Sweethearts Candy Blog's

Back to school time is right around the corner for many of us, so I've compiled a list of links to help get you on track for a great year.

I've included links for preschool, elementary school, parties, play dates, etc. Some of the articles first appeared on this blog, some I wrote for other publications and the last one quoted me as a source. :)

I hope you find these to be helpful!

Preschool and day care tips Nut-Free Mom blog post

Elementary school checklist Nut-Free Mom blog post

Back to school with food allergies article for Chicago Parent magazine (by Jenny Kales)

Play dates and birthday parties with food allergies Chicago Parent magazine by Jenny Kales

Back to School with Food Allergies Real Simple magazine

FAAN Back to School Tips

One of the number one questions I get is: Where do you find a nut-free bakery in Chicago? The answer is that it hasn't been easy and mostly non-existent when it comes to cakes or cupcakes. My biggest pet peeve has been places that are "only" peanut-free, but still loaded with tree nuts (making it unsafe for many with nut allergies) or places that use peanuts and tree nuts but still market themselves to food-allergic consumers.

Because nut allergies are so serious, dedicated nut-free bakeries are the only thing I feel that I can trust. Most of the time, the only nut-free bakery out there is my own kitchen.

So I was very happy to hear from Brian Walker, owner of Nutphree's Cupcakes. They are the only dedicated nut-free cupcake bakery that I know of in the Chicago area, so welcome Nutphree's!

I recently asked Brian to share with us a little bit about his new company. You'll be happy to know that while this is a currently home-based business, they are soon opening a storefront bakery.

Thanks, Brian for sharing some info with us. Something tells me that you will have some loyal customers, very soon!

Here is the Q&A with Brian Walker, creator of Nutphree's Cupcakes:

Me: What is your personal experience with food allergies?
Brian: Our oldest son, who is 4-1/2, has a severe peanut and tree nut allergy. When he was first diagnosed with the allergy, we couldn't believe how difficult it was to find baked goods that were safe for him to eat. We found ourselves always having to bake a separate cake or cupcakes anytime we went to birthday party because we weren't sure if the ingredients in the cakes being provided were going to be safe for him to eat. That's when we decided it was time for Nutphree's.

Me: Tell me a little bit about Nutphree's and how you are helping to serve a customer niche.
Brian: We created this business out of need we felt wasn’t currently being fulfilled. We did extensive research to find ingredients from manufacturers that guaranteed safe, nut-free products. We take tremendous joy in providing delicious and safe products which allow those with peanut and tree nut allergies to enjoy the same baked goods as everyone else, especially our young customers.


Me: What is your favorite Nutphree's cupcake? Your son's favorite?
Brian: I’d have to say my favorite cupcake is the Red Velvet with Cream Cheese frosting. Not only does it taste great, it looks great, too. As for my son, he’s all about the vanilla with vanilla frosting.

Me: How do we order and where do you ship to? Do you have a storefront bakery? If so, where?
Brian: Currently, orders can be placed either through our website (www.nutphrees.com) or by calling us up at (847) 754-4320. Until we determine a reasonably inexpensive shipping method that guarantees product freshness and product appearance, we are currently only offering local pickup in Des Plaines, IL or delivery to the nearby surrounding suburbs. We are also in the process of finding a storefront for our bakery. It will most likely be in downtown Arlington Heights, IL or Mount Prospect, IL.

See those two people in the photo? Those are my kids and the photo was taken a few years ago. Back then, I had to be more involved with my child's care and protection at school and in the world. As she is now much older, I have become her helper and she has become her best advocate. Still, I feel misunderstood many times in my role as parent of a child with a life-threatening medical condition.

My family has been dealing with my oldest child's severe peanut and tree nut allergy for several years now, and during those years I've read the angry commenters on news forums and heard in other places how crazy parents want to keep kids with food allergies in a "bubble." I've always hated the term "bubble" because I find it a) insulting and b) inaccurate. No parent, including myself, wants to keep their child in a bubble. The parents I know, parents of kids with food allergies included, want a happy and full life for their kids. But when we deal with food allergies, the opposite is often said of us. Unfortunately those comments sometimes come from the people you'd least expect--like adults with food allergies.

I bring all of this up today because I have been faced with the task of responding to an interview I participated in for a book about food allergies by Sandra Beasley. Sandra contacted me because she said she had no experience with peanut allergies (but had experience with a lot of other food allergies) and said she wanted my take on certain things like school, baseball games and airplanes.

We actually had a nice conversation. She and I had a lot to talk about. My interview appears in a chapter called "The Great Peanut Scare." I don't know who chose that chapter title, but to me, the wording implies that concerns about peanut allergy discussions are overblown. Obviously, I don't agree with that for both personal and medical reasons.

First off, I want to say that Sandra's book offers her own opinions and her experiences as it should. I'm a writer too and that's what I offer. She is certainly entitled to that. What I and many of the mothers I heard from today feel, however, is that the chapter actively seeks to discount food allergy accommodations made in schools, airplanes and yes, baseball parks.

Many peanut allergy accommodations are taken to task in this chapter but the most hurtful one for me is the author's shock at the fact that my daughter hasn't had anaphylaxis (though she's had milder reactions) in several years. The implication is that such a situation can only be achieved if a child living in, yes, a "bubble." She states that she had one reaction a week as a child because her parents expected "different options for her," I guess implying that I don't expect the same "options" for my own child.

In our case, one nut allergy reaction a week would not only prove traumatic for my child but it could prove deadly. Do you know what I think about my child not having anaphylaxis in several years? I'll quote what my allergist said at our last visit: "Good for you. You must be doing a great job." Am I supposed to feel wrong that my daughter isn't being rushed to the ER weekly? If that were actually happening, you can bet I'd be re-thinking my approach.

I definitely cop to being careful as a family not to expose my daughter to allergens just for the heck of it. Why would we? But we travel, go to restaurants, encourage our daughter to participate in extracurricular activities, play dates, Girl Scout camp, and anything else she wants to do. To imply otherwise is not true for us and for most of the parents I know.

