Food Allergy Living Blog Tagged Results

Need a quick afternoon snack or dessert for your little one? Here's a super quick pudding!

Ingredients:

• 4 scoops Neocate Nutra
• 1 fl oz water
• 1/4 medium banana, mashed
• 1 tsp maple syrup

Directions:

Mix Neocate Nutra with water. Add banana and maple syrup. Stir and serve.

Nutrition Information:

• Calories 130
• Protein 2g
• Carbohydrates 24g
• Fat 3.5g

Makes 15 servings

Submitted by: Katherine M. Hull

To get more food allergy recipes, be sure to download our new Food Allergy Cookbook!

[Image Source]

'Tis the season for warm pumpkin treats! Enjoy making and eating these with your children and perhaps even whip some up for your Thanksgiving holiday.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups wheat-free flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup canola oil
• 2 cups canned pumpkin

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, sift together dry ingredients. Add oil and pumpkin, mixing well. Transfer into lined muffin tin and bake at 350°F until fork inserted in center comes out clean (about one hour).

Nutrition Information:

Makes ~ 10 muffins Per Serving:

• Calories330
• Protein 3g
• Carbohydrates 31g
• Fat 23g

Submitted by: Karen Mischler

To get more food allergy recipes, be sure to download our new Food Allergy Cookbook!

[Image Source]

Here's a mac & cheese dish that your little one might help making as well as eating!

Ingredients:

• Pasta (Your child's favorite kid)
• Olive Oil
• 2-3 Slices of vegan cheese
• A few tablespoons of soy milk or Neocate

Directions:

Cook pasta according to box instructions. Drain pasta. Add olive oil in pan and mix with pasta. Add cheese and stir over low heat until cheese is melted and mixed in. Add soy milk or Neocate to help cheese melt and give a smoother texture. Don’t forget to sprinkle on some vegan grated topping!

Nutrition Information:

*Nutritional value will depend on which ingredients you choose.

Submitted by: Michele Michnowski

To get more food allergy recipes, be sure to download our new Food Allergy Cookbook!

With fall upon us, cinnamon breakfast bread will warm your little one right up!

Ingredients:

Directions:

Stir together flour, baking powder, sugar & salt. Cut in shortening with a fork until fine and mealy. Add rice milk (or Neocate formula) all at once. Pour into a greased 8” pan, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture and bake at 400°F for 10 to 12 minutes. Serve warm for breakfast.

Nutrition Information Per Recipe*:

• Calories 150
• Protein 2g
• Carbohydrates 17g
• Fat 9g

Makes about 12 servings.

* Nutrition information for recipe using rice milk.

Submitted by: Mary Blackorby

To get more food allergy recipes, be sure to download our new Food Allergy Cookbook!

Easter and Passover celebrations are happening this week, and there will surely be an influx of goodies and feasts that come along with them. But if you have a little one with food allergies, this can be a tough and challenging time. We wanted to inform you about some great ideas (and where to find them) for an enjoyable and allergen-free Easter or Passover.

One place that I found lots of information was www.kidswithfoodallergies.org. There was plenty of information on Kids with Food Allergies’ (KFA) website for an allergen free Easter or Passover. They have lots of recipes for allergen-free dishes celebrating the holidays. The amount of activities and resources to choose from ensures that the whole family can get the most out of the holiday, even when food allergies are a concern. Check out the Peach Potato Puffs recipe for Passover. I thought it sounded different and delicious!

Peach Potato Puffs (from Kids With Food Allergies)

By Danielle (deestricky1)

2 cups mashed sweet potatoes

1 tsp lemon juice

2 tsp brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt dash ginger

2 tsp dairy-free, soy free, corn free margarine

6 canned peach halves

In a medium-sized bowl, mix all the ingredients except the peaches. Whip with whisk or mixer until nice and fluffy.

Take whipped potato mixture and pile some into each peach half. Arrange the filled peach halves in a greased or sprayed 6x10" baking pan and dot with additional margarine. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes.

