Dining Out: Applebee's Restaurant (Bellingham, Washington)

One of the goals we had at the beginning of this year was to travel somewhere, outside of the province with our peanut and tree nut allergic son on an overnight trip. We decided to achieve our goal in baby steps.

At the end of June, we drove to Woodland Zoo in Seattle for an overnight stay at my sister-in-law's cabin in Marysville, Washington. We had brought our own lunch and relied on my sister-in-law for two meals.

This past Sunday, we ventured down to Seattle again and this time, we stayed at the Westin Bellevue using my husband's Starwood Preferred Guest points. The preparation for this trip was much different as we had three meals (two dinners and one lunch) where we relied on restaurants to accommodate our little man's food allergies. I had performed extensive research on allergy aware restaurants by asking members of a local food allergy group I belong to and checked out the websites of recommended restaurants.

One of the three restaurants we tried on this trip was Applebee's in Bellingham, Washington.

Applebee's in Bellingham, Washington

For those of you not familiar with Applebee's, they are an U.S. restaurant chain that specializes in casual fare. My husband and I have dined with Applebee's sporadically over the years; mostly at their Burlington, Washington location.

This was our first visit to Applebee's Bellingham location and our first visit to Applebee's as a family with a food allergic toddler in tow.

Upon entering the restaurant, we were greeted by the hostess, Jasmine. We informed her that we have a child with a food allergy and wanted to know if they could accommodate us. Jasmine was kind and patiently answered our questions. My husband then asked to speak to the manager, Adam, who came promptly, armed with a food allergy menu.

Adam provided phenomenal service. In the 17 months since our son's diagnosis, we have only been taken care of this well once. Yes, you read that correctly. Once. That other time was at Red Robin in North Vancouver, British Columbia.

Adam discussed at length how they prepare food for diners with food allergies: clean gloves, special handling of food with supervision from him, all to minimize cross contact. Moreover, he went over the food allergy menu with us (which has a three months effective date) and discussed at length which items were safe for our little man. Adam recommended that we avoid ordering anything deep fried as they do not have a dedicated fryer which may be cross contaminated with nuts. We were so impressed by Adam and his professionalism that we happily asked for a table.

Safe food: two mini cheeseburgers, broccoli and milk.

Once we sat down, we were greeted by Morgan, our server. Adam had gone above and beyond and informed Morgan that our little man has food allergies. Morgan was equally amazing, as he recommended safe substitutes our own meals: bread sticks instead of tortilla chips (which are deep fried fresh in their kitchen) for our spinach and artichoke dip and baked potato instead of french fries for my husband's rib dinner.

Riblet Basket: ribs and baked potato.

Throughout the meal, both Morgan and Adam followed up with us to make sure we were happy. I felt like a rock star as a result of their exceptional service and breathed a sigh of relief that I have found a safe restaurant for my little man to eat at. Applebee's turned out to be a great choice: allergy aware, affordable and delicious!

Fiesta Lime Chicken

Prior to my little man's diagnosis, we did not understand the difficulties faced by families with food allergies, especially when dining out. We have discovered that once your child has a food allergy, you gain a deep gratitude towards those who are willing to accommodate and help keep your child safe. In return, you remain a loyal customer to their place of business and spread the word to other food allergy families.

A huge thank you to Adam, Morgan and Jasmine at Applebee's Bellingham for your exceptional service! We look forward to our next visit.

Applebee's Bellingham

1069 E. Sunset Drive

Bellingham, WA 98226

360.671.6000

**Please note that ingredients and menus can change. Always inform the manager/chef/server of your food allergies prior to ordering.**

#EatCarrotsForBrice - Sunday, April 19th

I read a story that made me smile today.

Photo Credit: Brice Royer via Vancouver Sun.

A fellow Vancouver resident, Brice Royer, posted an ad on Craiglist offering "Unconditional Love For Sale $0". His ad was listed in the real estate section and was seen by many house hunters frustrated by the increasingly unaffordable housing prices in Vancouver.

As I dug more into Brice's story, I discovered that he had founded a website called Gift Economy which encourages people to Pay It Forward. What's more is that Brice has been battling stomach cancer for the past three years which left him allergic to many foods. As a result of Brice's food allergies, he can only tolerate carrots. So Brice eats carrots three times a day, every day.

Brice's kind act did not go unnoticed. A social media campaign #EatCarrotsForBrice was launched to honour Brice.

The only thing Brice wants is for everyone to show a little carrot love on Sunday, April 19, 2015. It all started when his mom took funny pictures of herself eating carrots and this made Brice smile.

Brice wants people to post pictures of themselves eating carrots to raise awareness for allergies during World Allergy Awareness Week which runs from April 13th to April 19th.

So please, show Brice that we "carrot" about him and help raise awareness for those with allergies.

Here's how:

1) Take a picture of yourself and/or loved one(s) eating carrots. Creative submissions are encouraged.

2) Upload your picture to social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Imgur, Google+, etc) and tag it with the hashtag #EatCarrotsForBrice. Let's get it trending on Sunday, April 19th!

Source: CTV News, Vancouver Sun, Gift Economy

Liar Liar

The Internet has exploded in the last 24 hours.

Last night, as I was browsing Facebook, a friend shared an article written by The Science Babe for Gawker. I clicked on the article titled "The "Food Babe" Blogger Is Full of Sh*t" bemused to see what had my friend so excited that she captioned it "This. Is. Awesome."

