Life, Gluten Free

Allergy-friendly Halloween Candy

Halloween is coming! And while it may look different this year due to uncontrollable circumstances, there are still opportunities to have fun. What is everyone planning on doing this Halloween? We'd love to know.

We ordered some fun fall-themed "easter eggs" to fill with treats and do a scavenger hunt. We also LOVE to decorate our house for halloween, go to the pumpkin patch and carve jack-o-lanterns.

Since my daughter has food allergies, it's really important that we make sure the candy she eats is safe. I am always on the hunt for new allergy-friendly candy, especially when it's also naturally flavored and naturally colored. I've compiled a list of our favorite candy. Hope you enjoy the list and be sure to grab some yummy allergy-friendly treats for your family!

We are super excited about this list as it contains allergy-friendly gummy bears, fruit chews, CANDY CORN, lollipops, chocolate bars, bubble gum, bubble gum filled pops and more! Click the links to order!

Torie & Howard Fruit Chewies (we especially love the sour ones!)

• Assorted flavors variety pack 
• Sour Apple
• Pomegranate and Nectarine
• Lemon & Raspberry

 

YumEarth Candy (nut-free, peanut-free, organic, gluten-free, dairy-free)

• Giggles (These are so GOOD and a healthy alternative to skittles)
• Candy corn
• Sour Beans (love these sour jelly beans)
• Giggles Individual 2oz packs
• Sour Giggles
• Lollipops
• Super Sour Lollipops       
• Vitamin C Lollipops               
• Sour Twists
• Lemon Drops
• Fruit Snacks
• Assorted Hard Candy Drops
• Citrus Grove Candy Drops
• Gummy Worms
• Black Licorice
• Pomegranate Licorice
• Strawberry Licorice
• Peach Licorice

Enjoy Life Chocolate Candy (Free from gluten, wheat, dairy, soy, sulfites, lupin, fish, crustaceans, peanuts, tree nuts, casein, egg, sesame, mustard, and shellfish)

• Dark Chocolate Halloween Mini Bars
• Chocolate Halloween Candy Variety Pack
• Rice Milk Halloween Chocolate Mini Bars
• Chewy Chocolate Bars
• Dark Chocolate bars
• Rice Milk Crunch Bars

 

Surf Sweets Candy (top 8 free, gluten-free, organic, non-gmo). 

• Sour Worms
• Gummy Worms
• Watermelon Rings
• Jelly beans
• Fruity Bears

 

SmartSweets (low sugar, top 8 free)

• Sourmelon bites
• Swedish fish
• Variety pack 6 flavors (swedish fish, peach rings, sour blast, gummy bears, fruity bears, fruit chews)
• Peach rings
• Sour blasts
• Fruity Gummy Bears
• Variety pack 4 flavors (swedish fish, peach rings, sour blast, gummy bears)

 

Made Good Granola Bars (Top 8 free, a super tasty nut-free granola bar). They come in bars and also cute little round granola minis!

• Halloween Chocolate Chip Mini Granola Bars
• Made Good Granola Bars Chocolate Chip
• Made Good Granola Bars Variety Pack (cinnamon apple, berry)
• Made Good Granola Bars Cookies and Creme (love these!)
• Made Good Granola Bars Chocolate Banana
• Made Good Granola Minis Variety Pack
• Made Good Granola Minis, Granola Bars and Crispy Squares Variety Pack (try them all!)
• Made Good Strawberry Granola Minis

 

Tree Hugger Gum (our favorite all natural allergy-friendly gum)

• Variety Pack
• Variety Tube Pack
• Bubble Gum Filled Pops (WE LOVE THESE!)
• Mini Gum Sticks

 

Try their Bubble Gum Filled Pops if you haven't!

SO good.

 

 

 

Bear Real Fruit Yoyos (all fruit, no added sugar)

• Sour Mango Apple Yoyos
• Strawberry Yoyos
• Sour Raspberry Apple Yoyos

 

Don't see your favorite allergy-friendly candy on the list? Let us know if we missed any! We are always looking for new options to try :) Happy October and Happy Halloween!

