Friday, February 11, 2011

My little valentine...

my baby monkey

I had a little pity party for myself last week.  I blame PMS, but I was so sad thinking about my sweet little baby not being able to have "normal" treats like all other kids because of his food allergies.  This happens mainly during holiday times when other kids who do not have food allergies get to have cupcakes and cookies and little chocolates.  There are allergen-free alternatives to pretty much everything out there, so I really just needed to chill out and do more research...but I had a little moment and was so sad.  

My sweet husband came home with ice cream made with rice milk and made Connor an ice cream sandwich with his "safe" snickerdoodles:

He didn't devour it like I thought he would, but he had fun trying it.

Once I got myself together, I poured myself a bowl of Rice Chex and noticed the recipe on the back for muddy buddies.  Before checking online for an allergen-free recipe which no doubt exists, I did some playing around myself.  I semi-followed the original recipe and used 9 cups of Rice Chex, 1 cup of Enjoy Life dairy-free chocolate chips. 1/2 cup Sunbutter, a drizzle or two of olive oil, and 1 cup of powdered sugar.  Honestly, I don't even think I needed the olive oil, but since the recipe called for butter and I couldn't use that, I gave it a shot.  I also omitted the vanilla that the original recipe calls for simply because I was out of it at home.  

These things are so good!

My husband didn't believe that it wasn't the real thing.  My son gobbles it up and asks for more...and that makes me a happy momma.

This week we worked on valentines for his friends.  I took advantage of the many free printables out there and chose these adorable elephant valentines by Ana of Live & Enliven and these precious zebras found on Bunny Cakes!  Then we added a little something and...:

Can't wait to fill in the names and hand them out!!


Have a wonderful weekend!!  I hope you have fun plans!


8 comments:

Danielle (elleinadspir) said...

I am so sorry you have to deal with food allergies. I'd have a pity party too. Yes, it's manageable, but it's still frustrating. It's ok to feel that! But lucky fir him you are so creative and will make him all sorts of yummy treats.

In Oklahoma they call that Puppy Chow. No idea why. It's so yummy.

stephanie. said...

oh, i love muddy buddies and had forgotten about them! my two year old is alergic to peanut butter so thanks for the alternate recipe. i will definitely try it out. she isn't alergic to anything else, but i understand how you feel... sometimes pity parties are necessary! and then we can move on. =)
have a great weekend!

torrie said...

I think Danielle and Stephanie said it perfectly... especially the part about how you are so creative and will find a way to provide him with special treats, so that he's not left out.

And where have I been?? I've never heard about muddy buddys!! Totally trying these (and I won't even know what to compare 'em to)! :)

And I LOVE your resourcefulness in every single thin that you do btw (including these treats, and those Valentines)!

Rachel@Delight said...

Awww! Your little monkey is so cute! I agree with all of the comments above, so I won't repeat. You are a great momma! :o) Rachel

Anonymous said...

My little baby is so cute! I love those eyes! Recipes look great...you and Katie are great Moms! Hope I did something right along the way! Love, MOM

Kylie said...

I have to say that I agree with all of the other comments! SO sweet of you to make special treats for your little one! ANd sweet of your hubby to make him a little icecream sandwich. So cute! Kylie

I always love reading your mom's comments, btw. :o)

Suzanne Anas Jurich said...

Oh my gosh! Thank you for such sweet words!!

And Mom, yes...I think you did more than a few things right! :)

Elizabeth, blogging for SunButter said...

Hi Suzie,
I've been enjoying your blog for a while now, and just must comment on this lovely post. As a SunButter blogger, I'm happy you discovered it's a great adaptation for your little sweetie. If you're interested, our online recipe box is full of other snack, dessert, main course and other ideas. It's here: http://bit.ly/9Pm79a Can't wait to see what else you create! As a fellow mom, I appreciate your inspiration, clever craft ideas--and your wonderful perspective! Take care.