Little one went to cub scout camp and came back less of a mess than I was thinking he would. What a relief! And the camp seemed not nearly as against it as I thought they would be. The cook said they have that a lot. The nurse was fine with all his meds but I still got the kind lecture about him having to learn his meds. Would be fine had I not added several new things to the repitoire just prior to his leaving in hopes it would all help him get through better. Which obviously it did. All's well in the 4t's camp.
Today we are going to try a recipe from one of the other bloggers Simply, Healthy, Tasty. She has a cheese recipe for Nachos I think we'll try and have make your own tacos with the recipe for wheat-free, rice free tortills.
Gonna clean house and try to get a hold of the duck egg farm to see if we can get a hold of some eggs. Scrambled eggs would be nice.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Sunday, July 13, 2008
I found some great new ideas from other bloogers here. Check out Shmooed Food/Vegan Lunchbox and Simple, Healthy, Tasty. Shmooed was the first web/blog I found with great ideas on actually building a lunch he may like. Simple, Healthy, Tasty gave us a tortilla recipe that I could modify and get wheat-tasting tortillas. We are in heaven again!
With my modifications, my tortilla recipe is wheat-free, corn-free, and rice free.
1/4 cup each arrowroot powder, tapioca flour, potato starch
1/2 cup millet flour
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp xanthan gum
2 tbsp oil
1/2 cup water
Mix all the dry ingredients and cut in oil with pastry blender. Add the water, mixing with a fork. Let rest 10 minutes. Roll small balls about 2-3 inches between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Cook on medium in dry skillet or cast iron until cooked. Cool in gallon baggy or tortilla warmer.
I knew these would be a hit so we bought a tortilla press right away but we need a larger one because the typical corn tortilla size is not big enough when we want to make burritos.
I do have a few kinks to work out because 1/2 cup water from the original recipe seems to make it too gooey and I have to knead in additional flours. Just now I used millet flour for the kneading and that worked well before placing into the tortilla press (before I used buckwheat flour). Now I wonder if I should knead the whole batch after only adding 1/3 cup water. If anyone is experimenting, let me know what you find.
Next I'm going to try the nacho cheese sauce on Simple, Healthy, Tasty after purchasing my food processor and using this tortilla recipe to make chips for my little one. Yipee, life is good at the moment!
With my modifications, my tortilla recipe is wheat-free, corn-free, and rice free.
1/4 cup each arrowroot powder, tapioca flour, potato starch
1/2 cup millet flour
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp xanthan gum
2 tbsp oil
1/2 cup water
Mix all the dry ingredients and cut in oil with pastry blender. Add the water, mixing with a fork. Let rest 10 minutes. Roll small balls about 2-3 inches between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Cook on medium in dry skillet or cast iron until cooked. Cool in gallon baggy or tortilla warmer.
I knew these would be a hit so we bought a tortilla press right away but we need a larger one because the typical corn tortilla size is not big enough when we want to make burritos.
I do have a few kinks to work out because 1/2 cup water from the original recipe seems to make it too gooey and I have to knead in additional flours. Just now I used millet flour for the kneading and that worked well before placing into the tortilla press (before I used buckwheat flour). Now I wonder if I should knead the whole batch after only adding 1/3 cup water. If anyone is experimenting, let me know what you find.
Next I'm going to try the nacho cheese sauce on Simple, Healthy, Tasty after purchasing my food processor and using this tortilla recipe to make chips for my little one. Yipee, life is good at the moment!
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
So let's talk about ND and western medicine
Anyone ever run into a regular doctor that treats you like you don't know what's best for your child or that you can't possibly be seeing a change. I talked to our naturopath today (ND) and let her know we would be seeking a second opinion or at least someone to see if we've been missing something. I let her know she's been great and how much I apprecited that she respected my decisions especially since we've put him on Zyrtec. And that we'd be back to discuss all my other findings.
