Gluten Free Snack Bars

I have been searching high & low for a snack bar recipe. We have tried several and haven't liked the taste, texture, etc. My kids love the Enjoy Life caramel apple snack bars, but paying $3.79 for 5 small bars seemed ridiculous! Well.....the search is over. A big shout out to Gluten Free Kathy for posting this great Banana-Nut Energy Bar recipe.

Today when I made it, I had some pureed pumpkin which I wanted to use. So I substituted the mashed banana for pumpkin and added some cinnamon & nutmeg. I also replaced part of the vanilla (1/4 tsp.) with orange oil. They were fabulous. They were the perfect texture and I'm so thrilled to have found a snack bar recipe! I can't wait to make them with mashed bananas :)

Gluten Free Harvest Loaf

I have been wanting to learn to make homemade gluten-free bread for awhile. My first few attempts failed horribly. My mother-in-law visited at Thanksgiving and she offered to help me master a gluten-free loaf. I started by printing at least a dozen different gluten-free bread recipes. Then I compared them all and compiled them into a loaf that I'm very very pleased with. My boys *LOVE* the new bread! It's nice and soft and it's whole grain too which makes me happy. We've recently discovered teff flour which gives it almost a whole wheat taste.

I learned a lot during the trial and error process, here's a few highlights:

1. You don't knead gluten-free bread, it will be the consistency of a thick cake batter.
2. It works best to have a heavy duty stand mixer. After mixing the bread dough, beat it on high for five minutes. This changes the protein structure of the eggs giving it a better texture.
3. Do not over-proof the bread. Allowing it to rise for too long will allow to much air into the bread dough and will increase it's chances of falling. We have only been letting our bread rise for 20 minutes (it won't really look likes it's risen much at all, but during baking it rises well above the top of the loaf pan).
4. We were advised to let the loaf sit for 5 minutes after coming out of the oven, and then turn it upside down for five minutes before letting cool on a wire rack. However, we found that our loaf was falling and compacting down within the first five minutes. So, now we turn it upside down (suspended over a large soup pan so it won't get smashed) immediately as it comes out of the oven.
5. This bread is soft and moist, but very delicate. I found that adding 2 tsp. unflavored gelatin to the dry ingredients helped immensely. I would still like to improve on this a bit, so your suggestions are welcome :)

Let me know if you try it and any improvements you might have! Happy baking.


Gluten-Free Harvest Loaf
1 1/2 c. very warm water
2 1/2 t. active dry yeast
1 Tbsp. sugar

3 large eggs
3 Tbsp. canola oil
3 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar

3/4 c. teff flour
1 1/4 c. brown rice flour
1/2 c. tapioca flour
1/4 c. quinoa flakes
1 Tbsp. xanthan gum
1 1/2 tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. unflavored gelatin

• Dissolve sugar in warm water, add yeast. Let sit until bubbly and frothy (approx. 10 minutes)
• Mix together eggs, canola oil, honey and apple cider vinegar. Beat on low until well mixed.
• Add yeast to liquid ingredients, mix on low speed.
• Slowly add dry ingredients, mix well together. Set electric mixer to high and beat for five minutes.
• Pour into greased 9x5 loaf pan. Sprinke with quinoa flakes if desired (this will give it an oat-bread appearance). Brush waxed paper with oil and cover loaf pan. Place in a warm non-drafty place for 20 minutes.
• Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.
• Turn upside down (suspended) immediately upon removal from oven. After five minutes, gently remove from loaf pan and let cool thouroughly on a wire rack. It slices better when cool or even after being chilled in the refrigerator.
• Since there are no preservatives, we find it keeps best in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.

Cranberry Orange Spice Cookies

These cookies are our new family favorite. They are soft and moist and have a nice rich flavor. For those who are not gluten-free, it could easily be converted back to normal by replacing the four types of flour and xanthan gum with 1 1/3 cups wheat flour. Happy snacking!

Cranberry Orange Spice Cookies

1/2 c. palm oil shortening

1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. orange zest
1/3 c. brown rice flour
1/3 c. sorghum flour
1/3 c. teff flour
1/3. c. tapioca flour
1 tsp. xanthan gum
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
3 Tbsp. orange juice
1/3 c. dried cranberries

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease two cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
2. Using a mixer on medium speed, cream together shortening, sugar and brown sugar. Add egg and orange zest.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt and spices.
4. Add to mixing bowl in three batches, alternating flour mixture with orange juice. Fold in cranberries.
5. Drop by teaspoons onto cookie sheets. Bake 10-11 minutes in center of oven. Let cool 10 minutes before transferring to wire rack. Yields: 2 dozen cookies.

Gluten Free Dinner Rolls

Our family has really missed dinner rolls since going gluten-free. We like to make Chebe (yellow pkg.) rolls with 1 tsp. added xanthan gum. We make the mix as directed, roll them out into a large rectangle, then slice them into triangles and roll them up like crescent rolls. They're really yummy with a light brushing of coconut oil right as they come out of the oven.

I have also been searching for a recipe that I could make from scratch. I found one on a website (I'm sorry I can't remember where). I modified it slightly and we really enjoy it! It's pretty versatile too, it calls for applesauce, but at Thanksgiving I made it with pureed pumpkin and a dash of cinnamon. The recipe calls for sorghum flour, when we first made it we didn't have sorghum so I used 3/4 cup of brown rice flour. They turned out okay, but I bought sorghum flour and used that the second time we made them, and WOW then they were great! Enjoy!

