A bit of Irish fun

My Irish eyes were smilin' today. As I watched my kids, donned in various shades of green, bite into their green-frosted, chocolate cupcakes I reflected on a fun St. Patrick's Day. We didn't go to any big events, but we did activities at home to celebrate and pay homage to the Irish part of our heritage.

We started our day with green waffles (Cherrybrook Kitchen Gluten Free Dreams Pancake & Waffle mix) with a side of fresh strawberries, just before the kids discovered the shamrock trail a leprechaun made after he escaped from our leprechaun trap. At least that sneaky little Irish fella left coin-filled "golden" pots behind in the trap.

Leprechauns, rainbows and shamrocks colored our little world today. Pamela and I baked the yummy cupcakes (King Arthur Flour Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake Mix) — of course, Joseph made sure he taste-tested the batter. We played various games, (such as "Roll a leprechaun") did a rainbow science experiment and used a green pepper to make shamrock paintings. Both Joseph and Pamela enjoyed the rainbow shamrock treasure hunt the best (a great printable from The Crafting Chicks) They had fun reading the instructions on each colored shamrock and then finding the treasure — a green bucket filled with trinkets, such as bubble pens, pencils, lollipops and punch balloons. For dinner, I made a family favorite – shepherd's pie, using the pie crust recipe from Cybele Pascal's Allergen-Friendly Baker's Handbook. I thought about dying the mashed potatoes green for the shepherd's pie. But when I remembered how grossed out everyone was when I tried that a previous year, I placed a shamrock cookie cutter on top of the pie to give it more of an "Irish" feel.

As Pamela was starting to hide the twinkle in her eyes for the night, she was ready to hop to the next holiday. "When are we going to paint the eggs for Easter, Mama?" Both of my kids are so excited to paint the white, wooden eggs we get each Easter from Oriental Trading. I love them because they give my food-allergic son a chance to safely enjoy the tradition of coloring eggs. But also, I enjoy adding them to our growing collection of colorful egg creations each year. Indeed the wooden eggs we will paint for Easter arrived this week, along with the prize-filled eggs we will contribute to the annual food-free Easter egg hunt our local support group NC FACES (Food Allergic Children Excelling Safely) will host next weekend. Easter can be dicey for food-allergic kids, who might feel like they have to be as sly as leprechauns to escape the chocolate bunnies, peanut butter candies and yes, eggs, that seem ubiquitous this time of year. That is why we are thankful to skip the candy-filled egg hunts and enjoy an afternoon searching through a park for brightly colored eggs filled with trinkets — not food.    

Not once during any of our activities or meals today did Joseph worry or feel bad about his food allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, milk, egg, soy, sesame and mustard. Instead he enjoyed the many fun holiday activities that can be done without food. Plus, we are blessed to have many safe food options to make that we didn't have to count on Irish luck for our family to enjoy yummy meals.

Sweet holiday demands yield full bellies

Joseph is happy to have a full cookie jar!

"Empty." That is what the sign on our snowman cookie jar has read since we took it out with all of the other Christmas decorations during Thanksgiving weekend. Each day, the lonely snowman has stared at me from its perch on the kitchen bar, silently urging me to add some sweet treats. My kids, however, have not been so silent.

It's not like they are lacking for sugar. After all, we just enjoyed a Thanksgiving feast free of peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, milk, egg, soy, sesame and mustard — all of the allergens to which my son is allergic. Joseph, 8, and Pamela, 3, helped me make turkey-shaped sugar cookies, pumpkin pie and a turkey-shaped red velvet cake (I used my favorite recipe for Red Velvet Cake with Velvet Frosting from Cybele Pascal) for the meal. Though it was yummy, the cake provided some entertainment when its head fell off seemingly in slow motion as I set the cake on the table. Just a couple of days ago, we were enjoying the last of the Thanksgiving bounty with the turkey noodle soup I made using the carcass I had frozen from the Thanksgiving bird and we made yummy pumpkin, chocolate-chunk muffins to go with it. (I add Enjoy Life Mega Chunks to the pumpkin-apple muffin recipe in the "The Food Allergy News Holiday Cookbook").

But Christmas treats provide a different kind of pleasure. My kids have been poring over the big stack of cookbooks and Christmas baking magazines that we consult each year, and analyzing last year's Christmas Eve menu to decide what to bake this year. For example, Cybele Pascal's recipe for chocolate thumbprint cookies that were featured in Living Without magazine in December 2009, were a big hit and certainly will make a return for this year's Christmas Eve dessert-fest. Joseph and Pamela reminisce about favorite treats from years past, and then they start asking which dessert we would bake first, and of course, "Can we bake now?"

