Eggless oatmeal cookies-Yummy!!

1 stick of soften butter

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1/2 cup of brown sugar

1/4 cup of sugar

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1/2 cup of boiling water

2 cups of rolled oats

1 cup of flour

1/2 cup of raisins

Cream butter, vanilla, sugars together. Boil water then mix baking powder in water then add to mixture. Add oats, flour, and raisins. Use teaspoon to scoop onto pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Wah lah! 

Allergy friendly Carmel Apples

Simple directions, but boys loved and we were able to "check off" an item on our October bucket list!! 

Melt a bag of baking Carmel's. we used werthers and they were so good!! 

Stick kabob stick in one end of apple and then dip apple in melted Carmel

Add sprinkles for decoration or salt

Let them cool and whalah!

Enjoy!!

Allergy friendly Homemade Pop Tarts

Today's goal: to find a better homemade, natural pop tart recipe that is also allergy friendly & healthy! My little allergy kiddo has recently out grew a strawberry allergy so I also wanted to use something with strawberry. 

Today's recipe only included: organic strawberry jam, phyllo dough, melted butter, organic sugar, and I also included some sprinkles. 

Simple simple simple!! I placed one sheet of dough, then brushed on melted butter, then again, but sprinkled sugar, then two more layers then sugar. I did this 2 more times then I added tablespoon of jam, then did 6 more layers on top with every other one adding a sprinkle of sugar. Then I used a knife to cut 6 rectangles, pinched their ends (all 4) closed and baked at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. When they were cooled I brushed top with butter, added sprinkles of sugar, and some sprinkles. Boys LOVED them!! One proud mommy!!   

Natural...check!

Healthier....check!

Not a million additives....check!

Allergy friendly.....check! 

School snacks made & bagged...check!

Homemade....check! 

 

Great Food Allergy Items to Check Out

I love that there are so many items out there for food allergy kiddos!  When we first started our food allergy journey, it was hard to even find a food allergy specific medical bracelet!  Wow how the times have changed..Sadly enough.

With that said, I wanted to share some of my favorite sites that have plenty of food allergy items to choose from.

First: Activeaide:http://www.activeaide.com/us/

This website gives you tons of ideas of food allergy items that may assist in your daily task of avoiding the epinephrine auto injectors.

Here are some of their items:

Which is this cute little carrying case for the epinephrine injectors.

They also have these for older kiddos:

Which connects right to their backpacks. Very handy for school hours. Another item I love on this:

These are great to have for those sports activities…practice or even the game. We love these for soccer!

The next website I wanted to highlight today is the wonderful www.etsy.com!  This website is where people can order homemade items for just about anything they want. Here were some of the food allergy items I loved on this site:

There are many food allergy support groups, resources, and items on the web!  Support our families and shop online for some great items! Below is a list of some additional favorite websites for food allergy items:

http://www.achooallergy.com/food-allergy.asp: great for allergy filters for the home

http://www.foodallergybooks.com/links6.htm: great for an all over food allergy supports.

http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/shopping.html: awesome items, books, card, etc.

http://allergyapparel.com/: some amazing apparel options for food allergies

GOOD LUCK!!

A 504 Plan in Schools for Food Allergies

When advocating for your child in the school system, food allergies are a new idea for many schools to grasp for needing a 504 Plan or an IEP or Individual Education Plan. However, food allergies do qualify for these supports. It’s just a matter of knowing your rights, what your school offers and what would be best for  your child. For example, the 504 Plan is a protection plan for your child when it comes to food allergies. It really is just a part of the American with disability Act. It states that if your child meets certain qualifications and that if their food allergy is deemed a disability, then they can qualify for the 504 supports in the school system. They define disability as “"physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities. This can include physical impairments; illnesses or injuries; communicable diseases; chronic conditions like asthma, allergies and diabetes; and learning problems.” This does include food allergies with the help of your child’s pediatrician. Once you meet the qualifications, you will need to request a meeting with your school and request to apply for the 504 plan. This plan will allow your child to have all the accommodations needed in the school environment that will assist them to stay on same academic and social level of their peers despite their needs associated with their food allergies. For my family, our school does not recognize the 504 Plan. Public schools do though. So, it’s a matter of finding out from your principals.  I highly recommend that your family explore this option for your food allergy kiddo!.

