Showing posts with label Who Are We?. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Who Are We?. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 5, 2014


Have you ever had a friend who makes you want to be a better version of yourself?

I have a friend like that. My friend Stacy Snyder, the no-BS mama behind the awesome parenting blog, Parent Unplugged, makes me want to be a braver version of myself. When I see her face life head-on, she makes me want to try new things, too. 

On my road to living life more bravely, I participated in a live storytelling event at Martyrs' in Chicago. This is an incredible music club (and I have been to a whole lot of music venues). They book awesome acts, have a great stage and a really cool vibe. 

Kate Hill, one of the owners of Martyrs' is a creative and community-building force. She and a partner, Dee, have put together a new live storytelling monthly event called Louder Than A Mom. They asked me to tell a story, and I took a deep breath, and worked on one that fit the theme of summer camp or summer vacation.

I thought I'd take a break from food and share it with you. 


Happy Cooking!
Kim

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

Monday, June 20, 2011

Maybe you've seen the stories all over the news media about a new study showing that the rate of food allergies in children is around 8%.  You can read about it on CNN, Forbes, or at the funding source--the Food Allergy Initiative.  This is not particularly surprising to anyone who has spent time in a public school, where one, two or three kids in each classroom might have food allergies.  (In Casey's class, three children have potentially anaphylactic allergies.)

Add to this a recent study conducted in New York that showed that kids at an inner city allergy clinic with stubborn asthma or eczema had a 28% chance of having an undiagnosed food allergy.

What does this mean to most folks?  Well, it means that pretty much everyone knows someone who has a food allergy.  Probably at least a few people. 

And that is why I got started with all of this. 

I want every kid to be able to join in the party, even if that party is just getting together to study over at a friend's house.

If Welcoming Kitchen recipes help folks create meals that are safe for everyone (including those 8% of allergic kids), then I feel that I have accomplished what I set out to do.  Hopefully, they'll help make your kitchen a little sweeter, too.

Happy Cooking!
Kim and Megan

Friday, June 10, 2011



I've been working on the Welcoming Kitchen book for years.  Literally.

I first started writing recipes when my son, Casey, was little (he's now 8) and really cranked out recipes that fit the WK model (allergen-free, gluten-free and vegan) when my younger son, Evan, first started eating solid food.  (He's now 5.)

I tried my hand at self-publishing, but it turns out that I'm a TERRIBLE business person.  I have hundreds of copies of my little, original cookbook in boxes in my back stairs.

Then, I tried to get a publisher on my own.   No dice.

Then, I tried to get an agent.  Jack pot!

She tried to sell Welcoming Kitchen to a publisher.  It took a while.

In the meantime, Megan--my fantastic next-door neighbor--came on board to add some legitimacy to my mom-cook-at-home deal.  Then, our agent got us two assignments to write other cookbooks ... The Everything Organic Cooking for Baby and Toddler Book and The Everything Guide to Cooking for Children With Autism.

Then...Sterling Publishing agreed to publish Welcoming Kitchen!!!!

After a frantic period of cooking, writing, revising and Megan analyzing, the book was at the publisher.  The book was slated for a September 2010 release.  Then it got moved to May.  But... they decided to make it a hardcover.  Then they decided to add a little more color.  Then they gave it the most adorable design ever.

Then they moved the release date to June 7.  Then it got moved to June 14.

I just got the sample copies in the mail this week.  I absolutely love it!  (And, I think you will, too.  And, maybe your mom or your best friend ....)

All the waiting made the project better.  Writing the other books made me a better writer.  Writing the blog helped solidify the voice that I want out there in the world.  Working together for years has made me and Megan a really strong team.  And the book itself is really fantastic for the improvements that the extra time allowed.

We also got the chance to become better acquainted with the gluten-free, allergen-free and vegan communities.  With those new friendships have come new opportunities.  One of the opportunities was to write a guest blog post on the great website, Rockin' Gluten Free.  You can read our guest post here.

We are looking forward to a summer of cooking, writing and talking about the joy that creating a Welcoming Kitchen can provide.

You have our immense gratitude for coming along on this adventure!

Happy Cooking!
Kim and Megan

Saturday, May 28, 2011





As my step-dad would say, my mom has a black belt in parenting.  She is an extraordinary mother. 

