Easy Nut Free, Egg Free Vegan Cake, and More Then You Ever Wanted to Know About Coca Cola

Conor's birthday is coming around again, so it is time to dust off my wonderful, delicious, nut free, egg free vegan cake recipe.


Let me just preface this by saying this is not the cake for the purist the baker or the gourmet. It is not the cake for someone who treasures using fresh natural ingredients and making everything from scratch. This is certainly not the cake for Allergy Mom from the Allergic Kid Blog http://allergickid.blogspot.com/2008/07/belated-danish-braid.html who can make a complex Danish Braid pastry from scratch without nuts, eggs or dairy, with one hand tied behind her back.

No, this is the cake for the cooking impaired chefs like me, who burn pasta (yes, I really did burn pasta the other day while boiling it in water on the stove.) This is the cake for the stressed out mothers of three who discover they need a cake for a birthday party tomorrow at school that no one told them about until 5 minutes ago. This is the cake for people who have three screaming fighting kids running around and who can't keep track of how much of what ingredients go where and when. Yes, this is the cake for me. The Coca Cola Cake.

COKE CAKE

(no, not that type of coke cake!)

1 box cake mix - any flavor

1 can soda - any flavor


(If you want the diet version, use diet soda)



Variations I've seen:

chocolate cake w/ coke

yellow cake w/ lemon-lime
My personal favorite (funfetti white cake with sprite) use your imagination for the combinations! Oh the possibilities!


Mix the dry cake mix with 10-12 oz of diet soda.

(Do not use the egg or oil listed on the box). especially if you have an egg allergy!

Spray a 9 x 12 cake pan (or cupcake tin) with non-stick spray and bake according to package instructions.

Some have said an entire can of soda makes the cake TOO moist ... 10 oz. seems to be the least I've seen suggested. Experiment yourself to find the best amount for your taste.--

Tip: Make sure to let the cake cook completely before you try to cut it. Because you aren't adding eggs, the cake will be tender and can tear if you cut it while it's warm.

I have made this cake in all sorts of shapes sizes and decorations, and it has always worked great. It has been Superman, a July 4th doll, a Power Ranger, Hello Kitty, Bob the Builder, a car, and a pumpkin.

A not so good picture of my beautiful July 4th Doll cake

One thing that is really fun is to take this cake to a party (especially the coke and chocolate version) and ask people if they can guess what the secret ingredient is. he he he

Now that you have seen the wonders of cooking with Coke, here are some more fascinating recipes you can make with coke.
http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/heritage/recipes.html
This is the official Coca Cola site with hundreds of recipes made with Coke. Some of my favorite are the Cherry Coke Lentils, Japanese Pickled Cauliflower, and the Hungarian Goulash. Just goes to show you, never assume you know what ingredients are in your food.

Now, just in case you were thinking, wow, this is fascinating, what else can I do with Coca Cola??? Let me tell you......

Other Uses for Coca-Cola

And you thought it was only for drinking! Would you have ever guessed that you would be using Coke to clean your bathroom and wash your clothes? If not, check out these other handy uses for Coca-Cola.


Clean a Toilet Bowl
Pour a can of Coca-Cola into the toilet bowl. Let the real thing sit for one hour, then brush and flush clean. The citric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous china



Remove Grease from Clothes
Empty a can of Coke into a load of greasy work clothes, add detergent, and run through a regular wash cycle. The Coca-Cola will help loosen grease stains


Remove Rust Spots from Chrome Car Bumpers
Rubbing the bumper with a crumpled-up piece of Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola will help remove rust spots



Loosen a Rusted Bolt
Applying a cloth soaked in a carbonated soda to the rusted bolt for several minutes.



Clean Corrosion from Car Battery Terminals
Pour a can of carbonated Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion


Bake a Moist Ham
Empty a can of Coca-Cola into the baking pan, wrap the ham in aluminum foil, and bake. Thirty minutes before the ham is finished, remove the foil, allowing the drippings to mix with the Coke for a sumptuous brown gravy.For more Coca-Cola recipes, click here!


Relieve Jelly Fish Stings
Coke can also be used to relieve the sting from Jelly Fish. All you have to do is pour the Coke over the sting.



Clean Tile Grout
Pour a can of Coca Cola on the tile. When wiped it up, the grout will be as white as can be!


Have Greener Grass
Spray Coca-Cola on your grass once a month for super green grass which remains greener than other lawns throughout the fall and winter months. Also, for green grass and no bugs, combine: 1 can of coke, 1 cup of ammonia and 1/4 cup of dish soap. Spray on grass once a month.