The Food Babe, wait, that name sounds familiar. I have seen that name recently in the news. She had something to do with Subway Restaurants removing the yoga mat chemical from its breads. At that time, I thought, "Way to go girl!".

I am all for eating whole foods, DIYing and making things from scratch. Well, actually, most of that came as a result of my son being diagnosed with multiple food allergies. I had no choice. I used to love making things from scratch, as a hobby. Now I do this full time, as an allergy mom, to keep my little man safe.

Anyhow, I digress.

As I was reading through the article, still amused, I was craving popcorn. This is the kind of article you read with glee, because it is well written, funny, witty and full of zingers. It's the type of material that has been missing in my life since The Colbert Report went off the air. 

The premise of the article Yvette Guinevere (aka Science Babe) set forth were examples of how The Food Babe does not base anything she writes on factual scientific evidence.

It was all fun and games until I came to the last part written about The Food Babe's advice for her followers (aka The Food Babe Army) on eating out. According to Yvette, The Food Babe apparently gave advice to her followers to "Go as far as telling the server you allergic to butter and dairy, soy and corn."

 

Does The Food Babe know butter is dairy? Read her ramblings here.

I was so curious to see if this was true. So I clicked on the link and I was redirected to another page written by The Food Babe refuting the Gawker article. WTF. Where's the article Yvette was referencing.

Was Yvette lying?

So I searched "Food Babe + Food Allergies" and found the page Yvette referenced.

True enough, The Food Babe tells her followers to lie about having food allergies.

WHAT THE F%#&*$(% IS WRONG WITH YOU WOMAN?!?

Who tells people that?

As a mom of a child who has food allergies, I cannot fathom why anyone with such a mass following would tell people without food allergies to lie. No thanks to her, her 2011 article and The Food Babe Army, they are trivializing food allergies.

Lying about food allergies is not a laughing matter for the 15 million Americans with food allergies. In Canada, where I live, 2.5 million Canadians live with at least one food allergy. Until my little man was diagnosed with peanut and almond allergies, I had no idea how having a food allergy can change one's life. Families with food allergies are always on guard: reading, checking and rechecking labels, calling food manufacturers, monitoring food recalls, making foods from scratch, trying to advocate for the food allergic child(ren), being excluded at social events, and dealing with real a-holes who believes those with food allergies should "Darwin" themselves, among many other things. Many families have watched their loved ones in full blown anaphylaxis and some families have lost their loved ones due to food allergies. It's not something I would wish on my worst enemy.

Oh yes, the joys of living with food allergies! And now we have to deal with dipsh*ts like The Food Babe and The Food Babe Army too? Oh hell no!

So when the Food Babe tells The Food Babe Army to go lie about allergies due to a lifestyle choice, I take offense. In fact, The Food Babe is not the only one who advocates lying about food allergies. Todd Wilbur of Top Secret Recipes (who creates restaurant copycat recipes) boasts faking a food allergy to find out the ingredients at a restaurant. The only difference is Todd does not tell his followers to do so.

This is straight from his About page. No jokes.

I take serious issue with both The Food Babe and Todd Wilbur when tell others they have (air quote) food allergies. This belittles the seriousness of those living with an actual food allergy. Like others pointed out, how many people go around lying about having cancer?

This lying goes beyond the issue of the waitstaff and those in the restaurant industry who may not take food allergies seriously because another Food Babe or Todd Wilbur is lying about having food allergies. It speaks to The Food Babe's and Todd Wilbur's moral character, lack of ethics and their willingness to say and do anything to make a quick buck. Not to mention the most important thing: they are putting the lives of those with food allergies at risk!

Instead of lying, why not CHOSE to tell the TRUTH?

The Food Babe can tell her followers to ask for an ingredients list when they are at a restaurant. Ask the chef if a certain dish contains GMOs, butter, dairy, soy or corn. (FYI: Butter is dairy!) Or even better yet, make your own food at home, like those with real food allergies. Todd Wilbur can ask restaurants for their ingredients list without taking advantage of sympathetic staff who thinks poor Todd has a food allergy, and undermining the lives of those who have food allergies.

My suggestion to The Food Babe, Todd Wilbur and anyone else lying about having food allergies, stop lying already.

To quote The Food Babe, her rule is "If a third grader can't pronounce it, don't eat it." 

Here's my rule: "If a third grader knows it's wrong to lie, you (The Food Babe, Todd Wilbur and The Food Babe Army) should know it too."

A Year Later

Exactly a year ago, we found out that our little man was allergic to peanuts and almonds. At first, upon receiving the diagnosis from the allergist, my initial reaction was relief since he was not allergic to wheat as we had originally suspected.

Epinephrine saves lives.

As we drove home, my husband's voice broke and mentioned the implications of our little man having food allergies: cross contamination, dealing with people who do not understand allergies, eating out, traveling and bullying. I started to panic. What on earth was I thinking when I said that I was relieved?

When we got home, I started to research more about peanut and tree nut allergies and my heart sank. Pouring over all the articles, I discovered that the chances of outgrowing a peanut allergy is up to 20% and outgrowing a tree nut allergy is up to 9%. Whereas children allergic to wheat, milk, eggs have 80% chance of outgrowing it. All the websites I have read said that we need to avoid bakeries and most restaurants due to cross contamination and that many foods contain peanuts and tree nuts.

