Chocolate (Avocado/Banana) Pudding – with an “Instant Pudding” Option!

 
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Chocolate Avocado/Banana Pudding...Yum!

Chocolate Avocado/Banana Pudding…Yum!

Back in January, our new dietician had a Fructose Free Vitamin for us to give to Mr. Charm.  This new vitamin is a powder and the instructions on the can say to mix the powder with a thick liquid, like yogurt or pudding.

Houston, we have a problem!

I haven’t been able to find a safe yogurt for Mr. Charm yet, nor have I found a safe pudding!

Until now…

I had made several attempts at vegan pudding using variations on a cornstarch thickened liquid theme, but none of them panned out.  The flavor was off, the texture was wrong…something was always just a tad “off”.  Plus, I’d like to find a pudding recipe that *might* be safe for Mr. Happy one day, so, probably best to NOT include an ingredient that we already know is unsafe for him!

So I was playing around with the idea of using bananas as a base for pudding.  It needs to be sort of creamy and thick…bananas get that way when they’re mashed!  And after the great success of banana ice cream, well, I thought I might be on to something!

But it never came out quite right.  

Finally, I remembered a recipe I’d seen somewhere before for a dessert or a smoothie (I really can’t remember the recipe, so if this rings a bell, let me know so I can credit them!) that used banana and avocado together!

Now, I know the whole world seems to LOVE avocado, but for me and my household, we pretty much think it’s the most disgusting, slimy, icky thing on the planet.  Still, I’d actually hoped Mr. Charm would like avocado when he was a baby (it is very healthy, after all), but one bite and he gave us the most pitiful look you’ve ever seen and spit it right out!

Still, maybe, just maybe, if it’s hidden in banana and cocoa powder, we may not mind it so much?  It was worth a shot!

So I bought some avocados (asking my Mom on the phone how you’re supposed to know when one of those icky things is good to buy) and went to work.

I’ll spare you the details of the failed batches, and share with you what works like a Charm!  (Get it?  Sorry, little pun there!)  Mr. Charm LOVES this stuff!

So here’s what you do:

Take an avocado, cut it in half, remove the pit, and scrape out that green mess into your food processor.  Peel a banana and toss it in as well.

Banana, Avocado and Maple Syrup ready to process

Banana, Avocado and Maple Syrup ready to process

Top that off with maple syrup, cocoa powder, and some alternative milk.  We used almond, but if you used hemp or rice it could be Top 8 allergy free!

Cocoa powder added...

Cocoa powder added…

Blend it to death – you may need to scrape the sides of the bowl once or twice to get everything mixed well.

Ta-da!  You’ve just made 4 servings of an absolutely delicious chocolate pudding that you can actually give your kid for breakfast guilt-free!

Four days of Vitamin Carrier Yummies, all ready to go!

Four days of Vitamin Carrier Yummies, all ready to go!

But wait – there’s more!  

In the interest of not having to make this every 4 days – aka, “not having to clean my food processor every 4 days and remember to have fresh ingredients all the time” – in order to give Mr. Charm his vitamins, I thought: “Well, why not make extra batches and freeze them?”

Then I thought: “Well, if Mr. Happy passes all of these foods, and I can add them to my diet, when I go back to work it would be GREAT to have an easy dessert to bring with me – how would this work dehydrated?”

So the experimenting continued!

I made one batch without any milk to freeze.

I made one batch without any milk to dehydrate.

I made one batch WITH milk that I split in half, freezing one half and dehydrating the other half.

Since I was planning to dehydrate some of this, I wondered if it would make it faster and easier to do without adding extra liquid to the recipe first.  Then I wondered if the milk might crystallize in the freezer and affect the texture of the pudding once thawed.  So I tried it both with and without milk added first.

Freezing it was simple: make a batch, throw it in Ziploc bags, label, flatten, and freeze.  Easy peasy!  For the frozen and dehydrated versions, I added lemon juice to the recipe to ensure no color changes, and to help with preservation.

When it was time to try it out, I just laid them out on the counter for a couple hours, then ran warm water over them, mashing the bag, until it was certainly still cold, but no longer frozen.

Then I snipped the corner off one bottom of the bag and squeezed the pudding into bowls!

Batch #1 is the WITH milk added frozen batch.  I simply squeezed it into a bowl and was done.

Batch #2 is the NO milk added frozen batch.  I squeezed it into a bowl, added 1/4 cup of almond milk, whisked it together, then portioned it into individual servings.  (Each full batch is 4 servings.)

The Geek and Mr. Charm are my taste testers, of course, but for this I only asked the Geek’s opinion.

He thought both Batch #1 and #2 were delicious, but Batch #2 had a much stronger banana taste than the other batches.  He likes banana, so both were good for him, but he noted that someone who doesn’t like banana would prefer Batch #1.

So, that’s good!  I can make extra batches of this and freeze them…if I wanted to be REALLY clever, I could get sandwich baggies and freeze individual servings of the pudding.  *This could be handy for Mama’s with kids in school; throw a frozen pudding bag in with the kiddos lunch in the morning, and by lunchtime it will probably have thawed enough they can just eat it right out of the bag!

For me, though, I’m interested in finding foods I can carry with me on the plane…so, how did this work dehydrated?

For the dehydrated version, I was hoping to find a way to make a dry pudding base that would only need water or milk to rehydrate and turn into pudding…sort of a “vegan-homemade-allergy-friendly” instant pudding mix.

First I made the pudding, then I smeared it on my ParaFlexx non-stick drying sheets for my Excalibur dehydrator and turned it on!

I set the temp at 135 degrees, and it took quite a while – about 24 hours – before the pudding was dry enough to satisfy me. (Must be humid!)

So after both batches were dried, I took each batch and did the following: put the dried pudding in my food processor with the S-blade, pureed it to death, added heated liquid, and stirred.

Now, I ran my food processor for-ev-ah  trying to get the pudding as fine as I could get it, and it just never got as fine as I would like.  After rehydrating one serving of each batch, I looked over and saw the Geek’s coffee grinder and thought that was just what I needed!

So I ran a single serving of each batch through the coffee grinder, and that turned it into a nice, fine powder that rehydrated beautifully.

Batch #3 is the WITH milk added batch.

Batch #3 (With Milk) spread out on the dehydrator tray. This was a half batch, since I froze the other half.

Batch #3 (With Milk) spread out on the dehydrator tray. This was a half batch, since I froze the other half.

Batch #4 is the NO milk added batch.  

Batch #4 (NO milk) spread out to dry. I don't know why I portioned it out on the dehydrator sheets...Mommy Brain is weird sometimes!

Batch #4 (NO milk) spread out to dry. I don’t know why I portioned it out on the dehydrator sheets…Mommy Brain is weird sometimes!

So here’s Batch #3 being processed…

Completely dried Batch #3!

Completely dried Batch #3!

After being processed in the food processor

After being processed in the food processor

With milk added, it yielded 1/4 cup for 2 servings!

With milk added, it yielded 1/4 cup for 2 servings!

And here’s batch #4 being processed…

Batch #4 dried and ready to go!

Batch #4 dried and ready to go!

After being ground up in the food processor...

