Places to Eat with Allergies

Picking a place to go out to eat is one of the biggest debates my husband and I had before we had kids. Most nights we would end up going to two separate places just because it made everyone happy.  Now that our son has a peanut allergy the debate has taken on a whole new meaning.  We always have to make sure it is safe for Gavin and then there is always that lingering fear if it is a new place.  We usually end up going to McDonald's just because we are POSITIVE it is safe.  Most restaurants have pretty good information on their websites.  You usually click on the menu and find where it says nutrition information or allergen information.  After we confirm online that it is safe, we go to the restaurant and speak with a manager.  It seems like most managers are aware of the severity of allergies and are able to speak with confidence about what is safe.  I never trust a waitress or hostess simply because they most likely have not been trained on food allergies.  Here is a list of our favorite places to go.  Remember every place is different and products can change.  Always speak to a manager or chef and make them aware that they are dealing with an allergy.  As always remember to bring your Epi-pens and Benadryl into the restaurant with you!

McDonald's
Burger King
Chili's
KFC
Subway

I am sure there are more, but having trouble thinking of them right now.  If you have safe favorites please comment!

~Stacey

Edit: I want to include a few places that are definitely NOT safe: (please comment about this list too!)

Texas Corral (peanuts everywhere)
Texas Roadhouse (peanuts everywhere)
Five Guys Burgers and Fries (use peanut oil and have peanuts in restaurant)
Chick-Fil-A (use peanut oil)

Disney with a Disability

Disney with a Disability

Visiting Disney with Gavin's Cerebral Palsy couldn't have been a more enjoyable experience!  They really take care of families with a disability to make it magical for everyone.  When you arrive at your first park of the trip, head straight to guest services.  We went to EPCOT's guest services.  It is located under Spaceship Earth to the left.  We spoke with a Disney Cast Member about his disability and without question they got us set up.  I was expecting to have to show proof because sometimes it is hard to tell that Gavin has a disability.  They give you a card to carry and if you are traveling with a stroller they give you a tag to attach to the stroller that says you are using it as a wheelchair.  My only advice is to make sure you attach it to the TOP of the stroller.  We got questioned a few times because they didn't see the tag right away.  The tag and card gave us the ability to go through the fast pass lines or through the handicap entrance, so there was less of a wait time and we were able to bring the stroller with us.  The only thing you couldn't do was use it for rides that he wasn't big enough for.  So if you want to do those be sure to get a FastPass. 

The one thing that got under my skin is how rude some people can be.  I had several dirty looks from guests in the park and even had a few say nasty things to me.  Unfortunately Mama Bear came out and I put them in their place!  People really should mind their own business sometimes! LOL!

Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue

Day 5

Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue

Fort Wilderness-Pioneer Hall

Disney Dining Plan: 2 Table Service meals each person

This was a PERFECT ending to our trip!  I HIGHLY suggest making your way to the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue.  It is a great interactive show with FANTASTIC food!  We were at table 62 and it was truly like we were guests of honor.  Our table was located in the middle of the floor with about 6 feet of space in front of us before the next table.  The actors spent a great deal of time directly in front of us and even sang a song to Gavin!  He is in LOVE!  The chef was the best one of the trip.  He gave us his business card.  His name is Jonathan Sanders.  His email is jonathan.sanders@disney.com.  He spoke to us about both allergens and made a special plate for Rick.  Instead of mashed potatoes he made him a baked potato and corn.  He also brought him a special salad.  Gavin was able to eat the corn bread and everything else, which he loved!  The dessert was strawberry shortcake.  Rick had just the strawberries and the shortcake, no cream.  Gavin had just the strawberries and cream.  It was great!  Although we had such a great table there really isn't a bad table in the house.  My husband and I went on our honeymoon and we were in the balcony and that was great too!  The actors are really all over the place.  The only suggestion I can make sure you leave plenty of time to get there.  It isn't the easiest place to get to fast.  There is a boat from Magic Kingdom to Fort Wilderness, but it was raining the night we went.  So we took a bus from our resort to MGM (because it was the closest park).  From MGM we went to Wilderness Lodge.  There is then 1 bus that goes to Fort Wilderness.  You do not want to take a bus to Fort Wilderness Campground because that lets you out pretty far away from Pioneer Hall.

