Kids with Food Allergies? Best Learning Tool Out There - Letting Them Advocate for Themselves in the Classroom

What a fabulous end to another school year!  I actively included my kids in preparing classes during Food Allergy Awareness Week 2017 for almost 100 kids, ages 11 to 14.  My 11 year old and a friend, both anaphylactic to peanuts, helped present 'how to correctly use auto injectors' to all of their classmates.  My 13 year old helped prep questions for a game to wrap our 9 years of food allergy classes with her classmates.

Two kids transitioning to very different points in their lives.  Half of these kids are moving on to junior high, and the other half are moving on to high school.  Yes, as a food allergy mom my main focus is creating a safer world for ALL of our kids with life threatening food allergies.  But it’s also about creating a more accepting world for ALL teens living with any life threatening food allergy.  These are tough years for many kids and being different isn’t always so easy.

S.A.F.E. Autoinjector Presentation

Food Allergies, Flying and a Few Flight Attendant Travel Prep Tips

Make Your Holiday Travels Easier With Some Prep! My original article was posted via SunButter some time ago.  Now that's it no longer available, I thought it was the perfect time to share again via my personal blog.

DON'T let traveling over the holidays with food allergies overwhelm you.  With a little forethought and preparation, those around you will be asking to share YOUR treats.

#1 PRIORITY?  PACK AN AWESOME SNACK BAG! 

Whether traveling by car, plane or train, DON’T leave home without it.  You may look and feel like a pack mule, but you’ll be glad you have your own allergy~friendly snacks right by your side.

Our supply generally consists of fruits, veggies, crackers and our favorite egg-free, dairy-free, tree-nut free and peanut-free snacks.  As we head out on a four hour road trip, I have SunButter On-The-Go Single Cups and my own homemade SunButter Protein Bars protein bars in easy reach!

TRAVELING BY AIRPLANE?   

Do NOT worry about being an imposition.  ONLY YOU, and YOU ALONE are responsible for your safety.  Here are a few helpful suggestions.

•     Bring your epinephrine and Benadryl with you.  And KEEP IT WITH YOU.  It won’t do you any good in the belly of the plane in your checked luggage IF you have a reaction during flight.         
•     Research your particular airline’s peanut policy.  Make a copy of it and carry it with you.  Knowledge is power and sometimes even employees are unaware of their company’s policies.  In my 26^th year of being a flight attendant, I’m well aware that we are NOT always on the same page. 
•        Ask the reservation agents to ADD your peanut allergy to your reservation. 
•     Double Check with the gate agents when boarding.  Ensure your ‘peanut allergy’ information is in your reservation.  If traveling with young kids, ask if it’s possible to board early so you can wipe down your seating area.  Wipe down the traytables and armrests.  Bring your own blanket to place over the seat, if this makes you feel safer.
•         Remind the flight attendants about your peanut allergy when you board.  Remember, they have many people to take care of and your particular needs may slip their focus.  Most flight attendants are well aware of their policies, and if they’re not, you can share it with them.

You can now relax and enjoy your holiday travel with a little more calmness and confidence. 

Happy Holidays and Safe Flying!

Chocolate SunButter Rice Krispies - Nut-free, Dairy-free, Egg-free and Gluten-free

If you are already a fan of SunButter , you may have already seen this recipe as it was posted this past week on August 24, 2016.  On my personal page here, you will find the specific products I used in making this recipe allergy-friendly for my family's needs.  

Chocolate SunButter Rice Krispies 

4 Simple Tips for Making Your Kitchen Allergy~Friendly

Follow me on twitter, instagram and FB

Being a peanut-free and tree nut-free mom, I take great pride in being an official SunButter blogger. 


Back in September, I had the opportunity to share with their readers some simple steps for making any kitchen allergy~friendly.  And what kitchen wouldn't be complete without your OWN stash of SunButter, and a few of my very own designed and trademarked S.A.F.E. Food Allergy Labels?! 