So many of the little things that I do with my kids to make them feel special come from her.

Signs all over the house for your birthday (or anything else special).
Favorite foods for celebrations.
Constant "I love yous."
Telling my kids to take a shower, because it will make you feel better.

And...making sure the seeds are out of the watermelon chunks.  My mom served us watermelon all summer long, and she always cut it into chunks and scraped out the seeds.  I thought everyone did this, until I went to other kids' houses and saw that their moms kept the seeds in and the kids spit them out.

My son has been sick for the past couple of days, and I wanted to give him special treats to make him feel better.

Lemonade
His favorite carrot cake muffins (from the book, of course!)
And, of course, watermelon chunks with the seeds removed.

My mom has made me and my sister feel special every day of our lives.  I work hard to make sure my kids know that feeling, too.

(My mom also made sure that we said thank you to those who have been kind to us.  The amazing Amy Green at Simply Sugar and Gluten Free has been so supportive of us that she has our immense gratitude!  Please check out her site and her wonderful cookbook.)

Happy Cooking!
Kim and Megan

Monday, May 23, 2011

It has been crazy busy around here! 

We just found out that the publication date for Welcoming Kitchen: 200 Delicious Allergen and Gluten-free Vegan Recipes is going to be one week later than we thought.  Its release date is now June 14th.  That's publishing for ya!  It's good news for anyone thinking they want to buy our book, though, since that gives you another week to buy it at the very-discounted pre-order price. (It's 33% off!) Just click on the title above to go right to Amazon. 

As I've said before, one of the best parts of this whole journey has been making new friends.  We just found a community that seems like it was just made for us.  See the cute badge on the side of our blog?  It says that we're a vegan, gluten-free blog?  There's a whole community of bloggers who have come together at XGFX.ORG.  Even if you're not vegan or gluten-free, these bloggers have some delicious offerings that happen to be safe if you can't eat wheat, eggs or dairy.

We're so close to having copies of our cutie book in our hands!

Happy Cooking!
Kim and Megan

Tuesday, April 26, 2011




We are so thrilled to announce that it is time!!  Welcoming Kitchen is available for pre-order on Amazon!  This cookbook has been our dream and to see it finally available is so rewarding.  We hope that you enjoy cooking from it as much as we enjoyed writing it.  We are inspired daily by our readers and supporters and are so thankful to have this chance to share our recipes with you!  Hopefully, our recipes will inspire you and allow all your kitchens to be welcoming ;)

Now is the time to order it as they are offering an
amazing discount on our hardcover book!

Be the first to get our newest cookbook with 200 recipes that are safe for
almost everyone you are feeding!

Each recipe is Gluten-Free, Free of the top 8 allergens, Sesame Free, and Vegan!

Happy Cooking!
Kim & Megan


Thursday, April 7, 2011

1in133.org - Support Gluten-Free Food Labeling




As I've written in the past, I had a really tough time when I first tried to grocery shop after learning that my son had multiple food allergies.  Trying to decipher food labels and figure out what might be safe, and what wasn't, was a challenge that left me frightened and, frankly, exhausted.  The federal food allergy labeling law made a huge difference in our lives.  Though not fool-proof, it definitely has made it easier to be an informed shopper.

Our friends and family in the gluten-free community have had no such peace of mind.  The law does not include gluten-containing grains (rye and barley).  With a growing marketplace of "gluten-free" options, how can a consumer have confidence that their food is truly gluten-free?  It is time for that to change.

On May 4, the beginning of the globally recognized Celiac Awareness Month, there will be an event in Washington, D.C. to bring attention to the need for a federally mandated gluten-free standard.  Gluten-free community leaders, Jules Shepard and John Forberger, have created an advocacy effort that includes a petition, letter-writing campaign and the event to bring change to the food-labeling laws.  The name of their effort is 1 in 133 to bring attention to the prevalence of gluten-intolerance. (1 in 133 people in the United States lives with celiac or another gluten-intolerance.) 

Please help 1 in 133 bring about important change in our food labeling laws.