Common Cold Remedy
Take some fresh ginger and put it in a pot with a can of Coca Cola. Let it come to a boil and then cook on a low heat for a few minutes. Drink while warm. It will ease your cold symptoms!


Make a Tender Pot Roast
When preparing a pot roast, use Coke instead of water. It tenderizes and imparts a unique flavor.


Get Rid of Bug and Road Film
Got bug guts and road haze on you car windshield? Take a can of warm Coca Cola, shake and spray onto the windshield. Wipe it off and rinse and waa-laa, clean as could be!



If you want to see more bizarre and sometimes disturbing uses for Coca Cola, check out this site. Look only at your own risk.

http://members.tripod.com/~Barefoot_Lass/cola.html

Child Care and Food Allergies

Unfortunatly for us, our present Au Pair Jan's year is comming to an end, and we are starting our search for another one. We love Jan, and wish she would stay longer, but her grandmother is sick back in Thailand, and she wants to head home.

For those of you who do not know, an au pair is part of a cultural exchange program set up with the U.S. government. Refering to my favorite source wikipedia,:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Au_pair

"An au pair (plural: au pairs) is a foreign-national domestic assistant working for, and living as part of, a host family. Typically, au pairs are girls or young women and take on a share of the family's responsibility for child care as well as some housework, and receive a small monetary allowance for personal use.
The title comes from the French term au pair, meaning "on a par" or "equal to", indicating that the relationship is intended to be one of equals: the au pair is intended to become a member of the family, albeit a temporary one, rather than a domestic servant. In the best circumstances, both parties benefit from learning about the other's culture."

So far we have had two au pairs we have absolutely loved, and we will definitly always consider them to be members of our family. Our first au pair was from Poland, and she stayed with us for 2 years before getting married and moving down the road from our own home. We still talk with her and visit her regularly, and she is now expecting her own little bundle of joy. Jan is from Thailand, and she has been absolutely great also. She makes the best nut free, egg free Thai food ever!!! Everyone loves her and we are hoping she comes back to the area for school in the near future.

The reason this is all so scarey, is despite these two absolutely wonderful experiences we did have one terrible, horribe nightmare in between them.

(we call this one Vicky from the Fairly Odd Parents to protect her identity)

Vicky lasted for 4 days, and that was generous. The final straw for me was when we decided to head to a local swimming pool one afternoon. At that time I had two 4 year olds, and an almost 3 year old, none of who could swim very well. When we got to the pool she looked at it in horror and said "there is chlorine in the pool......I refuse to get into a pool with chlorine" My response was "excuse me...I thought I just heard you say you refuse to get into a pool with chlorine in it. I am sure I must be mistaken" Vicky put her nose in the air like I was asking her to jump into a vat of boiling water while I tried to figure out why it was a bad thing to put chlorine in a pool, and what other options there were to keep a pool clean. Vicky also called all of our food dog food, and once ran off crying because we have crackers here that come in the shape of goldfish. She could not understand whether they were a toy or a food or both. Even after we decided she was just not the right match for us we had to keep her in our home for two weeks, freeze our long distance so she could not make thousands of dollars of calls and lock up our valuables.

Finding an au pair is stressful enough without adding on the issues of life threatening food allergies and asthma. I always worry I am going to find someone out back tied up to the play set while my three little angles dance around her. Then on top of that you have to try and explain the situation to someone whose english may be a bit questionable, and there you have it

STRESS .

I had one person once think I was joking when I said we don't keep eggs in the house. The nuts she could understand, but not eggs!! How could anyone possibly survive without eggs??? (obviously she has not tried Veganaise) The horror!! Then you need to explain the epi pen, emergency protocol and everything else, and hope they get it. And they have to be responsible enough to handle an emergency. Yikes!!





And so my search begins. Wish me luck. I will keep you updated.........

Allergy Friendly Food Manufacturers

While perusing my computer, I found this very extensive list of allergy friendly manufacturers. I must have compiled it a while ago, and as I occasionally do, completely forgot about it. So, here it is, a long lost forgotten, but hopefully useful list.

