Healthy Crumbs Week: Feedback Friday: How Do I Avoid Cross-Contamination at Home?

HEALTHY CRUMB: FEEDBACK FRIDAY

Feedback Friday gives me a chance to respond to you, my readers. Topics will be based on your comments, questions, and thought you are interested in discussing. Each week I will pick a reader to respond to in this post. These topics are up to you, my readers, so start commenting on what you would like to hear about! Leave a comment, question, or suggestion on the blog, our Facebook Fan Page, or email me, and your response might be picked to be our Healthy Crumb: Feedback Friday of the month!

Healthy Crumb; Feedback Friday: How Can I Avoid Cross-Contamination at Home?

One question that comes up a lot among our readers is, "how do I avoid cross contamination in my kitchen?"  Many people, as careful as they are, still ingest allergens by cross contamination, whether it's at a restaurant or even in their own homes. Let's face it, it is hard when one person is eating allergen free foods and other individuals in your household are not. Because crumbs go everywhere, it can be hard to prevent cross contamination. However, there are a few tips and guidelines you can follow to help prevent cross contamination in your kitchen. 

• No sharing, no double dipping, and always squeeze if possible! Don't share, even for items that are naturally allergen free. This includes common condiments like peanut butter, jam, butter, and mayo; if the spreading knife has touched it, it's contaminated. When making toast and sandwiches these items can easily become contaminated with gluten, dairy, or other allergens via a contaminated knife. Try marking and using specific containers for "allergen free" foods or designating parts of your pantry and refrigerator to be allergen free zones. Knowing what they are putting their serving utensils into will help make sure allergen eating family members don't accidentally contaminate your food. Also, if available, buy squeeze bottles. This helps prevent condiments like ketchup, mustard, relish, and mayo from getting any allergens in the bottles.

• No sharing goes for some appliances too! If you are gluten sensitive, have your own separate toaster. I know this sounds extreme, but think of all those little crumbs that fall into the toaster and hardly ever get cleaned out! Besides, can you really get them all out even if you clean it after every use; no!  Another option is to use a toaster oven where the rack can be removed and washed after each use. Or have both; gluten bread only goes in the toaster and gluten free foods only go into the toaster oven. 

• Be a label freak and keep it separate! Store all allergen free products in separate labeled containers. You can label them "allergen free" or buy brightly colored stickers and put them on everything that is, and should remain, allergen free. In addition, storing all allergen free foods in a separate place in the cupboard or pantry and refrigerator helps prevent accidental cross contamination. For dried goods, like flours and cooking aids, store them on the upper shelves of the pantry or cupboard, always above the allergen containing products, to prevent flour dust and crumbs from falling into or onto the packages and containers of allergen free items. 

• Keeping things separate goes for utensils too!  Have your own set of utensils and other items for allergen free baking and cooking. This includes things like wooden utensils, cutting boards, colanders, and sifters; anything that can be hard to get completely clean. In some homes, if you are the one who does most of the cooking for the family, most everything you eat is probably allergen free anyways, so this separation issue may not be as difficult to maintain as it might be in other households. 

• Scrub, scrub, and scrub some more! Always make sure pots, utensils, and anything that is used for food storage and preparation are thoroughly scrubbed before bringing them into contact with allergen free foods. (No using the same fork or utensil to stir gluten containing pasta and gluten free pasta when they are being cooked at the same time!) Also, always make sure the counter space used to prepare allergen free foods has been freshly scrubbed down to ensure it is free from crumbs or flour dust. Be sure to use a fresh sponge, cloth, or towel when cleaning up, otherwise, you could just be spreading the allergen around instead of cleaning it up! One good tip is to cook the allergen free item first before preparing allergen containing foods. This way the allergen free foods are less likely to get contaminated. 

By following these tips and guidelines you can help prevent cross contamination in your kitchen!  Do you have other suggestions or unique routines you follow to prevent cross contamination from happening in your kitchen?  If so, please feel free to share them with your fellow readers!

posted by Allergy Free and Cheap Like Me! at 7:00 AM 0 comments

Healthy Crumbs Week: New Product Thursday: PJ's Organic Chicken Enchilada Meal!

HEALTHY CRUMB: NEW PRODUCT THURSDAY

During New Product Thursday I will highlight and review different allergen-free products.  If you've heard of an allergen-free product you would like me to review and highlight on the blog, please feel free to leave a comment or email me the details and I will be happy to highlight it on a New Product Thursday!  And trust me between me - the picky eater and my husband - who eats everything and anything, you will get a wide variety of opinions! 

