Food, Inc.

Claire's FPIES diagnosis has made me look at food differently.  I've become wary of all processed foods and I'm gravitating towards all things wholesome, organic and sustainable....  And then my husband and I rented "Food, Inc." for yesterday's Blockbuster Date Night.  That sealed the deal...

It's pretty easy to turn your back on unpleasant information because it's easier and more convenient to keep doing what you do. The difference is "Food, Inc." is about the food that we pass between our lips all day, everyday.  I found myself covering my mouth and my eyes numerous times-- and this isn't a horror movie, just a documentary about the food that I serve to my babies.  I encourage everyone to open themselves up to learning about the way in which our country eats and how we got here...  It's far from the diets of our grandparents.

The good thing is there is plenty that we can do to keep our families healthy and encourage positive change for all people.   It's not about giving up all of our luxuries, wearing burlap sacks and eating the same food we feed to our livestock (you definitely wouldn't want to do that).  There are small, inexpensive, changes that you can make that can make a world of a difference.  I, for one, am going to cook a vegetarian entree and a seafood entree once a week.  I am also looking into "buying local" when it comes to produce and (hopefully) meat and poultry.  I have located natural food stores, farms, and green markets around my area that offer many of the foods I would ordinarily purchase at the grocery store, only much fresher and with no pesticides, hormones, or antibiotics.  Lastly, (for now!) I am re-thinking my springtime plans for a few potted vegetable plants and expanding it to a garden that will actually feed us, even on a small scale.  I'm positive it will energize more than just our bodies.

In case you have a little time to surf the 'net---Learn more about eating well in your area at Eat Well Guide .  For more more information about Food, Inc. check out the website and rent the movie. Lastly, if you find yourself at a loss for your next book to read, check out "Food Rules" by Michael Pollan.  It's short, sweet, to the point, and will show you that eating better is a cinch.

As You Like It

I've always walked the staright and narrow, colored between the lines, followed recipes to a tee...  My quest for the most decadent, moist, chewy, dairy-free, soy-free, rich, gooey, chocolate-covered brownie for people who can't eat the real ones, was... challenging.  The nice thing about picking up a cookbook and following someone else's recipe is you always have someone to blame when your concoction isn't edible.  Baking is a science and after my first two chocolately experiments, I had no one to blame but myself.  (Some people make pot brownies, I made prune brownies...)

Lucky for my family, third time was the charm.  I decided this would be a "Build Your Own Brownie" with several options based on your mood, what's in the pantry, the occasion, and/or the severity of your chocolate craving. 

The Brownie
In an effort to avoid the soy found in some oil, I chose to use banana puree in its place.  Not only does it make the brownies a tad bit healthier, but it also gives a yummy hint of banana.  Think... warm, fudgy, chocolate dipped bananas... It won me over, and I can't stand bananas.
 
1/2 c oil or melted butter (I substituted 1/2 c banana puree, plus approximately 3T water)
1 c white sugar
1 t  vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 all-purpose flour
1/3 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1/2 c chopped walnuts (optional)

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat a 9x9 inch baking pan with non-stick spray.

2.  Mix oil (or melted butter or banana puree & water) and cocoa until smooth.  Add sugar, vanilla and eggs.  Mix until thoroughly combined.  In a separate bowl mix flour, baking powder, and salt.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.  Stir until smooth.  Add walnuts, if desired.  Pour batter evenly into the prepared pan.

3.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the brownie begins to pull away from the edges of the pan and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  For a slightly chewier brownie, remove from the oven a couple of minutes early.  Let cool on a wire rack and cut into squares.

Chocolate-Covered Brownie
Coating the brownies in chocolate posed a problem.  Unless you can get your hands on dairy-free and/or soy-free chocolate chips (Sunspire and Enjoy Life carry dairy-free AND soy-free, while Divvies is only dairy-free), you might have to opt out of the Chocolate-Coveredness... Never fear, I have another option for you (see below).  If you do have chocolate that fits your dietary needs, then you're in for a TREAT!

You will need a double boiler or a bowl that fits on top of a small sauce pan (you can probably figure out how to do this in the microwave, but I haven't tried it yet).  Fill the pan with about an inch of water.  Pour your chocolate chips (or chunks) into the top of the double boiler (or the bowl).  Heat the stove to medium-high heat and bring the water to a boil.  Stir frequently as the chocolate melts.  Once the chocolate is smooth, working quickly (and carefully!), dunk the brownie squares into the chocolate.  Let cool on a wire rack and  refrigerate.  ENJOY!