Yumbox Bento Lunch System Review

My daughter is homeschooled but she attends summer camps and a waldorf homeschool enrichment program. I pack a lot of to-go lunches for her. Through the years, I've used LunchBots, Goodbyn and others.

While I still use a combination of different ones, our most frequent choice is Yumbox! We bought one last year and love it.

It is easy to clean, easy to pack and it seals well. We have not had any leaks at all.

Absolutely none of the food gets mixed together because it does not leak between compartments. 

It is also easy to open when it comes to snacking and lunch time, which is important because I've tried ones in the past where my daughter could hardly get into them. 

I ordered ours directly from Yumbox but you can also order them on Amazon.

They come in so many awesome colors! Check them out.

We have the 7 compartment Yumbox, but they also have a 4 compartment Panino and a MiniSnack 3 compartment.

I also ordered the Yumbox Insulated Lunch Bag, which nicely fits the Yumbox plus extras.

I love packing my daughter's lunch because I know I am feeding her food that nourishes her body. 

There's so many different things that you can pack and food allergies don't have to limit you!

Do you have a favorite lunch system that you use? Or does your child have a favorite food that you pack them?

Share in the comments below! And don't forget to follow my blog on Facebook.
 

And don't forget to check out Yumbox :)

 

Sensitive Sweets Gluten-free Gingerbread House Kit Review

Sensitive Sweets sent us a Gluten-free Gingerbread House Deluxe Kit to try out. We had so much fun putting it together.

First off, let's talk about the company! Sensitive Sweets is a small business created by Melanie, a mom of two boys. Her son Bradley was diagnosed as a baby with severe food allergies and eczema. 

Her story really hits home for me, as my daughter Sophie was also diagnosed with severe food allergies and severe eczema as a baby. Her diet was EXTREMELY limited and since I was nursing her, so was mine. Melanie talks about this same experience with her son. We are both mama warriors, and I am so glad that something amazingly positive came out of her and her sons challenges -- a company that is dedicated to making allergen-friendly products to serve families in the same situation.

Melanie has two bakeries in California, and if we ever find ourselves traveling to California.. this will be our first stop!

Their Gluten-free Gingerbread House Kit is free of dairy, eggs, soy, peanuts and tree nuts. It's made in a dedicated facility.

They have two options: Regular Gingerbread House Kit for $29.95 and the Deluxe Kit for $39.95. The Regular Kit comes with gingerbread cookie walls and roof, icing mix (just add water), plastic holiday trees and rings for decoration. The Deluxe Kit includes all of that PLUS a tub of vanilla frosting and organic dye-free candies.

Now let's talk about the kit and our experience putting it together.

My daughters thoughts on the kit: It was SUPER fun, and the cookies smelled and tasted wonderful!

Full disclosure: I totally goofed up the icing powder. The directions said to slowly add warm water, and I kind of poured way too much water. Luckily, I had a bag of organic powdered sugar so I dumped it into the mix and it fixed it immediately. It ended up making a very nice icing, and perfect for securing the walls and roof together. So if you buy this kit, and make the same mistake I did... just know that all you need is a bag of powdered sugar!

While we waited for the walls and roof to dry, we did some art projects! I highly recommend Art for Kids Hub. We've been following them for a couple years now, a dad and his kids draw and do art together. They share tutorials and it's a lot of fun!

We used cans to prop the walls while the icing dried.

Okay --- so once the walls and roof were secured, we were able to start decorating the house.

Decorating the house is the best part! 

We used the icing that came in the tub to decorate and apply the candies.

Thanks to Sensitive Sweets, my daughter was able to put together her first gluten-free gingerbread house and it certainly won't be our last. This will be a yearly tradition and we will look forward to supporting a local company, created by an amazing mom!

We had to taste test the icing and do quality control checks along the way, of course.

Follow me on Facebook, we went live and you can still watch the video on the gingerbread house kit! You can also follow me on instagram and snapchat (username: lifeglutenfree).

