Szechuan Stir-Fry

Szechuan Stir-Fry

1 1/2 lbs extra-firm tofu, cut in strips
Tamari
1 bunch broccoli stems, julienned

1 tsp ground ginger
2 garlic cloves, peeled & minced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 cup snow peas
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
8 scallions, chopped
8 oz water chestnuts, sliced
3/4 cup GF vegetable broth
3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
3 Tbsp Tamari
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot powder

Gluten-free linguini or rice noodles, cooked



In a medium bowl, combine tofu and tamari; set aside.

In a wok, heat water or oil. Add pepper, snow peas, mushrooms, garlic, ginger,
broccoli, scallions, and water chestnuts; stir-fry 5 minutes.

Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add more oil or water to wok, add tofu mixture; stir-fry 5 minutes. Stir in remaining
ingredients except linguini and cook until sauce is thickened.

Return vegetables to skillet; add linguini; heat through.

There hasn't been too much cooking going on this week because I've been sick. Nick did make Chicken Croquettes, after some begging from me. Three hours and 32 pans later, dinner was ready. :) All four kids loved them, which is a rare event. I liked them, too. Nick wasn't as impressed. He kept saying that they needed more chopped veggies, and lots more spices and garlic. I told him that that's not how croquettes are supposed to taste, but he stood his ground. He served them with mashed potatoes and green beans. So good.

There are so many new products on the market since we did GFCF when Jay was younger. I always used Tinkyada pasta, but Nick tried Mrs. Leeper's corn pasta because he thought that the kids would like the shapes. Another hit. He made garlic bread with some bread he'd made using Kari's recipe. Another hit.

Kari's bread was a big hit. Since our bread maker has been buried for years now, Nick just made it in the oven. He followed Kari's recipe, substituting coconut oil for the olive oil, and baked it at 375 degrees for around 45 minutes.

Since we transitioning (again), he got lots of treats for the kids like Enjoy Life cookies, Original Tings corn sticks, Nature's Promise Veggie Sticks (not safe for E), and Kinnikinnick Vanilla Glazed Donuts. GracieGirl liked the donuts but since they were processed with sesame seeds, they didn't work for E.

Going Gluten-free...Again!

GracieGirl and E went bowling on a school field trip yesterday. Before they left, the school secretary called me to see if it was okay for E to have a soft pretzel. Well, when they got home, GracieGirl lifted her shirt, saying, "Look what happened after *I* ate the soft pretzel!"

Her tummy was covered with itchy, red bumps! I gave her some B-dryl, and before long, the bumps were gone.

I'm spending the day today making lots of gluten-free foods for her. Since timing is everything, I'll add that just last week, we went through our huge tote full of different GF flours and threw away at least 50 pounds of flour after discovering lovely weevils in them! I thought that they would be safe in zip-locks inside of the tote, but apparently not. Ugh.

Nick got new flour yesterday and I'm ready to start cooking. GracieGirl isn't too happy about this, and she already has food issues, but I'm going to do my best to have a lot of options for her so she doesn't feel deprived in the beginning.

Also, when we got E his Allerbling allergy alert bracelet, it came with two bracelets. Since E isn't allergic to wheat, we gave the extra bracelet with the wheat charm to GracieGirl.

Let the fun begin! :)


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Adventures in Cookie-Making

I continue to hang on to Normal Rockwell imagines, especially when it comes to the holidays. One would think that I would have given up on that years ago.

We decided to make Christmas cookies. Roll-out cookies, to be precise. I pictured candles burning, Christmas music playing, the family gathered around the table, laughing and making cookies together.

It was originally Jay's idea to make cookies, and he'd searched online for a recipe. He found one and printed it out, and was later devastated to learn that it was a regular sugar cookies recipe, not a roll-out recipe. (Totally not his fault; the recipe pictured roll-out cookies!)

Meltdown #1.

That was a couple of days ago. We made them anyway, with the promise that we'd also make roll-out cookies.

It took me two days (recovering from making the first batch) to make the roll-out cookies. Jay and I made the recipe, and then we all sat down to roll out the cookies. Within minutes, I noticed that GracieGirl became agitated. Then, she started flipping out, scratching at her arms, crying because they itched so badly. It was driving her crazy, and we quickly gave her medicine and took her upstairs for a bath.

As a baby, GracieGirl couldn't handle gluten. She didn't have gluten for several years, and then we reintroduced wheat. It wasn't a conscious effort, really, more just laziness on my part. She seemed to do fine with it, but slowly started having some symptoms again. The allergist was sure that she had Celiac Disease, and he ordered a blood test. He was very surprised when she tested negative.

In the past week, she's had some symptoms again, although we hadn't associated them with gluten. One day, she came in with a huge hive on her face. I gave her medicine and it went away. The same thing happened the following day, again, just one hive. Another time, she started crying because she said that she itched all over. Again, we gave her medicine and a bath, and she seemed to be okay. The backs of both of her legs are covered with eczema, which comes and goes but is currently back with a vengeance. She's also had a lot of GI issues.

This latest incident just kind of firmed up that it must be the wheat. She was fine until she started rolling out the cookies, using wheat flour to roll them out.

She's feeling better now. I made some Monkey Munch for her, so she wasn't too sad about not having the Christmas cookies.

Time to go pull out my GF cookies recipes!


