Here's a good looking Brownie recipe that the author converted to allergen-free.


http://moneysavingmom.com/2012/12/peppermint-fudge-brownies-dairy-gluten-free.html

From Robin (who should be working, but is noodling around the food allergy world on the internet)

It's Monday

It's Monday and lets complain a little.  Its another gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, egg-free, sesame-free day.  I must have two meals for the day completed by 7:30 a.m. because it is a school day.  I am lucky enough to have a wonderful eater for a daughter.  She loves food and likes a wide variety of things.  I am unlucky enough to have a wonderful eater for a daughter.  She loves food an likes a wide variety of things.  So she won't eat the same old thing everyday.  The mothers of the fussy eaters are jealous of me.  They watch my child snack on everything from sardines to watercress salad to scorpions (yep, I have pictures of that).   But I am also a little jealous of them at times.  They can throw together the same old thing because it is all their kids will eat and they are done.  At our home, things get a little desperate.  Once she has eaten something often enough, she does not care to see it show up on her plate for awhile.  I am sure she would get tired of scorpions if I could serve them up regularly (She thought they tasted like a cross between chicken and popcorn.  We have to take her word for it because I did not try them).  She is tired of most of the breakfast foods that I can conjure up quickly.  Coconut milk yogurt with allergen free granola - don't even suggest it.  Not even with our own blueberry sauce - doesn't want to see that for awhile.  1-2-3-Gluten-Free pancakes????  with bananas for egg replacer - Nope, been there, done that.  Gluten-free oatmeal with fruit and coconut cream???  SO over it.  Turkey bacon??? That was good for awhile due to this being a vegetarian household prior to "the diet," but no, we have had our fill of that. Apples with nut butter??? Over that on the third day.   Hash browns stirred up with broccoli, bell peppers and onions (throw in some chicken sausage, really expensive Applegate Farms sausage)????  That worked for the last month, but is losing its glow. 

If I serve something that has lost its edge, she picks at it and does not eat much.  It's a grumpy morning with me harassing her to hurry up and eat and her trying to eat something she now finds downright unappealing.  Then, on that happy note, we race out the door for school and work. 

Sunday has become begging day.  I beg her to think of things that might be appealing come Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.    Breakfast AND lunch options. This week she agreed to hash browns again with the addition of tilapia on the side.  People might think I am spoiling her, but really, she's a good eater and I have to embrace that.  She has invented a rub for tilapia that she likes, so she has some motivation to handle breakfast cooking while I handle lunch. 

This morning, she had hash browns, tilapia and left-over butternut squash soup.  For lunch, she was to have grilled chicken with a watercress parsley salad, cucumber slices, carrot sticks and munchies.  Munchies are some sort of allergen free cereal or crunchy snack (just nothing sweet, she is not that big on sweets) with some almonds or non-peanut nut thrown in.  I have found that without some sort of carbohydrate, she will get in the car starving at the end of the long school day.  I need the nuts for a protein boost. She is sick of sunflower seeds.

Chicken cooks much better if you turn the oven on.  (Remember, this is Monday).  As the carpool ride to school pulled up, I was desperately emptying plain salmon into a container for some sort of lunch protein.  I squeezed a little lime and some seasoned salt on it and ran it out to the car.  Better luck tomorrow, the chicken should be cooked by then. 

I am off to work now, thinking, "Ok, what's for dinner?"  Can't be tilapia, its my breakfast savior this week. 

Food Dyes

Food Dyes-Yep, some people break out in hives when given that red popsicle.  Some kids get really irritable with flushed cheeks after those orange colored cheez-its.  Some kids get hyperactive after their antibiotics are dosed.  Did you notice the medicine was pink? We in America will add color to almost anything.  I saw pickle relish dyed purple.  WHY would anyone want to do that?  Or eat that?  But I guess it is ‘fun.’   It’s not fun if you break out in hives or excema or you just feel lousy.  Plus, food dyes are being linked to cancer.  Of course, you may have to eat a lot of dyes to get cancer, but then again, we eat a lot of foods with food dyes.  Did you know that those same food dyes are banned from children’s foods in Europe and Great Britain because of the research on food dyes and behavior?  Did you know that major food manufacturers in the United States make foods without those dyes to ship to Europe and Great Britain, yet still add it the foods they sell here?  Makes me crazy.

