I had a wonderful weekend.  Went to visit my parents on Saturday morning to give my Dad his birthday present, which consisted of goodies and liquor.  He loves it when I get him exotic goodies and some cool bottle of something he wouldn’t think to buy himself.  We got him some Sangria from Spain, which is great over ice in hot weather.

Saturday afternoon we went to a party at a friend’s house.  It was pretty fun.  Though parties where you take your kids are just not quite the same as parties in our younger days, are they?

You can’t drink too much, always have to keep an eye on where your kid is, make sure they eat something decent so they don’t have a total meltdown because of all the sugary drinks and snacks your host has on offer, and leave to put them to bed before the real partying starts.  Oh well, I can’t party like I used to anyway.  I get tired and want to get into my pajamas and watch a movie.  How sad am I?

Sunday I went to lunch and on a garden tour of 9 beautiful gardens with my Mom…my Mother’s Day gift to her.  We had a lovely time.  Some of the gardens had little treats, like strawberries and champagne, tea punch and cookies, a plant sale, and several had music.  It was a beautiful day and I got loads of new ideas for my own landscaping.

I managed to get a bit of reading in too, but mostly this is what I liked from last week.  Enjoy!

First of all, Christian PF is running a contest giving away a Nintendo Wii and an Ipod Nano.  You blog about the contest to get in the running for the Wii and twitter about the Ipod Nano.  Well, I twittered…and now I’ve blogged.  Fingers crossed!  I would LOVE to win the Wii so I could get the Wii Fit package to help with goal to get back in shape.

The Happiness Project has a great interview with Alex Fayle from another of my fave blogs, Someday Syndrome, titled Decide To Be Happier NOW, Not Someday.  This post really resonated with me.  I had recently read a quote somewhere about this very thing.  About how if you can’t be happy where you are NOW, what makes you think you will be happy somewhere else.

I am very guilty of this…thinking, “I will be happier when…”.  This is something I have been working on for the last few years actually and I have found myself to be more content and happier than I have ever been.

I love food blogs too.  I don’t ever really cook much of what I find on them, but reading them and looking at the food photos is pure eye candy.  I love Cookie Madness.  She has a lot of yummy recipes on her blog!

She just posted her version of a Wheat Free, Vegan, Chocolate Chip Cookie that looks pretty darn good.  I have a soft spot for allergen-free recipes, so I like to post good looking ones when I see them.  Although for true allergen free, I would leave out the nuts, use Smart Balance butter and Enjoy Life chocolate chips.

I have also recently stumbled onto another expat blog that I’m having a lot of fun looking around.  It’s called Making This Home.  Katie (American) and Martin (German) live between America and Germany.  They are currently living in the US in this cool tire house.  Katie writes about all sorts of cool things pertaining to green living, which I love.  She is very crafty at being green too!!

I was also honored to be listed in two roundups this week.  Both Man vs. Debt and The Centsible Life featured two of my articles in their weekend reading round-ups! I read both of these blogs, so I was really pleased to find they enjoyed my articles.

Well, that’s all I’ve got for now.  I’m still looking for some new blogs to read, so feel free to leave any ideas of great stuff you’ve read lately.

Food allergies are a pain in the bum at home, much less when you want to go somewhere.  Then add a somewhere that requires flying on a plane with no access to food that you know is safe.  It can be a scary thought.  But, with a little preparation, you (and your child!) will be fine.  I’m sure I’m leaving some things out, but this is our story and what we did.  Hopefully it will help alleviate some nerves.

Which airline to fly?

Depending on what your child’s food allergy is and how severe it is, you might want to research the airlines and find out what their policy is on serving snacks with peanuts and/or tree nuts, if they are highly allergic.  Airlines often change these policies so it’s best to research and not assume, even if you have flown with them in the past.

Not all airlines or flight crews are understanding, so it’s best call ahead and find out what will be served on your flight if your child has a really severe allergy.  I think some airlines will even change what they serve if they know an allergic person will be on board.  However, they cannot guarantee a peanut or tree nut-free flight since they cannot monitor what other passengers bring on board.

Packing safe food for the flight and time in the airport

Now, if you are just flying domestically, you will probably only need to pack enough food/snacks/drinks for a short time….maybe six or seven hours, if you include time at the airport.  Granted, this can still be nerve racking if you’ve not done it before.

