| Traveling with our 3 young kids is a challenge in | | | | cooking suitcase along with all my other travel |
| itself. Add to the equation severe food allergies | | | | cooking appliances. It is also helpful to book a |
| and you have a recipe for disaster. I have had | | | | room at a hotel which has a kitchenette if you |
| many friends ask us how we do it. The truth is, it | | | | have that option. |
| is safer to make our own food, then to risk the | | | | I am learning to master my hotel room cooking |
| chance of eating out at a restaurant and ending | | | | skills by adding more tasty homemade (or in this |
| up in the ER while we are out-and-about. | | | | case - hotel room made) meals. Other meals I |
| I have created a special menu for our family | | | | prepare include: eggs, toast, sausage, bacon, and |
| after interviewing each member to find out what | | | | yogurt granola with fresh fruit, grilled sandwiches, |
| they love to eat. We also have a special suitcase | | | | steaks, baked potatoes, and all kinds of sides. |
| packed with everything needed to make our | | | | Visit some of your favorite restaurants (you |
| meals as we go, from mini frying pan with | | | | know, the ones you used to eat at before you |
| hotplate, to 12V Car Crockpot and all the utensils, | | | | had kids who suffered from food allergies), pick |
| plates, cups, forks and even clean-up items. | | | | up their takeout menu so you can reference |
| For longer trips, I use the family menu I created | | | | those meals and learn how to cook them without |
| as a reference guide to pickup food supplies at | | | | all the chemicals, or food allergy ingredients. It's a |
| grocery stores while we travel. At the airport, I | | | | lot of fun and you will find that your kids won't be |
| avoid the food concession stands as much as | | | | missing out on a whole lot even if they have very |
| possible, unless they have hard boiled eggs, or | | | | limited diets. |
| bananas and foods that I am sure won't have | | | | There have been too many occasions where we |
| any chemicals, preservatives, sweeteners, dyes, | | | | decided to take a chance and eat at out at a |
| dairy, or other items that would cause my kids to | | | | restaurant only to find that the waitress, hostess, |
| have a nasty reaction either neurologically, or | | | | and manager were all unfamiliar as to what the |
| gastro intestinally. I always carry food in my | | | | ingredients actually were in the food they serve. |
| backpack/carry-on when we fly. | | | | Shortly after eating the meal, our kids would |
| Other parents comment on how hard it must be | | | | suffer from an allergic reaction. |
| to just get out of the house. On the contrary, we | | | | After going through this experience one too |
| enjoy traveling and getting out as much as we | | | | many times, we finally realized that this is an area |
| can. Like anything in life, when you practice | | | | we need to take into our own hands, so we are |
| enough, you get good and it becomes second | | | | certain that there is no chance of our food |
| nature. | | | | containing the substances our kids are allergic to. |
| We love having homemade Belgium waffles with | | | | So far, it has been a complete success, and we |
| fresh strawberries, blueberries, banana slices and | | | | have been able to venture out farther and |
| 100% maple syrup for breakfast in our hotel | | | | farther away from our home, and for longer time |
| room. I simply pre-pack my pre-mixed dry batter | | | | frames. It's a lot of fun and I encourage other |
| ingredients in a Ziploc bag. I then add rice milk, | | | | parents with kids who have severe dietary issues |
| vegetable oil, and vanilla and stir to make a tasty | | | | to get out and see the world, without putting |
| Belgium Waffle batter, and cook it in my travel | | | | your health at risk from food allergies. |
| waffle iron that I always keep packed in my Hotel | | | | |