Last week, Dylan and I went to Wyatt's school for an Easter Egg Hunt and a Spring Party in his classroom. The egg hunt got rained out, so they hid the eggs in the classroom... but the kids still had a blast. The kids searched for the eggs with their name on them, which made it easy for me to prepare 18 "special" eggs for Wyatt, filled with toys and allergy-free candies. Wyatt's favorite part of the day was when he got to open the eggs at home and discover all his booty.=)
To a mom who has kids with food allergies, it can be a real challenge to keep them from feeling left out of everything. So when we discover a great product, it feels a little like we're discovering gold.
I have been on the search for a chocolate bunny that I can put in Wyatt's Easter basket this year (at his fervent request). I may not be able to find one commercially that excludes all of his forbidden ingredients... so I'm experimenting with making my own.
But for those of you who might also be looking for allergy-free Easter chocolates, check out the Divvies Chocolate Bunny Rabbit. All of Divvies gourmet candies are made in a nut-free, egg-free, and dairy-free facility... and they also offer a wide variety of baked goods that can be shipped.
Congratulations, Becky! You are the winner of the Surf Sweets Prize Package... I'll be sending you an e-mail with further details. =)
Surf Sweets Candies are a delicious alternative to all the junk candy out there. They are allergen and gluten-free, made with all-natural ingredients and contain no corn syrup or artificial colors.... the perfect treat for a healthy lifestyle.
If you didn't win, and would still love to try Surf Sweets candies, click here for a list of all their retailers... such as Whole Foods and Toys R Us. Have a great day!
I am super excited to announce that my favorite organic candy company, Surf Sweets, has offered to give a prize package of treats to one lucky Chattahoochee Mama reader! The prize will include an assortment of Surf Sweets candies... perfect for filling Easter baskets with or just an afternoon nibble.=)
I LOVE promoting natural alternatives to mainstream foods and treats... and this is one treat that kids and adults alike will love and appreciate! Besides being delicious, all Surf Sweets Candies are:
To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post sharing your favorite Easter candy. If you want an extra entry, just blog about the giveaway and leave a link to your post in a separate comment.
The contest will end this Sunday, March 22nd at 12 A.M. EST. I will announce the winner on Monday, March 23rd. Good luck!
Posts related to this subject: Naturally Sweet Treats and Healthy Halloween.
We're not really a candy family, but the holidays are always difficult since Wyatt gets bombarded with treats at school. Next month, his school is having a huge Easter egg hunt, so I have been on a crazed search for jelly beans and other treats to put into his own eggs.
I found the greatest company called Surf Sweets, whose candies are all natural and organic... with no artificial anything included. I was so excited to find they have jelly beans in their assortment of gummy candies. My local Whole Foods recently started carrying them and I ended up buying out their supply (though I did see that they have since restocked=).
If you're looking for all natural candies this year - with no corn syrup, artificial dyes or flavors - then check out Surf Sweets and where to buy them. I've officially tasted all of their various candies and can attest to their deliciosity. (Yep, just made that word up.)
If you haven't already stocked up on candy for October 31st, consider going a healthier route this year.
These Yummy Earth Lollipops are so delicious that your trick-or-treaters won't think they've been cheated by getting a healthy treat.=)
I love that there are some wonderful products out there that prove you don't have to compromise great taste for healthy convictions. And these pops are one of our family's personal faves. You can buy them in 1lb bulk bags at Whole Foods, Navan Foods, or any of these other locations.
Wyatt is a fruit snack junkie who is allergic to all fruit snacks. Until today. I just discovered 
Annie's Organic Bunny Fruit Snacks... no soy, no gluten, no added colors or preservatives. Just pure unadulterated fruit juice goodness (almost).
I'd say I owe Annie BIG time, but then I'm sure my contribution to Annie's Homegrown over the next few years will more than make up for that. =)
When I discovered 
Yummy Earth Organic Lollipops over a year ago, I was in heaven. Seriously, these are the best tasting things you've ever tasted. They beat out any ordinary candy by a landslide, but they are totally allergy-free and contain no artificial colors - just black carrots, organic wheat grass juice and organic pumpkin for coloring. And they are delish.
We buy them in bulk at a health food store in Va Beach, but they are available at many different retailers, including Whole Foods and Toys R Us. To find Yummy Earth products near you, check out the list of stores that carry them. And please tell me I told you so when you taste them.=)
Having a son with life-threatening food allergies, Lori Sandler took her personal philosphy that food is "made to share," and started Divvies - a bakery that makes tasty treats completely free of peanuts, tree nuts, milk and eggs.
