Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Vegetarian Silly Burgers

Silly Burger dressed with fresh cilantro, salsa, and halved cherry tomatoes.

This recipe is very loosely based on a recipe by Paula Deen called Black Eyed Pea Cakes.

While I would never accuse the charmingly southern-accented Ms. Deen of developing a bland recipe, I did, however, feel when I first tried her black eyed pea cake recipe that I could improve upon it in a way that creates an end product that is not only healthier but more flavorful.

Somewhere in my blood an ethnicity that is drawn to cilantro and cumin apparently exists and, for that reason, I will add one or both of them to nearly anything in the kitchen. For my children, foods need only be called burgers or fries and they come running. As a family, we also eat a diet free of gluten and dairy products. My recipe for Silly Burgers meets all our culinary tastes and dietary needs.

Silly Burgers - Approx. 10 "burger" patties
3 cups cooked black eyed peas, drained well
1.5 cups grated zucchini (approx. 1 average-sized zucchini)
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced roasted red peppers
1 egg (for vegan option, leave out and add 2 T. GF flour)
1/4 cup GF flour
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
Oil for pan

Optional garnish:
Fresh cilantro, diced
Your favorite brand of salsa or make your own fresh
Cherry tomatoes, halved

Heat oil over low-medium heat. With a potato masher, mash the black eyed peas. Add all other ingredients minus the oil. Mix well and spoon out into skillet, flattening slightly to make patties. Cook until golden on both sides. Garnish and eat with a fork or serve on a bun as a burger. Enjoy!

And yes, my kids really do eat these and come back for seconds!

These Seizures Are Going To Give Me A Stroke

Reiss creating a masterpiece for "Make Your Own Pizza Night" this past Friday evening....

Because I am a slacker blogger and have not bothered to write anything in nearly two weeks, "Which seizures?" you might ask.

Well, there was the seizure Reiss had last June that we thought certain was triggered by an antibiotic he was on at the time. Long story...He had started an antibiotic, had a seizure within twenty-four hours of the first dose, so we ceased the dosing and began looking around online for information regarding the antibiotic. Come to find out - and this was confirmed by a real live doc, not just online information - that particular antibiotic has a high seizure incident rate in the general population.

For those who are not aware, autistic children have a thirty percent (actually, I've seen varying estimates on this but for the sake of this post, I'll go with the percentage I've seen most often) higher chance of having a first-time seizure than a typical child. So why, oh why, would a doctor prescribe a medication that already has a high seizure rate in neurotypical people to a child with autism?

That is not what this post is about though, so I will go ahead and move on now. Oh wait, no, I won't. Not before mentioning that we no longer see that doctor.

And then there was the second seizure. Fast forward to this past Monday and Reiss had another seizure. This one did not come on nearly as quickly as the first one. With the first one, Reiss went from zoning out to being unconscious in a matter of ten minutes or less. With this one, he began zoning out and it was so mild that I wasn't even certain he was having a seizure. Many of his symptoms - strange noises with his tongue (only in the beginning), belly gurgling, eyes and head going off to one side, limp body - were the same both times, but the duration of the individual seizures varied greatly. This seizure went on for around forty-five minutes before our doctor ordered us to administer the anti-seizure medication.

Through all of this particular seizure, I was particularly calm to a point that it even surprised me. So the title of this blog post isn't entirely accurate but who knows maybe I was frantic on the inside.....I did catch my hand shaking at one point, but otherwise, I think my unconscious mind was sending messages to my conscious mind telling it to keep things in order.

Reiss's first seizure meant a trip to the hospital and an overnight stay. After first arriving at the hospital and a little ways into the hospital staff treating Reiss with Valium, an antibiotic, and something else that I cannot recall at the moment, James and I got treated to an interesting interaction between two of the hospital employees. They were arguing over the correct dosage amount and one was accusing the other of administering too high a dosage.

Um...hello???? Our son is convulsing on the table (which, by the way, he only began doing after they began pumping him full of God knows what) and I am sitting there a crying, blithering idiot mess of a mom. Do you really think arguing over the dose amount is something you should do in front of a parent who thinks their child may die right in front of their very eyes?? And to give said parent more fuel for the fire of her insanity in that maybe you aided in her child's death by overdosing?

Obviously, Reiss did not die but one can see where I would hesitate to take him to the hospital in the event another seizure should occur, which it did, or I would not be writing this right now. Needless to say, I was a bit reluctant to call an ambulance this time.

And guess what???

Reiss took almost two days to fully recover from his seizure and all the medications he was pumped full of last time during his care with "professionals."

His recovery time for this seizure?

Two hours. Two hours after I injected the Diastat suppository in him, Reiss was up and running around - more actively than I would have preferred, as a matter of fact. Monday evening, he seemed a little tired but Tuesday morning he was back to his usual hundred-miles-a-minute self.

I know some people will call it a coincidence that Reiss recovered so much more quickly with this seizure and they can be wrong if they want to be are welcome to their opinions. However, I truly believe Reiss recovered so soon afterward because he did not receive all the medications this time that he did last June.

It is times like these that I actually wish my family's life could be under a little microscope for doctors to observe. To see that more medications do not necessarily mean better medical care. That the body can help itself with less intervention. But that won't happen as long as there are pharmaceutical reps making themselves permanent fixtures in doctors' waiting rooms and......

Blah, blah, blah....I'm officially rambling and the pharmaceutical argument is not one I plan to revisit today.

Reiss is fine. All week long, he has played just like nothing extraordinarily out-of-the-ordinary happened earlier this week. He is back to challenging James and me when we tell him to do something and seeing what he can get away with and bossing Milla around and arguing with her and taking toys from her and crying when she instigates something herself. He made it through one full week this week with no #2 accidents in his pants. Yesterday, we visited a bounce place as a reward. He helped make pancakes yesterday on Pancake Saturday, just as he has done every single Saturday for almost four years now. This afternoon, as I did make-ahead prep work of cutting veggies and mixing sauce ingredients for our dinner, Reiss made certain I was aware - by telling me no less than thirty times - that he does not like Orange Chicken (that he apparently has forgotten that he eats the heck out of every single time we have it for dinner). As I write this, Reiss is "helping" change flood lights outside by holding the ladder for James. Hopefully, "holding the ladder" does not mean tipping the ladder and a dreaded visit to the hospital.

Yes, things are back to normal. Life is good.............

GFCF Hot & Steamy Chocolate Silk

After a particularly cold jaunt to the great outdoors with my never-affected-by-the-freezing-temperatures four-year-old, I was able to persuade him to come in with the promise of getting to assist me with making hot cocoa from scratch.

Never in a million years did I think our attempt at throwing a few ingredients together would result in something so yummy, but the end product was a drink so rich and creamy smooth, it was like drinking chocolate silk. If hot cocoa can possibly be thought of as sexy, this stuff was Robert Redford, Denzel Washington, George Clooney, and Brad Pitt (or whomever floats your boat) all wrapped into a cup of hot and steamy relief from a half-hour spent out in bone-chilling windy tundra-like temperatures. Okay, I'm exaggerating, as usual, but in my defense, it is February. In Indiana. And I am done with winter.

