IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS

CROSS CONTAMINATION is a very big issue when preparing foods for those with food allergies. The following post is a must read before preparing any food for the Butler Family.

IMPORTANT : During food preparation, do not cook or prepare foods containing allergens in the same kitchen. It only takes the dust of flour or nuts to cause terrible reactions. Please read the following instructions to help keep this family safe and healthy.

When preparing food for people with food allergies, it is vital to use only use pots, pans and cooking utensils that have gone through a dishwasher before use. Do not use porous cooking tools- no cast iron, no wooden spoons, no baking stones. Use only stainless steel, non-stick, glass, or plastic cooking utensils and pans. Some non-stick cooking sprays have gluten and milk, you must read the labels before using them (the olive oil spray at Trader Joe’s is safe). When reading labels, look for these ingredients in bold at the bottom of the ingredient list:

TREE NUTS, NUTS, PEANUTS, GLUTEN, WHEAT, MILK, SOY - Please read the following about information about the Butler's food allergens to avoid.

Allergens to avoid:

Nuts - including ALL Tree Nuts and Peanuts - food delivered to the Butlers CANNOT have been made in a facility that shared equipment with Peanuts. This is a severe LIFE-THREATENING food allergy. You must read all packaging for any food you prepare for the Butlers and make sure that peanuts are not listed anywhere on the package. Do not use any products that MAY CONTAIN trace amounts of any nuts.

Gluten /Wheat - Gluten is a protein found in many grains. It causes very painful tummy problems in gluten sensitive/allergic people. Gluten is found in barley, wheat (including white flour), barley, rye and in most oats. Flour can also be found in spray oils, so you must check your labels before spraying pans with non-stick spray.

Cow's Milk - Check for these ingredients on labels: casein, lactose, cream, milk, cheese, butter, butter flavoring, whey, etc. Cow’s milk can also be found in spray oils, so you must check your labels before spraying pans with non-stick spray.

Soy Protein - NO soy milk, NO soy beans, NO edamame, NO tofu, -- UPDATE SOY OIL IS NO LONGER SAFE FOR HANNAH!

Acidic Foods - Avoid tomato sauced based foods, or other acidic foods with high amounts of vinegar or citrus. Judah's tummy just can't handle acidic foods right now. If it is a dressing on the side it is ok, as long as it isn't in the main dish.

High Sodium Foods – Lisa only uses small amounts of sea salt when cooking, if their is an option for a low sodium version (for example chicken broth, choose the low sodium version) of the product.

WHAT CAN THEY EAT??

With the list of foods to avoid, you are probably wondering what they can eat. The good news is that there is a big variety of foods and options that are safe and yummy for the Butler's to eat. These are foods that they CAN eat:

• Beef
• Chicken
• Veggies and Salads
• All Cooked Fruits (canned peaches, canned pears, etc )
• Brown rice pasta (sold at Trader Joe's, Raley's Whole Foods, Folsom Target)
• Brown Rice Tortillas (sold at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods)
• Potatoes (make Butler safe potato recipes with goat’s milk and goat cheddar cheese from Trader Joe’s)
• Gluten Free Cake Mixes - Pamela's Chocolate Cake Mix is amazing! (Raley's, Whole Foods, Safeway, Folsom Target)
• Gluten Free Breads – Pamela’s Bread Mix (NOT THE Pancake mix, it has milk) makes great pizza crusts, rolls, bread, pie crusts, etc.
• Rice Milk
• Goat’s Milk
• Goat Cheddar Cheese (sold at Trader Joe’s)

My name is Beth, I have kids with food allergies as well.

This site will have recipes, instructions and quick meal ideas for feeding the Butler's while Lisa is fighting cancer. We want to do all that we can to take the stress off of her during this time so she can beat it.

If you have a favorite recipe that you want to convert to a Butler safe version - you can email me the recipe and I will rewrite it so it is safe for the Butlers. Also, if you find a good recipe that works for the family, please submit it to me and I will put it on the site. We are also asking the Butler family to let us know their favorite foods, so we can have an online Butler Recipe Book for them.