Julia's Guardian Angel

Dear Friends -
This is our daughter Julia.  She is 13 and has a life threatening allergy to peanuts.  1/100 of a peanut could and probably would kill her if she ingested it.  She could possibly die if she comes into contact with peanuts because her body sends blood rushing to the area touched by the allergen, causing blood to pool in the area (typically extremities) resulting in a drop in blood pressure and possible stroke.

 

She recently met Bullet, an Australian Labradoodle that is a Peanut Detection Dog.  His job is, like a narcotics dog, to sniff out peanuts and peanut residue for people that have life threatening peanut allergies.

On Sunday we called 911 after arriving home from our Montana vacation. Julia had touched something with peanut residue at a restaurant on the way home. Within minutes, her fingers, knuckles and hands were swollen and covered with hives. She must have also brushed her lips because they were swelling up, too.

We've been contemplating getting a peanut detection dog for Julia for almost a year now, but there is just no way we can afford it.

Today we decided we just have to ask for help.

Please check out our fundraising site.

Thank you for taking a look and please pray that Julia will be able to raise the money for a guardian angel.

By the way, we are quite certain that the contact happened when she touched something in the bathroom at the restaurant, possibly the bathroom door.   Whatever it was, it was small enough to not be visible or smell-able because she is overly scrupulous about what she touches.

Thanks,
Cathie

No Sugar Added - Nut Free Energy Bars - SunButter Balls and Cherry Garcia Balls

I cannot eat Larabars because I have a tree nut allergy.  At Christmas, I make the most divine Sun Butter Cups (think Reese's without the Peanut Butter because of our SEVERELY allergic kid).  Said child mourned the fact she, too, could not have Larabars, which are a staple for several of my children.  So, I came up with this truly divine concoction.

These are not sugar free.  I just don't add any additional sugar above and beyond what is in the ingredients.

SunButter Balls

10 dates, pitted and soaked in boiling water to soften, then drained
1/4 c. cocoa
1/3 c. SunButter
Optional Add-ins:
2 Tbsp. Chia seed
3 Tbsp. Hemp seed
3 Tbsp. raw sunflower seeds
3 Tbsp. chocolate chips

Place the dates in a food processor or blender like "The Ninja" and process them until they are finely chopped.  Add the cocoa and SunButter.  Puree until combined.  If you don't want them smooth, just process until mixed.  Remove from the processor and add any "Add-ins" by hand.  Shape into balls and store in an air-tight container. 

With the crunch of the seeds and chocolate chips, these taste like peanut butter cups without all the allergens.

Cherry Garcia Balls
(I love Cherry Garcia Ice Cream - I'm sure this is much better for me than ice cream.)

10 dates, pitted and soaked in boiling water to soften, then drained
1/4 c. cocoa
1/3 c. dried cherries, soaked in boiling water to soften, then drained
Optional   Add-ins:
2 Tbsp. Chia seed
3 Tbsp. Hemp seed
3 Tbsp. chocolate chips

Place the dates in a food processor or blender like "The Ninja" and process them until they are finely chopped.  Add the cocoa and cherries.  Puree until combined.  If you don't want them smooth, just process until mixed.  Remove from the processor and add any "Add-ins" by hand.  Shape into balls and store in an air-tight container.  

These are seriously addictive, but totally squelch any chocolate or sugar cravings I might have.

Enjoy!

Our Lady of Guadalupe Breakfast Muffins - Egg free, Dairy Free, Wheat Free

We were looking for a special recipe for the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Dec. 12.  The kids love starting out our day with a recipe for the Catholic Saint 'o the day.  Since we are back to no wheat, these looked like a recipe I could easily modify.  What a hit!   They loved them so we had them, again, today.

Egg-free, Dairy-free and Wheat-free Mexican Chocolate Muffins
Prep: 15m 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease muffin tins or line with paper liners.
3/4 cup canned lentils or garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2 Tbsp. chia seed meal mixed with 1/2 hot water (or equiv. egg replacer for 2 eggs)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup cooking oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa

I combined the beans and chia seed/water mixture in the blender until it was smooth.  I added the rest of the above ingredients and blended until well combined.

In a separate bowl I combined:

1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup oat flour
1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup chocolate chips
3 Tbsp. hemp seed (or you can add 1/4-1/2 c. nuts here...we're allergic)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. xanthan gum

Add the wet ingredients from the blender to the dry ingredients and blend until combined.  Pour into prepared muffin tins.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes.  Let cool 10-15 minutes for easy turn out.

