MG's Allergy Log

Shutterfly Winners

2011-11-10T14:53:00.000-08:00

I had MG pick three winners randomly out of a hat. Congratulations to:

Cara, Megan & LeeAnn

Shutterly Giveaway!!!

2011-11-03T08:05:00.000-07:00

When Shutterfly contacted me about doing a giveaway they had me at 'free cards'. My favorite part of Christmas is sending and receiving Christmas cards. It really is. Each card I receive is like a present to open. I love getting to hear from my family and friends through the good old fashioned method in my mailbox and I love showing my kids where the cards came from. It's exciting to get cards from all over the world.

When the hubby and I packed up our belongings and moved over 800 miles from our family and friends in May of 2001 I was sad but secretly I was excited to be sending out our first holiday cards in December of that year. Yes, I do think about Christmas cards that far in advance. That first year I didn't have much luck finding darling Christmas photo card designs and although I did send out cards that year I didn't stumble upon Shutterfly until Christmas of 2006. Shutterfly was the first company I found to allow more then one picture in their flat card. That year I chose a 4 x 8 flat design with 9 pictures to display my darling 18 month old daughter. They did not disappoint me in 2006 and they still don't today. You won't be sorry if you take the time now to browse through their darling card collection for this year. Check out their photo cards here. Or their Christmas card collection here. Or you could order a photo gifts here. My only problem now is how to narrow down my selection for our 2011 Christmas card but the card above is definitely a top contender.

Shutterfly has kindly offered to give 3 of my readers (your chances are very good here!) 25 free cards this Christmas season. To enter just leave me a comment telling me your favorite Christmas tradition. One entry per person please. Giveaway will end on midnight of November 9th so enter before then.

Are you a blogger? Want another chance at 25 free cards this holiday season? Register here.

Found Safe Candy Corn!

2011-10-26T09:51:00.001-07:00

I had a few minutes to kill at my local drug store Bartell's and so I spent it like I do every October, reading all the labels on the candy I knew wouldn't be safe for my children. I'm always hoping one day I'll come across something that was worth my time in reading label after label, this was one of those days.

SAFE CANDY CORN.
EGG FREE, PEANUT FREE, TREE-NUT FREE, WHEAT FREE & DAIRY FREE.
Hard to believe isn't it? Thank you Jelly Belly for giving my child the chance to try candy corns for the first time in her life. They were $3 for a 3 oz. bag at our store and worth every penny!

Don't forget to start getting ready to make your own Mr. Bones for Halloween dinner!

Although I found my Jelly Belly candy corn's locally you can also order then here on Amazon (Amazon is also my picture source above). Wishing all of our allergy friends a very safe Halloween!

*As always check your own label before you allow your allergic child to eat these. You are responsible to verify what is safe for your own child.*

Feeding Squirrels

2011-09-16T06:01:00.000-07:00

Photo Credit: http://www.freestockphotos.biz/stockphoto/11661

We had a great success this week. MG & I found and spoke to the lady who kindly feeds the birds and squirrels in our neighborhood every day. Unfortunately she's been feeding them peanuts in the shell and we find them all over our yard every day. We introduced ourselves and explained MG's allergies. Then we kindly asked if she would consider feeding them sunflower seeds instead of nuts.

I wasn't sure how she'd react because we could tell that feeding the animals meant a lot to her but thankfully she was so sweet to us. She said she'd gladly try sunflower seeds. I'm so grateful to find people who are kind to those who suffer from life threatening allergies even when they don't have to.

Exciting Delivery

2011-09-14T10:18:00.000-07:00

We got an exciting delivery recently ....

A closer look....

We recently discovered Chocolate Soybutter! It is gluten free, peanut free, treenut free, dairy free & egg free.

We are loving it and are confident that if you are a soy butter fan you'll love it too! Be sure to check out I.M. Healthy or Amazon for the best deals on getting it shipped to you.

Mexican Pizza

2011-05-23T06:01:00.000-07:00

I got the idea for Mexican Pizza's from, Cheap, Fast, Good!, by Beverly Mills & Alicia Ross. Since trying their recipe I've adapted it to the likes of my family. The recipes contains only ingredients. You can decide on the quantity.

Mexican Pizza

corn tortillas

refried beans

sour cream (optional)

taco seasoning

cheese (optional)

salsa

avocado

shredded lettuce

Preheat the oven on a medium broil. Place the corn tortillas on a baking sheet and broil both sides of the corn tortilla just until crisp. About a minute and a 1/2 per side.

Meanwhile place about 1/2 cup of sour cream in an bowl and mix with 2 tsp. taco seasoning. Set aside.

Remove from oven and spread beans over corn tortilla, then sour cream mixture, salsa & cheese. Place pan in oven and brown until cheese melts. Watch closely so the edges of the corn tortilla don't burn.

Don't forget to check the labels of the products you are using carefully to make sure they are free of the allergens you are avoiding.

After removing from oven top with avocado and shredded lettuce. We cut the pizza for the kids in pizza wedges.

Enjoy!

Bunny Buns with Mom's White Frosting

2011-04-17T07:00:00.000-07:00

Our church has a kid magazine that MG receives every month called The Friend. In the April 2011 issue there was a recipe for Bunny Buns. MG insisted we make them. They are a lot of fun to make with a child and easy to adapt to egg and nut free. You can follow the original recipe in the link above our our modified version below.

Bunny Buns

1 package active dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water

1 cup milk, warmed not quite to boiling (or dairy free substitute)

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup shortening

1 teaspoon salt

1 T. dry egg replacer + 4 T. Warm water

1/4 cup orange juice

2 tablespoons grated orange peel

5 1/2 cups flour, sifted

1. In a microwave safe cup or bowl, warm 1 cup milk and set aside.

2. In a small bowl pour in 1/4 c. warm water and sprinkle yeast on top. Lightly stir twice and set aside.

3. In another small bowl mix the egg replacer and the 4 T. warm water. Get out as many lumps as possible and set aside.

4. In a large bowl mix the warm milk (or dairy free substitute), sugar, shortening and salt. Let cool then add the egg replacer mixture, yeast mixture, orange juice and orange peel.

5. Stir in flour a few cups at a time to make a soft dough. Let stand for 10 minutes.

6. Knead dough 5–10 minutes on a lightly floured surface until dough is smooth and elastic. Place it in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease surface. Cover bowl with a clean towel and put it in a warm place. Let dough rise for 2 hours, or until double in size. Punch dough down and let stand for 10 minutes.

7. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a rectangle 1/2 inch thick. Cut dough into strips 1/2 inch wide and 14 inches long. Roll between hands into rounded snake shapes. Cut one strip into pieces 1/2 inch long, and roll into balls.

8. Place one long piece of dough on a greased cookie sheet. Place one end of the strip over the other to make a loop; bring the end that is underneath up and cross it over the other end. Place a ball of dough on top of the bottom loop.

9. Cover bunnies and let rise in a warm place for 45–60 minutes, until nearly double in size. Bake at 375ºF (190ºC) for 12–15 minutes.

Dough read to rise.

Covered Dough. I warmed mine next to the dishwasher to help it rise on a cold day.

Dough doubled and ready to be punched down. A fun job for a child to help with.

MG punching the dough.

The dough rolled out and cut in strips ready to be rolled into 'snakes'.

MG was in charge of making the small balls.

Bunny Buns ready to rise. Make sure to keep them covered while they are rising.

The end product is not only adorable but delicious! See my Mom's White Frosting recipe below.

Mom's White Frosting

1 cup shortening

2/3 cup cold water

1 tsp vanilla
(I added 1 t. orange extract instead of the vanilla for the Bunny Buns recipe.)

2 lb powder sugar

Mix all ingredients. Reserve some frosting in different bowls to make different colors. This recipe is enough to frost 2, 8" cakes or in this case one batch of bunny buns with leftover to spare.

Hot Chocolate

2010-12-07T15:16:00.000-08:00

Hot Chocolate is a fun treat during wintertime especially while watching a parade of Santa coming to town. Unfortunately, we have yet to find a safe place to buy hot chocolate for MG due to her peanut and tree nut allergies. This year I wised up and when we bought hot chocolate at Tully's we got water only for MG and brought a safe hot chocolate mix from home for her. When asked what her favorite thing was about the evening MG said, "Having hot chocolate with her friend at the parade." It's little things like this that make an allergic child feel included. I gave myself a little pat on the back for finally finding a way for MG to enjoy hot chocolate away from home and hope this little tip is helpful to someone else.

Mr. Bones

2010-10-31T20:22:00.001-07:00

Our traditional Halloween dinner.
Yummy Mr. Bones with some chili con carne on the side!

Canning Peaches

2010-08-16T18:03:00.001-07:00

It's that time of year again to can peaches. Here is the detailed post I did two year ago. I know I needed a refresher so perhaps this will be helpful to someone else out there.

Best Waffles

2010-07-23T08:47:00.000-07:00

This is by far our favorite waffles recipe and you won't even believe it's egg free!

Best Waffles

adapted from: Where's Mom Now That I Need Her

2 C. flour

2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. baking soda

2 c. milk

4 t. lemon juice

1 T. ener-g egg replacer mixed with 4 T. warm water (to replce 2 eggs)

4 T. butter or margarine melted

1) Melt 4 T. butter and set it aside to cool.

2) Mix 1 T. ener-g egg replacer with 4 T. warm water. Mix well and set aside.

3) Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda; stir in milk, lemon juice and melted butter. Add egg replacer.

4) Cook on greased waffle iron.

5) Enjoy!

Makes 8 individual waffles.

Chocolate Cake

2010-06-16T08:43:00.000-07:00

Eggless cakes can be a challenge. Getting the middle not to fall without eggs is where all the trouble is for me. That's why I usually just fall back on cupcakes because who doesn't love a cupcake? This weekend I adapted a new recipe and we LOVED it! The batter was thick and reminded me of brownie batter. This cake is dense and a must for any chocoholics like MG & myself! We may have had this for breakfast the next day, just maybe.

MG's Chocolate Cake
(adapted from America's Test Kitchen: Pantry Chocolate Cake)

1/2 cup Cocoa Powder
3/4 cup boiling water
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoon ener-g egg substitute powder
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with a foil sling and grease the foil. Whisk the cocoa and the boiling water together in a small bowl. Let the mixture cool slightly. In a small bowl mix 1 1/2 teaspoons ener-g egg substitute powder with 2 tablespoons water. Mix well and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk the vegetable oil, egg substitute mixture, vanilla, and cooled cocoa mixture together. Stir the oil mixture into the flour mixture and whisk until smooth.

3. Give the batter a final stir with a rubber spatula to make sure it is thoroughly combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and gently tap the pan on the counter to settle the batter.

4. Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 30-40 minutes. (My cake took 40 minutes at sea level.) Rotate the pan halfway through baking. Let the cake cool completely in the pan, 1 to 2 hours. If desired remove the cake from the pan using the foil before serving.

A note on Ener-g Egg Replacer: If you don't have this and can't have eggs in your diet go buy it now. You can order it online. It's so easy to use and substitutes egg's easily. As soon as MG outgrew her potato allergy it was the first thing I bought. One box lasts me almost a year. More than worth the price in my book. (I receive no compensation from ener-g, I just truly love baking with their product!)

Up next, Chocolate Frosting!

Easter

2010-04-08T14:12:00.000-07:00

This is MG in the pink hat all ready to go for her first ever community egg hunt. Aren't I getting brave! I gave her all the precautions and sent her off to have fun.

Then I quickly realized that parents rushed forward with their children and didn't have to wait on the sidelines.

I ran forward to find her knocking children and babies out of my way as I went. Just kidding. I didn't knock anyone down, I think. Then my heart flip flopped when I found her here picking up all of this candy for her basket. Reese's filled eggs and crunch eggs with peanut butter. CRAP!

The candy was well wrapped and she knew not to eat anything so it was ok. That didn't stop my heart from beating and worrying just a little more than usual.

When we got home we let her do a special egg hunt in our back yard. It's something we always do for her and I try to make it extra special. I put very little in each egg so that she has a ton of eggs to find. After all isn't it just as fun finding them as having so many to open?

This year I filled her eggs with lifesaver jelly beans, whopper eggs, fake food for her play kitchen and the best find of all were some Littlest Pet Shops that came in huge Easter eggs. This one was my favorite...

I love the fun and excitement that holidays bring but I always breathe a sigh of relief when MG makes it through another holiday safely.

Hope?

2010-03-10T15:25:00.000-08:00

MG's most recent testing left us with no hope of her outgrowing her peanut and tree nut allergies. Her peanut number was at 80. Her doctor said not to expect her to ever outgrow them. I didn't realize how much I was holding on to the hope that she'd outgrow them until I heard those words. Sad, so sad! We continue to hope for more research and a cure! How do you deal with bad allergy news?

