Samples of Sweet Alexis dairy, egg, tree nut and peanut free products were sent to Texas! The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (http://www.foodallergy.org/) will be making a presentation introducing FAAN ’s food allergy programming to the 54 Lead Nurse Administrators for the Texas Education Agency’s Region 4. According to FAAN, these Lead Nurse Administrators are from 54 school districts representing over 1,000,000 students, 1,400 campuses, and more than 83,000 professional educators – roughly 25% of the public school population in the State of Texas . Sweet Alexis samples will be included in a gift basket that will be presented to each nurse. As food allergies can be life-threatening, it falls under the disabilities act and school districts must learn to accommodate these children. Thanks to FAAN, schools are learning how to do just that including sampling safe food options such as Sweet Alexis. Hopefully soon, food safe products will be in the schools so the 4% of children with food allergies (according to the L.A. Times) can have a safe and delicious treats like everyone else.
This blog gives updates and info on our bakery - The Sweet Alexis Bakery. WE are 100% VEGAN, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Tree nut Free and Peanut Free Baked Goods. Created for my daughter, Alexis who has multiple life threatening food allergies. Order cookies, cupcakes and more on line now at www.sweetalexis.com We ship nationally!
Friday, November 27, 2009
Allergy Friendly Samples Sent to Texas School Nurses
Samples of Sweet Alexis dairy, egg, tree nut and peanut free products were sent to Texas! The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (http://www.foodallergy.org/) will be making a presentation introducing FAAN ’s food allergy programming to the 54 Lead Nurse Administrators for the Texas Education Agency’s Region 4. According to FAAN, these Lead Nurse Administrators are from 54 school districts representing over 1,000,000 students, 1,400 campuses, and more than 83,000 professional educators – roughly 25% of the public school population in the State of Texas . Sweet Alexis samples will be included in a gift basket that will be presented to each nurse. As food allergies can be life-threatening, it falls under the disabilities act and school districts must learn to accommodate these children. Thanks to FAAN, schools are learning how to do just that including sampling safe food options such as Sweet Alexis. Hopefully soon, food safe products will be in the schools so the 4% of children with food allergies (according to the L.A. Times) can have a safe and delicious treats like everyone else.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
No Flu Shot for Children Allergic to Egg, Now What?
Due to Alexis and Ryan's allergy to egg, they are not able to get flu shots, mists, etc. because the vaccine is cured in egg. Initially, I'll admit, I was very concerned since there are so many cases of H1N1 across the country, how can I keep them from being exposed. Alexis especially is at high risk with her compromised immune system and chronic asthma. At first I did contemplate keeping her home from school, but for how long. Months?
Now I believe my food allergic children must live within the world as it exists. There is no possible human way to eliminate all of their allergens from any given situation because there are so many; dairy, egg, tree nut, peanut, coconut, shellfish, mustard and cherries. As tough as it seems, they must learn to identify each of the allergens so they can not only keep themselves safe and to gain independence. As the flu virus spread, the realization came over me that there is no way to keep them from being exposed to this as well.
How do we keep them safe? Well, one thing that we have done is find "safe" vitamins that help boost their immune system. We found a great product at http://www.naturesplus.com/, that not only is gluten free, but hypo-allergenic and vegetarian. Not to mention free from yeast, wheat, soy and milk. Please check ingredients and with your doctor before using, but so far my kids are extremely healthy and I know they have been exposed to the flu.
In addition, my allergist also recommended we take vitamin D3. Again, please check with your doctor or log onto http://www.webmd.com/ before using, but I have felt flu symptoms coming on and once I took D3 it was gone. However, I do not give this particular vitamin to the kids as it does contain lactose.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Sweet Alexis Now Available at Peanut Free Planet!
Sweet Alexis Gift Pack featuring all eight of our delicious Dairy, Egg, Tree nut and Peanut free goodies, not available at Peanut Free Planet, log onto www.peanutfreeplanet.com. Shop now for the holidays!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
The Guilt of a Food Allergic Mom
By the grace of God, our son Ryan's food allergies are not nearly what Alexis' are. Yes, he is allergic to the same food but will only develop eczema, stomach cramps and diarrhea should he ingest any of them - he has never gone into anaphylactic shock, thankfully.
Ryan is in Kindergarten and doing extremely well. Because of the extreme measures we had to take with Alexis, his teachers are prepared and aware of his situation. Fortunately, he does not need and epipen and the staff know he can not share food and must never eat anything that is brought in by another parent. And although we talked to the other parents to call us should they want to bring in cupcakes, etc. they often don't. Therefore, we always keep a stash of Sweet Alexis Chocolate Chip cookies in the room fridge should something come up.
Today was a learning experience. When dropping Ryan at school, we discovered he had a substitute teacher. She had been to the class previously, knew of Ryan's allergies and everyone seemed comforatable - we have a strict rule, if our kids to not feel safe or the caregiver/teacher/sub doesn't "get it", we pull them out. But, he was happy so I proceeded to remind her about Ryan's allergies and those of one other child in the class room. I gave him loves and I went about my morning.
