Monday, March 30, 2015


10 Things I've Learned About Birthday Parties and Food Allergies - www.welcomingkitchen.com



When I first learned that my son had food allergies, one of the things that really worried me was birthday parties.

Over the past 12 years, though, I've learned a lot about birthday parties and special diets. Not only does my son have multiple food allergies, but both of my children are vegan, and that can make birthday parties a little complicated for both of them.

Here are 10 things I've learned about birthday parties and food allergies (or other special diets):

1. Birthday parties are about so much more than food. Of course there's cake and lots of times pizza, but the real fun has nothing to do with food. There are games or bowling or laser tag or arts & crafts -- you get the picture. Emphasize the fun, not the food.

2. You don't have to accept every invitation. If the party's not a good fit for you, you can always celebrate your friend separately. When my kids were little, they got invited to some parties at Chuck E. Cheese. Given a dairy allergy, we just figured a place with cheese in its name would cause all of us a bit more stress than we needed. We arranged for a fun playdate at another time to celebrate our buddy.

3. Be sure to bring any medicines your child needs. Epi-pens and inhalers are standard party-going supplies for us! 

4. If your child is younger, you can ask if you can stay. My son wasn't comfortable going to a party by himself when he was younger, so I brought along a book and stayed out of the way until he felt confident enough to navigate food and social situations on his own.

5. Communicate. Make sure that the hosts know about your child's allergies. Let them know you'll be sending an alternative snack. Show your child and the hosts what your snack container looks like and where any rescue medications are stored. Ask your host if she knows what to do in an emergency and if she needs to know how to give an Epi-pen.

6. Follow the Golden Rule. Make sure that you ask your guests when you're the host about any diet issues and provide welcoming options.

7. All things pass. Birthday parties for older kids aren't so formal. It's much more about hanging out with your friends than actual parties, which makes it so much easier.

8. Pack your own safe food. If there's going to be pizza, bring your own slice. If there's going to be cake, bring a cupcake. It's never been a big deal for our kids to bring their own treats if the cake's not safe.

9. Share a recipe if your friends are looking to make something safe. Make sure they understand about the need to prevent cross-contamination, too.

10. Say "Thank you." It takes a village to keep our kids safe, and we should never take the extra effort for granted. I am so incredibly fortunate to live in a community who care as much about my children's safety and inclusion as I do.


In case you need a recipe for cupcakes, I have several in Welcoming Kitchen and Super Seeds, and here's a favorite from Kim's Welcoming Kitchen.

Happy Birthday Cupcakes (vegan, gluten-free, food allergy friendly)

Makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:
  • 1 1/2 cups oat flour (gluten-free if needed) )
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup sweet potato puree
  • 1/2 cup canola oil or other neutral oil
  • 1//2 cup applesauce
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Preparation:
  1. Preheat oven to 375.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt and sugar. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, combine sweet potato, canola oil, applesauce and vanilla.
  4. Mix dry ingredients into wet.
  5. Stir apple cider vinegar into batter.
  6. Pour batter into an oiled standard muffin pan .
  7. Bake 15 to 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

Happy Cooking!
Kim


        




      Friday, March 13, 2015

      Traveling with Food Allergies: Tips from Kim's Welcoming Kitchen
      Taking it on the road with food allergies.


      Over the years, new families are dealing with food allergies and others are finding my blog for the first time. I love sharing recipes with my readers, but I also think that it is important to share some of the experience I've gained as a mom with a food-allergic child.

      I am going to launch a series of food allergy posts that will run a couple per month over the next several months. Some are posts that I've written in the past that I hope might find a new audience, and some are new. Over the years, we've had mixed experiences with food challenges, finding the right allergist, traveling, sleep overs, field trips and more. 

      I hope that you will add your experiences through comments on the post or on the Welcoming Kitchen Facebook page. We can all learn together.

      Here is the first post in the series:

      We just got back from a trip across the country.  Two boys, one dog, one mom and one dad.

      When we started on this food allergy journey, I would have been totally freaked out about having to travel with such restrictions.  Seven years later, it's old hat.

      A few tips and tricks I've learned along the way made it a lot easier for us to have a great trip, and maybe they'll help you, too.

      1) Plan, plan and plan (and make lists)!  When you know that you can't just stop at the rest stop and pick up a quick bite, you have to think about what you'll need before hand and get it all ready.  Write it down!  Shop, cook, and use your freezer to spread out the work.

      2) Bring a variety of snacks -- sweet and savory-- and drinks so that you don't have to munch on the same old trail mix for hour after hour.

      3) Take advantage of help when it's available.  

      Traveling with Food Allergies: Tips from Kim's Welcoming Kitchen
      Cookies are a fun treat in the car!



      How do these tips translate into a real-life vacation?

      The first part is obvious.  Write down what foods, drinks and medications you need to make your travel enjoyable and safe.  Then, write down shopping lists divided by store, so that you get all the ingredients you need in one shopping trip.  Make sure you have all the medications you are going to need.  For us, that's not just EpiPens and Benadryl, but allergy medicines and inhalers, too.

      We also pack our own soap and shampoo, even when we're going to a hotel or family member's house that will have them.  When you have a nut or milk allergy, fancy soaps can be dangerous!