Chocolate Hearts

2010-02-05T07:01:00.000-08:00

We were at Trader Joe's yesterday and they were giving out samples of their Dark Chocolate Hearts. I asked to see the label and was so surprised that they are peanut, tree nut & egg free. MG was shocked when I handed her one and said they were safe. "Yummmmmy," she sang out. They were scrumptious and would be a special treat to anyone on Valentine's Day. MG wants to give some to her daddy... shhhh... don't tell. I think she knows daddy will share some with her. Here is what the Trader Joe's website says about this new product:

Dark Chocolate Hearts

As Lucy Van Pelt of Peanuts fame once said, “All I really need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt!” Here, here! Especially, we say, if it’s a little Dark Chocolate Heart or, for that matter, 15 Dark Chocolate Hearts busting in the center with rich, creamy milk and dark chocolate truffle filling. Made in Belgium from only the finest quality ingredients, these luscious heart shape treats are great for expressing your love or eating it. And at the great price of $4.99 for a 7.05 oz. box, they are everything your heart desires.

The irony of them mentioning the Peanuts show does not escape me.

As always I recommend you double check the label of your own box. Unfortunately Trader Joe's is only in the USA and even then they aren't everywhere. Hope you can find one by you or someone kind enough to mail you a box!

A Little Great

2010-02-02T07:01:00.000-08:00

I'm guest posting at A Little Great today, come on over and give me some comment love! I'd love to hear about what got you to take allergies seriously. After you've read my guest post take a look around. A Little Great is new and already filled with gems. (click on sidebar button)

Chocolate Cheerios

2010-01-25T07:01:00.000-08:00

I was nervous when I saw an ad for the new chocolate cheerios. I was worried they would have peanut flour just like the new chocolate and strawberry chex cereals. I've been searching for them in the cereal aisle all week and they finally arrived. I'm happy to say that the box I checked was free of all but one of the the top allergens, wheat. They would be fun to add in a batch of rice krispies for a special treat.

Meatball Day

2010-01-17T20:58:00.000-08:00

We have a little family tradition of watching a movie together once a week. Last Saturday we decided to make the moment extra special. We called it meatball day. We ate spaghetti & meatballs for lunch and then watched Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.

(Warning, Movie Spoiler) I knew little about the movie. I'd just heard it was kid friendly and silly. I was surprised when the character Anna said she was allergic to peanuts because MG has never seen anyone on screen that she could relate to, in regards to her nut allergies. "She's just like me!" MG squealed happily! When Anna went into anaphylactic shock I was pleased that they showed how quickly it happens. However, when the character Anna finally received her epinephrine shot (epi pen) I was disappointed that she made a quick 100% recovery so quickly.

When MG went into anaphylactic shock after eating a tiny bite of a peanut butter and honey sandwich within minutes her checks were out as far as the tip of her nose. Her face was completely unrecognizable. While she did start to improve after her epi shot in the ambulance and continued to improve after treatments in the ER, it took a full 48 hours before her face completely recovered.

It's a challenge to get people to take MG's allergies seriously. I know people have wondered why I don't just relax and give her an epi shot before we go to the park. This goes to show how uneducated people are about nut allergies.
^{An epi pen is a life saving miracle. Something you hope you never have to use and yet something that you carry around 24/7 to give yourself a bit of peace as you venture out. I worry that the portrayal in the movie is only going to continue to confuse those who don't understand. Did anyone else see it and what was your feeling and perspective of Anna going into anaphylactic shock?}

Egg Free Royal Icing

2009-12-27T19:55:00.000-08:00

Thank-you to Yummy Allergen Free for posting your recipe for EGG FREE ROYAL ICING. We did Gingerbread houses two years ago with MG's cousins and she instantly reacted badly to the egg in the frosting. I wondered if we'd ever be able to do gingerbread houses again until I found your wonderful recipe which worked like magic. Beware that if we ever meet I'll be resisting the urge to hug and kiss you. Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you!!

Egg Free Royal Icing
from: Yummy Allergen Free

1 c Powdered sugar
1 T Ener-G egg replacer (dry)
1 t Cream of tartar
1/8 t Xanthan gum
2 T Water (approximately)

I quadrupled the recipe for our house and we ran out of the frosting but it was enough to cover most of the house and we had a lot of fun.

It's been awesome to let MG nibble at her house with 100% safe candy and frosting. What a blessing!

SunButter Cookies

2009-12-20T21:02:00.000-08:00

MG prefers soybutter over sunbutter but when I read a review of this recipe from the Peanut Allergy Kid Blog I knew we needed to give it a try and we weren't disappointed. This recipe is from the SunButter Website.

SUNBUTTER COOKIES

Ingredients
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 cup Unsalted Butter
1 1/2 cups Creamy SunButter
1 1/2 cups Sugar
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
2 Eggs-Large Whole (I replaced the eggs with Ener-g Egg Replacer)
3 tsp. Vanilla Extract
3 1/4 cups Flour
1 cup Nonfat Dry Milk

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a bowl, combine flour, dry milk and salt.
3. In a different bowl, blend margarine, SunButter®, white sugar, brown sugar, eggs (or replacement) and vanilla until smooth.
4. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix well.
5. Take about 1 1/2 tbsp of cookie dough and roll into a ball. Place the ball onto a cookie sheet and flatten dough with a spatula. Repeat process for the rest of the dough.
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly brown.
7. Cool for 1 minute on cookie sheet.

These were really fun to make and eat. I had to add about 1/4 cup water because my batter was too crumbly. I then rolled them into balls and squished a dark chocolate hershey's kiss in the middle before baking. They were a special treat and one we'll be making again. MG rated them with two thumbs up!

Gift Giving

2009-12-15T21:45:00.000-08:00

I know it's a challenge to select a Christmas gift for an individual or family that deals with food allergies. I was impressed at one friends thoughtful gift to us:

An offer to babysit MG in our home while we spent the night away!

It's so hard for me to leave MG with a sitter. To trust someone else to keep her safe. To teach them how to save her life with an EPI-Pen. It's scary. Yet there is a small circle of those I trust and to have one of them give me a worry free night away was such a treat!

Other thoughtful gifts MG & our family have received around the holidays:

*Sparkling Cider

*Apples with Carmel Dip

*Safe Candy in a bowl
*Toys

I think the key is verifying what is safe and not safe in the household before you decide on your gift. Read labels carefully. A store bought item is always safer than one made at home where cross contamination can easily happen. In the end it's the thought that counts and your gift receiver will be grateful they weren't forgotten even though they have severe allergies!

Thanksgiving View

2009-12-04T07:39:00.000-08:00

I wanted to post what an allergy friendly Thanksgiving meal looks like. It's a proud moment when your daughter could eat anything her heart desires at the table, especially on Thanksgiving. Not that she touched half of it but at least we tried. One day she'll appreciate it and we relax knowing that everything is 100% safe.

Lentils and Brown Rice

2009-11-30T07:01:00.000-08:00

Now that we are all burned out on spending lots of time in the kitchen I thought I'd share this fabulous recipe a friend shared with me at a church function and was kind enough to let me share it with all of you. It's beyond easy and I highly recommend the serving method A, as described below.

Lentils and Brown Rice

6 cups Chicken Broth

1 1/2 cups dry Lentils (uncooked)

1 large Onion, diced*

2-3 cloves Garlic

1 cup Brown Rice** (uncooked)

2 tsp. Cumin

1/8 tsp. Pepper

1/4 tsp. Salt

Place all the above ingredients in a large baking dish and cover with foil. Bake 350 degrees for 1 1/2 - 2 hours. Move the dish slowly from your counter to the oven as the amount of liquid makes it easy to spill (trust me on this).

*For optimal flavor saute the onions in a frying pan with a small amount of olive oil before adding to the baking dish.
**White rice is not recommend. It makes the dish too mushy.

Serving suggestions:
A) Melt cheese on the casserole the last 5 minutes of baking. Serve with avocados, tomatoes, sour cream, green onions, salsa and chips.
-OR-
B) Serve dish with corn bread on the side and lemonade for a sweet treat.

Thank-you Suzanne. I will always treasure this amazingly simple recipe you created!

Feeling Thankful

2009-11-26T07:01:00.000-08:00

(I took this picture last Thanksgiving, love the sign in the background!)

I'm feeling thankful this time of year for all the fabulous medical resources at my fingertips for MG's life threatening allergies. I'm grateful for a trusty epipen that keeps me sane. Without it I'd never want to leave the safety of our own home. I'm thankful for the ready to go benadryl spoons that easily fit in my purse. They have come to our rescue in some scary situations.

This year I'm making a very safe Thanksgiving menu for MG. It will be my second year cooking for the 3 of us. I asked our darling MG what she wants to eat for Thanksgiving. Here is her response along with her recipe:

Turkey Pie (in the words of 4 year old MG)
*It has no eggs or nuts.

*First you put in turkey. Then you put chocolate on top.
Then you stir and bake!

She clarified for me that Turkey Pie is a main dish and that she wants candy for dessert.

I'm amazed and grateful that this darling girl we have is becoming more aware of her allergies and learning to help keep herself safe. I'm so thankful, what a sweetie!

Wishing you a yummy allergen free Thanksgiving!!

Sweet Pumpkin Seeds

2009-11-19T20:03:00.000-08:00

I'm excited to share my recipe for sweet pumpkin seeds and amazingly MG was gobbling them down faster than I could make them. I was silently cheering but made sure not to let her notice my excitement. All her allergy issues have certainly contributed to her being a picky eater. I grew up in a home where nuts were always in a bowl to nibble on around the holidays. This recipe is the perfect replacement for a bowl of nuts. No one will miss them as they nibble on these:

Sweet Pumpkin Seeds

1 cup raw pumpkin seeds, rinsed and dried

4 tablespoons white sugar, divided

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon olive oil

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spread pumpkin seeds in a single layer on a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil that has been sprayed with non stick cooking spray. Toast for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally until dry and toasted.

In a bowl mix together 2 tablespoons of white sugar, salt, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the pumpkin seeds and sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar over them. Stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar melts. Pour seeds into the bowl with the spiced sugar and stir until coated. Allow to cool before serving. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Pumpkin Puree

2009-11-16T07:01:00.000-08:00

In case you were wondering, making your own Pumpkin Puree is worth the time. In my opinion it's as good as making gold. I use the recipe from 'Pioneer Woman Cooks' in the link above and I highly recommend you give it a try. I've seen a lot of sugar pie pumpkins on sale at several stores in my area. Hopefully you can find them where you live too. I love how Pioneer Woman freezes them in 1 cup batches. Last November I followed her method and was able to use the yummy pumpkin puree for 6 glorious months. It was a sad dark day when we'd used it all up. Today I'm cooking up 13 little sugar pumpkins hoping they'll last me all year. Just like Pioneer Woman recommends save those precious pumpkin seeds. Pumpkin seeds are fabulous no matter who you are or what you can eat but for those who avoid eating nuts they are an extra special treat! I'll be posting some fabulous recipes for baking the seeds next so stay tuned.

Granola Bars

2009-11-10T16:30:00.000-08:00

Granola bars are the perfect snack on the go. I used to always carry one in my purse and always had an emergency stash in my car. After MG's anaphylactic shock I gladly rid our home of every peanut and tree nut product which included every granola bar. For several months after her diagnosis I searched granola box after granola box in frustration during every grocery store visit. It seemed that we'd never eat another granola bar again.

One day in my local Fred Meyer a box of granola bars caught me eye. I reluctantly searched the label preparing myself for the disappointment, which never came. I read the ingredients over and over again. I read every word on the entire box and could find no fault. Afraid that this product would vanish and never be found again, I filled my grocery cart with every box.

We've been enjoying Cascadian Farm's organic chocolate chip chewy granola bars ever since and think you should give them a try too. Hopefully using Cascadian's online store locator will help you find some safe granola bars for yourself or your nut allergic loved one.
If you sign up for the Cascadian Farm newsletter, you'll receive $5 worth of coupons on Cascadian Farm products sent to your email.

I hope that Cascadian Farms will continue to keep this product nut free but as always double check the label of your box, just to be safe.

Zucchini Soup

2009-09-24T14:00:00.000-07:00

An awesome friend first introduced us to this recipe when she invited us to join her family for dinner. I knew right away that I had to have the recipe and luckily she has the same philosophy that I do: A fabulous recipes must be shared! I've adapted it to make it my own and made it wheat free. White pepper is essential! This is a fabulous way to devour all that fresh from the garden zucchini greatness for those who are harvesting it like crazy.

Zucchini Soup

6 cups zucchini, peeled and sliced

1 cup water

1 cup chopped onion

2 t. seasoned salt

1 t. parsley

4 bouillon cubes

4 T. butter

4 T. corn starch

1/4 t. white pepper

2 c. milk

1 c. half & half

paprika (optional)

sour cream (optional)

Combine zucchini, water, onion, seasoned salt, parsley and 2 bouillon cubes on a stove top and cook until zucchini is tender. Mash or puree and set aside (a food processor works best).

In a saucepan, melt butter. Add cornstarch, 2 bouillon cubes and white pepper. Stir until smooth. Add milk, half & half and simmer until thickened stirring constantly. Stir in pureed mix and thin with more half & half is desired. Garnish with paprika and sour cream.

I hope you enjoy this as much as my family does. We especially love to dip it with fabulous crusty bread!

Candy Corn Kisses

2009-09-18T20:46:00.001-07:00

Every year when September rolls around I search the Halloween shelves for candy corn to see if anyone has updated their manufacturing processes. I have yet to find a bag that doesn't have either eggs or nuts. Usually it's made on shared equipment with nuts so I angrily toss the bag back and move on. This year I found a fun replacement, ready for the drum roll..................
Hershey's Kisses has a Candy Corn Kiss this year!!