So to cut to it, the following is what we concocted:

4-5 ounces filtered water
4-5 ounces coconut milk (not coconut oil or coconut cream)
2 tablespoons Sun Crystals (or sugar or sweetener of your choice to taste)
3 heaping teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 - 1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla
dash of salt

Mix the water and coconut milk together in a mug and microwave until desired temp. Mix sweetener of choice, cocoa powder, and salt together in separate small bowl. Mix both mixtures together and stir in vanilla. Stir until all the cocoa powder mixture is blended well into the liquid.

Enjoy!

IEP's, Dinner For Dummies, and Other Ramblings

This evening my husband and I have a meeting to go to regarding the ABA center we are helping another couple get started. Actually, that makes it sound like we are playing some major role in the opening of a fabulous ABA facility but in reality, all we are doing is providing word of mouth to others in the autism community and a place for the couple to hold their presentations to get families interested in their center.

I'm very excited about it all but I'm also very tired. We have been going and going and going for around two weeks now and I just want a nap.

This morning was Reiss's case conference for his IEP and I gotta say, it wasn't nearly as bad as some of the nightmare stories I hear from friends who go in with a "team" of people ready to do battle. Of course, I don't have the same problems many of them have. We do have problems with Reiss running out of the classroom on occasion but luckily, it has not been out the door leading to the parking lot, but rather, the door leading out of his classroom and into the hall. We don't have problems - that I am aware of - with his teacher or aides giving him food that is not on his diet. And since we provide a box of snacks for him from home, they would have no reason to do so. We don't have problems with unfair punishments or have to deal with forms of discipline that some consider torture like so many parents of children with autism have to read about. Yes, it really happens...just look HERE if you don't believe me. By the way, that particular school system is notorious for incidents with their students in special services classrooms. Not long ago they also had one little girl with autism who was bitten in the classroom and force fed. I am, however, too lazy to go dig up a link for that as well though. So have at it, go Google yourself silly if you so desire.

Anyway, the only changes we made were to have Reiss's IEP written to include his dietary guidelines and his Diastat injector - just in case of another seizure - under the Health guidelines section. Because they have been having some behavioral problems in the classroom recently, there were also some behavioral modification plans made to accommodate for when Reiss fully rejects their current form of discipline, which is a combination of popsicle stick pocket pulls, 1-2-3 Magic, and timeouts. It sounds like a lot but it's basically 1-2-3 Magic adapted to a classroom setting. His teacher feels it is only effective for him a small part of the time and we will soon need to move on. It's amazing how this is exactly what she told me usually happens around mid-way through the year with the majority of the children, and although this is a little past midway, she was exactly right.

Moving on...

Today I made muffins. THIS is the recipe I used, as I often do. This recipe should have been more aptly name No-Fail Muffins or Muffins for Morons because it is so darn adaptable. These muffins simply cannot go wrong. They call for applesauce but I have also substituted the applesauce with bananas, zucchini, squash, and pumpkin, all with spectacular results. Today's applesauce sub was zucchini. They're so well-packed with good fats, proteins, and fiber that I don't even have an inkling of remorse serving these for a meal with a little fruit or something on the side. Because we have to get dinner on the table and out the door in a hurry this evening, we are having these muffins, some bacon, and whatever fruit we have on hand. I think there are some pears and apples that need to get gone, as well as some kiwis that Reiss will probably hoard all to himself.

Today we had carpet installed in our bedroom. I know, I know - don't tell me about all the harmful crap they put in that stuff. We purchased this carpet around a year ago when we had just begun making dietary changes, getting chemicals out of the house (we're still working on that one!), and frankly, we were just plain ignorant. If I knew then what I know now, we would have gone with running the wood laminate floors on into the bedroom or gone with a "green" carpet free of chemicals. What's the saying? Hindsight is 20/20 and considering the expense, it's not something we were going to just cut our losses and chalk up to experience.

After nearly a year straight of off and on (a lot of "on") people working on this or that in our house, I am ready to take a break. I am ready to close our doors and not have anyone work for us anytime soon. Ironically, we are getting ready to start our in-home ABA program and there will be people in and out of here every single day and for even more hours than all the remodeling projects put together but at least these are people working on a totally different aspect of our lives and not on our house and leaving messes in their wake when they leave for the day.

Thankfully, you can barely tell anymore that this is a 1974-built house. Other than the main bathroom, every room on this floor has been totally updated or had major modifications made to it to bring it into this decade from a decorative standpoint.

These monkeys are waking up from a nap. Reiss conked out on the chair in here during a phone call I was on earlier and Milla is on the couch. If you have read this far and are not bored to tears, I'm not sure whether to applaud your ability to focus or feel sorrow that you must have a really boring life that you could find my ramblings and my own mundane life ventures entertaining. At any rate, thank you for reading and leave a comment if you feel so inclined - I do read them and very much appreciate them, even if I don't acknowledge them as often as I would like.

Masters of Disasters

Last Wednesday Reiss' class made gingerbread men. Because our family eats gluten and casein free, Reiss obviously cannot have the traditional gingerbread cookie dough, so I made a really great GFCF version of it and sent some of it to school with him. What was left of it was dealt with on Saturday evening.

A little bit of tapioca flour for dusting down the table and making sure the dough didn't stick when rolling.....

Reiss eating a bunch of icing. YUM! And we have one shirt off....

If it looks like fun, I can tell you it really was a good time. I don't think I remember the last time Reiss and Milla stayed occupied for so long with one activity. It was nice to be able to just sit and relax without having to entertain them or worry what they were getting into...who cares that they made a ginormous mess. They had fun and the mess was cleaned up in about ten minutes - a nice trade-off for about twenty minutes of breathing time for me.

And no, you are not imagining things. Yes, they were eating the gingerbread cookie dough raw and although I am not one to worry about salmonella in raw cookie dough, I definitely didn't need to worry about it with this dough because the recipe is free of gluten, casein, and is egg-free as well. You can find the recipe HERE. It is Lisa Lewis' recipe for Gingerbread People from her book, Special Diets for Special Kids.


Moving on to other messes....

Our new two-person, open-concept shower.....

The extra-wide, extra-deep spa tub and glass block window....

The granite countertop we had made for a miraculously inexpensive price by purchasing a remnant.

And finally, what happens when someone (not me!) adds "a little bit" of shower gel to a spa tub with the jets turned on......

I am still left wondering how much constitutes "a little bit."

If You Don't Like Our Pancake Recipe.....

Blame Living Without magazine!

Seriously, I know the recipe we use is not for everyone and if it's not your cup of tea, you might try Ginger Lemon Girl's recipe for pancakes that she recently posted. The recipe is gluten-free, casein-free, soy-free, and vegan. Judging by the photo, the pancakes this recipe makes look very tasty....BUT beware if you or a member of your family cannot eat yeast.

Blech Friday!!!!

Call me a scrooge, but I do not do Black Friday.

Driving and driving around just to find a parking space, mass throngs of people (some of them behaving, while others only behaving badly) crowding into stores and all wanting to buy the same items, and a bunch of stuff that just takes up space in one's house, for what? A better deal? No thanks! I'll do my shopping from the clearance racks throughout the year where most of the deals I get are better than the Black Friday sale prices, anyway. And most of the time, I don't have to worry about my life or those of my children being in danger of being lost due to a cattle stampede of a bunch of crazies trying to get the latest dancing Elmo figure at a rock-bottom price.

So there it is....some people call it Black Friday. I call it Blech Friday.

