So its one of the most popular Sundays in February and while I am still counting down to next Sunday as well (#99 baby! - Its your year!), this sunday is all about munchies, snacks, dips, chips, and beer.
In honor of Super Sunday, here's some Super Snack ideas that are super good for you...
Guacomole and Chips
Guac recipe courtesy of Genuardi's Grocery Store
2 ripe Avocados
1/2 Lemon, juiced - I use lime juice - 1tbsp
2tbsp chopped onion
1/2 tsp salt - I prefer Kosher
2tbsp olive oil
cut avocados in half; remove seeds and scoop pulp out of skins into a bowl. Mash pulp and stir in remaining ingredients. For best results, cover and chill for an hour before serving
Serve with your favorite tortilla chips - we like Mission Chips
Hummus and Rice Crackers
We like Breton brand rice crakers - Gluten Free and today we are trying Athenos Hummus in Original
For sweets, we have Raspberry Banana Mini Muffins
We made this recipe:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Banana-Raspberry-Bread-232441
but used Bob's Red Mill All-purpose Gluten Free Flour, Ener-G Egg Replacer, and Rice Milk to keep it allergy free
Enjoy!!
I'll be rooting for the commercials!
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Saturday, February 5, 2011
One Year Ago...
Most new parents reflect on the passage of a year with shock and awe...they can't believe their little one is a year or they can't believe that a year has passed and little one is a year older.
This week marked a different one year mark for us.
One year of food allergies.
It was a year ago this week that we were thrust into this new and strange world known as food allergies. Its been a roller coaster ride of ups and downs....I promised I would relate a few of them to show how we got here and thought this might be as good a time as any.
Cow's milk is an interesting thing, I've learned. Its really for baby cows...and we humans are not baby cows...Just like sheep's milk is for baby lambs. We humans are equally enabled to provide for our offspring in the form of breastmilk (or formula - this is not a debate over these options). But generally at the age of 9mos, parents are given the ok by their pediatrician to allow baby to have cow's milk in forms such as cheese or yogurt...not straight yet...not til a year old as their bodies aren't "mature enough" to handle cow's milk yet...
And like good parents (or so I thought), we gave little man some yogurt one night for dinner. He loved it! Licked it all off the spoon...gobbled down the tablespoon or two that we fed him.
15mins later, we thought something was definitely wrong...he was vomiting, turning bright red all over his body with welt like hives, screaming/crying and as the minutes ticked by as we tried to figure out what the he** was going on, we noticed that his lips were looking a little blue...
Being the overprotective parents that we were, we tossed him and the always packed diaper bag and my breast pump (don't ask how I even thought to pack that!) into the car and we sped off to the ER as he continued to vomit everywhere.
Upon our arrival, the ER staff wanted to try to greet us and assess little man like ERs tend to do. He, however, promptly threw up again and you could tell was heaving and having difficulty breathing. No assessment needed...rushed to a room...needles flying...sensors pinging...I don't know that I can even begin to remember everything that happening - it was a blur.
It was pretty clear to the ER staff that this was an allergic reaction - to what we didn't know yet...interestingly we were on a course of penicillin for an ear infection so it was a 50/50 call as to which allergen it could be...
Once he was stabilized, it was a night of breathing treatments to help his lungs, benadryl to keep the reaction at bay - kids have a high likelihood of latent reactions so you are usually monitored for an additional 12 hours - and steroids as well to help heal. 'Roid rage in a 9mo old is an interesting phenomenon - one that I don't recommend!
24 hours later, we were discharged, armed with prescriptions for a bazillion different items - epi-pens, benadryl, and albuterol breathing treatments, doctors appointments, etc...and a new found paranoia that i thought had passed since we now had 9 mos of parenting under our belts. We were ordered not to give any new foods until after we saw an allergist and to carry the epipen with us at all times....i thought I was shell shocked then....
Flash forward 6 weeks when we finally were able to get an appointment with an allergist...
Let me begin by saying this was one of the least pleasant experiences of my life...and i've had several bad experiences...