The chapter goes on to dismiss peanut-free ballpark sections as somehow damaging to children who won't then be able to live in the "real world." To that end, my husband (who is pretty laid back about most things, truly) came home from a Cubs game with a friend one day and said he wouldn't take our daughter to a "regular" game. Why? Because peanut shells fell into his food and drink for the duration of the game, just due to the wind stirring them up. Sometimes peanut allergy dangers do exist, and accommodating them isn't just to soothe parents' irrational fears.

And, of course, the "real world" has changed. When the author was young, food allergies were not as numerous or discussed and/or accommodated and that must have been tough. I don't feel that the past must dictate the future, however. I also want to say that I have never advocated anyone, much less my own child, to live in a "bubble." In fact, an honest acknowledgement of my daughter's allergies and the precautions she must take have helped her succeed in the "real world."

I wish that anyone with a food allergy--parent, adult living with it or child-- would stick together to accomplish the goal of a society that is more tolerant and aware about food allergies. There are so many people who want to pull us apart and divide us--so I hope we don't give into that.

I'm not sorry my voice was shared in Beasley's book. I offered my views and bottom line, it is not my book, it's hers. Her book tells her story, not mine. My story is and will be shared in the articles I write, the blogs I post and a book of my own, still in the works.

I fully support every parent who tries to prevent their child from suffering a fatal allergic reaction--they do happen (and it happened in Chicago recently). I don't think it would be comforting to me if my child suffered a fatal reaction that happened because I don't want to be one of "those" parents.

I recently learned about Lauren's Hope medical ID jewelry from some other parents at the FAAN conference in Chicago. Kids allergy bracelets are a crucial item once we receive a diagnosis of severe food allergies, but many times kids don't want to wear them. What I liked about Lauren's Hope is the the fashion factor--they are so wearable! I ordered my daughter a "mood-changing" bracelet (like the blue one pictured above) and necklace and she loves them--and at 11, they have to love it to wear it. The red bracelet pictured is for swimming, perfect for summer. To provide more information to readers about medical ID jewelry, I asked Lauren's Hope to do a Q & A about their fabulous jewelry and kids allergy jewelery in general. Here's what they had to say:

Me: What is the inspiration for Lauren's Hope jewelry?

Lauren's Hope: In the past, medical ID bracelets have been big, bold, and not at all pretty. They can draw attention to a person’s condition, which can make people (especially kids and teenagers) feel “different” and self-conscious. Obviously, if they aren’t wearing it – it can’t help. At Lauren’s Hope, we are trying to change that. We want to encourage the use of medical ID jewelry, so making the medical ID bracelet attractive and worthy of their wardrobe was the answer. Through the creativity and expertise of our designers, we have created hundreds of beautiful pieces of medical jewelry that even the most style-savvy teenager would love to wear. Our motto is Safety with Style and that’s the balance we try to strike with every product.

Me: What are your most popular styles for boys and girls, respectively?

Lauren's Hope: The most popular medical identification style for boys would be our medical ID dog tag necklaces. These ID necklaces are durable enough to wear 24/7 and come in stainless steel and colored aluminum. Each medical ID dog tag can be custom engraved with up to 5 lines of information. Our most popular medical ID bracelet for girls would have to be our groovy color changing mood bead medical ID bracelet. This style has stood the test of time and changes color with each change in mood. This is also great for parents! Generally speaking, younger boys and girls tend to gravitate toward medical ID's that are bright and cheerful, yet durable enough to provide lasting protection from the playground to an awards banquet.

Me: Any new or innovative products that you want to tell us about?

Lauren's Hope: The heat of summer is upon us and with that in mind our designers have created dozens of new styles that are water friendly and durable. We've focused on bright colors with hot pink and flowers being the theme among our medical ID bracelets for girls. Boys are always on the go, swimming and playing with friends and the go-to summer ID has to be our waterproof adjustable medical alert bands. Our designers have done a fantastic job of keeping up with the trends, so for women we have dozens of brand new multi-strand beaded medical ID bracelets and necklaces galore! The classic durable stainless steel medical ID bracelets are always a popular option for men.

Me: What information should be on medical ID jewelry?

Lauren's Hope: Determining what you should engrave on your medical ID tag can be tough - especially with multiple allergies, medications and conditions. Thankfully, we offer plenty of room to engrave your most vital medical information in a clear and concise manner. You doctor will be able to provide you with their suggestions on how to phrase your medical conditions, but there are other key pieces of information that should be included on your medical ID. Let's talk about what you should engrave on your medical ID tag if you have a severe allergy.

First and Last Name - Typically customers will request we engrave their first and last name on the very first line of their medical ID tag. This makes it easy to drill down to your medical records in the event of an emergency.

Medical Condition(s) - If you have a medical condition other than an allergy such as Diabetes or Epilepsy you should list this directly underneath your first and last name. EMT's and ER doctors should have as much medical information as possible in case you are unable to communicate.

Life Threatening Allergies - Many of our customer's have severe allergies to tree nuts, peanuts, stinging insects and shellfish. If you carry an EPI pen that should be administered in an emergency, be sure list that as well. Remember, with room to engrave up to 5 lines there's almost always room to fit everything you need.

In Case of Emergency - This would be the first person you would like called in an emergency. For children, this is often times mom and/or dad. Simply listing MOM 555-888-7777 is just fine.

Doctor's Phone Number - If there is room, you can also list your doctor's phone number. You can simply have DR. 555-888-7777 engraved here.

Helpful Tip: If you find yourself running out of room to engrave everything on your medical ID tag you can choose to have 1 line engraved with SEE WALLET CARD. Lauren's Hope will then send you a free wallet card which you can fill out with additional details and medical information. You can also download a free wallet card on our blog by visiting: http://blog.laurenshope.com/download-your-free-wallet-card/

Me: Lauren's Hope has such attractive products--how do emergency medical techs know to distinguish medical IDs from regular fashion jewelry?

Lauren's Hope: This is always first and foremost in our minds when designing new products. Emergency medical personnel are well aware that they shouldn’t just be looking for a stainless steel chain anymore and are trained to look at the wrist and neck for medical identification. Medical jewelry now comes in all shapes and colors. Each of our medical ID bracelets and necklaces feature a brightly colored medical caduceus symbol top and center. This is the universal symbol for medical information and is always featured prominently on our medical ID jewelry. Our medical ID tags are an 1 1/2" in length which is large enough to be seen in the event of an emergency and also allows plenty of room for your most vital medical information. We have had customers request a smaller medical ID tag over the years, but because we feel so strongly that you want your tag to be noticed in an emergency situation we've kept our original size and design.

To view Lauren's Hope complete medical ID jewelry collection please visit www.LaurensHope.com. We invite you to browse our site and call us at 1-800-360-8680 with any questions you may have.

I hope everybody is gearing up to enjoy a great 4th, but since that means travel for many of us, I wanted to share some tips for coping with this fun and food-filled summer holiday.

First of all, if you're traveling by car, try to start the trip after a meal: It saves time, worry and stress! You'll also want to pack plenty of safe food options--you never know what a road trip can involve so be prepared! It's better to give your child food you've brought alone for the trip than risking restaurant food somewhere that looks sketchy just because you have nothing else to feed them (or you!)

Also, if you are traveling by airplane, see this post I wrote about air travel. Don't forget to remind the airline about your family's food allergy needs and don't forget to keep the EpiPen with you in the cabin.

In fact, always remember to keep your EpiPen with you at all times.

My personal tip: Don't risk a food because you don't want to "offend" someone. If you're unsure that the food is safe,then just skip it. Bring your own safe dessert or treat for your child and be sure to teach your child to decline a food politely. It's a lot more fun to stay at the backyard BBQ and avoid a potentially unsafe food than to take a trip to the ER on a holiday weekend!

Here are a couple more links that will help you on the 4th:

Staying safe at summer barbecues

Jen Roeder Love from FAAN (The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network) shares her favorite travel tips

FAAN's travel tips from their web site

Have a great time everybody!

I was devastated to read about Gina Clowes's recent struggle with American Airlines regarding accommodations for her son's severe nut allergy. Gina is the founder of Allergy Moms and a devoted food allergy advocate who I met in person recently at a FAAN conference.

Gina's request to the airline was extremely reasonable. She didn't object to the serving of cashews in first class seating, but she asked them to refrain from roasting the cashews in-flight because of the increased risk of allergic reaction.

Roasting cashews in-flight? Yep, you read that right. I had no idea this was a common practice and am very glad that Gina spoke up on her blog and Facebook page to let us know.

As parents of kids with severe food allergies, (especially nut allergies since peanuts and tree nut snacks are hard to avoid on most airlines), we already do our best to ensure a reaction-free flight for our kids by being proactive: cleaning seats, bringing our own food, etc. Some airlines are willing to work with us and many of us fly without problems. Other airlines value cashews more than passengers health and rights.

The trouble is--we can't get off the plane once it's in the air. What do they want us to do? Parachute out of the plane if our child has a reaction? Obviously, what would happen instead is that the flight would need an emergency landing, everybody's travel plans are disrupted, the airline loses tons of money and goodwill. Plus, a human being--the most important issue here--may even lose their life. All because of roasted cashews. Really?????

Gina kindly offered to do a Q & A with me about the situation so I'd like to allow her to share her story in her own words:

Jenny: At what point did you become aware of American's first class nut roasting policy?

Gina: I was speaking at the FAAN conference in Anaheim a few weeks ago. On the flight home, I was overwhelmed by the smell of roasted nuts. I thought “What in the world are they doing? Are they cooking with nuts?”

I could not believe that in this day and age that any airline would roast nuts in an enclosed cabin at 30,000 feet. Airborne reactions may not be as common as other types but I know that cooking food increases the risk. Of course on an airplane, the air is recirculated as well.

I remembered that my family’s upcoming flight to Dallas was on American so I made a note to call. I remembered reading through their website and though they mention serving some nut products there was no mention of actually roasting them on board. If there had been, we would not be having this conversation because I would have never booked tickets with American.


Jenny: Can you explain to those who may not understand--why is the process of heating up nuts in-flight so dangerous to those with a tree nut allergy?

Gina: Cooking foods releases more of the particles into the air (aerosolization) This type of exposure can cause a reaction in a sensitive individuals. So this is just another type of allergic reaction. But even though it may seem benign, inhalation can cause a range of reactions from skin symptoms to respiratory symptoms to full blown anaphylaxis.

My son has had a few mild inhalation reactions. Once in a Chinese restaurant, presumable from the cooking but we were able to leave right away. I understand that to some, this may seem remarkable, but it really does happen.

Jenny: What level of American Airlines worker did you reach? They wouldn't let you talk to the supervisor of the worker who wouldn't help you, is that correct?

Gina: First, I started with a Disability services rep. He said “They do different things on different flights. Just ask the flight attendant on the day of the flight.”

Next, I sent an email. No response.

Then I sent another email stating “This is my third attempt to find out if American Airlines will accommodate my son by refraining from roasting nuts in first class on our flight...”

That’s when the second Disability rep called me. She told me to “Ask the flight attendant..”

I said “Does the flight attendant have the authority to decide whether or not to roast the nuts?” She said “Probably not.”

I asked to speak with her supervisor. It was very unpleasant. He asked me “If you went to a Seafood restaurant, would you ask them not to cook shrimp?”

I said “The purpose of a Seafood restaurant is to eat seafood. I wouldn’t take my son to a seafood restaurant. The purpose of an airline flight is to get from one place to another.”

I offered to buy every first class passenger a large bag of nuts, I offered to buy four first class tickets for my family (my mother is ill and this will be the last trip she will take to see my brother), but he said “We’re still gonna do it.”

That’s when I lost it and started to cry.

I asked for his supervisor. He gave me a name but would not transfer me. He said “She doesn’t take calls.”

Then he said something like – Now that I know the severity of your son's allergies, I'm going to need you to get a letter from your son's doctor, that says if he gets in contact with peanut or nuts, he'll be able to continue the flight!

