Allergy book for kids

As if there aren't enough challenges finding and making foods for your children on a gluten-free, casein-free diet. Toss in a few added food allergies or intolerances and life can be difficult, at the least. And then, there's trying to explain to your child why he or she cannot eat the same foods that most of the other kids enjoy. Pizza. Ice cream. Grilled cheese. Oreos. Etc. I'm trying to explain this to my young daughters now. Through a friend, I've found a great book that helps young children understand and accept the food issues they face. It's called "One of the Gang" and it's authored by Gina Clowes. You can find this on Amazon by clicking here. If you're having difficulty explaining this to your kids or find they are having a difficult time accepting their issues, this book might help.

GFCF pumpernickel bread

For some reason, my kids don't like light-colored bread. They'll go for dark-colored breads every time. There's a GFCF bread on the market that's made from a red rice that they like, but it has yeast in it and my youngest can't tolerate yeast very well. So, I set out to make my own yeast-free GFCF pumpernickel bread. I did it. Here's the recipe. This makes two loaves. I froze one and I'm using the other. I'm gonna tinker with this recipe more, so I'll update the blog if I can improve it. Ingredients 2 flax eggs ( see my recipe) 1/4 cup canola oil 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar 1/4 cup GF molasses 1.5 cups water 1 tbsp baking powder 1/4 cup unsweetened apple juice 2 cups corn starch 1/2 cup tapioca flour/starch 1/4 cup corn meal 1.5 cups sorghum flour 1/2 cup flax seed meal (ground flax) 1/4 cup cocoa or carob powder 4 tsp xanthan gum 1 tsp salt Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Get out two larger mixing bowls. Make the flax eggs in the microwave and let those sit for 5 mins. Meanwhile, in one bowl, add the water, oil, vinegar, molasses and juice. Stir. In another bowl, add all of the dry

ingredients. Mix well. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Add the flax egg. Mix on a low speed until combined. Note -- this will be thicker than pancake or cake batter. If it really seems too dry, add a little water. I greased two bread pans with Spectrum organic shortening and I split the dough between them. I flattened the dough using a wet spatula. I baked in the oven for about 50 mins. After 45 mins, I checked every 5 mins. until a toothpick came out of the center clean. That's it. Let cool after baked, put on a rack to cool. I might tinker with the flour mixtures. Sorghum works well, but I'm sure you could use buckwheat flour, for example, or brown rice too. I might try brown rice mixed with sorghum next time. I might add some potato starch instead of all corn starch to moisten the bread. I'll let you know. Also, there's golden and dark flax. I just used ground golden flax because that's what I had in the house. The dark flax obviously would go better with the dark color of the bread. I grind it up in a coffee grinder. I use the carob powder because one of my girls cannot handle the cocoa. So, I hope you enjoy this bread. My youngest loves it with GF salami and mustard.

GFCF Rice Chex

So, hello everyone. I've been lax in posting for a while, but I'm still here. I realize I'm likely very behind on this one, but I didn't find out that General Mills made its Rice Chex cereal gluten-free. I popped in the supermarket today to check. They did. So, if your kids like cereal, this is a great option that you can grab in a bind. However, I noticed it's priced higher than the Health Valley Rice Crunch Ems I normally buy for my kids. So, which should I buy? With health value in mind, I'm sure the Health Valley is better, with no preservatives, etc. Pricewise, the Health Valley is less expensive and thru my food co-op, I can buy it in cases at a 20% discount. But, there's also some value in supporting a mainstream company -- General Mills -- that's willing to offer a gluten-free product on my supermarket shelf. Hmmm. Maybe, I'll buy one of each.

Bad GFCF pizza crust

I love to talk and write about the GFCF foods I love. Here's one I really didn't care for -- and I'll tell you why. This is the Nature's Hilights Brown Rice Pizza Crust. This looked great in the freezer section at Whole Foods and I thought I'd give it a try for ~$5/2 crusts. 

I usually make my own, but this was worth a shot. Here's the problem, the crusts are very chewy after they're cooked and they only become tougher and chewier -- like jerky -- upon cooling. It's actually just bad. I would not recommend this to anyone. For now, I'll keep baking my own crusts.