Make Your Kitchen Allergy~Friendly - 09/18/15 - SunButter Blog




The 4 steps are easy... good luck and get to work~

Below is the article in it's entirety.

10 Tips For Talking To Your School About Food Allergies

As an Ambassador for SunButter, I have the privilege of being a featured blogger for them throughout the year.  As 'Back to School' preparations are in full swing, I thought this is the perfect time to share 10 tips I personally follow with our family's 'Back to School Prep'.   

To read the original article, visit here: 10 Tips for Talking To Your School About Food Allergies - May 15, 2015

10 Back To School Tips When Managing Food Allergies

How To Make a SunButter Banana Chocolate Smoothie

Here is the RECIPE for yet another 'Allergy-friendly Smoothie with Daniella'.  Always guaranteed to be dairy-free, egg-free, peanut-free and tree nut-free with the occasional coconut thrown in.  Usually gluten-free too!!

S.A.F.E. SunButter Banana Chocolate Smoothie

Chocolate SunButter Delight Smoothie Recipe - Dairy-free, Egg-free, Peanut-free and Tree Nut-Free

Below is the recipe to accompany my VERY FIRST 'Thirsty Thursday Smoothie' Video.  

I look forward to having you join me on my educational, light-hearted approach to living with food allergies.  ALWAYS guaranteed to be dairy free, egg free, tree nut free (with the exception of occasional coconut), and peanut-free.

Chocolate SunButter Delight Smoothie
*Dairy free, Egg free, Tree Nut free, Peanut free and Gluten free

1 C Vanilla Flax Milk 
1/4 C Chocolate Protein 
1/8 C Greens Balance (Arbonne)
1/2 C fresh, chopped spinach 
1 T Creamy SunButter 

Add ice...or NOT... blend and 'Down the Hatch' it goes! 

Here's to a Healthier You! 




Chocolate SunButter Delight YouTube Link

Have FUN experimenting with your favorite proteins, greens and fiber substitutions. 


P.S. I use Arbonne Protein for ALL of my smoothies because they meet my family's food allergy needs of being dairy-free, egg-free, tree-nut free and are manufactured in a peanut-free facility.  They are also vegan and gluten-free certified, kosher, AND non-GMO.  

Would you believe I liked them so much, I started my own Arbonne business?!  Let me know if you have any questions about these products which help keep my family safe and healthy.

SunButter For ALL! FOR REAL!!

Would you enjoy a FREE jar of SunButter?  
How about the chance to win a $500 Amazon Gift Card? 

SunButter Giveaway thru April 21, 2014

SunButter Protein Bars

Having trouble finding egg-free, dairy-free, peanut-free, tree-nut free protein bars?  With the help of Arbonne Essentials Nutrition line and SunButter, my family has an option they can't get enough of these days. 

Smart Allergy Friendly Education SunButter Protein Bars

Peanut Butter Alternatives - SO Many Choices!

If you're new to peanut allergies, and worried about how you are going to live peanut-free or tree-nut free, DON'T BE!  When making lunches this morning, I had to laugh out loud at all the choices my kids have.

The ONLY one missing from this line-up is WowButter, another soybutter alternative from our friends in Canada.

Below you will find links to each product and reviews I have shared.  

Go Picnic Offers A Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Product

There I was... next to gate 46 in the San Diego airport.  My husband and son had just gotten on one flight while my daughter and I were left behind. What to do?  Find something to EAT, of course!  Have you ever tried eating in an airport when looking for something dairy-free? and tree-nut free?  

Go Picnic Product Review from S.A.F.E.

Allergy Product Awareness Class for Community Nurses - THANKS for everyone's support!

Tuesday night I had the pleasure of presenting to Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center Faith Community Nurses.  As contacts in each of their faith communities, they have one-on-one contact with hundreds, maybe thousands, of individuals in their parishes who are in need of medical advice or guidance.

Stressed About Navigating Food Allergies?

Stressed About Navigating Food Allergies?