Jenny: Is there any recourse for you now? Does DOT (or other transportation authority) have any rules that American may have violated with their treatment of you? Can you get a ticket refund if you want one?

Gina: I filed a “Complaint Concerning Accessibility of Airline Service (Passengers with Disabilities)

My son has a Section 504 plan, which means he is considered “disabled’ because of his food allergies. I don’t like the word “disability” any more than anyone else does. But my son does, at times, need some additional accommodations.

I’m by no means an expert but with a little help from my friends, my understanding is that an airline cannot refuse to provide transportation to a us simply because an accommodation may “offend, annoy, inconvenience crew members or other passengers.”

They can refuse to fly us for safety reason but would have to notify us in writing.

American Airlines posted a comment on my blog and stated that they were “looking into it.” My best case scenario would be that they would change their policy and make accommodations for allergic passengers ahead of time. Allergic children deserve access to safe air travel!



Thanks again to Gina for sharing her story and for keeping on top of airline practices so that we don't have to go through what she did. I certainly hope her situation results in a good outcome for all allergic passengers. I will keep you all posted.

I've had so many questions about ice cream lately that I thought I would share (once again) a very easy and delicious homemade ice cream recipe. You need a Cuisinart electric ice cream maching or the ice cream maker of your choice.

Homemade is always safer than store-bought, so enjoy! And have your kids make this with you.

Nut-Free, Egg-Free Vanilla Ice Cream
Break out the ice cream machine for this great basic vanilla ice cream recipe! Also known as "Philadelphia" ice cream, this traditional recipe does not contain eggs.

1 vanilla bean or 2 tsp pure vanilla extract (McCormick brand is what I usually use--Nielsen Massey is also great.)
4 cups heavy cream or heavy cream mixed with half-and-half for a lighter flavor
3/4 cup white sugar, preferably superfine
Pinch salt

If using a vanilla bean, split in half and scrape out the seeds. (Keep the pod to make vanilla sugar, basically a vanilla bean placed inside a closed container of sugar for about a week. Wonderful in everything from cakes and cookies to coffee drinks.)

Combine all ingredients and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Churn in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions. Serve immediately or freeze about 2 hours for a firmer consistency. For optimum flavor, allow to soften slightly in the refrigerator about 30 minutes before serving.

Hi readers: I have a wonderful guest blogger today, Lindsay B of the blog "Nut Free Life." Lindsay has adult onset peanut allergy and tree nut allergies and she has been a loyal follower of the Nut-Free Mom and frequent commenter. In response to a thread on my Nut-Free Mom Facebook page, she asked me if she could share her story. I appreciate her insights because even though many of us have young kids, we wonder what a nut allergy diagnosis means to their futures. Lindsay wanted to offer her perspectives and she also wanted to reassure us parents that a regular adult life is possible! Please note: everybody's allergy is different, so for specific medical concerns, ask your allergist.

Thanks, Lindsay for sharing your story!

"Recently, The Nut-Free Mom asked her Facebook followers to post their “biggest concerns” regarding their child’s food allergies. What surprised me the most was that your worry was not limited to your current day-to-day reality of navigating food allergies for your 18-month-old or 6-year-old. You’re already thinking about his or her future as an adult. I can address some of your specific concerns, because after almost 28 years of eating whatever I wanted, I had an immediate, anaphylactic reaction to peanut butter in 2008, and was diagnosed with peanut and tree nut allergies as an adult.

For me, the first couple of years living with food allergies was really challenging, but I am now doing everything I loved doing before food allergies. My life looks like any other 30-year-old adult, aside from food restrictions, carrying medications, and taking some precautions. I live a really happy, healthy, full life, and your son or daughter can too! Here is a response to some of the questions you asked about living with food allergies as an adult.

Will my child ever travel?When I was first diagnosed, I wondered if I’d ever be able to get on a plane and explore the world again. Life is definitely easier in the daily, comfortable routine, but I didn’t want my life experiences to be limited just because of my food allergies. It takes more planning in advance, but safe travel is definitely possible. In fact, I will be traveling internationally this June for the first time since my diagnosis. If your child has recently developed allergies, and you’ve been afraid to travel with him, start by taking a road-trip to a nearby destination. Bring a bunch of safe snacks, research restaurant options online, get a motel room with a kitchenette, and plan fun activities that do not revolve around food. Once you see that it’s possible to travel safely with food allergies, you can begin to choose further destinations. It’s amazing how much a positive travel experience will give you the courage and confidence to do it again. The more you go and explore as a family when he is a child, the more he will feel comfortable and confident to vacation as an adult.

Will my child be able to eat out at restaurants? Of course, some ethnic restaurants are now off limits because of the high risk for cross-contamination (e.g. Chinese, Thai, Laotian), as are baked goods, ice cream, and desserts. But that doesn’t mean that I can’t go out and enjoy food away from home! I simply choose restaurants that have simpler menus and/or simpler dishes, or restaurants that are known for being accommodating to people with food allergies. I ask my server the same questions you ask now for your child, and I trust my gut if I feel like my questions are being dismissed or ignored. At coffee shops, I get drip coffee instead of a flavored drink. If I want ice cream for dessert, I make it at home instead and enjoy it after my dinner out. As your daughter gets older, teach her how to ask questions and speak confidently (kindly and firmly) to servers, make wise choices, and follow her instincts, and she will grow to feel comfortable eating in most restaurants. Also, let her cook and bake with you in your nut-free kitchen at home, so that she knows how to prepare a few of her favorite meals before she leaves home for college and adult life.

Will my child carry his medications at all times? Yes. And you can help your kids by teaching the importance of having medications on them at all times, in case of an accidental exposure to allergens. Without fail, I carry two EpiPens, Benadryl (fast melts and pills), Zyrtec D (for my seasonal allergies) and my inhaler in my purse. Men can carry messenger bags, a leather satchel, or a backpack with their medication(s). There are also different options for carrying epi pens, such as belts, arm bands, and calf bands. The important part is conveying to your child the absolute necessity of having his medications on hand, not in the car (where they will be exposed to extreme temperatures), not in his dorm room, and not in his office desk drawer when he goes to the workplace cafeteria down the hall. You can model this behavior by always carrying the medications yourself, when he is very young, and giving him increasing responsibility for carrying his own medications when it is age appropriate to do so.