We insisted that our allergist conduct a RAST blood test which told us how likely the little man would react to peanuts and almonds. The blood results for his peanut IgE was > 100 (99.99% chance of reaction) and almond IgE was 12.4 (95% chance of reaction).

Every article I read had a tragic ending where a life was lost too soon. Every email I saw was yet another food related recall. Everywhere I went, I saw peanuts and almonds lurking in the most obscure things, from hand moisturizers to dog treats. I felt defeated.

A Year Later
Fast forward a year, we made a lot of changes: making our own food, educating family on food allergies and using epinephrine, reading labels, carrying epinephrine injectors everywhere we go, just to name a few things.

In the last year, as a family we have learned to manage food allergies on a daily basis. We are learning to trust others to make food our little man: my mother-in-law, my sister-in-law and reputable allergy aware restaurants. (We still do a lot of due diligence in this area like reading labels and asking lots of questions.)

I have also become a better and more efficient home cook, learning to make many dishes from scratch. As a result, we have almost completely eliminated dining out saving a good amount of money. We also started focusing on what our little man can eat, rather than what he cannot. This made us realize that eating whole foods is better for us and healthier too.

We have learned a lot about food allergies and how many families like ours manage multiple food allergies on a daily basis. I have come to realize that many families with multiple food allergies do not stop living a normal life. Seeing this was inspiring for me as it gave me hope and made me realize that many other food allergy families shoulder a lot more than we do.

In the last twelve months, I have also learned to not agonize over every food allergy article. I read the latest research with cautious optimism, the tragic stories of lives lost as a reminder of how to better protect my little man. I have also started noticing more allergy-friendly products on store shelves and hope that with awareness, there will be more compassion for those who live with food allergies.

But the most important thing I have learned is not to take life for granted and be grateful for what we have: supportive family, good friends and an amazing food allergy community.

Dining Out With Food Allergies: McDonald's Canada

A year ago, on a follow up appointment with our little man's allergist, we asked if there are any allergy-aware restaurants. She said that some of her clients mentioned McDonald's Restaurants as a safe choice.

Fast forward a year later, we decided to go to Dairy Queen as they were giving away a free small cone. While waiting in line, we noticed several notices stating that they cannot guarantee allergens have not come in contact with the food. With peanut butter Rolo blizzard and Reese's Pieces blizzard posters prominently displayed throughout the store, it was clear that our little man was not going to be getting anything from Dairy Queen.

So we headed to McDonald's and asked them if they have any peanuts and tree nuts on their menu as well as their allergen policy. The crew member told us that the only nuts on their menu (as of March 2015) is the individual packets of peanuts for the sundae. She mentioned that crew members are not permitted to open the packet of peanuts behind the counter in order to reduce the risk of contamination.

This all aligned to what we were told by our nephew who works at McDonald's. He confirmed McDonald's takes allergies seriously and will only hand out the peanut packets for customers to open. Our nephew did mention that there could be a risk of contamination in the eating area (where customers can open packets of peanuts for their sundaes).

Ice cream break!

Feeling slightly assured, we  bought a small ice cream cone and gave our little man a little taste of McDonald's ice cream. As a precaution, we had 3 Allerjects and we were only 10 minutes away from the closest hospital.

5 minutes passed and no reaction was observed. So we gave the little man a little more. After about 30 minutes later, it was clear this ice cream is safe (and quickly dissolving into a milkshake). The little man kept hopping back for more.

What a great way to start off the week than by adding another allergy aware restaurant to our "safe" list!

Dining Out With Food Allergies: White Spot Restaurants

If you live in British Columbia or Alberta, you are likely familiar with White Spot and its chain of restaurants.

On a food allergy forum I follow, some allergy moms recommended White Spot as a safe choice for people with food allergies. One mom in particular mentioned that White Spot has a food allergy handbook which details the top allergens in their menu items.

I decided to visit White Spot's Oakridge location late last summer. As a precaution, I brought my little man's food with me in case they did not pass my test. I asked our server what menu items had peanuts and tree nuts and if there was a food allergen handbook. The server was not very helpful in describing White Spot's safe practices and said the only nuts present is in the salad bar. She said that she has worked at White Spot for many years and is not aware of a food allergen handbook. Needless to say, I was less than thrilled with my experience and fed my little man the food I had brought.

Fast forward to last Christmas, we went to visit family in Victoria. I decided to give White Spot a second chance. We brought our little man's food as a precaution and as we sat down, I asked our server if they had an allergen menu. Our server kindly told me not only do they have an allergen menu, she proceeded to tell me about their safe practices: separate food preparation area and special notes they put on the order itself. She also brought me White Spot's allergy menu for me to pour over and dissect. Our server was very helpful and allergy aware that it gave me confidence to try to revisit White Spot again, at the same location.

Last week when we went to visit family in Victoria, we went back to the Fort Street location. As we sat down, I requested their allergy menu. We cross referenced this allergy menu with the kid's menu to find safe options for our little man.

Our server this time was fantastic and was very diligent when she placed our order making sure the allergy was dutifully noted to the kitchen staff. Since she also has two little kids, she requested for the little man's order to come out right away. As part of the kids combo, they offer ice cream as part of dessert. Our server volunteered to substitute in a fruit salad instead.

