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  • Home
    • DISCLAIMER
  • Blog
  • Recipes
    • Breakfast
    • Baked Sweets >
      • Cookies, Bars and Granola
      • Cakes, Breads and Pies >
        • Bananarama Tigernut Oat Muffins
        • Healthy Brownies
        • Chocolate Banana Bread
    • Non-Baked Sweets
    • Quick Eats
    • Healthy Meal Ideas
  • Reviews
  • Contact
  • Food Allergy Resources
  • Affiliate Page
  Advocate Uniquely

3 Years and Counting

2/23/2017

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     My question this year was, "What should I get my husband for our 3 year anniversary?" My husband–hard working, loving and a father– has worked in the restaurant business since he was 12 years old. He started in Italy where he was born and raised. When he came to the United States he continued working in the restaurant business. Several years ago he became a Mixologist. He has the passion and creativity for it.
     As I had been thinking about the perfect gift, I came across "The Oak Bottle." Yes, you read that right. The Oak Bottle, the world's first oaking vessel that comes in 3 different sizes. It accelerates the aging process that allows anyone to infuse their own beer, cocktails, spirits and wines. Also, it's reusable, meaning that it will age any allergy-friendly cocktail, gluten free beer or low sulfite wine within hours! Did someone say, "Oak infused and aged cocktails?!" Yes, Please. 
Here's a bit more information about the bottle. 
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It manages to turn the cheapest wine or whiskey that tastes better than the most expensive option. It improves whiskey by 30 points–example: a $30 Johnnie Walker Red Label can turn into tasting better than the $60 Johnnie Walker Black Label. This Oak Bottle also turned a $5 Yellow Tail Merlot wine into tasting better than a $40 St.Francis Merlot– that's 43 points!
     I knew right away that this was perfect for my husband so he can create his own signature cocktails for his own menu and other restaurant's too. I finally found the perfect gift for my amazing, hard-working husband. I decided to buy him the biggest Oak Bottle size they have; he'll most likely use it for work. On top of that, I bought my husband the Oak Tumbler, which is a perfect size individual cup made from Oak, allowing him to use this at home. 
      My appreciation for my husband never stops. Working twice as hard to provide for our family, always making time for us, and treating us with the most love ever. I know you'll enjoy this, every sip is better than the last!

     HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MY LOVE, THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO!
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The Yogurt Challenge

2/22/2017

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     Alternative eating because of food allergies and auto immune disorders is VERY expensive, as many of you may already know. It's also very difficult to do when living on one income. 
     About 3 years ago I bought a yogurt maker for the great deal of $20–but i NEVER used it! Until recently, I got into this "Julia Child Mode" and wanted to make everything from scratch. So I bought a pressure cooker, crockpot, ice-cream maker that attaches to my Kitchen-Aid, a bread maker, etc. You get the picture right? Anyway, back to my yogurt story. I read tons of recipes and finally tried one out. Let me tell you...it was a total FAIL! I didn't give up though. I threw it out, read more recipes and made my second batch–SUCCESS! Perfect texture, amazing taste, no additives, no preservatives and no junk!

     Why did my first batch fail? It wasn't the recipe in itself, but I only let it sit for about 8 hours when in reality yogurt should sit from about 24 hours. Letting it sit for 24 hours gives it a greek yogurt taste and texture. I used unsweetened coconut milk from a carton (it should be high-fatty content) and I let it come to a boil (A BIG NO-NO). On top of those mistakes, I didn't add any sugar; no sugar means there is nothing for the probiotics to feed on. 
     I definitely learned my lesson. So I've made it and now I'm sharing my recipe and knowledge with you. Hope you enjoy!
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After 24 hour fermentation
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After whisking
Yogurt Recipe
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Then and Now

2/7/2017

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I wanted to give you all insight to who I am as a mother and as someone who grew into becoming more knowledgeable of the "allergy-scene." This is where my life as a food allergy parent began!
     Starting this new, abstract life was really tough for me; it was even harder doing it alone. At the time I had no one to turn to, no one to support me- I was a single mom that lost her, at the time, husband to a murder. But I didn't give up. I knew that I had to keep my baby safe.
     My mom really supported me at such a difficult time in my life. We learned what we had to in order to keep Aeverie safe. We learned to read labels, although it was a very tedious task. We called companies to make sure products were safe, we advocated for Aeverie, and I started running a support group for moms whose children have peanut allergies. My sisters were also a great support and even changed the ingredients they ate. For example, they stopped eating peanut butter and switched to sunbutter.
     When I met my now amazing husband of 3years, he jumped right in to our way of life: no nuts and no endearing kisses to Aeverie after eating dairy, fish or shellfish because of her contact reactions. He learned to read labels and call companies as well. He also restricted his diet and changed his lifestyle (such as no shoes in the house and no more nutella- poor Italian man)! Now that we have our 1year old daughter in the mix, we have discovered that we are facing new challenges. She has GERDS and FPIES and may possibly have EOE and/or MCAD, but we continue to do what we can for her too. She has no safe foods and is on a medical formula called Neocate Infant. 
     As a family we have grown to love our new lifestyle and we wouldn't have it any other way. It makes us who we are. From the recipe creating, to food allergy walks, to an improved version of the support group "No Nuts Moms" which now includes any member of the family for kids with any food allergy. We go to allergy summits, allergy friendly expos and we advocate. 
     I know what it's like to have no knowledge and to grow in this allergen-free community. I want to help you with what I can because it can be a struggle to do it alone. I don't want you to have to be alone in this. Support in any way is a great friend. Let me be a support for you, whether you are new to this, have been in this for longer than I or have friends/family members who need support too. We can all support each other!
     Please visit my recipes page for yummy delicacies! I will soon have reviews posted of different companies so you have more information on them. Also, please feel free to contact me about anything: concerns, questions, and/or comments; you can also subscribe to my newsletter that will keep you up to date on what's new!
                              With Love,
​                                     Stephanie Labile
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    I'm Stephanie, mother of 2 daughters. I'll be sharing my day-to-day life and give you insight on how my family and I function.

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