Salad and Cornbread

A little bit of everything!

Gavin's girlfriend! LOL

Gavin clapping along

Strawberry Shortcake.  Sorry for the bad picture!

Les Chefs de France

Day 4

Les Chefs de France

EPCOT-France

Disney Dining Plan: Table Service meal

All I have to say is YUMMY!  We thoroughly enjoyed Les Chefs de France!  It could've been the DELICIOUS wine, but still it was good!  Chef Loic came to our table and spoke with us about Gavin's allergy.  He informed us that the Macaroni and Cheese was safe as well as the bread!  We were very excited because the bread was off limits everywhere else!  The Macaroni and Cheese was not on the kid's menu, but they made it for him anyway.  Gavin did not have dessert that evening.

Gratin de macaroni - Baked macaroni with cream and gruyere cheese. - $14.99

Demi poulet fermier roti Pommes rissolees et broccoli - Half of an all natural roasted chicken, rissole potatoes and broccoli - $18.99

Plat de cote de boeuf au cabernet avec pates - Beef short ribs braised in Cabernet with pasta, pearl onions and mushrooms. - $22.99 

Filet de saumon, pommes de terre ecrasees au beurre et ciboulette, sur coulis de tomate et poivron rouge - Broiled salmon, Smashed potatoes with butter and chives, served on a tomato and red pepper sauce. - $23.99 

Fraisier, sorbet et coulis aux fruits rouges - Strawberry cake with red berry sauce and sorbet. - $7.25 

Landscape of Flavors

Day 3

Landscape of Flavors

Art of Animation Resort

Disney Dining Plan: Quick Service meal

Picture Courtesy of disneyfoodblog.com

At the Art of Animation there are 4 different food stations ranging from Mongolian to Italian.  My husband wanted Italian for himself and Gavin.  He spoke with the chef about his lactose intolerance and Gavin's peanut allergy.  The chef made them their very own pasta!  My husband said it was delicious!

Rick's is on the left.  They both had chicken pasta, but different noodles.

Cosmic Rays

Day 3-Lunch

Cosmic Rays

Magic Kingdom-Tomorrowland

Disney Dining Plan: Quick Service meal

Picture courtesy of wdwinfo.com

We spoke with the kitchen manager who assured us everything was safe except the desserts.  I didn't take a picture, but Gavin got chicken nuggets, fries, applesauce, and milk.  The chicken nuggets were actually pretty tasty!  The adults got pulled pork sandwiches or half a chicken.  The pulled pork was delicious!  This was part of the quick service meal and there was ALOT of food!  I will definitely eat here again!

Biergarten

Day 2-dinner

Biergarten

EPCOT-Germany

Disney Dining Plan: Table Service meal

Chef Richard, from Hawaii of all places, came to speak with us at our table.  He explained that all of the regular food on the buffet line was safe for Gavin, but we needed to stay away from all breads and desserts.  He then offered to bring out a dessert made by Enjoy Life, which is a company that is free of the 8 most common allergens.  He brought Gavin 2 packages of cookies and a candy bar!  Gavin was in seventh heaven!  This was our second time at Biergarten and it did not disappoint.  We will definitely eat there again!

A sampling of the buffet from my husband's plate.  There was lots of other yummy foods that he couldn't/didn't want.

This dessert plate was NOT safe for Gavin, but it was yummy!

Here is a picture of the dessert from Enjoy Life.  He tried a brownie at one of the other food vendors and I have to say that was the BEST!

La Cantina de San Angel

Day 2-lunch

La Cantina de San Angel

EPCOT-Mexico

Disney Dining Plan: Quick Service Meal

After lots of searching the Food and Wine booths with no luck, my husband finally decided to go to La Cantina de San Angel.  He spoke with the kitchen manager who assured him everything was safe.  He ordered Tacos de Pollo, it included: 3 tacos, chips & salsa, 5 churros, and a drink.  My mother in law ordered the Tacos de Carne and we all agreed those were tastier, but the Pollo was delicious as well! I couldn't believe the amount of food we got for the quick service meal!