It’s when you start taking those long haul flights that you really need to think things through.  For our flights to Australia, we have to consider all the time at the airports and time on the plane, which for us is nearly an entire day.  A lot of that time is spent sleeping, but when my son is awake, he is always wanting to eat.  Hollow legs I tell you.  We need to be prepared.

Here is the food we took with us on our last trip to Australia:

• Two Sunbutter and jam sandwiches (in a container so it doesn’t get squished, cut into squares for ease of eating)
• safe savory snacks, like allergy-free pretzels or crackers
• safe snack bars (like Enjoy Life or homemade if you are so inclined)
• fruit (often you can get fruit at airports and on International flights though)
• dried fruit (apples, apricots, raisins, banana chips)
• gummy candy (for when the plane is taking off/landing to alleviate popping of ears)
• powdered soy or rice milk (only needs added water)
• mini blueberry muffins

I can’t imagine being trapped on a plane and your child freaking out about being hungry and not having anything you can feed them.  I shudder at the thought.

Ordering special meals on International Flights

You can order special meals on International flights.  I usually order a Vegetarian meal for myself.  They also have kid’s meals.  However, if you have food allergies, this would not be safe.  I ordered a fruit bowl for my son, then gave him one of the sandwiches we brought for his meal.  This worked out really well.

They also usually have vegan, kosher and other types of meals.  They do not have ‘allergy-free’ meals, so make sure you understand what you are ordering.  The flight crew will not know the ingredients of these meals.  The safest choice is food brought from home.

The other great thing about ordering special meals is that you get served first.  So, since I order a special meal, I can eat while my husband is helping our kids and then by the time his meal comes, we are done and he can eat in peace also.  Makes it all run a lot smoother for us since eating with kids in such a tiny space is not easy.

Packing medications

You will want to take your Epi-pen and Benedryl on the flight with you.  You might even want to take more than one syringe, depending on the severity of your child’s allergy.

I have always taken a letter, written on letterhead, from my pediatrician stating that due to my child’s food allergies, we must carry on an Epi-pen, Benedryl and special food for him.  The letter states my child’s name and my doctor’s contact information.

We have never had a problem and honestly, I’ve never even been asked for this letter.  But, I have it just in case.

The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) has a sample letter on their site that you can download.

How will I carry all this food and all my other stuff too!?

I am in no way affiliated with Baby Sherpa, but their backpacks are the bomb.  They have a ton of room for toys, diapers, clothes, a dvd player, dvds AND an insulated food compartment!

Other things to consider

If your child is severely allergic, take wipes with you to wipe down the area he/she will be sitting.  Wipe the seat, armrests, food tray, anything they might be in contact with.

You can also buy seat covers called PlaneSheets.  You can get disposable (recyclable) ones or ones that can be washed and reused.  Actually, these would be nice for anyone to have…

Still Nervous?

Call the airline you are flying and ask them specific questions.  I confirmed that there was no soy or rice milk on board Qantas flights.  So, I knew I needed to find something that was portable.

I thought of those little juice box type milks, but they are heavy to carry and I got worried over how many I should take.  So, I found powdered soy milk (you can also get powdered rice milk) which was perfect.

It worked great because I didn’t have to worry about keeping it cold or spilling.  I just added water in a sippy cup and then had milk that my son liked and could drink.  I took enough, in a small container, for the plane trip, then packed the rest in our checked luggage for the trip back.

The Transporation Security Administration (TSA) website is also very helpful.  I also called them and asked questions, which helped to clear things up that I was confused about.

Here is a great article from Allergic Living magazine with all sort of tips.   Find even more tips here and  here.

Also, Food Allergy Buzz is a great site for keeping track of what is happening in the food allergy world in terms of flying (and everything else!).  And in finding out how to have your voice heard.

Do you have any tips or tricks for flying with food allergies?

This is my favorite blueberry muffin recipe.  I found it on Recipe Zaar.  It’s super easy and has no refined sugar.  I try to avoid sugar in the snacks I make, if at all possible.