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Lentil Soup

Another favorite lentil recipe. :)

2-3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
2 tsp mild curry powder
2 c lentils, rinsed well
8 c GF vegetable stock
4-6 large carrots, peeled and sliced
3-4 stalks celery, sliced
4 cups thinly sliced spinach
2-3 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice, opt.
2 tsp sea salt

Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot. Sauté onions for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, and curry powder and sauté for a minute or so.

Add the lentils and stock. Add the carrots and celery, cover, and simmer for about 1 hour.

Turn off heat; add spinach, lemon, and salt. Stir and let sit for 5 minutes to allow the greens to soften.

Lentil Salad

I love lentils. No one else in my family shares that love. I'm okay with that because it just means that I always have leftovers!

Lentil Salad

2 cups cooked lentils
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup scallions, chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
3 Tbsp organic olive oil
1 Tbsp coconut vinegar
1 Tbsp raw honey
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp sea salt
Lettuce


Mix olive oil, vinegar, honey, mustard, and sea salt in a small jar. Shake until well mixed.


Mix lentils, onion, and mustard vinaigrette; allow to marinate for at least one hour.


Add scallions and parsley; mix gently.

Serve on lettuce leaves.

E's Egg Challenge

E finally had his egg challenge yesterday. I scrambled up six eggs and sent them, along with a bottle of ketchup (yes, E is one of those people who puts ketchup on everything!), with Nick and E to the appointment.

The appointment generally lasts for about two hours, while they expose E to more and more of the eggs. At one point, he started gagging and had some trouble eating them, so the doctor kept him for an extra hour, just to watch for any more reactions.

In the end, he sent E home, saying that he's no longer allergic to eggs and can go ahead and eat them.

Last night, E announced that he had to throw up. He was finished by the time I got in there, and I asked him if he threw up his dinner. He said no, he'd just thrown up his germs.

Sure, whatever.

So...as the sun was just rising this morning, I was awakened by: "Mommy! Daddy! Wake up! It's time for me to have my eggs for breakfast!"

Then he had a meltdown because he didn't want them cooked; he wanted to crack them and eat them raw!

Give me strength. ;)


We had two eggs left in the house, and Nick fried them up. E was thrilled! He sat at the table, while Nick grabbed the camera to record the momentous occasion. E took his first bite...

and promptly threw it up!

I called the allergist, who felt that it was more of a taste/texture issue than an allergic reaction. He said not to give E any more plain eggs, but to try them in pancakes or french toast.

E is excited about the pancakes...but now says that he doesn't like eggs!

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One Day

The Dream:

• Four whole weeks with all four kids in different camps
  
• Being alone with Nick
  
• Getting caught up with paperwork, housework, decluttering, homeschool planning, and ripping out carpeting to make it safer for our dust allergy kiddos
  
• Maybe even going out and doing something fun with Nick

The Reality:

• One day alone with Nick
  

Last Monday was the big day. GracieGirl and E went to camp, and Nate and J went to my in-laws' house at the beach. Nick and I went for a quick swim together after being ordered by our therapist to do something fun! The rest of the day was spent on paperwork.


And, as of last Thursday, Nate is the only one still going to camp.


That was the day that Nick went to pick up GracieGirl and E at the YMCA camp. All of the kids were down at the little public park at the bottom of the hill. As Nick parked, he watched GracieGirl and E run through the parking lot (which is a shared parking lot for other businesses and is also a narrow back street), alone, up to the office. The building was unlocked, and when he got there, he found both children in there, alone. He signed out both kids and started to leave with them, without any staff members present.

He was not happy,
and after gathering up their backpacks,
he spotted E's EpiPen bag in the office!!!

After our initial fiasco with E's EpiPen, the camp director held a meeting and assigned someone to carry E's EpiPen bag so that it was with him at all times, no exceptions. They put up signs and made it a peanut-free facility. They sent home notices to the parents. There are two other kids there with peanut allergies and we were happy to see those changes implemented.

After all of that, I was shocked to hear that it had happened again. Nick said that we simply couldn't send them back, so we withdrew both kids. Once again, I contacted the camp director, who was appalled, apologetic, and furious with her staff.

So...we had our one day this summer. The house is still a dust-filled, disorganized mess, the paperwork still out of control, and Nick and I often resort to emailing each other because there's no time to talk. E is back to life at home without the structure of camp, which is always an adventure. But, he's alive and healthy, and we're thankful for that. I was so skeptical about sending him to camp because it's really hard to trust strangers with your child's life. It was the first time the kids ever went to camp, and it may be the last. We'll see.

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1-2-3 Gluten-Free

I tried a gluten-free cake mix from 1-2-3 Gluten-Free for E's birthday. The mix is free of gluten, wheat, dairy, casein, peanuts, tree nuts, corn, sugar, eggs, and soy. I had both chocolate and yellow, and decided to try the chocolate first.

The mix calls for eggs, but also has an egg-free version using flaxseed. Since E can eat eggs in baked goods that have been baked for at least 30 minutes, I used eggs and made a 9 x 13" cake. It rose beautifully and although we didn't get a single picture of it, it was a great looking cake!

I'd never used a cake mix to which you have to add your own sugar, but I ended up liking it because they have an option for making it with agave syrup and maple syrup. It was very sweet and I don't think that anyone would guess that there was no refined sugar in it.

