Restaurant Day

We are pretty boring around here on weekend's. It is either a trip to McDonald's or Little Ceaser's Pizza. Both are safe for our food allergies--peanut, treenut, sesame seeds and green peas. There are more choices, but the boys always pick McDonald's or Pizza and go on and on about how much they LOVE restaurant day. Tonight's discussion was all about what our friend's choose for restaurant day :) Luke had his first soccer game and then we were off to McDonald's for Happy Meals and the indoor playground. I felt so American and so Soccer Momish---It is a great time of life! Where do you go on restaurant day? Or, do you stay in and eat organic!?!

Peanut-Free Milky Way Candy Bar

How do you get a peanut-free Milky Way? Make your own! Especially when the cutest little 6 year-old makes a special request because he loves science, space and, of course, wants to eat a Milky Way! But, the label says MAY CONTAIN NUTS....So make your OWN....

I am following this recipe

I have made it to step 4. Really hoping it turns out! I have already gotten Luke out of bed to taste test the marshmallow fluff and chocolate mixture--he had no complaints!

Survey about food allergy thresholds

Check out this survey and pass it on! The data will be collected to help FDA determine how to finalize legislation on food labeling.

Dear Friends of FARE:

As you may know, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is seeking public comment on two matters of great importance to our community. Both of these issues directly speak to how food is labeled for the presence of allergens. First, the FDA is seeking to determine whether it can safely establish threshold levels for major food allergens. Secondly and separately, the FDA is seeking public comment on its proposed rule – required by the Food Safety Modernization Act – on preventive controls (including food allergen controls) within the food manufacturing industry. FARE has convened a working group comprising food allergy parents, allergists and researchers to help inform FARE’s response to the FDA on both of these issues.

It is important to us to hear from members of the community on these issues, so we have created a survey to help us get your input. The survey takes about 5-10 minutes to complete and includes questions about the food allergies you are managing, your current behaviors with respect to food labeling and your knowledge about allergen thresholds.

The survey is available at this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/C25NVH8

We hope you will take the time to provide us with your input. Please feel free to share the link and this email with your food allergy networks and support groups.

Thank you for your participation and for your support of FARE.

Let's make a difference!

And just for fun a cute piece of artwork by my middle child :)

Nut-free Chocolate Covered Cherries

YUM! An affordable yummy chocolate for luke to enjoy during the holidays!

Nut-free, Dairy-free, Egg-free DELICIOUS Pumpkin Bread

My boys, Luke and Ben, are nut-free. I am egg- and dairy-free. This pumpkin bread with delicious chocolate chips satisfies all 3 of us!

I found two delicous recipes:

This delicious oil-based pumpkin bread

and

This delicious butter-based pumpkin bread.

I personally like the second one better. The main difference is that I prefer the butter version over the oil version. (I know so healthy for the New Year!)

Here is my altered recipe to make the second and first version nut, dairy and egg free. A food allergy friendly pumpkin bread. Also, if you are gluten-free, just add special flour and you should be good to go!

Pumpkin Bread

Yield: 2 loaves

Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 60 minutes

Ingredients: 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree 4 eggs-- I just leave this out and it does just fine--No eggs and no egg substitute! 1 cup vegetable oil 2/3 cup water 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 2 1/2 cups sugar--I always try to add a little less sugar when it is just for our lil family to eat. 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour--if you are gluten-free here is your chance to add your special flour! 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice

1 bag of chocolate chips (I use the Kroger Organic Semi-Sweet chocolate chips which are fantasticly dairy-free and delicious! But, please note the package does say MAY CONTAIN MILK which for me is okay, but may not be okay if you have a serious milk allergy)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray with cooking spray two 8.5 x 4 x 2.5 inch loaf pans. 2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, combine pumpkin, oil, water, vanilla and sugar until well blended. 3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice until well combined. 4. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour batter into the prepared pans. 5. Bake in preheated oven for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

For the Butter Version (which is my preference, but both are super delicous)

Ingredients 3 cups all-purpose flour 2 Tablespoons Pumpkin Pie Spice 1 Tablespoon Cinnamon (I changed the spices to go with what is in my cabinet) ½ tsp salt 1 tsp baking soda ½ tsp baking powder 3 cups granulated sugar 1 cup butter, really soft, half melted really--I substituted Blue Bonnet Light--dairy free-margerine that bakes the closest to butter. 3 large eggs--just leave them out and it still turns out just fine! 1 16 oz can of pure pumpkin Optional--add dairy and nut-free chocolate chips.

Instructions

1.Preheat oven to 350˚F and spray two medium loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray. 2.In a medium bowl, mix the flour, spices, salt, baking soda, and baking powder and set aside. 3.In the bowl of a stand mixer with the wire whisk attached, dump in the sugar. Take the dairy-free margarine and put it in the microwave for about 30 seconds, so that it is half melted. Dump it into the sugar. Cream these three ingredients together on medium speed for about 2 minutes or until well mixed. It will not be fluffy like when real butter and eggs are used. Add the pumpkin and combine well. 4.In three batches, add the dry ingredients and mix gently until each batch is just incorporated. Scrape the sides between each batch. Stir in chocolate chips if desired. 5.Pour half of the batter into a one of the prepared pans. Bake side-by-side for about one hour or until an inserted knife comes out clean the top is golden.

Yields 2 loaves.

3x5 Folded Card Thank You Card

I love creating cards at Shutterfly.com during the holidays. I especially love when they give me a coupon for sharing my creations. Enjoy!

Mint Julep Thank You Card

For hundreds of thank you card designs, click here.

View the entire collection of cards.

Candy Canes

Whose child does not love a great Candy Cane? Or as my boys always say, a great Candy Can? We have been chomping on these candy canes. They are made in Mexico, but the box promises that they are made in a nut-free facility. So far, so good. Merry Christmas!

The Spangler Website says this (and I LOVE IT): It has been our experience that families with allergic children take great care to determine the origin of the food their children consume to protect against an allergic reaction. Families should ask the origin of any candy or food product that is in an open bowl or container to ensure what their children consume is free of allergies. If you have any questions, please contact our Quality Assurance department through email at info@spanglercandy.com or toll-free 888-636-4221. 5 ways we make sure our products are allergy free. Our manufacturing facilities are 100% free of gluten (from wheat, barley and rye), dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, fish and shellfish. All Spangler Candy products are made on dedicated manufacturing equipment. We thoroughly clean every manufacturing line, every day. We notify all of our suppliers about our allergen standards. We also request an annual allergen report from each supplier to verify that the ingredients they provide are allergy free. At least twice a year, all of our products are tested for allergens by an independent food lab. Did you know? Facts about food allergies and intolerances in the United States. •About 3 million children have a food or digestive allergy.1 •About 4% of adults have a food allergy.2 •30-50 million people are lactose intolerant.3 •Over 3 million have celiac disease, an intolerance to gluten, the protein found in wheat, barley and rye.4 •More than 3 million are allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, or both.5 •Over 900,000 have milk allergies.6 •Over 2 million have autism.7 •From 1997 to 2007 the number of children with food allergies rose by 18%.8 (1) National Center for Health Statistics, 2008 Brief, (2) National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, 2007, (3) Consumer Health Interactive Report, 2008 (4) Celiac.com, 2007, & National Institutes of Health (5) Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology, 2003 (6) Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN), (7) Autism Speaks (8) American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology, 2008.