Overstuffed Baked Apples

This recipe is free of milk, eggs, wheat, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish and shellfish

• 4 large apples, cored (I used Organic Granny Smith...Whole Foods has Organic Honeycrisp on sale today only for $1.49lb)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 cup brown sugar OR local honey for a "healthier version"
• 1/4 cup rolled oats (can find Gluten Free oats)
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, a healthy grating
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4 tablespoons safe butter, cut into pieces (I used Earth Balance...can buy soy free if needed)
• 1/8 cup, regular or golden raisins

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Sprinkle cored apples with lemon juice. Mix next 7 ingredients and over-stuff apples. Bake 20 minutes in a small oven safe dish. Once cooled, I removed the skin (for my boys) and cut it up into pieces. They loved it!

Enjoy a beautiful fall weekend with your family and make lots of memories!

An Allergen Free Cheese That Tastes Good?

I just got a phone call from my good friend who just finished eating homemade english muffin pizzas with her food-allergic child with cheese that tasted good! Non-dairy cheese that tasted GOOD? I listened up....she got my attention on this one. I had to share this!

I remember when we first started this food allergy journey, I looked for non-dairy cheese and then figurred out that some of the brands have casein in them. Really? Doesn't make much sense to me.....most people who are looking for non-diary cheese might want to be avoiding casein...hmmm....

After trying several types of dairy free/casein free cheese (there weren't too many choices), I decided that I would rather live life without it. I did attempt to give it to Brody, I thought, "He doesn't know what real cheese tastes like, so he won't know the difference"....he refused it. I didn't blame him. I ate my pizza cheese free with just sauce and lots of veggies. As Brody is getting older (almost 2), I would love to make him a pizza that looks like a pizza and maybe even tastes like a pizza ;)

I am very excited to try Daiya Vegan Cheese (oh, and it is SHREDDED!!!!). I remember trying to shred my non-diary/casein free block of cheese and even the texture (rubbery) grossed me out! This could mean homemade pizzas with shredded mozzarella at the house! That would be so fun! They also have shredded cheddar (think...chili, casseroles, etc).

Daiya Vegan Cheese is free of the common allergens including dairy (casein and lactose), soy, gluten, eggs, peanuts and tree nuts.

I guess I will be grabbing some at Whole Foods and checking it out ;)

Remember that Whole Foods has a wonderful return policy. If you do not like the product you are trying (because I know sometimes you might not want to try a product because of the cost and then would hate to throw it away if you don't like it). If you bring in your receipt, they will refund your money OR if you do not have your receipt, they will give you a store credit.

Let me know what you think!

Healthy Lunches with No Waste....

My oldest son has started pre-school two days a week and we are adjusting to the new schedule (life has just been busy). The pre-school we send him to is not close to our house, so Brody and I stay up in the area and run errands so we don't waste gas or time. Plus, I figure grocery shopping might be easier with one :) Because we do this, Brody and I also need to pack a lunch on these days.

I have to tell you about easylunchboxes.com. A friend of mine told me about them and I am so glad she did! They make packing lunches easy, and much less wasteful than using tons of plastic baggies. I love that it has 3 compartments, because it makes me be more creative with what I pack for them and I find it is a healthier lunch. I can give them to the boys in the car and the act like a little tray. It is an easy way for them to eat their lunch. Having a child with food allergies, we pack lunches and snacks all of the time when we go out and this system has been a lifesaver!

We packed a family picnic this past weekend (there are four of us) and we each had two easylunchbox containers in each cooler (and we had two coolers). There was also room inside the cooler for an ice pack and apples.

This is similar to the new bento luchbox system and you can even buy pieces to add to make your easylunchbox.com more creative/functional. Check out the gallery of some of the lunches that have been packed using this system.

Due to overwhelming demand, they are currently sold out of container sets....BUT a new shipment arrives Mid-October (which really isn't that far off). Place your order now and they will include a FREE cooler bag that fits with the container sets (a $7.95 value) as a thanks for your patience.

Picking Apples....

One of the activities that we can do, that is food related as a family, is pick local produce. This past spring/summer, we picked strawberries, cherries, blueberries, peaches, went into our garden and gathered our harvest or took a trip to the local farmer's market.

It is such a wonderful feeling to see Brody pick fruit right off the tree/bush and be able to eat it with no worries! Besides the wonderful health benefits of vine-ripened fruit/produce, supporting local farms and knowing where our food comes from, it is such a treat for a family who has food allergies! Then I get to come home and make safe treats with the yummy fruit/produce.