Gluten Free Dinner Rolls
1/2 c. sorghum flour
1/4 c. brown rice flour
1/2 c. tapioca flour
1/4 c. potato flour
2 T. sugar
1 T. honey or agave nectar
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. xanthan gum
1 egg
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 c. apple sauce
1/3 c. canola oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix the dry ingredients. Mix separately the honey (or agave), egg, apple sauce and canola oil. Blend together. Scoop into small rolls (tablespoon sized) on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until a light golden brown.

Slow Cooker Enchiladas

These are so good, the flavors really melt together since they are cooked slowly in the crock pot. The original recipe called for a layer of cheese between each level. We replaced that with a layer of grated zuchinni/yellow squash. My husband, the only dairy eater of the family, sprinkles cheese on top after dipping up a hot plate of enchiladas. Happy eating!

Note: This picture was taken after the first two layers were added to the crock-pot. When fully assembled it typically fills the crock-pot.

Slow Cooker Enchiladas
1 lb. ground beef
1 chopped onion
1/2 c. chopped green pepper
1/3 c. water
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
15 oz. can kidney beans
15 oz. can black beans
10 oz. can rotel
1 1/2 c. grated zuchinni
1 1/2 c. grated yellow squash
12 gluten-free corn tortillas
8 oz. can tomato sauce

In skillet, cook ground beef, onion and green pepper. Drain. Add water, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Drain and rinse kidney and black beans. Add rinsed beans and rotel (undrained). Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Combine grated zuchinni and grated squash. Add tomato sauce to bottom of a crock-pot. Add two corn tortillas to cover bottom of crock-pot. Layer about 3/4 cup beef mixture. Layer 1/3 cup squash mixture. Repeate layers five more times. Cover and cook on medium heat for 1-2 hours or low heat for 3-4 hours, or until heated through.

Apple Crisp

I got a fabulous recipe recently from Living Without magazine. I've made it three times already, twice with apples, and once with pears (it's good both ways)! I don't know what the laws/rules are regarding posting a recipe from a magazine, but I did modify three of the ingredients and I'm posting my modified version.

Apple Crisp
2 c. quinoa flakes (or GF oatmeal)
1/4 c. brown rice flour
1/3 c. agave nectar
2 Tbsp. coconut oil
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. unsweetened coconut flakes
4-6 apples
2 Tbsp. tapioca flour
1 1/2 c. apple juice
1 tsp. cinnamon

1. In a medium bowl, mix together quinoa flakes, rice flour, agave nectar, coconut oil, cinnamon, salt and coconut flakes. Set aside.
2. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil an 8x11 baking dish.
3. Peel, core and chop apples. Place fruit in prepared baking dish.
4. Dissolve tapioca flour in apple juice. Add 1 tsp. cinnamon. Pour mixture over fruit. Sprinkle fruit with quinoa flake mixture.
5. Bake for 35-60 minutes, until fruit is soft. Cover pan with parchment paper after baking for 10 minutes to prevent over-browning.
   

We like to serve it warm with a couple of scoops of vanilla "rice" cream over the top. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Waffles

I found a yummy pumpkin waffle recipe on a friend's blog today. It sounded so good I decided to convert it to gluten & dairy free. The conversion was a success and they were fantastic! Just wanted to share.

Spiced Pumpkin Waffles
1 1/2 c. brown rice flour
1/2 c. buckwheat flour
1 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
1 Tbsp. gluten-free baking powder
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. sea salt
4 eggs
1 1/2 c. rice milk
1 c. pumpkin
1 Tbsp. agave nectar
1/2 c. canola oil
1/4 c. coconut oil
1 Tbsp. vanilla

Mix together dry ingredients (flour, xanthan gum, baking powder & spices) in a separate bowl. Separate egg whites and beat with mixer to stiff peaks. Add egg yolks together with rice milk, pumpkin, agave nectar, oils and vanilla. Add liquid mixture to dry ingredients, mix well. Fold in beaten egg whites, mix well. Bake on a preheated waffle iron.

The original recipe included a caramel syrup which was butter-laden and couldn't be converted. We drizzled ours with pure maple syrup or agave nectar and they were wonderful. Enjoy!

Bacon Avocado Artichoke Dip

Football season has arrived. Even though I personally am not a football fan, my husband is and we are often invited to watch football games with others. These are the times where I need to be able to make something snacky and fast. Before going dairy-free I was a huge fan of my cheesy artichoke dip. I searched high and low for a yummy dairy-free artichoke dip recipe, I found one that I liked and after adding avocado discovered a masterpiece.

Bacon Avocado Artichoke Dip

1 can artichoke hearts, drained
2 Tbsp. onion, finely chopped
1/3 c. mayonaise
1/2 lemon, juiced (1-1.5 Tbsp.)
4 slices bacon, cooked, crumbled
1 avocado, finely diced
paprika
salt & pepper

Drain & mash artichoke hearts. Combine with onion, mayonaise, lemon juice and a dash of paprika. Add the crumbled bacon, and diced avocado. Add salt & pepper to taste. Top with paprika. Chill before serving. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

"Me Allergic To Allergies"

A proud day in the life of a mother of children with food allergies occured about a month ago. My two year old looked at a can of tomatoes and said "me allergic to tomatoes." I was, of course, thrilled as it is my hope that he can learn what he is allergic to so that he can say "NO" when offered. Attempting to build on this great teaching opportunity I prompted him to say what else he is allergic to, he replied with "cow's milk". I excitedly praised him and prompted him for further insights. To which he replied, in a very matter-of-fact way, "me allergic to allergies." Frankly, I couldn't agree with him more ;)

On My Bookshelf

What books/publications have helped us most during our journey? Here are some of my favorites.

The Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook by Cybelle Pascal

• All recipes are free of wheat, milk, eggs, soy, peanuts, treenuts, fish, & shellfish. Unfortunately, the recipes are NOT gluten-free. But I've managed to convert them fairly easily to gluten free. She also has a lot of great tips for reducing sugars.

Living Without: bi-montly publication

• I always look forward to the release of this magazine! The recipes are predominantly dairy/gluten free. They also have great articles relation to food allergies & sensitivities. Check it out at http://www.livingwithout.com/.

The Food Allergy Cure by Dr. Ellen Cutler

• Written by the founder of BioSET. A fascinating book identifying some of the alternative approaches to coping with food allergies. It also identifies common ailments and complex disorders and their origins in food.
  
  

Micromiracles by Dr. Ellen Cutler

• A fabulous book identifying the powerful effects of enzymes. It details how enzymes can benefit us by fighting inflammation, slowing aging, accelerating weight loss, renewing our energy, combating depression, dealing with digestive problems, and other ailments plaguing us today.
  
  
  
  

Enzymes for Autism and other Neurological Conditions by Karen DeFelice.

• Digestive enzymes have been a very key part of the management of our food allergies. I love this book because it is an excellent no-nonsense book written by a mother of two sons who suffered from gastrointestinal problems and neurological challenges. She gives excellent descriptions of the elements at play with digestive disorders and enzymes and how they can help. She gives a fantastic analogy of six blind men and an elephant, which for me was a clear description of how doctors tend to view these conditions. We as our children's advocate are responsible for piecing together the six blind men (doctors) interpretations and declaring our "elephant".

Healing the New Childhood Epidemics: Autism, ADHD, Asthma and Allergies by Dr. Kenneth Bock

• I can't say enough good about this book. It is fantastic. Look at this data identified by Dr. Bock. Do you realize that Allergies have increased 400% in the past 20 years? Autism now affects every 1 in 150-166 births, an increase of 1500% - 6000%. ADHD has increased 400%. Asthma has increased 300%, and ashtma deaths have increased 56%. This book explores some of the root underlying causes of these increases and identifies a "healing program" to help undo some of the damage which so many kids have sustained.

Flying Saucers

I wanted to share a new recipe we tried this week which is stuffed sunburst squash. I received the sunburst squash from my co-op and was at a loss of what to do with it. So I looked up several new recipes and combined bits and pieces of them to create this allergen-free version. Also, when I pulled them out of the oven I told my sons that we were having "Flying Saucers" for dinner. This generated a lot of excitement!

They turned out to be much better than even I had imagined. The squash was nice and tender, and it was fun to create something new. The recipe is quite flexible, for our version we used cooked red & white quinoa and italian pork sausage. Enjoy!

Stuffed Sunburst Squash
8 sunburst squash
1/2 c. cooked quinoa or brown rice
1 lb. ground beef, turkey or sausage
1/4 c. onion, chopped
1/2 c. zucchini, chopped
1/2 c. tomato, diced
1/4 c. cilantro, chopped
1/2 fresh lime

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook quinoa or rice according to directions. Cook meat of your choice with diced onion. Drain off excess grease. Bring one-inch of water in a large saucepan over med-high heat. Add sunburst squash (stem & blossom removed). Cover and cook for 10 minutes, or until a fork can pierce the skin with little resistance. Drain and slice off the top 1/3 of the squash. Use a melon scoop to scoop out the center seeded section, while being careful not to dig through the bottom. Lightly salt the inside of each sunburst squash.

Mix together the cooked quinoa or rice with the meat, zucchini, tomato and cilantro. Top with fresh lime juice. Stuff the sunburst squash with the meat mixture. Drizzle the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish with olive oil. Add stuffed sunburst squash. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes or until squash are heated through.

Birthday Parties?

When your child has food allergies it can be awkward being invited to birthday parties. Most of our friends are already aware of our allergies, however I always call to find out what they plan to serve and I bring our safe alternatives with us.

To make life easier, I always bake a full cake mix into cupcakes (we like Namaste vanilla or spice cake). I then freeze the cupcakes, unfrosted, in groups of three. The day before the party I defrost the cupcakes and freshly ice them. Here's our favorite icing recipe:

1/2 cup palm oil shortening (we like Spectrum)
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
3 Tbsp. rice milk

Mix with a beater until well blended and creamy. We keep ours in the fridge and it will store well for several weeks. Because we avoid artificial colors, we leave our frosting white. However, we do use India Tree naturally colored sugar sprinkles.

We also trade our kids for the candy they receive in the goody bags from the party (also for Halloween and Valentine's Day). We either trade for naturally colored/flavored Yummy Earth candy, or money to visit the dollar store or football/baseball cards. Now get out there and have fun at all those birthday parties!

Wheat, Milk & Egg Substitutes

I've compiled a list of useful substitutes from various sources over the years. Hopefully you'll benefit from it as much as we have.

