Sami got hives last night. I had a snickers bar. He got red blotches all over his face and then after a couple of hours it faded to a few spots. He also got VERY congested and a little wheezy. He's got a cold right now so it could be from that, but the congested wheezing went away same time as the hives. Don't worry I had the car keys, epi pens and cell phone on standby, but it never got that bad. Poor guy. Bad mommy. I shouldn't have eaten peanuts. He seems fine today though. Oh well add it to the list.

Just made the appt to meet with the allergist again. Fingers crossed we have some stuff fall off. Corn would be ideal. Actually it would be heaven. I want to also talk to him about the flea bite reaction. I wonder if there is any kind of a test for fleas. Plus I want to know if the cats one is worse.

I dunno. Maybe it will all be the same. Maybe we will have some good news. Knowing us it will be at least some that is worse. Blah.

Made it through the holidays without a single reaction. Yay us! We were prepared and did very well! Even had dinner out twice!!!! I'm so proud of us. We've come a long way in the past 12 months. It was this time last year that Gabe had his first reaction to a peanut butter sandwich. Last year for the holidays we still let him eat anything he wanted to......wow. That was only a year ago. Life sure has changed since then. I'm proud of how well he has done with it. And of myself for rising to the occasion. I'm certainly not perfect, but I think we've done pretty well. :)

I attempted the sugar tree last night. Yea I didn't give it enough time to cool and it fell apart so now I have sugar candy for the boys! LOL




AND!!!! I made Banana bread!!!! MMMMMMMMM!



Banana Bread 1/3 cup of butter 3/4 cup of sugar 2 bananas sliced 1/4 cup applesauce 2cups sifted rice flour 1/2 tsp cream of tartar 3/4 tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt 3/4 cup buttermilk 1 tsp vanilla

Cream together butter, sugar, and bananas. Add applesauce and beat until well blended.combine dry ingredients and gently stir into butter mixture alternately with liquid ingredients. Turn mixture into loaf pan which has been greased. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hr. (8"x4"x3")

I subbed baking soda and cream of tartar for the baking powder for the first time! It still rose well. I did 2 parts tartar per 1 part soda :)

I'm making this tonight! Oohhhh yea! It's gonna be cool!

http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/allergy-free-sugar-sculpture-Christmas-tree.php

A win
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/22/business/22food.html?_r=2&hp

A Major fail
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-allergic-death-cps-1221-20101220,0,6938627.story

It's great that the FDA Will have the power to do more to keep our food safe. SOOO damn sad that a child lost their life because of stupid laws!!! The school didn't have the right to give her an epi pen!!! What if there is no time to look up records?! What if it's a kids first ana reaction!!!!? Epi pens should be in the classrooms, nurses offices and cafeteria of all schools!!!! CT passed a law for this pretty recently, but there are still so many states who haven't. A preventable death. So tragic. Praying for her family tonight.

vanilla

Okay so I'm going to admit I still use store bought vanilla. Gabe seems to do ok with it, but I would like to try cutting it out. Sooo curtesy of AnneMarie

3 vanilla beans 1 cup or so of potato vodka and use a mason jelly jar cut the beans in half so they will fit in the jar and then slice the beans in half length wise, leaving about an inch of the top bean intact, so its not completly sliced in half toss them in the jar, pour in the vodka (add more if you need to so it covers slices of the beans)throw the lid on and let it sit for 8 weeks in a cool dark cupboard, shaking it every so often and then top off with more vodka as you use it up. Can go for at least 6 months on the same beans :)

So excited to do this!

holiday cookies!

Just altered a ginger cookie recipe on the fly. Still waiting for them to cool to see if they are going to hold together, but they are YUMMY!

4.5 cups rice flour
1.5ts cinnamon
2 ts ginger
2 ts nutmeg
1/4 ts salt
2 ts baking soda
1 ts ground cloves
1.5 cups butter soft
2 cups sugar plus more sugar to roll cookies in
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup applesauce

Mix flour, ginger, cloves, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. In another bowl mix butter with mixer for about a minute til creamed. Add 2 cups sugar then applesauce and honey. Then mix in flour mixture. Roll in 1in balls and place on cookie sheet at least 2 in apart. Bake at 375 for about 11 minutes til nicely browned. Let cool totally. Enjoy!

Fudge turned out YUMMY!!!!!!!!!

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/video/26123295/detail.html

A good segment done on food allergies!!!! I guess there are 4 or more parts. This is just the first one and only one I've gotten to watch yet. It's good though. I LOVE how they explain that there are no shots and how bloodwork and spt don't give definate answers. I'm also really jealous that the allergist on the this does peanut challenges!!!!!

Right now I am making another batch of sour cream. OMG so yummy! AND homemade condensed milk.

Here's the recipe I found for condensed milk.
Ingredients
6 cups nonfat milk
5 tablespoons sugar
Directions
In heavy saucepan pour milk and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in sugar and continue simmering 10 to 15 minutes, or until milk has reduced to 3 cups. Strain. Milk can be refrigerated for up to one week (I had to do it for a lot longer)


Why am I making condensed milk you ask? Why to make homemade Gabe ok fudge for the holidays of course!!!! LOL!

Ingredients
3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk (1 1/3 cups homemade)
1/4 cup butter

Directions
1.Place chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, and butter or margarine in large microwaveable bowl. Zap in microwave on medium until chips are melted, about 3-5 minute, stirring once or twice during cooking. 2.Pour into well-greased 8x8-inch glass baking dish. Refrigerate until set

Poor Gabe

He reacted to something. I think it was starting before he ate sunbutter, but I'm not 100% sure.

It started so fast! Thank God benadryl took care of it. I'm gonna check him for bug bites after nap because he has a similar looking rash the othe day that I thought from laying on our bed (cats sleep there).

Cool Find!

Kerry on my FB sent me to this company!

http://coconutbliss.com/coconut-bliss-products/naked-coconut-bars

GABE CAN HAVE IT!!!!! So cool!

Sour Cream

Oh my goodness!!!!!!!!

So good! It is super thick and soooo yummy! In honor of it I'm making salsa chicken tonight. Chicken and salsa baked in a foil packet then topped with sour cream. :)

Off to figure out how to make salsa!

Juice

The other day I got a juicer from freecycle.com (love it) I looked it up, it's a 220.00 machine. :O So today I went and bought about 11 bucks worth of fruit. Ended up with 6 apples, 3 kiwi, 1 avacado, 2 pears, 2 bananas, and 1 mango. (oh I also added a little bit of pinapple juice I had leftover from a can of pinapples) Peeled and chopped it all up and ran it through. It took a while (of course I took my time to ensure I didn't loose a finger in front of the kids) and I ended up with only 1/4 a pitcher of juice!!! Plus a big gulp sized cup of slush. Now the juice is awesome!!!!! But just not cost efficient. But then I realized that if I run the slush through a cheese cloth to get out the kiwi seeds I'll have the PERFECT fruit puree to make ice cream with!!!!! So that makes the cost better. Or I could add milk and make a smoothie and that makes it even better cost wise.









So the verdict is that the juice is great and I know it's totally safe for Gabe! But it's very expensive. Next time I'll wait for the fruit to be in season so it's cheaper and I'll go to the farmers market and see if I can get a deal buying bruised fruit :) See if that can cut costsin half. And next time I probably won't use avacado. It tastes great, but it doesn't blend all the way and makes the juice have tiny chunks.

New release

http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/foodAllergy/clinical/Pages/patients.aspx

A new allergy guide for the Dr's. has been released as of today. I read through this article. There doesn't seem to be much in the way of new stuff in there. This seems to be the only big thing. Of course they don't post it all. :P

"The Food Allergy Guidelines—What They Tell Your Doctor

The guidelines were developed for health care professionals. In addition to important background information about food allergy, the guidelines contain 43 clinical recommendations that can help your doctor determine whether you have food allergy and if you do, then customize your care.

The guidelines provide the following information:

•Definitions of food allergy and disorders associated with food allergy
•Descriptions of the development of food allergy and conditions associated with food allergy
•Recommendations on
◦How to diagnose food allergy and what tests to use
◦How to manage non-life-threatening allergic reactions
◦How to diagnose and manage potentially life-threatening food-induced anaphylaxis and other acute reactions"


So it might not seem like much HOWEVER it is another reminder for general docs!!! I know we really struggled with our ped, because they just have so much they have to know that they barely know anything about allergies. So it's nice for them to have new information on how to diagnose allergies so that they can do a referral!

candy canes

So I got in Gabe's candy canes yesterday!!! I'm so excited about these! They look beautiful! They came fast and are good sized!

Why not?

Okay so I am going to be attempting sausage soon. A friend of mine and I were talking and I told her about how I had made biscuits and gravy for dinner for me and hubby. To which she replied..."why for dinner?" Well we eat dinner after the boys are in bed so we can have the stuff Gabe can't eat then. She then asked me "why can't Gabe have it?" DAMN GOOD QUESTION!!!!! And you know what? I see no reason that he can't. I can make him biscuits and the only thing he can't have is the sausage. Sooo how do I fix that? I make sausage!

I got my hands on a wikihow, talked to a butcher, and the most important part, I have someone who is a saint and is giving me his meat grinder he no longer uses! WOOT!

This should be fairly easy once I have all the equipment. I just need to buy some natural casings which I can buy at almost all grocery stores and a stuffer. (although I'm holding out hope that the grinder might have one attached that's pretty common from the ones I've looked at)

So that's my next big experiment! I'll let you know when I have everything together! Should be maybe a couple weeks.

