Gluten Free, Casien Free Christmas Sugar Cookies

UPDATE...IF YOU ARE GF THESE ARE AWESOME. UNFORTUNATELY WE FOUND THAT COLTON HAD A REACTION TO THEM B/C HE HAS A SENSITIVITY TO WHITE RICE FLOUR AND SWEET RICE FLOUR. I HAVE FRIENDS WHO HAD MADE THESE SINCE THE FIRST POSTING AND LOVED THEM AND HANDLED THEM WELL.

for the cookies:
1.5 cups white rice flour - Bobs Red Mill found everywhere
1.5 cups sweet rice flour (mochi)- Found this at Whole Foods in the oatmeal/cookie section. Sometimes found in Asian sections of stores. Ener G Brand (yellow box)
1.5 cups oat flour - Found this at Market Street, Arrowhead Mills Organic
5 teaspoons baking powder - Used Bobs Red Mill non aluminum Baking Powder
pinch salt
3 sticks butter (1.5 cups), room temperature
1.5 cups white sugar (Or Xylitol Sweetener found at Market Street or Whole Foods)
3 large eggs
1 tbs vanilla extract (or almond)

for the frosting:
5 cups confectioners sugar (grind Xylitol in a coffee grinder to make a powder like powdered sugar)
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 tbs vanilla extract
7-8 tbs milk, depending on consistency desired
food coloring/sprinkles (If you do this only use organic food colorings)

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1.5 cups white rice flour, 1.5 cups sweet rice flour (mochi), 1.5 cups oat flour, 5 teaspoons baking powder, and a pinch salt.

2. In a stand mixer, beat 3 sticks butter with 1.5 cups sugar on high, until pale and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, waiting for each egg to be fully incorporated before adding in the next. Beat an extra minute or two after last egg, and add vanilla.

3. With the mixer on low, fold in flour mixture, and mix until fully incorporated (with gluten-free baking you don't really have to worry about over mixing). Remove from mixing bowl, and form into a large disc. Wrap with plastic wrap, and refridgerate until firm, about 2 hours (dough can be frozen or stored in this state).

4. When you ready to make the cookies, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat baking mat. Roll out the dough onto a floured surface (I use sweet rice flour, since it's the finest) to a little less than 1/2 inch thickness. Using cookie cutters, cut to desired shapes, and place in cookie sheet. Cookies will spread very little, so they can be close - about 1" apart.

5. Bake cookies until just puffed and set, but before they have begun to brown around the edges, about 10 minutes depending on how hot your oven runs. This will ensure a soft, soft cookie! Let cool, then transfer to a wire cooling rack. Cool completely before icing.

6. To make the frosting: Place confectioners sugar in a medium bowl. Add melted butter, vanilla, and milk, and whisk until smooth, adding more milk to achieve desired consistency. Tint with food coloring, frost cookies, and adorn with sprinkles. Enjoy!

Real Pizza

So we had an appointment with Colton's doctor who retested him for sensitivities. And he actually tested OK for Dairy & Yeast..meaning he could have Dairy & Yeast. I asked the Doctor if his gut had healed enough to now have these things and he said "no, his body is finally balanced enough to be able to handle them". It was an interesting answer as I had not thought of him as out of balance, I though he was just ill. So with a skip in our step we left his office knowing that this news only meant one thing...COLE COULD HAVE REAL PIZZA. It is all he has dreamed about, having pizza. Everytime we looked at ingredients on premade crusts or even box crusts, it always called for yeast or had sugar in it. But now that we can have Yeast this opens new doors. Now the crust still has to be gluten free but the rest just needs to be good quality, non processed ingredients. We found again that Boar's Head meats are the best over the counter, packaged. Sargento Classic Cheese is good quality and he can handle it well. And Schar Gluten Free pizza crusts rock. Just to see him eat normal food and feel satisfied was awesome. We still use the same organic pizza sauce as before.
I've had quite a few people ask me about this doctor he's been seeing. His name is Dr. Von Bergen located downtown McKinney. He is amazing!!!

