Kaleidoscope Associates in Pensacola, FL work with food allergies

I was looking for some summer activities for my daughter to do and  I saw KaleidoscopeAssociates had a culinary camp. I was so excited and then I remembered the class is probably not for kids with food allergies.  So I contacted Jacki Selby to ask her this

Do you offer the summer camp for those children with food allergies? My daughter LOVES to cook.  She can not tolerate gluten in any form. She is only 5 so could not join this year but I am trying to find out for next year.
Thank you,
KR


This is her exciting response:

Thanks for contacting us! Yes, we do offer cooking classes and camps for children with food allergies. In fact, we also offer customized birthday cooking parties for children with allergies. Our associates are very committed to facilitating a "normal" food experience for all children, despite their food allergies. 

I look forward to meeting you and your daughter. If you attend the May 16th Gallery Night in downtown Pensacola, please stop by Distinctive Kitchens and say "hi"! We will be in the kitchen doing food demos with some of our current students.
Have a blessed day,
Jacki

I was so happy and thankful that they already had something in place for people with food allergies. We have all called or written to find out that a place we wanted to go does not and will not allow outside food. I was expecting the answer to be Kaleidoscope  no we do not have a class for food allergies and then write her asking if they would consider making one. The fact that they not only have a camp but parties too is great. I mean how many birthday parties have you gone to where you or your child could not even eat the food at the party. Now your child can not only eat it but they can have fun making it too.

If you are wanting to sign up for summer camp here is the link if you did not find it on the facebook site Class Calendar scroll to June to see the first class.  you may want to call and find out when the allergy friendly class is here is the phone number 850-261-4063. Kaleidoscope does classes in a variety of locations such as Distinctive Kitchen at 29 South Palafox Place Pensacola, FL, Kaleidoscope Associates' classes are in Mobile, AL, and they have a variety of other locations they also present classes. So drop them a line or email and see if there is one near you.

What's for dinner?

It's thanksgiving here and what are you having?  We like most people that can not have gluten will be having dinner with people that not only can eat gluten but WILL be eating it.  So what is a Mom to do?  Well I do a few different things to make the day run smoothly.

1) I make a gluten and a gluten free item For example :  My family is having homemade mac and cheese so I made  Annie’s Homegrown gluten- free rice pasta and cheddar mac and cheese http://www.amazon.com/Annies-Homegrown-Gluten-Free-Cheddar-6-Ounce/dp/B000CQ01NS (a favorite at this house)

2) I make things that are gluten free but no ones knows or cares about. The turkey is being fried in new oil and it is a gluten free turkey so we only need one of those.  I baked sweet potatoes for everyone and will let them fix them individually instead of making a casserole.

3) I am making her veggies separately. Some of them are canned and I want to make sure her veggies are gluten free and not cooked with any "special" seasonings that someone else might add that have hidden gluten in them as well.

This is just the way I am doing it this year every year I learn something new and I change the plan a little.  Also The plan varies greatly on whether I am cooking everything at my house or I will be eating at someone else's house.  I think creating a plan for your family will be about the same but it is important to have a base plan.
This means go in with your eyes and ears open here are some things to keep in mind when it comes to making your plan.
Know If the home you will be eating at knows what gluten is and how much they know.
Do they know that just because something does not have wheat on the label that it could still be harmful?
Do they know about cross contamination and most importantly do they take it as serious as you do?



Here are some great recipes for those of you that need a last min idea

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Frealsustenance.com%2Fnovember-go-ahead-honey-its-gluten-free-thanksgiving-recipe-roundup%2F&h=pAQHulm_6AQHBn4n3daOssjFuxYig3WQKvYKPOEgZjv3fow

Ideas for Gluten free snacks for school

** Disclaimer** while some products should be Gluten free such as Cornmeal it could be manufactured in a company that makes wheat containing products. So me companies will not guarantee that the product is not cross contaminated during production and therefore you may need to call the company or look in your 

2011/2012 Gluten-Free Grocery Shopping Guide by Cecelia's Marketplace

 

Fruit

Any…

Vegetables

Any

If you are cutting these up please make sure to wash your utensils with gluten free soap such as Dawn. Wipe down a area in your kitchen with something such as Clorox wipes so that there is no cross contamination that takes place.  

Chips

Pirates Booty – Veggie 

Pirates Booty – Smart Puffs, Wisconsin Cheddar 

Mr. Krispers – rice crackers – various flavors 

Food Should be good – chips / crackers -various flavors:

*Lunburg farms – Rice tortilla chips – various flavors 

Lays potato chips 

Baked Lays 

Crackers

Glutino – original, vegetable and cheese flavor 

Glutino – vegetable 

Glutino – cheese 

Glutino – multi-grain 

Mary’s gone crackers – Original 

Mary’s gone crackers – Caraway

Mary’s gone crackers – Herb 

Blue Diamond – Nut thins – various flavors 

Out of the Bread Box – Gram Crackers 

Out of the Bread Box – Cheese crackers 

Out of the Bread Box – Multi grain crackers 

Cookies and treats (in cookie or snack isles)

Pamela’s- Cookies – many flavors 

Mi-Del – Ginger cookies 

Mi-Del – Sugar cookies 

Ian’s – Animal crackers 

Ian’s – Cookie bites 

Glutino – Vanilla wafers – chocolate covered 

Glutino – Chocolate wafers – chocolate covered 

Glutino – Chocolate covered strawberry wafers 

Glutino – Chocolate covered lemon wafers 

Glutino – Chocolate Vanilla Crème Cookies 

Glutino – Vanilla Crème Cookies 

Glutino – Chocolate Chip Cookies 

Enjoy Life – Snicker doodles 

Enjoy Life – Chocolate chip cookies 

Enjoy Life – Ginger cookies 

Out of the Bread Box – Cookies 

Envirokidz Organic crispy rice bars

Most of the Chex cereals are GF

Candy

-junior mints

-mini and regular hershey bars

-m & m  packs

-hershey kisses

-lemonheads candy

-sweedish fish

-tootsie pops, tootsie rolls

-after eight candies

-popsicle brand popsicles--many types, check packaging!

