Did You Know That Some Food Allergy Purchases Might Be Tax Deductible?

Just came across a really interesting guest post on the blog It's an Itchy Little World that got my attention - taxes and food allergies in the United States.  The post emphasizes the importance of itemizing and tracking your purchases and having your doctor's documentation.  It appears that the key is whether or not the purchase can be found at any run of the mill grocery store.  That said, my reading of the article and comments is that one must also consider the  "thresholds" - i.e. is it worth it?  Nonetheless, I think it is worth closer examination.  What do you think?

What are Your Egg-Free Easter Plans?

Easter totally creeped up on my this year and I must admit that I am somewhat unprepared.  I had intended on ordering a dozen ceramic egg-alternatives from Egg Nots to give Lady Grace the experience of dyeing eggs for the first time, but I don't think that an order from the United States would reach France in just a matter of days.  Nonetheless, I thought I would share this egg alternative for those of you in the States.  The story behind the development of these products is really heart-warming.  Apparently, the owner created these ceramic eggs as a way to include her niece in egg-dyeing activities.  These ceramic alternatives get rave reviews...I guess there is always next year for our family!   In lieu of using Egg Nots, I have found some chocolate eggs wrapped in colored foil paper (produced in the UK) that we will be using for our Easter Egg hunt along with plastic eggs stuffed with egg-free candies. Tell us: What are your egg-free Easter plans?

Photo From EggNots.com Website

My Trip to Whole Foods in London

I recently had an opportunity to visit to London (hence the radio silence on the blog) and had a fabulous time!  Most people look at me in a weird way when I say that my second stop in London after Buckingham Palace was Whole Foods in the Picadilly Circus area!  I spent nearly an hour just perusing the aisles.  You see, when we were living in the States, Whole Foods was a part of our weekly grocery shopping routine - in fact, it was part of our Friday evening routine.  In fact, my husband would tease me about not spending my whole paycheck at Whole Foods!  I love this store for the high quality, fresh food and the availability of egg-free commercial products for Lady Grace.  Since I was in London on business, I didn't have much space to bring back a lot, but I did manage to squeeze in a few items.  I was particularly excited to find egg-free mayo and Ener-G Egg Replacer since our stock was getting low. Not sure how I will use the egg-free mayo yet...any ideas?  I'd been feeling a bit homesick, but this trip to Whole Foods did wonders for me!  Below is a picture of my few purchases.  Is there a store that you are crazy about?

My Whole Foods Purchase in London

Black Mushroom & Peas Fried Brown Rice

So I am back on my healthy lunch kick, only eating vegetarian for lunch. Here is what I made today with some random items that I found in my fridge. I tried to convince the kids to eat this dish by calling the peas little green balls! It was really easy to make. I used leftover short grain brown rice (cold), frozen peas, and sliced fresh Chinese mushrooms. I began by sauteing garlic in a bit of olive oil then adding the mushroom followed by the green peas and cold day-old brown rice. Finished it off with a sprinkling of salt and a drizzle of sesame oil. Very simple and quick-under 10 minutes.  I think that the key to this dish is using day old rice.  I think it would taste even better with a drizzle of truffle oil!  

Black Mushroom & Peas Fried Brown Rice

Veggies Rock! Snow Peas, Carrots & Bean Sprouts

Generally speaking, my children eat most foods and can be persuaded to try almost anything within reason.  So today, I thought I'd add stir-fried snow peas, carrots and bean sprouts to the dinner menu as a side dish. Honestly, it was not a "winner" for the kids, but it was a "winner" for the adults - we ate it all!  With the gloomy weather that we have been experiencing in France, this dish was a crisp, "refreshing" forecast of the spring and summer days to come!  The dish was very simple to make...Message us for the recipe!

Snow Peas, Carrots & Bean Sprouts

Most Allergy Friendly Restaurant Chains in America

I recently came across a really cool website called Allergy Eats.  It is essentially an online guide to allergy-friendly restaurants in the United States and more!  When we were living in the United States, I found that most restaurants, particularly non-chain restaurants, were very accommodating.  It seems like the level of awareness about the seriousness of food allergies is quite high in comparison to many other countries where I have visited or lived.   I sure wish that I could find such a website here in France!    Maybe I should consider developing a website database of allergy-friendly restaurants in Paris?

While we have indeed found a few neighborhood restaurants that understand and can accommodate our needs, it is indeed time for us to branch out.  Through my research I have learned that chain restaurants in the States that offer egg-free items, that are also present in Europe may offer the same items, but one should not assume that they are egg-free!  For example, McDonalds' chicken nuggets in the States are egg-free, but not in France!  (Please don't shame or judge me for the occasional McDonalds run for the children - it is a rare occasion).  For those of you in the States or with plans on visiting, here is the website url:  www.allergyeats.com

AllergyEats Website

Stir Fried Tofu with Bell Peppers

So I didn't really intend for this to be a food blog, but I've been on an Asian cooking rampage the past several days. Maybe it has to do with the fact that we have friends from Taiwan visiting and I've been reminiscing about our life in Taiwan and China. Plus, I just found an Asian grocery store a 12 minute walk from my office where I finally found tofu, which is the real subject of this post! My egg allergy child, Lady Grace and her sister Sasou love tofu and they were so surprised when I prepared it, as they had not eaten any since we left the States six months ago. Surprisingly, they had already forgotten the word for tofu! Juju on the other hand, wants nothing to do with tofu and will only taste it id bribed. Pictured below is a basic stir fried tofu with bell peppers for garnish. I will serve it on a bed of rice inside a thermos for the girls to take to school tomorrow.

Ingredients
1 box of firm tofu (drain and cut in to rectangles or triangles)
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 green, red and yellow bell peppers (cut in to inch-sized pieces)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2-3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar
pinch of salt (if needed)

Directions
In a hot non-stick pan on medium-high heat, stir fry garlic in 3 tablespoons of olive oil for a two minutes. Add your tofu squares to the pan and cook for 5-7 minutes until brown and then flip each piece to brown the other side.  At the same time add the bell peppers and cook for another 5-7 minutes.  It is important to jostle the tofu about in the pan to ensure that it doesn't stick.  Once your tofu has reached the desired color, add up to 2-3 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of brown sugar  and 1 teaspoon of sesame oil.  Taste and add more of the above (or a pinch of salt), if necessary.  This is the perfect "side" dish for three people.

Stir Fried Tofu with Bell Peppers