Recipe of the Day 2 - GFYFCF Gingerbread

1/2 cup of agave nectar
1/4 cup canola oil
2 eggs
1/2 tsp grated orange rind (optional)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sorghum flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1/8 tsp cloves (optional)
1 cup unsweetened applesauce

In a large mixing bowl, combine agave nectar and oil. Beat on high speed until thoroughly blended. After you have mixed the oil and agave, add the eggs, one at a time. Be sure to beat well between additions. Add the orange rind and vanilla and continue to blend together. Set aside.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven 350 degrees, spray 9-inch square pan with non-stick spray and prepare the dry ingredients.
Sift together the dry ingredients.
Add some of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, a little at a time, blending well. Add 1/4 cup of the applesauce, blend, then add more of the dry mixture. Continue until you have added all the ingredients.
Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 20 mins, or until the gingerbread is done. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick and making sure it comes out clean.
Gingerbread freezes well.
**Colton really likes this...said it reminds him of the mini gingerbreads from Jasons Deli

Recipe of the Day 1 - GFYFCF Pepperoni Pizza

1 cup Shredded Mozzarella (Follow Your Heart Vegan Mozzarella)
1 cup Spagetti Sauce (Eden Organic Spagetti sauce)
Boars Head Pepperoni (all Boars Head is gluten free)
1 ball of pizza dough (from Organ Gluten Free/ Pizza-Pastry multimix, do NOT add the yeast). You will want to use Bob's Red Mill gluten free all purpose flour to rub on your hands and on the rolling pin
1 Tbs Olive Oil
Oregano
Sprinkle of cornmeal

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Sprinkle pizza stone with cornmeal.
Roll out pizza Dough to 1/2 inch thickness on top of cornmeal. Brush edges of pizza dough with olive oil and sprinkle with oregano. Top with pizza sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella and top with pepperoni.
Bake for 20 mins at 400 degrees

The Rocky Road

It's been a rocky road, this diet & new lifestyle we've been leading for the past month now. We went into this with tonz of energy and determination. But that slowed as Colton's progress did the same. I guess I kept thinking once we pull these toxins out of him he will day by day get better and better. But I never factored in regression days. I didn't figure the amount of hours each day/week it would take to dedicate to his new diet. Shopping at least 5 days a week at Whole Foods (thank the Lord there is one now in Allen) and Market Street....anywhere there is a half decent organic/gf section. And we didn't even think about the fact that one of the "social gatherings" of our generation, EATING OUT, would have to cease. We had a few set backs thrown in the mix as well. My 7 yr old daughter Cassidy gave him a cracker one day, and he just ate it before he really thought about it (she always shares with him so to her this was no biggie). He ate a peppermint a few weekends back and you would have thought I had given him a sugar injection by his reaction.

Our progress had slowed at a few weeks back. I noticed Colton was really losing weight at his coloring is looking very pale. I was concerned and emailed his doctor about it. Cole can be a pretty stubborn kiddo and if he does not like something, he will go without rather than eating it. The old cliche of "If your child is hungry, he/she will eat" does not really apply to my son. He simply misses his old favorites and was begging to just have some pizza or any of his old favorites. The doctor stressed to me that we get a very balance menu in front of him...all i could think was...SERIOUSLY? Just to get him to try something new is a monumental feat. But we kept trying.

Another setback we had was we stopped his vitamins and supplements a few days before a doctor appointment too, as the doctor wanting to view him with nothing in his system. And WOW did that make a huge, negative difference. He pulled away and was quiet and tired all weekend. He played alone and really didn't interact with anyone much. It was very odd and to be honest, a little scary for John and I to see. After the doc appt he had us start back up with the vitamins and supplements and he snapped out of the fog he was in.

But then, we have a day like today. It started typical....worrying about what to make him for breakfast, stressing that I had to run home from work to cook him a meal for lunch and drive it up to the school, then plan out a dinner for him and figure in the time to cook it from scratch while getting everything else done for the day. I've said it before, but I totally respect Laura Ingalls Wilder! Anyhoo, when I was dropping off his lunch today, his teacher stopped me and told me of some fantastic strides he made today in math class. He finished a lesson before anyone else in the class and turned it in to her. She looked at him skepically b/c Colton NEVER has EVER finished before anyone much less first. For a long time he has struggled with an understanding and application of math. When his teacher looked over his worksheet, she found that he got everything correct! This was huge for my boy who has lived in such a fog that grasping even basic math was frustraing and extremely difficult. He would get it one day, then lose it the next. The blessing in all this was seeing his teacher's reaction to this tiny breakthrough. She was as excited as I was and I love her for that! I walked back to my car with tears in my eyes, got it, locked the doors and cried. It was that tiny news of my boy finishing a worksheet. Something that use to be a herculean chore for him at times. Something that any other parent of an average child would not think even twice about...that made my day, and made me hopeful for what else is to come of this.

I know God is pulling me through this. I see the signs often and need to recognize them more and be thankful for the ups and the downs of this journey. I need to realize that this is a slow process and I need to be patient and just love my sweet kiddo through all this.