GF/CF/SF Rice Cheese

OK -- so I've had a few comment about the kind of rice cheese I'm using. This is gluten free, casein free and soy free. I understand it might be tricky finding this stuff, but I assure you it exists. To prove it, I'm including a photo of the packaging. It clearly states gf, cf and sf. And, the ingredients indicate the same.

I buy this at a local Whole Foods and also at a local food co-op. I notice two things about this particular item that might help you find it.

First, it's not the brick of cheese, it's just the slices.

Second, this packaging also has a lot of Spanish on it. I've seen other sliced Galaxy cheeses that contain either soy or casein. This one is different.

I hope that helps and I hope you can find it.

GF/CF/SF Toasted cheese sandwiches

Here's another great classic you now can make, thanks to Galaxy cheese slices, which are gluten-free, casein-free and soy-free. Note again, as in previous posts, that the Galaxy cheese chunks are not casein free, just the slices. So, head out to a Whole Foods or your local food co-op and find the following: -- Galaxy cheese slices, either American, Cheddar or Pepper Jack flavors. -- Ener-G gluten free bread (I buy the brown rice, yeast-free bread. There's others.) -- Whatever type of margarine or oil you use that's dairy-free. Some use Fleischmann's Light spreadable margarine, or ghee, or oil. I use canola oil. -- Sea salt. You know how to make this. It's easy. I'll note a couple of tricks that I found helpful. And, of course, you can use any type of gluten-free bread. I just happen to be using the Ener-G bread right now. Other times, I'll make my own. OK, get a frying pan out and pre-heat on medium-high. Let it get hot. This is crucial to get the nice toasted bread markings. While it's heating, get out two bread slices and put a slice of cheese in the middle. I add a small pinch of sea salt. The cheese is low-salt and this adds a bit of flavor. When the pan's hot, add the oil or margarine. If oil, just a tsp will do. Not too much. Now, place the sandwich in the pan. You should hear a slight sizzle. Brown on one side. This only takes a minute or so. Then turn over and brown the other side. You'll probably notice the cheese really isn't melted. So, turn off the pan. Put the toasted sandwich on a plate. Microwave this for 15 secs (try 10 secs in yours first -- in mine, it's 15 secs). This will melt the cheese AND keep the toasty bread. There you go. Toasted cheese. And now that you know how to make this, you obviously can make a nice ham and cheese sandwich or even a turkey and cheese sandwich. Buy your gluten-free lunch-meat and add a slice to the cheese sandwich before toasting. Very tasty. The cheese is a bit pricy, but to me, it's well worth it. I can't stand the soy cheeses. They're aweful. And most other cheeses have some form of casein in there. This is the best I've found. I plan to make a pizza using this cheese sometime next week -- also with a new GF crust I found. I'll let you know how that goes.

GF/CF/SF chili-cheese fries

Bet you didn't think this was possible on a gluten-free, casein-free diet. Well, it is possible, and even without soy too. For my money, the soy-based cheeses are really bad. So, how do you do this? You can grab everything in one trip to Whole Foods. -- French fries: either Whole Foods' 365 brand or Cascadian Farms brand. -- Chili: Amy's brand chili is OK. -- Cheese: Galaxy brand rice cheese (yes, the slices are casein-free, not just lactose free -- be careful because the bricks are not casein-free). 

They sell sliced pepper-jack, american and cheddar. The pepper jack adds some zip to this. So, toss the fries in the oven for 10 mins, then turn them over. Bake another 5 mins. Spread the chili over top and bake another 3 mins. Add the cheese with about 1 minute left. I cut this up into smaller pieces and toss over top. There you go. You could also add some salsa to this if your kids like it -- plain Tostitos brand salsas are OK and so is Muir Glen brand, among others.

Sending Michael Savage email

Ahhh, the email link I posted below to send Talk Radio Network your opinion on Michael Savage's remarks about autism doesn't really work. 

You have to go to an online contact form, which you can find here: http://www.talkradionetwork.com/contactus

Savage's autism comments

If you haven't read or heard Michael Savage's comments about autism. Here they are. Remember, he's a talk show host and is looking for ratings. Attacks like this are mostly attention-getters intended to draw listeners. Still, we must respond.


