Planning a birthday party is never easy. But throw food allergies into the mix and it can be a nightmare. I am a planner by nature. I love to plan. BUT I tend to drive myself, and everyone around me, a little crazy when I go into planning mode.  I’m sure this year was no exception, but according to my family, I covered up my crazy pretty well.

How, you ask? Well, this year marked my son’s second birthday since his food allergies were diagnosed. The first year was a bit of a whirlwind – I really didn’t know what I was doing and I don’t honestly remember much about it – other than we got through the day without any food issues. Thank goodness.

So, I’ll chalk up this year’s success to a whole year of food allergy-free living under our belt.  I’d already conquered the art of allergy-free cooking and baking and dealing with food allergies at other children’s birthday parties. So, this year, my son’s fourth birthday party, was much less stressful and much more fun.

For me, any party revolves around food and it seems I’ve passed on this belief to my two children.  To give you an idea about my son’s relationship with food, he often starts off each conversation with a stranger or friend with, “What are you going to eat tonight?” He just loves and appreciates food like I do. So, I’m thankful the world of allergy-free cooking has become so much easier than years before.  Food allergies don’t trigger anaphylaxis in my son, but they do trigger severe eczema. I’m talking head-to-toe, red inflamed, burned looking skin. So, obviously I’m all about giving my son the most out of life while avoiding his food triggers.

So, back to the food. It all starts with…..

The Cake

This was a no brainer and my priority when planning a birthday. In my mind cake comes first and then everything else falls into place. I’m in love with The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen, their philosophy and their recipes. My son just adores most of their baked goods and particularly loves their chocolate cake, so at his request, their chocolate cake I did bake. This cake, which I made in cupcake format, is so chocolately and moist. The frosting is really light and fluffy, very different than the heavy, butter cream versions I grew up with.  You’d never guess it was free of all top 8 allergens and healthy too! And there is a mystery ingredient you won’t believe…it has prunes! And the kids still love it, I’m serious.  Every child at this party asked for seconds!

Cake decorating is not my forte by any stretch of the imagination. I’ve tried getting creative in the past years and while the cakes have turned out ok, they were not masterpieces, so I’m sticking with simplicity for now. I found these adorable toothpicks flags with pirate faces and coordinating cupcake liners. They were too cute to pass up in the store, so I decided my son was destined to have a pirate themed birthday this year. 

The Menu

Since we like to host parties scheduled to end just before 1pm, to allow for naps, we planned to serve a lunch. In honor of my little man, I served his favorite foods prepared in an allergy-free way.

o       BBQ’d artisanal spinach/pork sausages (Nitrate, gluten, dairy-free)

o       Potato salad with egg (Soy-free mayo) Eggless version can be made with warm potato salad.

o       Carrot & orange salad with ginger

None of the food screams pirate, but that’s ok. I’m sure pirates, quite the carnivores, loved to feast on sausages though, right?

The Results

Keeping it simple calmed my planning stress, but more importantly led to no allergy emergencies, happy kids, and happy parents. What more can you ask for in a fourth birthday party?