Pamela agrees the orange cookies are delicious.

Much to everyone's relief, I could finally give in to my children's sugarcoated demands. Yesterday, we decided to bake a cookie we hadn't tried yet. We all agreed that the "Orange These Delicious? Cookies" from Enjoy Life's "Cookies for Everyone!" cookbook were delicious. We freeze half of each batch we make to serve on Christmas Eve or to take out as needed for holiday events. We get to turn the snowman's sign to "Full" and enjoy the rest of the cookies until it's time to taste the next batch. Next, we will be making sugar cookies in lots of Christmas shapes.

The tasty Christmas treats are just one part of our holiday cheer. I have always loved this magical season and enjoy it even more as my husband and I experience it with our children. Both children love looking at all of the special ornaments that grace our Christmas tree, delight in the stories they pull each day from our huge basket of Christmas books, excitedly dance to yuletide tunes, enjoy watching the holiday specials, and look forward to their advent prize each day as they countdown to the big day. I think all of those experiences make the Christmas goodies taste even better, plus it is a joy to create smiles by making those Christmas confections.

Now, back to baking. I don't want to see that "Empty" sign on my snowman again!

To get a flu shot, or not

Well, we tried. I took Joseph to his allergist yesterday morning to get a scratch test for the flu vaccine and possibly the flu shot for the first time in his 8 years of life. My chest has been tight with worry and I've been quicker to snap at family members since I made the appointment a week ago. I was concerned about the possibility of Joseph having a life-threatening reaction if he received the vaccine, yet also worried about yet another stressful flu season for my asthmatic son if he couldn't receive the vaccine's protection.

When talk of the flu begins each season, I can feel the anxiety building. I had never considered getting a flu vaccine for Joseph because he is allergic to egg, along with peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, milk and soy. Of course, as an asthmatic he unfortunately also is in the high-risk group for complications from the flu. My husband, 3-year-old daughter and I each receive the flu vaccine to try to provide some protection for him each year. But for the past few years, both children have had rough winters with the flu and other respiratory viruses.

This year's venture into the land of flu shots was based on the latest recommendation from The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) that many people with egg allergy could safely receive the seasonal vaccine. I read the recommendation and many people's stories about successfully getting the flu shot even with an egg allergy. But, with all we do to ensure Joseph avoids all of the allergens that threaten his life, it freaked me out to think about letting something that contains egg be injected into his body. So, after his allergist suggested we try it out with certain precautions, I turned to my local support group NC FACES (Food Allergic Children Excelling Safely) for a bit more advice. As always, they delivered. It was because of their tips and support that I was able to walk into that office yesterday, knowing that it could be a rough visit either way.

The plan was that if Joseph didn't react to the scratch test, he would get 10 percent of the vaccine and then the other 90 percent if he didn't react from the first part of the dose, as recommended by the CDC. Because he hadn't had his food allergies tested in more than a year, the nurse did a scratch test for several foods and the flu vaccine. As Joseph lay on his stomach, playing his Nintendo DSi, I watched the hives develop. This is nothing new for us. I'm used to watching big hives grow on Joseph's back during allergy testing. He's used to it, too, and never complains about how bad his back itches during the 15 minutes the allergens are creating an itchy design on his back. But this time, I was looking for a specific result to see if he could receive the vaccine.

The flu vaccine spot wasn't a huge hive like the spot with egg and the other spots with Joseph's known allergens, but it also wasn't a completely negative reaction. Joseph's doctor decided that the flu vaccine would be too risky in light of the scratch test results.

Joseph smiled and jumped off of the exam table, ready to head to the lab for his blood work. He was happy not to get the flu shot. He wasn't worried about the needle since he receives regular immunotherapy shots for his environmental allergies, but he, too, had been a bit worried about how his body would react to the vaccine. I was partly relieved about not dealing with a potential reaction. But the tightness in my chest did not go away as quickly as I had expected after the appointment. After all, my asthmatic son is still facing a long flu season. 

But both of my kids are healthy right now and they are excited about the fun things going on in their lives. Joseph played a great tennis match tonight and both kids can't wait to put on their costumes tomorrow to attend a fun Halloween party hosted by NC FACES. My Harry Potter and fairy princess will get to parade through the park, make a craft and trick-or-treat for food-free prizes. I plan to enjoy an event that is safe for my food-allergic child, while that anxiety in my chest dissipates even more.

