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| Greetings!
So, here we are again, back into the swing of school and activities after the summer break.
In this newsletter I have listed a few tips to make school a little more manageable if you have kids with allergies and special food requirements. If you have any of your own tips you'd like to share, let me know and I'll include them with the next newsletter.
I am also very pleased to be able to reduce the pricing on some of the Miss Roben's products. I have been working hard on reducing the freight costs and we are getting there slowly. I will continue to pass on any savings we can make, in an effort to make these wonderful products more affordable.
I hope you are all well and drying out after the rain which seems to have reached nearly all corners of the land.
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| Price Reductions!
 In this day and age, any time something is reduced is a cause for celebration!
As of 4th Feb 2008, the following products have been permanently reduced in price :
Miss Roben's Carrot Cake mix now $14 (was $15.50)
Miss Roben's Versatile FreeZ ice cream mix now $12 (was $12.50)
Miss Roben's Versatile Muffin mix now $12.50 (was $15.50)
Enjoy Life choc chips now $10.50 (were $12.50)
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| Back to School
Managing allergies and intolerances can be tricky when the kids are at school and you don't have direct control over their environment.
Make sure you establish good communication with your child's teacher right now, in the beginning of the year. Request a meeting to explain your child's situation and have it all put in writing for the teacher to have handy in the classroom, as well as being readily available for any relief teachers. Put a photo of your child on the top of the sheet, so new teachers can readily identify them. Find out from the teacher where the closest fridge/freezer is, and take along a lunchbox full of allowed foods they can call upon for birthdays and other celebrations. Cupcakes and muffins usually freeze well. You will need to monitor the levels in the box to ensure there is a good supply on hand.
Request that you be notified in advance of any cooking lessons/excursions/special occassions so you can provide allowed alternatives. On days where the class needs to bring a plate to share, remind the teacher that your child will eat from their own plate. It might be helpful to buy a special lunchbox that is only used on these special occassions. We have one that is called the party lunchbox, and it only comes out on these special days when I pack it with things my son doesn't eat regularly, so both the food and the packaging is novel and he doesn't feel he's missing out.
Go and see your tuckshop convenor and go through the menu of the tuckshop with them. You can make a list of what your child is allowed to buy over the counter, and have that stuck up in the tuckshop (with a photo of your child) so all they need to do is identify themselves at the tuckshop and their choice will be cross-referenced to the list. This gives them a great sense of never missing out, being allowed to get things at the tuckshop like all the other kids. You can also provide your own food (I make party pies and sausage rolls and take them to the tuckshop where they store them in the freezer) for lunches. Then my son puts his tuckshop order in as normal and they heat up his special food and put it in the bag - voila - tuckshop order just like the others.
If ingredients in art & craft materials are likely to cause any problems, either request that the school buys a brand that you know is safe, or give them the recipe to make their own if that's what you do at home. Most teachers will be accommodating in this situation, however if they are not as a last resort you may have to take in your own materials for your child to use. Make sure your teacher knows how to take necessary precautions to prevent any cross contamination.
If your child suffers life threatening allergies, ensure you have an emergency action plan at both the school office, in the classroom and any other ancillary classrooms (music room, library etc) and that all staff are trained the in the use of medications/epi-pens. Have your numbers as well as your doctor/pediatrician/hospital handy for the school staff.
Forward planning and lots of communication with your child's teacher will be the key to managing your child's food requirements at school. Good Luck !
This information is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical or nutritional advice. |
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Recipes
Here are some recipes that go down a treat in our house, hope they might be of use to you.
Little Pavlovas (gluten/dairy/nut/soy/rice free)
Find some individual pavlova shells (Coles has several varieties that contain basically egg white and sugar)
top with fresh strawberries, raspberries, blueberries (frozen ones will work just fine as well)
Then add a few dollops of Versatile ice cream, made from the Miss Roben's Versatile ice cream mix.
A really easy & tasty summer treat.
Ice Block treats (gluten/dairy/nut/egg/soy/rice free)
Make a smoothie using prepared DariFree. In a blender add approx 2-3 cups DariFree, add in bananas or strawberries or mango or a few handfuls of frozen mixed berries, a dash of honey and some ice cubes. Blend up til smooth. You can enjoy as a smoothie, or pour into plastic ice cream molds and freeze. The kids love the creamy, fruity ice blocks, just like ones you buy from the shop.
Madeleine's cup cakes (gluen/dairy/nut/soy free)
Thanks to Mad from the Gold Coast who shares her "easy as" cupcake recipe.
175g gluten free flour (sorghum, rice, tapioca, whatever suits your diet)
125g castor sugar (or use stevia as sugar replacement)
2 teaspns gluten free baking powder
2 tablespns DariFree powder (use Chocolate DariFree for chocolate cakes or Original DariFree for vanilla cakes)
1 teaspn xanthum gum
1/3 cup sunflower oil (or other oil to suit)
2 eggs
2-3 tablespns warm water
Sift dry ingredients, mix well, add oil and eggs and mix adding water until smooth cake mixture is obtained. If it's too stiff add more water.
Makes 1 small cake or make into cupcake sizes.
bake at 180 deg celc for 30 mins for the cake (20-25 mins for cupcakes)
Trail mix (gluten/dairy/soy/rice/egg free)
This is great for school lunchboxes. I make a huge container of it every few weeks and have it in the fridge. Very nutritious & tasty snack. The choc chips in it give a beautifully sweet taste combined with the fruit. Experiment and put in what your diet allows.
We use (in handfuls)
Enjoy Life choc chips, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, hazelnuts, sultanas, dates, figs, sluphur free dried fruit (cut into small bits), dried cranberries. Sometimes I also chop up some gluten/dairy free marshmallows in it as well.
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Retailers
Here is a list of outlets who are retailing DariFree. As we start adding more we will advise on our website and in the newsletter.
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| Miss Roben's Madness continues!
Valid for February 2008 only.
Chocolate cake mix
$10
Check our website for all the ingredients and nutritional information about these products here |
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Don't forget that if you have any tips or stories to share I would love to hear from you, and we welcome any feedback any time - kris@gcfree.com.au
Stay safe and healthy, til next time
Thanks & regards |
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