Everyone who tried the cake really liked it, and these are people who aren't necessarily used to GFCF, refined-sugar-free cakes!

Personally, I like the chocolate cake I make from scratch better, because I think it's just a bit moister. This was very good for a mix, though, and I'll definitely make it again. Next time, I'll try making 9" round cakes because I think I'd like it better with the extra icing in-between the layers.

Ingredients: Rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, aluminum-free corn-free baking powder, natural flavor, xanthan gum, salt. Manufactured in a dedicated allergen-free facility (NO gluten, wheat dairy, casein, peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, and soy!).

More Allergies and More Prayer

So, after listening to Jay screaming at the top of his lungs, and having to hold him down to prevent him from bolting from the room (and this was with the sedative that J had taken before leaving the house!), Nick learned that Jay is allergic to shellfish, trees, weeds, cats, and dogs. But, dust mites are by far his worst allergy.

The night before he went in for testing, I was reading about how most kids with eczema are allergic to dust. So now I'm praying that we can get the dust in this house under control so that we can get his allergies and eczema under control!

I spent hours cleaning and dusting the bedroom, and Nick went in and vacuumed thoroughly. The allergist said that we really have to take up the carpeting, put in floors, replace the blinds, and cover the mattresses and pillows with allergy covers. I'm just praying about all of that because I have no idea how we're going to come up with the funds to do it.

Meanwhile, I've been up since 3:30 this morning because GracieGirl now has eczema on her back and legs, and she was going crazy with the itching. I gave her medicine and then held her for an hour until she stopped whimpering and went back to sleep. I'd started cleaning out her room, because she is also allergic to dust. We need to get the rug out of her room, too, and get her mattresses and pillows covered.

Now I know what my mom went through with me when I was little because I'm allergic to dust. I don't know how she found the time to clean my room each day, but that's what I need to do with our bedrooms. The problem is that I can't vacuum or do a lot of the other cleaning, and Nick's already up to his eyeballs doing all of the other things I can't do! All I know is that five out of six of us are allergic to dust, and we need to find a way to keep on top of the cleaning.

So, I'm praying for flooring, allergy covers, and someone to come clean our house! :)


Oh, and they want Jay to start weekly allergy shots immediately. I'd better pray about that one, too!

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Allergy Testing and Prayers

I really thought I was doing the right thing.

J's anxiety has been through the roof recently, and I didn't want to add to the obsessing/worrying, so I didn't tell him that he was having allergy testing.

The look on his face when he got home (yes, I made Nick take him - I still haven't gotten over the last time he was tested, eight years ago, when he literally climbed up me in an attempt to escape through the window) told me that I was wrong.

All he said was, "You knew about this?"

I nodded. The look of betrayal on his face hurt my heart.

It went downhill from there. I soon realized that there was no point in trying to explain why I hadn't told him. All he could say, over and over again, was that he wasn't prepared. He likes to be prepared. He thought he was going in for a checkup...

From there, it went to talk of his birthmom, feelings of abandonment, sad accusations that we're not his real family...

After many hours of this, he asked me what I could do to stop his pain. I told him to pray and I told him that I would pray. He asked if I would ask my friends to pray for him. I assured him that I would.

A few minutes later, he told me that he had prayed and asked God if He would remove his pain. He promised that he would spread His Gospel if He did. He added that he knew that he'd spent most of his time in the house instead of out spreading the Gospel, and he wanted to change that.

With that, he rolled over on the couch and went to sleep. Eight hours later, he's still asleep on the couch! Definitely a first...

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J's Update

Still moving towards getting J to his Social Skills Camp...

I finally spoke with his autism doctor and we're getting a game plan together. She's going to increase one of his meds. I also told her that he started Singulair a month or two ago for his allergies. Here is a list of behavioral side effects from Singulair's website. J has experienced a good number of them. So, I called his allergist and he said to stop the Singulair immediately.

J doesn't know it, but he's scheduled for allergy testing on Monday. I hope we can figure out what's causing his symptoms so that we can practice avoidance and not have to rely on meds as much!

His doctor also wants to get his eczema under control, but we can't get in to see the dermatologist until September. She wants us to see our family doctor, which I think is somewhat pointless. J's former dermatologist already said that there's nothing more that he can do for him, so I'm not sure what a family doctor can do.

We took J to an ophthalmologist because none of the drops that the allergist prescribed were working. Let's just say that the exam didn't go well. As bad as I felt for J, it was almost amusing watching the doctor, who obviously had little experience dealing with kids on the spectrum, try to figure out what to do next. It seemed that he was stumped. A nurse came hurrying in after hearing the screams, but he didn't even know what to tell her to do! So, Nick and I jumped in and we finally got through the exam, which included rolling J's eyelids back, an unpleasant experience for anyone, but torturous for a kiddo with sensory issues.

J has Allergic Conjunctivitis and has to use a steroid eye drop in addition to his regular eye drops for the next couple of weeks. Thankfully, the new drops don't sting, because I'm just not up for any more battles, especially four times a day!

J's behavior specialist is working with him, too. She's contacted the bus company to see if he can take a test ride next week, as one of his big fears is riding the bus to and from camp. They're not returning her calls. Ugh.

Oh, and J went in to see if he would be approved to see the psychologist. They did a screening and then called me the following day, accusing me of "double dipping." What??? Yep, since he's getting Wraparound and seeing a behavior specialist, it was considered double dipping when we took him to another facility to see if he can see the psychologist there. They haughtily informed me that the screening will probably not be covered by his insurance.