Happy Cooking!
Kim and Megan

Monday, September 13, 2010

I got the nicest email today.  The folks at Nursingschools.net let us know that our Welcoming Kitchen blog was named one of the top 50 Food Allergy Blogs on their website.  They even called us "thoroughly essential."  How's that for fantastic?!   They also listed some other really great websites, so I would encourage anyone dealing with food allergies to check out their list.

Thanks Nursingschools.net!

Happy Cooking!
Kim and Megan

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

I was just looking around on my computer and came across this article on AOL's home page.  I have a lot of interest in asthma and diet, because I feel that changing my diet really improved my life.

I had asthma for most of my life.  I had nasty attacks two or three times a year that required me to take oral steroids.  Every day, I took rescue inhalers and steroid inhalers.  Then I had Casey, and his allergies required me to change my diet.  I had been a vegetarian for years, but I still ate dairy and eggs.  Because I was breastfeeding my food-allergic baby, I had to give up dairy, eggs and nuts.  Although I did it for him, I really benefited. Since I became a vegan (no more cheese, no more eggs), I have not needed a steroid at all.  It's been seven years, and I've run several races, work out regularly and chase after two very active boys.  Now there are lots of reasons that I'm vegan and happy about it, which I'm sure I'll write about in the future, but it all started out of love for Casey and the amazing bonus of good health.

I'm not suggesting that this will help everyone who has asthma, and the article suggests eating fish, which I do not, but maybe someone who reads the article will give dietary change a try and find better health.

I really want to bake something, but it's 90 degrees here again today, so maybe tomorrow.  It's supposed to rain.  Hopefully I'll have a recipe post for you soon!

Happy Cooking!
Kim and Megan

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Today, I had the pleasure of teaching a cooking class at the Whole Foods in River Forest (outside of Chicago).  Because we are smack-dab in the middle of summer, I wanted to show how delicious an al fresco menu could be, while keeping it safe for most everyone.

On the agenda today ... Jerk Portabello Mushrooms (from our upcoming Welcoming Kitchen book), the chickpea and cucumber salad from this blog, and sundaes made with So Delicious coconut milk ice cream and homemade blueberry syrup (also from the WK book).


I had a blast, and I hope the folks who came to the class had a good time, too.  My mom served as my lovely assistant and also took this not-so-great photo.  Lauren White, the concierge at the Whole Foods, made me feel so welcome.  It was really a great day!

Working on the menu also helped me to remember that there are almost limitless possibilities for great meals that help everyone feel welcome.  Even an outdoor kitchen can be a Welcoming Kitchen!

Happy Cooking!
Kim and Megan

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Getting Some Perspective (Food Allergies, Vegan, Gluten-Free) - www.welcomingkitchen.com



Maybe you noticed that we haven't had a new post in a while.  Part of that is due to putting the finishing touches on our Welcoming Kitchen book.  It's due back at the publisher in a few weeks, and it's funny how much work there is to do on a book that I've been working on for four years!

Another reason, though, is that my son has had some medical problems in the last month.  About a month ago, I carelessly fed him a cookie that (unknown to me) contained nuts.  He took one small bite, and then spit it out, but he still had an allergic reaction.  He threw up and the inside of his mouth swelled up.  We are so lucky to live near one of the best children's  hospitals in the country, if not the world.  He was fine, but since this was his first anaphylactic reaction,  it was really scary for all of us. 

Even though I work on recipes that are safe for people with food allergies most days, that doesn't mean that I couldn't get a little lax.  Since the day we found out that our son had food allergies (when he was under a year old), we have been working toward the day when he might outgrow them.  We have protected him by fiercely avoiding contact with his allergens. 

But ... he had seemed so much better.  His numbers had come down.  Other allergy moms who I know weren't as strict as we were.  I certainly would never intentionally expose him to an allergen, but I also let my guard down a little bit.  And we had a rude awakening to the realities of living with food allergy.  It is a serious business.

A month later, we were back at the emergency room.  This time, it was for an asthma attack.  It took several days to get his oxygen levels under control.  It was very scary.  Luckily, he's now doing a lot better, and back to his soccer-loving, brother-wrestling, baseball-playing ways.

The positive thing that I take from this (because I'm always looking for the upside!) is the reminder about what's really important in my life.  It's easy to get lost in the day-to-day routine, and although I always know that I love my kids, I really remember now that I LOVE MY KIDS!  Hopefully, this feeling will last for a while.  Even when they're bickering and I'm tired, or even when the living room floor is covered in Legos and little cars.

