Tag Archives: food allergies

Have you met Frank*?

Over the last few months since entering the mysterious world of blogging, I have enviously been reading of fellow bloggers being asked to try out and review a vast range of products. I’ve wondered how they’ve managed to bring their blogs to the attention of manufacturers and producers looking to launch new products and whether I could even dream of reaching such lofty heights with my own humble blog.

So, imagine my delight at receiving a message at the beginning of the summer holidays from Ben at The Frank* Food Co. We had discovered this relatively new treat at the Allergy & Free from Show back in June and both children had gorged themselves on the free samples available. In our ever-constant search for snacks that are not only M-friendly, but healthy and delicious, I was thrilled to uncover another brand to add to my cupboard.

The company’s strapline states “Frank*Snack Bars are a deliciously indulgent snack bar made with 100% natural ingredients” and comes in a choice of 5 flavours: Orange & Chocolate, Double Chocolate, Strawberry & Chocolate, Blueberry & Chocolate and Oat & Chocolate. The parcel that arrived from Frank* contained one of each and the children and I eagerly embarked on our very scientific approach to tasting, reviewing and ranking each one.

The chart below shows their comments and marks out of ten for the 5 different flavours:

	G	M

Orange & Chocolate	Delicious, but needs more orange and less chocolate Mark: 9/10	Fantastic Mark: 10/10
Double Chocolate	Very chocolately, very nice Mark: 5/10	Too much chocolate, but very nice anyway Mark: 5/10
Strawberry & Chocolate	This one is nice, but needs less strawberry Mark: 6/10	Okay Mark: 7/10
Blueberry & Chocolate	Too much blueberry Mark: 7/10	Nice, but the blueberry & chocolate flavours are fighting too much Mark: 9/10
Oat & Chocolate	Perfect! Mark: 10/10	Perfect! Mark: 10/10

Favourite flavour	Oat & Chocolate	Orange & Chocolate

The results are clear. G liked them all, even the blueberry one she was reluctant to try, but felt overall that the fruit flavours were too strong. She loved the Oat & chocolate one and said she’d pick this one every time. M liked them all and chose Orange & chocolate as his favourite, though I do wonder if my love for Terry’s Chocolate oranges influenced his decision. The biggest surprise was that neither child rated the Double chocolate bar that much and although they both enjoyed it and certainly wouldn’t turn it down, they felt it was just too much chocolate.

As for Mummy’s review? I’m in favour of them all as they certainly provide a healthy snack and are a nice addition to my kitchen. I wouldn’t give them one every day, but as a treat, they are perfect.

If you’d like to give Frank* bars a try, you can find a complete list of stockists on their website or you can order on-line for home delivery too.

Rainforest Flapjacks

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Now, you wouldn’t be blamed for thinking that the past 3 weeks have involved little more than baking and eating an array of M-friendly treats. This week was no exception. Having attempted the series of lemon recipes as well as the best chocolate cake ever and feeling somewhat delighted with the results, we decided that our next baking efforts were going to be the rather exotically named “Rainforest Flapjacks”.

This recipe came home from school and looked easy enough to adapt for M’s dietary needs. I will confess right now to having felt a little frustrated by M’s school’s reluctance to cook with him. The two occasions they have chosen to cook with his class have both conveniently coincided with times when he was away from school. Do I blame them for not wanting to cope with his complex dietary needs? Not entirely, but I have had to deal with the fall-out, disappointment and tears at home.

My solution this time round was to suggest to M that he asked for the recipe so that we could attempt it at home. In due course, the printed sheet made its way into M’s drawer and finally came home in a decent enough state that I could still read the list of ingredients. Everything was easily substituted for M-friendly alternatives and, in the case of the oats, G-friendly millet flakes. I had the full complement of ingredients in either the fridge or the cupboard and so we were ready to start.

As ever, I took my chances and doubled the quantities to make sure I had enough flapjacks to last the week and so we began. The process was easy, the children loved measuring out the ingredients and the odd bit of a chocolate might have strayed into an open mouth along the way. We used a bar of the wonderful Moo-free Cranberry and Hazelnuts chocolate which is both soya- and dairy-free, though plain dark chocolate would work just as well.

The end result was a delight. Both children devoured the first few pieces without hesitation and the double quantity only just lasted the week. G even asked if I could make it without the nuts so that she could take a slice for her packed lunches at school from September.

In case you’re wondering what makes them “Rainforest” flapjacks (as Mike asked), my answer is simple. They contain bananas, chocolate, are perfect for our 2 little monkeys and the name linked in perfectly with M’s topic for school!