Upon picking Ryan up, I saw that he was huddled in a ball with his head hung low between his knees, very upset. Aparently, one mom brought in cupcakes and Tootsie Roll lollypops which both contain milk. The substitute was unaware of the stash of safe cookies in the fridge and Ryan sat and watched the other children eat cupcakes while he had nothing (the other child with allergies was able to eat the lollypop). He was devestated. I was heartbroken.
Immediately, I reminded Ryan about his secret stash and allowed him to eat two cookies! I told him how proud I was that he kept himself safe and apologized that he had that experience. My poor boy.
We try to do all we can for our children, but sometimes things fall through the cracks. We are both a little worse for wear today, but we will learn and move on. Now, I'm off to write a reminder note to all the parents about Ryan and his food allergies - hopefully next time someone will remember his secret stash in the fridge.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Food Allergy Gift of Hope!
As I sit down to write this article for the holiday season, my initial intent was to provide a holiday shopping gift guide. However that all changed when I was recently approached by Food Allergy Initiative, a national non-profit organization that has contributed more than $60 million dollars towards finding the cause and cure for food allergies. They asked if I would participate in a letter writing campaign to Congresswoman Capps, asking for her support. Eureka! The prefect gift for the holiday season, the gift of “hope”, that each of us as a friend, relative, neighbor or community member can easily give.
Why should you care? Well, whether you know it or not, this “hidden disability” affect’s everyone. According to FAI, more than 12 million Americans suffer from food allergies and the number of children under age five with food allergies doubled from 1997-2002. Those children are now students in our school system and they require extra attention and care due to the severity of the situation. Schools must hire specially trained health staff, sanitize supplies and classroom implements, and train staff for emergencies that are inevitable not improbable. Every child deserves an education in a safe and secure environment but the schools need financial assistance managing and educating others regarding this potentially fatal disability.
The time couldn’t be more perfect for our voices to be heard. With all the discussion on Capital Hill regarding healthcare, it is time for our Congress and the Administration to devote more of their attention towards food allergies and how we can assist our communities and schools. Although the Government has allocated $17 million to the research and study of treatments to prevent these allergies, this pales in comparison to what has been provided to non fatal disabilities such as Attention Deficit Disorder which receives $107 million. It has become apparent that not enough Americans know about the importance of this issue or why it important as a community.
Yet another reason to act now, we are so close. According to FAI-USA, although researchers do not understand why rates are increasing so rapidly, specifically among children, they do believe they are about 10 years away from discovering treatments or even cures if they are able to continue their work. What we need to do is help ensure that our government representatives understand how serious this problem is, how much we need this research to continue and how imperative it is to support the school districts in which our children attend.
What you can do; Sign up as a supporter and learn more about increasing awareness by logging onto www.faiusa.org. Write a letter or call your elected officials to educate them on food allergy issues. Become an FAI regional coordinator. Ask five friends to join FAI’s advocacy team and follow FAI on Facebook and Twitter.
Give the gift of “hope”. Thank you from the food allergic community and have a Happy Holiday Season!
Why should you care? Well, whether you know it or not, this “hidden disability” affect’s everyone. According to FAI, more than 12 million Americans suffer from food allergies and the number of children under age five with food allergies doubled from 1997-2002. Those children are now students in our school system and they require extra attention and care due to the severity of the situation. Schools must hire specially trained health staff, sanitize supplies and classroom implements, and train staff for emergencies that are inevitable not improbable. Every child deserves an education in a safe and secure environment but the schools need financial assistance managing and educating others regarding this potentially fatal disability.
The time couldn’t be more perfect for our voices to be heard. With all the discussion on Capital Hill regarding healthcare, it is time for our Congress and the Administration to devote more of their attention towards food allergies and how we can assist our communities and schools. Although the Government has allocated $17 million to the research and study of treatments to prevent these allergies, this pales in comparison to what has been provided to non fatal disabilities such as Attention Deficit Disorder which receives $107 million. It has become apparent that not enough Americans know about the importance of this issue or why it important as a community.
Yet another reason to act now, we are so close. According to FAI-USA, although researchers do not understand why rates are increasing so rapidly, specifically among children, they do believe they are about 10 years away from discovering treatments or even cures if they are able to continue their work. What we need to do is help ensure that our government representatives understand how serious this problem is, how much we need this research to continue and how imperative it is to support the school districts in which our children attend.
What you can do; Sign up as a supporter and learn more about increasing awareness by logging onto www.faiusa.org. Write a letter or call your elected officials to educate them on food allergy issues. Become an FAI regional coordinator. Ask five friends to join FAI’s advocacy team and follow FAI on Facebook and Twitter.
Give the gift of “hope”. Thank you from the food allergic community and have a Happy Holiday Season!
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Allergy Free Pumpkin Pie!
As I have always said, baking is a chemistry experiment and ever since Alexis was diagnosed with life threatening food allergies, I have tried in vein each year to make a pumpkin pie that resembles the original. Below is this years attempt found at www.diaryfreecooking.about.com and although I have yet to try it, the reviews say it tastes just like the original. Happy baking!!!
