tools i use
ONLINE
HappyForks: I've tried a few nutrition analyzers and settled on this one for all of my recipes. The ingredients are accurately portrayed, the labels are clear and consistent with government recommendations, and anything I enter can be saved into my account.
USDA SuperTracker: From the US Department of Agriculture, the organization that devotes itself to the safety, accessibility, and health of our nation's food supply, SuperTracker is a website that allows you to track your daily food intake for calories, protein/fiber/carb content, sodium levels, and more. Other areas of the site have activity tracking and meal suggestions, too. You can use the Food Tracker without an account, or you can save your favorite foods in a profile. It's easy to use and extremely accurate; the only downside is the lack of an app for the program.
SAFETY ALERTS
RoadID: Recommended by an athletic friend, RoadID is just what my daughter and I both need: an easy way to notify strangers of our medical conditions in an emergency. What I find especially important about the RoadID options is the variety of materials; because I am allergic to metals, traditional health-notice jewelry is off limits to me. The sizes of the products also means we can put on more detail.
ICE apps: Whether you are Android or Apple, you can find mobile apps called ICE, for In Case of Emergency. All of my relevant medical history can be summed up in this app for EMTs or hospital ER workers. It's not a full personal medical record, but the app I use on Android has enough flexibility to include allergies, medication use, and surgical histories or problems. As soon as my daughter with food allergies turns cell-phone age, she'll have this app installed on the front screen, too.
LOCAL BAKERS
Out of the Bubble Bakery: A Virginia home bakery, Out of the Bubble offers free-from desserts and, when I have contacted them, has been gracious and knowledgeable about food allergy needs and the DC food allergy community.
Lemonade Bakery: The woman in charge of the Lemonade Bakery, another DC metro home bakery for people with food allergies, is kind and generous, and her treats are delicious. When we were in a special-occasion pinch, she was able to work with us for just what we needed.
KEEPING PERSPECTIVE
MindfulMag: It's almost impossible to find time to re-center each week, even apart from food allergy issues. This magazine has a free weekly newsletter that seems to come to my inbox just when I need a breather.
3-Minute Retreat: Likewise, I find it useful to remind myself of the bigger picture at least once a day. You don't have to be Catholic or Christian to understand that the Jesuits focus on education and individual responsibility to self and others...for free thinking and tolerance toward all. For me, their 3-minute retreat app---with a Bible passage, questions, and a prayer---doesn't just help me refocus in stressful times, it gives me the opportunity to really assess my actions, goals, and worries in a supportive and calm way.
CREATIVITY
Canva: Design is not my strength, but I do have a lot of fun brainstorming and creating in Canva, where you can spend a few minutes or a few hours making infographics, book covers, invitations, and more from scratch or from templates. Exploring the color options alone could keep me occupied for days.
Smashwords: If you think you'd like to self-publish pretty much anything electronically, Smashwords walks you through it for free. I found it a great way to ease into learning about all of the details that go into publications, from formatting to file types and more.
Bloglovin': Everyone needs a way to keep track of updates from their favorite websites, podcasts, blogs, and more. I happened upon Bloglovin' well after traditional RSS feeds died. The site recently opened up a way to post directly in addition to listing and following blogs around the web, so I'm giving the direct writing a try there as just one more free, unscheduled, not-work-related writing outlet.