Divvies was recently featured on Martha Stewart, where Lori and son Benjamin made nut and dairy-free cupcakes with Martha. I was a little bummed out to discover that their products do contain wheat, gluten and soy flour, but I still think they are a fabulous company.
Plus, I thought this offer was too good not share... Now until Mother's day, Divvies will automatically include a complimentary box of Divvies Dozen Cookies with every order.
Whenever we have Pancake Day in our house, I always make 2 different kinds... one gluten-free batch and one Bisquick batch. Most of the time, I try to cook meals that everyone can eat. But pancakes have always been a fave of mine, and I guess I haven't been ready to trade in the fluffy goodness of Bisquick pancakes for the thick grainy consistency of most GF mixes.
But recently I decided to switch up the GF mix I was using for Wyatt and tried Kinikinnick's Pancake and Waffle Mix. It's turned out to be a big hit in our house... for the boys and me. The batter is smooth and the pancakes are moist, fluffy and taste great. So good, in fact, that I don't even have to make a second gluten-full batch. =)
Kinnikinnick's Pancake & Waffle Mix is available locally at Healthway Natural Foods and Whole Foods.
If you're country music fan (or even if you're not ;) head over to iTunes and download Trace Adkins' newest hit single, "You're Gonna Miss This."
In case you didn't watch the season finale of Celebrity Apprentice last week, Trace Adkins was a finalist and was competing on behalf of his charity FAAN (Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network). His 6-year-old daughter has life-threatening food allergies (peanut butter, eggs and milk), which is what drives his passion for raising support and awareness of this organization.
The live version of his song will be available at iTunes until April 10, and all net proceeds will go to support FAAN.
Anyone who has kids with food allergies knows that a delicious allergy-free dessert is priceless... 
especially one that is easy to make and appealing to kids.
Some of my favorite food allergy blogs often have wonderful recipes, but I thought this one for Sunbutter Buckeyes was worth sharing here. Many of my peanut-butter loving friends are now hooked on Sunbutter. It just tastes really good; and dipped in chocolate, well, enough said.
Local shoppers: You can buy Sunbutter and Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips at Wegmans or Healthway.
There are certain parts of my life that
I don't share as much on this blog... some are controversial but others are maybe just boring to the average reader. However, allergies are on the rise and affecting more and more kids everyday.
Whereas we don't have all the answers - certainly an article in Parents or the Times doesn't give it justice - I found that AllergyKids.com is a great site/resource for info on the subject.
If you have a minute, I think this article is definitely worth your time. If you have 2 minutes, check out this one, too.
Wyatt ate a half a pixie stick the other day and 20 minutes later his face had swelled up with red bumpy hives. Never a dull moment in a house with an allergic kid.
The first birthday party we attended with Wyatt after his allergy diagnosis was a stressful experience. I knew the best part of the party for Wyatt was the anticipation of the cake - the singing, the blowing out of candles, and then the slicing and distributing of the sugary sweet goodness.
Just on a whim I decided to whip up a batch of cookies and slather on some homemade icing and sprinkles. I thought that when all the kids were getting cake, I could put one on a plate and give it to Wyatt. I still prepared myself for tears.
But to my surprise, he accepted his cookie with gladness and although noticing it wasn't like the others, he was still thrilled to have such a tasty decorated treat. Whew.
And I still do this now. I've gotten so much better at creating little cupcakes and such, that it's almost as though there is no difference. Each party, I try to change it up a little to make it fresh and special for him.
Living with food allergies is hard, but it's not impossible. If anything, it's shown me how blessed I am to have such an amazingly strong and mature son in Wyatt.
Our new favorite mix for cupcakes is Namaste Vanilla Cake Mix. Top it with Cherrybrook Farms Vanilla Icing Mix and it's a delicious allergy-free cupcake.
Wyatt has always known that he cannot eat certain foods. Up until recently, when I would tell him he couldn't eat something, he would say, "Aw, Man!" and give me a disgruntled look. Like he just could not believe he had such a mean and oppressive mother!
But I think he has caught on to the fact that certain people (namely his parents and teacher) have reasons for not wanting him to eat many of the delicious foods that he so desires. As he has matured over the past year, I've made it a point to tell him why he can't eat something... so last week he tried to alleviate my fears at a restaurant. He grabbed a breadstick off the table and took a bite.
Then he looked at me and confidently said, "See Mommy? It no hurt my tummy."
If only it were that easy.
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