We took the first appointment we could get, we chose a specific children's hospital since it is one of the best in the country and is conveniently 10mins from my office/little man's daycare....and yet, we had to drive into Philadelphia for the appointment...
The floor of the exam room looked like it hadn't been swept in months, and it was NOT child friendly...but I digress...
Several people came into to ask me the same questions over and over again about what made me suspect a food allergy, what happened, etc. We then proceeded with a skin test - which on a 9mos old was nearly impossible and took up his entire back
After waiting an agonizing 15 mins, the results of the test were worse then I feared...4 allergies - dairy, wheat, soy, and eggs...the rest of the appointment was a blur...I remember a piece of paper being shoved at me about reading labels and what to watch for and that was about it...
I left, near tears, but somehow juggling baby, stroller, diaper bag, and my composure through the crowded city...I drove home in tears expecting to live in a bubble forever...since he may or may not grow out of this.
Fast forward 10 months to now...we've had a few hiccups...
Like the time he swiped someone else's sippy at school and had to be rushed to the ER because it wasn't water...
Like the time another mom innocently gave him a snack as she was picking up her daughter from day care - no reaction that time as we got it from him before he could eat it - that mom felt terrible and i felt terrible since i literally sprinted across the room to grab it out of his mouth...
Like times where we have had mysterious reactions -
Those have been the times to cry
But in these 12 mos, we've had lots of laughs too...
Like the day we found out about Sweet Freedom Bakery and knew that there was a cupcake that he could have for his birthday that wouldn't make him sick...
Like the day we all drove into the city to go back to that bakery and we told him that he could have whatever he wanted...and daddy and little man sat in the window and shared a cookie together
Like the days where I have successfully made items that were delicious and safe! Like cinnamon rolls (courtesy of Cybele Pascal's The Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook)
LIke when I have successfully adapted family favorites into safe treats - (l-r) zucchini bread, raspberry-banana (with some blueberry) muffins, and cinnamon raspberry blackberry muffins
Like the time I unsuccessfully adapted an ice cream cone recipe
<<no picture available or wanted as hubby says ;-) >>
I could wax philosophically about how these experiences mold and shape us...but its late, and i am beyond long winded...and that would likely just end up sounding corny
No recipes tonight but pictures of food that I hope you will drool over...
This week marked a different one year mark for us.
One year of food allergies.
It was a year ago this week that we were thrust into this new and strange world known as food allergies. Its been a roller coaster ride of ups and downs....I promised I would relate a few of them to show how we got here and thought this might be as good a time as any.
Cow's milk is an interesting thing, I've learned. Its really for baby cows...and we humans are not baby cows...Just like sheep's milk is for baby lambs. We humans are equally enabled to provide for our offspring in the form of breastmilk (or formula - this is not a debate over these options). But generally at the age of 9mos, parents are given the ok by their pediatrician to allow baby to have cow's milk in forms such as cheese or yogurt...not straight yet...not til a year old as their bodies aren't "mature enough" to handle cow's milk yet...
And like good parents (or so I thought), we gave little man some yogurt one night for dinner. He loved it! Licked it all off the spoon...gobbled down the tablespoon or two that we fed him.
15mins later, we thought something was definitely wrong...he was vomiting, turning bright red all over his body with welt like hives, screaming/crying and as the minutes ticked by as we tried to figure out what the he** was going on, we noticed that his lips were looking a little blue...
Being the overprotective parents that we were, we tossed him and the always packed diaper bag and my breast pump (don't ask how I even thought to pack that!) into the car and we sped off to the ER as he continued to vomit everywhere.
Upon our arrival, the ER staff wanted to try to greet us and assess little man like ERs tend to do. He, however, promptly threw up again and you could tell was heaving and having difficulty breathing. No assessment needed...rushed to a room...needles flying...sensors pinging...I don't know that I can even begin to remember everything that happening - it was a blur.
