tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43401625902863270792024-03-05T06:04:50.310-08:00Indulging with allergiesDairy, Egg, and Nut free recipe's that don't skimp on flavor. You'll also receive my perspective on living as a food allergy parent.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger67125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4340162590286327079.post-39864615226352703552014-03-07T10:03:00.000-08:002014-03-23T16:10:48.441-07:00The Emotional Evolution of a Food Allergy Mom<div align="center">
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My first and only child was diagnosed with an anaphylactic dairy allergy at 4 months old. This discovery was made on a Sunday evening while I was home alone. I had no idea what was happening to my baby and there really wasn’t enough time for the fear to set in.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After a few days in the NICU, and many consultations, the doctors and I had a pretty good plan. I would avoid eating dairy, we would use epi if she showed signs of anaphylaxis, and life would go on. The allergist said anaphylaxis is serious, but manageable. Her parting words were, “give her epi and she will be OK”. So I moved on with life, and still had very little fear.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fast-forward 6 weeks and I’m sitting in the allergists office learning that my tiny baby is also allergic to eggs and peanuts. At this point I realize I’m in over my head. I don’t know what to eat. I need help!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I went online and started researching food allergies. This is where my fears were brought to life. I was bombarded by stories of death and how children with food allergies get left out. How their lives are lived unfulfilled. On Facebook boards, statements like “Allergies can change at any time, so past experience doesn't mean your kid won't die next time” and “all food allergies are life threatening” were daily banter.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On some sites, there is a “group think” phenomenon that takes over. Advice is given to keep your child away from the playgrounds, and that completely banning food is the only way to keep you child safe. If another parent disagreed, inevitably a handful of people will begin to bully, and statements like, “what if you do something wrong and your child dies” or, “You’re obviously not worried about your child’s life being in danger” would come into play. I had seen my baby in anaphylaxis and all I wanted was to keep her safe, everyone else be damned</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When it was time to start daycare, I had to find a way to make the staff understand that my child’s life was in their hands. I didn’t walk in prepared to educate or advocate. I went for the shock value. I didn’t say she had allergies, I said she had <i>life threatening</i> food allergies. I told them, in graphic detail, all the events of each anaphylactic reaction she had ever had. I did not tell them about the weekly small reactions that happened. I didn’t tell them that I understood how difficult it was going to be to avoid contact reactions to dairy in a room full of baby bottles. I didn’t even discuss that much pertinent information with them. I basically said, she only eats the food I bring and if you feed her the wrong thing you have 5 minutes to give her the epi or you’re going to kill her. It may seem like using scare tactics is the way to go, but each time I preached it, the monster in my mind grew a little more. <i>Fear</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A year and a half, and lots of anxiety later, Christmas comes along. My 4 year old nephew tried feed my daughter a cookie. When I looked down, he was holding the cookie against her closed mouth. I reacted instantly. I snapped that cookie out of his hand, threw it across the room and began to verbally assault my family. I didn’t see a 4 year old trying to share. I saw someone else’s child trying to poison my child. I saw my mother as the woman who put more value in a cookie than my child’s life, and my sister in law as an enemy. I saw “them” vs. “us”. My family just kind of settled into a stunned silence as I went nuclear. You see, I had taken the visceral hatred I had for the food and extended it to the people who were eating that food as well. The people I loved!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They had no idea what the big deal was. They were not educated on food allergies. I simply demanded that no allergens be served, or we weren’t coming (even though I wouldn’t allow my daughter to eat “their” food) I failed my family by not educating them, and my stubbornness about keeping all allergens away at all times had actually backfired and put my daughter in danger. If I had educated my family on allergen controls and learned, myself, how to keep my child safe in an allergenic environment instead of demanding a food ban in my mother’s home, no one would have been sneaking cookies. Let me say this one more time.</span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I yelled at </span></strong><strong><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4 year old and took his cookie away. He wasn’t even my kid!</span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I went home and called the only other FA mom I knew, looking for support. She’d been at it for years. Her statement was simple, but it had a profound effect on me. “No one wants to be the person who hurts your child.” That’s when I realized there was a major problem, and it was me. My mind had focused so much on what “we” were losing, that I had totally lost touch with reality. I was mourning the healthy child I didn’t get and at the same time fighting as fiercely as I could to keep the baby I had safe. There was so much sadness, guilt, and anger in me. I had to fix myself before I could fix my family.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What I failed to realize in the beginning is that it’s really difficult to live a fulfilling life with the boogeyman in my head. Does it keep our children safer to imagine all the catastrophic events that could happen? No, I believe it has the opposite effect. You need to have a clear head when treating an allergic reaction, and having a constant fear of “what if” is going to hinder your ability to treat your child effectively. For some reason, even today, I will find my mind wandering down that path. The trick is to recognize when your mind is drifting and redirect it. I remind myself that she knows how to avoid her allergens. She knows how to use her epi pen and call 911. Every adult she is ever with is epi trained; basically, anything to redirect my train of thought.</span></div>
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</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We’re surrounded by negative stories. Every death that happens is plastered all over social media. Every school that violates a 504 or simply makes a mistake is demonized. The chat boards are flooded with pictures of young children, mid reaction. All these things do is propagate fear. Fear that we can't trust others and fear that our children will die. The reality is we have more medical technology at our disposal now than we ever did before, yet we live with more fear and anxiety than past generations did.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We have to change our way of thinking, if not for ourselves, than for our children. In 2009 a study was done researching the stress levels of food allergic children. The study did identify a subset of children who had increased distress scores. The children with mothers who had high levels of anxiety, also had high levels of anxiety as well as a more negative attitude about food allergies in general.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I do not want my daughter to inherit my fears. I will not psychologically handicap my child. She already has enough to deal with. There are tons of situations that still make me nervous. I would love to ban her from any event that involves food, but that’s not going to help her in the long run. She is going to have food allergies the rest of her life. I don’t want her to live a life of fear. She needs to learn how to live a happy, productive life in spite of her limitations. She has to learn how to cope with the emotional aspect of food allergies. While pushing it all away as long as I can feels like the right thing, I have to ask myself, what is best for her in the long run? Will demanding bans or instilling a fear of her allergens help her learn to navigate her environment? No. Is there a possibility it could influence her toward becoming an entitled and demanding adult? That is a concern.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I would rather she live her life fully, despite her allergies. I want her to realize that not everyone knows about food allergies. People don’t leave her out to be mean, but simply due to a lack of understanding. Even if they do leave her out on purpose, I want her to gain strength from the experience. Everyone is bullied sometimes, everyone feels different, and sometimes people get left out. I would love to protect her from those things, but they happen to everyone, regardless of allergies. I want her to realize that everyone deals with something. I want her to be empathetic. Mostly, I want her to really live.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4340162590286327079.post-57328876355818276052014-02-20T13:50:00.000-08:002014-02-20T13:50:06.665-08:00Why Do Your Kid's Allergies Mean My Kid Can't Have a Birthday?<br /><br />
If you have been on many FB pages today, you may have seen this article <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/todays-mama/why-do-your-kids-allergies-mean-my-kid-cant-have-a-birthday_b_4767686.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000037" target="_blank">Why Do Your Kid's Allergies Mean My Kid Can't Have a Birthday?</a> If you haven't had a chance yet, I would encourage you to give it a read. This was a very thought provoking article for me. The author has an egg allergy. She knows what it is like to be left out. She understands the potentially life threatening reactions that can happen and, honestly, I agree with some of what she says. <br />
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I agree that asking other parents to bring in commercially packaged foods that are "safe" for our kids is not appropriate. I sincerely doubt a parent without an allergy education actually understands if the food they brought is safe or not. Do you think Tommy's mom called to check on cross contamination? Most of us (definitely me) knew nothing about food allergies, label reading, or safety protocols until we were thrown into the allergy lifestyle. It's insane to expect another parent, who hasn't had to deal with allergies, to know what is acceptable.<br />
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Now, she loses me a bit in the next couple paragraphs. They have to buy store bought food due to food allergies? I think it's a bit more about food safety. Let's face the hard truth here, some people's houses and hygiene are substandard. The schools, and me too, don't want kids eating potentially contaminated foods. Nothing like having 25 third graders with food poisoning. <br />
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Then she goes on to talk about how she doesn't want her kids eating junk foods with long lists of ingredients. If you truly want your child to have a healthy diet, then why are you ok with them having 25+ sweets during school hours. With all the parties that happen, in addition to birthdays, there is junk food in the classroom on a weekly basis. Also, how come the mom who could only bring fruit snacks and juice because of allergies couldn't opt for fresh fruit? It certainly would have had less ingredients. <br />
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Next, the author moves on to something that has caused a bit of a divide in the allergy community and beyond. It's the idea of banning certain foods because of allergies. The author discloses that she has an egg allergy. My daughter is also allergic to eggs, as well as dairy and nuts. With nut allergies, bans are commonplace. It seems like if the school or parents ask for no nuts, they just get it. Yeah, the nut kid goes to school and the parents feel pretty secure and the nut allergic child feels safe. This is another moment that we have to be real. I have two big problems with food bans. 1) Schools can't really enforce them properly. Kids, and even parents, bring the nuts anyway. 2) Why get your child used to the idea that their safety is only guaranteed by exiling the nuts. Some day they will go to middle school and exceptions will no longer be made.<br />
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Then there are other foods, like egg, soy, and dairy, that are staples in every meal. They will never be banned and you can't avoid them. Children with certain food allergies grow up knowing the food around them isn't safe and that everyone else will be eating it around them. They are thrown into all of this head first and have to learn as they go, sometimes from experience. My daughter has become a master at avoiding kisses from people after getting tired of all the contact reactions. The sense of security she gets is from knowing how to avoid the foods and contacts, and how to treat herself (or get help) if an incident occurs. There is not much you can do as a parent but teach them advocacy, avoidance, and treatment for the symptoms that happen occasionally, and keep an open dialog about their feelings of being left out or feeling different.<br />