Ingredients:
· 1 Prepared 9" allergy free pie crust
· ¼ cup Egg Replacer powder
· 1/3 cup hot water (not boiling)
· 1 15-oz can organic pumpkin puree
· ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
· ¼ cup maple syrup
· 2 T. canola oil
· 1 T. cornstarch
· ½ t. salt
· 1 t. cinnamon
· ½ t. ground ginger
· 1 ½ cup soy/rice milk, plus more for brushing
· ½ cup soy/rice milk powder
· Sugar, for sprinkling
Preparation:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Grease a 9” pie plate with margarine or oil. Roll out the pie dough to about ¼” thick and place in the pie plate. Using your fingers, pinch a crust so that it is flush with the plate as desired. Place in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.
2. Place a small sack of beans or pie weights on the crust and bake for 10 minutes. Transfer the pie plate to a wire wrack and let cool while making the filling.
3. Turn down the oven to 350 F.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the Egg Replacer powder and the hot water until mixture is smooth and thick, without any lumps. Set aside.
5. In a food processor, combine the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, maple syrup, canola oil, cornstarch, salt, cinnamon and ground ginger, and pulse until just combined. Add the Egg Replacer mixture and pulse until combined.
6. In a small bowl, mix together ½ cup of the soy/rice milk with the soy/rice milk powder until well combined. Add this to the pumpkin mixture and process until smooth. With the machine still running, add the remaining soy/rice milk gradually until the mixture is well combined.
7. Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust. Brush the crust with soy/rice milk and sprinkle the crust and filling lightly with sugar. Bake for approximately 1 hour, or until the crust is golden and the filling is just a little jiggly. Allow pie to cool completely before serving. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Allergy Free Pie Crust
This recipe was also found at www.diaryfreecooking.about.com . To achieve the flakiest crust, they recommend to use a food processor, keep your ingredients as cold as possible and to handle the dough as little as possible. Makes enough 1 double-crust 9" pie or 2 single-crust 9" pie crusts
Ingredients:
· 2 ½ cups all-purpose wheat or gluten free flour
· ¾ t. salt
· 2 t. sugar
· ½ cup (1 stick) cold soy margarine
· 8 oz. (1 tub) cold dairy-free cream cheese, such as tofutti
· about 1/3 cup ice cold water, more if needed
Preparation:
1. In a food processor, combine the flour, salt and sugar. Add the soy margarine and dairy-free cream cheese and pulse until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. While the machine is still running, gradually add the water until the dough just holds together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
2. Divide dough in half, wrap each half in plastic and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes before using, or up to overnight.
Ingredients:
· 1 Prepared 9" allergy free pie crust
· ¼ cup Egg Replacer powder
· 1/3 cup hot water (not boiling)
· 1 15-oz can organic pumpkin puree
· ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
· ¼ cup maple syrup
· 2 T. canola oil
· 1 T. cornstarch
· ½ t. salt
· 1 t. cinnamon
· ½ t. ground ginger
· 1 ½ cup soy/rice milk, plus more for brushing
· ½ cup soy/rice milk powder
· Sugar, for sprinkling
Preparation:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Grease a 9” pie plate with margarine or oil. Roll out the pie dough to about ¼” thick and place in the pie plate. Using your fingers, pinch a crust so that it is flush with the plate as desired. Place in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.
2. Place a small sack of beans or pie weights on the crust and bake for 10 minutes. Transfer the pie plate to a wire wrack and let cool while making the filling.
3. Turn down the oven to 350 F.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the Egg Replacer powder and the hot water until mixture is smooth and thick, without any lumps. Set aside.
5. In a food processor, combine the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, maple syrup, canola oil, cornstarch, salt, cinnamon and ground ginger, and pulse until just combined. Add the Egg Replacer mixture and pulse until combined.
6. In a small bowl, mix together ½ cup of the soy/rice milk with the soy/rice milk powder until well combined. Add this to the pumpkin mixture and process until smooth. With the machine still running, add the remaining soy/rice milk gradually until the mixture is well combined.
7. Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust. Brush the crust with soy/rice milk and sprinkle the crust and filling lightly with sugar. Bake for approximately 1 hour, or until the crust is golden and the filling is just a little jiggly. Allow pie to cool completely before serving. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Allergy Free Pie Crust
This recipe was also found at www.diaryfreecooking.about.com . To achieve the flakiest crust, they recommend to use a food processor, keep your ingredients as cold as possible and to handle the dough as little as possible. Makes enough 1 double-crust 9" pie or 2 single-crust 9" pie crusts
Ingredients:
· 2 ½ cups all-purpose wheat or gluten free flour
· ¾ t. salt
· 2 t. sugar
· ½ cup (1 stick) cold soy margarine
· 8 oz. (1 tub) cold dairy-free cream cheese, such as tofutti
· about 1/3 cup ice cold water, more if needed
Preparation:
1. In a food processor, combine the flour, salt and sugar. Add the soy margarine and dairy-free cream cheese and pulse until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. While the machine is still running, gradually add the water until the dough just holds together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
2. Divide dough in half, wrap each half in plastic and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes before using, or up to overnight.
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