Labor Day Weekend, Part One

Okay, my in-laws are here and it will be a busy weekend, but I was so thrilled about dinner tonight that I had to squeeze in a post.

Evan ate his standard Garlic Basil Chicken, 4 oz. of eggplant parmesean, 4 oz. of spaghetti squash, plus his formula! What a big eater! And he LOVED the eggplant tonight. Last time he took just a couple of bites and refused the rest, but I think the pasta sauce I used before was too sour or strong for him.

Lots of cooking and baking this weekend. Tomorrow morning, I hope, we will be having Ener-g Egg-Replacer Quiche, Skillet Bread, and Watermelon. Then we'll be off to the zoo to meet up with some friends. The weather is supposed to be absolutely gorgeous and I can't wait!

Anyway, that's all I have time for tonight. Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!

Canned Pumpkin

I finished another piece of felt food- a can of pumpkin! Definitely one of Evan's favorites! He eats canned pumpkin nearly every night at dinner, but I am trying to get him into more variety. I have some butternut squash in the oven right now. When I don't have something ready, though, canned pumpkin is a lifesaver. Anyway, no tutorial or pattern to follow on this one. Just kind of made it up as I went. I put thin pieces of carboard in the top and bottom to make the ends stiffer, so it should stand up pretty well. I'm pretty pleased with it. The pictures aren't the greatest, I know, but I stitched a little bit of detail in the top and bottom like the rings on a real can.

Evan's New Favorite

I have really been struggling to come up with a replacement for Evan's Enjoy Life cookies now that we have to get rid of sunflower oil, too. It seems like everything I make, he either just likes the batter or eats a little bit and then wants nothing to do with it. Today, I found huge success in a recipe for Blondies from Sophie-Safe Cooking. When I finished mixing them up, I offered Evan "a taste" of the batter- one of the joys of egg-free baking! I gave him a little off my finger and he immediately yanked the spatula out of my hands and put it into his mouth. When he had licked it clean, he ran to the kitchen, yelling "A taste! A taste!" so I gave him more. Then, when I gave him a blonde brownie after lunch, he devoured that, too. Hooray!!! And I thought they were one of the best allergy-free treats I've made so far. They don't taste like they're missing anything.

1 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1/3 c. rice milk
1 1/2 c. oat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

Mix all ingredients together in a medium sized bowl until the batter is smooth. Pour and spread the batter into a greased 9x9 pan. Bake for 25 minutes at 350.

Frozen Peas

I did it! I finished another piece of felt food- and this one was without a tutorial- just made it up as I went along. I filled it with some pony beads inside of a ziploc freezer bag, so even if he rips it open (which he better not!), Evan wouldn't find any stray beads to choke on. And it actually feels and sounds like a bag of frozen peas with the beads and the plastic bag inside!

I still feel like it is kind of missing something, though, but I am pretty happy with it since it's only my second item. Two items down, ? more to go. 9 1/2 weeks until Evan's birthday.

Allergy Woes and a New Recipe

The allergist is still really frustrating me. Got a phone call today that she did her research and I must stop giving him anything containing sunflower oil and also avoid any seed or nut oils. The really frustrating thing is that he has been eating Enjoy Life cookies for about a year without any problems and they contain sunflower oil, and some have flax seeds, which I've also been told we have to avoid. And yet, his formula, Nutramigen, has sunflower oil and she said it would be fine because it would be pure. My problem with her logic is that his formula is made for kids allergic to milk, not sunflower seeds, so it's not necessarily fine. And he does occasionally get a rash with his formula. I narrowly escaped bursting into tears with the nurse the last time we talked. The only thing she offered was to schedule me another appt. with the allergist, but I declined. What's the point?

