A friend recently pointed me to this great recipe. It is sooo easy, and can be made stage 1 for FG by using only banana (not pretty, but very yummy) or adding mango or another stage 1 fruit instead of strawberry. I also tried strawberry/raspberry/blueberry (definately stage 2). The results were a bit messy, but they are delish!!
Strawberry Banana Fruit Leather
Showing posts with label naturally gluten free. Show all posts
Showing posts with label naturally gluten free. Show all posts
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Eighteen Years
On Monday Eric and I celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary. Marriage is not always easy and Paul did warn that "those who marry will face many troubles in the life," but I have to say it has been a joy to spend 18 years of life together with my husband. To be his encourager and helpmeet has been both delightful and stretching--don't we discover our own selfishness about one minute after we say "I do?"
We dropped the kids off at my parents house (kids think anniversaries are a great reason to celebrate spending time with grandparents!) and went out to Biaggi's for supper. It has been years since we've been there since Eric is not a fan of large chunks of tomato in his meal, and has memories of this from the last time we had gone. Still, I had recently read in Consumer Reports that Biaggi's scored top marks for customer satisfaction, and a good friend told me they had an extensive GF menu.
Eric and I do not have celiac and as far as we know, cross contamination is not an issue, so I can't speak to the needs of those who have to be extra careful. We are trying a GF diet both out as a way to identify with Josiah's needs as well as to see if there is any truth to the saying "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree." So far, Eric has noticed less headaches (although that could also be because he has finally cleared all artificials from his diet, too early to tell) and I have noticed that the 2 second delay I used to feel in conversations has vanished. (I had no idea that was brain fog!!) In the past I have noticed that gluten does exacerbate my heartburn but it is not the only food that does. So, the jury is still out, but I have to say that so far there really is not much that I miss, and my body seems to like low carbs so that has been good, too.
Our server was wonderful and quickly got us settled with GF menus. The flatbread and dip were delicious! Eric chose a GF pizza and I ordered a salad with grilled chicken. Both were very good. While we didn't have dessert, there were several choices available that could be prepared GF. Looking at the menu, we would love to go back again at lunch (when prices are cheaper) and try some pasta. I'm sure Eric will steer clear of chunky tomato dishes.
It is wonderful to have a reason to celebrate and nice to know that someday, we may have another local restaurant option for Josiah. I pray every day that his food sensitivities will heal at least in part, and we've seen good evidence that at least when it comes to stage 2 fruit, some things are improving. In the meantime, we hope to have many more annivesaries ahead of us!
We dropped the kids off at my parents house (kids think anniversaries are a great reason to celebrate spending time with grandparents!) and went out to Biaggi's for supper. It has been years since we've been there since Eric is not a fan of large chunks of tomato in his meal, and has memories of this from the last time we had gone. Still, I had recently read in Consumer Reports that Biaggi's scored top marks for customer satisfaction, and a good friend told me they had an extensive GF menu.
Eric and I do not have celiac and as far as we know, cross contamination is not an issue, so I can't speak to the needs of those who have to be extra careful. We are trying a GF diet both out as a way to identify with Josiah's needs as well as to see if there is any truth to the saying "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree." So far, Eric has noticed less headaches (although that could also be because he has finally cleared all artificials from his diet, too early to tell) and I have noticed that the 2 second delay I used to feel in conversations has vanished. (I had no idea that was brain fog!!) In the past I have noticed that gluten does exacerbate my heartburn but it is not the only food that does. So, the jury is still out, but I have to say that so far there really is not much that I miss, and my body seems to like low carbs so that has been good, too.
Our server was wonderful and quickly got us settled with GF menus. The flatbread and dip were delicious! Eric chose a GF pizza and I ordered a salad with grilled chicken. Both were very good. While we didn't have dessert, there were several choices available that could be prepared GF. Looking at the menu, we would love to go back again at lunch (when prices are cheaper) and try some pasta. I'm sure Eric will steer clear of chunky tomato dishes.
It is wonderful to have a reason to celebrate and nice to know that someday, we may have another local restaurant option for Josiah. I pray every day that his food sensitivities will heal at least in part, and we've seen good evidence that at least when it comes to stage 2 fruit, some things are improving. In the meantime, we hope to have many more annivesaries ahead of us!
