One of the first recipe books I bought after learning of the allergy was Betty Crocker's "The Big Book of Bread". I would recommend this book to anyone. All the recipes I have to modify to work for us but the pretzel one I have to change the least. The soft pretzels are the most requested item in our house - both boys love them. They beg me all the time to make them and will devour a batch in just a few days. They also freeze really well so I try and make a double or triple batch and freeze a bunch of them.
Soft Pretzels
3-4 cups of flour
1 tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1 package yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 tbsp. olive oil or coconut oil
Pretzel wash - 1 cup water, 2 tsps. baking soda, 2 tsps. sea salt
Mix together 2 cups of flour with the sale, sugar and the yeast. Add the oil and the water and mix well. Add remaining flour until a dough forms. Allow the dough to rest for 15 minutes. Cut off a mandrain orange sized piece of dough and roll into a rope. Fold into the shape of a pretzel and place on a greased cookie sheet. Cover and let rise for 20 minutes. Mix together the water with baking soda and brush over the pretzels. Sprinkle with desired amount of salt and bake at 425 F for 12 minutes.
When Ry was a baby and we were starting solid foods we started to give him chicken and he experienced one of the most violent reactions that I have ever seen him have. Those moments must have imprinted in his mind and now will not eat meat. I wanted to ensure that he is getting enough protein and chickpeas jumped into my mind.
After Kevin started GAPS we had 24 bags of chickpeas that needed to used and Kevin can not have them. I was looking for ways to turn them into something that Rylan would eat and enjoy. My little man loves eating the raw cookie dough when we back so I figured I could make him a faux cookie dough that he could eat.
I was blown away at how good this tasted and Ry could not get enough of it. Brayden even devoured it. Warning: Once you make this you will always be making it. I used dry chickpeas so to prep them for the recipe I soaked them overnight and then simmered in water for 2 hours until soft.
Chickpea Cookie Dough
2 cups chick peas
6 tbsp. brown sugar
1/4 cup peanut butter (or another nut butter)
3 tbsp. oats
1 tbsp. milk
2 tsp vanilla powder
1/8 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup chocolate chips
Put everything but the chocolate chips into the food processor and mix until it resembles cookie dough. Stir in the chocolate chips. Refrigerate and enjoy.
I have always liked a good challenge and I have always been too stubborn to quit too. Put these traits together and I am probably the perfect mom for a son with a corn allergy. I look at each new food item that I create as huge challenge that I overcame and each new item he eats is an amazing victory.
This summer we took Ry to the fair when it was in town and as we walked around and saw all the fair food my wheels started turning. When I was younger I loved having elephant eats at K-days. The fired dough was topped with icing sugar and chocolate sauce and was a slice of heaven. I figured I could recreate them for Ry and I did. They tasted amazing. Ry was very hesitant to try them at first but finally caved and ended up eating three before I had to cut him off. This is a much healthier way to enjoy fair food.
Elephant Ears
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp. butter
3/4 cup water
Mix together the flour, baking powder and sea salt. Cut in the butter and then add the water until a dough forms. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes. Roll into smaller pieces and deep dry or fry in oil in a pan. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon while still hot.
Kevin has been on GAPS for 9 months and the thing he still misses the most is baking. He was not big on baking prior to GAPS but at times he loved to enjoy it. I needed to find away to make him a cookie with the very limited ingredients that we had. They are not a typical cookie but for Kevin they are a little slice of heaven. Even better they do not make him sick!!
GAPS Basic Cookies
2 cups coconut flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
5-7 tbsp. coconut oil
1/4 cup coconut nectar
1 tbsp. vanilla powder
Mix together the dry ingredients. Add in the nectar and coconut oil until a dough forms. Roll the cookies into balls and place on parchment lined paper. Press the cookies down with your hand. Bake at 350 F for 8-10 minutes.
I store mine in the freezer so that they do not crumble when eaten.
Once you make homemade salsa you will never go back to the store bought stuff. There is something so refreshing and tasty about the salsa that you make yourself. Kevin's Auntie had a very amazing recipe for salsa and she happily shared it with me and now I am going to share it with you. It is so simple to make and gives you the comfort of knowing what you put inside of it.