I'm not totally against going out the day after Thanksgiving though. We did go out today for some fast lunch from a drive-thru and also to pick up a few items from the health food store. With the exception of our own dish, we did not bring home any leftovers yesterday from my mother-in-law's house. We left here to go to her house with collard greens and came home with almost the same amount we left with - I have never had the same tastes in food as my husband's family but oh well, more for me!

A bit after lunch today, we went back out to go to the health food store. It was one of those go-in-with-a-list-of-three-items-and-come-out-with-two-bags kind of trips. We needed sorghum flour because Saturdays are, of course, Pancake Saturday at our house and we ran out of sorghum flour last Saturday using up the last half-cup in our favorite GFCF pancake recipe.

On the way to the health food store, we witnessed the mass chaos at the mall, which is less than five minutes from our home. Cars were spilling out of the parking lot at the mall, with people even parking in the grass just to make a space. I don't know.....I just don't get it. I know some people will read this and think, "But have you seen the Black Friday ads?" Yes, I've seen them. I still think I get better deals on things throughout the year by shopping clearance racks and by combining sales with store coupons. But whatever. To each his own.

Geez, I'm doing it again. I keep meaning to get to this part about an accident we saw while we were driving to the health food store. By the way, am I the only one who has noticed over the years car accidents have gone from being called "accidents" to "crashes?" When I think of the word "crash," I think of a plane falling from the sky. Two cars or more plowing into one another makes me think "accident" or "wreck" - not "crash."

Anywaaaaaay, so we were on the way to the health food store to get sorghum flour and two other items and I'm driving along telling James something probably of little importance when I hear this really loud noise. I thought it was behind us but it ends up that it was in front of us. A red Ford pickup truck had run smack into the back of a Mercedes SUV. Then I was trying to get around it and someone almost ran into me. What a mess. I wonder what that guy in the truck was doing to run right into the person in front of him. He must have been distracted in some way as this was no small bumper to bumper tap. I hope all of them were okay but we weren't about to stop and cause an even larger disturbance to other drivers, especially since our children were in our vehicle.

Milla "shopping" on Black Friday morning. I tried to tell her most stores have a "No shirt, no shoes, no service" policy but she wasn't having any part of abiding by the rules.


The mess pictured above is what our bedroom looks like right now while we are remodeling the bathroom. Oh yeah, I don't think I mentioned that yes, we are still remodeling our bathroom. Actually, I fired the guy doing the work one week ago today. I'm not going to get started on that in this post but suffice it to say a bathroom should not take three months to do and I should not have to be the one to tell someone when something is not right. But, that is another post.

Reiss dorking around in the hallway while I was chasing him and Milla around with the camera this morning.....

Invitation to Plug Your Fave Book/Website

Between dealing with a home remodel project under the supervision of the world's slowest contractor, my growing dissatisfaction with Reiss' progress (yes, I DO indeed recognize this is not his fault!), and everything else going on, I am getting more and more frustrated with eating a gluten-free, casein-free diet and not being able to get a break from cooking and dishes. I'm tired of the same old fare I seem to be rotating in an organized fashion.

So with all that said, please share (in the comments section) your favorite book or website that caters to gluten-free - and casein-free, if possible! - recipes and cooking.

And I hate to have to give this little disclaimer but there are the few who ruin it for the many: Any website postings meant to be advertisements for any products or services unrelated to gluten-free dieting will be deleted.

Post away, people!!! Pleeeeeaaaaasssee, post away!

GFCF Sweet Potato Hash

This evening's dinner was a product of one of those times when I had no clue what to make. I had some ground beef that needed to get gone and could not be frozen, as it had already been frozen once before. Although I love food with a Mexican flair to it, I have grown weary of limiting our meals to Mexican dishes and spaghetti whenever I have ground beef on-hand.

Having said that, I began throwing things together and sorta hoped for the best. Here was the conconction.....

1 organic red jewel yam (this sounds fancy but you could use a plain ole sweet potato), diced small
1 organic onion, diced
1 organic red bell pepper, diced
organic, hormone-free, antibiotic-free ground beef....a pound maybe...I honestly don't know how much I used
fennel seed

In a large skillet, saute the yam in olive oil until very firm tender, as in, getting cooked on the outside but you can fork-feel that the inside is still pretty crisp. With the yam still in the pan, dump the onion and red pepper in. Stir. Throw in the ground beef and jab at it to break up. Add a good amount of fennel seed...to taste, of course.

Continue cooking until ground beef is fully cooked and veggies are to the texture of your liking. Add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

There you have it! A gluten-free, casein-free, one-pot, five-ingredient (I don't count oil, salt, and pepper in this case) meal. We ate this with a side of baby spinach and tomato salad and dressing.

The jury's decision:

Milla: "Yuck!" I'm not sure why either, because she likes all the ingredients. She has eaten sausage and likes it but maybe it was the fennel seed that turned her off.
Reiss: He ate it like lettuce wrappers you can order at some restaurants. He wrapped this conconction in the larger sized baby spinach leaves.
James: No comments either way but he went back for seconds or thirds, I'm not certain. If he doesn't like something, he will not say anything and will only eat part of what is served to him and snack later in the evening.
Me: I'll be making this again!

Betty Crocker Gluten Free Giveaway!!!!

Okay, folks, this is my first giveaway and I am quite behind in doing it. A deal was made between BlogSpark and myself and while they held up their end of the bargain, I am embarassed to admit that - due to an inkling of ignorance on my part about which I won't go into detail - I have not kept up my end of the deal.....until tonight. Thank you to BlogSpark and Betty Crocker for providing me with this opportunity. At the same time, I offer my apologies to BlogSpark and to Betty Crocker....but enough of the formalities, let's get on with it.

BlogSpark provided me with a wonderful Betty Crocker gluten-free "Sweet Treats" prize pack and in exchange for it, I agreed to give reviews of the products and - the best part - hold a contest where the winner will receive one of the same prize packs I received. It's a win-win! My contest winner will get to read reviews of the products and then have the chance to try them for free. The rest of you, well, you just get to read the reviews - you will have to go buy the products if you want to try them. More details on the contest later though, so keep reading!

The prize pack I received and the contest winner will receive consists of the following:
Betty Crocker Gluten Free Yellow Cake Mix
Betty Crocker Gluten Free Devil’s Food Cake Mix
Betty Crocker Gluten Free Brownie Mix
Betty Crocker Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix
Betty Crocker grocery tote
magnetic grocery list and pen to make shopping easier!
(For more details on the mixes, check them out Betty Crocker)

To date, we have tried all but the Devil's Food Cake Mix. With any luck, I will be making that one this weekend.

When we made the yellow cake mix, it mixed up, baked up, and looked just like a regular yellow cake mix from a box. Knowing what I know of some gluten-free products on the market though, I was skeptical as to how this cake would taste. Looks can be very deceiving....and sometimes in a very bad way.

Luckily, the Betty Crocker Yellow Cake Mix was awesome. If I didn't know it was gluten-free, I would not have guessed. It had a little different taste and texture than a regular mix but not different in a bad way - just that, different. It was probably one of the moistest (is that really a word?) cakes I've had from a box mix. Of the three mixes we have tested so far, this was our favorite one.