This post is an entry into the Foodies100/Schwartz Flavour of Together challenge – you can add your own exotic Flavour story via this link

The Best Chocolate cake in the World

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We’ve enjoyed a peaceful weekend away in South Wales. The weather hasn’t been the idyllic temperatures and sunshine of July, but we had a great time anyway. The odd rain shower or clap of thunder didn’t stop us celebrating my Uncle’s birthday in style. We had a BBQ and buffet feast, including my now infamous Lamb and mint burgers and G and M insisted that I made a birthday cake to mark the occasion.

Courtesy of fanpop.com

Last week’s Lemon drizzle cake was a big success, but I was still not satisfied with the granular nature of the sponge that comes from baking with rice flour. Since then I have been searching for a recipe to make the perfect rice flour cake and discovered this one that assured me that the granular texture would be a thing of the past. Having uncovered such a promising recipe, I just needed a reason to bake it and what could have been better timed than a family birthday?

For the first time I ventured into the mystical world of cooking with xanthum gum – a substance much mentioned in gluten-free cooking, but something I had yet to actually use.

We mixed together the xanthum gum, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda and once again watched the chemical reaction between that and the white wine vinegar that the recipe required. M was enchanted by listening to the ingredients fizz and watching the bubbles of carbon dioxide rise to the top of the mixing bowl – “just like the volcano we made with Daddy”.

I had erred on the side of caution given my previously chronicled inability to bake cakes thatrise and made up one and a half times the quantity of cake mix. I needn’t have worried. Perhaps xanthum gum is the answer to my baking issues, I just don’t know, but I had more than enough cake mix to make a double layer cake and a dozen cupcakes too, all of which had a lovely depth to them.

I decided to use the classic flavour combination of chocolate and raspberries and layered the cake with raspberry jam, vanilla butter icing and dried raspberries. I finished it with a garden-themed decorating scheme and was proud of, at very least, how the cake looked.

That evening, I nervously cut into the cake and served it to the assorted, gathered family members. The cake was beautifully moist, the chocolate sweet but not over-powering and, best of all, there was not one single sign of that granular texture I’ve come to loathe when baking with rice flour. G gave it a resounding 10 out of 10, M stated that it was the “best cake ever, cooked by the best Mummy ever” and even the harshest of critics complimented me on how delicious the cake was. So the conclusion I’ve reached is that this is a cake recipe to treasure and I’ve now just got to work out how to adapt it for as many different versions and occasions as possible.

A taste of sunshine

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The weather may have turned a little grey and damp once again, but at the end of last week, we decided to bring a taste of the sunshine into the house and spent Friday afternoon baking. I’d been promising the children a baking afternoon for a while and Friday seemed like the perfect opportunity and a great end to the first week of the holidays.

Despite a little active discussion about what we could make, we settled on Lemon Drizzle cake. I searched for a vegan recipe and found this wonderful one by cookery blogger, Sharon. I needed to adapt it a little to accommodate M’s wheat- and gluten-free requirements, but most of the hard work (making it egg-free!) was already done.

Courtesy of buyfruit.com.au

We dashed out to buy the missing ingredients – lemons – and then returned home, rolled up our sleeves and got started. The children had a wonderful time. G had the responsibility of reading the recipe and method out loud for M and me to follow, whilst M became chief-mixer. We watched the “chemical” reaction between the vinegar, lemon juice and sugar and discussed how the frothiness should help make the cake light and delicious. My adapted recipe can be found here.

The end result was a great success. M loved it, though G felt it was too lemony! Having filled the fridge with lemons, we decided to make the most of them and made lemonade using my pink lemonade recipe without the cranberry juice. We then used half of the lemonade to make some ice lollies, perfect for the hot weather.

All in all, a very successful Friday afternoon!

This post is an entry into the Foodies100/Schwartz Flavour of Together challenge, if you have a great flavour story to share, you can easily do it here

My child with Super powers

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As a parent, we all go through that experience of self-doubt and belief that we’re doing it all wrong. As a parent of an unique child, a child with unexpected needs, that self-doubt is part of your every waking moment. You begin to wonder if it’s something that you did, right or wrong, that has led to the position you find yourself in.

A good friend recently sent Mike and me a link to this wonderful blog post that really spoke to her, and our, hearts. Through it I discovered the truth that I have children with super powers, rather than with special needs.

Courtesy of kotaku.com

We all know that it’s not easy being a parent and when you add into that mix an illness or condition or special need for your child, you rapidly begin to wonder why. Almost every day I question why M has this condition. Is it something I did, or didn’t do during my pregnancy? Is it faulty genetics on my side, or on MIke’s, that have led to these problems? Could I have done anything to change the outcome that my boy has to live with? Of course, the answer is no. He is who he is and who God made him. I don’t have the answers as to why his life has been so medically complicated and why he continues to have to fight a daily battle for good health, but I also can’t live my life playing the blame game.