Savage Defends Remarks Questioning Autism
NEW YORK, July 22, 2008
(CBS/ AP) Right-wing radio talk show host Michael Savage, who described 99 percent of children with autism as brats, said Monday he was trying to "boldly awaken" parents to his view that many people are being wrongly diagnosed. Some parents of autistic children have called for Savage's firing after he described autism as a racket last week. "In 99 percent of the cases, it's a brat who hasn't been told to cut the act out," Savage said on his radio program last Wednesday.
Savage said: "What do you mean they scream and they're silent? They don't have a father around to tell them, `Don't act like a moron. You'll get nowhere in life. Stop acting like a putz. Straighten up. Act like a man. Don't sit there crying and screaming, you idiot."' Savage offered no apology in a message posted Monday on his Web site.

Read the rest at the site.

Oh, by the way, here's the email to Talk Radio Network, which is where he works.

info@talkradionetwork.com

Gluten-free sandwiches

Note: Although the recipe below is still very valid, full disclaimer that I've ultimately turned to store-bought bread for my girls. My oldest prefers the Kinnikinnick Tapioca Rice bread and my youngest likes the Ener-G Yeast Free Brown Rice Bread. I buy bulk to cut down the cost. **Even more updated - try some store brand GF breads now on the market, such as Aldi's Live G Free gluten free bread.

 Ahh, the most difficult food item to re-create in my children's diet -- and arguably on the Autism Diet

in general -- lunchmeat sandwiches. This is difficult for a number of reasons. What lunchmeat is OK? Even if it's OK, what about harmful preservatives? And, finding a gluten-free, casein-free bread that your picky child will eat is nearly impossible. In my house, it's been a struggle for years.

I've finally found a solution to all of this that works. It's a compromise, for me. I'm using gluten-free lunchmeats but give on the preservatives. I buy meat that's prepackaged to prevent the cross-contact issues. If you're not satisfied with that, buy some of the preservative-free deli meats out there, like Applegate Farms.

Like all of my recipes, this is simple and easy to make. It's versatile, too, and the bread also can become a mini-pizza shell, which also is very popular at my house.

The bread is a variation of the Noah's Bread recipe. Here's my variation.

Preheat oven to 400.

Mix 1/2 cup of sorghum or brown rice flour, 2/3 cup tapioca flour, 2 tsp xanthan gum, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tbsp oregano (or other spice), 1 tbsp sugar.

Then, add, 1/3 cup of oil, 1/3 cup of a dairy sub (like Darifree), and 1/2 cup of water.

Beat until well combined.

Now, use a ladle or 1/4 cup measure to dump into circular bun-sized pieces. Keep them apart as much as possible. You can make regular bun shapes or like mini-hoagie or hot dog bun shapes. They aren't perfect and I'm sure you could buy forms to make them better. Anyway, then, I take a wet spatula and press down lightly on each and with one or two swoops, flatten each one out some.

Then, bake for 20 minutes.

These will be flatter than regular buns, but that's OK. They taste pretty good.

My kids like a slice or two of GF ham with some mustard and ketchup. This is a big hit at breakfast or lunch.

For the mini-pizzas, I add garlic powder to the dough, and then after baking, top with sauce and toppings, and bake a little longer.

Yes! Advertising ...

Yes, that banner you see above this post is a real advertisement. It's a first for my blog. I don't intend to diminish the content here by offering advertising. However, I've had some interest in putting ads here since so many of you visit each day and so many more of you are finding this blog too. So, what I've decided to do is to control the ads that appear. I don't want to give ad space to a company that can rotate anything in the ad space that they want. If I'm going to have ads, I want them to be for businesses and products that we will use. You know, like gluten-free products or dairy-free items or allergy-specific foods, etc. You get the idea. That way, there's some benefit in this for everyone. Some people come to this site looking for help with the autism diet. They don't know what to do or where to turn. The ads also will serve as starting points for people who don't know where to find products on the web. However, the help offered on this blog will remain free. That's the point. So, here's my plug, check out my advertisers. They really do offer good stuff. If they're on this site, chances are that I use them, or have used them, to buy goods for my family. Thanks.

Corn bread - revised and GFCF

I love when I have leftover stuff in the kitchen. That's when I try to try out variations of some existing recipes. This past weekend, my corn bread recipe was the victim. 

This was a very simple corn bread that my daughter loves. But, she also gets bored with it after a few days. So, I changed this by swapping the syrup called for in the original recipe with applesauce. You can use any kind, even homemade. It gives the corn bread a great hint of apple but not too much. Very tasty, and still easy. I added two tablespoons of applesauce in place of the 1 tbsp of syrup. Try it out. Experiment with other flavors.

Autism Web site seeks justice

Thanks to those who have faxed or e-mailed petitions regarding the Anyah Glossinger situation. The family is gathering a lot of support. If you have not signed a petition, please do so -- see the post below for simple instructions.

Also, the family has created a Web site, Justice for Anyah. You can read more about this crucial case there and leave your thoughts.

This case is vitally important to all of us. We trust our children for hours virtually daily to therapists, teachers and other instructors. We need to be able to trust that they'd care for our kids the way we care for our children. If they don't, they need to be held accountable. That's the only way the rest of the world will know that we'll stand up for ourselves when something goes wrong.

So, the tragedy may have occurred in California, but it impacts your lives too -- it doesn't matter if you're in Florida, Maine, Texas or Canada. And for my international visitors, it's the same for you, too.

We need to stand up as a community and help in cases like this. One day, it might be our child, or our family, who needs support.

Here's the latest news article on this case:

By Natalie Brand
KPSP Local 2 News

Family and friends of Anyah Glossinger are taking her story to the streets, collecting signatures of support. Last week, we reported the District Attorney's Office declined to file criminal charges against the two United Cerebral Palsy employees involved in the drowning of Anyah, who was five-years-old and autistic.

A spokesman for the District Attorney's office says while it appears caregivers may have made mistakes in judgement, they don't rise to the level of recklessness required to support criminal negligence.

But, Anyah's mother, Emily Wereschagin wants a meeting with DA Rod Pacheco saying of the decision, "My first reaction was that it showed a lack of knowledge and a lack of education of the special requirements needed for autistic children."

Family and friends of Anyah say they're fighting for justice. Laura Ballegeer helped start the petition, which has already gathered hundreds of names. Ballegeer says, "I have a child with special needs. It could have been me."

Friends say they will continue to collect signatures through the weekend. They plan to be at the COD street fair on Saturday.

Autism petition - 5 year old girl drowned

I need your help today. Don't worry, it doesn't require that much effort and I'm not asking for money. I work with a relative of a 5-year-old autistic girl who drowned in January in California. She drowned while in the care of others during a hydrotherapy session. The DA won't file charges.

Her name is Anyah Raven Glossinger.

So, the family is seeking help. They want to talk with the DA and turn in petitions signed by people like us, who believe our autistic children deserve better care while under the watch of others.

I'm asking you to take 5 minutes today to print out the petition below, sign it and either fax it to 760-778-6541, Attn: Emily or scan it and email it back to me at jlr500@yahoo.com. The sooner the better. I'll get your petition into the family's hands.

I'll thank you now. And I'll also include a link here to a news article about this case if you're interested.

Here's the petition. Printing tip -- the best way is to copy the petition below, paste it to a Word file, and print.

Justice for Anyah

On January 23, 2008 Anyah Glossinger a five year old Autistic and legally blind child was placed in a therapy pool while attending an after school program for disabled children. She was placed in the pool without a life jacket and left unattended for a period of time that resulted in her being found at the bottom of that pool. She died the following day. She had been in the care of The United Cerebral Palsy’s Little Bridges program, specifically 2 coaches that were in charge of her.

At the time of the drowning the ratio of adults to children was 1 to 1, (3 adult coaches, and 3 children). At the time of the drowning Anyah was the only person in the pool and the only child who had not been given a life vest. She had the developmental level and cognitive ability of someone approximately 18 – 24 months of age. She could not speak or ask for help nor could she swim. These facts were well understood by the attending staff caring for her. One coach left her in the water and the second coach in question turned her back on the pool leaving Anyah completely unattended, she was found at the bottom of the pool some time latter and died as a result of their actions. Her parents and many people in the community believe this was reckless negligence. In April Anyah’s death prompted an internal investigation by the state of California that uncovered severe violations, citing unqualified staff, and lack of background checks among dozens of other serious health, safety, and administrational issues. The state’s Department of Social Services and Licensing closed the facility’s program stating that they “failed to meet the basic needs of Anyah, which resulted in her death.”