I know someone may read this and think Zyrtec is not the end of the world but as an antihistamine is suppresses the system and keeps the eczema at bay. You see in her eyes the skin being an organ of the body has been obviously expelling toxins from the body. If those toxins weren't allowed to flush from the system those toxins would find a way out. And that way out could manifest in another worse disease like asthma or Crohn's or something we don't want. So by putting him on Zyrtec I'm not letting the toxins out but I have to let his skin heal. Let his body have a break from dealing with all the environmental abuse its taking from the airbourne allergens. We see him come in after 10 minutes of palying outside and he's itching like nobody's business.
Ever felt like you were straddling two worlds. Kinda happens when we frist have kids and want to go out like before we had kids. You don't know how to do it at first and have to feel your way around... that's what it feels like for me when I'm dealing with the ND and regular Docs. My peds great, we met a nurse's physician that was great but another urgent care doc that wasn't. I feel like in many cases I end up teaching and sometimes I get tired of that job. My older son has Asperger's and we've run into many a teacher thinking, oh, we've dealt with ADHD, and since that's a component of Asperger's we can deal with it. Suffice to say, i've spent many a time thinking, okay, here you go, time to learn under fire. You'll call me when you don't know what to do and I can then turn and say, that's why I wanted to you listen to what I've learned. Thus the teaching part.
Well maybe I;m a teacher at heart and that should have been my calling. I'll keep youj posted on my teaching efforts!
I know someone may read this and think Zyrtec is not the end of the world but as an antihistamine is suppresses the system and keeps the eczema at bay. You see in her eyes the skin being an organ of the body has been obviously expelling toxins from the body. If those toxins weren't allowed to flush from the system those toxins would find a way out. And that way out could manifest in another worse disease like asthma or Crohn's or something we don't want. So by putting him on Zyrtec I'm not letting the toxins out but I have to let his skin heal. Let his body have a break from dealing with all the environmental abuse its taking from the airbourne allergens. We see him come in after 10 minutes of palying outside and he's itching like nobody's business.
Ever felt like you were straddling two worlds. Kinda happens when we frist have kids and want to go out like before we had kids. You don't know how to do it at first and have to feel your way around... that's what it feels like for me when I'm dealing with the ND and regular Docs. My peds great, we met a nurse's physician that was great but another urgent care doc that wasn't. I feel like in many cases I end up teaching and sometimes I get tired of that job. My older son has Asperger's and we've run into many a teacher thinking, oh, we've dealt with ADHD, and since that's a component of Asperger's we can deal with it. Suffice to say, i've spent many a time thinking, okay, here you go, time to learn under fire. You'll call me when you don't know what to do and I can then turn and say, that's why I wanted to you listen to what I've learned. Thus the teaching part.
Well maybe I;m a teacher at heart and that should have been my calling. I'll keep youj posted on my teaching efforts!
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Happy Birthday to me!
Yep, today's my birthday. We're heading out for dinner so I don't have to cook. Hopefully they boys will like Outback Steakhouse's gluten-free menu. If I can keep them away from the mac & cheese all will be well. Perhaps I get littlest one to have a salad. He actually eats it and at 9 yrs old. I forgive the dressing because I figure he's at least eating it. Not like older brother.
Our BBQ went well. The cheesecake was great. Everyone likes it except my Aunt who swore she could taste the goat cheese and had been forced to have goat cheese as a child and hates it to this day. Very little cheesecake was left over and today I know we've had a successful event without messing up little ones skin. What a relief. We'll see what happens at dinner.
Well off to the movies, the other thing I wanted to do as a family - Wall-E. Yeah!
Our BBQ went well. The cheesecake was great. Everyone likes it except my Aunt who swore she could taste the goat cheese and had been forced to have goat cheese as a child and hates it to this day. Very little cheesecake was left over and today I know we've had a successful event without messing up little ones skin. What a relief. We'll see what happens at dinner.
Well off to the movies, the other thing I wanted to do as a family - Wall-E. Yeah!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Big BBQ
Today I spent 2 or 3 hours sourcing foods we will be serving at our Fourth of July BBQ. I wanted to do a BBQ with my family since it feels like forever since we got to talk or spend any time together. I've been dealing with my son's allergy flair-ups since Memorial Day weekend when we ended up at the emergency department to get a steroids - Prednisone plus another course since then. Many nights of waking with him itching and itching, tossing and turning and waking us up to help him because he's been so uncomfortable. Man you feel bad when all you want it for it to stop so you can sleep. But that's a different story.
