Hey 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.
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.
-Aggie-
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Monday, April 8, 2013
Snicker Doodle Blondies and Two Cinnamon Rolls
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.
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 these cinnamon rolls 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.
Since I already had the fixins for bread out, I just kept going. We also made pumpkin spice cinnamon buns. 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.
I also found this snickerdoodle blondie 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.
Monday, February 25, 2013
Dear Nickelodeon
Dear Nickelodeon,
I watched your latest video on Nick Mom, and I have to say, I wasn't terribly insulted..... at first. These were my thoughts as I watched the video
1) We would NEVER let our allergy kids eat food from a bake sale, even if it was clearly labeled.
2) Thank you for separating the allergens! but my kid's still not eating it, so you just wasted your time.
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.
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)
5) "I hate gluten" That was the first comment that really made me think, You're an ass!
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 this article 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)
Finally, I saw a link to this third video, 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.
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.
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? Here is an example of what your thoughtless comments do to our children.
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?
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?
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, made a video 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.
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? Here is an example of what your thoughtless comments do to our children.
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?
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?
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, made a video 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.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
New Cook Book
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.
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.
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.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
"Safe" Food Valentines for School
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 here. As with the last post, I'm just going to add the link to each page under the picture.
I would use boxes of juice for this.
These are swedish fish http://www.happyclippings.com
comes with printable http://www.tipjunkie.com/all-crafts/valentine-valentines/?print
No link here. You can just add a sticky label that says "Valentine I'm hooked on you"
Want a recipe for rock candy? Here it is!
Valentine, you make my heart flutter
I would use dum dums
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.
Food Free Valentines for School
So 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.
She has a valentine printable on her page that says "sip sip Hooray! It's Valentines Day!
AND
Monday, January 28, 2013
Valentines 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.
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.
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.
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 this one 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.
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.
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.
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 this one 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.
Skamama 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.
Need a gift for dad, from the kids? I've got you covered. Check out this quiz 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.
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.
I
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