Clean Out The Pantry» peanutmom

Employee Donation Matching Plans

peanutmom — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 16:45:08 +0000

Thank you to the employees of National Fuel for adding us to their donation matching plan and choosing Food Allergy Support Services as their donor agency!

Toronto 2011

peanutmom — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 02:23:25 +0000

I never imagined spending our holidays in Toronto, but with a peanut allergy we are enjoying our new found freedom.

Thanks to our friend at avoidingmilkprotein.com, we have traversed the city in search of peanut free confections! Last summer we tried to find Loostsalicious, the peanut free ice cream parlor. To our dismay it was closed, however we hopped back in our minivan to visit Richman’s Bakery. We overindulged on cookies, cakes, breads, muffins, cupcakes, donuts- did I miss anything?

This summer we had the pleasure of overindulging in The Cupcake Shoppe’s delicious cupcakes. The kids’ favorite was the gumball topped cupcake! Mine was the chocolate chip cookie dough flavored cake with matching frosting!

In addition to cupcakes we purchased chocolate confections at Lollicakes, an adorable little shop in a section of Toronto called Davisville. When we return for chocolates, I will most certainly build in time to shop around this great neighborhood!

But beyond sweet treats we have found some great restaurants and attractions. Most recently we dined at Live and Breathe, aka L.A.B. an up and coming Toronto gastronomic hit! The chef/owner and staff are very friendly, preparing fresh, seasonal, “molecular gastronomy” to excite the taste buds! They provided us with an exceptional meal and were extremely accommodating of our allergy.

Pizzaria Rustica is another allergy friendly establishment, with 2 locations near the Rogers Center. Their pesto is void of nuts and they have gluten free options available.

I also subscribe to “Toronto for Kids,” a great weekly enewsletter highlghting weekly family events in Toronto.

We have had some great adventures in Toronto! It is about what we CAN do!

Free copies of Allergic Living Magazine Available

peanutmom — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 15:04:23 +0000

Allergic Living Magazine, a fantastic allergic resource, has launched its American version this summer!

Allergic Living focuses on food and environmental allergies, offering in-depth articles, the latest in medical breakthroughs, leading experts’ advice, product reviews, plus outstanding allergy-friendly recipes.

We have been provided with promotional copies and a special promo subscription rate for FAAN members! Email me for you free copy at allergypeanutmom@yahoo.com!

Android Apps Help with Food Allergies

peanutmom — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 14:44:36 +0000

I was cruising through the grocery store looking to change up our menu and stumbled across the allergen and nutrition info available from scanlife. I customized the page to specify whether our particular allergens were present. It made quick work of determining safe products and it sure beats calling manufacturers from the grocery aisle and dropping calls!

Scanlife is available at the android appstore.

Please feel free to share your favorite apps and stories here!

Food Allergy Awareness Week 2012

peanutmom — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 16:47:49 +0000

FAAW is fast approaching! This year it will be celebrated from May 13-19!

Food Allergy Disney!

peanutmom — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 18:04:49 +0000

No matter what your Disney and dining pleasure, the Magical world of Disney can accommodate it. Your magical journey begins with your Disney Reservation. Be sure to mention your food allergy, request a microwave and a special cleaning of your room. Most rooms come with a refrigerator. Remember, special requests are their specialty.

The next step in your magical journey is with dining reservations, 407-WDW-DINE, and notifying the agent of your special dietary restrictions. The agent will direct you to contact Special Diets at 407-939-3463 or SpecialDiets@DinseyWorld.com to coordinate your dietary needs with your hotel chef and with the chefs at your specific reserved locations. The Special Diets department is fantastic!

Special Diets will send forms to your email address requesting a list of each of your reservations, the number in your party and the specific special dietary requirements. They will also provide you with a list of quick service restaurants available to accommodate special dietary requirements. Within a short period of time, the majority of the chefs will contact you by telephone to discuss your needs and accommodations. They will also leave their direct phone number in the event of further questions or needs up to and during your Magical stay.

It may also be reassuring to contact the chefs a couple days before each reservation to confirm your reservations and ensure there are no surprises, such as changes to menu items available on a buffet line. An insider tip: try to make reservations early in the meal service. Restaurants can more easily accommodate during off meal times.