At first I thought I'd do it all. All stuff my son can have. But when my family asked about doing potluck, I decided to think about it. We decided I would divvy out the things I know my son won't eat. That way I get some of the bad stuff and most of the stuff we will have that he can have.
Tomorrow I'm trying my hand at cheesecake made from soft goat milk cheese and goat milk plain yogurt. I'm going to strain the yogurt a bit to get it thicker. Think I will use a combination of flax egg substitute and Ener-G egg replacer since I think all flax will make the cheesecake too runny. I found a recipe for "graham" crackers from a cookbook by Carol Fenster - Cooking Free. My son loves these with just peanut butter.
BTW, her book is a WONDERFUL book! Met her at a class at Bob's Red Mill. She talked all about gluten free cooking and her new book, made some breads which were very tasty, and then signed copies of her book. But the best part about meeting her was asking her which cookbook would work best for my family and then asking how do I use her flour blends when sorghum is one of the ingredients. Sorghum is a grain and since we can't do grains when mixed with yeast, was he destined to never have peanut butter and jelly again? She said taking Bob's Red Mill creamy buckwheat cereal and grind it to flour consistency and use that instead will work just fine. That was the best news ever! Although it took me a while to understand my coffee grinder would grind way better than my blender or food chopper. I don't think my coffee grinder has seen coffee now in so long...
I have a whole pile of cookbooks now that I've picked up over the last year. I like The Complete Food Allergy Cookbook by Marilyn Gioannini, and the Kid-Friendly Food Allergy Cookbook by Leslie Hammond and Lynn Marie Rominger. Both offer substitutions for common allergens/ingredients and each has given me ideas on what to cook him. I don't use the Gluten-Free Gourmet Bakes Bread much because I really haven't found a recipe with bean bread that I like. Carol's have worked out better for me. Check them out. Don't know if you've spent hours in the cookbook isle before, but checking each of these out before buying will ensure you've got one that has a couple of recipes you'll use over and over again.
At first I thought I'd do it all. All stuff my son can have. But when my family asked about doing potluck, I decided to think about it. We decided I would divvy out the things I know my son won't eat. That way I get some of the bad stuff and most of the stuff we will have that he can have.
Tomorrow I'm trying my hand at cheesecake made from soft goat milk cheese and goat milk plain yogurt. I'm going to strain the yogurt a bit to get it thicker. Think I will use a combination of flax egg substitute and Ener-G egg replacer since I think all flax will make the cheesecake too runny. I found a recipe for "graham" crackers from a cookbook by Carol Fenster - Cooking Free. My son loves these with just peanut butter.
BTW, her book is a WONDERFUL book! Met her at a class at Bob's Red Mill. She talked all about gluten free cooking and her new book, made some breads which were very tasty, and then signed copies of her book. But the best part about meeting her was asking her which cookbook would work best for my family and then asking how do I use her flour blends when sorghum is one of the ingredients. Sorghum is a grain and since we can't do grains when mixed with yeast, was he destined to never have peanut butter and jelly again? She said taking Bob's Red Mill creamy buckwheat cereal and grind it to flour consistency and use that instead will work just fine. That was the best news ever! Although it took me a while to understand my coffee grinder would grind way better than my blender or food chopper. I don't think my coffee grinder has seen coffee now in so long...
I have a whole pile of cookbooks now that I've picked up over the last year. I like The Complete Food Allergy Cookbook by Marilyn Gioannini, and the Kid-Friendly Food Allergy Cookbook by Leslie Hammond and Lynn Marie Rominger. Both offer substitutions for common allergens/ingredients and each has given me ideas on what to cook him. I don't use the Gluten-Free Gourmet Bakes Bread much because I really haven't found a recipe with bean bread that I like. Carol's have worked out better for me. Check them out. Don't know if you've spent hours in the cookbook isle before, but checking each of these out before buying will ensure you've got one that has a couple of recipes you'll use over and over again.
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