We were very happy with the service we received from the Fort Street location. I hope to repeat this success with other White Spot locations, in particular the Oakridge location.


Update (May 2015):
We went to visit White Spot in East Vancouver on Kingsway and found that location was not allergy aware. It took the on duty manager 30 minutes to find the allergy booklet, which was 3 years out of date. Our waitress had never heard of an allergy booklet. Had we not been dining with friends, we would have walked out. The training clearly is not consistent from one White Spot location to the next. This sentiment is echoed through other members in my local allergy support group who have found inconsistent service as each location is franchised.

I was also informed by a member of my allergy support group that the Zoo Sticks is not safe for those with peanut and tree nut allergies as it contains nuts or nut products in the batter. Please check with the manager or chef prior to ordering anything.


Questions & Concerns
If you have any concerns or questions about White Spot's menu or ingredients used you can contact them by mail or by phone:

Menu Development Department

White Spot Restaurants

1126 S.E. Marine Drive

Vancouver, BC 

V5X 2V7 Canada

604-321-6631

Nut Free Candy at Cineplex Theatres

Families with nut (peanut and tree nut) allergies will be happy to hear that since February 12, 2015, Cineplex Movie Theatres in Canada are offering Dare candies at its concession stands. When I saw Cineplex's press release, I rejoiced as I had suggested this to Cineplex last year. 

Dare + Cineplex = Happy Allergy Mom

 
At the end of February, my husband and I went to watch American Sniper at Cineplex theatres as part of our "date night". I was curious to see if I could find these Dare "nut-free" candies and sure enough, they were prominently displayed on the candy stand.

Up until my little man was diagnosed with peanut and almond allergies, I purchased Dare candies purely for taste. Now, as an allergy mom, I try my best to support companies who offer nut free snacks and get excited when I see the phrase "made in a nut-free facility". And Dare makes my heart go pitter-patter with their nut free candies, cookies and crackers*.

I am very excited to see Cineplex getting on board to be more allergy aware and look forward to more nut-free snack options!

*Disclaimer: Ingredients can change at any time. please always read the ingredients label and contact the manufacturer for allergen information.

Note: Though Cineplex offers Dare's nut-free candies, families with nut allergies should be aware that Cineplex also sells M&M candies and have other vendors on site who may sell products that can pose a risk to those who are highly allergic. Please always check the ingredients list and ask the manager on duty at Cineplex for an up to date ingredients list.

8 Ideas to Prevent Kitchen Burnout

In most households, the cooking duties generally defaults to one person. In our household, that task falls squarely on my shoulders. It has been this way ever since my husband and I got married.

Up until my son was diagnosed with nut allergies, we would eat out on nights when I am too tired to cook. For many food allergy moms or people with food allergies, this is generally not a viable option.

In December of 2014, after over half a year of non-stop cooking, baking and making almost everything from scratch, I felt burnt out. Products I used to purchase were off limits as they often had "may contains" and my kitchen has now turned into a mini bakery, stocked with every possible kind of non-nut flour imaginable. I still loved to cook but I knew that I needed to ask for help or find other ways to alleviate the stress of meal preparation. I thought long and hard of other ways to find a balance between feeding my little man safe foods and keeping my sanity.

Over the Christmas holidays, I had a period of two weeks where I was no longer the main provider of all the meals. This allowed me some time to recharge and think of ways to prevent kitchen burnout in the future.

I have come up with eight ideas to prevent kitchen burnout for those with food allergies or those looking to get a break from the kitchen.

1. Ask Other Family Members to Help (ie. Spouse, Partner or Kids)
This can be the hardest thing to do for some of us. In our household, my husband is in charge of weekend breakfasts. In addition to his breakfast duties, he is also the backup chef in this house. This means pitching in to make a quick meal when I am busy.

Here are other things your spouse/partner/kids can do:

• Food preparation: peeling potatoes, washing vegetables, getting ingredients out of the freezer to thaw
• Setting the table: my little man (under 2 years old) and my husband have been tasked with setting the table for dinner each night. Sure the forks are all in one place when the little man is setting the table, but hey, it is one less thing I have to do.
• Kitchen cleanup: kids as young as 18 months old can take their plates to the sink after dinner. Older kids can help clear the table, load and unload dishes in the dishwasher.
• Eating area cleanup: kids can wipe the table after dinner, sweep (we are working on this!) and vacuum to make sure the table is clean and ready for the next meal.

2. Big Batch Recipes: Eat Over a Few Meals or Eat and Freeze

• I love doubling or tripling recipes so I have dinners for a couple nights.
• Try these recipes: Easy Peasy Beef and Macaroni, Chunky Veggie Spaghetti, Chicken Chow Mein,  Kimchi Fried Rice, 40 Minute Whole Wheat Rolls and Homemade Frozen Pizza 

40 Minute Whole Wheat Rolls

• If your family hates eating leftovers, find recipes that freeze well and freeze the leftovers for another meal.

3. Make Ahead Freezer Meals

• Make ahead freezer meals are great because it essentially allows you to shift the prep work to when you have more time and energy. Even better is that it allows you to take advantage of sales when you can purchase foods at a discount. 
• I will be trying some of these recipes from Two Under Two and this Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole. $5 Dollar Dinners offers a great meal plan each week that solves the dinner dilemma.
• If your family loves pizza, try this 35 minute pizza recipe which can be made ahead of time. Make a few extras and bake when you need a quick dinner.