I am editing this post to add that apparently this long lost list is not lost or forgotten (but still long). It was compiled by Jana and was originally posted here

http://allergy.hyperboards.com/index.php?action=view_topic&topic_id=3234

Since it was so good I must have saved it onto my computer a while ago, and my poor little mind stored it in the not nearly used enough memory banks. So, I just wanted to say thank you to Jana for this list, and I am sorry I did not realize it was yours and give you credit for it. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me. snif snif snif

A & J Bakery Bakery
http://aandjbakery.net/
Nut Free. Egg & Dairy Free Cakes

AllerEnergy - Allergen-Free Nutrition Ba
http://www.allerenergy.com/
Sports energy/nutrition bar available free of several major food allergens

Alti Plano Gold
http://www.altiplanogold.com/
Wheat and Gluten free hot cereal

Amanda’s Own Confections
http://www.amandasown.com/
Dairy-free, nut-free, peanut-free, egg-free and gluten-free chocolate

Amy’s Kitchen
http://www.amys.com/
Packaged food suitable for many special diets

Anderson’s Bakery
http://www.andersoncookies.com/shop/
Nut free, peanut free, tree nut free, dairy free and egg free

Aunt Candice Foods
http://www.auntcandicefoods.com/
Products are free of gluten, casein, soy, corn, peanut and yeast and do not use any preservatives, artificial flavorings or hydrogenated fats.

Authentic Foods
http://www.authenticfoods.com/


Gluten Free Babycakes
http://www.babycakesnyc.com/index.html
No sugar, no eggs, no gluten, no wheat, no dairy, no nuts


Bur Oaks Farm
http://www.buroaksfarm.com/about.htm
Soynut and popcorn products – no peanuts come in to contact with their products.


Cafe Flora
http://www.cafeflora.com/index.htm
Restaurant and catering - gluten free and vegan (milk and egg free) selections


Canadian Sweets
http://www.canadiansweets.com/
Several Canadian chocolate bars are made in a nut free facility. Shipping available to U.S.



Candy Creations Co.
http://ns2.virnetech.com/cgi-bin/NoNutsCandy/index.html
Peanut and Nut free.



‘Cause you’re special
http://www.causeyourespecial.com/
Gourmet mixes from a gluten-free, casein-free, wheat-free, tree nut and peanut-free facility



Chocolate Decadence
http://www.chocolatedecadence.com/
Dairy-Free ~ Lactose Free ~ Casein Free ~ Gluten Free ~



Vegan Chocolate Emporium
http://www.choclat.com/
Non dairy and gluten free specialties. Contact them about other dietary limitations



Coconut Bliss
http://www.coconutbliss.com/index.html
Dairy Free Dessert



College Farm Organic
http://www.collegefarmorganic.com/
Organic Candy. NO Gluten, NO Nuts, NO Soy, and NO Eggs



Cookies for Me?
http://www.cookiesforme.com/
Gluten-free, egg-free, nut-free. Dairy-free coming soon.



Cravings Place
http://www.thecravingsplace.com/
Gluten-free, wheat-free, dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free baking mixes.



Made in Oregon – available locally



Crispy Cat Bar
http://www.crispycatcandybars.com/
Gluten-free; egg-free; dairy-free; organic;



Kosher Da Vinci Bakery & Café
http://www.wheatlessinseattle.org/
Gluten Free Bakery in Seattle. Some selections dairy, egg and soy free. Now peanut free.



Dean’s Sweets
http://www.deanssweets.com/
Nut Free chocolate



Divvies
http://www.divvies.com/
Cookies, popcorn made without peanuts, tree nuts, eggs and milk.



Econatural Solutions
http://www.econaturalsolutions.com/
St. Claire’s Organic Sweets®, Tarts™, and Aromatherapy Pastilles® are gluten-free, casein-free, wheat-free, fish & shellfish-free, nut-free, dairy-free, egg-free, and soy-free. Contains nothing artificial.



Edward and Sons

http://www.edwardandsons.com/

Many items are suitable for a wide range of special diets



Enjoy Life Foods
http://www.enjoylifefoods.com/
No gluten, wheat, dairy, casein, egg, soy, corn, nuts, potato, gmo's, hydrogenated oils, artificial anything, or worries - made in a gluten-free & peanut-free bakery.