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I have an interesting perspective on food allergies right now. My friend Natalie, of <a href="http://behindthereaction.com/" target="_blank">behind the reaction</a> has food allergies. My daughter isn't at the age where she can clearly tell me what she's experiencing, or how her food allergies affect her personally. I get to see it through Natalie. She is an incredibly outgoing, motivated, and caring person who has never let her food allergies slow her down. It's just something she has to deal with. What someone else is eating isn't going to change her plans. She goes out to eat, hangs with her friends, and is working towards a medical degree. Some days are hard for her still. Some days she's a hot mess, but don't we all have days like that? The point is, she is living her life, fully, with food allergies. She is a shining example of what our "allergy kids" can become. <br />
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At what point do we as parents, and schools, stop sheltering our kids with food bans? While I totally agree with the author that bans <u>may</u> be necessary in younger grades, for certain students, at some point we also have to teach our kids to live their lives around their allergies. How to avoid the foods on their own, and just as important, how to deal with the emotional aspects of food allergies. Yep, sometimes they get left out of the cake, but everyone has something to deal with. Lets not forget the kid in the wheelchair who doesn't get to play soccer or the blind child, deaf child, dyslexic child. They are all dealing with the emotional aspects of their disabilities as well. Let us not forget the children who are dealing with poverty, domestic violence, and hunger. I think it's important that our children realize that <u>there is no such thing as different</u>. We all have to adapt a bit to be the person who society wants us to be. <br />
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I feel it's important to teach my child as much about her allergies and needs as early as possible. Then she will have all these years at home with me to master it. It's going to be with her the rest of her life so she needs to learn how to advocate for herself. I'll always be here to help her work through her feelings, and guide her in avoidance techniques. There's no doubt that she will come home, more than once, in tears because she feels left out or was teased about her allergies. I would rather she take the bad experiences and remembers those feelings. My hope is that she will take the empathy she has gained from her hard times, and use it comfort others who are having trouble coping with their own issues. <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4340162590286327079.post-31730315327179841382013-10-26T19:13:00.000-07:002013-10-26T19:13:44.900-07:00Hot Chocolate and an updateHi everyone. Hope you all are doing well. As you probably noticed, I took an unscheduled break from the blog. I was super busy with church, our local support group, starting homeschooling, and trying to run the house that something had to give, and honestly sometimes I think I'm probably the only person who actually uses this blog. I have reached a point where I feel like we've got settled into our new routine and I can pick this back up.<br />
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Holiday season is quickly approaching. The next couple months are my favorite time of year. In our family, we spend almost every weekend together, starting the week before thanksgiving and ending a week after new years. We have tons of birthdays jammed in between all the holiday festivities. I cherish all the time I get to spend with my parents, siblings, and nephews, but there are always a few moments where either the boys have to go without, so my daughter doesn't get contaminated, or my daughter feels left out because they get something she can't have.<br />
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My goal this holiday season (really all year round) is to try to keep this from happening. I have gotten comfortable enough in my kitchen that I really believe that any recipe can be adapted. If you have any recipe's you would like to see me try, just let me know. I'd love to hear what you're interested in learning to bake. Feel free to give me a challenge, or show me what you have done. I would love to share your success stories as well. <br />
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My daughter recently learned about hot chocolate. She saw someone drinking it and has been asking for some ever since. I don't know of any cocoa mixes that are safe for her. I found some vegan ones, and even one labeled allergy friendly, but they all are processed on lines with nuts. At the same time as I was looking for a safe mix, my friends daughter had just been taken off dairy and she was missing cocoa. I decided to mess around in the kitchen and make my own. I mean, come on, how hard can it be? Just cocoa powder and sugar. Well, silly me, I used granulated sugar the first time! YUK In the end we settled with this mix. <br />
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<u>Hot Chocolate (Cocoa) Mix</u><br />
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2 cups Cocoa<br />
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3 cups powdered sugar<br />
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I just mixed them together and put it in a sealed container. Any time she wants hot chocolate we heat up her soy milk and add a couple teaspoons of the mix. <br />
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Every one who has had this hot chocolate has given it their seal of approval. It makes me wonder why I ever bought the prepackaged stuff. Lately I've been paying even more attention to the foods we buy. I'm not only keeping it allergy free, but I'm trying to make sure the prepackaged foods I buy aren't full of gross chemicals and unnecessary ingredients. Not only is this hot chocolate recipe allergy safe, it is also "clean" and cheaper than the packaged stuff.<br />
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I'll be back later this week to tell you all about our Halloween. Stay safe out there everyone.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4340162590286327079.post-48210552278577145122013-05-11T22:59:00.000-07:002013-05-11T22:59:23.477-07:00Behind the Reaction<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-align: start;"><u>by Natalie</u></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-align: start;">"It starts with a feeling, an itch, a sneeze. Within minutes, if not seconds, of eating something I can feel a reaction is starting. I take Benadryl hoping it is just a minor reaction and it will not progress. Soon, I know whether it is minor or if more symptoms will develop. If the reaction continues I begin to feel itchy all over. My face and neck start to get red and blotchy with hives. I feel like my stomach is being ripped apart. Then, the swelling begins. My eyes begin to swell to the point where I am unable to see because they are shutting. I do not even look like the same person. All of these symptoms are annoying and frustrating, but can be manageable. The scary part is when breathing troubles begin. It feels like you are far underwater. When I was little I used to always try to dive down and touch the bottom of the deep end of the pool. You start to feel the pressure of the water on your lungs and you know that you need to get to the top and take a deep breath. A reaction is the same way. I feel the pressure on my lungs. I am struggling to take a deep breath and know that I need to breathe. The only problem is unlike the pool where you can get to the surface, there is not a surface to break through during a reaction. In order to get that deep breath an Epi-Pen must be used. Any reaction is scary. A symptom listed of anaphylaxis is “impending doom.” How horrible is that?! No one should fear that taking one bite of something can leave them struggling to breathe, but it is what many people and families live with every single day. I am one of them. This is my truth. This is my journey. This is what happens behind the reaction."</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">I wanted to take a moment tonight to introduce you to my friend Natalie. The excerpt above is from her blog </span></span><a href="http://behindthereaction.com/" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" target="_blank">http://behindthereaction.com/</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">. </span></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://behindthereaction.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/alive.jpg?w=710" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: #666666;"><img alt="Image" border="0" height="376" src="http://behindthereaction.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/alive.jpg?w=710" width="400" /></span></a><span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times, serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Natalie is smart, fun, social, and energetic. She also has food allergies. I met her at our local food allergy support group, and we hit it off immediately. Natalie is severely allergic to peanuts and tree nuts and has recently been diagnosed with idiopathic anaphylaxis. For those of you who don't know, it is anaphylaxis with no known cause. Meaning it could happen anywhere at any time. She has gone into anaphylactic shock three times in the last seven months. She is a college student, food allergy advocate, and co-leader of our local support group. I have a feeling this girl might be a household name in the FA world some day. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-align: start;">One of the things that I admire about Natalie, is that she isn't living her life, fearing when the next reaction will come. She takes every day as it comes and lives life to the fullest, with a purse full of epinephrine I might add. Another benefit to speaking with Natalie, is that she brings a different perspective to food allergies, that we don't get as parents. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-align: start;">Natalie is very open about her allergies, and will even post pictures of her reactions. I love her blog mostly because as parents, we see the symptoms and we treat the reaction, but we can only guess what it's actually like for our kids. Through Natalie, we get to see behind the reaction. </span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4340162590286327079.post-76184277909381267322013-05-08T10:25:00.000-07:002013-05-08T10:25:53.412-07:00UpdateHey everyone, just wanted to give you all a bit of an update. I've been crazy busy here lately and something had to give, so it was this blog. I'm involved in two committees at church, the preschool board, and our local support group. Church has been keeping me super busy, working on coming up with safe alternatives for the allergy kids in Sunday school, fundraising for malaria, and working on getting our FARE team put together. This Sunday, we are having a tea party for mothers day, and I'm in charge of the allergy free table. I'll make sure to take lots of pictures, and share the recipes that work out for me.<br />
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Thank you, to everyone who has been checking in while I've been away. I plan to get the cooking and posting back into full swing next week. I am wondering if there is anything you would like to see more of? Like meal ideas, or maybe weekly meal planners with grocery lists? Let me know what you think.<br />
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-Aggie-Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4340162590286327079.post-40563226766043275162013-04-08T20:23:00.000-07:002013-04-08T20:23:24.520-07:00Snicker Doodle Blondies and Two Cinnamon Rolls<div style="text-align: center;">
Hey all! Sorry for the unexpected break. When I moved 7+ hours from home last year, I did NOT expect to see so much of my family. I guess that's one of the perks of living in a vacation hot spot. While this blog has been sitting unattended for the last month, I have been visited by four different sets of family members, gone tubing, and even spent a little over a week back in Kansas. I have been baking though. Here are four of our favorite breakfasts and treats from the last few weeks.</div>
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If it were up to my daughter we would eat cinnamon rolls every single morning. There are two problems with that. 1) I have to wait FOREVER for the dough to rise and 2) I can not eat the exact same thing every single day. Normally we have regular rolls, or sometimes cinnamon apple rolls. She really wanted some this morning, and there just wasn't enough time, so I searched out a yeast free roll and it was surprisingly good. It also only took about 20 minutes start to finish. The thing I loved about <a href="http://pixiwishesforeheadkisses.com/2012/08/13/sticky-cinnamon-rolls/" target="_blank">these cinnamon rolls</a> is that they are not the typical chewy bread. It's hard to explain, kind of like if pie crust and biscuits had a baby. It just melts in your mouth. </div>