On May 29th 2008 the Police Department concluded their investigation and presented it to the Riverside County District Attorneys’ office, suggesting criminal charges of negligent manslaughter and child endangerment. The District Attorney’s office declined to file charges. Anyah’s parents made a formal request to meet with Mr. Rod Pacheco; Riverside County’s head District Attorney. Mr. Pacheco has the ability to over turn this preliminary decision recently made by his staff.

The signatures herein will help give supporting documentation highlighting the need to have criminal charges filed, as well as a show of community support.

Please show your support in this petition with your signature below, it is important not only for quality of standards in this valley, but to the rights of Autistic Children and the disabled community.

Thank you for your show of support.

Print Name

Signature

Phone number

Comment

GFCF Milkshake

Well, if we can make dairy-free ice cream, then we also can make dairy-free milkshakes. I have a very simple recipe to make shakes, but I'm sure there are more involved methods that might get better results. My kids love this.

Oh, and this is not just dairy-free, it's also soy-free. We use DariFree for the milk base -- a potato-based milk alternative.

First, start by making one recipe for my GFCF ice cream.

Freeze the ice cream and after four hours, it should be just right to make shakes. Or, after freezing, let it sit out for at least 30 mins, maybe more, to soften enough to make shakes.

I make chocolate, so you could use Hershey's cocoa powder or you can make fake-chocolate by using carob powder -- that's what I do and I add about 1 tbsp. carob powder.

So, take 1/2 cup of the soft ice cream, put it into a cup, and then add 1/2 cup of cold DariFree liquid, then stir to gently combine. It won't be too thick, but it won't be runny. Serve with a straw.

Of course, you could stick to vanilla flavor simply by using the DariFree flavor. Or, try others, like banana or berry by adding mashed fruit to the ice cream recipe.

Coasting along

Hey -- I haven't posted much lately and I recently asked myself, "why?" The answer is that I've really been coasting along, making the foods that really have worked and don't take much time. It's a good thing. So I really haven't tried much new lately. I have made pizza a few times with my "polenta cheese" and GF pepperoni. The kids love it. Still working on how to best make the crust. I like a thin, firm crust rather than soft or thick. I'm still tinkering, but I'm at the point where I think making a bunch of mini personal pizza crusts rather than a sheet crust is the way to go. Any time I've made the mini pizzas, the crust has been perfect. It gets soft or soggy when I make the sheet. I'll keep trying and update you later. I'm very happy with the sauce I use and the toppings.

New GFCF pizza crust recipe

Note: This is an older recipe. I've refined my pizza crust recipe, which you can find by clicking here.

This is a revised pizza crust recipe, which my kids like much better. I do too.

I still base it on Noah's Bread.

For mini pizzas or a small pizza, use 1 recipe. For a larger pizza, double this recipe.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup brown rice or sorghum flour
1/4 cup corn meal
1/3 cup tapioca flour
2 tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp oregano
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
1/3 cup oil
1/2 cup CF milk
1/3 cup water

Recipe
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Mix all ingredients well. This will make a very liquidy batter, like a cake batter.
Grease your oven pan -- I use Spectrum shortening.

To make individual pizzas, put the batter in plastic bag, like a ziplock bag. Cut a corner and squeeze the batter out onto the pan. I make english muffin-sized circles and then take a wet spatula to even the batter out. Or, make a small pizza by dumping the batter onto your pan and use the wet spatula to spread it out.

Double the batter to make a larger pizza.

For mini pizzas or a small pizza, bake 10 mins and check. For a larger pizza, it will take about 15 mins, but possibly 20.

Once out of the oven, add your sauce and toppings. Then, bake another 5 mins or so.

This makes a thin, soft-crust pizza. I'll tell you later how to make a crispier crust.

Try my polenta cheese on this pizza -- dairy and soy free!