Event is more than a walk in the park

My family and I will soon be taking steps toward finding a cure for food allergies. On Nov. 5, we will be lacing up our walking shoes so that one day my 8-year-old son Joseph and an estimated 15 million Americans, including about 6 million other children like him, might be able to live a life free from the danger of dying from the ingestion of one speck of food. The morning we spend taking a pleasant fall walk with our team Nuttin' We Can't Overcome will contribute to research that could find a way to protect my son from an anaphylactic reaction. Currently, the only protection is avoidance of seemingly ubiquitous allergens and, should a reaction occur, a lifesaving epinephrine auto-injector.

The money raised during the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) Walk for Food Allergy will be used to fund education, advocacy, research and awareness efforts. We are lucky to live in an area where some of the groundbreaking research is happening. Joseph and I recently had the privilege of attending a talk by Wesley Burks, MD, Kiser-Arena professor of pediatrics and chief of the Division of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology at Duke University Medical Center. Joseph was excited to attend a grownup presentation by a leading food allergy scientist.

Burks outlined the research scientists are exploring, such as oral immunotherapy, sublingual immunotherapy and the Chinese herbs FAHF-2. Joseph, who is allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, milk, egg and soy, conscientiously wrote down some of the scientific words with a note to "look up later." But while he didn't understand all of the scientific terms, he did understand that there are several intelligent scientists working hard to help make his world safer.

The statistic that stuck with Joseph the most after the presentation at Duke was the fact that there has been an 18 percent increase in the prevalence of children with food allergies from 1997 to 2007 (Branum, 2009 Pediatrics). He said, "Wow, that's a lot more people like me." Food-allergic kids like Joseph latch on to those kinds of statistics because they so often feel isolated and find comfort knowing that there are other people like them. It helps for Joseph to see proof that he is not the only kid who can't eat at a pizzeria, sample Halloween candy while trick-or-treating or taste a free cookie from the bakery. When we participate in the FAAN Walk for Food Allergy, Joseph gets to see that proof by the hundreds.

Joseph gets to be part of a fun event with other kids, who have food allergies, just like him. He gets to experience the camaraderie of a group of wonderful kids, who just happen to have food allergies. Those kids get to feel special while hundreds of people clap for them, knowing that everyone is there to support them. I'm thankful for the wonderful members of our local support group NC FACES (Food Allergic Children Excelling Safely), who make this event a success. Our family is excited to walk because we know we are contributing to something that could help our son and millions more, and we are thrilled to help give him the special kind of comfort and joy the walk gives him on that day.

After 31 of 43 walks throughout the United States, the FAAN Walk for Food Allergy is more than halfway to its fundraising goal of $3 million. I am proud to be a small part of this effort. Will you be participating in your city? What part of the walk is most special to you?

New treat pops into our lives

Popcorn is yummy!

Oh, I love popcorn!

Pamela also likes it.

Cake is sweet like popcorn, but popcorn has salt on it.

Open the bag and see a yummy treat!

Rivers of popcorn would be fun to swim in.

Nothing is better than popcorn!

My 8-year-old son excitedly wrote this acrostic poem today after his first taste of popcorn. Joseph, who is allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, milk, egg and soy, could hardly wait to get home to try a handful of the Angie's Kettle Corn that we picked up at Whole Foods. His eyes popped with delight as he crunched the tasty snack and exclaimed that it was, "The best snack ever!" My husband and I agree that the all-natural popcorn is fabulous! Just a few natural ingredients blend together to find the perfect balance of salty and sweet.

After several years of trying unsuccessfully to find a safe brand of popcorn for Joseph, I was excited when I saw a tweet from Sloane Miller, author of "Allergic Girl: Adventures in Living Well with Food Allergies," touting Angie's Kettle Corn.  I was thrilled to see the information in regard to allergens on the company's website. The website clearly states the ingredients and manufacturing practices, and it sums it up in a phrase that allowed me to head to the popcorn aisle today:

"All three varieties of Angie’s are allergen free, certified gluten free and certified Kosher. Furthermore, our facility is 100% free of all peanuts and tree nuts, and our equipment is not used for any products containing allergens or gluten, ever."

In addition to finding a safe, delicious popcorn, I found a company that is upfront about its ingredients and manufacturing practices — something not always so easy to find. No customer service runaround here, just a simple snack to make my son smile.