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Since I already had the fixins for bread out, I just kept going. We also made <a href="http://www.grumpyshoneybunch.com/2010/11/pumpkin-spice-cinnamon-buns.html" target="_blank">pumpkin spice cinnamon buns</a>. I was going to put these in the freezer, but then we taste tested them too. It's so nice to have another option. The only substitution I had to do was sub soy milk for almond and I omitted the walnuts from the filling. </div>
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I also found this <a href="http://www.myownsweetthyme.com/2010/04/secret-to-soft-snickerdoodles.html" target="_blank">snickerdoodle blondie</a> recipe on pinterest and decided to try it safe. It was so good that we ate the entire pan then my family asked me to make another batch the next week. If you are going to try anything, try this. Seriously! All I had to do was sub. margarine for butter and flax for the eggs. </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4340162590286327079.post-6541469094910441672013-02-25T19:38:00.001-08:002013-02-25T20:36:09.893-08:00Dear Nickelodeon Dear Nickelodeon,<br />
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I watched your <a href="http://www.nickmom.com/videos/memo-from-your-class-parents-bake-sale/" target="_blank">latest video</a> on Nick Mom, and I have to say, I wasn't terribly insulted..... at first. These were my thoughts as I watched the video</div>
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1) We would NEVER let our allergy kids eat food from a bake sale, even if it was clearly labeled.</div>
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2) Thank you for separating the allergens! but my kid's still not eating it, so you just wasted your time.</div>
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3) Flavor free!? Who are you kidding? We may be an allergy free house, but ALL of us allergy moms know how to bake. Guess what? We're good at it too. Like, really good. I can make anything you can, without the allergies, and make it better. Not only will it taste better, but it will be healthier. Mostly because it's not from a box, like other parents use. You see, being an amazing cook is a necessity for us, and we have learned to be chefs out of necessity. </div>
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4) that whole sarcastic comment about "lets show our kids healthy eating is cool" How many children in the country are obese? How many FA kids are obese? I think there is an important message in the answer to those two questions. We live in a time where people eat out more than they eat in. Not us! It may not be "cool" to be healthy, but it will be in 50 years when all the unhealthy kids are dead from clogged arteries and food induced diabetes. (please don't come get me diabetes moms. I'm talking about the ones who bring it upon themselves)</div>
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5) "I hate gluten" That was the first comment that really made me think, You're an ass!</div>
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So, this video isn't so bad. I mean I've seen worse, and the world is full of uneducated people. I am really slow to jump on the allergy boycott bandwagon. I mean, we still eat GM cereals even though they made pb cheerios. Maybe Nick just didn't think about the message they were putting out there. Then I found <a href="http://www.nickmom.com/more-lols/most-desirable-kids-allergies/" target="_blank">this article</a> on their site as well. It is titled, " Top 9 Most Desirable Kids Allergies". I'm sure it's all meant in fun, but obviously you have no idea what it is like to have to avoid red dye #40. (number 6 on this list was red drinks allergy)</div>
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Finally, I saw a link to this <a href="http://www.nickmom.com/tv/nickmom-night-out/videos/nickmom-night-out-allergies/" target="_blank">third video</a>, and it was this one that finally got to me. While the woman starts the video by saying her child has an allergy, I don't think that excuses Nick from putting out the message that food allergies aren't a big deal. Also if this is a true story (which I doubt it is) this woman has obviously never seen her child quit breathing. I have, and it's definitely not something that anyone would would ever joke about. For the most part, I won't even talk about it, and I would definitely not call it, "no big deal" afterwards. </div>
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After realizing that Nick is showing a pattern of making light about food allergies, I feel that you must not be educated. I don't know if you are a man or woman, but I assume you are a parent, if you are running a nick site. If you knew what we had to deal with on a daily/weekly/yearly basis, you would have never written the things you did. You see, nick, every day we pack our kids lunches and medications and wish them a good day at school, while we sit at home or work hoping that they make it home safely at the end of the day. You don't know what it's like to have that moment of panic when the schools number pops up on caller ID . While other parents may have separation anxiety, or worry that their kid may fall on the playground and break something, we have to worry about the kid that ate a pb sandwich at lunch and didn't wash his hands, or the kid that bites, because either of those things can send our babies to the hospital.<br />
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Yes, our child's needs make it harder for you to plan your bake sale or christmas party. What you don't know, is that we spend 6 moths filling out paperwork and going to meetings, just to ensure our children are allowed to go to school in a safer, less restrictive environment. Then our kids do get into school, and they overhear the other parents bullying their parents, or complaining about restricted parties. Did you ever stop to think that you are also making life harder on us? How are your comments affecting my child? <a href="http://www.foodallergymama.com/2013/02/14/valentines-day-from-a-food-allergy-mamas-perspective/?utm_source=Food+Allergy+Mama+News&utm_campaign=6fa644659b-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email" target="_blank">Here is an example</a> of what your thoughtless comments do to our children.<br />
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Yeah, I get it, you're pissed because you like junk food, and in america food comes first. Is there any celebration in this country that doesn't involve food? So for one hour (or 8 in a nut free school) you don't get the food that you want. BIG DEAL! What you are doing to my child, is telling them that they are the party pooper. They're not to be included, and by ostracizing us parents, you are taking your children down that ignorant path with you. Pretty soon our kids are sitting at a table by themselves, being excluded from activites, and are getting bullied by your kids. All because of something they have no control over. You don't ask a child with cerebral palsy to climb the rope in gym, you don't make fun of the kid in the wheelchair for using the ramp, so why do you make my food allergic kid sit in a room full of food that will exclude them and possibly injure them? And if you don't get your way, and the classroom is food free, then why do you choose to believe it is OK to blame me and my child instead of the disease?<br />
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I could go on and on about all the trips to the doctor. The needles, the tests, and all the specialists but I'm sure you've gotten bored by now. This is just a tiny glimpse into my daily life. So, while I'm sure you didn't mean to stir the hornets nest... you did. Us food allergy parents have a lot on our plate already, and if you're not willing to be an ally, then could you at least not work against us?<br />
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P.S. Maybe you could take a cue from Disney. They have introduced characters on some of their shows that have food allergies. Their parks are also allergy friendly, and one of their actors, Kenton Duty of Shake it Up, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wDoz0CyXrgE" target="_blank">made a video</a> about how to be safe with FA. I can tell you, that we will definitely be spending more time watching Disney, and avoiding Nick, unless you decide to take action on this matter.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4340162590286327079.post-26579319915305981982013-02-20T12:56:00.000-08:002013-02-20T12:56:08.854-08:00New Cook Book<div style="text-align: center;">
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Hey all, a couple of my favorite allergy friendly authors have released new cookbooks lately. I just wanted to give you all a heads up.</div>
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Food Allergy Mama released a milk, egg, and nut free book. You may remember/have her baking book. I LOVE that book, and still use from time to time, so I was super excited to see that she wrote another one. You can order a signed copy on her website, or get it from amazon and B&N. It is also available in nook and kindle format.</div>
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<img alt="The Food Allergy Mama's Easy, Fast Family Meals: Dairy, Egg, and Nut Free Recipes for Every Day" height="400" src="http://img1.imagesbn.com/p/9781583335000_p0_v1_s260x420.JPG" width="325" /></div>
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For those of you who deal with more allergies, Cybele Pascal released her latest book a couple months ago. My friend is madly in love with this book, and recommends it to everyone. It is gluten, sesame, and top 8 free. You can grab this book at B&N or amazon, and it is also available in nook and kindle format.</div>
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<img height="400" src="http://cybelepascal.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Pasc_Allergy-Free_and_Easy_Cooking-814x1024.jpg" width="317" /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4340162590286327079.post-63346394979543538062013-01-30T17:34:00.001-08:002013-01-30T17:34:23.098-08:00"Safe" Food Valentines for School<div style="text-align: center;">
Here's the other half of the school valentines I found. These are all food focused valentines that are safe for my family. If you want food free options click <a href="http://indulgingwithallergies.blogspot.com/2013/01/food-free-valentines-for-school.html" target="_blank">here.</a> As with the last post, I'm just going to add the link to each page under the picture. </div>
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<img src="http://images.kiwicrate.com/live/main/tproject/i74071a673307/7754bffabdd7.jpg" /></div>
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<a href="http://www.kiwicrate.com/projects/Bee-Mine-Honey-Stick-Valentine/477" target="_blank">http://www.kiwicrate.com/projects/Bee-Mine-Honey-Stick-Valentine/477</a></div>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX0Yq-0lBxC8G_u5mGtgXZfolc0doXLF3btRSF-xTsmL9hKkB_lMIYgOSqFbjUH8oPyKDpb7OSOhv1rhSxBcH6ENV_6nw855itajFcc5aNJbkjblllJFnb96OSw1GlTxR8ToUD9Qv_hHWP/s640/IMG_1213.JPG" /></div>
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I would use boxes of juice for this.</div>
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<a href="http://atsecondstreet.blogspot.com/2011/02/love-juice-valentines.html" target="_blank">http://atsecondstreet.blogspot.com/2011/02/love-juice-valentines.html</a></div>
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<img alt="SchoolofFishValentinesCloseup" src="http://www.happyclippings.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/SchoolofFishValentinesCloseup_thumb.jpg" /></div>
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These are swedish fish <a href="http://www.happyclippings.com/2012/02/diy-school-of-fish-valentine-and-printable.html" target="_blank">http://www.happyclippings.com</a></div>
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<img alt="Smarties Valentine Valentines" src="http://uploads.tipjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Smarties_Final-550x419.jpg" /></div>
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comes with printable <a href="http://www.tipjunkie.com/all-crafts/valentine-valentines/?print" target="_blank">http://www.tipjunkie.com/all-crafts/valentine-valentines/?print</a></div>
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<img alt="gummy worms" src="http://surfsweets.com/imgs/products/gummyworms_sub.gif" /></div>
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No link here. You can just add a sticky label that says "Valentine I'm hooked on you"</div>
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<img alt="you rock" src="http://d2a4yiqkj65fuq.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/you-rock-322x360.jpg" /></div>
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<a href="http://thecraftsdept.marthastewart.com/2010/02/valentine-treats.html" target="_blank">http://thecraftsdept.marthastewart.com/2010/02/valentine-treats.html</a></div>
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Want a recipe for rock candy? <a href="http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/962265/diy-rock-candy-recipe" target="_blank">Here it is!</a></div>
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<img src="http://www.spottedcanary.com/imagegen.ashx?width=332&height=332&constrain=true&image=%2FuploadedImages%2FCreative_Gallery%2Fcrprjlg_129561506322556786_10376photo2_bf3.jpg" /></div>
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<a href="http://www.spottedcanary.com/My_Heart_Flutters_Valentine.htm" target="_blank">http://www.spottedcanary.com/My_Heart_Flutters_Valentine.htm</a></div>
