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Greetings!
I hope this finds you well and happy wherever in this vast land you are as we experience the extremes of floods, heatwaves and cyclones.
By now most of you will have the kids back to school, and I hope the school lunchbox ideas we featured last newsletter were helpful. In case you missed it, I have included them again in the bottom of this newsletter.
We have some great specials this month and are eagerly awaiting our delivery from Miss Roben's of a whole stack of new products which I can't wait to be able to announce to you!
Until then, take care and happy allergy friendly eating.
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Latest Living Without magazine now available 
As usual, this month's magazine is packed full of great articles and recipes. Of particular interest is the article about CORN allergies. Although many people don't show up as "allergic" to corn on their tests, the corn protein can mimic gluten and many find they do not get good results on gluten free diets until they also eliminate corn (this was true for us).
To order this month's issue please click here
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Surf Sweets range expanded
Surf Sweets have been literally surfing out the door and why wouldn't they? Organic, all natural colours & flavours, no corn, gluten, dairy, soy, nuts, eggs and produced in an allergen free facility. And they taste AMAZING!
We have 3 new products in stock now. As well as being allergy friendly, these are also Vegan.
Fruity Bears - Our lightly sugared all natural Fruity Bears are fruity, sweet, and irresistibly fun. Made with organic sweeteners and organic fruit juice, Surf Sweets Fruity Bears are packed with Vitamin C so you can feel great about your choice!
Gummy Swirls - These unique gum-drop shaped gummies are swirled, fruity and fun! Made with organic fruit juice and organic sweeteners. Surf Sweets Gummy Swirls packed with Vitamin C and calcium.
Sour Worms - With a wonderful blend of tangy and sweet, these Sour Worms are simply irresistible! Made with organic sweeteners, Surf Sweets Sour Worms are also packed with Vitamin C. Now you can enjoy your favorite candy and feel great about your choice.
To view full nutritional details and to order, please click here |
Super Specials for February
This month our specials are on our fantastic range of Enjoy Life cereals.
We have two different types of cereals from Enjoy Life - all of them are free of gluten, dairy, soy, nuts, eggs, treenuts, fish, shellfish and more! And they are produced in a dedicated allergen free facility.
First up we have the Crunchies : Crunchy Rice and Crunchy Flax. These crunchy yummy cereals are 100% natural, sweetened with fruit juice and honey, allergy friendly and Kosher!
For February only, these are on special so if you haven't tried them, take advantage of our great pricing. Normally $9.25, now only $7.50!!
(See our Crunchy Power Bar recipe below for a great way to use Crunchy Rice or Flax to make a great tasting lunchbox treat).
Next we offer 3 delicious flavours of Granola - Cinnamon Crunch, Cranapple Crunch and Very Berry Crunch. As well as being free of the above allergens, they contain no trans fats, no artificial ingredients, sulphite-free dried fruits, pack a punch of Whole Grains, are vitamin enriched and Kosher!
Try some today while they are on sale for February, usually $11.20, now just $8.95!
To view ingredients and nutritional details, please click here
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Recipe : Crunchy Power Bars
Contains NO: wheat, gluten, peanuts, tree nuts, egg, soy, dairy or shellfish. ingredients: 1 cup sunflower seed butter (or nut butter if diet permits) 3/4 - 1 cup brown rice syrup 1/2 tsp gf vanilla 1/8 tsp salt 1 box Enjoy Life Crunchy Flax cereal 1/4 cup Enjoy Life semi-sweet chocolate chips Optional: 1/4 cup dried fruit (chopped), 1/4 cup seeds or nuts, 1/4 cup shredded or flaked coconut directions: Stir together first four ingredients in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until melted. Place Crunchy Flax cereal, chocolate chips [and optional ingredients, if using] into a large bowl. Add warmed ingredients to bowl and mix well. Press into greased 8"x8" pan. Let cool before slicing. Variation: Sprinkle an additional 1/4 cup chocolate chips on top of bars and warm in 160°c for three minutes. Yield: 1 dozen bars great for the lunchbox!!
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Back to School. Lunchbox ideas
Don't you agree that packing lunches for kids on special diets is the pits. I find it difficult to keep inspired and produce safe and yummy foods that travel well for school lunch.
Each year, I share a list that might give you some ideas of what has worked for us and ideas from the fabulous mums from the Biomedical Autism Group. I hope that below you find something that works for you. Of course, not every item will suit every person's diet and please substitute ingredients to make them safe for your own circumstances.
Good luck and happy lunch making!