Tacos de Pollo

Cape May Cafe

Day 2
Cape May Cafe- Character Breakfast
Beach Club Resort
Disney Dining Plan: Table Service meal

Cape May Cafe was a breakfast buffet, and we all know how scary buffets can be for allergies.  Chef Randy came to our table and was VERY accommodating and eased our minds.  There was nothing on the buffet line to worry about for peanuts.  There were a couple of items with tree nuts like the granola.  We just stayed away from that side.  The chef made my husband dairy free waffles and a chocolate donut.  My husband was thrilled to be able to eat breakfast without getting an upset belly!  Minnie, Donald, and Goofy made their way to every table,it was a very quick meet and greet.  Gavin loved every second!  The food was a great and the service was outstanding!  I would eat there again, but not for the character breakfast part.  

There were SO many choices.  This is just what I chose: Bacon, Sausage, Eggs, Potatoes, Waffle with Cream and Strawberries, and Biscuits and Gravy.

Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant

Day 1
Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant
Downtown Disney
Disney Dining Plan: Table Service meal

We spoke with Charlie who was the manager.  He informed us that the sausages and burger bun were unsafe for the peanut allergy.  When we told him about the lactose intolerance that was a little trickier to find something safe, but we did!

The food was delicious and we would definitely go back.  We enjoyed the atmosphere as well.  They had traditional Irish dancers and live music.  Our table was not anywhere near that, so we had to get up to see it, but all in all we enjoyed ourselves.

Main Course

Gavin's Choice
Macaroni Cheese
Macaroni pasta with Dubliner cheese with mashed potatoes

Rick's Choice
Burger – Char grilled sirloin beef burger with Irish Style Chips.

My Choice
Mammy’s Roast Chicken – Lemon thyme roasted half chicken with mashed potatoes and natural jus.

Dessert- Rick opted out of dessert because nothing seemed to suit him besides the fruit.

My Choice
Ger’s Bread & Butter Pudding
Like no other pudding you have ever tried.
Believe us.

Gavin's Choice
Juicy Fruit
Freshly chopped fruit with a drizzle of honey.

My Niece's Choice
Strawberry and apple crumble
Fresh Strawberry and apple crumble with vanilla ice cream and fresh cream.

Dining in Disney with Allergies

Dining in Disney with a Peanut Allergy and lactose intolerance couldn't have been easier!  We spent 5 nights in Disney World and didn't have any issues at all!  We made reservations to all table service meals ahead of time online and there was a place on the reservation to indicate that you had an allergy and which allergy it was.  All restaurants knew this information when we arrived.  We made sure to still inform them of it when we checked in and asked to speak to a chef or manager.  After we were seated someone would come to our table and speak with us about the dishes we needed to stay away from or they would make something special.  Easy as that! Check out my next few blogs to see which restaurants we ate at and pictures of the delicious food!

