This week we are trying a new flavor of School Safe Bars. Already tested their banana chocolate chip and brownie bars. Both delicious, without that weird “Nut-free” flavor other brands sometimes have. Enjoy the first day of school!!

Hopefully you had a great weekend and have started your Monday off with a giant mug of coffee or other delicious drink of choice. Today was our first FULL day of two kiddos in school. Still adjusting to just how quiet my van and home are during the day. A few tears were shed as we embrace this huge milestone in life. It’s exciting though, and both kids are loving their classes, teachers and new friends. How did I cope? Retail therapy. When I was taking my time grocery shopping today, I discovered that I was actually breathing, not holding my breath waiting for something to come crashing down by…

Quick post here…..we found two treats today at our local (Middleton) Target. I love that these snacks are made in a dedicated nut-free facility. The hardest part about allergies is the cross contamination. Even if Oreo or Goldfish say they are nut free, they are not made in facilities 100% free of nuts. Yes, the chances of something happening are extremely slim, but it’s still a possibility, and one I like to eliminate at school lunch time. These snacks give me confidence that she will have a guaranteed safe snack that also tastes great!! Have a great weekend! We are off to Thomas the Train in Illinois tomorrow, then maybe…

For months we have been searching for safe, dried fruit options. Our usual stores do not have many options in the dried fruit area. Usually it’s bulk, the big bins that you self serve nuts, fruit, oats, etc from, which are not safe. The spoon to scoop poses huge cross-contamination risks! The other option is the big brand names, which all produce nuts, so those are not safe either. For the past few years, we have stuck with Raisins (not the yogurt coated, or chocolate coated, those are NOT safe) just plain old raisins. While bopping around on Downer Avenue today in Milwaukee, we stopped at Sendiks. I love this…

Canning has been a big part of our family for many generations. It used to be done for necessity, and now it’s more of a hobby and path to healthy, more natural eating. We can mostly at the end of summer; salsa, pickles, tomatoes, tomato juice, spicy vegetables, and whatever else needs canning from our garden. For fun, we made this recipe, and it turned out amazing. The kids eat it like candy, and I’ve used it all week on top of my salads. Pickled Red Onion + Ginger 1 wide mouth pint size Mason jar + lid 1 cup water 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar 1 tbsp sugar 1+1/2…

With school starting at the end of August, we are already making preparations for the upcoming year. There are a few ways to make a school safe lunch if your school has a “no-nuts” policy. When you see “no-nuts” it includes: Pine nuts Peanuts Pistachios Walnuts Cashews Hazelnuts Macadamia Almonds Brazil All other nuts I may have missed And anything manufactured in a facility with nuts, most commonly in: oats, chocolate, dried fruits, all desserts made in a professional bakery, processed food from restaurants, breads, some cereals, granola bars, crackers, cookies, chia seeds, flax seeds, baking ingredients. If you’re looking to ensure safety, check the ingredient label on the package.…

Today we were in the Hilldale area and decided to shop at Metcalfes. I enjoy this store because of the classical music, fine cheese and produce departments (It’s true. I love the classical music. It’s relaxing while shopping with two whirling kiddos.), cleanliness, and their desire to reduce waste, reuse bags, and recycle materials and old food. Here are two items we found today in the deli area. Although they are processed (boo) they are nice to have in a pinch, for school, car rides, snack between meals. The nutrition information is not bad, and most importantly, they are nut-free. 1. Garden Veggie Straws – made with real vegetable puree.…

It’s Sunday and we are preparing for the week. This means menu planning, grocery lists, and snack ideas. If I don’t have these things organized,my week feels disjointed. Planning around our food allergies reduces stress dramatically. It’s anxiety provoking enough to get the last minute “hey let’s go out for dinner” (Which we LOVE to do), so planning regular meals helps incase we do decide to go out, we can always take our bento box!!  But, 9 times out of ten, I don’t even consider what I will enjoy because I’m too busy thinking about what will be safe for Chloe to eat, and if I trust the kitchen enough…

Two kids at home for summer, full-time, and I find myself buying more food than I ever imagined.  They are 5 and 3, almost 3, how much food could they possibly eat?! A lot. They usually wake up at the crack of dawn ravenous. Carter wakes me up by saying, Maaaaam, hungry. Chloe follows by asking whats for BreafffKist. Adorable. We serve two snacks per day, 10am and 2pm. String Cheese and apple slices Cornbread muffin and banana chunks sprinkled with ferry dust (Quick Bunny Chocolate) Blueberry muffin and strawberry slices Watermelon and feta cheese Hard boiled egg and toast Waffle slices with Sunbutter Avocado and tomato with olive oil…