Peanut Allergy Dilemma: Learning to Let Go and Let Them Grow

I started writing this blog when my daughter was in second grade; now she's in fifth. We actually discovered my daughter's allergy when she was four years old and in preschool.

Though the early years were scary for many reasons, I think our current and future situation is possibly going to be both the most challenging and also the most rewarding. Now that my daughter is 10, nearly 11, I can't really approach her as I could a small child. She's growing into her own person and wants to do more things idependently. She's clamoring for sleepovers "not at OUR house, at my FRIEND's house" and other activities that take her out of the realm of a controlled food environment and optimum safety.

I'm struggling with what I will let her do and not do, but mainly I stick to the principles that we've had all along. Safe is safe. Some things aren't safe and we don't do them, but we'll do something else. However, I don't want to squelch her independence or joy about new friends and new experiences. It's a very tricky balancing act and we're figuring it out as we go. These days, I often feel like I'm on a balance beam.

Like all of us dealing with a life-threatening nut allergy (she is allergic to peanuts and most tree nuts)I evaluate each situation individually and urge you to do the same. When questioning what you will let your child do, you have to ask: how allergic are they? How risky is the activity? Is an allergic reaction relatively avoidable with certain precautions? Do the adults in charge truly understand how to handle an allergic emergency? Finally, the last question is: How much does your child want to do the activity?

All of the above goes into my decision-making. From Day One of being a "Nut-Free Mom" I've always wanted my daughter to have the fullest, most "normal" life possible. However, this involves some work. I strongly believe in educating all of the parents of her close friends on the details of her allergy; I will even give them copies of her Food Allergy Action Plan just to keep it all straight. At the same time, my daughter and I go over scenarios and possible allergy risks and discuss the best way she can handle them.

Obviously, no matter how much your child wants something, you shouldn't allow it if it just seems too risky. Health comes first. However, I am finding myself on the balance beam much more frequently these days and it's a new kind of scary. We could fall off and we have to walk a very straight line to stay on the beam. However, getting out there is liberating to my daughter and ultimately to our family. And of course, we aren't walking a beam with no soft mats underneath to break our fall. Always carrying medication and following our "house rules" when it comes to food help us make it safely across the beam and back again.

As my daughter grows, it's not just providing safe foods and hosting play dates any more. It's about teaching her how to be responsible for her allergy without scaring her away from life and its many experiences. She is eager to try so many things and I support her in that. I know that she's going outside of our realm with knowledge, her medications and some confidence that she can handle herself. As she grows toward adulthood, these are going to be key in keeping herself safe.

Peanut Allergy-Safe Recipe: Completely Nut-Free and Delicious Pumpkin Bread

With fall upon us, I thought it was time for a heart-warming recipe for a good old-fashioned baked treat that will fill your house with the autumnal scents of pumpkin, brown sugar, cinnamon and pumpkin-pie spice. Hungry yet? The recipe you see pictured is for a bake sale at school--I'm slicing it up into individual slices and asking top dollar! (Hey, it is a fundraiser.) If you make it, you'll know why I am upping the sale price. It's crazy good and so versatile--it works for breakfast, brunch, snacks, with a cup of tea in the afternoon, you name it!

I customized this recipe from a similiar one I found in the Gourmet Magazine cookbook. One thing I changed was the streusel topping. Unlike many streusel toppings out there, the one I've devised manages to be crunchy and nut-free at the same time. Enjoy!

Nut-Free Pumpkin Spice Bread with Streusel Topping

Topping:
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons dark brown or light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, slightly softened

Bread:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 15 oz can of solid pack pumpkin
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2-1/4 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, lightly beaten

Make the topping first:
Blend together flour, sugar, butter and cinnamon in a small bowl with your fingertips until the mixture looks like coarse meal.

For the bread:
Place rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Spray Pam with flour on two 9 x 5 inch loaf pans.

Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, whisk pumpkin, sugar, eggs and oil. Add flour mixture to large bowl and stir gently until well combined.

Divide batter between loaf pans. Sprkinkle half of topping over each. Bake until a wooden skewer inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean 50-60 minutes.

Cool loaves in pan on wire rack for 45 minutes, then turn out of pan and let cool completely on rack, about one hour.

Wrap well in plastic wrap and foil to keep refrigerated for about a week. Can also be frozen up to one month.

Sunbutter Video Contest! Peanut Allergy and Tree Nut Allergy-Friendly!

Sunbutter peanut-free, tree-nut free sunflower seed spread came into my life a few months ago and now I wonder how my family ever lived without it. For years our house has been a no peanut butter zone.

Now, with Sunbutter, we've got an even better (I think) alternative to good ol' peanut butter. It's also even better for you than peanut butter, with less fat. My nut-allergic daughter likes the chunky version of Sunbutter with whole sunflower seeds and so does her little sister; my husband and I pretty much enjoy every version! I also like to substitute Sunbutter for peanut butter in recipes. It's a great swap and delivers great flavor.

If your kids enjoy Sunbutter, that simple fact can win your family some prizes because I just got word that Sunbutter is hosting its first-ever video contest! Just record your child enjoying a Sunbutter snack and submit it to enter. Here is the link to find out more!
Please help spread the word (no pun intended) about this great new contest from delicious and nutritious Sunbutter!