Dust tops with confectioners sugar, if desired.

So much for good news...

I'm sorry to say that I no longer trust the medical professionals.  My last post was to announce that the allergist cleared my 5 year old of his wheat, egg and possibly even dairy allergies.  She prescribed slowly introducing wheat into his diet, followed two weeks later by egg, then dairy at the beginning of the year.

Fortunately, I trusted my instincts and went slowly.  One month after slowly introducing wheat back into his diet, he erupted in a serious case of eczema all over his body.  Nothing else has changed.  The poor kid is miserable.

That is because an allergic reaction, an IgE response, is different from an IgG response.  He may not be allergic (no IgE response) but he is definitely still IgG sensitive.  And that stinks.  So, we're back to no wheat, still no eggs and definitely no dairy.

The worst part is that I feel like I wasted my money.  I feel let down by the medical professionals, again.  I wish I had unlimited funds to have him tested for more foods than the five or so we had him tested for two years ago.  I would have a full panel done so that I can see what else might be causing his growth issues and his skin problems.

Back to the drawing board...

We interrupt this blog vacation for a major announcement!

This is good news for me, bad news for those with wheat allergies!  My little man has grown out of his wheat allergy!  Praise the Lord!  So, we're still re-introducing wheat slowly so his intestines don't freak out. 

We found this out on November 9th.  So, over the last three weeks, we have been slowly adding wheat, a few crackers and macaronis at a time and voila!  no reaction.

However, he still is positive for dairy (high on skin test, low on RAST).  The other interesting news is that he did not test positive in the RAST test for egg, but the skin test was mildly positive.  That's the next thing to try.  Dairy won't be tried until the new year.  So, after a month of introducing wheat back in, we can try egg.  Then after a month, we MIGHT try dairy.  He had dairy accidentally last week and had hives around his mouth, so I'm dubious that he's safe, but we'll see.

So, that's my good news.  Here's one way we celebrated yesterday.  At Thanksgiving, my 13 year old daughter made pumpkin pie tarts.  To humor me, she made them without eggs.  We made a double batch of egg-free pumpkin pie filling because she was going to make a pumpkin pie for another Thanksgiving celebration, but ended up not, so we had extra.  I ended up using the extras with a 5 star Paula Deen Pumpkin Bar recipe to make these:

Egg free Dairy Free Pumpkin Bars
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
First - combine in a medium sauce pan: (This can be used as an egg-free dairy-free pumpkin pie filling.)
 1 15oz can pumpkin
3/4  cup  brown sugar, firmly packed
1 1/2  cup  water
6 1/2  Tbsp  cornstarch
1  tsp  allspice
1/2  tsp  salt
1/4  tsp  ground cloves
1/2  tsp  ginger
Cook over medium heat until mixture begins to thicken, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat.  Mine was cool.  Allow to cool a little.  Put in mixing bowl and  add:
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
Mix at low speed until thoroughly combined and the batter is smooth. Spread the batter into a greased 13 by 10-inch baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Cut into bars.

These bars received HIGH marks all around from my kids who don't normally like pumpkin bar.  They were almost a little gooey and oh-so-yummy.

Now, back to my blog vacation.

Wheat Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free Chocolate Chip Bars

This are called "Breakfast Bars" or "Friday Bars" at our house because they are the breakfast the kids get on Friday.  I don't eat them because of the rice flour, which I use to prevent me from eating them (I'm allergic to rice...weird, I know.)  These are YUMMY, so say my kids and others who have tried them.

Wheat Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free Chocolate Chip Bars
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray or grease a 9x13" pan.
Mix:
2 Tbsp Chia Seed meal with 6 Tbsp hot water

Cream together:
1 stick Earth Balance or 1/2 Dairy Free Butter Substitute
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar

Add:
Chia seed mixture
2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 c. vegetable oil

Mix until emulsified.

In a separate bowl, combine the following then add to wet ingredients:
2 c. oat flour (I use rolled oats processed in the blender)
1 c. rice flour
1 tsp. xanthan gum
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup dairy free chocolate chips

Spread batter in pan.  Bake 22-27 minutes.  Cool and serve.