It is my hope that our Welcoming Kitchen recipes will be safe for all of our guests to enjoy, but that some day we won't need special protections for my son, because he will have outgrown his allergies.  Until then, though, I'll keep up my guard and get back into Mama Bear mode to keep him safe. 

So, remember, even if you're careful, accidents can happen, so it's so important to stay aware.  (I will, too.)

I will have a post on a different take on gluten-free pasta in the next couple of days.

Happy Cooking!
Kim 

My new book,  Ancient Grains: A Guide to Cooking with Power-Packed Millet, Oats, Spelt, Farro, Sorghum & Teff (Superfoods for Life)
, is available now! Super Seeds, is available now! You can also find tasty recipes in Welcoming Kitchen: 200 Delicious Allergen- & Gluten-Free Vegan Recipes.





Thursday, April 29, 2010

Photo by Julie Han


Hundreds of kids lining up to eat their vegetables?!  Can you believe it?  Yep ... it's true.  How did we accomplish such a feat and throw in a little environmental education to boot?

Make Your Own Pasta Salad!

This year for our school's Family Green Night, I volunteered to do an activity that focused on the environmental impact of your diet.  Since this is an elementary-school, feel-good event, we focused on the positive.

For the education side, we featured information from the Meat Free Monday campaign highlighting how eliminating meat and dairy from your diet one day (or more) a week can significantly reduce your environmental footprint.  We also had a copy of Michael Pollan's Food Rules for folks to flip through.  We had an e-mail sign-up sheet so we could send out links to Meat Free Monday, the Environmental Working Group and their list of most pesticide-laden produce and to Welcoming Kitchen, of course!

The real highlight of the event was a Make Your Own Pasta Salad made up of entirely organic ingredients.  This idea also shows how easy it can be to create an entree that is safe for all of your guests.  We boiled up whole wheat pasta and brown rice pasta (separately, of course).  We tossed each of the pastas with an Italian herb vinaigrette, and let them chill in the refrigerator until it was time for the event.

We then set out a buffet of ingredients.  We had bowls of grated carrots, halved grape tomatoes, defrosted frozen corn and peas, chopped orange peppers, and seeded and diced cucumbers.  We also had raisins, garbanzo beans and edamame.  Folks could choose what they wanted to add to their pasta salad to make it the way they wanted it.  Everyone started with a scoop of the pasta of their choice, and then went to town with the toppings!

It was a huge hit.  I am definitely bringing this idea back for a casual dinner party, because it was fun and delicious.  It also worked for everyone who came through the line.  There were plenty of toppings to suit anyone's needs and restrictions.  Interestingly, the brown rice pasta was the choice of lots of people, whether or not they needed a gluten-free option.

I was so fortunate to have two great ladies helping me out.  This activity would have been a big flop without the awesome help of Karen and Val!

Next time you're in a rut for what to serve a group, think about Make Your Own Pasta Salad.  I think you'll be glad you did.

Happy Cooking!
Kim and Megan

Thursday, April 22, 2010


Wow!  The Gluten-free Cooking Expo was such an amazing experience in so many ways.  We had a fabulous time meeting friends, trying out new products, and selling our books.  The vendor fair was incredible with so many companies and individuals out to make living with allergies easier!  We got a bunch of samples, so we'll have plenty of great Welcoming Kitchen-friendly products to review in the next few weeks.

It was so much fun to be selling and signing our books.  By the end of the weekend, we actually sold out of the books we brought so that was an unexpected surprise!  We talked with hundreds of people who are living gluten-free for a wide range of reasons -- from people living with celiac or food allergies to others who are trying to manage symptoms related to autism spectrum disorder, multiple sclerosis, or arthritis.

We also had a great time visiting with some outstanding folks who are working hard to make the lives of people living with dietary restrictions a little sweeter, sometimes literally!  Jen Cafferty of the Gluten-free Cooking Expo really outdid herself.  I can't even imagine how she was able to pull off such a well-rounded event that catered to over 1,000 people over the course of the weekend.  Kudos to Jen!  We were honored to be a part of it.

