About Lana and Apron Strings

My name is Lana Stewart. I’m a busy mom who likes no, LOVES, to cook good food and keep the family outfitted in handknit woolies in Ottawa, Ontario. We have a toddler who is allergic to milk, eggs, mustard, peanuts and tree nuts and I am always searching for great recipes that don’t have those ingredients!

The obsession
I love reading cookbooks, talking about food, cooking food, growing food and eating food! On my blog, I try to post as many of our allergy-friendly recipes as possible in addition to the occasional restaurant outing report. Food allergies have changed our family’s lifestyle. Everyday normal activities keep on us our toes as we navigate our way around these allergens in the real world.

Did I mention that I also like to garden?
Yes. Love gardening. We may live downtown (hardiness zone 5a!), but we’ve got a great yard that faces west and gets lots of light. You can find us growing everything from onions, berries and tomatoes to six eight foot tall sunflowers. In a pinch for parsley? Let me know.

Keeping allergens out of the house
We maintain a mustard, egg and nut free house so that we can live normally when we’re home. It is our safety zone. We’ve become accustomed to cooking within these boundaries and I think we churn out some pretty delicious meals. Of course, a bit of cheese in the house would be nice. I do miss the cheese.

We try to follow the following principles as much as possible:

Buy locally grown and raised vegetables, fruit and meat
Cook from scratch – avoid processed foods (mainly for the associated allergy risks because I don’t trust food labels!)
Make it wholesome (AKA belly filling)
Keep it balanced – everyone needs some sweets
Sneak in some veggies when needed

Small but mighty
We have a wee little kitchen in our late 1930s house. I recently read a quote from Chez Us where she described her style as “live small, eat big”. That’s exactly how I feel about our kitchen too. And we have no dishwasher. Believe it.