Not so much kid allergy related

But looks sooo yummy if you like wine!

Wine Jelly
2 cups wine*
3 cups sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 pouch pectin
...Makes 4 cups jelly
There are 2 ways to do this, you can use SJOP (standard jelly operating procedures) and bring the sugar, juice and wine to a boil, add pectin, return to boil for 1 minute, remove from heat, pour into jars and seal.
Or you can bring the wine and sugar to not quite a simmer, just until the sugar dissolves, add pectin, stir thoroughly until dissolved through, pour into prepared jars. This second method will retain the alcohol content, but done this way, the jelly should be kept refrigerated and used w/i 2 months since it isn't properly processed or sealed.
*Wine - use something flavorful (that you enjoy) such as a nice plummy merlot, or a zinfindal. If you use white wine, go for something with lots of flavor notes, not just a bright acid flavor (sour grape juice). It won't translate well into jelly.

love this

http://www.allergymoms.com/uploads/newsletters/everychildwish.html



10 Things Children with Food Allergies Want You to Know

By Gina Clowes




1. I long to be included. I would like to look, act and eat like everyone else. I’d like to buy my lunch and sit wherever I want. I know I can’t, but I am so happy inside when someone cares enough to provide a safe potato chip, cookie or Popsicle for me. It’s nice when I can have something similar to what others are eating but I love it when I can eat the same thing as everyone else. Whenever it’s possible, please think to include me!

2. I’m scared I could die from my food allergies. I’ve heard my parents and teachers mention “life-threatening” food allergies and I remember having some reactions where I felt very sick and really scared. I could see how frightened my parents were too. Sometimes, I could use a little reassurance that I will be okay.

3. I feel like I’m the only one sometimes. If you have a support group or another way to arrange for me to meet other children who have food allergies, I would really like to know that I am not the only kid who has food allergies. Having another friend with food allergies in my classroom or at lunch time helps too.

4. I get confused when grown-ups offer me food. I know I’m supposed to be polite and listen to grown-ups, but my parents have told me I am only supposed to take food from them. When you offer me food or especially candy, I’d like to take it but I’m not sure about what I am supposed to do.

5. I get itchy spots sometimes when grown-ups kiss me after they’ve eaten something I’m allergic to. I get itchy spots when your dog licks me too. I’m not quite brave enough to tell you this so I’m hoping you will remember that if you have just eaten something that I’m allergic to, I may get hives if you kiss me soon afterward.

6. I’m embarrassed when people fuss over what I’m eating. I know I have to eat my own safe food, but it’s easier for me when I’m not singled out. Sometimes, it’s embarrassing when grown-ups ask lots of questions. I love to fit in more than anything.

7. I hear all adult conversations about my food allergies. My ears perk up when I hear grown-ups mention my name or food allergies, so don’t pity me or act terrified because then I get scared. Food allergies are just one part of me. Let me overhear you talk about all the other wonderful things about me!

8.Sometimes I’m sad about having food allergies. It’s hard to be the only kid in class not having a cupcake and eating something different from my box of “safe treats” especially when there are about 20 other birthdays in my class. I know it’s not the end of the world, but from my perspective, it’s tough at times.

9. I’m watching you—Mom and Dad! You may think that I’m too little to notice, but I see that you went back home to get my Epi-Pen® when you forgot it. I see that you read the ingredients on the Smarties every time. You are my role models and I am learning how to manage my food allergies from you!

10. I will do about as well as you do. My parents “can-do” attitude will help me cope with the challenges of living with allergies and ensure that food allergies don’t stop me from being everything I was meant to be!



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Oreo/whoopie

MMMMMM!

I made the cookies!!! They are YUMMY! I need to use my food processor to make the powdered sugar next time instead of the magic bullet. The frosting is a little bit grainy, but still super yummy! I think I'm going to make these for Gabe's bday party at school. They were super easy and fast! Plus I have a cookie press that someone gave me that gives me cool shapes! Today's were xmas tree shaped. Next time I'll do a round pattern.

Anyways just wanted to share!

guest post

I submitted the following for a spot to guest blog. :)


Imagine.....You have just bought a house, and found out you are pregnant with your 3rd baby. You have a just turned 3 year old and an 18 month old. Life is good. Life is great! Your kids aren't picky eaters, you try to eat healthy, you want to do more, but well, life gets in the way sometimes. Then suddenly one day your 3 year old gets hives ALL over his face. You start going crazy, what can it be? He had a peanut butter sandwich, but it can't be that! I mean he JUST had one and no reaction! So you think of everything it could be. No answer. Then he has a BITE of your pb &j sandwich a week later and gets hives all over his face and chest. You freak thinking how terrible it will be that you r kid is allergic to peanuts!!! THEN he starts reacting to other things too and you realize it's not peanuts, but soy! WAY worse!!!!!!!! Then you finally get in for allergy testing and they hand you a list of allergies.

corn, wheat, egg whites, soy, strawberries, peanuts, tree nuts, 4 molds, 5 pollens, cats and latex.

I remember my husband and I took my 3 year old home and got a sitter so we could just go and freak out. We went to Applebee’s and I just remember sitting there STARING at their menu saying "can't have this, this, or this! OMG Honey WHAT ARE WE GOING TO FEED HIM?!?!?!" It was bad.

This was my life almost a year ago. My name is Niccie. I'm a stay at home mom to 3 kids now. Married to a great guy who works crazy hours. We thought it was the end of the world! We had to change everything about lives, from what we eat, to how we eat out, to how we do family holidays, to certain things our son can't play with (play dough), to how we do our yard work! It is crazy how much of our lives Gabe's allergies touch!!! The big debate of peanut free tables at lunches, labeling laws, school allergy action plan laws and fears of people leaving peanut m&ms in the carts with cars, suddenly pertained to us!!!! Before allergies there is just so much that we did not know and understand. I will never say that I'm glad my son has allergies, however I have to say that I am grateful that we have come to understand so much because of them. Before our son had allergies, we, like most people, didn't understand anything about it.

Because of the allergies, I have learned SOOOO much about what we put in our bodies! I have learned about America's big dependency on corn. Did you know a company does not have to list where its ingredients come from? If it's not one of the top 8 allergens then it doesn't have to be listed!!!! (egg, soy, milk, fish, peanut, tree nut, shellfish and wheat) I have learned how to better feed our family and have cut out almost all preservatives!

My son, Gabriel, has learned that he has to watch what he eats. He always tells people he has allergies and that he needs to ask me if it's ok. People try to feed him all the time! At picnics I have a hat that says don't feed the kid!!! He has learned to be responsible and that life is not fair. It's hard on him some times, but for the most part my little boy has been amazing at adapting! Because of Gabe's allergies I have had to learn how to alter recipes to fit us. I see it as a challenge! I want my son to do the same things the rest of his class does!!! We've gotten to experiment with different kinds of foods and substitutes! Different flours, duck eggs, golden syrup etc. We've gotten to try a lot of things we never would have otherwise!

Some days it's hard, but the hardest part is people who don't understand. People who think that because he doesn't stop breathing it's not an allergy. People who comment on me telling him he can't have something. "Lighten up mom, some candy won't kill him!” For Easter he wanted to do an Easter egg hunt SOOO bad! So we compromised, I let him do the hunt and then for every egg he found I traded him for a yummy earth lollipop or homemade marshmallow. Then he gave away the candy he couldn't eat. One lady asked me as loud as could be in a very rude voice right in front of him "WHAT IS WRONG WITH THAT BOY! WHY THE HECK IS HE GIVING HIS CANDY AWAY? IS HE DUMB?” I explained that he had food allergies and she rolled her eyes at me. (BTW I did NOT hit her I was good!!!)

So anyways I guess the point to my post, now that you know my back ground, is this.

If someone tells you they have a food allergy, respect it. Even if it doesn't cause them to stop breathing it can make people VERY uncomfortable.

If you are going to a pot luck type event, write down the ingredients. Takes an extra minute, but it could mean that 1 more person could enjoy your dish! I know I appreciate it SOOO much when people go out of their way to help us out like that.

Please don't let your kids take food into the playground, play place etc. It can make other kids really sick! Just the residue is enough to make some kids really ill.

There is no explanation or cure for food allergies. It's not like environmental allergies where you can do a shot. Having a little of what you are allergic to can not only make you sick, but it can also make your allergy worse. Each exposure gets worse normally.

Just because someone has had a food before doesn't mean they aren't allergic to it. People almost NEVER react the first time. Some food allergies can even take years to build up.

Some food allergies are out grown, but not all and not everyone. Each case is different.

If your child ever has problems with vomiting, stomach pain, constant stomach issues, hives, sunburn rashes, eczema, itchiness, throat swelling, lip tingling, and even on occasion strange symptoms like unexplained pain, hand swelling, hyper activity, migraines etc. check into allergy testing. It's popping up more and more and something as simple as cutting out eggs could make life 100% better! There have even been cases of fibromyalgia being explained by food allergies! It happens!

If you are making food for someone with a food allergy be very careful about your counter areas, utensils etc. It's such a little thing, but it could keep a kid from getting sick! One girl in Canada died after kissing her boyfriend after he had eaten a peanut butter sandwich! It doesn't take much for some!

Teach your kids about allergies. That some people can't eat certain things and so they should never offer food to other kids. We once were at McDonalds and some one let their kid take fries inside. The child trying to be nice offered Gabe some fries. He told them he had allergies, the nice child then told Gabe they were ok. He didn't understand and Gabe just heard its ok and ate them. Almost ended up in the ER that night.

