Peanut Free Snack: Chex Mix

When we were in Hilo Hattie in Lahaina, Maui, I stumbled across some Chex Mix that was peanut free - Teriyaki Chex Mix!

Of course it's not on the General Mills site, but apparently you can buy it at convenience stores.  Or, if you are in Hawaii, I guess you can stop by Hilo Hattie.

Yum!

Peanut Free Snack #2

Have you been waiting on pins and needles for Snack #2?

Yeah, I didn't think so. But here it is anyways!

A little back story:
Around these parts, we're venturing into the land of tree nuts. B had a negative RAST and skin test to all tree nuts, so one-by-one we've been introducing them to her (with her doctor's approval). I can't tell you how stressful this is (for all of us I'm sure). We give her a nut and then sit and stare at her for 20 minutes to see if she has a reaction. Big Fun in the PFMama's house!

So far we've tested Almonds, Pecans, Hazelnuts, Pistachios, and Pine Nuts with success. It's a total nightmare trying to find 'safe' nuts (meaning that haven't been cross contaminated with peanuts), but I've done it.

That being said, B's been eating almonds for a while now. She's a skinny little thing so any added good fats are in rotation.

I've even let her have packaged snacks that contain almonds (as long as they don't have a peanut warning of any kind). Now I know many folks out there will say "But how do you know that there isn't cross contamination at the source?". Well the short answer (and I guess the long answer too) is: we don't. Is there logic there? Not really, but there you have it.

OK, enough yapping, here's the snack I found.

I've been looking for a peanut free granola bar that isn't chewy. I hate those ones that seem like rice krispie treats with the stretchy little strings that extend when you take a bite. Blech!

You know the ones I want? I want the Nature Valley texture kind! The hard, crunchy ones! Love those, but no way is B getting 'em. They're full of peanuts! Or so I thought.

So being the go-getter that I am I've kept at it, reading every dang label over and over and over (are you getting it yet) again.

And then I found these: Kashi Roasted Almond Crunch Crunchy Almond Granola Bars. Here's a link to the nutrition panel.

And I know there are those of you out there that are avoiding ALL nuts and for this I'm sorry. I've totally been there and I hope I haven't bummed you out by blogging about these. Seriously.

But if that ever changes, know that these are GREAT. They taste awesome and I keep one in my purse at all times for a snack for ME.

I can't tell you all how happy I am that I can pack these in B's backpack at summer camp or in her lunch in the fall. It's like the holy grail of peanut free snacks.

All my continuing detective work pays off - well at least sometimes.

Peanut Free Snack #1

I found a couple of peanut free snacks I wanted to share with you. I can't give it all up in one post, so I'll give you one today and one tomorrow.

Here's the first.

I was at the grocery store today, buying my weekly load of stuff as well as some extra treats for the memorial day holiday. I was wandering in the snack aisle, picking up some, uh, healthy treats. And I spied these. I love me some Chex Mix!

Who was I kidding? These have never been safe. What the heck was I thinking picking these bad boys up?

But I did. And, as usual, I read the label, expecting disappointment.

But something's changed. On the corporate site, you'll see this label:

The warning says "Contains Wheat, Milk, Soy, Sesame, Almond, and Peanut Ingredients".

But on my bag today, the warning says:
"Contains Wheat, Milk, and Soy Ingredients."

No PEANUTS! No Almonds! No Sesame!

I know it's easy to make this homemade, but I always end up with WAY too much. And I KNOW that there are all sorts of things added to the bagged stuff that makes it not so great for your kids (or yourself for that matter). But being able to pick up a bag of this to take to a football game or picnic is a real time-saver and someday I'm going to use it to my advantage.

But isn't it saying something that it doesn't have peanut flour anymore? Are things changing?

I'm going to take it as a good sign.

Now make sure you read the bag's label in your store, just in case. Don't want you picking up an old batch.

And it just goes to show that reading your labels constantly pays off. If it isn't protecting you against accidental exposure, it'll show you new products that have become safe for you!

Let the snacking begin!