I struggle when talking to expectant Mums who are holding forth that they don’t mind whether they have a boy or a girl as long as the baby is healthy. I remember saying the same thing myself, so why is it that that wasn’t the card we got dealt? I smile and nod and bite my tongue, because I can’t promise that for them that’ll be their experience. I hope it is, I really do, but I know that there are no guarantees in life. We are the exception to that rule.

Courtesy of http://www.evolllution.com

During a recent conversation, I was asked whether I wished I could turn the clocks back and make different decisions to those I made 10 years ago. I didn’t have to stop and think because I know the answer. No. The mountains may be high and treacherous, but the view from the top is amazing and my answer is no. The valleys can be dark and bleak, but the sunshine reaches down and touches those darkest of places and the answer is no. I may get knocked down far more times that I thought possible and struggle to get back up and keep on with the fight, but my answer is still no. I would love for life to be easier for both M and G, I wish for their medical problems to disappear in a heartbeat, but I love them and I love being a parent to children with super powers, even if the going is sometimes really, really tough.

Lake Huron, Canada

In memoriam

BBQs and Bakewell tarts

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The incredible summer weather that we’ve been enjoying this weekend, can only mean one thing; it’s time for a barbecue. True to form, by around 5pm on Friday evening, the shelves of all the local supermarkets had been cleared of the sausages, burgers and other BBQ meats, but for once that didn’t spoil our plans. Most of the BBQ selections available contain wheat, gluten or even soya, which makes them unsuitable for use in our household.

Instead, I took to a recipe that we developed after seeing a similar meal prepared on Canadian TV programme “You’ve gotta eat here“. For those of you who haven’t seen this series, and I highly recommend that you don’t even attempt to watch it when feeling peckish, presenter John Catucci tours Canada, searching out exceptional meals found at various cafes, diners and restaurants across the country. The food featured not only tastes good, but often comes in proportions that defeat even those with the healthiest of appetites. Whilst the burgers we watched being made were traditional in using beef, I adapted them to use family favourites, Welsh lamb and fresh mint. You can find the recipe here.

The final recipe is easy and quick to prepare, delicious to eat and best of all, contains nothing that is not M-friendly. They take around 5 minutes to cook on the BBQ or indeed in the oven and were perfect for a Saturday lunch in the sun.

One of things that M has been missing, other than the by now famous egg mayonnaise sandwiches, is Bakewell tarts. Around 12 months ago, we had discovered Costa‘s gluten-free Cherry bakewells and, as they were dairy, soya and wheat-free and M was trialling egg at the time, we were able to try them out as a treat. M loved them and we had found something he could eat when we popped out for a coffee or were on a road trip.

However, this January’s decision to tighten up M’s diet meant these had to go back on to his forbidden list. It was a disappointment as there is so little available when we’re out and about, but we had the hope that the next trial of egg would mean that he might be able to start eating them once again. Sadly, the current relapse and subsequent medical response means that there is no likelihood of this for the foreseeable future.

M has been hit hard by his current flare-up and so I decided to make a weekend of it and bake some much needed M-friendly treats for both M and G. I quickly decided to investigate whether there was any possibility of making a M-friendly Bakewell tart. Having never even attempted to make Bakewell tarts in my lifetime, even before all the food allergies hit my kitchen, I looked up a recipe to see if I could adapt it.

I was confident I could make a reasonable everything-free pastry base, having successfully mastered pastry at Christmas for mince pies. I have quickly learned that vegan recipes are my friends as they don’t contain any animal products and so instantly remove the issue of being dairy- and egg-free. So, I quickly moved on to the next item on the list, raspberry jam. Fortunately, M suffers no ill-effects from fruit jams at the moment, so that was an easy tick and on to the final element of the recipe: the frangipane.

This filled me with dread. Frangipane is an almond-flavoured sweet pastry cream which, depending on the particular recipe you decide to follow, contains anywhere between 1 and 3 eggs and I just couldn’t see a way round it. With little hope and as a somewhat last-ditch attempt, I used that faithful friend, Dr Google, once again to see if someone, somewhere had created a vegan alternative to frangipane. Imagine my delight on discovering this wonderful recipe from fellow blogger, lucysfriendlyfoods.

I noted the ingredients, checked my store cupboards to see what I already had in stock and drew up my shopping list. A quick visit to the supermarket and we had everything I needed to bake this masterpiece. To my delight, every step of this recipe was easy to follow and put together. 40 minutes in the oven and my work was done.