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Valentine, you make my heart flutter</div>
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<img alt="cole's valentine (1)" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4154/5444983161_f9f5a0a98d.jpg" /></div>
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<a href="http://www.thecoterieblog.com/2011/02/coles-valentine.html" target="_blank">http://www.thecoterieblog.com/2011/02/coles-valentine.html</a></div>
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I would use dum dums</div>
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<img height="400" src="http://media-cache0.pinterest.com/originals/b5/1a/e0/b51ae02503c186f0e45a97c9d5b28017.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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This one was on pinterest and didn't have a link, but I love it. OK, totally off topic, but I'm working on candy bars again! My current experiments are milky way and twix. Once they are perfected, I'll definitely share. </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4340162590286327079.post-71214661304706696202013-01-30T15:32:00.000-08:002013-01-30T15:33:32.569-08:00Food Free Valentines for SchoolSo I found several "safe" or food free valentines that I thought were cute. Because this is going to be a LONG post, I'm just going to do the pictures with the link below them.<br />
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<img src="http://www.teachertime123.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/you-rule-valentines-day-crafts-photo-420-FF0206VALENA054.jpg" /></div>
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<a href="http://www.teachertime123.com/2011/01/300/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">http://www.teachertime123.com/2011/01/300/</span></a></div>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJBoxm_UnyI270Upa7YHzhFgbNSsoCKVaxYqewWUUzAM-r5ql0tD3Dv19u6HVheI0uJBaV6WA5D1MOO2n7G9oC5hfSF3tDebHJrddbimQ-70qYLaO7U-3RhdzLAeAEaWoxwA5KsJl-3_0/s400/14Feb2012-04s.jpg" /></div>
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<a href="http://www.pluckymomo.blogspot.com/2012/02/valentines-2012.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">http://www.pluckymomo.blogspot.com/2012/02/valentines-2012.html</span></a></div>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5M4WyVhBZjULkRgRmx9YfLYsE8r6f4oVgkSsXvSaGPn5TiwdFs2PIBJ0rkurWpzmb10jnUF2iVxI9EQePM3zx6ErnsFAK9IUGGIjRhq5myO6DrL9ZdlRSVuy0b0x6wmKW5y_XRUPLreo/s1600/sipsip-tall.jpg" /></div>
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She has a valentine printable on her page that says "sip sip Hooray! It's Valentines Day!</div>
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<a href="http://pluckymomo.blogspot.com/2012/03/sip-sip-hooray-birthday-printables.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">http://pluckymomo.blogspot.com/2012/03/sip-sip-hooray-birthday-printables.html</span></a></div>
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<img alt="wild animal valentine DIY" src="http://www.designmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/wildanimalvalentine3.jpg" /></div>
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<a href="http://www.designmom.com/2010/02/im-wild-for-you-valentine/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">http://www.designmom.com/2010/02/im-wild-for-you-valentine/</span></a></div>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihClrj4WQSeUPSPJrkv8DzVRUuUCInlcL1Ss8W4iy2i9604m_7ioEunPgB_QLmPy8iaXNPWMp-EMSJPodLXBilnEOSxHpzJ2FtKx_Uiz-MWggnwokm0W8cu4JhsLBY1ljCfChuRs01gOaj/s640/IMG_0825.JPG" /></div>
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<a href="http://www.dandee-designs.com/2010/02/have-ball-valentines.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">http://www.dandee-designs.com/2010/02/have-ball-valentines.html</span></a></div>
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<img height="265" src="http://kommunicated.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/glow_stick_valentine3.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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<a href="http://kommunicated.com/2012/01/glow-stick-valentines/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">http://kommunicated.com/2012/01/glow-stick-valentines/</span></a></div>
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<img src="http://www.themotherhuddle.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/tie.jpg" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.themotherhuddle.com/blowing-kisses-your-way-valentines-with-printable/" target="_blank">http://www.themotherhuddle.com/blowing-kisses-your-way-valentines-with-printable/</a></span><br />
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<img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9BB1Bx8rX_M/Tw1V8mWbA4I/AAAAAAAAH_8/ORG4_upAP8s/s400/owl-perched-pencil-cute-quirky-message-funny-v-day-valentines-day-craft-preschool-kids-childen-fun-cute-theme-easy-diy-idea-friends-special-inexpensive-handmade.jpg" /><br />
<a href="http://inspirationforhome.blogspot.com/2012/01/15-valentines-day-craft-ideas-for-kids.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">http://inspirationforhome.blogspot.com/2012/01/15-valentines-day-craft-ideas-for-kids.html</span></a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4340162590286327079.post-20243405560466275032013-01-28T22:14:00.000-08:002013-01-28T22:14:01.238-08:00Valentines Day Is anyone else thinking about valentines day? I know it's still over two weeks away, but I just can't get it off my mind. I LOVE that there is a holiday about LOVE! Tonight I'm going to share our plans for the big day.<br />
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The evening before, I am going to hide balloons around the house. Inside each balloon will be a slip of paper stating one thing I love about my daughter. When she wakes up, she will find a note in her room that says "I love you because..." . She will then be directed to run around the house, popping balloons, and collecting her love notes. If you have multiple kids, consider assigning each child a color. That way they don't pop each other's balloons.<br />
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Next up will be a breakfast of heart shaped pancakes. If you have a metal cookie cutter,spray it, then lay it on the griddle and pour in a little batter. Let the batter set up a bit and pull the cutter off. TaDa! you have perfectly shaped pancakes. During breakfast I'm going to tell her a very lovey story.<br />
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Have you ever heard the story of warm fuzzies and cold pricklies? The moral of the story is that no matter how much love (warm fuzzies) you give away, there will always be more. You can't run out! There is a villain in the story (as there must be to weave any great tale) but, of course, it ends happily. There are lots of different versions floating around, but <a href="http://www.holycomforter.org/fuzziesandpricklies/" target="_blank">this one</a> is my favorite. The website also has options to tie it to bible verses as well, if you choose to do that. Once I'm done telling this tale, I plan to give my daughter her very own bag of warm fuzzies. They are quite simple to make, and cute too.<br />
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<img alt="Monsieur Pom" src="http://static.flickr.com/119/270378640_58ad6d5386_m.jpg" /></div>
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<a href="http://skamama.blogspot.com/2006/10/how-to-make-pom-pom.html" target="_blank">Skamama</a> has a simple and quick tutorial for making pom poms. Make them any color you want. Add eyes, or even feet if you wish. Just have fun, and put all your love into them, after all, you won't run out.</div>
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Need a gift for dad, from the kids? I've got you covered. Check out <a href="http://www.lifesongsofabusymom.com/2012/06/fun-fathers-day-printable.html" target="_blank">this quiz</a> from life songs of a busy mom. You can download the paper on her site. I had a 6 kids (cousins too) do quizzes about their papa last year for chistmas, and you just wouldn't believe how much he loved it. Honestly, I don't know if I've ever seen my dad so affected by something before. </div>
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I also have a TON of valentine cards/treats that are totally safe, so be looking for that in a few days. Hope you all are having a wonderful week.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4340162590286327079.post-91176402542887291862013-01-24T20:25:00.000-08:002013-01-24T20:25:26.634-08:00The Skinny WeekIn the last few weeks, I've been talking with some of my allergy mom friends about how much we spend at the grocery store. I was shocked when my husband told me I spend $700 a month at the grocery store for a family of three. I used to be a careful shopper, making sure not to over pay for anything. Initially, my daughter was allergic to 5 of the top 8, and then the doctor told me to also avoid fish and shellfish until she was five. I remember spending over an hour at the store, crying in the aisle, because everything I picked up, we couldn't have. I didn't know anyone else who was dealing with food allergies. I was all alone in this food battle. Well, over time I figured out what we could eat, but specialty food is not cheap. There is no way around spending $6 on a loaf of tapioca bread, so I just do it.<br />
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My husband was kind enough to write out my budget for me, so I can see where I'm spending all this money. I found that while I can't help some of the high priced item we do buy, I can certainly make up for it in others. My first thought on how to reduce our budget was to have a skinny week, meaning spend as little as possible. This means no store bought convenience foods. No oreo's, chips, or teddy grahams for us, and no easy cheat foods like Ian's chicken nuggets either. Some meals I made big, and we had leftovers several times, but hey, it's the skinny week, we'll all just have to suck it up. The idea of having no simple "ready to go" items made me nervous, but I did find a solution. Here is what our first skinny week looked like.<br />
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First, on saturday, I decided on our menu for the week and wrote out the grocery list. Then it was off to the store. Well, two actually. We have a store called sprouts, and their produce is always priced cheap. Anyway, when I got home and totaled my receipts, I had spend $150 and the real whammy here, is that I bought two weeks worth of groceries! If you want to give the skinny week (or two) a try, here are some super simple, and cheap, recipe's to try.<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEWbw2urJYoirUTNgwGJsKAILQ1BEia4NT33AUXxDy8zGtljgU3kCCdzSn28D9-0ndGfSVhdu25wSKtKbiOhgSf1Svu7f8poonXrQbKwnzj1dL6GBPPtjHNBpmTE7JmCWywQh4sna-l_k/s320/DSC00093.JPG" /></div>
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I knew that I would either have to replace the oreos and teddy grahams, or deal with everyone's whining, so I made my <a href="http://indulgingwithallergies.blogspot.com/2012/01/nieman-marcus-cookies.html" target="_blank">nieman marcus cookies</a>. Instead of baking them, I rolled the dough into little balls, and froze them on a cookie sheet. Once frozen, I piled them all into a gallon baggie. Whenever anyone was in need of a treat, I just pulled a couple balls out of the freezer and baked them just like normal. Not only was it nice to have fresh cookies, but because the other two were dependent on me to bake them, they weren't eaten as quickly as if they had been on the counter.<br />
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<img alt="My Spanish Rice" height="179" src="http://yummly-recipeimages-compressed.s3.amazonaws.com/My-Spanish-Rice-Recipezaar-175780.730x410.jpg" width="320" /></div>
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Hamburger and rice is one of my daughters favorite meals, and it's super cheap, with only three ingredients.<br />
First you brown a pound of hamburger, drain the grease, then add in a bottle of tomato juice and a couple cups of rice. I generally use minute brand brown rice. By the time the juice has simmered down to a sauce, the rice is cooked and dinner is served. The two of us ate this for lunch Monday through Friday while the hubs. was at work. For under $10 munchkin and I had 5 meals each. That's one dollar per meal!<br />
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Monday, we had ham and beans for dinner. All you need is 1 pound dried northern beans, 1 pound ham shanks, and a few shakes of onion powder. Since I already had the onion, I spend $1.15 on the beans and $2.99 on the ham shanks. All you have to do is rinse and sort your beans, in case any pebbles made their way in there, then add everything to your crock pot. Let it cook on low for 8 hours and then pull the meat off the bone and you're done. </div>
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<img alt="Clean Eating Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sandwiches" height="400" src="http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/pulled-pork-sandwiches-v-.jpg" width="267" /></div>
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Tuesday and Wednesday, we had these delicious <a href="http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/clean-eating-slow-cooker-pulled-pork-sandwiches/" target="_blank">pulled pork sandwiches</a> from The Gracious Pantry. My daughter refuses to eat any bread other than ener-g tapioca, so she had hers plain. I served them with a side of corn and apple slices. We all really liked this recipe, but in the future I will either be using less tomato sauce or more meat. There was a TON of sauce left in the bottom when we were done. <br />
