Sunbutter Buckeyes

We have had a few social events over the past few weeks due to the holidays, so I decided to try making a new desert that would be safe for the boys to eat. We recently discovered Sunbutter, a peanut butter substitute. We like the taste a lot, and most people think it tastes the same as peanut butter, therefore I decided to use it to make buckeyes, a common holiday treat.

Melt 1 cup of butter in a pot on low heat.
Add 1 cup of Sunbutter, and mix thoroughly.
Add confectioners sugar one cup at a time until it makes the right consistency, but not more than 3 cups.

Chill the entire batch in the refrigerator, approximately 30 minutes. When cool and stiff enough to handle, form into 1" size balls and place on a cookie sheet. Place the cookie sheet in the freezer until frozen solid, approximately 30 minutes.

Melt 12 oz. of semi-sweet chocolate chips (make sure they are peanut free and that there are no possibilities of cross-contamination) and 2 tbl. of shortening in the microwave.

Use toothpicks to dip frozen Sunbutter balls into the chocolate leaving the very tip to show so it will resemble the buckeye. Place the tray into the refrigerator until the chocolate is hardened, then remove toothpicks and place the buckeyes into a serving bowl.

Things to Keep in Mind

I came across this awesome list on the allergymoms website. I think it will prove to be very helpful for you when coming for a visit at our house, or when we come to yours!

Food Allergy/Anaphylaxis as a Teen

This article was on the allergic living website. A few teenagers were interviewed about their food allergies and how they are effected in certain situations because of it. It was very interesting for me to read because my children are still very young. I am starting to look forward into the future to see what life will be like when the time comes. I find myself very anxious at times now, so I can only imagine how hard it will be for me when they become teenagers; less control on my part. At least right now I have more of an ability to keep them safe.

Article in Science News 2003

I was doing some research tonight and I came across this very interesting article. What I find most interesting is that it was written just days before my son was born. I find that kind of ironic.

The focus of the article is on finding the cause for peanut allergy. I do find it interesting that it quotes research studies supporting a theory that says skin exposure to peanut oil early in life leads to developing a peanut allergy.

The article also says there is a link between children developing peanut allergies and babies that drank soy based formula. This is irrevelant to me because my son did not drink soy based formula. It did seem, though, that at about the age of two weeks, when we introduced formula for the first time, is when he developed a full body rash that was diagnosed as eczema.

More On the Vaccine Recall

I just read more on the story regarding the Merck recall of the Hib vaccination here. It really has my mind spinning...

More On Vaccinations

After reading the last article I posted, my thoughts started going more in that direction. I shared the article with a friend who is also on a journey to learn more about the food allergy epidemic, and he responded with this article. It doesn't talk about food allergies, but it does open up more thought about how our government puts so much effort into the vaccination process. It appears that there is a conflict of interest; politics vs truth. (Yes, I know, that is always the case).



I just wanted to make an effort to shed some light on the issue. I know researchers are working hard to find a cure for food allergies, namely allergies to peanut. I, however, feel that more effort should be made in finding what causes food allergies in the first place. I just don't think that you can keep covering up mistakes by fixing them. It reminds me so much of a person who is possesed with telling lies. Every new lie is made to cover up the first lie, and eventually the person gets too tangled in their web of lies that there is eventually no hope of overcoming the problem.



I would love more input on this topic. Please share your thoughts with me!

A Link Between Vaccinations and Food Allergies?

I have always wondered about the connection between food allergies and vaccinations. It has always seemed to me that there should be a connection between the two since both subjects involve antibodies and the immune system. This article is incredibly enlightening on the subject. It only strengthens my suspicions! Why have there not been more studies on this subject??? I realize that vaccinations have helped to ward off serious diseases, but the thought of trading one epidemic for another does not make sense to me!

Always Carry Two Epi-Pens!

This story was written in December of 2007. It supports the recommendation that individuals who have food allergies should carry two epi-pens instead of just one.

What About Red Dye?

I am a little late in writing this post. This past Sunday night my husband and I feel we have made a new discovery. After dinner we let the boys have some homeade ice cream. We had some sprinkles in the pantry in which they must have when they eat ice cream. Anyway, to make a long story short, immediately after eating their desert, Randy started bouncing off the walls!

This event immediately got my wheels turning. I had just recently read a thread on KWFA about food dyes and how they can cause reactions. Reactions from food dyes can cause different things like GI distress, skin problems (eczema), and even anaphylaxis! But, red dye in particular seems to cause hyperactivity in some individuals. This is what we think it does to Randy!

We started reminiscing on times like when he ate some fruit snacks and he had the same crazy behavior. I got online to look up ingredients, and low and behold, the common denominator: Red dye #40!

Now, I realize that it is probably a bit early to start jumping to conclusions. We will just have to keep our eyes and minds open to what he is eating and what his behavior is. But, my gut instinct is saying it is the dye!

I would love to hear what you know about this topic.

The Peanut Butter Sandwich Under Threat

An article in TIME exposing the controversy about peanut butter in schools.

Coping with Deadly Allergies

This is a video about a family who deals with much more serious allergies than we do, but it gives an example of just how awful allergies can be.

My son's food allergies: danger everyday

This article was written on Cnn.com in November 2007. The story of the daily life of this family is very similiar to ours.

Peanut allergies strike earlier, study says

This article was written in the Yahoo news in December of 2007 in regards to peanut allergies.

Safe Holidays For Allergic Children

This article was written in the Philadelphia Inquirer in December 2007.

Sabrina's Law and Documentary

This is a link to a documentary that was aired in Canada on November 3rd, 2007. When you click on the link, it will start a short clip of the documentary, but you can watch the entire documentary by clicking to do so on the main page.

It is well worth watching if you want to learn more about the dangers of food allergies. Sabrina lost her life when she ate something that she tought was safe. The food she ate was cross-contaminated by a food in which she was anaphylactic. Unfortunately, this happens far too often!

Some time before she had her fatal reaction, she made her own documentary with help from her aunt in hopes of advocating the seriousness of food allergies to others.

Welcome To Our New Site!

I have thought long and hard about changing where I will post our allergy information going forward. It is not so much that I didn't like the other hosting place, but I feel like this topic will get a lot more exposure here. I will probably move some of the archived posts from that site to here, but feel free to look back if you so desire.