      The second part is fun.  Part of the joy of traveling by car is eating stuff you wouldn't normally get to enjoy with such abandon!  For this trip, I baked zucchini muffins and blueberry muffins.  I baked them in papers so they'd travel better, then wrapped them in sets of four in aluminum foil and popped those in freezer-safe bags.  I froze the muffins as I made them, so that I wouldn't have to be overwhelmed with work at the last minute.

      I also baked up a double batch of granola.  I made little sandwiches with Sunbutter and jelly and others with hummus.  I bought some chips and dry cereal and juice boxes.  We had non-dairy milk boxes and coconut waters for the grown-ups.  We had grapes and apples.  We also got squeezable pouches of apple sauce and apple/banana sauce and fruit leathers.

      Each boy got a snack pack, which was his own bag filled with little bags of the snacky-type foods.  That way, they got to have a little control over what they ate and when.  I gave out the muffins in the morning and the sandwiches at lunch time.

      The third part is crucial.  We look for help from hotels that we stay at.  Whenever possible, we choose hotels that have a refrigerator and a microwave when we're going to be there for more than one day.   This does not have to be a big, extravagant hotel.  Last summer we stayed at a Holiday Inn Express with a kitchenette that worked out great.   On this trip, we stayed one night at the beginning of our trip and one night at the end at a little motel near my mother-in-law's and it had fridge.  I could unpack my cooler and the ice pack and re-chill everything while we slept.



      Traveling with Food Allergies: Tips from Kim's Welcoming Kitchen
      Fruit is a safe and readily available snack on the road.

      We ate dinner at my mother-in-law's house.  She was not comfortable buying all the food we would need for dinner, as she doesn't have the experience we have in reading labels.  So, we brought pasta and sauce and cookies with us, and she provided salad and fruit--foods she could feel confident providing.

      Before we left, I emailed my sister-in-law with a short shopping list.  I listed brand names of the basic foods I would need to get my family started when we arrived in Virginia.  This was a life saver.  After traveling for two days, I didn't have to jump in the car again to go grocery shopping.  My boys had Beanadillas (refried beans, Daiya and tortillas) for dinner with fruit and more of the cookies I had baked in Chicago.  Later, we were able to go shopping together, so that we could make meals that would work for everyone.

      That just left the return trip.  Again, my sister-in-law took me shopping and hung out with me while I baked more muffins (zucchini and apple pie) and made more sandwiches.  I also made a Mexican Lasagna for us to take with us to my mother-in-law's on the way back.

      We really had a wonderful vacation, and I can tell you that I didn't worry about food at all.  I have followed these tips for short trips to hotels, car trips, plane travel, and camping. 

      All it takes is being prepared and asking for help.  (Shameless plug--a copy of Welcoming Kitchen also came in handy!)

      Please share any tips you find helpful in the comments.

      Happy Cooking!
      Kim  

      This post was shared with Allergy Free Wednesday.

      My new book,  Super Seeds, is available now! You can also find tasty recipes in Welcoming Kitchen: 200 Delicious Allergen & Gluten-Free Vegan Recipes.

      Tuesday, March 3, 2015

      Vegan Chipotle Coconut Bacon


      Ever since I went vegetarian and then vegan, folks have asked what I missed. You know, "Don't you miss cheese? Bacon? _____ (fill in the blank)?"

      Really, honestly, the answer is no. Especially these days with so many super high-quality substitutes. When I first gave up dairy, I didn't miss cheese too much, but I'm darn glad there is Daiya, and there are some new Vegan Gourmet cheeses coming out that are really good.

      Even though the whole world has been bacon obsessed for the past few years, I haven't really given it a thought.

      However, coconut bacon is making it impossible not to notice this vegan food trend all over the Internet.

      Vegan Chipotle Coconut Bacon



      I wanted to make a version that is Welcoming Kitchen-friendly, that is to say, vegan, gluten-free, and allergen-free.

      I had some left-over chipotle peppers in adobo sauce from some recipes that I'm working on for my new book.  I thought the smokiness of them would be a good fit with a faux bacon. What do you need for a bacon facsimile? Sweet, salty, and smoky. This recipe combines that smokiness with the sweetness of maple syrup and coconut and some salt. 

      Do they taste like bacon?

      Vegan Chipotle Coconut Bacon


      I couldn't really tell you, since I haven't eaten meat in a really long time, but I don't think so. I think they are crunchy, smoky, salty, sweet bites that add flavor to vegetables, salads, or straight out of your hand.

      Give it a try.

      Chipotle Coconut Vegan Bacon
      Makes 1 cup of bacon bits

      Ingredients:
      • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
      • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
      • 1/4 teaspoon salt
      • 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
      • 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
      Preparation:
      1. Preheat oven to 350.
      2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
      3. In a medium bowl mix together all ingredients, except coconut.
      4. Add coconut and stir until completely coated.
      5. Remove pepper and discard.
      6. Bake 12 to 14 minutes.
      7. Eat warm or cooled. 
      8. Store cooled bacon bits in a covered container for four days or freeze for future use.

      Happy Cooking!
      Kim

      This recipe was shared with Gluten-Free Wednesdays and Allergy Free Wednesday.

      My new book,  Super Seeds, is available now! You can also find tasty recipes in Welcoming Kitchen: 200 Delicious Allergen & Gluten-Free Vegan Recipes.