A GFCF offer, from me

Just a note that you'll soon notice a small ad -- for myself -- on this blog. I've been asked several times now how to convert recipes to GFCF or to develop GFCF meals that children will eat -- especially for kids with other food allergies and intolerances.

It's no problem -- I enjoy doing it. It just takes time and I've decided to offer it on a regular basis to those visiting my blog. The fees will be very affordable, but enough to cover the time it takes to do it. Payments would be accepted thru PayPal or check. I'll post those details later.

So, if you're interested, just email me, let me know what you're looking for and we can agree on a price before I start.

jim

Secret non-dairy & soyless cheese

I've been on an endless search for a way to make my kids a real pizza -- you know, something that looks and tastes like the real thing, or as close as possible. So, first, the problem was making a gluten-free crust. That took a while. Now, I've finally developed a crust recipe that's actually very good. It's a variation of Noah's Recipe.

Then, it was the sauce. That wasn't so hard. I use a very basic pizza sauce, based on Hunt's tomato paste, which is GF.

The toppings really aren't that difficult either. Choose any you want that you know is GF and CF. I buy a GF brand of pepperoni. It's perfect.

The problem, of course, is the cheese, especially if you can't eat soy, which is what most "fake" cheeses are made from. Even so, most soy cheese tastes horrible.

And in my kids' cases, the cheese doesn't have to taste great, it's more of the appearance of real cheese that's important to them. We just can't have something that tastes bad -- like the soy.

So, I've finally found a solution: polenta.

Yes, polenta, for those who don't know, is corn meal that's been boiled into a solid cakelike substance. It's often sold in tubes and some brands clearly are marked gluten-free. You also can make this at home fairly easily. (If you can't eat corn, don't worry, you can make polenta out of nearly any grain, like millet, for example, or teff).

So, I took the polenta and grated it, like I would cheese. Say, about a cup. Toss it into a bowl. Then, add 1 tsp olive oil. And, add 1/2 tsp sea salt. Stir. This is the cheese topping. The polenta will cook, but not melt. The oil keeps it from drying out. The salt adds some flavor.

Trust me, this works.

I'll post the entire pizza recipe -- crust, sauce and cheese -- later this week. For now, go find some polenta and experiment. I'll also share some other polenta recipes using different grains.

Spicy rice - a GFCF dish

Don't think I'm weird for posting this recipe. It's super easy, but if you read this blog, you know that I like super easy recipes. I've dubbed this "spicy rice" because that's what got my oldest to eat rice. My youngest can't eat rice -- food intolerance. But, I really wanted my oldest to try something other than her favorite potato dish -- Dutch Potatoes (really just steamed potatoes). But, she wouldn't eat the rice I'd make her. No brown rice. No white rice. I figured it was a no go.

One day about two weeks ago, I was in a bind. I was running late, didn't have time to cook, but had a bowl of leftover brown rice in the fridge. I made the following recipe in 5 mins and she ate it. What was missing (to her) -- the spice. She likes her foods spicy, both in appearance and taste. So, now we have "spicy rice."

Ingredients
------------
Brown or white rice, cooked
Oil -- I use canola. Olive would be fine.
Sea salt.
Black pepper
Or any other favorite spice -- paprika, chili powder, cumin, ground red pepper, oregano, etc.

In a stove top pan, heat oil for a minute, about 1 tbsp. Scoop out 2-3 cups of the pre-cooked rice and place in the pan. Use a utensil to separate the rice and mix it well with the oil. Add 1 tsp sea salt and a few dashes of the pepper or any other spice you think might work. My kids like all of them, so I'll mix it up day to day on their foods. Just heat this up, tossing it around a few times to make sure it's coated and the spice is mixed well.

You only have to heat this a few minutes. Then serve.

I buy long grain brown or white rice, the kids like white best and I know Lundberg sells this, because it's healthier. It's just raw. I make big batches in a rice cooker each week and the put it in the fridge. I use it all week long. We found an affordable rice cooker at a local store. Very handy. If you buy rice in bulk, like 10 lb., 25 lb. or 50 lb. bags, you save a ton of money.

I know rice is going up in price right now, and I'm watching those prices carefully. If it comes to the point that it's too expensive, I'll post some options that I've researched.

For now, enjoy this recipe.