 

 

This website has an amazing example of a 504 Plan for food allergies:http://multiplefoodallergyhelp.com/?page_id=828

Here is a great resource for additional information on the 504 Plan and the IEP:http://specialchildren.about.com/od/504s/f/504faq1.htm

 

Share with your child's classroom!! Cute, Fun & Educational!!

Allergy Friendly Easter Treat Ideas

With Easter approaching..(one of many scary holidays for food allergy kiddos), I thought I would share some of our favorite treats that the Easter Bunny likes to leave at our home.

 

First, I do make most of the chocolate items in our baskets because its just so darn easy!  I have several molds such as bunnies, spring flowers, Easter eggs, etc. These are sold at places like Target and Walmart for a couple dollars or on Amazon.com for cheaper. I melt Enjoy Life name brand chocolate chips in the microwave for about 60 seconds, then stir, then repeat until completely melted. Then I pour them in the molds and refrigerate until solid. Then I wrap them in colored aluminum foil which I found online for about $3 a roll. This saves money, I know there is no contamination because I did it myself, and plus...they taste REALLY GOOD!

 

Additional allergy safe items we use are the following:

 

 

Other than that, we don't get a lot of candy from the Easter Bunny except for some plastic eggs with some skittles. sweet tarts, and maybe a pack of gum in them. However, the kiddos love their chocolate bunny and their huge fans of the Annie's products!

 

I always recommend that you make your food items for your kiddos, but as a busy mommy myself, I love that their are additional safe items out there to fall back on!  Hope everyone has a safe and fun Easter!

 

Favorite Food Allergy Products

With this family now being in their almost 7th year of the food allergy train...we have come to have a good list of favorite food allergy products. The "tried and true" of the many items out there to assist with food allergies. From food products to safety products. Here is just a few of them and when I have more time...I will add some more! Enjoy!

These are your typical rubber bracelets. You can find these everywhere!  BUT, why we loves these much better than your typical medical alert bracelet is how durable they are, cheap, and bright. This type of bracelet has always been noticed right away on my son. It is amazing how many people don't recognize a medical bracelet, but for some reason...these are always seen. They also withstand the wash machine...this I know from personal experience based on the thousands of times I have washed my sons. They don't come off easily thought which is great! And, we have never paid more than a $1 for one of these. I bought a bulk package of 6 about 4 years ago and still have two in our junk drawer.

Pamela's cooking products are...in this family....a necessity!  We use these for a quick cupcake, birthday cake, Christmas baking, the brownies, the white cake mix and the chocolate cake mix. We always keep these on hand as well as our parents for baking..especially last minute party for out food allergy kiddo. They are easy, work really well with egg replacers and only need oil, and water with the egg replacer. Cheap, organic, quick, and just gives your little food allergy kiddo another chance to have what others are around them!

This egg replacer is used for all our baking needs. We love this product because it works amazing when baking, lasts FOREVER (still have same box I bought years ago!!) and while we do use some other egg replacers, when baking and when you need the outcome to have the same consistency as baking with eggs...you cant beat this! This is very simple to use as well.

Believe it or not...this is our favorite go to icing when we need a quick cupcake for a birthday party at school or friends house. I keep these around for a quick grab, but they are also allergy friends, cost less than a couple bucks and while we love making our own icing for this working mommy, always having options for something quick...this is our pick for icing...also the sprinkles work really well to dress up a quick cupcake as well!

For a quick lunch or snack for your hungry allergy kiddo...these are a family favorite. The fish sticks are our personal favorite, but we do use the chicken nuggets as well. They are allergy friendly, quick in the oven or microwave (we prefer oven for the crispy touch) and organic. They come in a small box and cost around $6 but there are a good amount in the box, but most of all...they taste great!

Okay...these are my son's FAVORITE!  He has one EVERY SINGLE morning for breakfast for the last couple years and they are usually his go to after school snack!  They are allergy friendly, organic, and delicious! They are best in the toaster and still good in microwave. We find them for about $3.50 a box and when they are on sale for around $2.99 we buy 6 boxes for the deep freezer. Favorite flavor, per our food allergy kiddo: Blueberry!

