I’m blogging over at Mom It Forward today. Please visit their blog and check out my food allergy friendly Cookie “Cake” Pop recipe. Here’s a photo to entice you. And one of my baking inspiration enjoying this treat. To get the recipe, visit Mom It Forward. If you give the recipe a try, leave a comment here or there and let me know how it turns out. Got questions? Leave those in the comment section too or email me. Enjoy! … [Read more...]
Why I Don’t Like the Special Needs Label
November 9, 2011 by 6 Comments
The first time someone referred to my son as special needs it struck me like a slap across the face. It wasn’t intended that way; I just don’t consider him special needs. But I guess his food allergies are special needs. I just don’t want them to be. I want him to be normal, whatever than means. Food allergies are an invisible disability, which might be why I don’t think of them as special needs. I don’t see my son's food allergies when I look at him. I see an adorable three year old who melts my heart. Of course I would see him that way; I’m his mother. But others don’t see his food allergies either. They just see a toddler. And therein lies the threat. Last fall, before my son had any awareness of his allergies, we went to a parade where participants were throwing candy into the crowd. A well-meaning grandmother (no relation) kept handing candy to us. I didn’t have the energy to explain to her why our son couldn’t have the candy. Thankfully, at two, he wasn’t all that … [Read more...]
Tips for Dealing with Food Allergies
May 13, 2011 by Leave a Comment
This post is intended for first-time food allergy moms and for anyone who is not a mother to a food allergic child. Of my son’s food allergies – milk, eggs and peanuts – milk has been the hardest to manage because it hides in so many products on the grocery store shelves. I’ve had to become an expert at reading labels. It was really hard and overwhelming in the beginning. When he was first diagnosed, he was exclusively breastfed and it was my diet that had to change. I struggled with it. Sometimes I resented that I couldn’t just buy what I wanted to at the grocery store and that a normal shopping trip took twice as long. When I learned that his allergens could hide in medicines, lotions and other products, too, my frustration boiled over. Two years later, checking labels has become second nature. I have discovered a lot of alternatives to substitute in place of his allergens – and found a support group to deal with my frustrations. His food allergies are now just a part of our … [Read more...]
How to Make Pumpkin Soup
December 30, 2010 by 4 Comments
I love soup, especially in the winter, but I stopped buying it when my son was diagnosed with food allergies. I couldn’t find a soup that did not contain a milk product. It was probably for the best given the amount of sodium in most soups. I never thought about making soup myself until this fall when a plethora of butternut squash from the CSA begged to be pureed into a hearty soup. Making the soup was easier than I imagined and the end product was delicious. I was hooked! So when I checked out Kitchen Play’s progressive menu for December, sponsored by My Spice Sage, I knew right away I was going to give the Spicy Pumpkin Soup Shooters a try. I, of course, had to put my own twist on it. (Translation: adjust the recipe to accommodate the ingredients I did and did not have). I used less than a full can of pumpkin puree (hubby had used some for a cheesecake); I substituted soy milk for 2% because we don’t have cow’s milk in our house due to allergies; I added a little bit of sugar … [Read more...]