Do you make your own gingerbread house or use a kit? We would love to hear from you, comment below or on Facebook. 

 

Cornbread with TigerNut Flour

I ate cornbread so many times growing up, it doesn't seem like such a distant memory. Cornbread with chili, or hearty vegetable soups... warm cornbread drizzled with honey. It goes with everything!

I recently came across a new gluten-free flour called Tigernut. Have you heard of it? Despite "nut" being in the name, it is not a tree nut. It's a tuber. 

The folks at Organic Gemini sent me a bag of Tigernut flour to try out. This cornbread is one of the first things that I made with it. I've also used the flour for pancakes and pie crusts. I really love it. It will definitely be a staple in our kitchen.

Organic Gemini TigerNut Flour is 100% organic, non-gmo, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, vegan and raw.

Organic Gemini TigerNuts products are all very high in fiber, in a particular form of fiber known as resistant starch. Resistant starch is a prebiotic that resists digestion and helps our bodies to naturally develop probiotic bacteria ensuring a strong immune system. TigerNuts are also high in iron, potassium, magnesium, and Vitamins C & E. 

Cornbread with TigerNut Flour

Ingredients:

1 cup TigerNut flour

3/4 cup organic cornmeal 

2 tablespoons organic sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon coconut oil

2 eggs

1 cup coconut milk

1/4 cup melted coconut oil

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Combine the dry ingredients into a bowl (flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt).

Measure 1 tablespoon of coconut oil into your cast-iron pan. Place the pan in the oven to melt the coconut oil. 

In another mixing bowl, combine the wet ingredients (eggs, coconut milk and the 1/4 cup of melted coconut oil).

Whisk the wet ingredients together until well combined. Add this to the flour mixture and mix well.

Pour the batter into the hot skillet. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Serve with jelly, honey.. or eat plain! Enjoy.

 

Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting (dairy-free, nut-free)

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This cake is essentially my pumpkin spice cake recipe, which can be found here. Except in boxed form! I spotted a gluten free non-gmo pumpkin cake mix at the store a while back. I decided to buy it just for a time when maybe I needed to make something quickly. Well that time came sooner than later! 

My daughter needed a couple of treats to bring to her homeschool program this week since there are a few birthday celebrations. I decided to go ahead and try out the mix I bought: Sun Flour Mills Pumpkin Cake Mix. 

I have to say, this is probably the first box mix that I was pleased with. Granted, I've only ever tried maybe three or four mixes.

I would definitely buy it again to have on hand for those moments when you need something quick.

So here's what I did:

I followed the directions on the box and combined all the ingredients (including 3 organic eggs) and I used an electric hand mixer to blend everything well. One thing I did add extra was more pumpkin spice (by Spicely) because we like a lot of spice.

This makes a lot of cake! My daughter wanted cupcakes, because who doesn't? I only have one cupcake pan that makes 12 cupcakes. This mix states it makes 32 cupcakes. So I used a round cake pan for the rest of the batter.

*One thing to note about this mix is that it rises pretty high. My cupcakes almost overflowed, which resulted in some crispy edges that my daughter really enjoyed.

Frosting:

1/2 cup softened butter (I used organic earth balance)

8 oz softened cream cheese (I used daiya dairy-free cream cheese)

2 cups organic powdered sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

Combine and beat on low speed until light and fluffy.

Tip: Have a cute helper assist you with the icing of the cupcakes!

 

Giveaway for Olli Lolli: Allergy Aware Apparel for Kids

Olli Lolli is sponsoring a giveaway in celebration of Food Allergy Awareness Week (May 13 - 19) and in conjunction with my series on Life with Food Allergies: Our Story (view part 1)

Olli Lolli's motto is "Don’t carry your allergy medication - wear it! " 

The company is based in Canada and founded by Michelle Williams, a mom of a food allergic child. She wanted her son to be able to wear his medication, instead of just carrying it. That way, it wouldn't get lost and it would be readily available should he need it. 

Sounds genuis right? 

