If you grew up eating PB and J every day then it would likely be hard to live my life. Even though it takes some getting used to, life with an allergy is not so terrible.
Considering this is my reality and I don’t know any different, I decided to come up with the following list of the pro’s of having a peanut allergy.
Pro’s
1. Saves money on eating lunch out
2. Not eating desserts at restaurants keeps me slim
3. I don’t feel guilty when I do eat a peanut free cupcake (or 2)
4. An excuse to not kiss people at social events
5. I always have an excuse to not impulse buy the pastries at coffee shops
6. I get to choose the restaurant when I go out with friends
7. A good excuse to leave a classroom
8. Peanut free mars bars
Cons
1. Way too many to list!
Please comment if you think I missed something!
:)
J.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
The ants go marching one by one...
So it’s ant season in Montreal and it seems everyone I know has been dealing with an ant problem. Including myself. I was so happy to have made it to my 3rd summer in our house without a problem. My neighbour kept telling me… just wait, your turn will come, and it did last week. If you don’t know me, or if you don’t know me well I have OCD (undiagnosed by a medical professional, but diagnosed by everyone who does know me well). I don’t do well with untidiness, uncleanliness and BUGS!
I saw the first ant at about 8:45p.m, so we still had 15 minutes to make it to the store to buy ant traps and raid to cover the situation overnight until I called an exterminator in the morning. Well… it seems these little traps have peanut butter in them to attract the ants. The peanut butter is contained in the package, but of course I would not have them in the house. This begs the question, would it be possible that an ant gets some of the peanut butter, marches around with it, spits it out and somehow I touch, AND ingest it? Unlikely… but I just was not comfortable with the idea. We used a raid spray… way too much of it because we were practically suffocating from the artificial flowery smell in emitted. It did do the trick though. The following day the exterminator came and sprayed in and out. I spent a lot more than the $5 traps would have cost, but the ants are officially gone and my house is safe. (I did speak to the exterminator about the ingredients in his spray and whether it's safe in a house with a baby. O.K for both).
Note to allergic people- read labels on EVERYTHING because peanuts, peanut oil and peanut butter can be found in the strangest places.
Have a happy long weekend everyone!
:)
J.
I saw the first ant at about 8:45p.m, so we still had 15 minutes to make it to the store to buy ant traps and raid to cover the situation overnight until I called an exterminator in the morning. Well… it seems these little traps have peanut butter in them to attract the ants. The peanut butter is contained in the package, but of course I would not have them in the house. This begs the question, would it be possible that an ant gets some of the peanut butter, marches around with it, spits it out and somehow I touch, AND ingest it? Unlikely… but I just was not comfortable with the idea. We used a raid spray… way too much of it because we were practically suffocating from the artificial flowery smell in emitted. It did do the trick though. The following day the exterminator came and sprayed in and out. I spent a lot more than the $5 traps would have cost, but the ants are officially gone and my house is safe. (I did speak to the exterminator about the ingredients in his spray and whether it's safe in a house with a baby. O.K for both).
Note to allergic people- read labels on EVERYTHING because peanuts, peanut oil and peanut butter can be found in the strangest places.
Have a happy long weekend everyone!
:)
J.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
The Allergic Mom-Redefined
I recently posted about the boy not having any allergies, however I was slightly premature in publicizing that statement. Two days before his actual birthday he was eating honeydew for the first time and immediately after he developed hives all over his legs. I gave him Benadryl (I highly recommend every parent keeps a bottle for situations like this). Aside from the hives he appeared to be fine, but I trusted my instincts and threw him in the car and off we went to the hospital. They took him in immediately, found that his breathing was compromised, so they hooked him up to wires and gave him meds and we stayed for a few hours until we got the all clear to go home. It could be the honeydew, but it could also be the strawberries he ate during dinner (even though it was his 6th day on strawberries). We will be seeing an allergist soon and hopefully we will figure out exactly what happened and whether this is in fact an allergy. I am just hoping that it was an isolated incident, and that I won’t have to start a new blog titled “The Allergic Boy”!
Since then, we have officially become a honeydew, strawberry and peanut free home. The ER doctor prescribed an Epipen which we carry everywhere we go and we were told to avoid strawberries and honeydew. I spoke with the daycare teacher at length about this, and she seemed to understand the situation (no sharing food, spoons, epipen use etc..).