About a week or so after making the yellow cake mix, we tried the Betty Crocker Gluten Free Brownie Mix. The mix yielded a small pan of brownies - I wanna say 9x9 is what we made ours in. The brownies themselves took longer to bake than the box directions indicated. However, to Betty's credit, my oven has been acting a bit nutty so I'm not certain whether the problem was with the time indicated on the box or if it was just my oven rebelling against me.

We baked (and baked and baked) the brownies and the results were a gooey-chewy center and crunchy-chewy edges. If you have people in your family, like we do, who have different texture preferences, this is a very good thing. Overall, I give this product a thumbs up. But having said that, at the price the grocery stores are charging for these gluten free mixes, I would really like to see the mix make a larger pan of brownies. Without a coupon or sale, you can expect to pay about twice the price of a regular mix and only get about 2/3 the amount of baked product.

Finally, I will forewarn anyone reading that I am not typically one who sugar-coats things and although I greatly appreciate BlogSpark and Betty Crocker providing these products to me at absolutely no charge, I do feel it would be a disservice to my readers and Betty Crocker if I talk up the Betty Crocker Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix with a glowing review. Simply put, it would not be how we truly felt about this product.

The chocolate chip cookie mix was, for us, a flop. The mix yielded very thin, flat, flimsy cookies that practically fell apart with a touch of the hand. Now if that's something you prefer in a cookie and you are eating a gluten free diet, I wholeheartedly recommend this mix. Was it so bad that we threw the cookies out to the birds? Of course not! That would be wasteful and we were able to resolve the problem by stacking and squishing two cookies together and eating them in such a way that did not allow them to fall apart.....very much. The cookies themselves tasted pretty good but baking isn't just about taste. It's about eye appeal, texture, anticipation and so on.

Will I buy any of these mixes again?

I can certainly visualize buying the yellow cake mix (actually, I have already done so probably four times!) and the brownie mix again but I'll stick to my favorite "from scratch" recipe when it comes to gluten-free chocolate chip cookies.

Now, for the giveaway.....

Simply comment on this post and tell everyone why you would like to try these products....and preferably not just because they are free. No need to give your full medical history or any private details you prefer not to share but you get the point. If you'd like to share a favorite gluten-free recipe, even better.

Sunday, October 11th at 12PM (that's noon - NOT night-time!) Eastern Time will be the cutoff for comments to be considered as "entries" for this giveaway. All comments after that time will be just that, comments (but appreciated just as much!). At some point after that time on Sunday, I will draw and announce a winner. The winner will be required to provide his or her email address to me (if you don't already have it on your profile) so that I may provide it to BlogSpark. The winner will then be contacted by a representative at BlogSpark requesting a mailing address.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask by commenting to this post or by emailing me at the address listed on the bottom left of your screen when you float your mouse over "Email" on my profile page.

The contest begins now...............Good luck to all!!!!

Easy Readin'

You know how you get those flyers in the mail asking you to join this book club or that?

No? Well, I do, and they seem to come almost weekly. Back in the day - that is, before I became so frugal that I rarely purchase books - I used to take these companies up on their offers.

Not anymore. No, I got smart and now whenever I receive one of those flyers I mark the pages with all the books I'd like to read. I then set it aside and place it on my to-do list for me to log on to my library account and put holds on the books that sound interesting to me.

On Thursday, my number came up for two of the books I had placed holds:
The Duggars: 20 and Counting! by Michelle & Jim Bob Duggar
Hungry Girl by Lisa Lillien

After taking lunch to Daddy's work on Friday, the kids and I headed to the library to pick up the books. Anything Duggar-related always gets me a little excited so I was eager to get my hands on this book.

Did I mention we have a Duggar dance in our house? Yes....It's a bit hard to visualize but it basically consists of waving both arms above our heads in a strange fashion while half-yelling "Duggar! Duggar! Duggar......" over and over. We do this on Tuesday evenings just before 18 Kids and Counting airs on TLC. Call us weird. I know and I don't mind.

I finished reading the Duggars' book yesterday. This is unheard of for me A.C. (after children). During my B.C. years, depending on the book, I could breeze through most books in less than 24 hours. A.C. I am lucky if I finish most books in 24 weeks. Sad. I miss reading but what can ya' do?

The Duggar book is a very easy read and flows nicely in an almost-conversational tone. Here are some of the things I liked, disliked, and couldn't get enough of...

While I have been a Duggar fan for quite some time and knew a lot of the information surrounding how the Duggars became self-sufficient and debt-free, it did not make me enjoy it any less reading the minute details of each investment and sale the couple went through to get to where they are now. I really wish more of the public would pay attention to this amazing story not only because so many people seem to think this family must be destitute with that many children, but also because I think a good percentage of Americans could learn a lot from people who truly live debt-free lives such as the Duggars do.

In the book, Michelle not only provides organizational tips for how she keeps it all in order but the names of the resources from which she borrowed the ideas and customized to fit her family's needs. There is an awesome resource list in the back of the book that I actually plan on having James make a copy of at work (he owns the business - we're not stealing office supplies from someone else).

The book answers many of the most frequently asked questions the Duggars receive via email. And although many of the questions were very good ones, I was still left wondering some things.

For instance, Michelle discusses "correction" which is Duggar-ese for disciplining bad behavior. She also described "blanket time" (which I may even begin training Milla on) for infants and toddlers in order to keep them occupied. But many times when Reiss is misbehaving I ask myself how Michelle Duggar would handle such a situation when timeouts and taking toys from Reiss is not effective. Michelle doesn't have any autistic children (that I'm aware of!) and has probably not been in a situation where she's had to handle a child who is wired so differently than typical children but I can't help but think whatever she would do would be done in a very peaceful manner.....which can prove very difficult for me when Reiss continues to say, scream at the top of his lungs in the car even after having a timeout, after having whatever toy he has with him taken away, and still even after we have given up and decided to go home from wherever we were going.

Sometimes nothing seems to work. It's hard to stay ahead of the game when even the professionals working in the field of autism and teachers of special needs children tell me they have to switch things up often because many times disciplinary methods become ineffective after a period of time with autistic children. Just the other day, Reiss' teacher was telling me how they sometimes have to switch their disciplinary method two, three, or four times throughout the school year. Right now they use a stick system (where the child starts the day with three popsicle sticks in their wall pocket) but she said she is usually surprised if they make it to Christmas without the children making every day a challenge against the system.

Getting off-track here, as usual. Seriously....sometimes I don't see how you guys can even stick with me through to the end the way I so often get off-topic.

Long story short, regarding discipline, I was left wondering if there are never any serious disciplinary issues in the Duggar household or if they were simply not discussed.

I wish Jim Bob and Michelle would have gone further in-depth on things like how they handle going places with all the kids. Do they try to stick to naptimes? Or do they just go and if the kids take a nap, great, if not, whatever? How often do they leave the house? With that many children, even with older ones to help out, it seems like leaving very often would sometimes be more pain than it's worth. What about family planning? Do they really try or not? I was aware prior to reading the book that they do not use birth control because of the miscarriage years ago that their doctor felt happened because they conceived while Michelle was on the pill. Michelle briefly discussed their views on birth control and some things mentioned in the Bible but she never came out and said one way or another if they actively try to conceive or if babies just seem to happen easily for them.

Moving on to the topic of the Duggar mansion....I don't know that I would call this house a mansion like many people do. There is a floor plan of it in the book and yes, it's a large house but when I hear the word "mansion" I tend to think of a grand estate with lavish furnishings - something the Duggar house is anything but. Their house is very child-friendly, as anyone would imagine it to be.