After being ground up in the food processor…

Four servings was 3/4 of a cup!

Four servings was 3/4 of a cup!

And here are both batches after being ground finely in the coffee grinder. Batch #3 is on the left.

Batch #3 on the left, Batch #4 on the right. It's powdery fine, now!

Batch #3 on the left, Batch #4 on the right. It’s powdery fine, now!

I wanted to rehydrate both batches in two ways: with hot water, and with hot almond milk, to see if it made a difference in taste. (Which is fortunate, since I didn’t think of the coffee grinder until after I rehydrated with water!)

Alrighty…here’s the math portion of our program, kiddies:

There are 16 T. per cup.  Batch #3 yielded 1/4 cup of dried pudding mix for two servings.  So, I used 2 T. of powder per serving.  Then I added 3 T. of heated liquid to rehydrate.

Batch #4 yielded 3/4 cup of dried pudding mix for four servings.  So, I used 3 T. of powder per serving.  Then I added 4 T. of liquid to rehydrate.  

For both batches, you could add a little bit more liquid if you’d like; they did come out quite thick.

Batch #3, the left version is after being ground in the coffee grinder.

Batch #3, the left version is after being ground in the coffee grinder.

You can see how chunky it turned out when it wasn’t ground as finely as possible – the coffee grinder is worth it!

The Geek’s verdict: the batch without milk added was…okay.  Tolerable.  Edible.  (That’s batch #4, in case you’re confused!)  It wasn’t bad, just sort of bland.  Why that would happen after being dehydrated, I couldn’t tell you, but that’s what he said!

Batch #3 – the milk added version was almost as good as the fresh or frozen versions!  Though, he preferred it a bit more when it was rehydrated with almond milk instead of water.

So, the end result is:

  • 1st Place – Freshly made!
  • 2nd Place – Frozen with milk (Batch #1) [though Frozen without milk (Batch #2) is tied, if you like a strong banana flavor]
  • 3rd Place – Frozen without milk (Batch #2)
  • 4th Place – Dehydrated with milk (Batch #3) and rehydrated with milk
  • 5th Place – Dehydrated with milk (Batch #3) and rehydrated with water
  • 6th Place – Dehydrated without milk (Batch #4) regardless of how it is rehydrated

So there you have it.  You can make a yummy, allergy-friendly pudding fresh for your kiddos, you can freeze extras if you’re super efficient in the kitchen, and you can dehydrate it if you want to take it to go!

I sure hope Mr. Happy is safe with bananas, avocados, cocoa powder, maple syrup and almond milk!  It would be great to be able to have homemade, healthy chocolate pudding when I go back to work!
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CHOCOLATE (AVOCADO/BANANA) PUDDING – with an “Instant Pudding” Option!
(makes 4 kid-sized servings)

– 1 avocado
– 1 banana
– 2 T. maple syrup
– 1/4-1/3 c. cocoa powder (to taste)
– 1/4-1/2 c. alternative milk (we used almond)
– 1 tsp. lemon juice (optional if you plan to freeze or dehydrate)

  1. Cut your avocado in half, remove the pit and scrape into food processor.
  2. Peel a banana and throw it in the food processor, too.
  3. Add maple syrup, cocoa powder, milk and lemon juice.
  4. Process until smooth and creamy!
  5. Enjoy your healthy, vegan, allergy-friendly pudding!

TO FREEZE:

  1. Pour pudding into either individual serving size Ziploc bags or one big Ziploc bag, squeeze out all the air, lay flat and freeze.
  2. To thaw, lay out on the counter for a few hours, or run under warm water until pudding is cold but not frozen.
  3. Serve and enjoy!

TO DEHYDRATE:

  1. Pour pudding out onto non-stick dehydrating sheets.  (You cannot possibly spread it TOO THIN – the thinner, the better!)
  2. Dehydrate at 135 degrees until completely dry and brittle.  Probably at least 12 hours, if not more.
  3. When dried, break the pieces into a coffee grinder and process until a very fine powder.
  4. Store in an airtight container in your freezer.  (That’s what I would do, just to make sure it stays fresh!)
  5. To rehydrate the entire batch, heat 1/2-3/4 cup of alternative milk to a simmer – NOT A BOIL – and add to the powder.
  6. Whisk and set in the fridge to cool for half an hour.  Enjoy!
  7. To rehydrate an individual serving, separate the batch into 4 same sized portions; should be about 2 T. per serving.
  8. Heat 3 T. of alternative milk to a simmer – NOT A BOIL – and add to the powder.
  9. Whisk and set in the fridge to cool for half an hour.  Enjoy!

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Does anyone have a fabulous allergy friendly pudding recipe they’re willing to share?  Mr. Charm might get bored with chocolate after a while!

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This post shared with Allergy Free Wednesdays, Whole Food Wednesdays, and Real Food Wednesdays.   

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I am an affiliate of Excalibur Dehydrators.  If you click on the links in this post or the ad on my sidebar and purchase anything through them, I receive a small commission and you receive free shipping.  This recipe and this use of a dehydrator, however, are my own!  Any commission’s earned help support this site and keep my kiddos in grass-fed beef.  Thank you!

Helpless

 
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Such a happy baby, despite everything!

Such a happy baby, despite everything!

Do you know one of the worst things about FPIES?

It renders you completely helpless.  

Impotent.

Yesterday I changed 8 bloody, mucousy, smelly diapers for Mr. Happy.  He screamed in pain immediately after pooping each time; by the end of the day, he was screaming in pain on the changing table, wriggling and squirming to get away from my efforts to wipe his heinie, and his poor little tushie was bright red from an acidic diaper rash that no ointment seems to be helping.

I can do nothing to fix this for him.

I can only comfort him, hold him, nurse him, love him, and be there with him while his little body struggles to process through the reaction and heal itself back up.

IT. SUCKS.

He woke up first thing in the morning with a diaper already filled with blood, so his trigger ingestion had to be the day before.

Backtracking through our Monday activities and foods, I’m left with only speculation as to what he consumed that has made him react.  Mr. Charm had a dentist appointment in the late afternoon.  His dentist keeps a tray of sunglasses for the kids to wear when their teeth are examined to help with the bright examining light.  I handed a pair to Mr. Happy for him to play with…only I didn’t notice that this pair had flower stickers on the sides.  After he happily chewed away on them for a few minutes, I saw the stickers and took them away, only to see that he had gummed half of one sticker off the glasses and swallowed it.

That could be the culprit.

Of course, before we even made it into the examining room, I was filling out more stupid, redundant paperwork for the dentist (I LOATHE medical info paperwork…they just ask you the same questions once you’re in the appointment – why waste our time with filling out the freakin’ form??) and didn’t notice Mr. Happy had found a hidden stash of magazines in the corner of the waiting room.  He was happily tearing a magazine apart when I removed him from the magazines and brought him back to me.  He may have chewed on one before I stopped him.

That could be it, too.

