Rediscovering Breakfast

When Monk was diagnosed with his egg allergy I was still nursing, so I too gave up eggs in all forms (imagine how badly I craved piece of cake topped in sweet buttery frosting).  Around that time I met a friend for breakfast at a restaurant. I looked through the menu once, twice, three and four times trying to find an entree that was egg free without having to go all "Harry Met Sally" on it.  Nothing.

I ended up having a lovely breakfast from the a la carte menu of sausage and fruit and was truly satisfied, but it opened my eyes to how difficult breakfast can be with an egg allergy.

Fast forward to now and we have a few more things to add to the allergy list, and even though I am no longer nursing, I am now in planning mode of trying to fill by database of things that will work for our whole family.

So here are a few of our morning favorites that we have found and that Monk loves.  (All of the following are free of eggs, dairy, wheat, tree nuts and peanuts, plus some.)

Silk Soy Yogurt

Monk knows the packaging for this yogurt and his grunts, wide eyes and outstretched hands are a sign of his happiness.  The Silk Soy Yogurt comes in strawberry, blueberry, peach mango, black cherry and vanilla.  It is super creamy and a wonderful source of protein and calcium. Ingredients for the blueberry version: Soymilk (Filtered Water, Whole Soybeans), Cane Sugar, Blueberries, Maltodextrin, Corn Starch, Natural Flavor, Tricalcium Phosphate, Pectin, Fruit & Vegetable Juice (Color), Sea Salt, Citric Acid, Locust Bean Gum, Vitamin D2, Live & Active Cultures.

Rice Chex

I was thrilled and half when I found an actual food product in a box that was allergy-friendly for Monk.  Not only does the Rice Chex work for breakfast, but it also make a good snack on the go. There are several other flavors of Chex that are free of his allergens, including Vanilla, Cinnamon, and even Chocolate Chex, which I was happy to discover contains "cocoa processed with alkali", which  is a dairy-free chocolate. Ingredients: Whole grain rice, Rice, Sugar, Salt, Molasses, Vitamin E (mixed tocopherols), and BHT added to preserve freshness. Vitamins and minerals: Calcium carbonate, Iron, and Zinc (mineral nutrients), Vitamin C (sodium ascorbate), A B vitamin (niacinamide), Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride), Vitamin B2 (riboflavin), Vitamin B1 (thiamin mononitrate), Vitamin A (palmitate), A B vitamin (folic acid), Vitamin B12, Vitamin D3

Van's Totally Natural Waffles

We are a frozen waffle household.  School mornings could be disastrous without this quick and easy breakfast food.  My older two eat that other well known brand, but with wheat, eggs and dairy in the ingredient list, they are not allergy-friendly for Monk.  I found these the other day at our local grocery store and just had to try them.  I will say that they are not bad.  Not as sweet as the other, and the taste is a bit more starchy, from the potato starch and rice flower. They also don't seem to stay together as well, but that is likely from the exclusion of eggs as a binder.  Side note: Our last allergy test for Canola Oil was negative (yippee) so as long as we get a clear on the potato from the doc then these should be allergy-friendly for Monk.  Ingredients: Water, Van's Gluten Free Mix (Brown Rice Flour, Potato Starch, Rice Flour, Soy Flour), Non-GMO Expeller Pressed Canola Oil, Baking Powder (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Baking Soda, Rice Flour, Monocalcium Phosphate), Van's Natural Fruit Juice Blend (Pineapple, Peach and Pear Juice Concentrates), Sea Salt, Guar Gum, Soy Lecithin.

Applegate Breakfast Sausage

So my kid loves pork, and that is a good thing when he can't have chicken or turkey. My favorite thing about this sausage is that I can read and understand every single ingredient.   Applegate Naturals does come in other varieties such as Chicken and Apple and Chicken and Maple, but since Monk can't eat chicken we will be sticking to this variety for now.
Ingredients: Pork, Water. Contains Less Than 2% Of The Following: Evaporated Cane Syrup, Salt, Spices: Sage, Black Pepper, Ginger, White Pepper, Red Pepper.

Smoothies

Forgive my atrociously bad food photography!

My dear sweet hubby bought me a wonderful new blender for Christmas that makes a fabulous smoothie, and I make one on most mornings.  A few weeks ago, in the craziness of our morning routine, Monk got a hold of  my cup, and unbeknownst to me can now drink from a straw, and went after my smoothie. Thankfully I had opted against adding a banana (to which he's allergic).  Monk loved it and so it is now a good way for me to get lots of healthy, fresh food in his tummy.

Here is the recipe for a Green Berry Smoothie that I use most often. 

• 2 cups Kale
• 1 mandarin orange, peeled
• 1 cup frozen pineapple
• 1 cup frozen raspberries (or berry blend)
• 1 tbsp blue agave sweetener syrup
• 8 oz water (more for easier blending)
• Note: Add 1/2 frozen banana for added creaminess.

We would love to hear what some of your allergy-friendly morning favorites are.