I'm thankful too for the women that have been placed in my life during this journey. I have met some amazing new friends who have given me advice and encouragement like I could never have imagined. Women who have walked in my shoes and are walking along with me. God brought each of you into my life and I am so thankful and blessed to have each and every one of you. Oh, and Paiger....you do not even know how much our talks have kept me going through all this, I love you friend and can't imagine riding this rollercoaster withouth you! The only way I can think to repay everyone is to pay it forward. And hopefully I can do so with giving as much information on my journey as possible through this blog and connecting with others dealing with children on the Spectrum. And so I march forward. And so I press on.

Recipe of the Day - GFYFCF Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

2 Ripe Bananas
1/2 cup Natural Peanut Butter (I use Smart Balance All Natural)*
1/2 cup - 1 cup of Almond Milk, original

Blend till smooth

*If you have a peanut allergy, use almond butter (Like Barney Butter's Almond Butter)

**You can find all the ingredients at most grocery stores

In Our House However, We Giggled.

Day 6

So in a typical family, when a note comes home from school and there is a "check" in a box next to talking on a behavior card, they sit down with their child and discuss the situation, figure out how they can do better, and finish the conversation with "now we don't want to see any more of these notes coming home".

....in our house however, we giggled. I don't ever remember a note coming home from school regarding my SON stating "excessive talking". He's our quite one. Our kiddo who sits quietly in class unless spoken too. Who usually misses out on the joke or is too deep in a "daydream" to join in in the clasroom fun. I see this as a baby step. Although the next time we get one of these cards, we will not have the same reaction, at least this time we can smile and say "he's coming back to us...he's coming home".

Recipe of the Day - GFYFCF TORTILLA CHICKEN TENDERS

1 lb organic chicken breasts, cut in strips
1/2 cup Red Mill Gluten Free flour
1/3 cup Tortilla Crumbs (purchased at Central Market-Gluten Free section)
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
Salt & fresh cracked Pepper

Mix flour and tortilla crumbs till combined. Add salt and fresh cracked pepper. Heat oil in a large skilled on medium high. Salt and pepper the chicken strips. Dredge them in the crumb mixture. Saute them 3-4 mins each side, depending on their thickness.
*I made 2 lbs and use the extra in school lunches and for left overs. Even cold it's good. I'm working on a salad dressing now so I can use this chicken in a mexican tossed salad for him

Day 5...PROGRESS!!!

Day 5..PROGRESS!!! I picked up Colton yesterday from school and asked how his day was. He said "fine..I'm hungry!". I said "we'll eat the second we walk in the house. How was class today. Have you felt better, any different?" He said "yes, in Math". I froze and said slowly "how do you feel different in Math?" He said "I can concentrate and finish my worksheets now". I was stunned! My normally quiet boy who rarely ever offers up any details of his day beyond answering "my day was fine", had just described progress! We are not getting too excited but wow! When we got home we gave him homemade popcorn with oil and salt as a snack & decaf Ice Tea, sugarless. He ate his snack, pulled out his folder, and started to work. Again, I WAS STUNNED! He has never pulled out his own schoolwork without multiple prompting. He sat, did his math homework without stopping, and looked up and said "ok mom, can you check this?". I almost didn't know what to say. Usually 1 worksheet would cause stress, confusion, and sometimes tears becuase the math facts would come to his mind, then vanish. He could not hold information in his short term memory long enougth sometimes to get it secured into his longterm memory. He was so frustrated with himself. He has been feeling dumb and defeated. These are baby steps but even these little victories are huge in our world.
Yesterday's meals

Breakfast
Peanut Butter & Banana Smoothie with Rice Milk, original, and agave nectar
Scrambled Eggs, made with pam
Bacon
Apple Sauce with cod liver oil
2 vitamins

Lunch
Organic Tacos, meat and shells only
grapes

Snack
Rest of his Peanut Butter & Banana Smoothie from breakfast
Organic homemade popcorn. Oil, Organic corn, salt (he LOVED this)

Dinner
GFCFYF Chicken Tenders
Sauteed Garlic Green Beans
Corn, with salt and a dash of Rice Milk

The First 4 Days

First 4 days of this diet have been more of a trial and error than a straight detox. Our goal was to detox his body in 10 days of all these substances that have been effecting him. But in our efforts to do so, and to keep him eating things that are as close to what he likes as possible, we found we made some mis-steps, which we are kicking ourselves for. For starters we should not be giving him so much fruit. The sugars allow yeast to grow, so not a good choice. We will be pairing back on this! We also bought a ton of foods at Market Street & Whole Foods that we thought would be fine, but when we got home and REALLY read the label, found that they contained yeast or had "trace" amounts of flour. ARGH!!!! Who knew that link smoked sausage has flour in it????
As for Colton, we are not seeing any major behavioral differences yet. We are seeing small flashes of things like a little bit better eye contact and walking along side us at the zoo without bouncing all over the place. But we still have a long way to go.
This is a lot harder on my husband and I than I thought it would be. Cooking everything from scratch, eating real quickly so Colton can't see us eating something he likes, and thinking constantly about "his next meal". I know this will get easier but WOW! Our daugther is 7 and is heartbroken for her brother that he can't eat "yummy" things, as she puts it. She is very sweet and trys everything I give him and will "oo and Ahh" about how good it all is. She's trying to be super supportive and I love her to death for that!
So here is our first 4 days, the good & the bad....


