Teen Dating and Food Allergies

Oh dear,what a mix. Teen dating is already stressful and hard as it is now add celiac,food allergies,or other medical problems(or all of the above.) Dating if you think about it is scary,especially as a teen with food allergies. I mean you have to trust this person with not only your heart but now your life. But don't let it hold you back! It is possible I promise.

My Tips on Dating-

1. BE UPFRONT!! I cannot stress this enough,Tell your date before you even go out. I understand you may have a fear that your date might be ''scared away'' when you tell them,but your health is more important. If your date doesn't want to understand your medical problems then they don't deserve to go out with you.
2. Suggest the restaurant,pick somewhere you know is safe. 
3. Carry your epi pen/medication in case of an emergency.Explain to your date where you keep these and how to use them. Also, tell them what to do in case of an emergency. 

Don't forget to have fun!

Dates don't have to be dinner,you can think outside of the box. Go to a concert(this is probably my favorite!),play,sporting event,or museum.

I understand the one question on your mind,What's the guide to kissing? First kisses are nerve racking to everyone let alone some one with food allergies. The guide I have heard and used is to wait 4 hours after the other persons last meal with your allergen and to have them brush their teeth.

A tip for the gluten free guys out there,also be careful of your girls makeup. Some brands contain gluten!

Gluten Free Travels- Disney World

The most magical place in the word,is also extremely food allergy friendly. Hearing the word Disney makes everyone excited,am i right? When most people think of Disney World they think of the castle,the characters,and of course the food.

As someone with food allergies and celiac,when I hear the word travel...I have learned to dread what is to follow. For me it is always hard to travel,but with planing it is doable. But most of the time when I do it is to a place with a time schedule and I pack all of my own food.

With my trip for spring break,however I knew I packing all my meals was not an option,since I would be flying. I did my research as any good celiac/person with food allergies does for everything and everything. And I found out Disney would be extremely easy to be safe at.

I was still a little nervous,because I was traveling for the first time with people who were not my family,or my church youth group. I was traveling with my (at the time) boyfriend's family. Which in and of its self would make any girl nervous.

My Experience-

My vacation to Disney was an amazing experience. All of the restaurants I visited had extremely knowledgeable staff about food allergy safety. It was awesome to feel normal at a restaurant. Disney made me feel at home and welcome,not like an alien or a burden.

Where I stayed-

I stayed at the Wilderness Loge cabins on the Disney property in Florida. It was beautiful and very homey.

At the cabins there is an amazing restaurant that is a must try,The Trail's End Restaurant.  It is barbecue buffet. I know the celiac in you panics,but they have an amazing chef, Chef Michael! Who will make you anything on the buffet fresh to ensure safety. He understands gluten free needs first hand,since his girlfriend is gluten free.

If you eat here you will be treated well.

Day 1-

For my first day in the parks I went to Epcot.

I had lunch at The Electric Umbrella  in  Future World. I had the gluten free chicken tenders and french fries. It was pretty good!

For dinner we ate at the Liberty Inn. I had the New York Strip Steak with broccoli and fries. The steak was so good,nice and tender. The broccoli was perfectly steamed as well.

Day 2-

My second day in the parks  was spent in Magic Kingdom.

We went back to the cabins for lunch. And for dinner we ate at the restaurant located at the cabins,Trail's End.

Day 3-

 My third day i  the parks was spent in Hollywood Studios.

We ate lunch and dinner at our cabin.

I also on day three when to Downtown Disney,which has a gluten free,and vegan bakery,Babycakes NYC. The bakery was hard to find,but totally worth it.

Over All-

My vacation to Disney was amazing. I cannot wait to go again someday! I miss those Mickey shaped ice cream bars,which are gluten free by the way!

Vacation-Myrtle Beach

So I spent one day of my spring break trip in Myrtle Beach! It was so beautiful there. I was in love with the weather,it was warm compared to my home town back in Jersey.

That night we went to Jimmy Buffets Margritaville. It was absolutely amazing. It was the best gluten free and allergen free restaurant experience I have ever had! The servers were all so sweet and filled with knowledge! They have a pretty good amout of gluten free and fish/shellfish free food options! We decided to get the nachos for an appetizer(I've never been able to have an appetizer since being gluten free.) 

I had the grilled chicken sandwich with French fries! They had a dedicated fryer,which was a crazy thing to wrap my mind around. The roll was great,tasted very fresh! If you wanted it they even had desert(WOW!)

