Fears of daily living

Look,

it’s a fact

life is full of things that can

and

do happen

you know:

“Why do bad things happen to good people”

no…autism/aspergers is not bad but it is  a huge change

a change in how you think about actions and reactions

an everyday, uphill battle at times not just for the one diagnosed but for the whole family

I digress….

When bad things happen to good people

 you buck up

you learn to deal

and you go on with the daily task at hand

…living…

but once that diagnosis comes through the door

on top of multiple other medical problems and issues for that child.

and you need to start researching

and then doing

and following through

and constant checking and rechecking

there is an unending indescribable level of anxiety

am I doing enough

am I teaching enough

will my actions lead to my child being able to live on his own???

only time will tell.

until then…

carry on.

1st Day of School….new schools new challenges

My oldest will be in highschool this year

Before now

I

or

a teacher

was responsible for making sure

Epi Pens

and Inhalers were with him

ALWAYS

and they were kept in the school office

not this year

this year

they are with him.

when he remembers to grab them

I sigh

I worry

I lecture

I throw the epipen trainer at him

and

I scream

“emergency emergency

your throat is closing up

you didn’t realize something you ate had nuts in it

quick quick what do you do?”

and then he groans or yells back depending on his mood

and demonstrates his skills for me

ending with…

eyerolling

and saying…

call 911

I anguish

Have I prepared him well enough?

he’s been reading food labels for several years now

Have I remembered to tell him everything he needs to think of?

I know, I know

Let go and let God.

but I’m mom

and if anything ever happened to him because of something I failed to prepare him for…

please pray…

for both of us

Decisions Decisions….

Decisions Decisions

Lately decisions have centered on food

whats for supper

whats for lunch

whats for breakfast

whats for brunch.

With school around the corner

we need to start thinking about what they’ll be taking for lunch

they make their own….as I got sick of their complaining early last year.

but still they want to know what they can take

well…

I broke the bad news.

they can make a sandwich or take left overs

no more cold chicken patties, or baggies of pepperoni

so he’s been sampling left overs cold(he is very fussy )

a meat and potatoes kind of kid

but really

we are in a rut

the same 4 or 5 dishes seem to rotate weekly

and

I AM So Bored

but

the clincher is

I try to cook so food is safe for the whole family

(remember two have food allergies, between them they are allergic to Eggs, Dairy, Peanuts, and tree nuts)

I’ve been cooking this way for 11 years now.

I need new ideas.

so

Comment with your ideas

keeping in mind the allergies

OH

and the middle child…is a deconstructionist he hates his foods to touch!

my boring menu thanks you.

Yes …..even this busy mom finds time to read

I recently read ( and reviewed) a book titled “Jewel” by Bret Lott.

and if you are at all into reading (it’s an Oprah’s book club book) I highly recommend you pick it up at your local book store or library.

If you are now or have ever dealt with an ill child that required all your time and devotion  whether that illness was acute or chronic  this book will fill your heart with all the words and emotions you think but have never quite been able to put words to.

read my review here

 

This book especially spoke volumes to me as I have 3 children,

2 of them have food allergies one to dairy, eggs, tree-nuts, and peanuts(and one just eggs, tree-nuts and peanuts)

the one with slightly fewer allergies also fights asthma and eosinophilic esophagitus.

its been a long 11 years some times

and I wouldn’t trade any of them

 

but again

 

this book gets to the heart of a mom

the sacrifices she makes in regards to her marriage, and her other children

all to help the one child get the best help possible

 

If you are a parent/mom/grandparent   or even just human

you will find yourself feeling what Jewel is feeling…..

empathizing with her

despising her

loving her

and in the end

respecting her.

 

do yourself a favor….read the book!

 

Carpal tunnel and garlic chicken…

Seriously that’s the best title I could come up with

over the last month I have had 2 separate surgeries one on one hand one on the other  for carpal tunnel

both done laproscopic  (2 weeks apart)  and are healing nicely…

but still quite sore at times despite outward appearances looking pretty good.

So I’ve not been blogging at all the last month too tired ….too sore for typing….and too busy some days to turn the computer on….

its amazing how many dishes and how much laundry can pile up with mom being out of commission just a few days!

             

(ok the above piles are not mine…but you get the idea)

so I needed to find something to make that would not take a bunch of dishes

and

would leave us with leftovers for hopefully as long as possible

so I dove into Pinterest 

(if you haven’t seen Pinterest  you must as long as you don’t mind getting lost in lots of cool ideas you’ll probably never have time to make!)

and this is what I came up with

slow cooker Brown sugar and Garlic chicken from Providence Design

EGG FREE

DAIRY FREE

and also free of most other allergens as well( as long as you use a wheat free soy sauce alternative)

now to be fair I followed their recipe pretty close except

I did it in a roasting pan in the oven

I used 9 boneless skinless chicken breasts

and I did not use hot pepper flakes(we’re not that into spicy)

other than that followed to a T and everyone…even the fussy eaters LOVED IT!

it is definitely going to be a make again.!

and here is how mine turned out:

the shredded chicken(after baking for several hours at 300 degrees)

the sauce after  cooking with a little cornstarch(the specks are the minced garlic…I cheated and used the canned stuff from the grocery store)

final product, the sauced shredded chicken mixed together

we served on hard rolls

but

I believe it would go equally well with a side of rice or pasta.

