Celebrating Holidays with Food Allergies

It's holiday time again, and I LOVE holidays. Even with my food allergies, I have never felt deprived. I always try to make some yummy allergy free food item to take with me to family gatherings. At Christmas time last year, I even received compliments that my plate of food looked better than theirs (exactly what I was trying to accomplish!). Just because you have food allergies does not mean that you can't eat well!

I find Easter to be the hardest holiday celebration for my food allergies. My extended family always celebrates with a big breakfast gathering on Good Friday. It does not help that breakfast is my hardest meal to begin with. No eggs, no toast, no pancakes or waffles (unless I make them myself, but they don't travel well), and no breakfast meat (how can I determine if the country ham, sausage, or bacon has corn derivatives when there are nearly 100 people eating?). I thought about bringing some yummy leftovers from dinner (dinner for breakfast, right??) or a slice of gluten free cake, but I need to set a good example. Some family members think I am "weird" because of my food allergies, while several others have been recently diagnosed with food allergies.  Celiac, after all, is genetic. After being gluten free almost nine years, I still get an occasional "are you still doing that strange diet?" question. 

Even though I had visions of grandeur about bringing some awesome allergy friendly food, things got busy and I ended up just bringing a protein smoothie. Not the most glamorous, but none the less yummy! I added my favorite NP Pro Protein Powder in Vanilla, pineapple, peaches, mango, and orange juice. Tasty and refreshing! Now, all I have to do is plan where to go for lunch!