They taste fabulous. Better than a candy corn actually. They are shaped like a kiss (obviously) but have the color combo of regular candy corns. They are a great mix of tasting like a candy corn but with a slight white chocolate taste. I am a die hard fan of brown chocolate so if I say you must try these you really must! They are also egg free and nut free. MG & I love them. For you die hards I also came across a recipe for making homemade candy corn. Forgive me as I'm typing on my laptop and it doesn't let me do the cool click link so you'll have to see the whole website here: http://www.bestallergysites.com/category/basblog/

I'm hoping to give this recipe a try with MG sometime this month.
Thanks Best Allergy Sites for sharing!

p.s. As always I recommend you check your own label of the Hershey Candy Corn Kisses. You never know when manufactures might change the way they process the food. Always better safe then sorry!

Surviving Birthday Parties

2009-09-10T16:41:00.000-07:00

(Picture of MG holding one of her Zucchini Cake birthday cupcakes. Recipe in last post.)

One of the many challenges of having a child with allergies is figuring out how to safely allow them to do the many things that all kids do. Whether it's trick or treating, an Easter egg hunt or attending a Birthday Party. I've finally figured out some great ways to include MG in any birthday party she is invited to.

1st - Communication. Call the parent(s) hosting the party. Make sure they are aware of the allergies and which allergies your child can be around and which they can't. For example: MG can not be around any nut products but although she can't eat eggs she can be around egg products.

2nd - Expectations. I make sure to let the parents know that they don't have to change any of their party plans. If they want to have nuts at the party, no problem. We won't be able to attend but we'd love to drop off a gift. I simply and honestly explain the situation to MG and let her pick out a present for the child at the store and deliver it a day before or after the party. If they have no plans to have any nut products at the party then we would love to attend. I reassure them that I'm not offended either way. My priority is to keep my child safe and I don't take chances.

3rd - Food. Find out what kind of food they are serving during the party as well as what they might have as party favors or in a pinata. Then bring whatever you need so that your child can be eating similar things to what the other kids will be eating. I certainly don't except the party hostess to bake an egg free birthday cake. So I find out how they are decorating it and bring MG's own cupcake already frosted. If they are serving food that MG can be around but can't eat, I simply bring something special that she'll be excited to eat instead.

4th - Preparation. When I made MG's birthday cupcakes I left several un-frosted and froze them. When we go to a birthday party I simply pull out one or two cupcakes out of the freezer before the party. Then I whip up a small batch of frosting. You could also freeze frosting in advance, just make sure to allow it time to thaw. She is so happy to be getting a cupcake that she doesn't mind that it's different than the other kids cake or cupcakes. Although I do try to match the color of the frosting to help her feel included but I've noticed it might not matter when it comes to cake. She is always so excited to eat it she's not looking too close at what the other kids are eating.

5th - Participate. I attend the parties with MG. I'm there in case anything is overlooked. The hostess is typically so busy being a hostess and directing kids through the events that if there was an allergy issue you'll want to be there for your child, just in case.

I've been blessed with fabulous friends who have gone to amazing lengths to keep MG safe at their homes. Hopefully you have family and friends that will do the same for you or your child! With a little work this summer MG was able to attend some fabulous birthday parties recently and I'm so glad she wasn't left out of the fun. It's wonderful to see your child get to be a child!

Birthday Cupcakes

2009-09-03T15:31:00.000-07:00

MG just turned 4 and had a Halloween themed party. She requested Chocolate Zucchini Cake. When baking egg free cakes, cupcakes are the best way to go. It's difficult to get a cake to set in the middle without eggs. The egg replacers help but even so you are guaranteed success with cupcakes. I was thrilled MG wanted Zucchini Cake as I had an opportunity to sneak some nutrition in. My hubby Toro commented that the Chocolate Zucchini Cake is the most moist egg free cake I've made yet. This is a great way to use up the last of your garden zucchini. Enjoy!

Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Adapted from Allrecipes, chocolate zucchini cake I

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 3/4 cups white sugar
Ener-g Egg Replacer to substitute 2 eggs.
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 1/2 cups grated zucchini
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS
1 - Cream together butter or margarine, vegetable oil and sugar.
Add egg replacer, sour cream, and vanilla. Blend well.
In a separate bowl, sift dry ingredients together.
Blend dry ingredients into the butter mixture.
Add grated zucchini, and mix well.
Divide into greased or paper lined cup cake tins. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top.
Bake in a preheated 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) oven for approximately 30 - 45 minutes. Test with a toothpick for doneness.

Berries: Jam & Flash Freezing

2009-08-11T10:00:00.000-07:00

I can fully admit that I go crazy over berries every summer. This year I picked over 20 pounds of both strawberries and raspberries. I've gone once to pick blueberries and plan to go several more times before the season is over. There are so many fabulous fresh dishes to make with the berries but I mainly flash freeze the berries to enjoy them all year long. The method I blogged about last year is for blueberries but I've also flash froze strawberries and raspberries. The best thing that has come out of my berry picking this year is the jam. Last year all my jam attempts were a big flop as I was experimenting with lower sugar recipes. This year I nailed the perfect recipe and I'm excited to share it.

Strawberry & Raspberry Jam Recipe
*Ball Natural Gel No Sugar Needed Fruit Pectin

Follow the instructions for simple steps for freezer jams. The recipe says to use unsweetened cranberry-raspberry or apple juice. I tried both and the apple juice was my favorite. The cranberry-raspberry made the jam tart, too tart for my taste. The apple juice provided a great sweet taste to the jam. While the name of the pectin suggests that sugar is not needed I found it not to be true from previous attempts. You need to add at least 2/3 cup sugar to each recipe for every three cups of berries. If that sounds like a lot to you than compare that with the Original Ball Fruit Pectin which has you add 4 cups of sugar for every 2 cups of berries. I want jam to still taste like jam. I just don't want 4 cups of sugar in every recipe. My only problem now is that we are eating the jam too quickly. It's already time to make more. So now I'm going to head back to the kitchen to make more, yum!

I haven't forgotten you!

2009-07-27T16:21:00.000-07:00

I haven't forgotten my beloved Allergy Log, I promise I haven't. I've been nursing a sick little MG who had surgery on 5/29 & on 7/17. The first surgery was to remove a cyst between her eye & nose. The second surgery was to remove the collagen from the first surgery that she had an allergic reaction to. Is it just me or does it seem that these children with severe nut allergies seem to come with a host of other random health issues? Poor MG! She has been beyond brave and we have learned a lot from her example! I'm excited to post about strawberry & raspberry picking this year and the fun details for flash freezing as well as my success for homemade low sugar jam! I may be slow to post but it will be worth the wait!

Sunscreen, Cotz SPF 58

2009-06-17T07:01:00.000-07:00

MG's skin has reacted badly to every sunblock available in stores and I really have tried every possible brand. I mentioned this to our allergist who quickly recommended Total Block COTZ SPF 58. Unfortunately I've only been able to find it online and it's quite expensive but it's 100% worth every penny. I've been using it on MG for a month now and her skin loves it! This is a product I can now highly recommend for all those with sensitive skin! It's active ingredients are mineral based, utilizing ultra-micronized titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. I wonder why it is that so many of the kids with nut allergies also have super sensitive skin... interesting. Let me know if you've also tried this brand and what you think. Now we are off to safely bask in the sun!

Applesauce Roll Pancakes

2009-06-07T23:11:00.000-07:00

I'll proudly admit that every morning I wake up, since I discovered this gem of a recipe, I salivate while I think these three words, Applesauce Roll Pancakes. I found the recipe from a treasured book my mother gave me when I bravely left home to live a whole 14 miles away in the cool college dorms. I did think I knew it all back then but luckily mom knew better when she gave me this book:

'Where's Mom Now That I Need Her?'

Amazingly I've owned and cherished my copy for 14 years and only just discovered this recipe I'm about to share with you....

(I promise that objects in picture are even more deliciously desirable then they appear above.)

Applesauce Roll Pancakes

2 eggs, well beaten (I use Ener-g Egg Replacer)

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 T. sugar

1 cup applesauce

Heat applesauce in small saucepan; keep warm over low heat. Mix eggs and milk; add flour, salt, and sugar, and beat until smooth. Grease* a small frying pan and heat until very hot. Pour a fourth of the better into the pan; tip pan quickly until batter covers bottom of pan. Turn and brown slightly on other side. Remove from pan, spread with 1/4 cup warm applesauce, and roll. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.

MG prefers that I make her SoyNut Butter Roll Pancakes and insists that the applesauce be on the side. It's true, this recipe is just like a thicker crêpe (and please use the French accent on the word crêpe because the American way just hurts my ears... sorry just a little pet peeve I picked up when I lived in France)... anyway... my point was that you can slather anything your heart desires on the pancake before you roll it up but at least try the warm applesauce at least once for me.

With the small amount of flour I'm really curious how these would turn out with rice flour. If anyone gives it a try don't forget to add xanthan gum to help hold everything together. A 1/4 tsp should do the trick for this recipe. Let me know how it turns out. I don't take the time to make wheat free as often now that MG isn't allergic to wheat.

*I find that if I grease the pan with a small amount of half butter and half canola oil the pancakes don't stick.

Bon Appétit and remember breakfast recipes are great for lunch and dinner too especially when you are making this little gem!

Lemon Chicken Kabobs

2009-05-21T09:04:00.000-07:00

For Mother's Day I requested lemon chicken & veggie kabobs for dinner. I realized during dinner what an allergy friendly recipe it is!

Lemon Chicken Kabobs
1 jar Italian Dressing
2 lemons
4 chicken breast halves

Cube the chicken breasts and marinate them in the dressing and the juice from the lemons halves for at least 4 hours.

Place the meat on kabobs separately from the veggies.

This will help everything cook more evenly. It also helps you avoid any cross contamination with the meat because if you have any veggies leftover that you don't end up grilling you'd have to toss them if you've been touching the raw meat and the veggies together.

Any assortment of vegetables and fruit that you like to grill will do. We like to grill: a variety of peppers, zucchini, squash, red onions & pineapple.
Grill on the bbq. Enjoy with a side of rice. Yum! It really is as easy as it sounds. Especially if you pass the grilling portion off to your better half! I wish I would have thought to take a picture of the meat & veggies after they were grilled but I was too hungry, I hope you'll understand.

Add Cats & Dogs to our list...

2009-05-18T08:04:00.000-07:00

Last week we visited MG's allergy doctor for her annual testing. We spared her back and didn't test peanuts and tree nuts because the likelihood of any change right now is not likely and why torture her. The doctor agreed to test her for environmental allergies again. We know she's allergic to something but not quite sure what yet. This isn't uncommon with little one's. Often they have to go through several seasons before it will show up on their test. MG's test this year surprised me, a little. She is now also allergic to cats & dogs. I've always suspected she was a little allergic to them but I was surprised she was allergic enough for it to show up in the testing. We don't have animals in our home so luckily it's not a drastic change for us. She will need to avoid other homes with pets as much as possible and is discouraged from petting cats, dogs & anything else that sheds. She is really sad about this and it's hard for her to understand why. Zyrtec will help her if we do go into a home with pets but we are going to avoid that as much as possible.

We also tested MG for eggs. Again, her skin reaction was more dramatic than I expected. I was really hoping she'd outgrow her egg allergy by now and so was MG. The doctor wants to try a baked egg challenge next month. He said that if she tolerates baked eggs well it would be beneficial to start adding a certain amount of baked eggs to her diet. This has the potential of helping her outgrow them permanently. We are keeping our fingers crossed that she can tolerate baked eggs. The potential for her to eat some more of the same things her friends eat is really exciting for her, once again fingers crossed!

Tulip Festival

2009-04-25T12:36:00.000-07:00

The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival is a popular event here in the North West. Rumor has it that this festival has more tulips than the entire country of Holland. True or not its worthy of a visit. We haven't braved the tulip festival since MG had her 1st Anaphylactic Shock shortly after leaving the tulip festival two years ago. Yesterday we spent half a day at the festival and created enough memories to think fondly of the tulip festival again. I spent time reflecting that our vigilance in keeping MG safe from peanuts and tree nuts the past two years has been successful. Its often embarrassing to ask strangers what their child is eating or calling up a mom before a birthday part to see what they are serving. Its always worth it to keep MG safe but to think that for 2 years we've succeeded gave me cause to humbly rejoice. So many friends, family and strangers have been so kind to help us on this journey.
We hope to never see her life hanging by a thread again so here's to many more years safe from peanuts and tree nuts!

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T19:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter! I was pleasantly surprised to find some great peanut and tree nut free candy this year for our many egg hunts.

I like to give MG more stickers and toys than candy but what's a holiday without some candy. We found that starburst jelly beans, cadbury mini eggs, whopper robin eggs and kraft jet-puffed bunny mallows where all safe and a bit hit with MG & her friends! We used the left over candy (including peeps) to make these fun 'chick nests'. I first saw the idea on my friend Tiffany's personal blog.