When celebrating Easter, if your child has an egg allergy it can be a very tricky time. But with some helpful tips and ideas, they can still take part in all of the traditions. If you are decorating eggs, instead of real eggs paint wooden versions, or use stickers to decorate plastic ones. Instead of candy, fill Easter baskets with toys and other goodies like sidewalk chalk, books and jewelry. Or you can check out allergen-free candies from companies like Divvies, Premium Chocolatier and Sweet Earth. You can also make your own candies – Go Dairy Free has some great recipes.

I found these fun tips on KFA's website. Here are links to view the booklets I found so helpful.

• Passover Booklet

• Easter Booklet

I have received a number of calls from parents asking if Neocate Infant DHA ARA contains certain grains which are not allowed during Passover. Neocate Infant DHA ARA formula does not have any grains (wheat, barley, oats, spelt, rye) in the formula. If your little one is on an elemental diet composed of mostly formula, then this can be a unique situation. Feel free to read the Passover booklet to get more information about adhering to a restricted diet during the holidays.

I hope these ideas help make your celebrations fun for everyone! Do you have any other creative ideas for an allergy-friendly Passover or Easter? Enjoy the holidays!

-Christine

As we’ve mentioned before, mixing food allergies and birthday parties requires a bit of effort.  This includes both hosting a birthday party (with guests with food allergies) and sending your food-allergic child to a birthday party.

We wanted to round up a few recipes that could provide a potential solution. It would also be great to have an allergen-free dessert, whether you’re hosting the party or sending your little one to a party.  This way everyone can safely enjoy a treat.
 

Cakes & Baked Goods

Most cakes and baked goods call for dairy, eggs, and wheat, which are three of the top eight allergens.  In fact, fish and shellfish are the only two of the top allergens that do NOT regularly appear in baked goods! Here are a few alternatives to a traditional birthday cake that could make a great stand-in.

On page 14 of the Neocate Food Allergy Cookbook, there’s a great recipe for a frosted birthday cake, made with a cake mix from Cherrybrook Kitchen – free of dairy, nuts, and eggs. But don’t count out serving cookies, brownies, bars, cupcakes, or cobbler, all of which appear in the same great cookbook. Another great place to check is the Kids with Food Allergies website, which offers a variety of recipes.

Not interested in handling the baking yourself? There are several companies that can bake a great, safe alternative and have it shipped straight to you, candles not included. A few places whose treats are allergen-free to varying degrees are Divvie’s Bakery, Home Free, Liz Lovely, and Betsy & Claude Baking Company.  You can also check grocery stores that cater to special dietary needs, such as Whole Foods.
 

Delicious Desserts

Who says that an equally delicious dessert can’t make a stellar stand-in for cake? Not us! Here are some ideas for other great foods that most kids would never refuse.

See our Neocate Nutra Recipe Guide for allergy-friendly ice creams and puddings.  Also check back into the Neocate Food Allergy Cookbook for great shake and smoothie recipes, many submitted by parents.  Top suggestions include the Banana Chocolate Shake or Chocolate Covered Strawberry Slushy.  If you really feel like going all-out, you can use one of these frozen desserts alongside a baked good, in place of the usual cake and ice cream.

Feeling REALLY adventurous? Try your hand at a homemade ice cream cake by combining recipes for an allergen-free ice cream, cookies, and frosting.

What have you used in the past when the traditional birthday cake wouldn’t do? Let us know in the Comments section below.

- Rob

For the next three weeks, we’ll be posting some allergy-friendly meal ideas, starting with breakfast. While it can be difficult to come up with meal ideas for standard diets or choosy children, a diet that has allergy restrictions is even tougher! Here are some breakfast ideas that might help you add variety. As always, check with your little one’s health care team to make sure they are appropriate.