Healthy Crumb; New Product Thursday: PJ’s Organic Chicken Enchilada Meal ☺

One evening not so long ago, I had a bit of a meltdown. Now if you know anything about me, you know, meltdowns occur if I don't eat on a regular schedule. So there I was, at the grocery store no less, having a full blown meltdown and at a compete loss for something to eat. How could I be at a loss for something to eat at a grocery store you might ask? (Something my husband asks me all the time.) Well, try having sensitivities to gluten, dairy, eggs, and soy, then get back to me. (My husband rolls his eyes after that comment.) Yes, yes, there are always fruits and vegetables right there at my disposal and I could have grabbed an apple, orange, peach…some type of fruit for a quick fix, and in fact I did because I needed something to tide me over until I could think of something more to eat, like an actual dinner.  

Enter, PJ's Organic Chicken Enchilada Meal. Now, normally I never buy frozen dinners because honestly they are expensive and we are a no microwave household which means, frozen dinners are not necessarily fast dinners in the toaster oven. I could make the same thing from scratch for about the same amount of time and a lot cheaper. But as it happened, PJ's Organic Chicken Enchilada Meal was on sale and the grocery store had a microwave in their dinning area for customers to use. So my quick, healthy dinner was decided.  

PJ's Organic Chicken Enchilada frozen meal features a healthy-portioned Chicken Enchilada, accompanied with organic brown rice and black beans. It only takes 5 minutes to cook in the microwave, so it’s a perfect choice for lunchtime or when you need a quick meal. All of PJ’s Organics products are made with USDA-certified organic ingredients, and contain no GMO’s, pesticides or preservatives.

Although I haven’t tried them yet, PJ’s Organics also makes a few other gluten-free items including, Beef Enchilada Meal, Deluxe Chicken Taquitos, and Traditional Chicken Taquitos. And if the other gluten-free meals are anything at all like the Chicken Enchilada Meal, you can bet I'll be trying one in the very near future.

Have you tried any of PJ's Organic Meals?  Please feel free to share how you liked them!

posted by Allergy Free and Cheap Like Me! at 7:00 AM 0 comments

Healthy Crumbs Week: Guest Blogger Wednesday: The Non-Allergic Voice!

HEALTHY CRUMB: GUEST BLOGGER WEDNESDAY

Guest Blogger Wednesday is exactly what it sounds like! Each Guest Blogger Wednesday, a special guest blogger will be highlighted and will write a post. This is a fun way for me to help introduce different perspectives, stories, experiences, and ideas about allergies to all of you! Look for a variety of allergy related topics from people with different backgrounds, lifestyles, and expertise, as well as, tips about food allergies and food intolerances.  

Healthy Crumb; Guest Blogger Wednesday: The Non-Allergic Voice

We are happy this week to have our first guest blogger!  I couldn't think of anyone better to have as our first guest blogger then someone very near and dear to me, my husband (plus he really wanted to do a blog post). Who, as he would say, is the real victim of my food allergies. In his blog post he gives a funny yet accurate view from a person without food allergies who lives with a person with food allergies, and tips and tricks on how to deal. He is a two time blog poster who's readership went viral among immediate family members in 2011. In his spare time he enjoys his wife's delicious (rice, water, and air) meals, listening to records, and spending time with his wife (me). All kidding aside, without his support I wouldn't have made it this far in my allergy journey. I hope you enjoy!

The Non-Allergic Voice. (or delicious meals out of rice, water, and air)

Food allergy blogs are great, not just for the folks who have food allergies themselves, but for the friends and family members who live with or hang around people with sensitivities to certain types of food. Like Allergy Free and Cheap Like Me, these blogs help friends and family members gain a better understanding and awareness of different types of food allergies that exist and how to best address them so they are not a problem.  Ultimately, the posts are written for the people who actually have the food allergies, not for those that do not.  Well, this post is different. This post will try to shift some of the focus toward people without food allergies who live in a world dominated by food allergies.

Initially, from the perspective of someone who does not have any food allergies or intolerances, finding out someone close to you has food allergies can be scary.  Not just scary because you are unsure how to support someone with food sensitivities, but also because you realize that, by default, now you have food allergies too. (Cue the soundtrack of a thousand taste buds screaming.) In our household that means no more soy, eggs, gluen, corn, and dairy because those are the things my wife is allergic too. While my first thoughts were focused on the "for better or for worse" part of our wedding vows and how could this be happening considering Darwin's work on natural selection, my later thoughts were much more rational; you can make lots of delicious meals with rice, water, and air.  Yep, that's what goes through the minds of those of us without food allergies. Okay, maybe not everyone, but some.  So now what?

