Chicago Schools, Please Keep Our Food-Allergic Kids Safe

Unfortunately, food allergy has been present in the news more than usual here in Chicago.  As I mentioned in a previous post, the death of a young girl due to an anaphylactic reaction at school has brought a lot of attention to the issue of food allergies and safety in the school setting recently.  Furthermore, the State of Illinois has a new food allergy management law that went into effect this January.  It requires all Illinois schools to adopt a plan to address food allergies.

There has been some great writing on these subjects by my fellow allergy-mom bloggers, and I don't want to dilute what they've been saying by trying to paraphrase what should or should not be part of a sensible plan.  I'd prefer to send you to them directly.  Both the Food Allergy Mama, Kelly Rudnicki, and The Nut-Free Mom, Jenny Kales have done a wonderful job speaking out for those of us with children with this scary, life-threatening condition.

It is with dismay, however, that I heard this morning that the Chicago school board passed an initiative last night providing for free breakfast in the classroom for every elementary school child in Chicago public schools (410,000 kids).  Certainly, I am in favor of high-quality nutrition for all children.  Growing bodies and minds need to be fed.  I have worked for the past 15 years in the social service field and the past 8 working for an agency that serves homeless women and children.  I get it.  I strongly support access to free, high-quality nutrition.  But, please, don't put my child's health at risk while trying to improve the health of others!

We have, in fact, had the option to partake in free Universal Breakfast at our Chicago Public School for the past couple of years.  Families that wanted to take part it in this program only had to send their kids to school a little early, and they could eat a free, nutritious breakfast in the cafeteria.  This new program will provide a sack breakfast for each child to eat in the classroom for the first 15 minutes of the class day. 

Why is this a problem for food-allergy kids?

The obvious first issue is that for thousands of kids, the food is not safe.  My child (who is allergic to milk, eggs and nuts) and thousands like him will be excluded from this program because it is dangerous for them to eat the food.  I don't love the school mandating activities from which my son will be excluded, but that is the least of my concerns with this new program.  My bigger worry is that his classroom, his learning environment, will no longer be safe for him.  According to the Chicago Tribune article reporting on the new program, the breakfasts will include eggs, cereal and milk.  Even if Casey is not eating the breakfast, the child in the desk next to him will be.  Inevitably there will be spills and messes on the desks, schools supplies and in the classroom.  Kids who are allergic can have a reaction just from touching their allergen.  Children do not only work at their own desks, but they frequently work collaboratively at each other's desks.  Overburdened teachers cannot be expected to thoroughly clean and sanitize all work surfaces after breakfast, but before lessons commence.

People might ask why is this different than kids drinking milk in the cafeteria.  The answer is time.  The kids are in the cafeteria for about 15 minutes.  I can teach Casey how to protect himself while he eats his lunch.  If someone spills her milk, Casey can get up and leave the cafeteria and not return until the next day.  He cannot leave the classroom in the same way.  Many children living with food allergies have anxiety about their safety, and rightfully so.  This worry could interfere with these kids' ability to concentrate on their school work.

I do not think that the CPS board disregarded the risk to the approximately 20,000 children living with food allergies affected by this program. (Widely accepted statistics conservatively place food allergies between 4 to 6% of the child population in the U.S.)  I think the thought never occurred to them.  Please bring breakfast back to the cafeteria, where food belongs, and keep food out of the classroom. 

Kim Lutz

Vegan, Agave-Sweetened Pina Colada Ice Cream

As Megan mentioned in earlier posts, we are in the middle of a real Chicago winter.  The snow!  The ice!  The freezing cold!  What's a girl to do?  Make ice cream.

Well, not just any ice cream, but a little taste of the tropics -- pina colada ice cream.  Why make ice cream in January, you might ask.  Because I got a new ice cream maker for Christmas, of course!

Unfortunately, I'm not the photographer that Megan is!

