The 413 Mom

Homemade allergy label hack #allergylife

We recently had a wonderful family event at school which ended with cupcakes for all. Except cupcakes for all doesn't usually include my egg-allergic girls unless Mama makes them herself. Any event with baked goods makes my heart race either at the thought of my girls getting into something they shouldn't eat because of unclear labeling or at the thought of them once again sitting idly by watching all of their friends enjoy a cupcake with their own hands empty. If (like what happens at this particular event) the cupcakes are removed from their containers for serving, simply writing "Egg Free" on the container is not going to work. You really need something legible on each individual cupcake. 

So here's my homemade allergy hack. Cupcake flags made from a toothpick and a tiny Post-it flag. You can write your allergy labeling as needed and wrap the sticky portion of the Post-it flag around the top of the toothpick. Voila. Perfectly sized cupcake flags. And with a bajilion colors of Post-its available, you can be sure there is one available to match your frosting. Easy Peasy and no worries for allergy families. Because everyone should be able to eat a cupcake. #allergylife #allergyhack 

Simple Pumpkin Caramel Muffins (3 Ingredients!) #allergylife #cookingwithkids

 

 

 

There's nothing I love more than a quick, easy, and delicious recipe so I was psyched when Goetze's Candy invited me to participate in their 100th anniversary recipe contest featuring their renowned caramel cream candies. I wanted to create something that required minimal ingredients, was sweet but not too bad on the tooth decay scale, and of course it had to be allergy safe. Ta-da! Introducing my quick and easy Pumpkin Caramel Muffins.

 

You only need three simple ingredients: 

 

• One box of cake mix (I used white cake, yellow or spice cake mix also works well)

 

• One 15 ounce can of pumpkin

 

• 12 Goetze caramels

 

 

Instructions: 

 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

 

• Fill a 12 count muffin tray with paper muffin liners. 

 

• In a large bowl combine cake mix and pumpkin. Mix well. 

 

 

• Fill each cupcake liner halfway with batter. 

 

• Add a Goetze caramel to each muffin cup. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Cover each caramel with additional batter. 

 

 

 

• Bake muffins for 25 minutes. 

 

 

• Enjoy!

These make a great weekend treat, are easy to transport to parties, and pack well in lunch boxes. They're not only perfect for Halloween, but are a simple treat throughout pumpkin season. If you pick up canned pumpkin and boxed cake mix when they're on sale (you can easily get each for around $1 or less) it's a bargain recipe as well. 

 

Goetze's Caramel Creams were first introduced in 1918 and they are just as delicious and relevant today as they were then. Still made in American and still nut free (shout out to #allergymoms everywhere). You can find a list of local stores that carry the candies here. Happy Pumpkin Season! 

Breakfast for Dinner (Shrove Tuesday) #krusteaz #shrovetuesday #allergylife

Who's eating pancakes for dinner tomorrow? Shrove Tuesday dinner is one of my favorite meals of the year. (Actually, we do breakfast for dinner like once a week all year long because my love for pancakes knows no bounds -- but Shrove Tuesday makes me feel like we're actually part of something special). 

Shrove Tuesday (in case you were wondering) is also known as Pancake Tuesday and is another way to celebrate Fat Tuesday -- in the traditional sense of using up the butter, fat and eggs in the kitchen before the fasting of Lent begins on the following day -- Ash Wednesday. 

As you know, egg allergy abounds in this household and although I do have a from scratch egg-free pancake recipe perfected -- I've lusted after the simplicity of a delicious, egg-free box mix for a long time now. And I've finally found it!  Kruteaz Complete Buttermilk Pancake Mix is a-ma-zing! Just add water and mix. Delicious pancakes in seconds. A dream come true for this pancake-loving, allergy mama. (Full disclaimer: while there are no eggs listed as ingredients in the mix, the box does come with the disclaimer that it 'may contain' eggs, soy and tree nuts. If your child is affected by these disclaimers do not use). 

While my egg-free recipe is OK and I love that my girls can eat the pancakes, the Krusteaz mix actually tastes like the pancakes I want to eat. Rich, sweet and buttery. And so much quicker than scratch!

