Allergy Friendly Restaurant

Okay, so today we went to dinner with my father and mother-in-law so that they could see their beautiful grandaughter (if I do say so myself) before her big First Birthday on Wednesday. So, my mother-in-law as usual lets me pick the restaurant. I wanted to try something different and somewhere Kaelyn could eat without worrying about what or where she was touching. I remember my friend Ines telling me abou this wonderful little Vegan restaurant on Orange Ave. So, I went online researched the restaurant and looked at the menu. Mmm, not bad I thought. Let's give it a try. So I told my husband to let the in-laws know where we were going for dinner. When we first arrived I was worried that my father-in-law wouldn't like it (he is a pretty good cook himself), but I knew that my mother-in-law would be all for it (she loves Vegan food and is up for anything). Then I realized that it wasn't a sit down and dine kind of place, it was more like order at the window and find a seat. But none of the less, it was a very cute place. After 15 minutes of eyeing at the menu and asking the cashier/server my millions of questions like,
- What do you consider Vegan?
- Are you sure you don't use eggs or milk?
- Can you make sure that her vegetables are cooked seperately?
- Do you use any kind of peanut oil?
- Would you be willing to make that pizza glutten free?
- What can I order glutten free?

He answered everything nicely and at one point even brought out this huge book with all their ingredients information on it. I was thrilled!! We didn't have to worry about what ingredients were in our food and that we had to wash our hands 20 times at the table while we ate and helped Kaelyn eat. PHew!! So, after a delicious Pizza with Chikun (remeber it's not chicken), onions, and tomatoes and a hummus rice wrap (glutten free) we were some satisfied customers. Including my father-in-law!! YAY! Kaelyn didn't eat much of her food, but who cares!! We got to eat with peace of mind!! Aaahhh!

Oh, yeah the restaurants name is Ethos Vegan Kitchen in Orlando.
http://ethosvegankitchen.com/

We definitely will be back!

Allergy Proof Recipe for Kids

Okay, since I became a stay at home mom (all 2 months) my obsession has become to cook for the entire family ONE meal. I only cook for myself, my husband, and our daughter. I can't imagine cooking for more people. I would probably really go insane in the kitchen. Well, I consider myself a pretty decent mommy cook, but its been a challenge to cook something that the three of us could eat without worrying about Kaelyn's allergies. So I researched several allergy cookbooks, but couldn't really find something I liked. I accidentally ran into one at Chamberlain's. I say ran into, because I actually turned around and ran into the book shelf. Anyone that knows me, is not surprised! Anyway, 18 dollars and 99 cents later I ended buying "Allergy Proof Recipes for Kids" by Leslies Hammond and Lynne Marie Rominger. The title itself had me sold!! A book for kids with food allergies! Eureka, just what I've been looking for!! After I got home and Kaelyn was in bed I looked over the recipes and found out that the majority of the ingredients I could buy in any of my everyday stores like Target, Wal-Mart, or Publix. So I made a list and sent my husband (now that's another story) to pick up everything I needed to start cooking.

I have to say that all the recipes we have tried have been delicious!! Not only do we all get to sit down and eat together without worrying about Kaelyn's allergies, I don't even have to clean up after her. The dogs do all the work for me! (The floor of course) :) On a serious note, this cookbook has been a life saver for me and my family. Thank you so much Leslie Hammond and Lynne Marie Rominger for sharing your recipes!! (Hey you never know, they might follow my blog one day)

On the menu tonight: I wanted to cook something easy and quick!

Fried Rice from Allergy Proof Recipes for Kids

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of olive oil or vegetable oil

1 teaspoon of ground ginger

2 carrots, scrubbed and sliced (I used organic dipping carrots and just cut them in fours)

1/2 cup of cubed cooked ham (optional) - I did chicken instead

3 cups of brown or white rice cooked

1/4 cup of sliced scallions

2 tablespoons of gluten-free tamari (type of soy sauce-just in case, I didn't know what it was)

1 cup of frozen peas

Instructions:

In a large skillet, combine oil, ginger, arrots, and ham (or chicken like I did). Cook for 1 minute. Add the rice, scallions, tamari, and peas. Stir. Cover and let cook for 6 minutes. Stir in additional tamari, if desired.

