Macaroni and Peas

Allergy Kit from Check My Tag

Ria Sharon over at Ria Sharon over at Check My Tag wrote a great post about how she found out her son had allergies. I think she summed up nicely the panic that goes through a parent’s mind when they realize their child has severe allergies. Check My Tag was born from this experience. Ria now offers a variety of shirts and other allergy management tools.

I love that everything she offers is field tested. The idea of shirts with allergy information on them is truly inspired. I don’t know many toddlers that will keep a wristband or necklace on without trying to eat it. Shirts…those are easier to keep on.

All of Ria’s stuff fits into a complete allergy management system and she talks a lot about that on her blog. Food allergies require a pretty big commitment, but they are very manageable.

Ria’s son has severe allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, and penicillin. Although an anaphylactic reaction is terrifying, it’s pretty clear what’s happening. Fortunately, these reactions are relatively uncommon.

Most food allergies present themselves as skin (eczema or hives) or tummy (gas, bloating, vomiting, cramping, etc.) problems. As you know, skin and tummy problems go hand in hand with children. So how do you know if it’s food allergies?

If your kid is really sick or has bad hives, please take them to the doctor immediately. Hives can cause enough swelling that breathing becomes difficult and excessive vomiting can cause dehydration.

Assuming your kid is not headed to the emergency room, you’re probably looking at a milder, chronic problem. First thing’s first, you need to rule out non-food causes. Was your kid exposed to poison oak or recently given a new medication? Have you begun using a different soap or brand of milk?

No? Then it’s on to the fun stuff.

At this point, I usually recommend that parents go to an elimination diet. It sounds gruesome and torturous, doesn’t it? It’s actually a pretty simple concept. Remember when you first introduced your baby to solid foods? Your pediatrician probably advised you to wait a few days after trying a new food before you introduced a new one. That’s so you can spot any reactions and immediately know what caused them. We’re going to employ the same principle for the elimination diet.

The big difference between introducing your baby to solid foods and doing an elimination diet with your older kid. Your older kid is probably suffering from an allergic reaction right now. You want to keep them on the most strict version of the elimination diet until all their symptoms go away.

Then, slowly introduce one new food at a time, watching closely for reactions. Keep track of what you add and how they react. Which foods you choose to introduce and how will have an impact on whether or not you can rule them out as allergens. For example, don’t add egg noodles until you’ve ruled out both eggs and wheat as allergens.

If you’re interested in putting your child on an elimination diet, send me a note. We’ll work together to decide which package will help you with your specific concerns. If we can’t find a good fit, I’ll get you in contact with someone who can help.

Pasta is one of my family’s favorite foods. We eat it once a week almost without fail. This week, I decided to try something different.

I should probably preface this post with a disclaimer. I’m not affiliated with Barilla in any way, shape, or form. I love this pasta. The quality is exceptional. Barilla Plus has long been our standard because it contains extra fiber and protein without losing any of the great pasta taste or texture.

Barilla Piccolini

Instead of picking up our regular Barilla Plus, I asked my son to pick out a box of the Barilla Piccolini. These are tiny versions of your favorite shaped pastas. He chose the mini wheels.

I like the tiny pasta largely because tiny food is fun food. However, I picked it up this time because it was on sale. Finding out how very quickly it cooks was a bonus.

We also picked up a bag of frozen mini meatballs, baby broccoli florets (his choice, I swear), corn, and a basic marinara sauce. I cooked the pasta according to the directions on the box. It cooks in just 7 minutes! We nuked the broccoli and corn and I baked the meatballs for 20 minutes at 425 degrees F.

Rather than toss everything together, I opted to create a pasta bar. Each item was set out on the counter in its own container. Everyone picked what they liked and dished up only as much as they wanted.

My husband opted to skip the broccoli, but added extra corn and meatballs. I chose more broccoli and my son had a little of everything. Since he dished himself up, he couldn’t really complain that he didn’t like it or that he had too much food. Not surprisingly, he polished it all off without a problem.

Here are some other ways I’d use this quick cooking mini pasta:

Cold Pasta Salad: Toss cold mini pasta with mini veggies (like halved grape tomatoes, diced bell pepper, corn, or peas), tuna (a water packed can or a pouch), and your favorite vinegrette.