Neocate-Only Breakfast Ideas

For children whose diets are strictly limited to amino acid-based formula, it’s helpful to have ideas that add variety. For instance, mixing some of the flavors and formats that Neocate offers can help fight the formula monotony. One of our favorite ideas for children over one year is mixing Neocate Nutra with Neocate Junior Tropical, Neocate Junior with Prebiotics Vanilla, or Neocate’s E028 Splash Grape. A ratio of about four scoops of Nutra powder to every one ounce of a prepared Neocate formula provides you with what we like to call “almost-yogurt.” You can of course adjust the ratio to your child’s tastes. For children older than six months but below one year, you might try mixing Neocate Nutra with a pasteurized fruit juice that they tolerate.

Top Eight Allergen-Free Breakfast Ideas

If your child is on an elimination diet for eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) or is avoiding all of the eight major allergens, you can try mixing a Neocate product with pureed fruit. By mixing Neocate Junior with fruit you can come up with some great breakfast shakes and outstanding flavor combinations. Or by mixing Neocate Nutra with pureed fruit you can come up with a great alternative to oatmeal. If you want to serve it warm, we still recommend against using a microwave: start with warm juice instead to avoid the hot spots and lower nutrient levels microwaves can cause.

Less Restrictive Breakfast Ideas

For children who avoid dairy and only one or two other allergens, we have some great breakfast suggestions in our online Neocate Food Allergy Cookbook, a compilation of recipes submitted by families. Mallory posted her top 5 breakfast ideas from the cookbook, many of which use wheat, in a previous blog. One great thing about a lot of these recipes is that many can be made in a large batch, portioned, and frozen or refrigerated for later use. The Apple-Oat Muffins on page seven would definitely be in my top five! We’ve also had a few breakfast recipes appear in blog posts, such as Banana Bread Muffins.

If your family has a favorite “standard” breakfast recipe that involves milk but is otherwise allergy-friendly, you may be able to substitute Neocate formula for the milk. While this might change the final result a little bit and may require some experimenting, it will provide the high levels of most nutrients from Neocate that other milk substitutes (such as water or rice milk) can’t provide. Just be aware that the high heat from cooking will lower some of Neocate’s nutrient levels, especially some vitamins. Again, check all recipes to be sure that the ingredients are safe for your child and ensure that the health care team is on board.

What allergy-friendly breakfast ideas have helped your family in the morning?

Rob

The topic for today’s post in our allergy-friendly meal idea series is lunch! Just like with breakfast, a lot of the go-to lunch options for most children aren’t suitable for children on a diet that has allergy restrictions. Here are some lunch ideas that might help you add variety. As always, check with your little one’s health care team to make sure they are appropriate.
 

Neocate-Only Lunch Ideas

For children whose diets are strictly limited to amino acid-based formula, the same formula one lunch after another can become very routine. One great option Nutricia offers is the multiple flavors of Neocate’s E028 Splash. Many children find restrictive diets less of a struggle if they have a say in the flavor. On top of this, Splash is packaged in kid-friendly drink boxes so that nobody knows their drinking a special medical formula. Another option is to send your little one to school with a great Neocate-only pudding recipe such as Chocolaty Nutra Pudding. But why stop with chocolate pudding? Experiment with mixing the different flavors of Neocate Junior and Splash with Neocate Nutra to come up with different flavors. My favorites are Grape Splash with Junior Chocolate (“chocolate covered raisin”) and Tropical Fruit Splash with Junior Vanilla (“Dreamsicle”).
 

Top Eight Allergen-Free Lunch Ideas

If your child is on an elimination diet for eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) or is avoiding all of the eight major allergens, you can offer some different food options along with one of the Neocate formulas. It may seem difficult at first, but you can still put together a lunch that looks pretty normal, even without the top 8 allergens. A few months ago we posted a week’s worth of ideas for allergen free lunches. Bear in mind that while most processed foods have ingredients derived from the top 8 allergens, dining on whole foods makes the top 8 much easier to avoid. You may even be able to find convenience foods in natural or organic food stores that are free of the top 8, such as soups or frozen items. Even though we first shared a lunch post from Allergy Moms in 2008, it’s still relevant and has some great ideas!

