Online Nut-Free (and more) Valentine’s Day Resources

Valentine’s Day is just about three weeks away so I've compiled a list of online resources while you still have some time to order. It’s great to have these online resources that deliver straight to your door. Please note that some companies may have deadlines for Valentine’s Day delivery; check company websites for details. Costs run the gamut from the budget-friendly to the higher-end and shipping is usually additional, so keep that in mind while shopping.

If you have any questions about ingredients, please contact the company directly (I’ve given you a head start by providing links for each company.) Most of these companies offer nationwide shipping. Again, check with them for shipping details/product availability.

I’ve included some treats that are more geared to adults than kids. Maybe you’ve got nut allergies yourself (like an increasing number of adults) or maybe your kids do and you don’t want “nutty” foods in the house. Either way, the adults need their sweets, too!

Nut-Free Candy, Bakery Items and Sweet Treats:

Dean’s Sweets is a nut-free chocolatier offering rich handcrafted chocolate truffles in a gourmet variety of adult-friendly flavors (cayenne pepper and champagne, to name two!) These are special chocolates, no question! Order online or stop in their shop located in Portland, Maine. Address: 82 Middle Street Portland, Maine 04101 Phone: 207-899-3664 Dean’s Sweets now serves nut-free hot chocolate in the store, so if you’re in the area, bring your date!

Vermont Nut Free Chocolate is another favorite, creating everything from a box of delicious nut-free chocolate truffles, to seasonal chocolate lollipops and much more. They’ve got a beautiful selection for Valentine’s Day. We love pretty much everything from Vermont Nut Free and are huge fans of their new chocolate caramel pretzel bark. Plus, they’ve got baking chocolate! Order online at www.vermontnutfree.com and visit their store at 10 Island Circle Grand Isle, VT 05458

Nutphree’s Cupcakes. Serving the greater Chicago area, only. We LOVE Nutphree’s Cupcakes, Chicago’s only completely nut-free cupcake bakery! Beautiful creations to fit each season with new flavors arriving all the time. Order online orders@nutphrees.com or by phone (847) 754-4320 or stop in their new storefront: 259 E. Rand Rd. Mount Prospect, IL, 60056 Delivery is available; call for details.

Cakes for Occasions This nut-free bakery in Danvers, MA has many creations available for online ordering or stop in their shop for some amazingly artistic baked goods. Special order through their online store or stop in: 57 Maple Street, Danvers, MA 01923 • Tel: (978) 774-4545

Skeeter Snacks cookies are baked in a dedicated nut-free facility--hooray! Made with "real" ingredients and very yummy--for kids and adults alike.  You can order online ; Skeeter Snacks are becoming increasingly available in supermarkets and select Costco stores. We especially love the chocolate chip!

Eleni's Cookies. This nut-free, kosher cookie bakery in NYC is famous for its whimsical approach--these are definitely "designer" cookies! Click the link for a complete selection of Valentine's Day cookie gifts: http://elenis.com/store/category/shop-seasonal-sale/valentine-s-day/valentine-s-gift-boxes/   And check out their new Valentine's Day cookie decorating kit: http://elenis.com/store/category/gift/color_me_design_your_own/gift_sets/ STORES: Chelsea Market 75 Ninth Avenue @ 15th Street Madison Avenue 1266 Madison Avenue @ 90th Street

 

Nut-Free, Egg-Free, Dairy-Free Valentine’s Day Treats and Sweets

Divvies bakery offers baked goods and seasonal candy including a new chocolate “crispy” heart for Valentine’s Day. Visit Divvies online to see their complete Valentine’s Day assortment. (Many candies are gluten-free, too). Visit www.divvies.com for more info.

Sweet Alexis Bakery has nut-free, dairy-free and egg-free baked goods for every season including some wonderfully decorated cookies and cupcakes. Order online and save 10% on your order until January 31^st. Promo code: vday13 Expires 1/31/13 Or visit their store: 2085 10th Street, Los Osos, California 93402 (Just South of Morro Bay, CA)

Amanda’s Own Confections This nut-free, egg-free, dairy-free chocolate company has a big selection for Valentine’s Day. http://www.amandasown.com/valentines.html

Peanut Free Planet has a terrific peanut and tree nut-free selection for Valentine's Day including some of my faves like Surf Sweets Fruity Hearts and Seth Ellis Sun Cups (just like peanut butter cups--but nut-free AND so delicious). Plus, many items are free from other allergens and/or gluten, perfect if you are dealing with multiple food allergies.

