Day Trip Time with Food Allergies: Bring a Cooler Tote and Chill Out! Plus, Nut-Free Lunch Ideas

Life's a beach if you come prepared to deal with
food allergies on your day trip.

With summer, comes day trips and with that comes a need to prepare for all the eventualities. Getting kids ready to go anywhere seems like a military maneuver at the best of times, but when you've got kids with food allergies you've got to take a few more precautionary steps. I got to thinking about this during a recent visit to Brookfield Zoo, located just outside Chicago. But anywhere we go this summer -- the zoo, an amusement park, the beach -- will require the same level of prep.

So, here they are--my tips for successful summer day-trippin' with food allergies:

1. Get an insulated cooler tote bag. The Brookfield Zoo, like many other family-friendly day trip destinations allows you to bring your own food. I bought a chic insulated bag from Thermos (TM) and it was a godsend on our recent zoo trip. During one of my numerous trips to Target, I grabbed this cute, diaper bag-sized tote and some freezer packs for keeping sammies and drinks chilled. The extra front pockets were useful for the epinephrine auto-injectors, my wallet and assorted sundries so I didn't have to bring a separate purse. The best part -- you can find totes that aren't super-huge and don't weigh a ton, which is much less cumbersome to carry and easier on your shoulder blades! I recently saw several great-priced cooler totes at Target, my home away from home. Look for them in the "Summer's Up" section towards the back of the store, next to the gardening stuff.

2. Bring placemats for the picnic table. Lots of paper placemats exist nowadays, or just bring  paper towels or a washable tablecloth or mats to keep it eco-friendly. Since you just never know if the last family was packing peanut butter (and let's face it, they probably were), be ready to protect the table for your child which will reduce the risk of cross-contact from table residue. Besides offering protection from allergenic foods, covering a common table gives you clean surface -- which is just more appetizing for everyone.

3. Locate the First Aid station upon arrival. Many amusement parks, zoos and even large public beaches have these. You may never need this, but it's good to know where it is in the event of emergency.

4. Check and double-check that you have your epinephrine auto-injectors before departure. I don't know about you, but I seem to constantly be transferring my items from bag to bag all summer long. You don't want to leave your epinephrine auto-injectors behind (always bring two), only to discover that it's missing upon arrival at your destination. I place Post-It notes on my dashboard to remind me.

5. Stock up on the Wet Ones Wipes. For wiping hands before and after eating, you can't have too many of these. Great for little faces, too.

6. For restaurant tips on the road, check out AllergyEats. This free service offers peer-reviewed restaurants listed according to city, state and specific food allergies. They just announced that AllergyEats is now an affiliate to Open Table, a reservation resource. You can use your AllergyEats smart phone app to make Open Table reservations. Cool.  Click this link to find out more info.

So now that you've got your cooler and your plan to bring lunch, what do you bring? Obviously, your kids will have their favorites, but here are some ideas for you. I love this fake sushi wrap sandwich idea that I saw on Pinterest. A nice change of pace from a sandwich, and healthy, too.

Or about little fruit kabobs? Or cheese and ham kabobs? Any “kabob” or food on a stick is fun for kids to eat and easy to pack. Just keep the sticks separate and store the fruit or ham and cheese in baggies or reusable food keepers.
 
For a salty snack or treat, Pirate's Booty is always good and Pop Chips are nice, too as neither are fried in oil. Both are nut-free and Pirate's Booty is gluten-free, but they do have dairy.

Of course you need a sweet treat! If you don't feel like baking in heat, Skeeter Snacks peanut-free, tree nut-free cookies are a great addition to your packed lunch.

I also like to pack two of my favorite nut-free baked treats: Granola Bars and Nut-Free Brownies. The granola bar recipe is found by clicking this link, and here is my brownie recipe. My mom made these for us all the time when we were growing up.

Jenny's Nut-Free Brownies

1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs (organic or free range if possible)
2 squares unsweetened chocolate; I use Baker's brand
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder; this gives you a cakier brownie with a higher rise. If you want chewier, flatter brownies, omit the baking powder.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Chop chocolate and butter into chunks. Melt chocolate and butter in a microwave safe bowl until butter is melted and chocolate is almost completely melted (about two minutes.) Remove from microwave and stir until all of the chocolate is melted. Set aside to cool slightly, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix flour with salt and baking powder if using, in a small bowl. Pour sugar into larger bowl that can hold all of the batter. Using a heat-proof spatula, scrape melted chocolate mixture into the bowl with the sugar and stir until fully combined. Add eggs one at a time and mix thoroughly. Add vanilla.

Gradually add flour mixture into chocolate-egg-butter mixture until combined.