For dinner, I made a stir-fry for my food eating boys: broccoli, cauliflower, bell pepper, water chestnuts, black olives, cashews, celery, a little vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper, served over a bed of Asian rice noodles.  I know little bits of the rice noodles snapped off when I was getting them out of the package.  I know Mr. Charm is not the tidiest of eaters. Even though we sweep our kitchen and dining room at least 5 times a day, it’s entirely possible Mr. Happy picked up a crumb of some sort off the floor after dinner.

That might be it, too.

But, I don’t know for sure.

It narrows it down, though, to our two biggest trigger hypothesis: corn and rice.  

The most frustrating part of this whole thing, though, is that two weeks ago, Mr. Happy had finally, after months  of mild reactions, reached a point that was essentially baseline.  His poop still had a very mild odor to it, but we decided that was probably from months of having a whacked out GI system, as he had no other symptoms at all.

So the Geek started talking food trials.  

Something in my gut was saying “Not yet”, and after the acetaminophen incident last January, I’m steadfastly listening to my gut.  I really wanted to start Mr. Happy on a bone broth or a probiotic to help heal his guts up some before we started solid foods.  The Geek was anxious to get started; in the end, we agreed to do whatever our new Doctors said to do – after all, that’s why we traveled to Atlanta!

So I sent them emails, and they responded: probiotics sound like a good idea to start with.

I immediately queried the FPIES Mama’s about safe probiotics, and on their recommendation picked a brand.  Only, our health food store didn’t carry it and I had to order it online.

The day before it arrived in the mail, Mr. Happy started having reaction diapers.  Mucous and bad smell.  Clingy.  A little eczema.  I suspect is was a crumb off the kitchen floor or perhaps a paper bag I found him playing with one day (again, rice or corn!), but I don’t know for sure.

So we had to delay the probiotics.  We can’t start them when he’s in a reaction!

He had just started showing improvement; no more mucous, smell getting lighter again, when yesterday’s bloody diapers showed up.

So we have to delay the probiotics again.

I’m so frustrated!

I’m so scared that we won’t have any safe foods for him before I go back to work in June.  I don’t know how I can go back to work if I’m his SOLE source of nutrition…but we can’t afford for me to stay home!

I have 448 ounces of pumped breastmilk in the freezer.  It sounds like a lot, right?  But if that’s all he consumes, I’ll bet you money he drinks between 30-50 ounces a day.  So say he only takes 40 ounces a day; that’s only 11 days of food for him!  

I’ve been pumping every day since mid-September, so for 5 and a half months of pumping, that’s what I have to show for it.

Eleven days of keeping my son alive.  

At this rate, I’ll have about 690 ounces of milk prepared for him when I start leaving for work.

8.5 months of pumping.

For 17 days, about one months worth, of food for my son when I’m gone.

What am I going to do?

I’m a problem solver, a “fixer” by nature.

I hate FPIES.

I hate feeling helpless.

I hate watching my son writhe in pain.

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So that I don’t leave this as a complete “Debbie Downer” post, I have to say that Mr. Happy is an A M A Z I N G kid.  

As I finished changing his 6th bloody, acid-burn, mucous filled diaper today, and he screamed and writhed in pain, I got him re-diapered and picked him up and started hugging him.

He could see his brother from that angle, and Mr. Charm was riding his rocking horse, grinning and giggling.

Mr. Happy immediately started smiling and laughing at his brother!

I am amazed at his strength and endurance; even in pain, his personality is just to be happy!  How he tolerates the pain he must feel is beyond me.  How he tolerates the pain and continues to smile and be thrilled by life  is SO far beyond me I can’t even imagine it!

My boys are awesome; strong, resilient, positive little boys.  I’m so blessed to bear witness to their lives.  

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Anyone else had a hard time getting to baseline?  Anyone else just HATE feeling helpless in the face of your kiddos FPIES?

MedicAlert Bling for the Boys

 
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Check out our bracelets!

Check out our bracelets!

Two weeks ago, I finally got off my duff and made a Very Important Phone Call.

MedicAlert.  

One of the other FPIES Mamas had recently reminded us all to do so, after she had a near accident one day.  It reminded her of the time that her family was in an accident and the adults were taken to a different hospital than her daughter.

If that were to happen to my boys, it could be bad.  

For either of them, in the aftermath of an accident, it might not be too dangerous during the initial  treatment…but IF the Geek and I were so injured we could not quickly join them, or if, God forbid, something happened that meant we could not join them at all, ongoing hospital care could become, frankly, deadly for my kiddos if their medical issues were not known.

I can imagine a million different scenarios where my boys could be hurt by a hospital while the medical staff was trying to help them.

Say that the Geek and I are not available to discuss medical conditions with the ER personnel.  Mr. Happy isn’t really hurt at all, but he’d been sent to the ER just in case.  A well-meaning nurse realizes he’s hungry, opens up a bottle of regular dairy or soy based formula, and feeds him.  BAM! Vomiting, diarrhea, hypovolemic shock.  Then they’ll pump him full of IV antibiotics, further disrupting his fragile gastro-intestinal balance, and put him on an IV of saline – which is derived from corn.

Say Mr. Charm is injured, but not badly.  The Geek and I aren’t there to discuss things with the ER personnel.  Mr. Charm is admitted overnight, and before anyone can tell them any better, they serve him breakfast.  Bacon and eggs.  BAM!  Anaphylaxis ensues.

See what I mean?  There are a ton of scenarios I can imagine like this.

So it seemed prudent and responsible to make sure that regardless of where they are or who they are with, emergency response personnel will be able to quickly determine any special precautions they will need to take in caring for my sons.

You can enroll in MedicAlert online, but the other FPIES Mama’s who had already done this told everyone that it is easier to do it over the phone; due to our rare medical condition, it’s apparently tricky to find the right “things” to tell the system to put in our files.  The operators on the phone, however, can easily enter strange data.

MedicAlert is so cool, even, that when I called, I was placed on hold.  Then the hold message said to leave a message, and I would be called back when I would have gotten through while waiting on hold!  You don’t lose your place in the queue when you leave a message!  Love. It.

So I did, and got a call back, and it took about two hours to get everything properly set up for both boys.

The operator was warm, sweet, and precise; she really worked hard to get all the kiddos information correct.

I was impressed with the process, impressed with the thoroughness, and impressed with the price: $36 for a year service and the bracelet.  For $3 a month per child, I can relax and worry a lot less about at least ONE thing in our lives.  

SO worth it!

I went with the old-fashioned Red markings on the bracelet, because I didn’t want the emergency personnel to accidentally overlook the bracelets in a crisis.  I wanted them to be very obvious!

Our bracelets arrived in Saturday’s mail.  Just a week and a half after I’d called – they are FAST!

Mr. Happy seems to barely notice his, except when he’s crawling.  Then the large part of the bracelet slides to the back of his wrist and his crawling now sounds like a peg-legged pirate stomping around the house…”clomp…clomp…clomp…”  It’s kind of funny, actually.

Oh, and it makes a really handy teething device when nothing else is available.

Mr. Charm isn’t fond of his bracelet.  When he saw me put the bracelet on his brother, I asked him “Do you want a bracelet, too?” because he has definitely noticed that Mommy, Daddy, and Brother all have amber necklaces…and he doesn’t.  (Don’t worry, we’re getting him a necklace, too!)

