My kids polished their plates when I experimented with a spaghetti sauce made with beets and pumpkin instead of tomatoes. When I saw this recipe made with carrots instead, I couldn't wait to try it. We all agreed it was even better! I'd like to play around with the spices, but I can't add garlic as it calls for so that may be why.
Most people don't avoid tomatoes...but if you want to sneak some carrots into your next batch of tomato sauce, my guess is no one will notice!! Micah has gagged on carrots since he was a baby, and he thought this was pretty good.
NO BEETS UN-TOMATO SAUCE
2 15-oz. cans carrots, drained
3/4 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup pomegranate juice (I think next time I will try all chicken broth or use another kind of juice...pomegranate juice is expensive!)
2 Tbsp. lemon juice (I didn't have any on hand, so left this out.)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. basil (I added about 2 T.)
1/2 tsp sugar
Put all ingredients in blender, and blend until smooth. Heat, add ground beef if desired, and serve. (Or proceed to use in another recipe, such as for BBQ sauce).
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Thursday, January 13, 2011
picture Him
Like most moms, I love to take pictures of my kids. I love to take them, but even more than that I love to look at them again and again. Why is this? And why would a mom spend an otherwise free evening and even a good deal of money on all kinds of little scrapbooking tools in order to preserve them?
I think the reason is this: each and every picture we take of our children gives us a unique glimpse into their personality in a way it has never been captured before and perhaps never will be captured again. The grin at a beloved pet, the joy of a moment at play, the disgust of that first bite of birthday cake all reveal a little more of who that child is. The parent of that child leans in closely to capture just a little bit more of the miracle God has given in this precious bundle of life.
I have begun to find reading the Bible to be a lot like looking at snapshots of my children. As God reveals Himself in Scripture, I have begun to lean in for better glimpses of who He is. In the book of Isaiah alone, we have been given glimpses of many pictures of God.
The Father: a righteous judge, contrasted with that of a heartbroken parent (Ch. 1), full of wrath against His rebellious creation yet pleading with any who will listen to turn and repent, (umm...chapters 1-39?), Rock (Ch. 17), a refuge, shelter, and shade (Ch. 25), Holy One of Israel and Lord Almighty (so many times I've lost count), Upright One (Ch. 26), and the glorious crown and beautiful wreath of His people (Ch. 28). Isaiah depicts God's wrath against sin as I've seen it nowhere else in the Bible, but I'm going to keep looking because every book reveals it in a little different light.
The Son: Messiah and the coming King, the Branch of the Lord (ch. 4 and 11), a Canopy (Ch. 4), Immanuel (Ch. 7), Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Ch. 9), the Banner (Ch. 11), and so many more!!! It is no wonder we go to this book time and again as we celebrate Christmas. His coming was promised and anticipated as the only hope for man, revealed in every chapter.
The attributes of God, pieced together throughout Scripture, make for a pictoral scrapbook unlike any other. All it takes is some time, prayer, study, and meditation...and the God of the Bible is revealed in glimpses that are breath-taking and life-changing.
The next time you open your Bible, I hope you find some aspect of His character you've never noticed before, and see Him a little better.
Monday, January 10, 2011
some pictures from the past few weeks...
Christmas was a great time to spend with family. We'll never forget the Christmas Eve service at Christ Church with candles in the windows and snow falling outside. We started in Genesis with the first promise of Messiah and followed the Christmas story through the prophets and into the gospels. Then Christmas day we celebrated with the Nelson side!
- Micah holding Elliana
- Rachel and Lanie with curls
[caption id="attachment_958" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Michelle and Jared visit."]
[/caption]This picture still makes me heart leap into my throat. God has shown us great faithfulness and His provision as we've dealt with the aftermath.
- A view of the accident
Micah celebrated his New Year's Eve birthday.
- Micah turns 12!
Josiah began a new class called All Star Fitness, just for 4-year-old boys. I think it will be great for helping him further develop focus and listening skills while having fun. The first class was a bit rough in terms of his ability to attend to his teacher, so Josiah, Micah, and I have been practicing what he learned in our basement. My favorite moment was when he caught the ball over and over and said, "Mommy, I'm getting good at this!"
- Learning to throw a football!
[caption id="attachment_965" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Learning to catch!"]
[/caption]
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Pumpkin Pancakes
This gluten-free recipe is delicious. I think you could easily use regular flour and milk if you are not gluten-free and casein-free.
1 1/4 c. GF flour mix*
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice OR the next 4 ingredients:
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/8 tsp. allspice
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
2 T. brown sugar
6 heaping T. pumpkin puree
2 T. margarine or oil
1 c. milk substitute
1 egg
Topping: Whipped topping or maple syrup. We sprinkled a little cinnamon on top of syrup.
In medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, stir together wet ingredients. Mix wet ingred. into dry. Cook pancakes in a skillet or on a griddle with butter or oil. Use about 1/4 c. for each pancake.
*I used the following gluten-free flour mixture: 1 c. white rice flour, 1 c. brown rice flour, 2/3 c. potato starch flour, 1/3 c. tapioca flour.
Another tip: freeze leftover pumpkin in ice cube tray. Use 6 cubes of pumpkin in recipe.
1 1/4 c. GF flour mix*
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice OR the next 4 ingredients:
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/8 tsp. allspice
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
2 T. brown sugar
6 heaping T. pumpkin puree
2 T. margarine or oil
1 c. milk substitute
1 egg
Topping: Whipped topping or maple syrup. We sprinkled a little cinnamon on top of syrup.
In medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, stir together wet ingredients. Mix wet ingred. into dry. Cook pancakes in a skillet or on a griddle with butter or oil. Use about 1/4 c. for each pancake.
*I used the following gluten-free flour mixture: 1 c. white rice flour, 1 c. brown rice flour, 2/3 c. potato starch flour, 1/3 c. tapioca flour.
Another tip: freeze leftover pumpkin in ice cube tray. Use 6 cubes of pumpkin in recipe.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
broken in this world
Difficulties engaging in independant play with toys...pestering the dog all day long...spinning around instead of paying attention...inappropriate use of words...lack of impulse control...inability to focus...short-term memory issues...
I absolutely love my son. His outgoing personality, zest for life, and friendliness toward others encourages me and even spurs me on towards growth in these areas in my own quiet, more self-conscious personality. But there are times that I see how his misbehavior causes him trouble, grates on those around him, and interferes with normal functioning. It makes me hate ADHD and what it has done to him. I see his potential and the precious gifts God has given him, and it breaks my heart to see the times this disorder makes a train wreck out of his actions and have such an effect on who he is.
But what a reminder of the spiritual realm: we are all marred by sin. God has made each person unique, and gifted in some way to be blessing to others. When we willingly disobey our Maker and allow sin to rule our lives, we too are adversely affected in every action, relationship, and even in our eternal destiny if we choose to continue in defiance against God.
Do I hate sin as much as I hate ADHD?
I absolutely love my son. His outgoing personality, zest for life, and friendliness toward others encourages me and even spurs me on towards growth in these areas in my own quiet, more self-conscious personality. But there are times that I see how his misbehavior causes him trouble, grates on those around him, and interferes with normal functioning. It makes me hate ADHD and what it has done to him. I see his potential and the precious gifts God has given him, and it breaks my heart to see the times this disorder makes a train wreck out of his actions and have such an effect on who he is.
But what a reminder of the spiritual realm: we are all marred by sin. God has made each person unique, and gifted in some way to be blessing to others. When we willingly disobey our Maker and allow sin to rule our lives, we too are adversely affected in every action, relationship, and even in our eternal destiny if we choose to continue in defiance against God.
Do I hate sin as much as I hate ADHD?
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
hidden allergy
Ever since we discovered that a diet eliminating artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives has helped Josiah with behavioral issues, my mind has often wandered back to his infancy. His first year was full of feeding issues that left my husband and I ready to pull our hair out at times. Today I sat down with the book Is This Your Child by Dr. Doris Rapp. She describes possible signs of infant allergy, which include the following symptoms we noted in Josiah:
-feeding issues: Josiah cried with colic-type symptoms at 3 weeks and starting pulling away while nursing from the age of 5 weeks. I noticed he seemed to wheeze after feedings and would vomit forcefully--more than just spitting up. When we switched him to soy formula at the age of 3 months, he continued to pull away from the bottle through his entire first year, but the wheezing and vomiting disappeared. Anytime I tried to give him frozen breast milk, the wheezing and vomiting returned. This would indicate that Josiah most likely had a milk allergy and the continued pulling away from the bottle of soy formula may suggest he was either allergic to soy or (more likely) to corn derivatives.
-Early hyperactivity and early walking. Josiah was a difficult baby to hold because he was so active. He did not cuddle. He also walked at 9 months. One indication of allergy is hyperactivity and walking between the ages of 7-10 months.
-At age 1, we switched Josiah from soy formula to cow milk. Within 2 weeks he developed his first upper respiratory infection (most likely RSV) and ear infection. He continued to battle ear infections and sinus infections for the next year, and these were only alleviated after 2 sets of tubes and adenoid removal. This indicates a milk allergy. (It is also interesting to note that 90% of children diagnosed with ADHD have a history of ear infections.)
-Somewhere in his second year of life, we noticed Josiah had white splotches on his tongue that changed shape over the course of many days, but never seemed to totally disappear. He was diagnosed with geographic tongue, which we were told was benign. Recently we reintroduced tomatoes and noticed the return of geographic tongue. When we removed them from his diet, it disappeared. This would indicate a tomato allergy.