Ener-G Foods
http://www.ener-g.com/
One of the country's foremost producers of foods for diet-restricted individuals - wide range of ready-made foods and mixes



Gak Snacks
http://www.gakssnacks.com/
Cookies and coffee cake, baked in dedicated facility with no peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, wheat, or dairy - whole grain, certified organic, and contain no cholesterol or trans fat. Cookbook available



Galaxy Nutritional Foods
http://www.galaxyfoods.com/
Vegan cheese, soy free, milk and egg free selections



Gillian’s Foods
http://www.gilliansfoods.com/
Wheat, Gluten and Lactose free products ready-made foods and mixes



Gimbals Fine Candies
http://www.gimbalscandy.com/
Nut free, trans fat free, gelatin free, egg free, gluten free, dairy free



Good Baker
http://www.goodbaker.com/index.html
Dairy and Egg-free mixes. No peanuts used but read their FAQ about contamination risks.



Healthy Times
http://www.healthytimes.com/htarrowroot.htm
Arrowroot Cookies. Organic. Wheat Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free



I. M. Healthy
http://www.buroaksfarm.com/about.htm
Soynut Butter, Roasted Sweet Corn, Corn Flake Crumbs Peanut, nut, gluten, dairy free. Kosher.



Imagine Foods
http://www.imaginefoods.com/
"Rice Dream" and "Soy Dream" dairy alternative products



Indigo Rabbit
http://indigorabbit.com/
Cookie selection choices wheat-free, gluten-free, nut-free, peanut-free, egg-free, soy-free, dairy-free



Kellie’s Candies
http://www.nutfreecandy.com/
Nut free candy

Kinnerton Confectionery
http://www.kinnerton.com/
Character merchandising candy from a nut-free facility – in the U.K.



Kitchen Basics Stocks
http://www.kitchenbasics.net/
Soup stocks do NOT contain: MSG, HVP, Disodium inosinate or guanylate, Yeast extract, Yeast, Soy, Milk, whey, casein or caseinates, Wheat, oats, rye, barley



Kollar Cookies
http://www.kollarcookies.com/
Wheat free, dairy free cookies



Maine Gold 100% Maple Sugar Candies
https://www.mainegold.com/index.cfm?section=shop_online&product_category=special ty_foods&product_ID=91 “free of additives and preservatives and contain no gluten, wheat or dairy. All of our cooking pans are used only for the making of candy, so there is no chance of other ingredients mixing in.”



Meraby
http://www.meraby.com/
Muffin and Pancake mixes free of dairy, egg, peanuts & tree nuts - manufactured in a dedicated peanut/tree nut free facility.



Merlin's Candy
http://www.merlincandies.com/
Holiday chocolates in US peanut free facility



Mi-Del
http://www.midelcookies.com/index.shtml
Gluten Free cookies



Miller’s Hot Dogs
http://www.millerhotdogs.com/millersproducts.htm
Hot dogs and sausages are made with no allergens and no gluten



Miss Roben's
http://www.missroben.com/
Variety of food products for those with food allergies and intolerances, particularly those with multiple food issues.



My Own Meal
http://www.myownmeals.com/
Kosher ready to eat meals that require no refrigeration. Special Diets page indicates allergen safe choices



Natâma
http://www.natama.fr/
French company that sells shelf-stable allergen free meals. Delivers to all Europe. (Click on the British flag to read in English.)



Natural Feast
http://www.naturalfeast.com/
Gourmet Pies and other products for those with dietary needs or food allergies



New Moon Kitchen
http://www.buroaksfarm.com/about.htm
Baked goods: organic spelt flour, dairy & egg free, nut & peanut free. Kosher.



Nomato
http://www.nomato.com/
Tomato free sauces. No soy, dairy, wheat, gluten, nuts



No Nuttin' Foods Inc.
http://www.nonuttin.com/index.htm
Granola Bars free of many allergens - In Canada



No Worries Bread Mix
http://www.noworriesbread.com/
Gluten Free, Dairy Free Bread Mix



Nuthin’ Nutty
http://www.nothinnutty.com/
Peanut free chocolate



Nu World Foods
http://www.nuworldfoods.com/
Organic Amaranth Food Products for gluten-free, allergenic and health conscious folks.



Nutrilicious Natural Bakery
http://www.nutrilicious.com/
All products are Egg & Dairy free, Lactose free, Vegan, Kosher, Cholesterol-free and MSG-free. Sugar Free, Fat Free & Wheat Free products available



Nuts Free
http://www.nutsfree.com/
Chocolate and candy



Omega Smart Nutritional Bar
http://www.omegasmartbar.com/
No Artificial Flavorings, Dairy or Whey, Hydrogenated Oils, Sugar, Wheat, Synthetic Vitamins, Eggs, Predigested Hydrolyzed or Soy Protein Isolates or Caseinates that contain MSG, & No GMOs



Pamela's Products
http://www.pamelasproducts.com/index.html
Wheat free and gluten free (note their allergy information)



Peabutter in U.S. http://www.jsfoods.us/
Peabutter in Canada http://www.peabutter.ca/
Golden Peabutter - alternative to peanut butter.
Completely nut free and gluten Free



PeanutFree Planet
http://www.peanutfreeplanet.com/
Nut-free, peanut-free products



Philly Swirl
http://www.phillyswirl.com/
Gluten and Nut free company. Check out their allergy awareness newsletter.