I am looking forward to making some changes in Evan's diet and praying for big results. We are giving up orange juice, which is what was reccomended by the nutritionist we were sent to because she wanted him to have it for the calcium. However, I have recently learned from a friend that citrus aggravates eczema. And yet, our nutritionist and allergist agreed that it would be best for Evan. Or not. I am still looking for a suitable probiotic to get him started on, and can't wait to see it work (I hope!) And I think we are going to drop the formula sooner than later. The same friend (her daughter also has multiple food allergies) was told by their nutritionist to use a mixture of enriched rice milk and coconut milk. The rice milk is for the nutrients and the coconut milk is for the fat. This afternoon, I researched Evan's calcium requirements (500mg/day) and I could easily get that with those milks. This whole thing is so frustrating, but I feel good about being proactive and doing what's best for my son. Sometimes you just really have to listen to your motherly instinct. That's how Evan ended up getting tested for food allergies in the first place!

Okay, enough venting. On to the recipe!

This recipe is my adaptation of Simply Delicious Spaghetti Squash from Clean Food by Terry Walters. I have previously posted another recipe from this book: Banana Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies.

1 spaghetti squash, baked until soft, and scraped out of the shell to separate the strands
1/4 c. olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. dried parsley (Note: The original recipe calls for 2 Tbsp. of chopped fresh parsley.)

In a skillet, sauté garlic in olive oil until it starts to brown. Add strands of squash and the parsley. Toss to coat. Serve.

It's that simple! And Evan loved it. He said, "Yum.... Oh yum. Mmmmm." So I'd say it's a keeper!

End of Week Review

Well, I was going to post on Thursday after we visited the allergist, but I was too frustrated and angry. On the positive side, Evan does not need to see a dermatologist for his eczema at this time. But the allergist was just very discouraging about everything. I told her I would like to try a probiotic because I've been reading some very good things about them and what they can do for eczema, food allergies, and even his Toddler's Diarrhea. She pretty much said it would be a waste of my time, but she wouldn't stop me from doing it. So, long story short, I am going to have one of our local health food stores order the one I want for me. Another thing that really ticked me off was that she was very discouraging about me wanting to go allergy-free at our home so that we can eat together safely as a family. She said it would be too hard for us to adjust and that it wasn't necessary. Aside from the fact that if we are eating things Evan can't have, we would have to deny him if he wanted something we had on our plates, we could cause him harm if we kiss him or if he gets some crumbs or, God-forbid, if he needed mouth-to-mouth! The allergist keeps saying that she isn't worried about him having any sort of reaction from contact, only if he ingests it. Well, then why did this happen Friday night??



Dan was playing with Evan and kissing his cheek and Evan broke out in this rash in the exact spot where Dan was kissing him. It had been about three hours since he'd had anything (Skittles) and nearly seven hours since he'd had lunch (which included several of Evan's allergens)! Very frustrating and sad to see how easily a reaction can occur. Dan is especially sad and feels guilty, although I keep telling him it wasn't his fault- he didn't know. Evan still has little bumps on his cheek 48 hours later, although it's not all red like it was. It doesn't seem to be bothering him right now either. Still, just very frustrating.

On a happier note, I have found a new obsession. Felt food! I fell in love when I first discovered it on etsy last year. My goal is to make Evan some felt food for his birthday. We even bought a little bookshelf today to use as his "grocery store" to keep all the food. I can't wait, but I still have just over two months til Evan's birthday, so I guess I'll have to! I finished my first piece tonight. It's a banana- one of Evan's favorite foods. I found a tutorial online and got started there, but made quite a few modifications. The original banana was completely separate from the peel, but I decided to stitch them together to hopefully make it a little sturdier. I have always been pretty crafty (I think), but I haven't sewn by hand much. I'm sure it will get easier and faster as I go. Now I just have to decide which felt food item to start on next!

The Day I Should Have Died

August 10th is a date that will forever be ingrained in my mind. Three years ago today, I was taking a road trip to see my husband.

{Okay, back up a minute... The story which I am about to tell you something that happened in the middle of the absolute worst six months of my life.
1. Dan moved to start his job, while I stayed put, 6 hours away, to keep working and try to get our house sold. I will not live apart again, especially now that we have Evan. It was terrible, terrible, terrible. I do not do very well on my own. We ended up living apart for an entire six-months. April 15 - October 15.
2. Not long after he left, I lost our first baby with an ectopic pregnancy. It was such a devastating loss after we'd been trying for nine months just to get pregnant... and with Dan not even there, it made it so much worse.
3. Keep reading...}

So there I was, making this ridiculously long six hour drive to go see Dan for the weekend, attend his company picnic, and look at houses. I was about halfway through my trip when I got hit from behind WHILE I was going roughly 70 mph, which was the speed limit. The traffic in front of me had come to a dead stop since it was rush hour and I had begun to brake, but the car behind me did not. So here I am, in my Chevy Blazer, getting hit by this stupid Mustang that had been on my tail for over an hour.