Gluten Free, Egg Free, Dairy Free Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake in a Cup

The new treat here (although we're not eating LOTS of treats during Lent) is cake in a cup.  Friday, my 2 year old, in her sweetest voice, with her hands clasped, pressed up to her cheek as she tilted her head exactly 30 degrees said, "Please make me cake for breakfast."  So I did...Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake.  Of course, I had to make some for the 4 year old.  So here's his:

First, spray a 1 1/2 cup coffee mug with cooking spray or grease well.
In the cup, mix together:
1 tsp chia seed meal
1 Tbsp hot water
Let that sit for about 2 minutes.  Add:
1/3 c. gluten free bisquick
1 1/2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
4 Tbsp. dairy free milk (soy, almond, rice, dairifree)
drop of vanilla
1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
Mix with a fork.

In a separate bowl, mix together:
1 tsp. gluten free bisquick
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. vegetable oil
Mix together to form topping.

Thinly slice some apple (put a thin layer on top) over the batter then cover with cinnamon topping.

I have a very powerful microwave oven.  I put mine in the microwave for 1 minute 25 seconds.  Be careful because the cup will be nuclear hot!  Enjoy.

Ed. Note: I keep updating the recipe as we improve it!  

Sometimes I hate being the Mom

My four year old, with allergies and failure to thrive, gets to have a colonoscopy and EGD tomorrow.  Please pray for both of us.

But, that is not the worst of it.  The worst of it is being the mom, coaching a 31 lb kid through drinking 32 ounces of Gatorade mixed with 1/2 a bottle of Miralax.  He's supposed to down 8 oz. every 15 minutes.  The first 8 ounces went down in 40 minutes.  He struggled, gagging after each drink.  I gave him spit breaks (rinsing and spitting helps the need to vomit) in between drinks.  At this rate, with 15 minute breaks in between each 8 ounce session, we'll be done by 9:00.  It was only supposed to take an hour and 15 minutes.  Oh well.

I sent the rest of the clan off to see the Holidazzle parade so I can focus on him only.  Please pray for both of us, that we get through it without too many tears.  We haven't even begun the purging (the result of drinking the Miralax/Gatorade) yet.
UPDATE:  After throwing up three times and still having 8 oz. to finish at 9:30pm, I finally called the doctor.  He told me to be done, put him to bed and he'd see me in the morning.  My little guy was such a trooper.  Through it all, he never refused to drink even though it made him gag and shudder.  He was so brave.  The doctor admitted to me that they can't predict how much solution a child will need.  That at some point you may be done before the solution is all gone.  He was right.  WE were done!

Gluten Free, Egg Free, Dairy Free Krumkake

My 12 year old daughter has a krumkake iron she received from Santa two years ago for Christmas.  We made krumkake for her book club tomorrow and the 4 year old sat all sad-faced in the kitchen.  I poked around and found a gluten free recipe.  I adjusted the gluten free recipe I found and made the necessary changes for his diet.  He helped make them and waited very patiently for them to cool.  They turned out great (so say the girls...I can't try them because of a rice allergy).
Here's the recipe we landed on for him:

GF, EF, DF Krumkake
makes 18

Mix up:

1 Tbsp. chia seed meal plus 3 Tbsp. hot water

Add:
1/3 cup sugar
2 1/3 Tbsp Earth Balance spread, softened
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/2 cups plus 3 Tbsp gluten-free flour (I used Bette Hagman's rice flour based mix)
1/3 cup rice milk
dash of vanilla

Heat the krumkake iron and oil as necessary.  Mix up chia seeds with hot water and let sit for 10 minutes.  Add remaining ingredients and mix with a hand mixer until completely combined.  Pour scant 1 Tbsp. into each spot in the krumkake iron.  Cook for about 30-35 seconds (your krumkake iron may require more or less time).  Remove and shape on cone (if desired).  They are fragile and lacy, but apparently very good!
Big thumbs up received from all who tried them!

False Alarm, Sort of...

As many of you know, my three year old is tiny.  He was born tiny due to insufficiency of the placenta.  The technical term for it is Small for Gestational Age (SGA).  It's caused by IntraUterine Growth Restriction (IUGR).  It's called IUGR if they catch it before the baby is born (which they didn't in his case.)