Would I love to have their house? Honestly, I don't know. It has many features I would love such as the industrial size and equipped kitchen, the huge laundry room and amenities, and the indoor playground that is comparable to some businesses where outlandish admission fees are charged for children to spend an afternoon, but beyond that, it is missing some other things I would love to have if I had a house that large. I mean, if I'm going to have a 7000 square-foot house, it had better at least have a larger master bedroom than the Duggars made theirs. And I would want a library. And a media room. Yes, I know the Duggars don't watch a lot of television (and neither do we, for that matter) but now we're talking about MY 7000 square-foot house now, not theirs. Or, at least, the one it would be if I had one.

And oh yeah, I forgot, I'd want it to be somewhere other than Arkansas. Hey, I'm just sayin'......

GFCF Curried Roasted Veggie Soup

Aren't they beautiful? I love all the color but my photographic skills could use some work!

Everything all sliced and ready to go into the pool oven.

After hanging out in a 400 degree oven for about 40 minutes...Notice the steam?

The end result! Okay, I'm not saying what this looks like but anyone who has ever changed a diaper on an infant......Hey, I'm just sayin'!

Mmm, Mmmm Good! Campbell's ain't got nothin' on this!

Curried Roasted Veggie Soup
Gluten-free, Casein-free (GFCF)
(For best results, you will need a stick blender, traditional blender, or food processor for this recipe.)

Ingredients:
A bunch of veggies of your choice.
This particular time I used eggplant, japanese eggplant, red and yellow bell peppers, banana pepper, zucchini, red onion, and tomato.
Some other good choices I have used are yams or sweet potatoes, parsnips, carrots, cauliflower - shoot, anything you can roast!

kosher salt to sprinkle and olive oil to drizzle on the veggies prior to roasting
1 14-ounce can coconut milk (NOT cream of coconut)
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth (be sure your broth is GF if you need to eat GF)
2 cloves garlic or equivalent amount of dried garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar (or alternative sweetener if you do not use refined sugars)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Slice your veggies and sprinkle them with kosher salt and olive oil. Roast the veggies in a 400 degree oven until they begin to brown and get pitiful looking. I don't know how else to describe it - you will know when they are ready by giving an occasional peek into the oven. Generally, it takes about 30-40 minutes in my oven. Potatoes may take a bit longer, depending on the size of the cut.

While veggies are roasting, mix up remaining ingredients in a soup pot on the stove top over low heat.

Once veggies are done roasting, throw them in with the other ingredients and blend with your stick blender.

Test for taste and add any needed salt or pepper.

Presto! You have soup!

Here is what the monkeys were up to while I was getting all the veggies ready.....

Boots, Beds, and Black Forest Muffins

Reiss in his new rain boots

I went shopping at Gymboree this afternoon armed with my 20% off coupon, my Gymbo Visa that gives me 5% off all Gymboree purchases, the knowledge that they were having a semi-okay sale and, last but not least, were also a few days into Gymbucks earning period. Generally, I only shop the clearance racks there but these boots were too cool to pass up. They were more than I would typically pay but after all was said and done between the sales and discounts, I still got them for less than half-price. They are a camouflage print with a strip of rubber jagged edging meant to look like dinosaur teeth going up the back of them.

No significance to this picture really....I just liked the cute little smile on Milla's face. It's more subtle than most times when she smiles so big, her eyes squint almost closed.

Isn't that just sweet? No, Milla is not just bent over towards Reiss. Yes, they really are smooching! I will confess though....I told Milla to kiss Reiss.

Tomorrow morning's breakfast is going to be a breeze! I made muffins using THIS recipe. I substituted one cup of zucchini (which is something the original recipe owner suggests in a later post of hers) for the applesauce, added chocolate chips as she mentions and took things one step further by adding about a cup of pitted and quartered cherries. Of course I couldn't go to bed without trying one...gotta make certain they are edible for tomorrow, you know. With my addition of the cherries, I thought they tasted a lot like Black Forest Cake so I am calling this version of the recipe Black Forest Muffins. I love it when I am prepared ahead of time!!!

Milkshakes and Product Reviews

Last night after dinner we took a short drive out to go scavenge some bikes out of someone's trash pile that James had noticed on his way home from work yesterday. I'm always a sucker for anything free that is in any condition to be recycled or reused. There were three bikes there but we only took two....no need to be greedy - I just hope someone else did get the third one before it met a trashy destiny.

And yes, you can rest assured knowing that they were indeed someone's trash and not just some bikes the children living in that house had parked by the trash, as James had to remove some mangled tomato cages and rotted lumber to get to them. I feel I have to mention this because it never crossed my mind that someone might actually think we would just take some children's bikes from a stranger's curb. However, it must have crossed at least one person's mind because when I posted on my Facebook page about our trash-picked treasure and how I absolutely love heavy trash day, a friend posted "I hope those were really set out for trash! lol" Yes, Jen, they were in a pile. And we rescued them.

So what in the world does this have to do with milkshakes?

After completing our task of being the neighborhood nuisances by picking through others' trash pile, we were driving home when out of the blue I asked, "Who wants milkshakes? Raise your hand!" This was totally spur of the moment and I wasn't even certain if we had the right ingredients on hand to make them. To be accurate, I knew we had milk replacer (since we do not do dairy) and GFCF chocolate syrup but I wasn't terribly sure we had any ice cream - just the main ingredient - no big deal, right? Way to dangle a carrot in front of a four-year-old, hunh?

It ends up we did have ice cream, thank goodness. Since making such drastic restrictions to our diet around eight months ago, I've not made milkshakes. Smoothies, yes. Milkshakes, no. So where the thought to make milkshakes came from is beyond me.

Here are the ingredients I used, their specific brand names, and a brief review of each. They are in no specific order and please don't ask me the measurements. When making something simple like this, I just wing it going solely by the look of things! By the way, I am not being paid or compensated in any way to tout the benefits of the products.

AH!LASKA Organic Chocolate Syrup - This isn't Hershey's but it's pretty darn good. Considering it's organic, gluten-free, dairy free, and "free" of a few other undesirable ingredients, it's actually better than Hershey's in some ways. I do feel I use more of this than regular Hershey's or store brand syrups though and at more than $5 per bottle, that is somewhat of a drawback. Overall, it gets a thumbs up and hey, I'm getting pretty used to spending a lot of money in order to stick with our dietary restrictions. What's another five bucks for a bottle of chocolate syrup? It still beats the price of getting an ice cream treat out and about somewhere.

Purely Decadent Coconut Milk Ice Cream - Technically, this product is not called ice cream. It's a "non-dairy frozen dessert." But how appealing does that sound? It is made with coconut milk rather than full fat dairy cream. In my opinion, this stuff is better than real dairy ice cream. It is so incredibly rich and yummy.

This makers of this product claim it is "dramatically lower in fat, calories and sugar than most premium ice creams" but honestly, I wouldn't know because I don't know about you, but I've never actually looked at the fat count, calorie count, or sugar grams on any regular premium ice cream packages. Most times when I have eaten "premium ice cream" it has been to satisfy a craving, not to see how much of it I could eat without expanding my waistline. That said, this ice cream is awesome and it contains a healthy dose of fiber! How cool is that? Fiber in ice cream! Does it get any better than this?