- Gab

p.s. And next time? Stay tuned for something most peanut free parents long for to put in their allergic kids lunchboxes and backpacks...

Peanut Allergy Friendly Snacks While Flying: US Airways

When we went to San Diego last month we stopped by to visit my brother and sister-in-law. I LOVE them and wished they lived closer (but that's another post on another blog, huh?)!

While we were there visiting, my little niece freaked out a little. Eyes wide, she asked her mom something I couldn't hear, sounding a little scared....

Why the nerves, you might wonder?

She had eaten some trail mix and got worried because of B's allergy to peanuts.

"Don't worry," her mom said to her, "this doesn't have peanuts or nuts in it. B will be just fine".

Of course I had to take a look. It sure looked like it had nuts in it.

But she was right. It was Sunbutter trail mix! I'd never seen it in the flesh - this was exciting! But why did they have it??

Apparently my brother flew US Airways and in one of their snack boxes (their chicken salad one on this page) for sale they include Sunbutter Snackwave Golden Deluxe Trail Mix. I mean, their peanut policy sucks big time, but isn't this possibly a step in the right direction for US Airways??

Well, needless to say I told Bella it was safe for her and she dug in - and she loved it!

A little background: B has been given some of the 'leading' peanut free brand's trail mix and gave it the supreme two thumbs down. So did I - talk about dirt sandwich - blech. I was expecting the same from this. But again - she loved it! I think the fact that her cousin was snarfing it down helped a bit.

And then I ate some. Tasty! I've ordered a dozen from Peanut Free Planet for something like $6. Totally worth it. These will be great for road trips, lunches, snacks, and field trips. (If you are interested, I also bought some quaker oat granola bars from Canada that are peanut free and some enjoy life chocolate chips - yummy!).

My brother flies alot on US Airways and had another bag that he kindly gave to B. Is he a great Uncle or what?

I can't vouch that the rest of the snack boxes on US Airways are good, or peanut free for that matter, heck the snack box in question's other elements may have nuts, but if you are traveling with a non airborne reactive PA person, this might just be a snack option you can actually eat in flight.

Good job US Airways - it's a great start!

Peanut Allergy Recipe Redux: Sweet and Spicy Sunflower Seeds

Last week I posted about some tasty sweet and spicy pumpkin seeds I made from the guts of our jack o' lantern. They were so tasty, I got to thinking about what other peanut safe snack I could make using the same technique.

And like a lightbulb, it came to me: Sweet and Spicy Sunflower Seeds!

But first I needed to have SAFE, peanut free shelled sunflower seeds, which are a total bear to find usually in the store. And I didn't want to mailorder. What to do??

But then again - a lightbulb! GoRaw Foods! Remember them? They are the ones that make the raw bars that I like (and can't afford to often). They are a gluten/wheat free and nut free facility (well, except for coconut) and they have both sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds (pepitos)! I knew where GoRaw was stocked so off I went. And there, on the shelf at Whole Foods, was a large bag of these. They also had the pepitos in stock, but they were $15 a bag, so I wanted to test this recipe out on the cheaper stuff (it's a $5 difference per bag, but still).

So for the recipe, I used a cup of shelled sunflower seeds. Here's the revised recipe. You'll need:

1 cup shelled sunflower seeds
4.5 T sugar (separated into 2.5 T and 2 T)
1/2 T Lawry's Seasoned Salt (I know, it's not the ideal spice because of the MSG and 'natural seasonings' in it, but here's a copycat recipe you can make instead if you prefer. )
1.5 T canola oil

In a medium bowl combine 2.5 tablespoons sugar and seasoned salt and set aside.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add sunflower seeds and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Cook until sugar melts and seeds begin to caramelize, stirring constantly, about 45 to 60 seconds. Be really careful to watch these - they brown really fast!

Transfer to bowl with spice and sugar, and stir well to coat. Let cool. These may be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

The verdict: So tasty - sugary and spicy (but not too spicy). I fear I will gobble these up fast - they'd be great on a salad. Pepitos here I come!

Summer Camps and Snacks

A couple of things floating around out there:

Camp Emerson - A summer camp for girls and boys, age 8 -15 in Massachusetts that addresses the allergy needs of its campers. Awesome! (found via Nicole's fantastic Allergic Child Newsletter).

I'd love to hear from anyone else who knows of summer camps that are good for kids with allergies (I'm sure a quick search of peanutallergy.com or kids with food allergies would bring up a few more). The thought of being able to send B off to summer camp without too much worry about her peanut allergy is amazing. The thought of paying that tuition might be more difficult though :)

Mark Bittman's recipe for Homemade Granola Bars. Only 4 ingredients! No preservatives or funky additives. Now, finding a safe granola might be a challenge in your local grocery store, but there's always Enjoy Life mail order. I'll be trying these this weekend. (found via Allergic Girl - thanks Sloane!)

Sunbutter Success!!!

Just a quick post to let you all know that B tried Sunbutter (again) yesterday and LOVED it.

Last year, you may recall, B tried Sunbutter and was not into it.

I haven't talked much about this, but we're moving forward with a food challenge later this summer (I know - can you believe it?!?!?). I've been a bit concerned that B would take one look at the peanut butter and refuse to eat it. Or eat it and be so grossed out by the texture that she wouldn't move forward with the challenge. So I wanted to try to introduce Sunbutter one more time to her. Sure it isn't exactly like PB, but the texture is.

I bought a jar earlier in the week and set it out on the counter (I also bought a jar of Nutella - have any of you with peanut allergic kids let them have it? This jar was for hubs but it looks 'safe' for B I guess? - let me know what you guys have done).

Anyhoo, B took one look at the Sunbutter and said in no uncertain terms that she wouldn't be eating that. I shrugged it off. But yesterday I talked to her about the food challenge coming up. I explained that peanut butter has a funky texture and that maybe she should give Sunbutter another try so she isn't surprised at the doctor's office.

She said, "OK mom, but just a little bit." I practically RAN to the kitchen and made two Ritz crackers with a small spread of SB on each. I presented them to her on a little plate and she tentatively put her pinkie finger into one and gave it a lick.

"Blech," she said. Rats. Oh well. I started to pick up the plate.

"Wait, just let me try it one more time."

In about 1 minute the first cracker was gone.

Then the second disappeared.

Then I guess I tipped the scales a bit. Was it bad that I pulled out a jar of marshmallow fluff and made her a mini Ritz fluffernutter? Hee hee.

Now she's asking this morning for a sunbutter sandwich for breakfast.

I'm not sure who was happier about her liking it. Probably me. I think I fall into the trap many allergic moms do of trying to make up for all that I perceive B to be missing with this peanut free life. Which isn't really fair I suppose. I liken it to vegetarians who eat mock bacon (or other mock meat products). Is it really a good substitute? Is it even necessary?

But it is GREAT to have another source of protein for B. She's a skinny one (she didn't inherit this from me). She's 4 and a half and still wearing 3T pants - yikes! Don't get me wrong, she's growing on the right curve according to her doctor who's not concerned, but she could use a little more meat on her bones.

Blech: Trader Joe's Gluten Free Brownie Mix

So I went into Trader Joe's a few weeks ago and saw their Gluten Free Brownie mix. I was intrigued and decided to buy some. The label not only said that it was gluten free, but that it was tree nut free, peanut free, milk& dairy free, soy free, and corn free.

And as my husband would say "flavor free!"

Turns out he was right. Considering cocoa is one of the 6 ingredients on the label, these things tasted like hockey pucks. Note that the label says 'Delicious' at the top. This, my friends, would be false advertising.

Would it have killed them to add a little vanilla? Cinnamon? More chocolate?

Eesh. Save your money folks.

New Safe Snack for Bella: CLIF Kid Organic Twisted Fruit

I just discovered these at our local market.

CLIF Kid Organic Twisted Fruit

Four flavors: Tropical Twist, Sour Apple, Strawberry, and Mixed Berry. We've tried them all and Bella can't get enough of these. And I don't feel too bad if she wants one with her waffles in the morning. No sugar (in fact, less sugar than lots of other healthier things like kids yogurt).