I went out to buy all-natural organic food dyes, but they were exhorbitantly expensive.  We went home and made red dye from beet juice.  I am working on some other colors.  I occasionally let the kid and company indulge in sprinkles on cupcakes, but not much.  Food dyes scare me.  I may start a business of making and selling natural food dyes.  Color is fun, but cancer is not. 

Here is an article from Allergy Kids.

http://www.allergykids.com/blog/seeing-red/

PLEASE DO NOT CONSIDER THIS MEDICAL ADVICE.  CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT ANY ALLERGY CONCERNS, NOT WITH A FRIENDLY BLOGGER.

Sesame

Sesame seeds look so cute and benign, but The National Institute of Health notes that sesame is a rapidly increasing allergy in children. This is thought to be due to its increased presence in the American diet.  It is most often identified in children under the age of 2.  The first symptom is often an anaphylactic reaction such as hives and swelling.  It is thought that about 20% of these children will outgrow this allergy by preschool. 

Children with peanut or tree nut allergies are also likely to be sensitive to sesame. 

Sesame can make a parent super vigilant because the cute little buggers can be sprinkled everywhere.  Sesame seeds are sprinkled on bagels, sushi, and hamburger buns.  Sesame is also the base for tahini and therefore in hummus and falafel. Granola, crackers, and many breads have sesame seeds.  Indian curries (both powders and paste) may also have sesame.  Some kids will break out in hives if they have been kissed by someone who has recently eaten anything with Sesame. 

Sesame oil is considered a great flavor to add to stir fries and other Asian cooking. It can also be used in making lipsticks and other cosmetics. 

In Canada and the European Union, sesame is considered a major allergen and must be noted on food products. Yay for Canada and Europe.

Here is a nice article and list of sources of sesame.

http://www.livingwithout.com/issues/4_8/sesame_seed_allergy-2025-1.html

 PLEASE DO NOT CONSIDER THIS MEDICAL ADVICE.  CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT ANY ALLERGY CONCERNS, NOT WITH A FRIENDLY BLOGGER.

 

Fish and Shellfish

Fish

There are a lot of fish in the ocean and people who are allergic to fish are usually not allergic to all of them.  However, it takes specific allergy testing, fish by fish, to figure out which specific fish is a problem. Many people who have a fish allergy just avoid all of them.  Fish allergies are up there with peanuts for the high rate of anaphylactic reactions. 

People think fish are obvious (and they usually are), but fish can ‘hide’ as well.  Watch out for anchovy paste, fish sauces and fish broths.  And who would have known that you could find fish gelatin in marshmallows. 

Oddly enough, people who are allergic to fish are generally not cross-reactive with shellfish. 

Here’s a little article on fish allergies and sources of fish.

http://www.acaai.org/allergist/allergies/Types/food-allergies/types/Pages/fish-allergy.aspx

 

Shellfish

Shellfish allergies send more people to the emergency room each year than any other allergy.  It can make you re-think that shrimp platter for your party.  Shellfish refers to the shrimp, crab and lobster, as well as octopus and squid (who knew? no shell).  Some people may be allergic to clams, mollusks, and oysters.  Shellfish allergies usually develop after early childhood and are not “outgrown.”  Shellfish are usually pretty obvious on the table, but can hide in sushi or sauces.  Some people are also sensitive to vapors when shellfish are cooking or to cross contamination on cooking spoons.

Here is a nice little article on shellfish and sensitivities.

http://www.projectallergy.com/medical-information/allergy-medical-information/shellfish-allergy-avoidance.cfm

 

PLEASE DO NOT CONSIDER THIS MEDICAL ADVICE.  CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT ANY ALLERGY CONCERNS, NOT WITH A FRIENDLY BLOGGER.

