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I.M. Healthy SoyNut Butter

Since my daughter is allergic to peanuts and corn, I've been trying to find a good substitute for peanut butter. The corn allergy makes this hard, since many of the brands I've looked at have some corn derivatives in them.

The other day I came across I.M. Healthy SoyNut Butter at my local Kroger. I contacted the company (who by the way was very helpful) and confirmed that the Unsweetened Creamy variety is corn free. It is also gluten and dairy free. They make the butter in a peanut/nut free facility so it is safe for children who are that sensitive to nuts.

I have to say, it is pretty tasty! My daughter loves it which is wonderful. I now have an easy snack or lunch to pack for her when we are out and about. It has 9 g of protein per 2 tbsp and only 1 g of sugar. So, it is something that I feel good about giving her as well.

Cure for Peanut Allergies within 3 years?

This recent article highlights a study that shows promising evidence that there might soon be a cure for peanut allergies. They gave 15 children tiny, but increasing doses of peanut flour and after one year, they were able to tolerate some peanuts without a reaction. I feel that this shows hope that all or most food allergies might be "cured" in the next few years. For children and adults with severe reactions, this is certainly good news!

Here is a link to the full article: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62056B20100301

Kosher for Passover

Let me start this off by saying that I am not Jewish. Because of this fact, I just recently learned about the Kosher for Passover foods. Kosher for Passover foods are much more strict than the "regular" Kosher foods and also are generally free of corn, dairy and soy due to religious reasons. So, what this means for us dealing with multiple food allergies is that you can actually get some margarine or other food items that are corn free, dairy free and soy free. This is exciting to say the least! I've been looking for a corn free, dairy free margarine and it just doesn't seem to exist.

As a courtesy to the local Jewish community, my local allergy group contacted a couple of the Jewish markets and let them know we would be coming in for some items this year. They said the foods should start arriving by early March so be on the look out!

Corn Free Bubble Bath

After much research, I seem to have found a corn free bubble bath! EO sells bubble bath that they confirmed is corn derivative free. My daughter has been using it for about a week and has not had a reaction. It smells wonderful and she loves it! I will be contacting them about some of their other products and will post here once I have complied a list. I purchase mine at a local health food discount store for about $8.00. They have a store locator on their website or you can purchase directly from them online.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have a huge sweet tooth so I am always looking for allergy friendly cookie recipes. I just found an amazing book called "Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. I've only tried a few of the recipes, but they have all been absolutely delicious!

The Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe is just too good not to share. I did make a couple of changes which I will put in ( ) next to the original recipe. Enjoy!!

Chocolate Chip Cookies
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
2/3 cup canola oil (I used coconut oil, mainly because I didn't have any canola but it does give it a wonderfully rich taste)
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (I used So Delicious Coconut Milk because it is dairy, soy and corn free)
1 tbs tapioca flour
2 ts pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets.
2. Combine sugars, oil, milk and tapioca flour in a mixing bowl. Use a strong fork and mix really well, for about 2 minutes, until the mixture resembles smooth caramel. There is a chemical reaction when sugar and oil collide, so it's important that you don't get lazy and skip this step. Mix in the vanilla.
3. Add 1 cup of the flour, the baking soda and the salt. Mix until well incorporated. Mix in the rest of the flour. Fold in the chocolate chips. The dough will be a little stiff so use your hands to really work the chips in.
4. For 3-inch cookies, roll the dough into balls about the size of Ping-Pong balls. Flatten them out in your hands to about 2 1/2 inches. As they cook, they will spread a little bit. Place on a baking sheet and bake about 8 mins until they are just a little browned around the edges. Let cool on the baking sheet about 5 mins then transfer to wire racks.
5. Enjoy!!

Happy New Year!

I haven't been posting much lately, but one of my goals for the new year is to really work on this blog. My goal is to help Moms, families and anyone with food allergies navigate through the grocery store, cooking and even just going out to eat! The older my daughter gets, the more I realize how much her food allergies affect us.

She had an ear infection about a month ago and was prescribed Amoxicillan. I knew that there was a chance of corn, but it was free at Publix so I filled the prescription and gave it a shot. Well, she went nuts! I ended up calling the company to confirm corn (it was in the maltodextrin and a couple of other ingredients) and went back to the doctor to find out what to do. They couldn't find any antibiotics that didn't have corn in them. So, I called up my compounding pharmacy. Guess how much an antibiotic was going to be? $215! Yikes! I ended up putting some ear oil drops that I found at Whole Foods for about $6 in her ears for a week or so and it went away. So, the allergy issues don't just end with food. Corn especially is in everything, but numerous other allergens are present in medicines, bath and body products, and detergents. I can't even find her a bubble bath that doesn't have corn in it.