being intentional with meal planning & prepping: living with life-threatening food allergies.

When we first got married, I did the whole meal planning thing. I would make grocery lists and clip coupons and budget for our food, With each additional child, the demands grew and my time, well, it didn't. Eventually, I embraced the winging-it method of meal prep. That is, until we faced the first life-threatening allergic reaction. (If you think this won't apply to you, because your family doesn't have food allergies, I humbly ask you to read on - chances are, someone close to you DOES and would greatly benefit from your understanding! Plus, I'm sharing some tips on meal prep at the end that anyone can use!)

allergies.

We have an array of sensitivities and allergies in our family: gluten, lactose, onions, and excessive tomatoes. The effects range from skin reactions such as rashes and eczema, to digestive issues like bloating, gas, and diarrhea. We eliminated preservatives, MSG, artificial flavors, and food dyes from our diets after our oldest was born. But, most significantly, we have three life-threatening allergies in our family: dairy, oats, and all forms of poultry. One of our sons has the well known igE allergy to dairy. He has an epi-pen, and while we have not eliminated dairy from the house, we practice extreme caution in everything down to where he sits at the table. Another son has a rare disease called FPIES. This site has a wealth of information about FPIES - what it is, how it works, and the symptoms. I'm not going to post all that here. Instead I want to give you an inside look of what living with FPIES and other life-threatening allergies looks like.

what living with allergies looks like.

• - We have eliminated all poultry and oats from our home. ALL of it. There are no exceptions. Nothing containing poultry or oats is permitted in our vehicles either. One cheerio or one small bite of poultry is enough to make our son violently ill.
• - We do not eat out anymore. We occasionally get safe foods and bring them to our house. Eating out is too dangerous, because even if a food in and of itself is safe, cross contamination is a serious concern. And since the boys have gotten older and more active, there is no guaranteeing someone else's unsafe food won't end up in their hands. 
• - We have left public places in a hurry when crumbs are present. Another child's simple snack of a granola bar could cost our child dearly. 
• - We invite people over because the stress of eating at someone else's house is unreal. Even if someone is as careful as possible, the potential to miss oat fiber as a filler, chicken flavoring in a seasoning, or whey as an additive is too high a risk. 
• - Traveling to visit people requires extensive conversations, careful planning, and a mommy who is vigilant.
• - I keep saying 'we' because these allergies effect our whole family. The older children are quick to act if someone offers food to any of them. They know to check with mom or dad before accepting anything, and are conscientious about not asking for things they know could make their brothers sick --- including everyone's favorite, Chick Fil A.
• - FPIES cannot be treated with an epi-pen, but that does NOT mean it is not a life-threatening allergy. On the contrary, there is not a medication that can be administered during a reaction. That is why we wait them out, constantly monitoring his blood pressure, alertness, and hydration levels. 
• - I have had well intentioned friends and family shrug off the allergies, insisting they'll grow out of them - or even that it's not that big of a deal if they get ahold of something. To put it rather bluntly, while well intentioned, those people are wrong - and typically speaking out of a selfish desire for things to be easy.
• - Food labels are checked religiously. Even if it’s something we’ve had before. Recipes and ingredients can be changed.
• - Anytime baby boy starts crying for an unexplained reason, I immediately prepare for an FPIES reaction. If there is even the remotest concern that he’s been exposed to something, I watch him like a hawk for an extended period of time. Because it takes 2-3 hours for the reaction to even begin.
• - Anytime baby boy has a food he has not had before, we have to trial it, giving small amounts building up to a regular serving. His trigger foods cross the ‘normal’ pattern of 2 or more allergies being in the same ‘family’. Thankfully, we have not experienced any other trigger foods, but we are keenly aware they could exist.
• - We don’t know if the boys will outgrow these allergies. Most children do. Others do not. 
  

Most of all, I think that what parents of children with life-threatening allergies would love for you to know is: It is terrifying to know that your child could get a hold of something that could send him into shock and threaten his life. It is heartbreaking to know that your children are going without foods they'd like to have because it just isn't safe. It is expensive to make everything allergy-safe. It is exhausting to be on high alert anywhere but at home. It is isolating trying to keep your kid safe. 

how i meal prep for 8, 1 week at a time.

Every weekend, I set aside time to meal prep for the coming week. Our menu rotates on a 2 week schedule. I understand that may not work for some, but for our family, it cuts down on stress, provides nutritious food everyone enjoys, and helps with budgeting. I no longer base meals on what's going on sale - instead, I work with things that we purchase in bulk from BJs and/or Costco. This also means our shopping list is consistent, simplifying shopping trips.
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Here's a picture of our weekly menus, which I keep in our family planner:

These are the items I typically prep on the weekend:

• Carrots and celery cut into sticks
• Bake 2-3 loaves of homemade, gluten-free bread
• 3-4 lbs of ground meat, browned and packaged for meals
• 8 lbs oranges, peeled
• 5 lbs apples, sliced and tossed in lime juice
• 1 lb cheddar cheese, sliced
• Pumpkin or banana breakfast muffins 
• Main meal items for the upcoming week ready to bake in the fridge - meatloaf assembled, sloppy joe sauce made, chili prepared, roasts/fish in a bowl to defrost.

The whole process takes me 2-3 hours, but has an enormous impact on our week. I'm working towards getting organized enough to double up my main meals so I can freeze a week's worth, too!

Having our main meals ready to go in the fridge, we avoid last minute panic! Not everything is made ahead, but if a day gets crazy, we can easily switch to a simpler meal from that week's menu. Prepping fruits and veggies allows us to have simple and healthy snacks, breakfasts, and even sides for dinners. 

ways you can meal plan & prep

• Make it work for your family. There is no right or wrong way of doing this. 
• Account for the time it will take you, and schedule that time specifically for the task of prepping food. 
• Avoid overwhelm by starting with small, attainable goals. Not everyone can throw a month's worth of meal's in their freezer in one afternoon - that's okay!
• Talk to your family - find favorite meals, and work them in. For me, making meals that people enjoy is rewarding. (Real talk: It's also less stressful that having a kid sit at the table for an hour to finish a meal they don't like!)
• Making healthy snacks and sides easily accessible is a game changer, and doesn't have to take long. Cut up carrots, celery, and apples. Keep raisins, nuts, and grapes on hand. Slice cheese (so much less expensive than cheese sticks!) and peel oranges. When your fridge is stocked with options, it's much simpler to make good choices for you and your family!
• Crock pots are a momma's friend. I get meat out of the fridge on the weekends, that way it's thawed to throw in the crock pot. If I wait until the day before, I might forget. Create a habit of getting things set up for a successful week! 
• Pinterest has recipes galore! But unless you have an abundance of time, and family with adventurous taste buds, you most likely don't want to rely on pinterest for your weekly meal planning! Factor in a night a week for trying new recipes - and rely on trusty favorites the rest of the week.

There are numerous articles on meal prep - some written with much more finesse and expertise, I am sure! But I hope you have found something helpful here. If nothing else, I pray my words about food allergies have either provided the solidarity you need to continue the difficult journey of living with food allergies - or that they have given you a fresh compassion for those who are. 

How do you meal plan and prep? Would you like a follow up post with recipes for my weekly meal plan? Are you, or a loved one, living with life-threatening food allergies? What do you wish people knew?