For obvious reasons, I was not ready to post about this sooner. For so many parents this is their reality, and having to let their child go off to daycare, school, camp, activities, playdates etc, is frightening. It’s one thing to be in this peanut allergy friendly society, but for the kids and adults allergic to eggs, fish, fruits and so on, there are no egg free, fish free or fruit free establishments. Probably because I am so vigilant about my own allergy, avoiding honeydew and strawberries has taken on a whole life of it’s own. While I do think it’s easier to avoid fruits than peanuts, I think it is easier to avoid peanuts than eggs. I am wondering if you were told that you had an allergy, if given a choice, what you would choose to be allergic to? Please share.
:)
J.
Since then, we have officially become a honeydew, strawberry and peanut free home. The ER doctor prescribed an Epipen which we carry everywhere we go and we were told to avoid strawberries and honeydew. I spoke with the daycare teacher at length about this, and she seemed to understand the situation (no sharing food, spoons, epipen use etc..).
For obvious reasons, I was not ready to post about this sooner. For so many parents this is their reality, and having to let their child go off to daycare, school, camp, activities, playdates etc, is frightening. It’s one thing to be in this peanut allergy friendly society, but for the kids and adults allergic to eggs, fish, fruits and so on, there are no egg free, fish free or fruit free establishments. Probably because I am so vigilant about my own allergy, avoiding honeydew and strawberries has taken on a whole life of it’s own. While I do think it’s easier to avoid fruits than peanuts, I think it is easier to avoid peanuts than eggs. I am wondering if you were told that you had an allergy, if given a choice, what you would choose to be allergic to? Please share.
:)
J.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Give It Up!
It’s food allergy awareness week in the USA, and the FAI (Food Allergy Initiative) has a campaign called “Give It Up”. The "Give It Up" campaign encourages children, parents, families and friends to show their support for the millions of people out there with food allergies by abstaining from eating a favorite food during the week.
It’s already Wednesday, so the week is almost over. I challenge all you readers to give up peanuts for the rest of the week. Next week, please comment on how this went, and what steps you took to remove peanuts from your diet.
This is a very informative website that I highly recommend.
http://www.faiusa.org
:)
J.
It’s already Wednesday, so the week is almost over. I challenge all you readers to give up peanuts for the rest of the week. Next week, please comment on how this went, and what steps you took to remove peanuts from your diet.
This is a very informative website that I highly recommend.
http://www.faiusa.org
:)
J.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Happy Birthday to The Boy!
So the boy will be one this week and this has truly been the most fantastic year of my life. I love being a mother and everything that comes with it. My husband and I are lucky to have such a wonderful boy. I have no other children of my own to compare him to, but he is what people call an easy baby. He is happy as can be and so much fun to play with and be around.
Over the course of the past year, My husband and I have changed over 2000 diapers, buckled him in and out of the car at least 1000 times, and given 365 baths, yet it feels like he was born yesterday. Everyone says that time flies and they grow up so fast, but unless you live it, you cannot quite believe it. There are times I would love to rewind to the first few days of his life to re-experience those moments, and times that I would love to fast forward to his twenties just to see what he will be like. I enjoy every second we spend together and words cannot describe how much we love him.
I am most thankful that he was born healthy, and I am grateful that no allergies have presented thus far. As I prepared for his first birthday party today, I couldn’t help but think about all the children with allergies who cannot eat cake at other people’s parties. Having been in that situation many times myself, I know that it never really bothered me too much, probably because I have never been allowed desserts unless my mother made it. I think it’s probably harder for the parent than it is for the child. Now that I am a parent, I can’t imagine being in the position of having to explain to the boy that he can’t have something everyone else is having. It would break my heart. I know there are thousands of mother’s out there who do have to go through this for so many allergies (i.e nuts, eggs, milk, gluten etc…) and I wonder how you do this. Please comment and share your experiences.
For the boy’s party today, I ordered a peanut/nut free cake from TBCY and it tasted delicious and looked adorable in the boy’s hair after he got his hands on it. As requested by my youngest niece, I had also made her favourite chocolate cake, but it didn’t make it to the party because the cake broke on it’s way out of the pan (I ran out of parchment paper!). For his actual birthday (Wednesday), I plan to make my favourite Vanilla flavoured cake, with Vanilla buttercream frosting.
