Chicken Corn Chili

Now that we can have corn, we tried this recipe which was suggested by a friend.  My kids loved the chili and it was perfect with some cornbread crumbled in it.

Chicken Corn Chili

1 T olive oil
1 small onion chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
1 jalapeno chopped
1 4-oz can diced green chiles
1 t cumin
2 cans chicken broth
2 cups shredded chicken
2 15-oz cans of white beans (one rinsed and drained, the other undrained)
1 cup frozen corn unthawed
salt and pepper to taste
cilantro to garnish

Head the olive oil in large pot and saute the onion.  Add garlic, jalapeno, green chiles, and cumin and cook for about 2 minutes.  Add  the chicken broth, chicken, and beans.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and simmer until thickened (about 15 minutes).  Mash the chili until about half of the beans are broken up.  Stir in corn and salt and pepper.  Add cilantro and serve with corn bread.

So quick and so easy for a winter dinner!

Sickness

Usually our concern with Bee is the allergies and her reactions.  Every once in a while she gets sick with something else.  It's so strange!  We forget that she is normal and can actually get sick with things other than allergic reactions.  However, Bee has a monster immune system and is rarely sick.  Tiger and Curly might be down and out but Bee is usually still going.  The other week all the kids were down and out with a virus and things were not fun at our house.  Here's our poor sick crew............who were all well in time Thanksgiving celebrations.  Another thing to be thankful for!!

Allergy Free Cornbread Dressing

For Thanksgiving I made cornbread dressing, just like my grandma makes.  Well.......almost like my grandma makes.  I didn't want to post the recipe before Thanksgiving because I wanted to make sure everything would turn out.  Thankfully, it did!  Yet another thing to be thankful for! 

Cornbread dressing
14 slices of gluten free bread (I used the entire loaf of this bread recipe)
2 recipes of your favorite cornbread-minus any sugar that the recipe calls for  (I use the recipe found in this cookbook)
1 onion, diced
4 stalks of celery, diced
3 cans chicken broth
sage
1 1/2 teaspoons egg replacer mixed with 2 T rice milk

Slice your GF bread and lay out on a baking sheet the night before in order to let the bread dry out.

Put a small amount of water in a sauce pan-just enough to fully cover the bottom of the pan with 1/2 of water.  Put diced onion and celery in pan and simmer for 15 minutes.

Crumble your bread and your cornbread and mix together. 

Stir in the onion, celery, and water mixture.  Add 3 cans chicken broth.  (Now, you might need to add a little more or a little less, depending on the bread and cornbread recipe that you use.)  The mixture should be very moist without becoming too soupy.  Then add sage.  I used almost 1/2 a small bottle of rubbed sage.  You will need to add and taste.  We like a lot of sage in ours!  Once the dressing has the right amount of sage and is a good consistency, add in the egg replacer.

Pour dressing into a greased 9x13 baking dish and bake covered at 325 for an hour. 

Now to Apologize

Thank you so much for inviting us!  In order for us to be able to participate we must wipe down the tables, clean the chairs, wipe the other children's hands, allow no food or drink, bring our own snacks, and ask that no pets be allowed near us.  

I realize that it's more trouble than it's worth to invite us to participate in anything-whether it be a birthday party or a Sunday school class or a simple playdate.  If we want to go, I have to lay the ground rules for our participation.  If our parameters aren't met, then we can't participate.  Everyone has to bend over backward to be able to include us.  I step on toes.  I offend people (usually unintentionally....).  I come with lists, medicines, requirements, and with a lot of worry and fear.

Sometimes I think people cringe when they see us coming or know that we're also invited.

I walk around with the stigma of the allergy mom.  We have allergies and everyone knows it.  I find myself having at least one allergy discussion every. single. day.  I'm either explaining our allergies, talking about resources, or answering someone else's questions about their symptoms.  I absolutely cannot escape from it.  And if you're anywhere near me, you can't escape from it either.

So, this is to apologize.  I'm sorry for being the never-ending food allergy network.  I'm sorry for all the seemingly ridiculous precautions and safety measures.  I'm sorry for all the hoops you must jump through if you are crazy enough to invite us to something.  I'm sorry that we make things that much more complicated.

But I so appreciate those that take the time to understand and to help.  We appreciate being included and we try to make it as simple as possible.  I hope you're able to put yourself in our shoes and ask yourself how you would cope in our situation.  And, I'll try to put myself in your shoes and know that it is really difficult and frustrating.

