Thursday, September 28

Dairy Free Ice Cream Two Times a Day? Our Allergy-Friendly Beach Trip to OC, NJ

I haven't written many "about life" posts lately because, well, I guess I've just been too busy living it! Summer whizzed by and I can't believe autumn is here already. But I couldn't miss an opportunity to tell you about our great allergy-friendly trip to Ocean City, New Jersey (or OC NJ!) in August. 

As you might know, Little Guy has food allergies to dairy, eggs, nuts and sesame. So, eating out and finding safe options on a beach boardwalk are not easy. But do you believe that he was able to eat dairy free ice cream (or water ice) from the boardwalk from THREE different places.  YES!  I said THREE!

Well, we just let him go wild, and we didn't mind if he ate ice cream twice a day since it was a unique opportunity (and Little Gal SURE loved it too even though she doesn't have food allergies!).

One of the first things we did was stop at Aloha Soft Serve on the boardwalk. They serve ice cream and DOLE WHIP there. Yes, the kind of Dole Whip that you can only get in DisneyWorld!  We let Little Guy get both Strawberry and Pineapple. Little Gal tried the swirl!

food allergies and OC NJ

Little Guy was also able to get Polish Water Ice. It's really the creamiest water ice I've ever had. The water ice has no dairy, but they do serve ice cream at the store. Again, be sure to talk with the person serving you or the manager. I asked A LOT of questions at every store, and made sure they knew about Little Guy's allergies.
food allergies and OC NJ

food allergies and OC NJ

See the creamy water ice?  I think he chose blue raspberry both times!
food allergies and OC NJ

And probably my FAVORITE place was a new store called Goji Juice bar. It's also right on the boardwalk near the Pirate's Cove rides and arcade. It's not only allergy friendly, but HEALTHY. The ice cream is made only from ingredients like fruit and coconut milk. SO MUCH healthier than the ingredients of the other non-dairy ice creams or water ices on the boardwalk!
food allergies and OC NJ

food allergies and OC NJ

Little Guy wanted his just plain. He LOVED it.
food allergies and OC NJ

Little Gal asked for hers with banana slices and chocolate chips. All allergy friendly toppings!
food allergies and OC NJ

food allergies and OC NJ

Now, I know some people wouldn't eat here due to bowl toppings like peanut butter. However, the manager there told me they keep everything separate and it doesn't go into the machine.  He was very careful with Little Guy's order and I felt confident it would be safe since I talked to the manager about his allergies and basically watched him prep the ice cream bowls!
food allergies and OC NJ

And what other food did he eat on vacation? Well, Jilly's French Fries....almost every day! They only use potatoes and a soybean/vegetable oil combination to make their fries. And I have to say, they're VERY TASTY. This was our second year just eating them up every day!
food allergies and OC NJ

food allergies and OC NJ

This was also our second year eating at the Beach Club Cafe for dinner, right on the boardwalk. I called ahead and they said they could accommodate us. And you know what else I did?  I forgot the food allergy chef cards we ALWAYS take to restaurants!!!  ARGH!!  Immediate sweating and stress began as I sat at that table. But then cool and calm hubs (who usually has a good solution for things like this) told me I should just write down the allergy card on a piece of paper. So I did!

food allergies and OC NJ

I also talked directly to the owner and chef (a husband and wife team), and he said he could make safe hot dogs or burger with no bun, fruit and veggies.

Little Guy enjoyed his meal - all of us enjoyed our meals actually. I highly recommend this restaurant!
food allergies and OC NJ

We only stayed 3 nights and 2 days for our trip this year, so we didn't eat out too much. We had a kitchenette in our room (always a necessity), so I whipped up various things for him like Applegate Sausage and ants on a log... 
food allergies and OC NJ

Organic hot dogs and fruit....eaten by the pool....
food allergies and OC NJ

And lots of other good food like pizza I made at home, SunButter and jelly sandwiches, chicken nuggets, frozen waffles, and lots of fruit and frozen veggies!  Here's a very NON picturesque photo of our fridge this trip!

food allergies and OC NJ

And I have to say, even though it's stressful and takes a ton of planning, it's possible to have a fun and allergy-friendly vacation full of new experiences and surprises!
food allergies and OC NJ

Be well <3

Other beach posts you might like:






6 comments:

Diane said...

I am so happy little guy could enjoy all these great treats! 💖

Kathryn @ Mamacado said...

Thanks Diane. Yes, it's so nice to find new safe treats!!

Anonymous said...

We take that same trip every year & same places. I will have to check out the new Goji place. Thanks for always sharing your new finds. Much appreciated! Eve

Kathryn @ Mamacado said...

Hi Eve - you're welcome! Yes, it's so important we share our new finds with each other. That's part of why I started this blog...I found other blogs SO helpful on our food allergy journey. So, I wanted to join the conversation and hopefully help others!

Anonymous said...

We have gone to OCNJ the past 4 summers. We stay in a place with a full kitchen. I have seen these places but not interested in the chemicals they put in the polish ice. I think I even looked at the ingredient list for Dole whips (not great). I will check out the Goji juice bar.

Kathryn @ Mamacado said...

Yes, I totally agree with you about the less than desirable ingredients in the Polish ice and Dole Whip. Goji seems like your best bet for sure!

Post a Comment

 
Content © Mamacado. All Rights Reserved | Design © 2013 Laura Jane Designs