And most importantly and this goes for every allergy mom or sufferer I've ever met, ASK questions when in doubt!!! I'd rather answer 20 questions for someone than have them feel like it's too hard to make the effort so that Gabe can be involved. For instance I always bring Namesta brownies to school functions, (LOVE LOVE LOVE this company!!!!) I've talked to the other allergy kid’s mom and made sure they are safe for him too. That way I know my son and him will have something they can eat at school functions!

Thanks for taking the time to learn something new about allergies today! The more people know the safer it is for allergy sufferers!!!!

Follow my food experiments and allergy issues at www.cornfreeeat.blogspot.com! I LOVE a challenge so if you or anyone you know suffers from a food allergy and is looking for a certain food let me know and see if I can alter the recipe for you! I've taken on all kinds of things! Crackers, pumpkin pie, marshmallows, jam!

Thank you for this chance to guest post and spread information on allergies!

So I had posted that I wanted to do a peanut test. I called the allergist. They don't do any type of peanut challenge. AT ALL! They will do a blood test for it, but none of Gabe's allergies have ever shown up in a blood test! They will not do a SPT (understandable) NOR will they do a food challenge. I asked if I could just sit in their waiting room. Nope! So we have no way of testing it other than going and sitting in the ER parking lot. That's crazy to me. I want to know if he's actually allergic to them or not. It would be a great source of protein for him, since he can't eat other nuts. And peanuts are a different protein completely so there is a good chance he will be able to have them even though he's allergic to other nuts.

So not sure how we are going to handle this.

Great Find!

I LOVE the internet. I don't know how people survived without it some days.

We asked Gabe what he wanted for christmas and do you know what the little bugger said? I want candy canes in my stocking! Link will get some from Santa that have corn, but Santa will bring me ones with no corn.

Hrm....Since Santa is magical, shouldn't he be able to find corn free candy canes? I decided he should. And LUCKILY via the power of google search I found this AWESOME company!

http://giambris.com/index.php

CORN FREE candy canes!!!

I now have to go write them an email saying thank you for saving xmas!!!!!

Ohhh I can't wait to try!

Chocolate Wafer
1 1/4 C all-purpose flour (unbleached)
1/2 C unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder (Hain brand or homemade)
1/4 tsp salt (non-iodized Sea Salt)
1 C sugar
1/2 C plus 2 Tbsp butter, room temperature
1 large egg or Egg Replacer** (I used homemade egg replacer)
In a medium-sized bowl, mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder, salt, and sugar.
Beat in the butter and the egg. Continue mixing until dough comes together in a mass.
Take rounded teaspoons of batter and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet approximately 2 inches apart, and flatten with a spoon.
Bake for 9 minutes at 375 F. Set on a rack to cool. (I was able to bake all the cookies in one go, using 2 pans. There were 3 spoons of batter left over, that by the way, were quite tasty…)
Buttercream Filling
1/4 cup room-temperature, unsalted butter (I used salted)
1/4 cup vegetable shortening (I used Spectrum Vegetable Shortening from Palm Oil)
2 cups sifted powdered sugar (Wholesome Sweeteners brand or homemade)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Place butter and shortening in a mixing bowl, and at low speed, gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla.
Turn the mixer on high and beat for 2-3 minutes until filling is light and fluffy.
Complete the Cookies
Let the cookies cool completely before frosting. Or at least wait half an hour.
To make a sandwich cookie, simply drop some cream filling onto one cookie with a pastry bag or Ziploc bag (cut a corner of the bag to create a makeshift pastry bag) and match up similarly sized cookies.
Try not eat them all before you family has the opportunity to try them and be seriously impressed that YOU made these!


Got these from
http://www.livecornfree.com/

I'm gonna make these for Gabe's Bday and maybe use for ice cream cake. Mmmmm!

I was bad. Because of all Gabe's allergies we don't eat tons of stuff with soy so Sami has been doing great! Well family was up visiting and we ate out a lot. I didn't think about no soy :( Sami has been almost colicky again AND last night (worst day had 2 meals with soy) His face was turning bright red :(

Also I think Gabe's soy allergy is getting worse. We played at McDonalds (he ate apples) and just from touching the tubes where other kids had touched after eating he got hives. I'm wanting to do a peanut challenge. He's out from school til monday so I think now is the time to do it. I'm scared though. So we will see.

crackers!

Jon's teacher sent a note home that they will be making butter and to please send some crackers for Gabe. Yea...

So on to the world of making crackers!!!

My friends mom (who passed just over 4 years ago. Miss you Jo!) had a million recipes including one for crackers.

2 cups rice flour
1 tbls sugar
1 ts baking powder
1/2 ts salt
2/3 cup water
1/3 cup butter softened

Mix dry then add in all butter and water. I ended up adding a tiny amount of extra water to make it doughy. Mix well. Divide in two and let sit covered for at least 10 min. Roll out as thin as you can. Mine ended up about 12x12. Cut with a pizza cutter into 2x2 squares and poke holes. Bake at 400 for 8 min. You can also brush some butter ontop and the sprinkle with salt if you want. Then repeat with second dough ball. :)

Smells super good!

AM just sent me this blog! I can't wait to try some of her stuff out!!!!

My fav? Sour cream!!!!!!

" To make sour cream, use 3 tablespoons of buttermilk and 2 cups of heavy cream (half and half will yield a lighter sour cream), mix well and let sit at room temp (70 degrees) for 24 hours. If you have thickening issues, try heating the cream gently to 80 degrees, and then continue."

http://rcakewalk.blogspot.com/2010_11_01_archive.html

Well I had a few nut 40 min ago. about 10 minutes after feeding Sami puked twice. I'm guessing nuts are still a no.

Gabe's face last night from the leaves. :( Mostly gone today luckily. Although it's starting to come back a little so I think it will be time for more benadryl soon.

I always have dealt with the food allergies, I just really didn't see this one coming. Sigh. Well I guess during the fall we are just gonna have to try and keep him out of the leaves. Poor kid that's the best part of fall.

HA!! I have finally figured out the unknown allergen!

Ready for this? It's one I should have known because he tested postive for it. The mold that grows in decomposing leaves!!!!

WHOLE face again broke out today while we were raking leaves and I realized each time he has had a reaction he's been playing in the leaves. I think it starts at the mouth because the lips are the most sensitive skin type and because he was kissing them.

DOH! Bad me for not figuring it out faster. :( But I've figured it out now. Hopefully our afternoon of raking doesn't end in an er trip. (he's big on delayed reactions and it's just getting worse the more time passes) But I've given him some benadryl and hopefully that will do it.

I hope he out grows this. If he doesn't I'll be stuck raking leaves for the rest of my life!!!! Wait he's got non allergic brothers.....okay. :P Poor guy though. He loves jumping in leaves.

Fingers crossed!

It looks like I have found a place to make my allergy free pumpkin pies!!!! My local healthfood store is gonna sell them for me! Preorder. Woot! It's really a cool thought that Gabe's allergies could potentially lead me to my own career. :)

Thank you AM!!!

1/2 cup Hershey's Cocoa Powder
1 cup Sugar
1 cup water
1 teaspoon Vanilla
dash of salt

Combine cocoa, sugar, and salt in a saucepan. Add water, and mix until smooth. Bring this mixture to a boil. Allow it to boil for one minute, be carefull this does not over boil. Remove from heat, when this cools add the vanilla."



Chocolate syrup recipe! Sooo fast and easy and MMMMMMMMMMmm! Add to warm milk for hot chocolate! Use a med size pan! I didn't and lost some chocolatly goodness in boil over.

So I couldn't find millet at my regular grocery store and REALLY didn't want to make an extra treck to the healthfood store for 1 thing SOOO I got flax seed meal.

I made it up using the recipe I had posted. OH MY GOD it's sooooooooooo good! Sweet and buttery and great consistancy and just mMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!

:( WHOLE face and part of his neck TOTALLY covered in hives, plus tiny tiny spots all over his torso. :( damn! I don't know what is causing this!!!!!

Today he had

Donuts (the ones I make)
oatmeal bars
namesta pizza dough
tomato paste oregano garlic salt
chicken in garlic salt olive oil butter oreagano salt sage pepper and onion powder
peas
namesta brownie
donut
apple cider (this is new, but he had hives on his lips yesterday)
water
milk

Next mission. Millet bread.

Can't do corn bread for turkey day so I'm gonna try to make millet bread. Should be interesting.

Why may you ask am I posting this now when I'm not trying it yet?

Because I always forget millet. Hahahah.

Here's the recipe I found with my tweaks.

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup white sugar
2 duck eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup millet
1 cup rice OR perfect blend flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions
1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8 inch square pan.
2.Melt butter in large skillet. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Quickly add eggs and beat until well blended. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into mixture in pan. Stir in millet, flour, and salt until well blended and few lumps remain. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
3.Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

I need to get heavy cream! I want to attempt to make ice cream cake for Gabe. We have to do a test run before his birthday!!! (I've decided on one cake for him and then the big one for everyone else. I think he'll like that and it will be easier)

I have a recipe for homemade oreos. Hrmmm....I wonder if I have everything I need for them right now...

