The Saints won the Super Bowl! And while I don’t know too much about Super Bowl winning, MVP Drew Brees, I know he has food allergies. According to Sports Illustrated, his allergies include : Dairy, Wheat, Gluten, Eggs and Nuts. Wow! It may be challenging to keep a three year old with food allergies healthy, being an athlete with food allergies is a whole different story. I would love to know what Drew Brees eats everyday, how he avoids the foods he is allergic to, and what his favorite substitutes are.
As I have mentioned before, Little J loves SoyNut Butter sandwiches. So I have sent him to school with them frequently. One of Little J’s teachers mentioned the other day that some of the parents have been looking for new peanut free alternatives to send their children to school with now that the classrooms are peanut free.
So yesterday I emailed The SoyNut Butter company to see if they could send some samples to me so that I could share them with Little J’s classes. There are about 30 children between the two classes, so I wasn’t sure what they would say. To my surprise, I opened my email this morning to find a response. I am so excited to report that they are sending samples!!
Stay tuned for more of this story. I will let yo all know when I receive the samples…..and what happens when they go to preschool!
If you want to check out the I.M. Healthy SoyNut Butter click here: SoyNut Butter
This recall really bums me out. I love Happy Tot pouches. Well, Little J loves them and so do his friends! And they are so healthy so I love to give them to him for a snack. But for now we will have to stay away (I guess this is why none of us could find them lately)
Little J will be three soon and so he will probably be starting preschool. For me, it’s a mixed feeling kind of thing. Little J is going to love preschool, I just know it! Little J has never had a problem being left with people and usually doesn’t want to go home. So I am happy because he will get to make new friends and have fun experiences. On the other hand, it makes me a bit sad because it will be the end of him staying home with me all day. I enjoy hearing him laugh and “talk” all day. I’m going to miss my little guy.
And then there is the elephant in the room. Little J doesn’t speak much and he has life threatening food allergies. He is going to be in a room with a bunch of little kids who have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches! It makes me a bit nervous, to say the least. So I thought I would find Little J a medical alert bracelet that he could wear to school. That way his teachers will be reminded of his allergies and if anything happens, they will have his food allergies on hand.
My DH, on the other hand, thinks I am being overprotective. He doesn’t want Little J to stick out. I understand not wanting Little J to be the “different” child in the class, but I also think it is important to keep everyone constantly informed. Neither of us wants Little J to have a reaction at school.
Maybe I am being overprotective. But I am just trying to keep Little J safe….what do you think?? Overprotective or safe?
The other day I had a craving for Cracker Jacks. I loved Cracker Jacks as a child….they are kind of a comfort food. But alas, Cracker Jacks have peanuts, and Little J is so allergic to peanuts that I won’t eat them. So I decided to make SPEWD Free Cracker Jacks. No peanuts, still yummy. Little J loves popcorn and he loves raisins so I put the raisins in for him. Check out the recipe here: Mock Cracker Jacks and let me know what you think!
One of my new years resolutions is to eat healthier. So I have been looking for new products in the grocery store. My new favorite breakfast is Fage Yogurt. (not for those of you with dairy allergies) Fage is natural and SO GOOD!! It has a thicker consistency than regular yogurt and it comes with little sides of fruit or honey to put on top. It is soy, peanut, egg, and wheat free and all natural. SO Yummy. (I buy the 2%) check it out here :
http://www.fageusa.com/ Let me know what you think!!
I am always looking for new things that Little J can have, and with the holidays upon us I have seen a lot of gingerbread house kits. None of them has even been close to anything he could make, mainly because they all seem to contain eggs. So I have been searching and finally I found A &J Bakery out of Rhode Island. They sell (and will ship) a gingerbread house kit (complete with decorations) that is free of peanuts, tree nuts, egg, dairy, wheat, gluten, soy and sesame! They sell for $30, which seems a bit steep, but this year is the first year little J is understanding Christmas and I am so excited that we will be able to do this together!
Check out the link here A & J Bakery and send me your pictures if you make one. (I will be posting a picture of our gingerbread house!)
Have you ever traveled to another country and had a hard time explaining your allergies to the people who are serving you at a restaurant? Now there is a website to help you. Allerglobal lets you plug in your allergies and then choose a language. The website then produces a printable allergy card in the language of your choice. It’s really easy and could be lifesaving! Check out Allerglobal here: Allerglobal
I was at Toys R Us the other day with Little J when he saw candy canes….”Candy Mommy! Candy Mommy!” and he pointed to the candy canes. My first response was, “I don’t think you can have those sweetie”. Everything is made in a factory with peanuts, right? Wrong. I looked at the box on the Spangler candy canes and saw this statement “This product does not contain peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, or wheat gluten. It has been manufactured on dedicated equipment.” YEAH Candy Canes for ALL!!!! (there doesn’t appear to be soy in them either.) THANK YOU Spangler!!!
Spangler makes a variety of other candy too (including dum-dums and circus peanuts) that are allergen-safe (some of them have soy..see their website) Check out the website here: Spangler Candy
I hope everyone had a wonderful, safe Thanksgiving. I know we had a wonderful one! Little J ate tons of turkey with cranberry sauce (his favorite). I have a couple of new products to share with all of you, and one bad thing that happened to us. So here goes:
My first new find is only sold at Toys R Us and Babies R Us. It’s Ella’s Kitchen “baby food”! Now, I have to say that I hate the fact that it’s marketed as baby food, but I get it. What these pouches contain is pureed fruit and veggies (that’s all..completely SPEWD Free!). So just don’t tell your kiddos that they are “baby food” and they will never know! Ella’s Kitchen pouches don’t need refrigeration, so they can go anywhere, and they come in a fun pouch (which makes them mess free). Little J loves all the flavors and begs for them! How can you say no to a new way to get your child to eat fruits and veggies? Yummy!! Check them out here: Ella’s Kitchen
My second new find is: Wildwood Organics Pro/Pre- biotic soy yogurt with fiber. If you can eat soy, this yogurt is the best. Little J has digestive issues, like constipation and acid reflux, so I am always looking for natural ways to help. This yogurt really does the job, and he likes it better than any other brand. It comes in lots of yummy flavors….so check it out here: Wildwood Organics By the way the yogurt I bought at my local health food store isn’t on their website yet. I will email them and find out why and get back to all of you.
Now for the bad, Wendy’s. Little J has become sort of a french fry monster. He loves french fries. I try to keep him away from most junk food, but every once in a while I let him have some. This was the case when we decided to take my nephew to Wendy’s before a softball game. I checked online and the french fries at Wendy’s should have been safe. I asked the manager when we got to the Wendy’s just to be sure. But two bites into them, my Little J started having a reaction. Luckily it was mild, but it was enough that I won’t be going back to Wendy’s anytime soon. Be forewarned.\
So I am happy because he will get to make new friends and have fun experiences. On the other hand, it makes me a bit sad because it will be the end of him staying home with me all day. I enjoy hearing him laugh and “talk” all day. I’m going to miss my little guy.