Great Resources for Allergy-Free Eating

Finding good resources for something new in your life can be overwhelming. There are so many options out there, so many people who want to be heard and want to share what they know, much like we are doing. In can be hard to know where to find the best information and the widest array of options without chaining yourself to your search engine all day. In today's post we've compiled our favorites. You may have favorites as well, and we encourage you to share them with us in the comment section so that we, and all of our readers, can be even better educated and informed about these allergens.

Websites:

• Bean Mom - No Milk
• Kelly Mom - Breastfeeding/Allergens 
• PETA - Accidentally Vegan 
• Milk Allergy Mom 
• The Fussy Baby Site - Non-Dairy Diet and Breastfeeding 

Books:

• Make It Allergy Free by Michaela C. Jones, C.N.C.
• Allergy-Free Cookbook by Alice Sherwood
• The Happiest Baby on the Block by Harvey Karp, M.D.
• What to Expect The First Year by Heidi Murkoff 

 We hope these help and we will be constant updating you on new resources we discover as time goes on. Also, check out www.amazon.com to purchase these books! 

Eating without Allergens

In this post, we would like to share what a day of eating is like for Leanne. We hope this will give you, the reader, ideas on how to tweak your ever-changing eating habits, and encouragement that there are great options for you!

Breakfast

• 2 Van's Blueberry waffles (gluten, dairy, soy protein, nut, and egg free; may contain soy lecithin), sandwiched together with a generous helping of peanut butter, drizzled with agave nectar or maple syrup. Accompanied by a tall glass of V8 Splash or 100% juice, coffee, water, or coconut milk.
                                                                  or
• Belvita breakfast biscuits (contains wheat and soy lecithin), sliced apple, and a glass of coconut milk.
                                                                  or
• 2 Oatmeal packets (cream/dairy-free), fruit, and a glass of 100% juice.

Lunch 

• Burrito made with lactose-free flour tortilla, black beans (drained), pinto beans (drained), tomato, rice, and turkey or chicken, heated up in the microwave. Accompanied by fruit or veggies on the side, and a glass of water.
                                                                  or
• Turkey sandwich on dairy-free bread (Nature's Own Whole Wheat is one) with mustard, tomato, and lettuce. Accompanied by wheat thins and a glass of water.
                                                                  or
• Peanut butter and jelly sandwich on dairy-free bread, applesauce, and a glass of water. 

Dinner

• Spaghetti with meat marinara sauce, broccoli or mixed veggies, a slice of whole wheat Nature's Own bread, and a glass of water.
                                                                  or
• Pasta tossed with halved grape tomatoes, fresh spinach leaves, minced garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper (warmed together in a saucepan or skillet). Accompanied by a slice of whole wheat Nature's Own bread, and a glass of water.
                                                                  or
• Seasoned baked chicken, with a vegetable medley, a slice of whole wheat Nature's Own bread, and a glass of water.

Dessert

• So Delicious coconut milk ice cream (favorite flavor: Mint Chip)

                                                                          or

• Store-brand butter-less/flavor-less popcorn, mixed immediately with mini marshmallows, raisins, and brown sugar = dessert popcorn! (The marshmallows get warm and puffy like they do with a campfire!)

 So as you can see, there are options, but these are just a few. There are endless possibilities to be had! In the coming weeks it is going to be even more fun to explore these options together, as Leanne starts experimenting baking with flaxseed, different flours and oils, and egg replacers. We are looking forward to sharing with you the outcome, successes, failures, and tips!

Mix, Cook, Consume.

Today we received in the mail our very first purchase of an allergy-free cookbook! My wife was so excited and couldn't wait to try all the recipes for the items she so misses. We are sharing two recipes with you of items that are hard to find at the store without these common allergens, taken from Make It Allergy Free by Michaela C. Jones, C.N.C.

Cranberry Orange Muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 cups oat flour blend
• 3 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1 cup oat milk (or your milk of choice)
• 1/4 cup grapeseed oil or vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 tsp. egg replacer (prepared for one egg)
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. grated orange peel
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup fresh cranberries, halved
• 1 tbsp. coarse raw sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 12 muffin cups or line with baking cups.

In small bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In medium bowl, beat oat milk, oil, vanilla, and prepared egg replacer.
Stir in orange peel and sugar. Mix well.
Stir in flour mixture just until flour is moistened.
Batter will be slightly lumpy. Fold in cranberries.
Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.
Sprinkle each with raw sugar (optional)

Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove immediately from pan to wire rack to cool.



