Creating Holiday Memories with a Hot Air Popcorn Popper

I hope everyone is preparing to relax and spend time with their family over the holidays.  I have to share something that I purchased a few weeks ago that we are really enjoying. It has been a part of us making some great memories this season while watching Christmas movies.

A friend of mine was talking about a hot air popcorn popper, and I realized that Brody was 3 years old (milk, egg and peanut allergy) and has never had popcorn.  This was enough motivation for me to purchase the popcorn popper.  I also loved the idea of being able to buy organic popcorn kernels (so I can avoid GMO's) and control what, and how much "butter" and salt goes on our popcorn.

The popper pops wonderfully and leaves very few kernels (so quick and easy).  It is easy to clean and is so much fun to wait and watch the popcorn overflow out of it (the kids get a kick out of that).  Sometimes we use Earth Balance dairy free butter, and sometimes we just eat it plain (what a great low calorie snack).

The best part, you don't even have to leave your home to purchase it.  I bought mine online at walmart and paid .97 to have it shipped to my house...AWESOME!  It was so worth it to not have to go in and look for it and "hope" they have it this time of year.

If you are looking for a last minute gift or want to treat yourself with something that the whole family can enjoy together, I highly recommend it!

Go make some memories!

Greek Style So Delicious Coconut Milk Yogurt

I was really excited to see that So Delicious has a new Greek Style Coconut Milk Yogurt.  It was "on sale" at Whole Foods, so I grabbed a couple.  Coconut milk yogurt, in my opinion, is much tastier than regular yogurt (and also safe for my milk allergic child).

The greek style yogurt is decadent; it is thick, creamy and delicious!  We put some granola on top and had it as a snack today.  We tried the strawberry, but I am thinking I will have to buy the chocolate next :)


Click HERE to request a coupon

15% off coupon on Food Allergy Bands at USA Baby & Big Kids Too

I am excited that our family's journey with food allergies is being featured on Nashville Kids Furniture Blog.  I am passionate about spreading awareness about food allergies and helping to encourage other families who are on a similar journey.

USA Baby & Big Kids Too in Franklin, TN is offering Allergen Free Please readers a 15% off coupon on a Food Allergy Band.  Just in time for pre-school and school starting, you can protect your child from food allergens in a fun, kid-friendly way.  

The Food Allergy-Band was the brainchild of three partners from the Nashville area, who have personally been affected by their kids with food allergies.  The Food Allergy-Band offers an added layer of protection because they stay with the child when parents and guardians cannot.

The initial Food Allergy-Band will be available in three styles:

• Dairy
• Nut
• Food

Did you know that dairy and nut allergies are the two primary food allergies that can be life-threatening? The number of children affected by food allergies has doubled in the past 10 years and now affects over 12 million Americans. Each year more than 125,000 children visit emergency rooms because of food allergy reactions.

Each band is designed for a specific allergy, is 100% latex free and incorporates a "kid friendly" design.

Print out your 15% off coupon HERE (expires September 30, 2011), stop by USA Baby & Big Kids Too and pick your Food Allergy Band up today!

USA Baby & Big Kids Too
1113 Murfreesboro Rd. Suite 370
Franklin, TN 37064
615-595-5565
Mon-Sat 10am-6pm; Sun 1pm-5pm
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Nashville Sounds Peanut Free Night August 17th

A friend of mine told me that the Nashville Sounds have had a few peanut free nights this season.  I know some of the food allergy moms worked hard to make this possible.  I also want to thank the Nashville Sounds for bringing awareness to food allergies by setting aside nights so children that have life-threatening peanut allergies can enjoy a baseball game with their families. This is wonderful!


The last peanut free night is Wednesday August 17th 2011 at (against the Padres) at 7:05pm in Section D. Click HERE to read more. *Section-D will be designated as a peanut-free zone at Greer Stadium. For more information, call (615) - 690 - HITS.


Tickets are $12 in advance (prior to game date).  Children 2 and under are free, if they do not occupy a seat. Ticket prices include tax. To see more details, click HERE


Enjoy a night out with the family!!!!

Make Your Own Smoothie Pops

Popsicles are the perfect summer time treat!