Last, but not least...our go to frozen pizza. There are many out there. You just need to try some to find your personal best, but for my allergy kiddo...this is his. Simple with just sauce and soy cheese. The sauce is really good and it bakes really quick. For an individual size, we pay around $6 a piece though. We find them on sale every so often and buy a bunch to justify cost.

These are some of our food allergy kiddos favorite and some family favorite's as well. As you continue on your food allergy journey, you will find that many of these products work really well in today's hectic world, but that you also have many options..especially these days to find your own favorites!

Chocolate covered marshmallows...yummy!

Who doesn't love chocolate covered marshmallows?! This was another idea I had to use as an Easter basket filler for my food allergy kiddo. By using the above chocolate recipe, allergy friendly marshmallows and skewers to stick in the marshmallows.

Just melt your chocolate, stick your skewers in one end of marshmallows, dip in the chocolate, then place on wax paper to form over night. I wrapped mine in plastic wrap and tied with ribbon. Fast, easy, and another way for your food allergy kiddo to have chocolate for Easter!

P.S. As I was doing this I had wished I had picked up the bunny shaped allergy friendly peeps. They would have been even better dip in chocolate!

Easter Allergy friendly Chocolate Molds

I purchased this really cute Easter mold pan (see left side of blog)Since, like most mommy's I waited until last minute to think of what to add to my food allergy kiddo's Easter basket, all the allergy free cholocate website are reporting it is too late to order to receive in time for Easter. So, I had to get creative. I used the easy allergy free chocolate recipe below in the molds and put these cutie easter chocolates in plastic bags with easter ribbons. Whoohoo!

Easy Chocolate Recipe:

1/4 cup of Soy Nut Butter (I use the honey flavored one)
1/2 cup of Enjoy Life chocolate chips
2 tablespoons of dairy free butter

Place the ingredients in a microwaveable glass bowl and heat for 30 seconds until melted.

Pour mixture in your mold and place in freezer for 60-80 minutes until solid.

Set out and once chillded, pop out of your molds.

Easy Easter Morning Allergy Friendly French Toast

1 cup of rice milk (or milk of choice)
1/2 cup of four of choice (chickpea works great as well as whole wheat-any will do)
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 tablespoon of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
5-7 slices of break of choice
1 tablespoon of powdered sugar
sliced fruit of choice (berries worked great for us!)
Syrup of choice (maple always best!)

Combine and whisk milk, flour, cinnamon, sugar, vanilla in a bowl and let sit for 5-7 minutes then whisk once more.

Heat griddle or pan to medium heat

Dip sliced bread in mixture and coat both sides.

Place in pan and fry until golden brown on both sides.

Place on plate and sprinkle with powder sugar and add sliced fruit and some maple syrup!
Yummy!! Huge hit in our house and new Easter morning tradition for this family!!

Food allergy journals worth reading

Food allergy knowledge, attitudes and beliefs: Focus groups of parents, physicians and the general public: http://bit.ly/GNHGOJ

Familial Aggregation of Food Allergy and Sensitization to Food Allergens: A Family-Based Study
http://bit.ly/GNHWxf


Food allergy management from the perspective of patients or caregivers, and allergists: a qualitative study
http://bit.ly/GM6Xgw


Towards a Cure for Food Allergy
http://bitly.com/GOoZjC

Hidden Food allergies

Foods that are likely to contain egg:

Baked goods (most except some breads)
Baking mixes
Batters
Bearnaise sauce
Bouillon (in restaurants to clear it)
Breakfast cereals
Cake flours
Candy (see Sweets)
Cookies
Creamy fillings
Custard
Egg noodles
Eggnog
French toast
Hollandaise sauce
Ice cream
Lemon curd
Macaroni
Malted cocoa drinks (e.g., Ovaltine, Ovamalt) Marshmallows
Mayonnaise
Meringues
Muffins
Noodles (egg)
Omelettes
Pancakes
Processed meat products (e.g., bologna, meat loaf, meatballs, sausages)
Puddings
Salad dressing (creamy)
Sherbets
Souffles
Soups
Spaghetti
Sweets (e.g., fondant creams, truffles, marshmallows, etc.)
Tartar sauce
Turkish Delight
Waffles
Wines (if cleared with egg white)

