Traveling with allergies........

NY City here we come!!!!  It is time for a weekend trip to NYC....so where do you eat when you have 3 children who all have allergies????  The best answer...search the internet!!!  I have been doing a lot of research and found a great website called allergyeats.com  You are able to pick the city that you are traveling to and check off any of the top 8 allergies to see where the best places are to eat.  You can also read personal reviews letting you know how the food was, how helpful the staff was, and if people were likely to return.  After searching, I found a few great places to eat and even personally called the restaurants and talked to the managers in advance. 
Check out the Shake Shack in NYC (there are multiple locations).  ALL the hot food is perpared in a different kitchen area from the cold food (the cold food area contains icecream that could have nuts), and the fries are cooked in soy bean oil!!!
Also, check out John's Pizzeria at Time Square.  It is ranked one of the top 10 pizza places in the United States.  The restaurant is in an old 1888 church that sits over 500 people.  There is no egg in the pizza dough and the only item on the entire menu with nuts is the spinach salad.
For those of you with girls, the American Girl Store is also very accomodating to those with allergies as well as Out Back Steak House...they prepare all their food fersh daily, so call in advance and let them know you are coming.  They can make a chocolate lava cake espcially nut free for you!!!

Hope this info helps!!!  I'll be sure to let you know how the trip goes and how the food was!!!

Birthday Treats

Today is Landon's 6th birthday!!!  Can't believe how fast time has gone by.  So, of course he wanted a special treat to share with his friends in school today......the easiest and best treats are Rice Krispie Treats!!!!  3simple ingredients and a classroom full of happy kids!!!

3 TBSP of butter
4 cups of mini marshmallows
6 cups rice krispies

Melt butter over medium heat, mix in 4 cups of  mini marshmallows and stir until melted.  Remove from heat and mix in the rice krispies.  Pour into a 9x13 baking dish (I spray the dish with Pam cooking spray).  Let sit for about a 1/2 hour and cut into squares!!!

The wonderful smells of autumn!!!

This week has brought us cooler temps and a taste of fall...my favorite time of year!!!  One of my favorite things about fall is apple picking and lots of home-made baking!!!  I wanted to share with you a very easy apple cinnamon muffin recipe which is egg free!

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
Mix dry ingredients together and set aside

1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Mix all the wet ingredients together well and then add to the dry.

Dice one large apple and mix into the batter

Fill 12 muffin cups, sprinkle a little sugar/cinnamon on top and bake at 400 degrees for 20 mins.  Let them sit for 2 mins in the tray before removing to a cooling rack.  Great muffins for the fall (or anytime of year)!!!

Lunches....what to pack tonight???

I am sure many of you ask yourself  "What do I pack for them to eat"???
Wether you are dealing with allergies, or packing lunches/snacks for an allergy free classroom, it can be a struggle.

I wanted to share a list of some great egg free/nut free ideas for snacks.....

Pretzel Goldfish
Cheese Goldfish
Yoplait Whips
Lucky Charms Cereal Bars
Coco Puffs Cereal Bars
Strawberry Poptarts
Poptart Mini Crisps
Applesauce
Fruit Cups
Fresh Fruit
Triscuits
Ritz Crackers......make sure to buy only the orignal style!!!
Town House Crackers
Oreo Cookies...only the original kind!!!  Some of the funky flavor ones contain peanut flour!
Keebler Fudge Stripe Cookies
Chips A'hoy Original style cookies
Rold Gold Pretzles....again, some of the store brand ones may contain traces of nuts
Lay's chips
Jello-Pudding
Rice Krispy treats- original
Go-Gurts
Lender's Bagels---original are egg free!

I hope this gives you some new ideas...again it is always important to READ LABELS!!!

CUPCAKES!!!

Yesterday we had our son Landon's 6th birthday party and it was a success!!!  3 dozen nut free and egg free chocolate cupcakes were made!!!   Baking with allergies is always a challenge, but these cupcakes are simple and delicious!!!  I found this recipe online about a year ago and want to share it with you.

1 box of Betty Crocker Devil's Food Cake Mix
1 15oz. can of Libby's pumpkin
1TBSP of Vanilla extract
1/2 cup of Hershey's semi-sweet chocolate chips

Mix all the ingredients together and fill 16 muffin cups. Sprinkle with a few more chocolate chips and bake for 20 mins at 350 degrees.

These are the most moist and delicious cupcakes...and for those of you watching your weight, they are only 2 weight watchers points!!!

Welcome!!!

Welcome!  My name is Patty and I am a mom to 3 boys who all have egg, treenut and peanut allergies.  Unfortunately, I myself, have those allergies as well (my husband has none).  It can be a very difficult thing to deal with...from finding recipes, to peanut/treenut free school classrooms, going out to restaurants, and just reading food labels.  I want this blog to be a place to help people discuss these issues and share stories, recipes and any concerens.  I hope you enjoy reading my posts!!!