I get tired of the allergy life.  You get tired of hearing about it.  But I hope that our story and what we've learned along the way can help others.  Now, that's something I don't have to apologize for!

Divvies and Allergy Free

Here's a new brand to try........I've heard their chocolate chips are really yummy! 

The cookies look awesome too.  If only they were gluten free!  But they are dairy and nut free for those who can't have those two allergens.

Allergen Free Cookies in the Fridge!

Hello!  These are yummy!  What a fun treat when I don't feel like baking!  Keep them in the fridge, warm slightly right before eating, and enjoy.  We sampled a few of the flavors.  The kids all approved!

Allergies and the Grocery Store

Baby Bee cannot go to the grocery store.

Hmmmm.....I'm trying to decide if this is a good thing or a bad thing.  On one hand, I can sweet talk my hubby into going by himself or letting me go by myself.  Shopping without all 4 kids in tow is much much easier.  On the other hand, our avoidance of the grocery store is really inconvenient, especially when I only need a few things or when they kids actually want to go too.  (Yes, my kids think the grocery store is fun.  It must be the shopping carts with the steering wheels).

No matter how well I wipe down the carts, Bee breaks out each time we grocery shop.  I really shouldn't be surprised since she can't eat half of what's in that stupid store.

But, can our life not be normal in just one way?  Please??

So, for now I'm going to avoid all grocery stores if Bee is along.  You would think this would be a great excuse to get out of cooking and eat out.  No, not so much for us.  Restaurants are just as scary as grocery stores.  Some days I just don't want to even leave the house.....

Field Trip and Hives

We took a fun family field trip to the King Tut exhibit at a nearby museum.  We recently studied Egypt in our homeschool, so it was the perfect exhibit.  Daddy even came along.

We took 4 small children-5 years old and under-to the museum of fine art to walk through an exhibit.  Are we nuts or what???

Well, the kids did wonderfully.  Ladybug hung out on my hip in a sling.  Baby Bee was carried around by Daddy.  Tiger and Curly enjoyed wandering through the exhibit-for an hour and a half!  I was so thankful that we had no melt downs and no touching or climbing.  I could see the security guards tense as we walked into the room.  But not to fear!  My kids behaved.  Hooray!

Our only field trip problem had to do with Harrison Ford.  Yes, Indiana Jones.  He always looks so grungy and grimy in the movies.  Well, he's a potential allergen.  Bee is allergic to Harrison Ford.

He was the lovely narrator on the audio tour.  We ended up with 3 little speakers and the kids had more fun pushing buttons and listening to Indiana Jones take them through the exhibit.  He talked about pyramids, statues, and coffins.  And he made Bee break out in hives along one side of her face.

Something on that dumb little audio guide gave Bee hives.  Was it the cleaning solution?  Was it the dairy-breath of the person who used the guide before us?  I'm blaming Harrison Ford.  Maybe he should stop hunting for Holy Grails, or put down the gun, or get off the airplane, and just take a bath.

Thankfully, a little Cortizone cleared up Bee before things got out of hand.  But I did have to wrestle the audio guide away from her.  No more Harrison Ford!

Dairy Free Peppermint Frosting

Peppermint Frosting

This is my favorite frosting for the Christmas season.  I love peppermint and this icing has just enough mint flavor.  It is wonderful on chocolate cupcakes!

2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1/8 teaspoon mint extract
2 Tablespoons rice milk
12-16 hard peppermint candies crushed

Blend the shortening.  Add the powdered sugar and mint extract and mix well.  Slowly add in the rice milk until the frosting is the desired consistency.  Fold in the crushed candies.

Allergy Free Chocolate Cupcakes

Chocolate Cupcakes

How can you argue with a chocolate cupcake?  These are wonderful with any frosting but we love them with peppermint frosting (recipe to follow tomorrow)!

1 cup packed brown sugar

6 Tablespoons Earth Balance Spread

3 teaspoons egg replacer mixed with 2 Tablespoons rice milk

1 1/4 cup GF flour blend

1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup rice milk with 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice stirred in

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream Earth Balance Spread and brown sugar.  Add egg replacer.  Whisk together flour blend through salt in a separate bowl.  Add flour mixture to creamed mixture, alternating with rice milk.  Then add vanilla.

Pour into 18 greased muffin cups.  Bake at 350 for 18 minutes or until cupcakes spring back slightly when touched.  Cool in pan for 10 minutes and then turn out on a wire rack.  Frost when cool.

Here they are with some peppermint frosting........so yummy!

