Let cool on cooling at least 30 minutes before peeling cookie from parchment.


If you try them...let me know. Thanks to Deb at Altered Plates and Elise's Simply Recipes for the recipe!!!!

Semi Thumbs Up!

For some reason, Jecilyn LOVES Applebees. It's not like she gets some super meal there...it's the same thing EVERY SINGLE TIME....Mac & Cheese. And, not to toot my own horn, but MY Mac & Cheese is WAY better than Applebees. Mine is usually homemade...and usually organic. It is not the stuff that comes in a blue and yellow package and is likely PROCESSED just around the corner at Kraft. Although it claims to be the "cheesist," I'm pretty sure what it really is a whole lot of chemicals colored and flavored with petroleum to taste like cheese. In fact, the label reads as follows:

ENRICHED MACARONI PRODUCT (DURUM WHEAT FLOUR, WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, FERROUS SULFATE, THIAMIN MONONITRATE [VITAMIN B1], RIBOFLAVIN [VITAMIN B2], FOLIC ACID), CHEESE SAUCE MIX (WHEY, MILKFAT, MILK PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, SALT, CALCIUM CARBONATE, SODIUM TRIPOLYPHOSPHATE, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF CITRC ACID, SODIUM PHOSPHATE, LACTIC ACID, MILK, YELLOW 5, YELLOW 6, ENZYMES, CHEESE CULTURE).

My mac & cheese consists of organic pasta (made from 100% Durum Semolina), organic milk, and cheese. One would think that Kraft may be accused of false advertising, since, clearly, my Mac & Cheese contains more cheese than theirs. However, I actually looked up the definition of "Cheesiest." According to Merriam-Webster, the definition is as follows:

Main Entry: cheesy
Pronunciation: \ˈchē-zē\
Function: adjective
Inflected Form(s): chees·i·er; chees·i·est
Date: 14th century
1 a: resembling or suggesting cheese especially in consistency or odor b: containing cheese
2: shabby 3c, cheap < cheesy movie>
— chees·i·ness noun

So, although my homemade Mac & Cheese does contain more cheese, by definition, I suppose Kraft's is the "cheesiest." Or, at least cheesier than mine...but I digress...

The point--and I had one when I started this post--was to tell you about our trip to Applebees yesterday. Nettie suggested I take pictures...but, I couldn't find the camera in the pit that is my car....so, you'll just have to settle for the story. Jecilyn, of course, ordered the aforementioned cheesiest mac & cheese. For Treavor, I ordered two mini hamburgers--no roll, no butter, no cheese, and applesauce not fries. Treavor, being Treavor, decided to throw a tantrum while we waited for our food. The waitress came over and asked if she could bring over some crackers for him. I told her that he couldn't have crackers. She replied, "Oh, yeah, that's right...you said he's allergic to bread...so I guess that means no crackers too." I thanked her, and she returned to the kitchen. A few minutes later she returned. Treavor had calmed down by this point (or perhaps I had just tuned him out!). She asked if he could have fruit. Then, she returned with a whole plate of fruit from the bar...pineapple, strawberry, orange slices, apples balls (looked like they used a melon baller--is that what it's called?--to scoop them out), and cherries. How cool!!! Treavor loved it! Jecilyn was jealous!

So, even though I'm pretty sure this incident was situational--a good waitress who wanted to shut up my snot nosed kid so he wouldn't disturb other guests--I'm still giving Applebees a Thumbs Up!

Thumbs Up!

Since yesterday I gave Chuck E. Cheese's a big THUMBS DOWN, I thought today I'd give some thumbs up to some restuarants who have been helpful and accomodating.


In January, we were staying in a Holiday Inn by the Philadelphia Airport. The restaurant in which "Kids eat free" was closed. Food was available in the bar--where they were smoking....The only other option was Denny's. I was little--ok a lot--fearful of taking Treavor to a place where eggs were cooked all day long. And, looking at the children's menu---there was NOTHING that he could eat. I mentioned my concern to the waitress. She sent over the manager. He was extremely helpful! He made suggestions, checked all of the labels--and brought them to me for clarification, and made sure the grill was cleaned prior to cooking Treavor's food! Thanks, Denny's!

On our way back from Maine, we made a bit of an emergency stop in Milford Connecticuit (Jecilyn puked in the car!). We stayed in a hotel which had a Friendly's adjoining it. They were great too. They cleaned the grill. They also gave Treavor dessert--strawberry topping--no ice cream. He loved it! We have since been to our local Friendly's. They allowed us to bring our own "Ice Cream" and they kept it in their freezer. They served it with the rest of our ice cream....with Mandarin Oranges on the side. Treavor loved it!!!

