Going away for a few days with a child with many allergies take a little more planning and preparation (or at least it does for us). Because my allergy child is anaphylactic to milk and peanuts and also allergic to soy (which is in almost EVERYTHING), egg, peanut, coconut, legumes, green pea, hemp and garlic (which I think he has grown out of) I make the decision to not order him food at a restaurant when we go out. I always bring his food with me. This makes things just a bit more difficult when going away but ensures his safety and balances my stress level.
I have found that we're able to get away with just a standard hotel room for a couple of nights away. We can use the refrigerator in the room to keep things cool and there's always a microwave at the front desk for heating foods or the heated lunch pack that we like to use. If we go any longer than two nights, then I like to have a kitchen to prepare all of our meals.
We recently went away for a weekend to North Conway, NH. We had only a standard hotel room with a refrigerator. How was I going to accommodate our youngest son's meals for three days? First, I make a point to make large dinners the two nights before going away, something that I know will heat up easily or can be eaten cold and that he enjoys. This week it was a roasted chicken dinner and sausage and broccoli pasta. I also make a pound (yes, an entire pound) of bacon. This works great to add flavor, fat (which he needs to gain weight) and protein to just about anything.
Here is a list of all the foods I packed with us for two nights. It was enough to fill one duffel bag and two canvas insulated grocery bags.
Allergy Free For UsLeftover sausage broccoli and pasta
Cooked bacon
Avocado
Strawberries
Bananas
Grapes
Peaches in juice
Pears in juice
Raisins
Crackers
English muffins
Enjoy Life cookies
Cheerios
Rice milk
Sunbutter
Shakey
Frozen soup
Rice cakes
Stacey's Chips
Enjoy Life granola
NOT Allergy Free for us
Cow's milk
12 grain bread
cinnamon raisin bread
cottage cheese
yogurt
chocolate chip cookies
roast beef
American cheese
Our Allergy Free Meals
Breakfast:
Cheerios with fresh strawberries and bananas in rice milk
English muffin with sunbutter and fresh strawberries
Oatmeal with fresh fruit
Lunch:
Leftover cold chicken with fresh strawberries, grapes and pita chips
English muffin with sunbutter and jelly and fresh fruit
Dinner:
Sausage and broccoli pasta
Chicken Tortilla soup with pasta and avocado
Dessert:
Enjoy Life chocolate chip cookies with a glass of rice milk
Snacks:
Rice cakes with sunbutter and fruit
Stacy's Pita Chips
Bacon
Enjoy Life granola with Cheerios and raisins
Canned peaches and pears in juice
Bananas with sunbutter, sliced strawberries, raisins, and Enjoy Life granola
We all ate breakfast and lunch from the food that I brought from home. In the evenings we either ate at a restaurant (I bring our youngest son's food in a heated lunch bag) or we ordered room service and had a relaxing evening in. We saved a BUNCH of money by bringing our own food. I had peace of mind knowing that his food was prepared correctly with no cross contamination, and most importantly he was safe.
And that's how we roll! :)
Elizabeth
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| Horse Drawn Sleigh Ride North Conway, NH 2012 |