This past weekend, we were able to visit Mercier Orchard and pick our own apples (the apples are herbicide and pesticide free) and were less than $1 a pound. We got to eat the apples right off the trees. They were the best apples I have EVER eaten (the Jonagold's were my favorite). The boys had a great time riding on the tractor up the hill to the many rows of apple trees. We went into the country store afterwards and were able to taste fresh apple cider...it was wonderful! I couldn't leave without buying some fresh apple butter (ingredients: apples, spices....LOVE it!)

I realize you might not be able to go to Blue Ridge, GA to Mercier Orchard, BUT I was in Whole Foods yesterday (in Cool Springs) and they had Gala Apples on sale for .99 a pound from Mercier Orchard!!!!! In the refrigerated section near the produce, they also had Mercier Orchard apple cider.

No matter where you live, I encourage you to find a local apple orchard and make some memories by picking and then making some yummy treats for your family.

If you know any good apple orchards near by (Nashville), let me know...we are still looking :)

Deal on Grass-Fed Beef at Whole Foods!

What a DEAL! On Friday, September 3rd you can get Grass-Fed Beef for $3.99 lb at Whole Foods. I will be relaxing at the beach on a much needed vacation, but I will see if I can find someone to help me stock up :)

While you are there, stock up on Simply Orange Juice for $2.50 for 59 fl oz....this is normally $3.50 or more....this is a SUPER deal! We LOVE this OJ (especially when it is on sale!)

A Day of Hope....

Team Allergen Free Please at the FAAN Walk

Things have been busy around here lately! We just finished up our first FAAN walk in Nashville, TN! We had 670+ walking to raise awareness. It was a beautiful day at Centennial Park and the company was wonderful!

I can't tell you how it lifted my spirits to meet other families who deal with similar struggles on a daily basis. It is just nice to be reminded that you are not alone. I can't tell you have amazing it was to have safe products all around us! I felt like a kid in a candy store. It was SO exciting!

We got to sample Divvies 2010 FAANtastic cookie contest winner choco-lot brownie cookie (I am eating one as I type...OH MY GOODNESS...it is DECADENT!). It says on the wrapper 1 for you + 1 to share...umm...this didn't happen :) Divvies is free of nuts, eggs and dairy. Epi Pen is treating you to 10% off enter promo code: EPI at checkout.

Enjoy life was there with coupons, soft baked snickerdoodle cookies, soft and chewy caramel apple snack bar and cinnamon crunch granola. It is great that Enjoy life is free of the top 8 allergens (milk, eggs, soy, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, fish and shellfish).

Lucy's gave out Cinnamon Thins and Oatmeal Cookies (free of gluten, milk, eggs, peanuts and tree nuts). My favorite one was the Cinnamon Thins, they reminded me of fall.

Sunbutter handed out coupons and samples of their sunflower seed spread that is perfect for on the go!

We also got cool freebies and info from Epi Pen and FAAN, got to meet local asthma and allergy doctors and had fruit and water donated by Whole Foods.

I left with my bags full of safe goodies, my heart full of hope and felt rejuvenated and uplifted by all of the wonderful friends and families coming together for the same cause!

Bolthouse Farms...Feel Good About What's In This Bottle

We make our own smoothies at least twice a day, but I have found a drink/smoothie that is ready to drink that is SUPER yummy if you do not have time to make one yourself.

Bolthouse Farms has varieties of fruit smoothie drinks that are delicious on their own or you can use them in your own homemade smoothie and add even more nutritious ingredients to it.

So far, my favorite is C-Boost Fruit Smoothie because I love mango, but I have to say that I like the Green Goodness. I think because it is green, I feel like it packs a nutritional punch; it includes veggies (broccoli and spinach). In the Green Goodness, one bottle contains 3 3/4 servings of fruits and veggies. The USDA recommends that we eat 7-13 servings of fruits and vegetables a day, so this helps towards the daily goal. I am always looking for a way to get in our servings, since I am learning how important fruits and vegetables are to the health of my family.

Bolthouse Farms is 100% Juice/Puree (the three smoothies that have the below information are Green Goodness, C-Boost and Berry Boost...these are the ones that I bought)

• Gluten Free
• No Preservatives
• No Artificial Flavors
• No Genetically Modified Ingredients (LOVE THIS!!!!!!)

On the back of the bottle, it tells you what is in the bottle, for example, in the C-Boost it has 3/4 mango, 29 acerola cherries and 2 3/4 apples. I am such a visual person; I think this is so cool!

HERE IS A DEAL: if you have a Kroger nearby, you can stock up on some! A 15.2 FL oz bottle is $3.29, but they are buy one, get one FREE. So it comes out to $1.65 per bottle (which is a great deal for this smoothie). I have been looking for the bottles with the expiration dates that are farther out and I am stocking up. WE LOVE THESE! I think I am addicted. Grab some and tell me what you think! This deal expires on 9/11 so you still have time :)