Soy

Soy, always touted as a healthy food, is also a major allergen.  Like peanuts, it is a legume.  And like peanuts, soy is in obvious places such as soy sauce, but is also hidden in other foods.  Even more than peanuts, soy is a major ingredient in many processed. foods.  So there is “obvious soy” such as tofu, edamame, soy sauce and soy milk.  Then there is less obvious soy. Soy is an “agent” in many other foods.  Who knew that soy would be in just about all chocolate and also in your tea bags.  Soy lecithin is an emulsifier.  Its keeps processed food blended well.  When soy lecithin is an ingredient, there is very little soy in product, usually less than one percent.  However, it is there and it has to be listed.  You can find chocolate and tea bags (and other stuff) without soy lecithin, but you have to look. In addition to working as an emulsifier to keep ingredients from separating, soy lecithin can be found in cake mixes to smooth out the dough and make it spread more easily. In baking, it can help dough rise.    Soy is in a lot of infant formula.  It is a problem for people sensitive to soy.  Some people are also concerned that the genetically modified soy is contributing to other allergies (see peanuts).

Here is a cheat sheet on Soy Allergies from the Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital.

http://www.lpch.org/DiseaseHealthInfo/HealthLibrary/allergy/soy.html

PLEASE DO NOT CONSIDER THIS MEDICAL ADVICE.  CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT ANY ALLERGY CONCERNS, NOT WITH A FRIENDLY BLOGGER.

Tree Nuts

Tree nuts include almonds, pine nuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, hazelnuts, chestnuts, cashews, brazil nuts, pistachios, lichee nuts and walnuts.  Tree nut allergies are very common and tend to persist into adulthood. 

A tree nut allergy means “no nuts.”  These nuts are all biologically related so if a person is allergic to one, they may react to any of the others.

Tree nuts are not related to peanuts.  Peanuts are a legume.  Tree nuts are a hard fruit of a tree. So a person who cannot have peanuts, may be able to have tree nuts and vice versa. However, many people with a tree nut allergy also have a peanut allergy.

Sunflower seeds are seeds, not nuts, so you are good there unless there is cross contamination.  There is only the rare allergy to sunflower seeds, but parents should keep you posted.  

Nutmeg is not made from nuts, so it is ok. 

Water chestnuts are also not nuts (as noted by the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxsis Network). 

 Coconut is listed by the FDA as a tree nut, however coconut allergies are extremely rare.  The coconut is not considered a “tree nut” in most of the “allergy circles.”  Some of the big Food Allergy sites are trying to get the coconut off the nut list because it confuses people.

Tree nuts can be found in nougats, nut butters, granola bars, cereals, pesto, marinades, and some lotions (think shea butter from the shea nut).

Here is the tree nut allergy avoidance list.

http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/resourcespre.php?id=60

PLEASE DO NOT CONSIDER THIS MEDICAL ADVICE.  CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT ANY ALLERGY CONCERNS, NOT WITH A FRIENDLY BLOGGER.

 

Peanuts

Peanuts, like soy, are legumes (which is different from nuts and beans).  Peanut allergies have increased dramatically in the last ten years. According to the Mayo Clinic, peanut allergies are one of the most common causes of food-induced anaphylactic reactions.  Anaphylaxis can result in constriction of the airways and a drop in blood pressure.  It can require immediate treatment with Epinephrine-hence the Epi Pen’s presence for some families. 

People with peanut allergies have to be very cautious.  Some people react to foods that have touched peanuts.  Cross contamination is a big concern as food manufacturers will process peanuts in their plants along with seemingly innocent foods.  Many schools are opting to be “peanut free” to avoid possible reactions.  For families who do not have a peanut allergy, this can seem unreasonable.  For families where there is a severe peanut allergy, it hardly feels like enough.

Peanuts and peanut butter seem pretty obvious when you think peanut.  Peanuts are also common in candy bars as well as in marinades used in restaurants.  Ethnic foods, such as Asian and African foods, can contain peanuts or ground peanuts.

Here is a cheat sheet for sources of peanuts.

http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/resourcespre.php?id=62

PLEASE DO NOT CONSIDER THIS MEDICAL ADVICE.  CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT ANY ALLERGY CONCERNS, NOT WITH A FRIENDLY BLOGGER.