Will my child be able to go to parties? Yes! For my work’s holiday parties and networking events, I call or email our catering department to ask about the menu, and what will be safe for me to eat. At bridal and baby showers, I call the host soon after receiving the invitation, explain that I have severe food allergies, and ask if she will be serving food with nuts. At Super Bowl parties, game nights, or movie nights at close friends’ homes, I often feel safe eating the veggies, chips, cheese, meat, and fresh fruit (once again, the more plain foods), and skip the bread and dessert. If I’m at a party that serves alcohol, I choose bottled drinks such as beer or wine, and I say “no” to mixed drinks. Your daughter will learn, over time, how to make good choices, as well as her own personal comfort level. At some parties, she will be able to eat freely! At others, she may decide to eat a small meal in advance, choose to eat when she gets home, carry a few safe snacks in her purse, or assist the host in making the food, to ensure its safety. I’ve found that my comfort level varies, depending on the host and his or her attitudes about my food allergies. By and large, however, my friends and family members have been great at making accommodations and preparing safe food."

When you begin scrutinizing food labels for potential allergens, you never know what you're getting in for. Because current FDA laws only require actual ingredients to be listed, cross contact info sometimes makes it to the label, and sometimes it doesn't. Calling the company and doing some "food detecting" may be in order. The information you uncover (or don't uncover) will likely have an impact on what brand you toss in your shopping cart.

No matter what type of prepared food I buy, I like to see what else is offered by that brand, in a similar product. For example if I see jarred pesto sauce (may contain nuts) sitting next to red sauce, I may not buy that brand before placing a call to the company to check for cross-contact concerns.

As someone who likes to cook sauce from scratch (I find it relaxing to make sauce, don't know why but I do), it's rare that I buy pasta sauce these days. However, some nights that's all us busy families have time for and there are some really good-tasting prepared sauces out there.

Some readers have written to me about Ragu pasta sauce and apparently there was some concern it may contain tree nuts due to a few jars with this warning. I have contacted Ragu (as have many readers) and they assured all of us that their labels would reflect cross-contact concerns and that the plain sauce is safe unless otherwise marked. However, please contact them if you have further questions. We all know how quickly things can change.

I put the pasta sauce question to my Twitter followers who deal with peanut and tree nut allergies. Some of you liked Muir Glen and Gia Russa brands, while others went with Emeril's Organic brand.

At the supermarket the other day, I saw that Prego, Barilla, Amy's Organic, Classico, Bertolli and Mezzeta did not carry nut allergy warnings, along with the other brands we've listed already. If you use these brands, have you ever called the companies and what have they said? Let us know!

Besides being fresher-tasting, a homemade sauce is a great option because we know exactly what goes into it.

Here's my recipe for my favorite pasta sauce. It does contain organic beef; if you want to go meatless, this recipe is still good. :) Just be sure to add plenty of fresh parsley and basil. Also, as with any pasta sauce, the longer you simmer this, the better it gets. It's even better the next day. My family loves this recipe! Try it out this Valentine's Day. They'll think you're amazing.

Nut-Free Mom's Super-Quick Bolognese Sauce
1 lb. ground beef (I use Laura's Organic ground round)
A couple tablespoons olive oil
Freshly cracked pepper, to taste
4 cloves of minced garlic
1/2 tsp (or less if you like less heat) red pepper flakes
1/2 medium yellow onion
1 cup low-sodium beef broth (I use Swanson's organic beef broth or stock)
1/3 cup red wine; alternatively, use orange juice
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes (I use Hunt's Natural)
1 tablespoon tomato paste (I use Hunt's)
About 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley or to taste
1/4 cup shredded basil or a couple tsp dried
1 tsp dried oregano

Heat olive oil in pan and add beef. Season meat with black pepper and brown in a deep skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, crushed red pepper and oregano. While this is cooking, grate onion into meat mixture using a hand grater. Cook a few minutes to soften the onion, then add broth and wine or OJ. Stir pan and deglaze, incorporating any browned bits from bottom of pan. Add tomatoes and half the parsley and basil. Stir again, then reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes. (You can do this while you boil water and cook pasta). Right before serving, sprinkle with rest of parsley and basil. Serve with your favorite pasta.

With the recent peanut allergy-related death of a Chicago 7th grader and the also recent enaction of FAAMA, it seems that schools may finally take food allergies more seriously. Still, resistance to using or even keeping EpiPens in schools is prevalent.

See this article from today's Chicago Tribune, an excellent piece that covers the main points that parents are interested in with regard to keeping kids safe at school. I especially appreciated the expert opinions such as that from leading allergist Dr. Scott Sicherer, who pointed out that many reactions that occur at school are from undiagnosed kids. He rightly suggests that having EpiPens at school as a matter of course can save lives.

I can speak to this situation, as my daughter was undiagnosed when she experienced a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction at preschool. Nothing was done for her there and I soon found myself in a nightmare that luckily had a happy ending. It was frankly a miracle my daughter didn't stop breathing--she had every other symptom and even lost consciousness during the episode. She was 4 years old at the time.

The current Tribune article doesn't cover preschools. That's an entirely different can of worms that I will address in a future post. However, it does uncover what many parents of food allergic kids have known all along: people are reluctant to use an EpiPen even if they witness the symptoms of anaphylaxis. Plus, currently no one will use an EpiPen on your child unless you have the doctor's order. So please have your documentation and orders on file. It's so important.

However, as the Tribune article also reveals, even that's not enough. As parents we must continue to be proactive and involved with our schools. We must monitor situations that are dangerous to allergic kids--and that means any food from a restaurant or a home kitchen. There is never a valid, curriculum-related reason to serve this stuff and yet you'd think banning restaurant food and home-baked cupcakes from a classroom is akin to getting an F on a midterm. I never saw this much food brought to school when I was a student and I don't know why we're seeing it now.