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<img height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkPcy0rmA-m5t78v1-ii7tfUwE_5jM_7skvL5zohnUyvjCpnPYrxZBg_JXYGB8euxMLAO_svcrkBKnI_GeO7tDrK_0Htm6vHf014b3k8MLHFWHVBIVmU1C-xiIYDOTh8SGIGy2SLhrYYA/s400/2012-10-08+23.35.24.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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Thursday and Saturday nights, we ate this <a href="http://octobersmorning.blogspot.com/2012/10/freezer-meal-exchange.html" target="_blank">cilantro lime chicken</a> from octobers morning. I made two bags of it ( so double your ingredients) when I got home from the store, the saturday before(I also prepped the runza meat below), and it was my solution to not having any quick meals. I did not purchase any of the toppings she had suggested, we just ate it as is. Since the three of us ate this twice, it ended up costing $3 a plate.</div>
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Friday night, saturday and sunday lunch we had runza casserole. It's super simple. I fried 3 pounds of hamburger with 2 onions, salt and pepper, then drained the grease. Add in 6 cups shredded cabbage and continue to stir it around until all the cabbage is cooked through. If you have a food processor, grind the mixture (it helps it stick together) for a few seconds. If not, that's OK. I bagged the meat and froze it, thinking I would use some for runza's and some for ravioli, but I couldn't find a ravioli cutter, so that will be an adventure for another day. Anyways, for the casserole, I made the bisquick biscuits as directed, but with soy milk. Then take half the mix and smash it into the bottom of a 9x9 square pan. Top it with the hamburger mix, then roll out the other half of the dough and put it on top. Bake according to the biscuit directions. I used bisquick because it was already in the house. Crescent sheets would have worked as well, or if I wasn't being lazy I could have made my own bread, but oh well. I spent about $18 on this recipe, which that came out to $2 a plate since three of us ate it three times.<br />
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Oh, and for breakfast all week we had homemade banana and zuchini bread. Did you notice I didn't talk much about side dishes? Well, I bought a bunch of fresh fruits and raw veggies, and we munched on them whenever we needed a snack or a side dish.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4340162590286327079.post-64290658364479098242012-12-02T20:35:00.000-08:002012-12-02T20:35:26.976-08:00It's beginning to look a lot like christmas<div style="text-align: center;">
Hello, hope you all are doing well. This move has been filled with all sorts of unexpected surprises. The oven in our new house had an electrical short and caught on fire. No kidding! Well, we all survived and our oven is now functioning properly again. </div>
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My daughter turned five this last week. She requested a cake with oreos in it, so I began experimenting. What I ended up doing is making my <a href="http://indulgingwithallergies.blogspot.com/2012/03/chocolate-cake-mix.html" target="_blank">chocolate cake mix</a> and topping it with an Oreo frosting. It took 2 tubs of tofutti better than cream cheese, one tub of ricemallow cream, and 20 crushed oreos. It's crazy sweet, and a calorie wasteland, but it was pretty delish. I placed it in the fridge overnight and it was even better the next day. </div>
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OK, on to Christmas! Check out these gingerbread houses. I have tried making some from scratch the last two years, but it never turns out very well. This year, thanks to <a href="http://www.momscraftyspace.com/2011/12/graham-cracker-gingerbread-houses.html" target="_blank">moms crafty space</a> we'll be making graham cracker houses instead. Now, their icing recipe is <u>not</u> safe. <a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/vegan-eggless-royal-icing-404594" target="_blank">Here</a> is a safe one. Obviously, skip the almond flavor and use vanilla. We are using smarties, dots, and gimbals jelly beans for the sides and frosted mini wheats for the roof.</div>
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Here is another super cute option from <a href="http://katherinemariephotography.com/blog/archives/7629" target="_blank">katherine marie</a>. I think the straw is made of colored, shredded coconut. The sheep are jumbo marshmallows with black licorice, and maybe the people are dots?</div>
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On <a href="http://www.makenmold.com/Create/Projects/Christmas.aspx" target="_blank">makenmold</a> I found a couple cute ideas, but their recipes just won't work for us.</div>
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<img alt="Mint Marshmellow Pops" height="156" src="http://www.makenmold.com/teamcenter/plugins/sitecontent/media/pretzels_xmas.jpg" width="200" /></div>
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I am just going to dip pretzels in melted enjoy life chocolates, then use food coloring on some "safe" white chocolate to drizzle. Now, you are asking, "Were am I getting white chocolate?" More on that in a minute.</div>
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I absolutely LOVE these reindeer! Once again I'm going to use some of the white chocolate to make the white of his eyes, and color a bit for the dot on his nose.</div>
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Lastly, are these snowmen. I'll be using 3 jumbo marshmallows, white chocolate for the body and nose, and finally, enjoy life chocolates for the eyes, mouth, and arms.</div>
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Now, where am I getting my white chocolate, you ask? Well, <a href="http://www.premiumchocolatiers.com/polar-dream-white-bars-p-183.html" target="_blank">premium chocolatiers</a> has recently released their first white chocolate bar. It goes by the name polar dream. All their products are milk, egg, nut, and gluten free. </div>
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Hope you all have a wonderful week!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4340162590286327079.post-33062098038576697802012-11-17T19:32:00.000-08:002012-11-17T19:32:44.949-08:00German Chocolate Cake<div style="text-align: center;">
German chocolate cake is another one of my favorites from childhood. I never even considered trying to make it safe, figuring it was just too hard. Well, guess what? It's easy. Ok, the cake is super simple, but the frosting gave me a bit of trouble. Yes, you heard right, I actually made my own frosting, and it's delicious! Like <u>really</u> delicious! I mean my husband ate 1/2 the cake in 24 hours and I was eating the leftover frosting with a spoon. It is a variation of the recipe from Alice's Tea Cup in NYC.</div>
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3 1/2 c. flour</div>
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4 tsp. baking powder</div>
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2 tsp. baking soda</div>
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1 1/2 c. cocoa powder, unsweetened</div>
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1 c. sugar</div>
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2 cup soy milk</div>
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1 c. canola oil</div>
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2 c. maple syrup</div>
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1 tsp. vinegar</div>
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1 tsp. vanilla</div>
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Preheat your oven to 350 and have two 9" round pans greased and ready. Combine all dry ingredients, then incorporate the wet. Stir until just combined. This recipe is using baking soda and vinegar as the egg replacement, so it you over stir, if won't rise correctly. Pour equal amounts into each pan and bake for 30 minutes.</div>
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1/2 c. soy milk</div>
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1/3 c. corn starch (or other thickener if allergic to corn)</div>
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2 c. brown sugar</div>
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1 1/2 c. coconut milk</div>
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2 tsp. vanilla</div>
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3 or 4 c. shredded coconut</div>
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Combine the soy milk and corn starch and set aside. Now, in a medium sauce pan, combine the brown sugar and coconut milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring quite often, until it starts boiling. Turn the temperature down, until it's just simmering and continue to stir for 5 minutes. Now pour in the soy milk, corn starch mixture and continue to stir and heat this mixture until it thickens. This is where I messed mine up. I got a bit impatient (it was taking forever) waiting for the frosting to thicken and I took it off too soon. All that happened was that my frosting wouldn't stick to the sides of the cake. If you run into this problem too, just pile it in between layer and on top. It's still awesome. Anyways, back to the recipe. Once thickened, stir in the shredded coconut, and then place it all in the fridge to cool. </div>
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Once you cake and frosting are both cooled, stack and frost them. You may top with a drizzle of melted chocolate if you would like. I did, and while it doesn't replace the nuts, it did add a bit of a crunch. I didn't measure this, but I'm guessing I used about 1/2 c. enjoy life chocolates combined with 1 Tbsp. canola oil.</div>
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Give this one a try on your extended family or friends that are not typically allergy free. Everyone who tried some, said it tastes "normal" and that's about as good of a compliment as anyone could give me. Hope you all have a great week. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4340162590286327079.post-59370137810875795352012-11-04T07:08:00.000-08:002012-11-04T07:08:43.015-08:00Chocolate Covered Katie<br />
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One of my favorite bloggers is doing an amazing for the hurricane sandy victims and I just wanted to share it with you. Chocolate Covered Katie is donating the extra money she earns from her blog to those who have lost their homes to the hurricane. All you have to do is spend a few minutes browsing. Click around for a bit, find some awesome recipe's, and you are helping out! How simple. <br />
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All Katie's posts are vegan and I have always subbed Wow butter for pb and it turns out great. She even has some that are wheat free. So please spend a few minutes checking out her site. You won't be sorry.<br />
Here's the <a href="http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/chocolate-covered-recipes/snackity-snacks/" target="_blank">link</a> and below is a bit of temptation to help convince you to click. <br />
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<a href="http://www.chocolatecoveredkatie.com/wp-content/uploads/Healthy-Pop-Tarts_AF78/vegan-pop-tart_thumb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Healthy Pop Tarts!!!" border="0" height="192" src="http://www.chocolatecoveredkatie.com/wp-content/uploads/Healthy-Pop-Tarts_AF78/vegan-pop-tart_thumb.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://www.chocolatecoveredkatie.com/wp-content/uploads/Double-Chocolate-Pumpkin-Pie_C4D9/chocolate-pumpkin-pie_thumb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="chocolate pumpkin pie" border="0" height="192" src="http://www.chocolatecoveredkatie.com/wp-content/uploads/Double-Chocolate-Pumpkin-Pie_C4D9/chocolate-pumpkin-pie_thumb.jpg" width="320" /></a><img alt="breakfast food" src="http://www.chocolatecoveredkatie.com/wp-content/uploads/Snackity-Snacks_11146/breakfast-food.jpg" /></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4340162590286327079.post-31258189902333591712012-10-30T22:31:00.000-07:002013-01-08T13:17:34.766-08:00Farmer's CakeI made the easiest, most delicious cake the other night. The recipe came from my great aunt, and man, it was good! As some of you know, in the last few months we have moved and I killed my laptop by banging it against a wall. Why am I telling you this, you ask? Well, I don't have any pictures because I have to find the disk to download my camera software,due to the new laptop, but haven't found the box. So you're just going to have to take my word for it. This stuff is good (did I already say that) and it's super easy, so you won't be out anything for trying it.<br />
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<u> Farmer's Cake </u><br />
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2 cups flour<br />
2 tsp. cinnamon<br />
2 tsp. baking soda<br />
1 cup sugar<br />
2 eggs replaced ( I did 2 Tbsp. flax + 6 Tbsp. water)<br />
1 stick margarine (blue bonnet light)<br />
1 Lg. can of pie filling<br />
Cherry, blueberry, whatever you like. I did peach. YUM!<br />
