Gluten Allergen Free Expo April 29-May1, 2011 Lisle Illinois

Update:  I check out the website and cooking classes are more.  See below in the dark purple.

Gluten Allergen Free Expo is April 30, 2011 and May 1, 2011 at the Wyndham Hotel in Lisle Illinois.  There will be cooking classes, a vendor fair with demo stage, book fair, kids area, dietitian and food service training sessions, and products for sampling and purchasing. 

There will also be presenters:  Shauna James Ahern, Elizabeth Barbone, Carol Fenster, Beth Hillson, Silvana Nardone, Cybele Pascal, Lee Tobin, Sueson Vess (Wheaton's very own), and more. 

The book fair and vendor fair are open to the public.  Ticket prices are $10 in advance, $15 at the door, children 12 and under are free.  The cooking classes are $175.00 for each day.
To register in advance visit http://www.gfafexpo.com/ or call 847-217-1317.

Cooking sessions include admission to the vendor fair, gourmet lunch, a large gift bag of gfree goodies, and  all of the printed recipes and cooking tips. 

I cannot wait to attend, I've wanted to go for the past few years and never had a chance.

There will also be one held in Dallas Texas, October 1st and 2nd, 2011, details can be found at http://www.gfafexpo.com/.

Allergy Free Cooking and Recipes

Earlier this fall I shared a new online cooking show, Eat Freely Show with Cybele.  Cybele Pascal has her own website where she shares recipes, information on food allergies, and video's.  To check it out, click here.  She currently has a recipe for a cake donut on there, I cannot wait to try to make it.

If you can find her Baking guide at your library, check it out.  She has the best pie crust recipe ever!  This pie crust is the closest to a regular pie crust you can get, flaky and tasty.

Be sure to check out the latest recipe to be posted on Eat Freely Show, Allergy-Friendly Old-Fashioned Mac n'Cheese.

Eat Freely Show

I just learned today about a new show online called "Eat Freely with Cybele".  Cybele Pascal has written a cookbook The Allergy-Free Baker's Handbook.  I discovered this book at my local library and I've been creating some the recipes in it.  Click here to check it out.  I'm so excited about this show I cannot wait to explore the site in more detail. 

Illinois Food Allergy Education Association

I just read about the Illinois Food Allergy Education Association from my school districts special needs PTA and thought I would share it with my readers, who have kids with food allergies.  I've looked through some of the tabs on the site and it looks pretty promising.  They have a link to the new law passed in Illinois that requires school districts to in act safety guidelines for students with life threatening food allergies. 

Children's Memorial Hospital Chicago, Food Allergy Study

I received an email from one of the Autism groups with the information below in it.  I thought I would share it.

"Children's Memorial Hospital is conducting a study to better understand food



allergies—what causes them, how to prevent them, and the best ways to treat


them. The research team has already enrolled 500 families, and is hoping to


recruit 500 more for this study. If you have at least one food-allergy affected


child (ages 0-21 years), and both biological parents willing to participate,


please call 1-(888)-573-1833 or email allergystudy@.... If


both parents aren't available, your child may still be eligible to participate


in a separate study.






The study involves a questionnaire and clinical evaluation. Each participant


will receive a $25 gift card to Target, free parking and additional gift card(s)


to cover travel expenses. Please consider participating in this important


study, which will hopefully shed more light on the growing problem of food


allergies in the U.S.






If you would like to pick up a brochure that describes this study in more


detail, please feel free to stop by Whole Foods and ask for me—I have a packet


of them and would be more than happy to hand them out to anyone who is


interested.

Lauren White


Store Concierge/Marketing Assistant


Whole Foods Market


7245 W. Lake Street


River Forest, IL 60305


Phone: (708) 366-1045"

Natural Candy Store

I just read about this website NaturalCandyStore.com on one of the many Autism email groups I belong to and wanted to share it with you all. They have vegan, gluten-free, organic, allergy-free candies and more. Check it out!