Pure Fun Candies
http://www.purefun.ca/products.html
No dairy, No gluten, No dyes



RaisingtheCandyBar.com
http://www.raisingthecandybar.com/
Gluten-free, nut-free, lactose-free/Parve, Vegan search options



Rise and Shine Desserts
http://www.sunshinesbest.com/
Bakery for special diets



Road's End Organics
http://www.chreese.com/
Vegan (milk and egg free) products including Macaroni and "chreese"



Scribner Chocolates
http://www.scribnerchocolates.com/
Peanut/nut free chocolate



Simple Food Inc.
http://www.simplefood.com/
Soynut butter



Sensible Foods
http://www.sensiblefoods.com/sensible_eating.htm
Crunch dried snacks 100% free of any peanut products, nuts, grains or preservatives.



Sorella Bakery
http://www.sorellabakery.com/
Biscotti that’s wheat-free, gluten-free, peanut-free (not free of tree nuts)



Soyco Foods
http://www.galaxyfoods.com/
Dairy alternatives



Soy-free sales
http://www.soyfreesales.com/
Chocolate, Candy, Cookies, Gourmet Mixes Without Soy



Spangler Candy
http://www.spanglercandy.com/ Check out their allergen statements http://www.spanglercandy.com/spangler/newspr/techfaqs.php regarding peanut free, egg free, milk free, and gluten free candy



Sweetie Cakes Co.
http://www.sweetiecakesco.com/
Allergy info: NO eggs, dairy, soy, msg, nuts, corn, peanuts, artificial ingredients, citrus. Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake Mix: has NO wheat or gluten. Sugar-Free Chocolate Cake: uses Agave Syrup


Sunbutter
http://www.sunbutter.com/
Sunflower seed spread made in a peanut-free facility. Also other peanut free products.



Sun Flower Baking Company
http://www.sunflourbaking.com/index.html
Cookies – milk and egg-free



Sunstart Bakery
http://www.sunstartbakery.com/
Gluten, egg, nut, potato-free cookies



Temptation Non-Dairy Dessert
http://www.welovesoy.com/
Products manufactured in on dairy-free, egg-free, peanut-free, and tree nut-free equipment in a plant that is ALSO dairy-free, egg-free, peanut-free, and tree nut-free. All but two products are also gluten-free



Tickle Your Tummy
http://www.tickleyourtummy.ca/default.asp
Treats 100% Nut-free. School Program. Canadian – ships to US



Tinkyada
http://www.tinkyada.com/
Rice pasta. No wheat/gluten, corn, egg, dairy, casein, meat, soy, nut or peanut.



Treasure Mills
http://www.treasuremills.com/index.htm
“Allergen Sensitive” baked goods that are 100% Nut & Peanut Free, some product are also sesame seed free, egg free and dairy free



Turtle Mountain
http://www.soydelicious.com/
Dairy free frozen desserts. Allergen statement about other allergens http://www.soydelicious.com/health/allergies.html



Twin Cove Confections
http://twincoveconfections.com/
Peanut, Nut, Coconut free confections (Victoria, BC). Check out their allergen statement



Vance's Foods
http://www.vancesfoods.com/
"DariFree", a non-dairy milk alternative from potatoes and "SNO*E Tofu", a non-dairy soy beverage mix



Vegan Essentials
http://www.veganessentials.com/
Free of milk and egg (and other animal products) - click on “food and sweets”



Vermont Nut Free Chocolate
http://www.vermontnutfree.com/
Exclusively produces peanut-free and tree nut-free chocolate candy



Whey-Out Chocolate
http://www.wheyoutchocolate.com/
Dairy-free, egg-fee, gluten-free, wheat-free, tree-nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free selections



Yummy Earth Organic Candy
http://www.yummyearth.com/
Gluten Free, Wheat-free, Egg-free, Casein-free, Dairy-free , Soy-free, Corn syrup-free, artificial dye-free, plant doesn’t use peanuts or tree-nuts.