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First, preheat your oven to 350*F. Mix your dry ingredients and then stir in the replaced eggs and sick of melted margarine. Once combined, add in the pie filling. Bake in an 8x11 pan for 35-40 minutes. <br />
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* I thought for sure I was screwing this recipe up, because when I added the egg replacer and margarine, the dough was still so dry and crumbly. Once the pie filling gets added to the mixture it will look much better. <br />
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Hope you all will give it a try. We all fought over this one and it disappeared in just a couple days. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4340162590286327079.post-42681321500862616742012-10-29T14:57:00.000-07:002012-10-29T14:57:10.896-07:00Pumpkin Crazy!<div style="text-align: center;">
So I was on pinterest the other night looking at pumpkin bread recipes and every single one called for massive quantities of eggs. Now I can replace an egg or two, but I'm not big on changing up a recipe that calls for 5 eggs. Yes, that's right, I said 5! It made me wonder, if we can use pumpkin as an egg replacer then why in the world would pumpkin bread need so many eggs? IDK. Well that sent me off on a mission to find some "safe" pumpkin treats for our house, and I found a lot.</div>
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Here is a pumpkin french toast recipe that is almost perfect. I only need to switch the almond milk for rice or soy. Nuts are optional (as seen in the pic.) but I'm obviously skipping those. I found it at <a href="http://piarecipes.blogspot.com/2012/08/vegan-baked-pumpkin-french-toast.html" target="_blank">piarecipes</a>.</div>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi61PzzA7nblvZXFYvBdHS0VHWBsBgYGP2qpCBGotwIdnt04Vn2RK0nmfb6o4qts5z-h3RfJqB7q6GC23JF5ykLcQseV5fKz-Qq0u61-h2UA3hYLszmmTP53_oAhQsqKGEyIRVJs8tFA5Y/s400/Vegan+Baked+Pumpkin+French+Toast.jpg" /><br />
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From <a href="http://ohsheglows.com/2010/10/05/happy-thanksgiving-homemade-pumpkin-butter/" target="_blank">ohsheglows</a> is some pumpkin butter. I've been slathering it all over my toast every morning for breakfast. <br />
<img alt="20101005IMG 8998 thumb Happy Thanksgiving Homemade Pumpkin Butter" src="http://images.ohsheglows.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/20101005IMG_8998_thumb.jpg" /><br />
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Bread pudding is for breakfast, right? Even if it has chocolate? Well, it is in our house. <a href="http://chefchloe.com/sweets/chocolate-pumpkin-bread-pudding.html" target="_blank">Chef Chloe</a> has given us another great recipe. I love this sight so much, it is bookmarked. If you haven't been there before, check it out, do a little browsing, and I bet you'll find something else you like.<br />
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<img alt="Chocolate Pumpkin Bread Pudding" src="http://chefchloe.com/media/k2/items/cache/aaa082d2257ab65aecf61c2340e9c5b9_L.jpg" /><br />
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OK on to the really good stuff (aka dessert) After finding all the recipe's above, I finally stumbled upon a cake recipe that doesn't call for tons of eggs. Actually, it calls for ener-G egg replacer. I will have to make a couple changes though. The recipe calls for walnuts and cayenne, which I will be omitting. It even includes a butter cream frosting, but by now you all probably know that I'm frosting lazy and just buy the pillsbury cream cheese frosting. Oh yeah, I found this at <a href="http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2011/07/vegan-pumpkin-spice-cinnamon-bun-cake.html" target="_blank">healthy happy life</a><br />
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<img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-G75_avwezYU/TiIoOuHFkxI/AAAAAAAAd_E/4Jk3qKEm1G4/cinnamon-roll-cake6.jpg" /><br />
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Even though I found my cake recipe, I couldn't stop myself, I just kept finding more and more "safe" pumpkin options. Here are some pumpkin oatmeal cookies from <a href="http://www.familyfreshmeals.com/2012/10/pumpkin-oatmeal-chocolate-chip-cookies.html" target="_blank">family fresh meals</a>. This recipe does need adapted. Here is what I will do to change it. I will use enjoy life chocolate chips, blue bonnet light for the butter, and 1Tbsp. flax + 3Tbsp water to replace the egg. Now, for the pumpkin pie spice I just added some nutmeg, cloves, and ginger, because I don't really know what's in it. Oh, and you'll notice this recipe also calls for white chocolate, which up until now, I have been unable to find. I was introduced to <a href="http://www.premiumchocolatiers.com/" target="_blank">premium chocolatiers</a> this week and noticed immediately that they have white chocolate. I sent them an email asking if they would consider selling white chips since there are none on the market. I got my response this morning saying they will be introducing a white chocolate bar next week called polar dream and hope to release chips some time in the future. I'm going to be first in line to buy those baby's up!<br />
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<img alt="It's impossible to eat just one!" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9FWstV4NIF0_pgf98YUG6gKvMKgC2lRpFUycAHMa0REnjrstnuFlmmpxs_nN-jlX-BQKa0iG3ezpoqttpMytGS8y2zdxGjceK3CZt2eKSMXtPiwhoDi1pAmLJq04p6ORhyphenhyphen3geRFFHdzfT/s640/Pumpkin+Oatmeal+Cookies.jpg" /><br />
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<a href="http://www.the-baker-chick.com/2012/09/soft-frosted-pumpkin-spice-cookies.html" target="_blank">the baker chick</a> has these amazing looking frosted pumpkin spice cookies. They also need adapting. I'm using earth balance for the butter and egg replacer for the egg. I think a flax egg would put chunks in this smooth batter and of course I'm using bottled frosting.<br />
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<img height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4uf0HIPHpvzCIXpdA9C-Ah49NsKEU5XQTd-h2il1-IeF0Lm8HEKn_RuC4O0kWBUeIU8KRz4Rluz_y-ugD8SzAOMHt51Aoq6r43L1QgKPHr7CKAnLPi9UMz_oAq9I2pfilwyNjI2PPCl4/s400/IMG_9005.jpg" width="400" /><br />
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I even found pumpkin custard. The recipe is already safe, but I'm going to try subbing arrowroot for the agar, since it's already in the house. I figure worst case scenario we'll be enjoying pudding instead.<br />
I found this at <a href="http://foodfitnessfreshair.com/2010/11/23/vegan-pumpkin-custard/" target="_blank">food fitness fresh air</a><br />
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<img src="http://foodfitnessfreshair.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/pumpkin1.jpg?w=600" /><br />
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I was the most excited about finding this one! It's a pumpkin spice latte, also from <a href="http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2010/10/vegan-pumpkin-spice-latte-not-starbucks.html" target="_blank">healthy happy life</a>. Really, you can find so much there. Now I don't have a foaming tool so I'm topping it with a vegan pumpkin whipped cream I found at <a href="http://www.familyfreshcooking.com/2012/09/23/vegan-pumpkin-whipped-cream-recipe/" target="_blank">family fresh cooking</a>. Once again, I'll just use cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves for the pie spice.<br />
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<img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_Dwex9AQ8IuA/TKoZd4NtXrI/AAAAAAAAZfI/LZfSV5xIozw/pumpkin-spice-latte-15.jpg" /><br />
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<img alt="Pumpkin-Whipped-Cream-Marla-Meridith-IMG_2338" src="http://www.familyfreshcooking.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Pumpkin-Whipped-Cream-Marla-Meridith-IMG_23381.jpg" /><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4340162590286327079.post-22786271979182167792012-10-22T20:24:00.002-07:002012-11-13T17:14:05.227-08:00Halloween PartyHi all, I survived surgery, recovered, and have made my way across three states since the last time we talked. With Halloween just a few days away I'm figuring out what we are going to do. Last year we knew all our neighbors, so I packaged "safe" treats and delivered them to our friends and then I went home, picked up my daughter, and we went trick or treating. She had a blast and was super excited that she got to actually keep everything she received. <br />
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This year, we don't know anyone so I've decided that we are going to have our own party at home this year, treats included. My hope is that this will turn into a tradition for us. Here are my plans. <br />
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<u>Games</u></h4>
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First up from <a href="http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/2011/10/spider-web-gross-motor-activity.html" target="_blank">no time for flash cards</a> is a spider web walking game. I like this one because it can be adjusted based on your child's development and it is a way to earn treats. </div>
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<img src="http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/041-300x225.jpg" /></div>
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<a href="http://itswrittenonthewalls.blogspot.com/2011/09/lucky-13-fun-halloween-party-games.html" target="_blank">It's written on the walls</a> has a TON of games to look through. We are doing the witch hat ring toss</div>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis_W7atixpfuctU9EK10_L7u8eGH0i_nlBOQgnyOdk0Oq25Kf21pB9-hy3CKUzW9R7H86PrsRbWD-oisuJXp5A90qW5jctc3C0EWNiSiU5Gx-udOLREqD4uaYt0b9gSKfO7QhQD0EbRvM/s400/halloweenwitchhattoss.jpg" /></div>
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and the pumpkin bean bag toss. We are going to use our leftover moving boxes to make this as a craft project this week.</div>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZvC0xEA5J2IP34S9khOVLKsuglUfAQrWifLCyIntaM9QcE6UWYgsgDqlqLKMps7Bfaa6YFUVn35n5EUuERJYgOk2Xq7hd4DfgpPPnkVYyKcKs2U_nJcdIkDGRtWpqI59qRx8ulbTxLOAG/s400/halloweengamepumpkins.jpg" /></div>
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<a href="http://tekyteach.blogspot.com/2011/10/halloween-punch-bunch.html?showComment=1319678741569#c8946700162666319278" target="_blank">Techy Teacher</a> made a punch a bunch board. What I like about this is that it's educational, fun, and the kiddos get a prize. I'm stuffing our bowls with little glow sticks, plastic bugs, and cheap toys.</div>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAMXFn_I5MmeaDmYJYv6Xhyphenhyphenj11NMVPF5JbjwAoH_nGC-WadjF-ptqzCT0iBROeMnZ-vy9ewmTXbsZE91XGuWfiUYja387wQk_flOCG3XpeDMsKKK0K4gChHaHDQeLy9qiDV5JnRRAlp21V/s400/DSC_0302.JPG" /></div>
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If you haven't seen anything you like yet, check out <a href="http://kimboscrafts.blogspot.com/2011/10/halloween-games-for-kids-also.html" target="_blank">kimboscrafts</a>. She also had a bunch of party games. </div>
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We're doing the spiderweb obstacle course</div>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxLRDCxOUcU_BwJxHZx-zD4R1hevZOQfh0SFz4NcOURV97_h09k0DyInSpkyQ8589vxFG2WDnK-OhPIvtK4QlxW04G5VaYmmsiYQHCosmv3R_5b0tt4vKKjd1jPBuzH4LSUZDPkGLwdB2g/s640/untitledbcdfghdfg.png" /></div>
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and a mummy race</div>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPCIaCINp-cqRv2_BQrf43HLsnE-xnDQHLe-j7YLownbE07aWSZ3ACy_0mcq5gKdwuoo8ne3iT6P36-rRbvfkdWIp00jbEYi8Tk4HOsiiDActQ6N5gi6OgGRruSX-7jXnPcqy1d7-aUSiS/s400/untitledgbfhgffgh.png" /></div>
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I've actually done the mummy race before with a bunch of adults and it's a blast.</div>
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<u>Crafts</u></h4>
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We're definitely painting our fingernails</div>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ70iqtM_w8fqdFFM-q3Q8eTK4flsEvW2yGIacp1YgiNADZg4ZxgYrp4h6wecH7Er9H-08vS79DDJjaB3z_xShu-6YkeZogVQAyBf6YmgWMEdUelwTBvU-fSPTCd1uEkG79TkYYa7QBwE/s400/eye+nails.jpg" /></div>
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<a href="http://www.craftymisadventures.com/2012/10/tomato-cage-ghosts.html" target="_blank">http://www.craftymisadventures.com/2012/10/tomato-cage-ghosts.html</a></div>
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and making Bat o lanterns</div>
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<img alt="Bat-o'-Lanterns" src="http://familyfun.go.com/assets/cms/crafts/bat-o-lanterns-pumpkins-halloween-craft-photo-260-FF1008PUMPA02.jpg" /></div>
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<a href="http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/bat-o-lanterns-674621/" target="_blank">http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/bat-o-lanterns-674621/</a></div>
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and there is no way I could miss out on glitter bombing a pumpkin.</div>
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<img alt="glitter pumpkins" src="http://images.meredith.com/parents/images/2010/08/ss_100899311.jpg" /></div>
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<a href="http://www.parents.com/holiday/halloween/crafts/nocarve-pumpkin-ideas/#page=2" target="_blank">http://www.parents.com/holiday/halloween/crafts/nocarve-pumpkin-ideas/#page=2</a></div>
