Peanut-free meal ideas (in two parts)

I have little time to focus on this today but I did not want to skip a post.  Ironically, today was my son's preschool orientation and they covered something similar.  His school is peanut free and I learned a few things that I had not known before about peanut-free foods.

Dunkin Donuts is the only donut shop that has peanut free facilities.  So, while not my favorite, yay for knowing who is peanut-free!  "Mmm...gotta make the donuts..."  (Does that date me?)

Sunbutter is a safe peanut butter alternative, according to our preschool director, who took a class on peanut allergies before the year started.  It is a butter made from sunflower seeds, apparently it tastes pretty good and is not a risk for allergic students.  (If I get a chance to try some, I'll let you know what I think!)

Also, Hershey's milk chocolates, including Kisses, chips, and bars, are all from peanut-free facilities.  Good to know, if you are planning to bake cookies for the class.  I have not looked into their Special Dark or other blends, but can tell you that the milk is definitely fine.  When in doubt, read the label.

Cheez-its, Goldfish, Ritz, Rice Krispie Treats, Nilla Wafers and certain marked fruit snacks are also safe for kids with peanut allergies.  Most products will list any possible contamination in the labeling, usually with bold print.

Also, on of my family favorites are Annie's products: the Graham Bunnies, Whole Wheat Bunnies, and fruit snacks.  From their website, I am assuming that they are safe if the label does not include a warning.  Here is the wording, make your own decision:

• While there has been no product reformulation or change in manufacturing facilities, Annie's  has recently decided to go above and beyond FDA requirements and include an allergen statement on all of our products that are manufactured on shared equipment with any of the top eight allergens. Our manufacturing facilities meet with the highest standards of cleanliness, and we maintain all allergen cleaning, and Quality Control protocol on file. We recognize the needs of our customers who have allergies or sensitivities to nuts, gluten, certain spices, etc. Annie's always fully discloses all ingredients on the ingredient statement and will answer any questions that will help consumers decide what products they can safely consume. At Annie's, we take every precaution to ensure that cross contamination of ingredients does not occur in our production facility. We run the products in a particular order to reduce the risk of cross contamination, take the equipment apart and thoroughly clean it in between runs of product. However, we want you to know that some products are produced in a plant that processes foods containing wheat, dairy, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, crustaceans/shellfish, and egg. This is why we voluntarily chose to update our packaging to include this allergen information.

Now, I'm not saying that you have to avoid products that were manufactured in a peanut facility, but if you were planning to do so, or needed to worry about doing that for a class party or play date, at least here are a few suggestions for you.   :)

Tomorrow, I will try to follow up with some actual meal ideas.  I've pulled some together, but have not had the time to format it for your viewing pleasure!  ;)

[And by the way, I have in no way been paid to endorse any of the above products, I just felt it was worthwhile to share the suggestions that the school made for us, in the hopes of helping you with future ideas.]

By the way...

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog.  If you would like me to keep you in my prayers, just drop me a line.  I'd me more than happy to add you to my prayer list.  You can be specific or just say, "Add me!"  I'd love to add some of my readers to my list of prayers.  Even if you don't ask, I'm still thank God for you each day!

To peanut or not to peanut...

My girlfriend, that I have known since high school, found out that her son has a peanut allergy in an entirely frightening way recently.  Her husband handed their nearly two-year-old son a "Monster" cookie- one of those cookies with everything in them: peanut butter, M&Ms, chocolate chips.  (Usually delicious!)  Soon after eating part of it, her little guy started throwing up and having some respiratory problems, so they rushed him to the ER. He received one dose of epinephrine (epi), steroids and Benadryl.  Fifty minutes after the staff warned them of the risk of a repeat reaction, they had to administer the second dose of epi, increase the steroid strength and keep him overnight for observation.  I thank God that they decided to take him in because I don't know if the results would have been the same had they decided to wait it out.

I originally found out through a facebook post that she made.  After calling her, I received more information about the whole situation.  She has needed to completely change her family's lifestyle.  Her family had no history of peanut allergies, but they now need to take strong precautions to protect her son's health and life.  She mentioned that she may even pull him out of parent's day out if there is no peanut policy.  Her doctors told her that every following reaction will absolutely become stronger.  For a two-year-old to react as strongly as he did, she is terrified, and rightfully so.  I cannot imagine how it feels to know that such a seemingly innocuous food item could cause such damage to your child. 

