Delicous milk, egg, peanut free brownies!

I found this delicious brownie recipe on Pinterest! What I love most about this recipe, because God knows I've gone through my share of brownie recipes, is that it's super easy and most of the ingredients are usually on hand! They have a gooey fudge like texture that my entire family loves!
http://www.littlehouseliving.com/ooey-gooey-brownies.html

When you get down on yourself, remember that you're fabulous!

So I find myself so exhausted these days, so run down.  Nobody said this mom thing was easy, I know this, so why do I constantly beat myself up?! 

So often I try to imagine how our life could be better and in doing that... I often forget about the blessings that we already have.  I've been so focused on what I haven't been able to give my children monetarily that I've forgotten about what I've given them already, my whole heart.  I given them the wonderful memories of  a good, caring and reliable mother.  As hard as it's been financially on our family over the last 12 years, I've been able to stay home and care for my children.  Something I never had as a child. I grew up with a single mom just trying to make ends meet. I felt her struggle every day.  

I've been so fixated on trying to give my children so much, all of the things I never had, and not realizing that I've done so much already!! I've made every single back to school night, every fund raiser event, every parent conference, everything.  Made every school lunch, tucked them in tightly each night.  Made fresh breakfast each morning. 

Yet why have I been so hard on myself?? Why do I continue to think I'm not giving them enough?? Why?? 

I'm often reminded of that famous Maya Angelou quote, "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel".
I think when you stop and think about your childhood, it wasn't about the house you grew up in or the fancy clothes you wore, it's about how you felt.  My kids remind me everyday that they feel great. That should be enough, that will be enough.  I will choose to accept my failures but in the process...I will remind myself that there's no such thing as perfect, and that I'm a pretty fabulous mom!

Julia's Special Cupcakes: A Children's Story about Food Allergies

Hi everyone! Long time since I've been here and I apologize... I've been so busy with our online support group for food allergy parents.

I just wanted to let you all know about my book and it's new price!

Julia's Special Cupcakes is now available for only 99cents on Amazon! Please support me in my efforts to raise awareness for food allergies!
If you do decide to buy the e-book, please leave me a review to let me know what you think of it!

http://www.amazon.com/Julias-Special-Cupcakes-Childrens-Allergies-ebook/dp/B00HGW51LS/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1405228282&sr=1-1&keywords=julias+special+cupcakes

You can also find it here at my sidebar for the direct link to my amazon page!

Thanks a million!

~Monica

A 12 year old boy and his quest to film his first documentary about food allergies!

This young boy is trying to raise money so that he can film is very own documentary about Food Allergies! Watch his video, and share it! I think he's an amazing young man trying to do a great thing for our community!

http://t.co/V0wupkGjE2

Support Group for Food Allergy Parents

Just thought I'd share this great support group for Food Allergy Parents at www.kinsights.com. Please use the invite code: foodallergy when signing up!
Kinsights is a great website for parents, check it out for yourself!
Here's the link to the support group:
https://kinsights.com/groups/59/support-for-food-allergy-moms-and-dads/

My new children's book.. Julia's Special Cupcakes : A children's book about food allergies

Okay, so I haven't been here for a while!  I've been busy working on my new children's book about food allergies!  I was also honored to have the magazine Allergic Living allow me to be their Story of the Month (home for the holidays).  It's been an eventful past couple of months!

My book is about my daughter and I baking safe allergy free cupcakes. It's sweet and encouraging!
Please look at my right side bar for the link that will take you directly to Amazon.com to buy your copy!

My book is titled Julia's Special Cupcakes: A children's story about food allergies

Chick-fil-A / peanut oil

Just a quick reminder that Chick-fil-A cooks their chicken in peanut oil.  So if you or your child has a peanut allergy, you might want avoid this restaurant.

Dairy free, Egg free and Peanut free Ice Cream with only one ingredient!

 

Ice cream made from just one ingredient!  That's right, just one ingredient!!  BANANAS!  

Delicious, creamy and nutritional dessert that everyone in your family will enjoy. 

Banana Ice Cream.

Take about 3-4 large bananas and slice them. Place them in a freezer bag and store in the freezer until frozen.  Simply place the frozen banana slices in either a food processor or vitamix.  We use the vitamix and get results with it!  

If you're using a food processor just blend till creamy but not too much as it will melt.

If you're using a vitamix, you pulse till you see a creamy texture while using your tamper tool. Stop right away before it gets too creamy as it will begin to melt.  

Simply scoop out the ice cream and enjoy with either enjoy life chocolate chips and chocolate syrup or just alone for a healthy and sweet treat!  Trust me, you will love this and so will your kids!

 

Food Allergies | AAAAI

I thought this article was great in explaining Food Allergies and FPIES.
Food Allergies | AAAAI

Freezing your baked goodies...

I can't tell you how many times I've had to make a "safe pizza", bake "safe cupcakes", frost them, wrap the gift and rush my daughter off to a birthday party! It's crazy and exhausting! Here's a simple tip that might help you avoid all that chaos!