Yum Yum Snacks
http://www.yumyumsnacks.com/index.html
Lists available for natural and organic kid-oriented products that are vegan (egg, milk-free), Peanut-free, gluten-free, wheat-free and dairy-free.



Zen Soy
http://www.zensoy.com/
Soy milk and pudding. Milk and nut free.

Peanut Allergy at School - Watch out for the Friendly Fire

So, I take Conor to school today. No, this is not the school that Cruella runs, but our local little pre-school in our new small town neighborhood. I love this pre-school, and everyone is very nice and really does try to accommodate Conor to the best of their abilities. Yes, as I know to well, sending a child to school with food allergies, and especially a life threatening peanut allergy is fraught with danger. I thought I had dealt with the enemy




but instead forgot to always watch out for the friendly fire.

As I walked in the door of the school I saw a small can of almonds sitting on a table with a tag nicely stating "take one" Thankfully it was almonds and not peanuts, or I would probably have had a breakdown right then. If there was a picture of Mr. Peanut on the can, I surely would have been a blubbering sobbing mess. But lucky for us all it was only almonds. My first thought was to take the can, run out the door, run over to the local cliffs, and launch it out as far as I could into the ocean. Then of course my disturbed little mind thought "oh no, what if they got on the beach, and some poor unsuspecting nut allergic child got a hold of them and had a reaction. I could never forgive myself.

So I took a few deep cleansing breaths and walked over to our new school director.

(Lets call him Doc the Dwarf from the Seven Dwarfs to protect his identity

Anyways, I calmly walked over to Doc with the can of nuts in my hand and politely said "can I ask you a favor?" Of course in my mind was the thought "You stupid idiot!!! How dare you endanger my child by leaving this poison out here for anyone to get at!!!! What were you thinking??? #@###!!@#&*&^^&^&**(((&^%$^&*((#$$#!!"

Doc responds in his authoritative yet misguided way, "why of course, any favor you need" I asked him to please remove the nuts from the table and preferably the wonderful establishment as soon as possible because they could possibly harm my sweet little boy. Doc apologized profusely, and let me remove the offending allergy evil from the school. His last comment to me as I left for the day was, "Don't worry, we will get better at his with practice."

So just a reminder allergy friends. Always watch out for friendly fire.

Free Peanut Allergy Posters

I love things that are free. They make me feel like I have won a prize, or at least won something. It is just that winning feeling you can never have to often.

Anyways, a while ago while I was having some unpleasant discussions with our prior pre-school. (Yes, this is the pre-school that fed Conor and all the other 2 year olds peanut butter, and where his first reaction occurred) This not so nice pre-school director

(lets call her Cruella to protect her identity),

decided that the school needed to have a no sugar policy, but refused to have a no peanut policy. (Apparently it is not ok to eat sugar and learn bad eating habits, but it is ok to allow a child to have a potentially fatal reaction in her school). This was despite the fact that Cruella admitted that she was very very wrong to feed such young children peanut butter crackers in the first place and was deeply deeply sorry and the fact that Cruella's own granddaughter who attended the school also had a peanut allergy. Anyways after many discussions, threats, etc we came to a compromise where the downstairs classrooms and playground where Conor was were nut free, and the separate upstairs for older children was not. She also refused to really participate in educating anyone on anything, and it was left up to me.

As the next school year began, Conor had one of the most wonderful teachers ever. She had been Michael and Natalie's teacher the year before and I love her. She let me do whatever I wanted to try and make the classroom safe. So I went on an Internet quest to find information and peanut free posters, etc to post all around the room, door, and to send home with every parent. On this search I came across this web site:

Peanut Allergy Info

http://www.angelfire.com/pa5/peanutallergy/

They have a wonderful selection of free posters. There are ones for peanut allergies, ones for nut allergies, and even some for other allergies such as fish and cats. I printed out many of them and laminated some. Then I wallpapered the entire door and interior of the class room with many many many different peanut free/nut free classroom/school posters.

Did I mention they are all free??

And just in case you ever need it, there are also some really yucky but informative photos of hives.

Wow, Vegan, Egg Free Mayonnaise that Tastes Good!!

When we discovered Conor was allergic to eggs, we removed most egg products in our home. In that list of egg products that must go was the ever eggy mayonnaise. I had accepted that we would just never have mayo at home, and we were dealing with it in a valiant and brave manner. There were a few dishes we were unable to make, but for the sake of our child we were willing to forgo them.