The new tasty treat helped us celebrate a milestone for Joseph after his appointment today with his allergist. He has been getting weekly immunotherapy shots for his environmental allergies for a year. The allergist confirmed that they do seem to be helping Joseph. He feels better in general and he has had fewer asthma flare-ups during the past year.

Joseph was happy that the good news meant he could receive his shots every other week instead of every week. Joseph never complains about our weekly shot visit or the discomfort from the injection. I am so proud of the way he handles all aspects of living with allergies and asthma. So, I was thrilled that his new snack was a hit. I have a feeling I will be making another popcorn run very soon.

Preparation key for fun travel with food allergies

Pamela threw herself on the floor, pounding her fists and crying, "I don’t want to leave the beach!" If I were 3 years old like my daughter I would have been doing the same thing Saturday morning when we were packing to leave our favorite North Carolina beach spot, Oak Island.

We had just enjoyed a fabulous week at the beach. The hot, sunny weather gave us plenty of time to ride waves, play paddleball at the water's edge, collect seashells, splash in tide pools and make sand creations. We also made time to ride the ferry to the North Carolina Aquarium, hit the mini golf course a couple of times and play a few rounds of Ocean-Opoly. Our beach experience focuses on enjoying activities and each other, rather than food treats and restaurants. But my trip preparation largely focuses on food.  

Sure I gather the kids' favorite beach toys and toss in plenty of tubes of California Baby sunscreen, but I spend most of the time during the week before we leave in the kitchen. I make and freeze meals free of peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, milk, egg and soy, so that my son, Joseph, can safely enjoy his vacation instead of worrying about his multiple food allergies. Joseph, 8, and Pamela help plan a menu that includes many of their favorite foods, such as pizza (made with King Arthur Flour Gluten-Free Pizza Crust Mix, Daiya mozzarella style shreds, homemade fresh tomato sauce and bacon). Several batches of muffins make for easy breakfast and snack options, and I freeze cupcakes and cake slices that I had made for birthdays and other celebrations during the month before our trip. Of course, there is some negotiation on meal choices based on the cooking tools I bring, but the kids are always pleased to have a week's worth of favorite meals lined up. For example, I don't bring my big pot or mixer so mashed potatoes are out. But no one complains about the French fries I make on the cookie sheet I bring. My George Foreman grill is a helpful multipurpose tool because I can grill burgers one night and switch out the plates in the morning to make waffles ('Cause You're Special Hearty Pancake and Waffle Mix). 

The increase in allergy-friendly products during the past few years has made travel a bit easier. Thanks to companies like Enjoy Life Foods, I can pack safe cookies, snack bars and cereal for my family to enjoy. There are other essentials I pack, such as Vance's DariFree non dairy milk alternative, that I know I won't find at the local grocery store. But because the beach is in our state, I am familiar with what the grocery stores in Oak Island carry. For example, I knew I could provide Italian ices at the beach by stopping in the local Food Lion for a box of PhillySwirl ices.

Of course, my packing wouldn't be complete without ensuring that I had included full prescriptions of all medication and safe brands of any over-the-counter medications that might be needed. In addition to the medicine pack that is always with Joseph (including two EpiPen auto-injectors, Benadryl and an inhaler), I also packed a medicine bag to keep at the condo that included two more EpiPens, all of the medicine Joseph takes for daily maintenance of his seasonal allergies and asthma, plus the nebulizer and a full prescription of Xopenex. We also know the locations of the closest urgent care, pharmacies and hospital in the area.

My preparation continues when we arrive at the rental condo. I wipe down all surfaces with Clorox wipes, then cover kitchen counters, the microwave interior and refrigerator shelves with paper towels. The extra layer or protection just makes me less worried about anything the cleaning crew might have missed when I think about all of the allergen-filled foods that had likely been eaten in the condo before us. Despite booking a smoke-free, pet-free condo, I always hold my breath during the first day, waiting to see if Joseph's asthma will act up. In fact, his peak-flow readings were higher than usual during the whole week — maybe there is something to the theory that salt air helps asthmatics. By the time I put our pillows on the bed and set up the beds (Joseph brings his own bedding to try to avoid asthma triggers) I'm ready to sink my feet in the sand and breathe in that salt air.