Spending time with Rhonda Lewis of AllergySense was also a treat.   We have "met" Rhonda through our website, and they have been amazingly supportive of our Welcoming Kitchen and we are so grateful!   If you haven't checked out their website yet - you should.  It's a wealth of information for people with all sorts of food allergies and restrictions.



One of the true highlights of the weekend was meeting fabulous cookbook author and fellow allergy mom, Cybele Pascal.  She is a true inspiration and we were so happy to get to spend time with her!  It was fun to spend time with someone who is so amazing.  Her encouragement of our efforts and support was remarkable!   Her book, The Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook is chock full of yummy treats.  Can't wait to start baking up her treats...


We also got a chance to visit with Scott Mandell from Enjoy Life.  If you read our blog, you know how much we love our Enjoy Life chocolates!

Coming up next is our review of Doodles Cookies nut-butter cookies.  Until then ...

Happy Cooking!
Kim & Megan

Monday, April 5, 2010

If you live with someone with food allergies or restrictions, you should check out the wonderful, information-packed website, allergysense.com. This site provides a wealth of information and support. They asked me to write a guest blog post for their site, which appears today. Click here to link with their site. As a food-allergy mom, I am grateful that there are wonderful people and businesses out there helping our family to live safely and happily.

Happy Cooking!
Kim

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Substitutions (Food Allergies, Vegan, Gluten-free) - www.welcomingkitchen.com



When my son was first diagnosed with multiple food allergies over six years ago, I started looking for cookbooks to meet our new needs. I was just getting used to the "can't have its" of our new life, and I was looking for something that seemed like a green light. Even though there were some really good resources out there, I still felt that there was a great deal that highlighted what we couldn't have, more than showing us what we could. Because, really, is a cookbook allergy friendly if the recipe calls for nuts, and then the note says "omit the nuts if you have a nut allergy." (Even early on, I could have figured out that adaptation on my own!)

That's why when I started writing Welcoming Kitchen recipes, and I decided that I would stick with what would work for most folks. I decided on bringing cooking down to the lowest common denominator. You can enjoy these recipes as they are, or you can "substitute up" by adding or substituting ingredients that are safe for the crowd you're serving.

For example, if nuts aren't a problem for you, you can add them in to the chocolate chip cookies. If you can tolerate gluten, you can substitute all-purpose flour or white whole wheat flour in the muffins. (Remember, if you're substituting oat flour or wheat flour for gluten-free all-purpose flour, you need to omit the xanthan gum.) So, please enjoy our recipes just as they are, or experiment with changing them up to suit your needs. You can also feel free to ask our help in suggesting alternate ingredients.

We hope that we can help your kitchen become a Welcoming Kitchen, too!

Happy Cooking!
Kim 

Ancient Grains: A Guide to Cooking with Power-Packed Millet, Oats, Spelt, Farro, Sorghum & Teff (Superfoods for Life), is available now! Super Seeds, is available now! You can also find tasty recipes in Welcoming Kitchen: 200 Delicious Allergen- & Gluten-Free Vegan Recipes.




Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Photo by Julie Han

When I started creating a Welcoming Kitchen in my home, I thought that it would be great for my family and for any of our friends or loved ones who came over. This has worked out so well for us. We had 25 guests for a casual Christmas Eve buffet that featured lots of Welcoming Kitchen (allergy-free, gluten-free and vegan)dishes that everyone devoured! We had chili (from our upcoming cookbook), rice, salad, corn muffins, dips, chips and tons of cookies and candies. I have worked hard for several years to come up with delicious and safe foods that I could serve at home. That alone would have been worth the effort. There's so much more to the story, though!

My friends and family have also chosen to serve Welcoming Kitchen dishes when they entertain to ensure that parties and meals are safe for my kids and for other guests. Just this morning, I brought my sons and my nephew to my mom's for breakafast. She made a feast of muffins, fruit and allergy-safe quesadillas for everyone. All three little guys chowed down (as did my mom and me!). Next time that your carnivorous uncle, or lactose-loving friend, or nutty neighbor ask what they can make that will work for you, consider forwarding one of our Welcoming Kitchen recipes to them. They'll see how easy it is to make food that works for everyone.