 

Egg

Egg allergies are more common in young children.  This is the second most common food allergy in children.  Children can grow out of this allergy (often by age 5), but it quite serious while it is present. Egg allergies can persist into adulthood. There are four proteins in the egg white and one protein in the yolk.  An egg allergy can be to any or all of these proteins.  If it is specific to one protein in the egg yolk, then egg whites may be ok.  Similarly, some people can have yolks, but not egg white.  With small children, few people mess around and experiment.  They just take eggs out of the diet.  There go eggs, custards, many baked goods, eggnog, several pastas and pretty much anything with egg.  Some breads and pretzels have an egg wash coating them.  Vaccines also have to be considered carefully as egg protein is used in many vaccines, including the flu vaccine.  In addition to an egg allergy, some people have a histamine response to egg white.  This can result in gut discomfort, but can also reach an reaction that is similar to anaphylaxsis. 

There are several good ‘egg replacers’ so that you can continue to bake without eggs.  We use a banana in our (gluten-free) pancake mix.  Apple sauce works in some cake recipes.  There is also Ener-G egg replacer.  It is made from several starches, but is also gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, etc.  There is also xantham gum.  It’s a little expensive, but you also only use a teaspoon at a time, so a little goes a long way.  I looked up xantham gum.  It’s made from that slime you see growing on old broccoli in your fridge.  Not exactly an appetizing thought, but it looks like a benign white powder and its gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free etc. 

The Kids with Food Allergies site has a list of hidden sources of eggs.

http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/resourcespre.php?id=36&title=Egg_allergy_avoidance_list&gclid=CMa7n4btk7YCFdE-MgodQW0ASQ

PLEASE DO NOT CONSIDER THIS MEDICAL ADVICE.  CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT ANY ALLERGY CONCERNS, NOT WITH A FRIENDLY BLOGGER.

 

Dairy

Dairy is now the number one food allergy.  There are dairy allergies and also the more commonly known lactose intolerance.  These are two different things.  The dairy allergy is usually to the protein in the diary.  The lactose intolerance is due to an inability to break down a sugar in the milk.  People with lactose intolerance can often tolerate some dairy.  Dairy allergies or sensitivities usually require elimination of all dairy.  Some people conclude they must avoid milk and are surprised to find they must also avoid yogurt, cheese, ice cream, sour cream, and BUTTER.  There go the cream based soups, mashed potatoes, baked goods with dairy, and so many desserts.  The not-so-obvious sources of dairy include curds, whey, rennet, and casein (a milk protein).   Any substances with “casein” in the word or “lacto-“ as a prefix likely also need to be avoided.   Some dark chocolate is dairy-free, but milk chocolate is obviously not.  Dairy can show up in weird places like tuna (processed with a casein derivative), caramel, mints, soap, broths, medications, and some artificial sweeteners. 

Some people who are sensitive to cow’s milk, can tolerate goat’s milk. That protein is easier to digest.  People with a true milk allergy  may not be able to have any milk. 

The Kids with Food Allergies website has a comprehensive list of things you need to avoid when trying to avoid dairy. 

http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/resourcespre.php?id=37&title=Milk_allergy_avoidance_list&gclid=CL7Z7Yjlk7YCFY1aMgodGxQAoA

Because of the high rate of dairy allergies and sensitivities, alternatives are available. We use Earth Balance Coconut Spread because it does not contain soy either.  It works really well as a butter alternative.  All the kids like it.

PLEASE DO NOT CONSIDER THIS MEDICAL ADVICE.  CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT ANY ALLERGY CONCERNS, NOT WITH A FRIENDLY BLOGGER.

 

Wheat and Gluten

Wheat (and gluten)

PLEASE DO NOT CONSIDER THIS MEDICAL ADVICE.  CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT ANY ALLERGY CONCERNS, NOT WITH A FRIENDLY BLOGGER.

Wheat allergies are not uncommon in children.  A wheat allergy can result in hives, rashes, breathing problems, watery eyes, stomach problems and even anaphylaxsis (a reaction that can include throat swelling and other complications that can lead to death), thus a wheat allergy is treated like any other allergy.  Avoid wheat and be ready to treat if there is an exposure.