Labels that may indicate egg in the product:

Albumin
Binder
Coagulant
Egg white
Egg yolk or yellow
Emulsifier Globulin
Lecithin
Livetin
Lysozyme
Ovalbumin
Ovamucin Ovamucoid
Ovovitellin
Powdered egg
Vitellin
Whole egg

Labels that include these items include milk proteins:

Artificial butter flavor
Butter
Butter fat
Buttermilk solids
Caramel color
Caramel flavoring
Casein
Caseinate
Cheese
Cream Curds
"De-lactosed" whey
Demineralized whey
Dried milk
Dry milk solids
Fully cream milk powder
High protein flavor
Lactalbumin Lactalbumin phosphate
Lactose
Milk
Milk derivate
Milk protein
Milk solids
Natural flavoring
Pasteurized milk
Rennet casein
Skim milk powder
Solids
Sour cream (or solids)
Sour milk solids
Whey
Whey powder
Whey protein concentrate
Yogurt

Food items that may have milk products in their ingredients:


Batter-fried foods
Biscuits
Bread
Breakfast cereals
Cakes
Chocolate
Cookies
Cream sauces
Cream soups
Custard
Fish in batter
Gravies and gravy mixes
Ice cream (and "non-milk" fat)
Imitation sour cream
Instant mashed potatoes Margarine
Muesli
Muffins
Other baked goods
Packaged soups
Pies
Puddings
Rusks
Sausages
Sherbet
Soy cheese
Soup mixes
Sweets
Canned soups
Vegetarian cheese

Great Wolf Lodge Spring Break with Food Allergies

When taking a trip with a food allergy kiddo, you tend to know your routine. Call ahead. Check what the options are for eating, making sure there are no baskets of peanuts sitting out for all to enjoy. You review the menus, you check reviews from other food allergy parents. Then you pack for your food allergy kiddo. You know the routine. Most often it never changes except some trips you do more and some you do less. You know this routine is also the "extra" step you now take when dealing with a food allergy kiddo.

For our spring break trip this year, when needed to stay local since my husband was unable to take off work. With that in mind, our options were limited somewhat since I know that I wanted my little ones to be able to go swimming. We decided upon the Great Wolf Lodge. I had already called to see where the NUTS were located and was informed...throughout since there was a "sweets" cafe that included pastries, carmel corns, candy, chocolate, etc. and kids would purchase these sweets and often walk around to play their infamous game of Magic Quest. Other "obstacles" included buffet style eating (a food allergy no no), vending machines with nut products, and hundreds of kids roaming the halls at all hours with their peanut fingers. With this said, in previous years, this has always been a place that was not an option in my "safety first" motto for my food allergy kiddo; however, this year I couldn't resist his pouting and "mommy, I always wanted to go there" looks of sadness. So, the other mommy motto stepped in with "I want my man to have the same experiences as his fellow peers". This motto has been taking the lead lately as he gets older and wiser to my manipulative style parenting dealing with food allergy safety.

So, the extra work was needed in order to make this safe and fun all in one for this little man of mine. I stocked up on disinfectant wipes and spray, benedryl, and packed extra epi pens. My hope was that my overprotective nature would be unnoticed due to the excitement of my little ones and for the most part it was. I did my "pep talk" about not using hand rails, allow mommy to wipe all areas down before touching when in eating area, stay clear of the Sweets Cafe, keep hands to self, and the usual warnings of stranger danger, no fighting, etc. Then the day before leaving, I contacted the manager and planned our entire trip itinerary for playing Magic Quest, game room, bowling, shopping, and eating based on times when normally there are not a lot of quest around. Of course, this meant bowling at 9am, lunch at 11am, etc. The thing is, my little men didn't seem to noticed the odd hours of operation mommy planned because they were so excited!

Swimming was were we spend most of our time and didn't have many risks. Guest did not eat in the areas for my little men's age group and the snack area was kept on the other side of the swimming area. The water would clean up most residue if there were any. With that said, this is the area I would spend most of your time with a food allergy kiddo. They loved it and would only leave when they were exhausted and hungry.