Chocolatey Fondue-y
This next recipe is adapted from a Chocolate Sauce recipe found in Real Simple.  It is basically a creamy chocolate dip.  It can be used for these brownies (although I wouldn't recommend it if you already covered them in chocolate--even I think that's excessive), fruits, sundaes... or heaping spoonfuls.  It's dairy and soy-free :)

1/4 c granulated sugar
3 T cocoa powder
1/4 c water
10 large Marshmallows
1 T oil (I used canola oil, which contains no soy)

In a small saucepan, combine sugar and cocoa.  Gradually whisk in 1/4 cup water and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, stirring, until slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.  Add marshmallows and oil.  Stir continuously until the marshmallows have melted and the sauce is creamy.  Serve immediately with plenty of delish dunkables.

The Toughest Critic Has Spoken

My Promise To You

There isn't such thing as Chocoholics Anonymous or Rehab for Chocolate Addicts... I googled it.  If there were, I'm certain my family would have staged an intervention long ago and I would be sitting someplace in the mountains of Utah cleansing my palate.  But there isn't, they haven't, and I'm not. Instead, I've ingested 15 of the 16 ounces of my chocolate stash and an emergency family trip to The Sweet Shoppe today revealed--gasp--they are fresh out of Divvies chocolate chips.  My body went numb.  And then I saw it... Chocolate covered brownies.  The moment I laid eyes on them, it stirred something in me (most likely it was my stomach growling).  The mouth-watering confection set me on a quest to create the most decadent, moist, chewy, dairy-free, soy-free (For Jen!!), rich, gooey, chocolate covered brownie for people who can't eat the real ones.  The one I create will make the dietary limitless folks out there jealous... This is my solemn promise to you.

Eat Your Colors

It's something we've heard since childhood... Look at your plate as a palate and eat your colors everyday.   I've had the privilege of making all of Andy and Claire's baby food and it thrills me to add new colors to our hued food spectrum.  This week the rainbow ends with a pot of.... carrots :)    

Chocolate Discovery!

This year my husband completely blew me away for Valentine's Day.  He endured my ugly chocolate withdrawl and then sprung into action.  He tracked down dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free CHOCOLATE!!  And then, because this heavenly tastiness doesn't come cheap, he actually made me promise NOT to share.  Sorry ladies, he's taken :)  For all of you out there with dietary limitiations that are wiping away the drool... You, too, can uncover this sugary treasure trove by visiting http://www.divvies.com/.  You're welcome :)

Clairey started apples today and took to them as easily as she did pears.  An apple a day keeps the doctor away-- I'm just sending up prayers that the opposite isn't true... 

Moving Right Along

Clairey turned seven months old this week!  Equally monumental: we're five days into avocados and it looks like our "Hooray! List" is about to get a little bit longer!  Claire has been testing new food in the morning and then eating her old foods for "dinner" with the family.  Tonight I was able to sneak a little bit of banana into her beloved pears... She didn't even flinch :) 

We've adjusted well to our new eating schedule and I think it's improving our sleep schedule, too.  After our 17 pound weigh-in, I felt comfortable to nix the last, lingering night feeding (by the way, I feel like every pound is a medal of honor--those lbs. were hard earned!).  After an exruciating 2-hour cry-it-out session the first night, the next night was 45 minutes, and the third night was... peaceful.  I've waited seven long months for an uninterrupted night of sleep and it was... dreamy :)

Unlikely Phone Call

I just got off the phone with none other than my favorite doctor... Dr. Leickly. I guess all my voodoo paid off :) I'd planned an arsenal of 4-letter words to hurl at him, if I ever found myself in this position, but the call shaped up to be a reconciliatory 2 minute 43 second conversation. Turns out that website of his might be worth checking out... He told me that he was looking further into FPIES and would post information on his website to draw the attention of other specialists. Two days ago I would have never dreamed these words in the same sentence--I think Dr. Leickly is going to help us.

The Opposite of Helpful

It's my own fault for placing today's visit to Riley Children's Hospital on an unattainable pedestal. I'm also to blame for pinning Dr. Leickly as an allergy god that could solve all of our problems through divine intervention. I went into today's appointment with unrealistic hopes and optimism and I left utterly crushed. Apparently, our FPIES is so rare that acclaimed doctors at prestigious Children's Hospitals don't even know what F-P-I-E-S stands for and laugh when I say it out loud.

The fresh load of snow and disagreeable roads could have foreshadowed the experience we were in for. At the doctor's office, I rattled off our entire story to a medical student and then waited to see the doctor. When Dr. Leickly finally walked into the room, he looked perplexed and talked loudly about the complexity of Claire's case. He also told us that he doesn't even deal with kids with proctitus. If he'd have told us right then and there that we were in the wrong place, he would have saved us all a couple of hours of our lives... But he didn't. Instead, he shot down pretty much everything we said as "infeasible" or "rare". But it IS feasible and it IS rare... So now what??