Michelle took her idea a step further, creating high-quality durable clothing made out of safe materials such as organic cotton and jewelery made out of medical grade stainless steel.

Michelle's story is inspiring, and now her dream is a reality which helps other families keep their children safe, too.

Check out The Olli Pocket Gear Line which includes Windbreakers, Organic Cotton Hoodies and Organic Cotton Cargo Pants. 

Other products from Olli Lolli include Allergy Aware T-Shirts made out of organic cotton (Egg Free Kid, Nut Free Kid, Dairy Free Kid, Wheat Free Kid) and Allergy Aware Jewelery including both necklaces and bracelets.

You can find Olli Lolli on facebook, twitter and follow their blog.

Thanks to Olli Lolli for sponsoring a giveaway and being committed to fostering food allergy awareness.

For the giveaway, Olli Lolli is offering one Olli Pocket Wind Breaker.

It's equipped with a built-in pocket, clearly labeled for your child's Epi-Pen Injector, Insulin Injector or Asthma Inhaler. It includes an information insert for your child's name, emergency contact and medical information.

The shell is durable, water-proof and lined with 100% jersey cotton.

Sizes: X(4-5), S(6-7), M(8-9) and L(10-11)

Choose from: Taupe with Purple Lining or Sapphire Blue with Cream Lining. (pictured below)

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

To enter you must leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite product from Olli Lolli and why.

The giveaway is on from May 14 until May 19, 2012 at 11pm MST.

Be sure to leave your email address, so we can contact you if you win!

Olli Lolli will ship to a US or Canadian address.

Just one comment per person and we will pick a random winner at the end of the giveaway. Thanks for participating!

And don't forget to follow Olli Lolli on facebook to keep up to date on their products.

Allergy-Friendly Easter Ideas

Any kind of holiday can be tricky with food allergies, but not on my blog folks. I just won't let it happen. I have some allergy-friendly easter products and ideas to share with you today. I hope you enjoy them and that they help you have an allergy-friendly Easter with your kids!

Alternatives to dying eggs (for those with egg allergies)

 Ceramic Paint-Your-Own Easter Eggs by Eggnots

Eggnots are shaped just like real eggs, and can be decorated in many different ways. You can use paint, glitter glue, ceramic markers -- just to name a few!

If you would rather have wooden eggs, check your local craft store. Wooden eggs can be painted or dipped in glue and glittered.

Plastic eggs can also be painted, googly-eyed and more! Check out my Pinterest Easter Board for more ideas.

You can also find egg shaped styrofoam, but I am not a big fan of styrofoam.

Allergy-friendly Easter Basket Fillers

Books (This year I bought Sophie a lift-the-flap easter adventure book)

Art supplies 

Stickers

Bubbles

Colorful Chalk

Dried fruit from Made in Nature (apples, mangos, apricots, plums, figs!)

Inka Plantain Chips

Piggy Paint [non-toxic nail polish: odorless, gluten-free, nut-free] Use code: HAPPYSPRING15 at checkout for 15% off, now until April 6th at 11:59pm CST.

Allergy-friendly plastic egg fillers for egg-hunts

Stickers

St. Claire's organic candies

Dehydrated Banana Chips

Coins (quarters, dollar coins, etc)

Marbles

Allergy-friendly easter treats to make

Candied Orange Slices

Coconut Mango Lassi

Orange Fig Bars

Chocolate "Cheesecake" Bites [dairy-free]

Banana Bake

What are your Easter traditions? Do you have any allergy-friendly easter ideas? feel free to share in the comments below!

Amy and Brian's Coconut Juice Review

We have been drinking coconut water for several years now and Sophie loves it. Our brand of choice is Amy and Brian's coconut water, because 1) we like the taste and most importantly 2) we have spoken to them on the phone to verify that it is produced in a gluten-free and nut-free facility (they only produce coconut juice).

So, what benefits do you get from drinking coconut water?

Coconut water is very hydrating to the body because it is high in electrolytes, especially potassium. It even can take the edge off of hunger, making it a great snack if you are waiting for lunch or dinner.