What can I say? They're on to me. Yes, I was trying to double dip. I was thinking that I wasn't spending enough of my spare time making phone calls, filling out paperwork, and running kids to appointments. I just had to have more!

Unbelievable.

I realize that my attitude stinks. It's just been a long, behavior-filled week, compounded by too many headaches brought on by various medical policies. I told Nick that I'm going to pack up my washer and dryer (my essentials) and move everyone to the mountains of Idaho, where we can live the simple life and never deal with any more agencies, therapies, or doctors.

He said that I've had better ideas. :)

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E's Meds and Allergies

E had his first follow-up visit with the psychiatrist recently. She seemed as surprised as we are that the meds are working so well for him. I know that it's not common for the very first med we've tried to have such an effect. I also know that chances are that it won't always work so well. So, we appreciate the positive changes in him while they last.

Overall, E has calmed down a lot. For the first time ever, he plays alone, using his imagination. For the first time ever, he'll sit down and let us read stories to him. He plays house with his sister, and he sits through most of a video. He is more compliant, and generally nicer.

The meds aren't a cure-all, and I'm glad that I wasn't expecting that they would be. He's had very few rages, but he still routinely hits, destroys things, antagonizes people, and refuses to obey. He also seems to be even more obsessive than he used to be. Yesterday and today's obsession is that his ears are scratchy and he wants them massaged. He becomes more and more frantic as he talks about it, until he's hysterical. This started yesterday, continued through much of the night, and resumed as soon as he woke up this morning. It's exhausting, for all of us!

We're experimenting with different dosages, seeing if there's any change in his nighttime craziness. We also have a consult for another sleep study in a few weeks.

All of E's bloodwork came back normal, with the exception of his low white blood cell count, which is because of his Neutropenia.

E also had more allergy testing done. The good news is that his egg allergy has improved, so we're going to schedule an egg challenge to see if he can tolerate scrambled eggs. It's funny because they called yesterday with the results, right after E had been talking about his egg allergy. He told me that it was okay if he was still allergic to regular eggs, but he really, really hoped that he wouldn't be allergic to green eggs! We've been reading Dr. Suess recently, and he and GracieGirl keep begging for green eggs and ham!

The not so good news is that his peanut allergy actually worsened, and the nurse described his test results to cashews as "unbelievable."

So, we continue on our quest to keep him safe from those allergens. There haven't been any more incidents at camp, except when one of the parents sent a peanut butter sandwich to a camp field trip last week, even though the camp is now peanut-free.

There was also an incident at church on Sunday when he was given a snack. We'd had incidents before when they had a bowl of candy (with nuts) out in the classroom every Wednesday night. Every Wednesday, Nick would take the bowl and tell them that they couldn't have them out because there were children with nut allergies. Every Wednesday, they would tell Nick that the candy was for the adults, not the children. Every Wednesday, Nick would tell them that it didn't matter who they were for; any of the kids could reach them and the ones with allergies could potentially die if they ate them. Sigh. We'd never had a problem on Sundays, though. This past Sunday was simply a lack of communication. The thing with allergies is that all it takes is one little lack of communication.

For now, we continue to make people aware, while trying to keep E safe, resisting the urge to never let him out of the house!

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The Art of Making Doctors' Appointments

No matter how many times I go through this, I expect a different result. I expect that, when I need to make three appointments, I'll make three calls, talk to three different people, and put three appointments on my calendar!

It never, ever works out that way.

Ever.

Jay's been having a tough time. He's had a bad eczema flare and he's in pain. It keeps him awake at night, and the sleep deprivation makes it harder for him to handle things during the day. He's full of anxiety and just plain unhappy.

In three weeks, he's scheduled to start a Social Skills Day Camp for kids with Autism. He is in such turmoil about this! He doesn't want to ride the bus because buses are too crowded. He doesn't want to eat lunch there because he's worried that he'll gag. (He used to have reflux but outgrew it. Apparently, he's still anxious about it.) He doesn't like to be outside because of his allergies and because the heat bothers his eczema. Gnats bother his eczema. He won't swim because pool water bothers his eczema. And on it goes.

Yesterday, I thought that I'd see if he could talk to our psychologist, thinking that maybe he could figure out a way to alleviate some of Jay's anxiety.

Our home phone decided to break. We could get incoming calls but the phone didn't ring. We couldn't make outgoing calls. So, I used my cell phone. I could talk for maybe a minute and then it would disconnect. This happened over and over, which just didn't make for a smooth phone call! I finally learned that they now have walk-in evals, which start next week, and then he'll be scheduled with the psychologist, which means no appointment before camp starts.

My next call was to his dermatologist at Children's Hospital. The receptionist informed me that the doctor had moved to Ohio. I said, "Oh no, she can't do that!" The receptionist said, "Oh yes, she just did!"

Ugh. There isn't another dermatologist there, so we'll have to go to another branch to a very popular dermatologist who doesn't have any openings until September.

Great.

Jay's sensory issues make it tough for him to deal with the eczema treatments, so I called his autism doctor, again at Children's Hospital, who helps him deal with those treatments. She didn't have any appointments. We sometimes see a different doctor, so I asked about an appointment with her. She's no longer at our branch.