Happy Cooking!
Kim and Megan

Friday, December 4, 2009

After years of blood tests, my seven-year-old son is eligible for a food challenge. Great news, right? I would have thought that this would have been only a source of excitement for us. I was unprepared for the anxiety that all of us, including my son, feel about it.

For those of you who don't know what a food challenge is, here's a little nutshell explanation. Every year my son gets a blood test to determine the amount of allergy antibodies in his system. When the number falls below 2, he is eligible for a food challenge. In the challenge, he will be given increasing amounts of the food that he has been allergic to (in our case, the challenge will be cows' milk). The challenge happens in the doctor's office in case he has an allergic reaction. If he does, he is still allergic and has to continue avoiding. If he makes it through the challenge with no reaction, he is believed to no longer be allergic. However, if he passes the challenge, he will need to eat a serving of cows' milk (cheese, yogurt, milk, etc.)at least every other week. So, to me it seems like it's not that he's no longer allergic so much as that the allergy has changed, since if you're not allergic, you don't have to follow these same rules.

An allergy to cows' milk is pretty scary since little kids are so messy. We have worried every time kids eat ice cream and drip near him, and we worry that some child will spill his milk at lunch. Passing the food challenge would eliminate those worries. The world would be a lot less dangerous for him. Also, he could eat foods (like crackers) that are made on the same equipment that is used to manufacture foods that contain milk. That would be great.

So, what's there to be anxious about? Well, plenty, actually. The odds are slightly better than 50% that he'll pass. Those aren't the greatest of odds. He's worried that he's going to get sick when he is exposed to his allergen. (Since we've hammered this into his head for years, that's not shocking.) They just don't know enough about how people outgrow allergies to give us better odds than that.

Also, my children and I are vegans. He was very upset at the idea of eating cows' milk. For us, though, his health and safety are our biggest concerns. We have told him that it is up to him if he passes the challenge if he wants to continue being a vegan or if he wants to eat cows' milk. He would have to eat the one serving every other week, though, even if he chooses to remain vegan. We would treat that serving as his "medicine" to keep him healthy.

The nurse practitioner at our allergist's office was amazing. She took lots of time to talk with me about our concerns. She advised us in how best to talk to our boy about the challenge, and she helped us help him make the decision to go ahead and give it a try.

Our appointment is set for the end of January. We're keeping our fingers crossed until then!

Monday, November 9, 2009

Vegan Good Health
Now, I can hike without any medicine.



For a little kid living with the stress of food allergies day in and day out, it can seem like he got a raw deal. Obviously, we struggle with the stress of a potentially life-threatening condition all the time, but for our son, we think that it's important to highlight any positives that have come along with the situation. 

"What positives?" you might ask. (Especially if you're facing a newly discovered or diagnosed health problem in your own household.) Well, we've been able to find a few.

For one, as a nursing mother, I had to give up the same foods that my son was allergic to so as not to contaminate my breastmilk. I went from vegetarian to vegan, and my health improved dramatically. 


I struggled with asthma my whole life. I had at least a couple of episodes every year that required prednisone, and I took a steroid inhaler every day. After changing my diet six years ago, I have not had even one asthma attack. I don't even need an inhaler when I run or work out. Also, even though I had been a vegetarian for 15 years and exercised almost daily, I had crazy-high cholesterol levels. Since I changed my diet, my cholesterol is completely normal. So, I'm able to let my son know that thanks to him, I am much healthier.

Another thing that we tell him that allergies have brought us is a greater sense of compassion for others. We say, "Everyone's got something." Food allergy is our boy's challenge, but for someone else it could be color blindness, or trouble reading, or parents who are getting divorced. When you know everyone's facing their own obstacles, it can make it easier to cut them a little slack.


Because so much in the daily life of someone with food allergies focuses on the negative ... "You can't have that," etc., I consciously choose to approach Welcoming Kitchen from a positive place. I am dedicated to highlighting what you can have, can enjoy, can share. I want to help make your kitchen a Welcoming Kitchen!


Happy Cooking! 

Kim 

My new book,  Ancient Grains: A Guide to Cooking with Power-Packed Millet, Oats, Spelt, Farro, Sorghum & Teff (Superfoods for Life), is available now! Super Seeds, is available now! You can also find tasty recipes in Welcoming Kitchen: 200 Delicious Allergen- & Gluten-Free Vegan Recipes.