It was pretty clear to the ER staff that this was an allergic reaction - to what we didn't know yet...interestingly we were on a course of penicillin for an ear infection so it was a 50/50 call as to which allergen it could be...
Once he was stabilized, it was a night of breathing treatments to help his lungs, benadryl to keep the reaction at bay - kids have a high likelihood of latent reactions so you are usually monitored for an additional 12 hours - and steroids as well to help heal. 'Roid rage in a 9mo old is an interesting phenomenon - one that I don't recommend!
24 hours later, we were discharged, armed with prescriptions for a bazillion different items - epi-pens, benadryl, and albuterol breathing treatments, doctors appointments, etc...and a new found paranoia that i thought had passed since we now had 9 mos of parenting under our belts. We were ordered not to give any new foods until after we saw an allergist and to carry the epipen with us at all times....i thought I was shell shocked then....
Flash forward 6 weeks when we finally were able to get an appointment with an allergist...
Let me begin by saying this was one of the least pleasant experiences of my life...and i've had several bad experiences...
We took the first appointment we could get, we chose a specific children's hospital since it is one of the best in the country and is conveniently 10mins from my office/little man's daycare....and yet, we had to drive into Philadelphia for the appointment...
The floor of the exam room looked like it hadn't been swept in months, and it was NOT child friendly...but I digress...
Several people came into to ask me the same questions over and over again about what made me suspect a food allergy, what happened, etc. We then proceeded with a skin test - which on a 9mos old was nearly impossible and took up his entire back
I left, near tears, but somehow juggling baby, stroller, diaper bag, and my composure through the crowded city...I drove home in tears expecting to live in a bubble forever...since he may or may not grow out of this.
Fast forward 10 months to now...we've had a few hiccups...
Like the time he swiped someone else's sippy at school and had to be rushed to the ER because it wasn't water...
Like the time another mom innocently gave him a snack as she was picking up her daughter from day care - no reaction that time as we got it from him before he could eat it - that mom felt terrible and i felt terrible since i literally sprinted across the room to grab it out of his mouth...
Like times where we have had mysterious reactions -
Those have been the times to cry
But in these 12 mos, we've had lots of laughs too...
Like the day we found out about Sweet Freedom Bakery and knew that there was a cupcake that he could have for his birthday that wouldn't make him sick...
Like the days where I have successfully made items that were delicious and safe! Like cinnamon rolls (courtesy of Cybele Pascal's The Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook)
Like the time I unsuccessfully adapted an ice cream cone recipe
<<no picture available or wanted as hubby says ;-) >>
I could wax philosophically about how these experiences mold and shape us...but its late, and i am beyond long winded...and that would likely just end up sounding corny
No recipes tonight but pictures of food that I hope you will drool over...
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
My crockpot love affair
Sick babies and blogging don't mix...sorry for the delayed post....
the temperatures are dropping here in in the Northeast and with a toddler (a clingy one at that!), meal prep has been challenging. Most of the year, we grill up over the weekend to minimize cooking after work. The winter doesn't always afford us that luxury. In fact, we currently have 4+ inches of snow on the deck and more falling from the sky - we're due a foot tonight!
its days like this where i remember that funky appliance that was all the rage years ago and I think (hope) is making a comeback. My crockpot :-)
I make lots of things even on hot summer days when I don't want to have to stand in front of the stove for hours. We tried beef stew last week and it turned out great! Again we got a great meal that had lots of leftovers and could control the ingredients to meet our allergy needs. I'll share some other recipes in future posts.
Here what we did - this is modified from a slow cooker recipe that I found in a book i have
Beef Stew
1lb beef stew meat (literally this is what my grocery called it, but you can use chuck roast, etc)
1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth
1 can (14.5 oz) stewed tomatoes
3-4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
2-3 medium carrots, peeled and cubed (i used baby carrots roughly chopped - around 12)
1 large handful (about a cup) of frozen green beans
1+ cup celery (i say plus because I like celery, so I went heavy on this measurement)
1 tbsp quick cook tapioca - sounds weird but trust me
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 tsp dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste
put meat in the crockpot, followed by vegetables and seasoning. top with chicken broth and tomatoes.
Cover and cook on low for 11hours.
A few notes: In theory, you could do this on high for half the time. I've never had success with that as the flavors just don't blend as well and the beef needs that "low and slow" approach to get tender and pull apart. Also, our "cubes" were larger than an inch but needed only the side of a fork to cut.
One of the modifications I did was to double the guide recipe - we like leftovers - so it can definitely be halved.
The first night's servings were a little "thinner" than I am used to, but the leftovers thickened up over night perfectly.
This has fed the 2 of us for about 2-3 nights. If you're family is larger, you can adjust the recipe if you are looking for leftovers
Enjoy!!! I'm off to find something to cook in the crockpot for our impending snow day tomorrow
the temperatures are dropping here in in the Northeast and with a toddler (a clingy one at that!), meal prep has been challenging. Most of the year, we grill up over the weekend to minimize cooking after work. The winter doesn't always afford us that luxury. In fact, we currently have 4+ inches of snow on the deck and more falling from the sky - we're due a foot tonight!
its days like this where i remember that funky appliance that was all the rage years ago and I think (hope) is making a comeback. My crockpot :-)
I make lots of things even on hot summer days when I don't want to have to stand in front of the stove for hours. We tried beef stew last week and it turned out great! Again we got a great meal that had lots of leftovers and could control the ingredients to meet our allergy needs. I'll share some other recipes in future posts.
Here what we did - this is modified from a slow cooker recipe that I found in a book i have
Beef Stew
1lb beef stew meat (literally this is what my grocery called it, but you can use chuck roast, etc)
1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth
1 can (14.5 oz) stewed tomatoes
3-4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
2-3 medium carrots, peeled and cubed (i used baby carrots roughly chopped - around 12)
1 large handful (about a cup) of frozen green beans
1+ cup celery (i say plus because I like celery, so I went heavy on this measurement)
1 tbsp quick cook tapioca - sounds weird but trust me
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 tsp dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste
put meat in the crockpot, followed by vegetables and seasoning. top with chicken broth and tomatoes.
Cover and cook on low for 11hours.
A few notes: In theory, you could do this on high for half the time. I've never had success with that as the flavors just don't blend as well and the beef needs that "low and slow" approach to get tender and pull apart. Also, our "cubes" were larger than an inch but needed only the side of a fork to cut.
One of the modifications I did was to double the guide recipe - we like leftovers - so it can definitely be halved.
The first night's servings were a little "thinner" than I am used to, but the leftovers thickened up over night perfectly.
This has fed the 2 of us for about 2-3 nights. If you're family is larger, you can adjust the recipe if you are looking for leftovers
Enjoy!!! I'm off to find something to cook in the crockpot for our impending snow day tomorrow
Sunday, January 16, 2011
The things I miss (food wise)...
When food allergies (dairy, wheat, soy, and eggs) were diagnosed in our household (baby was 10mos at the time), many people remarked, "well, at least he won't know what he's missing"...A very true statement, which gave me some comfort, but at the same time, it made me sad....sad that he wouldn't get to try things that many take for granted - french fries as a treat at the local drive-thru, ice cream on a hot summer day - and for the selfish reasons, sad that I would have to give up everything that he was allergic to immediately so that I didn't pass them on to him through the breastmilk that hubby and I had agreed to give him until he was 1 (at the time). Sad that we would have to radically change our eating and food shopping habits because mistakes could kill.
For me this meant, no more lattes on Sunday morning from our barista named Joe (yes his name is really Joe and he has been great trying to find ways to make drip coffee with no milk in it somehow exciting). No more "lets just grab chinese/pizza/burgers" on nights that we both work late and have no energy to cook. Meals take more planning, grocery shopping takes significantly longer, and God help me when my sweet tooth kicks in...
So...what do I do? Find substitutes...good ones and bad ones...but substitutes...and what are they???
Snacks and Dessert are easy...companies like Enjoy Life Foods make foods that are top 8 food allergen free: brownie bites, snickerdoodles, apple cookies...Cherrybrook Farms for pancakes and chocolate chip pancake mixes; hummus and guacamole with tortilla chips rather than chip and dip....
The entrees...those are the harder ones...I miss pizza, and grilled cheese, and eggs...boy do I miss eggs - fried, scrambled, and light fluffy omelets - there is no substitute for these...but the others...i'm starting to find substitutes
Eggs- there is no substitute...most mornings its oatmeal for breakfast...a treat would be to have sausage or bacon on the side. We used to do this scramble type thing that was eggs, sausage, and potatoes...we skip the eggs now - the baby really likes it too so we'll have that for dinner sometimes too
Pizza - I've managed to make an allergen free crust...i found it on another website which i can't find right now...but now that Bisquick has a gluten free version, i think this might be easier... Daiya is great company that makes a "faux" cheese that is amazing... when I want a more authentic pizza experience and have time, this is what i would do;
Pizza Substitute - for a quick fix, growing up i remember english muffin pizza....now it is corn tortilla ones...throw a few on a cookie sheet with some pasta sauce and toppings and my daiya "cheese" and broil it up...
We grill a lot the rest of the year and make enough for the week. Crock pots have become a staple for us too in the winter...we can control what gets mixed in but isn't a time killer...
We do pulled pork, mexican chicken, marinara pork, and tomorrow we're gonna try beef stew.
Pulled Pork
One pork butt
1 bottle of your favorite BBQ Sauce
1 Onion
Clean and quarter the onion. Place the pork and onion in your crock pot and pour sauce over top. Cook low and slow - Low setting for 8 - 10 hours.
When time is up, lift pork out of crock pot and place in a dish with at least a 1 inch lip. Use 2 forks to "pull" the meat into shreds. Spoon remaining sauce over pork
Serve on a roll with coleslaw if you can, or for me, over rice or mashed potatoes...
Sadly, the baby hasn't taken to pulled pork like hubby and i have, but it does create lots of leftovers for us for the week. We'll usually make something different for the baby
More next week...
For me this meant, no more lattes on Sunday morning from our barista named Joe (yes his name is really Joe and he has been great trying to find ways to make drip coffee with no milk in it somehow exciting). No more "lets just grab chinese/pizza/burgers" on nights that we both work late and have no energy to cook. Meals take more planning, grocery shopping takes significantly longer, and God help me when my sweet tooth kicks in...
So...what do I do? Find substitutes...good ones and bad ones...but substitutes...and what are they???
Snacks and Dessert are easy...companies like Enjoy Life Foods make foods that are top 8 food allergen free: brownie bites, snickerdoodles, apple cookies...Cherrybrook Farms for pancakes and chocolate chip pancake mixes; hummus and guacamole with tortilla chips rather than chip and dip....
The entrees...those are the harder ones...I miss pizza, and grilled cheese, and eggs...boy do I miss eggs - fried, scrambled, and light fluffy omelets - there is no substitute for these...but the others...i'm starting to find substitutes
Eggs- there is no substitute...most mornings its oatmeal for breakfast...a treat would be to have sausage or bacon on the side. We used to do this scramble type thing that was eggs, sausage, and potatoes...we skip the eggs now - the baby really likes it too so we'll have that for dinner sometimes too
Pizza - I've managed to make an allergen free crust...i found it on another website which i can't find right now...but now that Bisquick has a gluten free version, i think this might be easier... Daiya is great company that makes a "faux" cheese that is amazing... when I want a more authentic pizza experience and have time, this is what i would do;
Pizza Substitute - for a quick fix, growing up i remember english muffin pizza....now it is corn tortilla ones...throw a few on a cookie sheet with some pasta sauce and toppings and my daiya "cheese" and broil it up...
We grill a lot the rest of the year and make enough for the week. Crock pots have become a staple for us too in the winter...we can control what gets mixed in but isn't a time killer...
We do pulled pork, mexican chicken, marinara pork, and tomorrow we're gonna try beef stew.
Pulled Pork
One pork butt
1 bottle of your favorite BBQ Sauce
1 Onion
Clean and quarter the onion. Place the pork and onion in your crock pot and pour sauce over top. Cook low and slow - Low setting for 8 - 10 hours.
When time is up, lift pork out of crock pot and place in a dish with at least a 1 inch lip. Use 2 forks to "pull" the meat into shreds. Spoon remaining sauce over pork
Serve on a roll with coleslaw if you can, or for me, over rice or mashed potatoes...
Sadly, the baby hasn't taken to pulled pork like hubby and i have, but it does create lots of leftovers for us for the week. We'll usually make something different for the baby
More next week...
Friday, January 7, 2011
Hello and Welcome...
I've been thinking about starting a blog for a few months now...over the coming entries I'll explain how I got here...but since I'm here, and so are you...here's what you'll find...
~~~
A little of this...a little of that...
I'm an attempting-to-be-green mommy of a rambunctious little boy who had me learn quickly about major food allergies, cloth diapering, baby-wearing, co-sleeping and work/life balance
This blog will focus on all these items...I'll try to balance them...but there will be times where certain issues come up more frequently...because each one gives us...Times to Laugh and Cry...
Enjoy!
~~~
Food Allergies - You want'em? We got'em: Dairy, Wheat, Soy, and Eggs!!! It isn't about what we eat either...but thats 95% of it...recipes, recipes, and more recipes - including my failures will be here... I love to modify ones that i find online so you'll see a LOT of commentary here too
Cloth Diapering - Yup - We do it..and they aren't your mom's or grandma's diapers either...hubby and coworker can attest that I can talk for hours (ok minutes) about them...even to complete strangers at the local BRU
Attempting-to-be-Green - Mother Earth will be here longer than we will...so we're making changes where we can to be green (see cloth diapering) as well as loving our local area (thanks to our CSA)
Work/Life Balance - its a struggle, but we do what we can...cut corners where we can and somehow survive to the weekend :-)
Baby wearing and cosleeping - ok...i really won't write about these much if ever...there is so much out there on the web...and these are personal decisions...i'll let you decide...but if you have questions...fire away!
~~~~~~~
Going to back to the work/life balance thing...that means that I'll only have so much time for this blog...i promise to do an entry at least once a week...but sometimes it might be more and sometimes less...forgive me now...i'm a mom first afterall...
~~~
A little of this...a little of that...
I'm an attempting-to-be-green mommy of a rambunctious little boy who had me learn quickly about major food allergies, cloth diapering, baby-wearing, co-sleeping and work/life balance
This blog will focus on all these items...I'll try to balance them...but there will be times where certain issues come up more frequently...because each one gives us...Times to Laugh and Cry...
Enjoy!
~~~
Food Allergies - You want'em? We got'em: Dairy, Wheat, Soy, and Eggs!!! It isn't about what we eat either...but thats 95% of it...recipes, recipes, and more recipes - including my failures will be here... I love to modify ones that i find online so you'll see a LOT of commentary here too
Cloth Diapering - Yup - We do it..and they aren't your mom's or grandma's diapers either...hubby and coworker can attest that I can talk for hours (ok minutes) about them...even to complete strangers at the local BRU
Attempting-to-be-Green - Mother Earth will be here longer than we will...so we're making changes where we can to be green (see cloth diapering) as well as loving our local area (thanks to our CSA)
Work/Life Balance - its a struggle, but we do what we can...cut corners where we can and somehow survive to the weekend :-)
Baby wearing and cosleeping - ok...i really won't write about these much if ever...there is so much out there on the web...and these are personal decisions...i'll let you decide...but if you have questions...fire away!
~~~~~~~
Going to back to the work/life balance thing...that means that I'll only have so much time for this blog...i promise to do an entry at least once a week...but sometimes it might be more and sometimes less...forgive me now...i'm a mom first afterall...
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