Understanding Chemical Allergen Names in Relation to Cross-Reactivity

You walk into your allergist’s office with a back covered in tape and pen marks. You walk out with a list of chemical allergens to avoid. For most people, it isn’t that straightforward. To the majority of people who are handed a list of chemicals to avoid, avoiding only the chemicals on that list isn’t […]


Recipe: Freezer Macaroons (Vegan, Gluten Free, Dairy Free)

One of my favourite treats growing up was chocolate coconut macaroons. In fact, I liked them so much that I would make small microwave batches on the sly. One of the key ingredients in those macaroons, milk, helped to bind the macaroons together and give them the perfect texture once cooled and hardened. When I […]


How My Travel Bag Has Changed

Once upon a time, before I knew I had chemical allergies, I had a strict packing plan when I went on trips. Clothes, shoes, hair stuff, face stuff, body stuff, medications, tooth stuff…all into the bag. I’ve been through a few different variations since then, but nowadays my travel bag is barely recognizable, and it’s […]


Recipes – Plain Chicken Jerky

I never liked beef jerky as bought from the corner stores. It was just to much *everything* to be any good to me. When I was a teenager, my dad made deer jerky with strips of marinated venison, and that was the first time I understood that jerky could be something other than that store-bought […]


Recipes – Vanilla Cashew Smoothie

This is a very simple recipe that I adapted from the ingredients list on something I enjoyed and a recipe for cashew milk. It does take a little bit of lead time (overnight) to soak the cashews, but once I had taken the time to do that, this recipe was far simpler and faster than […]


What Was in an Old Time Medicine Cabinet?

My grandparents have lived in the same house for over 60 years. While things have changed since they first moved in, as children gradually moved on and out the extra spaces around the house didn’t necessarily get cleaned out, leading to all sorts of things piling up from various decades. Even things that were on […]


Notable Stops on our Trip Across Western Canada

When we travelled out West in April, we went for a serious reason, but we knew we had to make it a family vacation, too, because we didn’t know if we would have any more travel time this year. Most of our time was spent in British Columbia, with a little bit in Alberta, due […]


Sometimes Helpful Isn’t Helpful

I’ve been trying to figure out how to write this. I don’t want to upset or offend anyone, but I myself was upset and offended, so it’s hard to explain without some of that coming through. My trip to western Canada was enjoyable, but it also had some ugly sides, particularly when it came to […]


New Snack Products I Found on my Cross-Canada Health Food Journey

On my April trip across Western Canada, I stopped at over 25 health food stores, searching the shelves for new, safe products. The products must have no chance of containing propylene glycol, and should contain very simple ingredients. I did compromise in some cases – organic vanilla extract can contain glycerin, which is a possible […]