Homemade Salsa
6 cups chopped tomatoes
1 lg onion chopped
6 oz tomato paste
1 green and 1 red pepper chopped
2 jalapenos chopped
2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup coconut vinegar
2 cloves garlic minced
3 tbsp. sugar
Simmer everything but the onion and peppers for 45 minutes. Add the onions and peppers and cook until it starts to thicken. Pour into jars and then water bath can.
In October 2014 I came across the Teal Pumpkin Project in my newsfeed on Facebook. At the time it was too late to bring it to Cold Lake for that year so I decided to make it a reality for 2015. The project originated out of the US and I knew that we needed it here so that Rylan could go out and Trick or Treat and have the same experience as his brother.
The project strives to create a safe environment for all children regardless of allergies or other health issues. The concept is simple - paint a pumpkin teal, display it in your yard and offer non food treats as well as your regular Halloween candy. In previous years Ry has gone trick or treating but I have always had to take the treats away from him since he can not eat any of them. It was hard to see his face and the sadness that came with knowing that he could not enjoy any of the treats he had just gotten.
I have to say that I was overwhelmed by the support of the community and how many people decided to participate in the project. Over 70 houses in Cold Lake joined in the project and in our neighbourhood alone there was 12. Rylan got to go to 12 houses and got 12 amazing treats that he could use once he got home. There are no words to describe seeing Rylan run to each house to check for a teal pumpkin and the excitement on his face when there was one. It was truly a magical moment for him and for us. Even better was his face when we got home and started looking at all the amazing things he got. He was so truly happy that I had no doubts about bringing this project to our city.
I am grateful for all those that participated in the project and truly touched by those that decided to make Halloween a special time for my son. That night showed the goodness and kind hearts that are here in Cold Lake and restored the notion that people truly and deeply care. I can not wait until next year we can try and make it even bigger and better.
Rylan's preschool teacher keeps me in constant contact to ensure that he is able to participate in the activities in the class. Their craft for Halloween was decorating sugar cookies. I had two weeks to get prepped for it and it took a lot of research and learning to make the items that he would need to take part. The first step was to learn to make the perfect sugar cookie to decorate.
These cookies are very simple to make and taste great.
Simple Sugar Cookie
1 cup coconut oil
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
2 tsp baking powder
3 cups flour
Cream together the oil and sugar. Add in the vanilla, egg and baking powder. Mix in the flour until a dough forms. Roll out sections of the dough on a floured surface and cut with the desired cookie cutters. Bake at 350 F for 6-8 minutes.
This year Rylan started preschool and while it is a milestone that most parents look forward to it was one that I had extreme stress about. In our home Ry is safe, he is protected and the things that he encounters daily are safe for him. Prior to preschool the only person he has ever been left with is my mother and she is fully supportive of the allergy and what we do.
I had fears of what I could not control and worries about how we would be able to ensure his safety and still make him feel included in the class and their activities. We have been very fortunate that the teachers at the school had been very understanding and have been very willing to work with us to create a safe environment for Rylan to learn and grow in.
The first real test came on Halloween when the class had their first party. The key with the party was not only to keep him safe but to ensure that he got the same party experience. I volunteered to help at the party and to ensure that Rylan did not eat anything that he should not.
I busted my butt to learn how to make sprinkles, sugar cookies and safe icing so that he could participate in the cookie decorating. I made his own version of a platter so that he could be part of the pot luck. Any parents that made treat bags made sure to make Ry's without candy in it so that he could enjoy them. I am happy to report that not only was the party a success but Ry left with the hugest smile on his face. He had so much fun and was so excited that he could hardly realize that he was not doing exactly what everyone else was doing.
I often hear why people should do things for kids with allergies and the answer is simple. Ry was born this way. He did not ask for it or want it it is simply a small part of who he is. His allergy is not all of him. He is also a 4 year old boy that loves eating, loves toys and playing and loves giving snuggles. His allergy does not define him and I will make sure that it never does. Helping a child with allergies is showing compassion and empathy for another human being. I am extremely grateful for those that helped make the day happy for him and had my faith restored that there are truly good people out there.
This day has given me hope that the rest of his year will be great and that as he grows he will get to experience so many great things in his life. It has given me much needed relief that this allergy will not dictate his life.