DAY 1
Breakfast
Strawberry & Banana Smoothie (fresh Strawberries, 2 bananas, Vanilla Almond Milk & Agave Nectar
*in hindsight we should have cut fruit & sweetners out completely the first 4 days....argh!

After School Snack
Peanut Butter & Banana Smoothie (Made with Smart Source Peanut Butter, Bananas, Plain Almond Milk & agave Nectar)

Dinner
Sauteed Tilapia with salt, pepper & red pepper...cole likes spicy things
Green beans, plain with salt & pepper
Natural Apple Sauce w/ 1/2 tsp Arctic D Cod Liver Oil

DAY 2
Breakfast
Scrambled Eggs, used Pam
Bacon
Natural Applesauce w/ 1/2 tsp Arctic D Cod Liver Oil

Lunch
Tacos (Taco Meat made with organic beef, organic spices Chili Powder, Garlic Salt, Cumin) Shells were gluten free. Be Careful here...some shells include flour!
Grapes

Snack
Glass of Almond Vanilla Milk (he thinks this is like a dessert treat)
Shrimp coctail (with NO cocktail sauce)

Dinner
Sauted Tilapia in olive oil, salt, pepper and red pepper
Steamed Broccoli

DAY 3
Breakfast
Scrambled Eggs using Pam
Bacon
Apple Sauce w/ 1/2 tsp Arctic D Cod Liver Oil
Vanilla Almond Milk

Lunch
Tacos again, b/c he asked for it
Left over Tilapia, random...I know

Dinner
Steak, rubbed with olive oil, salt and cracked pepper
Garlic Green Beans, French cut. Saute fresh garlic in olive oil. Toss in green beans, stir on high, then drop temp to low and let cook down for 15 mins.
Vanilla Almond Milk
Natural Apple Sauce w/ 1/2 tsp Arctic D Cod Liver Oil

Dessert
GFCFYF Homemade Pumpkin Pie (recipe to follow) *the whole family loved this!!!

DAY 4
Breakfast
Scrambled Eggs using Pam
Bacon
Grapes
Diced Hash brown potatoes (recipe to follow)
Natural Applesauce w/ 1/2 tsp Arctic D Cod Liver Oil

Lunch
Strawberry & Banana Smoothie with J Rob protien & Stevia

Snack
Pure Organic Wild Blueberry Bar (very yummy. I would eat this on my own)

Dinner
Homemade GFCFYF Chicken Tenders (recipe to follow)
Cut Green Beans with salt & pepper
Corn (steamers with salt & pepper)
Vanilla Almond Milk

A New Chapter in our Families' Life

A dear friend of mine told me tonight I should start a blog so I am jumping in with 2feet. Why the blog? My son was diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder about a year ago which effects the way in which he processes information. It's compared to a traffic jam in the nervous system of his brain. He functions normally most of the time but when it comes to concentration, organization, coordination, he seems to fall short. So I've had a variety of doctors and teaching professionals tell me they think he should be medicated. I've had friends tell me the same. But I always felt that this early in the game, wouldn't that be just a band aid on his problem? What if I could find something that would actually cure the source of the SPD. After much nudging from some great co-workers, I decided to see a specialist who told us Colton had a severe avergance to Gluten, Dairy (Casein), Yeast and Chocolate. He felt that it is effecting his brain causing swelling...which in turn accentuates the symptoms of SPD. He said to take these out of his diet for the next 10 days and this should defiantly help. We were shocked but thrilled that there is actually hope if helping my sweet boy. So now we turn the page to a new chapter in our families life. We are now stepping into our "new normal". A world of no Gluten, wheat, carbs, no Dairy cheese, milk, no Yeast, refined sugars or breads, and no chocolate. So with cutting out so much you would think heck, he can barely eat anything so your food bill is gonna drop. Heck no, it's been 3 days on this and I've spent no less that $125 each visit to Whole Foods/Market Street/Central Market. This is going to be a pricey way of life, but I guess we won't be eating out anymore so it should balance out...right?
All this being said, my friend Andrea said I should do this so I am. I'm going to keep a log with recipes as I step through this. The good, bad and ugly. I have always loved to cook and am happiest at home in my kitchen. So this new path is actually right up my alley. And so it begins......