-push-ups, italian ice, lemon chills

-milk duds

-gogurt--great frozen

-silhouette brand fudgesicles

-dove ice cream minis or regular

-haagan daaz mini ice cream cups --obviously not with cookies or brownie pieces!

-kinnikinnick k-toos (just like oreos) and chocolate chip cookies (really divine!)

-wholefoods frozen brownies, cupcakes

-chooclate covered strawberries, fruit kabobs

-edy mini ice cream cups

-edy's dibs

-jello pudding snack packs

-smarites--roll candies

-dairy queen pre-packaged ice cream bars

-starburst fruit chews
-skittles

Haribo Gummies

Sharie’s Candies Gummies

Trolli Gummies

Gold Medal Cotton Candy

-three muskateer bars
-glutino kit-kat like chocolate wafer cookies (a favorite of the gluten free boy!)

Places that are good to get Gluten free food

Publix  (The one on 9th has a section of Gluten Free (GF) food up front as you walk in it is on the right hand side)

Winn dixe (Most have a small section of GF food and they are mixed in too)

Walmart (The one on davis has a small section of GF food but mainly mixed )

Evermans (Mixed in)

Walgreens  (Mixed in)

Oh Snap! Cupcakes  has Gluten free items as well as nut free

http://www.ohsnapcupcakes.com/

http://allergicliving.com/  A great site to check out for both gluten free and nut free products and info.

http://www.livingwithout.com/ another great site that has information on both nut and gluten free information.

http://glutenfreekidsworld.com/favorite-kids-gluten-free-snacks

ideas if you wanted to make something

http://www.bettycrocker.com/search/searchresults?st=7&term=gluten%20free#/?term=gluten%2Bfree&pi=1&ps=10

UNSAFE FOODS/ ITEMS unless they say GF or you make them with GF products

Gluten

Wheat

Barley

Rye

Enriched white flour

All purpose flour

Cookies

Bread

Buns

Cake\cupcakes

crackers

cereal

doughnuts

poptarts

pretzels

pancakes

waffles

pie

pasta noodles 

spaghetti 

Chocolate with

Crispies or Cookies

Twizzlers

candy not on safe list

ice cream (verify)

Cheese sauces

Processed cheese

hot dogs (fillers)

gravy

soup

margarine

malt vinegar

vegetable oil (verify)

spices (verify)

flavorings

food coloring (verify)

MSG

salad dressings

mayonnaise (verify)

Oreida Tator Tots

Pickles (verify)

Suntan lotion (verify)

hand lotion (verify)

Soaps with Wheat germ oil

Toothpaste (verify)

Paper Maché

Play Doh

Finger Paint

Straw

Stamps (glue contains gluten)

Things to avoid if you want to know them

http://glutenfreekidsworld.com/gluten-free-ingredients-to-avoid

I know they look scary 

How GF are you?

I tried to take the genetic test before my husband and I were married.  My insurance company and the only hospital that was doing them stopped the year prior to me calling.   Would we have risked marriage if we would have know what all could of gone wrong if our genes mixed?  That will always be unknown and I am glad because I Love my little bit to pieces.

Our parenting technique and the view on GFing are 100% different though.  I am still at the extreme safe end. If I can't find on the package that it is GF, find on the web that it is or is not GF, or if I call the company and can not get a complete answer from someone that sounds knowledgeable  on the subject then I will not give it to my child.  If they say that it is manufactured in a company with other products they may contaminate it To me the product has a giant red flashing light on it saying don't eat.

My husband is much more relaxed.  He will read the label and as long as no wheat products are mentioned he is good to go.  Being made in the same company as another product his thoughts are what are the chances of contamination and if it is it still has to be small.

So anyone else have an opinion?  I know that I will relax as I learn more .  I had planned on buying the shopping guide come the new year.  I am no longer sure I can wait that long.  I want to shake my husband every time he feeds her something I have not approved.   I can understand his frustration with me needing to approve what she eats.  

I feel my mother bear come out saying these years are still so important and they will impact the rest of her life.  We have not healed her intestines up yet why are you putting them at risk again, you can give her cancer, cause her to have miscarriage after miscarriage or many other fertility issues.  I just want to hit my knees begging , screaming , and pleading to anyone and everyone that tries to give my child food.  I want to ask the world to wake up because America has the most Celiac's so why can't I go to a fall fest without having to explain to my child that no she will never be able to go on a hay ride.  That I am not punishing her, she is not bad , and she will not be able to do it when she grows up.  A little piece of my heart breaks usually when I have to tell her those things.  Recently I am wondering if little pieces of my soul are not starting to as well.