So I never posted about trick or treating!!! It went great! We t&t for UNICEF for Gabe. We ended up going to our town's main st one. (all the businesses) We hit 5 or 6 places. Gabe wanted to go so we set rules before we went and he followed them SOOOO well! He ended up raising 14 or 15 dollars that night! And he gave all the candy to Link! (who was in sugar heaven!) Then the next night I took out just Gabe and we went to 3 neighbors houses. :) He was soooo excited about raising money for the boys and girls who don't have any! He even put his allowance in!!!! And then the next day while we were running errands he raised another 5 bucks! (he hit up the ladies at the bank and at the gas station! LOL) I'm really so proud of him. I think this is for sure something we will do every year. Even if he ever out grows his allergies!

Oh and we just found an easy dinner for the boys! Ground beef and broth. Gabe had 3 bowls the other day. He LOVES it! And it takes 2 seconds. SWEET! Because as you all know there are very few easy meals for him!

Tonight Gabes lips turned dark red and he got hives all around his mouth :( No clue what caused it except maybe leaves? He's been playing in them lately and he is allergic to the mold that grows on them......I dunno. I sense testing coming up. Also today for no reaon my face turned neon red and hot. Odd. Maybe we are allergic to each other :P

So now Gabe has heat rash all on his neck and a little on his bottom. Plus really red face :( I don't know what the cause is. I'm calling the allergist to see about testing again.

Hrm.

So I gave Gabe a pumpkin muffin yesterday. No reaction. So that wasn't what caused it. Soooo. I DUNNO.

Scary.

Did you know?

Almost all canned pumpkin is not really pumpkin? But a kind of squash. That might be why Gabe reacted. Odd. And the really scary thing? Is that the label said pumpkin! I'm gonna call the company tomorrow to find out.

?

So Gabe has got an awful rash all over his face today. He's having a reaction to something. ONLY thing that he's had today that he doesn't have all the time is pumpkin. I made that pie and then some muffins with it.

But here's the curious part. He eats pumpkin seeds ALL the time. Can you be allergic to pumpkin but not the seeds? I know you can be allergic to whites and not yolks so maybe? Anyone know?

Today

I started by making graham crackers with sucess! Yummy yummy!

Then I made pudding. Yummy!

Then I made a graham cracker crust and a no bake pumpkin pie!

THEN I make pumpkin muffins since I had extra pumpkin. THEN I made powdered sugar THEN I made whipped cream.

I also made a cheesy potato casserole, but that isn't allergy free.

The pumpkin pie filling was delicious!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Off to post the recipes :)

How to.

I just realized I should post how I break down the recipes.

The school recipe calls for

can pumpkin
vanilla pudding mix
milk
pumpkin pie spice
cool whip
graham cracker crust


I then break each ingredient down.

Can of pumpkin should be fine on it's own.

vanilla pudding mix-
3/4 cup sugar
3 tbs vanilla flavor
1/4 cup potato starch
2 tbs plain stick butter
1/4 ts salt
2 cups milk

milk is fine by itself

pumpkin pie spice
cinnamon
nutmeg
ginger

cool whip
whipped milk
powdered suger -broken down again into sugar blended with potato starch

graham cracker crust
rice flour
brown sugar
baking soda
butter
honey
milk
vanilla extract
then crumble and mix with butter and press into pie pan. :)

Make each element (start with graham crackers and then when they are cooking make pudding so it can cool while you make other stuff) Then proceed like you would if you had a normal child who wasn't allergic to everything LMAO!

First real school challenge for me.

Ok so Gabe's teacher wants to do a few cooking things in class. She sent home the recipe today asking if her allergy kids (Gabe's not the only one!!!) could have it. Of course Gabe can't. So I called her. I asked if he could participate in the making of it and then I could send in his own that is allergy free. She was THRILLED with that idea! She also said that I was awesome for all the cooked stuff I send in and that Gabe is always thrilled to show her what I have made for him. :)

So the recipe calls for a can of pumpkin, 1 pack vanilla pudding, milk, ginger and nutmeg, cool whip and graham crackers.

Most of that I already know how to make Gabe ok. The only one that eludes me is graham crackers Soooo today I found a recipe for homemade ones.

This is the recipe I found. I'm just going to replace the flour with rice flour.

Graham Cracker Recipe2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons unbleached pastry flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
7 tablespoons (3 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen
1/3 cup mild-flavored honey, such as clover
5 tablespoons whole milk
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
For the topping:


3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade or in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Pulse or mix on low to incorporate. Add the butter and pulse on and off on and off, or mix on low, until the mixture is the consistency of a coarse meal.
In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, milk, and vanilla extract. Add to the flour mixture and pulse on and off a few times or mix on low until the dough barely comes together. It will be very soft and sticky.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and pat the dough into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm, about 2 hours or overnight.
To prepare the topping: In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon, and set aside.
Divide the dough in half and return one half to the refrigerator. Sift an even layer of flour onto the work surface and roll the dough into a long rectangle about 1/8 inch thick. The dough will be sticky, so flour as necessary. Trim the edges of the rectangle to 4 inches wide. Working with the shorter side of the rectangle parallel to the work surface, cut the strip every 4 1/2 inches to make 4 crackers. Gather the scraps together and set aside. Place the crackers on one or two parchment-lined baking sheets and sprinkle with the topping. Chill until firm, about 30 to 45 minutes. Repeat with the second batch of dough.
Adjust the oven rack to the upper and lower positions and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Gather the scraps together into a ball, chill until firm, and reroll. Dust the surface with more flour and roll out the dough to get about two or three more crackers.
Mark a vertical line down the middle of each cracker, being careful not to cut through the dough. Using a toothpick or skewer, prick the dough to form two dotted rows about 1/2 inch for each side of the dividing line.
Bake for 25 minutes, until browned and slightly firm to the tough, rotating the sheets halfway through to ensure even baking.
Yield: 10 large crackers

Found this recipe here! http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/000126.html

I found something even cooler!!!!
And simpler! Gabe's bday is gonna be Pirate themed!

Now here's the predicament. Do I make the whole cake allergy free? OR do I make it chocolately goodness and then make the little mini cake for Gabe? Both have appeal. Soooo I'm not sure what I'll do. But I've got 8 weeks to think about it.

Plus if I do the mini cake like this picture then I can make the cocolate modeling clay to cover it. (it's very similar to fondant, but tastes better! It's just chocolate!!! Thinned out with some goldensyrup.) So that would be kinda cool. IDK. We shall see.

To make life easier I don't think there will be any other food. Just some juice and such to drink.

So I've found a recipe for chocolate modeling clay! The really cool part is if I can find a white chocolate that is corn free then I can can color it and the possibilites are ENDLESS for cakes! However finding corn free white is not so easy. I'm gonna really have to hunt for it.


So if I can find the white chocolate I think I'm gonna do a super why cake for Gabe. If not then I'll have to figure something else out.

But I am going to do an ice cream cake!

Chocolate ice cream, homemade oreo cookie crumbs, vanilla icecream with vanilla pudding mixed in, then homemade frosting :)

I really loved decorating cakes, but I'm still learning and need more tools. Maybe Gabe's allergies will help me get a chance to tune my skills. :)

Trial fail

So this is day 2 of 100% soy/nut free for me! Sami has been doing pretty good! So hopefully this will help with the colic.

We did a trial for Gabe on the corn. We let him have some bacon (corn syrup) Yea he failed. He had red all over his face. Sigh. Next trial I think will be wheat. :)

So far since May? We've tried eggs again and corn. No go. Sigh.

Donut heaven

So I made several things today.

Another batch of blueberry jam. MMMMmmm!

I made monkey bars (oatmeal bars) The blueberry came out perfect as always, BUT I decided to try to make sunbutter ones. Yea.....did not work. It was too dried out and then I burned it. Yea. No go. LOL.

Then I made donuts. This time I used some ideas to make it easier and I used just straight rice flour MUCH cheaper! To make things easier I wrapped my table in 3 sheets of plastic wrap before rolling out the dough. This way I saved myself a mess AND when I was picking up the dough I was able to slip my hand under the plastic to help me manipulate it. :) I put all the donuts in then I took all the holes and extra and rolled it to make donut holes.

I ended up with some very yummy donuts (even better than the first time) 36 donuts and a little over 5 dozen holes. YUMMY! Tomorrow I'll probably make some powdered sugar to sprinkle on them. MMMMm!

Don't want to eat at McDonald's? Come here!

I made the YUMMIEST chicken nuggets EVER!

Namaste Pizza crust
Thin sliced boneless chicken breasts.

Make up the pizza crust according to directions (water and ts olive oil) Bring a med sauce pan of olive oil to boil. Cut the chicken into small pieces. The using your hands coat each piece of chicken with the crust and toss in. (be VERY CAREFUL!) When it's nice and brown on all pieces pull pan off heat and using a fork put it onto a plate with a paper towel. Let cool. DO NOT use a fry basket! I tried that as well and all the stuff stuck to the bottom and fell apart! (still yummy, but not as good).

So I couldn't wait! I made a second attempt at cotton candy. Yea...it doesn't really turn out like cotton candy. ALTHOUGH I ended up with rock candy for the boys. Which they are quietly devouring as we speak ;) And I made some really pretty spun sugar designs! Which I didn't think I would be able to do, but I was and I really liked it! I plan on figuring a reason to make a cake soon just so I can decorate with it! LOL!

So final ruling on homemade cotton candy. It can't be done. BUT the recipe is awesome for making spun sugar designs or rock candy!

I'm back!

To experimenting in the kitchen.

Today I attempted to make.....cotton candy! (Evil chemicals and corn syrup in commercial)

I went to Wiki How. (OMG I love that site) and looked around.

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Cotton-Candy

I then played with the recipe. Instead of corn syrup I used my favorite find ever golden syrup (I can find it at stop and shop it's made from cane sugar)

So my recipe went like this

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 ts golden syrup

I then plastic wrapped my counter (See I learned from the marshmallow mess!!! LOL)

I stirred the ingredients, then heated to 310. Then I immediately pulled it off the burner and let cool. HOWEVER this is where I screwed up. I was excited and kept messing with it, stirring it and such...:( Instead of spun sugar I have candy crumbs LOL. Still great though! Just not what I wanted. I'm like 500% sure that it I had some popsicle sticks I could have just kept dipping it in to make rock candy too, but again not what I was going for. Soooo I'm gonna have to try this again!

Well the doctor says colic for Sami, but he thinks it's very probable that it's caused by food allergies. :( Poor guy.

thin sliced chicken
celery
carrots
broth
garlic salt.

Bake at 350 til chicken is cooked.

MMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmm~

So today I experimented with making soup.

Ingredients
1 butternut squash, halved and seeded
2 large onions, peeled and quartered
1 medium head garlic
6 cups vegetable broth
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon mild curry powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
2.Place squash halves and onion onto the prepared baking sheet. Wrap garlic in foil and set with other vegetables.
3.Roast in the center of the oven for 45 to 60 minutes, until the squash is tender. Remove from oven and set aside until cool enough to handle.
4.Squeeze garlic cloves out of their skin like paste into a food processor. Scrape the flesh from the squash and place into the food processor along with the roasted onion. Puree until smooth. Add vegetable broth if necessary. Transfer the pureed mixture to a stockpot and stir in vegetable broth. Season with the bay leaf, brown sugar, curry powder, oregano, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in yogurt.
5.Remove bay leaf and serve hot. Garnish with fresh parsley if desired.


MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM! Soooo yummy!

I'm drooling!

So I am in a fall mood. And my friend Carrie was talking about pot pies the other night. Soooo Today during the boys nap I made a chicken pot pie. It's cooking now and I'm drooling it smells soooo good! And the best part? It's healthy, there are NO preservatives, dyes, chemicals etc, AND it's Gabe safe!

I made the crust by altering my great grandma's recipe.

2 cups namaste perfect flour mix
1 cup butter
less than 1/2 a cup cold water.

Put the flour and butter together and mix well then add just enough water to get it to be the perfect flour texture (this varies by person)

Take half and put in 9 in round cake pan. And bake til it's cooked.

ETA It was soooooooooooo yummy! And the rice pasta made it moist but fiirm enough to stay in 1 piece!
Now take 2 chicken breasts. (boneless) boil. Set aside to cool.

Take probably about 3 or 4 cups of milk. (sorry i did this by eye and didn't think to measure til after!) About 2 1/2 in deep in a med sauce pan. Add any spices you like. I did onion powder, garlic salt, celery salt, and peper. Add 1/4 a cup butter and mix. Put it on med heat and stir like crazy til it starts to get thick. I did add a little bit of flour (very little) to help it thicken a little more. Then add whatever veggies are around. I added lima beans, okra, carrots, peas and then some rice pasta (half a small box) Let boil just a little bit, continue to stir so it doesn't burn! While I was doing this I chopped up all my chicken into tiny pieces! Then add the chicken! Mix really well.

Pull out the pie crust and pour chicken mixture! Then I cheat I take a piece of plastic wrap and put it on my table. I then spread out the remainder of the crust and thin it out to make the top crust. Then just pick it up using the plastic wrap and place on top of the pie! Pull of plastic and put into the oven at 360 til the crust is golden brown!

Watch!

As Professor Moody in Harry Potter would say....CONSTANT VIGILANCE!!!!!!!!

I think I know what caused Gabe's reactions the other week. His sunbutter, which was safe when we first started buying it, now has a notice that it is processed in a factory with peanuts and nuts. CRAP! So apparently we got a tainted jar. Gabe ended up having yet another reaction after having it, thus why I looked on the label again. :( It didn't use to have that warning so they must have just started processing more stuff. Luckily for me my health food store lady is AMAZING! And when I pointed that out to her, she (without me asking) started ordering from a different company that is nut free!!!! WOOT!

So lesson for today, even when you KNOW something is safe check it anyways incase they have changed anything!

OAT MEAL BARS!

So today I perfected my oatmeal bars!!!! YAY! ME! It's finally cool enough to get back in the kitchen!

2 cups plain uncooked oats
2/3 cup namaste perfect flour blend
1/4 cup honey
1 cup blue berry jam (homemade here, but doesn't have to be, just allergy safe)
1 ts baking powder

Mix and pour into a muffin tin, pat down. ! (I ended up with 10 perfect circles)bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes. They are juicy, but hold together and not sticky! YAY! Now we have like our own granola bars for when we are on the run!

I also made namaste muffins. I added cinnamon, nutmeg, tiny amount of ginger and 3 small cut up apples. They are cooking now. Smells sooo good!

Halloween!

Okay so I will admit I'm a control freak who worries about things way too much. I've been really worried about Halloween and trying to figure out a cool way for Gabe to still trick or treat, but not eat the candy.

We are all gonna do Unicef this year! Basically you trick or treat for change donations. And while we are walking around I'll have some small candies for them and lollies. Plus I think I'll pick up surf sweets gummy bears for them as a reward for raising money for needy children. They won't quite get it this year I'm sure, but if Gabe never out grows his allergies then hopefully this is something he can be cool about.

Wow I'm lousy at food journals!!! It's just soooo hard for me! I really am terrible at it!

Well I had some walnuts again and again Sami was screaming that night so for now nuts are a no go.

Gabe had a bad allergic reaction the day before yesterday too. Not a clue what it was to. :( He woke up from naps fine, then had rice cakes and sun butter and within 20 minutes was starting to get red. It was really really really bad. His whole face. After we gave him benadryl the redness let up, but he was still covered in hives all over his face. :( Plus a few on his chest and back. So we went to the doctor and were given a new antihistamine to try.

Yesterday the hives came back again after nap time and a rice cake snack, but I'm not sure if it's from the rice cake or if it's just whatever he got into going back through his system. He can't be allergic to rice too. I don't think I can handle that.

I'll keep you all posted!

So far today so good!

coffee with coffee mate (bad me I forgot before I started drinking it, but it seems fine so far)
pancakes (namaste)and 100% maple syrup

So remember how I said Sami had stopped spitting up recently?!? Well guess what I just went and looked at? (was reading my last post and had a lightbulb go on)

I had gotten a new creamer to try. Normally I have coffee mate, but a few days ago I grabbed a new one. Just checked the labels. Coffeemate has soy. This new one does not. I might be on to something. I know I said I didn't think the coffee was it, but it seems to be the only constant. Plus I had other soy on the days Sami would really puke I think. For instance I'm pretty sure stove top has soy, (the stuffed mushrooms) etc. I have to really dig in and look at my minimal food list. (DAMN IT for not keeping up with it!) anyways that's my brainblast, I just wanted to share.

So I stopped keeping track, because I forgot to and because the reflux seemed to totally let up. Plus my ped saw Sami and said that he did NOT think it was food allergies. Well last night we ended up going to the ER, just to be safe. He was cranky all night and then around 8pm he just started screaming. None stop. About 45 min he stopped for about 10 min. Then it started right back up. Our doc says if a baby cries for over 2 hours then take him to get checked. So off to the ER we went. He passed out from exhaustion. He did wake up and 2 different times started screaming in pain again, but it wasn't continuous. (I think he was just too damn tired) So they sent us home and told us to go see the ped. Sigh. He woke up a few times last night to scream in pain and then go back to sleep and has been crying every time he poops or has gas, which has been most of the morning. :( It sucks. My poor baby.

So the doc says he thinks he's sensitive to something I'm eating. (no shit isn't that JUST what I freaking told my ped who then told me it was just normal reflux and all babies have it to some degree. :() When will I stop listening to the ped and just go see the allergist? They did this shit with Gabe!!! STUPID STUPID ME~!

So yesterday I had

oatmeal with raisins
coffee with coffee mate (I have this everyday though)
stuffed mushrooms with cheese
Shepard's pie (this was after the screaming started though
peanut butter(this was after the screaming started though
crackers
milk(this was after the screaming started though
green beans
few bites chicken in garlic

Today I have had

coffee with coffee mate
peanut butter
whole wheat bread
blueberry jam
butter
few bites chicken in garlic

I think that on Monday I'm gonna call my ped, but also call Gabe's allergist and see if they suggest I bring Sami to them. I know the peds know shit about food allergies. Plus it would makes sense why it has taken so long for him to start having problems. He's often had gas and poops every diapers (TMI sorry) but it just seems to be getting worse and worse. Food allergies take a while to build up in your body. Plus he's got "heat rash" The ped said it was heat rash or a new born rash, but he's still got it, and it was worse last night.

I'm gonna have to do a restriction diet to really figure this out. I have to see if that stops all his problems. That will tell me if he's got food allergies real quick. Although I don't know how I'll survive 3 kids without coffee. SOBB!

He was great all morning. But tonight he got really fussy (around 6-7 until 8:30 when he puked ALL over me.)

Today I had
coffee with coffee mate whipped cream (had both times, but like 12 hours before hes been sick AND every other day when he hasn't been)
oatmeal with raisins
avacodo
cucumber
chicken in italian dressing olive oil worchesshire sauce season salt pepper
rice
butter
asperagus
chocolate chips
peach
tostito chips (had this the other night when he puked!!!)

