PB & J Sandwiches Made NUT-FREE

A good old fashioned PB & J sandwich used to evoke many pleasant memories from my childhood. However, PB & anything now evokes a queasy feeling in stomach that only be described as fear and anxiety. This simple, yet tasty combo can send my boy into anaphylaxis shock. When more than half his lunchroom brings this sandwich to school, needless to say I worry. He has had a nut allergy since he was barely a year old. Not a day goes by without thinking about all the possible outcomes. It is just something we have gotten used to. I wouldn’t wish it upon anyone, and I am thankful his reactions have been few and far between.

As his mom, and former lover of peanut butter it is now ridden from my diet. I do crave that PB & J sandwich on a hot summers day at the beach or late at night for quick snack! There are many products on the market nowadays. This is great for the food allergy community, but not all of them are quite good! Sorry, but it’s the truth! I was happy to find alternatives that actually tasted good! I have narrowed down my favorites for making a tasty, nut-free PB & J sandwich!

 

Lunchbox Ready: Just thaw & enjoy! Perfect for lunch, after school snack or trips. Really anytime is the right time to enjoy! 

Dr. Praegar’s Sunwiches: Sunflower seed butter with grape or strawberry jelly! Only 200 calories, 4grams of fiber and 7 grams of protein! These crustless wonders pack a nutritious bite, made with ingredients you can recognize! Screen Shot 2016-05-11 at 3.14.39 PM

Annie’s Homegrown Pea B&J Pockets: Featuring 9g whole grains, these crustless sandwiches are layered with real strawberry fruit spread and golden pea butter made from a legume variety that’s cousin to the green peas you scooted off your plate as a kid.

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Make Your Own Sandwich: These nut free butters are the real deal. Pair it with your favorite bread and jelly or add some bananas and marshmallow fluff! Or just eat if right from a spoon! I won’t judge! 

Don’t Go Nuts Organic Chocolate soy butter: Their bestseller! Almost 2X more protein & fiber and 1/3 the sugar per serving as chocolate-flavored hazelnut spreads!  It features organic cocoa. Way better than Nutella!

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 WOWBUTTER Creamy Soynut butter: 1200mg OMEGA-3 essential oils for good health; peanut butter has 0mg! Best thing about this product is that it comes in CRUNCHY as well! It tastes like peanut butter- but better!

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Even if you don’t have an allergy, these are great to have in the house for your kids to bring to school or playdates. Allergy parents truly appreciate when other moms & dads go out of their way to make their kiddo feel safe around food!

Food should bring people together, not tear them apart!

Teal Pumpkin Project

It’s October folks! While I am dreaming of eating everything “pumpkin” this season, most kids are excited for what lies on the last day of the month! Halloween! Kids get to use their imaginations and create costumes or resemble their favorite superhero or Disney character all while filling their bags with sugary sweets! For some kids, trick-or-treating is not as exciting as it seems. For they know at the end of the night almost 90% of the treats they collected must be given away or thrown in the trash. I am talking about the 1 in every 13 children who have food allergies in the U.S. I am also talking about my son. While they want to dress up and trick-or-treat with their friends, they know one bite of a candy bar might cost them their life.

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What can you do?

FARE’s Teal Pumpkin Project™ promotes safety, inclusion and respect of individuals managing food allergies. This nationwide movement offers an alternative for kids with food allergies, as well as other children for whom candy is not an option, and keeps Halloween a fun, positive experience for all!

Join the pledge this year to provide a safe alternative for these kids along with the 100,000 other households.

Paint a pumpkin teal and place it outside for all to see! You can also download a free printable here that indicates you have non-food treats available. What a wonderful new tradition you can start with your family. You don’t have to rid your house of food treats completely.  Offering a safe alternative to a child with allergies just shows you have went the extra mile to make sure everyone is happy & safe on Halloween.

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As a fellow allergy mom, it would honestly mean more to me than you know. It really is the little things that people do to show you they care that mean the most. Everything starts from one small gesture…

Get Painting~

Joy

Need non-food ideas- comment below and I will send some your way!