Wednesday, April 15, 2009

WFMW – Egg free, milk free Blueberry Waffles

wfmwbannerKRISTEN

Our youngest son, who I lovingly refer to as our “challenge child” has food allergies. He is allergic to milk, eggs and nuts. We discovered the milk allergy when I tried to give him some milk based formula at 11 months of age…he vomited within a minute of drinking it, screamed bloody murder and then proceeded to break out in a rash over every part of his body the milk/vomit touched! It was quite a site!

After a visit to the allergist, our concerns were confirmed and he in fact has allergies to all three foods. He actually has the more severe reactions to these foods, with wheezing and burning sensations in his throat. We carry an Epipen and Benadryl with us at all times. Fortunately, we have never had to use the Epipen. Benadryl has always been able to control his reaction, but that could change at any time.

To say that food allergies are a challenge would be an understatement. Food allergies are a nightmare, especially in today’s processed food world! We have to watch everything he eats. I have looked at more labels than I ever dreamed of, searching for words like whey and casein. Who knew these two items are actually milk proteins and are definitely things that Jack must avoid?

Jack is very much aware of his food allergies and has become suspect of any new food, therefore causing him to be a very picky eater. Who can blame him though? He does not want to try new foods for fear that it will make him sick. Actually, I would rather that he not want to try new foods, especially when we are not around. Having food allergies doesn’t seem to bother Jack most of the time, but occasionally he will ask why he can’t have what other children are eating. We ALWAYS try to bring something special just for him to eat. This normally makes him feel better!

Finding food that is free of milk, eggs and nuts can be difficult, but labels are finally better at listing the possible allergens. When we do find something that Jack can and will eat, we stock up on it. Since we live in a small town, the two local grocery stores do not sell a large quantity of organic or allergy free items. We have to travel to the “big city” to Whole Foods to stock up on many things he can eat. The “big city” is an hour away, so this isn’t always convenient.

We did find something at one of our local stores that Jack loved…Van’s Organic Blueberry Waffles. They are dairy free, egg free, nut free and actually taste good! He ate them every morning for breakfast for close to two years, then the local store stopped selling them! The corporate office handles the ordering, so I couldn’t get them to restock. Whole Foods does sell them and I would pick up several boxes when I shopped, but if I ran out and couldn’t make the trip for a few days, Jack would be very upset!

I had to come up with my own recipe and hoped that Jack would eat them. He actually likes my homemade version better! That’s my boy!!! Here is the recipe…

Jack’s Blueberry Waffles

2 cups Bisquick ~ I use the Heart Smart

1 1/3 cups Silk – I use the Very Vanilla, since that is what Jack drinks

2 T Vegetable Oil

1 1/2 t Ener-G Egg Replacer mixed with 2 T warm water ~ see note below

1 cup blueberries ~ I normally buy the frozen ones and then defrost in the microwave

Optional ~ Most of the time I will add one tablespoon of ground Flax Seed to the mix…Jack has never noticed the difference.

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Mix all ingredients and then let sit for at least 5 minutes…they seem to rise better if you do. Spray your waffle iron with cooking spray and then pour about 1/3 cup of your mix onto the center. I normally spread the mix to even it out. Waffle is done when steaming stops, normally less than 5 minutes for me. Try not to open too early or the waffle will not cook correctly. It took me a while to get a feel for then the waffle is done. You can serve immediately or freeze for later use. I normally freeze them and then pop the waffle into the toaster and hit the defrost setting.

This makes about 8-10 waffles depending on how thick you spread in your batter. Try not to make the waffles too thick or the batter will ooze out the side and make a mess!

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A note about the Ener-G Egg Replacer. You can get this at Whole Foods. It contains no eggs or animal proteins. It has potato starch and tapioca flour as the main ingredients, but it really reminds me of corn starch. It has no flavor at all and I have used it in other things and have not noticed a difference as far as the flavor goes. It seemed weird to me, but once I tried it I was sold, so don’t be afraid of it!

This is what works for our family and maybe it will work for your family too! If you want to read other great ideas and tips, visit We are THAT Family each Wednesday. Enjoy!

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4 comments:

Julie said...

What a good mom you are. I'm sure Jack loves those waffles.

MB said...

These look good...I'm going to try them. My son used to be allergic to milk/eggs, but recently grew out of them (he's 3 1/2). I have some recipes on my site in case you are interested. We still do a lot of allergen free cooking. He still has to avoid nuts/fish though I don't think he's allergic to nuts.

Hang in there!

Jackie said...

I saw your link on We Are That Family this morning. Good for you for working to help your son!

One of my sons was recenly diagnosed with several food allergies (dairy, egg whites, soy, and wheat). I have done lots of experimentation if you are ever interested in seeing what I have done. Check out my blog @ http://blessingsoverflowing.blogspot.com.

I make my own rice milk which is very economical. Also, I can use 2egg yolks (well-rinsed) or flax seed binder which both up the nutrition count as opposed to the egg replacer.

Just some thoughts and things that have worked for me. I am really working to make these changes work, and it sounds like you are, too.

suzannah | the smitten word said...

you can also replace one egg in baked goods like muffins or waffles with 1 Tbsp whole flaxseed, ground, and 3 Tbsp water. i do this for my vegan sister or if we're just out of eggs, and it works great!

http://www.ehow.com/how_2280938_substitute-flax-seed-eggs-baking.html