Eating was another area of concern, as usual. We stay clear of all buffets due to the cross contamination risks. That left Starbucks (THANK GOD), Pizza Hut (OH NO!) and a Bar and Grill. With assistance from the manager on cooking and keeping clear of cross contamination, we were had 3 food options: plain hamburger (only using our brought buns), french fries, and a salad (lettuce, tomato, cucumbers and some of our brought dressing). Of course in our room where we brought food for snack, breakfast and lunch we had more options and even better options, but we know that these little ones want to eat out, especially when on vacation. All in all, no problems while eating in the restaurant for dinner each night and he was so excited to eat his hamburger and french fries along with the rest of his family.

The only major areas of concern was the game room, but since we went right when it opened in the mornings, I would wipe areas with wipes prior to his use. This is much harder to do when it is packed because of the chaos.

He wore not only his usually medical bracelet, but a shirt that he picked out that announces his food allergies for this "special occasion" and in the end, we are now home and we are happy to say, we did not have to use one epi pen on this food allergy kiddos spring break!

I have learned to do the research, call ahead and people always help me plan, take your own food, take the time to schedule events, be prepared, and never worry about the weird looks when you are using your wipes!

Replacers

Egg (equivalent to 1)

Ener-G Foods Egg Replacer (Box has directions)
Milled Flax Seed (1) tbsp & 3tbsp of Water
Gelatin (unflavored) 1 tspn & 1 Tbs of water
Baking Powder 1.5 Tsp, 1.5 Tsp of Oil & 1 tbsp of Water
Potato Starch 2 tbsp
Corn Starch 2 tbsp
Soy Powder 1 tbsp, cornstarch 1 tbsp & 2 tbsp of Water
Smashed fruit (ex. Bananas, plum, etc.)

Milk

Soy Milk
Almond Milk (good for lactose intolerance and allergy)
Rice Milk
Coconut Milk

Buttermilk

One cup of Soymilk mixed with either a tbsp of lemon juice or white vinegar

Butter

Olive Oil (0.75 to 1 butter)
Vegetable Oil (0.75 to 1 butter)
Rendered Animal Fats (lard)
Soy Margarine
Non-Dairy Margarines
Vegan style butter
Earth Balance organic Whipped Butter
Smart Balance Light Buttery Spread
Spectrum Organic Shortening

Peanut Butter

Almond Butter
Cashew Butter
Soy Butter
Hazelnut Butter
Nut Free “Pea”Butter (nut and soy free)

Another attempt to add to his diet

As you can tell I have been out of commission for almost a year now due to the shifting of responsibilities. I was promoted at work and it really knocked me and my family for a loop!  But, now that I feel I am getting a grasp on managing my time for my boys, family life, clients, staff, and food allergies….I am attempting to find creative ways to continue to explore and educate in the exclusive world of food allergies…an exclusive club that refuses to allow my little man to disengage from. I say this at 5am…so my humor may be a little off.

To update on this past year, there has been some allergy adventures, but mostly in the maintaining stage. My little man continues to be allergic to Peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, milk, strawberries, kiwi, and seafood. His eczema tends to be the same which includes red itchy skin flare ups daily, but a mixture of 1% coritzone and aquaphore thickly lathered on nightly seems to help with the relief of burning and itching for our little man. We have had several "encounters" of milk products, but have noticed that his reaction of once immediate hives and/or red blotches, has done away, but still he tends to get a belly ache on these days around bedtime and often some loose stool. We continue to avoid all nuts like the plague and with the support of his school and family and friends we seem to be doing fairly well with this. No allergic reactions this year related to nuts so we are excited; however feel as though we have to increase our awareness because with no visual affects, people tend to minimize it as well. Recently, his doctor agreed to an attempt with tuna. While his testing usually only reveals shell fish, he would still have red splotches, eczema flair ups, and diarrhea when consuming tuna. So, we were avoiding it since he was 3 (almost 3 years ago). So, when he discovered he was going to get to try an item that was once taboo, he became ecstatic!  We utilized an organic brand in water only with just a fork. The smile on his face was priceless. I wasn’t sure if he really “loved it” or if it was again just that opportunity in which he was permitted to join the world around him, either way, he did his two bites and waited patiently for an hour to see if there was going to be a reaction. Nothing. He then asked for an entire can. He ate it immediately. I was hesitant to allow this, but at this point, I was so conflicted with allowing him to have his moment and the food allergy monster possibly taking his moment away. He talked about how he plans to eat tuna: “in salads, on bread, with my mayo”. The options in his mind were limitless. I wrote about this moment in his memory book. A lot his memories seem to consist of stories associated with his food allergies…but seeing his excitement about being able to have a new food…priceless. You could not wipe the smile off his face if you tried. BUT….BUT….(I always hate adding these “buts”) by the end of the night he was suddenly consumed with diarrhea and an upset tummy. We will do the “routine” and hold off on any tuna for a couple weeks, make sure he has no symptoms, and try it once more. If he has the same reaction….no go. If he has no reaction, we will try two weeks later again. If no reaction, we will slowly add to diet. If no reactions for a couple months, then we will take off his “foods I am allergic to” list….these moments continue to be big moments in this family!

