When The Diagnosis Comes

One year ago we sent in a referral to the Glenrose to have Rylan assessed so that we can come up with a diagnosis and a clear path to helping our little man.  On Jan 3rd and 4th we travelled to Edmonton for the appointment with a ton of nerves but also some excitement.  Rylan underwent the Autism assessment as well as several others and many appointments with a large variety of specialists.  Those two days were the toughest that we had been through with Rylan in the last several years.  Both Kevin and I had to fight back tears and the urge to go to him during those assessments but we knew it was necessary to get the answers we were looking for.

On the second day the doctor sat us down and told us that Rylan had Autism.  Since that day we have been getting asked a lot of questions and I hope this will help.  For the past year we had an idea that this could be the diagnosis we received.  When those words came out of the doctors mouth we were not shocked and for me I felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulders.  I finally had answers and now I knew exactly what path and therapies were needed to help Rylan.

For the past 6 months I have slowly been coming to terms with the fact that our life will not be what we had thought it would.  I had many good cries and nights of stress and came to terms with what our future may hold.  Now that the diagnosis is here we are in work mode to get everything lined up to start seeing Rylan thrive.  It still is a struggle to see him have tough times but many of the things that he used to struggle with make complete sense to use now.  We do not view Ry's autism as a disability but more of things that challenge him and require a little more work on our part.

We are thankful for the wonderful school he is at, family that has supported us and the Glenrose for making those two days as painless as possible.

Garlic Ranch Potatoes

I have to say that I love potatoes and I am always looking at new ways to make them.  This dish was simple and easy to prep and would be the perfect side for Christmas.

Garlic Ranch Potatoes

3 lbs potatoes chopped
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. olive oil
3 tbsp. homemade ranch seasoning
1 tbsp. dehydrated onion
1 tbsp. garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Grease the inside of the crockpot.  Add all the ingredients in and mix well.  Cook on high for 3-4 hours.

Homemade Ranch Seasoning

1 tsp dried parsley

3/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp dried thyme

Mix all together.  Make in bigger batches and store in mason jars

Crock Pot Mac and Cheese

Like most people my age we grew up eating Kraft Dinner.  For some reason it tasted so good but eating it as an adult does not have the same taste.  I wanted to try and make my own.  The crock pot is our friend in this house and it helped make this awesome dish.  Rylan was a little unsure about it but eventually came around.

Crockpot Mac and Cheese

2 cups uncooked noodles
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
3 cups shredded cheese

Boil the noodles until al dente.  Drain and rinse.  Combine all the ingredients into the slow cooker and cook on low 2-3 hours.

Crunchy S'more Bars

***Warning*** Do not make these unless you are prepared to eat the whole pan.

Many times when thinking of what I should bake I try and use items that are sitting around the pantry and this is one of those items.  We were craving s'mores and I had no graham crackers so I had to get creative.  The result was pretty tasty and something that we will make again.

Crunchy S'more Bars

1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cup mini marshmallows
8 cups Crispex Cereal
1/3 chocolate chips, melted

Melt the butter in a pot and add 1 cup of the marshmallows. Stir until melted.  Remove from the heat and the cereal.  Mix well.  Press into a baking dish.  Top with the rest of the marshmallows and the melted chocolate.  Let set and cut into squares.

Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies

The boys really love decorating cookies and I was getting tired of making the plain sugar cookies all the time.  I decided to spice them up and it turned out to be a very good change.  They are so good that we have been known to eat them plain.

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

1 cup coconut oil
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups flour
2 tbsp. pumpkin spice

Mix together.  Refrigerate until firm enough to roll out.  Roll out and cut into shapes and place on a baking sheet.  Bake at 350 F for 12-15 minutes.

Apple Cranberry Cider

This Thanksgiving I was looking to serve a drink other then the water and milk we usually drink.  We always have apples in the house and Ry had learned how to make apple cider in school a few days before so I decided to give it a try.

I was surprised at how easy it was to do and the taste was amazing.  Ry sat next to me and polished off an entire cup and asked for more.  Plus doing this in the slow cooker makes the entire house smell amazing!!!

Apple Cranberry Cider

6-8 apples sliced
1 small bay cranberries
1 tsp cinnamon
1.2 tsp allspice
Water to cover

Place all the items in the slow cooker and cover with water.  Cook on high for 3-4 hours.  Strain out the liquid and enjoy.

I took the pulp and pureed it to make apple cranberry spice sauce and Ry devoured it.

Crunchy Split Peas

One of the challenges of Kevin's limited diet while we wait to add more foods is trying to make variety for him with what he can eat.  One of his safe foods is green split peas and I really wanted to find a way to make them differently so that he had other options and more snack foods.  So this quick snack was born.

Crunchy Split Peas

1 cup split peas, soak 4-5 hours
1 tbsp. coconut oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp spices - whatever flavour you want

After soaking the split peas, drain and pat dry.  Toss with salt and spices.  Melt the oil in a pan and add the split peas.  Cook until they are golden in color.