Bake for 16-18 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes up with a few fudgy crumbs clinging to it. (The 9 x 9 inch pan will bake up more quickly). Do not over bake.

Allow to cool, then sprinkle with confectioner's sugar and serve.

What do you like to bring on your day trips? Any tips you've found especially helpful? Let us know.

Nut-Free Lunch Box Ideas: Spotted on the Shelves

GoGoSqueez (TM) Applesauce on the Go

 

Looks like it might be getting easier to find nut-free lunch foods at the supermarket. In the past few weeks during my back to school food-shopping frenzy, I've found a growing number of items aimed at kids that are both healthier from a sugar/fat perspective as well as being marked "nut-free." Sometimes these foods are free of other allergens and gluten, too. They are all well-marked to say nut-free or they mention what allergens they DO contain. This approach makes it SO MUCH easier to determine if a food gets the "nut-free" nod for your child's lunch so I hope this trend continues.

 

First up, I found, "GoGo SqueeZ" (TM) applesauce snacks (pictured above) at SuperTarget. They are marked as "Gluten-free, dairy-free and nut-free" on the packaging and the containers are BPA-free. The packaging is squeezeable and resealable for eating on the go (and less waste) and it comes in many delicious flavors like applesauce berry and applesauce with cinnamon. (Please note that this product has a small cap, which may make these unsuitable for younger children.)

Also at SuperTarget (and exclusively sold there) I discovered Quaker School Days(TM) Chewy(R) Granola Bars. Up until now, granola bars from Quaker have not been safe due to the nut allergy warnings on the box. According to the Quaker Oats FAQs page, the company will mark if there is a risk of trace amounts or peanuts or tree nuts in their foods. These contain no such warning and in fact, the box calls out the allergens in very large print. Please be aware that the bars contain wheat, milk and soy ingredients. If you don't have to avoid these allergens, then these might be a great nut-free choice for your child's lunch. The bars come in two flavors -- Apple and Berry -- and at $2 for an 8-bar box, the price is pretty good.

Large print comes in handy here--no need for a magnifying glass as with some labels.

Quaker Chewy (R) School Days (TM) Granola Bars

Next, I found a ready-to-eat meal series of lunches called "Go Picnic(R)." One big warning on this one: These lunches are gluten-free, vegan and kosher, so there is only one lunch that is "nut-free," the SunButter and Crackers meal. What I like about this meal is that each item is individually wrapped, so there is not a cross-contact risk even though the company makes other lunches with nut items.

Everything from Go Picnic (R) is individually wrapped, so there is no cross-contact issue.

The SunButter(R) and Crackers meal we purchased feautured a small squeeze container of labeled SunButter (so everyone sees that it is not peanut butter), multi-grain crackers, fruit leather and two items from Enjoy Life Foods(R) -- No Nuts Seed & Fruit Mix and Double Chocolate Crunchy Cookies. The item pictured above has fruit bites, so please check the labels if you  see fruit bites included. For the box I picked up, the only Top 8 allergen listed was soy because of the SunButter -- it may contain trace amounts of soy.

Next up, I am so excited to share that Skeeter Snacks peanut-free and tree nut-free cookies are now available in many stores and will soon be in many more states. Some of you have told me that they are available at stores in your area including Costco and Walmart.

You'll find Skeeter (TM) in a growing number of stores (and ask your store to carry them if they don't already).

Check their website for a store locator or order online. These crunchy cookies are made in a nut-free facility and they come in three flavors--Chocolate Chunk, Oatmeal and Skeeterdoodle (a take on the snickerdoodle cinnamon cookie). We are big fans of these cookies; be advised they are nut-free only. Skeeter Snacks will be handing out cookie samples at the huge upcoming FAAN Walk this weekend in Houston, so if you are planning on attending the Houston FAAN Walk, say hello to the Skeeter folks for me!

Surf Sweets gummy candies..so many varieties to tuck into a lunch box.

Finally, if you are looking for a truly tasty and all-natural sweet treat for your kids, you can find Surf Sweets at Whole Foods and a growing number of stores. These tasty organic gummies are made in a nut-free facility and they never fail to please. Be sure to check out their fabulous seasonal gummies such as Spooky Spiders, coming up for Halloween and their every-popular Gummy Worms.

Anyone else have some supermarket finds to share?

Please note: These items were chosen for their nut-free status, but the consumer should do their own checking as manufacturing practices may change. Not all of the foods may work for your family due to additional allergies or other reasons, so please check the labels on each food and ask your allergist/call the companies directly if you have further questions about these products and their appropriateness for your situation. Thanks!