Then one day, a friend who is vegan told me about an amazing product. There was a mayonnaise that was vegan, and so had no eggs, no dairy, no animal byproducts. And even more amazing, it really tasted like mayonnaise. This amazing product was called Vegenaise.

http://www.followyourheart.com/

Apparently in order to be called mayonnaise in the United States, you must have eggs in your recipe, so instead Vegenaise was born. It comes in four varieties, original, grape seed oil, organic, and expeller-pressed.

So I ran out to the local store that carried this mystical product. To me mayonnaise and eggs had always been synonymous. I took home a bottle of the grape seed oil Vegenaise and we opened it for everyone in the house to have a taste test.

Everyone loved it, even those that had never tried mayonnaise before. Mick and I thought it tasted easily comparable to real mayo, and excitedly started planning all the things we (or he...I am not the best cook) could do with it. Jan is from Thailand, and not that familiar with American mayo, but seemed to like it. The young folk all willingly tried it, and even the extremely picky princess begrudgingly agreed it wasn't bad.

So last night for dinner, Mick made his Aunt Kate's really yummy mayo, crab toasted sandwich things that I really love, and we have not had for years.

Vegenaise Rocks!!!!

Now does anyone know of an egg free quiche???

Restaurants and Food Allergies - Places We Eat, Places We Don't, Places We Wish We Could

Over the weekend my husband Mick asked the repeated question he frequently ask..."Is there anywhere else we can possibly eat besides McDonalds. AGAIN!!" Dining out with food allergies, and especially life threatening peanut allergies is a tricky proposition. I knew I had all sorts of random information on my computer about eating out with food allergies, but had not centralized all of our exciting web friendly restaurant options in one list of allergy friendly restaurants. So everyone, here it is. Places we eat, places we don't and places we wish we could.



Conor's peanut allergy is anaphalytic, so I generally only take him to completely peanut free restaurants. I have a friend who works at one of these restaurants and one night she told me what she thought was a very funny story. This is a sit down restaurant with a separate kitchen, chef and waiter, etc. Anyways, a little boy ordered a hot fudge sundae for his dessert. When he took a bite he told his mother it tasted strange. The mother tasted it, and immediately called over the waiter. Apparently someone in the kitchen had accidentally put teriyaki sauce on the ice cream instead of fudge. Yikes!! This put fear into my little heart. If you can put teriyaki sauce on ice cream, how can I be sure you won't accidentally cross contaminate my son's food despite the fact that I have repeatedly told you about his life threatening peanut allergy.. I figure the only way to be somewhat safe is to have a peanut free restaurant. Then it would be hard (but not impossible) to make this sort of mistake.



Thankfully Conor is not as sensitive to egg, so I am not as concerned about eating out with his egg allergy. I really have no clue how those of you dealing with more serious egg, milk, etc allergies survive. I have trouble just dealing with what is on our plate. (pun intended)

A &W Restaurants
http://www.yum.com/nutrition/allergen/allergen_aw.asp

Arbys
http://www.arbys.com/nutrition/

Burger King
http://www.bk.com/ –

Look for nutrition page has clear allergen info

Chipotle
http://www.chipotle.com/Chipotle_Allergen_Card.pdf
I love Chipotle. It is one of my many peanut free restaurant options. They also are egg free, and no fish free. Since we only have peanut and egg allergies it is one of the few places we can go into, and Conor can eat anything on the menu. Also it is not so fast food yucky, and they have great burritos and chips. Sometimes I even go there alone, just because I like the food, and not because it is the only safe option.

Chuck E Cheese
http://www.chuckecheese.com/menu/allergy-information.php

I was surprised to discover that Chuck E. is actually within our comfort zone. Although it is not my favorite place in the world we went quite a few times over the years. Thankfully recently Conor is deathly afraid of that big scary looking mouse guy, so we have not been in a while. One of the last times we were there, Chucky just seemed a little off. Kids were following him around trying to say hi, and Chucky just wanted to play video games. He is kind of a scary looking mouse......Then I started really looking at those sort of distorted pictures of kids on the walls, and all the lights, loud noises and blinking games, and I started to get a little freaked out myself.