Even with FAAMA, food allergy emergency plans and EpiPens easily accessible, schools won't be safe until people understand what food allergies mean, what cross-contact means and that "peanut-free" doesn't only mean "recipe that doesn't contain peanuts." An understanding of what triggers a reaction can frankly remove any need for EpiPen usage--because reactions won't happen if they are prevented.

The article also sites sobering statistics for those of us sending peanut and tree nut-allergic children off to school each day. What allergies are the most deadly? Peanuts first and tree nuts second. And people wonder why we don't want our kids constantly exposed to food all day long.

If the tragic case of the Chicago 7th grader can have any positive impact, it is to show that half-measures and misunderstandings with regard to food allergies are not only unfortunate and ill-advised, they can be deadly.

Along with the passing of laws, which are just pieces of a larger puzzle, parents need to keep bringing home the fact that food in the classroom needs to be drastically reduced or eliminated unless absolutely necessary--i.e., actually meal times. Lives depend on it.

Almost everyone loves chocolate on Valentine's Day. For those of us caring for kids with nut allergies (or who have nut allergies ourselves) it can be difficult to find chocolate that is not only nut-free but also delicious.

Internet shopping to the rescue! Luckily, there are a few really good nut-free chocolate candy companies out there with everything we need to treat our kids or ourselves. You may have heard of some of these before but for those of you who haven't seen these before, allow me to introduce you.

First up is Vermont Nut-Free Chocolate, one of my all-time favorites. I've ordered from them numerous times and every product I've tried is absolutely delicious. Best of all, both of my daughters go ga-ga over this stuff! This is true gourmet chocolate at its finest. You can find beautiful heart-shaped boxes of nut-free truffles and fudge if you really want to impress. Plus, there are many Valentine's Day-themed chocolates that will make your child's day! In fact, Vermont Nut-Free has pretty much every holiday covered in terms of chocolate. They also offer great baking chocolate if you want to whip up a homemade treat. Check them out . I got a note from them that they get busy this time of year so if you want your order by February 14, head there now!

Next is Divvies, a fabulous nut-free candy company that is also egg-free and dairy-free. They have all sorts of Valentine's Day themed goodies and a great array of candies in general. I also like them because they offer a choice for people dealing with multiple food allergies.

Finally, many of you have tried Enjoy Life Foods chocolate treats. Candy bars like Boom Choco Boom (crispy rice is my favorite) are free of the top 8 food allergens as well as sesame and sulfites. While Enjoy Life does not offer Valentine candy, per se, you can check out their website for Valentine's Day themed recipes using their delicious, allergy-friendly chocolate products like dairy-free, nut-free semi-sweet chocolate chips!

Later this week: online nut-free bakeries!

Nut allergies are tricky at the holidays--it seems that nearly every cookie contains some kind of tree nut, not to mention the every present "peanut butter blossom" cookie. That's why it's time once again for my Snowballs recipe, a family favorite I created from my grandmother's recipe that used a large portion of ground pecans. Obviously any recipe containing tree nuts wasn't going to fly in our family, so I scoured cookbooks until I found something surprisingly similar to snowballs--a Greek cookie called Kourambiethes. Unlike most Greek cookies these contain NO nuts at all. Plus, they have the same shape, taste, delicious flavor and yummy powdered sugar coating that my grandmother's cookies had.

For a festive and attractive addition to any holiday celebration, give these a try! Also, keep in mind that the dough for these is not super-sweet--kind of like a shortbread cookie. The sweetness comes from rolling these in powdered sugar when they're hot and then sifting more over them when they are cool.

Snowballs

1 lb. (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar + 2 tbsp, plus lots more for sprinkling on cookies
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp pure orange extract (optional)
1 scant tsp salt


5-6 cups of all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a standing mixer, beat softened butter until very light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar, egg yolk, vanilla and orange extract if using, beating thoroughly after each addition. Add flour a little at a time until soft dough is formed that can be handled easily. Taking about a teaspoonful at a time, (I use a tiny ice-cream scoop) roll into a small ball. Place on a non-stick cookie sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes. Sprinkle liberally with powdered sugar while still hot. Once cool, sprinkle with plenty of powdered sugar again. Literally, they should look like snowballs1

Check it out: Chicago Parent magazine decided to include these cookies in their online cookbook.

Vermont Nut Free Chocolates (one of my all-time favorite nut-free chocolate brands) is offering a weekend sale that goes through Cyber Monday!!!

Now through Monday, Nov. 29 you will receive 10% off all Vermont Nut Free Chocolates products (excludes shipping, warm weather packaging & gift certificates). Simply use the code: “cyber” (all lowercase) at checkout.

This offer applies to all products, including the Christmas selection. You will also find fabulous Hannukah-themed chocolates including nut-free chocolate coins!

Christmas selections include Peppermint Bark, festive truffles, and delicious Christmas-themed chocolates, from Vermont Nut Free Chocolates’ vast selection of allergy safe treats. All of these treats make perfect gifts for those with peanut and nut allergies. Use them as stocking stuffers, hostess gifts, Hannukah treats--you name it. If it's festive and it's chocolate, Vermont Nut-Free has it.

Get your holiday orders in while this special offer lasts!

I always go a little overboard when purchasing canned pumpkin puree since I love to bake with it this time of year and pretty much only this time of year. If any of you are in the same boat, what do you do with your extra canned pumpkin?

I've got an easy and delish nut-free recipe you might like to try either for Thanksgiving or anytime afterward. Pumpkin lovers won't be disappointed! I got the idea from the pumpkin muffins at Panera--off-limits to my daughter, of course. So why not make our own? You can also bake this recipe in a loaf pan for a moist and delicious pumpkin loaf cake. Be aware that this recipe uses butter and eggs. If you also deal with dairy allergies, you can use your favorite dairy-free banana bread recipe and swap out the bananas for the pumpkin puree.