Another big problem with wheat is the skyrocketing number of people with gluten sensitivities.  Gluten is the protein in wheat, barley, and rye.  People with celiac disease are unable to digest gluten and need to avoid all foods with gluten. Some people have a gluten intolerance or sensitivity for other reasons (such as overgrowth of intestinal yeast).  Gluten can cause both physical and behavioral changes in these people.  Some kids have seizures with gluten exposure.

Gluten was not in the common man’s vocabulary twenty years ago.  But now we can marvel at the products labeled gluten free (“Look honey!  Milk is gluten free!”).  Other products are labeled “wheat free,” but remember that this is not the same as gluten free.  The food could still contain rye or barley.  Also know that wheat can be a common “cross contaminant.”  Wheat flour is used to keep foods from sticking, thus it has been used to dust conveyor belts that process other foods (such as rice at times).  It is also used to keep frozen French fries from sticking together. Thus, even though potatoes do not have gluten, frozen French fries or fast food fries probably do.  Wheat is also in soy sauce and soy sauce is in lots of other sauces, dressing, and marinades (we do not think of wheat as being in liquids, but there it is).  Wheat hides as “starch,” “natural flavoring,” and “hydrolyzed vegetable protein” to name just a few.  Gluten is also in art supplies, play dough and glue (gluten is where glue got its name). 

There is a lot written on hidden sources of gluten.  We can be thankful that “gluten-free” labels are increasingly common.  Magazines, such as Living Without, have pull-out ‘cheat sheets’ to help you check those strange ingredients, such as ‘textured vegetable protein’ (yep, that is often gluten).  Because of increasing number of gluten sensitivities, you get a lot of help spotting gluten. Many restaurant menus also mark their gluten-free items. 

The Kids with Food Allergies website also has a quick ‘cheat sheet’ for wheat (though this does not give you all the possible sources of gluten)

http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/resourcespre.php?id=52

The WebMD site has a list of hidden sources of gluten.

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/hidden-sources-of-gluten

 

The Eight Major Food Allergens (and some others)

This blog is mostly about partying on despite food allergies. My kid loves ‘party food’ and has had to eliminate several major foods from her diet.  I want to educate the world about how to entertain those who have food allergies or sensitivities so I do not have to send “safe” party food to every event she attends.  Along with tips for entertaining, a little education might be helpful.  This is one of those educational entries.  PLEASE DO NOT CONSIDER THIS MEDICAL ADVICE.  CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT ANY ALLERGY CONCERNS, NOT WITH A FRIENDLY BLOGGER.

There are eight foods types that are thought to be responsible for 90% of allergic reactions.  These eight are WHEAT, DAIRY, SOY, EGGS, TREE NUTS, PEANUTS, FISH, and SHELLFISH.  The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires that food manufacturers list the eight major food allergens if they are present in the food being produced.  These ingredients must be listed in simple English and are often in bold at the end of the ingredient list.  This allows for quick and easy checking of these eight.  This is important because certain allergens will show up where we least expect it.    We got two bars of specialty soaps from different friends at Christmas-both had soy in them. We can find dairy-free dark chocolate, but chocolate without soy lecithin is much harder to come by.   There is a fish gelatin in the marshmallows we use.  We do not have to avoid fish, but others do, so I keep it in mind.  We are hunting for a different marshmallow now. 

Also important to know - manufacturers are not required to list possible cross contamination. This means that if the allergen is not supposed to be in the food, but may have snuck in from another conveyor belt, the manufacturer does not have to say so.   Some do put warnings after the ingredient list-“this product produced in a plant that also processes peanuts”.  However, not all manufacturers do, so parents have to know the severity of the allergy (which parents often find out all too quickly) and make calls to manufacturers if necessary.  People with severe food allergies may politely grill the host of any party before they put anything in their mouth or their child’s mouth. Be understanding, as a severe allergic reaction puts a damper on your party.   