Chili's
http://www.brinker.com/gr/allergens/Chilis%20Allergen.PDF

Dunkin Doughnuts
https://www.dunkindonuts.com/aboutus/nutrition/

Domino's Pizza
http://www.dominos.com/home/menu/dominos_nutrition.pdf

Believe it or not, we now live in an area that Dominos pizza does not deliver to. Can you believe it???? What is this world coming to? Western civilization as we know it is breaking down. We live within 30 or so miles of San Francisco, but no Dominos Pizza here. Before we moved to this Domino's devoid area, we felt it was safe and ordered from them quite a bit.

Jack in the Box
http://www.jackinthebox.com/ourfood/ingredients.php

In and Out Burger http://www.in-n-out.com/
Although they have no ingredient information on their website, I have previously emailed them, and was told there were a peanut free restaurants. The only potential danger was the milk shakes, as they could not verify the source they came from to be free of cross contamination. I have heard that as far as fast food restaurant chains go they are very allergy aware, and have even called people in response to email inquiries. We also eat here way too much, and have never had a problem.

Kentucky Fried Chicken
http://www.yum.com/nutrition/allergen/allergen_kfc.asp

Krispy Kreme
http://www.krispykreme.com/nutri.html
We used to go here when we thought Conor was only allergic to nuts. WoooHooo peanut free doughnuts. It is a great safe dessert option if you are only dealing with nut allergies.
INGREDIENT INFORMATION
The only animal by-products used in our doughnuts are eggs (whites and yolks) and dairy products (including milk, butter, yogurt, whey, nonfat milk and nonfat whey). Our doughnuts are cooked in zero grams trans fat shortening (palm, soybean, and/or cottonseed and canola oil). All monoglycerides and diglycerides are vegetable based. Enzymes are also present. The lecithin we use is soy based. We also use wheat in our doughnuts, including bran, germ, gluten, starch and flour. Our products may contain allergens. To get further information about our products call us at 1-800-4KRISPY.

Macaroni Grill
http://www.brinker.com/gr/allergens/mac%20allergen.pdf

McDonalds
http://www.mcdonalds.com/app_controller.nutrition.categories.ingredients.index.htmlindex.html I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with McDonalds. I love that they are within our comfort zone and we can get safe ice cream and hot fudge sundaes there. I hate most of the food there, and the way they can get my children to beg to go there simply to get the ever exciting Happy Meal toy. Yes, we spend way, way, way to much time at McDonalds. Just be careful if the person at the table next to you happens to open up the sealed package of peanuts with a careless disregard for the peanut allergic.

Outback Steakhouse
http://www.outback.com/foodandmenus/nutritionalinfo.aspx

Papa Johns http://www.papajohns.com/menu/faqs.htm

Pizza Hut
http://www.yum.com/nutrition/allergen/allergen_ph.asp

Quiznos
http://www.quiznos.com/menu/files/allergen_table.pdf

Quiznos has a wonderfully clear allergy table that clearly lays out all the foods that are peanut free, egg free, etc. We have actually never eaten there before, but it appears that they have a peanut free restaurant. Next time we are in the neighborhood we will have to stop by and try it out.

Subway

http://www.subway.com/applications/NutritionInfo/index.aspx

Taco Bell http://www.yum.com/nutrition/allergen/allergen_tb.asp

Taco Bell also appears to have no nuts on their restaurant menu. They also have a great clear allergy page. This is another exciting option for us that I had not really checked into before. Also near where we live is a Taco Bell right on the ocean. It is supposed to have the best view for any fast food restaurant. Ever!!! I know where we are going next time someone is in town for a nice dinner out.

Wendys
http://www.wendys.com/food/Menu.jsp

Blogs
Yes, that is right, someone has actually started a blog dedicated entirely to eating out with food allergies. This blog writer is my hero!! While I love to provide useful information, I also love to write little bizarre antidotes about fictional characters like Mr. Peanut or Mr. Food allergy. She has lists of restaurants in different cities around the country, chains and fast food restaurants with actual quotes from the web sites about their food allergy policies. Go check it out!! It is awesome!!!!.

Can I Eat There
A blog entirely dedicated to eating out with food allergies.
http://canieatthere.blogspot.com/2008/01/national-chains-dine-in.html

People with food allergies should contact restaurants or companies directly to confirm allergen information. Allergy sufferers should check all ingredients before eating, every time. Comments from the Peanut Free Gallery, its authors and contributors, are not responsible for how this information is used or any allergic reactions that occur as a result of using information provided on this site. Comments from the Peanut Free Gallery authors are not, and do not claim to be, doctors, nurses, nutritionists or any type of health care provider/practitioner. The content on this blog should not be considered medical advice.