An Allergy Friendly Easter Celebration

I can still remember last year's Easter before allergies were diagnosed. We didn't had a clue what was causing Adam's constant sickness. It's amazing what can happen in a year. This was our first allergy friendly Easter. I must say it was the hardest holiday yet to celebrate without food. Halloween didn't bother me, but Easter I really struggled with. I remember finding the cutest chocolates last year to put in Owen's basket, all race cars and dump trucks. This year there was no candy, not even for Mommy and Daddy. Usually Jason and I do Easter baskets for each other too, but since we couldn't put candy in them, we just stopped.

In the end, I was pretty satisfied with the children's Easter baskets. They loved them.

Owen's Easter Basket: Contents: Diego Gardening Tools & Gloves, The Children's Place Tie, Socks, & Vest for church, No Spill Bubbles (These didn't work. I was really upset.), Thomas the Train Pez Dispenser (I guess this was food, but Owen never used it in that way.), Transportation Stickers and Sticker Book, Construction Vehicle Board Book and 5 Hot Wheels Cars.

Adam's Easter Basket:

Contents: Sesame Street Children's Silverware, Cars Board Book, Frog Beanie Baby, The Children's Place Tie, Socks & Vest for church, No Spill Bubble Blitzer, Road Rockin Rids musical race car, and 5 Hot Wheels cars.

We have an 8 month old foster baby girl living with us right now. She will be living with us for quite some time. Since we can not post her name on the Internet, she will be referred to as Baby A.

Baby A's Easter Basket:

Contents: Butterfly eggs filled with Velcro barrettes for hair, Tonka Bug Car, Shoes for church, Bonnet, Ladybug plate, bowl, & cup, Disney Princess silverware, and her first sippy cup.

Easter is the one holiday that we invite ALL of my extended family. I am so pleased to say that the entire menu was allergy friendly. Click on the titles for recipes, if recipes don't follow.

Tortilla Chips with Fresh Tomato Salsa or Bean & Corn Salsa

Frozen Fruit SaladPasta Salad with Turkey Pepperoni

Ingredients:

allergy friendly pasta of choice

turkey pepperoni

green pepper

olives

cherry tomatoes

allergy friendly Italian dressing

(You can add more veggies, but these are the only ones safe for both of our boys. Normally I would add cucumbers, celery, and cubed sharp cheddar cheese too.)

Stuffed Red Peppers

Ingredients:

4 Red bell peppers with cores and seeds removed

1 pound ground turkey or ground chicken

1 cup uncooked rice

1 can diced tomatoes, or diced fresh tomatoes

1 8 oz can tomato sauce

1/4 c diced onion

salt and pepper to taste

Brown the ground meat and saute the onions. Cook the rice while the meat is cooking. Combine meat, rice and canned tomatoes. Season to taste. Put mixture inside the peppers. Top with tomato sauce. Bake at 375 until peppers are tender.

Honey Chicken Skewers (We didn't have the corn with it.)
And for desserts:

Banana Cupcakes

To make cupcakes, alter cooking time to about 15 minutes.

Peach Cobbler

(I cooked this a little too long, but it was still REALLY good!)

We also served allergy friendly turkey hot dogs for the younger kids. Instead of candy for guests at their seats and as table decor we used flowers and seeds. Extended family members brought gifts for all the kids instead of candy, which was really nice.

And the Easter Egg Hunt...

We purchase those miniature plastic animals of all kinds. They fit very well in the larger plastic eggs. My boys were thrilled, so much that they opened each egg, left the eggs on the ground and only collected the animals.

Next year I'd like to come up with some Easter activities and goodies to make before the big day, just to get in the spirit of the holiday, but that will come next year. I'm just grateful both boys had fun on yet another holiday.