Food Allergies and Church

We have recently been attending a new church and have discovered something very refreshing-a group of people who are very accommodating of our food allergies and have been so gracious to make changes to allow us to attend safely.

Baby Bee is attending AWANA and this is the first time she has been in activity without mom or dad.  Of course, we're still in the building and not far away, but she is able to do an independent activity.

The children's minister in this church approached us one evening when we brought Tiger and Curly for AWANA.  She recognized us from my blog which another mom had forwarded her.  She had read about Bee and felt sure that the church could make some adjustments so that Bee could attend as well.  She was very proactive in talking with me and implemented some immediate changes.  Snack was eliminated from Bee's class and notes were sent home to the parents to ask them to refrain from bringing food into the classroom.

We met with Bee's teachers and explained about her allergies and our action plan.  The lead teacher took notes and posted a sheet with Bee's information in the classroom.  The church also updated their pager system so that Bee could be listed with a pager number.  When she's in her classroom, we carry a pager with us in case we need to be notified of a problem.  

Bee started AWANA the next week.  She hasn't had any problems and she's loving her class.  We feel comfortable leaving her because the staff is informed about her allergies and they are proactive in protecting her.  It is possible to make this work!  All it takes is some proactive people who are understanding, sympathetic, and dedicated to educating themselves about Bee and about food allergies.

However, let's be honest.....each week I'm a little nervous during the entire class time.  Will I never get over the worry?  Probably not.........But Bee sure isn't worried.  She heads into class and waves bye to us.  I don't think she even misses me.  Little independent one!!

Allergen-Free Raspberry Swirl Bread

Raspberry Swirl Bread

Here's another breakfast or snack option.  A quick bread with a hint of lemon and raspberry that was a hit with my kiddos.  

1 1/2 cups GF Flour Blend
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup Earth Balance Spread
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 teaspoons egg replacer mixed with 4 Tablespoons rice milk
1 container plain coconut yogurt
raspberry jam

Cream Earth Balance Spread and sugar.  Add lemon zest, vanilla, and egg replacer.  Mix well.  Combine flour through salt in separate bowl.  Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture, alternating with yogurt.
Pour half of batter into greased loaf pan.  (I used mini loaves for mine.)  Use about 12 teaspoons of jam (or 3 teaspoons per small loaf pan).  Then spread the other half of the batter on the top.
Bake at 350 for 55 minutes (or 20 minutes for small loaves).  Cool for 10 minutes in pan and then turn out onto wire rack.

You could also add a glaze on the top.

Glaze
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/8 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoons rice milk

Whisk together and drizzle over top of loaves.

Baby Bee Update

It's time for a Baby Bee Update!
Bee is 2 1/2!  Well, she was on October 11.  And the girl is growing!  We're on the growth chart and tracking up it steadily.  She's even wearing 3T (and some 4T) clothes!

She can almost count to 20.
She knows several of her letters.
She loves to paint.
She speaks in complex sentences.
She has a quirky sense of humor.
She is stubborn......oh so stubborn!
She can throw a mean little tantrum.
She can also throw a mean punch-directed toward her siblings.
She follows her big sister and brother wherever they go.
She loves her big girl bed.
She loves taking care of her babies.
She is a great caretaker and is so compassionate.
She is quick to apologize and give hugs.
I think she might be part monkey-she climbs everything!
She loves to play hide and seek.
She loves to play on the big piano.
She loves to spin and twirl and dance.
She sings everywhere she goes.
She lives up to her middle name..........Joy.


Sweet Baby Bee!  She is growing up!

Dairy Free Cream of Chicken Soup

How many recipes call for condensed soup?  We can't have it and it's not a healthy option.  So, we make our own.  This soup recipe would make enough to replace about 2 cans of cream of chicken soup in a recipe.  Or, you could add rice milk or additional chicken broth and eat it as a creamy simple soup-especially if you add some diced chicken.

Cream of Chicken
2 cups chicken broth
2 small potatoes, peeled and diced
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup celery leaves
salt and pepper to taste

Combine ingredients and bring to boil.  Turn down and cover.  Let simmer for 25-30 minutes.  Pour in blender and liquify.

Wild Rice

We can have rice here.  But rice can get old.  Then I thought of wild rice!  Something new, some variety!  We can't have any of the boxed stuff....and really who wants that stuff?  It has some strange ingredients.  So, we made our own!  Yummy!

We used Lundberg Wild Blend Rice.

