EZ GFCF

Well, you might have noticed that I took some time off from this blog - lol. I'm not sure how much new info I'll post from this point forward, but I feel like sharing some of our GFCF food journey over the last couple of years. My kids are 8 & 10 now. My oldest was diagnosed with PDD when she was three, so we've been at this a long time. And, a lot has changed. There are many more GFCF products on the market today than there were seven years ago - many good GFCF products! And some are even sold at the regular supermarket. To refresh all, my kids are GFCF, soy free and the littlest also is peanut free and egg free. As they grow older, I've realized the best thing I can do for them is to teach them how to make eating as simple as possible -- shopping, cooking, etc. So, rather than run to five different groceries to find all sorts of ingredients to make all sorts of foods, we buy as much as possible from two stores - the local supermarket and a nearby food co-op. O

I never thought I'd be able to make good old mac n cheese again for my kids. Of course, we're on the gluten-free dairy-free diet, but also no soy. So, there was no good cheese substitute to try - and even those that are soy-based are truly gross. And then came Daiya cheese. No, this isn't an ad for Daiya. But, it is the first cheese of its type that really has taste, and melts, etc. No dairy, no gluten and no soy. So, here's the recipe - it's just adapted from a typical cookbook recipe. I promise, this will work. Enjoy. Mac n Cheese 1 cup cooked rice elbow macaroni (I use Tinkyada) ¼ cup finely chopped onion 1 tablespoon margarine (Try the Earth Balance – RED tub vegetarian) 1 tablespoon tapioca or corn starch Dash black pepper 1 ¼ cup Rice Milk 2 cups shredded American/cheddar cheese (Daiya) Cook rice macaroni according to directions. In a saucepan, cook onion in margarine until tender. Stir in flour and pepp

Hi everyone -- been a long time! I wanted to drop in and wish everyone a wonderful 2010! I haven't been posting much in the last year -- obviously -- but have been following your comments here and on the Facebook site. I plan to do more posting this year, maybe once a week, and encourage your participation. Sharing is how we learn.

Finally, there is a book that covers the use of diet in treating our children with developmental disorders, such as PDD and ADHD, etc. It's called The Encyclopedia of Dietary Interventions . And, who else would write such a book other than Karyn Seroussi and Lisa Lewis. I don't like to use this blog to promote too many items (unless they're very worthy), but this is one of those things. You can read more about the book, and buy a copy, from Sarpsborg Press by clicking here . Karyn's also promoting the book at a new Facebook group that she's formed called "Special Diets for Autism & Related Disorders." This is the kind of book that should answer a lot of those questions about what foods contain gluten and what foods are beneficial, and why? So, I'd recommend taking a look at this book.

I just wanted to take a minute and say how much I enjoyed sharing with all of you in 2008 and how great it was to meet -- electronically -- so many people. This blog started as a simple way to share recipes with people who most likely were in the same boat as us. As many of you know, I have two daughters diagnosed with PDD and we embraced a gluten and casein free diet to help. And, it has helped. This blog has grown tremendously -- way beyond what I ever imagined. It's not really a source of income for us. I've not made a dime from it yet. But, that never was the point. The point was to try and help, just as so many people have helped us. I'd like to share a few facts about how many people this blog has reached in 2008: - 13,682 visitors, or roughly 38 visitors every day. - those visiting the blog live in 84 countries. The countries with the most visitors were 1) U.S., 2) Canada, 3) Australia, 4) Philippines and 5) the U.K. - some other countries that might surprise yo

Getting my kids to eat fruits and vegetables is a real chore. I know that many PDD/ADHD kids are fussy with food and it's extremely difficult getting them to try new things. I've had a little success in this area, mostly by setting clear rewards for their attempts at trying new things. I mostly don't make a big deal out of the new food and I hardly ever call it -- at first -- by its real name. I'll provide this example, since it leads to the very easy recipe that follows. One night recently, I served dinner to my kids, burgers and potatoes, and then I sat down with the same food plus a small pile of cooked spinach. My oldest quickly asked, what is that? Without missing a beat, I said, It's spicy spinach, honey. I kept eating. A minute later, she said, Can I try some? I gave her a small bite from my fork. She asked for more. Then, I asked if she wanted some on her plate. She did. I know, this approach doesn't always work. But, it does sometimes. And, I've