Savoury ideas : ^ Frittata (potato, carrot, spinach, capsicum, garlic, eggs)
^ Rice Slice (rice pressed into base, 6 eggs for topping with spinach/salmon or whatever you're using, + celtic salt), cooked and cut into squares
^ Felafels
^ Leftover sliced chicken and finely chopped coleslaw
^ Lentil & potato rissoles
^ Leftover casserole with mash (potato/sweet potato/pumpkin) sent in thermos
^ For tuckshop day : send along home-made or suitable pie/sausage rolls to keep in the tuckshop freezer which can be heated up for lunchtime. Great for those days when you are tearing your hair out and cannot think of a single thing to pack in the lunchbox!!
^ Nori rolls with avocado, carrot, lettuce, salmon
^ Babaganoush with carrot and cucumber sticks
^ Mild dahl + rice (sent in thermos)
^ Fried rice (veges, ham, egg)
^ Pappadams
^ Home made soup with gluten free spiral pasta (sent in thermos)
^ Eskel crackers with nuttelex and Vege spread (contains soy)
^ Home made pizza leftovers
^ Leftover roast meat and salad
^ Container of salad - let your imagination run wild - quinoa tabouli, gluten free pasta, salmon, veges, rice, lentils, currants, lettuce, chicken, hard boiled eggs, snow peas, celery, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, capsicum, cucumber
^ Rice crackers
^ Quinoa tabouli
^ Tuna pasta salad (rice, amaranth or quinoa pasta)
^ Rice paper rolls with lettuce, carrot, cucumber and rice
^ Chicken drumsticks
^ Cold sausages
^ Left over home made chicken nuggets or fish fingers
^ Ham/zuccini/tomato/spinach muffins made with eggs and almond meal
^ Vege kebabs (capsicum, cherry tomato, mushroom, cucumber, carrots)
^ Bean salad
^ Rice bread with cashew nut butter
^ Rice salad - rice, chickpeas, kidney beans, peas, sweetcorn
^ Leftover spaghetti bolognaise (in thermos)
^ Egg wraps (2 egg omelette cooked very thin, add filling and roll like a wrap. For filling try savoury mince, ham, roast meats, tuna, salad)
^ Home made rissoles
^ Fish fingers and hummos
^ Fritters - pumpkin, zuccini, broccoli, leftover roast meats, eggs + rice flour
^ Lunch cake - like a frittata - lots of veges/spag bol sauce or meat. eggs
^ Baked beans
^ Hard boiled eggs
^ Chicken or sausage kebabs
Sweet things and treats
Top Pick : Enjoy Life's snack bars - available in Caramel Apple, Very Berry, Cocoa Loco & Sunbutter crunch flavours - individually wrapped and perfect for the school lunchbox!
^ Home made biscuits and muffins that suit your child's diet are a great morning tea/afternoon tea snack
^ Trail mix. Experiment with what nuts/fruit/seeds suit you, make a big container and keep in the fridge and scoop into smaller containers to put into lunchbox. Try : 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.
^ Pineapple/coconut cups (can crushed pineapple, can of coconut milk with tablespoon honey thickened with tapioca starch). When cooled put pineapple on bottom and coconut on top
^ Home made pikelets (try banana + honey or apple + cinnamon)
^ Date and pumpkin scones
^ Fresh fruit salad
^ Fruit juice jelly
^ Popcorn
^ Plain potato chips
^ Vege chips
^ Preservative free dried fruit
^ Fruit kebabs
^ 'Annie's' fruit bars
^ Orgran little animal biscuits
^ Leda fruit bars
^ Pieces of fresh fruit
^ Raw veges + dip of tahini or peanut butter
^ Coconut bread + honey
^ Rice crackers or carrot sticks + humos
^ Chicknuts (roasted chickpeas)
^ Coconut & Date balls (recipe on website)
For our new favourite cookie which will be going in our lunchboxes next week (it is grain free, egg free, gluten free, dairy free, nut free but tastes sensational) take a look at this link here
This information is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical or nutritional advice.
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Back to School tips for parents of kids with allergies & intolerances
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 (we always send Love Cake muffins and cakes and the other kids are so jealous, these are SO good and better than any other cake the rest of the class will be having!). 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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As always, we welcome feedback and suggestions any time. If you have a recipe to share, or even a photo of something you've made with our products or your kids enjoying our products, then please send it along so we can share it.
Have a great February!
Sincerely,
Kris Barrett
Allergy Friendly Foods |
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