Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Zucchini Pile

Thanks to very prolific plants in my garden, I have been watching a pile of zucchini grow on my kitchen counter over the last two days. Tonight I set out to find a remedy. I currently have this library book called "The Classic Zucchini Cookbook" by Nancy Ralston, Marynor Jordan, and Andrea Chesman. I may need to purchase this book and keep it forever. I discovered this way easy sweet little starter dish that I had tonight next to a baked potato. The version here has been modified, of course, to fit our special diet and tastes. I have cut out the measurements, too, because I didn't use them. I am gaining a whole new appreciation for zucchini.

Zucchini Pizza Bites

medium sized zucchini or summer squash, sliced into rounds about 1/4 inch thick or a bit thicker.

olive oil

well seasoned pizza sauce (One of my favorites is muir glen organic pizza sauce.)

finely grated cheese alternative (I use vegan gourmet brand, it is a soy cheese that is casein free.)

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Brush both sides of zucchini slices with oil and arrange on baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Roast for 7 minutes, or until slices are just tender when pierced with fork.

4. In small bowl, stir grated cheese alternative into pizza sauce.

5. Spread spoonful of sauce on each zucchini slice. Return baking sheet to oven and roast until sauce is heated through, 2-3 minutes.

6. Serve hot. :)

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Joy in the Journey

The subtitle of my blog reads: Being a parent of a child with autism is a journey to have joy in.

In case you are wondering, no, I do not look at autism disorders with rose colored glasses. I have lived with autism in my life since 1992, and with a brother and now a son with autism I am pretty well aware of some pretty ugly realities that can come into a family where there is a child that has autism.

I started blogging about autism at a time when I needed a positive affirmation to see regularly. The year I turned my blog into the autism journey blog was a year of loud displays of grief on my part, (that my son did not even respond to,) and waking up most mornings to find that while walking from his room, my four year old son's diaper had dribbled poo all the way down the carpeted hall.

When people ask me "What is your son's special skill?" or, how about this one: "So is he good at math?" I stare at them, and then when I realize they are waiting for a response, I stumble to give one. Popular culture only teaches the public about the very mild side of the spectrum, so unfortunately they really have no clue.

It has really been a hard journey in many respects. It was two years ago that we started biochemical intervention with the DAN! program. The first year was rough, but we did see some change. This last year has been MIRACULOUS. Between the medical interventions and also a very wonderful preschool program he enjoyed over the past year, which included ABA, we are at a very happy place.

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To define my joy in the journey: it is PROGRESS! Making huge sacrifices on our parts and seeing progress on his, has brought us so much JOY!