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<u>Food</u></h4>
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<a href="http://www.sprinkledwithflour.com/2010/10/ritzy-halloween-spiders.html" style="text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">sprinkled with flour</a> made these ritz pb spiders. I'm using ritz crackers, sunbutter, enjoy life chocolates, and idk maybe smarties for the eyes.</div>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpX8AaH0NpqiQb3z4Pzivj4OdXwGaWBjdOxramxa_4qNWMQIKfDcCOuk9Jea14eai2wqnIqceCewVudS5_3hu1Md4Y0tGPZRUorsx_Sds2rubEE4xjjWaQC4pEgBbElcRifHoLcqQftdo/s640/IMG_1807.JPG" /></div>
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I saw these kabobs at <a href="http://www.wherethecookiesare.com/2011/10/24/trick-or-treat-kabobs/" target="_blank">where the cookies are</a> and figured I would make them with with surf sweets gummy swirls and spooky spiders along with the ghost peeps.</div>
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<img height="400" src="http://www.wherethecookiesare.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/IMG_3455-e1319332861358-588x1024.jpg" width="229" /></div>
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Lastly, we are going to make a cake. I'm going to use my <a href="http://indulgingwithallergies.blogspot.com/2012/03/hummingbird-cake-and-iced-coffee.html" target="_blank">hummingbird cake</a> and pillsbury cream cheese frosting. Here are a couple of the decorating ideas I'm thinking about. Which one should it be?</div>
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<img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5ShtVygXsd0/TodxFqaJbnI/AAAAAAAAC1Q/rGXpzhYhbnE/s640/MonsterCake.jpg" /></div>
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<a href="http://www.aprettylifeinthesuburbs.com/2011/10/monster-mash.html">http://www.aprettylifeinthesuburbs.com/2011/10/monster-mash.html</a></div>
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or</div>
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<img src="http://www.sprinklesandgrins.com/portals/0/templates/images/recipes/Monster%20Cake.jpg" /></div>
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<a href="http://www.sprinklesandgrins.com/Recipes/236/Monster-Cake">http://www.sprinklesandgrins.com/Recipes/236/Monster-Cake</a></div>
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or this one is really cool, but I'm not sure if I'm that talented. We'll see...</div>
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<img height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjROJXFgyOwrjYZBAg1ZWFcJ7BpucTALGE6cDy0-my3unxc3kY2i_I_FTn8hLGzBt2XYxbNILCtbg55darZiqo8LNL-XhNbYg8yd0_e2Sk_CYAmMsA25vKKytHLXxKHW3zleRj05CnPxtk/s400/cake-3.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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<a href="http://snowybliss.blogspot.com/2011/09/polka-dot-cake.html">http://snowybliss.blogspot.com/2011/09/polka-dot-cake.html</a></div>
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I hope that no matter what you all choose to do this year, you have a fun, safe holiday.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4340162590286327079.post-62320363205993493542012-09-19T08:07:00.000-07:002012-09-19T08:07:47.869-07:00Halloween<div style="text-align: center;">
Hi guys, I'm going to be in and out for a while. Having surgery tomorrow, so please be patient with me. I wanted to pass along some haloween ideas I found. First up is a super simple idea for treats to pass out. Take some cuties and a sharpie simply draw a jack-o-lantern faces on them. I found this at under construction. </div>
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<img alt="IMG_5975" height="400" src="http://underconstructionblog.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451903f69e2013488858e39970c-500wi" width="299" />
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Next up are zombie marshmallows. Yes, you heard me right. I found them at <a href="http://thedecoratedcookie.com/2010/10/attack-of-the-zombie-marshmallows/" target="_blank">the decorated cookie</a></div>
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<img src="http://thedecoratedcookie.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/zombiesb1.png" />
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Here are a couple spooky variations for rice crispy treats. The first one didn't have instructions, but I'm assuming they just used food coloring and a bit of frosting with pretzel rods and marshmallows. </div>
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<img alt="KrispyFTHB" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3524/4042513707_6e058a2a83.jpg" />
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and these pumpkin ones are fairly simple. For the chocolate cookies I'll be using oreos and a fat pretzel rod </div>
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for the stem. </div>
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<img height="265" src="http://www.homestoriesatoz.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/pumpkin-rice-krispies-5.jpg" width="400" />
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<a href="http://www.homestoriesatoz.com/2011/09/pumpkin-rice-krispies-treats.html" target="_blank">http://www.homestoriesatoz.com/2011/09/pumpkin-rice-krispies-treats.html</a></div>
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I have a few more things I found, but have to run off to swimming lessons. The next post will have some party ideas on it as well. This year we are having a party instead of trick or treating. I think it'll be a blast. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4340162590286327079.post-2984516671077786992012-08-29T22:48:00.000-07:002012-08-29T22:48:42.921-07:00S'mores bars, fudgesicles, and a new take on rice crispy treats Hello friends. I have to apologize for not being around so much lately. I am <u>finally</u> unpacked and have my kitchen in order as well as most of the rest of my life, but you see I'm guilty of ignoring this blog, not because of unpacking, but because I was reading again. Nothing in my life gets done when I pick up a book. <br />
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Anyhow, here I am with a few internet finds. All three of these will have to be modified a bit to fit our lifestyle, but it can be accomplished quite easily. First up are a new twist on <a href="http://blog.superhealthykids.com/2012/01/snap-crackle-pop/" target="_blank">rice crispy treats</a>. For these I use sunbutter and mixed in a bit of not nuts trail mix just because.<br />
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<img src="http://blog.superhealthykids.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/IMG_8392-300x200.jpg" />
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From <a href="http://www.kumquatblog.com/2011/08/recipe-redux-chocolate-ice-cream-bars.html" target="_blank">kumquat</a> I found a recipe for fudgesicles! On a side note, what is a kumquat? This is another one that calls for peanut butter. I used wowbutter this time. Obviously, make sure you are using dairy free chocolate chips as well. Oh, and if you don't have/use coconut oil, canola works just the same.</div>
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<img height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R6cIXXwOXAU/TkSY9VhPkJI/AAAAAAAACX8/dtTJZk18nzg/s400/DSC_0403.jpg" width="303" />
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And last, but certainly not least, <a href="http://www.macaroniandcheesecake.com/2011/08/golden-graham-smore-bars.html" target="_blank">S'mores bars</a>! I haven't made these yet, but they have to be great. I'm actually looking forward to my stroll through the cereal isle this week. There are a few substitutions for this recipe as well, but it is super easy. Dairy free chocolate instead of the regular chips, margarine for butter, and make sure to read your marshmallow bags! They are not always safe. </div>
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<img height="400" src="http://www.macaroniandcheesecake.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/DSC_0069-685x1024.jpg" width="267" />
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Hope you saw something delicious tonight. See you in a few days with a homemade treat!</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4340162590286327079.post-45402974355417216662012-08-21T18:00:00.000-07:002012-08-21T18:00:26.955-07:00A few thoughts from me<div style="text-align: center;">
So quite a while ago, valentines day to be exact, I had a revelation. We were at gymnastics, and a little boy came in, running enthusiastically toward my daughter with a card and candy. He was so excited to be able to give a gift to his friends, and my daughter was incredibly happy to receive her first valentine. I, on the other hand, was sitting on the bench thinking not so nice things like "Who is this lady letting her kid bring candy into a class that has never involved food?" and "Why isn't my daughters teacher taking it away?" I didn't step in, instead I listened to see what my little girl would do. She turned her big doe eyed gaze upon the teacher and asked if it was safe for her to eat. The teacher told her to bring the candy to me and let me decide. That sent my snarky mind right back into action. I was thinking, "Great, this teacher let another child give my daughter candy that she won't be able to eat, and now she is sending her over to me so she doesn't have to be the bad guy." One of my friends was sitting nearby, also listening, and asked me if she was going to be able to have the candy. I laughed out loud and exclaimed, probably not, clearly still annoyed. My daughter gets to me, shows me the candy, and it was safe. Perfectly fine for her to have. </div>
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She ran back, hugged the boy, thanked him profusely and went on enjoying class. I however, spent the rest of the class thinking I'm a crazy, rude allergy mom jerk. A quote by Peggy O'Mara came to mind. </div>
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I spent the next few days, wondering how much my attitude had already affected her. I spent so much time keeping my daughter out of situations like this because I thought I was protecting her. Now I realize I was just isolating her. Sure, she was never feeling left out, but I wasn't allowing her to completely live her life. The reality is, life has just as many disappointments as it does victories. What really matters is how you decide to view them. I don't want my daughter to grow up feeling like a victim of her allergies. I'm sure as she ages there will be some resentment issues, but I'm hoping that by having a positive attitude about everything I can, maybe she will pick it up too. </div>
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We all know that there are some situations where our kids do get left out or feel different. You can't really put a positive spin on a four year old not getting a surprise ice cream treat that all the other kids get, and it causes my heart to both ache and burst with pride when she turns down the treats that are so often offered to her at the bank and store. Not to mention the parties and family get togethers that almost always end in her saying, " I just wish I could eat the same food as everyone else." Of course I am compassionate, and let her know that I'm sorry that she can't eat all the same things as our family members or friends, but I have also set time aside to make sure she understands that every person on this earth faces challenges. She knows about diabetes and has even spoken to a child with an insulin pump. Before I decided to stay home, I worked with disabled adults so she has seen feeding tubes and seems to understand that we are all the same in that everyone has to face their own challenges. </div>
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We tell her that if she can dream something, then she can do it. We say that there is no reason to let her food allergies hold her back. I taught her at a very early age how to politely refuse food and advocate for her needs. Now I get to watch her flourish. Sometimes she dreams up things that make me nervous, but I try my best to quiet that voice in my head and let her live her dreams. I can't wait to see where the journey of life takes her.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4340162590286327079.post-90943564646031962102012-08-17T17:37:00.001-07:002012-08-17T17:37:43.527-07:00Lunch Box IdeasI finally got my internet hooked up last night! I missed you so much computer. I noticed this morning that a lot of moms are looking for school lunch ideas for their kids. My daughter is still to young for school, but we have been eating out of a cooler quite a bit lately, so here are some of the meals I have been packing.<br />
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<li>Make a hot dog octopus, place fresh fruit on a swizzle stick for kebabs, pretzels, and an enjoy life chocolate cookie.</li>
<li>My daughter really loves pancake sandwiches. Take two pancakes, and put some sunbutter and/or jam in between. With that she has grapes and carrot sticks.</li>
<li> Another option is packing sunbutter in a silicone cupcake liner, along with crackers, fresh veggies, and your choice of soy or coconut yogurt. Pack a bit of homemade granola to sprinkle on top for a sundae.</li>
<li>How about an avacado, chickpea wrap. I put a drained can of chickpeas in the food processor along with an avacado, a bit of lemon juice, and a couple shakes of cumin. It is seriously my favorite. Anyways, spread it onto a tortilla, wrap, and enjoy. I packed strawberries, cucumbers, and pretzels with that.</li>