I felt the impact and then everything went into slow motion for me. I am told that my vehicle flipped three times over several lanes of traffic, but thankfully I do not remember that. The last thing I remember was thinking, "I can't believe I am going to die like this." When I opened my eyes, I was trapped inside the Blazer which was laying on the driver's side. Several drivers, who happened to also be nurses, ran up to see if I was okay. Or even alive. No one thought I would be alive. I didn't think I would be alive. I wasn't in a lot of pain, other than my arm which was through the window and covered in road rash. One of the nurses got some towels to help stop the bleeding while another called my husband. Most of the details here are a little hazy and this could get really long, so I'll try to speed this up.

The fire department came and used the jaws of life to get me out. One firefighter climbed in with me to hold my head and keep me covered while they cut me out. I wish I knew his name or that I had followed up at the time to thank him. His kindness meant so much to me.

I was life-flighted to a nearby hospital where the police officer took my statement while morphine was being pumped into me. Sidenote: how stupid is that? Yeah, let's pump her up on drugs and then see what she remembers. Anyway, I had to pee like none other and I can't believe that I had not somehow wet myself by that time, but I kept waiting like they were going to let me get up and walk myself to the bathroom. That didn't happen. Instead, they come and tell me I am going to need a catheter because my hip is broken. At this point, I hadn't felt any pain in that area yet, so I was in disbelief. When I was finally transferred to a bed and felt the pain, I knew it had to be true. Further x-rays revealed that I had not only broken my left hip, but also my left wrist and hand.

I then spent five days in the hospital before ending up in the rehab side of a nursing home for NINE WEEKS. Yes, you read that right. I celebrated my 24th birthday in a nursing home. In a wheelchair. Not the best birthday I've ever had, but probably not the worst either. Well, maybe.

I could tell you lots of stories about my time in the hospital and in rehab and about the blessings in the midst of tragedy, but the thing I want to focus on today is that God is obviously not finished with me yet.

Three years ago, in that car accident, I should have died. But I didn't. I didn't suffer any brain damage and I am no longer affected by my injuries most days. Clearly, God has a purpose for my life.

At the beginning of this year, I heard a song by Brandon Heath called "Wait and See" and it spoke volumes to me.

Still wonderin' why I'm here
Still wrestling with my fear
But oh, He's up to something
And the farther on I go
I've seen enough to know
That I'm not here for nothing
He's up to something

God is definitely up to something and although I am still trying to figure out my purpose, I am definitely getting there. I thought that this year was going to be truly life-changing for me and that I was going to really figure myself out. I have definitely made progress, but I'm not all the way there yet. But the year's not over yet either.

So no matter what happens today, I will be grateful to know that He's not finished with me yet. I may still be wrestling with my fears and wondering why I'm here, but He IS up to something!

Family Dinner #2

Tonight I made Eggplant Parmesean for all of us. I just peeled and sliced an eggplant and layered it with some organic pasta sauce and some Daiya Mozzarella Shredded Cheese. This stuff is great- it is vegan and it doesn't even have any soy! It actually melts, too. The best cheese substitute we've found so far for sure. Anyway, you layer everything except for your last bit of cheese on top, cover with foil, and bake at 350 degrees F for about 45 minutes. Then take off the foil, sprinkle a little cheese, and pop it back in the oven until it melts. It turned out pretty well and I don't think I would have noticed the cheese wasn't real if I didn't already know. Evan actually ate a few bites, but then ended up munching on leftover ham, brown rice spiral pasta, and pumpkin. What matters to me is that we were all at the dinner table together and it was safe! Nothing to worry about- except for having to scrub the carpet a little to get some pumpkin out! On my shopping list- one of those mats that goes under a rolling computer chair to put in the dining room so that it's heavy enough to handle the dining room chair and keeps the carpet clean. And a placemat that will stick to the table. I have a suction cup one, but it didn't seem to stick to the wood. I've never had a problem when we used it before, but I'd never tried it at home. Anyway, Evan sure is happy to be at the table and I am so happy to have him there!