Rice Krispies are a great food for most kids with allergies. My grocery store was out of regular rice krispies but I found an interesting new version: Jumbo multi-grain Krispies by Kellogg's. They worked great for our yummy little craft but those with wheat allergies should stick to the good old fashioned rice krispies as this fancy new kind has wheat. Those with dairy allergies can easily substitute butter for Nucoa Margerine. I promise, it will work great!

The trick for making these bird nests:

Make a regular batch of rice krispies and form the rice krispies into greased muffin tins while they are still hot. I recommend you grease your fingers as well, it's a sticky gooey fun mess. As you mold the nests into the cup cake tins make an indent in the middle. Let them cool for an hour. Melt some chocolate chips and use the chocolate as a glue to hold the eggs and chicks in the nest anywhere your heart desires. Its still spring so no need to wait until next year to make these beauties. Plus, Easter candy will be clearanced tomorrow morning!

Doughnuts without the 'nuts'

2009-03-05T08:56:00.000-08:00

A doughnut is rarely eaten by someone with a peanut or tree nut allergy. Have you even seen a doughnut shop that didn't have at least one variety of nut covered doughnuts? There are some store bought doughnuts I've found without peanuts and tree nuts but they always contain eggs. Now, it really wouldn't be so bad if MG never had a doughnut, in fact it would probably be a great benefit for her health to never know of their addicting spells but when I came across a special recipe I was excited for MG to be introduced to her first doughnut.

DOUGHNUTS
(original recipe from Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld)

1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 c. canned pumpkin puree

1/2 c. sweet potato puree

1/2 c. low fat buttermilk
(for dairy free use soy milk)

1 large egg white
(for egg free use Ener-g Egg Replacer)

1 T. trans-fat free soft tub margarine spread, melted
(for dairy free use Nucoa margarine)

1 t. vanilla extract

1 c. whole wheat pastry flour

(for wheat free use brown rice flour plus 1 t. xanthan gum)

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/4 c. confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Coat a mini doughnut mold with cooking spray. In a large bowl beat together the sugar, pumpkin and sweet potato purees, milk (or substitute), egg white (or substitute), margarine (or substitute), and vanilla. Add the flour (or substitute), baking soda, baking powder, and spice, and mix until completely incorporated. Pour the batter into a gallon-sized plastic bag and cut the bottom tip off of one side of the bag. Squeeze the batter through, into the doughnut mold. Bake until the tops are lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted, 20 to 25 minutes. Turn the doughnuts out onto a rack to cool. When cool, dust with confectioners' sugar. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or freeze for us to 1 month.

MG's lifeguard is always on duty

2009-02-25T08:05:00.000-08:00

We did finally meet with MG's doctor about the barrium swallow study she had done in January. The results showed that she reflexes all the way back up to her throat. Poor girl. Her doctor actually gasped when she read the results. For now Zantac is helping and we hope this means less sinus infections and asthma issues since reflex is most likely the root of those problems and soon we hope to take her off the asthma medicine, hooray for finally getting to the real issue! When a child has asthma on top of nut allergies they are at a higher risk for fatal reactions.

Two recent FAAN studies involving a total of 63 cases of fatal food-allergy-induced anaphylaxis showed that adolescents who have peanut and tree nut allergy and asthma, and who don't have quick access to epinephrine during a reaction, are at highest risk for a fatal reaction. http://www.foodallergy.org/

Although her peanut and tree nut allergies are still severe I'm hoping that taking asthma out of the equation might make the difference when it comes to a fatal reaction. Either way I'm not going to test the issue, I'm still keeping her Epinephrine close by.
I think of myself as her personal lifegard who is always on duty!

Made in the Same Facility

2009-02-17T19:58:00.000-08:00

I've been starting to question if I need to continue being strict about having MG avoid products that are made in the same facility as peanuts and tree nuts. Anything made on shared equipment is something we always avoid. My top priority is making sure she never needs our trusty EpiPen but I'm noticing more and more products we like are suddenly changing their labels. That leads me to wonder if they have recently changed where they are processing the product or if they are smacking the extra notice on the label just because the lawyers said they should.

This past week I contacted a company whose product stated that it was merely made in the same facility, which honestly sounds harmless. I asked for details. Are they processed in the same area or they kept in different parts of the building? Do they go down the same chute? What is the probability of an allergen getting into the product, etc?

Their answer: This product is made on shared equipment.

WHAT? That's not whats on the label!

My Solution: Calling every company that lists that a product is made in the same facility to verify what is truly safe and what is not. I'll post my results here. Wish me luck in my quest.

FDA Warning

2009-01-17T16:07:00.001-08:00

Here is a food issue in the headlines that won't keep us up at night although we feel horrible for all those involved! A Nationwide salmonella peanut outbreak has killed 6, sickened hundreds! Perhaps now there is hope that schools will go peanut free before MG starts kindergarten. Well, at least let me dream about the possibility.

Barium Swallow

2009-01-14T13:44:00.000-08:00

MG often complains that she is going to throw-up and occasionally she does with no other side effects. Because of this we finally had MG's Barium Swallow (or UGI) study done at the hospital. We've had to cancel 4 times so it's a relief to have all the anticipation of it over. MG couldn't eat or drink anything all morning. Then when we got into the x-ray room they let her drink a special drink while she laid down under an x-ray machine. The x-ray showed pretty quickly that she was having reflex issues. MG did an amazing job. In fact they said she was the best 3 year old they have ever x-rayed. We will have a doctor appointment soon but until then I've been searching for all the information that I can find about reflex. The most shocking thing I found was that GERD can result in asthma and sinus issues. MG has suffered from both of these since she was born so perhaps we are finally getting to the bottom of these issues, fingers crossed! MG was an infant that threw up constantly and as a result took zantac daily. Our allergist did say that some early studies are showing that medicines like zantac may be factor in causing allergies in children. I hope one day we can find out for sure but until then it seems we are at the bottom of another learning curve on MG's health.
(picture form childrenshospital.com)

Gingerbread House

2008-12-24T22:01:00.000-08:00

I had hoped to experiment with making an egg free gingerbread house this year. Every kit I looked at was made on shared equipment with nuts and was filled with many unnecessary ingredients so I was eager to tackle the homemade task but it never happened. MG settled for a foam gingerbread house but the unusual amount of snow we had here in Seattle kept distracting her from finishing the decorating.

We'll try again next Christmas by starting earlier in the season but I still wanted to post the recipe that I hope to try when 2009 flies by and we are facing Christmas 2009. Molasses-Gingerbread Recipe from Martha Stewart. The frosting part was going to be tricky since it needs to be egg free but when I tackle it next year I'll report how it turns out.

The Doctors & Trace Adkins

2008-12-17T09:36:00.000-08:00

Trace Adkins was on the tv show The Doctors this week and I wanted to share this video!

I also wanted to share a segment synopsis, which I've copied below, with all the details they went over in the show. All great info! Please take time to educate yourself on food allergies. I'm certain you'll learn something new and you could possibly help save a life one day.

Deadly Food Allergies
More than three million children in the United States suffer from severe food allergies. Country music star Trace Adkins makes a guest appearance to raise awareness about the dangers of childhood allergies. He shares his terrifying ordeal of when his 6-year-old daughter, Briana, went into anaphylactic shock after unwittingly eating peanut butter. “It’s frightening how fast it happens,” he says, “it’s not minutes, it’s seconds.”

Trace’s wife, Rhonda, frets, “There isn’t a moment that I’m not thinking, ‘Is she safe?’” (I can completely relate!)

Dr. Jim lists dairy, egg, almonds, peanuts and walnuts as the most common allergen offenders. To help prevent the on-set of allergies, the pediatrician advises:
No egg whites until 12 months
No milk until 12 months
No peanut butter or peanut products until age two or three

Anaphylactic Shock
Anaphylactic shock can claim a life in less than five minutes. It is a severe type of allergic reaction that occurs within seconds after a person comes into contact with an allergen, triggering a massive immune system response. High levels of histamines and other substances flood the body and cause a rapid systemic failure, which leads to an immediate drop in blood pressure, swelling of the tongue, throat and eyes, difficulty breathing, shock, and if left untreated, death. Allergens include all types of food, animal hair and by-products, insects or even certain types of medications.

Epi-Pen
Trace demonstrates how to use an Epi-Pen, which contains a large dosage of epinephrine, or adrenaline, that counters the effects of the histamine reaction. However, he notes that the Epi-Pen is not a solution; it just buys you time to get to the emergency room. The important thing to remember is that every minute counts, so make sure to act quickly and get the victim to a hospital immediately.

Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN)
Trace adds that the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) helped his family learn more about food allergies and ways to keep his daughter safe. So much so that he’s now a spokesperson for the organization. “Being a spokesperson for FAAN has changed my life,” he declares. “I’m trying to get the word out – I’m on a mission.”

Sugar Cookies

2008-12-14T22:01:00.000-08:00

We love this sugar cookie recipe from allrecipes.com and it works well with the Ener-g Egg Replacer which if you haven't been able to tell from previous posts, it's my lifesaver in the kitchen!
Little Birdies Secret gave me this idea for making a snowman cookie, too cute!

Thanksgiving Recipes

2008-11-30T22:01:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share the Thanksgiving recipes I used this year for the first home cooked Thanksgiving meal we've ever made. Toro was a great support and let me order him around in the kitchen. I couldn't have done it without his help especially since the turkey was ready 3 hours earlier than planned. Everything was absolutely FABULOUS if I do say so myself. Thank you MOM!, Joan, Rachel, Allrecipes & Pioneer Woman Cooks!! These are all nut free recipes and all but one we did egg free. Ener-g Egg Replacer was again a lifesaver even in the cheesecake recipe! We are grateful MG can have dairy now. If you are still cooking dairy free try using Nucoa Margarine to replace butter.

Recipe 1 - Brining the Turkey, from Allrecipes.

Recipe 2 - Roasted Turkey, from Pioneer Woman Cooks.

Recipe 3 - Creamy Mashed Potatoes, from Pioneer Woman Cooks.

Recipe 4 - Turkey Gravy, from Pioneer Woman Cooks.

Recipe 5 - Stuffing, from Pioneer Woman Cooks.

Recipe 6 - Delicious Acorn Squash, from Pioneer Woman Cooks

Recipe 7 - Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake, Rachel (A new Tradition)
Recipe 8 - Fairy Rolls, (A Lisita Family Tradition)

Pour 2 cups hot water over 1 cup butter ( 2 cubes) . Let cool and add the following:2 Tbs yeast, 2 eggs (or energ egg replacer), 3/4 cup sugar, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp Baking Powder, 6 1/2 cups flour. Stir together- Don't mix too much. Let rise until double. Roll out & shape into rolls. Bake at 400 for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Time and temperature may vary with your altitude.

Recipe 9 - Cooper Carrots, (A Toro Family Tradition)

2 lbs. carrots thickly sliced, 1 small green pepper chopped, 1 medium onion sliced, 1/2 c. lemon juice, 1 c. sugar, 3/4 t. pepper, 1/4 t. salt, 1/4 c. vinegar, 1/2 c. salad oil, 1 c. tomato soup, 1 t. mustard, 1 t. worchestershire sauce.
Cook carrots until just tender. Add remaining ingredients and let stand overnight. Serve cold.

Recipe 10 - Pretzel Jello Salad, (A Lisita Family Tradition)
1st Layer - 2 cups crushed pretzels, 3 Tbs Sugar, 3/4 cup melted butter - Mix together and line 9X13 pan and then bake at 400 4 minutes.
Cool 2nd Layer 1, 8 oz cream cheese, 1/2 to 1 cup sugar, 1 small can crushed pineapple. Mix and add 8 oz cool whip. Put on cooled first layer.
3rd Layer - 1 lg raspberry jello, 2 cups boiling water. Dissolve and partially set. Then stir in frozen raspberries, drained. Add to 2nd layer and refrigerate overnight.

Recipe 11 - Perfect Pie Crust, Pioneer Woman Cooks

Recipe 12 - Banana Cream Pie, (A Lisita Family Tradition)
3/4 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 tsp salt, 2 cups milk, 3 slightly beaten egg yolks, 2 Tbs Margarine, 1 tsp vanilla
Mix together sugar, flour, and salt in pan. Gradually stir in milk. Cook and stir over medium heat until it boils and thickens. Cook 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat. Stir in small amount of hot mixture into egg yolks. Return to hot mixture. Cook another 2 minutes. Remove from heat . Add butter and vanilla. Cool and refrigerate.
THE EGG SUBSTITUTE WILL NOT WORK IN THIS RECIPE. LUCKY FOR US MG WAS SATISFIED WITH A BANANA CREAM JELLO PUDDING!

Bulk Spices

2008-11-25T07:48:00.000-08:00

I have the most amazing store that I frequent that has the most incredible bulk section. Yes, they sell peanuts in every form possible and every last tree-nut in the world you could ever think of but I've talked to every employee in the bulk section at length about the life of their spices and where they travel and what they touch. What's even better is that they just recently located their nuts and their spices on opposite ends of the bulk department. I thanked them profusely for that change and they said I was the first to notice, awww. Now I don't have to worry about taking MG with me to get spices, phew! As I was purchasing my Thanksgiving spices yesterday the friendly employee and I started chatting. At the mention of brining she offered me a FREE bag for brining my turkey! When I couldn't find savory she rushed to the produce department to see if they had any fresh savory and then she brought it to me. I'm a sucker for good customer service!