Illinois HB 281, passed and signed into Law!

Today Governor Pat Quinn sign HB281 into law. HB 281 requires Illinois school districts to make guidelines to accommodate students with food allergies. This is a step forward for families dealing with food allergies in their kids. To read the entire bill click here to visit the State of Illinois legislation website.

Chicago Tribune Allergen Tracker database

I just discovered this database that the Chicago Tribune put together. My boys both have food allergies, they are allergic to cow's milk and eggs. The youngest one loves chicken nuggets and I am having no luck finding his favorite Gluten free chicken nuggets. In November the Chicago Tribune did a story on the hidden allergens in foods kids eat. This article focused on my son's favorite chicken nuggets that are dinosaur shaped and sold only at one of the largest health food store chains (nationwide). An independent lab discovered hidden gluten in these nuggets. Which prompted the store and the brand owners to pull the product. The brand is searching for a new manufacturer to produce these nuggets. The point is while searching for more information I discovered this database Allergen Tracker that the Chicago Tribune has put together. If you have someone you love with a food allergy you have to check it out here.

Organic Candy Canes, do exist!

As I posted previously, two of my kids have food allergies. I was able to find some organic candy canes, free of artificial colors and flavoring, minimal sugar, and best of all they taste pretty good. Pure Fun Confections Inc. makes these wonderful treats. Here is what is in them; organic evaporated cane juice, organic brown rice syrup, natural peppermint flavor, organic fruit juice, that is it! Now you can get these online at AllergyGrocer.com. These yummy treats are also available at Whole Foods, you can find a store near you. Whole Foods does not sell items online. Check it out!

Kids with Food Allergies, ways to save a little on groceries.

I have two boys both with food allergies and sensitivities. Both are allergic to cow's milk. One is allergic to eggs on top of the milk. Both are sensitive to corn, cane sugar. My oldest has other sensitivities besides corn and cane sugar. Both follow a gluten free/casein free diet, which is not easy to do.

It is not easy to save money on groceries when you have to shop for speciality food items. I would say that my monthly grocery bill increased by about $200. That is a huge increase, especially being a one income family. I have found ways to save a little on the special foods. Many of the speciality food items have websites, I have logged on and joined their clubs and newsletters. Some even offer coupons on the website for you to print out. Shop around, if you live in a large metro area you most likely have several grocery stores and health/natural food stores. Take the time to visit them all, take along a small note pad and compare the prices on the items you use most often. I discovered that my local health food store chain has the lowest prices on the specialty items I buy every two weeks and they accept manufacturers coupon and Internet coupons. The local health food store has very knowledgeable staffers, too!

I am very lucky to have 2 Whole Foods Markets with 10 miles of my home. Did you know that Whole Foods has a monthly free newsletter "The Whole Deal" and in it there is section of manufacturers coupons that you can use at Whole Foods or any other store that sell and accepts coupons. Whole Foods even takes Internets coupons. They also offer a 10% discount if you purchase food items by the case. Sign up for their emails and from time to time you will receive special offers. I recently received a $5 off coupon a purchase of $25 or more.

There are many online sources for allergy free food items. You can find speciality flours in bulk which in the long run are cost affective, but the product can go bad. Many of the ancient grain flours need to be stored in the freezer or refrigerator to keep them fresh. That is one thing to keep in mind when shopping for alternative flours. Some of my favorite websites for allergy free foods are:
http://www.food4celiacs.com/
http://www.allergygrocer.com/
http://www.nuworldfamily.com/default.asp
http://allerneeds.com/
http://www.vancesfoods.com/
http://www.amazon.com/Natural-Organic-Grocery/b/ref=sa_menu_nto6?ie=UTF8&node=51537011&pf_rd_p=328655101&pf_rd_s=left-nav-1&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=507846&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1FQJT24W0G9FW79MW38W

For me it is really important for me to have some of our family favorites on hand for the holidays that are allergy free for my boys, even cand that they can have! Happy Thanksgiving!