Crispy Fried Chicken Strips

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup grapeseed oil or vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup baked rice crumbs
• 1 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp ground mustard (found with the seasonings)
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp. egg replacer, mixed with 4 tbsp. water
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into 1 1/2 inch strips, or 3 pounds of boneless, skinless, chicken tenderloins (thawed if frozen)

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until hot.

In medium bowl mix rice crumbs, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
In another bowl mix egg replacer with water. Dip strips in egg replacer then coat with crumb mixture.

Dip strips into hot oil and cook until brown on all sides. Remove from skillet and drain. Repeat until all strips are cooked. Add more oil if necessary. Serve with favorite sauce.

(The cookbook suggests serving these with Dairy Free Cream Gravy as a dipping sauce).


We hope you enjoy these tasty recipes and encourage you to find a allergy-free cookbook at your local library, bookstore, or on www.amazon.com.

Check, please!

My wife and I love to eat out. Our signature date night involved a trip to Olive Garden and the latest movie. Well, Olive Garden consists of Italian cuisine, and Italian cuisine is heavily made up of dairy. You won’t find many dishes on the menu without cheese or milk in them! I mean, can you imagine cheese-less lasagna? Milk-free alfredo sauce? Neither could we. But regardless of the limited choices, we have managed to find some pretty tasty options at almost every restaurant we love to visit. Compiled below is a list of allergen-friendly restaurants that have allergen and ingredient information available, and we’ve also included what dish Leanne has found most compatible with the allergens she is trying to avoid. If the restaurant you’re looking to dine at is not listed here, you can usually find the allergen information on their website. Sometimes it is right out in the open for you to find, and other times it requires some digging. The most common places we have found it are: under the “Menu” tab, the “Frequently Asked Questions” page, or “Nutrition Info” (which is sometimes listed at the very bottom on the web page).

Restaurants with allergen information:

• Olive Garden: Breadsticks with no butter (still very tasty!), salad with no dressing (oil and vinegar could be substituted), and spaghetti with meat sauce. (Keep in mind, meatballs contain egg.)
• BJ’s Restaurant and Brewery: Any burger sans cheese and mayonnaise with a whole wheat bun. A lot of their items can be modified, just speak with their manager.
• Kentucky Fried Chicken: Crispy strips, green beans, corn on the cob, and sweet golden corn.
• Jack in the Box: Breakfast Jack with no egg or cheese (their sausage patty has whey in it), hamburger with no mayonnaise or cheese.
• Wendy’s: Hamburger with no mayonnaise or cheese, baked potato with no butter or sour cream, chili with no cheese or sour cream.
• Burger King: Whopper or Whopper Jr with no cheese or mayonnaise.
• Five Guys Burgers and Fries: Lettuce-wrapped hamburger with no cheese or mayonnaise, fries.
• In-N-Out: Lettuce-wrapped hamburger with no cheese or secret sauce, fries.
• Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches: Any sandwich with no mayonnaise or cheese.
• Papa John’s: Original Hand-tossed crust, no cheese. (It is super yummy!)
• Pizza Hut: Original Hand-tossed crust, no cheese.
• Subway: Any bread without cheese in the title, no mayonnaise, no cheese, no meatballs (remember!).
• Denny’s: English muffin “dry” (no butter) with jelly, hash browns “dry” (surprisingly the lack of butter didn’t leave them flavorless!), sausage links, bacon, fresh fruit bowl

If you are unable to find allergen information, or do not have specific ingredients for a dish marked with milk, egg, or soy, use your smarts. Pasta is usually safe as long as it isn’t stuffed with cheese; just make sure you always get a plain marinara sauce or meat sauce with no parmesan cheese in it or on top.

Some burger buns have milk in them, so be sure to check the ingredients list. If that isn’t available it is best to go without.

A lot of salads are safe, but some vinaigrettes contain cheese.

Most of the French fries at the fast food chains contain beef flavoring that has Soy Protein in it.

Some tortillas contain dairy or lactose. Rubio’s is one of those establishments, and as much as we love to eat there we haven’t found anything on their online allergen menu that Leanne can have, but are going to take a gander soon to see if the manager has any more information that could give us a viable option for her.

IHOP does not disclose their nutritional information as far as allergens are concerned, so if you choose to eat there or are in a situation where you don’t have a choice, I would stick to a fruit bowl and some coffee!

If you think about what you can eat at home, and make a mental list of the top items for each meal you are safe to consume, it makes menu browsing much easier.

Don’t worry, if a lack of restaurants gets you down, there’s always a fruit cup on the menu!