Whining 'N Dining

Kids With Food Allergies

Has your child been diagnosed with milk, egg, soy, wheat, peanut, tree nut, fish, shellfish or other food allergy?

If so, you're not alone. If you are a parent of a child with food allergies and you need support, check out the Kids With Food Allergies organization. You could join thousands of other parents to learn about your child's food allergy, advice, recipes, etc.

It's National Food Allergy Awareness Week, so doing our part here to make you aware of the support that's out there for you and your child with allergies. We'd love to hear your favorite allergy-free, kid-friendly recipes this week! So send them to whine.dine@yahoo.com or post in the comment section.

Web Resources for Parents of Kids With Food Allergies

Next week is National Food Allergy Week, so here's the first of a few posts on the subject.....

First off, I'd like to say that my heart aches for you parents of kids with food allergies. It's hard enough to feed non-allergic kids. I know that many of us parents of non-allergic kids take our lack of label-reading for granted. I know that the rest of us fail to appreciate how hard you have to work and monitor every morsel of food that goes in your child's mouth.

This would be the moment where I would have all of the parents of allergic kids stand up, so the rest of us can applaud you. We admire your resolve and perseverance. Hang in there and keep fighting the good fight.

Meg over at Lunchbox blog served up this comprehensive overview of websites that discuss food allergies. (Besides her food allergy tidbits here, Meg has got oodles and oodles of great ideas for school lunches. So, by all means, check out her site.)

Costco Find: LARABAR Variety Pack

We love LARABARS in our house. Ever had one? LARABARS are a "delicious blend of unsweetened fruits, nuts and spices - energy in its purest form" (according to the description on the website). It's a great alternative to a cookie!

LARABARS are all of the following:
All natural
No added sugars or sweeteners
Raw
Non-GMO
Non-irradiated
No sulfites
No preservatives
No fillers
No colorings
Gluten-free
Dairy-free
Soy-free
Vegan
Kosher

This weekend, I was excited to discover that Costco sells a LARABAR 18-bar Variety Pack for $15.59. Such a great deal!!

Healthy, Dairy-Free Blueberry Muffins

• INGREDIENTS
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup oat bran
• 1/4 cup quick cooking oats
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1 banana, mashed
• 1 cup soy milk (you can use buttermilk if you don't have lactose issues)
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

1.       Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 12 cup muffin pan, or line with paper muffin cups.

2.       In a large bowl, stir together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, oat bran, quick-cooking oats,  baking powder, baking soda and salt. Gently stir in the blueberries.  In a separate bowl, mix together the mashed banana, soy milk (or buttermilk), egg, oil and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and mix just until blended. Spoon into muffin cups, filling all the way to the top.

3.       Bake for 15 to 18 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the tops of the muffins spring back when lightly touched.

-Recipe adapted from AllRecipes.com "Health Nut Blueberry Muffins"

Cool Gadget for Kids with Food Allergies

Got a child with food allergies? This one's for you! The ICE Packet is a super cool gadget to alarm other caregivers of allergies and other important medical information about your child.

From Cool Mom Picks....(It's) "basically a little doodad that hooks to your kid's backpack or a keychain that holds a USB flash drive. On it, all your kids' medical and emergency info that you've input using a very smart, very simple application. Just stick the drive into your computer (macs too) and start filing in the blanks. It couldn't be easier. And the little medical icon on the outside tells caretakers and EMT-types right away that this is what they're looking for should (heaven forbid) the occasion arise.

Check it out on the fabulous Cool Mom Picks blog.

News Alert: Childhood Allergies to Milk & Eggs Harder to Outgrow

For parents of kids with milk & egg allergies, you'll want to read this....

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Childhood allergies to milk and eggs appear to be harder to outgrow than in the past, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday.

Click here for the rest of the story.

Going Gluten-Free

Man cannot live by bread alone. Or at all if you or your child is one of the millions of people with a gluten allergy. By now, you're probably pretty used to scouring labels for the offending substance. Luckily, our friends at Trader Joe's feel your pain and are committed to helping you take the guess work out of your shopping. Check out this list of gluten-free products from Trader Joe's for your next grocery trip.

While our little one has no issues with gluten, we have tried a few of these products. Our favorites include:

Handmade corn tortillas (hooray for quesadillas!!)

Gluten-free frozen pancakes w/ pumpkin butter

Wheat-free toaster waffes w/ peanut butter or cashew butter

Almond clusters

Rice pudding

Cranberry trail mix

Handmade green chili & cheese tamales

BBQ shredded chicken

Frozen eggplant parmesan

Frozen sweet potato fries

Frozen stuffed poblano peppers

Butternut squash soup

Miso soup

Organic black bean soup

Organic tomato and roasted red pepper soup

Gorgonzola walnut salad

Chinese chicken salad

Greek salad

Cilantro and chive yogurt dip w/ Savory thins

Hummus

Fat Free Spicy Black Bean Dip

Olive tapenade

Guacamole

Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread

Blue Cheese with Roasted Pecan Dip

Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Torta

Frozen seasoned rack of lamb

Cuban Mojito Simmer Sauce

Bruschetta

Organic Tomato Basil Marinara

Organic brown rice pasta w/ chicken cutlet in Piccatta Simmer Sauce

Rice sticks rice pasta

Organic polenta

Soy crisps (BBQ)

Savory thins (love all of them)

Calbee Snapea crisps (our very favorite!!!)

Lightly salted rice cakes w/ hummus

Blue corn tortilla chips

Soy and flaxseed tortilla chips

Truffle bites

Allergy Alert: News on Cashews

Cashews cause worse allergic response than peanuts

Fri Aug 10, 12:51 PM ET

Reuters.com - Peanuts may be more notorious, but cashews seem to trigger more severe allergic reactions in children. In a study of 141 children with allergies to cashews or peanuts, British researchers found that cashew reactions were generally more serious.

For the study, led by Dr. Andrew T. Clark of Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge, 47 children with cashew allergy were matched up one-to-two with 94 children with peanut allergy. Children with cashew reactions were eight times more likely to suffer wheezing, and nearly 14 times more likely to have potentially severe cardiovascular symptoms, like heartbeat disturbances or a drop in blood pressure.

Overall, 10 of the children with cashew allergies had what the researchers defined as a severe reaction -- extreme difficulty breathing and/or loss of consciousness. That compared with just one child with peanut allergy.

The findings appear in the current issue of the journal Allergy.

It's known that tree nuts, such as cashews and walnuts, can trigger serious allergic reactions. However, this is the first study to show that children's allergies to cashews may be more severe than peanut allergies, according to Clark's team.

What's more, studies suggest that cashew allergies are becoming more common, possibly because consumption is on the rise.

Besides being eaten as whole cashews, the nuts are also found in a range of desserts and candies, in many Asian dishes and in commercially prepared pesto sauces, Clark and his colleagues note.

Other potential sources include cereals, granola bars, dressings and sauces, and even shampoos and lotions.

In general, people with an allergy to any tree nut are advised to avoid all tree nuts and