He, of course, said “Yeah!”

I put it on, but almost immediately he began grabbing his wrist and saying “Boo-boo”.  It isn’t too small, and it doesn’t hurt; I think he’s just not used to it and when he catches it on something and it tugs, he doesn’t like the sensation.

He can get over it.  That sucker is NOT coming off.

Oh!  A really sad, funny moment came when I was measuring the boys wrists for the bracelets!  As a reminder, Mr. Charm is closer to his 3rd birthday than his 2nd, and Mr. Happy is a mere 9  months old.  Their wrists measured exactly the same!  4.5 inches for BOTH boys.  Mr. Charm is small, and Mr. Happy is big, and despite what the dietician said, I still attribute it to the malabsorption Mr. Charm had when he was a baby that we didn’t know about.  Sad…

So now my youngest son wears an amber necklace and a bracelet at all times, and my oldest son is about to do the same.  I’ve never been fond of jewelry on men, but I LOVE this jewelry on my little men!

Do you have MedicAlert for your kids?  Is it just a HUGE stress-reliever for you, too?  

A Letter to My Boys

 
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Dearest Sweet Boys,

I love you SO much.  And I love  how you love me.  Really, it’s absolutely wonderful how you want to be near me, right there with me, doing exactly what I’m doing, all the time.  The way you both want to be held constantly and snuggle with me on the couch just fills me with joy.

But.

Even though I know you won’t always want to be next to me, won’t always so freely give hugs and kisses, won’t always want to snuggle on the couch with me, and that one day I’ll miss these warm, precious moments of mother-son love-fests, Mommy is a tad…overwhelmed.

I would really like to eat a meal sitting upright at the table like a human, instead of holding a baby that keeps trying to grab the food off my plate while a toddler stands behind me in the chair with his arms wrapped around my neck, bouncing for all he’s worth.

I would really like to go to the bathroom without a baby pulling on my pants and a toddler trying to “help” me.

I would really like to take a shower without having to undress you both to join me, because the thought of hanging out in the bathroom where you can see me through the glass shower doors is far too offensive for your loving natures.

Also, you both have some very special food needs, and I would really like to be able to spend the time I do have in the kitchen unencumbered by a baby screaming on the floor to be picked up and a toddler trying to “help” by rushing a hot stove, dismantling my kitchen, and trying to climb on the counters to help himself to snacks.

I understand, sweethearts, really I do.

Mr. Happy, you are not feeling well.  You’ve been reacting to some unknown substance for almost a week, and you just don’t feel very good at all.  Plus, you’re teething (still) and are fighting off a little cold.  When you feel that icky, Mommy hugs are the only thing that make you feel better.  I get that.

Mr. Charm, you are not feeling well.  Last week you had an upset tummy from something you ate that lasted three days and then you, too, started fighting off a little cold.  Plus, your brother has demanded much of me lately, and while you love your brother, I know you’ve been feeling a little neglected of “Mommy time”.  I get that.

But am I really the only person that can pour your almond milk into a glass for you?  When your Daddy tries to do it for you, you scream at him “No, no, no!  MAMA!!” and break into hysterics if he doesn’t come get me.

Same with getting dressed or undressed, or diaper changes, or showers, or even playing with trains.  Your Daddy loves you, too, and he would be so very happy to take care of you.

And Mr. Happy?  Being held by Mommy is not the only answer.  Daddy loves you, too, and is quite happy to hold and comfort you.

I think Daddy’s feelings are starting to be a little…wounded…by the fact that no matter what he tries to do for you boys, you both scream bloody murder until I step in and do it for you myself.

I love the love.  I LOVE it.

I love the way you want and need me.

I’ll miss it like crazy when you grow up and don’t want or need me this way any more.

But right now, in the thick of it?

Do you think you could “show some love” to Daddy on occasion, too?  Mommy needs a wee little break.

If that’s too hard to handle right now, know that I’ll always forgo laundry, cleaning, and even personal care to hold and love on you.  I love you, and will always, always  be there for you regardless of what you need.

But you know, your Daddy needs some loving too.  So be good boys, huh?  Spread the wealth a bit?

Hugs, Kisses, and ALL my Heart,

Mommy

The Things Parents Say

 
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Things_I_Say

It’s been a little “heavy” around here for the last couple of days, so I thought I’d lighten things up a bit.

Sometime last year, the Geek and I were discussing all the random things we’ve said since becoming parents that we NEVER thought we would say.  Not so much things like “1…2…don’t make me get to 3!” but more like “don’t stick your finger in the cat’s butt!”  Really, what normal single person thinks THAT phrase is ever going to come out of their mouth??

So I started writing down some of the more absurd things we’ve said in the last year, and today, I’m sharing the hilarity with you!

THINGS I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD SAY (AS A PARENT)

  • Don’t lick your brother.
  • Don’t eat the kitty litter.
  • That was a good poop!
  • Stop spraying the cat with vinegar!
  • Now that’s a good use for the chopstick – practice screwing!! (using the chopstick as a screwdriver)
  • You can write on the paper or on yourself, but not the furniture!
  • Don’t write on the potatos!
  • Stand on the chair, not the table!
  • Don’t drip your Popsicle in the lamp socket!  And DON’T lick it out!!
  • Hang on and let me get that booger out of your nose.
  • Don’t eat the sword!
  • Stop putting things up your nose!
  • Don’t stick your finger in the cat’s butt!
  • The bath tub is NOT a swimming pool!  Don’t jump in off the side!

And here are some FPIES/Food Allergy Related Sayings that made me shake my head:

  • Do you want some ice cream? (at breakfast – my Banana Ice Cream)
  • No, you can’t have Daddy’s carrots.  Eat your potato chips.
  • No, you can’t have your vitamin.  It will make you sick.  (Has fructose in it)
  • No, we can’t read right now.  We have to wait until your brother is down for his nap.  Otherwise, he’ll eat the book and get sick.
  • Honey, there’s a diaper on the changing table.  Go smell it.
  • Did you get my email?  I sent you a picture of Mr. Happy’s poop.

Then, of course, there are the things we never thought we would DO.  I never thought I would:

  • Take pictures of my kiddos poop.
  • Take pictures of my kiddos butts (to document blistering diaper rashes).
  • Physically dig through a poopy diaper to see ‘what’s in there’.
  • Drive poopy diapers 30 miles to the doctors office to test them.
  • Walk around all day with spit up on my shirt and not even notice.
  • Walk around all day with spit up IN MY HAIR and not even notice.
  • Debate between bathing or taking a nap.
  • Watch one of my favorite movies and think “Well, that’s highly inappropriate.”

And the classic: I always SWORE I would NEVER, EVER EVER lick my finger and wipe my kids faces with it. 

Mr. Charm was less than 1 day old when I did it the first time.  

__________

What are some of the things you’ve said and done as a parent that you never thought you would?

Rare Disease Day

 
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RareDiseaseDayBanner

Today is Rare Disease Day.

This is a worldwide initiative to bring greater awareness to those who suffer with rare diseases.  Rare Disease Day in the United States is sponsored by NORD (National Organization for Rare Disorders) and Rare Disease Day Worldwide is sponsored by Eurodis (Rare Diseases Europe).