Friday, January 20, 2012
our version of Paleo bread
This is one of Josiah's favorite snacks. Once again, Cha Cha's blog has been a treasure trove of ideas for gluten free baking and that's where I first saw this, but it originally came from Elana's Pantry, and there are some great recipes there, too! Almonds are "stage 2" on the Feingold diet, and a little test last week showed me that Josiah can tolerate almonds in Larabars. Still, I like using pecans in something he's eating on a daily basis. The original recipe also calls for apple cider vinegar which is also stage 2. I'm sure that using regular vinegar changes the taste a bit, but I hear no complaints. Eric and I like this bread, too, but the older kids aren't fans. That's Ok, it means a loaf can be cut up and put in the freezer to last Josiah over a week. That makes it great for a grab and go snack that actually fills him up.
Pecan Bread
1 1/2 c. ground pecans (the original recipe calls for almond flour)
2 T. coconut flour
1/4 c. flaxseed meal
1/4 t. salt
1 1/2 t. baking soda
5 eggs
1/4 c. coconut oil
1 T. honey
1 T. vinegar
Place pecans, coconut flour, flax, salt, and baking soda in a food processor. Pulse ingredients together. Pulse in eggs, honey, and vinegar. Pour batter into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Cool and serve.
Pecan Bread
1 1/2 c. ground pecans (the original recipe calls for almond flour)
2 T. coconut flour
1/4 c. flaxseed meal
1/4 t. salt
1 1/2 t. baking soda
5 eggs
1/4 c. coconut oil
1 T. honey
1 T. vinegar
Place pecans, coconut flour, flax, salt, and baking soda in a food processor. Pulse ingredients together. Pulse in eggs, honey, and vinegar. Pour batter into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Cool and serve.
Friday, December 23, 2011
setbacks and yet encouragements
This week has been one of ups and downs as we continue to test what is and is not tolerable in Josiah's diet. One question I had was how many supposed food sensitivities were masked by his trouble with gluten. Rather than finding he has fewer, what we've seen is more problems with things we thought were okay (probably because we are now getting a clearer reading). Still, there are days that are very, very good and help us know we are on the right track. It's not that we endeavor to change Josiah, but that we keep pressing on to peel back the layers until we find the child we know is really there. We've seen glimpses of that child and look forward to seeing more of him in the future!
The setbacks:
I tried making Paleo peppermint patties using the purest peppermint oil I could find. After we saw some old things cropping up (crying, throwing fits), I did some research and found that the mint extract had alcohol that contained gluten. This was actually rather confirming that we are on the right track with gluten and not just experiencing the effects of healthier eating. Would anyone like some barely used peppermint oil?
Hoping that tomatoes were less of a problem than we thought, we devoured chili one night. Bad idea. Enter child in overdrive. It takes a few days for that to wear off.
We thought the mustard we were using was okay even though it had a questionable ingredient, but apparently not. Scratch that one and find another. Aha! Much better. (Yes, he is really this sensitive.)
And so on it goes. But there are good things being spotted in Josiah's favor, too. My most picky eater is now much more accepting of new foods (including those he did not like before), eating more meat, and staying full much longer. It has been my most convincing evidence yet that extremely picky eating or craving for particular foods at the exclusion of others is a telltale sign of food intolerances. He was my most adventurous eater as a toddler, and I'm starting to see signs of that returning!!
If gluten is causing damage to the small intestines, it can take 3-6 months for the body to fully heal. One slip-up can do a lot of damage. This is part of the reason I'd like to take us all gluten free after the holidays. Another is because gluten sensitivity tends to run in families, and it would be interesting to see if anyone else has issues. Finally, there can be an issue with cross contamination, which I'd like to keep at a minimum. We're looking forward to seeing what the new year brings!
The setbacks:
I tried making Paleo peppermint patties using the purest peppermint oil I could find. After we saw some old things cropping up (crying, throwing fits), I did some research and found that the mint extract had alcohol that contained gluten. This was actually rather confirming that we are on the right track with gluten and not just experiencing the effects of healthier eating. Would anyone like some barely used peppermint oil?
Hoping that tomatoes were less of a problem than we thought, we devoured chili one night. Bad idea. Enter child in overdrive. It takes a few days for that to wear off.