1c. white/wheat flour =

• 7/8c. brown or white rice flour mixed with 1/2-1 tsp. xanthan gum

1c. milk =

• 1 c. rice, soy, almond milk
• 7/8 c. Vance's Darifree
• 1c. fruit juice
• 2/3 c. water, 1/3 c. canned coconut milk

1c. butter =

• 4 T. applesauce, 2/3c oil
• 1 c. + 2 T. shortening, 1/2 t. salt (for salted butter)
• 7/8 c. oil, 1/2 t. salt
• 1 c. coconut oil

Regarding eggs, sometimes you have to determine what role the egg is serving in the recipe & then make the substitute accordingly.
1 Egg (As a Binder) =

• 1 T. ground flaxseed mixed with 3 T. water
• 1/2 large mashed banana
• 1/4 cup apple sauce or pureed prunes
• 1 1/2 T. water, 1 1/2 T. oil, and 1 t. baking powder
• 1 pkt unflavored gelatin, 1 c. boiling water (3 T. of this mixture equal one egg)
• 1 T. apricot puree

1 Egg (As Leavening) =

• 2 T. carbonated water, 2 t. baking flour
• 1 t. baking powder, 1 T. water, 1 T. vinegar (add vinegar separately at the end for rising)
• Dissolve 1 t. yeast in 1/4 cup warm water
• 1 T. bean flour and 1 T oil
• 1 T arrowroot powder mixed with 3 T. water
• 1 T. cornstarch mixed with 3 T. water
• 2 T. flour, 1 1/2 t. corn oil, 1/2 t. baking powder, and 2 T. water

1 Egg (For Whipping) =

• 1/4 t. xanthan gum with about 1/4 c. of water. (let stand, it thickens, and can be whipped like an egg white.)

Ham & Potato Skillet

I received this recipe from my Grandma and it has been a family favorite. It took us awhile to successfully modify it from its' original dairy-laden ingredient list, but we have perfected it, and my husband (who has no allergies) loves it too! Enjoy.

Ham & Potato Skillet
1 lb. sliced ham (we use Hormel natural choice, gluten & nitrate free)
1 Tbsp. coconut oil
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 1/4 c. rice milk
2 T. tapioca starch
1/4 c. onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
Dash seasonings (we use celery powder, garlic powder, basil)
3 c. potatoes, peeled & sliced
1 c. carrots, peeled & sliced

In a 10-inch skillet, brown ham with coconut oil & brown sugar. Pour ham & drippings in bowl. In same skillet, mix rice milk, tapioca starch, onion, salt, pepper & seasonings. Stir in potatoes & carrots. Cover, cook over low heat, stirring occasionally until vegetables are tender. Pour ham & drippings over vegetables. Cover & cook about 10 minutes more.

(Allergen-Free) German Pancakes

This is one of our family favorites which we enjoy every Saturday morning. We went without these for quite awhile until we figured out how to adapt them to meet our diets. Now I would say our allergen-free version is just as good as the original! We like to top it with fresh berries and drizzle with agave nectar or pure maple syrup. Enjoy.

German Pancakes
6 eggs
1 cup rice milk
1 cup brown rice flour
1 tsp. xanthan gum
1/2 tsp. sea salt (optional)
6 Tbsp. virgin coconut oil

Add eggs to mixing bowl. Beat until fluffy. Add rice milk, flour, xanthan gum & sea salt. Mix on low, just until flour is mixed in. Melt coconut oil in 9x13 baking dish. Pour batter in, stir gently with melted coconut oil. Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes until light golden brown. Sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar.

Coconut Oil

We are head-over-heals in love with coconut oil. When we first went dairy free we switched to dairy free margarine. However, I knew that margarine wasn't exactly healthy, so I began searching for a better alternative. We discovered coconut oil and have never looked back.

It is fantastic drizzled over lightly steamed vegetables of any variety. My husband uses it on Sunday morning for his scrambled eggs and homemade potatoes. We love it in cookies. It really works well as a butter substitute. In fact, given the choice (setting allergies aside) I would pick coconut oil.

In addition to being great tasting, it also has numerous health benefits. Coconut oil is rich in lauric acid, which is known for being anti-viral, antibacterial and anti-fungal. The fatty acids in coconut oil, the medium chain triglycerides, do not raise serum cholesterol or contribute to heart disease, but are in fact very healthy. So get a bottle of virgin coconut oil and try it today, you won't regret it.

Gluten Free / Dairy Free Pizza

Is it possible to actually make a pizza that is free of dairy & gluten. Isn't that what pizza is all about, the crust and that nice cheesy topping? Well, we've mastered it, and frankly we enjoy it (maybe it's from being without for so long). Anyway, here's how we do it. We like to use Kinnickinnick gluten-free pizza crust or Nature's Highlights gluten-free pizza crust (made with only whole grain brown rice & potato). Both are frozen.

We then brush them with olive oil, add tomato sauce to part of them (only olive oil for my 2 year old) and add chopped fresh spinach, gluten-free (Hormel Natural Choice) ham, and chopped brocolli.

Now, drum roll please. Here's the moment you've all been waiting for. What in the world do we use in place of cheese? We tried a couple of cheese substitutes including rice cheese (yuck!) only to finally abandon cheese altogether and just go for a look alike. We use peeled & grated zuchinni & apples and sprinkle them on top. They don't melt like cheese, but it at least looks like there is grated cheese on the top. Try it, you just might like it!