I’m actually really, really bummed out that Rare Disease Day is today, because I only heard about it for the first time on Tuesday.  That didn’t give me any time to DO anything for the occasion.

Because, while sponsored by these large organizations, this really is quite the grass-roots effort.  

Had I the time, I would have sent out a press kit to my local newspapers and TV stations, contacted some teacher friends of mine about doing a presentation in their classrooms, and perhaps tried to organize some activity – a charity run or auction, for example – for my area.  Sadly, my entire state has NO activities scheduled for the day, so I couldn’t even jump in on someone else’s great plan!

But I’m new to the world of Rare Diseases; Mr. Happy has only been diagnosed since July, and this is my first ever Rare Disease Day (though it is their 6th annual Day).  So I didn’t know it was coming up.

I’m doing the best I can, though!  I signed up yesterday to be an Ambassador for Rare Disease Day and am going to do my part to spread the word!

This entire blog has been dedicated to the story of my children and their strange, rare medical conditions.  Their diseases.  So I think it has been made terribly clear the loneliness, frustration, isolation, and ignorance we’ve dealt with as sufferers of a Rare Disease.

The thing is, it’s not really that RARE to have a Rare Disease!  From the Rare Disease US website:

In the U.S., any disease affecting fewer than 200,000 people is considered rare. This definition comes from the Orphan Drug Act of 1983 and is slightly different from the definition used in Europe. There are nearly 7,000 rare diseases affecting nearly 30 million Americans. In other words, almost one in ten Americans are suffering from rare diseases.

Besides dealing with their specific medical problems, people with rare diseases struggle to get a proper diagnosis, find information, and get treatment. The rarity of their conditions makes medical research more difficult.

– See more at: http://rarediseaseday.us/about/#sthash.9SCAHViL.dpuf

So there are LOTS of us out here!

But in our individual struggles to find good help and good answers, we feel very, very alone.  

Rare Disease Day has been created to alleviate that isolation; to bring together all the people who struggle alone for one day to remind them – and the world at large – that we matter.

Our diseases are worth researching.  

Our children are worth saving.  

Our lives are worth living.

WE MATTER.

The theme for this year’s Rare Disease Day is “Rare Disorders Without Borders“.  It may seem like common sense to the average person that if all the research doctors in the world who work on a specific, rare disease all put their resources and brains together, they’d come up with answers more quickly and effectively…but it doesn’t always happen that way.

I’ll let the Rare Disease Day information packet explain this years goals:

Fighting diseases which affect only a few people in each country and for which expertise is scarce and scattered requires cross-border cooperation.

Patients and their families who feel isolated because of the rareness of their diseases should know that there are more than 6000 rare diseases affecting more than 60 million people in Europe and the US alone. Most of these diseases are genetic, serious, chronic and debilitating. They affect people in similar ways. Reaching out across borders can help them find common solutions and remind them they are not alone.

Advances in rare disease research have more chances of succeeding if sought after internationally when hundreds of teams of researchers from different countries work together to understand the disease and find therapies. Financial resources for research will go further if pooled with other funding from various countries: This is the idea behind the International Rare Disease Research Consortium (IRDiRC) which has already rallied the support of 10 countries.

Policies in healthcare and social services which have proven beneficial to people living with rare diseases in one country should be standardised and replicated internationally. This is the idea behind the European Union’s call for countries to develop National Plans for Rare Diseases in all Member States by the end of 2013.This initiative is intended to improve coordination of rare disease policies at the national level – following a common road map – and then to harmonise them across Europe.

The theme for 2013 reminds us that looking at rare diseases from an international perspective is particularly important, in terms of research, health policy and for the millions of patients and families throughout the world who can break out of their isolation though a vast international network of solidarity.

There are over one hundred million people

living with a rare disease around the world.

Take down borders, for rare disorders.

Show your solidarity today!”

So what are we hoping to accomplish with these efforts?  

Awareness.  

  • Awareness from the general public that LOTS of people have rare diseases, and that not all research money needs to go to more well-known disorders.
  • Awareness from policy-makers that their health-care policies make a difference in the world of 1 in 10 Americans.
  • Awareness from medical personnel about the Rare Diseases that exist, hopefully prompting them to learn more to help their patients.

How can you help?

Share this blog post link with everyone you know.  Email it.  Tweet it.  Blog it.  FB Share and Like it.  Spread it around, so that more people will read about Rare Disease Day, visit the website, watch the videos, and learn.  So more people will become Aware.

Share this video link – the official Rare Disease Day video.

Look for activities in your area, and try to participate, if you can.  If you can’t, spread the word via social media so that others might be able to join in.

Become a part of Handprints Across America; simply print out a flier, and take a picture of you holding that flier near a landmark in your area.  Submit it to be a part of the “Handprints Across America Gallery”.

Become a part of Handprints on the Hill, an effort to let our Legislators know that we insist they do not lose sight of Rare Disease sufferers in the oncoming healthcare policy changes.  This is simply a quick email to your Senator or Representative.

Please, do what you can to share the story of those who suffer with Rare Diseases.

Mr. Happy and Mr. Charm will smile at you if you do!

Won't you please spread the word?

Won’t you please spread the word?

What are you going to do to spread the word today?

What’s in YOUR Olive Oil?

 
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My boys acting as "Product Models" to show you the size of a jug of our Olive Oil! Aren't they cute?

My boys acting as “Product Models” to show you the size of a jug of our Olive Oil! Aren’t they cute?

In the same vein as my FPIES Eyes post from yesterday, last fall I was reading on the Food Renegade website and found this interesting article: Your Extra-Virgin Olive Oil Is Fake.

Well, hell.

All we USE is olive oil.  For our Food Allergic children.  So if they’re cutting the olive oil with OTHER oils, this could be a huge problem in terms of confusing food trial symptoms.

I mentioned it to the Geek, and he said “Interesting.”  A couple hours later, I started getting emails from him about olive oils.

So, I let the Geek take the reins of the Great Olive Oil Investigation.

Here’s what he found:

Though we haven’t read it, Tom Mueller wrote an entire book on the purity of olive oil: Extra Virginity.  He also maintains a blog about olive oil, and has a fabulous resource: a list of olive oils around the world, with reader reviews on each of them.

The Geek used that list to find the olive oil we now use.  He was drawn to the California Olive Oil producers thanks to a report done by the UC-Davis, called “Evaluation of Extra Virgin Olive Oil Sold in California“.

This report outlines the testing methodology used to determine that Tom Mueller and the Food Renegade folks were right: most imported olive oil is bunk.  Of the brands they tested, almost all of the California grown olive oils tested as 100% pure extra virgin olive oil.

That’s not to say that ALL California grown olive oils are safe, just that the ones they tested were – and nearly all the foreign ones were NOT.  So, probably a safer bet, for a Food Allergic Family, to stick with good ol’ USA grown olives.