To help those of you who have recently experienced the situation I described above and are looking for some help, please read through these six mantras and suggestions that helped me and others make it through this period in our lives:

1) Food allergies are not the end of the culinary world as you know it; just like powder blue leisure suits or hammer pants were not the end of the fashion world. 

2) Use this situation as an opportunity to change the food rut we all find ourselves in from time to time. You now have a great excuse to venture out and expose your palette to a variety of new and delicious foods. 

3) Both you and the person with food allergies will have meltdowns.  As long as the other person's food allergies are not fatal, committing culinary sin once in a while will not harm your eternal soul.

4) Know that there will be times of frustration because it seems like you cannot eat what you want to eat since the person or people you regularly share meals with have food allergies. This feeling will eventually become less frequent as you begin to find substitutes for the foods you use to eat all the time that are cheaper and much healthier for you in the long-run. 

5) Try not to make a big deal out of it. When you do, you just make the person with the food sensitivities feel bad; then you feel bad. There's enough negativity in the world.

6) Accept that Thanksgiving dinner may never be the same again. (And hard cider gravy makes everything taste better.)

I hope these help with your transition into the allergy free world. No matter how much I believe in this list nor how many non-allergic people it has helped over the years, it is by no means exclusive. I would love to here from you about your mantras and suggestions that have helped non-allergic folks live and survive in your allergy free world.  Please leave your comments below so I can see if I need to expand my list. Until then, be well.

posted by Allergy Free and Cheap Like Me! at 8:49 AM 2 comments

Healthy Crumbs Week: Cheap Tip Tuesday: Saving on the Cost of an Allergen Free Diet!

HEALTHY CRUMB: CHEAP TIP TUESDAY

Cheap Tip Tuesday came about because it came to my attention by comments from a few of my wonderful readers, that I have neglected the “cheap” in Allergy Free and Cheap Like Me. It is true, I have. I haven’t done this on purpose. But I have forgotten to include regularly how making things at home is much cheaper than buying pre-made items from the store, especially allergen-free products. Or how I save at the grocery store when I buy ingredients for my recipes. On Cheap Tip Tuesday, look for ways to cut the cost of making all of your allergen-free meals and treats. These tips and tricks can also be used to save money in others areas of your budget too! Remember, crumbs here and there might not be much by themselves, but gathered together, you can make enough stuffing to feed the whole family for Thanksgiving!  

Healthy Crumb; Cheap Tip Tuesday: Saving on the Cost of an Allergen Free Diet!

One of the biggest hurdles and complaints of an allergen free diet is the cost. Allergen free breads, pastas, baked goods, and pre-made meals often cost more than twice as much as "regular" products. Some allergen free specialty items, depending on where you live, might sometimes have to be ordered by mail, with extra costs for shipping. This all adds to the expense of staying healthy and allergen free. Here are some tips to help you save on your food budget and still stay on your allergen free diet!

Plan ahead: Make a menu or weekly list of meals. This not only helps you save money and time at the grocery store, but it prevents you from buying things you don't need or wasting time trying to find something that sounds good. It also helps you figure out what to make for dinner in the middle of a busy week. 

Where to shop: Shop at regular grocery stores. Get as much of your food as possible at regular grocery stores. Most items on an allergen free shopping list are naturally allergen free, and these items will often times be cheaper at a regular grocery store instead of at a specialty foods store. You can also find lots of things on your list at a "club" or "warehouse" store and most of the time buying in bulk is cheaper! Just make sure to always comparison shop and check the prices by pound or ounces to make sure a product is really cheaper at a club or warehouse store. This goes for buying in bulk at the regular grocery stores too. Make sure bulk is indeed cheaper than the packaged version; sometimes it is, sometimes it is not! You should also scan weekly flyers for sales on items you use regularly and try to stock up them; try to never buy them unless they are on sale. Shopping locally at farmers markets or farm stands can be another good place to find bargains as well. Produce will not only be fresher, but most likely grown organically. As an added bonus, because it's local, you are also helping to reduce the transportation costs and impact on our environment!