Traveling with a Peanut Allergy

     
Traveling with a Peanut Allergy was more stressful than I anticipated, but manageable with the proper knowledge (which I didn't have).  
    We flew with Southwest Airlines to Orlando.  Before leaving I spoke to my son's allergist and she gave me a letter for TSA stating that we were allowed to carry on Epi-pens and Benadryl.  We also informed Southwest when booking the tickets that our son had a peanut allergy.  I felt very comfortable about everything at this point.
    We had a pretty early flight which I later found out was the best thing for traveling with a peanut allergy.  Airplanes are only deep cleaned each evening, so the first flight diminishes the chances of coming into contact with peanuts.  Our first step when we got to our gate was to inform them of the allergy.  They then gave us a ticket in a blue sleeve stating that we had a PA.  This allows you to pre-board the plane.  When boarding the plane that ticket is given to the flight attendant.  We chose the first row of seats.  The first row has tons of leg room and no tray tables.  It was also recommended by our doctor that we choose the front because you have less of a chance of coming into contact with peanut dust and dirty tray tables. The flight attendants were very accommodating for the most part.  The lead attendant was AMAZING and understood the severity of the allergy.  One of the other attendants had a very sarcastic personality and decided to make a joke about the allergy and how it is unfair to the others.  He was clearly joking, but it was VERY inappropriate. 
   Our flight home was not as nice.  We were traveling in the middle of the day.  We had to take a flight from Orlando to Ft. Myers.  This flight already had passengers on board, so we were unable to get the first row.  This already threw me for a loop, but I moved on.  We chose a row of seats and were settling in when the woman behind was talking to her friend.  They were getting ready to eat their peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!  I panicked and insisted that we move RIGHT AWAY!  My husband located another row of seats and went to get our bags.  I asked the flight attendant if she had anything I could use to clean the tray tables and all she had were some wipes similar to the ones you get when eating ribs.  So I am furiously scrubbing down tray tables, arm rests, seats, and seat belts.  I look down and there is a peanut wrapper and peanuts on the floor.  I am practically in tears at this point and wanting to get off the plane.  When my husband got back on he could tell I was distressed and he began scouring the plane for a safe row, but honestly how safe could any of the rows have been.  We finally got settled in after scrubbing down a whole other row of seats. Rick later told me that the flight attendant said to him, "what do you want me to do about it?"  Wow, thank you for being sympathetic! Luckily it was literally a 50 minute flight from gate to gate.  We landed and got off as quick as we could.
   We then had a delay that lasted about 5 hours! Torture! And there was no McDonald's to be found.  I don't know about other PA moms, but McDonald's is my go to.  We had tons of snacks and luckily found a place we could eat at.  When it was time for our next flight we got into a conversation with another family that was pre-boarding.  They too were traveling with a son with a PA.  It was nice to know that we were in this together.  She shared some tips with me since they had flown 4 times with their son.  They always keep their Epi-pens at arms reach, ours were in the overhead in our diaper bag.  They also always travel with a to-go package of Clorox wipes, which is much more powerful than baby wipes.  The flight attendants couldn't have been better.  They announced SEVERAL times that they were traveling with two PA's on board and they would not be serving peanuts and they would appreciate it if everyone would refrain from eating their own snacks containing peanut products.  It was amazing!  We got our front row seat and had a very relaxing flight home.
   Overall, it was very stressful, but do-able.  A little knowledge and pre-planning will hopefully make our next flight a lot smoother.

What a Week!

This week in Disney World was so fun,but so incredibly stressful at the same time.  I started this blog initially to share with people the ease of dining in Disney with a Peanut Allergy, but through my travels I realized I could share so much more than just dining.  I am going to cover traveling and dining along with visiting Disney with a disability.  Hopefully this information will prove to be helpful in your adventures in traveling to Disney or any other location.

We're Going to Disney World!

We're Going to Disney World!

We are going to Disney World and couldn't be more excited! I have to say when we were in the planning phases of the vacation I was very nervous about Gavin's peanut allergy.  After much research and reading other blogs and websites I found out how accommodating Disney is with the most common allergies. Check out www.allergyfreemouse.com.   I have been told that a chef at each restaurant will come out and speak with us personally and create a meal that we can be confident in.  My plan while we are there is to blog about each meal my son eats while there.  I will be taking pictures and sharing the restaurant and chefs names.  On top of my son's peanut allergy, my husband is lactose intolerant, so I will try and include his meals as well!  Here's to a worry free vacation!  

On the restaurant agenda:
Raglan Irish Pub & Restaurant
Cape May Cafe
Biergarten
Liberty Tree Tavern
Les Chefs de France
Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue

One of the Scariest Days of My Life

How We Found Out

July 23rd, 2011 is a day I will never forget.  It almost ranks up there with my wedding day and the day my children were born.  It started like any other day.  My husband was working (out of town) and Gavin and I were enjoying our day.  It was time for lunch and it was one of those days where you don't have a specific thing for lunch, so I made Gavin something different and I made myself a peanut butter and banana sandwich, an Elvis favorite!  Gavin of course decided to be a difficult two year old and insisted on not eating his lunch, but wanted mine.  I had my reservations, but decided, "hey, why not!"  BIG MISTAKE! I gave him a bite and it was almost instantaneous.  He began to vomit.  At first I thought it was just the texture that he was having difficulty with and he was gagging. So I called my husband and in a very calm voice I said, "honey, I think we may be having a slight emergency over here. I think Gavin is having a reaction to peanuts, he is vomiting."  My wonderful husband then suggested I put Gavin in the car, go to Walgreens, and get some Benadryl.  WHAT! I told him that he was throwing up everywhere and there was NO WAY I could put him in the car and go to Walgreens. So he suggested putting a call into the doctor.  Well of course it was a Saturday, so I had to wait until the on call doctor returned my call.  So I did what all mothers do and started googling!  Right away I found the symptoms of a peanut allergy and one was vomiting.  Oh crap, this is really happening!  So, I decided to put him on my lap and take him down to the neighbor's house.  Maybe she would know what to do.  Well it turned out that she wasn't home, but her husband and 3 year old were.  I took Gavin inside and told him everything that was happening and he suggested calling 9-1-1.  I told him no that I was waiting on the doctor to call me back.  In the meantime Gavin is getting sick in their kitchen, his breathing is getting worse, and his daughter was very scared.  Smart Stacey!  The doctor finally called back and suggested calling 9-1-1 and going to the hospital.  What a novel idea!  So my neighbor called 9-1-1 and we waited, and waited, and waited.  I am not sure how long we waited, but it felt like an eternity!  They got there and I felt like I was on an episode of ER,  I was spouting all of Gavin's history at them.  One thing is for sure I felt like NO ONE was moving fast.  They got his vitals and then moved him into the ambulance.  Once in the ambulance things didn't move any quicker, but he thankfully was done vomiting and his breathing was starting to get better.  I thought they should load us up and start driving right?  I am here to tell you that is NOT the way things work on an ambulance.  Gavin and I are laying on the stretcher with 2 or 3 EMT's surrounding us.  My phone is ringing off the hook. (Rick of course was scared to death and I am not answering.) They are trying to get an IV started and having terrible luck.  Someone else was doing a breathing treatment and I felt like I was about to pass out.  It was all too much for me, but I kept telling myself if you pass out then either A) they are going to have to ignore you or B) stop working on your son to wake you up.  So I got myself back together and finally it was time to go.  We arrived at the hospital where he saw lots of doctors, received some Benadryl and a shot of adrenaline, and more breathing treatments. He was starting to act like my son again.  He was ready to GO! Nothing too exciting happened at the hospital.  We spent some time in the ER and then it was decided that he needed to be admitted for overnight watch.  Gavin watched HOURS and HOURS of Toy Story 1, 2, and 3.  It is hard to believe I am not sick of them! The next morning they did a blood test, we later found out it was called a RAST test, to confirm if he in fact had a reaction to peanuts.  When we got his results back it was confirmed that he in fact had the dreaded peanut allergy and would need to carry Epi pens and Benadryl with him at all times. It was one of the scariest days of my life and I have made it my mission to NEVER let it happen again.

Hello!

Welcome to Gavin's Story

Hi! My name is Stacey and this is the first time I have ever attempted a blog!  I would like to start by introducing myself.  

First and foremost, I am a wife to the most amazing husband and father, Rick.  He is my ROCK and keeps my head in the right place when things get rough.  

I am also a mother to two gorgeous children, Gavin and Norah.  Gavin came into this world 3 years ago destined for adventure and to change people's lives.  He was born with Cerebral Palsy and when he was 2 we found out that he is allergic to peanuts! Oy!  Norah is now almost 4 months old and has had a rather easy going time of eating, sleeping, and filling diapers.  It has been fun!

 I spend my days as a 2nd grade teacher, but I am taking a few months off to spend time with the loves of my life.  I am already dreading returning to work!

I am creating this blog for a few reasons.  I am hoping it will be a place for me to get my thoughts down and to inform people about Cerebral Palsy and peanut allergies.

Thank you for joining me on our adventure!