TODAY

I have attempted to write about 6 different times my entry for today. I keep deleting it, I just can't get it right. Instead I shall update my favorite products section of my page!

Party Time!!!

Well, tomorrow will be the first Birthday Party Garrison has attended where I actually need to think about food. He is almost 3 now and he gets it if the other kids are eating food he isn't. I got the description of what will be there for the kids, Chocolate cupcakes with frosting setup like grass. Ummm.... ok. I made the cupcakes and went to get some frosting tools.... I then attempted something new. Piping frosting. This is something I am not talented at. No, this wasn't good at all. Sorry kids, my special cupcakes look more like green globs then green grass. Maybe Ill be better next time.

TIP OF THE DAY: When you have a kid with food allergies, it is important they understand that they can't eat what everyone else is eating and why so they don't get mixed up and eat something they shouldn't, but it is also important to make sure you have an alternative snack or dessert for your child. I always either bring something extra for Garrison or better yet, I offer to handle the dessert/snack so no one else has to worry about anything.

Time Passes By

Again, apologizing for my absence -- it has been far too long and so much has changed... as it always does. I have been busy becoming a crunchy mama - cloth diapering and the like. I love it but I would be the first to say that I can see where it wouldn't be for everyone.

Braeden had his allergist appointment -- He was pricked and handled it like a champ. He came back slightly positive to wheat and peanut. The allergist said to just try and trial the foods as normal... which we have started. We successfully re-introduced CORN and WHEAT back into my diet!!! WOOT WOOT! I have waited a LONG time for that. Right now, I'm on day 5 of trialing SOY and it is up in the air - He is having a reflux flare and I'm having a hard time telling what it is from. We will trial for 2 weeks or until it becomes more obvious it is from the foods.

Braeden is still unable to handle any solid foods- I tried it on him again between his wheat trial and soy trial and he is still just having lots of issues after he eats any amount of any solid..... We will be seeing the gastro on Oct. 25. He will access Braeden for intolerances and any digestive disorders.

On a lighter note, a few weeks ago we had a neighborhood cookout -- I made the desserts for everyone. I did Caramel Corn, Apple Pie, Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, Brownies, Chocolate Covered Pretzel Sticks and Cinnamon Streusal Cake. It was a hit and it was SO much fun. I intended to get a photo to post, but I just forgot! Then the kids got into the brownies. I just wanted to shout out to The Food Allergy Mama's Cookbook, Divvies, and thank them for making it such a successful day!!!

NO Starbucks?!?

With all this talk about fall being right around the corner, I got to thinking.... WHAT am I going to do without my Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks?!?! Anyone who really knows me, knows, this is serious business. It is my thing, I ALWAYS have them all fall and winder long and I will be missing them this year.

I found a decent alternative. I also enjoy Chai Tea Lattes. Oregon Chai makes a decaf Chai Tea mix - it has very few, natural ingredients and sells it at various stores such as Wegman's. I Just Mix it 50/50 with Original Coconut Milk and voila! It is actually really satisfying and I can sprinkle cinnamon on top to add a little umph!

I do plan on visiting Starbucks and inquire about their Pumpkin spice mix -- check out the ingredients and see if I can't pull off making it at home with my own milk. I'll post my findings.... :)

DIVVIES *Happy Dance

Those of you who are familiar with food allergies are familiar with Divvies. They are a bakery who sells allergen free candies, cupcakes, cookies and NOW they have a cookbook. I was just sooo excited about it and I HAD to order the cookbook. It should be here by next week for me to try out and start to review. I have heard wonderful things and I will be baking lots and lots this fall and winter (the holidays are my favorite time of year to bake)

I just can't believe it is almost September and Halloween is just around the corner. At Wegmen's this week I saw they have started to bring out the candy already! A little early...

Fried Squash and Zucchini

I LOVE fried food... words can't describe my addiction and feelings of withdraw from some of my favorite fried foods. I recently was at the store and found a fry batter --$8.00 for a 12 oz box of Rice Flour and some spices. I then decided to make my own at home and it was quite a success.

Slice up several Squash and Zucchinis - enough to feed the family. Slightly thinner then 1/4in. Heat oil in a skillet - enough to cover only 1/2 the veggie. I like to use safflower oil - it is soo light.

BATTER:
1 cup -- rice flour
1 tsp each -- garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, salt
1 tbs - paprika
Unflavored Coconut Milk

Mix together dry ingredients, and add milk, just enough to give a thick, but smooth consistency.
Dip veggies in batter and cover completely. Add to hot skillet and fry for about 3 minutes per side - until golden. Dry on paper towels. I think ketchup was a great condiment for these little pieces of heaven.

Summer Slump

What a busy month -- VERY busy last 4 weeks or so. I have been absent and have oh, so much to catch up on. I have been trying to work more into my diet with Braeden -- with no success. We trialed wheat and corn again, both failed... but Im not giving up! We will try again. I did manage to eat Tilapia. Made some with olive oil and a lemon pepper seasoning. Delish and no issues for Braeden to speak of! Win for team K!