If an allergy or sensitivity is not one of the big eight, you have to become a very informed consumer. Some things, like strawberries, do not often “hide” in foods.  Other ingredients can be more elusive. For example, corn is a ubiquitous ingredient hiding under a variety of labels. Corn is not considered a major allergen, but some people are finding they are sensitive to it.  Corn is everywhere.   Not only is high fructose corn syrup in many sweet foods, corn meal is often under your frozen pizza.  And did you know that corn starch is the base for most baking powder?  Corn starch is also mixed with powdered sugar (check the label, it’s listed if it is).   So if a baked good lists baking powder, then likely there is corn in it.  If there is icing, there is likely corn syrup and corn starch in it.  Worse, many obscure indredients (such as citric acid or vitamin E) are typically ‘derived from corn”.    This can cause reactions in some very allergic people  Even corn-fed beef is a problem.  Corn is tough.  The more research we did, the more evident it became that we could not reliably help people spot ‘hidden corn.’  We will have to simply educate people about the problem.

Sesame is the fasted growing allergen in the country. The scientists are speculating it is because we are consuming so much more of it. Sesame reactions, like peanut reactions, can be huge, so parents of kids with sesame allergies are pretty cautious. And those little sesame seeds are sprinkled everywhere it seems. We are off sesame at our house due to a sensitivity.  So even the gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free stuff has to be scoured for sesame.  We have to ask to have sushi made without the sesame seeds.  The poor guys are so used to sprinkling in the sesame that they often have to re-make it twice because they tossed it in again.

Then there are the strange ingredients that we eat without really knowing what they are.  We see maltodextrin in lots of processed foods.  If you do not have food allergies or sensitivities, you do not give it much thought.  However, for people entering this new world of food allergies, your curiousity is immediately peaked. Suddenly, you are holding a treat your child wants and googling maltodextrin on your smart phone.  You will find it is usually derived from corn, sometimes from wheat.  You make a decision from there.  Often it is to find a treat without maltodextrin.  When you realize there is corn starch in your child’s hair gel, you start to feel like you are fighting a losing battle.  But you are not. You are learning.  Soon you take very little for granted and you start to count your blessings.  You understand food better.  It’s hard in this land of plenty to fully appreciate how important that is. 

I will talk a little  more in depth about the major allergens, but decided to put them in their own posts. 

Staples to have on hand

Maybe its the Southern girl in me, but it would torture me to have company drop in and not have something to feed them. 

With kids, you never know when “company” might stop in and suddenly become very hungry.  If you know the child well, you will likely have the right stuff on hand.  But when a child starts a new school, a new camp, a new sport or any new event, there may be new friends. A younger child will certainly be dropped off with “instructions” and a snack of their own if there are significant needs.  An older child will be able to advocate for herself.  Still, it is nice to have something to offer. If several kids are over on a snowy day and they want hot chocolate, it’s nice to have something for the child who cannot have dairy.  It’s as easy to whip up homemade hot chocolate (milk, cocoa, sweetener) as it is to pull out some mix with lots of artificial ingredients. 

If you have a few stand-by replacement foods, you can whip up an alternative drink with coconut  or rice milk instead of dairy.  Shelf stable things just to keep on hand:

Coconut milk in the wax container will keep a long time.  Get plain(no added sugar) because it can be used in cooking.  We use:

Rice Milk is also a safe alternative.  Get it in a shelf safe container.  Get plain because it can be used in cooking.

Apple Sauce-check your ingredients for soy lecithin or other additives.  If you do not eat much of this routinely, get the individual servings to use as needed.  Apple sauce can be used as an egg replacer in some cooking, so those individual servings are handy then as well.

 Rice crackers-really really PLAIN rice crackers without sesame.  Oddly enough, Sesmark makes these.

Potato chips or Terra Chips can be pretty clean.  Go for regular, not flavored, as flavoring can include dairy, sesame or other additives.  Check for soybean oil or corn oil.

Salsa-unlike ranch dip, there is little chance of dairy.

Enjoy Life Products-this company excludes all major food allergens (and others like sesame) from their products, so you are good to go with them barring some really obscure allergy or corn (removing all traces of corn is really difficult in the U.S.  We derive a lot of processed food additives from corn.).

 

Gluten Free Rice Chex-the company makes gluten free versions that taste identical to the ones with malt, but check to make sure you have the right one.

Gluten Free Rice Krispies

Cocoa is usually just that, cocoa and nothing else.  Have some on hand to make home-made hot chocolate. 

Dried fruit-it keeps a long time, but check ingredients again to look for hidden stuff.

