Here’s a little back story.
My allergy-free cooking journey started when I found out that my oldest daughter was severely allergic to eggs and milk. It was devastating because we were so new to the allergy world. Even so, I was determined to create safe meals and baked goods for her so she would never have to go without. I wasn’t the best cook back then, but I was happy and energized to provide safe foods for her. I spent many days reading different recipe books and watching cooking shows to get better at cooking. I had settled into this new life of allergy-free cooking, but was still thankful when she outgrew her allergies when she was around 4 years old.
It was right about the same time that my second daughter developed severe peanut and tree nut allergies. Again, I was devastated. I felt like I was starting all over again, but armed with my past successes, I knew I could do it. I continued to work at becoming a better allergy-free cook (but with new allergens) as the months went on.
I went on for several years, and then it happened again. My youngest was diagnosed with a gluten intolerance. Our Allergist/Immunologist asked us to remove gluten from her diet. It was a new normal all over AGAIN and it was a big struggle.
Although I originally thought it wouldn’t be that hard, I began to get less and less motivated in the kitchen. It felt like I had a huge weight on my shoulders and I dreaded cooking anything. I never knew what to make and because of that I got into a huge cooking rut. I made the same things over and over and I hated every minute of it.
Needless to say, the weight of feeding my family became even heavier. I knew something had to change and I couldn’t provide my family with what they needed without making some drastic changes. I felt like they deserved more so I knew I had to overcome the dread of the kitchen once and for all.
Does this sound familiar? Do you have any of the same issues with allergy-free cooking? If so, read on!
So what did I do?? I dug in and spent months of trial and error until I FINALLY found a method that worked. And it was worth it because it didn’t just work for one week, it works even when I’m feeling the most uninspired and burnt out from the kitchen too. It works all the time.
Here are the two main parts of the method I created:
Great Allergy-Free Cooking Starts With Meal planning.
I knew I needed a break from cooking and thinking about food all the time. I started to figure out how to meal plan with purpose so I could give myself a break consistently. I learned about intentionally rotating meals so I didn’t have to constantly search for new recipes and could still have lots of variety. I learned the best way to plan so I didn’t have to go back to the grocery store more than once a week. And I learned how to become more efficient when I was cooking, so I wasn’t in the kitchen ALL THE TIME.
2. Allergy-Free Cooking With Whole & Simple Ingredients.
When my daughter was diagnosed with gluten intolerance in addition to peanut and tree nut allergies, I started to see that either peanuts, tree nuts or gluten were in EVERYTHING. I was frustrated, and I felt like there were so few products she could eat.
Which is when I realized that maybe I should just get rid of pre-packaged food altogether. I mean, less processed is better for you and I don’t have to spend hours reading labels on a peach or piece of cauliflower! Let me tell you the money we save because we don’t get as many expensive allergy-free foods!
I began to use the cooking skills I had been developing over the years, but I started to do it differently. Instead of seeking out safe allergy-free products, I started to use the skills to find whole & simple foods I could create with. I could go to the grocery store and choose what looked delicious or was on sale and create an allergy-free meal around that. I could go out to eat and get inspired by something I ordered and come home and make it for my family. I discovered how to imitate the flavors of allergens so I could make recipes allergy-friendly based on simple ingredients instead of having to find an allergy-free cooking product to substitute.
Conclusion
There are 2 main things that have helped me massively when it comes to enjoying safe top 8 allergy-free cooking. You can do it too!
Do you like allergy-free cooking? Let me know why or why not in the comments!
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