Amy and Brian's coconut water won us over by its great taste, and of course, that it's allergy-safe for us. We often buy it by the case because it's more affordable that way. Of course, some of you may be thinking: it's in an aluminum can, is that safe?

There is evidence that shows that there can be harmful side effects of long-term exposure to aluminum. I believe in always being cautious, and it does make me wonder about the correlation between the consumption of canned food items and alzheimer's disease. (If anyone has more knowledge of this, please feel free to leave a comment!)

There are many coconut water brands out there (some are not safe for us, O.N.E brand coconut water produces a cashew flavor) and some are in tetra paks. While tetra paks are thought to be safe, they cannot be recycled.

Do you drink coconut water? What's your favorite brand?

*this review is not sponsored by Amy and Brian's. It is purely my opinion and I did not receive any free samples nor was I asked to post about it.

The dog days of summer

"Dog Days" (Latin: diēs caniculārēs) are the hottest, most sultry days of summer. (wikipedia)

I don't know about you, but the weather here sure has been hot lately.

I-sure-hope-fall-comes-early kind of hot.

Mom-please-can-I-have-a-popsicle kind of hot.

Luckily for my daughter, I've been enjoying expirementing with our new popsicle molds!

A good popsicle mold must have these qualifying specifications:

BPA-FREE

Easy to clean

Easy to store in the freezer

Fun

Groovy

Pink

The ones we have now almost fit the following requirements, minus the pink. So, we got yellow instead.. which is pretty too. Tovolo Groovy Yellow Popsicle Molds are easy to clean, but they do take up a lot of room in the freezer. 

This is what I do: once the popsicles have become fully frozen (4-6 hours) then I take them all and place them in a plastic bag, minus the yellow stand. I do still keep them in their individual sleeves.

My daughter's favorite popsicles, that I have created so far, are definitely the plum coconut cream ones. (pictured above).

The first day we received the popsicle molds, we had to make some.

I decided to do something rather simple with the first batch and so we cut up some bananas and grapes. We tossed them into the sleeves and pushed them down towards the bottom. I added coconut water to three of the popsicle sleeves, and then for the other half I pureed a coconut milk and banana mixture. 

You know you make good popsicles when all six of them are gone before a week goes by. Earlier this week I made a Coconut Cream Popsicle (with shredded coconut, sounds good right?) I know you're sitting on the edge of your seat. It is Sophie-approved, and the recipe will soon be in a google-reader near you.

A Grain-Free Diet

Some people with Celiac Disease find that being gluten-free is not quite enough for them to feel completely healthy again and symptom free. Our daughter's doctor told us that when Celiac Disease was first discovered, it was recommended that you eat a completely grain-free diet, not just a diet that was void of gluten found in wheat, rye, barley, etc. 

Since our daughter still experiences some eczema, we've decided to adapt a grain-free diet to see if that alleviates her symptoms further. 

Here are some of the products that we've added to her diet. It was not as hard as I thought. My first fear was that she'd ask for brown rice noodles but we quickly solved that dilemma! Now she doesn't ask. That might tell you something. Often times, once you eliminate a particular food from your diet, you then realize that it didn't really agree with you in the first place.

She's been off of grains for about a month, and her skin is looking pretty great! We are pleased. And since I started to write this post a while ago, I can now say that the transition to grain-free has been very easy. She loves the new noodles and she really, really loves the coconut wraps and calls them "flatbread."

Coconut Wraps: (pictured above)

Pure Wraps are heaven. They smell so, so good. They are made in a nut-free, gluten-free facility. They hold together well. You can cram them with avocado, homemade pickles, lettuce and olives (that's Sophie's favorite combo).

Grain-free Noodles:

These miracle noodles are a hit. They may not be just like rice noodles, but Sophie likes them all the same. I even used them for chicken noodle soup and it was a win!

*This post is purely my opinion on these products that we've found to work well for us, I did not receive any free products from the companies listed above. We just love them!

I'll leave you with a photo of my daughter eating a pizza that we made using the coconut wraps as a crust. It was a major win.