Depending on where I purchase this product, I pay $4.99-$5.79 per pint. Not cheap, but not really any more expensive than other "premium ice cream" pints in the grocery store. My gripe? There aren't very many flavors. The vanilla bean flavor is spectacular though, and even better than the chocolate flavor. That's a lot coming from someone who would choose chocolate anything over vanilla any day.

DariFree Non-Dairy Milk Alternative - This milk replacement product is gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, as well as "free" of many other commonly avoided allergens. It tastes great on its own and in most recipes. I have found it works great for baking but does not taste so great in some savory dishes. I can use a little of it in mashed potatoes without tasting strangely, however, the results were not quite as stellar once when I used a tiny bit in some eggs for scrambling. Let's just say I'm sure the raccoons living in the woods behind our house thought they'd died and gone to heaven when they awoke that evening and went scavenging for some midnite munchies.

DariFree isn't just an ordinary milk replacement product either - it packs a hefty punch in the way of vitamins and minerals. Although its main ingredient is maltodextrin derived from potatoes, it is surprisingly low in sugar grams at only two grams per serving.

If you purchase this product in 25-pound bulk containers from the manufacturer (in the link above), the savings are more than worth having to pay for shipping over buying it by the canister from a local retailer.

Last ingredient for the milkshakes? Ice! No link needed - just look in your freezer!

Cry Me A River!

Yep! That's what I'm gonna do. There's already a river flowing in our yard from all the rain we have had today so I might as well add to it with my tears.

Disclaimer: This is going to be a whiney, self-pity party kind of post and it's MY bloggy so I'll cry if I want to, cry if I want to......Consider yourself warned. If you're not up for what is to come, I suggest you leave now.

Today is the Fourth of July. It is supposed to be sunny outside with the air full of the aroma of backyard barbecues. But is it? NO! It's been gloomy all day and raining for the last seven hours straight.

Although it was cloudy outside, my day started out pretty decently with our traditional Saturday morning routine of James and Reiss making pancakes for Pancake Saturday. We are now using this recipe and it comes closest to the texture of regular (as opposed to gluten-free, casein-free) pancakes as any other GFCF pancake recipe I have found. Word of warning to anyone who tries it: the pancakes soak up the maple syrup and easily become very saturated. I've noticed we use a lot more syrup with these pancakes than we have in the past, so if you're trying to watch sugars (including natural ones), this may not be the recipe for you.

After breakfast, I was able to get more cleaning done than typical Saturday mornings. James and Reiss always go to the bank on Saturday mornings and regardless of the fact that it is closed today, they went today as well. Hey, the less straying Reiss has from his routine, the better. They were gone for a little while and then soon came home. Then a friend called and that's when things started to go downhill.

The kids came in where I was talking on the phone and Reiss grabbed the phone headset (we have a cordless headset to wear for hands-free operation) and then Milla started screaming about who-knows-what and then James came and got them and took them out of the room and started slamming doors, to which I got off the phone and asked him about, and then we had a little tiff, and blah, blah, blah.

We all got ready to leave and we didn't get to eat our normal Saturday Chinese lunch because - surprisingly - the place we go to every week was closed for the Fourth of July. We went and got lunch from somewhere else and, as usual and I hate to admit, Milla could not sit in the highchair for more than five or ten minutes without screaming. Another thing that grates on me.....

Now, if you ask my dad or my step-mom or my mother-in-law or probably anyone over the age of fifty or heck, for all I know, anyone who has had a child who didn't mind sitting in a highchair, I am sure they will all say to just make the child sit in the chair and they will get used to it. Well, that's all fine and good when we are at home but the problem we have here is that a) we were in public and I refuse to be "that" family who everyone stares at because the child is left to scream endlessly and b) Milla is a puker. Yes, I was "blessed" with having a child who, when she reaches a certain point in her mood of upset, will begin to blow chunks on everything and everyone around her because she is not only a vomiter, but a projectile vomiter. And seriously, if you're out to eat, is that really something you want to watch from a child at a neighboring table after being subjected to five minutes of crying because the parents were forcing her to "get used to" the highchair?

After lunch, we left and went to a party of some friends on a neighboring street from our home. We knew there would be food there but we ate lunch out anyway, because the kids were starving and frankly, so were James and I.

The party was meant to be a pool/birthday/Fourth of July party. Again, it's been raining here all day, so no swimming. The kids would not stay with the other kids and play. Milla's very young so I don't expect it a whole lot from her. Reiss, on the other hand, is always so far up in mine or my husband's rears, I sometimes wonder if he even understands other children do exist.

Now before anyone gets their panties in a bunch, yes, I know that anti-social behavior is a symptom of autism and I should know this and be used to it and blah, blah, blah....easy for parents to say when they don't live with a child with autism and don't have to deal with the good, the bad, and the ugly of it every day. These habits and symptoms are relentless. Typical children are much more easily encouraged into cooperation. However, one cannot simply turn off autism. I wish I could but it doesn't work like that.

I knew, knew, knew I should have gotten someone to watch the kids so that James and I could go and have a good time and be social but did I listen to that inner voice? No. We spent an hour with Milla hanging on me and then going to one of the nieces (who Milla is familiar with) and being semi-comforted and Reiss hanging on James the whole time.

I just sometimes feel like we have no social life. I didn't get someone to watch the kids today because I was counting on sun, fun, and swimming. Had the freaking sun come out, there would have been our friends' nieces swimming and helping Reiss and Milla and James and I could have relaxed. But noooooo, Indiana weather can never cooperate with the holidays. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems that it also rained on the last holiday weekend (Memorial Day) as well.

Even our friends who were having the party have two sons with autism and their children aren't all "up in them" like Reiss is with us all the time. One of their sons is totally anti-social but rather than need to be attached to a parent all the time, he prefers to stay in his room much of the time. The other is somewhat anti-social but will at least sit in social settings, even if he doesn't interact with others.

It just gets so exhausting sometimes when you have a child who refuses to self-entertain. When Reiss is left to his own devices with me during the day if I am say, loading the dishwasher or whatever, his version of self-entertaining entails lying on top of Milla and squashing her or somehow hurting her in other ways. Or he will go tear something apart or be destructive. Gaahhh!!! Sometimes I just look at him and yearn for that little boy who used to push the laundry basket around and "help" me do the laundry, even when "helping" meant cleaning up two loads of clean laundry he had scattered all over the floor. At least then it was sweet and not mean-spirited. Now he refuses to help with the laundry and prefers to entertain himself by hurting someone or something.

Okay, I'm done whining. I have saved many of the details of this latest bout of depression because it's just too depressing to put words to the screen, not to mention, the fear of having you all think I'm just plain nuts. Thankfully, I do know there are a few of you out there reading who have children with autism and know exactly the kind of day I'm having (BTW, thank you for all your encouraging comments and email messages!!!). That's not to say I don't appreciate those people who have typical children who come here and read my ramblings, it's just that I know it's very difficult to walk in another's shoes when you've never been there yourself.

Blah, blah, blobbity, blah.....Here's to hoping tomorrow really is sunny - literally and figuratively.

Boogers, Bottles, and Breakfast

Just a random photo of Reiss looking at the camera when the lens shot. He's a tough nut to crack. Sometimes he loves getting the camera out and taking pictures. Other times it's like pulling teeth to get him to look at the camera for a photo.