I love being able to make my own pops so I know what's in them. It is fun to make different flavors with fruit and the kids enjoy being a part of creating them.

The hardest part of making your own pops is finding the right popsicle molds.

I found these popsicle molds from Tovolo and I really like them (I actually found them at TJ Max but it looks like you can get them off of Amazon).

I like that these molds have a base that each pop sits on so they do not fall over when you put them in the freezer.  They are durable and even have a drip guard.  They come out star shaped, which is fun AND they are BPA free and dishwasher safe.

*Tip: do not fill the pop up to the top with smoothie or the stick has a hard time staying in.

How to make Smoothie Pops

1. get a great popsicle mold (I like the Tovolo Shooting Star Freezer Pop Molds)
2. get out your blender (I am in love with my Vitamix and we have definitely have gotten our money's worth, as we use it at least 2-3 times a day).
3. real fruit juice and frozen or fresh fruit

Here is my recipe for one of my favorite smoothie pops, but you can be creative and use any fruit combination

OJ (not from concentrate) (about 2 cups)
Frozen chunks of mango (I buy at Trader Joe's)
Frozen pineapple tidbits (I buy at Trader Joe's)
Frozen organic strawberries (I buy at Trader Joe's)
I sprinkle in some ground flax seed for Omega 3's

Blend ingredients in blender and pour into the molds.  Whatever does fit in the molds, we drink ;)

Also, if you want to make what we call around our house "Shrek Smoothie Pop" add a handful of kale or spinach.  Both greens are extremely nutritious and will turn the smoothie a cool green color.  Bonus: you will be sneaking in some veggies.

These molds come in handy when you make a blender-full of smoothie and you are not able to drink it all....we just have smoothie pops for later on and it is not wasted.

Farmers Markets Around Town

Summer is all about Farmers Markets; an abundance of a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables straight from the farm. Fruits and vegetables are always safe for us and it is an activity that we can do as a family. My boys enjoying know where their food comes from (they love to know what farm it is from) and it gets them more excited and involved in healthy eating.

Here are some local farmers markets around town

Open all week long

Nashville Farmers Market Monday-Sunday 8am-6pm

Find them on Facebook HERE

Saturday

Franklin Farmers Market behind the Factory in Franklin from 8am-1pm

Find them on Facebook HERE

Spring Hill Farmers Market at the TN Children's home from 3:30pm-6pm

Find them on Facebook HERE

Columbia Farmers Market at the Public Square in Historic Downtown Columbia 7am-12pm

Find them on Facebook HERE

Tuesday

Franklin Farmers Market at the Whole Foods at West McEwen Drive from 3-6:30pm

Whole Food Franklin puts out reminders, etc. Find them on Facebook HERE

Wednesday
Thompson Station Farmers Market near Thompson Station Church from 2-6pm

Find them on Facebook HERE


If you not local, find some farmers markets around town and check them out. It is a fun way to try new foods, support local farmers and maybe you will be excited to try something new for your family...they might even like it if they are a part of picking it out :)

Let me know if I am missing any local markets

Amazing Allergen Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Have you tried Enjoy Life's NEW Crunchy Chocolate Chip handcrafted cookies? Oh...you need to!

When I first found out about Brody's food allergies, I was thankful for Enjoy Life because I knew that their ENTIRE line of products were "safe." It definitely helped make my life easier as I was trying to figure out the world of food allergies. It was also an easy recommendation for others who were dealing with food allergies (even if they are different from ours) because everything is free of the top 8 allergens (wheat, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, egg, soy, fish and shellfish).

We have been eating the Enjoy Life cookies (the small soft ones) and they are good...but these NEW cookies? THEY ARE GREAT!!!!! They taste like a "bad for you cookie" without all of the stuff that you don't want. It still amazes and encourages me how something can be free of so many allergens and still taste amazing!

A friend of mine gave some of these new cookies to a non-food allergic child who was over to play with her son who has multiple food allergies. The result? The child kept asking for more! There is something that makes a mom feel good when those who do not have food allergies want what your child is having because it is GOOD.

Go out and grab a box. You won't be disappointed. I even had to try a few just to make sure I REALLY liked them ;)

Thank you Enjoy Life for helping to make my life easy and yummy!!!

Check out the other new crunchy varieties also