Just a quick post to let you know there are GF menus available at State Fair. You can get them at the information booths with a map of the fair grounds. I post this because many times things that are GF are also nut free, and we used the GF map as a guide as to where to go with food requests. If you’re a nursing mamma, there are very nice and clean nursing stations set up near the entrance of Spin City, the games + rides area.
Wisconsin State Fair
Yesterday we tackled the fair. It was a last minute choice after dance camp. If you’re planning on going to the fair, pack the following in your backpack for allergy kids: Extra clothes Container of wipes, sanitizing hand wipes Bottled water Complete backup allergy meal / protein bars – I like Luna bars, the s’mores and lemon flavor are the two safe ones. Sunscreen Epi pens Chewable benadryl We started off by getting a few ears of corn near the entry way. The very nice woman confirmed they used soybean oil plus plain butter on their corn. The various salt options were on a table for me to check th…
Family Vacation – Day 2 Chicago
Chicago has been very allergy friendly. They have to be. With how populated the city is, and the crazy number of tourists on a daily basis, it’s a must. This morning we woke up (after a restless night of sleep, had to put my R.A. skills to go use, again. Noisy Lollapalooza neighbor!) And decided to head over to Grand Luxe Cafe. The decor at Grand Luxe was fun to look at. Very opulent and whimsical. We were seated in the round room, floor to celing windows with a giant floral Chandler in the middle. Huge murals above. It was quite striking and made for great conversation with the kids.…
Family Vacation Day 1 – Chicago
It’s our annual summer vacation and since we haven’t had the greatest luck traveling with the kids (influenza x2 at Disney, among others) we decided to follow the good old KISS principle. Keep. It. Simple. Stupid. We are keeping simple this time. We aren’t far from home and if we need anything, we can buy it. Our trip consists of a few days in Chicago, a week in Milwaukee and a long weekend in Green Bay to visit those Packers! This vacation has no plan. I’m a planner. This is challenging me in new ways. We literally are making plans on the fly. In many ways this is amazing. We…
Thunder Cake
When my son was born in 2013, he received a book titled Thunder Cake, by Patricia Polacco, from my Mother’s good friend and neighbor, Julie. Thunder cake is about a child who is afraid of Thunderstorms and her Babushka helps her overcome her fears of storms. For the past 4 years, we have carried on this tradition each summer (the season of the book and secret ingredient). My kids hate storms, and just like th book, the focus of making a delicious cake helps them stay calm. So today, among the thousand things we must do, we are making Thundercake because it’s storming and the secret ingredient was JUST PICKED,…
Weeknight Homemade Chicken Soup
You don’t have to be sick to enjoy a good bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup. I’ve been craving this soup for a while. I made a version of it last week for a friend and I just couldn’t help myself today. I had to make it. Ingredients: One Rotisserie Chicken, you can find this at your grocers deli counter. Cube your chicken pieces and set aside. 8 cups / two boxes of salted chicken stock (Rachael Ray is safe) 1 carrot, peeled + thinly sliced 3 ribs of celery, halved + thinly sliced 1/2 white onion, diced small (can also use 1 palm/tbsp powdered onion) 3 garlic cloves, minced…
Vacation Preparation Tips
Did you know that using hand sanitizer does NOT remove allergens from your hands or any other surface? It basically moves the allergen around. The only way to remove an allergen is by washing it away with soap and water or by using a sanitizing wipe. I’ve started to think about what we’re going to be doing on our vacation and the types of bags I’ll be carrying around with my kids. For day-time I’m going to be doing a lot of walking with them, so I usually pick a light-weight cross body bag so that my hands are free to hold theirs (awwwwwwwe). If we’re going to be out…
Menu Board Inspiration
Every night before we begin bedtime routine, I cram as much chocolate into my mouth as possible. Why? So that I begin bedtime routine with a smile on my face. Emotional eating happens. Acknowledge and move on. And this is one of those times where it just works. After a fun and busy weekend with the kiddos, it’s time to get back at it. This summer, we have tried so so so so hard to keep us on some type of schedule so we don’t get too crazy, but that went out the window about 2 weeks into summer break. If you can’t beat em, join em. This weeks menu…
Gigi's Weeknight BBQ Ribs
Growing up, my parents worked a LOT. Dinner was always about fast, simple and easy. There were no frills. The spice cabinet contained salt, pepper, Lawry’s season salt and italian herb mix. Basic. In fact, many of our meals were hamburger helper, over cooked chicken stir-fry or sweet and sour meatballs. My parents didn’t come from families that cooked a lot, so all of the things we had, they learned how to make themselves. They did a pretty good job for having little cooking experience. I still LOVE my mom’s BBQ ribs. Ingredients One rack of ribs One bottle of favorite BBQ sauce, like sweet baby Ray’s One extra large…
Italian One Pot Pasta
If you don’t like to cook, don’t think you can cook, don’t want to cook, have a case of the Mondays (Tuesdays – Fridays for that matter) or just need something to feed your family or yourself, this is it. It’s super fast, and packed full of flavor. We made it on a Monday and it was amazing. Plus, if you have fresh herbs growing, it’s a great way to use up LOTS of basil. If you don’t grow basil, pick up one of those little plants in the produce department at your grocery store. It’s worth it! Ingredients 1 pound spaghetti 1 (12oz) smoked andouille sausage (any sausage will…
Movies in the 608
One of my favorite things to do is go to the movies. It’s special to see a new movie on a huge screen, eat some popcorn and be “out” with friends and family. One of the challenges we face is cross contact of food at the movie theater. This is the entire reason we can’t see a Milwaukee Brewer Game. Peanuts everywhere. Although a brewer game is significantly more risky for us to attend than a movie since AMC doesn’t serve giant bags of nuts. After a few conversations at the AMC Fitchburg and the AMC Dine-In, I have learned a lot. AMC Fichburg ( recently under new ownership, NewVision…
Cilantro Lime Chicken (Crock pot)
Cilantro Lime Chicken did not disappoint last week – and the good news is that it made a lot of food to eat several different ways. We had two dinners from it and lunch leftovers. This dish can be eaten plain, over jasmine rice, with tortillas chips, as a huge nacho plate with extra olives, cheese and fixins, as burritos, tacos, and quesadillas with red onion and sour cream. This recipe is flexible. It can be frozen for a few weeks if you’re planning on making this ahead of time. Our family loves easy slow cooker meals that are full of flavor. Clean up is simple and I didn’t have…
Quick Meals
Hey there – it’s been a Monday! Today was full of crazy, but I’ve found the silver lining. I was able to talk to not one, but two of my cousins today. It’s been a while since I’ve talked to them and it was nice to catch up, connect. It’s nice to know family always has your back. Even if it’s been a while since the last time you talked, it’s family, and family is #1. This week I’m behind. Of course. My usual weekend planning didn’t happen since we were out of town so here’s what I’ve come up with for quick meals in the past 15 minutes while…
Organic Suckers
Did you even know these existed? I randomly came across these before our epic Disney trip in January and have been keeping them on hand for long car rides. We are on our way to Eau Claire for the day and brought these with. Along with Spider man, elena, Octonauts, blankets. Snacks Snacks Snacks Oh and coffee. Check these out next time you need a safe, all included treat!
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