Her scare did get me thinking though.  As parents, we all do whatever we can to ensure the safety of our children.  To a degree, this allergy makes it difficult to do that completely.  You have to rely on the kindness of those around you.  I have several friends whose children also have peanut allergies, and I know from their experiences, that once a child enters school there can be a backlash.  I cannot wrap my mind around the extreme ugliness that can appear after a peanut ban in a school.  At first, I will admit that my reaction was less than compassionate to those who were objecting so strongly.  My opinion at the time was that it was just laziness that caused such an uproar.  I could not see why it was such big deal to avoid peanut-filled  foods in their childrens' lunch boxes.  If it was me, I would do everything in my power to protect the life of another child.  That is exactly the idea of a peanut ban.  But, after talking to my mother, who worked in a school for years, I realized that maybe we need to increase the education on this issue.  Maybe the backlash is the result of insufficient instruction.  And, I do want to empathize with the parents who now have to rewrite the school lunch menu for their children.  Life is hectic and having to put in extra time to find foods that are appetizing to your child, and meet the new school guidelines, must be somewhat strenuous.

My hope is that by diving into this topic, maybe we can gain a little understanding and compassion for both sides of the matter.  My personal experience with peanut allergies is somewhat shallow in nature. I never was around a child that had one growing up.  However, a few years behind me at my grade school, and later my high school, long after I graduated, there was a boy with a severe peanut allergy. (Mostly I know of this from my mother's presence in the lower grade school.)  He, of course, started as a normal child does with this allergy: reacting to eating peanuts.  This progressed to reactions when coming in contact with but not directly eating the nuts.  Then it became an issue when seated at the same table as a peanut product, as the particles of peanut in the air were enough to elicit a reaction.  Not just a simple rash or sneezing, this reaction always required an epi pen, and his mother to come and shuttle him off to the hospital.  Soon, he could not be near another person who had eaten the peanuts, even if they were not at his table or even during the same lunch hour.  And finally, he became so sensitive that when another student opened up a peanut containing product in the same high school hallway in which he was standing, he had to again be rushed out of the school to receive medical attention.  This is the real life of a child with a peanut allergy.  This is not parental neuroses.  This is not being a helicopter parent.  It is a LIFE or DEATH situation.  

According to Allergicchild.com, "The main problem with a peanut allergy is the severity of the reaction. In fact, studies by Scott H. Sicherer, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and a researcher in the Jaffe Food Allergy Institute, suggest that 80% of people with a peanut allergy have had a reaction that involves a breathing problem or have experienced a reaction that affected multiple areas of their body. He further estimates that 100 to 150 people in the USA die each year from peanut allergies."  While only one percent of the population deals with this issue, the allergy seems to be striking more children in an increasing proportion.  This means that as our children grow, they are more likely to experience classmates with peanut allergies than when we were students ourselves. This is a serious issue!  

My concern is that there are parents who poo-poo the issue thinking that it is an overreaction, when it really is a fatal allergy.  The parents of a child with peanut or tree nut allergies, for that matter, are required to maintain constant vigilance for the protection of their child.  They aren't doing it to put anybody out, or to be difficult.  They are only reacting to a possible danger that those of us with non-allergic children have never dreamed of facing.  For those who oppose such bans, I will try to post some ideas of peanut-free meals that you can send with your children tomorrow.  I can imagine that finding out that your child cannot take something to school in their lunch, that you believe to be the only food that they will eat, could be somewhat infuriating as you wonder what you can send to make sure that your child has a full tummy. Hopefully, I can offer some fun, healthy suggestions that will help to subside your frustration, while still allowing for a safe environment for all children.  Once you become a parent, your responsibility is not just limited to your own child, but also to all children with whom your child interacts during the day.  Please join me in protecting all of God's children with some very simple fixes!  Saint Alexius, patron saint of allergies, pray for us!

I dedicate this post to my friend, Jen, and her little guy, Jonathon.  Love you guys!

Ever grateful!