Here's some background.  He was only 19.5" when he was born, so he was small, but not too small.  Most of my kids are 21-22".  He hasn't grown much height wise, but we also suspected he had allergies.  At his three year well-child visit, the doctor turned on the lights and sirens because he had stopped growing!  That's when the allergy testing started followed closely by his no egg, no dairy, no wheat diet.

So, I've been measuring the little guy regularly lately.  I finally decided to plot the measurements on a curve along with measurements I've kept in his medical file from appointments past in Excel.  Apparently the growth charts at the doctor's office are only graphed according to well-child visits.  They don't include any other appointments.  He had a pre-operative appointment three and a half months before his three year well-child (the one where they set off the alarms on his growth) and part of that exam included a height check.  Low-and-behold, his height at that visit was .7" TALLER than his three year well-child visit height.  He didn't stop growing, he was measured incorrectly or the number was transcribed incorrectly.  So, while we know he is small, there was really no cause for the amount of alarm that was raised.

I will politely point that out to the doctor at his four year well-child visit in two months.  I will continue on with the no wheat, no dairy and no egg diet, but will be a little less worried that his diet was to blame for the blip.  In fact, since removing coconut from his diet entirely, he eczema is almost non-existent except for a small patch on below his buttock on his right thigh.  He's not wheezing nearly as much (he does on occasion.)  He's growing at a slow, but steady pace.

So we can stand down the red alert and remain at yellow alert for another two months.  Whew!

The new snack of choice

The three year old is making progress on trying new foods...not going on a food jag so much anymore.

His new favorite "snack" and meal is:  Sunbutter and Strawberry Jelly Pizza."  I use the Wheat Free, Egg Free, Dairy Free Brioche I adapted from Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day.  I grab a egg sized portion of dough.  It gets rolled flat between two pieces of parchment paper and tossed, while on the parchment paper into a preheated 450 degree oven for five minutes.  I let it cool for a few minutes and add Sunbutter and Strawberry Jelly.  Yummy snack and it doesn't mess with his (or any of his siblings') allergies. 

Hooray!

By the way, we did try goat's milk last week.  He took one drink, declaring it "Yucky."  Then, he proceeded to break out into hives and wheeze a little.  I think we'll wait to introduce any type of animal milk to him for awhile.

I also have found two new things EVERYONE can snack on here:  Breakfast cookies made with GF All-purpose flour AND no-bake oatmeal cookies.  We have found that oatmeal does not bother him.  We have no issues with eczema, hives or wheezing when he has it and we've moved to eating it 5 days a week for breakfast.  Sometimes he has the Sunbutter and Strawberry Jelly Pizza for breakfast and other times he has something I make to match others' breakfast like GF/EF/DF pancakes, waffles or muffins. 

I fear admitting this, sure that Bearing will have words with me, but I have fallen in love with Gluten Free Bisquick.  I plan to reformulate my own version using brown rice flour since it's marginally better than white rice flour, but the boxed stuff, with a few alterations, makes pancakes, waffles and muffins he will actually eat.  Contrast that to the huge amounts of money I've spent on other mixes producing vile smelling rejects, GF Bisquick is cheaper (comparatively) and highly reliable.  A 3 cup box still runs almost as much as a 3lb box of regular Bisquick, but I wouldn't admit that why I know that ;-).  Through Amazon's Subscribe and Save, I can get the GF Bisquick for much cheaper than at the local Cub.

Picky Toddler/Gluten Free Rut!

My picky three year old who is wheat, dairy and egg free is driving me crazy.  We're into food jags these days where he will not try anything new.  Now, to be fair, I believe that those other foods really wreaked havoc on his digestive system, so he is probably understandably cautious with food.

The foods he's obsessing over lately are:
Rice noodles w/ spaghetti sauce
Dairy Free/Wheat Free macaroni and cheese (crazy, huh?)
Baked Beans
Chicken drumsticks baked with seasoning salt

I always try to make a meal for him that is similar to what we eat, but that isn't always possible.  We can pull it off most of the time, though.  Thanks to the GF/EF/DF Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a day, I have been able to make cinnamon rolls, french toast sticks and monkey bread with the sweet dough.  With the savory dough, I make bread, bread sticks, pita bread and pizza crust.  Strangely enough, he will eat it as pizza dough, but will not eat it as bread sticks, pita or bread.  I keep trying though.

Tomorrow tacos are on the menu for lunch.  Your guess is as good as mine as to whether he will eat them.  I did find a really good cheese substitute called Daiya that seems agreeable to him.  He doesn't care for the soy or rice cheese substitutes, but I can't blame them. They look like melted plastic when cooked in grilled cheese or pizza. 

I think we'll fall back on pizza tonight since some folks aren't home.  It's easy, thanks to the Artisan Bread dough (both his and the regular wheat).  Roll dough, add sauce, cheese and toppings.  Into a hot oven and pizza - nice and hot!

Stay warm!

More with the GF/EF/DF HBI5MAD dough

Quick, tiny, little update for you...

The three year old is thrilled.  He has had, so far, cinnamon rolls (twice), donuts and french toast sticks.  Tomorrow I will finish up the dough for him. 

He usually gets the little sad puppy dog eyes when the other kids get stuff he loved before his diet change.  Now, he's excited because he knows he gets something (albeit not exactly the same).

I did it! HBI5MAD Eggless, GF, Diary Free Brioche Dough!!

We have a new 11 year old here.  My eldest daughter turned 11 today.  We started the day with Mass (her choice).  Then, we came home for our very weird family tradition - Ice Cream and Donuts for breakfast.  Last night at midnight, I was mixing up the regular dough.  My friend Julie lent me the Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day book.  I have only tried one other recipe, and of course, I punted on that one, too.  We didn't want the three year old left out, so I modified a recipe for donuts for him, too.

I'm happy to report my daughter (the birthday girl) and husband said the GF, EF, DF, CF donuts were great!  I couldn't try them because of the rice flour (I'm allergic).  They said the donuts were chewier (more like a bagel) than our Egg free Challah based donuts, but good none-the-less.  The good news is that I have lots of dough left.  I will be making him cinnamon rolls tomorrow, as a treat.   I will make the rest into a small loaf suitable for little pieces of toast or I will make it into cinnamon swirl raisin bread.  Haven't decided on that one, though.

So, here's the recipe.

Egg Free, Diary Free, Wheat/Gluten Free Brioche the Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day Method

based on the GF Brioche recipe from Healthy Breads in 5 Minutes a Day.
Makes 3 1-1/2 lb loaves (I only made enough for 1 loaf)

1 c. brown rice flour
1 c. tapioca starch
3 3/4 c. corn starch
2 Tbsp. granulated yeast
1 Tbsp. kosher salt
2 Tbsp. xanthan gum (I used 1.5x as much Guar Gum since I'm out of xanthan gum at the time)
2 1/2 c. milk substitute (I used Vance's Dari-free, made according to package directions)
1 c. honey
1/4 c. flax seed meal mixed into 3/4 c. warm water (as an egg substitute)
1 c. neutral flavored oil
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

1.  Combine dry ingredients and whisk together until thoroughly combined.  I used my stand mixer because this a difficult bread to mix well by hand.  I used the paddle attachment.  If you use an ice cream bucket for your dough, it will fit under your stand mixer and you don't have to dirty an extra mixing bowl.
2.  Combine liquid ingredients and mix until well combined.  Gradually pour the liquid ingredients into the dry and mix until no dry spots are left.
3.  Loosely cover and allow to rise until doubled at room temperature. 
4.  Refrigerate lightly (not tightly) covered.
5.  For donuts, sprinkle a little rice flour on a board or counter.  Sprinkle top or cover with wax paper or plastic wrap.  Roll to about 1/4" thickness and cut with a donut or circle cutter.  Place on a sheet pan or bread board covered with wax paper, sprinkled with rice flour to prevent sticking. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit for 30 minutes.  Heat oil to 360-370 degrees.  Add donuts and holes carefully to hot oil.  Do not over crowd.  Cook for 1-2 minutes until golden brown and flip carefully.  Cook until other side is done.  Drain on paper towel covered plate.  Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar or powdered sugar.
6.  For bread, grab a 1 1/2lb wad of dough and gently shape into a loaf, using wet hands.  Put into a greased 8x4" pan.  Allow to rise for 90 minutes (covered with plastic wrap).  Bake at 350 degrees for 40 - 45 minutes.  Allow to cool completely before slicing.

Just one more note...I don't usually use flax seed as an egg replacer, but I have found that it is the best replacement in bread.  I just don't use it as much.  I'm going to get some chia next to try as an egg replacer!

Eczema Update

I just wanted to report that I have taken all traces of coconut out of the three year old's diet.  His legs look much better.  I think the tomato may still be a culprit, but I want to only remove one thing at a time so I know what really worked.

Thanks for all the prayers and suggestions. It is so wonderful to have help from so many folks.

Now what?

I'm proud to say we have made it 8 weeks gluten free with very few slip ups (only in the first two weeks)
Despite that, my three year old's eczema is worse than ever.  It's now on his neck, arms,  face, stomach and sides.  He'd never had it anywhere but his legs (and diaper area - ouch!). It's still there and worse than ever.

He's no longer getting any dairy, eggs or wheat.  Now, he eats MOSTLY rice (which I'm allergic to), gar-fava bean flour, coconut milk, corn (tortillas), soy based cheeses, Earth Balance Buttery Spread (thank, realmom!) instead of the obvious alternatives.   One thing I've noticed is he has started to only eat a few things.  If I bake anything, he won't eat it.  I tried to make cinnamon rolls for him - nope.  I have baked GF/CF/EF brownies with a Bob's Red Mill mix and he wouldn't eat those either.   GF Biscuits?  Nope.  He will eat pancakes made with the new Gluten-free Bisquick, but not the Bob's Red Mill GF Pancake mix (any body want what's left?)  I've also made a wide variety of things like muffins, coffee cakes, etc and he's turned them all down cold.  He likes it when I make oven baked chicken with a Gluten Free Bisquick as a coating.  The last 8 weeks I have tried to make his food as much like ours as possible so that he doesn't feel denied.  I don't think he does.  Now he's being selective either because of picky-ness or because something is not agreeing with him.  He's not terribly verbal, so it's hard to figure out.  It's very frustrating when he REALLY needs to eat to gain weight.

I'm more frustrated about the eczema, though.  While he's not lying in a pile on the couch saying he's tired anymore, he's scratching all the time now.  He can't sleep.  We're down to one bath a week with cool water and moisturizer two times a day.  I can't seem to pin point what the culprit might be that is causing the eczema.  So, next trip to the doctor we'll have to do yet another blood draw to see if he's allergic to rice, coconut, sunflower seeds or perhaps some fruits?? I don't know.  He already takes Zyrtec, which is a histamine blocker for his allergies.  I wonder what his eczema would look like if we took him off that!  I can't see putting a kid that is already short and small on steroids.  For now, we're relying on Aquaphor and tricimnalone for the eczema.

I wish we had a normal here.  He also hasn't gained any weight or grown taller.  It is hard enough to try to get him to gain weight on the short list of foods he's allowed to have.  He comes down in the morning, literally shaking because he's so hungry. Then, he turns down the food he asks for and requests something else.  It's hard to know when to give in and when to give up.

One more month and we'll have had our three month run of Gluten Free eating.  I'm not sure what will happen when we switch back.  I'm a little scared - scared that what I am doing now IS the new normal.  All prayers are gratefully accepted.

The shortest of posts...

...just to say that since school has started and my computer has started to die (and I'm just too busy to set up the new one), I haven't had time to blog.

The three year old continues to have eczema that bleeds because it's so itchy.  His geographic tongue looks better, but not completely healed.  All his food needs to be made separate from everybody else's because of his wheat, dairy and egg allergy...

I'm crabby as all get out because all people under the age of 5 have been destructive.  Baby learned to unload all the clothes out of the dressers in our family closet/laundry room.  A baby lock has since been installed on the door with express instructions that the baby is only allowed in for diaper changes.  She also regularly unloads all the books and magazines at her level.  My kids are getting really good at sorting.
 
On the bright side, and I want to thank GOD for Chocolate Emporium for peanut free and dairy free M&M-wannabees.  For those with allergy issues, you might want to check them out....and Illuminated Ink for there beautiful products which have kept antsy girls at bay.

HI. My name is Cathie and I am addicted...

to coconut milk.  I love to use it in everything I bake as a non-dairy substitute for milk and sometimes eggs.  It is so, so good for you as is coconut oil. It's one of the few foods that has lauric acid, which is fabulous for healing a bad gut (which Celiac's would cause.)   Heck, some people have claimed to cure diseases with it.  Sadly, here's the problem.

A week or so ago, we took the three year old to the doctor to get tested for the wheat allergy (again), a Celiac panel and oat allergy.  He only scored .5 on a scale from 0-6 for wheat and .3 on a scale of 0-6 for oats.  The doctor's not convinced wheat's his problem, but he's asked me to keep him on the wheat free diet for 3 months.  We've got one month practically under our belt.  He did ask me to watch for other allergies.