The above was the scene of the following conversation between Reiss and myself:
Reiss: Is that a burger?
Me: I don't know. Is what a booger?
Reiss: (pointing at the wall where this photo was taken) That!
Me: (Sigh) Yes, Reiss. That's a booger.

I still don't know who the guilty party was. I'm pretty certain it wasn't my husband because the booger was (eeeuuuwww) fresh when I wiped it off the wall and James had been at work for a few hours. I know for certain I didn't do it so that only leaves two monkeys as the possibilities. And since Reiss was the one asking, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say it was Milla.

At any rate, yuck! But oh, the joys of parenting. Somehow, these were not the kinds of things I envisioned B.C. (before children) whenever I sat daydreaming of being a mommy and chasing around a houseful of toddlers.


No, this is not the result of a drinking binge and a late night craving for...onions and potatoes??? No, this is what happens when one has a cordless phone that is a piece of c!@& and the battery constantly goes dead, regardless of how much you leave the handset on the charger.

The phone rang this morning and I had to pick up the call on the kitchen phone attached to the wall (yes, they still make those - believe it or not!) because the cordless phone's battery had gone dead earlier in the morning from a previous call. As I was on the phone giving out my insurance information and everything but my blood type to a compounding pharmacy that receives way too much business from us, Milla decided to empty out the cabinet where I keep the potatoes, onions, and garlic bulbs.....and well, a bunch of liquor bottles.

Honestly, I don't know why that stuff is even still in there. I can't tell you how old it is or how long ago anyone dispensed anything from a single bottle in there. My husband and I are way past our wild years. The strongest thing my husband ever drinks is orange juice and....just orange juice. He has never been one to indulge in "spirits." The strongest thing I drink anymore is a beer now and then - and only one beer.

Okay, maybe I go in phases where every day is what constitutes "now and then" but really, it's only one beer and I do only drink it for the taste. Years ago, I lived in Germany and now consider myself somewhat of a beer connoisseur. I like to try different brands and types of beer. They are almost always dark and they are always bottled. The thought of canned beer conjures up visions of bare-bellied Nascar fans hooting and hollering away their afternoon in the in-field at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and frankly, makes my stomach turn just thinking about it.

I am currently in one of those every day "now and then" phases but that will come to a halt in about a week and half when the fridge is empty of all bottles. I love my dark beer but it loves me too much and is preventing me from losing weight more quickly.


Anyhoo, here is the guilty party to the pantry raiding incident. She doesn't do a very good, "Who? ME? Are you kidding???" look. Sorry, Milla....you're GUILTY, as charged!


This has been my breakfast the last two mornings in a row. It's three eggs scrambled with cut up sun-dried tomatoes and baby spinach leaves.

Several years ago, I worked at a small mom~n~pop restaurant that was actually a friend~n~friend business. It was a small cafe called The Lonesome Pine Cafe and was owned by two ladies a few years my senior. It was probably one of the worst-paying jobs I ever had but what I got out of it was so much more valuable than money. I worked with and for people who became good friends. I gained experience in cooking some darn good soups and other recipes, and although I did quit partially because I got burned out on it, I can honestly say it was one of the best jobs I ever had.

It was at The Lonesome Pine Cafe, which was named such because of its somewhat out of place and rather large single pine tree growing in front of the building housing the cafe which was located on a busy city street, that I learned to make quiche. My friends, the owners, used a very basic recipe as a basis for different types of quiche. It's a very simple combination of ingredients and I have it memorized to this day (more about that in a minute). One type of quiche we used to serve was Spinach and Sun-dried Tomato. This was my favorite and I've been craving it quite a lot lately. I contemplated getting all the ingredients for it but doing so would be breaking rules for our gluten-free, casein-free way of eating these days.

Instead of breaking any GFCF rules and for the sake of keeping my own weight-loss plan intact, I decided to opt for just the main flavors I had been craving and went with the spinach and sun-dried tomatoes. Below you will find the recipe for the real deal of what we served to customers.

Spinach Sun-Dried Tomato Quiche
5 eggs
1 2/3 cup half~n~half
sun-dried tomatoes
baby spinach leaves
swiss cheese shreds
1 pie shell

Combine the eggs and half~n~half, whisking until well blended. By eye-measurements alone, add in the tomatoes, spinach, and swiss cheese. Whisk and pour into the pie shell and bake at 350 until just set.



The eggs and the half~n~half are the same measurements we used for all the different combinations of quiches served at The Lonesome Pine Cafe. It is very versatile and I've never used this recipe with any type of ingredients that didn't work well in it. If you have a grandma who can make your pie shells by hand, like we did at the cafe (this was the sole restaurant-related task one of the owners' mothers), all the better. If you want to try this recipe and are eating a low-carb diet, just eliminate the pie shell - the filling is just as good on its own.

By the way, I am not sharing proprietary recipe secrets here - I would never have given out this recipe years ago. Unfortunately, The Lonesome Pine Cafe - to the dismay of a good size following of customers - went out of business about three years ago. Sadly, the owners could not keep up with the competition and keep their prices competitive unless they switched to a much lesser quality line of ingredients. Guess people just preferred going elsewhere and eating frozen pre-made stuff sold at nearby franchises, rather than eat "from scratch" dishes made with excellent quality fresh ingredients, a grandmother's touch, and a lot of love.

Sunday.....

This past weekend was great! No, not great - pretty darn awesome. We didn't get a darn thing done around here that I wanted to do - like rehang the kids' photos in the living room from when they were removed for our recent (two months ago!) remodel - but the rain subsided for the most part on Sunday and we were able to get out and have some fun. To Do List....phttt!!! Home projects can wait, right?

Sunday morning, we did what has become a semi-"usual" Sunday breakfast for us: I made vegan banana waffles. No, we are not vegans but the recipe is and we love it. I posted a link for it from Vegweb some time ago but now I have the recipe memorized, so here it is:

Banana Oatmeal Waffles

2 c. oatmeal
2 c. water
1 banana
1 T. sugar - I use different sweeteners each time. Yesterday, I used agave nectar.
1 t. vanilla
1/2 t. salt

Blend all ingredients in blender under very well blended. Let sit for a minute or two and then pour into well-oiled waffle iron. Cook until desired brown color.

Because there are no eggs, there are no worries for uncooked ingredients and you can cook the waffles as light brown or as dark as you like. We love this recipe and it's especially good with the real maple syrup we buy. If I ever write a cookbook called something like "Healthy Cooking for Morons" this recipe will be in it. Seriously, it's that simple.

Sunday afternoon, James and I had "Date Afternoon." I don't even know what to call this. When you go out childless in the evening, it's called Date Night. So what is it when you go out during the day? Date Day? Date Afternoon? Lunch Date? Escape? Whatever....so anyway, we decided to try out a relatively new restaurant in our area: BJ's Brewhouse. The name makes me laugh every time I hear it. I can't help it. Call me a perv.

To give a little background, I don't consider myself one of perverted mind but every time I hear of someone named BJ or, in this case, a restaurant called BJ's Brewhouse, I can't help but think of the perverted implication of these two letters when used in conjunction with one another. Recently, I was checking out a website I occasionally frequent that sells personalized t-shirts, household items, etc. On the site's homepage, there was a girl wearing a t-shirt that said, "I love BJ." The site doesn't seem like the kind of online store to promote such a thing on their opening page, so I couldn't help but wonder if it was a mistake or the website owner doesn't realize the implication or what. At any rate, I wondered more about the girl wearing the t-shirt. Who in their right mind would wear such a thing? And even if you do "love BJ" is it really something to go advertising across your chest??? Okay, tangent over, back to our regular scheduled blogging.....