 Not so shelf stable, but always good are apples, bananas, oranges, avocados, carrot sticks and other natural whole foods.   Everybody should be eating fruits and veggies as snacks, so shelf-stable should not be a concern.  Serve it that week.

In the beginning . . .

 

It all started with gluten (it always seems to start with gluten).  In case you don’t know (and some lucky people do not), gluten is the protein in wheat, barley and rye. About 15 years ago, I ran into a colleague who detailed some mysterious and severe health problems that turned out to be gluten intolerance.  I listened and remembered the name, but didn’t think much of it.  It was a rare illness; no need to keep track; just be sympathetic.  Then another colleague went down with a gluten intolerance,  then another. I mean they were SICK.  Unable to work much and stumping doctors for close to a year before each was given the diagnosis.  Then they eleminated gluten and they were fine.  I tried to accommodate these friends and let them pick restaurants when we went out, but it did not have that much impact on my life (except I got to hog the bread basket).

But when my daughter, Tessa, was about seven years old, I began thinking that I should plan differently for entertaining.  She was at a friend’s (Alexa) birthday party .  The birthday girl’s best friend (Ivy) was there.  Alexa and Ivy were tight and spent a lot of time together.  I had mentioned to Alexa’s mom that we were thinking of doing a gluten-free trial at our house, but did not know how hard that would be for playdates-no cookies, crackers, pretzels, cereal, mac and cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches, pizza, etc.  What would a mother do when presented with a playmate who could not have wheat products (or barley or rye) or the foods with hidden wheat (think soy sauce)?  Alexa’s mother had said it was not a problem for her.  She was used to it.  Ivy had celiac disease and could not digest gluten.  She was used to serving edamame, rice crackers, fruit, popcorn.  There were lots of alternatives. 

So I felt better as I watched the party.  Maybe we could do this.   Maybe other mothers would not find it too challenging when presented with a little visitor who had significant food restrictions.  The snacks at the party included a tray of fruit, some veggies with dip, potato chips, cookies and punch.  Ivy knew to avoid the cookies.  Then it was time for cake.  All the kids sang with gusto, gathered around the cake glowing with candles.  The cake was then cut and passed around.  Ivy sat cheerfully with a few strawberries on her plate.  She did not seem to mind.  Really, she had celiac disease.  The cake would make her feel sick, so it did not seem like a hard choice for her.  It would have been different for my daughter.  Tessa did not have celiac disease, but a trial had been recommended for some other health reasons.  She did not feel sick when she ate gluten.  Foregoing the cake at a party would have been tough.  Tess is an emotionally intense person and she loves ALL foods.  Broccoli is a favorite, but she is never one to pass up dessert either.  At seven, she would not have been able to sit cheerfully and watch everyone else eat cake.  She might get used to it, but she would have felt left out.  And frankly, I was surprised.  Alexa and Ivy were close friends.  They saw each other practically daily.  I was surprised that Alexa’s mother had not found a gluten-free cake or at least one gluten-free cupcake for Ivy. What child likes to be left out of the central event at a birthday party? 

We did our gluten-free trial.  It was helpful in some ways, but not a clear benefit.  We ended up being gluten-free just during high stress times of the year, such as the start of school.  When we were gluten-free, I sent snacks on playdates.  Tess entered the house with big bag of popcorn, gluten-free cookies, or some other treat.  I did not restrict her at parties and I did not give much thought to parties till she went to middle school. 

She and I were invited to a small mother-daughter jewelry party with some girls she had recently met at her new school.  At the party, I met Hannah and her mom.  Hannah was allergic to milk, eggs and nuts, as was her mother.  They were great, down-to-earth people.  As I stared at the lovely buffet, I saw that there was little they could eat.  The cheese and crackers, the cookies, the cake, the muffins were all things that could contain milk or eggs or nuts.  There were some fruits and vegetables that were safe, but not the dips.  Neither Hannah nor her mother seemed to mind. They were obviously used to this.  These were food allergies.  An anaphylactic reaction made a stomach ache look like a walk in the park.  The hostess could not have known.  The girls had all just recently met.  But still, I made a mental note.  For the rest of the school year, if foods were requested for in-class parties, I made sure to send something Hannah could eat.  I even asked her one day what was a quick and easy treat for her at parties.  She said Oreos.  Sure enough - no dairy, eggs or nuts in Oreos. 