35 Minute BBQ Chicken Pizza recipe made from scratch.

4. Dining Out at Safe Restaurants

• This year, one of my resolutions was to find more allergy aware restaurants. We recently added Red Robin Gourmet Burgers to our list of safe eats (see my post here). I am looking forward to trying other allergy aware restaurants in the future.

Interactive menu at Red Robin

• Things to look for when selecting a restaurant:
• Has an allergen menu
• Has knowledgeable and courteous staff who take your concerns seriously and explains their protocol for food handling and preparation
• Manager or chef is accommodating and knowledgeable, answers questions
• Has a special food preparation area for people with food allergies
• Notes allergens upon delivery of food items
• Good reviews from other allergy families (Check Allergy Eats for some restaurants near you)

5. Finding Allergy Friendly Shortcuts

• There are a growing number of allergy friendly products where they have a nut-free (or other allergen free) facility. Some allergy aware brands now list both "contain" and "may contain" statements. Based on the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Food and Drug Administration recalls, you have a good sense of which companies are reliable.
• As much as I love making foods from scratch all the time, I also like using shortcuts here and there. In my 10 Minute Pulled Pork Tortilla Pizza recipe, I used store bought flour tortillas as my pizza crust.
  

10 Minute Pulled Pork Pizza recipe

6. Allergy Aware Family Members or Friends

• We are very lucky to live near my sister-in-law who is becoming more nut allergy aware. She generally invites us over for dinner once every few weeks. After dining safely at her house a few times, we feel comfortable enough not to bring food for our little man. She cooks mostly from scratch when we visit and happily lets us rummage through her kitchen to check for ingredients.

7. Cooking one protein and using it in different meals

• For those who like variety, try cooking a protein and using it in different ways: served over various carbohydrates (potato, rice, pasta, tortilla), in sandwiches, over salads or in stir-fries. I love these recipes which saves me a lot of time on meal prep. Roast Chicken, 2 Ingredient Slowcooker Pulled Pork, Baked Ham and Vietnamese Lemongrass Pork.

Roast chicken dinner. Leftovers used to make this 35 minute pizza.

8. One-pot/Slow Cooker meals (Prep and Go)

• I refer to this as Prep and Go meals. This wonderful for those nights when you have no time to stand over a stove. You would prep the ingredients, turn on the stove/slow cooker and allow the food to cook on its own. 
• Give these recipes a try: One Pot Spinach and Artichoke Fettuccine, 2 Ingredient Slow Cooker Pulled Pork and One Pot Tomato Basil Parmesan Pasta 

One Pot Tomato Basil Parmesan Pasta

Above all, no matter where dinner is, always bring the epinephrine injectors (Epipen or Allerject), ask questions if you are not the one cooking, and check the ingredients if you are. After all, food is supposed to be enjoyable. Give yourself some grace as everyone needs a break now and then from kitchen duties.

What do you do to combat kitchen burnout? Leave your comment below or let me know via Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or Instagram.

Dining Out With Food Allergies: Red Robin Restaurants

I have been a loyal customer at Red Robin Restaurants for a long time. At one point, my husband and I frequented Red Robin once a week. It was almost a second home for us.

When my little man was diagnosed with nut allergies (peanut and almond), that was a huge change for us as dining out was no longer carefree and must be planned with extreme care.

One night, as I was reading the forums on Peanut Allergy, I discovered that many food allergy families recommend Red Robin Restaurants. I was so elated to read that this restaurant chain takes food allergies seriously.

Based on the recommendations of fellow food allergy parents and visiting Red Robin's website (which lists an Allergen Menu), this gave me the courage to dine out at Red Robin.

Here's why Red Robin will be a second home for us again.

Visit #1 (North Vancouver location) - September 2014
We visited Red Robin for dinner after a fun (but exhausting) day at the Fair at the PNE. Since we were unfamiliar with dining out with food allergies, we brought our little man's food (just in case). Our server was extra patient and explained they had an allergy menu (on an iPad) which allows you to select the allergens to avoid and based on that, it recommends menu items. She also explained that they have a special dedicated area to prepare food for people with food allergies. Moreover, staff wash their hands and the food preparation area is thoroughly cleaned to avoid cross contact.

iPad with an interactive menu

A manager visited our table and explained their process for food preparation and handling. He also answered all of our questions and took our concerns seriously. We felt pretty elated to hear Red Robin had strict protocol in place. With that, we ordered our little man some chicken fingers, milk, seasonal fruit and ice cream (which we ate). The manager personally brought out our food and made a special note of the allergy restrictions on the little man's meal.

Kid's menu. Best $6 I have spent dining out.

We gave the little man a small bite of the chicken fingers, waited 10 minutes before feeding him more. As we had expected, he ate the food without any reactions. We tipped generously and vowed to go back to Red Robin soon.

Visit #2 (North Vancouver location) - January 2015
After a fun day at the Vancouver Aquarium, we decided to dine out at Red Robin's North Vancouver location again because my awesome brother gave us Red Robin gift cards for Christmas.