Nut-Free Pumpkin Muffins
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour (or use all white flour)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or use 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg and 1/2 teaspoon ginger) * Note about nutmeg--it is not derived from tree nuts. It is derived from the seed of a fruit
1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (McCormick's or Nielsen-Massey are my fave brands)
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
Confectioner's sugar for sprinkling tops, if desired

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin cups or 9-in. x 5-in. loaf pan. In medium bowl combine flour, salt, spices, baking powder and baking soda. In small bowl combine pumpkin puree, milk and vanilla.

2. In a large bowl with mixer at medium speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at time. Reduce speed to low; alternately add flour mixture and pumpkin mixture, ending with flour. Scrape the bowl occasionally with a rubber spatula to ensure even mixing. Beat just until blended; do not over beat.

3. Pour batter into prepared muffin tins or loaf pan. For muffin tins, bake for about 20 minutes and then test with toothpick. You don't want to over bake so a few moist crumbs clinging to the toothpick are fine. For loaf pan, bake about 1 hour and then begin checking. Again, do not over bake.

4. Cool in tins or pan and then turn out onto wire rack. Let cool; then sprinkle with confectioner's sugar, if using. Serve warm.

I hope everyone's Thanksgiving prep is going well! Stay safe, stay cool and most of all, have a happy Thanksgiving!

I ran this recipe last year and it is so good and easy I just had to run it again. Unlike so many of the sweet potato recipes floating around during the holidays, this one has no pecans or walnuts. I like my sweet potatoes "clean tasting" so this is perfect for me besides being safe for many food allergies. And you can make it in your microwave. What could be better? You can even bring this with you if you're not hosting the dinner--just zap in the microwave before meal time.

I adapted this recipe from the wonderful cookbook "How to Cook Everything" from Mark Bittman.

Nut-Free Speedy Sweet Potatoes
2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
2 tablespoons canola oil or butter (you can also use dairy-free margarine)
2 tablespoons maple syrup or brown sugar
1/4 cup orange juice, or a few tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and 2 tablespoons of water in a microwave-safe bowl; cover with a lid or plastic wrap. Microwave on high for 3 minutes, shake the container and continue to microwave at 2-minute intervals until the sweet potatoes are very tender. Serve hot.

Told you it was easy. Plus, it frees up much needed oven space!

Check back soon for more Thanksgiving recipes and tips!

Vermont Nut Free Chocolate alerted me to their current Thanksgiving sale! As many of you already know, I'm a BIG fan of Vermont Nut Free Chocolate. In fact, I don't know what I would have done without them all these years. Here's what they had to say:

"From now through Thanksgiving Day Vermont Nut Free is offering 10% off all of our items on our Thanksgiving page. Just enter the promotion code Turkey at check-out to receive your discount. Offer applies only to items on the Thanksgiving page."

Click the link for your Vermont Nut Free Thanksgiving coupon.

I hope you will take advantage of the sale prices. Chocolate turkey pops (pictured above) and solid chocolate turkeys are wonderful little treats to place at the "kids table." They help to raise nut allergy awareness, provide a nut-free treat for the allergic kids AND they are melt-in-your-mouth delicious. On second thought, make sure you get enough for the "adults table" as well!

I'll be posting more holiday deals from Vermont Nut Free in coming weeks, so please keep checking back!

The days are getting crisper, the leaves are falling in Chicago and every magazine I flip through seems to feature recipes like these: pecan pie, pine nut turkey stuffing and pumpkin nut bread. That can only mean one thing: Thanksgiving is just around the corner. And so is a nut allergy minefield if you're not prepared.

Don't get me wrong, I love Thanksgiving--it revolves around feeling thankful, celebrating family and eating a ton of good food. What's not to love? However, we've all got to keep our guard up if we're caring for an allergic child. Something about the fall/winter holidays makes people crave tree nuts, so this is a particularly difficult time for this allergy. Peanut butter and its many related food items seem to be favorites year round, but tree nuts don't usually turn up in such massive quantities until now.

My family has been celebrating Thanksgiving with a nut allergy for nearly 7 years (!) now and I've seen a lot of nutty things happen in the kitchen (that's not even counting the behavior of me and my relatives) so I have a few tips to share that should make it easier for you to cope.

I've said some of these before but they bear repeating. And if you're new to nut allergies at the holidays, take heart. Once you've been through it once, you learn A LOT so you're much better prepared next time. You must not apologize for the allergy or worry about seeming "over the top." Believe me, that's better than winding up in the ER with your child.

The other thing to remember is that family recipes and traditions are different, but one thing is the same at Thanksgiving: the emotional ties to favorite foods. So don't be shocked if you meet resistance to a "nut-free" or altered Thanksgiving menu at first. Your family and friends will get the hang of it as time goes on. And if they don't, you may want to consider hosting the celebration.

Safe Thanksgiving Tips for Nut-Allergies:

1. Communicate about the allergy early and often. Whether you plan to attend a dinner outside of your home or you are the host family, you want to put the word out now about your nut allergy concerns. Things to discuss would be safe brands of bread for stuffing, gravy sauces or sauce enhancers or mixes, stuffing recipes in general (many contain pecans, pine nuts or other nuts), desserts and cross-contamination when cooking or baking. You want to give people plenty of notice about the food to help ensure safe choices. Many times people set their menus and decide what they plan to bring to a dinner early, so go on, make that call today!

2. Offer to provide safe alternatives to family favorites. Does someone always want to make pecan pie or peanut butter blossom cookies? See if you can make an alternative pie or offer to make the cookies using SunButter (sunflower seed butter) or soybutter. Or, introduce a new recipe that may become a nut-free family favorite.

3. Be careful at the buffet table. Buffet tables present cross-contact problems, since serving spoons may be used for more than one food. You may ask to serve your child first to prevent cross contact, or prepare a separate plate for your child in the kitchen.

4. Suggest an alternative to "mixed nuts in a bowl" and peanut-laden Chex mix-style snacks from the party. Yes, these are a big hit with many family members, but see if you can bring an alternative snack. These are particularly dangerous because younger allergic children may grab these items and eat them before you can stop them. Also, people spread the nut dust and residue around with these snacks.

