an unexpected rite of passage & roots

I was kinda giggly (well, almost) tonite. See, I was making the first birthday treat for G-Man to take to daycare! I WAS MAKING A BIRTHDAY TREAT FOR MY SON! Ya, it totally took me by surprise how big of a deal this was to me. Naturally, they are gluten free cupcakes too. Unfortunately, they are not dairy or egg free (or sugar free) so poor boy gets to bring them to daycare, share them with his friends and he doesn't get any. I don't even want him playing with one. He will have a truly gluten free, dairy free, egg free one to demolish at his party this weekend though...

I was such a "mom" tonite too. I made more baby food and prepped what looks to be a great soup for dinner tomorrow. I have really been into root veggies lately and they are just so delish! Next time you are at the grocery store, treat yourself to the carrots that are not peeled and cut up. Get a bag of carrots, they way they look when they come outta the ground. Then take them home, cut off the tops and scrub them with a kitchen scrubbie. Don't peel them, just eat them! You will be amazed at how good they taste! The baby carrots that are already peeled and everything taste almost sterile in comparison. And it really is no time at all to lop off the tops and wash them. Then, pick up a bunch of beets. Ya, that's one of the foods I made for G-Man tonite too. He loves 'em! Be sure to pick up the smaller beets, they are yummier. Peel them, cut into smaller pieces, and boil until they are soft. Then enjoy! Yum!!! So, back to my root veggie thing...when I saw this in the grocery store I didn't think twice! I washed and chopped everything up tonite so it's a matter of sauteeing with some onion, oil and garlic then adding some veggie broth and simmering. Yum! Talk about an easy, wayyy healthy dinner!

Martha Stewart's got nothin' on me!

I found a recipe on http://www.epicurious.com/ tonite and had most everything on hand. I did make a few modifications to it though...just because I felt like it!

Wild Rice and Squash Pilaf (original recipe)

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 cup chopped onion

• 1/2 cup chopped peeled carrot

• 1 tablespoon minced peeled ginger

• 1 tablespoon curry powder

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1 garlic clove, minced

• 3 cups 1/2-inch cubes peeled seeded butternut squash

• 1 cup wild rice

• 1 cup long-grain brown rice

• 1 Fuji apple, peeled, cored, diced

• 1 cinnamon stick

• 3 3/4 cups water

• 2 teaspoons salt

• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

Method: Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and carrot; sauté 5 minutes. Add ginger, curry powder, cumin, and garlic; stir 1 minute. Stir in squash and next 4 ingredients. Add 3 3/4 cups water and salt. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until water is absorbed and rice is tender, about 45 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in cranberries. Cover; let stand until cranberries soften, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand uncovered at room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap; rewarm in microwave.)

My modifications:

• replace curry powder with red curry paste (because it’s what I had on hand)

• leave out cumin (I was out)

• replace 1 cup wild rice with 1 cup red quinoa

• used 1 cup already cooked (leftover) brown rice

• reduce water to 3 cups

• use dried cinnamon (again, it’s what I had on hand)

• left out cranberries (hubby doesn’t care for them)

I still think it was a little sweet, the next time I make it I will reduce the cinnamon drastically and probably the onion by half. I will be sure to add the cumin, I think that will make a difference. By substituting quinoa for wild rice you actually get 18 additional grams of protein! You can find quinoa in the health foods or organic section at most grocery stores. (quinoa pronounced keen-wa) All in all though, it was good, vegan and gluten free! (bonus!)

Avocado Part II

I think it went much better the second time around! My little G-Man actually ate at least 6 small spoons of the fresh mashed (and slightly watered down) avocado this morning. He has been coughing a lot more than normal this afternoon, I am wondering if it's a more dramatic cough for fun or if his throat feels funny and there is a food sensitivity there. I had a brief period of my life where eating an avocado would cause my throat to swell and my lips too. It was funny until it got to be hard to breathe. So, we'll be carefully watching for any other food sensitivity signs.

The dear hubby and I were talking about food sensitivities, how the body reacts by engaging your immune system and things like that. Going by the list of physical symptoms of food sensitivities, and looking at childhood pictures of my hubby he had A LOT of food sensitivity issues. He says that looking back, he completely believes it too. Then, when K was 12 or 13 years old he was diagnosed with type I diabetes. Unlike Type II, type I is an autoimmune disorder. Basically, your body's immune system decides to attack the body and for him, the pancreas (which produces insulin) was attacked and killed. We were speculating about the relation to food sensitivities and how his immune system was already freaking out, then he got the flu and right after that, type I diabetes. The docs have thought for years that it was something related to the flu that caused his immune system to flip out and attack the pancreas. Now we are wondering if the food sensitivities contributed to that. For those reasons we are following a naturopathic doctor recommended hypoallergenic food introduction method. We are optimistic that G-Man will have a healthy relationship with food (soooo important!) and that his body will work optimally, providing him with a long, healthy life!