M was thrilled and had to try a slice before it had cooled fully. The slice I gave him disappeared quickly and his only comment was that he would prefer me to make individual tarts next time. What’s more, G also tried some and enjoyed it. All in all, this weekend has been a resounding success, be it the BBQ burgers or the Bakewell tart.

Let them eat cake

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I love making cakes.

Actually, to be more accurate, I love creating decorated cakes for my children’s birthdays, but I’ve never been keen, or really that good, at the baking part. Even when I was allowed to bake “normal” cakes, I could never get them to rise.

The last normal cake I made in our household for G’s 2nd

When I had to adapt to wheat and dairy-free cakes to allow for G’s allergies, I managed, but still failed to get the things to rise. Over the years, my cakes have more resembled flat pancakes than respectable sponges. I have been known to suffer “sponge-envy” when seeing the beautifully rounded Victoria sponges made by friends and colleagues.

My first wheat and dairy cake for G's 3rd and very, very flat

My first wheat and dairy-free cake for G’s 3rd and very, very flat

G’s 5th cake and still not much sign of it rising!

Ironically, cupcakes have never been a problem. Whilst my sponge mixes have never made the perfect sponge, they have always made beautiful cupcakes and one year I even resorted to a cupcake tower for G’s birthday cake as something I could be proud to present to the world.

Wheat and dairy free for G, but still contained eggs…and still flat

M’s last almost-normal cake for his 5th

Then came along the ultimate challenge. Not only did my cakes need to be wheat- and dairy-free, but I also had to remove the soya and the eggs. I’ve tried out very many recipes* for cakes in the last 2 years and have met with varying success. I’ve attempted baking with baking powder, xanthan gum, bicarbonate of soda, oil and water and even a mix of cider vinegar, oil, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda…and still those cakes won’t rise.

I’ve tried Doves Farm Gluten free self-raising flour, which is a blend of rice, potato, tapioca, maize and buckwheat flours and comes with helpful recipes on the side of the packet and met reasonable success. I’ve tested Innovative Solutions pure brown rice flour, which works okay, but can taste a little granular as a sponge. Guess what? Still my cakes won’t rise.

This year’s first attempt, a Lego 7, but still a little flat!

A layered Mini-golf cake for G’s 9th

This year, for M’s 7th birthday, I came to my final conclusion. If my cakes won’t rise naturally, then I will just have to create the height I crave by stacking layers. The end result more than exceeded my expectations and what’s more, I had a lot of fun by creating a rainbow inside to wow the group of 6 and 7 year-olds who got to eat it.

This one needed to be higher, so my secret was…

…to stack the rainbow layers. Mission accomplished!

I will continue my search for the perfect M-friendly sponge cake recipe that not only tastes good, but would convince even the harshest critics that cakes can be made to meet any dietary requirements. I will continue to create masterpieces that look pretty good, even if they don’t quite make the taste grade. And I promise this: that if I find that right combination of ingredients and technique in my quest, I won’t hesitate to communicate it, especially if I finally manage to achieve that elusive thing – a sponge cake that rises!

*all cake recipes attempted are included on my Everything free Recipes page

Fabulous FABED!

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We have once again enjoyed a busy weekend. Thanks to the wonderful organisational skills of the dedicated group of parents who set up FABED back in 2005 to support parents and families of children with EGID, we enjoyed an amazing weekend at Legoland Windsor.

What made this weekend so special was that it was organised with our EGID children in mind. A full day to meet other families who are carrying the same load as us and who know how it feels to be fighting a never-ending daily battle that most of our friends just can’t comprehend. An opportunity for M to meet children who are just like him, suffer from the same condition and have to live with multiple food-allergies to a greater or lesser extent. A chance for G to meet others whose siblings are constantly in hospital, or making hospital visits and who are often the focus of so much attention.

We met bright and early on Saturday morning and were delighted to see that there were in the region of 40 families there, all of whom had at least 1 child with EGID, though we got to know one family where all 4 children were affected to some degree. This was our first FABED event, but were instantly made to feel welcome and amongst friends. We recognised some familiar faces from the Allergy Show a couple of weeks ago and both M and G instantly made some new friends.

Unfortunately M suffered a bad day, but we had the advantage of being able to seek refuge in the suite at the amazing Legoland Hotel. There was a dedicated medical room to provide privacy for those who needed it for feeding or medical purposes. The Suite itself had tea and coffee-making facilities for the parents and a play area filled with Lego for the children to enjoy. We took an hour and a half out of the day to give M some much needed downtime and the children enjoyed attempting to build the biggest tower possible with some of their new friends.