Josiah was checked for a milk allergy at one year of age with a RAST test. It did come back negative, but I have learned from my own experience and further research that RAST does not catch every allergy. It also cannot detect food sensitivities. Another thing to note is that children with allergies can be quite sensitive to environmental chemicals. Inexplicably, a child with allergies or food sensitivities sometimes craves the very foods that are causing them harm. (Josiah loves tomatoes, milk products, and corn.)
This is most certainly my child. Perhaps the things we are learning will help others...I wish I had this information 4 years ago!
-feeding issues: Josiah cried with colic-type symptoms at 3 weeks and starting pulling away while nursing from the age of 5 weeks. I noticed he seemed to wheeze after feedings and would vomit forcefully--more than just spitting up. When we switched him to soy formula at the age of 3 months, he continued to pull away from the bottle through his entire first year, but the wheezing and vomiting disappeared. Anytime I tried to give him frozen breast milk, the wheezing and vomiting returned. This would indicate that Josiah most likely had a milk allergy and the continued pulling away from the bottle of soy formula may suggest he was either allergic to soy or (more likely) to corn derivatives.
-Early hyperactivity and early walking. Josiah was a difficult baby to hold because he was so active. He did not cuddle. He also walked at 9 months. One indication of allergy is hyperactivity and walking between the ages of 7-10 months.
-At age 1, we switched Josiah from soy formula to cow milk. Within 2 weeks he developed his first upper respiratory infection (most likely RSV) and ear infection. He continued to battle ear infections and sinus infections for the next year, and these were only alleviated after 2 sets of tubes and adenoid removal. This indicates a milk allergy. (It is also interesting to note that 90% of children diagnosed with ADHD have a history of ear infections.)
-Somewhere in his second year of life, we noticed Josiah had white splotches on his tongue that changed shape over the course of many days, but never seemed to totally disappear. He was diagnosed with geographic tongue, which we were told was benign. Recently we reintroduced tomatoes and noticed the return of geographic tongue. When we removed them from his diet, it disappeared. This would indicate a tomato allergy.
Josiah was checked for a milk allergy at one year of age with a RAST test. It did come back negative, but I have learned from my own experience and further research that RAST does not catch every allergy. It also cannot detect food sensitivities. Another thing to note is that children with allergies can be quite sensitive to environmental chemicals. Inexplicably, a child with allergies or food sensitivities sometimes craves the very foods that are causing them harm. (Josiah loves tomatoes, milk products, and corn.)
This is most certainly my child. Perhaps the things we are learning will help others...I wish I had this information 4 years ago!
they ate it!!!
Tonight I tried a new recipe I had seen posted on the Feingold bulletin board a few months ago. It was for a tomato-free marinara sauce, and several other people made it and said it was really good. I had to trust them, because I wasn't too sure when I looked at the ingredients....
Tomato-Free Marinara Sauce
I made the sauce while our older kids were at piano lessons so they couldn't see what I put in it, and then served it without any explanations. A quick taste told me it might go over OK. I watched as Micah took bite after bite, and then he finally told me, "I really like this, Mom!" Rachel, too, seemed to devour her plateful. When I told them what was in it, they didn't flinch. Amazing!!
Tomato-Free Marinara Sauce
Serves 8
Ingredients:
1 onion finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup olive oil
3 oz of lemon juice (about 6 tbsp)
2 tbsp rice vinegar
16 oz can of beets, drained (reserve liquid)
30 oz of canned (or fresh) pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
1 3/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth
2 tsp course salt
24 grinds of black pepper
1 cup chopped fresh basil (or 1/2 cup dried basil) (can use italian spice mix)
3 tsp cornstarch or Arrowroot, moistened with 4 tbsp beet juice
Directions:
- Saute on onions, garlic, meat and olive oil until onion is soft and meat is cooked
- Add lemon juice and vinegar, Simmer for 5 minutes
- Puree beets until very smooth and no lumps
- Add pureed beets, pumpkin puree, salt, pepper and basil to pan. Stir until combined
- Whisk in the broth. Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes, do not over cook as beets will discolor. If sauce is too thick, add a little more broth to thin out
- Whisk in the moistened cornstarch. Cook for 1 more minute and add spice to taste.
TIP: if is it too acidic, add some sugar to it.
*I didn't bother with the cornstarch, and had to leave out the garlic and onion due to allergies.
I made the sauce while our older kids were at piano lessons so they couldn't see what I put in it, and then served it without any explanations. A quick taste told me it might go over OK. I watched as Micah took bite after bite, and then he finally told me, "I really like this, Mom!" Rachel, too, seemed to devour her plateful. When I told them what was in it, they didn't flinch. Amazing!!
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