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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…
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Candy Bars

Enjoy Life brand has an AMAZING chocolate bar free of the big 8. We were at the Kalahari Resort this weekend and had the opportunity to try this yummy treat! I’ll be stocking up via Amazon Prime for sure. Enjoy your Sunday. check out my blog post on the Kalahari and how allergy friendly they are! 
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Non-safe Snack Update

Hostess recently made a change to their HoHo’s. They have added Peanut Flour. Peanut Flour has been in the news lately, many processed food manufacturers have decided to go this route for whatever reason. It’s a huge deal for us in the allergy world because we get used to buying certain snack items. This is just another reason to always check the labels, don’t get too comfortable with your favorite snack items! Rold Gold Pretzels, Zingers and DingDongs are also in this same manufacturing facility. Out of an abundance of caution, we’re no longer including these snack items on our safe list. So summarize we’re removing these items from our…
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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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Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

It’s been a while, hey? I’ve been working on a home-improvement project and I blew away my goal. Happy dancing! The timeline was tight considering I still had adulting to do during the daytime (SAHM stuff) and most of this project had to happen after the kids would go to bed, and before I got too tired. Painting after 10pm is not a good idea. So this brings me to my favorite term, opportunity cost. My most utilized take-away from my master’s degree 5 yeas ago. The things we must give up to have something else. In this case, I gave up a LOT to complete this project in 4 weeks. My daily work outs…
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Up All Night

As a parent, we have all had long nights of helping sick kids. Managing a toddler for 1 or 2 nights is much easier than managing a baby for weeks on end, not knowing exactly what’s bothering them. Last night, just as I was falling asleep, I heard Carter crying,”runny nose, runny nose, runny nose.” I knew I’d be spending the night with him so my hub’s could get a solid night of sleep; he has people’s lives in his hands, he needs the sleep! If I’m up all night, I just plan a low key day the next day. And that is exactly what we are doing right now…
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The Classic Bento

Carter hasn’t been into eating well at school since he’s so exxited to be able to eat with friends. Ive packed their favorite things for tomorrow. They are currently playing pirate. Arrrr Matey. Boars Head ham Veggie chips Green Beans Strawberry Provolone cheese Chocolate soynut butter Soynut and jelly sandwich Hope your week is going great!! Maybe I’ll have time to write a real post soon!
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Disney Veggie Chips

Is it just me, or does it seem like Disney owns everything? In search of a veggie chip or straws, I found these Mickey Mouse shaped veggie chips at Hy-Vee today. Speaking of Hy-Vee, have you tried their freezer meals workshops? For around $100, I just made 7 freezer meals in one hour. It is by far the most cost effective and efficient way to prepare meals for the week. They are all very healthy as well. Just add your choice of fresh vegetables or fruit. I’m very grateful for this opportunity today, my week is starting off less stressed already. And with my chores now complete, it’s time for…
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Our First Snack Week

Our snack week is approaching, and I decided to stock up while I was at Target today. These are all on our safe list! The simply balanced and Frozen Graham crackers are not on the “55 snack ideas list, but are totally safe! We found most of them in the seasonal section of target, and the fruit strips near the cereal. If you still need school supplies, they are all 30-50% off. I snagged a travel coffee mug so I can stop taking my ceramic one in the car. Happy Wednesday!
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55 School Safe Snacks

With school in session and snack schedules assigned, I’ve had a lot of questions lately about what is considered a “safe” snack for the classroom for sharing. Most of us nut-free families prefer pre-packaged items to minimize cross contamination that can sometimes happen very easily in our home kitchens. Fresh Strawberries Bananas Pop tarts – check labels String cheese Go-gurts or any yogurt Applesauce Boom chicka pop – pop corn Tostitos tortilla chips with mild salsa Carrot sticks Celery sticks Red pepper sticks Plain hummus (look for pine-nut free kinds, Boars Head, etc.) pre-packaged rice krispie treats NutriGrain Bars (must be the NutriGrain brand) Plain Raisins (coated are NOT safe)…
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Biscoff European Cookies 

This morning we made Stonewall Kitchen waffles in the waffle maker my Dad and Mary gave my husband for Christmas last year. As a treat for dunking in coffee and milk, we also decided to try Biscoff Cookies. Biscoff is made in a 100% nut-free facility and is a nut-free cookie. We like ginger snaps, but none of them are deemed safe! Biscoff is a nice alternative, and also served on my favorite airline, Delta! Have a relaxing Monday!
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SB+J Bento Lunchbox

We go to a 100% nut-free school, so soynut or sunbutter is what we use on sandwiches. We love the flavor of WOW butter. Some studies suggest too much soy can lead to an increase in estrogen levels, so we mix up soynut and sunbutter frequently. This bento contains: Small fruit salad of canned Mandarin oranges and raspberries. BoomChickaPop (or chicks chicks boom pop according to Carter) Sandwich made with Country Hearth wheat (safe) Carrot sticks For a small snack, we have a brownie cookie by Enjoy Life brand. Hoping Nati let’s that slide tomorrow. She’s a tough cookie (pun intended becuase I’m a nerd) when it comes to healthy…
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