Another journey, another story, of living with food allergies.

Cincinnati Children's Museum Peanut Free Request

In my earlier post, I mentioned a goal to address the fact that we had seen peanut shells in a play area at the Cincinnati Children's Museum and that I wanted to send a letter. I am so happy that I did find time to do this because here is the letter and response:

MY LETTER TO CINCINNATI CHILDREN’S MUSEUM:

I am a member of the Cincinnati Children’s Museum and I am writing with a concern that I would love to have your assistance with. During our recent visit to the museum, we were exploring fossils in the dinosaur dig area. We were shocked to find peanut shells included in the debris in this area. My son, Jonah, has a severe peanut allergy (among many food allergies) and is airborne allergic. What this means is that the mere airborne particle from moving shells around can result in an anaphylaxis episode for Jonah. As food allergies continue to increase (now 1 out of 20 children have been diagnosed with food allergies) and with one of the top food allergens being a peanut allergy, I am certain that my family is not the only family that will now have to avoid this area due to the peanut shells. My hopes is that you can explore this and find a solution that will allow my son (who is 5 and LOVES dinosaurs and fossils) to be able to enjoy this area of the museum. A simple solution would be to remove the shells, clean the box, and add other none-nut items (more sticks, leaves, dirt, etc) for the children and customers to continue to enjoy. I am not sure that the peanut shells or nut debris would be missed by many, but for the 5% of children with peanut allergies, it would be greatly appreciated! I am including some great resources (websites) to better understand food allergies, the impact on families, and how to make the Cincinnati Children’s Museum an allergy friendly area for all children to enjoy! Thank you for your time.

RESPONSE FROM CINCINNATI CHILDREN’S MUSEUM:

The area you’re describing is Nature’s Trading Post. The “free bin” contains items without point value that aren’t for trade. Free Bin items change daily. However, nuts of any kind should never be included as a free item. 

I apologize for the oversight and will ask staff to check the free bin more often to prevent nuts from appearing in the bin. 

Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We are very sensitive to the health and well being of Cincinnati Museum Center visitors. We appreciate your time and effort to help us provide a safe environment for all who visit Cincinnati Museum Center.

Wow right?!  Yeah Cincinnati Children’s Museum!  Thank you for your understanding and awareness!

 

ANOTHER Quick and Easy Cupcake Recipe for Birthday Party Season

Yesterday, about 30 minutes before my son was to leave for yet another birthday party, I had realized my usual entire top shelf of my freezer was emptied of frozen cupcakes. I looked around in panic thinking that we could use something else to put icing on (I always use Pillsbury regular vanilla), but no luck...but did notice some not so ripe bananas waiting to be thrown out, so I worked in crazy mode! I turned the oven on 350 degrees to warm up and started gathering "cupcake like ingredients". When it was all done, I sent two with my little man, put some in the freezer for next time, and sat in my bed and ate three. They were that good!  Here is the recipe, hope you enjoy, and please give me your thoughts!!! 