Even though we provided him with a stack of medical records half-an-inch thick weeks ago, it quickly became clear that the records hadn't seen the light of day. Fortunately, I brought along my binder of research and produced a study on FPIES from the Journal of Pediatric Medicine. That Journal fueled the remainder of our consult with him... As in, he looked at the data page and called out information we're already pretty well versed in. I'm contemplating billing him for my time...

He then suggested we do yet another skin prick test just to be sure Claire doesn't have a Type 1 allergy to milk, rice, oats and sweet potato. I told him that I was confident the tests would all be negative, but I went along with it just to prove my point. As predicted, Claire's only reaction was to the histamine control. Even after we went through all of that, he wouldn't confirm our FPIES diagnosis. He advised us against feeding her the foods that she's reacted to in the past and assured us that any additional "triggers" are highly unlikely...Oh yeah, and to check out his website (???).

There are a couple of GOOD things came from today's visit. First, I have a phone number for a dietician. Second, I have a renewed appreciation for Dr. Hubbard, his knowledge, his support and his bedside manner. Third, Claire is tipping the scales at 17 pounds (75th percentile!!) and from here on out we're finished with non-nutritive middle-of-the-night feedings! Last, we're going to work through our FPIES grass-roots style. The rareness of this disease means that there aren't FPIES specialists at our fingertips. Assembling Team Claire is going to require reaching out and screening allergists, gastroneurologists and dieticians long before we ever step foot in their office. As much as I'd love to educate the medical world on FPIES, I have my daughter to worry about first.

This day is turning out to be a dumpster fire. Maybe some avocados will help :)

Eating Right

I knew that embarking on this FPIES food challenge with Claire would lead us to some pretty interesting findings. After watching a couple of serendipitous Oprah shows (I need to climb off my soap box for a second to clarify something... The only television programming that I break for is the occasional Oprah and every single Bachelor... I'm really not a couch potato) centered on the gut-churning documentary "Food Inc." and Dr. Oz's wake-up call to diabetes, the puzzle pieces started coming together. Claire's diagnosis has forced us to turn away from pre-packaged and processed foods and into all things fresh and wholesome. It's as if our little ladybug is leading us towards becoming the healthiest little family that we can be!

I consider myself to be the Commander In Chef of my house. I am the one who researches, plans, cooks and serves everything that comes through our kitchen. I take a lot of pride in the healthy food that I've always fed my family. However, since January 14, my quest for a healthy family has become much more driven... I'm getting down to the brass tacks of nutrition. We've tried a slew of new foods that we've always categorized as "granola" (a.k.a. "earthy"--which we never considered ourselves to be) and actually liked them! There's nothing scary about quinoa! And almond milk...it tastes like a milkshake mixed into my Grape Nuts every morning! Where have you been all my life!? Besides the taste factor, it is SO SATISFYING to be able to pronounce every ingredient we're filling our bodies with.

My goal is to continually add our "four star" recipes to this blog --you can take it up with my husband if you disagree :) Hopefully others of you can enjoy the immediate and long-term benefits of eating right along with us!

Quinoa Tabouleh
"Gluten Free and Easy" Robyn Russel

1/2 c quinoa (or rice), cooked in broth
1/4 c sun dried tomatoes, chopped (or regular tomatoes cored and diced)
1 short cucumber, seeded and diced
6 scallions, finely chopped
1 c finely chopped parsley
3 T olive oil or the oil reserved from the sun dried tomatoes
3 T lemon juice
1/4 t crushed garlic
salt and pepper, to taste

1. In a large bowl place the tomatoes, cucumber, scallions, and parsley and toss to combine. Stir in as much of the quinoa as needed to give a balanced look to the salad.

2. In a glass jar with a lid combine the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and salt and pepper. Shake well. Pour over the salad, toss to coat and serve.

Apple and Carrot Muffins
(Adapted from Zucchini Muffins, "The Best Life Cookbook", Bob Greene)

2 eggs or 1/2 c egg substitute
1/2 c plain almond milk (or skim milk for the non-dairy-free :)
1/4 c honey
1/4 c sugar
3 T olive oil
1 c whole wheat flour
1 c wheat bran
2 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1 t cinnamon
pinch of salt
1.5-2 c unsweetened applesauce (I used Claire's apple puree)
1/2-1 c grated carrots (add the applesauce and carrot slowly, ensuring the consistency isn't overly moist)
1/3 c raisins (we used Golden Raisins)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine the eggs, milk, honey, sugar, and oil in a bowl. Once completely mixed, add the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly.

3. Divide batter into muffin tins and bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 17-20 minutes.

Makes approximately 16 muffins
**To make Zucchini muffins, omit the applesauce and carrot and add 3c of grated zucchini.