<li>Bagel with tofutti better than cream cheese, raisins, enjoy life not nuts, fruit leather, and celery</li>
<li>Sunbutter banana and honey sandwich, mandarin oranges, and chips</li>
<li>baked chicken breast cut into cubes, jello, baby carrots, and fresh strawberries</li>
<li>Finally, make your own lunchable. Pack safe crackers, whatever meat you choose (john morell has safe bologna that you can cut to size) and daiya cheese to sprinkle on top. Send a soy or coconut yogurt along with a few sprinkles to make it special</li>
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Do you have to pack snacks as well? Here are the ones I packed.<div>
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<li>Banana bread made in muffin tins</li>
<li>Any dry cereal you choose. My daughter LOVES cookie crisp and I won't let her have it for breakfast, so this was our compromise.</li>
<li>Enjoy life, sunbutter or coco loco bar, and a banana</li>
<li>strawberry, grape, and pear fruit kebabs</li>
<li>crackers topped with tofutti better than cream cheese with a bit of sugar and cinnamon mixed in, and a handful of raisins.</li>
<li>Teddy grahams</li>
<li>and finally, brothers all natural freeze dried fruit is not too expensive and is already individually packaged, so all you have to do is throw them in. </li>
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One other product that I have talked about on here before, is the Go Picnic lunch box. It comes with crackers, sunbutter, enjoy life cookie, enjoy life not nuts, and fruit chews. It's great if you are in a jam, or heading out for a field trip, but at $5 plus a box, I wouldn't recommend it as an everyday kind of meal. Hope this helps you out a bit. Oh! one more thing. When my daughter was in day care, they let me send in boxes of Ian's chicken nuggets, corn dogs, and fish sticks. They were kept in the freezer there, and then the teacher would microwave them for her right before lunch. That is another easy option if the school is willing. Hope you all have a great week!</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4340162590286327079.post-51117761000738726722012-07-30T00:14:00.000-07:002012-07-30T00:14:58.329-07:00Double chocolate cookies, ice cream sandwiches, and S'mores pie<div style="text-align: center;">
Hi everyone, I didn't get to do any baking again this week because we are in the middle of moving. I actually pulled a cookie sheet out tonight, baked chicken, and when the timer went off I realized I had packed the hot pads and towels already! So we had some chicken for supper, and no dessert, but you don't have to. Tonight I thought I would share a couple more finds with you.</div>
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First up are these amazing double chocolate cookies from <a href="http://allergickid.blogspot.com/2011/01/double-chocolate-brownie-bites.html" target="_blank">the allergic kid</a>. Libby actually won the Divvies Cookie Contest with this recipe. </div>
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Next, from <a href="http://speedbumpkitchen.com/2009/09/ndq-sandwiches.html" target="_blank">speed bump kitchen</a>, comes ice cream sandwiches. The recipe calls for cake flour and the only two boxes we had here said may contain peanuts so I made my own. To do that, place 2 Tbsp. of cornstarch into the bottom of a one cup measuring scoop. Fill the rest with flour and sift it twice. I also have to say, this is the simplest ice cream recipe I have ever seen. Give it a try.</div>
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Finally comes <a href="http://peasandthankyou.com/recipage/?recipe_id=6000705" target="_blank">S'mores Pie</a>, because what could be better than chocolate and warm, gooey marshmallows? We don't have ricemellow cream here, so my plan of action is to just dump a bunch of mini marshmallows on top for the last 5 minutes. Hope it works. Looks delicious right?</div>
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I'm going to be offline until we get our new cable/internet hooked up. Hope it's not too long. Have a great week.</div>
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<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4340162590286327079.post-89979147089878559252012-07-24T21:13:00.000-07:002012-07-24T21:13:34.334-07:007 Different Doughnuts!<div style="text-align: center;">
A local magazine did an article about this super cute doughnut store we have downtown and there were pictures. Tons of them, in all their glorious color and deliciousness. I was thinking about sneaking out of the house to get some, but then changed my mind. If the baker in the store can make delicious doughnuts, then so can I! Mine are going to be so awesome that I won't even miss those silly $4 doughnuts downtown. Who cares if it is the size of your plate? Not me! Anywho... I got to work on my computer to find some safe recipe's to test. The first one was a bomb, like the worst thing I have ever eaten. Straight to the trash they went. Here is the list of all the other safe recipe's I found if you want to give any of them a try as well.</div>
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This one is from <a href="http://www.sexyveganmama.com/2012/01/vegan-bacon-maple-bars.html" target="_blank">sexy vegan mama</a>. It has fake tofu bacon on it that I am skipping. Ick! I am thinking about making some chocolate glaze and safe vanilla pudding to fill them.</div>
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She also has a <a href="http://www.sexyveganmama.com/2011/10/vegan-jelly-filled-sugar-donuts-happy.html" target="_blank">jelly stuffed sugar doughnut</a>. It sounds good to me, hope it tastes good as well.</div>
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I'm going to roll the dough a bit thinner than hers. </div>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUAS_pRiHdw7RGymfFK4MrzKoktzvFaWeDXxx-geUsEP-S697C2eTDMbBGt1wI_pWuonsRwgM96hCl6175-7d81q1pNRYMUhpy9qHELBOLZUa8yjlB7QET_SsWJaxFgXTDP_H3meDzT94u/s320/100_2138.JPG" />
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You would not believe the beautiful danish pastries I found on <a href="http://www.maplespice.com/2009/08/vegan-danish-pastries.html" target="_blank">maple spice</a>. The only changes that need to be done here are to omit any nuts, and make vanilla glaze instead of almond glaze.</div>
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<img alt="vegan Danish pastries" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ26xzuWCnIbyCtK0UxN9GGyaSfVtc1ICLbpiHgFqpcQX8SpfiOMATVztJCRvrO2C3Juy2sdPeqJ2eR2M41ObOkuFrua4guKakUZENUf9V8F15Uz8UEP8pasvT5exVAuHaWueK05Pt_b4/s400/Assorted+Vegan+Danish+Pastries+2.jpg" width="400" />
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On <a href="http://www.vegan-heartland.com/2012/02/krispy-dream-doughnuts.html" target="_blank">vegan heartland</a> I came across a recipe for vegan krispy kreme's.</div>
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This one I am looking forward to! <a href="http://www.maryquitecontrarybakes.com/2011/05/strawberry-glazed-doughnuts.html" target="_blank">Strawberry cake doughnuts!</a> You will have to do some substituting to this recipe. Soy, Rice or whatev. for milk, dairy free margarine for butter, and egg replacer for one egg. But if it tastes anything like it looks, this one is going to be worth it.</div>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz4QmnSi5ZVGlNYciDAc5ERHrTZd9cxFEFDex2SvcDXCraYXV5nuqKVaOuZIaqzMdddMq_tQVSoG04i2F2qF8QmqvPtYn03TL4908-PPKFrPD3DjDpCVLUUOgOHGI0VspSu1wQn0SSUQo/s640/IMG_0838.JPG" />
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Found these at <a href="http://thefoodallergychronicles.wordpress.com/tag/dairy-egg-soy-peanuttree-nut-free-doughnuts/" target="_blank">the food allergy chronicles</a> and they are milk, egg, peanut, tree nut, and soy free.</div>
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<img alt="dairy,egg,peanut/tree nut free maple, chocolate and strawberry glazed, cinnamon sugar and powdered sugar doughnuts" src="http://thefoodallergychronicles.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/p7031548.jpg?w=584&h=328" />
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In the next few weeks, I'm going to be testing these out and deciding on a favorite. What happens if they all bomb you ask. Well then I guess we'll be eating <a href="http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/pizza-dough-nuts/81a67f3f-8ee8-4dce-9f8e-88c3468aa3ac#" target="_blank">these.</a></div>
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<img alt="Pizza Dough-Nuts" height="225" src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/gmi-digital-library/d83fbb79-c2fe-45ac-b414-f942817b0f9a.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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I found this on pinterest last week and was so disappointed in myself. Why didn't I think of this!? I grew up on those pop n fresh biscuits. We would smash them, make a circle cut out with the vanilla lid and fry them. I knew that the biscuits aren't safe, and I knew that the pizza dough was. Oh well, even if I didn't invent it, I'm glad it's out there. Have a great week!</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4340162590286327079.post-73478494290818842362012-07-19T13:53:00.000-07:002012-07-19T13:54:21.300-07:00Granola 101First off, I have to apologize for no pictures. I was messing around with the settings on my camera and screwed it up. Now it won't download onto my computer. Looks like a visit to see my brother is in order. So be it.<br />
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There are two topics I have been hearing a lot about lately. One is molecular component testing. Have you heard of it? Apparently it's been around for a little while now, but I missed it completely. From what I understand, when you have a typical allergy test done (we'll use peanut for this example) they use the entire peanut. With the component tests, they actually break the peanut down into its most basic form and test from there. Your child may not be allergic to every component of the peanut. I hear that having this test done may help your doctor better understand the potential severity of an allergen and may also indicate the likelihood of your child outgrowing his or her allergy. I can honestly say, I don't have a great understanding of this process and am wondering if it is worth the steep price tag. Here is a link to <a href="http://uknowpeanut.isitallergy.com/why-uknow-peanut/" target="_blank">a peanut test</a> if you are interested in learning about how it works. I also spoke to Dr. Bodreau-Romano (you may know her as The Allergist Mom) yesterday to ask her opinion on these tests. She said there are both pro's and con's to this, as with everything, and it is not 100% accurate. She will be putting an article together about it and I will be looking forward to reading it.<br />
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The other conversation I've been having a lot lately is about granola. Over the last couple months I've been asked for my nut free granola recipe many times. Homemade granola is so simple. If you have thirty minutes, it will save you a ton of money to make your own. The best thing about homemade granola is you can make it to your own ta<span style="background-color: white;">ste. Choose one item from each line ( or combine a couple if you want) and enjoy your own version of granola</span><br />
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<u>Basic Granola</u><br />
6 cups quick oats<br />
1/2 c. brown sugar or maple sugar<br />
1/2 c. honey or maple syrup or molasses or brown rice syrup<br />
1/3 c. oil - canola, coconut, whatever<br />
3/4 c. wheat germ if you want. If not, leave it out<br />
1 c. raisins, or coconut, or dried apples - You can use enjoy life not nuts, but it'll be a bit messy<br />
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, or vanilla<br />
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Now, preheat your oven to 350*F and then spread the oats out evenly on the pan and bake for 10 minutes. While they are baking, combine all your other ingredients into a bowl. Pull the oats out of the oven and pour them into your bowl. Mix it until everything is well combined and spread the mixture back out onto the cookie sheets. Bake for 10 more minutes, stirring halfway through. <br />
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Simple right? I double this recipe and it makes two gallon baggies full. In our house, we go through about a gallon a week, so for thirty minutes of work I get enough granola for two weeks and don't have to pay the $4 a box for the nut free version at the store. <br />
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If you are looking for somewhere to start, I'll share my 2 favorite way to make this granola<br />
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<u>Cinnamon Raisin</u> <u>Coconut</u><br />
6 c. oat 6 c. oats<br />
1/2 c. dark brown sugar 1/2 c. light brown sugar<br />
1/4 c. maple syrup and 1/4 c. molasses 1/2 c. honey<br />
1/3 c. canola oil 1/3 c. coconut oil<br />
3/4 c. wheat germ 1 c. shredded coconut<br />
1 c. raisin 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla<br />
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon<br />
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So spend some time in the kitchen, try things out and experiment a bit. You really can't go wrong.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0