Tuesday 21 May 2013

Simple Potato Cakes

I can't take the credit for this recipe, or even for finding it, but it is definitely one worth sharing!

All instructions and excellent step by step photos  are on a sit called "The Pink Whisk"

A friend said the following:-

"We've made these using pure sunflower spread and rice flour. They are really yummy, Finley adores them. We've frozen them individually, defrosted over night and then put in the microwave for 20 seconds just before eating and they are nice and soft. I did try to defrost in the microwave and they burnt to smithereens!"


Monday 20 May 2013

"Foods, Moods and Isms" Living the Eosinophilic Life




From Amazon:-

"Foods, Moods & Isms: Living the Eosinophilic Life is the second book in a memoir series. Foods, Moods & Isms details the emotional, humorous, and often profoundly insightful journey of an everyday family raising a child with eosinophilic esophagitis, or EoE. This is a book about grocery stores full of food and tables full of empty plates.

This is a book about being hungry for more than just a meal. This is a book about life with Ewan—a boy who sees life from a unique perspective and says all the things we never knew we needed to hear. 

Alicia Hart, author of Brains, Trains & Video Games: Living The Autism Life, is a wife, mother, and advocate for children and adults with autism spectrum disorder. She has worked for various autism related agencies, early intervention programs, and universities, and has consulted with schools, hospitals, and other programs regarding autism spectrum disorders, eosinophilic disorders, feeding aversions, and augmentative and alternative communication. Alicia continues to write and has planned a series of books. The next book, Synaptic Spaces: Living In-Between will be the last book in the memoir series. You may find out more on Facebook at The Autism Life or at Alicia Hart—Author. There is also a Facebook fan page at Brains, Trains & Video Games and at Foods, Moods & Isms."

Thursday 16 May 2013

May 19th-25th is Eosinophilic Awareness Week

Next Week is Eosinophilic Awareness Week. Read about EGID here.

Gastro research is drastically UNDER FUNDED. It is not "glamorous" and rarely on the radar for celebrities and focus groups, and rarely attracts public interest unlike cardiac care and cancer research. Gastro conditions are badly neglected in the UK when it comes to research funding allocation but without research treatment and outcomes are not likely to improve much.

Approximately 1% of the total amount of medical research funding available in the UK can be accessed for Gastro research. There are currently no listed projects specifically for Eosinophilic Disorders on the National Research database. GOSH are running a Gastro Research Project that will include related conditions/problems.

FABED is the main UK charity supporting families with members (adult and children) who suffer from eosinophilic disease.

FABED are UK partners supporting the United States Eosinophilic Awareness Week next week.This is coordinated by APFED. Last year they made this video to promote awareness.


Next week, do something to raise awareness. Tell someone about EGID and the appalling lack of funding for gastrointestinal disorders in the UK.




Monday 13 May 2013

PIZZA!!!!

*HURRAH* for high street restaurants offering free from menu choices.

We have been testing a few this year, very cautiously!

ASK

Ask in Ipswich were extremely helpful. They explained that recently their chips have changed and are now coated to make them crispier. This makes them unsuitable for anyone with a wheat or gluten allergy. They always stock small new potatoes in their freezer, coated in a safe pepper/salt/oil combination, part cooked and ready for frying. They also grilled some chicken in the same combination for my two gourmets and served them with a child friendly salad. A real hit!

Sorbet satisfied our allergy requirements too, an excellent meal but a long wait as their online allergen list had not been updated.

PIZZA EXPRESS

Pizza Express have just launched their Gluten Free menu. As a family we love Pizza Express, the menu is pretty versatile, it's quick for the kids and they take Tesco Clubcard vouchers!!  They have a fully comprehensive allergen list but read carefully. Many items are absolutely fine but you might think they are not because the entire dish is listed as containing a known allergen. Meat is sourced locally so check that ham doesn't contain lactose for example.


We were fine - on the children's menu my twins couldn't have the dough balls so enjoyed an extra large salad. One chose a gluten free pizza, no cheese with chicken and ham on top, the other the same but with tuna. That ticked the no MWS and Gluten boxes for us, also Egg free as Archie is on minimal egg.  The gluten free pizzas in the table all say they contain dairy and soya, this is because they ahve CHEESE on. You can be creative, like us and skip the cheese and add alternatives! The pizza base was thin and crispy but a definite improvement on the supermarket bases we have tried to date.
























LEGOLAND, Windsor

The Park restaurants and cafes are almost all a big no-no as Legoland now coat their chips and cross contaminate much of their food. However, The Castle Rotisserie (where the large Dragon rollercoaster is) suited us fine. Jacket potatoes with no butter, chicken or baked beans (Heinz which have no wheat flour in) were fine.



The hotel could not have been more helpful. I called the day before then spoke with the chef just before each meal. He cooked safe chips especially for the twins, and there were plenty of meat and veg options. My two ate extremely well! Breakfast was the trickiest but they always have gluten free bread to toast with jams, no spread alternative though. Do ask to have the bread toasted in the kitchen though not on the industrial size "conveyor belt" toaster in the restaurant.

Disclaimer : Obviously YOU know your child's level of sensitivity. Some children will react with microscopic amounts of allergen present. We do NOT avoid food which says "May contain traces of ...." and also do NOT avoid Soya Lecithin as we have always been told that it is a highly purified oil, with no protein present and it is usually the protein people react to. This is NOT the same for everyone.

Next Post - Coffee Shops with safe snacks!

Tuesday 7 May 2013

Fun in the Sun!



Summer would seem to have finally arrived, and even if there is a temporary downturn in temperatures forecast for the rest of this week I am hoping, along with so many other EGID parents, that the summer season will herald a period of good health for our children. Obviously the summer presents its own difficulties for allergic kids, the pollen count remains high over much of the summer, but the reduction in colds and similar maladies is a very definite improvement.



I posted last summer about the amazing Bessant and Drury ice creams, but they are pretty expensive and it's nice to find some alternative. But finding summer treats which are free from the main food allergens can be tough, but my scouts have been hard at work and there have been several posts in our Facebook Group which I thought I would share on here.


Tesco have scored highly this week with two discoveries there.
"Strawberry Helter Skelters" are made with coconut milk and are MEWS free. (Milk, Egg, Soy and Wheat) Ingredients are below:-





Also from Tesco are the two finds here --------->
Free From "Banana Smoothies" also made with coconut milk, great for lunch boxes . Unfortunately my fussy pair didn't like them but then they are not huge banana fans.

"Flips" are a new type of crisp/snack.




Lastly one inventive mum has made some smoothie/ice cream (the latter if you freeze it!) from strawberry puree and oatly cream.

Tastes delicious although difficult to scoop into a cone!
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