Here's what I've come up with...coconut and sunflower.  Last time I gave him a spoon full of sun-butter, the poor kid's nose ran like a faucet and he broke out in hives.  His eczema flares seriously if I give him coconut.  Yes, the coconut yogurt he loves may be making his skin worse.  That along with everything I've been baking for him (because I keep adding coconut milk.)  What a bummer.  You see when you have a kid allergic to eggs and dairy AND is failure to thrive, you try to find ANYWAY to get fat into them.  Little kids really need it.  All the non-dairy milks are pretty much fat free.  So, I can't add cheese, cream, ice cream, etc to fatten the kid up.  I'm practically down to potato chips and french fries ;-).  Okay, I'm only kind of kidding.  He doesn't eat much meat.  He will eat baked beans.  We've cut him off from his 2-bowl-a-day oatmeal habit because of the fear of cross contamination with wheat.  He'll eat some veggies and lots of fruit.  He would live on boxed cereal if I let him, but that's not going to happen.  Against my will, I've been giving in to giving him soy based cheese.  I haven't tried tahini yet.  That might be next.  We stay away from nuts and peanuts because of other allergies in our house.  He's eating quinoa about once every two days for variety, although he doesn't like it.  If you have any suggestions on other good-fat foods I could feed him, please hit the combox.

So, I'm back to not knowing how to keep this kid on the growth curve.  He keeps sliding off...

So Delicious

Did you know there is coconut milk yogurt out there now?? Yes there is!!! It's aptly named "So Delicious".  And, the three year old loved it! I have to take his word for it since it has rice in it.  Now, it's $1.89 a container.  He won't be getting it often, but whoo-hoo!  If I could just figure out how to make my own.  I've seen lots of yogurt recipes with regular milk...

Time for a google search!

Day 7 - One Week Wheat Free (almost)

First, I apologize for not posting last night.  We have some kind of virus going around our house.  I was first, now my oldest daughter has it...yucky 101+ degree temp, headache, sore joints and malaise.

Even though I haven't felt well, I was able to keep the three year old on a diet free of wheat yesterday and today.  I was really bummed last night, though, when I hosed him off in the tub to see his eczema worse than it has been in a long time.  I was really, really hoping it would go away, not get worse.  What I worry about with allergies is that once you are off the offending food  totally, when you have a "incident", it's much worse than when you were having that food all the time.  Maybe it was the wheat in the rotisserie chicken on Sunday night.  I don't know.  I also know I have not triple verified that EVERYTHING is gluten free by contacting the manufacturers.

I can't honestly remember what he had yesterday, so, sorry about that.  I can tell you what he had today, though:
Breakfast:
3 very small pieces cinnamon toast on BRM Wonderful bread (mini-loaves)
2 bowls of Berry Berry Kix with Rice Dream
1/2 a banana
1/2 a glass of apple juice
1 slice of soy based cheese

Lunch:
Rice noodles with Prego spaghetti sauce
1 Coleman's GF/EF/DF chicken nugget
Apple slices

Afternoon Snack:
Rice Crackers
Rice Dream

Dinner:
Quinoa/Corn pasta with tomatoes and sausage
1 slice of tofutti soy cheese
peaches

BIG TREAT - An Icee

He and I went to a healing Mass tonight.  The priest is a member of the Charismatic Renewal here and I can only say it was nothing short of AMAZING.   We started with a rosary.  The Mass was an hour long because the priest, Fr. Jim Livingstone, prays over whatever needs he feels need to be pray for and he takes as much time as it takes.  We got there at 7pm for rosary, followed by Mass, followed by the priest praying over each person individually and got to the car at 9:35.  The three year old was prayed over.  I was too, and it was indescribable.  It was like I was at one of the TV shows where people are being healed and they fall over.  That was the way it was here.  I was, well, a bit skeptical.  However, when he laid his hands on me and started praying, I got so dizzy I could not stand up.  They thankfully have someone there to catch you.  And, a nice lady walked the three year old around the stain glass windows while I was prayed over.  If you have the chance, I highly recommend seeing this priest, whether it is physical or spiritual healing that you need.  I'll stop gushing now.  Thank you, Fr. Livingstone!