So here are the 2 recipes, and of course both are completely nut free, and the Chocolate one is also dairy free. I have also included my favourite buttercream recipe which works with both cakes but is obviously not dairy free. Just remember to always read the ingredients of the products you are using. Note- Fry’s cocoa for the chocolate cake can be purchased at regular grocery stores and at Costco. The one from Costco has a may contain label and the other does not. I called the company and the one for Costco is made in a different facility which is why it has the may contain label.
Chocolaty Chocolate Cake (Peanut/Nut Free AND Dairy Free)
• 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup baking cocoa
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup Vegetable oil
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 cup boiling water
• 1 c. Hot coffee
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Line two 9 inch pans with parchment paper, grease and flour the pans. (For those who are new to the kitchen, cut parchment paper into circle the size of the pan and then grease the paper and the sides of the pan, this makes it MUCH easier to remove the cake from the pan and prevents the cake from breaking).
Combine the dry ingredients in large bowl, then add the remaining ingredients except for the boiling water. Beat well with an electric mixer or hand mixer for 2 minutes at medium speed. Add the boiling water. The batter will be thin, ignore this. Pour evenly into the two pans.
Bake at 350 F for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool the cakes in the pan completely and then remove the cakes from the pan before frosting(Discard the parchment paper).
Again for those new to the kitchen (you know who you are!)- To frost- put one layer on the actual cake stand you plan to use, frost the top, then put the second layer on top and frost the top and sides using an offset spatula.
Best Ever Vanilla Birthday Cake
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Line two 9 inch pans with parchment paper, grease and flour the pans.
• 3 ¼ cups cake flour (Make sure you use cake flour-it really makes a difference)
• 1tbs. baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 3/4 cups milk
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup unsalted butter (cut into chunks at room temperature)
• 2 cups sugar
Sift flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside in a bowl.
Mix the milk and vanilla in a glass and set aside
With an electric mixer, or a hand mixer, beat the butter for approx 2 minutes until smooth and fluffy. Add the sugar and mix for another 3-4 minutes. Then add the eggs one at a time, ensuring each one is incorporated before adding another.
Add 1/3 of the flour mixture, then 1/3 of the milk mixture. Add another 1/3 flour, and another 1/3 milk, do this until both are finished.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool the cakes in the pan completely and then remove the cakes from the pan before frosting. (Discard the parchment paper)
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
• ½ cup buter (1 stick) at room temperature
• 5 cups Icing Sugar
• 2 tsp Pure Vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp milk
With an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth and fluffy (approx 2 minutes). Add the powdered sugar, vanilla and milk. Continue mixing for approx 1 minute on low speed. If it is not the desired consistency add more sugar (to make it thicker), or more milk (to make it thinner).
This can be made ahead and refrigerated. Take it out at least an hour before use.
:)
J.
Over the course of the past year, My husband and I have changed over 2000 diapers, buckled him in and out of the car at least 1000 times, and given 365 baths, yet it feels like he was born yesterday. Everyone says that time flies and they grow up so fast, but unless you live it, you cannot quite believe it. There are times I would love to rewind to the first few days of his life to re-experience those moments, and times that I would love to fast forward to his twenties just to see what he will be like. I enjoy every second we spend together and words cannot describe how much we love him.
I am most thankful that he was born healthy, and I am grateful that no allergies have presented thus far. As I prepared for his first birthday party today, I couldn’t help but think about all the children with allergies who cannot eat cake at other people’s parties. Having been in that situation many times myself, I know that it never really bothered me too much, probably because I have never been allowed desserts unless my mother made it. I think it’s probably harder for the parent than it is for the child. Now that I am a parent, I can’t imagine being in the position of having to explain to the boy that he can’t have something everyone else is having. It would break my heart. I know there are thousands of mother’s out there who do have to go through this for so many allergies (i.e nuts, eggs, milk, gluten etc…) and I wonder how you do this. Please comment and share your experiences.
