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!!:)

12

So, valentine's day with no chocolate? That is probably one of the hardest things about a restricted diet, holidays and special events. I am a HUGE lover of sweets, especially chocolate, so that has been quite a test for me. It took me a while to figure out some alternatives, but there are some great ones!!! First off, I prepare. I know that everyone is going to be eating candy and goodies, so I make sure that I have something on hand that I can enjoy too. For me, I bought a cake mix from the store, and it is made by Gluten Free Pantry. They make delicious mixes!!!! I got chocolate of course, but their brownies are excellent too. On the back of a lot of the gluten free mixes it gives you options for dairy free and egg free too. I love that, I don't have to think about it!! I then made my variation of Betty Crocker's Vanilla Buttercream Frosting, and I have a super yummy treat for me and my family!!!:) Betty Crocker also is starting to make a few gluten free mixes that you can find almost anywhere. I can get brownie and yellow cake mix at Walmart. They are nice in a pinch, but I prefer the Gluten Free Pantry mixes, they taste less "gluten free"!!!:) I think preperation is key, that way you don't feel like you missed out, and you aren't tempted to cheat.

I also have been seriously craving Chinese food, but I'm just not willing to risk an allergy attack with Eloise, so I can't bring myself to go to the resturaunt. I'm not sure what they use in there batters for the fried dishes, and I'm not sure if butter is used. I love Mar Far Chicken though, so we compromised. I found a really great recipe online, and we altered it. We have tried this with three different flours (white rice, brown rice, and quinoa), and have made it for ourselves, and both our parents. It is a winner!!! I'm sure it is not low fat, but I am also sure that it is gluten and dairy free. It is definetly one to try!!!:)

Mar Far Chicken

• 1lb Chicken breast meat cut into chunks (uncooked)
• 3/4 Cup White Rice Flour
• 1 tsp.Baking Powder
• 1 egg
• 2 to 3 tsp. Soy Sauce (we found gluten free soy sauce @ Food 4 Less)
• oil for frying
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup Rice Milk
• Extra White Rice Flour, for dipping chicken in before battering

To prepared batter, measure white rice flour with salt and baking powder into beaten egg, rice milk, and soy sauce. Mix thoroughly. Dip chicken in flour first, then dip into batter.
Add more milk to batter if it seems too thick on chicken.
Fry 365° F. on thermometer in deep fry.
Drain on absorbent paper

SO YUMMY!!!!:)