As we sat down, I notified our server of the little man's nut allergies. The exact same great service was provided, the iPad with the allergen menu was given to us and the little man's food was delivered by a special server (who I assume prepared the food). This time, the server announced the allergens to us: "No Peanuts, No Treenuts, Red Robin Cheeseburger with Broccoli". We were all quite impressed by the consistency. Again, we gave him a little bit of his cheese burger which he ate without any issue.

We will be back
We have had two great visits to Red Robin's North Vancouver location and look forward to visiting them again. In particular, I liked how Red Robin:

• Has an online allergen menu
• Has an interactive allergen menu (on an iPad which they give you)
• Has knowledgeable and courteous staff who take your concerns seriously and explains their protocol for food handling and preparation
• Has a special food preparation area for people with food allergies
• Notes allergens upon delivery of food items

So from this Allergy Mom, thank you Red Robin for making my life a little easier. It's nice to know that dining out is possible when you have a second home to go to.

Merry Christmas!

Nut-free cookies for Santa (It's Dare Maple Leaf Cream, eh?)

For Christians around the world, Christmas is a time to celebrate the birth of Christ. For those who celebrate Christmas, it is also a time to spend with family and gorge on a never-ending supply delicious food. This year marks the first nut-free Christmas for our family since the little man was diagnosed with peanut and almond allergies in March.

While I cannot say that this year has been without its share of difficulties and challenges, I feel blessed by the support we have received from family, friends, fellow food allergy bloggers and the food allergy community. As a result of everyone's support, we learned the importance of carrying and administering epinephrine, allergen avoidance at social gatherings, the need to always read labels and educate others on the seriousness of food allergies.

On the other hand, there have been many good things that have resulted from us being a part of the food allergy community. I have met some incredible and supportive people (through online and in person), made a conscious decision to stay at home to raise my little man (and watch him grow before my eyes), started this blog (meeting some amazing food allergy bloggers in the process), and learned that I am a good cook (from what I'm told). We are eating healthier (most times if you don't count my love of butter and cheese), saving money (from not eating out at restaurants) and supporting one another through challenging times (my husband rocks at this!). Moreover, we learned that while food plays an important role in most of our social gatherings, it does not have to be the end all be all for gatherings to be enjoyable.

So, on this special day, I want to count my blessings for what I have and give thanks: to God, to my wonderful husband, my amazing little man, our families, old and new friends and amazing companies who support the food allergy community. Merry Christmas everyone!

Stanley Park in Vancouver is our oasis when we need a break from everything.

The Importance of Communication (When Your Child Has Food Allergies)

#99170369 / gettyimages.com

This is my 100th post! When I first started blogging I imagined it would be tough for me to crank out posts and find topics to share. After 100 posts, apparently, I still have a lot more recipes, thoughts on allergy management and frugal tips I want to share with you.

Those of you who read the byline to my blog know that I have a little man who has a nut (peanut and almond) allergy. Part of the mission of this blog is to share our experience in allergy management.

Texting Versus Calling
I was a late adopter to texting, as I preferred to call someone if I was running late or needed to chat. Soon after I got a smartphone, I preferred texting my friends and family over calling. After all, it's quicker and simpler to text 5 different people carrying on 5 different conversations than trying to call everyone.

Think about it, communication is an important part of our daily life. It is how we share our thoughts, needs, wants and feelings. When your child has food allergies, communication becomes even more critical when you leave the safety and comfort of your home. Play dates, parties and other social gatherings can throw you off your routine and introduce situations you are not familiar or comfortable with.

"PB&J Incident"

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Several months ago, my husband and I were invited to a potluck at a friend's house. We see/talk to these friends once a year at their potluck dinner. The last time we saw them, (which was last Fall) our little man had not been diagnosed with any food allergies.

When my husband RSVP'd to the party, I asked my husband to tell the host about our little man's food allergy so that the other guests can refrain from bringing any nut-related items to the potluck. The little man was just shy of a year and half years old at that time but still constantly puts things in his mouth. My husband assured me that he had let the host know via a text message.

Fast forward to the day of the party, we were having a good time until my husband noticed the host's child eating a peanut butter jelly (PB&J) sandwich. He calmly asked the child if it was a PB&J sandwich and the child nodded happily saying it is their favorite. My husband quickly grabbed the little man and left the room; looking in search of the hostess. After the child finished eating the PB&J sandwich, my husband quietly pulled the hostess to the side and explained that our little man has a peanut and almond allergy. He kindly asked if it was possible for the child to wash their hands to which the hostess obliged and apologized profusely for not having known about it as her husband had not passed along the message. I was a little shaken up but things like this happen and I thought we had handled the situation well.

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The little man was walking around and out of nowhere, he threw up. This was unusual for him and at that time, I did not think much of it. In hindsight, this could have been one of the signs of an allergic reaction.

Sadly, this story does not end here.

Another guest, whom we've met once before, brought in a Thai salad from Whole Foods, with peanuts. One of our friends, L, said in a low voice to my husband "Hey man, there are peanuts in this salad, just so you know."

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I was about to cry.

How on earth did all this happen? All of this could have been prevented had we clearly communicated with the host, hostess and the other guests. We knew almost everyone attending except for the couple who brought the Thai salad. Had we contacted everyone by telephone instead of texting the host, this whole situation could have been prevented.