For the boy’s party today, I ordered a peanut/nut free cake from TBCY and it tasted delicious and looked adorable in the boy’s hair after he got his hands on it. As requested by my youngest niece, I had also made her favourite chocolate cake, but it didn’t make it to the party because the cake broke on it’s way out of the pan (I ran out of parchment paper!). For his actual birthday (Wednesday), I plan to make my favourite Vanilla flavoured cake, with Vanilla buttercream frosting.
So here are the 2 recipes, and of course both are completely nut free, and the Chocolate one is also dairy free. I have also included my favourite buttercream recipe which works with both cakes but is obviously not dairy free. Just remember to always read the ingredients of the products you are using. Note- Fry’s cocoa for the chocolate cake can be purchased at regular grocery stores and at Costco. The one from Costco has a may contain label and the other does not. I called the company and the one for Costco is made in a different facility which is why it has the may contain label.
Chocolaty Chocolate Cake (Peanut/Nut Free AND Dairy Free)
• 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup baking cocoa
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup Vegetable oil
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 cup boiling water
• 1 c. Hot coffee
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Line two 9 inch pans with parchment paper, grease and flour the pans. (For those who are new to the kitchen, cut parchment paper into circle the size of the pan and then grease the paper and the sides of the pan, this makes it MUCH easier to remove the cake from the pan and prevents the cake from breaking).
Combine the dry ingredients in large bowl, then add the remaining ingredients except for the boiling water. Beat well with an electric mixer or hand mixer for 2 minutes at medium speed. Add the boiling water. The batter will be thin, ignore this. Pour evenly into the two pans.
Bake at 350 F for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool the cakes in the pan completely and then remove the cakes from the pan before frosting(Discard the parchment paper).
Again for those new to the kitchen (you know who you are!)- To frost- put one layer on the actual cake stand you plan to use, frost the top, then put the second layer on top and frost the top and sides using an offset spatula.
Best Ever Vanilla Birthday Cake
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Line two 9 inch pans with parchment paper, grease and flour the pans.
• 3 ¼ cups cake flour (Make sure you use cake flour-it really makes a difference)
• 1tbs. baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 3/4 cups milk
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup unsalted butter (cut into chunks at room temperature)
• 2 cups sugar
Sift flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside in a bowl.
Mix the milk and vanilla in a glass and set aside
With an electric mixer, or a hand mixer, beat the butter for approx 2 minutes until smooth and fluffy. Add the sugar and mix for another 3-4 minutes. Then add the eggs one at a time, ensuring each one is incorporated before adding another.
Add 1/3 of the flour mixture, then 1/3 of the milk mixture. Add another 1/3 flour, and another 1/3 milk, do this until both are finished.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool the cakes in the pan completely and then remove the cakes from the pan before frosting. (Discard the parchment paper)
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
• ½ cup buter (1 stick) at room temperature
• 5 cups Icing Sugar
• 2 tsp Pure Vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp milk
With an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth and fluffy (approx 2 minutes). Add the powdered sugar, vanilla and milk. Continue mixing for approx 1 minute on low speed. If it is not the desired consistency add more sugar (to make it thicker), or more milk (to make it thinner).
This can be made ahead and refrigerated. Take it out at least an hour before use.
:)
J.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
The List
Being allergic to peanuts completely restricts the number of restaurants I can eat at. Every time I eat at a new restaurant it’s like doing a research project. I google the menu, if it appears to have nothing with peanuts, I then call and speak with the manager, explain my situation, and ask him or her to check with the chef on the type of oil and flour they use, ask whether they have any peanut butter or peanut products in their kitchen and inquire whether the bread and desserts are made on site. Even if it is a restaurant I have been to 50 times, I ask the exact same questions every time just to be sure they haven’t changed their recipes, oil, or menu items. FYI, the dessert menu is usually the deal breaker.
When I am lucky enough to find a restaurant that is 100% safe, and the food is good, it goes on my list. Before the boy was born my list was much longer than it is today.
My husband and I love good food. When we lived downtown (the good old days!), we used to go out every weekend. We had our list of safe restaurants, and enjoyed Saturday nights to their fullest. Despite my allergy, my list had some great places to eat. I am fortunate enough to live in a big city full of fantastic restaurants. Since having the boy … our lives have changed! We rarely go out anymore. Many of those restaurants on my list have not seen us in over a year now. I wonder if they remember us?
