Strawberry Applesauce Muffins

1 c GF Rice Flour Blend
¾ c sorghum flour
¾ tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp sea salt
½ c sucanat
1 ½ tsp Darifree powder
1/2c warm water
1/3 c expeller-pressed coconut oil
½ c strawberry applesauce
2 Tbsp warm water
1 Tbsp expeller-pressed coconut oil
1 tsp baking soda
Powdered sugar, opt.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, mix 2 Tbsp warm water, and 1 Tbsp coconut oil. Stir until coconut oil melts, then stir in baking soda. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, mix flour blend, sorghum flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, cinnamon, sea salt, and sucanat together.

Mix Darifree powder with warm water. Set aside.

Gently melt coconut oil over low heat. Remove from head and add mixed Darifree, applesauce, and baking soda mixture. Mix well.

Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients.

Using a cookie scoop, fill mini-muffin cups. Bake in preheated oven for 12-14 minutes, until done. Roll in powdered sugar, if desired, for a taste similar to donut holes.

Bribery Week

We've learned that the key to successful parenting is bribery.

Some people may judge, but for us, it's all about survival. :)

Monday was the allergist for Jay and GracieGirl. Jay's dust mite allergy is off the charts. I haven't found a free housekeeper yet and allergy meds aren't cutting it, so the good doctor (he's one of the few that I actually like, even if we don't always agree) once again suggested allergy shots. I'd told him before that we will never again attempt anything involving a needle unless general anesthesia is involved. However, with the use of bribery, Jay actually had a "test run" shot in the office, and agreed to weekly allergy shots. Unbelievable.

Next was GracieGirl. The doctor is now thinking wheat allergy rather than celiac disease. He ordered another blood test, and then wants to do skin tests again. Bribery will be involved because GracieGirl has had both tests before and knows what she's in for!

E didn't have an appointment but he went along for the ride, and the allergist was very happy that he was in such good shape, just a week after being so sick.

Tuesday morning was E's fasting blood draw morning. He remembered the lab and wanted no part of it. There were tears but no screaming, so it could have (and has been) worse. Thank you, bribery.

Tuesday afternoon was Jay's appointment with his autism doctor. There have been many issues recently, but the doctor didn't get to witness any of them. Why? Because Jay knew that, after this appointment, he was getting his reward for surviving the allergy shot the day before!

One of the behavior therapists is here every Tuesday evening for Jay and E, and last week, she pushed Jay a little bit too hard for his liking. So he was not at all cooperative with her this week (understatement). She appreciates bribery and my guess is that she'll need to start using it again with him!

Wednesday was reading support and then the chiropractor for Jay, but he actually tolerates those two, so it was all good. He also had reading support on Monday and again yesterday. He's doing amazingly well, and even though he doesn't love going there (his teacher stopped giving him chocolate after each lesson!), I know that he's proud of his accomplishments.

Right now, Nate and Jay are seeing the orthodontist. Nate's appointment won't be fun, but this will be a particularly tough appointment for Jay. I had to figure out that fine line between telling him enough so that he's prepared without telling him so much that he's riddled with anxiety. He took two doses of a sedative prior to the appointment, so I'm just praying that it works.

Nick gets Father of the Year Award for taking the kids to every single one of these appointments (I was conference called in for a few of them), in addition to social skills classes, a school board meeting, two homeschool classes, youth groups, kids' groups, and soccer!

Finally, I have the quote of the week. I'm going to keep it anonymous, although most people who know my kids could easily guess who said it. It was said at an appointment to one of the doctors who loves to inquire about bowel issues. Every single time, the response has been that there are no problems. This response: "Well, yesterday I had a poop that was the size of a wedding cake!"

All I can say is that if we ever lose our sense of humor, we're in trouble!

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Vanilla!

I love using vanilla beans and am always on the lookout for recipes with vanilla that suit our allergies.

I got this one for vanilla pudding from Kari's blog, and adapted it.


GFCF Vanilla Pudding

2 2/3 cups coconut milk, divided
1/2 cup vanilla sugar*
1/4 cup organic cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 vanilla beans, seeds removed
1 large organic free-range egg

Slice down the sides of the vanilla beans and scrape out the seeds. Save the beans.

Combine vanilla sugar, cornstarch, sea salt, and vanilla seeds in the bottom of a medium-sized, heatproof bowl. Gradually whisk in 2/3 cup of the coconut milk, a little at a time; then whisk in the egg. Set aside.

Bring the remaining 2 cups coconut milk and the vanilla beans to a boil in a medium saucepan. Once it is boiling, remove vanilla pods, and very gradually add the coconut milk to the mixture in the bowl, whisking constantly.

Return the mixture to the saucepan, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Once it comes to a simmer, cook one minute longer.

Pour into a bowl. Place a piece of waxed paper on top of pudding to prevent a film from forming. Cover and chill in refrigerator until set, about 2 hours.

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Another vanilla treat we had recently is Hot Vanilla. So good on a cold day...

GFCF Hot Vanilla

1 c coconut milk
2 tsp vanilla sugar*
½ tsp cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla extract

Mix vanilla sugar and cinnamon in a small saucepan.
Add vanilla extract, stirring until dissolved.
Add coconut milk; stir. Heat gently until warm, stirring occasionally.
Pour into a large mug and enjoy!

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*Vanilla Sugar

2 vanilla beans
2 cups organic sugar

Place sugar in a large mason jar.