Cottage Pie
"The Best Life Cookbook" Bob Greene

POTATOES
2 medium, skin on
2 t olive oil
coarse salt to taste

BEEF/TURKEY
1T olive oil
2 large carrots, peeled and finely chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 pound 95% lean ground beef or ground turkey breast (we used turkey)
4 c spinach, well washed and stems removed
coarse salt and pepper to taste

1. Place the potatoes in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Once tender, drain the potatoes, add the oil and salt and mash all together with a wooden spoon. Set aside.

While the potatoes are cooking...
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

2. Add olive oil to skillet and heat over medium to medium-high heat. Add the carrots and onion. Cook until slightly brown, stirring often.

3. Add the meat and cook until browned. Add spinach and stir until wilted. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from stove.

Assemble...
In a 9-inch baking dish, place the meat mixture and cover with the mashed potatoes. Bake in oven for about 10 minutes and then broil until the potatoes form a golden crust.

**I had to satisfy my Midwestern hubby with a little bit of brown gravy on top :)


Graham Crackers
"Beat This!" Ann Hodgeman
I heard once, "Eat all the junk food you want...so long as you make it all from scratch." Here's one to satisfy the sweet tooth. Pair it up with a glass of cold almond milk and your in for a treat!

1 1/3 c whole-wheat flour
1 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c brown sugar, packed
3/4 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t ginger
1/4 c unsalted butter (I used a non-dairy butter spread)
1/3 c honey
5 T cold water
1 t vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees

2. Place flours, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, spices, and butter (or spread!) in a food processor. Combine with a few pulses. Add remaining ingredients. Pulse and then let it run for 30 seconds, or until the mixture forms a ball.

3. Divide the dough into two smaller balls. Spray two cookie sheets with non-stick spray. Dust the dough with flour and roll it out into a rectangle (I suggest rolling the dough to approximately 1/8 inch thickness for a cake-ier cookie :). Cut the dough into smaller squares or rectangles (which ever floats your boat!) and transfer each to the prepared cookie sheet. Prick each cookie all over with a fork.

4. Repeat process with the rest of the dough. Bake, one sheet at a time, in the oven for 12-15 minutes.

Allergist Appointment

Today we had our follow-up appointment with Dr. Hubbard, our first allergist. It was a 30 minute Q & A session. While I didn't learn anything earth-shattering, he did a super-duper job of reassuring me that we're doing all the right stuff.

We established that Claire's proctitus to cow's milk (the blood in her stools) is far less dangerous, but an allergy to the protein, nonetheless. The encouraging distinction between her proctitus and her FPIES (to oats and rice/sweet potatoes), is that she should outgrow the proctitus by her first birthday or shortly afterwards. Great, great news...

We also talked further about the skin prick testing that he performed last time. He tested her for oats, milk, soy, wheat, eggs & peanuts and all of them came back negative. I was about to start skipping around his office when he told me that a negative allergy test now doesn't mean she won't develop allergies to those foods over time. How on earth am I NOT going to be paranoid?

Last (and best), he validated my efforts to be seen by Dr. Liekly at Riley Children's. At Riley, we will have the option to do ATOPY testing if we choose to go that route, we will have access to all of the knowledge and experience of an expert in childhood allergies, and we can ask for a referral to see a dietitian. I hadn't given much thought to seeking out a dietitian before today, but I am eager now! It is imperative to me that I am meeting all of Claire's nutritional needs without putting her in danger of ingesting her trigger foods. I hope that by meeting with a dietitian, we can collaborate over a detailed road map for Claire's future food trials while maintaining her consumption of healthy, well-balanced meals on a day-to-day basis.

Only six more days before Dr. Liekly will open another door for us!

Silly Me

We pulled off the impossible this morning... I showered, dressed, got Clairey up and dressed and fed, and packed an emergency bottle all before 8:30am. At about 8:35, I was putting the finishing touches on The List (of questions) when I got a reminder call from the allergist's office about our appointment....Tomorrow at 9am. Apparently I killed off my last few brain cells watching The Bachelor last night (it was so worth it though). I'm not sure if I can accomplish the same insurmountable feat two mornings in a row...

P.S. We love pears!

Tackling Pears

We have our first food on the "HOORAY! List". Bananas were painful at times, most times actually, but she conquered them like a champ!!

This morning, I decided that after 5 days without any signs of reaction, it was time to put Clairey out of her banana-induced misery and begin tackling pears! My sister, in all her brilliance, suggested I try putting some pear puree on my finger to let Claire work on it that way at first. This approach allowed her to sample the puree without squirming at first sight of the spoon. Once she acknowledged their tastiness, I spoon-fed her tiny amounts. She ate about 1/2 teaspoon today and seemed to want more! I can hardly wait to give her a whole 3/4 of a teaspoon tomorrow! Bring it!

Lastly, we have an appointment with our first allergist (NOT Rielly) tomorrow morning. I'm hoping he has something profound to share with me regarding a cure for FPIES... Otherwise, he'll feel the wrath of my list of questions...