Bonus: This can all be prepared ahead of time and tossed together at the last minute.

Soup: About ten minutes before your soup is done, add a handful of your favorite mini pasta.

For an easy chicken noodle soup, add shredded chicken to your favorite low sodium chicken broth. Toss in a pre-mixed chicken noodle soup seasoning packet and bring to a boil. Add your pasta and you’ll have a fun, comforting soup.

Creamy Pasta: While you’re waiting for the water to boil and the pasta to cook, whip up a delicious homemade cream sauce.

I know it sounds complex, but it’s super simple. My mom taught me how to make this one when I was in 5th grade. If a ten year old can master it, you won’t have any problems.

Mix equal portions of butter or margarine and flour in a sauce pan over medium high heat. You’re trying to create a whitish paste…keep stirring and don’t let it get too brown. Once it’s thick, like peanut butter, add milk in small quantities. Whisk and whisk and whisk. Eventually, you’ll end up with a thick, creamy sauce. If you want to add cheese, take it off the heat first and then stir it in a little at a time.

Finally, mix the cream sauce with the cooked mini pasta and your family’s favorite veggies. Top with grilled chicken slices for a fancy gourmet style meal.

Your Turn

These “recipes” are the type of basic instructions I provide with all my meal plans. If you have any questions about how to prepare something, just holler (either via email or in the comments). I’d also love to hear stories about how you prepare pasta with your kids.

Halloween is far and away my favorite holiday of the year. I love dressing up, trick or treating, pumpkins, bonfires, corn mazes, and everything else about Halloween. Today, I’m sharing my favorite tips and tricks for getting the most out of the holiday.

Trick or Treating

• Go door to door with your kids. If they’re old enough to go alone, they’re probably too old to go door to door begging for candy.
• Only hit up the houses with their lights on. The unofficial “I’m out of candy” or “I hate Halloween” sign is a house with the porch light off.
• Try to avoid taking homemade treats from people you don’t know. I think homemade treats are great fun, but be sure you know who made them before you take them.
• If your neighborhood isn’t very big or Halloween friendly, look into other places to go trick or treating. Our local mall has a great Halloween event and many schools have carnivals or parties.

Creative Costuming

• Making a unique and fun Halloween costume is a huge deal for me. Last year, my son wanted to be a zombie punk rocker. We created an awesome costume that got tons of compliments. I’m not sure if we can top it this year.
• If you’re planning on trick or treating outside, take the weather into account. Dressing like a cheerleader or Captain Undrepants isnt’ a great idea if you live in a cooler climate.
• Make sure the costume itself shows on the outside of whatever layers you need to add to keep your kid warm. I grew up in Alaska and often had to hide my costume under a big winter coat and hat. Not fun.

Candy Collections

• Give your kid one trick or treat bag. Make sure they can carry even when it’s full. Do not bring extra bags. Once the bag is full, it’s time to go home.
• This is a great way to limit the total volume of the candy stash. It also takes into account a kid’s size…bigger kids will be able to carry bigger bags and will end up with more candy than small kids.
• When you get home, go through all the candy yourself. Chances are, there’s no need for an x-ray, but a once over is a good idea. Make sure all the candy is individually wrapped and still sealed.
• Remove any candy your kid shouldn’t eat. For example, little ones shouldn’t have hard candies that aren’t lollipops and kids with braces shouldn’t have sticky stuff.
• Beware of caffeinated candy. Snickers Charged has about 60mg of caffeine and Jelly Belly Extreme Sport Beans have about 80mg. Just for comparison…a Red Bull has about 80mg of caffeine.

Healthy Handouts

There are a few theories here. Don’t try all of them in the same year.

• Pick only candies you and/or your kids don’t like. This keeps you from nibbling while passing out candy to the local trick or treaters.
• Make something yummy. Popcorn balls, trail mix, and caramel apples are all great choices. Just make sure you know the kids and their parents before handing out homemade stuff.
• Give out something other than food. Just make sure it’s fun. No pencils or toothbrushes. Check out your local dollar store or one of the gazillion Halloween stores online for cheap goodies.