Shopping online: Do some comparison shopping online. If there is a specialty item you are looking for, search for it on Google and then check the prices at a variety of sites. Product prices can vary widely among companies, as well as shipping costs. You can reduce shipping costs by placing larger orders at most places, but check around. If you use an item regularly, try looking into ordering a case or carton. (My husband frequently uses this trick.) If your storage space is limited, consider asking a family member or friend to go in on a case or carton with you before buying.

Coupons: You can get coupons from lots of different places and coupons on allergen free products are not unheard of if you look for them. Check out manufacturer websites, the weekly Sunday paper, websites of your favorite stores, coupon codes online for online stores, and coupon websites such as, coupon cabin, mambo sprouts, and smart source for coupons.  

Eat In: As often as possible, cook or bake from scratch, it's always going to be cheaper than pre-made items. When I was newly diagnosed and overwhelmed with all the new changes, it was much easier to buy pre-made products than to think about how to make my own. But after a while, I realized I could make yummy delicious things from scratch for far less money, much healthier, and with better flavor than anything that came out of a box! 

Tax Deductible / FSA Savings:

While I am not an accountant or legal tax expert, the IRS may be able to help you better cope with some of your allergies. (When's the last time you heard someone say something good about the IRS.) If you suffer from celiac disease you may be able to deduct the extra cost of gluten free foods on your taxes. In the United States, the IRS makes no specific reference to celiac disease. However, several rulings by the IRS seem to suggest that if your total medical expenses for the year exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross income, you may be able to deduct the difference in cost between “regular” food products and gluten-free alternatives, as well as the total cost of items that would not be purchased at all if not for the gluten-free diet (i.e. xantham gum or shipping costs). Only food used by a celiac patient would be deductible. Every receipt must be saved, along with receipts for gluten-containing foods to prove the difference in price. You’ll also need a doctor’s letter to confirm the diagnosis and the need for the gluten-free diet.  You might also be able to consider a flexible spending account. If your out-of-pocket medical expenses won’t total more than 7.5% of your adjusted gross income, you may be still be able to use a Flexible Spending Account to pay for the difference in cost between “regular” and gluten-free foods (and related shipping expenses) with before-tax dollars. Of course, be sure to see if your flexible spending plan covers these expenses and always check with a certified public accountant before claiming any of the above expenses on your taxes. 

Well I hope some of these tips were helpful.  Do you have any cheap tips for an allergen free diet?  If so, please feel free to share them with your fellow readers!  

posted by Allergy Free and Cheap Like Me! at 7:00 AM 0 comments

Healthy Crumbs Week: Mindful Monday: Hidden Gluten!

HEALTHY CRUMB: MINDFUL MONDAY

What is Mindful Monday?  Well, to put it simply, it's about being "mindful" in our everyday lives! Now, I know the topics of natural health tips, water safety, or toxic ingredients in beauty supplies don’t necessary have much to do with food allergies, but they do have an awful lot to do with HEALTH. And if you are anything like me, we can all use a bit of help in the overall healthy living department. We are all very "mindful" about what we are ingesting through the food we eat by scrupulously reading each and every label and ingredient list to look for allergens. But are we "mindful' about what we are ingesting through the products we use on our bodies or the effects our lifestyles have on our overall health and environment?  Chances are we might just discover how unmindful we can sometimes be!

Healthy Crumb; Mindful Monday: Hidden Gluten

Already cutting gluten out of what you are ingesting through your foods because of a gluten allergy or sensitivity? What about gluten in the products you are putting on your body, hair, and face? Here is a list of cosmetic ingredients that may contain gluten and should be avoided if you have a gluten sensitivity. Scientific research shows that up to 60% of what we put on our skin is absorbed into our bloodstream. You could be ingesting gluten without knowing it through the products you use!

Ingredients that may contain gluten:

• Fermented grain extract
• Amp-isostearoyl hydrolyzed wheat protein
• Hydrolyzed wheat gluten
• Hydrolyzed wheat starch
• Hydrolyzed wheat protein pg-propyl silanetriol
• Wheat amino acids hydoxypropyl trimonium wheat protein
• Wheat amino acids
• Steardimonium hydroxypropyl hydrolyzed wheat protein
• Hydrolyzed wheat protein
• Hydrolyzed wheat protein/pvp cross-polymer
• Hydrolyzed wheat protein (and) hydrolyzed wheat starch
• Triticum vulgare (wheat) gluten extract/water
• Wheat (triticum vulgare) bran extract
• Hydrolyzed wheat protein pg-propyl silanetriol
• Triticum vulgare (wheat) flour lipids
• Wheat germamidopropyldimonium hydroxypropyl
• Wheat germ extract
• Wheat germ oil
• Wheat germ glycerides
• Disodium wheat germamido peg-2 sulfosuccinat
• Vitamin e derived from wheat germ oil
• Triticum vulgare (wheat) germ oil
• Triticum vulgare (wheat) germ extract
• Wheat germ glycerides
• Wheat germ extract
• Oat
• Oat (avena sativa) flour
• Oat (avena sativa) bran extract
• Oat (avena sativa) bran
• Oat (avena sativa) protein
• Rye
• Barley
• Barley extract
• Samino peptide complex
• Hordeum vulgare (barley) extract
• Phytosphingosine extract
• Barley lipids
• Millet (may case sensitivity for some)