We also tried solid food again... epic fail. His digestive system is all sorts of messed up and anything out of the norm really gets it going, and in a bad way. I put him on probiotics starting this past Monday... fingers crossed it helps him.

I just wanted to quickly touch on a topic those of us in the allergy field are familiar with. Joel Stein. He wrote a column in 2009 regarding nuts... peanuts and allergies. He basically indicated that families of food allergic kids are over-reactive and it is all in their heads. He NOW has a 1 year old with a life threatening peanut allergy.

Here is a link to the article from 2009:
http://articles.latimes.com/2009/jan/09/opinion/oe-stein9

And the new article is in Time Magazine. :)

Today Marks 2 Months

I can't believe it has been two months since I started the Total Elimination Diet -- I have been able to add back some things - but not everything I had hoped for at this point. In some ways it feels like so much longer, and in some ways shorter. I have come a long way. Since I had already been off of dairy, egg nuts and soy for 2 1/2 months prior to going all the way with it, I guess I had a shorter way to come. I miss eating out, but being a new stay at home mom - time to go out and enjoy does not come easy, and it isn't exactly in the budget -- at least thats what I tell myself each day.

I made a batch of chocolate chip cookies today - I love the recipe from the book "8 Degrees of Ingredients" - AMAZING! You would never know these cookies are free of egg, nut, soy, milk, gluten... seriously - If I didn't tell my husband, I think he would just think they are darn good cookies.

I like to set aside 1/2 the batch to eat and freeze the other half - also dipping the frozen cookies in some coconut ice cream is sort of heavenly. you can also dip these in melted chocolate and let it set.... that's another amazingly good version.

Next up? Chicken. It's whats for dinner. bum bum bum.

The Dreaded Skin Pricks

So Garrison had his appointment with the new DOC today. He, in January had a RAST done which confirmed eggs, milk and nuts as issues for the second year. Since this was a new doc - we decided to go ahead and confirm with pricks. He recieve 18 total. Poor Boy! Well, he had ++ for milk, egg, and peanut - the peanut was the worst reaction the nurse had seen! Also some minor + on enviromentals - dog, cat, mites etc. What a day! I don't understand how if he is not being exposed to peanut- how is it getting sooo much worse? Anyone? This is truely a mystery to me and apparently the doctors as well. I understand it is happening more and more and no one really understands why yet...scary that he has a skin reaction so bad and he has never even consumed peanuts...ever.

I decided to bring him home and made him king for a day! Movies, Special Snacks... the whole shooting match -- we do it all over again with the littlest one in September - hoping we have better luck.

Let's Have Some Summer Fun

A few weeks ago my family and I were barbecuing. I love being outside and enjoying dinner on the deck. I wanted to have some fun and the fire on the grill was still going. I grabbed some over sized mugs, and filled them to the brim with everything we needed to make s'mores. The boys LOVED THEM. Don't forget to check labels!

Dairy, and Egg free S'MORES

Marshmallows (egg free)
Divvies Chocolate Bar
Graham Crackers (dairy free)
Skewers

Melt your marshmallow over the grill fire, and sandwich with a block of chocolate between two graham crackers. Melty goodness....

Trials... The Ups and Downs.

In life we find that there are many challenges. I found one of my biggest faced me when my newest addition Braeden was born.. I was determined to nurse him since I had failed with my oldest. Because of various factors, it would take me way to long to explain, I am on what is called a total elimination diet. I am free of dairy, soy, egg, nut, gluten, most corn products, seafood, to mention a few. It has been a challenge, but also a very interesting learning experience. creating treats free of all these things is well... tricky.

Among a few other foods, the most exciting food I have passed was CHOCOLATE. I am creating lots of different things now and I thought I would share a few ideas. First of all - Enjoy Life makes amazing chocolate chips and they are free of the top 8 - so I am able to eat them. If your avoiding dairy - or soy, find these!

Today I just decided to melt the chocolate chips and dip various fruits and cookies in it. I used the below recipe:

DIPPING CHOCOLATE
1 cup - enjoy life chocolate chips
2 tbs - spectrum shortening

Melt the chips with the shortening until smooth - in microwave safe bowl

DIP AWAY - refrigerate until chocolate is set.

ENJOY!

How it all Began

I remember it soo vividly, like it was yesterday. Back when my son Garrison was born in 2007, we were brought into the life of new parenthood bliss.... then came the food allergies and reflux. They reared their nasty hear when he was only 9 days old. We had no idea why we had a baby who just SCREAMED all day and night and people do tend to tell a new mommy, "babies cry", "maybe it is colic" but I knew better - there was no WAY nothing was wrong, SOMETHING had to be going on with him. Over months of trial and error - we did finally gain a happy baby! It was just about 3 reflux meds later and a final diagnoses of ana. reactions to milk, egg and nut allergies. I was in disbelief... what do you feed a toddler who can't have these things?! and oh my lord what will he have on his first birthday?!? so our journey begins.....