This experience post-surgery has really taught me so much about my family and my friends.  My mother has been helping almost around the clock.  Not easy!  It's hard working taking care of a small child and an infant (last week, I was also included in that mix).  Whew!  I know it wasn't easy for her or my husband when he had the duty on the weekends, because I can't imagine an adult with little capability into the mix.  I live the child care portion, and I know what work that is, but to add someone else must have been exhausting!  My mother and husband both really stepped in and showed their love for our family.  The self-sacrifice that they showed in caring for us really impressed me.  At one point, I would need something, the baby would be crying and the preschooler would be running around yelling.  Chaos!  If it was a sitcom, it may have been amusing. Can't you picture the episode?  Oh, and add in large dog with his own needs, I'm sure you can picture the constant work.  But, they managed and we all lived to tell the story.  I'm not saying that anyone else has it easier, I'm sure larger families only have more on their plates.  For me, though, this was an example of extreme self giving and love.

Our friends too, have stepped in to help me when my parents could not. They came to the house to care for the three of us, mostly carrying the baby since I could not. (Ugh!)  They brought meals, and more importantly, said prayers.  I am ever thankful for the Lord's mercy and grace that He provides.  Without the amazing people that He put in my life, his process would have been so much more difficult.  Friends and family can truly be a witness of Christ in action!

Nature's beauty

How can you deny that there is a God?  (Excuse the light pole, but I was in a parking lot when I saw that beautiful light breaking through.)

Floating away with our prayers

I'm certainly not ahead of the curve with talking about this, I'm sure, but I wanted to discuss the "balloon rosary" that was launched on August 15 in Chicago.  I don't know if there is a more innovative or breathtaking example of witness than this idea.  While I understand that it may have offended some, I think it is absolutely one of the best ideas that I've seen in awhile for reaching people and making them think about "life".  I mean that both in the respect that they were intending as a pro-life example, but also life in general.  It awakens your thoughts to contemplating God and your prayer life.  If I were to suddenly and unexpectedly see a rosary floating by, I'm pretty sure that it would encourage me to take a little time out to pray.  That's not a bad reaction to inspire.  It's interesting to ponder that floating rosary causing countless numbers of people to take a few minutes from their day to say a quick prayer.  That is power!  That is strength!  It is such a small act...although I imagine that it took some time to assemble the rosary, but it is so dramatic and poignant.  We don't need to beat people over the head with the harsh parts of life and especially the pro-life movement when more subtle actions can have a greater affect on the hearts of many.

I love too, that this was an idea from a group of children.  Children are here to speak to us.  They have more wisdom that we sometimes credit them with possessing.  As a parent though, I'm often stunned and humbled by how quickly my son can get to the heart of the matter.  "Out of the mouths of babes," they say.  Certainly we are here to teach them and raise them, but I honestly believe that children teach us as much about the world and ourselves as we teach them.  It's the beauty of childhood. It causes us to slow down and view things through new, less jaded eyes.  Maybe that is why Christ so loved children.  Maybe too, should we put more esteem in these little hearts and minds.

All pictures from: https://picasaweb.google.com/104310456403281787387/GiantLIFEBalloonRosarySeenByThousandsOverChicagoSDowntown

More on my time away, the "surgery files"

Upon returning, I finally went back to the doctor to have a surgeon check out my umbilical hernia. One of the many badges of motherhood, I guess, except in this case, the surgeon was concerned that I would be in trouble if I didn't get it repaired.  So, come last week...well, it's Saturday, so a week and half ago?  In I went for surgery.  Having never had a single surgery before, I was a little frightened.  But, all thankfully went well.  Waking up was painful and not the least bit untrippy.  It's so strange to lose a chunk of your life like that.  My surgery was outpatient, so after some pain-killer induced sleep in the recovery room, and some very interesting dreams, (no I won't share them, and no they aren't THAT kind of dream!  Shame on you!) we were off to our house.  Recovery has been slow and it's so hard to hold myself back every day.  I'm afraid to push to hard and injure myself, but as any of you moms know, it's hard to be down for the count when you care for two littles.

My parents and friends have shown up to the task and really offered help in the form of meals and support and hands to babysit and hold the baby.  It's been the ultimate exercise in humility.  It can be so hard to rely on others for what you need, and yet I imagine that it's what we really need to do with life.  Serve others, and allow them to serve us.  Sometimes it's harder to allow the serving than to do it.  I've also had great opportunity to "offer up" my pain. It's a learning curve to figure out how to nurse an older infant without causing pain to yourself.  It can be quite the task to keep a three year old from jumping on his mama in his unbridled enthusiasm.  Once my son started running, I've referred to him as the golden retriever puppy due to his great joy in experiencing life and the cute rambunctiousness. :)  I am completely grateful for all of the help and love that has poured my way.  Our community of family and friends are nothing short of miraculous.