Lately one of my go to snacks have been these BoBo bars. I like that they are a little bigger than a regular granola bar so they can get me through a morning of meetings.
Today I’m at the monthly NAPO Chicago meeting. As the Director of Membership I enjoy meeting new people and helping celebrate the accomplishments of our chapter members.
This morning I went to Woodman’s in Buffalo Grove. Their Grand Opening is Saturday, but they are open for business as of yesterday afternoon. There were still some holes on the shelves which I am sure will be filled by Saturday.
I have been hearing good things about the selection of allergy friendly products at Woodman’s for years now, but there has not been a store conveniently located to me. Last weekend while visiting friend in Wisconsin I stopped by a Woodman’s near their house to check out the selection. They had some products, it was crowded, I was tired. In the end I came away overwhelmed and anxious about the selection.
When I arrived this morning I entered the door to the store that enters into the bread and bakery section. They had Sweet Ali’s and a few other brands in this section. I did not find any Udi’s or Canyon and started to panic. This place was known for having all the best gluten-free brands. They had to be here.
What I discovered was this Woodman’s has a dedicated Gluten-Free Section!!! Plus two dedicated refrigerated sections for dairy-free milk and yogurt and another for dairy-free cheese.
Here are some of the selections…
Look at all that Canyon Bakehouse and Schar selections. They even had the long-awaited Hawaiian Bread!
The Gluten-Free frozen bread selection is pretty good too.
Almost any Katz product you wanted!
Our favorite Kinnikinnick cookies in new packaging.
The elusive Diaya cheese sauce only pouches.
Free2b Sunflower cups.
And our favorite Yummy Earth Lolly Pops, which are an essential in our house for the winter months.
They truely had the best gluten-free and dairy-free selection I have seen. The one brand I could not find I believe was operator error and I’m hoping on my next trip to locate.
I love to garden. For the past few years I have not grown tomatoes. I found it really hard to have a vegetable garden without tomatoes. So this year I planted a few plants and have been giving the tomatoes to friends.
I try to take a turn through the garden multiple times a day and enjoy taking my morning coffee or an afternoon snack out to enjoy while watching the pollinators buzz around.
These little sugar cookies are so wonderful and they are good coated with sparkling sugar or without the crunchy coating. These are definitely one of those “people will never know” food allergy friendly treats.
Today’s lunch was plain egg salad on Sam’s Choice Gluten-free Classic White Bread.
It was my first time trying Sam’s Choice bread. The first thing I noticed was it had large holes in the middle and I had to go through quite a few pieces to find two to use for my sandwich. The bread prices with the big holes I usually store in the freezer and use for bread crumbs.
It toasted nicely and had a good taste. I would definitely use it again. Bread is always hard with our many multiple food allergies. This one fit the bill as nightshade-free, soy protein free and nut-feee. .
The egg salad today was just eggs and homemade mayonnaise. Next time I’ll add some yummy herbs from the garden.
“It’s about the looming threat of positive experiences being ruined for you and those around you if you have a reaction. It’s about having to interrupt every food-related experience with probing questions about food ingredients and preparation.”
There is so much to worry about when you or your child has a food allergy.
A friend gave me a Black Current bush two years ago. Last year it only had a few berries but this year it has enough to do something. So today I am trying my hand at gluten-free scones! Wish me luck.
Cygnet Organizing 