Why am I the expert all of a sudden

Its weird. Your cruising along for a couple of years doing your allergy free safe thing, and it just seems all of sudden people start noticing that it is not a fad for your family, or some crazy weight loss diet, and your very serious about keeping your kid safe. Then the phone calls and the conversations start. People fall into 2 groups. The largest group are the ones who recognize that food allergies or intolerances could very well be causing or contributing to what ever is bothering them but they are to overwhelmed with the prospect of cooking differently or trying to get the family on board with the idea. Yet they will continue to go to Drs to get a diagnosis or meds. Then there is the small minority who will make changes but often don't realize to what degree it will require and are calling to 'pick your brain' so to speak. These are the people I enjoy sitting down with and walking them through some of the steps, pitfalls, and alternative ideas to their current diet, and their expectations of change.

Allergy Free Baking or Vegan Baking

Allergy Free baking is a lot like vegan baking however without the soy substitutes. It is usually free of the top 8 common allergens. In our case it also excludes sunflower and safflower products. Since my itchy chipmunk has an allergy to eggs and soy, baking sometimes gets a little tricky or at least requires some experimentation. I think when I went in search of a good pancake recipe it wasn't the problem of finding a recipe but of finding a recipe that everyone liked. We must have tried at least a half a dozen recipes and a few of those ended up in the trash. My favorite recipe author is Cybele Pascal. Her cookbooks can usually be found on my counter in the kitchen. She also has her own website and writes for Martha Stewart's Whole Living website.

So join me as I talk about different substitutes in Allergy Free baking. Stay tuned as we discover what eggs do in baked goods and how we can make our baked goods more allergy friendly.

Frustration

It is so frustrating to know your child is having or had a reaction to some type of food and you don't know if it was cross contamination, poor labeling, a new allergy, or something he picked up off the floor. The chipmunk is throwing up and I know it is not from an infection. He did this a week ago and I figured it was from a new brand of coconut milk I had added to his smoothie. It was the only thing new he had ingested. This time no new can of coconut milk to blame it on. But I had some new brand of dolmas and he started throwing up within 10-15 minutes of nursing him. It is so much more difficult to pin down the causitve food when breastfeeding is involved. His usual form of allergy reactions have been rashes and hives, throwing up is a new reaction to endure. It is gut wrenching to watch your child and wonder if it is going to get worse.

A New Style of Baking

We went to a neighborhood brunch and I knew that the usual stuff would be there, scrambled eggs, hashbrowns, and other stuff that wouldn't be right for our allergy diet. So I began our entry into allergen friendly baking on unsuspecting neighbors. Oh I still brought my french toast casserole that everyone expects, and made a dish of the scrambled eggs, since it will probably be the only time the others kids will get it anymore. But I also brought cinnamon rolls and pumpkin bars. Now the cinnamon rolls weren't great looking since it didn't rise like normal glutan cinnamon rolls, but my 16yo daughter thought it was store bought because it was slightly crunchy on the outside and oh so gooey on the inside. The pumpkin bars disappeared before my husband got through the line, my kids assured him they were tasty. Good thing too, those pumpkin bars will be hitting the breakfast table once in awhile. Next time I make them I will take pics and post the recipe.

Review: Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips

The one thing I really missed with this whole allergen free diet was chocolate. An entire year of no chocolate. You see I wasn't a real fan of dark chocolate. It's not to hard to find chocolate that is allergen free if you like dark chocolate. I have finally grown to appreciate dark chocolate. But if what you are craving falls into the semi-sweet or milk chocolate camp, I hadn't found anything that I would even want to try to turn into chocolate chip cookies or any other baking that I could hope to try in my kitchen. That is till now. Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips. Oh yes I could eat these little babies all evening. I am dreaming of making coconut ice cream with chocolate chips. I am thinking cherry vanilla with chocolate chips. My only problem is if there will be any left in the bag by the time I get the ice cream maker out of the cabinet. I should of bought more bags, I wonder if I can get a discount by the case.

Nutrition Facts: Milk And Milk Substitutes

Nutrition Facts: Milk And Milk Substitutes

Grams Per 8oz	Milk (Whole)	Soy	Almond	Rice	Coconut
Calories	146	105	60	120	90
Total Fat	8	4	2.5	2	5
Sat. Fat	5	0	0	0.1	5
Chol.	24	0	0	0	0
Sodium	98	114	150	86	15
Dietary Fiber	0	0	<1	0	0
Sugars	13	9	7	10	7
Protein	8	6	1	0.5	1
Vitamin A	5%	9%	10%	0%	10%
Vitamin C	0%	0%	0%	2%	0%
Calcium	28%	30%	20%	2%	10%
Iron	0%	6%	2%	1%	4%

Thank you to
http://www.fitnessspotlight.com/2009/08/24/nutrition-milk-milk-substitutes/

however the figures for coconut milk have been changed to reflect So Delicious Coconut Milk Beverage by Turtle Mountain Co

For dairy allergic kids, it looks to me that coconut milk is the best choice. For us it is the only choice because of personal allergens.

You've Got To Be Kidding

You've got to be kidding! A common response when someone finds out what Eli and I can't eat,since I am still nursing. Can't have dairy, eggs, wheat, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, and sunflower oil. There goes my rice milk, no chance of almond milk. Regular milk is a distant memory. Milkshakes are a form of torture when consumed in my presence. Yea I feel like that sometimes. And its fun to remind my husband of that fact when he's slathering his burger with cheese, sandwiched in between real bread, and washed down with a big glass of milk. But I have to remind myself that its not about what ya can't eat. Concentrate on what can be eaten.