Knowing Your Needs Will Help You Figure Out Your Resources

Are you the proud parent of a child with food allergies? I hope you take comfort in knowing your child has joined the ranks of 1 out of 13 kids managing food allergies, and the numbers are ever increasing.

Smart Allergy~Friendly Education Tips for Managing Food Allergies

Great Local and National Support for Food Allergy Product Support Class

Thank you to Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center!  Just last week, I once again had the opportunity to present a Food Allergy Product Awareness class for some new moms at their Baby and Me Support Group.  I can never believe how quickly these classes fly by.  Intros, 40 minutes of sharing local and national support resources as well as 10 minutes of Q & A!  

It was an outstanding turnout!  17 moms and their infants AND 4 visitors wanting to increase their allergy knowledge.  According to one of the employees, 'it was one of the best turnouts for these support classes in weeks'.  

At the end of every class, there are products raffled off to the participants from allergy~friendly local and national companies.  I can't thank these companies enough for their support over the years with my allergy education efforts:

• Rudi's Gluten Free
• Jolly Time
• WOWButter
• SunButter
• Sun Flour Mills
• Flatbread Community Oven 

THANK YOU to all of you for your continued support of Allergy Awareness and Education, and all the products your offer to food allergy families to help make their homes SAFER environments for their loved ones!

Peanut-Free Peanut Butter - Does this exist?

Are you new to managing peanut allergies and/or tree nut allergies?  Has peanut 

butter and jelly just been declared NOT just a NO-NO in your home, but OFF LIMITS FOR FEAR OF DEATH?!  

And now, you're looking for a peanut-free peanut butter.  

Bad news.  It doesn't exist.  

Great news.  There are some fabulous options available! Even better, is that all of these products are also safe for our nut-free, egg-free and dairy-free meals.  Some are even gluten-free!

Here are links to three of my favorite peanut-free, tree-nut free peanut butter alternatives, WowButter, SunButter and Biscoff Spread.

Allergy Awareness Class for New Moms at St. Als

Being in the classroom and sharing ideas for managing food allergies is my number one passion.


Thank you to St. Alphonsus Family Center for allowing me to present, once again, to the new moms in their 'Baby and Me' group.    


At this point of infancy, many parents aren't even sure if their newborns will have food allergies.  Recent statistics state that 1 in 13 individuals have food allergies.  In a classroom with 14 moms and their infants, it is inevitable that at least one of these families will find themselves managing these challenges in the near future. 

Some of my favorite resources to share~

My hope is that my positive motivation and attitude will encourage others to realize that they, too, can handle living with food allergies.  The key is knowing what products and resources are available, locally and nationally.   


Participants enjoyed a fast-paced, information packed 40 minutes and some fun free items and certificates from WOWButter, SunButter and Rudi's Gluten Free Bakery.  

A huge thank you to other supporters such as Allerbling, Lauren's Hope and Rescue Shot Case for sending marketing flyers for participants to see.  The tangibles really help families realize what options are really out there! 

Our Baking Extravaganza to Celebrate Food Allergy Awareness Week - A Huge Learning Opportunity

As many of you know, last week, May 13th thru the 19th, was National Food Allergy Awareness Week.  For the second year in a row, I was proud to organize yet another Allergy~Friendly Baking Event at St. Marks School.  

This year it wasn't a fundraiser, rather a 'Baking Extravaganza'.  In our efforts to promote promote allergy awareness, all of the kids working the tables had food allergies or were siblings of those with food allergies.  

This was an opportunity for the 'Kids With Food Allergies', those who normally don't participate in other yearly bake sales or food events, an opportunity to share that foods with alternative ingredients taste just as good, if NOT better, than the baked goods their friends are accustomed to enjoying. 

ALL of the baked goods were completely NUT/TREE NUT FREE!  We even had items DAIRY, EGG, GLUTEN and SOY-FREE.  Chocolate items were a huge hit!  The chocolate covered rice krispie treats, brownies and the chocolate/sprinkled pretzels went the fastest!  We also had chocolate and vanilla cupcakes, oatmeal and oatmeal chocolate-chip cookies and gluten-free lemon poppyseed muffins! 

