For almost a year, I've suspected that my son is allergic to dairy.
It may just be coincidence (or genetics), but after last year's flu
season, he was no longer able to tolerate milk. Not wanting to believe
what was staring us right in the face, we spent the last year "testing"
my son (in essence alternating between giving and not giving him milk).
Once we admitted to ourselves that he was reacting to cow's milk, we
eliminated it entirely from his diet. Yet he continued to react. We
finally decided to officially test him for allergies. And last week we
received the official confirmation of his allergy to both cow's milk
and eggs...which pretty much eliminates most packaged foods at
conventional grocery stores. All we have to do is eliminate meat and
he'd be a vegan.
Last week's adventure to the market was more like a science
experiment. I pride myself on being an avid label reader. But when
you're searching for things like casein, it gets a bit tricky. I'm no
Martha Stewart, but I love to bake. I even prefer baking from scratch
versus baking from a box. But when it comes to baking without eggs or
milk, I prefer to leave that to companies who have perfected this art. 
At the store this week, I picked up a couple boxes of cake and frosting mixes from Cherrybrook Kitchen.
The company was started by a mom who developed food allergies as an
adult. Their entire line of mixes are free from nuts (including
peanuts), dairy, and eggs. They also offer a selection of gluten-free
mixes.
Since my son wasn't able to eat the cupcakes that arrived on our doorstep last week, we made a batch from Cherrybrook Kitchen's Yellow Cake Mix. With only two ingredients (water and margarine...I use Earth Balance Buttery Spread),
it was quick and easy to prepare (and bonus points for the ability to
eat the batter since it's egg-free!). In less than 30 minutes we had a
dozen cupcakes my son could eat!
The cupcakes were moist and soft and resembled the consistency of a
conventional cupcake (only a bit moister). The frosting was smooth and
sweet and spread as well as conventional frosting. While the taste is
pleasant and sweet, it's different than a conventional cupcake. But
your children, particularly if they're younger, won't notice the
difference.
I'm an avid believer in giving children real foods. I appreciate
that the ingredient list is simple and mainly things you'd find in your
own kitchen. While the mixes cost a little more than conventional
baking mixes, I think you'll be pleased with the Cherrybrook Kitchen's line of baking mixes designed for children with allergies.
Do you have a child with food allergies? What palatable substitutes have you found? |