We thought the mustard we were using was okay even though it had a questionable ingredient, but apparently not. Scratch that one and find another. Aha! Much better. (Yes, he is really this sensitive.)
And so on it goes. But there are good things being spotted in Josiah's favor, too. My most picky eater is now much more accepting of new foods (including those he did not like before), eating more meat, and staying full much longer. It has been my most convincing evidence yet that extremely picky eating or craving for particular foods at the exclusion of others is a telltale sign of food intolerances. He was my most adventurous eater as a toddler, and I'm starting to see signs of that returning!!
If gluten is causing damage to the small intestines, it can take 3-6 months for the body to fully heal. One slip-up can do a lot of damage. This is part of the reason I'd like to take us all gluten free after the holidays. Another is because gluten sensitivity tends to run in families, and it would be interesting to see if anyone else has issues. Finally, there can be an issue with cross contamination, which I'd like to keep at a minimum. We're looking forward to seeing what the new year brings!
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
before and after
There are some very positive signs at our house that being gluten free is a good thing for Josiah.
This is a sample of his coloring last spring.
Here's a page from this fall. Not much change.
Here's a sample from tonight. Yes, it is in marker but his crayon coloring from the past few days shows the same improvement. Not only is it about 10 times better, he actually enjoys coloring now and also loves writing his name, which he would only do through much complaining about it being too hard before.
We're still working out some kinks. It seems like sugar is a trigger for hyperactivity so we're working through that puzzle as well. Yesterday was one of his best days in recent memory, and gives us hope we are on the right track. If you can imagine the kind of organization above transfering to a behavioral component, you have a picture of what we are starting to see in him.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
naturally gluten free
Gluten free: we have been here before. Last fall when Rachel was having numerous health issues including shoulder pain, digestive discomfort, chronic constipation and UTI's, I put her on a gluten free diet. We bought the look-alike animal crackers, mixed three kinds of flours to make cookies, and spent more money on groceries than ever. Even though I knew the gluten free (GF) diet was also recommended for children with ADHD, I never put Josiah on it. With his numerous food sensitivities, very few of the processed products worked for him. He did eat the cookies and other baked goods I was able to make, but he was never completely gluten free.
Why things got more challenging for Josiah this fall is a question for which I have no real answer. But I do know that Eric and I reached a point where we felt that trying a GF diet would be worth a shot. However, this time I had done more reading, visited more blogs (her recipes always make my mouth water!), and talked to more people. It seemed that trying a more natural approach to gluten free than finding numerous substitutes was in order. I wanted something our whole family could benefit from, and the rest of us have a list of things we'd like to address in terms of our own health. Thus, our entrance into the world of the Paleo diet.
I have to admit, the name rubs me the wrong way. I don't believe in evolution and the whole "caveman" approach is just a bit much sometimes. But I do think I may understand why there are people flocking to this way of eating in droves and find they are feeling better. It virtually eliminates all processed and genetically modified food. When you look around at where the Standard American Diet has gotten most of us, it isn't very pretty. Heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and other health issues are on the rise. Gluten sensitivity and celiac are becoming more commonplace. Allergies (including those that are life-threatening), asthma, ADHD, and autism are almost at epidemic proportions. So many people are suffering from anxiety, depression, and other mental illness. While I am not blaming it all on diet, I've seen enough in our food journey to know it has to be a big factor. We are eating food, and plenty of it, but we are not really getting good nutrition.
So what is the Paleo diet? While it is still all pretty new to me, I think I've gathered that it is gluten free, dairy free (most of the time), grain free, sugar free and even avoids legumes like beans and peanuts. (Sorry, dad!) What is left to eat is a beautiful, nutritious assortment of meats (grass fed are promoted to be best), fruits (in moderation), and vegetables, along with nut flours and animal/nut fats. Before you start to think that is just way too limiting in terms of food, check out some recipe websites like this one, where I even found a recipe for peppermint patties (we can still have chocolate!) The hardest thing to wrap my mind around is the addition of fat to the diet, but it seems that without the constant intake of high carbohydrate grains, our bodies actually do well with fat. Cholesterol and triglyceride levels actually drop, pounds come off, and people feel better, emotionally and physically. At least that's the testimony of those who have tried eating this way.