I felt that my husband did not want to inconvenience his friend by asking for special treatment. In the end, we were very lucky that the worst that happened was our little man had a rash on his chest and vomited. Was it worth putting other's feelings ahead of the safety of our child?

As we drove home that night, we brainstormed ways we can try to avoid this situation again. Here's what we came up with:

RSVP Stage

• Contact the host and hostess by telephone (and other party guests if it is a potluck) and remind them about food allergies
• Ask the host if they can avoid serving the allergen at the party or substitute it with an alternate food
• If the host shrugs off your allergy concerns by making light of the situation, make your own judgement call whether you should attend. Personally, for us, if we cannot guarantee our little man's safety, we will just not attend. After all, I feel it speaks volumes about the kind of friend they are more than about you.

Day Before

• Contact the host and remind them of your child's food allergies. Ask if there is anything you can bring to the party. Separate out a portion of the safe food for your child to avoid cross contamination.

Day of Party: Before Leaving The House

• Pack at least two epinephrine injectors and map out the route to the nearest hospital
• Memorize the address of the party and best ways for an ambulance to get there
• Pack safe foods and snacks for your child. If they are old enough, remind them that they should ask for your permission before they eat anything.
• Pack hand wipes and Lysol wipes to wipe down eating areas.
• Eat a small meal at home so your child can focus on having fun instead of worrying about which foods they can and can't eat.

Arrival at the Party

• Arrive at the party early and ask what is in certain foods to identify allergens. This would prevent the PB&J incident as hosts have a lot of things on their minds on the day of the party.
• Help to set up and inquire how they made certain foods and ask to read ingredients (if you are comfortable)

During the Party

• Designate one parent to watch over the child at all times
• Ensure your child washes their hands before and after eating
• Inspect the foods and plates for allergens
• If at any time you or your child feels unsafe, leave. Be polite and let the host know you are leaving, thank them for the invite.
• Tell your child not to accept food from anyone except you.
• Keep your safe food and snacks stored separately; bring your own plates and utensils.

Post Party

• Discuss with your significant other (or child if they are old enough) what part of your allergy management plan went well and what could be improved.
• Reward your child for good behaviour for positive reinforcement

We definitely learned our lesson with the "PB&J incident". The following are three social gatherings we attended shortly after.

Lesson Learned - Example 1
At the family Thanksgiving party, we implemented the above action plan. My husband called the day before and asked his sister not to serve anything with peanuts and almonds. This call had proved to be useful as my sister-in-law had planned to serve a salad with almond slices. She volunteered to omit it from her menu because we reminded her. To my sister-in-law's credit, she avoided serving all nuts altogether.

The day of, we packed both epinephrine injectors, hand wipes and safe food and snacks for our little man. When we arrived, we inspected the foods served (hey, it's family!) and caught a Trader Joe's roasted sunflower seed that was toasted in peanut oil. My husband calmly asked his sister if she can serve something else. She was genuinely embarrassed that she missed that. It is hard to hold others to our standard especially when it is not a routine habit.

We also asked family members not to give our little man any foods unless it came from our safe food stash. We designated my mother-in-law as our helper to watch over the little man to make sure he remained safe. It was the first time after the "PB&J incident" where I felt relaxed and had a little fun.

Lesson Learned - Example 2
We went over to a family friend's house for dinner. Our friend L knew about our little man's food allergy from previous two visits with them. I also reminded her that we will be bringing the little man's own food. On the day of, our friend L made sure there was no nuts served in her dinner menu. We had a fabulous time and the little man was thrilled to play with their two adorable kids.

Lesson Learned - Example 3
My husband's friend J, invited us over to her house for a US Thanksgiving feast. Since they see each other every week at volleyball, my husband talked to J about our little man's food allergies. J was extremely accommodating, stating that she will not be serving any dishes containing peanuts or almonds but there will be other nuts there. We really appreciated her telling us that so we can make an informed decision whether to attend.

Since we know the hostess is quite allergy aware, we felt comfortable knowing that peanuts or almonds will not be on the menu. As always, we brought the little man his own drink, food and snacks. On the day of the party, J pulled us aside and told us which dishes had other nuts (pecans and walnuts). I was very impressed she took our concerns seriously.
 

3 Points to Remember

1. Communicate (call, in person, video chat) with the host about any food allergies
2. Bring Epinephrine and know where the closest hospital is
3. Ask the hosts about allergens in dishes

Don't be afraid to decline party invitations or hurt other's feelings when your child's safety is at risk. Frankly, no friendship is worth sending my little man to the ER. Remember that the difference between a good friend and a great friend is that a great friend takes your allergy concerns seriously and make accommodations. We are clearly very blessed to have great family and friends!

Food Dehydration 101

In this house, we used to eat a fair amount of dehydrated fruits and nuts. My favorite was the Kirkland Dried Fruit & Nut Medley. With peanuts and almonds as the main ingredients, this snack got the boot since my little man has been diagnosed with peanut and almond allergies.

While shopping for portable snacks for the little man, we wanted to buy some dehydrated fruits for him. It is relatively healthy, does not require refrigeration and provides some nutrition. We were unprepared for the ingredients list which included: preservatives (ie. sulfur dioxide), added sugar (ie. cane sugar), oil, and most of the packaged dried fruits we found contained nuts or have traces of nuts. Amazing how reading labels shocks you eh?