Less Restrictive Lunch Ideas

For children who avoid dairy and only one or two other allergens, we have some great lunch suggestions in our online Neocate Food Allergy Cookbook, a compilation of recipes submitted by families. Mallory posted her top five lunch ideas from the cookbook, many of which use wheat, in a previous blog. One great thing about a lot of these recipes is that many can be made in advance and frozen or refrigerated for later use. The Turkey Meatloaf on page twelve would definitely be in my top five! We’ve also had a few lunch recipes appear in blog posts, such as Dairy-Free, Egg-Free Chicken Pasta Salad.

As always, we recommend that you check any recipes on our websites or from other food allergy resources to be sure that the ingredients are safe for your child and ensure that the health care team is on board.

Do you have any allergy-friendly lunches that have helped you that you’d like to share with other families?

Rob

Today’s post in our allergy-friendly meal idea series is the final topic: dinner! While breakfast and lunch may tend to be rushed or eaten out of the house, a lot of families still prefer to have dinner together at home. On top of this, the restrictions and rules that come with food allergies can make dining out very difficult.  Here are some dinner ideas that might help you add variety to the evening meal. As always, check with your little one’s health care team to make sure they are appropriate.
 

Neocate-Only Dinner Ideas

For children whose diets are strictly limited to amino acid-based formula, the same formula breakfast, lunch and dinner can be difficult for some children, especially older children. As we’ve mentioned in the previous two posts in this series, Nutricia offers multiple flavors in both Neocate Junior and Neocate’s E028 Splash. Many children have an easier time with restrictive diets when they have some input. Keeping a few flavors on hand can help kids to stay satisfied with an elemental diet. Try letting them chose their dinner flavor. Just like with breakfast and lunch, experiment with mixing different flavors of Neocate Junior and Splash with Neocate Nutra to come up with different flavors and textures. One of the easiest ways to offer variety is to use a blender. Mix one part Neocate formula with one part ice, blend well, pour into a fancy container or dish, add a straw or spoon, and enjoy! Neocate Junior Vanilla lends itself especially well to this shake format, and can be mixed with the other flavors or even with a fruit juice your child tolerates.
 

Top Eight Allergen-Free Dinner Ideas

If your child is on an elimination diet for eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) or is avoiding all of the eight major allergens, you can offer some different food options along with one of the Neocate formulas. For younger toddlers, you can mix unflavored Neocate Junior with pureed foods that they tolerate. Vegetables and citrus flavors blend especially well with unflavored Neocate. If you’re putting together a full meal for the family, it may not be as difficult as you think to avoid the top 8 allergens and come up with something everyone can enjoy. You can easily build off of our ideas for allergen free lunches. Remember, while most processed foods have ingredients derived from the top 8 allergens, dining on whole foods makes the top 8 much easier to avoid. You may even be able to find family-sized convenience foods in natural or organic food stores that are free of the top 8, such as soups or frozen items.

Less Restrictive Dinner Ideas

For children who avoid dairy and only one or two other allergens, we have some great dinner suggestions in our online Neocate Food Allergy Cookbook, a compilation of recipes submitted by families. Mallory posted her top five dinner ideas from the cookbook, many of which use wheat, in a previous blog. One great thing about a lot of these recipes is that many can be made in advance and frozen or refrigerated for later use. If you decide to dine out, it’s a good idea to do some planning ahead with these tips we shared in a previous blog post.

As always, we recommend that you check any recipes on our websites or from other food allergy resources to be sure that the ingredients are safe for your child and ensure that the health care team is on board.

Do you have any allergy-friendly dinner ideas that have helped you that you’d like to share with other Neocate families?

Rob

[Image source: http://www.bonappetit.com/blogsandforums/blogs/bafoodist/2009/03/5-tips-for-handling-a-bad-wait.html]