Keep Food Fun

One of the things I've definitely learned in this journey is that just because our food is allergen-free, that doesn't mean it can't still be fun. We try and make shapes using cooke cutters, or funny faces. Here are some examples of nutrient dense foods that we feed the kids.

• Carrots/Celery with sunbutter or cashew butter
• Mrs. May's cashew crunch
• Lundberg rice cakes (brown rice plain, apple/cinnamon)
• Larabar (all are dairy, soy & gluten free, my boys like lemon, cashew cookie, key lime, cherry pie, pecan pie)
• Sunbutter/Jelly sandwiches or crackers
• Diced Avocado
• Diced Sweet Potatoes
• Applesauce with ground flax seeds in it
• Natural fruit leather
• Dried fruit (sulfite free)
• Lettuce Wraps - ham or turkey lunchmeat wrapped around green leaf lettuce
• "Blueberry monsters" - safe cracker topped with sunbutter & then blueberries for 'eyes'

Green Smoothies

We have recently discovered green smoothies and love them! We have been having smoothies regularly since last fall, and I had been adding liquid chlorophyll to the boys smoothies, but had never considered actually just adding a bunch of fresh greens.

We recently joined an organic fruit/vegetable co-op and are using the abundance of fresh greens at our fingertips to add a lot of healthy things to the boys diets. We typically start with a blender full of spinach and 1/2 cup of water. After blending this we add our fruits, it varies each time but we like to add bananas, strawberries, blueberries, peaches, hemp milk and frozen acai. The past two weeks we have also been adding kale, which from what I've learned can absorb toxins from the body. We have also been adding one-quarter of a raw beet to the smoothie, and the boys have said "yum" each time.

I say we're making green smoothies, but a lot of times after I'm done adding our berries, beets and acai they are more like reddish-brown smoothies. But hey, I'm not in it for the color. It's all about pure nutrition! You can see how much my boys enjoy the smoothies by checking out their smoothie mustaches ;-}

Here is some information I received when joining the co-op about green smoothies and some good combinations. Happy blending!

1. Green smoothies are very nutritious. I believe that the ratio in them is optimal for human consumption: about 60% - ripe organic fruit mixed with about 40% - organic green vegetables.
2. Green smoothies are easy to digest. When blended well, all the valuable nutrients in these fruits and veggies become homogenized, or divided into such small particles that it becomes easy for the body to assimilate these nutrients, the green smoothies literally start to get absorbed in your mouth.
3. Green smoothies, as opposed to juices, are a complete food because they still have fiber.
4. Green smoothies belong to the most palatable dishes for all humans of all ages. With a ratio of fruits to veggies as 60:40 the fruit taste dominates the flavor, yet at the same time the green vegetables balance out the sweetness of the fruit, adding nice zest to it. Green smoothies are simply the best tasting dishes for the majority of adults and children.
5. By consuming two or three cups of green smoothies daily you will consume enough of greens for the day to nourish your body, and they will be well assimilated. The molecule of chlorophyll has only one atom that makes it different from a molecule of human blood. According to teachings of Dr. Ann Wigmore, to consume chlorophyll is like receiving a healthy blood transfusion.
6. Green smoothies are easy to make, and quick to clean up after. Many people told me that they do not consume green juices on a regular basis because it is time consuming to prepare green juices and clean the equipment after juicing, or to drive to the juice bar.
7. Green smoothies are perfect food for children of all ages, including babies of six or more months old when introducing new food to them after mother’s milk. Of course you have to be careful and slowly increase the amount of smoothies to avoid food allergies.
8. When you consume your greens in the form of green smoothies, you can greatly reduce the consumption of oils and salt in your diet.
9. Regular consumption of Green smoothies forms a good habit of eating greens. Several people told me that after a couple of weeks of drinking green smoothies, they started to crave and enjoy eating more greens. Eating enough of green vegetable is often a problem with many people,
especially in children.

Some good greens to add to green smoothies: parsley, spinach, celery, kale and romaine. Good fruits for green smoothies are: pears, peaches, nectarines, bananas, mangoes and apples. Strawberries and raspberries taste superb in green smoothies, when combined with ripe bananas.

Delicious combinations.
Mango-parsley
2 large mangos
1 bunch parsley
Water

Peach-spinach
6 peaches
2 handfuls of spinach leaves
Water

Mango-weeds
2 mangos
1 handful of lambs quarters, stinging nettles, purslane, etc
Water

Strawberry-banana-romaine
1-cup strawberries
2 bananas
½ bunch romaine
Water

Apple-kale-lemon
4 apples
½ lemon juice
4-5 leaves of kale
Water

Kiwi-banana-celery
4 very ripe kiwis
1 ripe banana
3 stalks of celery
Water

Pear-kale-mint4 ripe pears
4-5 leaves of kale
½ bunch of mint
Water

Finger banana-spinach
10 finger-bananas
2 handfuls of spinach leaves
Water

Bosc pear-raspberry-kale
3 bosc pears
1 handful of raspberries
4-5 leaves of kale
Water

We've come so far!