Wild Rice

1 teaspoon minced onion flakes
1/2 teaspoon parsley
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cups chicken broth
1 cup rice blend
1 Tablespoon Earth Balance Spread

Cook rice in chicken broth with Earth Balance Spread.  Cover pot and simmer on low for 30 minutes.  Add spices and cook an additional 15 minutes or until rice is soft and fluffy.

Bee's New Pastime

Bee has a new favorite pastime...climbing counters to see what everyone is doing.  She has to be in the middle of the action.  She totes around the bathroom step stools to each room so she can get a better view.  The room where I find her the most?  The kitchen!  She has broken several dishes with her new step stool tricks but she is enjoying helping out in meal prep.  And it's a great feeling that she can help with all the meals since they are all safe for her.  The girl's going to have to learn to cook if she wants to eat, so I guess it's never too early to begin!

Compassion

My kids get daily lessons in compassion.  They often have to put Bee's needs before their own, even though I work hard to make life as normal and stress-free as possible for them.  The kids are wonderful at stepping up when Bee is having a reaction and I need their help.  They pitch in and obey without complaint.  They are her best comforts when she doesn't feel well.  Even though I hate that their activities are sometimes interrupted, I know that the compassion they are learning will take them far.

Here's Curly taking care of Bee on a day when Bee isn't feeling well. 

Pumpkin Scones with Maple Nutmeg Icing

Here's a recipe from the Gluten Free Goddess.  If you haven't check out her site, you should.  Many of her recipes are easily adaptable for special diets.  This one was perfect for a crisp fall morning.  We don't really get much "crispness" in our fall air down here in Texas, but when I bake with pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg, I can pretend.

Pumpkin Scones with Maple Nutmeg Icing

1 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup millet flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
4 Tablespoons brown sugar
7 Tablespoons shortening
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1 1/2 teaspoons egg replacer mixed with 2 Tablespoons milk
3 teaspoons maple syrup
3 Tablespoons rice milk whisked with 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice

Mix dry ingredients in blender with wire whisk.  Add shortening and whisk again until mixture is fine and crumbly.  Add in wet ingredients and blend with standard beater briefly until just combined.  Form into a disk about the size of a pie pan.  Cut into 6 slices.  Place on parchment covered cookie sheet.  Brush with rice milk.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.  (Or divide batter into 2 smaller disks and cut each into 6 pieces for a total of 12 small scones)
Remove and let cool slightly.

Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon rice milk
pinch of nutmeg

Whisk ingredients together and drizzle over warm scones.  Serve immediately.

New Family Pics

We had some new family pictures done!  Finally!  How Bee has grown.........

The Potty Train

After several weeks of having a small potty and a roll of toilet paper in my kitchen, we did it!  Bee is potty trained.  Our little stubborn girl finally decided she was done with diapers, and once her mind was made up, she did the rest herself.  Curly and Tiger were great helpers and so were the sticker charts and stuffed animals used for bribery.  We're back to only one in diapers!

Allergy Free Soft Ginger Cookies

Ginger Cookies

And I'm back with more gingerbread things.  I love ginger snaps but my kids hate the crunch.  So these are my chewy ginger snaps.......is there such a thing?

And I usually double this recipe because there are never enough for my crew.

1/4 cup shortening

1/4 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

2 Tablespoons molasses

1 1/2 Tablespoons plain applesauce

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup gluten free flour mix (4 cups rice flour, 1 1/3 cup potato starch, 2/3 cup tapioca flour)

1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Cream shortening and sugar until smooth.  Add brown sugar through vanilla.  Mix well.  

In separate bowl, whisk dry ingredients.  Slowly add flour mixture to wet mixture.  Blend until well combined.

Place dough in fridge for 30 minutes.  Remove and roll dough into small balls.  Roll in sugar and place on parchment lined cookie sheet.  

Bake at 350 for 14 minutes until cookies crack.  Cool on cookie sheets for 10 minutes and then remove to wire racks.

Food Allergies and Forgetfulness

Sometimes I realize that I'm insensitive to others' forgetfulness where food allergies are concerned.  It can rub me the wrong way when someone offers my kids a treat-just after we've had a discussion about the allergies.  Sometimes they catch themselves and sometimes I have to gently remind them that my kids can't have any.  Either way, I'm the bad guy each time.