The Geek picked Lucero to check into, and started an email exchange with them about their product.  Here’s how the Geek started the conversation:

Sent: Tuesday, October 30, 2012 11:39 AM

To: mail@lucerooliveoil.com
Subject: Olive Oil for deep frying

We have children with allergies and need an olive oil for deep frying.  We need to be certain that this olive oil only contains olive products.  Do you provide an olive oil that is not Extra Virgin that would be cheaper than the extra virgin?  We plan to still use extra virgin for some frying, sauces, and salad dressings.

This may seem like a strange email, but we have recently read that some supermarket olive oils are adulterated with other oils and this is something we want to avoid.  I thought that Lucero might be able to provide me with information in navigating allergy needs.

And Lucero responded:

Hello (the Geek),

We only sell Extra Virgin olive oil, which is 100% from Olives nothing added. The olive oil is good up to 400 degrees F and we have used it for deep frying.

Our cheapest olive oil is our Arbequina in the 2.5 gallon jugs at $79.18

Please let me know if there is anything I can help you with.

Thank you,

Mallory Daily
Sales support
Lucero Olive Oil, LLC
Mail: PO Box 1018 | Corning | CA 96021
Shipping: 2120 Loleta Avenue | Corning | CA 96021
P | 877-330-2190   F | 530-824-1243
sales@lucerooliveoil.com   |   www.lucerooliveoil.com

 

So he decided to order from them, only….

Sent: Tuesday, October 30, 2012 5:21 PM
To: Sales
Subject: Re: Olive Oil for deep frying

Mallory,

I do not see the 2.5 gallon jug on the website.  Do we need to special order that by phone or email?

And Mallory immediately responded:

Hello (the Geek),

Yes this order would be for whole sale pricing therefore it will all have to be done over the phone or via email.

Let me know what works best for you.

Thank you,

Mallory Daily
Sales support

__________

And that was that.  We placed an order via email, and within just a few days a gigantic jug of olive oil was on our front porch.  We were incredibly pleased with the product, so after we had used up the 2.5 gallons we bought in October, we had to order more a mere 2 months later!

That time, the Geek asked if they would have any problems with me writing about Lucero and our olive oil education, and Mallory said absolutely not, that I could find more information on their website, their blog, and then even sent the link to the UC-Davis study!

I’m a little slow…we had holidays, sickness, traveling and life to deal with, but I knew I had to share this information with you.  

FPIES and Food Allergy Mama’s have quite enough to deal with, thankyouverymuch, without fighting the mafia’s efforts to kill our children, don’t you think?  I’m all for making a buck, but not at the expense of our children’s safety.  If they want to ‘cut’ their “100% extra virgin olive oil” with a lesser quality olive  oil, I probably wouldn’t be all that upset.  Honestly, I’m no olive oil aficionado, so I probably wouldn’t even know!

The problem is, that by taste, I also wouldn’t know if they cut it with soybean oil or canola oil.  But if my son has a problem with either of those, and I didn’t know that he was receiving trace amounts of that protein through his supposedly “safe” olive oil, the Geek and I would be absolutely beside ourselves trying to figure out WHAT he was reacting to!

That is unimaginably evil.  

Food should be labeled properly; every single ingredient should be listed, and if an inquiry is made regarding the derivative source of any of those ingredients, the company should willingly spill the beans about where the ingredient comes from.  Period.  End of story.

If they want to tell me the name of the worker that manufactured that ingredient, I wouldn’t mind!  More information is a good thing.

And as long as we don’t insist on transparency, as long as we keep buying from businesses that have no respect for our children’s safety, the current obfuscation will continue.

Vote with your pocketbooks, folks.  Even if you don’t have a food allergy, Lucero oil is delicious, their customer support is top-notch, and they’re open and willing to discuss their production methods, their ingredients, and anything else you care to ask them.

THAT is a company that has earned my business…and my respect.

So, what’s in YOUR olive oil?  

__________

This post shared with Allergy Free Wednesdays, Whole Food Wednesdays, and Real Food Wednesdays.   

FPIES Eyes

 
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photo courtesy of SOMMAI at www.freedigitalphotos.net

photo courtesy of SOMMAI at www.freedigitalphotos.net

Over the weekend, one of the other FPIES Mama’s on the boards mentioned taking her children to the circus.  She had received special permission to bring food for her FPIES kiddo, but her kids really really really wanted cotton candy!

Fortunately, she remembered to check the ingredients first, which was very good.  Turns out this particular cotton candy had SOY in it.

SOY.  In COTTON CANDY.  

Why the heck do you need soy in what is basically fluffy sugar?

She was properly horrified, and those of us who read her comment were in complete agreement: why do they have to put such junk in our foods?

I made a return comment about Burger King French Fries, basically saying that they are “safe” for Mr. Charm to eat (dairy, soy, fructose free) but that, after reading the ingredients with “FPIES Eyes”, I was horrified to feed them to my children.

The other Mama’s “got it” right away, but I realized…the world at large may not understand what I mean when I say “FPIES Eyes”.  So, I thought I would explain it.

Prior to becoming an FPIES Mama, the most I ever heard anyone say about “reading food labels” was counting calories, carbs, protein or sodium.  So, using my example of Burger King French Fries, let’s look at the label.  From Burger King’s own website:

Medium French Fry

Calories                    410
Protein                      4g
Carbohydrates       58g
Sugar                        0g
Fat                             18g
Saturated Fat         3g
Trans Fat                0g
Cholesterol             0mg
Sodium                   570mg

Not really great, right?  But I’ve read worse labels in my life.  It’s about what you’d expect of a fast food french fry, right?

So here comes Mr. Charm into my life, with his dairy/soy intolerance and egg allergy.  Suddenly, I had to learn to read a little more closely.

No longer is the chart on the wall of the Burger King enough; now, before I even leave my house, I have to actually download the Burger King pdf for “nutrition”.

This is actually a fairly well-done nutrition guide; over on the right hand side, you’ll see a nifty little column titled “Allergens”.   In that column, you’ll see lovely letters; for example, MWES.  Translated, that means that particular food has Milk, Wheat, Egg, and Soy in it.

Pretty easy, right?  Just scroll through the menu until you can find things that DON’T have your particular allergen, and you’re good to go, right?

Not so fast, Kemosabe.  If you look at the listing for the Hamburger, you’ll see that is says WS Allergens are present.  That’s Wheat and Soy.  So…is the wheat and soy in the burger, or the bun?  Or both?  Now I have to email the company to ask.  

In addition, there’s the cross-contamination issue.  Burger King offers Onion Rings and Mozzarella Sticks, both of which are deep-fried.  According to Burger King, they both contain Milk and Wheat, and the Mozzarella Sticks also have Egg and Soy.  Are they deep-fried in the same fryer as the French Fries?  Because if they are, well, the fries are not safe for Mr. Charm any more.  This question is best left to the individual restaurant, generally, because each location can tell you if they have a dedicated fryer for their fries or not.

Are you mentally exhausted yet?  Because I have had to do this for every fast food or regular restaurant experience we’ve had for the last two and a half years.  ALL meals outside of the house were planned with this much foresight.  

I had it pretty well under control; after two years of research, I had memorized all the restaurants and the individual items Mr. Charm could eat at those locations.  Eating out wasn’t a challenge any more.

Then came Mr. Happy and FPIES.  Now, looking at food through “FPIES Eyes”, I have found eating out to be a HUGE challenge again.

Let’s return to that pdf of Burger King nutrition, shall we?

Thanks to the way FPIES works in Mr. Happy’s little body, I have to know every single ingredient in the food he eats.  (Hell, sometimes I have to know every single ingredient his food ate when it was alive!)  So let’s scroll down further in that pdf until you see the “ingredients” list.

Straight from their pdf, here is what is in Burger King’s French Fries:

“FRENCH FRIES (Fried): Potatoes, Soybean Oil or Canola and Palm Oil, Modified Potato Starch, Rice Flour, Potato Dextrin, Salt, Leavening (Disodium
Dihydrogen Pyrophosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate), Dextrose, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate added to preserve natural color”

*

*

*

Say what???

ALL of that is in French Fries??

Wait, you may ask yourself, aren’t french fries just potatos fried with a little salt thrown on them?

Why yes, as a matter of fact, you are correct!  Unless you’re a fast food joint.  Then French Fries are “Potatoes, Soybean Oil or Canola and Palm Oil, Modified Potato Starch, Rice Flour, Potato Dextrin, Salt, Leavening (Disodium Dihydrogen Pyrophosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate), Dextrose, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate added to preserve natural color.”

OK, so let’s look at this list with “FPIES Eyes”.  If you haven’t already just turned away in horror, stay with me while I break this down.  There’s a great book called “A Consumer’s Dictionary of Food Additives” by Ruth Winter.  I broke out my copy and used it to decipher the ingredients in Burger King French Fries:

  • Potatos – straight forward.  If potatos are a safe food for your kiddo, you’re good to go.
  • Soybean Oil OR Canola and Palm Oil – Wait a sec – didn’t their allergen list say NONE for allergens?  How is that possible if they ‘may’ use soybean oil in their fries?  Soy is a top 8 allergen!  Hmm…though, other than that little misleading tidbit, this is straight-forward.  If your kiddo is safe with soybean, canola or palm oils, you’re good to go.
  • Modified Potato Starch – to quote from the book: “Ordinary starch that has been altered chemically to modify such properties as thickening or jelling.  Babies have difficulty digesting starch in its original form.  Modified starch is used in baby food on the theory that it is easier to digest.  Questions about safety have arisen because babies do not have the resistance of adults to chemicals.  Among chemicals used to modify starch are propylene oxide, succinic anhydride, 1-ocetnyl succinic anhydride, aluminum sulfate, and sodium hydroxide.  On the FDA top priority list for reevaluation since 1980.  Nothing new reported by the FDA since.”  OK, OK, wait…do we want to flip through the book and look up all the chemicals used to jack with our potato starch, or do we want to call this a big fat “NO”, and move on?  Well, depends on how restrictive your child’s diet is.  You may have the luxury of being able to say “Next!” but you may be so desperate for a food your baby can eat that you’re willing to feed them something that has been modified by something that likely causes an increased risk of cancer (propylene oxide).  Ahem.  Moving on…
  • Rice Flour – DING DING DING!  We have a major FPIES no-no here!  Rice is one of the top FPIES trigger foods; aside from that, why on EARTH do you need to add RICE to a french fry??
  • Potato Dextrin – In the book, there is no listing under “potato dextrin”, however, there is a listing for “Dextrin”: “British Gum. Starch Gum. White or yellow powder produced from starch and used as a foam stabilizer for beer, a diluting additive for dry extracts and pills, in polishing cereals, for preparing emulsions, and in matches, fireworks, and explosives.  May cause an allergic reaction.”  Um…sounds delicious, doesn’t it!
  • Salt – This is sort of straight-forward.  Salt is salt, right?  WRONG.  If you have a “corn-sensitive” FPIES kiddo, this might be a problem, because ordinary iodized table salt contains dextrose, which is often corn-derived.  So, maybe.
  • Leavening (Disodium Dihydrogen Pyrophosphate,  Sodium Bicarbonate) – Ms. Winter has no listing for Disodium Dihydrogen Pyrophosphate, but she does have a listing for Disodium Pyrophosphate: “An emulsifier and texturizer used to decrease the loss of fluid from a compound.”  Sodium Bicarbonate, of course, is Baking Soda.  So, the first is kind of icky sounding, though generally regarded as safe, and the second is innocuous.  However, I repeat the question: why is this necessary in a french fry??
  • Dextrose – CORN SYRUP.  No problems with corn?  You’re good to go.  Problems with corn?  NO.
  • Xanthan Gum – A FAM (Food Allergy Mama) or FPIES Mama is well versed in xanthan gum: it’s one of the two ways you can make baked goods that seem like normal, gluten-filled baked goods!  However, xanthan gum, while generally regarded as safe, is derived from corn.  So, again, corn okay? No problem.  Corn bad?  NO.
  • Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate – “A white mass or free-flowing powder used as a buffer.  It is a slow-acting acid constituent of a leavening mixture for self-rising and prepared cakes, doughnuts, waffles, muffins, cupcakes, and other types of flours and mixes.  Also used in canned tuna fish.  The U.S. Department of Agriculture has proposed that SAP be added to hot dogs and other sausages to accelerate the development of a rose-red color, thus cutting production time by some 25 to 40 percent.  It is related to phosphoric acid, which is sometimes used as a gastric acidifier.  Generally Regarded As Safe.”  Um, yeah.  Generally regarded as safe.  And it sounds DELICIOUS, too!!!

THAT, my friends, is what you learn about Burger King French Fries when you’re looking at food through “FPIES Eyes”.  

For comparison, follow this link for MY recipe and ingredient list for French Fries!

(And people wonder why I say that even after (God willing) Mr. Happy outgrows FPIES, I’m STILL going to make nearly all of our food from scratch at home.  Puh-lease!)

Anyway, THAT is what “FPIES Eyes” are.  They are the eyes that look at the smallest, most inconsequential ingredient in a food with a critical, evaluating appraisal.  They are the eyes that investigate the packaging of the food that our kiddos eat, wondering if it could have leeched something into the food.

And don’t EVEN get me started on the art supplies…non-toxic is just code for “poison my FPIES baby”!  (Non-toxic means corn and soy derived, generally, which are high up on the list of FPIES triggers.)

Fellow FPIES/FA Mamas, did I explain this well for our non-FPIES/FA friends?  Let me know if I left anything out!

Excalibur Dehydrators

 
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When I left on maternity leave, the Geek and I knew that we could afford to live on just his income…as long as nothing crazy happened.

Hel-lo!  If you’ve been reading this blog, you know that crazy came and moved IN!  And our crazy is also crazy expensive: even with insurance, our reserves were wiped out last fall.

So, things are a little tight here at the Cradle Rocking Casa…

Which means the Geek and I are starting to hustle.   

My first venture into the world of “start making a little extra money from home so that I can keep my kiddos in quinoa and grass-fed beef” is a very simple, absolute no-brainer move for me: I signed up to be an affiliate of Excalibur Dehydrators.

It’s no secret I love their dehydrators; even before I had this blog, I told people they should buy one!  (My parents actually did!)  Since I’ve been writing here as Cradle Rocking Mama, I’ve shared several recipes that require dehydration, and in each of them, I talk about my awesome Excalibur.  (Dried Melon, Beef Jerky, and Banana Bread Larabar Knockoffs all come to mind!)

Dehydrating food has about a zillion benefits, all depending on your personal needs: long-term food storage, grocery budget savings, dried fruits and meats, camping meals, or traveling on the road.

As a Flight Attendant, I’ve saved at least double the cost of my dehydrator in food savings on the road.  I’d simply make up my recipe, dehydrate it, and carry anywhere from 4-10 days worth of food with me in my suitcase!  Without the weight of water, I could carry that much with no trouble at all.  All it took was some water and heat and Mama could eat a delicious home-cooked meal wherever and whenever.

Now, you could go to Walmart and buy a $40 dehydrator, sure!  I considered it before purchasing my Excalibur.  It didn’t take too much online research to realize: those cheap dehydrators?  Are cheap for a reason.  

They may do in a pinch, but they dry unevenly, often require frequent “tending” to (by way of rotating trays, etc.), and have odd shaped trays that can mean you can’t fit all your food in for one big dehydrating batch.  All of these are the kinds of things that make people say “I hate dehydrating food”, when the problem isn’t dehydrating food, but the machine you use to do so.

So I was easily able to convince myself and the Geek that the Excalibur is the way to go…and I haven’t regretted that purchase one day since then.  

With Spring about to turn the corner and head our way, fresh produce is soon to follow.  Fresh, IN SEASON, and inexpensive produce.  Did you know that you can dehydrate almost ANY fruit or vegetable to use later?  Which means, you could buy lots of produce in season, at its freshest, and via dehydration be able to use it this winter – when melons and fresh summer tomatos are non-existent (or shipped from far away and therefore obscenely expensive).  Talk about HUGE grocery budget savings, not to mention healthier foods for your family!

For these and a million other reasons, I can’t stress enough: you really should get a dehydrator.  

Because I know the quality of the machine and the customer support of the company behind it, I can’t stress enough: you really should get an Excalibur Dehydrator!

I know, I know, I’m giving you this big ol’ sales pitch and all you’re really thinking is “Geez, they’re kinda pricey and besides, what’s in it for me?”

Well, IF you order your Excalibur through my affiliate link (on the sidebar and at the top of this post), you will receive FREE SHIPPING on your dehydrator!  These suckers are not lightweight, tiny little packages, so free shipping is nothing to scoff at!

Even better, though, is this little juicy tidbit: Excalibur just came out with some absolutely gorgeous colors for their dehydrators, and in honor of the launch of their color line, they are offering a discount code for their affiliates to use.

If you use the coupon code “COLOR6” at checkout, you will receive 10% off your order, plus the free shipping deal!  (This code expires on February 28th.)

You just can’t beat that!

What do I get for this?  I get a small commission on every sale that is made through my affiliate links.  That’s it.  It’s not enough to make me rich, it’s not enough to replace my day job income, but it may be enough to occasionally take some pressure off our budget.

Plus, I get to make a little money doing something I would have done anyway: rave about Excalibur Dehydrators!

Banana Quinoa Pancakes

 
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Does that not look delicious??

Delicious Banana Quinoa Pancakes

I’ve got a great “Sunday Brunch” recipe to kick off the weekend!

One thing that’s been missing in our FPIES/Elimination Diet/Fructose avoidance world is ‘bready’ items…waffles, bread, pancakes, cupcakes, cookies, etc.  I’ve been experimenting, but it’s hard to make suitable replacements when you’ve had to eliminate so many standard baking staples from your diet!

I’ve been trying to find a good pancake recipe; several attempts have fallen flat, and so far, I’ve been a little frustrated.  But last week I looked up and realized there were several bananas about to go bad on our counter.  Hmm…bananas can go in pancakes, so, I decided to give it another shot!

I quick-looked online to find a recipe to try, but they all seemed to have about a million ingredients!  That doesn’t work for us – we keep it simple, here!

So I winged it.  And I think I scored!  Mr. Charm wolfed his down; not just the fresh ones, but the leftovers the next day, too!

In any event, here’s what I did:

I peeled and mashed up one large banana.

Mashed bananas…

Then I tossed in a cup of quinoa flour and about 1/4-1/3 cup of quinoa flakes.  You could probably use another alternative flour, if you’d like, though I don’t know what you could replace the flakes with.

Add quinoa flour…

Add quinoa flakes…

Next I added: 1 TBS of maple syrup, 1 tsp. of potato-based baking powder, 1 TBS of olive oil, plus a little over a cup of almond milk.  Oh, and I threw in some vanilla.  Everything is better with vanilla!

Add oil, vanilla, almond milk, maple syrup, baking powder and stir!

Then I used a 1/4 cup measuring cup to scoop out batter and pour it into a heated frying pan.  Oh, and I used a little oil in the bottom of the pan.

Cooking up nicely!

The house smelled SO GOOD while these were cooking!  It was making me hungry, y’all!

I waited until the edges were dry and there were some bubbles coming through the pancake (just like a regular Bisquick pancake!) and then flipped it.

They came out beautifully!  Take a look!

Does that not look delicious??

They look just like normal pancakes look!  Woohoo!  (That’s tricky to get sometimes when doing ‘alternative’ pancake recipes!)  The Geek reports that their texture isn’t quite like a normal pancake: he said they’re a bit more moist, but still, he and Mr. Charm ate them up so, I think that’s a win!

They freeze well, too.  Just lay them out flat on a cookie sheet in the freezer, then drop them into Ziploc baggies until ready to use.  I usually thaw them on low power in the microwave, then drop them in the toaster like a piece of bread!  That’s the best way to re-heat them that I’ve found.

As a note to anyone who is still on a severely restricted diet: it’s easy to omit the vanilla, maple syrup, and baking powder from this recipe – they still turn out pretty good!  You can also use any milk substitute you like, or just plain water.  And certainly, any oil will work – we’re just an ‘olive oil’ kind of family around here!

I can’t WAIT until I’ve added quinoa and banana to my menu so I can try these, and hope they’re a success in your house, too.  Enjoy!

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BANANA QUINOA PANCAKES

– 1 banana, mashed
– 1 c. quinoa flour
– 1/3 c. quinoa flakes
– 1 c. almond milk (or water)
– 1 T. oil (I used olive)
– 1 T. maple syrup
– 1 tsp. baking powder
– 1-2 tsp. vanilla

  1. Mash your banana.
  2. Add the quinoa flour, quinoa flakes, almond milk, baking powder, maple syrup, oil and vanilla and mix.
  3. When the consistency looks thick but still ‘movable’, pour 1/4 cup ladles of batter into heated frying pan.
  4. Cook until the edges are dry and there are some bubbles forming on the top.  Flip.
  5. Cook for another few minutes.
  6. Remove from heat and enjoy!  (I drizzled some maple syrup on top as a treat!)

This made 7 pancakes.

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Do you have any fabulous alternative pancake recipes?

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This recipe shared with Allergy-Free Wednesdays, Whole Food Wednesdays, and Real Food Wednesdays.