They told me that appointments for September opened up at 8:00 this morning and I'd better call right at 8:00 if I wanted to get an appointment.

Yes, I know that, all too well.

I called this morning and got the first available appointment...at the end of September.

So, camp should be interesting. I just keep praying for Jay because he really is struggling. Lots of issues with the holiday and his birth parents have been coming up, too, all wrapped up into one big meltdown...

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First Week of Camp

My kids have never been to day camp before, but after seeing how much better E functioned in preschool, I realized that camp would be a good thing for him. So, I signed up all four kids!

Yes, I had dreams of being alone all day long, and having some time to actually get things accomplished. No, I didn't believe that it would ever really happen.

Camp started on Tuesday. J fell apart Monday night and I knew he wasn't going to make it. Day One went well for the other kids; Day Two, not so much.

Nick went to pick them up, and discovered that E's EpiPen bag was gone. Turns out they'd left it at the pool, a couple of miles away!

It's a good thing that it was Nick and not me, because I probably would have had a coronary right then and there. Especially since he'd discovered the day before that they'd locked up E's EpiPen with the other meds, so he didn't have it when they went off to the playground down the street. Nick explained that, if E were to have a reaction at the playground, it would be too late by the time someone ran back to the building to get the EpiPen!

Then E told us that they'd given him a snack. He told them he has allergies and brings his own snack. They told him to eat it anyway. And, for once in his life, my little non-compliant child did as he was told.

One more way to send this momma over the edge...


I spent a few minutes pulling myself together and then I called the director. No answer. So, I sent her a lengthy email. I was polite but didn't pull any punches.

My phone rang five minutes later.

The director took it very seriously, saying that she felt sick to her stomach after reading my email.

Yeah, I can relate.

I told her that we'd done everything we were supposed to do. Everything was in place, but somewhere along the line, there was a communications breakdown. I was angry because we're not talking about a Tylenol here; we're talking about something that can make the difference between life and death in the event of an allergic reaction! And, since it's supposed to be a peanut-free facility, but in fact is not, the potential for E to have had a reaction is very real!

In spite of my desire to take him home and never let him leave the house again, he returned to camp yesterday. He now has an adult buddy who is responsible for carrying his EpiPen and supervising lunch and snacks. (His PCAs also go with him, but those things happened in the short period of time when they weren't there with him!) The director held a meeting with the staff, and also sent out notices to the parents, banning peanuts from the facility, so I feel like this won't happen again.

I'm sure praying it doesn't!

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Raw Chocolate Smoothie

This is a decadent favorite around here. It provides a "similar to peanut butter" taste, without any nuts!


Raw Chocolate Smoothie

1 cup water
1 cup ice cubes
1 frozen banana, chopped
1/4 cup raw cacao powder
1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast
1/4 cup organic sunflower butter
1/4 cup raw honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract


Blend all ingredients in a Vitamix or other high-powered blender until smooth.

Enjoy!

Allergies and Asthma and Eczema...oh My!

I took GracieGirl and E to the allergist today. We borrowed a van from a friend (thank you!!) so that Nick could pick Jay up from his autism class, while I took the kids. I was a little bit nervous about E getting out of control, so I pulled Nate away from his friends to come along and help. He was not thrilled.

I love our allergist, and he always keeps the kids entertained and in line. He pretended to hypnotize E with his stethoscope, and I told him that if he pulled that off, that stethoscope was coming home with me! He said that of course E couldn't sleep; he has too much energy to sleep!

He was happy with GracieGirl, except for the eczema that covers the backs of both of her legs. He wasn't happy with E at all, saying that we need to get his asthma under better control. He started him on a new med and wants to see him in three months. He also wants to do another blood test and then possibly another egg challenge, depending on the results of the blood test.

I came home with a whoppin' 14 scripts! Fourteen meds for two little kids! Unbelievable.

E was good, for the most part. He did tell the doctor that he didn't look like a doctor; he looked like he married a man. Huh?? I finally figured out that he meant that the doctor looked like a man who was getting married because he was wearing a tie! Apparently, he didn't look like a doctor because he doesn't wear a lab coat!

E did run out of the office as I was scheduling his next appointment, and then tore out of the building as we left. Couldn't have done it without Nate...

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Wrapping up Food Allergy Awareness Week

On this final day of Food Allergy Awareness Week, I wanted to post another video. The last one centered on the children's thoughts, and this one is the parents' thoughts.

I used to share people's misconceptions about food allergies. Growing up, I was one of the few people I knew who had food allergies. I tested allergic to hundreds of foods and other things. The difference between my food allergies and my son's food allergies is that mine weren't life-threatening. I always had sinus problems, which worsened when I ate problem foods. It became difficult to breathe through my nose, which is a very different thing from someone's throat closing up, making it impossible to breathe. I did the weekly shots, but I didn't even know what an EpiPen was, and I didn't live with the fear that a bite of certain foods could kill me.

I share these videos to make others aware. I've heard people say that a little bite won't hurt, that it's not necessary to take the EpiPen when you're just running into the store for a minute, that I'm being overly cautious when I ask people to wash their hands and rinse their mouths if they've eaten certain foods.

Food allergies are very real, and they can be fatal.

I'd just ask people to never offer a child anything to eat without first asking if he or she has food allergies. Don't ever assume that a food is okay. My son doesn't eat anything that's homemade (unless I make it), or anything that doesn't have an ingredients label on it. It's just not worth it.