Krusteaz also makes a Protein Buttermilk Pancake Mix (egg free) and a Belgian Waffle Mix (requires water, oil and egg). So worth checking out for Shrove Tuesday or any day you want pancakes for breakfast...or breakfast for dinner! 

Happy Pancake Tuesday!

DIY Pumpkin Spice Play-dough #pumpkinspiceisnice #glutenfree

Pumpkin Spice everything? Yep -- even DIY Pumpkin Spice Play-dough. It's a super simple recipe: just a can of pumpkin puree and a cup of corn starch. It's even gluten free and it smells amazing. Check out this link from the Better Western Mass Show on Western Mass News and you'll see just how easy it is for yourself. #pumpkinseason #pumpkinspiceisnice

The School Lunch Debate: Do you bring or buy?

I'm so curious where ya'll stand on the school lunch debate: Do you pack a lunch for the kids or do they buy the hot lunch from school? I'm a lunch packer. Every. Single. Day. (We don't have a choice due to food allergies.) So I feel like I'm a bit of a lunch packing expert. Expert for my kid, that is. I know exactly what is actually going to get eaten. I know exactly how to fill that belly until she steps off the bus in the afternoon. However to the average outsider I'm sure the contents of her lunchbox might seem weird:

I never really gave two thoughts to what other kids ate for lunch. This is just what works for my kid. However at Back to School night recently we parents received a lecture on why it is so important to purchase the school lunch. One of the guidance counselors stood up and testified on why school lunch is such a bargain and how the meals are so healthy. To cap it off, she showed a picture of a school lunch and countered it with pictures of packed lunches she had spotted around the cafeteria. She considered the packed lunches far inferior to the school lunch.

Anywho...I'm a bit paranoid about the lunchbox now. We have a running joke when Eden steps off the bus and I ask her if anyone took a picture of her lunch today. (So far the answer has been no. Phew!)  As you can see, I'm getting over my paranoia by publishing my own pictures. 

These are my usual lunchbox warriors. I spent $10 on the containers and wrappings and these will last me at least until January. The groceries totaled about $20 but they're used for more than just school lunch. Also, obviously this feeds my girl for more than a week. In all, I feel like packed lunch is still a bargain. Especially since I know it's all going to be consumed. 

So I'm curious: where do you stand in the lunch game? Do you pack? Buy? Do you consider buying school lunch a good use of food money? Gawd it must be convenient! I hear you can just load money onto a magic card and forget about weekday lunches until the money runs out. Sounds heavenly. My lunches may not be Pinterest-worthy (I'm NOT a cut your sandwich in the shape of a Death Star kind of Mom) but they get the job done. I'd love to hear your views of school lunch!

 

TEAL Pumpkin Project -- it's easy to offer allergy friendly treats! #trickortreat #safeforall

Have you picked up any non-food treats for trick or treaters with dietary restrictions? There are a lot of great suggestions on the Food Allergy Research & Education website. 

Everyone in our family has severe food allergies, so I mega appreciate this initiative for allergic kids. However, I also think it's a hoot that someone even thought this up. I honestly never minded collecting Halloween candy that I couldn't eat when I was a kid. I just thought it was fun to run around in the dark while wearing a costume, knocking on my neighbors' doors and yelling in their faces. My girls don't mind either. There was the one year when Eden's favorite color was yellow, so every time she was offered the trick or treat bowl she picked out a yellow package -- which meant all peanut M&Ms or Butterfingers -- none of which she could eat. 

However, if you'd like to offer allergy-safe treats to your neighborhood monsters, there are several ways you can let them know. You can either paint a pumpkin teal and place it on your stoop OR you can download and print out this sign to hang near your front door. If you want to get your kids involved, you can print out this one and have them color it in. If you really want to get your kids involved and don't want to spend any more money on treats, ask them to collect some gently-used trinkets they have lying around: stickers, Matchbox cars, unopened kids' meal toys, toy jewelry, unloved Lego mini-figures, unused school supplies, etc. 

I also perused the aisles of my local Big Y store recently in search of non-food treats ideas and came away with plenty: 

It doesn't have to be expensive -- office/school supplies if you open up the package and give separately, individually wrapped character band-aids, straws, plastic utensils or balloons. Last year, one of our neighbors was giving out gourds and my girls loved that! This initiative is great not only for kids with food allergies, but any child with any dietary limitations.