As part of our little man's allergy management, we now eat almost all of our meals at home. This resulted in significant savings in our dining out budget. My husband used the money saved to purchase a food dehydrator which can dehydrate practically anything: fruits, vegetables, herbs, milk and even meat jerky (another one of my weaknesses).

"The Beast"
Over this weekend, we put "The Beast" (my nickname for our dehydrator) to the test. In our initial batch we dehydrated 6 tomatoes, 5 apples, 4 pears, 2 peaches, small bunch of grapes, and a pound of red and yellow cherry tomatoes. Amazingly, all that fit into the 9 trays. The next day, I dried 8 bananas, a bunch of kale and some homemade hand molds.

Uniformity is the key to successful dehydrating. A good mandoline is a huge time saver.

The dehydrated food tastes amazing since the fruits I purchased were in season, so they are naturally sweet. We did not add any sugar or preservatives to our dehydrated loot and it is nut free too!

Top left clockwise: Dried apples, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, pears and peaches.

My husband figured it costs between $0.03 to $0.06 per hour to run "The Beast". Most fruits and vegetables take an average of 5 to 10 hours to dehydrate so you are looking at about $0.60 in electricity. The total cost of your finished product depends on the cost of your raw ingredients and if you factor in other costs (such as gas, your time and the cost of the dehydrator). For us, it is the right move as our little man can enjoy fruit on the go, sans nut traces, sugar and preservatives. For an allergy mom, you truly cannot put a price tag on the peace of mind.

Dried bananas: 8 bananas yield a sandwich bag and half of banana chips. No oil or sugar added.

Choosing a Food Dehydrator
There are various models of food dehydrators available. I recommend that you do some research and find one that is right for you and your needs. Some things to think about when choosing a food dehydrator are:

• Uses for the dehydrator
• What do you want to dehydrate: fruits, vegetables, meats, yogurt or herbs?
• How frequently would you actually use a dehydrator 
• If it sits unused, it is actually a better idea to use your oven or purchase dried food.
• Reasons for purchasing a dehydrator 
• Do you have access to an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables through a CSA box or your own garden, are you buying it for health reasons (food allergies, diabetes, etc) or lifestyle (want less chemicals and sugar in your foods)
• Amount of food it can dehydrate in one batch and if the shelves are adjustable
• "The Beast" has nine 15 square inch trays and each shelve is adjustable
• Current consumption of purchased dehydrated foods
• If you purchase dehydrated fruits as much as I did, it might be a good idea to dehydrate your own.
• Cost of the food dehydrator
• With appliances, my current philosophy is to spend a little more to get a better quality appliance. I have had way too many cheap appliances bust on me time after time. That said, there are reasonably priced models which offer good value in the $40 to $70 range: such as the Nesco Snackmaster Pro, Nesco Snackmaster Express or Nesco American Harvest with Jerky Gun.

The 26 hour timer and adjustable thermostat won my husband over.

My husband bought "The Beast" (known to everyone else as the Excalibur 3926TB Food Dehydrator) as it has a 26 hour timer, adjustable thermostat from 95°F to 155°F (can safely dehydrate meat jerky) and 9 trays capacity (15 square inches per tray). "The Beast" also has the capability to make fruit leather and yogurt as well.

Half way through the dehydrating process. Grapes take 22 to 30 hours hence why they still look plump.

We have a long list of foods we are keen to try. I am looking forward to sharing with you my adventures with "The Beast".

Tips for Selecting Food for Dehydration

• Purchase fresh in season fruits and vegetables. These are naturally sweet and will also be the most cost effective
• Pick ripe (but not overripe) and blemish free produce

Beautiful apple slices. I will have to top it with some cinnamon next time.

Preparation

• Use only fresh produce
• Dehydrate foods within a day of purchase to maximize flavor
• Sort through the produce and set aside any bruised or overripe produce for another use.
• Thoroughly wash produce and remove all pits and cores
• Use a mandoline (or sharp knife) cut slices of fruit into uniform sizes. This is to ensure that they all dry at the same time.

Tomatoes on the vine.

Drying

• Whether you are using a food dehydrator or the oven, place food in a single layer leaving some space between each piece
• If using the oven, use parchment paper or nonstick baking mats (such as a Silpat).

Please consult your dehydrator manual for times.

Excalibur 3926TB Food Dehydrator Dehydration Times (Based on my two batches)

Food	Temperature	Time
Tomatoes	125 degrees F	5 to 9 hours
Apples	135 degrees F	7 to 15 hours
Pears	135 degrees F	8 to 16 hours
Peaches	135 degrees F	8 to 16 hours
Grapes	135 degrees F	22 to 30 hours
Bananas	135 degrees F	6 to 10 hours

Dehydration Time Using Traditional Oven (Recipe on Link)

Food	Oven Temperature	Time
Tomatoes	250 degrees F	4 hours
Apples	200 degrees F	2 hours and 40 minutes
Pears	200 degrees F	5 hours
Peaches	170 degrees F	4 to 6 hours
Grapes	200 degrees F	2 hours and 30 minutes
Bananas	250 degrees F	1 hours and 30 minutes

TIP

• If you do not have the time to dehydrate your own fruit, look for dried fruits with no sulfite and little or no sugar added. We have found a few good products at Trader Joe's.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.