on the side we had baked beans

(bushes bourbon and brown sugar variety)

and

watermelon

(it was ruby red and juicy and full of sugary goodness)

its a good thing they liked the meal….it’s what they’ll be eating the rest of the week!

when making plans….expect the unexpected

My oldest child has EOE Eosinophilic E)sophagitus

(found this image online: my sons eoe looked like the middle image)

this means that without his medication, a flovent inhaler that is swallowed…and supplement drinks….he is underweight…

thats the short story

the second is that there is a bug going around

and we are do for a follow up

so of course…hubby gets sick

then the eoe kid gets it….which has flared his asthma

so now we need to call the children’s hosp

to find out if he can keep his apt that took 4-6 months to get and that’s after the doctor had to have us reschedule the original apt as she was going to be out of town for the first one….mind you these are follow ups for weight/height

so here we sit….plans in force down the drain….becoming a status quo

ok enough complaining/venting

in general his health has improved greatly over the last 2 years and he is taller than me!

but I’m mom…and I worry

that I am doing all I can

and sometimes

when they get sick its scary

but

through prayer and persistence

we make it through

and everything is going to be ok

just not according to MY plans….

Walking Tacos….straight to the tummy

My child recently had a birthday party and much like last year

requested

walking tacos!

This recipe is simple

easy and can be allergen free!

(even the one who hates veggies had several servings of the meat!)

2 # ground round or ground sirloin

I make my own taco seasoning:

• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 to 1 tsp cumin

of course you can adjust the cayenne and chili powder to what you like

it’s always easier to add HEAT than to take away.

then set out bags of Fritos

open the bag of Fritos

add

a few spoonful’s of meat mixture

a sprinkling of chopped onion

a small spoon full  of sour cream

a sprinkle of shredded cheese

and a drizzle of taco sauce

grab a plastic fork and enjoy!

{feel free to add other toppings too like sliced black olives, or jalapenos, shredded lettuce….}

basically this is what you end up with(found this pic via google images)

to make it allergen friendly you can skip the sour cream or use plain soy yogurt(if you can find it) or soy sour cream and skip the cheese or use something like daiya

everyone at the party loved it from the youngest to the great grandmas!

Tandoori Chicken….allergen friendly

A while back I saw this in the grocery store, and as I was often curious about the flavor I bought it.

and we tried the recipe on the tin.   YUM!  a bit spicy but also a depth that cannot adequately be put into words.

The recipe on the box is good

I use  about half the powder the recipe calls for

To make it allergen friendly I use soy sour cream instead of dairy yogurt(If I was able to get plain non dairy yogurt I would use that)

and instead of melted butter I use olive oil

it also calls for lemon juice

The recipe from the box:

1 pound chicken(make slices across the top of the pieces)

2 tbsp tandoori powder

2 tbsp plain yogurt

 1 tsp lemon juice

1 tbsp oil

salt and pepper to taste

mix  the last 5 together and pour over chicken(I do this in a plastic freezer bag)

let marinate a few hours

grill or broil till done!

(not my image  below but that’s about how it looks when done!)

YUM

Strawberry Rhubarb Torte(no real strawberries harmed in the making of this dessert!)

this recipe is a winner.

I’ve made it many times with  few changes to the original(I use olive oil in place of butter/shortening, and soy sour cream in place of eggs 1/4 cup per egg called for)

super easy, super fast…super yummy…as long as you use red jello flavor is not as important

I cut the rhubarb using a food processor(cutting blade on)I’ve also used a mandolin cutter in the past.

I half the topping as we think its too sweet to have the amount on it calls for.

I had to sample it….but then the kids got home:

This recipe can be made with fresh or frozen rhubarb if you’ve never had rhubarb give it a try.(don’t eat the leaves!)tart yet yummy

sooooo Good!

Recipes from the Dr’s office….

So I was waiting ….in the waiting room(and waiting…and waiting…..)

and found this recipe in a “parents” magazine and snapped a photo with the ipod camera

and will be making it today

Asian Noodle Slurp-up

now I bought boneless/skinless chicken thighs to use…the recipe calls for chicken drumsticks,..but as pull the chicken off the bones for the recipe I don’t think it really matters.

it’s essentially a chicken broth with

snow peas, napa cabbage and brown rice noodles , and of course the shredded chicken meat

the broth is created with ginger, and chicken broth

garnished with green onions,

the noodles, soy sauce and and salt/pepper are added to taste at the end.

Ingredients

•  3 green onions
•  2 pounds  chicken drumsticks, skin removed
•  4 cups  low-sodium chicken broth
•  1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices
•  1/2 small head Napa cabbage
•  8 ounces  brown rice pad Thai noodles
•  8 ounces  fresh snow peas, bias sliced into thirds
•  2 tablespoons  reduced-sodium soy sauce
•  Salt and black pepper

and if you don’t add the soy sauce you have a

wheat free

egg free

nut free

tree-nut free

dairy free

shell fish free

my kids don’t really care for soup but given the amount of pasta in this dish

I think they may actually eat it!

From Parents Magazine: