Valentine’s Day, Food Allergies, and Special Diets
Valentine’s Day, along with every other holiday can be hard enough without food allergies or a special diet, so here are some tips to get you through.
Treat Suggestions
Shortbread Cookies: Download our free Kit Card and make shortbread cookies. Rather than use Christmas decorations (like the card) make a pink glaze instead. Use heart cookie cutters and now you have an awesome V-Day treat.
Torrie & Howard Candies: Order some of these to use as a small way to show someone you care. Be sure to get cherry or pomegranate flavors which have red wrappers.
Wholesome Sweeteners (Previously Surf Sweets) Heart Candy: These are gluten free, top 8 free, vegan, and organic. You can get these at many specialty stores, and amazon.
No Whey Chocolates: They have seasonal treats available now, and if you call, you may be able to get free shipping.
Enjoy Life Foods: Everything from enjoy life is Top 8 Free and more. You can take their soft baked cookies and use a small heart cookie cuter to turn cookie rounds into V-Day hearts.
Zego Snacks: Pick up the strawberry or raspberry Zego bars and like the tip above, use a small heart shaped cookie cutter to show some love to someone special. Vanilla heart yogurt for breakfast is sure to make someone smile.
Make These Quick Snacks:
Pictured are Made Good Crispy Rice Bars topped with Surf Sweets Heart Gummies. I made a quick Vanilla Glaze to use as glue. For the glaze, I used a few Tablespoons of Organic Powdered Sugar and added a small amount of water until it was a glue-like consistency. The kids dipped the gummies in the glue, and stuck them on to the crispy treats.
The biggest reason I shared this treat with you: we made them in FIVE minutes. I know how busy life gets, so I wanted to make something that someone short on time can enjoy.
Do Things Your Way
Maybe food isn’t the best option for you. There are so many other ways to show love on V-Day that don’t involve food. LEGO bricks can be formed into the shape of a heart. Paper crafts and origami are also a great option. If you live near a beach, draw hearts in the sand, take pictures, and make your own custom cards. With a little creativity, the options are limitless on how to show some care and love.
Don’t Forget the Health Factor
It’s easy to get caught up in the sweets on Valentine’s Day, but don’t forget, there are other food groups to choose from. Smoothies and juices can include beets, goji berries, raspberries, and strawberries for a pink tint. Pink lady apples also make a great pink toned applesauce. If you want a fun dinner, consider homemade pizza, and form the dough into the shape of a heart. To make this easier, Wilton sells a heart shaped cake pan you can purchase to make your shaping much easier.
No matter how you chose to spend Valentine’s Day, make sure it’s stress free and full of love.
Other bloggers who have shared great guides:
Hilary’s Breakfast Cookup
Can I just start by saying how much I LOVE Hilary’s Eat Well? If you have food allergies, are vegan, corn free, top 8 free, diabetic, or low-histamine, this is a company you need to know all about. They have a wide range of products (and the ranch dressing is bomb dot com) for people to choose from. During the Food Allergy Awareness Expedition, we had the pleasure of visiting the Hilary’s factory and they gifted us so many products, including the Millet Medleys, which was new at the time. Read More
Carrot Cake Ice Cream
There are so many days where I think I’m nothing short of a mad scientist. I love to ask myself, “I wonder if xyz would work…” and this time, it was carrot cake in ice cream form. Turns out, it does. Now, for those of you who may have a single allergy, such as eggs, feel free to start with a more traditional ice cream recipe, then add the items towards the bottom of the ingredient list that helps this ice cream stand apart. Read More
No-Bake Cheesecakes ~ All The Details
No-Bake Cheesecakes are simply AWESOME. Please refer to this post before making cheesecakes. I’ve put together all the best information in one place for you.
First, Let’s Talk About Cream Cheese Options
When you’re dairy free, there aren’t a lot of options when it comes to cream cheese. If you’re big on homesteading, you can make it yourself. That would be the cleanest option. If you’re new to dairy free and have no idea where to being, you’re most likely looking to make a purchase. Below are the three leading brands of cream cheese available in most stores that cater to people with food allergies. However, be warned, they each come with strings attached. Read More
Allergy Friendly Cookies ‘N Creme No-Bake Cheesecake & Peppermint Creme No-Bake Cheesecake
If you asked the kids, they would tell you that I have saved the best for last. That may be true. Cookies ‘N Creme is one of their all time favorite flavors, so it’s no surprise that they took to this cheesecake so quickly.
If you have a soy allergy along with a wheat allergy, I’m sorry but you won’t be able to make this recipe easily. The only allergy friendly creme cookie is made by Kinnikinnick, and it contains soy (and potato). You would need to make your own cookie at home first and then use it along with either Kite Hill or Daiya cream cheese. While it can be done, it’s not quick and easy, which is what this No-Bake Cheesecake Series is all about.
Before you jump in, if this is your first rodeo, be sure to read through our No-Bake Cheesecake Basics post. In that post, I go over all you need to know about the different brands of cream cheese, as well as ratios, tips, tricks, and more. You can also see all 13 flavors of our No-Bake Cheesecake Series here.