I have food allergy resources listed on my sidebar. A few of my favorites are:

Kids with Food Allergies

FAAN (The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network)

FAI (Food Allergy Initiative)

Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Dairy-Free, Sugar-Free Chocolate Cake!

We have a little more flexibility when it comes to baking now that E has passed his egg challenge and can eat eggs in dishes baked for at least 30 minutes. I would never, ever tell my kids what's in this recipe! Without that knowledge, it was a hit!

I was reading about the Spunky Coconut's Vanilla Bean Cake (also grain, gluten, sugar, and dairy-free), which Kelly said she created after trying Healthy Indulgences' Healthy Flourless Chocolate Cake, which Lauren said she adapted from a recipe on LowCarbFriends. Phew! Follow all that??

At any rate, I made a few small changes to suit our tastes and allergy needs. I made it in the evening and let it sit overnight. I wish I'd gotten a picture but they dove into it before I could grab the camera! There's a picture on Healthy Indulgences. There's honestly no way, by looking at it, that anyone could tell what's in it!

Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Dairy-Free, Sugar-Free Chocolate Cake

1 1/2 cups cooked black beans, well drained, at room temperature
5 organic free-range eggs
1 teaspoon chocolate stevia extract
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon Real Salt
6 tablespoons coconut oil

1/2 cup raw honey

1/2 cup cacao powder (cocoa powder could also be used; this is just what I had on hand)
1 teaspoon Grain-free Baking Powder* (Recipe below)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda


Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9" cake pan with Spectrum Organic Shortening. Line the bottom of the pan with unbleached parchment paper, then grease the parchment lightly with the organic shortening.

Place beans, 3 of the eggs, vanilla, stevia, and Real Salt into Vitamix. Blend on high until mixture is completely smooth and creamy.

In mixer, beat coconut oil with honey until light and fluffy. Add remaining two eggs, one at a time, beating for one minute after adding each egg. Pour bean batter into egg mixture and beat until well mixed.

In a small bowl, whisk together cacao powder, baking powder, and baking soda. Add to mixer and beat on high for one minute. Scrape batter into cake pan and smooth the top. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to eliminate any air bubbles.

Bake for 40 minutes, or until cake tests done. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out cake from pan, and flip over again on to a cooling rack. Cool cake until it reaches room temperature, then cover with cake dome. For best flavor, let cake sit for eight hours! Frost with the Spunky Coconut's Chocolate Frosting.


*Grain-free Baking Powder

2 Tbsp cream of tartar
1 Tbsp baking soda
1 Tbsp tapioca or potato starch, optional

Mix all ingredients together and pass through a fine sieve. Store in a tightly-sealed glass jar. Use within four weeks.

Grain-free Baking Powder

2 Tbsp cream of tartar
1 Tbsp baking soda
1 Tbsp tapioca or potato starch, optional

Mix all ingredients together and pass through a fine sieve. Store in a tightly-sealed glass jar. Use within four weeks.

Faces of Food Allergies: Food Allergy Awareness

From our favorite food allergy group, Kids with Food Allergies:

Faces of Food Allergies: Food Allergy Awareness

Look for E in there!

Update: I can't believe how many pictures they've added! I scrolled through, looking for E's picture, and the thing that stands out is the wide bottom of a bright yellow slide that he's sitting on!

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Allergy-Friendly Easter Candy

In addition to our natural Easter Eggs, we made allergy-friendly candy: Peanut-free Peanut Butter Cups, Chocolate and Caramel Cups, and Chocolate Crunch Balls.

For the Peanut-free Peanut Butter Cups, we melted a bag of dairy-free chocolate chips in a double boiler with a tablespoon or so of coconut oil. We stirred until it was smooth and glossy. In a small bowl, we mixed Organic Sunbutter, nutritional yeast, rice flour, raw honey, vanilla extract, and sea salt. We didn't measure; we just put maybe a cup of Sunbutter, and started with about a teaspoon of nutritional yeast, a spoonful of rice flour, a squirt of honey, and a tiny bit of vanilla and salt. We just happily tasted it until it tasted right! We used mini muffin pans lined with paper liners. We poured a little bit of melted chocolate to coat the bottom of each liner. We put it in the freezer for a few minutes and then put a bit of Sunbutter mixture in the middle. We covered it with more melted chocolate, and back into the freezer it went. When it was frozen, I peeled off the paper liners, and then stored them in the refrigerator. All of the kids, even the ones who don't love Sunbutter, said that they were amazing!

I'd made these before but had just used plain Sunbutter for the filling. They were so much better this way! I got the idea from Samantha at Color Wheel Meals. She also had a recipe for Chocolate and Caramel Cups, with the caramel made from dates! We tried that, too, but we soaked them in coconut milk, instead of almond milk. Nick added a shot of maple syrup, and I added a little extra vanilla extract and sea salt to them after mixing them up in the Vitamix. I felt like the extra vanilla toned down the date taste a bit. So good!

GracieGirl helped me set up this picture
with the bunnies checking out the chocolate!

I didn't get a picture of the Chocolate Crunch Balls, but all I did was toast some puffed millet in a dry skillet. The truth is that I had to do it twice because I completely burned it the first time! After it was toasted to a nice light brown color, I poured in some of the melted chocolate chips/coconut oil mixture. I stirred it up and dropped it by balls onto a cookie sheet covered with waxed paper. It went into the refrigerator until they were firm, and then I stored them in the fridge.

The kids were happy, and best of all, there weren't any allergic reactions from Easter candy!

Natural Easter Egg Dyes

We made our own dyes for Easter Eggs this year. We boiled red cabbage for blue eggs, beets for pink eggs, and spinach and turmeric for yellow/light green eggs. We stirred in a couple of tablespoons of white vinegar, and let the eggs soak. Some eggs took the dye better than others. I thought they were really pretty. Messy to make, but pretty, nonetheless.

The egg on the upper right has a leaf pattern on it. J brought me a leaf, which I got damp and stuck to the egg. I wrapped a stocking around it and twisted it until it was really tight, and then secured it with a rubber band. I let it sit in the dye overnight without disturbing it. I like the way it turned out, and would like to try more next year with a darker colored dye.

Baked Oatmeal II

Here's another recipe that we like that doesn't call for soaking. I find that grains are more digestible after being soaked, but I don't always take the time to soak them the day before.


Baked Oatmeal II

3 cups coconut milk or other milk substitute
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup raw honey
3 Tbsp coconut oil
1 Tbsp cinnamon
3 cups gluten-free rolled oats
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 apples, peeled, cored, & chopped, opt.
3/4 cup raisins, opt.
Dairy-free chocolate chips, opt.*

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a 9-inch square pan with coconut oil or Spectrum shortening

In a saucepan, combine coconut milk, honey, oil, and cinnamon. Cook on low heat.

Meanwhile, combine the oats and sea salt with the chopped apple, raisins, and/or chocolate chips. Spread evenly in prepared pan.

Just before the milk mixture begins to boil, pour it evenly over the oatmeal mixture.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the liquid has been absorbed and the oatmeal is tender.

Serves 6

*This recipe is refined sugar-free if made without chocolate chips.

Baked Oatmeal

I recently found a recipe called Our Favorite Oatmeal Bake on Our Backyard Homestead. I doubled the recipe and made a couple of small changes to suit our family, and I'm thrilled to say that it was a hit with everyone. That may not sound like a big deal, but when I can find a recipe that works for our food allergies and that everyone likes, I'm a happy camper!


Baked Oatmeal

6 c gluten-free rolled oats
1 lemon, juiced

1 1/2 c coconut, unsweetened & unsulphured
8 Medjool dates
1 c organic raisins
1 heaping Tblsp cinnamon
1 tsp sea salt
2 c organic applesauce
2 c coconut milk (not canned)
2/3 c raw honey
4 organic apples

The night before, soak the rolled oats in just enough water to cover, with the juice of the lemon added to the water.

In the morning, drain the rolled oats and rinse well. Let drain while preparing the rest of the recipe.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 11 x 15" baking dish with Spectrum Organic Shortening or coconut oil.

Place the coconut in a large bowl. Chop the dates finely, and, one at a time, add to the coconut, mixing to coat the date pieces with the coconut to prevent them from sticking to each other. Stir in the raisins, cinnamon, and sea salt; mix well. Add the drained oats, applesauce, coconut milk, and honey.

Peel and chop the apples and add to the oats mixture, mixing well.

Pour into the prepared baking dish and bake for 30 - 35 minutes.

Note: This makes a LOT! I thought that the leftovers were good, but if I didn't need leftovers, I definitely would not double this recipe!

Allerbling!

Since E is now going to preschool a few mornings a week and church a couple of times a week, it was time to get an allergy bracelet for him. I researched many different types and finally settled on Allerbling.

The Allerbling set comes with bracelets in two different sizes, along with eight charms representing the top eight allergens: peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, dairy, eggs, soy, fish, and shellfish. The charms can be snapped into the bracelet to customize it for each child's individual allergies.

The bracelets and charms can also be purchased individually. In addition to the top eight, they also offer these individual charms: sesame, corn, coconut, strawberries, chocolate, and bee stings.

When I first saw these bracelets, my concern was that E would take the charms out and lose them. I emailed the company and received a prompt response, assuring me that the charms stay in the bracelet securely. When they arrived, I couldn't even get the charms in; I had to ask Nick to do it. I'm happy to report that there's no way that E could get them out once they're in there. Even so, the manufacturer recommends this product for children over the age of three because the charms are a potential choking hazard.

There are a lot of things I like about the bracelet. It's bright orange, which is eye-catching. I like that it has a medical alert charm. Some of the other allergy bracelets I researched looked too much like the bands that all the kids wear. I wanted something that would stand out. It seems to be very durable, it's latex-free, and I like the fact that it's waterproof.

Each charm has a picture of the food on it, plus the written name of the food. E can go through each picture and recite his allergies.

E wasn't too sure about wearing it at first, but he quickly got used to it. I don't think that I'd be able to say the same about some of those metal bracelets. He now wears it to school and church, and it stays on well. When he gets home, he takes it off and hands it to me, so that I can put it in a special place. We don't want this bracelet getting lost!

One drawback is that the bracelet only holds four charms, plus the medical charm. To me, it looks as though it would be possible to add spaces for two of three more charms, so I'm not sure why they didn't do that.

With E, we chose the ones that we feel are most serious and that he would most commonly run into, and added those. For us, it was peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, and sesame. He wouldn't be as likely to encounter fish and shellfish in his classrooms, but I'd still feel better if I could add them to the bracelet.