Family Dinner... Finally!

It has been my goal for quite some time to have a safe, allergy-free dinner together. And tonight it finally happened. Dan took Evan to Menard's in the afternoon to get some boards for yet another project while I spent my time in the kitchen.

We had ham, biscuits, and candied sweet potatoes. The last time (and only time) Evan has had ham previously, he had a mild allergic reaction, so our allergist told us to hold off trying it again. His latest bloodwork revealed very low levels, so she said to go for it and we did. I was worried that he would break out or worse, or that he wouldn't like it, but he seemed to do just fine and he ate every little bit that I gave him! He is pretty attached to his chicken and I am not a huge ham fan, so we won't have it all the time, but it is nice to have some variety once in a while!





The biscuits came from Incredible Edible Gluten-Free Food for Kids by Sheri L. Sanderson. They turned out okay, but I wasn't too impressed. Dan said they weren't bad and Evan tried one teensy tiny little bite and was not impressed either. I couldn't get him to eat any more of it, so I caved and gave him puffed rice cereal instead.

Maybe Evan wasn't feeling very well- he did spit up on me while I was singing to him before nap. He loved these sweet potatoes the last time I made them, but only ate about half tonight. He is normally a very good eater. Maybe he'll go for a biscuit tomorrow. But back to the sweet potatoes. These are amazing! The recipe is from my mother-in-law. The original recipe calls for toasted walnuts or pecans sprinkled over the top, but we really don't miss them.

Candied Sweet Potatoes

2 lbs. sweet potatoes
16 oz. can peaches (juice pack)
2/3 c. packed brown sugar
2 T. margarine or butter (obviously I used dairy-free margarine)
dash of ground cloves

1. Wash and peel sweet potatoes and cut into half-inch thick slices. Cook in large saucepan in lightly salted boiling water about 10 minutes or until just tender. Drain and cool.

2. Drain peach slices, reserving juice. In a greased 3-quart rectangular baking dish, combine peach slices and sweet potatoes.

3. In a small saucepan, combine 3 Tbsp. reserved peach juice, brown sugar, margarine or butter, and ground cloves. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat and boil gently for one minute. Drizzle over peaches and sweet potatoes.

4. Bake, uncovered, in a 350-degree F oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until potatoes and peaches are glazed, stirring twice.

Notes: The stirring is kind of optional. I gave it one half-hearted stir and they still came out just fine. Also, you can prepare everything ahead of time, cover and chill for up to 2 hours, then bake as above. This is especially helpful when preparing this for Thanksgiving or Christmas!

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Speaking of Thanksgiving, I may be the only one, but I am already thinking hard about what to serve for our meal. These sweet potatoes will definitely be there, and I was hoping the biscuits would be, too, but I will have to keep searching for a better recipe.

So although Evan made a mess, refused some of his food, and went to bed way late because of the Menard's trip and whatnot, I'd say dinner was a success! It made my heart so happy just to have the three of us eating together at the dining room table! Can't wait to do it again!

Coconut Mango Sorbet

This recipe is for Evan's favorite "ice cweam" which, by the way, he only likes melted in his sippy cup. Perhaps he had a brain freeze experience in the past? We have tried Rice Dream Vanilla and also Luna and Larry's Coconut Bliss Vanilla Vibe, but this one is definitely the favorite and it's lots cheaper- and it's super quick to make!

My original recipe came from 250 Gluten-Free Favorites by Donna Washburn and Heather Butt. I have modified it a little bit.

Take one can of coconut milk and one-and-a-half cups of frozen mango (280 g) and place in blender or food processor and process until smooth. And that's it! If you're like Evan, and want to drink it, you could enjoy it right away or you can stick it in the freezer until it hardens. Just be forewarned, that it will be pretty hard once it freezes. Just set it out on the counter to soften if you are going to enjoy it later.