How "perfectly paleo" our family will be remains to be seen. In our first three days, we've continued to eat our peanut butter, corn chips, grain fed animal products, and other offending ingredients. My main goal right now is getting rid of gluten and keeping Josiah away from most sugar. What is amazing is how much more we are eating real food! I'm getting to know our grocery store's produce section a lot better. I don't have to search ingredient lists to make sure there aren't any forbidden foods; instead, I am buying ingredients and using them to make the things we love to eat. What we love has yet to be discovered, but already we've found several new foods (or ways of making foods) that are quite tasty. You may notice the recipes I share here getting strange, but they really aren't if you think about how people ate in this country 100 years ago (minus the bread that was eaten and now adding coconut which wasn't exactly readily abundant then!) Because of my aversion to the word Paleo, I will label these recipes naturally gluten free. :) And best of all, so far our grocery bill has not gone up.
It's really too early to tell how this will help Josiah because his body is still adjusting, but there have been glimmers of good things. More on that to come. Meanwhile, we can rejoice that our kids are eating things like sweet potato french fries and actually enjoying them.
Why things got more challenging for Josiah this fall is a question for which I have no real answer. But I do know that Eric and I reached a point where we felt that trying a GF diet would be worth a shot. However, this time I had done more reading, visited more blogs (her recipes always make my mouth water!), and talked to more people. It seemed that trying a more natural approach to gluten free than finding numerous substitutes was in order. I wanted something our whole family could benefit from, and the rest of us have a list of things we'd like to address in terms of our own health. Thus, our entrance into the world of the Paleo diet.
I have to admit, the name rubs me the wrong way. I don't believe in evolution and the whole "caveman" approach is just a bit much sometimes. But I do think I may understand why there are people flocking to this way of eating in droves and find they are feeling better. It virtually eliminates all processed and genetically modified food. When you look around at where the Standard American Diet has gotten most of us, it isn't very pretty. Heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and other health issues are on the rise. Gluten sensitivity and celiac are becoming more commonplace. Allergies (including those that are life-threatening), asthma, ADHD, and autism are almost at epidemic proportions. So many people are suffering from anxiety, depression, and other mental illness. While I am not blaming it all on diet, I've seen enough in our food journey to know it has to be a big factor. We are eating food, and plenty of it, but we are not really getting good nutrition.
So what is the Paleo diet? While it is still all pretty new to me, I think I've gathered that it is gluten free, dairy free (most of the time), grain free, sugar free and even avoids legumes like beans and peanuts. (Sorry, dad!) What is left to eat is a beautiful, nutritious assortment of meats (grass fed are promoted to be best), fruits (in moderation), and vegetables, along with nut flours and animal/nut fats. Before you start to think that is just way too limiting in terms of food, check out some recipe websites like this one, where I even found a recipe for peppermint patties (we can still have chocolate!) The hardest thing to wrap my mind around is the addition of fat to the diet, but it seems that without the constant intake of high carbohydrate grains, our bodies actually do well with fat. Cholesterol and triglyceride levels actually drop, pounds come off, and people feel better, emotionally and physically. At least that's the testimony of those who have tried eating this way.
How "perfectly paleo" our family will be remains to be seen. In our first three days, we've continued to eat our peanut butter, corn chips, grain fed animal products, and other offending ingredients. My main goal right now is getting rid of gluten and keeping Josiah away from most sugar. What is amazing is how much more we are eating real food! I'm getting to know our grocery store's produce section a lot better. I don't have to search ingredient lists to make sure there aren't any forbidden foods; instead, I am buying ingredients and using them to make the things we love to eat. What we love has yet to be discovered, but already we've found several new foods (or ways of making foods) that are quite tasty. You may notice the recipes I share here getting strange, but they really aren't if you think about how people ate in this country 100 years ago (minus the bread that was eaten and now adding coconut which wasn't exactly readily abundant then!) Because of my aversion to the word Paleo, I will label these recipes naturally gluten free. :) And best of all, so far our grocery bill has not gone up.
It's really too early to tell how this will help Josiah because his body is still adjusting, but there have been glimmers of good things. More on that to come. Meanwhile, we can rejoice that our kids are eating things like sweet potato french fries and actually enjoying them.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)