On a weekend when you don't have a lot going on... bake cupcakes, frost them, sprinkle them (because it matters) and freeze them!  Yes freeze them!  When your child gets invited to their next party, you won't have to worry about a thing.  You can simply pull out your pre-made frozen cupcake,  thaw it for about an hour or two and it will be ready for your child to enjoy at their party.

It's hard enough running around having to look for a party gift, you don't need another thing to worry about!  Remember when it comes to food allergies planning ahead is your best tool.

Milk free, Egg free and Peanut free Tamale Pie

Ingredients:

MEAT FILLING

4 green onions

1-1 1/2 pounds of ground beef (or turkey whatever you prefer)

one 8 oz can hunts natural tomato sauce

one raw corn on the cob

1 tablespoon veg oil

CORN CRUST

1/2 cup flour

3/4 cup corn meal

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 tablespoon veg oil, 1 1/2 tablespoon water, 1 tsp baking powder

1 cup rice milk

4 teaspoons white vinegar

2 tablespoons veg oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Beef mixture:  Fry green onions in veg oil, add ground beef cook thoroughly, drain fat.  Slice all corn of cob and throw into pan, add beef and green onions.  Add tomato sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.  Put beef mixture into a pyrex or other baking dish.

Crust:  In a small bowl, put 1 cup rice milk and 4 teaspoons of white vinegar mix and let sit for about 5 minutes.

In a large bowl,  mix dry ingredients. 

In another small bowl, mix oil, water and baking powder mixture then add to dry ingredients.

Add rice milk and vinegar mixture into large bowl. Mix all together and pour over beef mixture.

Bake  for 20 minutes.

For the family members like myself who can eat dairy, you can add a dallop of sour cream to the top!!  Enjoy

Discovery Channel Food Allergy Documentary

The Discovery channel will be airing a documentary on Food Allergies tomorrow Sept 7, 2013. Don't forget to watch with your family and friends, it's a great way to show them the seriousness of food allergies through facts and research.  It's also a great way to open up a dialogue with your child about some of their fears or expectations when it comes to their food allergies. Spread the word!  Raise awareness!

http://www.foodallergy.org/emerging-epidemic/social#.UilPiNhywpk

Counting our blessings..

So here I am with an eleven year old sixth grader!  How in the world did that happen so fast.  Six years ago when I was preparing her for her first day of Kindergarten, I was terrified to say the least!  So many of my worst fears were racing through my head, "What if she accidentally takes a bite of something with peanut in it, What if she drinks someones cup with cows milk in it"?  All of the "what ifs" were killing me, I was a nervous wreck but nothing anyone could tell me would ease my fears.  I knew that we had to just walk through the door and TRUST the system.  We had to trust her teachers, the staff, and the school nurse.

Looking back, I wish I would have eased up a bit and really enjoyed those moments without the fear constantly racing through my mind.  I suppose everything is clearer in hindsight. Anyhow, I am pleased to report that after six years of constant contact with her teachers, year after year, we have graduated elementary school without a single reaction related to her Food Allergies.  I really consider us to be so fortunate but I must say, (not to toot my own horn here but...) I really worked hard!  I mean really, really hard on making sure that I always knew what was happening in the classroom.  I always kept in touch with her Teachers by email or phone call to verify her safety at all times.  I quickly got over the, " What if they think I'm being annoying" ...and I learned that if I want my daughter to stay safe, it must begin with me!  I was always in her corner, always her advocate...that is until she really learned how to utilize her own voice.  As soon as I realized that she was mature enough to handle these situations on her own, I allowed her the right to do so.  We must eventually teach them to fly on their own because someday we won't be there to help them and they MUST learn how to protect themselves.  So I say to you moms out there who are preparing their kiddos for school... do not be afraid, we must learn to silence our fears, they only hold us down from our true potential!  Show your children that great things can happen if you believe that they can! Great luck to you all and wish me luck on dealing with Food Allergies and a hormonal pre-teen!!! Ugh....

Chocolate chip pancakes...yum!

Okay, we all know that our kiddos love a hot breakfast in the mornings but sometimes we're short on time... so what do you do???  Cherrybrook Kitchen has a great boxed pancake mix that's also gluten free, it's super convenient when your rushing in the morning.  I usually mix rice milk right in there and it tastes great! Oh and if you're feeling adventurous, throw in some enjoy life chocolate chips, it's delicious!!!  I made these pancakes with chocolate chips, topped them with banana slices and drizzled some Log Cabin Syrup... Heavenly! So if you happen to have some left over, freeze them for the next day.  Here's the tip that I wish I had years ago...drum roll please....separate them with parchment paper so that they won't stick!!  Simply pull out how many pancakes you would like and warm them up by toaster oven or on the stove for a quick minute!



Happy Eats!