Ingredients

• 1-3/4 cups flour (I use whole wheat, but I’m sure you could use a gluten-free flour just as easily to make it truly allergen-free)

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp allspice (I actually use a bit less allspice and a bit more cinnamon and nutmeg)

• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

• 1 /4 tsp nutmeg

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

• 2 portions Ener-G egg replacer (or 2 eggs, if you are not allergic)

• 1/4 cup olive oil or vegetable oil (I often use Safflower oil)

• 3/4 cup orange juice

• 1 grated orange, zest of (I found dried orange zest at Whole Foods and I use that – easier)

• Extra – I usually throw in a couple of Tbsp of ground flax seeds as well, just for some extra healthy stuff!

Directions

Combine dry ingredients; toss the blueberries with about 2 tablespoons dry mixture and set aside. Separately, mix egg replacement, oil, orange juice, and orange zest. Make well in dry ingredients and add “egg” mixture; stir gently, and when only partially combined, add blueberries. Fold ingredients together just until moistened (do not over mix). Divide batter into 12 well-greased muffin tins and bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until lightly golden; cool briefly on wire rack, remove from pan.

Mini-muffins

I like to make mini-muffins because they are a great snack size (and a lot less messy) for my 3-yr old.  Mini muffins require a little less time than regular size muffins.

Freezing

These muffins freeze really well.  I like to make a double batch so I can freeze a bunch in a ziploc bag.

They are great to have on hand when cousins or other kids come over.  There is no guilt in offering them up as a snack since there’s no sugar and they are chocked full of yummy blueberries!

Enjoy!

An Ask the Readers question on Money Saving Mom about how to save money when you have food allergies in your household, has prompted me to write a post about it.

In 2006 our oldest son was diagnosed with milk and egg allergies, at six months.  He has since grown out of them as of last year (so yes, there is hope!).  He has been advised however to still avoid all nuts and fish for the next 2 years (until he is 5) and he doesn’t really like cow’s milk, cow’s milk cheese or egg, so we still buy things like sunflower butter, soy and rice milk, rice cheese, etc.

Granted, I’m far from being an expert, having only dealt with it a short while (compared to others), but I do have some advice.  I never found any magic bullet to saving money without spending all my time making things from scratch, but I did manage to feed my always-hungry boy without totally breaking the bank.

Resources

There are tons of resources on the internet if you take the time to Google what you are looking for.  Lots of great allergy sites, easy recipes and suggestions from other people in the same boat.

There are also lots of cookbooks, though I felt I found more success online as many of the recipes in the cookbooks were too complicated for me to bother with.  The one cookbook I did buy was the Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook and it has some really good recipes in there that I had success with.

Coupons

I emailed the companies of the products that I used regularly and asked for coupons.  I had pretty good success with this too and even do this with non allergy-free foods.  The majority of the time they would mail me a few coupons, often for free products too!

Some of the companies, with allergen-free foods, I had success emailing are:

• Tofutti
• Amy’s (the non-dairy, rice crust, soy cheese pizza is surprisingly tasty and the no-cheese, roasted veggie pizza is super yummy!)
• Fruitabu (Stretch Island Fruit Co.)
• Rice Dream

Other products often have coupons you can print from their website, like Enjoy Life Foods.  Enjoy Life products are a little pricey, but if you catch them on sale and have a coupon, they are not a bad deal.  That’s when I would stock up.

To me, some things like Enjoy Life are totally worth it for the convenience factor while I was still figuring everything out.  My son likes the chocolate cookies and the cinnamon granola best.

Bulk Discounts

Also, Whole Foods offers a 10% discount on anything you buy by the case.  I have bought shelf stable rice and soy milk by the case.  Just speak to someone at the store beforehand to make sure they have enough.

I have also heard that Costco has good prices on soy and rice milk, though I don’t have experience with them since I’m not a member.  If anyone has experience with allergen-free foods at Costco, please leave a comment and let us know.

Amazon also sells a lot of products, like Ener-G and Enjoy Life Foods in bulk.  If you don’t live near a store that sells these types of products and don’t really have time to make things from scratch (the biggest money saver, of course), then buying in bulk could help with some savings.  You might even be able to go in with another family or two who have similar allergies that are near you.

Cooking

I often just tried to stick to the basics and not get too fancy.  I am not a big cook and don’t like recipes with a million ingredients, so did a lot of simple recipes.  I will post some on here periodically, but rice and beans with veggies and simple meat and veggies goes a long way.