Our lives have changed drastically. I have had both of his older brothers tested for food allergies. They both have IgG food allergies (delayed type). They are both on a dairy and wheat/gluten free diet. They are both extremely limited on soy & corn as well. They have both improved on these modified diets. My oldest sons' immune system is so much stronger (he missed 18 days of school in the 2006-2007 school year, he only missed 4 days of school in the 2007-2008 school year). My middle sons' mood swings have lessened dramatically and his digestive tract is in much better shape. We're still a work-in-progress :)

As I reflect on the last 2+ years I am shocked at all we’ve been through and how much we’ve changed. Some of the biggest challenges I’ve faced has been with some family & friends not fully understanding or supporting what I’m doing. It’s so frustrating to be making physical sacrifices for my children’s well-being and being criticized for it. Also, the TOTAL LACK of knowledge & support in the medical community. Our third son was seen by his pediatrician as well as a pediatric gastroenterologist and a pediatric allergist. None of these doctors offered the answers or support we so desperately needed. We found some online support groups and learned tons from other mother’s dealing with the same problems.

We had the most success with:

• elimination diets & food diaries
• probiotics
• digestive enzymes
• NAET treatments
• BioSET treatments

The positive side is that I’ve learned & grown so much that I would never trade this experience for anything. Our third son is such a wonderful addition to our family, he has taught us and made us grown in ways we couldn't have imagined. We consider him a special gift from God. The other huge positive is that my children eat EXTREMELY healthy diets now, and they enjoy it too! You know you’re doing something right when your eight year old begs you to have "one more piece of lettuce".

Alternative Milk Success!

At 18 months we started experimenting with an alternative milk to begin to transfer him to, at this time he was still breastfeeding 5-6 times per day in addition to his solid foods. Interestingly, his weight gain was still extremely slow, he weighed 17 ½ pounds at his one year check-up and finally crossed the 20 pound mark at his 18-month check-up. As far as the alternative milk is concerned, we knew we would be adding nutrients to help make them suitable for a young child. He was still reacting to rice milk at this point, so we decided to use Vance’s Dari-free potato based milk. I planned to add a small amount of aloe vera juice & flax seed oil (for fat) to the milk. So I started by pumping breastmilk and adding aloe vera & flax seed oil to the breastmilk. After a couple of weeks of him tolerating this well, then I started adding 1 oz. of Vance’s milk to each bottle and slowly increased that. He seemed to tolerate this well, so I started feeding him 1-2 bottles per day of this, while continuing to breastfeed for the other feedings.

Our youngest turned two in October of 2007. He was still doing fairly well, with continued BioSET treatments and the digestive enzymes. His weight gain was still slow, he was 22 ½ pounds at his 2 year check-up (5 pounds gained between ages 1 & 2). He was very active and was meeting all developmental milestones on time. He still has trouble with his immunity and seems to catch every little thing that goes around, this often then travels to his ears. We continue to treat this naturally to help avoid antibiotics (which wreak havoc on the digestive tract).

At age 2 1/2 we found an alternative milk substitute that we were the "most" comfortable with. He tolerates hemp milk which is derived from hemp seeds, it is a natural source of Omega-3 fatty acids and has a decent amount of protein & fat (similar to cow's milk) and is much lower in sugar than rice milk. We decided to fully transition him off his small portion of breastmilk and move him to rice milk for cooking and hemp milk for drinking. His diet has expanded so much. He eats a fantastic variety of foods, but we still strictly avoid milk, gluten, peanuts, artificials/preservatives, tomato, chocolate. He tolerates corn & soy in VERY small amounts.

17 Months Old: Rotavirus Nightmare

At 17 months our youngest son got rotavirus. Rotavirus is bad at anytime with any child, however it becomes a "nightmare" when you have a child who already suffers from gastrointestinal problems and struggles to gain weight. He was sick with vomiting, diarrhea, and very lethargic for about 4 days before I took him to the doctor. She suggested I take him to the ER for a few hours of IV fluids. This turned into 2 days of admitting to the hospital where rotavirus in his stool was confirmed. This was such a challenge as he was still breastfeeding, so the hospital had to feed me with my limited breastfeeding diet (free of peanuts/walnuts, shellfish, milk, wheat/gluten, soy, corn, tomato). Needless to say they struggled to feed me and basically just brought me salads and fresh fruits. I was starving & exhausted by the time we left. Sadly, our son lost two pounds through this experience. Two pounds that he didn’t have to lose. This was a devastating blow to have a child who had already suffered so much to go through the rotavirus experience.

BioSET Treatments. Now we're getting somewhere!

After our youngest turned one, he again reached a point where he seemed to just stall out. The food trials weren’t progressing, he was only tolerating pears & squash in baby-food form. When I tried to give him diced foods (as opposed to pureed foods), he would react with increased fusiness and mucous in the stool. He started to get sick often, and he started to get ear infections too. Since I knew that antibiotics were extremely hard on the digestive tract he was only treated for one ear infection with antibiotics. After that we learned to treat them naturally with garlic/mullein ear drops, massage to help drain the ears and monitoring with an Ear Check device.

At 16 months I had reached another point of extreme frustration. His diet wasn’t expanding, and he wasn’t gaining weight well. I decided to try BioSET, which is very similar to NAET, but is much more in depth and utilizes detoxification & digestive enzymes. This proved to be extremely beneficial. My son tolerated the enzymes well and they helped us greatly expand his diet. With the enzymes he was finally able to tolerate diced forms of foods (as opposed to just pureed baby foods). We also expanded his diet a lot, we added avocados, carrots, brocolli, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, peaches, bananas, apples, grapes, blueberries, turkey, chicken, beef.

Alternative Treatments, A Step In The Right Direction :)

After returning from our trip things were still tough for our little one. His stools were generally bad and very mucousy. He didn’t seem to be tolerating solids well. He was waking up almost nightly and much more fussy in general. I was feeling extremely discouraged and wasn’t sure which way to turn. I heard from a friend about NAET (Nambudiprad’s Allergy Elimination Technique). It was an alternative treatment form that was supposed to be able to detect allergies using muscle response testing (MRT) and treat or clear allergies using an accupressure technique. It was non-invasive and non-drug based. I figured I had nothing to lose and decided to give it a try.

The practitioner we used was a Chinese medical doctor with a degree in Nutrition, a licensed Acupuncturist and trained in NAET. At 9 months old we started NAET treatments. Through MRT she found our youngest son was allergic (sensitive) to eggs, calcium, sugar, corn, chocolate, peanuts, walnuts, shellfish, whey, milk, lactose, cheese, wheat, gluten, tomato, onion, vegetable mix, avocado, melon, citrus, fruit mix, modified starch, dried beans, fluoride, avocado, stomach base, food additives, pollen, fire ants. He received allergy clearing treatments for brain/body function, egg, calcium, sugar, corn, peanuts/walnuts, whey, stomach base, food additives, milk, lactose, cheese, wheat, gluten & fruit mix.

During this time his sleeping habits improved, his mood improved, he started to play some independently (rather than just clinging to me), his stools improved, his teeth started coming in (NAET practitioner said this is common after the calcium treatment). While the NAET treatments were not a cure-all, things definitely improved, and the insight into what specifically he was intolerant of was priceless.

I also started NAET treatments where I learned that I had food allergies (probably where the children got theirs from) which had been contributing to a decade of Fibromyalgia suffering. My middle son also started NAET and was also found to have food allergies, most notable milk, wheat/gluten and food coloring. So here the change began to spread through the family. My middle son at the time was 3 ½ and had severe jekkyl/hyde mood swings and generally had loose stools.

Are We There Yet?? No, Not Yet

During this time I maintained a food diary to help determine what foods were bothering my third son. I also tracked his spitups, poops (with description), naps, nighttime sleep, crying and any medications/supplements that myself or my son was taking. At 4 months old he started taking a multivitamin with Iron to help combat any blood-loss in the stool. Also, I started him on 1/8 tsp. probiotics twice a day to help heal his digestive tract.

At 5 months old I stopped the zantac for the reflux, he was still having some reflux but I had done some research that indicated acid blocking medicines can worsen food intolerances, because they block stomach acid production which is the first tool in digesting food. Ironically after stopping the zantac his reflux cleared up completely!

There were several times in the process that I reached the point that I just couldn’t do it anymore. I was struggling to maintain my home (dirty dishes, dirty floors, piles & piles of laundry). We tried him on several formula tests, all of which he failed. We tried Neocate (6 wks. old), soy formula (4 months old), Alimentum ready-to-feed (5 months old), Elecare (6 months old). After failing all of these formulas I knew that breastfeeding was my only choice. This helped to boost me up and even though it was difficult I had the inner strength to maintain it.

When he turned six months old, I tried him on rice cereal. He did not tolerate this well, he became very fussy and his stools increased and turned runny & stinky. From there we moved on to several new foods. He seemed to tolerate squash, pears, bananas & apples. He didn’t tolerate carrots, sweet potatoes, millet or peaches (fussy, stools very acidic & full of mucous).

I had heard some studies of digestive enzyme use for the breastfeeding mother to be beneficial. I was afraid to try anything too "strong" since my baby was apparently extremely sensitive, so I tried papaya enzymes for about a month without noticing any benefits.

When he was eight months old, he seemed to have a relapse of reflux. He started fussing a lot and became quite inconsolable. We weren’t sure if he was teething, or reacting to the new foods he was eating. We started giving him 1/8 – 1/4 tsp. Mylanta in the evenings for a few weeks to help.

During this time, we travelled to a family wedding for 3 weeks. This was a rough trip for our third son, he failed many new food trials and seemed to scream & not sleep well for much of the trip. Plus he had blood in his stool numerous times (something we hadn’t seen for a few months). Obviously this was also a rough trip for me, very little rest & relaxation. The only side benefit is that my family was able to see first-hand what I was actually experiencing. There’s something about looking at a bloody diaper that tends to help people understand the seriousness of the situation. Plus others were able to see just how difficult it was to shop & prepare my food for my restricted diet while trying to still care for 3 children.

Total Elimination Diet

Things continued for about a month during which time our third son was still quite irritable, his stools still looked bad and periodically had visible blood in his stool. While I concluded that things were improved on the dairy/soy/tomato/chocolate free diet, there was still something in my diet that was bothering him, but what? I decided to go on what is called the Total Elimination Diet (TED). This diet allows a breastfeeding mother the chance to allow her child’s gut to heal and to determine what specific foods are bothering her little one. The diet consists of eating only rice, millet, potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, zuchinni, pears, lamb, turkey.

I was very intimidated by this diet, but from my online support group I knew of many other mothers who were on the TED. They gave me courage, and I knew that I could do it too. I started this diet and found it to be quite difficult, I was eating constantly and never felt full. When I wasn’t eating I was either shopping for food or preparing food. Not to mention I still had three sons to care for & a house to maintain. These were some dark days. I maintained it for about a week and then started to add things in one at a time for 4 days each to "test" specific items. I used this diet to test specific foods, my goal was to determine if my baby could tolerate soybean oil, wheat, eggs, chicken, beef, oats, corn & soy formula (to confirm that soy was truly a problem). He seemed to fail on wheat, eggs, oats & corn. He failed horribly on the soy formula (which also is a huge percentage corn syrup solids - yuck!).