 Not only is this ice cream fruity and yummy, it can even qualify as a feel-good treat.  It doesn't contain sugar, relying instead on only two tablespoons of agave nectar and delicious pineapple for its sweetness.  It also contains a whole pineapple.  My son, Casey, won't touch fresh pineapple, but he has devoured this ice cream.  Just another way to get some more fruit into a picky eater's diet.  I also used light coconut milk to keep the fat and calories in check.  (Though I think it would be divine with full-fat coconut milk!)

Vegan, Agave-Sweetened Pina Colada Ice Cream

Ingredients:
1 whole pineapple
1 15-ounce can light coconut milk
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 tablespoons agave nectar

Preparation:
Cut off top, bottom and outside of pineapple.  Quarter, and remove fibrous core.  Discard.
Cut tender pineapple into chunks.
Puree in food processor or blender.
Add remaining ingredients, blend until smooth.
Refrigerate in a covered container.
Follow the directions for your ice cream maker.
Ice cream will be soft.  Store any extra in an air-tight container in the freezer.  Allow to soften for a few minutes before scooping.


I hope you enjoy this treat as much as we did.  I just saw the designed pages for Welcoming Kitchen: 200 Allergen and Gluten-free Vegan Recipes.  It looks great!  I can't believe the Welcoming Kitchen book is almost ready.  It should be out May 3.  You can see a picture of the cover on Amazon.  After 6 years, it's almost a reality!

We shared this recipe with Real Food Weekly on the W.H.O.L.E. Gang and Simply Sugar and Gluten-free; please check out the other yummy posts.

Happy Cooking!
Kim and Megan

Note:  If you have questions about why we use coconut, please see this post.

Sweet Potato Hash...Real Simple

Chicago is feeling more and more like the tundra these days.

Yesterday it was a high of only 18 degrees and the wind chill was much lower....brrr!

We did make it out to on a walk this week and saw this little cutie ;)

Who says that there is not wildlife in the city!

It was fun to get outside earlier this week but now that the temps have dropped even more, weather like this makes me want to settle in with the family and enjoy some quality time at home.

I was drinking some tea and reading thru some magazines this week and found a yummy recipe 

 in my January edition of Real Simple

Sweet Potato Hash

Sounds delicious...and it was!

It was perfect for Welcoming Kitchen and looked so pretty...had to share it!

Thanks Real Simple for creating a Welcoming Kitchen friendly recipe...and not even knowing it!

Ingredients:

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled
• 2 large shallots
• 5 oz of fresh spinach

Instructions:

In a food processor or by hand, grate the sweet potatoes. If you grate them by hand, the cooking time will be slightly less.

Heat the tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes and cook, tossing occasionally, until tender, 7 to 9 minutes more. 

Add the spinach and cook, tossing, until just wilted, 1 to 2 minutes more.

Stay Warm and Happy Cooking!

Megan & Kim

Chopping Fun!

Fun Holiday Kitchen Gadget Alert!  

Friends are always asking me how to get children to eat more fruits and vegetables (mostly vegetables!) - and I have a great new gadget that I have proof helps them to eat more.   My son and his friends received these new "wavy choppers" as a holiday gift from another mom and they are the perfect size for little hands and safe for them to use (with supervision)...

So needless to say...we are having a lot of "wavy cut" items in our house now...my son is obsessed with helping in the kitchen and this gives him a really fun way to jump in and help...and eat :)

Here is the evidence!  Please ignore my messy countertops - it was the holidays and I have only about 2.5 feet of countertops so they get filled up quickly!

Winter fruit salad - delicious!

Happy Cooking!
Megan & Kim

Keeping Kids Safe in the New Year

I am not one to re-invent the wheel.  Kelly Rudnicki, the fabulous Food Allergy Mama, wrote a very eloquent piece on how we can make schools safer for all of the wonderful children living with food allergies.  She was spurred to write it after the tragic death of a young girl in Chicago following exposure to her allergen at a holiday classroom party.  I strongly encourage our readers to read Kelly's piece and to share it with your schools.  You can find it here.

Let's make 2011 a happy, healthy and safe year.

Happy Cooking!
Kim and Megan