Another positive test result

We test milk with our daughter ever couple months or so to see if her reaction to it is gone. Today we hoped that maybe since she is almost 2 that it will have subsided.

We gave her some graham crackers with milk-based icing (1/2 cup powdered sugar to 1 Tbsp milk). Of course, she didn't want to eat them at first, so I had to jazz them up with some sprinkles. We were so optimistic when after the normal five minutes it takes for her to react, there was no reaction. It took about 10 minutes for her lips to get puffy and those little hives to appear. I say that's progress. We gave her 1 tsp of Benadryl and within about 10 minutes the puffiness was about gone. So no milk yet, but maybe soon!

Please follow the advice of your doctor before you do any allergy testing at home. Our daughter's reaction is just hives around the mouth and we know what to expect. Some allergic reactions can cause a child to stop breathing. You don't want to be that situation if you can avoid it.

New Snack idea

I actually haven't tried this on my daughter yet, but I'm almost certain it will be a winner. I came up with this idea while making this Taco Bell-like Mexican Pizza, which by the way was excellent. (I even made a dairy free version using dairy-free cheese!)

Cinnamon Tortilla (there probably is some fancy name out there)

1/4 cup vegetable oil

tortilla shells, as many as you want

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tbsp cinnamon

1. Heat oil in 8 inch skillet to 350 degrees.

2.Mix together sugar and cinammon. This will be more than you need for this snack. I keep some in a shaker for future use. Set aside.

3. When oil is hot, dip tortilla shell into the skillet for 20 to 30 seconds. I flip half-way through. The tortilla should crisp up and turn light brown.

4. Take tortilla out of oil and set on paper towel.

5. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon mixture. Cut into strips or triangles!

Simple Meals

I found that with a toddler with allergies, you can't just open a package of pre-made food and heat it up. So many have milk or egg in them. On top of that I start looking at the fat, sodium and other ingredients that really aren't that good for her. Here are some suggestions for quick and easy meals that don't require a lot of prep work.

• Hamburger Rice Casserole. Take leftover hamburger, add rice and peas. Mix together. Substitute other vegetables or chicken for variation.
• Chicken soup. Take leftover chicken, add chicken stock, carrots, potatoes, celery, onion. Heat to boil then let simmer on stove for 20 minutes. This recipe freezes really well. I use 6 oz baby food jars and it works perfect. I add rice or noodles before serving.
• Beef and/or Vegetable Soup. Take leftover roast or steak, add beef stock, carrots, potatoes, celery and onion. Heat to boil then let simmer for 20 minutes. I freeze these, too.
• Alphabet Spaghetti. A favorite right now!
• Rice and Peppers. Use a 1/4 cup rice and add diced green, red, yellow pepper. Good side dish.

I normally cut up fresh fruit for every meal. Occasional I will give canned fruit or applesauce. I've found that using leftovers is really helpful because she doesn't eat a lot and I can fill the meal in with a variety of meat, rice, couscous, vegetables, etc.

Dairy-Free Beef and Broccoli Noodle Casserole

Depending on how many serving of this you want to make you may need to double or triple this recipe. I made this specifically for my daughter while I made a non-dairy free version for us. This yields two small portions for my toddler. Idea for the white sauce came from here.

Dairy-Free Beef and Broccoli Noodle Casserole

Note: This is a stove-top casserole

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp flour

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup rice milk

1 tsp cornstarch

1/4 cup noodles (I use egg-free, but egg noodles would work great here)

1/4 cup leftover roast, cut up

1/4 cup broccoli, cut up

1. Cook noodles. Drain

2. On high heat mix olive oil, salt, pepper and flour together. Stir for a couple minutes until smooth.

3. Add milk and continue to stir constantly.

4. Turn heat to medium and add cornstarch until thickens. About 5 minutes, mine took less.

5. Add leftover roast, broccoli and cooked noodles. Heat through on medium low for about 5 minutes.

Sweet Potatoes

This is a great way to make sweet potatoes. I made up two and froze them in one-size portions for quick vegetable to add to lunches or dinners. Good way to get some good nutrition in your little one! And of course I didn't add butter.

I wonder if

Having a child with allergies has me uttering these words very often  "I wonder if..."  Yesterday, my daughter had an explosive diaper after snack.  I thought of everything she ate yesterday and nothing new.  I did give her Aunt Annie's graham crackers (shaped like bunnies). I wonder if that was the cause.  It was the second time she ate them.  I vaguely remember her having a messy diaper last time she ate them, too.  Maybe.  It's so hard to remember.  So, I looked at the ingredients again (I must check labels four times before I give her something new) and it say it was made on machinery with eggs, milk, soy and wheat.  It only contained wheat.  I'm going to wait a week or so and give them to her one more time.  If we have the same reaction then I know.  

When she has these reactions, it can be very frustrating.  I wonder if it is teething.  I wonder if it was something she picked up off the floor.  I wonder if it was something outside. I wonder if it was something she's had before and now has a reaction to.  I wonder, wonder, wonder.  

Father's Day Ideas

Over on my other blog I have posted some ideas for Father's Day gifts.

Check them out here!

Coupons

Stoneyfield Farm has coupons on their site for organic products.  I printed some that were soy-based.  Here's the link!

Fruit Snack

So, we've been buying the Gerber fruit snacks.  Not a lot of nutrition in those and yes they are expensive.  In fact all fruit snacks are expensive.  Today, I decided to break down and find some that weren't too costly and had some nutritional benefit.  

Here's what I chose:  Welch's Fruit Snacks -- Mixed Fruit

This is why I chose them: 

• no fat/no saturated fat
  
• 1 g protein
  
• 25% Vitamin A
  
• 25% Vitamin E
  
• 100% Vitamin C
  

The only down fall is that there is 6% carbohydrates, but the packaging claims made with real fruits. I paid $2.50 for 10 pouches.  So I guess for a once in a while snack it will be okay.  I also like that they are not messy for snacks in the car, which we are going to need this summer.  Plus, my toddler just loves chewy snacks and this is a little bit better than a gummy candy.    

Dairy-Free Brownies and Baking with a Toddler

Having a child who can't have dairy presents all sorts of problems.  I love cooking with kids and my daughter is ready to help.  The problem -- most baked goods have eggs or milk, and she can't help.  Even though she can tolerate most baked goods that do have eggs or milk, if she were to touch it while helping then she would most likely have a reaction.  I found a dairy/gluten free recipe for brownies that we made today.  She had so much fun helping.  They turned out really good and she was pretty excited during the whole process.  Here a link to where I found the recipe and what I did below while cooking with my daughter. 

Dairy-Free Brownies

1 1/2 cup oat flour (don't substitute regular flour because it won't work)

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup cocoa

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup rice milk (I buy the small cartons for cooking)

1/4 vegetable oil

1. Mix dry ingredients together with whisk.  When doing this with my 22-month-old, I poured each into a larger container and had her pour each in by herself (yes, we got sugar everywhere).

2. Add milk and oil.  Mix well.  I let my daughter stir it up for a couple minutes.

3.  The mixture is really dense.

4. Pour into greased (original Pam is dairy-free) 8 x 8 pan.  

5. Bake for 30 minutes.  Make sure toddler is in a safe spot when you open the oven.

6. Turn light on oven to let your toddler peak in -- be sure they understand not to touch the oven.

**Tip: Don't stick a toothpick in to see if done.  I did this and it deflated.**