Upon arrival at the restaurant, notify the host/hostess of your allergies and request to speak to the chef. Typically as with any restaurant, the busier the restaurant, the longer the wait to speak to a chef. In our experience, the buffets had the longest wait for a chef and the greatest opportunity for cross contamination. Whereas the restaurants preparing all their meals from scratch were the most accommodating and the most knowledgeable. For example, our food allergy is peanuts; some restaurants thought the Mickey Macaroni and the child’s pizza dough were unsafe, while others considered them safe. We found this disconcerting considering the typical children’s menu offerings at the majority of restaurants was Mickey Mac n’ Cheese, Personal Pizza, or Chicken Nuggets for both lunch and dinner. Over the length of your stay, you may want to present your children with some variety, which can be better accommodated at scratch restaurants. The restaurants specializing in items from scratch have the ability to prepare exciting dishes that were not on the menu, in a safe, healthy and delicious manner! No matter where a food allergy family goes, they need to be within their own comfort level.

Within your own hotel, get to know your dining manager. They can introduce you to the chef in your hotel’s quick service restaurant, assisting with alternatives to the typical children’s fare. Also ask for their input on substitutions to the meal plan. Most meals come with an entrée, drink and dessert – the dessert can be substituted with an additional bottle of water or to satisfy a sweet tooth, Divvies (www.divvies.com) products may be available at the venue.

For quick service dining within a park, consider dining at off times. For example, lunch service begins at 11:30. Arriving early allows for time to avoid the lines, get a manager’s attention, review the ingredient binder, order and eat by noon. A little pre-planning is very helpful, make sure to print out the maps online and highlight the safe restaurants in order to be in the right place at meal times.

Another thing to consider within the park is that all straws are unwrapped. Disney takes great pride in cleanliness, paper and plastic wrappers cause a great deal of litter. However, straws at the hotel are probably wrapped, so grab a few of those and maybe some pre-wrapped plastic ware to carry with you through the park. Depending upon how hot the weather is, it may become necessary to buy a slush or soda.

The most important tip of all is to have FUN!!!! Enjoy the magic that is Disney.

The Parent Network of WNY

peanutmom — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 20:06:21 +0000

Parent Network of WNY is a community resource for families of individuals with special needs and for professionals who work with these families, Parent Networks, goals is to empower families to successfully advocate for their children with special needs and to see that they received proper care and education by offering seminars, workshops, conferences and information and referral services and resources. Parent Network is designated as a Community Parent Resource Center, funded through the US Department of Education under the IDEA and a Technical Assistance Parent Center, funded through the NYS Education Department.

Please visit them on the web at www.parentnetworkwny.org and www.facebook.com/ParentNetwork

Consolidation

peanutmom — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 19:39:55 +0000

Good afternoon FA friends! I’ve been working on updating the site, facebook and twitter as well as try to keep up with emails to all of you. I’ve decided to lean toward keeping FB more up to date because I can also send group updates through it.

My boys started pre-k this year & mistakenly I thought I would have more free time! Somehow I have less.

In an effort to continue what I started, updating everyone on allergy info and maintaining a budding not for profit, I need to consolidate my efforts – Please join our facebook page http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=74130557266&ref=ts to keep receiving updates from me!

If you have any questions please contact me at allergypeanutmom@yahoo.com

Thank you & best wishes as we go into this holiday season!

504 Plan Seminar

peanutmom — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 18:10:43 +0000

Parent Network of WNY and Food Allergy Support Services, Inc. present…

504 Plans: Is your child covered?

What is a 504 plan?

Who is eligible for a 504 plan?

Is there a difference between a 504 Plan and an Individualized Education Program (IEP)?

What kinds of accommodations are possible in a 504 plan?

October 18, 2010

6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Parent Network of WNY

1000 Main Street

Buffalo, NY 14202

Call or go online to register today!!

716.332.4170 or 1-866-722-4762 toll free

www.parentnetworkwny.org

Check your local radio and TV broadcasts for cancellation information.

FA Dining Websites

peanutmom — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 04:24:43 +0000

Tempted to try stepping out with food allergies, but don’t want to reinvent the wheel? Several popular food allergy rating websites have recently popped up: