New Name

I have re-named my blog! I decided that I wanted to share more than just our dietary issues, but also what we are doing with the rest of our time! So it has been FOREVER since I have posted, but hopefully with a new name I will also have a new resolve to update more often. Since I last posted we have been working on new meals, crafts, and lots of fun family stuff. I look forward to sharing it here.

Oh My!!!

Well, it has definitely been awhile since I have had a chance to post!! Life gets busy with three children, and we have been sharing our time on and off with a few other children too, so our house has been jumping!!!:) Well, I guess I will go back and talk about Eloise's birthday party, since I had promised to do so MONTHS ago!!!:)

So any large gathering that includes food makes me nervous, mainly because not every person in the entire world is aware of El's allergies, or what ingredients are actually included in a number of unsuspecting treats. To make her birthday a fun and safe place to be we decided to not have ANY foods available that could be an allergen for her. We focused on her favorites, since it was her party, which were bananas and rice chex. We also had some chips and salsa. For drinks we had juice, water, and soda (for the adults). Her cake was super cute, and I made it and one for the guests out of a gluten free devils food cake mix by Betty Crocker. The only change I had to make for the dairy was to use nucoa instead of butter. I also made frosting using my Betty Crocker Cookbook; Buttercream frosting substituting rice milk and nucoa, I think that recipe is included in an earlier post.

Everyone had a great time, especially Eloise, I was even able to relax and enjoy knowing she was safe. We got several comments about the cake, and how surprised everyone was that it was gluten and dairy free. She has grown so much in these last few months it is amazing!!!:) So far with the help of our vigilance we are yet to have another reaction!!!:) We are still looking for more recipes and ways to make our diets healthier, so please feel free to leave ideas. Currently I have been trying to perfect a "green" smoothie to help supplement some of her vitamins, I am open to suggestions!!!:)

New Snack

So planning meals is great, but sometimes I just need to have something quick for my daughter to eat. Preferably it will be somewhat nutritious with some protein for her tummy!!:) Believe it or not she does not always like to eat cut up chicken or turkey!!:) So today we had a new treat, which came about on a whim. Odin and Penelope were going to have grilled cheese, (I know not dairy free, but they did have it on white rice bread), and I just didn't feel like making something completely different. So, I improvised to create Eloise's toasted cream cheese. I toasted a piece of tapioca bread, and then I spread some Toffuti cream cheese alternative on top, folded it in half, broke it into pieces, and viola, she had her own "grilled cheese". She LOVED it!!! It was all eaten quite quickly, and I tasted it too, it was good!!:) I'm so glad to find something quick and easy that she likes and actually eats instead of throwing off her plate! Whew!!! I love finding something that makes my day easier!!:) So if you need a snack, try this out!!:)

Not Forgotten!!:)

Hey there!! Sorry for the giant break!! We had a birthday, and a few illnesses, so my time was required elsewhere:) We have been doing our best to continue, but there have been a few slips, mainly in the frozen chicken nugget category while I have been sick. But all in all, I am still quite proud of our progress. I will post details about Eloise's awesome 1st birthday, that was completely dairy and gluten free, and still very delicious!!:) I've also recently introduced white rice bread to my older two children, and they really enjoyed it. We also now think that Eloise has a sensitivity to egg. I introduced half of a hard boiled egg yolk to her, and she got two hives on her wrist, one under her lip, and one on her cheek. She also did not sleep well that evening and her eczema broke out...YIKES!!!:) I think she is going to keep us on our toes!!:) Well, again sorry for the long break, and I will soon post about the party and how we kept it fun with "Free" foods!!:)