Slice down the sides of the vanilla beans and scrape out the seeds. Add to the sugar. Add the beans to the sugar. Cover the jar and shake well. Let sit for a couple of weeks, shaking the jar occasionally to mix.

If you don't want to wait for weeks, Kari also shared in this post how to make instant vanilla sugar. I made it and it's wonderful, but I didn't use it in the pudding because I already had vanilla sugar made up. I don't see why it wouldn't work in the pudding recipe, though.

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Food Allergies and School

I read this story today about a seven-year-old boy who was allergic to peanuts and nearly died after eating them at school.

I know I talk about food allergies a lot but I didn't fully understand the seriousness of them until we started living with them, and I want to help others understand, too. Even if you don't have a child with allergies, you could be instrumental in helping an allergic child, which could save his or her life.

This boy's mom did everything right. She sent her child to a peanut-free classroom. She went in and approved the snacks that were safe for him. Still, while eating a snack and watching a movie in his classroom, he ate peanuts. Another child had a peanut butter granola bar and it somehow ended up on this boy's plate. In the dark, he reached for it and took a small bite.

He was fortunate because he initially reacted with only an itchy tongue and a stomach ache, and then had a delayed reaction, which is extremely rare. Usually, reactions occur almost immediately. Only after arriving at the hospital did this particular boy break out in hives, his throat tightened, and his lungs started shutting down. He was put on life support, a heart-lung bypass machine, and he survived.

Tragically, a little girl, also seven years old, didn't survive when she ate peanuts given to her at school by a classmate, just a couple of weeks ago. Again, her mother did the right things. She had an allergy action plan at school for her daughter.

I'm thankful that the people at E's school understand the severity of his allergies and take them seriously. His school is peanut-free, he takes his own food and has a supply of snacks at school. The school contacts us regularly to check on ingredients for projects or special occasions.

Still, I worry. His school is peanut-free, but he's just as allergic to cashews and other tree nuts as he is to peanuts. And, all it takes is a classmate to give him a bite of something. It's a fear that every parent of an extremely allergic child lives with.

What strikes me in the case of the two children I mentioned is that an EpiPen and Benadryl weren't administered. In the case of the little boy, 911 wasn't called and he went to the hospital with his mother, rather than in an ambulance.

It seems to me that, with more and more children having life-threatening allergies, there should be consistent allergy plans in all schools. They're trying to pass a bill in Virginia that would put EpiPens in all schools. Why aren't all states doing this? EpiPens can mean the difference between life and death. The EpiPens and Benadryl need to be easily and quickly accessible, and all school personnel, including substitute teachers, should have a clear understanding of which children are allergic, and how and when to administer the necessary meds, and to call 911 first and the parents second.

When E first reacted, I instinctively gave Benadryl and called his pediatrician, who told me to take him to the hospital. If, God forbid, he ever has another reaction, I will give the Benadryl and EpiPen and then call an ambulance, rather than taking him to the hospital myself. Even though I was very familiar with food allergies, I had no clue about how serious they could be. Now I know. Educating more people about them can mean fewer little lives lost to them.

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Vegetable Soup

Vegetable Soup

3/4 cup dried Great Northern beans
3 cups water
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup crushed tomatoes
1 cup tomato puree
1 1/2 cups carrots, sliced
1 1/2 cups potatoes, peeled & cubed
1 1/2 cups fresh green beans, broken into small pieces
1/2 cup gluten-free spaghetti
1 1/2 cups zucchini, sliced and quartered
1 leek, white part only, cleaned & sliced
1 tsp dried basil
1 Tbsp dried parsley
2 cups baby spinach, chopped
10 oz frozen peas
1/2 cup mushrooms, ground (opt)
1 1/2 cups chopped celery
3 qts GF vegetable stock



Soak beans overnight; drain. Cook in 3 cups of water for one hour;
reserve cooking water.

Sauté onion, garlic, and leek in 1/2 cup water.
Add crushed tomatoes and pureed tomatoes; cook for 3 minutes.
Add vegetable broth, carrots, potatoes, celery, basil and parsley;
cook for 15 minutes.
Add zucchini, green beans, Great Northern beans and cooking water.

Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer approx. 30 minutes.

Break spaghetti into pieces and add, along with spinach and peas.

Simmer until vegetables are tender; add sea salt and pepper to taste.

Tomato Soup

Tomato Soup


1 small onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, sliced
28 oz tomato sauce
2 1/2 tsp raw honey
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp basil
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbsp rice flour
2 cups GF vegetable broth
1/2 tsp sea salt



Place onion, celery, tomato sauce and seasonings in a large pot and
simmer for 15 minutes.

Pour half of the mixture into the Vitamix and puree on low speed, holding onto the lid tightly, until completely smooth. Repeat with the other half.

Blend the flour with some vegetable broth in the blender. Add to the original pot, heat for a minute or so , then whisk in the remaining broth until smooth. Stir in the tomato puree, add sea salt to taste, and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

Fun Junk Food

GracieGirl was having a tough time not eating wheat when there were so many goodies around over the holidays. I wasn't feeling well enough to do any baking, but I decided to try this quick and easy idea, knowing that we'd pay for the effects of the artificial colors later! We did, but they had so much fun that it was worth it.

We made Marshmallow Pops by inserting extra long
lollipop sticks into marshmallows and dipping
them in melted white and/or dark chocolate.
The kids then rolled them in their choice of sprinkles.

Easy enough for me to handle, and the kids loved them!

If I was a wealthy purist, I would have made homemade
marshmallows and used natural sprinkles.

But I'm not,
so I didn't.
:)

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