The evening showed just how much hard work and thought had gone into making this an unparalleled get-together. A buffet dinner was provided for the FABED families, with full details of all ingredients used to prepare the dishes and options available to cater for even the most difficult of diets. Those children unable to eat were able to spend time in the play area, which was next door but out of sight of the food. M was delighted to be able to choose from such a wide selection of foods and we were reassured that we knew what each dish contained and what he could and couldn’t eat.

As soon as we heard about this day out, we knew we’d be going along. It would have taken something extreme to keep us away. M feels so alone in his allergy world that the opportunity to show that he really isn’t on his own and to allow him to chat and get to know other EGID sufferers was one that we couldn’t turn down. He made particular friends with young R, who is a year older, but feels the same emotions and frustrations as M. They were able to have an honest chat and M values this new friend who is “just like me Mummy, but he can eat even less, sometimes has to be tube fed and has accidents too.” R’s big sister, F, was a great source of comfort to G also as they share the same experiences of a younger brother with EGID as well as struggling with their own food allergies.

I also got to meet the delightful mumannie123, who writes the blog, Food for Thought: Boweled over by food allergies, recipes and advice. We have got to know each other a little over the last couple of weeks through our respective blogs, so it was wonderful to finally put a face to the name and spend some real time chatting. We have discovered that we live in the same part of the world, so I’m looking forward to perhaps being able to meet in person as time allows, as there is nothing quite like having a friend who understands what you’re going through from firsthand experience.

We made the decision to make a weekend of it and stayed the night at the Hotel in an Adventurers Room. The lego models and details in these rooms are astounding:

This weekend has been a truly fabulous weekend and my heartfelt thanks go out to FABED and Legoland Windsor for accommodating such a complex range of needs and ensuring that so many families were able to enjoy as normal a day out as possible when dealing with illness. To this family, at very least, it has made a huge difference and has given us a great resource for support for this journey that we now know we are not travelling on our own.

The Secret of the Swap Box

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Well, I couldn’t resist just one more memory to celebrate Fathers’ Day!

This weekend has been a lot less manic than the last. Other than the obligatory Fathers’ Day celebrations on Sunday, we also had 2 very important appointments to keep on Sunday afternoon. G and M took their very first individual Speech and Drama LAMDA exams. It’ll be a wait of another 6-8 weeks until we hear the results, but I’m proud of them both for having a go at this new challenge.

So, we’ve spent time playing games, watching TV, doing some homework and enjoying some quiet family time. We’ve also worked on a project that has become very important to G over the last couple of weeks – her swap box.

This is an idea that was recommended to me about a year ago by a parent at M’s school. She had overheard a conversation I was having with a fellow Mum about having to anticipate when treats might be given out in class to avoid having to deal with M’s frustration when he couldn’t have one. She asked if we’d ever thought of providing a Swap box to be kept in the classroom.

I looked at her blankly, listened intently and then wondered why I had never thought of such a simple solution to this problem. The idea really is an easy one. We provided a box, decorated by M, that was filled with a selection of sweets, biscuits and other treats that were M-friendly. Whenever M is given a treat for any reason in the classroom – birthday celebrations, leaving gifts, rewards for good behaviour, Advent chocolates or Easter eggs – he is allowed to take what he’s been given and swap it for a safe alternative from his box. This means that he never feels excluded from all that is going on and we can be assured that he isn’t being given any food that could cause an allergic reaction.

I had never considered the need for G to have same, but in the last couple of weeks she has been unable to have caramels or chocolates that have been brought into school to share. I was hoping to maybe make it to the end of term (well there are only 5 weeks left) and sort G’s swap box over the summer holidays, but alas, that wasn’t to be. G was adamant that she needed one now and so we found a box and allowed her to decorate it this weekend. I’ve filled it with a small supply of Haribo sweets, fruit snacks and some M-friendly packets of biscuits and she’s taken it into school this morning to stash with her teacher.

SAM_1173

SAM_1174

It really is one of the simplest suggestions I’ve come across in dealing with M’s condition and has proven to be invaluable as he has found no need to strop or complain about being different to his friends. After all, when you’re struggling with quite so many challenges, being able to take part with everyone else is really worth it’s weight in gold.

7 years to diagnosis

Searching for an answer

Tag Archives: food allergies

Have you met Frank*?

Rainforest Flapjacks

The Best Chocolate cake in the World

A taste of sunshine

My child with Super powers

In memoriam

BBQs and Bakewell tarts

Let them eat cake

Fabulous FABED!

The Secret of the Swap Box