And then it happened to us.  Tess had continued to have some health issues.  More lab tests.  The new specialist said she showed problems with gluten, dairy, eggs and sesame (sesame, what’s with that?).  He suggested (kind of insisted) we go big.  The dietary regime started as a modified “paleo” diet- no grains, beans, nuts, dairy, eggs, soy,  and, of course. no sesame.  We ate like cavemen.  No grains meant no grains at all.  There went all the gluten grains, but also corn, rice, oats, quinoa, millet, and even more obscure stuff.  The kid could have meat, most veggies, high fiber fruits, and "good fats" (coconut oil, avocado). 

Quite frankly, this used up the last of my brain cells, but Tess and I had some goals so we persisted. And she got better.  Much better, noticeably better to many people she knew. 

We stuck with paleo for 8 weeks.  Then we were allowed to add in foods that had not marked as particularly sensitive.  I asked her what she wanted to add first, she said, “Corn!!”  Why corn, “because I want some popcorn.”  Corn went back in with no problems, as did rice, nuts, night shades, and sweeteners (not artificial, but all the others).  Soy did not fair well.  Soy went back in and the kid’s eyes could not scan smoothly, so out it went.  We ended up on a gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free, sesame-free diet.  Hannah had it easy compared to us (though we could have nuts). 

Tess had to toughen up.  If she went to parties, it was likely she would not be able to eat anything (soy lecithin hides in many processed foods).  The kid is not tough that way.  She LOVES food, all sorts of foods.  She loves healthy foods and had no trouble eating such a healthy diet, but she also loved to try new foods.  She did not eat a lot of sweets, but also did not like to skip a goodie that all her friends were eating.  And she was not particularly gracious at those moments.  Try has she might, she would pout.  On the new diet, she seemed somewhat less likely to pout.  Irritability was down.  But still, she was 12.  Who wants to go to a party and watch everyone else eat the goodies.  Party food is part of the party. 

Soon I had simply skipped two parties we were invited to.  They were pot-luck affairs with everyone e-mailing their RSVP’s along with the dish they were making.  It was apparent that if we went, we would only be able to eat what we had brought.  That takes the fun out of a pot luck.  When Tess was invited to her first party since the beginning of the “regime,” I simply asked the hostess if we could bring some treats.  I knew Hannah would be there with her food allergies.  Another girl was allergic to soy.  Another was vegan.  A tough bunch.  I threw together popcorn balls, allergen-free Muddie Buddies, and some veggie chips.  The hostess mom had also found tortilla chips and guacamole that passed muster.  Pizza, the main dish, was out, but there were fruits and veggies. The hostess went out of her way to buy a few gluten-free cupcakes, but they turned out to have soy in them.  However, overall, it was a success for party food.  I just had to take Tess straight home for some dinner.  Snacks do not fill you up when everyone else is having pizza. 

But an idea also had blossomed.  Tess, who has already run one business, wanted to start a cooking business making allergen-free party foods.  I blanched.  Our house is too small for a cooking business, even if it was only run intermittently.  However, we had developed a bunch recipes to accommodate every possible food allergy in  her middle school.  That was useful information.  I suggested a cookbook.  Tess thought that would be great.

Given all the food allergies and food sensitivities out there, we need some education about good party food that meets the needs of the millennial party-goer. That's what we are here for. Every hostess wants to serve foods her guests can eat.  However, if one guest is deathly allergic to peanuts,  two have celiac, another can’t have eggs or dairy, another is soy sensitive, two are vegan, three are avoiding sugar, and one thinks artificial sweeteners are poison, what is a hostess to do?  We need fun foods that are free of all the various taboo ingredients- well, at least a few fun foods at any party. 

So the kid and I decided to start “Fun and Free Foods” - party foods for the new millennium.  I am in charge of blogging and financing (at least until we get the cookbook published).  Tess is in charge of cooking.  We both work on recipe development. Trust me, food sensitivities are not going away.  Every hostess might as well be ready to entertain whoever comes through the door.