5. You bring (or make) dessert. Desserts are one of the top foods to cause allergic reactions, so don't chance it. You do the dessert. It may seem like a lot of work but honing your dessert-making skills is a must if you're a nut allergy caregiver. Also, everyone loves desserts, so if you make a good one you'll be one of the "heroes" of the dinner! :) Another thing I plan to do this year is give each child a chocolate turkey from Vermont Nut-Free Chocolate. A way to promote awareness, yes, but also a way to include your child and impress their cousins with a delicious treat. If chocolate is out of reach for you due to other allergies, any little "extra," whether a safe candy or even Thanksgiving-themed pencils, helps your child feel like they brought something special to the party and helps them cope with having to avoid certain foods.

6. If you're really concerned, bring a safe meal for your child. Sometimes, despite your best efforts, you may not feel the meal is safe enough for your child to eat. That's OK--it happens. Just bring something extra for them and serve it to them without a lot of fanfare. If anyone asks, use the situation to increase awareness: "Alex can't eat the dinner because of her nut allergy." You never know--this simple statement could result in more cooperation from others for the next celebration.

This is just a start. I'll have more tips as we get closer to the holiday, including some nut-free recipes. If you have any tips that have worked for you or if you have any questions about managing this nutty holiday, let me know!

Yep, Top Chef is in my sights again, but this time as a lesson about cross-contact and how little it seems to be understood by not only the general public but by chefs. Did any of you see last week's "Top Chef Desserts" episode? It was "Restaurant Wars" (in this case, Bakery Wars) in which the cheftestants created a makeshift bakery for one day and then competed with their dishes.

Obviously, there were peanuts and tree nuts galore in these dishes. However, at one point, a "customer" came in and said he was allergic to nuts. One of the pastry chefs then said he would make a "safe" treat for this customer and served him one. Now, they didn't show what precautions they took, if any, but with all the peanuts and tree nuts swirling around the kitchen, they should not have served this customer. Not if he had a true nut allergy. The cross-contact risk is too high and the cheftestants were under an extreme time limit.

Cross-contact is simultaneously one of the most important and most difficult aspects of food allergies to explain to others. People will say "You can have this--it doesn't have nuts in it." How many times have you heard this? I know I've heard it more times than I can count and so has my daughter.

Being responsible about a severe food allergy is about more than ingredients. The environment in which food is prepared is just as important. So is the placement of the items once baked. Take a "nut-free" cookie baked in a "nut-free" facility and then put it on a bakery display next to hazelnut cake and peanut butter cups. Now the "nut-free" cookie is unsafe due to possible cross-contact.

Bake a plain vanilla cake in a small kitchen that just featured a peanut butter cupcake. The plain vanilla cake may be harboring peanut matter and is not "safe" for those with a nut allergy.

Take a plain Butterball turkey and stuff it with cornbread pecan stuffing and that plain turkey is now unsafe for someone with a nut allergy. Thanksgiving is a whole other can of worms that I will address in future posts. But since so many of us will be explaining cross-contact in the coming weeks, I couldn't resist throwing it in here now.

Cross-contact is the reason for food labels that say "may contain peanuts." It's the reason for companies choosing to create and label foods "made in a nut-free facility." Cross-contact is real and not to be downplayed.

I've heard Chef Ming Tsai talk about his food allergy-friendly restaurant Blue Ginger and how he tells his chefs to treat any food allergens like they are "raw chicken." When dealing with raw chicken you change cutting boards and utensils and wash your hands frequently or risk salmonella. I think the Raw Chicken Analogy is as good as any I've ever heard. Feel free to use it.

The main thing about cross-contact is that if you live with a severe food allergy or care for someone who does, you can't let others lack of understanding about it get in the way of safety. I know people can get offended if you tell them that you or your child can't partake of their particular foods that "don't have nuts in it."

Think of raw chicken. And then skip the food in question with a thank you and a smile.

Because we have to give up so much of our Halloween candy bag, I try to make some special treats for both of my kids to enjoy. I realized that my oldest has never had a peanut butter cup, but she has developed a real taste for Sunbutter and her younger sister (without allergies) loves the stuff, too.

I was so happy to come across this recipe for Sunbutter Cups in a magazine article, courtesy of cookbook author and allergy-friendly baking authority, Cybele Pascal.
Click this link to go directly to the recipe. (You will need to scroll down nearly to the end of the article.)

My husband and kids went crazy for these Sunbutter Cups! (And I admit, I nabbed a few myself!) They are so tasty and lots of fun to make with my daughters.

If your child has food allergies, generally their candy bag is a little light after all the unsafe stuff is removed. I know Halloween is over, but these Sunbutter Cups are good any time of the year. How about making them when you have guests visiting over Thanksgiving or Christmas? If the kids are stir crazy, grab a jar of Sunbutter and whip up a batch of these little candies.

I hope Halloween went well for everyone and now we enter the Thanksgiving and Christmas season. Stay tuned to The Nut-Free Mom blog for tips, advice and yes, more recipes. In the meantime, I'm getting myself another Sunbutter Cup before my kids get home from school!

Some of you may have read this article based on a study by Johns Hopkins University, but if you haven't, check it out, here.

According to the story, one of the most common food allergies is to peanuts. Other studies have shown that tree nut allergies have grown right alongside peanut allergy. (The article doesn't mention tree nut allergy, but other sources have noted this connection.) So if people try to tell you that no one had a peanut allergy when they were a kid so therefore, they can't really be so numerous (an illogical argument to begin with), you can point them to this story.

I'm glad the LA Times reported on this increase because food allergies are altering the landscape of everything regarding eating: agriculture, restaurants, prepared food products, grocery stores, even how items are displayed before purchase due to cross-contact concerns.

Besides just your own family members (or yourself) do you find more people you meet either have a food allergy, know someone with one or care for a child with a food allergy? In my own experience, I've found this to be increasingly true in the last five years. What about you?