The next morning at my hotel they had a complementary breakfast. Which that even had safe options although I had my own oatmeal packets. Which was awesome to see.

This is the gluten free menu-

Gluten Free Travels

So for spring break this year I am traveling,like what most people do. I've traveled on different trips in the past(small weekend trips,retreats,and conferences for different things.) One thing I haven't done as a celiac and person with food allergies is go on vacation!

So for the next nine days I will be traveling to Myrtle beach(currently writing this on the plane!),a small town South Carolina,and Disney World!!!! 

So when it comes to me traveling I ️always have to bring certain things with me. I know I will need them,because some things I cannot depend that where I'm going will have or it is easier to bring them instead of buying them at my destination. I have one rule that these things must obey: they must travel well!

 

These items include:

Protein bars- I'm taking a few in my carry on bag for this trip( my favorites are the Luna bars and kind bars!)

Oatmeal packets- they are an easy meal on the go that travel extremely well! Plus they take up almost no space.

Nuts- another great snack(just double check that you are not on a nut free flight so you don't endanger anyone!)

Another must is to take your medication with you! If you are flying please take you them with you on the plane. You never know what might happen! With me in my carry on/purse for this trip are all my medications(especially Benadryl!) If you are traveling with other people it is helpful for those people to know where you keep your medicines,in case of an emergency! 

The Unexpected Happens, Especially On The Road

   We have all been in sticky situations we never could have expected. For me traveling to competitions hours away from home every weekend this past fall, I was bound for some right? Knowing my luck I was bound for a few this past season.

     On the day of my finale competition I hit a very unexpected situation. All day I had a killer migraine from stress and not sleeping.  After our show I felt really anxious about scores, since the performance was not our best. At pictures I was about to pass out. After awards, we placed third out of the whole coast! We had our typical speech, but I was really not doing so well. I ended up having a panic attack, throwing up, then passing out in the bathroom. I was incredibly dehydrated and my sugar was extremely low. Lets just say when we were stuck at burger king for almost 4 hours because they couldn't make food quickly for over 100 people I was not extremely happy.

    Lessons I hope you and I have learned from my mistakes drink more water, tell others(not just your bus buddy) you don't feel well ,and pack extra food.

Here are some great snacks that travel really well-

• Pretzels
• Apple sauce pouches
• Candy(not the best for you, but whateves! lol)
• Nut butter singles(love yah Sunbutter)

Things that don't pack well-

• Yogurt (please, take my word for it!)
• Bananas
• Chocolate

Nine Things Everyone Should Know

Hear are nine things everyone should know about people with allergies or celiac.

1) We are just like you!- 

Even if we can't eat a slice of bread or fish,doesn't mean we are subhuman or not as good as you! 

2) We can't help it!-

We don't have control over what we can't and can't have. So stop giving us a hard time. 

3) We have working eyes and ears!-

Yes we see your looks in the store when we buy a gluten free product or allergen free one. We hear your comments and snickering. We don't like it, get over yourself(and see number 2.)

4) We have lives!-

Yep we can go to parties,movie,and date others. We don't live under rocks! 

5) The AF/GF community is not a cult or gang!-

This is self explanatory! :D

6) We can be anything we want to be!-

 Hard to believe right, we can be teachers,moms and dads,kids,doctors,chefs, anything!

7) It's not a FAD!-

OMG! The people that think this....you need education!

8) Look out for us!- 

Nothing is more sweet than a friend looking out for another! It makes our day(most of the time.)

9) We don't hate you!-

We only dislike you when you mess with us directly or our AF/GF family! So don't mess with the "gang." 

Great Breakfast Ideas and Tips

Well is summer for most people( I still have seven days of school.)On that note congrats to all the grads! I can't believe that I'm graduating from middle school in a few days!

With summer starting a lot of teens and kids go to camp,or have summer sports(or lay on the couch, not a bad plan! I would if I could.) With summer activities many are more active and in the hot sun, so breakfast can make or break your day. 

This summer I will have really early band practice.We practice in the hot summer heat. Marching band is a very strenuous sport believe it or not. On average we burn more calories in our shows than football players in a game. So therefore a great breakfast is the key to success!(FYI,look you probably learned something before you even got half way through.)

Just a few reminders-

-DO NOT EAT/DRINK MILK PROUDUCTS(it will make you sick with the heat!!!)

-Don't drink sugary or carbonated drinks with breakfast

-Eat some protien and carbs(Energy peoples!)