If you are a bulk spice virgin you need to search out a store with a section like this (see below) and make it your best friend. Don't let the high prices scare you, $18.99/lb for bulk thyme was only .19 cents for what I needed. It's awesome and pretty all at the same time, I know!

Thanksgiving Bug & Menu

2008-11-22T23:14:00.000-08:00

I've never made a Thanksgiving dinner for my family before. First it was because we were enjoying the cuisine of our mother's. Then when we chose to move too many miles away we'd go out to dinner on Thanksgiving and have a fabulous time just the two of us. After MG came along we'd spend Thanksgiving with family every other year and on the off years we had kind invitations to join other families. I've never had the desire to make Thanksgiving dinner for my family until this year.

It started with reading the Nie Nie Dialogues (http://www.nieniedialogues.blogspot.com/). Then after hearing Elder Uchdort's talk Happiness Your Heritage, I felt inspired! (http://www.lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-947-37,00.html) (I know, I know... I need to learn how to do the cool link thing so I don't' have to post the entire website & my lack of knowledge shows how long I've been out of the business world!)

What am I waiting for I asked? Why do I think I need five children around the table before our family is big enough to make a Holiday truly special and put extra effort into it. My dear daughter MG is the light of my life and my strong husband that makes me weak in my knees is my anchor.

So I've finally caught the bug, the Thanksgiving bug. Thankfully MG can eat wheat and dairy now which will make things easier. We are already used to eating without nuts and I've learned to substitute eggs, I can do this I said as I cheered myself on out loud. So I started practicing side dishes on Toro to see what he'd go crazy for (thank-you Pioneer Woman http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/!) and I've perfected our perfect Thanksgiving menu.

After I got the menu finalized I spent oodles of time creating my detailed grocery list and a timeline of what dishes need to be prepared on what day and at what hour. The cooking will begin on Tuesday. My meat man Toro is all set to Brine the turkey and we picked out a roasting pan today. I'm a crazed woman and the joy inside me is bubbling over. Thanksgiving can't come soon enough and even if I burn something or a dish turns out to be a disaster I'll still enjoy the precious time I'll have with my two favorite people in the whole wide world!

Thanksgiving Menu 2008
Turkey (brined)
Cranberry Sauce
Homemade Stuffing with Corn Bread
Creamy Mashed Potatoes
Acorn Squash
Copper Carrots
Homemade Rolls & Homemade Jam
Jello Pretzel Salad
Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake
Banana Cream Pie

I'll provide recipes with egg substitutions for the dishes that cooperate after the big day!

Reminder Bands

2008-11-05T13:19:00.000-08:00

I tried another trick-or-treating safety tool that I forgot to mention, our brand new REMINDER BANDS! I'm thrilled about these! I put one on each of MG's arms.....

and hoped that during trick-or-treating someone would notice and not give her nuts but as you can see (pic below) as this woman places peanut M&M's in her bag people were just to busy to notice. I understand, but I had to try! This is why she didn't get to touch anything inside her actual bag, poor girl!
Check out this website: http://www.reminderband.com/
We are really happy with our bracelets. The only problem was I couldn't fit the words: Peanut, Tree-Nut & Egg Allergies so I had to settle with Nut & Egg Allergies and I think the bracelets will still be really effective as most people don't know that peanuts aren't really a nut. The great thing about these Reminder Bands is that you can customize everything about them. I got orange and pink for MG and she's thrilled about the colors. MG doesn't do well leaving them on her wrist but I'm hoping with time she'll get used to wearing them 24/7!

Pumpkin Seeds

2008-11-03T21:52:00.000-08:00

Now is a fabulous time to buy pumpkins at rock bottom prices. Forget the carving and focus on getting every last seed out for roasting. If you've never roasted your own seeds it's a must try. I've never find a store bought pumpkin seed that came close to the taste and crunch of roasting your own. I've always enjoyed pumpkin seeds and now that we don't allow peanuts and tree-nuts in our home pumpkin seeds are an extra special treat. Here is how I like to make them:

PUMPKIN SEEDS

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Toss seeds in a bowl with olive oil and salt. Spread the seeds in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for about 45 minutes or until golden brown; stirring occasionally. Keep seeds in oven until oven is cooled or until they get extra crispy. Store in an air tight container and enjoy often!

On a side note Halloween turned out great with no allergy issues. PHEW!!! MG was at first upset about not being able to have anything from her bag but when I showed her all that was in her 'fake' bag and asked her if she wanted to trade me she didn't hesitate, phew.... bullet dodged. I think I might have to get even more creative next year, any ideas for me?

Our little monkey trick-or-treating.

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T13:28:00.001-07:00

Happy Halloween to all of you but especially to those parents out there who fear this holiday like I do. Children LOVE Halloween and for parents with children who have life-threatening nut allergies we DREAD it! My strategy this year is a bag full of safe treats and toys for MG. I'll let her trick and treat and hope that she won't throw a tantrum when she can't eat anything that she receives in her real trick-or-treat bag. I've stocked the 'fake' bag with some awesome packages of fudge stripped cookies, rice krispie treats, fish pretzels, fruit leathers, cute little water bottles, play dough (hooray that she isn't allergic to wheat this year), bubbles and awesome spider stickers with googlie eyes. Wish us luck and I hope none of us have a visit to the ER tonight - - now DEEP BREATH and no hyperventilating!

Pumpkin Sandwiches

2008-10-31T12:52:00.000-07:00

Today MG and I enjoyed what we call Pumpkin Sandwiches for lunch. It's a special lunch where you can get away with some chocolate in your sandwich. Have I got your attention? It's a Halloween treat from me to you.

Pumpkin and Chocolate Grilled Panini
(from The Flavor Point Diet by David L. Katz)

1 teaspoon Smart Balance spread
2 slices whole grain bread
2 tablespoons canned pumpkin
16 Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bitersweet Chocolate Chips
(Last I checked these chocolate chips were safe for those with nut allergies but still double check!)
(the original recipe calls for 1 T. pecans but this is a nut free blog)

1 - Spread 1/2 teaspoon of the spread on 1 side of each slice of bread.

2 - Spread the pumpkin on the plain side of 1 slice, line up the chocolate chips in 4 rows of 4. Place the second slice on top with the spread facing up.

3 - Place the sandwich in a hot panini grill or a nonstick skillet over medium heat, close the grill (if using a skillet, press the sandwich with a spatula), and grill for 2 to 3 minutes (is using a skillet, turn the sandwich and press again).

This amazing sandwich has 12 grams of fiber and 6 grams of protein, so eat up - - YUM!

On Your Honor Honey

2008-10-14T21:25:00.000-07:00

It's been said that eating local honey may reduce your chances of allergies. I decided that it's worth a try even with experts disagreeing if the issue is true or not. Our favorite local source is Bee Haven Honey. When I arrived I was surprised to find this set up:

There was not a person in sight. Could it be I said out loud? A store that uses the 'On Your Honor' system? I love that places like this still exist, it put a smile on my face. I found the honey I wanted. Was grateful I had the exact cash on hand and inserted my money into their locked cash box. So far MG's seasonal allergies are minimal and at this point I'll do anything, even while the experts disagree, if there is a chance that it might help her from getting another allergy!
Plus, local honey always tastes better and it's MG's favorite topping on, well, EVERYTHING! Thank-you Bee Haven Honey!

Peach Blueberry Crumble

2008-10-04T08:25:00.000-07:00

(Pic from my last blueberry picking mania, a few weeks ago. I was in love with the beauty of the blue sky, fresh blueberries and fall leaves.)

My parents were in town last week and I was excited to show mom all of the canning I'd accomplished, thanks to Donna. Mom was anxious to taste my work so I made them a peach blueberry crumble using my canned peaches and frozen blueberries. My friend Rachel was kind to share this divine recipe:

Peach and Blueberry Crumble (Barefoot Contessa)

For the fruit
2 pounds firm, ripe peaches, 6-8 peaches (I used canned)
2 tsp grated lemon zest
2 TBSP freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup fresh or blueberries (1/2 pint) (I used frozen)

For the crumble
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 T. granulated sugar
2 T. light brown sugar, lightly packed
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ pound (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Slice the peaches into thick wedges, and place them in a large bowl. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, granulated sugar, and flour. Toss well. Gently mix in the blueberries. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes. Spoon the mixture into individual ramekins or a 9x13-in pan.

For the topping, combine the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and the butter in the bowl of an electric mixture fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the butter is the size of peas. Rub the mixture with your fingertips until it’s in big crumbles, then sprinkle evenly over the fruit. Place the ramekins (or 9x13-in pan) on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake for 40-45 minutes, until the tops are browned and crisp and the juices are bubbly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

If you want to make these early, store the unbaked crumbles in the refrigerator and bake before dinner.

Allergy Note: If you are avoiding wheat use Brown Rice or White Rice Flour. If you are avoiding dairy try Nucoa Dairy Free Margarine.

Canning Bug 2 of 2

2008-10-03T08:20:00.000-07:00

It took about 10 days for my 25 pound box of pears to ripen. My friend Donna came to the rescue again and taught me the tricks of the trade for canning pears. Here is the run down: You follow the same steps as I listed in canning peaches (for the most part) I'll list the differences.

First clean your jars and place four pieces of pineapple and a smidgen of juice in the bottom of each jar.

Yes, you can easily skin pears as you can peaches. After their quick hot water bath place them in cold water while you skin each one.

You simply rub each pear and especially rub any brown spots. The skin and any spots rub right off easily.

See how pretty they turn out and so easy to do!
Then you place them in some lukewarm water with salt. This will keep them pretty until you are ready to cut them and put in jars. The salt helps them from turning brown while you give attention to each pear.
When you are ready to start cutting the pears you simply cut them in half. With a little melon ball scooper you scoop and cut as shown below to get all the tough spots of the pear out.

Pretty easy...
Since you've already added the pineapple in the bottom of the jar (as shown in the first picture) layer the pears in each jar.
Screw the lids on tightly and place in a hot water bath.
Once the water is boiling time the pears for 25 minutes.
Then carefully remove pears and allow to cool.
Donna said that the pineapple and pineapple juice add a wonderful flavor to the pears and a can makes a wonderful lime pear pineapple jello. Thanks again Donna!

Canning Bug 1 of 2

2008-09-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

I've been bit by the canning bug and I'm so giddy about it you'd think I was MG on Halloween (which is equivalent to most kids on Christmas morning). I remember my mom canning this and that way back when but I don't think I was much help. I begged my friend Donna to teach me this skill and thankfully she was up for the challenge since mom lives hundreds of miles away.

I was so grateful to get freshly picked organic peaches and pears from a great local source. They were only $1.25 per pound. I ordered 40 pounds of peaches and 25 pounds of pears.

The peaches were ready to be canned in just three days. Here is my play by play.

CANNING PEACHES

Supplies needed:
a) peaches

b) canning jars, quart size
c) sugar
d) a water bath canner
*and for novices you might want to find*
e) a friends who will let you bring all these items to their doorstep and teach you the tricks of the trade

Hopefully if you don't have such a friend my explanation will help you learn. First, clean canning jars and lids. No need to dry them. You also need to make sure that your cooking stove can sustain such high temperatures for the water bath canner for the entire amount of time your fruit needs the hot water bath. Not all cooking elements can do this so check your owners manual.
Place as many peaches with skin on in a hot water bath for 30 seconds to a minute. Peach must be fully submerged. You'll do several batches. Once skin will easily rub off with slight rub of the thumb quickly transfer them, using a colander, to your clean sink full of cold water for a cold water bath. This will stop the cooking process and making skinning a breeze.
Peaches can stay in the cold water bath as you multi task. Also while you are working on this place the canning lids only (rings not necessary) in a pot of hot water at the stove top to warm up.

Here's how easy it is to skin a peach following this method. It's so fast you might have to watch it a few times to get the idea. Isn't that awesome?

Before slicing the peaches you need to get the syrup started. Mix 8 cups of water and 4 cups of sugar in a saucepan. Get to a boil so the sugar dissolves completely. This will be the syrup you will pour over the peaches. (Correct me if I'm wrong on the water/sugar amounts Donna.) While the syrup is working to a boil you can begin slicing the peaches in half and remove the pits as you go.

Place peach halves in jars with the pit side down. I asked Donna why and she said because it's prettier that way. That's all the answer I needed and here is the proof in the pics below. Use a butter knife if you need help getting the peach the right side up. Sometimes you need to shake the jar gently and pat the bottom to make room for just one more peach half.

See... so pretty!

Once you've filled 7 jars with peaches pour the boiling hot syrup over them slowly to fill jars to the top of the first line which should be covering all peaches.
Using a funnel of course.

Put lids on peaches and screw the lid on as tight as you can. Then place in a canning pot with warm water. Water should cover the jars by one inch.

Once the pot is at a rolling boil turn timer on 30 minutes and allow them to sit in this hot boiling water bath for the full amount of time. When the 30 minutes is up you can take the peaches out and let them cool. Careful not to burn your self with water or steam.

Here are my beauties resting on a shelf in the garage. The jars make this pop sound when the seal. Every once in awhile a jar won't seal. In that case you simply put the jar in your refrigerator and eat right away.