Today I had....
coffee with coffee meat.
sweet peppers
salad with cucumber peppers avacodo spinach blue cheese dressing
rice with butter
toast
cherry coke with xtra cherry
peanutbutter truffle
tuna fish sandwich with mayo relish celery salt mustard powder cucumbers white bread
frosted honeybun

:(

I am starting to wonder if Sami has food allergies. :*( 3 times now he's done the same thing Gabe used to do and projectile vomited. He has bad problems with gas and such after eating too. Just like Gabe did when he was a baby. It's actually why I stopped breastfeeding Gabe. We didn't know his were allergies at the time. But yea Poor Sami was sooooooooo fussy all day and he just puked all over. Not spit up. 3rd time it's happened in 4 weeks. Not too much thank GOD, but enough that

So here's my food journal to figure out what it is.

Pizza
coffee with coconut coffeemate
dr. pepper
walnuts. (this is a likely one damn it)
chips and salsa (this and the walnuts are what I was eating before he got sick)
enjoy life chips
shake and bake chicken
cucumbers
apple


I think the other day when he did it I was eating almond butter, so I' thinking nuts. I hope I'm wrong. :(

bday parties!

Well another party has come and gone. And Gabe did great. It helped that this was a very small family party and my friend flat out told people DON"T FEED HIM!!!! (she joked she was gonna get a sign that said don't feed the Gabe) Then she explained that he has food allergies. On one hand I felt bad that she did that, I don't want Gabe to be made to feel different, but honestly she only told the adults, plus she tried really hard to make sure everyone knew, but she didn't have to. Gabe knows not to touch 95% of the time. But it was really nice that I could just sit back and relax and know that no well meaning adult would give him a peanut butter cookie. (OMG the thought really just scares me! They were double peanut butter and I think he will go ana with peanuts and soy at some point, each reaction has been MUCH worse than the previous)

I brought Gabe his own brownies. (I really need to make and freeze a cake, but I have been busy!) He loved it! I reminded him before we got to the party and he did fine. He had a blast playing! I'm so glad we go out and do stuff like this even if I worry about it. I'd rather worry and let him have fun then not worry and make him a hermit.

Tomorrow is family bbq! I have to bring Gabe his own ketchup, cheese, chips and dessert and he can't have a bun, but sokay! He'll have fun anyways! I think I'm gonna bring stuff to make him ice cream there. :) He'll like that.

Win and a fail.

So back when we were doing the allergy testing we tried letting Gabe have cashews. He had a reaction to them. We found out though that they were made in peanut oil. So we weren't sure if the reaction was to the cashews or the peanuts. (we know he reacts to peanuts, but weren't sure if it was both) I decided to let him try almond butter, since he has had the Pamela's pancake mix before and that has some almonds. Yea he reacts to it. :( INSTANT allergy shiners, red face and hyper activity. Sigh. Oh well. I like it and I'm not allergic to it so I've been eating it. It's really good especially if you have bananas and you dip them into it. Mmmmm. So yea Fail.

BUT FINALLY after months! And 3 seperate tries I have FINALLY gotten my freaking apple jelly to jell!!!!!!!! WOOT! And let me tell you it is YUMMY! Silly part is that all I had to do was boil it for another 5 minutes! Grrrr! All this time and I could have fixed it that easily. LOL!

I also made blueberry muffins the other day. Ohhh! New find! Enjoy Life now makes soft chewy chocolate chip cookies! It does have Xantham gum, but Gabe has never reacted to the absolute minute traces of it (if it is corn derivied it isn't always). They are good!

So 2 days in a row Gabe has had a TINY amount of ketchup with corn in it. So far no reaction!!!!!! I'm hoping that this is a sign that he's starting to be able to handle it. I know he still can't have even touch contact with soy, but I'm hoping against hope that MAYBE Gabe is out growing his corn allergy! Fingers crossed. If he keeps all the other allergies I'll handle it. Just please God and Goddess let him out grow the corn allergy!!! It's just sooo hard! But anyways fingers crossed.

After we test this out a few more times I think our next thing to trial is the wheat allergy. It's gonna be a while, but I'm not sure how to find something that is wheat only. We know he's severly allergic to soy and that it's hard to find any wheat products that for sure are not cross contaminated. :( Any ideas?

Well folks baby is here, but I've still got about a months worth of premade food, SOOO I haven't have much to write about.

But today I had someone point something out to me that I hadn't realized (and THANK GOD hadn't tried to feed Gabe yet).

Most cheeses are made with white vinegar which is corn derivied. There are however some cheeses that are naturally aged that are corn free. What I never even thought about though is that those are made with mold! That is Gabe's absolute worst allergy! He's a level 6! OMG! What if I had decided to try a soft cheese?!?! Eek!

Anyways, I just wanted to point out that you have to remember to look for even the things that you don't normally associate with food.

Well, due to having everything premade I haven't had much to write about.

I've been working on trying to get people to join the FDA corn petition group on facebook. 25 of my friends have joined! YAY! Maybe if enough people get the word we can really make a difference.

Learned some dissapointing info about syrup. You know that 100% pure maple syrup? Yea most of them still use a defoamer that is made from either corn or seasame oil. Sad part is that I buy mine from a farmers market, you know the guy who MAKES it! And he didn't even know what his defoamer was. Luckily it's absolute miniscule trace amounts but still those add up.

So here's my allergy rant for the day. Yesterday we went to the grocery store and Gabe and Link wanted to ride in the stupid carts with a car attached to the front. So we are wandering the store, and suddenly Gabe pulls out 4 peanut M&Ms!!!!! Jesus can you imagine what would have a happened if he had eated them? Or if he was anaphalaxis to peanuts?!?!! It's just a scary thought. You know if Gabe was anaphalaxis to his allergies I don't know if I would ever be able to leave the house. I mean seriously something as simple as going to the grocery store is like walking a landmine! I don't know how parents do that.

I worry that he will get to that point since his allergies have just kept getting so much worse at each exposure. Especially soy and peanuts.

Anyways that's about it here. No new allergy news. :)

Oh well

I realized I never followed up wiht my last post! We got lucky and other than a little redness that night the soy reaction was nothing to worry about! YAY!

Also I think that the unknown, might have just been the smore going back through his body. He seems fine now. So we are gonna keep an eye on him, but damn! It's crazy that something he ate a WEEK ago can continue to go through his body and effect him. :(

But that is the update. :)

Rookie screw up.

Today we went to the park. Gabe got to feed the ducks. I didn't even think about it til he started itching his face. Bread = soy. Soy is his worst allergy and he is touch sensitive. :( Luckily we washed his hands right away, but he was getting red more and more before bed so he got benadryl. We will see how bad it will be in the am.

Soooo either he's getting a new allergy or I'm missing something. He's got allergy shiners, and complaining about his belly a lot lately. Sigh. But no rashes, so I dunno. He had a slip up last week so I'm hoping it's just a really delayed reaction to that and that once it's out of his system he will go back to ok.

Tweaked again.

I made yogurt again and have tweaked the timing 1 more time!

pour 1/2 gallon into crock pot on low for 3.5 hours. Turn off pot. Let sit for 2.5 hours. Mix in 1/2 half cup starter yogurt. I then turned it back onto low for about 5 min. mixed well and then covered with a blanket for about 11 hours. Perfect texture! A tiny amount of skin in it, but not much and it's easily picked out when you are putting it in containers.

Mmmm.

Oh and I made vanilla milk! OMG sooo good! Half a gallon 5 ts vanilla extract (I used imitation cause I'm cheap) 10 tlbs sugar. Mmmmmmm And surprisingly not grainy at all! I was expecting it to be a little but it wasn't. The boys have drank it all already! (I may have helped)

The trash?

Well with 1 lick, Gabe has red spots all over his face. :( The other day after the boys went to bed, I decided to indulge in a nice preggo treat. I made smores. I made too many and couldn't finish them all and threw the last one in the trash. (right on top, think the seinfeild episode where George eats the pastry out of the trash) Didn't even think about it. :( Well the next morning while I was grabbing something Gabe saw the smore and grabbed it and licked the chocolate off it. Sigh.

He told me right after he did it, which is good that I'm not going nuts trying to figure out what caused it, but seriously dude, the trash?!?!! We learned our lesson with leaving food on plates in the kitchen, but we never thought we'd have to worry about the trash. Ewwwww.

It's been over 24 hours and he still has a bunch of red spots by his eye and mouth and a few on his chest. All from a few licks of smore. He seriously didn't even take a full bite! Makes me kinda scared. (okay REALLY scared) It's been several months since he started having reactions and we took out all his allergens. I am now really scared to think of what would happen if he had more than a small slip up. Something tells me I'll be keeping the epipens handy. It seems like it's soy that causes the bad reactions. He gets a few spots with the corn and egg and such, but with the soy it's his whole face from just 1 bite. :( Scary. Makes me curious about how bad his allergy has gotten. If he were a lucky person he would get RAST results so that we could see, but he isn't and RAST testing does nothing for us. And the last SPT sent us to the ER soooo I don't see me offering him up for that experience again anytime soon.

Oh well. Maybe some day he will out grow it.

Homemade namaste bread, boars head white american cheese and butter...

Can you guess what I made? grilled cheese. OH YEA! It smelled sooooooooooo good! Reminds me a little on panera bread sandwiches. The boys ate them up!

So it's been 1 week of the freezer meals and it's AMAZING! Life is soooo much easier! Plus we can go and just take off and have food ready!

Nothing really interesting though. I found a great treat for the boys! Horizon organic vanilla milk. MMMMmmm! Expensive though! Soooo I found a recipe online! (it's me what else would I do!) LOL! for ever 12oz 1 ts vanilla and 1-2 tbls sugar. Tomorrow I'm gonna make a batch of yogurt and make the other half of the gallon for vanilla milk. :) Did you know 1 gallon of milk has 128oz? Yup so half a gallon will be 5-5.5 servings of vanilla milk!

hrm.

Not much to post right now. I survived the mass batch cooking and have been living the life of luxury! I just pull stuff out of the freezer and tada nuke it and am done! :)

I also picked up stuff to make donuts for the boys again soon. I'll have to do that soon so that I can tell you if I manage to make them even better this time.

Things have been going pretty well for us with the allergies lately. He had a reaction to something for a few days, but we are unsure what caused it. :( But it has gone away and since then nothing so we are thinking it was either something he got into that I didn't catch him at, or maybe just a freak thing? Who knows.

Sharon Rosen

Just found a cool site for (I'm pretty sure) the woman who created the add corn to FDA labeling laws petition!

http://www.livecornfree.com/2010/05/typical-american-daywith-corn.html

She has some WONDERFUL links to corn info! It's a great site! Check it out! Remember the more people who sign this the better chance we have of actually getting people to pay attention to it!

Umph.

Well it's been 2 days and I have gone shopping for and cooked almost everything for the next 3 months! :O roughly 1100 for everything! (go me!) for 4 people! Everything for the boys is Gabe ok! and that includes things like cat food and tp and paper towels too. So hopefully I won't have to go to the store at all except for milk!

I have made
12 shepards pies (for us)
12 meatloaves (for us)
12 pizzas
4 qt chicken veggie soup
glazed carrots
baked beans
7 dz muffins
6 loaves of bread
1 blueberry jam
2 apple jelly
and probably other stuff that I can't remember at this point because my brain is fried! LMAO!

But I have survived!!! And now all food for the boys is done for the next 3 months. If I get put on bedrest they will be ok! I was really freaking out about it. I mean if I got put on bedrest it would be crazy difficult, but now I know Gabe would be able to eat!

On a side note I think Gabe may have gotten to the shepards pie or something because he's had a really bad rash for 2 days now. :( His poor face is covered. I don't really know what is causing it. I'm guessing the corn but he really didn't get ANYWHERE near it. :( I dunno.

Petitions by Change.org|Start a Petition »

Babysitting.

Today is the first time since he was diagnosed with food allergies that Gabe is gonna go to the babysitters. Normally IF we have to get a babysitter they come here and I give them the whole run down or where safe food is etc. Today hubs and I are going to a wedding and the boys are gonna be watched by my very very brave friend. She has 2 little boys of her own so I know that they will have a blast, but I worry about the foods. Even more worried is my poor friend! LOL! She's terrified of him having a bad reaction to something. :( Poor lady. So I've packed bananas and sunbutter and jelly sandwiches for Gabe. It's his favorite so I'm hoping he won't mind being around others who are eating different things. I dunno. It's hard for everyone involved. But hopefully thanks to a little planning on my part it will be fine. :)

hrm....

Okay so I thought Gabe might be allergic to Duck eggs, now I'm wondering if it could be raspberries or perhaps the pectin I use to make jam? He had a big of a red spot (not as bad as the last time though) last night after having oatmeal with raspberry jam and he may have had the jam the same days he had the duck eggs, so I need to do a test on him. :( Also today he's got little red spots all over his face. I have to check his belly too. :(

Grrrr. I think that's the hardest part of this. Not always knowing will drive you freaking nuts. It could be technically anything, even the oats that I made. Grrrr!

I wish there was a way to test for every food and additive and such that is out there, but there just isn't. Maybe someday we will figure out a better method of testing that is more accurate. Sigh. They have done more research on boobjobs, viagra etc, than they have for real diseases. That's so sad. I know that food allergies have had a lot of research done, but it's just not enough. We need to know more! And fast! The numbers are growing too quickly! Our children's lives are in danger! We need to know what is causing this!

I had a dream last night that it was Gabe's first day of school and he was being picked up at the corner, but there was a parade on our street. They were throwing candy and food and just before the bus came I realized I didn't have his emergency kit on me and that his face was swelling shut! I had to run up 6 flights of stairs (don't ask me why, but we suddenly lived on the 6th floor of a very tall building) and find his kit and then run back down to get it to him before he got on the bus (my neighbor watched him while I ran) It was scary. I worry that someday some of that will happen. :(

The Allergy Mom Prayer by Niccie Jackel
Please let my child outgrow this
Please let my child be able to be a normal kid
Please let my child outgrow this
Please let him be able to enjoy his food.
Please let my child outgrow this
Please don't make me ever need the epi pen
Please let my child outgrow this
Please don't let this get any worse
Please let my child outgrow this
please God don't let him develop anymore allergies.
Please let my child outgrow this

Namaste Cake Review.

So today my little Lincoln is turning two! Wow time flies! So for his bday I made the chocolate namaste cake mix with chocolate fudge frosting. MMMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! That's my review for you. Easy to make and Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

neat.

Today was really cool. I met a dietician who is corn intolerant and I made her smile by telling her I had a corn free recipe for marshmallows. :) I have to admit that is one cool thing that has come from all of Gabe's allergies. The things I have learned about what we eat, the things I've been able to share with people AND the people I've met and the conversations that we have about allergies or intollerances. It's so nice to know we are not alone. :) And it's always great to be able to share recipes or things we have learned.

Anywho that is my allergy related thought for the day. :)

Mmm

Close your eyes and imagine....

Chicken that has been marinading in lime juice, fresh garlic, fresh ginger, and a touch of honey for 20 hours.

With potatoes slow cooked in olive oil and fresh garlic for about 3 hours.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm! And guess what? It's totally Gabe ok! How cool is that?!

I can not wait to eat this. It smells sooo good.

I forgot

I forgot to post that Gabe did NOT have a reaction to the plain grilled chicken at KFC! Woot!!!! So now we have a fast food snack he can have other than McDonald's Apples and applejuice. BurgerKing apples too. Other than that we reallly haven't tried eating out at fast food places. When we go out to eat (very rare) I get Gabe a hamburger with no bread and I ask for extra lettuce and tomatoes. Or I get him a salad no dressing (or plain yogurt if they have it) and plain grilled chicken. Also fruit (no strawberries) or any plain veggies they have. It's not much but it's something. :)

Sorry no post lately.

I'm just hugely pregnant and slacking off on news worthy baking stuff. LOL!

So I sat down and did all my math conversions last night to figure out how much applesauce and olive oil I need for my 3 months worth of Namaste supple. 3 jars applesauce, and 2 101 oz tins of olive oil. NOT BAD!

Also I am attempting my hand at gardening somewhat. I got 9 free cherry tomato plants the other day from my sister in law. Soooo I put them in the topsy turvy planter. (I got a rip off at biglots for 7 something) I put 2 plants in each. At first they looked AWFUL, but after I watered them they perked right up and look AWESOME! As of today 1 planter has 21 tomatoes on it already! WOOT! I also received all my canning stuff which is cool because I plan on canning ALL I can from the harvest of these things! (If hubby and the boys don't eat them all on me)

So I know this is supposed to be an allergy blog, but it's also a me blog. I'm now 30 weeks and having some false labor contractions that are making me take it slow, thus why I've not been posting daily like I was. But anyways I have not forgotten about you all and I promise to post as much as I can!

Sale!

If you buy a lot of Namaste foods check this out! www.amazon.com search for Namaste in the grocery section. If you buy in packs of 6 you get a good deal (owner of the company put me onto that!) AND anything over 30 is free shipping :O I just bought litterally over 3 months worth of mixes from them (286.95) but that's 12 pizza mixes, 12 bread mixes, 12 mac & cheeses, 6 brownie mixes, 12 muffin mixes and 6 pancake mixes!!!! WOW! LOL! Should last us for a good while!! Next I get to sit down and figure out how much applesauce and oil and veggies and fruits and meat I need to get at our wholesale club. Blah. That's gonna take forever! LOL! Then I can spend an entire day just baking pizzas, making soups, baking muffins, pancakes, and breads! :O That will be crazy, but will make life sooo much easier!

COOL

So we are waiting to see, BUT we may have found a little bit of fast food for Gabe! Grilled chicken at KFC. The seasoning they add has soy, but they were willing to cook it up with out. (6 min wait, but it's worth it) So we are hoping that he doesn't have any cross contamination. They were really cool about it though, and very helpful. It was great. So fingers crossed and maybe we have a place we can just run to on those nights when I just can't cook anymore! LOL!

Ahhhh

May I just say what a blessing frozen premade food is? Yea I know I made it and so it's not as easy as the store kind, but on a day like today when I don't want to cook anything, it is awesome!

My new technique is everytime I make something like meatloaf, I make 2-3 and freeze the others. :) (preparing for when baby gets here and I'm off my feet for a few days) Also I read some really cool ideas. When you finish dinner take the leftovers and put them on paper plates 1 meal per plate then plastic wrap and Tada! Instant frozen dinners and then at the end of the week on a hectic day you can give your kid a choice between mac and cheese or meatloaf. They get a choice, you actually use leftovers! (because lets be honest after you've reheated them 1 time no one wants to reheat a second or third time :P)

My next great adventure will be batch cooking. I'm actually going to attempt to do the majority of a months worth of cooking in 1 day. I have a babysitter lined up and I plan to play lots of music and hide in my kitchen for over 12 hours :O I'll let you all know when that's going to be so you can tune into my meltdown! LOL!

Anyways just wanted to share my YAY for today. I didn't want to cook for lunch so I knew I wouldn't want to cook for dinner and when i went looking I remembered I had 2 bags of homemade soup frozen screaming out ME ME! LOL!

damn duck eggs?

So the other day Gabe had a reaction. It started as one spot on his face on mother's day. Then for the next 4 days it just spread more on his face. (he didn't complain about it so we didn't give him anything for it. Sounds mean, but I don't like giving him the meds unless it bother's him)

We thought it was just from being outside with all the pollen perhaps. Anyways it went away. So then today I made him duck eggs for breakfast, oranges and chips for lunch. Yup it's back. I think and Dh agrees with me that we had duck eggs for mother's day too. :( Looks like it might be the eggs. Sigh.

We are gonna keep an eye on it and then I think that since it doesn't bother him, once it clears up we will test our theory. Bah. That would make 19 allergies. The list can't just keep growing can it? I mean what are the chances of all this? Doesn't there have to be a limit? Or are we just gonna keep adding things? I mean at what point do we worry that this is more than just allergies? Crohns or something like that? (I don't think it's crohns but you get my point)

To top it all off I think I may have seen blood specks in Link's stool today. I'm calling the doc in the am to have it tested tomorrow. Watch him come up with allergies to milk or one of the few other foods that Gabe can eat. Then I'll have to make 3 dinners everyday. :O One for Gabe one for Link and then one for Jon and me. (he gets home so late from work that the boys are already asleep so I always make us a different dinner rather than let it get cold)

a grocery trip with me.

Today I was talking to someone and they asked me if Dh (dear husband) made a lot at his job. I wish. She then asked how we manage to feed our kids with only his income. Trust me we don't make much money at all. We live VERY frugally.

Things like unplugging appliances when they are not in use (doesn't save a ton, but it's something) Cloth diapering, spending time at home instead of going out, ceiling fans etc.

So I figured today I'll show how I do grocery shopping for the boys with all the allergies.

This is a Gabe ok shopping trip. The only thing on this list that he can't have is my coffee mate. :)

Coffee mate 2.29
butter 1lbs 2.29
whole milk 2.50
whole milk 2.50
plain yogurt .99
white american cheese 1/2 lbs 3.60
10 Polar fruit in a jar 10.00
6 cans fruit 7.98
Oatmeal 3.19
honey ham 3.00
chicken quarters 4.66
Erwhyen (sp?)rice krispy cereal 4.29
Kettle chips 4.00
rice pasta 2.69
baby red potatoes 1 bag 2.99
bananas 4.46
watermelon 7.99
2 oranges 2.97
72.41 Total

Then at the health food store I got a bread mix and a box of sugar cookie mix for 12.30 total after tax.

Well folks that's it. From this alone I can make mac and cheese, sandwiches, dehydrated fruits and fresh fruit snacks, chicken and potatoes, chips, rice krispy treats (I had the marshmallow stuff at home though), yogurt, oatmeal and jam. :)

Anyways I just wanted to show that if you look for the 10 for 10.00 deals in the fruit you can save a fortune. Also compare which grocery stores are cheaper for fruits. (we can't live without a LOT of fruit especially in the summer

The sugar cookies were actually really good. A little more crumbly than I expected, so maybe next time I'll add just a little bit of applesauce, but VERy good and Gabe LOVED them!

New find.

So today we ran out of food so I decided to do a totally allergy free food shopping trip. I'll post my shopping receipt later. But at the health food store they were out of Gabe's fav. Muffins. Soooo I was looking around and I saw Cherrybrook Kitchen's sugar cookie mix. I love namaste, BUT their cookies aren't like sugar cookies, so I decided to look at the ingredients. CORN FREE!!!! WOOT! So we are going to be making them up soon.

I'm doing a massive cooking spree right now. I've got yogurt in my crock pot, bread in the bread machine, blueberries in the dehydrator and soon to be sugar cookies in the oven. :)

Anyways wish me luck! LOL! I'll let you know how they turn out.

Chips.

Well I absolutely love my dehydrator! I made zucchini chips last night! Mmmmm. The boys weren't that impressed, but I really liked them!

My next thing I want to make are dried blueberries. :)

So we are thinking Gabe might have another allergy :( For 4 or 5 days now he's had red spots on his cheeks. Bad red spots and they are starting to get dried out. Weird. He hasn't had any allergy foods. I talked to the doc and they are really pushing for delayed allergy testing. I'm kinda hesitant. As horrible as it sounds I don't want to. I dont' want to add anything else to his can't have list. I know that sounds horrible, but that's how I feel. We will end up doing the testing of course, but I don't want to.

Language Alert

Ok, so honestly I'm not a big fan of rasberries. My hubby however LOVES them. So I went and got stuff to make rasberry jam the other day and figured, he'd love it and that could be something special for him (and the boys of course).

I made the jam yesterday. I used the liquid pectin, which I was nervous about, because I had never used it before.

Well today I checked on them. When you hold the jar upside down, nothing moves. :) So I figured I'll make a rasberry peanutbutter sandwich while the boys are sleeping. Oh...My...Fucking....God!!!! SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOOD! I'm thinking I might hide all 5 jars (little jars) away from the kids and hubby and eat it all myself!

I did 4 cups mushed rasberries, 4 cups sugar, a dash of lemon juice and the liquid pectin 1 pouch.

Mash the berries in the pan after you have cleaned them. Add pectin and lemon juice put on high heat stirring constantly, til you get a rapid boil (it boils even when you stir) then add the sugar and stir very well. Keep stirring until you get a rapid boil again. Then leave it alone for 1 minute. Then pour into jars.

I used little jars so I could just boil them in a regular deep pot. I let them boil for about 6-8 minutes I think. Then I took them out of the hot water and let them sit for 3-4 hours to cool down to about room temp. Then I threw them in the fridge. They were perfect before 12. This gave me a little over 5 cups or so. Fit perfectly in 5 small jars that I get when I buy the fruit in glass jars at stop and shop! (I save them all!)

So you figure 12 bucks for all the berries (YIKES I know) I want to say about 5 bucks for 2 pouches of pectin, but since I only used 1 figure 2.50 and then 4 cups of sugar 2.50 a bag 10 cups a bag .25 a cup= 1 dollar in sugar. 15.5 per batch I spent (jars are free since I buy the fruit in them and then just save them) so 3.10 a jar of rasberry jam. Not too shabby. It would also be cheaper if I bought the liquid pectin in bulk and the fruit at the farmer's market once it starts. Mmmm

Anyways I just wanted to share with you guys!

Bananas!

Banana chips check, apple chips, check, dried pinnapple, check! And just because I can I made rasberry jam! I'm now considering making marshmallows too. I think my nesting may have kicked in LOL.

Jam smells soooooooooooo good! I accidently grabbed the liquid pectin this time though, so I'm a little nervous to see if it turns out the same way. Oh well we shall see!

Allergy Awareness Week

At 3am I unplugged the dehydrator because it was irritating me with the noise. (it wasn't loud but the table it was on was RIGHT above our bed downstairs) And so the chips weren't dry when I woke up. I'm gonna check them again in a few more hours. :) But they look yummy.

Well folks today starts off allergy awareness week. So I'm gonna do my best to post some great info of stuff that I find and think is either interesting or important to know. These are some great facts from http://www.achooallergy.com/allergy-statistics.asp

The Allergy Epidemic Affects 1 out of 4 Americans


Over 50 million Americans suffer from allergies.


Approximately 55 percent of all U.S. citizens test positive to one or more allergens.


Allergies are the 6th leading cause of chronic disease in the United States.


Allergies cost the health care system about $18 billion annually.


Allergic rhinitis, or hay fever, is the reason for over 15 million doctor office visits each year.


In the past year, 18.4 million adults and 6.7 children were diagnosed with hay fever.


Chronic sinusitis is the most commonly reported chronic disease, affecting about 35 million Americans.


People who suffer from sinusitis miss about 4 days of work each year because of their illness.


Food allergy occurs in approximately 6 to 8 percent of children under the age of 4 and approximately 4 percent of adults.


About 150 Americans, mostly children, die from food-induced anaphylaxis each year.


Peanut allergies and tree nut allergies cause the most extreme food allergy symptoms.


The number of children with potentially fatal peanut allergies doubled between 1997 and 2002.


Urticaria (hives) is common and affects 10 to 20 percent of the population at some time in their lives.


Stinging Insect allergy is common, affecting about 3 percent of Americans and 1 percent of children.


Approximately 100 Americans die annually from anaphylaxis induced by stinging insects.


Penicillin is the most common culprit in drug allergy. Anaphylactic reactions to penicillin cause approximately 400 deaths a year.


Allergic dermatitis (itchy rash) is the most common skin condition in children younger than 11 years of age. The percentage of children diagnosed with it has increased from 3% in the 1960s to 10% in the 1990s.


Atopic dermatitis is one of the most common skin diseases, particularly in infants and children. The estimated prevalence in the United States is 9%. The prevalence of atopic dermatitis appears to be increasing.


Approximately 220 cases of anaphylaxis and 3 deaths per year are due to latex allergy.


If one parent has allergic disease, the estimated risk of a child to develop allergies is 48%; the child’s estimated risk grows to 70% if both parents have a history of allergies.