Cooking Staples & Reading Labels

I've ventured much more in-depth into reading labels of any "processed" foods because of Bellas Allergies. We try to not eat too much "crap" around here but lets all admit that some items are staples. Yes, even in the home of a trained chef there are processed staples. I've got a really busy schedule and 3 kiddos people, don't judge. We're not talking about me buying Hamburger Helper or Rice-A-Roni people. Thats gross...although I know plenty of good people who eat those. I do cook a lot, and a lot from scratch, but these are simple things.

Dry pasta is a staple. Crackers & a few cookies are staples. I'll even admit that I occasionally buy boxed cake mixes and make them "mine". I do buy prepared pasta sauces & salsas...although I make fresh also. I buy bread & tortillas, but bake from scratch also. Cream soups, soups & broths....staples. Canned fruits & veggies. I am really good with my food storage and have gotten into canning more and more over the last few years. At this point we aren't even suspecting major issues with additives or preservatives, just contaminates that we know effect Bella. Soy & Milk especially.

Well anyways the girls and I went to the grocery store (Walmart) on Friday night with my mom, who was visiting for the Easter Weekend. I needed some canned tomatoes for the pork chops I'd be making the next night for dinner. I grabbed 2 cans of "Great Value" (the Walmart brand) diced stewed tomatoes. I rolled the can over and read the label. Nothing in the tomatoes to worry about. But....who would have ever suspected there would have been an allergy warning. There it was! "May contain traces of: milk, soy, blah blah blah." You've gotta be kidding me. We started checking ALL the different brands of stewed & diced tomatoes. Everything else was safe. So I decided to take a trip back down the aisle.  I checked out the "Great Value" Spaghetti Sauces. There it was clear as day. One jar contained Romano Cheese...MILK! One jar had soy bean oil as an emulsifier...SOY! Then most all of the GV sauces said that they either 1) may contain traces of milk &/or soy OR 2) is or may have been processed on machinery/in a plant that also processed items with those items in them. So its back down the aisle to pick out my tomatoes. I went with Muir Glen Organic toms & Muir Glen Fire Roasted toms. The labels even had peel out coupons for $1.00 Off any 2 cans. They are pricey $1.40ish per can. But by buying  1/2 with coupons and 1/2 without I didn't waste any coupons and got $0.50 off each can that way.

I am now becoming more and more aware of the contaminates that can effect my baby. Oh and guess what??? Bella ate the pork chops and rice with the tomatoes on Saturday and didn't burst into red welty hives!!! Yay!!!