Does your kid have a food allergy? How about an allergy to medication, bees, or latex? If so, it might not hurt to create an allergy kit. Basically, an allergy kit tells your kid’s caregivers (daycare provider, teacher, camp counselors, etc.) what they need to know to help care for your kid. It’s easier than you’d think.

Supplies

• smallish bag
• epi pen
• antihistamine
• index cards
• a pen

1. Pick a bag that’s small enough for your kid to carry around and just big enough to hold everything. The bag should close securely (zipper, drawstring, etc.).
2. Write your name and all the ways someone can contact you on a card. This should include your home phone, work phone, cell phone, and email.
3. Create a similar contact card for anyone else who can care for your child if you’re unavailable. These are usually spouses, grandparents, aunts, and uncles.
4. Create a similar contact card for your child’s doctor and another for any other doctors you see for allergies. Include the hospital you would prefer to use if necessary.
5. Write your child’s name and address on a card. Add a description that includes current height, weight, hair and eye color, and any distinguishing characteristics (being cute as a button does not count, no matter how true it is).
6. Write down each allergy on its own card. Note how your child reacts to each allergy. Some kids just get a rash while others go into anaphylactic shock. It’s important to know the difference.
7. Write instructions down on how to use the epi-pen if necessary. If you’ve got the instructions that came with the pen, put them in the bag. If possible, include the dummy pen so you can show people how to use it.
8. Write down the proper dosage for the antihistamine you’re putting in the bag.
9. Put everything together in the bag.

Viola - you’ve got an allergy kit.

Tips and Tricks

For example, your kid is allergic to peanuts and penicillin. Eating with peanuts puts him into anaphylactic shock. Touching them or their residue gives him a rash and causes swelling. Penicillin gives him hives.

One card would say “Peanuts - eating causes anaphylactic shock (administer epi-pen and call me ASAP), touching causes rash and swelling (give antihistamine and call me).” The other card would say “Penicillin - hives (give antihistamine and call me).”

Try to keep the text on the cards neat and brief. Think bullet points - the people who’ll be using this kit won’t have time to read through paragraphs. They need simple, clear instructions.

If you can, laminate the cards. They’ll stay clear and easy to read over a much longer period of time.

Speaking of time…you’ll want to update the card describing your kid as things change (for example, right now, my son has a mohawk…three months ago, it was a blue mohawk - that’s a pretty big change). You may even want to include a fairly recent picture.

Consider making multiple kits. Keep one with your kid at all times. You might want to give one to your child’s daycare provider, teacher, summer camp staff, etc. The more severe your child’s allergic reaction, the more people need to have a kit and know how to use it.

Make sure your kid knows how to use the epi-pen if they need it. The allergy kit does not in any way replace the epi-pen that needs to be on your child’s person at all times.

What else might you want to include in an allergy kit?

For more information on protecting your child at school, check out Ria’s posts on Section 504 plans.

Fall means different things for different people. For me, fall is a wonderful time of year. Memories of school books, crisp weather, and good food.

Fall Foods

The weather starts to get crisp in the fall. That means warm, cozy foods. Although many of these foods are traditionally very time consuming to make, I’ve got tricks for all of them. More on that later. Here are some of my favorites:

• Chili with Cornbread
• Soups with Crusty Bread
• Winter Squash (spaghetti, acorn, pumpkin, etc.)
• Hot Apple Cider
• Roasted Root Veggies

Fall Fun

Fall is the season with my all time favorite holiday: Halloween. Oh yeah, there’s Thanksgiving too…but Halloween takes the cake for me. Fall also brings the harvest and tons of fun things to do. Here are some of my favorites:

• Pumpkin Painting/Carving
• Roasting Pumpkin Seeds
• Making Halloween Costumes
• Silly and Scary Halloween Decorations
• Hay Rack rides
• Fall Leaves of All Colors

Yesterday, we went to a local pumpkin patch with one of my son’s friends. It was a lovely day, warm with a light breeze and crystal clear. We cooked hot dogs and marshmallows over an open fire, petted goats and a camel, took tons of crazy pictures, went on a tractor ride, and went through the haunted house. It was a blast.

What do you love about fall?