In N Out burgers with FOOD ALLERGIES

 

So after learning that my daughter Julia's overnight school trip included a quick stop at IN-N-OUT Burger, I panicked!  She's never been there and I wasn't sure if they would accommodate someone with Food Allergies.  After much whining and complaining to my husband about why life isn't fair and why do these things always happen to us.... I did some homework!  I called the IN-N-OUT headquarters and asked about their policies.  I made sure that it was a peanut free facility and IT WAS!  So that was a big deal, being that Julia's most severe allergy is to peanuts.  Whew.... one down, two to go.  So it looked like it was down to the burger because I was told that they just cook their fries in Cottonseed Oil and nothing else.  Fries were safe!  So back to the burger...

The bun=free of milk, egg and peanut

The hamburger meat=free of milk, egg and peanut

The sauce=contains egg but also free of milk and peanut

So we do,:

hamburger with bun, lettuce, ketchup.. no sauce

fries with ketchup 

and a sprite!

If you're going gluten free, you can order your burger "protein style". It's the burger meat wrapped in lettuce. 

So far they have been so good about keeping our girl safe! 

Please be sure to take all the precautions needed to ensure your childs safety while eating out.  Make sure you specify your childs allergies, and  have  them clean the grill and use a new spatula every time!  Good luck and safe eating!

 

Here we go on our wheat free journey!

Since our last allergy test, it was confirmed that Julia is also allergic to wheat.  I was amazed at the results because she has been eating wheat since she was a toddler.  The Dr. said that if she eats it now and it's not bothering her at all, there's no need to exclude wheat from her diet.  I was relieved yet kind of concerned.  Seeing that her test results showed that she was just not slightly allergic, but enough to cause discomfort, really puzzled me.  As I was leaving the Dr's office, I began to think, "was wheat really affecting Julia"?  I started to think about all the random headaches she gets, the unusual stomach aches that sometimes lead to vomiting, the constant mood swings.  Was this all because of wheat?  

Well, I did a my wheat free challenge to see if her symptoms subsided and sure enough, no headaches, no stomach aches and no nasty attitudes!  She seemed to be more happy and even seemed to have more energy!  So, naturally I had to give her wheat to see if in fact she would react differently.  She seemed to be fine until the evening.  Her nose began to feel congested, she felt very tired,  and grumpy again.  Next day, even worse.  She woke up with a headache and just didn't feel well all day.  So there you have it, my assumption of, "is it really wheat" was confirmed.  I knew it, something in my gut told me that my little girl was not happy and healthy for a reason.  

What I found to be crucial in dealing with children who have food allergies, is keeping a food diary.  Always writing down the food and reaction to the food is the best way to see how food is affecting your child.  It's also very important to keep up your allergy testing, so that you (unlike me) don't miss something important that might have changed in your child.  So here we go Milk, Egg, Peanut and now...Wheat free!  Wish me luck!

Radical New Treatment for Food Allergies

If you haven't already heard, Dr. Kari Nadeau is conducting a trial to desensitize children with multiple food allergies. As scary as it sounds, feeding your child the one thing you've been trying to avoid,  just might be the answer to solving this food allergy crisis!


http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/10/magazine/can-a-radical-new-treatment-save-children-with-severe-allergies.html?smid=pl-share

Vitamix on QVC

With a milk allergy, you can't go to the ice cream shop for ice cream or  Jamba Juice for a smoothie.  BUT... with a Vitamix, you can make your own! 

Everyone knows how expensive they can be, trust me I know, I've done the research.  I've checked all the local department stores, online and at Costco.  QVC seems to be the least expensive and they also include the dry mix to make your own flours!  This is great for gluten free folks!  They are going to be selling the Vitamix again during their on-air special on March 22 from 6:00-7:00, check your local listings for time.   

The Vitamix is a great way to offer your children veggies and fruits that they normally wouldn't want to eat.  It is extremely nutritious to start your day with a fresh juice!  Not to mention all of the other things the Vitamix offers, homemade soups, dairy free ice cream, the possibilities are endless! 

With food allergies, you have limitations on what you can eat and so you might be missing some very important nutrients.  Juicing would would be an excellent way to offer your children all the vitamins that they need!

Well I know what I'm doing on March 22! Boy with all the plugging I've done for Vitamix, you'd think they would send me one for free!! 

All Natural Home Scent

I understand that this is not food allergy related... but I had to share.

This smell is better known as the "Williams and Sonoma" smell.  It's an all natural way to fill your house with a fresh and clean smell.  It's amazing!
 

All you need is:

• A small stock pot filled 2/3 of the way with water
• A few sprigs of rosemary
• One lemon sliced
• A tsp of vanilla

Simmer, add water if it drys out.
If you want to make it simple, put mix in crock pot and let simmer.

Adding the vanilla gives it a sweet smell, but if you want just fresh, you can omit the vanilla.  I enjoy it with the vanilla.  

This is a great alternative for people who can't tolerate room sprays and plug-ins.

Ice Cream Magic

We just bought this Ice Cream Maker and tried using it with rice milk, unfortunately it didn't work out.  We're kind of bummed but I suppose we'll stick to Philly Swirl Italian Ice for now.  So if you're looking to buy this product to make dairy free ice cream, save your money.  I'm afraid this will only produce ice cream with heavy cream like recommended.