Usually, I'm not terribly keen on "chain" restaurants, but now and then I will make an exception and yesterday was one of those days. So, chucking my food snobbery and distaste for franchise-style joints for the afternoon, James and I had our lunch date at BJ's Brewhouse. I joked with him that when we returned from our date that he could brag to our friends who were watching Reiss and Milla that he got BJ's for lunch. Okay, okay....really, I'll stop now.

At BJ's, James got a BBQ sandwich and I got a Turkey Cobb sandwich. Both were served on garlic-parmesan buns. My Turkey Cobb was turkey, lettuce, tomato, avocado, bleu cheese dressing, and bacon on the aformentioned garlic-parmesan bun. The sandwich was really yummy and I was very appreciative of the strong garlic flavor of the bun.

Fast-forward to about fifteen minutes after I finished eating and I was again reminded of why I don't like to "cheat" on my dietary rules. Naughty foods always taste really, really good while I'm eating them but not long after consumption they always seem to be like a bratty tweener child and start talking back to me. Yesterday was no different and I'm glad today is Monday and my digestive system is back to being on track with allowable foods.

I've had a sore throat for around two days now. With the weather starting to turn and the days sunny, I'm hoping this little bug or whatever doesn't decide to take up long-term residency in my body. Cold weather is not my idea of fun for being outside but I absolutely love Spring and warmer temperatures, so it figures that right as things start warming up, I'm not feeling 100%.

Now that I've sufficiently bored the tar out of anyone reading, I'm going to get off here and go put a flashlight in my mouth to inspect my throat. Hopefully, my next post will have some photos....of the kids having fun the last few days, not of my throat.

Low-Carb Fiber "Fudge"

Since going back to eating lower carbohydrate foods a few weeks ago, I have gotten a little sweet tooth that needs to be satisfied. In order to stay on track and keep the weight falling off, I came up with a recipe (and I use that word very loosely since I do not measure any of the ingredients) for a concoction that closely resembles fudge. It is lower-carb, high-protein, and full of fiber. Depending on any additions you choose, this could be made to include not only a ton of fiber, but Omegas from here to Utah! No matter how you go about making it, it is sooo good for you!

Although I do occasionally throw in some of the optional additions, the "recipe" is how I have been making this most often. All measurements are approximations, as I just eyeball everything as I assemble it. Double, triple or multiply this as needed - the following will make enough to last about two days with only myself eating it by the spoonful here and there throughout the day. Do NOT be scared of the chocolate chips!!!

Low-Carb Fiber "Fudge"
2 T. nut butter - I use Maranatha Macadamia Butter
1-2 T. Enjoy Life GFCF chocolate chips
1 T. coconut milk
3 T. natural unsulfured coconut flakes

Optional additions:
flax seeds
sunflower seeds
nuts
raw cacao nibs (at 9 fiber grams per 1oz-serving, these are almost pure fiber)

Melt the nut butter, chocolate chips, and coconut milk in the microwave on 10-15 second intervals, stirring in between intervals. Heat only until melted or the chocolate will get gritty. Add coconut and chill until firm. If you're really "jonesin'" for a sweetie-treat, put it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.

Yes, this recipe does have chocolate chips in it and generally, chocolate chips are not low-carb. However, because we eat gluten-free and casein-free as well, we always have Enjoy Life brand chips in the house and although they are only minimally lower-carb than traditional chocolate chips, they do not contain the higher glycemic index sugars. They are made up of literally only three ingredients: evaporated cane juice, chocolate liquor, non-dairy cocoa butter. That's a far cry from all the ingredients - some I can't even pronounce - in traditional chocolate chips.

There are endless possibilities with this recipe. You could switch up the nut butter to peanut butter and make it a peanut butter "fudge." Personally, I love the subtle flavor and silky texture of the macadamia butter. It's a perfect complement to the coconut and coconut milk.

In case you're wondering, yes, I can eat this delectable treat and still lose weight.

FINALLY Friday

Yesterday, I had the best intentions of getting on here and doing my "Thankful for Three Things Thursday" post but it just didn't happen. I thought about punishing myself by making it into a "Fortunate for These Four Things Friday" but that's just silly. Seriously, I'm an adult and I am my own boss and if I don't get around to a particular post, who cares. My boss isn't going to ride me for it and I'm not getting paid to do this so whatever....today is Friday, let's move on.

Having said that, I do want to mention a few things I am thankful for because one of them, cilantro, is pictured in this photo:

Pineapple Mango Salsa

The recipe in the link calls for coriander but I used cilantro. Cilantro, for me, is one of those things that just gets me all giddy. I mince it all up and I'm like a teeny-bopper girl who just got a smile out of the most popular boy in school. It's ridiculous, really. Whenever I'm messing around in the kitchen with a cilantro bunch, my husband always tells me, "I used to make you happy like that."

We ate the salsa with chicken and salad greens. Nothing would make me happier than to say that it was grilled chicken but alas, I live in Indiana...and we'll leave it at that. No, actually, we won't leave it that. Remember how I was going on and on last Thursday about the buds on the trees, the warmer weather, and the animals frolicking outside? It snowed on Tuesday.

By the way, the recipe is a good one but besides substituting cilantro, I also used fresh garlic cloves - I don't remember how many. Knowing me, probably five or six. Next time I make it, I will leave out the olive oil and add more red pepper flakes. Honestly, I didn't see the need for the olive oil but followed the directions and threw it in there anyway. The element of "fire" just wasn't as strong as my tastes demand so I will probably the double the amount of red pepper flakes.

Another flashback: Remember the gratification I mentioned I get out of cutting with high-quality sharp knives? That same knife I posted a link for last week got a mind of its own this week and came after me, nearly slicing my darn finger off...while I was making the aforementioned salsa.

Now, I don't want to sound like I'm bragging here because I most certainly am not but I did want to mention my weight loss. I have been dieting for a few weeks with a few cheats here and there but I got on the scale this morning and my weight is now finally (for the first time in seventeen months) lower than it was the day I left the hospital after having sweet little Milla. Like I said, not bragging, just wanted to mention it because I am proud of my will-power and thankful for the loss.

In other news....

We are on Day #12 of potty-training Reiss. So far, he has not peed on the potty yet. He has done three practically microscopic turds on three consecutive nights but nothing else. I do find the poops to be somewhat encouraging but still wish that he would pee in the potty...and not down his leg.

This weekend we are going to make some exceptions to all my food "rules" and allow Reiss some mainstream candies for Easter. They will still be gluten-free and casein-free but I'm going to allow something with artificial dyes and flavorings and opt for Jelly Belly jelly beans, most likely. If I get time, I will also purchase an Easter-themed candy mold and melt down some Enjoy Life chocolate chips to fill it. Either way, Reiss gets candy so seldomly, he doesn't know what he's missing. It's not a big deal if he gets a tiny bit of naughty stuff like food dyes every now and then - it's the gluten and casein that are most important for him to avoid.

Well, there are children waking and garage doors opening, a signal of DH's arrival home....