I love to cook so during the week I have always been one to make a homemade dinner daily. Now that we live in the burbs (hardly, but it’s not downtown) we stay in Saturdays instead of hitting the town, and I usually whip up a nice dinner, we uncork our favorite bottle of red wine and watch PVR’d shows from the week. We are not complete losers, we do go out, but for the times we do go out we are always looking for new ideas . So if anyone knows of any 100% peanut free restaurants, please share!
:)
J.
When I am lucky enough to find a restaurant that is 100% safe, and the food is good, it goes on my list. Before the boy was born my list was much longer than it is today.
My husband and I love good food. When we lived downtown (the good old days!), we used to go out every weekend. We had our list of safe restaurants, and enjoyed Saturday nights to their fullest. Despite my allergy, my list had some great places to eat. I am fortunate enough to live in a big city full of fantastic restaurants. Since having the boy … our lives have changed! We rarely go out anymore. Many of those restaurants on my list have not seen us in over a year now. I wonder if they remember us?
I love to cook so during the week I have always been one to make a homemade dinner daily. Now that we live in the burbs (hardly, but it’s not downtown) we stay in Saturdays instead of hitting the town, and I usually whip up a nice dinner, we uncork our favorite bottle of red wine and watch PVR’d shows from the week. We are not complete losers, we do go out, but for the times we do go out we are always looking for new ideas . So if anyone knows of any 100% peanut free restaurants, please share!
:)
J.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Moving Forward
About 8 years ago headlines were made when Nestle Canada announced that Kit Kat, Aero, Coffee Crisp and Smarties would all be manufactured in a peanut free facility. For several years before that, these chocolate bars all had the “may contain traces of peanuts” disclaimer. Children and adults with a peanut allergy all over Canada where thrilled that these treats would now be safe as there were really no other chocolate bars on the market without the disclaimer. It was only a few months later after they were already manufacturing in a “peanut free” facility that Nestle reneged on this decision and announced the chocolate bars would soon be manufactured back in a facility where peanuts are used and thus the products would again be unsafe for allergic people. People in the allergy world, including myself started writing emails and letters expressing their wish for them to continue using the peanut free facility. Despite the fact that I am not a huge chocolate lover, I still wrote an email on behalf of the thousands of children out there. I remember the email clearly. I highlighted the fact that many of these children may have difficulty understanding the mixed messages Nestle has given around these products, and I stressed that these children may still pick up a familiar chocolate bar months later despite the fact there is a warning because their parents have already told them it’s safe. While I am well aware that it was not just my email that got their attention, it was shortly after that there was a press release stating these products would remain in the peanut free facility. This made us allergic people very happy, but I think it made the mom’s of allergic kids happier.
I really think that Nestle paved the way for other major companies to make changes and now there are many peanut free choices out there. I don’t pack school lunches yet, but from the feedback I hear from my sister who is obviously very allergy aware, she tells me that she prefers to buy the products with the big symbol on the box indicating it’s peanut free for her kids lunch boxes so she knows it’s 100% safe and that she is following the school policy. Despite having the restrictions of only sending peanut free snacks, my nieces can go at least 2 weeks with a different snack everyday. Peanut free Granola bars, breakfast bars, rice cakes, crackers, cookies and ice cream all live in my house right now. As a mom, it’s great to know that there are so many choices available for the boy when he goes to school. It’s changes like these that make me optimistic that more companies will follow and move forward towards becomming peanut free, because us allergic people really do take a risk every time we put food into our mouth.
:)
J.
I really think that Nestle paved the way for other major companies to make changes and now there are many peanut free choices out there. I don’t pack school lunches yet, but from the feedback I hear from my sister who is obviously very allergy aware, she tells me that she prefers to buy the products with the big symbol on the box indicating it’s peanut free for her kids lunch boxes so she knows it’s 100% safe and that she is following the school policy. Despite having the restrictions of only sending peanut free snacks, my nieces can go at least 2 weeks with a different snack everyday. Peanut free Granola bars, breakfast bars, rice cakes, crackers, cookies and ice cream all live in my house right now. As a mom, it’s great to know that there are so many choices available for the boy when he goes to school. It’s changes like these that make me optimistic that more companies will follow and move forward towards becomming peanut free, because us allergic people really do take a risk every time we put food into our mouth.
:)
J.
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