1 stick of butter
2 bananas or 1 cup of smashed bananas
1 and 1/2 cup of sugar
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon of vanilla
3/4 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/4 cup of soy milk or any type of milk you like
Egg replacer equivalent to 2 eggs.
2 cups of four (I used 1 cup wheat flour and 1 of soy flour, but regular would work)

In mixer bowl or just regular bowl, cream your butter and sugar, and then add vanilla, egg replacer, and soy milk. Then add dry ingredients and fill cupcake or even cake pan with mixture. I used a tray of extra small cupcake pan and then a regular size cupcake pan and it filled both pans. The regular size cupcake pans only took 18 minutes, but the small cupcake pan only took 15 minutes to finish.

Then in my crazy rush, I put two in freezer for quick cool down while I got my son's backpack ready and then added the vanilla icing and sprinkles, put in Tupperware bowl and sent him with his daddy...and, they were out the door on time...which is a rare occasion in its self!! 

This morning I did a quick check before I blogged about it to see how they froze and tasted after a quick 15 seconds in the microwave...and I ate three more. I will justify this for the sake of my blog to you!  Enjoy because they were still amazing! 

Update on my Goals for Food Allergy Awareness Week

Today’s post is just a quick update on the progress of my goals during Food Allergy Awareness Week. I have had a crazy month and no sleep, but still very productive and blessed for all that has been happening in the food allergy world!

Today was another productive day of educating others on food allergies. I was able to create some packets of information that would be beneficial to schools and was able to deliver the packets to 9 schools in my area. I was welcomed by all in a warm fashion and was thankful that the packets were accepted. Now, fingers crossed that they will be reviewed and even better if they are read. In the education world, teachers and other school staff are all extremely overextended like most of us, but this is such a scary place for parents with children dealing with food allergies and the place where most allergic reactions occur. So, this is the area I have focused on during this week of Food Allergy Awareness Week.

I have also been contacted by some additional schools in the Dayton area to give presentations on food allergies to their school staff, so this is also such a great opportunity to spread the word and awareness. And, one final note, while getting my lunch at Hava Java, as I do every Wednesday, I was searching for a large cookie to assist in my sweet tooth cravings, and asked for some explanations of what was what, and the first thing that was explained to me (these are not individuals that would know me from Joe), “the entire tray on the bottom contain some type of nuts”. Woohoo!  So, far this week as have been a productive week! Continue your work, education and spreading of awareness especially this week, but also, any week where there is a need!

Thanks again for the positive feedback!  Some of you are cracking me up, but most of you make me feel supported and at least understood!  Thanks!

Health Fair and Update on Advocating To Do List!

Today was a great day!  I had attended the health fair in Indiana and had a booth on food allergies. While most of us realize that there is such an abundant amount of information, supports, etc on food allergies; I was having a tug a war of what to have at my booth, what I wanted the message to be, and what this specific audience needed. The overall need is education and awareness. Thanks to FAAN, I had a great amount of information to post on Allergy Awareness Week this coming week and then I had some great brochures, recipes, books, and just information on statistics and how and why food allergies have changed so much since 1996. Overall, I would give information and the “speech” to the person at my booth based on who they were. For example, for elderly individuals without children/grandchildren with food allergies, I would give the options and awareness about family gatherings and how to keep them safe when dealing with nieces/nephews with food allergies. For parents just getting started with food allergies with their children, I would give them “introductory” packets with tons of resources and information. For teachers or school officials, it was the speech on school safe peanut butter and the unfairness of separating our children from their peers during social time. Overall, I was extremely empowered, moved, emotional, and ready to move to the next event for additional education and awareness. The thing that I loved the most and the new found insight to myself was while I use the word “speech”, everything was completely coming out of me in such a natural and supportive way. I get that everyone doesn’t get it, but it’s my job to assist them in getting it. Also, I was asked by several other groups there to come and present to their daycares, schools, and other programs that deal with children. This is exciting. The word is spreading.

My next great and exciting news is I have now my first advocating item on my check list (see previous post) checked off. I went to Sassy Treats, our new bakery in town and was greeted with support, understanding, and open-mindedness. They stated that they would post a sign that states that they do offer allergy friendly treats!  One change at a time!

And, one last note, I do apologize to not getting back with everyone from my advocating to do list, but THANK YOU SO, SO MUCH for your advice and supports! It is appreciated and used!