I can't tell you what joy this brings me. Sometimes I like to sit and admire them because they are so beautiful! This project will bring me joy with every jar I open and since we made 23 jars of peaches and 14 jars of pears my family will enjoy them all winter long.

I'll post about canning the pears soon.
Thanks again Donna for all your patience and giving up some of your precious time. And, mom... thanks for placing the canning bug idea in my head years ago!

Squirrel Tested

2008-09-10T14:50:00.000-07:00

"Kix: Squirrel-Tested, Kid-Approved!"

We used to set out tree-nuts for the squirrels in our back yard all the time. Of course I ashamed to admit it regret it immensely and worry about the possible tree-nuts buried in our back yard that could harm MG if she comes in contact with them. I also wish I could educate the world about not feeding squirrels nuts as we find nuts we've never given our squirrels all over our yard, especially peanut shells but then again I don't think it's something you think about until you fall right smack dab into the middle of the allergy world.

MG always loved watching the squirrel eat the nuts and of course we put a quick end to feeding the squirrel when we found out about her allergies but MG has missed our visits from the squirrel and frankly the squirrel has too. Toro set out some of MG's KIX for the squirrel and he loved them. At first he wouldn't come but when MG started screaming and banging on the window for the squirrel to come eat he surprisingly ran right up to the window. He gobbled them down and ran away. We really shouldn't be too surprised since Kix was the first "puffed" cereal and was introduced in 1937 and I bet Clyde our Squirrels ancestors liked Kix back then too.

On a side note this is something MG asked me awhile back that I couldn't help posting here:

MG: Mom, do squirrels eat nuts?
Mom: Yes, squirrels do like nuts and seeds.
MG: Can I be a squirrel for Halloween?

What NOT to say

2008-09-02T18:05:00.000-07:00

MG got her hair cut this morning for the first time. I explained to the stylist that I'd like to look at the ingredients of any products she might use on her hair because of her peanut and tree-nut allergies. The stylist started talking about kids with peanut allergies and said,

"But, peanut butter is SOOO good! How can you not eat it?"

I quickly and quietly said, "Don't say that in front of my daughter!" Then I said (loud enough for MG to hear) that we really love soy butter.

I know people just don't understand if they haven't gone through it but isn't it common sense that little one's want what they can't have? We are already struggling with teaching her how dangerous it is and trying to tame her curiosity as she'd like to try it. It doesn't help our case when so many around us keep saying how wonderful it is. We even had a friend in our home that as he was leaving said:

"I'm going to go eat some peanut butter now!"

He was trying to be funny but it was obviously NOT a joke to us. Please, PLEASE think twice about what you say about peanuts & tree-nuts to kids who have life threatening allergies to them! Ok, I'll step down from my soap box for the rest of today.

Freezing Blueberries

2008-08-15T14:17:00.000-07:00

Last year my friend Kristi clued me in to all the blueberry farms in our area and explained how easy it was to freeze them. I was clueless to the process so I'm going to share it here in hopes someone else wants to know how fun it is to freeze blueberries. We picked 3 pounds of blueberries a few days ago and I'm all ready to go pick more. Warning: once you start there is no way to stop you from becoming a picking blueberry addict like me and you can't ever seem to pick enough no matter how many times you go.

Wash the blueberries in water.

Set them out on a plate with paper towels and lightly pat them dry.

Place blueberries on a baking sheet with waxed paper and put in your freezer for between 1 - 2 hours until blueberries are frozen.
Promptly place them in individual freezer bags. I like to measure as I go so I know exactly the quantities of blueberries I have.
You will then have fabulous blueberries at your fingertips 24/7! If anyone else has any berry freezing tips I'd love to hear them.

Carrot Flowers

2008-08-12T15:25:00.001-07:00

When we picked up our produce from our local CSA farm last week and found rainbow carrots I knew that I had to make carrot flowers for a stir fry. Soeur (Sister) Seng taught me how to make them when I was a missionary for my church in France. Soeur Seng's dad was from Cambodia and her mom was from Thailand and when she was 5 they fled to France where she still lives. Imagine a cook with a Thai/French background and you get one amazing meal after another. I loved getting to know her and I loved benefiting from her cooking! I tried to learn what I could from her and one of the recipes I've somewhat retained was her stir fry. I say recipe but this girl did not own one recipe book, it all came naturally.

To make flower carrots you cut the top of the carrot off and peel the carrot. Then you make shallow lengthwise cuts that form a triangle shapes all around the carrot. Depending on the size of the carrot you can make 4-5. Then you slice the carrot up and throw the flowers into your favorite stir-fry or any other recipe you want to give some extra appeal. The long carrot pieces can be thrown in your recipe as well but won't need to be cooked as long as the flower carrots. My picture of cutting the carrots didn't turn out so let me know if you have any questions about the process.
To make a stir-fry the 'Soeur Seng way' you chop up a few different vegetables. I use what I have on hand and yesterday that was onions, carrots, bell peppers and green beans. First you heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan. When it is heated (medium/high heat) you add 1 teaspoon of minced garlic. After a minute or two when the garlic browns slightly add the onions and saute for 3-4 minutes. Then add the rest of your vegetables with around 1 1/2 - 2 cups of water. When the vegetables are tender (test them with a fork) add some soy-sauce (around 1/4 cup). Taste it as you go and add more water or soy sauce depending on your flavor preference. Let everything simmer for 3-5 minutes and serve over rice.
MG was curious about the flowers and I know with time she'll be begging for me to make them for her.

Bon Appetit, or as some of my favorite French families say:

Bonna Bonna,
Petite!

Gros Bisous Soeur Seng!!

Spinach & Blueberries

2008-08-08T08:07:00.000-07:00

I'm still a little leery of MG and wheat. I know it's ok now but when you've worked so hard to avoid an item like wheat and have invested your heart and soul into it, it's surprisingly not easy to turn around and head the opposite direction. This was not something I anticipated. I thought I'd leave the allergy office jumping for joy but instead I felt stunned and uncertain how I wanted to proceed. I've been grateful that we've found many hidden blessings to our allergy situation and I don't want to ever forget what we've learned so I'm determined to continue to home make as much of MG's food as possible. She's in danger of cross contamination with peanuts or tree nuts even more as we widen her safe food list. We had hoped MG would enjoy eating more of what we eat but she's still the same toddler that seems to have inherited my sweet tooth and resists eatting almost everything that's good for her. I even made homemade blueberry muffins this morning and I knew she'd turn her nose at the blueberries so I only put one blueberry in her muffin. She still wouldn't eat it but I thought they were fab!

Knowing that MG eating anything healthy was already a problem I've been contemplating the health of my family even more the last several months and found a solution I was certain would fix all my woes, especially of MG not eating vegetables. I sold Toro on the idea of a new amazing blender. It grinds wheat, it makes Jamba Juice quality smoothies, I could go on forever to tell you of my love of it's abilities. It's owner's manual has already taught me more about nutrition then any other health or cook book. I've even tried to add it to my list on Good Reads. So, back to my story this morning muffins we accompanied with 'green smoothies.' I learned about these from Kristen who did a class on nutrition at a church activity. She then led me to www.greensmoothiegirl.com. MG looked at the purple drink and asked, "What's that mamma?" I explained that it was like a jamba. She then replied, "Oh, like a jamba, gotcha!" I can hardly believe MG had spinach & blueberries this morning. Not only did she drink it all but she asked for seconds, YES SECONDS! After she ate it I told her honestly what was in and asked she even asked for one for breakfast tomorrow. I was so thrilled that my plan of our blender was already working and it's only been 2 days since it joined our family.

WHEAT!!!

2008-07-23T16:15:00.001-07:00

This is a quick report, there will be more blogging to come but I can't wait to share this great news. We saw MG's allergist today and not only can she have dairy now but she can also have WHEAT! In fact her only allergies now are Peanuts, Treenuts (including pine nuts) and Eggs. I'm grateful and overwhelmed all at the same time. It's been 1 year and 2 months without wheat! I can't wait to start making homemade bread that MG can enjoy!

Wheat Challenge

2008-07-20T08:21:00.000-07:00

Now that we've had sufficient time to test dairy we are continuing the fun and challenging wheat. This morning we are starting her off with whole wheat pancakes... yum! As I was explaining it to her she said, "no mommy I can't eat wheat." How confusing for her! So I told her again that her doctor said it was ok for her to try and that not only will it most likely be ok on her tummy it's the best way to test it. I continued explaining that we could try whole wheat cookies today too if she wanted. To that she said, OK! We meet with the allergy specialist on Wednesday so we should have an idea by then on how it's going. Wish us luck!

Dairy Challenge Update

2008-07-20T08:08:00.001-07:00

It's been over two weeks since we started giving MG dairy again. We've been waiting and waiting to make sure all is on the up and up. Low and behold MG can, yes CAN tolerate dairy in her system! What perfect timing since she has been able to enjoy ice cream during the summer while putting up with her full leg bright orange cast! What are MG's favorite dairy items so far? Mac & Cheese with extra sharp cheddar and cream cheese, cheddar cheese sticks, and Breyers all natural vanilla ice cream. We still have to be careful which ice cream since many have eggs. We've noticed that since we've added dairy back in her diet she is ENJOYING eating. Which makes it easier on me that I don't have to struggle to find creative things for her to eat. Every mom wants to see their child enjoy what they make for them.... three cheers for dairy: hip hip hooray, hip hip hip hooray, hip hip hip hip hooray!!

We don't like nuts!

2008-07-14T21:45:00.000-07:00

MG: What's the squirrel doing daddy?
Dad: Just looking for some food.
MG: Ohh, he likes nuts?
Dad: Yes, squirrels do like to eat nuts. Do you eat nuts MG?
MG: No, I don't like nuts, they make me sick. Mommy & Daddy like nuts.
Dad: No, mommy and daddy don't like nuts because they make you sick.
MG: Ohhh, (big smile on her face).

Dairy Challenge

2008-07-06T14:56:00.000-07:00

We've just started to challenge MG's dairy allergy by giving her as much dairy as possible. Her allergist seems to think that dairy and wheat may have been a false positive testing. Dairy is what we miss the most so we are starting with lots of cheese and ice cream. So far things are going great but unfortunately our focus is now on MG's fractured leg. This poor child never seems to get many 'breaks' with her health and now she's fractured her leg. We hope that she'll be able to eat a lot of ice cream now to make up for having a full leg cast for the rest of the summer!

Trouble, BIG TROUBLE

2008-07-01T12:44:00.000-07:00

Today while we were at the grocery store I decided to show MG, from a safe distance, what a peanut looks like in and out of the shell so she can start to recognize them.

This simple idea has weighed heavily on my mind over the last several months but particularly the last few weeks. Now that she's almost 3 she's old enough to be on the look out for these life threatening allergies so she can help keep herself safe. Trust me, peanuts and tree nuts seem to be everywhere when you are terrified of what they could do to your child. I've stepped out of my car before in a mall parking lot to find peanuts all over the ground and smashed into my shoes. We are constantly on the look out. We even find peanut shells in our yard because apparently some neighbor thinks it's cute to feed a squirrel peanuts. Most recently I've been finding peanuts and tree nuts at our church just lying everywhere in the halls or in the chapel. With as many people and congregations that share the building it's impossible to control what's brought in and it's sad to me that there isn't anywhere, not even our church where we worship where I can relax about MG stumbling across peanuts or tree nuts. This problem is terrifying to me. All she'd have to do is touch one she happens to come across or worse put it in her mouth and BAMB we'd be in big trouble! Now that she's getting older I'm changing tactics. Our first strategy has been that she shouldn't put anything in her mouth without asking mommy or daddy. While that is still a good rule she'll have more and more opportunities as she's older to be away from us and she needs to learn to recognize these dangers and to ask the appropriate questions. So I decided to show and teach her what peanuts and tree nuts look like one at a time.

Sadly, my plan backfired BIG TIME. She seemed interested while we were in the store as we looked at them in the bulk food section as I held her from a safe distance and we talked about what they looked like and I again repeated how dangerous they are and what would happen if she touched or ate one. She seemed to get the point but on the way home we had this horrible conversation.

MG: Mom, can I have a snack?
Me: Sure honey, we are almost home. What do you want to eat when we get there?
MG: Peanuts.
Me: What?
MG: Peanuts!
Me: We don't eat peanuts MG do you remember why? Do you remember what happened the last time you ate peanuts?
MG: Peanuts make my eyes itch.
Me: Yes, what else would happen if you eat peanuts?
MG: Umm, they make me cough.
Me: Yes, and they give you hives and they make it hard to breathe.
MG: Do you like peanuts mommy?
Me: No, MG. I don't like peanuts because they make you sick.
MG: Does daddy like peanuts?
Me: No, daddy doesn't like peanuts because they make you sick. Do you remember the fireman that took us to the hospital because you were really sick when you ate a peanut a long time ago?
MG: Does MG like peanuts?
Me: MG shouldn't like peanuts because they make her very sick and we would have to go to the hospital if you ate one. It would not be fun, it would be very scary.
MG: Ohhhh. Mommy, can I try a peanut?