I've been to a few Lonestar's too. The first time I went, I wasn't with Treavor...but I was still nursing him. They were great. A manager came over and made suggestions. The waitress was very helpful. So, I returned to another Lonestar with Treavor. They were so great when I went...I forgot about the peanuts. So, when I returned with Treavor...I got a little nervous. We do not know if her has an airborne peanut allergy--and I don't really want to find out. However, we decided to take the chance. We were sat away from others eating peanuts and did not have any at our table. We also made sure Treavor did not leave his chair! When I told him about his allergies, the waiter was great. He said they would cook his food on a seperate grill! How cool is that!?!? Of course, the kitchen screwed up the first round...and brought it out on a bun with butter....Our waiter noticed...and returned it to the kitchen. The manager came to apologize. I'm pretty sure they didn't just throw that same burger on the plate and bring it back out! (And, hopefully they didn't spit on the new one!)

On our last trip to Trader Joe's with Jeseray and Jocelyn, we stopped at Lonestar again. Jocelyn is also allergic to wheat and milk (and corn and apples and walnuts). So, our ordering was a bit of a pain in the took-us. But, the waitress was great. She asked if we needed the manager...but we declined. It was all good!

I'm going to try to keep the thumbs up and thumbs down with restaurants going. Maybe other allergy parents will find my blog and the information will be helpful to them. Have a great day!

Chuck E Cheese's....Where a kid can Press 1

My children were invited to a birthday party at our local "Chuck E. Cheese's...Where a Kid Can Be a Kid." Since there is going to be food served at the party and it's at the dinner hour, it presents a bit of a problem for me with Treavor's allergies. So, today, I decided to call them today to see if they would be willing to let me heat up food for Treavor in their restaurant. And, if they would possible store Ice Cream for him in their freezer. I looked up the number in the phone book. It was a local number. I dialed. I got a recording...and I kid you not....It said "For instructions in English, press one!" Are you kidding me!?!?! I don't get a freakin human being when I call a kid's restaurant!?!?!

After about 5 minutes of pressing buttons, I finally got a human that was no where near Dover, Delaware--and could not even answer my question...and, come to think of it...I don't even think she spoke English all that well!!!! She was however, very helpful. She told me that the Ice Cream would be no problem, but that I'd have to check with the individual store manager about the food. Se gave me the number...and I called....The manager on duty told me "We do not allow any outside food or drinks." Geez. At this point, I'm loosing my mind!!!! "Yes, I understand that. But, you do not have anything on your menu that he can eat. He is allergic to flour. And milk. There's nothing that he can eat...." Finally, she told me that I could contact the general manager and maybe she'd be able to help me. Hopefully, I will meet with better results there.

So, at the moment...Chuck E. Cheese's is receiving a big old THUMBS DOWN from Allergy Boy's Mom.

Wheat Free Wednesday

So, I decided to go ahead and try this out. Though I am sure it is not helpful to those that currently read my blog, perhaps it will draw other readers. If nothing else, perhaps it will motivate me to try new recipes.

I ordered a cook book last week. And, this week I received one from my dad and Paulette. The latter is entitled the gluten, wheat & dairy free cookbook.

It's got some pretty cool stuff in it! I'm looking forward to trying out some of the recipes!

As for this week...I found a recipe in the Dover Post for Baked Oatmeal. It sounded pretty good...but it called for both eggs and milk. So, I decided to test out some substitutes.

H

Here is the recipe:
Ingredients

1/2 cup vegetable oil or unsweetened applesauce
3/4 (or less) granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder (YES … tablespoon)
3 cups quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon


Directions

Combine oil (or applesauce) and sugar in a large bowl and stir well to mix thoroughly. Mix in eggs, milk, salt, baking powder and oatmeal. Stir again to mix well. Stir in raisins. Spread batter into a lightly greased 9-inch-deep dish pie plate. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

To bake: Preheat oven to 350-degrees, remove covering from pie plate and bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes. Serve warm cut into wedges.

I tweaked it to fit Treavor's Allergies...as well as my own paranoid food issues. I used applesauce not oil. Actually, I used Santa Cruz Organic Apple/Apricot Sauce. In lieu of the white refined sugar, I used 1/4 cup organic blue agave nectar. I used two packets of unflavored gelatin and four tablespoons of warm water in place of the eggs. I used 3/4 cup of Vanilla Flavored Rice Milk. And, because of the preservatives in most quick cooking oats, I used "O" Organic Quick Oat which I found at Safeway. I also used Organic Raisins.

Finally, I reduced the oven temperature to 325. I did this because I had substituted the agave nectar for the sugar. Note: I also reduced the liquid (rice milk)to compensate for the 1/4 cup of extra liquid I was adding!

The results were MUCH BETTER than I expected!!! It was very good!!! Both of my children enjoyed it! Give the recipe a try!!!

For the full article that was in the Dover Post, click here.