Allergy Status: Gluten/Wheat Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Nut Free, Peanut Free, Yeast Free, Sesame Free, Vegan Read More
Allergy Friendly Coffee No-Bake Cheesecake
Can I share something with you: no one in our house likes, or drinks, coffee. However, through the magic of our bakery, everyone LOVES coffee desserts now. Our Low/No Sugar Kid says that the Grain Free Coffee Cookies (and Rose) are his favorites, and The Papa really likes the Coffee Bean Cupcake. Cracks me up every time. If you really enjoy an intense coffee flavor, experiment with the amount of coffee that you use in this recipe.
Before you jump in, if this is your first rodeo, be sure to read through our No-Bake Cheesecake Basics post. In that post, I go over all you need to know about the different brands of cream cheese, as well as ratios, tips, tricks, and more. You can also see all 13 flavors of our No-Bake Cheesecake Series here.
Allergy Status: Gluten/Wheat Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Nut Free, Peanut Free, Yeast Free, Nightshade Free, Sesame Free, Vegan, Soy Free Compatible, Legume Free Compatible
Soy & Legume Free: Use a different cream cheese option (see the basic post for details) Read More
Allergy Friendly Maple Bacon No-Bake Cheesecake
Our kids LOVE bacon, and I can totally see where they’re coming from on that. If you’re vegan, there are several vegan bacon options. However, if you’re vegan with food allergies, you may need to make your own at home. All of the commercial options that I’ve been able to find each contain major allergens, especially coconut.
Before you jump in, if this is your first rodeo, be sure to read through our No-Bake Cheesecake Basics post. In that post, I go over all you need to know about the different brands of cream cheese, as well as ratios, tips, tricks, and more. You can also see all 13 flavors of our No-Bake Cheesecake Series here.
Allergy Status: Gluten/Wheat Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Nut Free, Peanut Free, Yeast Free, Nightshade Free, Sesame Free, Vegan Compatible, Soy Free Compatible, Legume Free Compatible
*Filling is Cane/Refined Sugar Free.
Soy & Legume Free: Use a different cream cheese option (see the basic post for details)
Vegan: Omit the garnish or use an alternative meat-free bacon. Read More
Allergy Friendly No-Bake Cheesecakes – Monday Night Life Edition
Are you aware of our live online cooking show? It currently streams to Instagram (@TheAllergyChef) and on Facebook (Free & Friendly Foods). During our No-Bake Cheesecake episode of Monday Night Live, I shared all things cheesecake with viewers. You can still view the video on Facebook, and see how easy these are to make. Read More
Allergy Friendly Vanilla No-Bake Cheesecake
Vanilla – a true classic indeed. This is the most basic of all of the No-Bake Cheesecakes we’ve shared with you. It’s a great way for you to learn the foundation of the No-Bake cheesecake making, and of course, is an awesome choice if you like all things vanilla. What I personally love about it is that I was able to jazz these up with frosting from our Bakery. Vanilla pairs well with everything, making it the cheesecake of choice to try this with.
Before you jump in, if this is your first rodeo, be sure to read through our No-Bake Cheesecake Basics post. In that post, I go over all you need to know about the different brands of cream cheese, as well as ratios, tips, tricks, and more. You can also see all 13 flavors of our No-Bake Cheesecake Series here.
Allergy Status: Gluten/Wheat Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Nut Free, Peanut Free, Yeast Free, Nightshade Free, Sesame Free, Vegan, Soy Free Compatible, Legume Free Compatible
Soy & Legume Free: Use a different cream cheese option (see the basic post for details) Read More
Allergy Friendly Lemon Saffron No-Bake Cheesecake
I have to share several things with you about this cheesecake. First, I love the color. It’s naturally a light golden-yellow… I just love how elegant it looks. During the creation of this cheesecake, we learned an important lesson – we don’t like saffron. Now, it could be the brand that I purchased, however, we weren’t enlightened like I thought we would be. As someone who has a dream of creating Michelin quality dishes, saffron is simply a must. I just knew that we would all somehow understand the world better, have this ah-ha moment, and just love saffron. With all the hype I had going into this, you can only imagine my let down. However, if you like saffron, you’ll love this recipe. You can also leave it out and go with Lemon Maple instead. Either way, the texture is good, and everyone still ate all of the cheesecakes (laughing emoji). What I did enjoy about this however – I crafted it with our Low/No Sugar kid in mind, and he really did enjoy it.
Before you jump in, if this is your first rodeo, be sure to read through our No-Bake Cheesecake Basics post. In that post, I go over all you need to know about the different brands of cream cheese, as well as ratios, tips, tricks, and more. You can also see all 13 flavors of our No-Bake Cheesecake Series here.
Allergy Status: Gluten/Wheat Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Nut Free, Peanut Free, Yeast Free, Nightshade Free, Sesame Free, Vegan, Soy Free Compatible, Legume Free Compatible
*Filling is Cane/Refined Sugar Free
Soy & Legume Free: Use a different cream cheese option (see the basic post for details) Read More