If you are wondering about food sensitivities, check out the Alcat test.

Avocado is NOT a hit.

My little G-Man tried his first food today. He is not thrilled with it, there was some gagging and spitting, but we did get him to at least try a few spoonfulls of pureed, fresh avocado. We'll try again on Tuesday. One food at a time, for a few days just to be sure there are no food sensitivities. Even gagging my baby is sooo cute!

Yummy gluten-free, dairy free sweet zucchini cake!

I made this for a friend's birthday party and was happily shocked to hear so many people ask for the recipe; and not in a polite "um, ya can I have the recipe" as they roll their eyes kinda way. A genuine, "wow! This is great! I love zucchini bread and this is a treat! You *have* to give me the recipe!" So, here it is...
Sweet Zucchini Quinoa (keen-wa) Cake

You can make an egg-free version of the recipe by replacing the eggs with flax-gel. The texture will be denser and heavier but it will taste just as good.

Enjoy this cake plain, garnished with fresh berries or dusted with powdered sugar.
· 2.5 cups all purpose gluten free flour blend (available at Cub, one brand is Bob’s Red mill)
· 1 cup quinoa flakes
· 2 teaspoons xanthan gum
· 2 teaspoons baking powder
· 1 teaspoon baking soda
· ½ teaspoon salt
· 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
· ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg (fresh if possible)
· 1 ½ sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter or dairy-free butter spread, room temperature
· 1 ½ cups light brown sugar, packed
· 3 large eggs or flax gel
· 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
· ¾ cup low fat buttermilk, vanilla soy milk, or vanilla rice milk (or milk of choice)
· 2 cups finely grated zucchini

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease a 10 or 12 cup bundt cake pan.
2. In medium bowl, combine flour, quinoa flakes, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda salt and spices. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter until fluffy. Add brown sugar and beat until mixture is light and fluffy. Add eggs or flax gel, one at a time, mixing well after each one. Add vanilla and beat to combine.
4. On low speed, beat dry ingredients into butter mixture, alternating with buttermilk and ending with dry. Fold in zucchini. Batter will be thick as additional moisture comes from the zucchini as it bakes.
5. Spoon batter into prepared pan, smoothing it out to fill all crevices in the pan. Place in preheated oven and bake for 65-75 minutes or until golden and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes and then invert onto a serving plate and cool completely.
Serves 12. Each serving contains 355 calories, 13g total fat, 8g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 84mg cholesterol, 345mg sodium, 55g carbohydrates, 1g fiber, 4g protein. Recipe by Beth Hillson and featured in Living Without magazine August/September 2009 issue. www.livingwithout.com

Another dietary challenge

So, it was a good thing several months ago that I found out I had that fibroid tumor on my uterus. I learned a whole new way to eat (read, healthier!), and more importantly, I learned that I *do* have self control despite hearing chocolate and ooey-gooey treats calling my name.

I have been having GI issues for 4 or 5 years. I even went thru a colonoscopy 2 years ago and all sorts of testing to find out what was wrong. Unfortunately, everything just came back with slightly elevated white blood cell counts. But no one was able to tell me why. My body was fighting something, but no one could tell me what. I have been afraid of what that could do to my body in the long run. What is going to wear out or age or get diseased because of years of high white cell counts?

Now, poor little G-Man is having issues with my breastmilk. So, at the recommendation of my chiropractor and friend Val, I had some food sensitivity testing done. The stuff I am eating isn't enough to cause hives or an anaphalactic reaction, but my body doesn't like it. This is going to be a big new challenge for me....check out the stuff I need to stop eating:

• dairy


• eggs


• yeast


• all sugar derived from sugar cane


• honey

Ya, that's it. :-) I am determined to be healthy and feel healthy and also to give the best nutrition to my son so it's back to the dining room table for 9 weeks of menu planning and grocery list making. After 9 weeks we re-evaluate my health and G-Man's to see if eliminating these things makes enough of a difference.

K was a sweetheart and within an hour of getting home and hearing about the test results he already found a cookbook on Amazon for me! Isn't he the best?! I am a lucky woman! This one is also in my shopping cart. Wish me luck!