Some ideas-

-Gluten free pancakes(made the night before) with a little PB or nut butter(I love Justin's Almond butter) and a piece of fruit.

-Eggs with spinach and tomatoes,and a piece of fruit.

It doesn't even have to be breakfast food!

-Brown rice,veggies,and some chicken breast! Add a piece of fruit and you set.

Who says you can't have healthy leftovers from the night before,right!

 Comment below some of your own ideas!

Kind Snacks Review!

             Okay I may have a slight obsession.....Kind bars. I love love love all types of bars! they are great for on the go,school,work, anywhere and everywhere. i have one in my bookbag,purse,my mom's bag,her car,oh and at least a few in my pantry at all times!

My favorite flavors are Dark Chocolate Sea Salt, Almond Coconut,and Apricot Coconut!

Some of the greatest pluses of kind bars are

• Lower in sugar then most(they average around 5 grams)
• Good amount of protein
• Huge section of flavors
• They also make granola that is amazing too! 

Go check out them at http://www.kindsnacks.com/

I was not sponsored in any way from kind snacks!

Recipe Wednesday-Playdough

One known terror to all wheat allergic or celiac kid is..... Playdough!!! Here is a simple recipe for Playdough.I would  have pictures but the Playdough was put in a hot moist container and got moldy/turned into a science project over the weekend.I didn't think you needed pictures of that!

Playdough-

Around 2-4 cups of gf flour(it depends on the flour)

2 tbsp of oil

Around 1-2 cups of water(it depends on the flour)

1 cup of sugar

Food coloring or leave it plain

Vanilla extract

Combine until a dough and enjoy! Even eat it (doesn't taste bad.)

Lunch Box Monday-Cool Snacks

   So as you know very well gluten free products can be expensive and some taste like the bottom of a shoe,yes shoe!After trying out what seems to be far to many cookies and pretzels, I came to a great list of kid approved snacks(I tested them on willing friends and little cousins.)

Top Ten Snacks-

1. Lucy's Cookies(vegan,gluten free,nut free,gmo free,and all natural)
2. Organ Kids Mini Outback Animals(nut free,soy free,gluten free,wheat free,dairy free,egg free,yeast free,vegan)
3. Surf Sweets(organic,natural,gluten free,top 10 free)
4. Yummy Earth(organic,gluten free,top 8 free)
5. Glutino pretzels(gluten free)
6. Skinny Popcorn(top 8 free,gluten free)
7. Popchips(gluten free)
8. Rice Cakes(mostly top 8 free and gluten free but check)
9. Udi's Bars(gluten free,dairy free)
10. Crunchmaster Crackers(gluten free)

Back to School: Lunches

Recipe time!

For Parents-
For back to school I have some great kid ''friendly'' school lunch recipes!They include fresh,vibrant colors and flavors that your children have been enjoying all summer long! As we all know it is stressful on both the student and parent! As a parent you have many thing on your mind ,especially if your child is starting a new school, the last thing you want on your mind is making school lunches your child will eat! And with your child's dietary needs, that is now what worries you even more than the average parent!So dig out those fun lunch boxes and star shaped cookie cutters for your little star!

For children and teens-
For back to school as we all know it is a fun time to meet new friends and find the prefect new pencil case!But for us with food allergies or celiac it is a time that can be stressful! so i have some awesome allergen free school lunch ideas for a fun back to school season!That even you can help make!



DIY Lunchables-

Pizza-

• Dairy free cheese(That meet your allergen needs)
• Pizza sauce
• Crust(cauliflower,pre-made,or homemade)
• Fruit leather(Trader Joe's has great organic ones)
• Mini water bottle

You can pack in a Easy Lunchbox or little baggies!

Classic PB&J-

• Sunbutter(see my review)
• Gluten free crackers or *bread(depending on your needs)
• Jam(read the labels a lot of them have wheat flour)

* Cut the bread into fun shapes to make them fun!

Pass The Test Pesto-

• 2-3 Table spoons of pesto
• 1 cup of Brown rice pasta
• 4-5 halved cherry tomatoes

I Love You to the Moon and Back Cheese and Crackers-

• *Sliced cheese(soy,almond,or other)
• Gluten free crackers

*Cut into stars,hearts,and moons
 

SunButter

So I have been peanut free for a couple months! I have been trying to find something that is as good as good old pb!!

Well I found it!! SunButter is gluten and nut free!! But the greatest thing is that they come in a jar or in 1.1 oz packets!!
It is one of my favs!!!!


You can find out even more about Sunbutter