Lick the Bowl

Here is a cookie that is not only safe for those with food allergies, but you won't break the caloric bank with them either (especially if you don't ice them).  No matter what holiday you celebrate, or if you are just in a mood for a really good sugar cookie, try this one out first.  Here's what you won't get in these cookies! Loads of sugar No egg No butter Here's what you get No guilt holiday Healthier cookie Great taste Makes approximately 18 cookies Ingredients 1/3 cup canola oil ½ cup Florida Natural Crystals 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce 1-cup whole- wheat pastry flour 1-cup unbleached flour 1 TBSP milk of your choice (I use So Delicious Coconut) ½ tsp. baking powder ¼ tsp. salt ¼ tsp. nutmeg 1 ½- tsp. pure vanilla 2-3 drops lemon extract Directions ·          Combine oil, sugar and applesauce. You can use a hand mixer or a whisk until it looks creamy and color is uniform.  ·         ·         

Thanksgiving is typically the portal to guilty holiday overeating, resulting in New Year's resolutions which are routinely broken by January 15th. Sound familiar? It's a vicious cycle. Moreover, for those of us with food allergies, these types of holidays are landmines. We are constantly surrounded by string beans almondine, pecan pie, walnut brownies, stuffing with egg, and the list goes on.  As a writer about nutrition, a recently appointed trainer at ThePerfectWorkout , and a mom with children suffering from multiple food allergies, I am trying to balance holiday consumption and safety-not always an easy thing to juggle especially when it comes to dessert. This Thanksgiving, try this recipe for "Cheesecake Cuties." They are nut, dairy, egg and gluten free. They are petite,creamy and incredibly easy to make. They won't break your calorie bank (unless you eat all 24) they are safe for those allergy challenged, and they really taste great. There is no reason

Hey everyone! This past Sunday my son and I worked one of the tables at the local FARE (Food Allergy Research and Education) walk in Maryland. It was a beautiful day and a great event. What struck me the most, however, was my 11 year old's metamorphosis. Most of the time, I'm telling him to "cut it out," "calm down" or "stop being so silly and focus." I know, these are typical statements used in reference to most 11 yr. old boys! Nevertheless, what I witnessed this past Sunday was eye opening. Here was a boy full of poise, maturity (always relative) showmanship, salesmanship and totally being in the moment. For the first time in a very long time, he was able to be himself without worrying that someone was judging him as "weird" for having a food allergy. He talked to little kids and shared his experiences, and just as easily conversed with adults, impressing them with his allergy acumen and his passion. Who was this kid? I have alwa

When our 20 year-old television started cutting off tops of heads, my husband and I decided to purchase a flat screen. We didn't need a lot of reasons to make this investment. The culminating factor was when  my 11 yr. old had to start wearing his glasses specifically to see the Netflix descriptions because they were too small-OMG tragedy!  Sure, it was an expense, and yes, we researched it for weeks, poring over Sunday circulars and stalking Amazon until we found the right size at the right price. Press the button-CLICK-and a new TV comes to our door through Prime magic. TADA! Now, could we have waited a while longer? SURE. Did we HAVE to get a new one? NO. Could we have survived? ABSOLUTELY! The television is a luxury, a frivolous source of entertainment. If it's on the fritz or it cuts off tops of heads or the news crawler at the bottom of a newscast, I can pretty much live, or find another gadget like my phone or Ipad. On second thought, it's probably better that I

Photo from Bethesda Salt Cave Hello folks! Yesterday I had a unique experience. My son and I went to a salt cave! Holy salt cave bat man, what’s that? Well, for the uninformed (and I am in the same boat as you until yesterday), a salt cave is literally what it sounds like. It’s a cave made from salt. Well, this was a man-made cave, it reminded me of a cheesy soap opera sound stage where the couple finds themselves trapped in a cave-salt or otherwise, and wind up making mad passionate love on the floor, while attempting to fight the evil that surrounds them. Alas, no couple, no evil, just me and my 11- year old taking a nap in a salt cave.  But let’s backtrack. Below is a description of the Bethesda Salt Cave, (from their website) where I experienced bliss in a cave. Story of the Salt Cave Bethesda Salt Cave is a family-owned and operated business located in downtown Bethesda, Maryland. Based on medical knowledge and experience, we have recreated the natural salt-enriched

Washington Family Magazine, August 2016 Hi everyone! Here is my back to school allergy article in Washington Family Magazine, with an awesome and really easy recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies!! Video of recipe coming soon! ENJOY!! For a larger view click on the link below: http://digitaledition.washingtonfamily.com/#folio=28

Hi All! It's good to be back. Sorry for the hiatus. Sometimes life just gets in the way. The point is, life keeps chugging along and so do I.  So, my goal this year is to provide more recipes (allergy free of course) though, I am not a very good food photographer so you will have to take my word for it, even if it doesn't look stellar .  While I would love to muse more about my children, as I so often do, I have recently found out that both of them now actually read what I write-oops. It hasn't been pretty.  Nevertheless, I'm back and working on things for the Fall including an article I wrote for Washington Family Magazine on Back to School and Food Allergies. See you soon. Happy Summer.  Rachel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlut8tt2XBM I am simply  appalled by this. Do you think Al Roker and/or Matt Lauer would make fun of diabetes or cancer? When noted journalists make comments like this they set the allergy world back by encouraging the public to think that food allergies aren't serious.