Offering a treat they can actually enjoy will be an awesome trick. Happy Halloween!

Gotta Go: Big Y Grocery Store Tour

Are you looking for some inspiration to eat a little healthier? (Who isn't?) Or maybe learn more about eating Gluten free? Or how about cooking for diabetic needs? Let me tell you about a great FREE resource right here in Western Mass for all of these needs and more. Your local Big Y store.

Big Y offers grocery store tours led by a registered dietitian on different nutritional topics each week. Eden and I recently attended a "Kid's Plate" store tour with Sue Mazrolle, MSRD, LDN at the East Longmeadow location. All tours meet in the store cafe and last about an hour. We started off playing a nutritional guessing game, had a lesson in the new My Plate food guide (like the old food pyramid), and then headed off on our tour. Sue gave us some great tips on how to incorporate more produce into our meals, how to compare nutrition labels on cereal boxes and yogurt containers, and how to fill our grocery cart with lower sodium products. Then we returned back to the cafe to make and enjoy a small snack and collect some recipe cards, coloring pages, and coupons from Sue before departing.

We had a lot of fun and I actually learned a lot during the hour, even though this particular tour was geared toward children. Eden enjoyed herself as well. Being an allergic family, I pride myself on being a champion label reader, but Sue taught me to go beyond the ingredients list to compare protein counts, sugar amounts, and the amount of dietary fiber between products in order to make the healthiest choice. She answered all of our questions and somehow kept my nine-year-old entertained the entire time we were in the grocery store -- something I've never been able to achieve.

You can find a list of upcoming grocery store tours on the Living Well Eating Smart section of the Big Y website. The tour schedule varies monthly at locations in Western Mass and Northern Connecticut. Sue is also available to lead tours for scout troops and civic organizations. If you'd like to find out more, you can reach her at (413) 531-3490 or [email protected]

 

Easy Peasy Last Minute Valentines

Who needs some last minute classroom Valentine inspiration? I love these two ideas best because they are gender neutral, you can pick up the small packages of chips or Goldfish at any major retailer, they are allergy-friendly, and the printable tags are FREE. 

You can find the Goldfish idea and tag printable at Frugal Coupon Living. I would shortcut even further by printing tags and attaching to the Goldfish snack packs (instead of filling your own bags).

The chip Valentine tags can be downloaded and printed from Meet Penny. 

Happy Valentine's Day!

LOVE this inexpensive, non-food Valentine treat idea

I'm so crushing on this Valentine's Day gift idea right now as seen on ThatsWhatCheSaid. Use the link to get full instructions. I found the muslin bags (quantity 25) on Amazon for under $7 with free shipping, and the heart shaped gems are at local Dollar Tree stores, quantity 50 for $1. You can put together this gift for a class of 25 for about $13. Worth every penny to share a Valentine everyone can enjoy!

Best Ever Egg-Free Pancake & Waffle Recipes

I've never met a pancake I didn't like. Fluffy waffles are a close second. It took a long, long time to find and tweak egg-free pancake and waffle recipes that our whole family can enjoy. But I persevered to share with you these best-ever "can't even tell the egg is missing" delights:

 

 

Egg Free Pancakes

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cups sugar
• 1-1/2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup melted butter

Mix together the dry ingredients. In separate bowl, mix together the wet ingredients. Add the wet to the dry and mix again until you reach a good batter consistency. Let it rest for a few minutes. Pour enough on the griddle to make the size pancake you crave, flip when you see bubbles around the edge, cook until golden brown. Enjoy!

 

Egg Free Waffles

• 2-1/2 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 4 teaspoons Ener-G egg replacement powder
• 8 tablespoons very warm water (I use the Keurig)

Mix together the dry ingredients. Stir in the milk and oil. In a separate cup, mix the Ener-G powder with the water until no clumps remain and small bubbles form on the surface. Fold the egg replacement mixture into the batter until well incorporated. Let it rest for a few minutes. Pour on waffle iron, cook until golden brown and fluffy. Enjoy!