Entering the Allergy-Free Zone

It has been almost a week now since we found out about Brody's allergies to milk, eggs, peanuts and wheat. Remember I told you that I was OK with it? Well, I am...but I didn't realize how many things that we couldn't eat. Honestly, it is pretty crazy. I am up for the challenge though and Erik is excited because he thinks we are going to lose weight (no bread or cheese, yeah...might be able to lose a few pounds).

After purging my pantry and frig and returning stuff to Publix, I am left trying to find the appropriate items to substitute. This is my new challenge.

For the past 2 years I have been using coupons and really saving money at the grocery store. I felt I had it down pretty well and felt I could even share what I was doing with others. Now, I feel like I am back to square one, I am the newbie in this allergy-free zone trying to find my way amidst gluten free (just found out that means wheat-free) and being careful that the product is not even manufactured at a place with eggs or nuts. I am starting to get really good at reading labels and then setting the item back on the shelf because it does not suffice.

We went to Whole Foods today; notebook and pen in hand, ready to write down prices of items so I could compare at other grocery stores (of course I am still looking for "a deal"). As I was walking through the store, my stomach was in knots. Prices on the items I needed/wanted were overwhelming. I am used to scoring items at a pretty good price and stocking up.

A mom with two kids saw me ask someone if they knew if I could buy dairy free butter. She told me her kids have the same allergies as Brody and directed me to Earth's Balance spread. Just being able to have someone tell me that it actually tastes good made me jump for joy inside. She even gave me her e-mail address if I had any other questions. God really put her in my path today. I know it seems small, but I really needed that.

I got home tonight, unloading a couple of the items that I purchased and popped my gluten free, dairy free french toast sticks in the toaster (oh, I found out that they don't hold together well because they don't have eggs in them...but they were tasty nonetheless). I came across this post about saving money while shopping at Whole Food (or Whole Paycheck as she calls it) and it really encouraged me.

My next task is to find some great allergy-free recipes and get cooking :)