Breakfast is hard in our home. Due to my sons dairy, egg, and peanut allergies a lot of the yummy breakfast foods that the rest of the world consumes are just not possible for us. I have been able to adapt some of my favorite breakfast foods like waffles, pancakes, and even French toast. Since I have to make them from scratch it takes a lot of time to make enough of them for our family of 6. So, most mornings we opt for cereal, sunflower seed buttered toast, or sausage. 

I have been working on a recipe for granola though, and have finally figured out the perfect combination to get those larger granola clusters and taste delicious! 

Holidays are always a hard one at our home. With severe food allergies, times of year where delivering baked goods, and having treats left on your door step can be anxiety inducing... for real! If you are lucky enough not to have to deal with life threatening food allergies, think about this: what would it be like to find that someone had left you a delicious plate of chocolate chip cookies on your doorstep. You pour a glass of nice cold milk, sit down to enjoy your cookies and milk only to find out an hour later that you are on the verge of death because they were laced with arsenic. Instead of enjoying those cookies, you are clinging to life hoping that someone, somewhere is able to help you. 

That may seem a bit extreme, and not really something that we will ever be faced with, BUT when it comes to food allergies the concept is the same. You teeter on whether that plate of goodies that your friend says are safe, are actually safe for you... or if it will send you into an anaphylaxis reaction that will follow with a few hours in the ER. 

That being said, this time of year when everyone is enjoying all their baked goods, we are just doing the same thing we've been doing all year, cooking from scratch. Over the years I have taken some of my favorite holiday recipes and adapted them so that my entire family can enjoy them. 

Cooking, baking, and eating dairy free has its challenges, and if you enjoy dairy, just know that any recipe adapted to be dairy free isn't going to taste the same... but it can get pretty close. 

 

When we found out about ten years ago that our baby was allergic to dairy, eggs, and peanuts I just about died. Okay, not really died, but I did feel like my eating life was over. Two of my favorite things were peanut butter and cheesecake. I still love them, but rarely get to enjoy them. We decided when we found out the extent of his allergies, and the severity of them, that we would not bring those things into our home. I've spent the last ten years finding and adapting recipes to meet our needs.

Since we are at home due to COVID-19 and the social distancing orders, I thought it would be a great time to try out some new recipe adaptations. So, my 13 year old and I got to work in the kitchen and here's what we came up with.

This is a recipe that I've been wanting to put together for a LONG time. My son is severely allergic to dairy, eggs, and peanuts. Do you know how hard that is when you LOVE peanut butter and cheesecake?! Yep, it's been a struggle ... not just for us having to give up a lot of what we love, but also trying to figure out delicious tasting recipes that are safe for him and our family to eat.

That's why when I discover, or create, or adapt a recipe that tastes yummy I want to scream it from the rooftops! Trust me, I have way more flops than I do keepers, but THIS one was a hit the first time I made it, and we LOVE it!

If you are looking for the most refreshing homemade drink you've ever had... it has to be limeade. I make mine with a twist though.. read on to see how I make mine.

For those of you who are new here, welcome! I share a lot of food recipes here on my blog in the hopes that it will help others out there like us. My oldest son is allergic to dairy, eggs, and peanuts. It's been an adventure for sure figuring out how to keep him safe, and we are constantly experimenting with new recipes to try and find good ones that work for him!

This recipe is an adaptation from a delicious recipe I got from a friend when my husband and I were newlyweds. I had never heard of no bake cookies until then... I must have been living under a rock or something.... but one try and I was hooked! So, I took that recipe and have adapted it so that it's safe for my little guy (and my family) to eat.

Enjoy! 

I have been in a serious meal/snack rut lately. So, when I came across an awesome recipe that I could change up to meet our needs I jumped at the chance to try it!

Those of you who have been following for a while know that my son has severe food allergies. He is allergic to dairy, eggs, and peanuts. Sometimes finding and cooking "safe" foods for him can be a real challenge. I am always pinning new recipes on Pinterest  that are either safe for him or can be adapted to be safe for him.

The other day I came across a recipe by one of our favorite allergy friendly companies, Sunbutter. It was for Chocolate and Sunbutter Popcorn Mix. I loved how easy it was to make and I happened to have everything on hand so I whipped up a quick batch as an after school treat for my kiddos.


It does make a LARGE batch, so be prepared to share with your friends and neighbors... or set it out at a party! Just know that you won't have any leftovers.. because it is THAT good!



Here is the recipe :

INGREDIENTS:
2 bags of popped microwave popcorn (or pop 2/3 cup popcorn kernels)
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1 1/3 cups light corn syrup
1 1/3 cups Sunbutter
1/2 cup Enjoy Life chocolate chips
1/2 tsp coconut oil

DIRECTIONS:
1. Place popcorn in a large bowl. Be sure to remove all un-popped kernels.
2. In a medium saucepan, bring sugar and corn syrup to a boil.
3. Turn off heat and add Sunbutter, stirring until creamy and completely combined.
3. Gently pour Sunbutter mixture into popcorn and fold in until popcorn is coated.
4. Spoon Sunbutter popcorn onto a parchment lined (or greased) baking sheet to cool.
5. Melt chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until completely melted.
6. Stir in coconut oil. Using a spoon, drizzle the chocolate across the cooling popcorn.
7. Place the sunbutter popcorn in a cool place (or in the fridge) until the drizzle hardens. Break apart the popcorn, serve, and ENJOY!



This would make a fun holiday treat to give away. Place it in a mason jar, tie a cute ribbon or some twine around it and add a sticker to the top!


You could go one step further and add some pretzels, nuts, coconut, or anything else you want to the mixture. Try different combinations to see what you like the best!


Let me know if you give this recipe a try! Looking at these pictures again is making my mouth water... time to make another batch...