I never forget about the food allergies.  I can smell goldfish crackers or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches from a mile away.  And getting a little off-topic, someone even noticed my abilities at a library story time last month.  My friend mentioned that one of her friends had been to the local story time.  She was feeding her son a PB&J sandwich in the library.  She had overheard another mom asking a friend if that friend also smelled a peanut butter sandwich.  That mom was me.  I began hunting for the child who was eating so I could make sure we stayed far away from his snack.  The mom even heard us leave.  I felt terrible but I can't take chances.  Maybe she'll be more aware about snacks in the future, especially eating in the library, which I thought would be a safe place for us.

The allergies are always at the forefront of my thoughts.  But I'm going to have to be understanding that most of the world lives in the blissdom of not having to worry about every snack food.  Maybe I can learn to be compassionate of their misunderstandings and their forgetfulness.  But talking about the allergies, the constant reminders, does get so tiresome.  Bee is worth it though.

The Little Pixie

Fries in a Bag

Here are some little snacks the kids enjoy.  Allergy-free for Bee and good for when Prince Charming doesn't feel like making homemade fries.  This flavor (Sea Salt) is the only one that is safe for us. 

Gluten Free Sandwich Bread

I have found a new favorite bread recipe!  My mom emailed me the link from WebMD of a gluten free bread which was originally posted on Foodily.  I finally had the chance to try it out and it is perfect for sandwiches.  The texture is light and chewy which is perfect for my young crew.  The kids gave it a two thumbs up and asked me to make it again.  It made for some awesome cinnamon toast!

Gluten Free Sandwich Bread

2/3 cup sorghum flour
1/3 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup millet flour
1 cup potato starch
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons egg replacer
1 packet of rapid yeast
1 1/4 cups water + plain hemp milk or plain rice milk (I used rice and used 1 cup water with 1/4 cup rice milk)
pinch of sugar
4 Tablespoons olive oil
3 Tablespoons honey or agave
1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

Proof the yeast and sugar in the warm water/milk.  Add the dry ingredients to the yeast and mix well.  Add olive oil, honey/agave, and lemon juice.  Beat until a smooth batter forms.
Pour into greased bread pan and bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes.  Bread will sound hollow when done.  Cool in pan for 10 minutes and then turn out onto cooling rack.  Slice when cool.

Allergy Free Halloween

So, how do we handle Halloween?  We have to be SO careful, and we provide our own treats.  We decided to go to our church's trunk-or-treat this year.  I contacted the children's minister and we talked about our options.  We decided that I would make a treat bag for each trunk.  That way, the individuals working at each trunk could hand us our own treat bag and know that it was safe and had not been mixed with the other candy.  So, we can dress up, play games, and get candy that I provided.  Yes, we rig Halloween.  We're parents.  Not only are we Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy.  We are what?  The ghosts of Halloween candy?  Oh well, it works for us.  The hour I spent making 30 treat bags will pay off!

UNLESS...........we get sick and can't go.  But we did have a great plan! 

Instead, Daddy hid in the house with candy and the kids took glow sticks and searched through the dark to find him.  He scared them good a few times, and they enjoyed their hunt.  Then they sat down and ate a few sweet tarts and went to bed. 

At least we have some good ideas for next year!

Dairy Free Pumpkin Buttercream

Dairy Free Pumpkin Buttercream

This icing is perfect for autumn and is wonderful on chocolate or gingerbread cakes or cookies.  This recipe makes enough for 12 cupcakes so be sure to double if you're making a large layer cake or a bigger batch of cupcakes.

1/2 cup shortening

1/4 cup pumpkin

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

4 cups powdered sugar

Cream shortening, pumpkin, and spices.  Slowly add powdered sugar until well blended. 

Allergy Free Gingerbread Cupcakes

Gingerbread Cupcakes

Gingerbread is a favorite of mine and I want gingerbread everything in the fall.  So, how about some cupcakes?

1 1/4 cup flour blend (4 cups rice flour, 1 1/3 cup potato starch, 2/3 cup tapioca flour)
1 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons Earth Balance Spread
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup molassses
1 1/2 teaspoon egg replacer mixed with 2 Tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup boiling water

Mix dry ingredients well.  In separate bowl, cream the Earth Balance Spread with the sugar and beat until smooth.  Beat in molasses and egg replacer.  In a measuring cup, combine the boiling water and baking soda and mix well.  Add the baking soda/water mixture to the wet ingredients and blend.  Add the flour mixture and blend well.  Pour into 12 greased muffin tins.  Bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes.

 Curly helped drizzle in the molasses

 Tiger thought the fizzing of the baking soda when combined with the water was better than a science experiment

Ice with your favorite frosting or my Pumpkin Buttercream frosting.......recipe coming soon!

Or, eat them without frosting-they don't even really need it!