Once upon a time, I had two very young kids. Lets see, they were 1 and 3, and I was frantically preparing for the holidays. At this point in life, I was still thinking that I had to “do-it-all” – but I’m older now, by three years to be exact, and while I’m still learning, and things are still changing, I do know this: Whatever I do not finish, you will never know about! The holidays put a lot of pressure on us to do certain things. Sometimes they are traditions that we feel we MUST do, other things are just nice gestures, of which I usually go over…
Biscoff Santa Cookies!
If you’re in a pinch this holiday season,Walgreens has some nut-free options! This package has 8 small travel friendly packages that include a “to and from” for gift giving, too! The Santa shape was a crowd pleaser here!
Starbucks
Quick little post here – last night I grabbed a holiday tall,non-fat peppermint mocha, full whip – when out of the corner of my eye I spied a little Starbucks Gingerbread House + Cookies! Both appear to be 100% nut-free. I called Starbucks corporate office today and they also confirmed the label, stating no nuts or cross contamination. The peeps at Starbucks didn’t seem completely knowledgeable about food allergies, so that was a little concerning to me. However, when I talked with my #1 Mom/Food Allergy friend, she agreed that it was probably safe since Starbucks is actually really, really good about labeling cookies, mints, etc. Have you looked at…
Hot Cocoa
After playing in the snow, my kids almost always ask for Hot Chocolate. Usually, my answer is yes, if we are at home. Like everything else we eat, we must check the label. Hot chocolates are usually NOT safe for us to drink. Like regular chocolate candy, most hot chocolate mixes are made in facilities with nuts, or other winter/holiday items that contain nuts. Rather than memorizing a million different safe brands, I have chosen 2 safe brands to research and stay on top of. 1. Swiss Miss 2. Quick Bunny powdered mix I have been a Swiss Miss fan since I was a little girl, so I’m happy when…
Vermont Nut-free!
Every December, I place a chocolate order with Vermont Nut-free Chocolate. They guarantee that their items are 100% nut free. Their delivery is fast, and the products are worth the price and peace of mind. We love their chocolate!! Let the baking begin! Holiday recipes will be posted soon – check back!.?⛄?
Advent Calendar
One of the ways our family prepares for Christmas is with an advent calendar. Since advent calendars are usually made with chocolate and chocolates are usually made in facilities with other chocolates that contain nuts, we have never had a store-bought advent calendar. We have a homemade calendar like this from Pottery Barn. Today, the kids filled the calendar with Andes candes, Peppermint Andes Candes, and holiday wrapped York peppermint patties. Then, I got a text message from an extremely thoughtful friend who also has a son with nut allergies. She knew we were not feeling well today (OK, I am sick. A mom + 2 kiddos. Sick. Hardest day…
Saltine Cracker Brickle
My Dad and his wife had us over for dinner yesterday + my brother and his girlfriend were there, too. It was a fun time and my Dad always has a ton of delicious food for snacking. This year he didn’t disappoint. His BBQ ribs were amazing. Doug and I both brought a dish. He made olive stuffed cheese balls and I made Saltine Cracker Brickle. This recipe is so easy, you can literally make it in 5 minutes (even just after stepping out of the shower with your towel still on, thinking Ohmigod, I forgot to make dessert!) It’s so easy. Ingredients 2 sticks unsalted butter 1 cup brown…
Gillian's Stuffing Review
If you’ve tried gluten free/nut free items, you are aware that the flavor is not always terrific. I have to give a huge shout out to Gillian’s for making a stuffing that tastes EXACTLY like real stuffing, only nut-free and safe for my kiddo. The directions are super easy, and my brother added garlic, onion, celery and vegetable broth. He prepared the rest as package states. I was BLOWN away by the flavor, especially after reading the reviews online. This product is available at Amazon.com, Metro Market (recently bought by Kroeger) and Wal-Mart (although we haven’t shopped at a Walmart since Hawaii 2009 for some seriously good reasons). Hope you…
Thanksgiving Menu
I’m pumped for our family time this weekend! And so are the kids. Packing up the house and suitcases for a few days of fun was the highlight of the short week. For some reason I feel “behind” in my holiday preparations this year. Maybe it’s because the weather has been so nice (just 70* last week Friday) and felt like summer was making a come-back. The little holiday items that I usually take care of quite early, end of October, just did not happen this year. Preparing the Holiday cards, starting to shop for Christmas, family photos, holiday dresses, etc. all felt rushed this year. I ordered a lot…
St. Nick Stocking Stuffers
December 6 is St.Nick and it falls on a Tuesday this year. I start by picking up little things here and there, adding up to one nice big stocking. A few items I ALWAYS have are: holiday pjs, a little candy and the rest non-candy/food items. The holidays are FULL of candy and sweets, we do not need any more. We still have candy from trick-or-treat! Here’s what I picked up this year: Puzzles – The Dollar Tree $1.00 Wooden Airplane – The Dollar Tree $1.00 Glitter Glue – The Dollar Tree $1.00 Holiday Coloring Book – The Dollar Tree $1.00 Sixlets Candycane – Target (dollar bin section)$1.00 Holiday Socks – Gymboree (clearance) $4.00…
10 Minute Caramel Apples
This isn’t your typical caramel apple recipe. I know what you’re thinking. Melt caramel. Put a stick in an apple and dunk. Nope. Not even close. This apple recipe is so good, you could make it in advance for Thanksgiving and everyone would LOVE IT. Re-heating can be done over low in a non-stick pan, or in a crock pot on low, occasionally stirring. About two years ago, I had a baby and toddler and a giant bag of apples that we were never going to finish before they went bad. I googled “pan fried” apples and got a few good recipes. The easiest one turned out to be the…
Gingerbread House!
Live Blogging here! We are at toys r us, and I am probably more excited about this new find than the election coverage, a totally nut-free gingerbread house kit (rare!) Made by DISNEY!
Trick-or-Treat!
It’s the weekend we’ve been gearing up for weeks now, Halloween Weekend! The kids are so excited to put their costumes to use, collect some candy and be outside when it’s “POOKY,” according to Carter. Our trick-or-treat is not your typical collection of candy. We carry two twin-pack epi pens with us, even though we don’t allow the kids to eat candy while we trick-or-treat. You just never know what they can come in contact with when it’s dark. When the kids are collecting candy, we’ve learned that there are a few homes in our neighborhood that have the teal pumpkin visible, we set that candy to the side. ONLY the…
S'mores
Tonight we had our first campfire as a family of 4 in our backyard. We recently purchased a fire pit, and it’s perfect for warming up on fall nights like tonight. Here’s what we did for safe, nut-free s’mores: Plain Honey Maid graham crackers Regular 10 oz Hershey’s milk chocolate candy bar; not the king size, not the miniatures – those are made in facilities with nuts, and are on shared equipment. Kraft jumbo marshmallows The kids enjoyed watching the sunset and roasting marshmallows for the first time. We even had a few fire ball mallows, and funny made up ghost stories by Chloe. My husband enjoyed playing with fire. I simply…
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