 Non-edible Valentine’s Day treats and crafts and more, perfect for the classroom

Thank you notes that raise awareness!

Peanut Free Zone is a company that’s all about allergy awareness. Now they offer custom allergy-awareness thank-you cards for your the caregivers in your life. What a nice way to say "thank you" to a special teacher, friend or caregiver for Valentine's Day. Even better: These cards have a thank you message outside and on the back of each card is a concise list of food allergy safety tips. For more info see: http://www.peanutfreezone.com/products/thank-you-cards/

 Non-edible party favors and crafts

Oriental Trading Company has a wide variety of budget-friendly crafts and small toys. Much of their Valentine's Day selection is currently on sale. Click here to find out more: http://www.orientaltrading.com/api/search?Ntt=valentine%27s+day+toys

Valentine’s Day crafts:

Parents Magazine has a link filled with fun Valentine-inspired crafts. Share these for the class party if you want to cut down on food in the classroom.

http://www.parents.com/holiday/valentines-day/crafts/kid-friendly-valentines-day-crafts/

The gorgeous craft and recipe website, Whipperberry, has a beautiful Valentine's craft using old crayons. This is a good one to do at home with the kids if you are "craftily" -inclined.
http://whipperberry.com/2012/01/crayon-heart-valentines-with-lifestyle-crafts.html

Not an online shopper? Come back to the blog on Friday for some nut-free Valentine's Day supermarket finds.

What are your favorite online resources for nut-free sweets?

 Note: The consumer maintains responsibility for ensuring any product mentioned on this page is free from any or all allergens that pose a concern. If you have questions about foods you see mentioned here, please contact the companies directly for more info. If you are unsure if a food or ingredient is safe for your child, please ask your doctor.

 

Nut-Free Party Treats for School

The last few weeks my inbox has seen a slew of questions from non-allergic moms wanting to know what to a) bring to the class holiday party or b)what to serve to nut-allergic guests at a birthday party. I'm happy to hear from them because I appreciate their regard for kids with serious dietary restrictions. You rock--thanks for your concern.

Regarding the class party question, it's really tough to find the perfect "safe" edible treat to serve. For one thing, something that might look OK may turn out not to be.

If you're involved in planning or bringing food to a class party, make sure to get the allergic families involved. I usually send in something I know is safe for my daughter--as long as she has something good to eat, she doesn't care if she can't have everything.

Another thing to consider: Labels change so frequently these days that what might look safe one day is not safe the next. This happened to us when we put Jay's OkeDoke Popcorn on our own safe list a few years ago. A few weeks later on a trip to the store, I discovered that a new nut allergy warning had appeared. It's hard enough for allergic families to keep up with the label changes, much less anyone not used to dealing with it. Why go to all the trouble of searching for a food that the allergic kids can't eat anyway? It just makes sense to ask the allergic families to contribute. Believe me, we prefer it and are happy to do it.

Plus, many classrooms contain multiple food allergies. You may search all over to find nut-free only to find out another child has a milk or dairy allergy.

If your child is celebrating a birthday during the school year or if you want to send in a little something for a holiday (like Valentine's Day), my favorite suggestion is to offer non-edible treats. Some schools are limiting edible treats anyway for both allergy and nutritional reasons.

I was at Target recently and I discovered many Valentine's themed pencils (10 for $1), small toys and such in their dollar section. Kids love this type of thing. Or what about stickers and plastic rings--you can find these at many discount or party stores for decent prices. Kids also love colorful small notepads to write and/or draw on.

If you really want to serve an edible treat, tell the teacher in advance so the allergic kids can bring something safe to eat. That's really the best option for everyone.

For birthday parties, non-allergic families should always ask the parents of the allergic child for advice on what to serve. We'll either offer to bring some safe options or provide you with some safe brand ideas, etc.

I always stress the party aspect rather than the food aspect to my own child. From a young age, allergic kids learn that they have to say "no" to certain foods. Don't worry that you'll offend the kids and risk offering them something that they may not be able to have. Our bottom line is staying out of harm's way and sometimes that means that allergic party attendees will eat their own treat.

One nice thing is to tell the allergic family what treat you will be serving--for example, yellow cupcakes with blue frosting. Then, the nut-free caregivers can recreate it as closely as possible (just make sure you keep the "safe" cupcake away from the other ones). This is especially important for the younger kids who really get excited about sweets.

What has worked for you? Let us know.