With no required safety testing, cosmetics companies can use almost any chemical they want, regardless of risks. Always READ labels before you buy!

What allergen-friendly products do you like and use? Please feel free to share them with your fellow readers!

posted by Allergy Free and Cheap Like Me! at 7:00 AM 0 comments

Healthy Crumbs Week Recap!!

Allergy Free and Cheap Like Me is so excited to be sharing our first Healthy Crumbs Week starting on Monday! For all of you who checked out our Facebook fan page this week and "liked" us, you were among the privileged few to get the inside scoop on what each Healthy Crumb day will be all about; thanks so much! For the rest of you who missed out on the details, we've provided a recap below. 

HEALTHY CRUMB: MINDFUL MONDAY

What is Mindful Monday?  Well, to put it simply, it's about being "mindful" in our everyday lives! Now, I know the topics of natural health tips, water safety, or toxic ingredients in beauty supplies don’t necessary have much to do with food allergies, but they do have an awful lot to do with HEALTH. And if you are anything like me, we can all use a bit of help in the overall healthy living department. We are all very "mindful" about what we are ingesting through the food we eat by scrupulously reading each and every label and ingredient list to look for allergens. But are we "mindful' about what we are ingesting through the products we use on our bodies or the effects our lifestyles have on our overall health and environment?  Chances are we might just discover how unmindful we can sometimes be!

HEALTHY CRUMB: CHEAP TIP TUESDAY

Cheap Tip Tuesday came about because it came to my attention by comments from a few of my wonderful readers, that I have neglected the “cheap” in Allergy Free and Cheap Like Me. It is true, I have. I haven’t done this on purpose. But I have forgotten to include regularly how making things at home is much cheaper than buying pre-made items from the store, especially allergen-free products. Or how I save at the grocery store when I buy ingredients for my recipes. On Cheap Tip Tuesday, look for ways to cut the cost of making all of your allergen-free meals and treats. These tips and tricks can also be used to save money in others areas of your budget too! Remember, crumbs here and there might not be much by themselves, but gathered together, you can make enough stuffing to feed the whole family for Thanksgiving!  

HEALTHY CRUMB: GUEST BLOGGER WEDNESDAY

Guest Blogger Wednesday is exactly what it sounds like! Each Guest Blogger Wednesday, a special guest blogger will be highlighted and will write a post. This is a fun way for me to help introduce different perspectives, stories, experiences, and ideas about allergies to all of you! Look for a variety of allergy related topics from people with different backgrounds, lifestyles, and expertise, as well as, tips about food allergies and food intolerances.  

HEALTHY CRUMB: NEW PRODUCT THURSDAY

During New Product Thursday I will highlight and review different allergen-free products.  If you've heard of an allergen-free product you would like me to review and highlight on the blog, please feel free to leave a comment or email me the details and I will be happy to highlight it on a New Product Thursday!  And trust me between me - the picky eater and my husband - who eats everything and anything, you will get a wide variety of opinions! 

HEALTHY CRUMB: FEEDBACK FRIDAY

Feedback Friday gives me a chance to respond to you, my readers. Topics will be based on your comments, questions, and topics you are interested in or have questions about. Each week I will pick a comment and respond to it, these topics are up to you, my readers, so start commenting on what you would like to hear about! Leave a comment, question, or suggestion on the blog, our Facebook Fan Page, or email me, and your comment might be picked to be our Healthy Crumb: Feedback Friday of the month!

Now that you are no longer in the dark about what Healthy Crumbs Week is all about, be sure to stop by next week to find out just how tasty these " healthy crumbs" are. Thanks again for being great readers and we look forward to reading your comments next week! 

posted by Allergy Free and Cheap Like Me! at 3:11 PM 6 comments