I have to be honest and share that there was one glitch.  The kids working the tables knew they weren't supposed to eat anything without asking, as not all items were just nut/tree-nut free.  Well, the temptation was a bit much for one child who normally wouldn't eat anything without asking first.  A trip to the school nurse and a little benadryl later, all was good. 

I felt terrible that this happened on my watch.  However, this child was NOT anaphylactic to the dairy-based chocolate chip.  What could have been a terrible situation reminded me of why I'm so passionate about allergy awareness and education. 

My greatest concern as a parent is not 'IF' something happens, but 'WHEN' it does, will everyone know what to do?  And they did.  The child alerted someone immediately and the adults responded according to policies and procedures in place.  My feelings as to how the school personnel may handle one of my children having an allergic reaction is with confidence.

We and our children do the best we can with their challenges.  Our kids are human.  They want to fit in.  They want to participate like everyone else.  No matter how 'on top of their game' you think they are with managing their food allergies, it's possible to get caught up in the excitement sometimes. 

As adults, it is important to remember the influence of peer pressure.  Educating our kids is one step  we can do for them.  We can't put the pressure solely on our children with food allergies to take care of themselves, especially those in elementary grades.  We can expand their safety net by ensuring their peers and teachers are also well educated in handling food allergies.  

A huge thank you goes out to the support of the Home & School Association, the Principal and the MANY families and students, those WITH and WITHOUT food allergies, who helped bake and work the tables during this event. YOU made this BAKING EXTRAVAGANZA the wonderful event that it was!

I want to add an additional thank you to the local and national businesses who supported this baking event with items for our school raffle. They enabled us to make this event not only educational, but fun too!!

Local Businesses included:

• Boise COOP
• Tree City Juice and Smoothie
• Flatbread Community Oven
• Chicago Connection Pizza    

National Businesses included:

• WOW Butter Soy Butter
• SunButter Sunflower Spread
• JollyTime Popcorn
• Home Free Treats
• Rudis Gluten Free and Organic Bakery

I learned a lot from this year's event.  Will I have another 'Baking Extravaganza' next year?  The 'Kids With Food Allergies' have already told me they hope we do.  Only time will tell.  It's something for me to ponder.  The greatest challenge is striking a balance between offering events for kids who can eat anything and kids who can't eat everything.

The next day a mom asked me where to find the WOW Butter.  I had samples available for all of the students on the tables and her kids LOVED it.  She shared it with a neighbor who has two children anaphylactic to peanuts.  This other mom was thrilled to find an alternative so that her children can have their own experience of a 'Peanut Butter and Jelly' style sandwich that so many others take for granted.  

This 'Baking Extravaganza' made a difference for at least two different families. Despite the glitches along the way, this is why I do what I do! 

Sunrich Naturals SOL - A Sunflower beverage which may meet your allergy~friendly needs!

Looking for a nutritious, dairy-free, gluten-free beverage option?  From what I can see from the ingredient list, it is also soy-free, egg-free and nut-free.  Here is one of my latest finds which may turn out to be a fabulous alternative for your home.

This shelf stable beverage is made from sunflower kernels and comes in three flavors:  unsweetened, original and vanilla. 

Sunrich Sunflower Beverage Review from S.A.F.E. 

Sunrich Naturals Original SOL Sunflower Beverage, distributed by SunOpta Septic, Inc., Alexandria, MN. 

Ingredients listed include: FILTERED WATER, ORGANIC EVAPORATED CANE JUICE, SUNFLOWER KERNELS, SUNFLOWER LECITHIN, TRICALCIUM PHOSPHATE, ORGANIC TAPIOCA STARCH, EXPELLER PRESSED SUNFLOWER OIL, SEA SALT, XANTHAN GUM, GUAR GUM, NATURAL FLAVOR, CARRAGEENAN, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, VITAMIN D2, FOLIC ACID, D-ALPHA TOCOPHERYL ACETATE (NATURAL VITAMIN E).