Don't Ask, Do Tell

Parenting Tip of the Day: A Reminder for Myself

When dealing with a headstrong toddler such as my son, Don't ask, Do tell...

Example #1- We are currently pottytraining and saying "Evan, do you want to go potty?" is nowhere near as effective as saying, gently but firmly, "Evan, let's go sit on the potty. We can pick out a book to read while we're there." As far as pottytraining goes, he is only 21 months and we have been at it for a little less than two months. He has been doing a terrific job until we started underwear at home. So apparently we're not quite ready to move on from pull-ups even at home yet. (Insert music from 'The Apprentice" ... money, money, money, oooo yeah")

Example #2- The incident that sparked this thought tonight and this post... Evan was kneeling in the living room, spitting on the floor, which is unfortunately, the latest skill to be discovered. Several times, I said (okay, I yelled) "Evan, stop spitting!" but to no avail. Finally, I said "Do you want to sit in time out?" and he scrambled over a few feet and plopped himself down on the floor just like he was in time out. Except that there was no remorse or anything remotely close to it. Not even a tear. And he was back up, off and running probably 30 seconds later which brings me to one more parenting tip while I am on a roll...

Be consistent! Definitely hard on days like today. I should have been firm and put him in time out and set the timer for 90 seconds for the umpteenth time today. Evan was up at 4:20am, crying like he'd had a nightmare and he never really settled back down. Dan tried sleeping on his floor for a little bit, but he was up and ready for the day. Getting up early made Evan (and the rest of us) extra grouchy and Dan works both jobs today, so won't be home til late. SO all that to say, consistency is important, but even SuperMoms and SuperMom wannabees slip up sometimes. Just don't beat yourself up over it (are you listening, self?) and do a better job tomorrow.

Natural Rinse Aid

Ever look at the ingredient list for your rinse aid? My guess would be no- because most conventional rinse aids do not actually list their ingredients.

I didn't use rinse aid in the past, but now we have a new dishwasher and I really noticed the need, so I started buying it. I searched for a natural one, but couldn't find anything. I have seen several online, so I know they are out there, but I just did not see them locally. I ran out of rinse aid recently and I wasn't liking the way my dishes were coming out without any. And I wasn't really happy with the rinse aid either. I mean, I'm rinsing my dishes and glasses and SIPPY CUPS in who knows what chemicals!?!? So yesterday I searched online and found my solution.

Vinegar! I have recently come to really love vinegar for a number of cleaning solutions, which I am sure I will detail here later. It is so cheap and works wonders!

To use vinegar as your rinse aid, simply pour into your rinse aid compartment and let it do the rest! I was just marveling this morning at how truly clean my dishes felt. Cleaner than they did before- with or without conventional rinse aid. My only complaint is that it is difficult to know if the resevoir is full because vinegar is clear, but I can deal with that! No vinegar smell and no yucky chemical-laden dishes! Total success!

Banana Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you read the side bar, you can get an introduction of who I am and why I love allergy-free cooking, but for my first post, I felt that this recipe was more than worthy of the spotlight!





This recipe is from Clean Food by Terry Walters.

2 bananas, mashed
1/4 c. canola oil
1/4 c. maple syrup
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. rolled oats
2/3 c. brown rice flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. shredded unsweetend dried coconut
pinch of sea salt
1/4 c. semi-sweet dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. In medium bowl, combine bananas, oil, syrup, and vanilla. In separate medium bowl, combine oats, flour, baking soda, coconut, and salt. Add the banana mixture to the dry ingredients and blend until just combined (do not overstir). Fold in chocolate chips. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper and drop batter by the heaping teaspoon onto sheet. There is no need to roll, flatten, or shape the mounds. Place in oven and bake 14 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and place directly on wire rack to cool. Makes 1 1/2 dozen cookies.

The only changes I made were that I used sweetened shredded coconut because I couldn't find any unsweetened; I used Enjoy Life chocolate chips; and I used silicone liners instead of the parchment paper. My husband loved them, too- they really don't taste like an allergen-free cookie! I don't think that my son, Evan, likes chocolate very much, so he's not as excited about them as I was, but he's still eating them for the most part.