I could enjoy my children's shouts of joy as the ocean welcomed them with waves lapping over their bare feet because I had done what I could to create a safe zone, including reiterating the rules that are in place at home and away. While Pamela and Joseph only ate the allergen-free foods I prepared, the adults sometimes did indulge in local flavor. I appreciate that Gary's dad, who traveled from out of state so we could enjoy a vacation together, sat in his designated seat at the table, let me handle all of the food, washed his hands after every meal and waited for me to serve the kids first before I touched any unsafe food in the one spot I had allowed takeout meals to be placed. Joseph and Pamela enjoyed lots of quality time with their Papa Sal during our trip because he was willing to defer to my judgment about how to keep my child safe. He even asked me to inspect his sunscreen to be sure it was safe to wear near Joseph.

When our trip was over, I was thankful for a lack of allergic reactions, asthma attacks or worrisome health issues with my kids. I was especially glad that the only tears were shed over the end of a wonderful time. Food-allergic families can never take a vacation from vigilance, but we sure can enjoy a trip to the beach.

For more tips on travel for people with food allergies, visit:

·      Kids with Food Allergies, http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/resourcetopic.php?topic=travel

·      Food Allergy Initiative (FAI), http://www.faiusa.org/page.aspx?pid=410

·      Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN), http://www.foodallergy.org/page/traveling-tips

·      Anaphylaxis Canada, http://www.anaphylaxis.ca/content/livingwith/tips_travel_safe.asp

Favorite summer treats

"Magnificent, absolutely delicious and yummy" are a few of the words Joseph used to describe his new favorite summer dessert treat. It's safe to say the allergen-free version of a Chipwich that I created for dessert tonight was a hit.

The new crunchy cookies by Enjoy Life Foods are delicious in their own right — my husband and 2-year-old daughter, Pamela, love the vanilla honey graham flavor, while Joseph and I vie for the chocolate chip cookies. But they also are the perfect size and texture to make cookie ice cream sandwiches. I put a scoop of my homemade dairy-free vanilla ice cream between two cookies, smoosh it, and then roll it in Enjoy Life Semi-sweet Chocolate Mini Chips.

I'm always happy to add an allergen-free version of a familiar treat from my childhood for my kids to enjoy. Joseph, who is allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, milk, egg and soy, is thrilled to enjoy treats that would be forbidden in their traditional form. It's no surprise that another big hit in our house is a blondie sundae. I substitute the flour, eggs and butter to make an allergen-free version of the Toll House Blonde Brownies my mom used to make, top with homemade dairy-free ice cream and drizzle melted Enjoy Life Semi-sweet Chocolate Mini Chips on top. Pamela even made up a song ("I love blondie sundaes") and dance for that dessert!

As I add another fun summer dessert to our table this season, I'm reminded of some of my favorite tools for summer treats. Our use of homemade ice cream by itself or in various desserts gives my Cuisinart Frozen Yogurt - Ice Cream and Sorbet Maker a workout. I love that I can mix up the ingredients and let them spin in the ice cream maker for 25 minutes for a creamy frozen treat. Thanks to my friend Kathy, we also are enjoying the cool frozen treats we make in the Zoku Quick Pop Maker. In minutes I can fill orders for a berry and lemonade pop; orange and apple pop; and chocolate pop with a layer of chocolate chips in the middle. My kids love being able to customize their frozen pop, and I love that I can make a quick, refreshing treat in the time it takes me to do the dishes.

Of course, summer produce is the quickest and easiest summer treat. I love watching Joseph and Pamela chatting over slices of watermelon with pink juice outlining their smiles and dripping everywhere. A juicy plum or a sweet peach hit the spot on hot summer days, and blueberries are wonderful to snack on. We also recently enjoyed a blueberry pie I made using 'Cause You're Special Homestyle Pie Crust Mix. I make a lot of fruit salad and for that I rely on another trusty summer tool, the Oxo Cherry Pitter. The pitter makes it so easy to pit fresh cherries for a salad, to use in cobbler or to serve in a bowl.

Tomorrow morning we will be scouting fresh peaches at the local farmer's market. I'm counting on finding enough of the tasty fruit to make a fresh summer pie and perhaps I'll use one of my favorite summer kitchen tools so I can serve it a la mode.

My ice cream recipe:

2 cups dairy-free milk (I use Vance's DariFree Non Dairy Milk Alternative)

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup Vance's DariFree milk powder

2 tsp vanilla

Mix the sugar and milk powder together, then blend in the milk and vanilla. Once blended, pour into an ice cream maker and let it mix for 20 to 30 minutes. Add any mix-ins, such as dairy-free chocolate chips, cut up cherries and allergen-free brownie chunks, during the last 5 minutes of mixing. Freeze for a few hours. (It can be eaten right away, but will be very soft.)