My only other little complaint is that I don't like to spend $5.00 on shipping when it only cost $1.38 to ship. I don't mind a little more for materials and such, but that seemed like a large increase. On the plus side, they did ship the product quickly.

Overall, I think we made the right choice, and I like the fact that he has one more thing to help protect him. We waited a long time before letting him to go any classes or events alone, and I still say a prayer every time he leaves, but he loves his classes, and it's great to see him learning, having fun, and making new friends.

Seasoned Salt

Seasoned Salt

1/2 cup sea salt
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp tapioca starch

Mix ingredients well and keep in a tightly sealed container. Stir or shake before using.

The Super Allergy Girl Allergy & Celiac Cookbook

I wanted to share the post below from our Truly Pure & Natural blog about carrying The Super Allergy Girl Allergy & Celiac Cookbook. I've had the cookbook pictured on our sidebar since I discovered it and I've mentioned it several times in different posts. I shared the wonderful chocolate cake recipe from the cookbook here.

We're happy to announce that we're now carrying The Super Allergy Girl Cookbook: Gluten-free Casein-free Nut-free by Lisa A. Lundy. This is absolutely my favorite allergy cookbook. I still remember being in a health food store at the beach, and Nick calling me over to look at a flier on the bulletin board for this cookbook. I knew I had to have it! It turned out to be the first good cookbook I'd found that covered all of our allergy needs.

Here is a review I wrote on Amazon back on August 11, 2008:

"This cookbook has been a lifesaver for our family. Our son has autism and is on a gluten/casein-free diet and our daughter is gluten intolerant. There are plenty of GFCF cookbooks out there and we did okay with finding meals that they could eat.

Then, our baby was diagnosed with food allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, and eggs, and that changed everything! I tried baking GFCF desserts without eggs and had one disaster after the other. I eventually found a few things that worked, but I still needed more recipes.

I was thrilled to discover this cookbook because it addresses all of our allergies. I've made many recipes from it, and every single one so far has been a hit with the kids. We've enjoyed the main dishes (the General Tso's Chicken is amazing!), the snack mixes are great, and the desserts are delicious. I'd given up on trying to make brownies without wheat or eggs, but there are two brownie recipes in this book, and they're both incredible.

I've recommended this cookbook to many people. The only thing I'd point out is that some of the recipes call for Bragg's Liquid Aminos, which we don't use, or, alternately, soy sauce. Regular soy sauce has wheat in it, so it's important to look for wheat-free Tamari Soy Sauce, if avoiding wheat or gluten."

Lisa not only has over 200 recipes in her book, she also offers so much helpful information on food allergies, celiac disease, equipping your kitchen, where to find ingredients, tips for saving time and money, how to work with allergy recipes and how to measure gluten-free flours. She also has an extensive section on rotation diets and food families.

One of the ways that this cookbook really helped us was to provide recipes for special occasions. The chocolate cake recipe is wonderful and has been the perfect cake for many birthdays in our house. The chocolate chip cookies and the brownies are delicious treats, too. There are many muffin recipes that the kids love, and we just make them in mini-muffin tins and pop them in the freezer so that they're ready when we need them. There are even candy recipes that we've used for holidays. It's just been nice to have treats so that the kids didn't always feel different or left out during various social occasions.

There are also many delicious main dish recipes that we've used over the years, plus many good dressings and dips, which have helped our family since it's hard to find dressings and such that are allergy-friendly.

I also have to mention that Lisa is one of the nicest people ever. Although we haven't met, I've contacted her a number of times with questions, comments, and more questions...and she's always been so willing to help in any way she could. She knows her stuff and has lived with more food allergies in her children than I can even imagine, and she does so much to help other parents deal with food allergies. It's a pleasure to carry her book, and I hope that it helps others as much as it's helped us.

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Middle Eastern Lentils

Lentils are one of my favorite comfort foods, and I've been craving them lately. This is a recipe that I've been making for years. It may sound strange to serve a cold salad over a hot entree, but I think it's delicious!


Middle Eastern Lentils

2 lge onions, coarsely chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
3/4 c brown rice
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 cups lentils, sorted & rinsed
4 cups water
1 bunch romaine or green/red leaf lettuce
2 med tomatoes, diced
1 med cucumber, peeled & thinly sliced
2 scallions, chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/4 tsp raw honey or agave syrup


In a large pot, sauté the onions in 1 Tbsp olive oil until soft and
golden. Add rice and salt, and continue cooking over medium heat
for three minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in lentils and water.
Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook until the rice and lentils
are tender, about 50 minutes.

Tear the lettuce, and mix with the tomatoes, cucumber, and scallions.

In a small jar, mix 2 Tbsp olive oil, lemon juice, paprika,
mustard, garlic, salt, and sweetener. Shake well.

Toss the salad with the dressing.

To serve, place a spoonful of the
hot lentil mixture on a plate and top with a generous serving of salad.

Mexican Beans and Rice

A hearty meal on a cold day. You control the heat with the salsa used.


Mexican Beans and Rice


2 cups cooked black beans
1 cups corn
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 16-oz jar salsa
3/4 cup crushed tomatoes
4oz green chilies, chopped (opt)
3/4 cup water
1/4 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cumin



Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a large
casserole dish; mix well. Bake for one hour, until casserole
thickens.