Playdate

Kaelyn and I had a few moms from our playdate group over our house yestersday afternoon. It's was so great being able to talk to them about our daily challenges and exchange advice. We didn't have to worry about someone pulling out a peanutbutter sandwich or any other food item that our children are allergic too. It was a worry free afternoon! :) Hopefully the group will expand and grow. I really want us to form a great group of moms who can support and lean on each other. Our next playdate is next week! Can't wait! :)

I Won!

I'm so excited because I just found out that I won a Divvies Bakery Cookbook by Lori Sandler. I entered a contest that Jeanette "Mom to Food Allergy Kid" had on her blog! I've been wanting one so bad so that I can use some of the recipes for my daughter Kaelyn's 1st birthday in just a few weeks! I can't wait to get into the kitchen and start baking! Mmmm!

Our Story

Hello everyone! My husband Ian and I have been together for almost ten years this upcoming October and have been married for over three years this past March. We have a beautiful little girl Kaelyn who will be one in August! We have a beautiful little house in Florida, along with our two dogs Jasmine a Golden Retriever and Daisy a Yorkshire Terrier. We pretty much lived a regular life doing and eating everything that pleased us! We really didn't have to worry much about anything, until our little girl was born.

As a working mom I knew that having a child wasn't going to be easy, but I didn't expect Kaelyn to end up with food allergies. Kaelyn nursed from the first moment I saw her, it was a struggle at first but her and I made it work. We were determined to make it work! I knew that it wouldn't be easy, especially having to go back to work three months later. Well, around a month later, maybe even earlier Kaelyn began getting hives all over her body, but we didn't know what to think. We took her to the doctor to make sure it wasn't serious. She told us that it wasn't any concern, just "Stork Bites" and that they were common in babies. After that we went back to our normal lives not thinking anything else. The rash and hives would not go away, but again we thought that they eventually would. After seeing her doctor a few times I knew that Kaelyn had something more than "Stork Bites". The hives were still there and her cradle cap wasn't getting any better either. No matter what I did! So, I called my sister and the number to her pediatrician. This was on a day that Kaelyn's hives were really bad!! To my surprise they got us in within two hours of my call. I couldn't believe they didn't make us wait!

So, we went to our appointment with our new doctor, as soon as he saw her skin he asked if she had any allergies. I of course replied NO! He then told me that her rash was called eczema and it usually happens when a baby is eating something that is giving her the reaction, so this is when we found out that our little girl might have food allergies. I was still nursing Kaelyn, so the doctor put me on a no dairy and no egg diet. "Stay clear of all dairy and egg products and keep an eye on her skin" he said. That's exactly what I did. As soon as I took these ingredients away from my diet we could tell a small difference on her skin, but nothing confirmed it like the afternoon that my husband had to give Kaelyn half a bottle of formula because I didn't pump enough the day before.

I got home from work as a usually did and took a quick shower (I was a school teacher) to get all germs off me before touching Kaelyn. As soon as I picked her up I noticed hives and a rash all over her body. I mean this thing covered her from head to toe! We immediately called the doctor and told him what happened, he then confirmed that Kaelyn might be allergic to milk. He then scheduled an appointment for a blood test. We were very lucky that my husband didn't give Kaelyn a big amount, but it was enough to cover her in hives. Very scary!!

A few weeks later Kaelyn got a blood test for allergies. This was the worst experience I had!! They took five tubes of blood!! It was horrible!! After a week of waiting the doctor called us and confirmed that Kaelyn was allergic to milk, eggs, and peanuts. My husband and I were devastated! I got the phone call at work and I just completely broke down in tears! I never imagined!

After the testing we were referred to an Allergist. At our appointment Kaelyn was tested for nine different things. She came out allergic to milk, eggs, and peanuts which we already knew and the other one was broccoli. Broccoli? Yes, broccoli. Well, this confirmed it for sure (I was still hopeful). From then on our lives completely changed. I can't say for the worse. We have a beautiful little girl and she is our life no matter what! We just have to live our lives a little different that's all!