I also didn’t bake my own bread though I always wanted too.  I just never got around to it and didn’t have a bread maker.  I have one now (after I finally remembered my Mom had one she wasn’t using), so I will be making some soon.  I’m sure I could have saved quite a bit doing this and you could probably find a good deal on a used bread maker off Craigslist if you don’t already have one.  For the time involved, a bread maker would be worth it to me.

We also still have a whole box of Ener-G Egg Replacer so I still use it too.  It might seem expensive, but it lasts quite a while and I, personally, found it far easier than remembering the correct mixture with flax or pumpkin seeds or soy flour or whatever, though they apparently work well also.  Whole Foods and many other stores, like Kroger, carries this (and some other Ener-G foods).

Here are some of the other things that I made pretty regularly.

Breakfast

• Oatmeal with frozen fruit (I would stock up on frozen fruit when it went on sale and go fruit picking in the Summer)
• Plain yogurt with my own added fruit (far less sugar this way)
• Homemade waffles or Van’s waffles with fruit
• Toast with apple butter or avocado spread on it

Lunch/Dinner

• Sunflower butter (either Sunbutter or Trader Joe’s brand) and jam sandwiches are still a favorite around here for lunch
• SoyNut butter is another alternative for nutbutters
• Tortillas with turkey and either hummus, avocado, or rice cheese
• Always some fruit (one lucky side benefit to our son’s food allergies is that he is an AVID fruit eater)
• Soy yogurt
• Amy’s non-dairy burritos (I have found the best price at Target)
• Boca products have both a Vegan burger and Vegan crumbles
• soy or tofu dogs
• I have some easy recipes that I will post soon

Snacks (other than the obvious…fruit)

• Cheerios and various dried fruits (raisins, apples, cranberries, apricots are typical in our household)
• Enjoy Life Foods granola with cheerios and/or dried fruit
• Sliced bananas or apples with sunflower butter on them
• Carrots or cucumber and hummus for dipping
• Allergen-free crackers and pretzels – these are not the cheapest by any stretch, but can make your life easier for sure and if you buy in bulk you can get a better price.  We were able to use Newman’s Own pretzel (I usually got the spelt ones) successfully, but it might depend on the severity of your allergies if you want to try them or not.
• Mini-muffins (these blueberry ones are our favorite)
• Avocado slices
• Brown rice cakes (like Lundberg) with sunflower butter or apple butter spread
• Sweet Potato Oatmeal Squares

I will be posting some of our favorite snack and dinner recipes on here periodically.  Most are allergen-free since we’ve been cooking like that for three years and it’s still what my son prefers.  Really, most are healthier anyway, so we are all better off.

If you have any other questions that I haven’t covered or have a tip of your own, please leave a comment so we can all learn more.

This is one of my son’s favorite snacks/breakfast/whatever.  He loves these!  This recipe is free of all the Top 8 allergens and also has no refined sugar (well, my recipe doesn’t).

I found this recipe in Parent’s magazine though I can’t find it online or the issue that it was in, but here it is.

Sweet Potato Oatmeal Squares

• 5 medium-large sweet potatoes

• 2 Tbsp cinnamon

• 2 Tbsp extra light olive oil or canola oil or safflower oil (don’t use regular olive oil, flavor is too strong)

• 2/3 cup maple syrup

• ¾ cup orange juice

• 4 cups quick-cooking oats (use Gluten Free oats if needed)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake sweet potatoes (I cooked mine in the microwave). Scoop out the flesh and put in a large bowl. Add cinnamon, oil, maple syrup, orange juice, and oats. Mix well. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 baking pan. Pour mixture evenly into pan.  Bake for 23 minutes.

Let cool for 10 minutes. Cut into squares. Can store for up to 3 days in airtight container.

These squares also freeze well. I wrapped them individually, then put them in a large freezer zip lock bag. You can either put them in the fridge to thaw the night before you want to give them as a snack or just put them in the microwave a little bit to warm them up again.  My son likes them cold, so I try to remember to put them in the fridge.

I will try to remember to take a photo to add to this post the next time I make them.

Update: This recipe was in the March 2008 edition of Parent’s magazine (pg 172) and the recipe was submitted by reader, Maureen Leach.  Just wanted to give credit where it’s due because we LOVE this recipe.  Thanks Maureen!