The Peanut Patrol

Hello world!

Crazy Nut Lady — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 18:33:45 +0000

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Safe Road Tripping

Crazy Nut Lady — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 13:27:00 +0000

Back from another road trip to the lake, with lots to blog about, from poutine trucks to McDonald’s to allergy appointment updates. More to come. Stay tuned.

Taste of the Danforth

Crazy Nut Lady — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 20:49:00 +0000

Taste of the Danforth is on this weekend. A friend with peanut allergy recently mentioned to me that he finds Greek food is usually a safe bet for him. While some of the desserts pack nuts, there are not very many main dishes that contain them, so avoiding them is fairly easy. Of course, that doesn’t alleviate the need to still be super careful, and ask all of the regular questions.

Always do your own research.

Thanks Loblaw!

Crazy Nut Lady — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 17:18:00 +0000

Loblaw is introducing some new and traditional peanut-free favourites under the President’s Choice and no name brands just in time for the start of the new school year! To make sure the products are easy to identify, packages will be marked with prominent logos and stores from coast to coast will have incorporated displays. There will even be some fresh-baked products available, a real rarity for those seeking peanut-free snacks, including muffins, soft-baked cookies and squares.

I’ve always loved shopping at Loblaw, and this show of corporate social responsbility will further solidify my consumer loyalty. Kudos to Loblaw!

Hero Certified Burgers

Crazy Nut Lady — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 17:50:00 +0000

Craving a peanut-free burger experience without going the mega-chain route? You might want to check out Hero Certified Burgers. It’s an upscale burger joint with 17 locations in the Toronto area. Burgers are 100% Canadian, range-fed, hormone and antibiotic free Angus beef; there’s also vegetarian, chicken and salmon burgers available. While it looks like several of the sauces are manufactured on lines that also manufacture peanut and nut products, and should therefore be completely avoided, there are lots of other fresh toppings to pick from, including a great selection of cheeses.

According to the manager on duty at the King and Yonge location, grape seed oil is used for the deep fryer.

I’m going to email the company to see if there’s any chance they can start offering some completely peanut-free sauces. Stay tuned.

Always do your own research.

Food Allergy Buzz Review

Crazy Nut Lady — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 15:53:00 +0000

Check out this review of Peanut Patrol on Food Allergy Buzz! It’s one of the food allergy blogs I follow; it’s got some good tips on how to enjoy life allergen free and is great resource for allergy information.

Ice-Cream Trucks

Crazy Nut Lady — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 16:13:00 +0000

I’ve asked a few owners of ice-cream trucks roving the downtown core if the soft serve ice-cream available is safe for peanut allergy sufferers and I’ve got the same answer several times. And that is that yes, it’s safe, as long as no toppings like the chocolate dip, are consumed. Still, while at a local park I’m unconvinced since this particular vendor doesn’t speak English and can’t answer my questions. Instead, we choose a cherry slushy. Even though we can’t inquire about its safety, it seems obvious to us; it’s ice and syrup. We share one amongst the three of us, and DJ slurps it back, smacking his lips and declaring it “COLD! COLD! COLD!” The entire experience reminds us that living safely with a peanut allergy while still enjoying life is about being happy for what you can have and not focusing on what you can’t.

Cobourg Beach – and Hong Kong Gardens

Crazy Nut Lady — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 00:37:00 +0000

A trip to the beach this weekend – the first really nice hot one this summer – had me looking for safe restaurants to eat at in Cobourg. Not a lot was to be found online. We packed a picnic lunch and decided ahead of time to come home for dinner and order pizza from Pizza Nova. We’ve ordered there before and feel it meets our safety standards for restaurant food. At the beach though, our friends suggest eating out after long day in the sun. We’re tempted, but really, I feel daunted by the idea of driving around Cobourg trying to find somewhere safe to eat. After not being able to find something on-line, I feel skeptical I’ll be able to find something on foot. Plus, I dread feeling responsible for deciding about where we can and can’t eat as a group, but the reality is that since we didn’t bring dinner for DJ with us, I would feel reluctant eating anywhere I wasn’t 100% certain was safe. Our friends aren’t fussed either way, so we decided to just go our separate ways and head home. We ended up ordering Chinese food after DJ went to bed, which we both felt was slightly risky and something we had agreed not to do before – order in foods where there is high risk of cross-contamination. But realistically, what is the risk in this situation? DJ was already in bed, and would not be eating the food. I still mentioned the peanut allergy to Hong Kong Gardens, our absolute favourite chinese take-out in Toronto. They assured me they cook with vegetable oil and that there were no nuts in any of the dishes we were ordering and said they would ensure no other nuts got into our food.

We feel like we took every precautions to not let peanuts or nuts enter our house, but still enjoy what we like, without any increased risk to DJ. I don’t know where that falls on the continuum of how people with PA kids eat in their own homes. Is that too risky, or too anal? What do you think?

Subbing for Peanut Butter

Crazy Nut Lady — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 14:14:00 +0000

I miss peanut butter. So does my husband. While I know some people with PA kids manage to keep it safely in their homes, hidden away and brought out only for the occasional careful indulgence, I tossed the lethal (yet tasty) spread out; neither of us have eaten it since DJ’s diagnosis. Last week, I picked up a jar of SunButter, sunflower seed spread that is completely peanut and nut free at Whole Foods. While it’s runnier than peanut butter, it’s a tasty alternative and better than dry toast!

Kingsway Fish and Chips

Crazy Nut Lady — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 13:59:00 +0000

A call to Kingsway Fish and Chips on Bloor West reassures me that there are no peanuts or nut products used in any of the menu items. Still, I ask again when we arrive. While the vibe may leave a bit to be desired (it’s a decidedly older crowd when we arrive at 6:00) our fish arrives hot and fresh, and the fries are crispy and there are no problems with DJ’s peanut allergy.