You can understand why I'm sick to my stomach. She's just so curious what all the fuss is about. It's normal for kids to want to do the opposite of what their parents tell them but I naively never thought she would fight me on this subject. Has she forgotten that horrible day when she first ate peanuts? MG came into this world with a stubborn streak and her dad and I are both too stubborn to admit which side she gets it from. So, now I'm prayerfully trying to decide how to move forward. How to make this continual education of peanuts and tree nuts her idea and how I can continue to help keep her safe even if it's from her own curiosity. Hopefully it won't take another trip in the ambulance to scare her back to obedience on this subject especially as I've been told that if she has another anaphylactic attack it will progress more quickly and be more severe than last time. I can't even fathom what that means since the last attack was quick and severe. I pray she'll learn my way and not hers! I'm in trouble, big trouble here! Meanwhile please think of a darling curious 3 year old girl when you see peanuts or tree nuts laying in public where they should not be. Help us and other little ones who struggle with these potentially life threatening allergies by safely discarding them. You could very possibly save their life.

Favorite Cookies

2008-06-27T07:30:00.000-07:00

Our Favorite Cookies
1 1/2 cup oatmeal

1 c. brown rice flour

2, 1.5 oz boxes of raisins

(or 1/2 c. chocolate chips)
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. xanthan gum

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

2 tsp. vanilla

2 tsp. water

Mix together the oatmeal, flour, raisins, baking soda, xanthan gum and salt. Then add the oil, maple syrup, vanilla & water. Form cookies into balls and bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes. If cookies are too sticky, refrigerate until slightly firm before forming into balls. For best results let cookies set on baking sheets after baking for as long as you can resist. The longer you let them set the less crumbly they will be.

If you want to use whole wheat flour instead of brown rice flour they will turn out just as fabulous. The xanthan gum is not needed when you use wheat flour.

A word on xanthan gum from the Bob's Red Mill package: Xanthan gum is made from the outer layer of a tiny, inactive bacterium called Xantomonas campertris. It is an excellent all purpose thickener for dressings, gravies and sauces. Its unique ability to hold small particles of food together makes it the ideal substitute for gluten in gluten-free baking. Most recipes call for only 1 or 2 teaspoons, so it goes a long way.

I bought an 8oz bag for $11 last year and I still have half a bag left. For gluten free baking it's essential for success and it's definitely been a worthwhile investment.

Ham Sandwiches

2008-06-18T08:43:00.000-07:00

For a little girl who has days where she'll only eat
tapioca bread and soy butter or a melted soy-cheese sandwich

adding ham makes we want to do cartwheels all day long. MG has fallen in love with Trader Joe's Black Forest Uncured Ham. While helping her daddy work on building a fence in our back yard I took lunch out to the two hard workers expecting that MG would feed her ham sandwich to the squirrels. She was reluctant at first but she saw her daddy gobble down his ham sandwich. After some time she wandered back inside in the house and asked for, "More bread in my ham?" She gobbled down another sandwich.... hooray for ham sandwiches!! Not only has she added more variety to her sandwiches but we also have another lunch item we can pack for when we are on the go. So when you see the weird lady doing cartwheels through the neighborhood don't be alarmed, it's just me.

Breakfast Cake

2008-06-07T07:20:00.000-07:00

The Craving Place has these amazing baking mixes that are free from most allergens. We love the cinnamon crumble coffeecake mix. We've shared it with many friends who also thought it was fab. It's so great to have options where you can occasionally take a break from making everything from scratch. We like to add apples or cherries to the batter for a fruit filled cake. MG likes to call this breakfast cake but sometimes she also calls it birthday cake! She loves helping me make it only b/c she likes to sneak a taste when she thinks I'm not looking. The Craving Place has several other mixes. We've also tried the brownie mix and we loved it. http://www.thecravingsplace.com/ If you have food allergies this mix is more then worth the price! We also could not live without the Pancake & Waffle Mix. With only adding only water it makes MG's breakfast desires (between pancakes or waffles) a breeze! There goes the buzzer.... I'm off to enjoy our 'breakfast cake' this morning with my handsome DH and sweet little MG.

Birthday Cake Decisions

2008-06-03T21:27:00.000-07:00

vs.
Last year Toro had an incredible cake made for my birthday as part of the 30th birthday surprise French themed party he planned. I was amazed at all the work he'd gone to. He met with a baker who custom made this amazing cake to my favorite tastes and then he added an Eiffel Tower on top that he had to search for to get one that was the exact size he needed. It was amazing and I've talked about the cake for a year asking for it to be my only present for my 2008 b-day. As my birthday approached I was horrified when I remembered that the cake had a special nutella mouse as one of the layers. Last year we weren't dealing with MG's tree nut allergies. Toro left the decision up to me and fully supported either route. I thought it over but it really was an easy decision. It would have been no fun for MG (who has been singing me Happy Birthday for months) to be put to bed before cake and left out of the celebration. So this year I opted for a gluten & nut free birthday cake and insisted on making it. I took a bit of the easy route and decided to try Gluten-Free Pantry's old fashioned cake & cookie mix. We all agreed that it was great. Toro & MG took care of decorating it. You'd never think it was without the usual cake ingredients if you didn't know the secret but it is true it didn't come near the taste of last years cake. No matter, sharing the moment with MG was worth it!

Dreaming?

2008-06-02T13:56:00.000-07:00

MG informed me the other day that one of her favorite little friends (GRB) put peanut butter on her finger and tried to get her to eat it. I know for a fact that this did not happen so I'm assuming she dreamed about it. I did however talk very seriously with her about what she did to handle the situation and how she should react when people want to share food with her that is dangerous. I was careful not to put words into her mouth and to let her answer to see what she really would do. It's amazing to me how much she does understand at her young age about her allergies. We do have several allergy books we read that may have caused her to think or dream up this story but I greatly enjoy any teaching moment where she doesn't have to endure the physical pain of the moment! The books shown above and below are great about explaining peanut allergies to children who have dangerous food allergies and to anyone who wants to learn more about dangerous food allergies. We haven't searched yet for children's allergy books on tree nuts as this is a new allergy to us but I'm certain we'll have some to recommend in the future.

Asthma Too

2008-05-30T08:38:00.000-07:00

We had a Dr. appointment yesterday that confirmed the suspicions I've had for a long time... MG does have mild Asthma which is contributing to her reoccurring croup and colds. We now have some ways we hope to combat it early on to avoid long periods of coughing and wheezy breathing. Apparently it's not uncommon for kids with allergies to have eczema (which she does) and asthma. I think of it as a vicious triangle that can too easily connect all three.

As if my paranoia isn't already at a all time high, I found this information on FAAN
http://www.foodallergy.org/
Two recent FAAN studies involving a total of 63 cases of fatal food-allergy-induced anaphylaxis showed that adolescents who have peanut and tree nut allergy and asthma, and who don't have quick access to epinephrine during a reaction, are at highest risk for a fatal reaction.

It's a good reminder to keep on our course and be 'the annoying parents' who fight for her safety every where we go!

Banana Bread

2008-05-28T15:53:00.000-07:00

MG & I made Banana Bread today. The recipe (see below) was from The Kid Friendly Allergy Cookbook by Leslie Hammond. MG loved licking the bowl and with an egg free recipe I didn't worry about it. Did you know that bananas can be a great substitute for eggs in some recipes. For example, we prefer bananas in muffins and pancakes over eggs! MG did great breaking up the bananas and adding them to the mixing bowl. I was pleasantly surprised what a big help she was in making these. It was only moderately more messy with her help instead of disastrously messy!
(Above is my technique for including MG during the process. In this picture she would scrape the batter off of my spoon into the muffin cup. We only had two muffin cup fatalities.)

Banana Bread

4 ripe bananas
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup dairy free margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 cups brown rice flour

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, blend bananas, sugar, margarine and vanilla. Add remaining ingredients and process until smooth.

2. Pour into desired baking pans and bake at 350 degrees until firm.

*mini muffins: 6 minutes
*regular tins: 10-15 minutes
*mini loaves: 15 minutes
*bread loaf: about 60 minute

The outcome? MG rates these banana muffins as DELICIOUS!!

Candy at the Zoo

2008-05-26T20:44:00.001-07:00

We went to the zoo today. While scoping out the gift shop for some sunglasses I lsaw some frog candy that I thought was cute. I skeptically picked up the candy while thinking... why bother it won't be safe. To my surprise it passed my careful inspection and was safe for MG to eat. Candy is a rare occasion for a child with nut allergies. She was so thrilled with the frog candy that she happily held them for hours. Fifteen minutes later I wondered if I'd explained things properly so I made sure she knew what candy was and that these candy frogs were something safe to eat. By the time we got home from the zoo they were glued to her hand and I convinced her that HER frog's would be safe in a bowl as we peeled them off. She held the frogs again as soon as nap time was over. We left them home while we went to a neighborhood park and on the way home she asked if she could eat her frog's. At home she slowly ate one frog. I'm assuming that she's saving the 2nd one for tomorrow. Now I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this candy will stay safe so MG can enjoy some on special occasions! Here are some pics from our zoo visit. It was the perfect zoo day!

MG was thrilled to see a BABY GORILLA...
We loved the BUTTERFLY exhibit....
We rarely see the HIPPO'S at our zoo and yes that's a soy butter sandwich with local honey on tapioca bread....

The BEARS gave us a great view....

Swimming

2008-05-18T07:35:00.000-07:00

Toro got out MG's high tech swimming pool yesterday as the temperature reached 90 degrees here in Seattle. Toro & MG had a fun time playing together in the water while I was away. Toro made sure to apply the spf 50 on MG but even so she had her first heat rash. I've never seen anything like this but Toro assures me that he has dealt with this his entire life. Apparently little MG has her daddy's skin and the two have had almost immediate heat rashes from that bright ball up in the sky. So this summer I'll be keeping Aloe Vera in my purse. I'm so grateful we had some on hand. I thought by this morning her little face would be blistered but apparently a good night's sleep was just what she needed and you'd never know that she was itching her little body like crazy yesterday and that we were fussing all day over reapplying Aloe Vera a million times. Her poor little skin has to deal with eczema, nuts oils and now heat rash? Is this proof that I can blame the allergies on Toro's side of the family? j/k

Vacation

2008-05-17T07:01:00.000-07:00

We just returned from vacationing at the beach. I thought that I'd thought of everything to prevent any allergy problems with MG. Since there would be no grocery stores with Tapioca Bread and Soy Butter I brought enough food for several weeks even though we were only staying for 4 days. We made sure our friends remembered MG's allergies and when we got to the beach house we went through the entire place making sure there were no nuts! On the second day at the beach house MG started getting mysterious rashes all over her face. We quickly washed her face and saw improvement for a short while but then the rashes came back with furry. I went into detective mode trying to figure out what the culprit could be so we could stop the problem. It finally struck me that it was the conditioner that I put on her hair. Her face was having a problem everywhere that the ends of her hair were touching her face. We have some small plastic bottles that we refill with our shampoo/conditioner at home. I recalled that when Toro was refilling the bottles before our vacation to Utah (one month previous) I told him not to bother emptying out the old shampoo/conditioner that was in there from the previous year. I have no idea which conditioner was in that bottle but it clearly had nut oil of some form. In Utah we never got down to the level of the old shampoo/conditioner but I recalled as I was washing my hair in the shower at the beach that it was a new smell. MG had showered with me and I had added my conditioner to her hair to untangle all of her hair knots from the windy beach. We hurried and gave MG another bath and thankfully the bright red rashes all over her face calmed down and by morning were all gone. Another lesson learned. Although I had checked all of our current soaps, conditioners, etc. for nuts at home I'd forgotten about our all the small bottles we save for vacation. I never stop learning about all the ways nuts can harm her little body. Thankfully everything turned out fine but not without some major stress while we figured it all out.

More allergy testing

2008-05-06T12:45:00.000-07:00

I finally had my very first allergy testing and can sympathize with what MG went through in March. The testing with needles did hurt as much as any needle would that is poked into your back. It hurts when they poke and then if you are allergic it definitely gets itchy. I had 40 tests done on my back. It wasn't bad for me but I can see why MG HATED it! Especially as her reactions were much more severe. What surprised me the most is how achy my back has felt since. My results? Well... no food allergies for me. Just grass & alternaria (an outside mold). At least this explains why I'm so prone to bronchitis in June!

Mac-n-Cheese

2008-05-03T07:10:00.000-07:00

Using the Uncheese Cookbook I decided to try the mac-n-cheese recipe. This means a wheat & dairy free version for MG. It wasn't too difficult to make. Our new favorite ingredient is nutritional yeast. Yet another item I never knew existed. This is what it looks like:

I know it looks like saw dust in this picture but it actually has a nice light 'cheesey' taste. In fact it's Nutritional Yeast in our favorite dairy free chips that makes them taste cheesey. If you haven't tried Tings you should give them a try. It's like a naked cheeto and they are fantastic!

Anyway, back to the recipe. The picture below is what I made on the left and what the recipe was supposed to look like on the right. Mine had no hope of a cheesy texture. My texture was more like a thick hummus. Both Toro and I tasted it. It was fine - bland, but I could have ate more. Unfortunately it didn't pass the toddler test. I will try to intice MG with it again but so far MG says two thumbs down.

