Allergen Free Thanksgiving

Our first holiday with our son on a special diet was Thanksgiving. We celebrated that first major holiday at home, with our own turkey and trimmings. We have learned so much since that first holiday!
 
Sometimes when you have a child with autism on a special diet, the holidays almost seem to become a battle of survival for a parent. My first impulse was to simply stay home all the time and not go anywhere, but the reality is that it was something that needed to be faced and worked through. We needed to enjoy the holidays, see friends, and ultimately teach our child how to function outside the home in terms of behavior and the diet situation.

Our first holiday away from home was at Eli's grandparent's. We did quite well in terms of diet. Everyone was so understanding and supportive. I think the only deviation from the diet was the accidental Dorito that Eli got his hands on. While that was a pretty big "Oops," noways we have learned to provided substitute chips.

Questions that swarm my brain when it comes to holidays include, "What will be served at this gathering? Will people be understanding of me if I bring my child something different to eat? Will my child be understanding of having something different?" These are things that run through my head for every event at school, every birthday party, and every holiday. I have come to learn to anticipate events and I am generally becoming better prepared for them all the time.

We have found that the key to successful gatherings is lots of the communication with the host, including asking lots of annoying questions! Our hosts do not seem to mind all my probing questions about how they prepare turkey, potatoes, etc. At a recent gathering, our host even set aside potatoes and beans for us before adding the allergens in his recipe. We took some of our favorites to share, and was a great gathering.

Nowdays, we have Eli, Little Bear, and myself on the special diet. Fortunately, we have learned over the years to not only survive Thanksgiving, but also to really enjoy it with our favorite recipes. We took Roast Sweet Potatoes with Cranberries and Walnuts to our recent gathering, and they were a big hit! Thank you to Kim Wilson for that recipe and also for her Cranberry Relish. The two together are just divine, and I can't imagine us having another Thanksgiving without them. Click on the names of the recipes in this text to view them.

Monster Box

It is bound to be a spooky night. My Eli is going actual door-to-door trick-or-treating in the neighborhood for the first time. Why is he going for the first time at the age of 6? Well there are many reasons for this. For one, he didn't care for many years, nor would be be able to get him to do it if we tried. Last year we let him trick-or-treat in more controlled conditions where we could control what he got. By that time he could even say, "Trick-or-Treat!" (His medically required diet takes all Halloween candy off the 'OK' list.)

This year when my friends ask me if we are going trick-or-treating with that concerned look, I tell them about the Monster Box. He is new to our family this season, and has been a great success through a recent Halloween Carnival and also an "Angry Birds" birthday party just last weekend. It works like this: Eli goes Trick-or-Treating, (or in the case of the BD party, pinata smashing,) and keeps his candy and brings it home. Right when he gets home, he wants to do the Monster Box.

The Monster Box is a "Cars" shoebox from the shoes we bought for him to start the school year with, and it is full of stuff, like dried papaya and pineapple, dimes, quarters, Phineas and Ferb temporary tattoos, crazy drinking straws, gluten free animal cookies, (and other little sugary treats the the box carries limited quantities of.)

There is an exchange system connected with this box. He looks at the "exchange rate paper" and hands me the one, two, or three pieces of candy he wants to trade for and what he would like for them. He keeps exchanging until his candy is gone and he has a pile of goodies that are "special medical diet friendly." It works like a charm. He is excited to get candy, and I don't have to worry about him eating it. LOVE it! Happy Halloween everyone!

The Gluten Free Consumer is Here!

The first issue of The Gluten Free Consumer, is now in the print! It is way exciting for me to do my fist professional graphic design project. I am happy with how it turned out, although I also see lots of room for improvement. If any designeries out there have suggestions on the cover/logo, I am all ears. It has been a long time since I have had a professor to offer a critique. :)


This first run has been relatively small, however, it is not too late to lay claim on a "trial version" of the mag, (a.k.a. the August issue.) It can still be ordered at www.allergymenu specialists.com. Much larger numbers projected next month!
Although my main job was to do the designing, I was also the author of the article titled, "We Speak: Adjusting to a Gluten Free Lifestyle," which I am particularly proud of. My brief article shares tips on how not to sabotage your own efforts, and assures readers that you are worth the effort to make hard steps toward their own wellness! (This article was written for those eating gluten free for medical reasons, such as Celiac Disease or a gluten intolerance.)

I was particularly proud of this article because providing useful information to help others with the dietary struggles we have been through is what this company is all about. I want people to know that their health is worth sacrificing for... sacrificing the time to relearn how to eat, sacrificing old favorites for new ones... we really just want to support people in their efforts towards better health! You are so worth it!

Garden Veggie Zucchini Casserole

So much zucchini! I have even let the squash bugs have at it these last few weeks, and we still have so much. Here is dinner idea that I have been using throughout this plentiful season.

It all started with some ideas I gleaned from "The Classic Zucchini Cookbook" by Nancy Ralston, Marynor Jordan, and Andrea Chesman. In this book they describe how to make "Born again Zucchini." For this dish I use this same idea, also incorporating potatoes. I also found some great tips on baking time.

There are no measurements. I never measure when I make this.

First, slice thinly clean potatoes, zucchini (small to medium size,) white or yellow onions, and tomatoes.

Place the zucchini and potatoes in a bowl, toss in 1/2 to 1 teaspoon coarse salt. Let this sit for 15-30 minutes, and afterward drain and blot dry with towel. Now you have "Born Again Zucchini," (and potatoes,) with less water in the squash, it is much more recipe ready.

Next, stir and coat pieces in a prepared tomato based sauce. This is where you can really customize to your own taste. Personally, I start with a pizza sauce base, and start stirring things in. Here are some ideas I like to add:

minced garlic
finely grated cheese (I use soy)
dried sweet basil leaves
salt
pepper

Stack the coated veggies in glass pan, adding here and there a slice of tomato and onion. Here is a picture of mine all ready to go for the oven.



I like to spoon whatever sauce is left over the casserole.

Bake at 350 degrees. The trick I have learned is that the typical 45 minutes to 1 hour used for typical like dishes is not enough for this special veggie dish. An additional 45 minutes or so is needed to really caramelize the veggies. (Always keep an eye on the oven, of course!)

I have even made this in a dutch oven outside my back door with tasty results. :)