Overall I was on the TED for 2 months, then switched to a more "modified TED". Before the TED I was already 7 pounds below my pre-pregnancy weight (just 10 weeks postpartum). After the TED I was 13 pounds below my pre-pregnancy weight. I resumed a diet with the TED foods as my core foods but added in other foods in moderation including oats, wheat & corn.

The Immunization Factor

At 8 weeks old, he received his 2 month immunizations. These were very hard on him. He spent the week being very fussy, about 4 days after his shots his stools had so much mucous it was gelatin-like. The 7th day after his shots he had visible red blood in his stools. The pediatric Gastroenterologist had stated that a lot of protein intolerant babies also have what is called Lympho-nodular hyperplasia, which is essentially swollen lymph nodes in the colon. Anytime their immune system is challenged (such as when they are sick or when they are immunized) the lymph nodes tend to swell and the tips can slough off and cause blood in the stool. So he seemed very unconcerned with his response to the immunizations and acted like it was expected. However, I wasn’t comfortable with his reaction.

He continued to react each time he was immunized. I think the burden on his immune system was just too much as food allergies already place a HUGE burden on the immune system (since 70% of the immune system lies within the digestive tract). Here again, in hindsight, I wish I had postponed immunizations until he was a bit older and his system was better prepared to tolerate them, or even gone on a modified immunization schedule where the immunizations would have been spread out.

Our Third Son Joins Us.....The Journey Begins

On October 27, 2005 our family was blessed by the birth of our third son. His birth was a bit complicated as he was delivered frank breach. The doctor didn’t realize he was breach until after my water had broken and I was dilated to 9 ½ cm. However, despite the complicated birth, he was a beautiful healthy baby boy, checking into the world at 6 pounds 14 ounces.

The first 3 weeks after he was born, things were wonderful. He was such a sweet baby who loved to be held. He was peaceful and slept well. He was exclusively breastfed and was gaining weight well. About 3 weeks in some symptoms started to develop.

• He started to spitup profusely with each feeding.
• He developed a diaper rash that wouldn’t clear up, no matter what remedy was tried on it.
• His stools became very loose and full of mucous, he would have 5-6 stools per day.
• He would wheeze after nursing.
• He had an eczema rash on his skin (particularly behind his ears and on his scalp).

• He had red eyes and a plugged nose.
• He would only nap for 15 minutes at a time, and then would awake screaming.
• He had to be held constantly and would scream most of the time he was being held.

We saw the pediatrician several times between weeks 3-6. At first they started him on Zantac to help control the reflux. At 4 weeks old, I removed tomatoes from my diet, things improved slightly. At 5 weeks old he had an incident with projectile vomiting (after I ate ice cream the night before). Finally at about 6 weeks old the pediatrician tested for blood in the stool, microscopic amounts of blood were found. The pediatrician suggested that it might be a milk allergy. She suggested that all obvious forms of dairy be removed from my diet. This really overwhelmed me as I couldn’t imagine my diet without dairy as it was so embedded in. However, I did it and found that it wasn’t too bad, at this point I definitely wanted to help my son (I was seriously considering dairy-free formula at this point).

I replaced cow’s milk with soy milk, symptoms worsened. At this point the pediatrician contacted a Pediatric Gastroenterologist. He suggested that our third son be placed on an amino acid based formula called Neocate. He said that we would have a "new" baby after 5 days. So we started on Neocate while I maintained my milk supply by pumping. This was very exhausting to be pumping 6-8 times a day & bottle feeding 6-8 times a day. Things did not improve, the screaming worsened. During this time I decided to remove ALL dairy, soy, chocolate & tomatoes from my diet. At the end of 5 days it was obvious that Neocate was not the answer and we went back to breastfeeding with me on a strict diet. Things were much improved. He started napping better, the diaper rash pretty much cleared up. The stools improved a little, and some of the screaming stopped. We were finding a few answers....but it was just the beginning.

How It All Started...

If you knew us before the birth of our third son (Oct 2005) you would have classified us as a family eating a "typical American diet". We enjoyed pizza, lasagna, hot dogs, milk, ice cream, yogurt, whole wheat bread. Not that everything we ate was junk, we did try to eat from all four food groups: the milk & cheese group, the grain group, the meat/fish/bean group, and of course, the butterfinger group (ha ha). The closest thing to great nutrition that we had was we were a part of a Fruit/Vegetable Co-Op where we had a large box of a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables delivered to the house every two weeks.

Now, with hindsight being 20/20 I can clearly see that although all seemed well on the "typical American diet" there were actually many RED FLAGS being thrown, I just wasn't tuned in to the right referee.

The main red flags were:

• Myself - Fibromyalgia (fatigue, joint pain, brain fog), weak immune system, seasonal allergies
• Oldest Son - weak immune system (missed 18 days of school in 1st grade :( ), seasonal allergies, intermittent asthma (particularly after being sick), occasional loose stools
• Middle Son - Jekyll/Hyde mood swings, speech delay, predominantly loose stools

So there we were, blissfully going through life. We recognized we had a few troubling symptoms, but they had all been addressed by doctors and the doctors advised us that all was well.

And then.......on October 27, 2005.......everything changed!