Graham Crackers

2008-04-30T07:01:00.000-07:00

My favorite part of dealing with the challenges of food allergies is learning about new products or products that I'd never dream would ever exist. Have you ever heard of Garfava Flour for example? It's a mix of garbanzo beans & fava beans. For more on the fava bean check out what wikipedia has to say: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicia_faba. This cool flour combination is one of the key ingredients in Bette Hagman Graham Cracker recipe. Even when (notice my optimism) MG outgrows her wheat allergy we will continue to make this recipe. It's better then the real thing!I got her book intending to conquer wheat & egg free breads (haven't yet but hope to soon) and ending up finding this fantastic recipe. The key is the flour mix she shows below. My last attempt at these crackers using Nucoa Margarine instead of butter didn't turn out as fantastic. I'll continue to note my progress as I experiment with this recipe using non-dairy options. If you can use butter I highly recommend it!

Four Flour Bean Mix
page 40
2 c. Garfava bean flour
1 c. Sorghum flour
3 c. Cornstarch
3 c. Tapioca flour
Mix and store in an airtight container. Makes 9 cups.

Graham Crackers
page 257.
2 c. four flour bean mix (see above)
1 t. xanthan gum
1 1/2 t. salt
1 rounded t. cinnamon
2 1/2 t. baking powder
3/4 c. butter
1/4 c. honey
1 c. brown sugar
1 t. vanilla flavoring
1 to 2 t. water
cornstarch for rolling

In a medium blow, whisk together the flour mix, xanthan gum, salt, cinnamon, and baking powder. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the margarine, honey, brown sugar, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the water, using just enough to hold the batter in a dough ball that will handle easily. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 325. Lightly grease two 12"x15" baking sheets. Using half the dough, work in some cornstarch if necessary to form a ball that isn't sticky. (The dough can take handling.) Roll out on a cornstarch-dusted piece of plastic wrap to a rectangle about 13 inches thick. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet by placing the sheet over the dough, holding the wrap, and flipping the whole piece of dough onto the baking sheet. Continue rolling out the dough until it completely covers the sheet and is about 1/8 inch thick or the thickness of pastry dough. Cut with a pastry wheel into 3-inch squares. Prick each square with a fork 5 times. Bake for about 30 minutes, removing the crackers around the edges if they get too brown. Repeat with the other half of the dough. Makes about 5 dozen.

Potatoes!!

2008-04-29T16:52:00.000-07:00

POTATOES!!!
I orginally wrote this post on 3/22/08
Already today I feel much more capable and ready to handle the challenges I mentioned in yesterday's post with MG's new allergy test results. To celebrate the addition of potatoes to MG's diet we went to The Ranch for dinner last night. It's amazing how much a hamburger and fries made us all feel better. We tried to explain why she could all of a sudden eat potatoes and then we let her dig in to some fab french fries. She repeatedly exclaimed: "This is so great!" I had my camera on hand to document this wonderful occasion and we laughed that the people around us were probably wondering what the big deal was about french fries! I had debated about not letting her know she could eat french fries b/c we all know that they aren't the best 'vegetable' but for heaven's sake this girl needed a break! What else does the potato do for her diet? We can now buy, Ener-G Egg Replacer! I was always ticked that it contained potato! My flax seed meal egg replacer recipe works fine for most things but the Ener-G replacer is fantastic from what I've heard! MG can now eat baked potatoes, baked sweet potato fries, mashed potatoes, etc. Also, many of the wheat free products we've wanted to try contain potato starch. Adding potato will really add a handful of new choices in her diet.

15 allergies - ouch!

2008-04-28T16:29:00.000-07:00

15 allergies - ouch
This story occured on 3/21/08
This is a sad post. Today I'm going to be sad and wallow and tomorrow I won't allow it. I'll pick myself up and face these challenges head on but for now I need to wallow. MG had her skin testing today. This picture is of her back three hours later. Although you can see a few bumps it doesn't show how AWFUL the whole ordeal was. Her entire back was bright red. She was poked with 23 needles. There is more green writing and red bumps on the sides of her back that this picture doesn't show. She screamed with each poke and I held her and tried to hold her still. Ugh. We had some good and bad news after we waited for 14 agonizing minutes while she couldn't itch her itchy back that had huge growing bumps comparable to a bad mosquito bites all over her little back. Here's the bad news.....

MG has a Life Threatening Allergy to:
*Peanuts
*Almonds
*Hazelnut
*Walnut
*Brazil Nut
*Cashew
*Pecan

MG has an intolerance
(we say allergy to be less confusing) to:
*Wheat
*Barley
*Eggs
*Cow's Milk
*Tomato

She is also allergic to:
*Pine Nuts
*Crab
*Oysters
...but I don't know if the above three allergies are life threatening or not.

Yes 15 out of the 21 tests were positive not counting the additional pokes for histamine and saline.The doctor explained that her immune system has not developed enough. That we need to avoid every little thing that could upset her system while we let it mature. We can re-test tomato, wheat, barley, milk, crab, oyster & pine nut in 6 months. She has a greater chance of outgrowing them. The other allergies will be re-tested in a year. Our sweet girl is happy now she's over the yucky test. She has moved on. She's smiling. She has no idea that the world is even more dangerous for her today then it was yesterday. A simple trip to the park seems so safe to her but it's not easy on mom and dad who are sizing up every single thing going on around us to make sure no one is eating anything dangerous around her. My mind is spinning trying to figure out how I'm going to re-configure her diet and teach her about her current allergies.There is the good news of adding codfish, salmon, tuna and potatoes into her diet. Not sure if we will let her have fish even with the doctors ok. It's funny every doctor tells us something different and after these appointments we always leave with more questions then answers. They say: "Here is a load of stuff your child can't eat.. good luck... come back in 6 months to a year." I begged for more info and the nurse finally gave me a notebook full of pamphlets. I haven't dived into it yet. Anyway, we'll focus more on the positive and what it exactly means to us (for it does mean a lot!) in a later post but as I said today I'm wallowing... it's a sad day for Davfam.

Adenoid Surgery

2008-04-27T17:00:00.000-07:00

Adenoid Surgery
3/11/08

We were so nervous for MG's adenoid surgery but everything went perfectly. The acutal prodedure took less then 15 minutes. Since the surgery MG has gotten two cold's. They both lasted less then three days. This is amazing to us as she had never had a cold in the past that didn't last two weeks! We are so glad she had the surgery and we can see a happy healthier girl right before our eyes. Good ridance to infected adenoids!

Adenoids & Allergies!

2008-04-25T16:40:00.000-07:00

Adenoids & Allergies
I originally wrote this posting on 3/4/08

(picture above from: http://www.stxent.com/services-tonsil-adenoidectomy-corpus-christi-kingsville-texas.html)

MG will be getting her adenoids out one week from today. We are a bit nervous about it since she is only 2 but we know it will be the best thing for her. MG currently has a sinus infection with a really, really bad cough. This has been recurring every 4-6 weeks for the past 9 months. We know she'll be a lot healthier without these infected adenoids. Any additional prayers this coming week in her behalf would so great! MG also had her blood work redone for allergies. We haven't meet with the allergist yet but my interpretation of her blood work shows good signs and bad signs. Over the past year MG has been allergic to: Peanuts (this one is life threatening & the reason why we carry and EPI pen), Eggs, Wheat & Potato. We've added dairy based on some suspicions over the last 2 months and now we suspect tomato. With the allergies she already has, adding dairy and tomato takes away the majority of the foods she is currently eating. No more special mac & cheese and spaghetti... ugh! So we are trying to get new ideas figured out but there is hope on the horizon. Her blood test showed that her numbers have gone down for wheat and potato which means there is a possibility that she has outgrown both of these allergies. That would be awesome! The bad news is it looks like MG is also allergic to Tree Nuts and I suspect that this is also a life threatening allergy. We have been avoiding tree nuts & shellfish over the past year b/c we hoped it would decrease her chances of getting an additional life threatening allergy. The test also showed that MG's peanut # went down a tiny bit. Although this doesn't take away this life threatening allergy from being so dangerous to her it does increase the likely hood of her outgrowing it.... which is all I want for her. We can deal with wheat, egg, potato and even dairy and tomato but it's extremely difficult to have to worry about your child whenever we leave the safety of our home. MG is really starting to understand her allergies which is good but it also breaks my heart. When we were at the doctor's office to get her blood work done I told her that a lot of people were at the doctor b/c they were sick. I asked her to stay on mommy's lap and not play since she seems to get sick too easily. She looked up at me and said, "Mommy I'm sick too." I looked at my sweet girl and asked her why she was sick. This was her response. "Allergies mom... peanut, soy, wheat, egg, potato. What a sweet girl. Not sure why she included soy in that list. I hope this post doesn't sound like I'm complaining; I'm just trying to share the biggest part of our life... getting and keeping MG healthy. Honestly, we've found so many hidden blessings with these challenges but I wish they didn't come at her expense. I wish that all these allergies were mine, not hers!

Memory Lane - May 07

2008-04-08T14:53:00.000-07:00

A month after the 'peanut ordeal' we went to an allergist to get MG's allergy testing done. Her test confirmed that she was in fact allergic to peanuts, potato & egg. Surprisingly the test also revealed that she was allergic to WHEAT. I was stunned. Wheat? What will she eat? The Dr. gave me some papers to read and sent me on my way. When I got to the parking lot I was so distraught I didn't notice that someone had rammed their truck into the back side corner of our van. I was fighting back a sobbing fit of crying on the 1/2 hour drive home as I contemplated what I was going to feed my child. When we got home I got out of the van to get MG out and discovered our van had been involved in a hit and run. The gates were unleashed and I started sobbing like a baby. It was a bad day. After MG's nap I took her to our favorite park to try and forget our woes. As we were playing on the lawn laughing and having fun I ran into someone from our church. I don't know why but I mentioned to this woman about our dr appointment and finding out MG is allergic to wheat. She told me to check out Mona's in Woodinville. This was my first glimmer of hope that there was life beyond wheat. I had taken all food for granted before our allergy woes with MG. I'm embarrassed to say that after her wheat diagnosis I didn't even know if I could feed her rice. I didn't know if this meant white flour & whole wheat. I had never taken the time to educate myself on food b/c I didn't have to. I got less embarrassed as these same questions and many more have come my way from friends and strangers we talk to. In retrospect it's nice to look back on this day and see how far we've come but I hope to never repeat a day like this again!

Memory Lane - 4/16/07

2008-04-07T08:09:00.000-07:00

The day after her ambulance ride and hospital visit we went to see her pediatrician. We got introduced to our new best friend - EPIPEN and MG got her blood work done to test for allergies. We discovered that MG is allergic to egg, potato and of course peanut. We made an appointment to see an allergist even though our pediatrician said it wasn't necessary.

It all started with a PBJ

2008-04-05T22:50:00.000-07:00

I'll never forget the date..... April 15th 2007. We went on a Sunday drive to see the Tulips. Previous to that 'DAY' we were trying to avoid giving her peanut products until she was two for no other reason then her doctor recommended it. We had no reason to think she would have an allergy to peanuts as no one in our family does. So after MG surprisingly gobbled down her entire lunch including her soy butter and jam sandwich and asked for more I gave her a bite of my peanut butter sandwich, since I had nothing else to offer her. I had even turned to Toro and said, "A little bit of peanut butter won't hurt will it?" Sadly, I was wrong.

Within seconds MG started itching her eyes and coughing. We had no idea at the time that she was going into Anaphylactic shock. We were driving on the freeway on our way home from the Tulip Festival. At first we thought she was having a small reaction to what she ate and we exited the freeway to go buy some benadryl. Within a few minutes we knew we were in serious need of help and called 911. It was the most frightening ordeal we've ever been through. As I sat in our car in a parking lot off the side of the road I was praying she wouldn't die. Her face was not recognizable. The hives that appeared all over her face quickly multiplied and her cheeks were so swollen that they were out as far as her nose. Her eyes swelled shut and I was worried that she would stop breathing at any second. Again, this was only minutes since she had taken one small bite of the peanut butter sandwich. The ambulance had a hard time finding us. Toro had to run across the parking lot to flag them down after the cell phone call to 911 cut out and his phone died. I sat there holding my baby praying she wouldn't die. Praying the ambulance would look over and see us in this huge parking lot. I could barely look at MG for fear I would lose it completely and as I held her holding back my own tears I sang her hymn after hymn to try to keep us both calm. Thankfully they did reach us in time and put MG & I in the ambulance. They gave her an EPI shot and we rushed off to the ER.
(MG very concerned about the broken tulip.)

The blessing of that tragedy happening then was that we were all together as a family. Had I been alone with MG when it happened I dare think how the circumstances might have unfolded. MG mastered the sound of an ambulance after this day. Some kids can moo like a cow or bark like a dog. MG could siren like an ambulance at the drop of a hat. You'd be hard pressed to tell the difference from the real thing. We still might take her on Letterman.

Getting Started

2008-04-05T22:40:00.000-07:00

The idea for blogging about our allergy story began with trying to keep track of all that we've learned. It's been almost a year since MG had her first anaphylactic shock to peanut butter. We've learned a lot since then and through the up's and down's have found many blessings. We hope you find something to help you if you are going through similar challenges with yourself or with your child. Here goes nothing....