For more information, contact:  Sunrich, 1-877-237-4374 OR  SunOpta  

One serving of Original SOL contains:

• 70 calories
• Vitamin E - 50% RDA
• Calcium - 30% RDA
• Vitamin D - 25%
• Folic Acid - 20%

Since its inception in 1978, SunOpta considers itself to be 'an industry leader in the supply and distribution of natural and organic ingredients, raw materials, and consumer products'.  For over 25 years they have been working with American farmers to create great tasting, wholesome organic and natural foods.  The believe in creating sustainable American agriculture which will benefit future generations to come!

Be sure to visit their website to learn more about their philosophy, their focus on providing quality organic and non-GMO foods, and partnerships they have created with American farmers.

Want to know where you can buy this product? There 'where to buy' link can be found on the bottom right hand side of their product page, Sunrich Product Page.

SOL SunButter Smoothie!  YUM!!!

We have found SOL to be a delicious addition to our smoothies!  Add some frozen fruit or yogurt OR a few tablespoons of SunButter and your favorite dairy-free, soy-free ice cream!  I loved watching my kids asking for seconds of this delicious and nutritional beverage!

It's amazing the enjoyment new products can provide for your kids and their friends:-)

Raising Allergy Awareness Made Fun with Local and National Support

On Thursday, January 19th, the Stevens Henager College had a health fair at their Boise campus. I was thrilled to be invited to join Kelly Fletcher, our local FAAN representative, at an Allergy Awareness booth.    

What a fun and enjoyable way to help raise awareness.  It was made even easier with the support of some national supporters! 

First of all, thanks to the national FAAN organization for all of the brochures and wonderful information they sent for us to have available. 

Enjoy Life sent many samples which we had a great time handing out.  We had crunchy chocolate chip cookies, crunchy double chocolate chip cookies, and Cocoa Loco Bars, and NOT NUTS  seed and fruit trail mix.  Some people were hesitant to try some of the items so I put them in a box and walked around to all of the booths.  Who can refuse free items?!  The NOT-NUTS trail mix was a HUGE hit!  Seconds were often asked about. 

Home Free Treats provided mini vanilla Gluten-Free cookies.  We had some available for sampling at our table! We also had samples from WowButter, a wonderful alternative for peanut butter.

Kelly and I laughed at how how many people commented on 'how good these really are!', referring to all of the samplings available.  I think people are always impressed that allergy~friendly products can truly be so tasty!  

We were also pleased to offer coupons from SunButter, and Rudi's Bakery!

Our fun bag giveaway was sponsored by Enjoy Life.  Here are some pics of two of our five winners!  It's great to have winners who can really use and appreciate these items!  Jackie's grandchildren are going to be thrilled and Debra is happy to have some new items to try out in her allergy home too.

Jackie Rule and Kelly Fletcher

Myself, Debra Woodworth and Kelly

All of the bags included additional samples and coupons from ALL of our sponsors along with their company brochures and some business cards from Jake's Gluten-Free Store, Sun Flour Mills and Mad Alex Products.

Thanks to all of our national and local sponsors for helping us to make raising allergy awareness such a fun and enjoyable experience for everyone!!

Chocolate Melting Pot - Making Dairy-Free, Homemade Chocolates Just Got Easier!

Thanks to my mom, in 2011, my children participated for the first time EVER, in the ritual of having an advent tree /calendar filled with chocolates!  Now I do it EVERY YEAR!   Below is a picture of the plain chocolates and 'SunButter' Cups I make.

Homemade plain chocolates and SunButter Cups

Having dairy, nut, peanut, egg AND a few extra allergies during the holidays can be a bit of a bummer, especially for young kids. Chocolate candies seem to be the treat of choice at Halloween. Thanksgiving and Christmas bring gold chocolate coins, advent chocolates and so many other delights that can make your loved ones feel excluded.

Making your own chocolates for the holidays?  Some make them as an outlet for their 'creative' side.  Others make them due to necessity because of milk allergic family members.  For me, it's both!