Cheater.

I don't know what it is, but I've really been wanting to cheat on our diet lately.

It's usually not a big deal. I have never knowingly eaten anything that I knew could upset Bubby's tummy. I have been strict. I've missed things, sure, but knowing that my son feels 100% better (and, really, that I do too) makes it more than worth it.

Lately though? Things that are off limits have been sounding pretty damn good. Like when the hubby got some chocolate peppermint topped cheesecake for his treat on his night off. Or some yummy fresh baked sourdough bread. Brie. An apple fritter. I could really go for one (or all) of those right now.

It's weird. I usually don't miss things. I did for a short bit after each one of our unsuccessful reintroductions, but when I haven't had it for awhile it usually doesn't matter. It's usually the dairy too, since I felt like crap when we tried to reintroduce the wheat.

If you're on a restricted diet, do you ever find yourself craving things that are off-limits? Do you cheat? Do you just push through until the cravings go away?

So(y) Slowly

We made the decision to slowly reintroduce soy into my diet. I've been taking my prenatals which contain soy lecithin in them and we have added a few more products with it in them, too. It's nice to be able to use cooking spray for my poached eggs for instance, although I revert to using olive oil, the soy-free Earth Balance spread or nothing out of habit anyway. I tried some wheat-free chocolate chip cookies from PCC. They were quite delicious and I'll be buying them again for sure.

The plan is to progress to adding soybean oil into my diet, although I'm really not too excited about that. Soybean oils are present in many processed foods, but I'm still planning on avoiding those as much as I can. The most exciting thing about soybean oil is that maybe I can use a few of the salad dressings I like (and that isn't really exciting at all).

After consuming a diet that includes soy lecithin and soybean oils for a bit, then we'll try to add some soy protein. We can add some tofu to our stir frys and we'll see where to go from there.

I guess if Bubby doesn't have any reaction to the above, then we'll give him some soy. He is very interested in food now which is cute. I knew we just had to wait and he would be ready to nom-nom-nom. He wants to eat everything in sight now, although he still has some troubles with textures and bigger pieces of food (bigger being a relative term -- he likes his bites very small). All in good time. I'm glad I was able to (mostly) trust my instincts on this one and (mostly) not worry. I'm sure he'll be eating us out of house and home in no time.

Sunday Surf: March 27

 

Here, here to my 2nd edition of the Sunday Surf. Here are some of the best posts I've read in the last week.

• A reminder from the Hippy Housewife to Beware of the Baby Trainers.
•  In case you missed it, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) updated their recommendation on car seats.
• If you have questions or think the new AAP recommendations on rear-facing carseats until age 2 are too much (they aren't!), read Rear-Facing Until 2 Years Old: Why Not? And, for what it's worth, Beanie rode rear-facing until she was over 2 1/2 and she's so tall she was the height of an average four year old then. Your child is not too tall to ride rear-facing.
• Sheila at A Gift Universe wrote this well thought out and informative post on Food Sensitivities.
• Interesting article that doesn't weigh in on whether or not people should be religious, it just looks at mathematical models that point to the idea that Organized Religion 'will be driven toward extinction' in 9 countries.
• Catherine Deveny writes that all children need is to know they are loved.
• Lauren at Hobo Mama wrote a guest post about preparing an older sibling for a new birth at PhD in Parenting. 
• Mamapoekie talks about spring cleaning in cyberspace, something I think is a great idea.
• Read Ina May Gaskin's Vision for the future of maternal health care in America.

Now What?

Bubby had his one year well check on Wednesday. Everything looked great! He was 21lb 13oz, so he's gained quite nicely mostly all on breastmilk. He still only eats the smallest pieces of food (think crumb-sized), but he is doing better with textures so we just need to keep plugging away with solid foods. I'm not really worried about it, but it is sometimes hard to see other little babies eating anything and everything in sight and see little Bubby gagging on a piece of quinoa. But, now he eats avocado, chicken, shredded apple, rice, banana, Rice Krispies -- lots of different textures so we just keep on working with things. For awhile I was wondering if we'd be looking at feeding therapy in our future so it's a good sign that he seems to be doing better.

We talked with our pediatrician about Bubby's food intolerances. She said that because his issues are largely gastrointestinal (if not entirely, he may have had some hives with soy but we are not sure they were related) there really isn't any testing we can do at this point. I want to look into that a bit further because I have friends who have had testing done by their naturopath. At this point, I wonder how accurate they really would be anyway since Bubby has never consumed the food that he reacts to. Our pediatrician encouraged trying the usual suspects again and seeing how he reacts. I'm just not sure. I don't see the harm in waiting longer. I plan on nursing for quite a while still, so there isn't any hurry (or need) for him to have cow's milk. We both seem to feel better not eating wheat. The soy is kind of a pain in the butt to worry about because it's in everything, but since we eat basically whole unprocessed foods now it's not as much of a concern. I just feel like we're in a good place now and why mess up a good thing?

Glenn and I have to chat about it some more. He leans toward trying soy, which is the one allergen we haven't re-introduced since the main elimination diet. I'm leary. When we initially reintroduced soy during the elimination diet we didn't think he had a problem. Weeks passed and then we noticed that he was getting hives and his gastrointestinal problems were back. I re-eliminated soy and both problems went away. I haven't touched soy (in any form) until very recently when I started taking some vitamins that had soy lecithin in them. My counselor thought it was important to start up with my vitamins (along with added Vitamin D and Omega 3s) and I figured the benefits outweighed the negatives right now. He hasn't shown any signs of a problem with it, so that's good. I think if we're reintroducing soy I have plans to go to my favorite Thai restaurant.

I don't know. I'm a bit rambly as this is weighing on my mind.

Another Unsuccessful Reintroduction

Image credit: Guillaume Paumier on Flickr

Two weeks ago, I reintroduced dairy into my diet. I was hopeful as our pediatrician said that most infants outgrow their dairy intolerance by age one. I was a bit more excited to reintroduce dairy than I had been with the wheat. I'd been compiling a mental list of the foods I'd really like to have again: pizza, cheesecake, a grilled cheese sandwich, ice cream. I wanted the most bang for the buck, so to speak, if I was only able to eat dairy for a few days.

I was nervous because last time Bubby had blood in his diapers within two days of reintroduction. This time we made it to day six.

I'm bummed that he had to go through that again. I'm hopeful that he will still outgrow it, as the reaction took longer to come about.

So, we're still wheat-, dairy- and soy-free. At this point I think we'll hold off on any more reintroductions for awhile. I feel healthier eating this way and, obviously, so does he. There isn't really any rush and we'll just see how things go from here.

Menu Plan Monday 01/17

We're back on the gluten-free adventure. Once Bubby is feeling better we will try to reintroduce dairy, then soy, and then we'll come back and reevaluate the wheat thing. I don't know if that was what was bothering him, but we can come to no other logical conclusion. And, apparently, my memory was faulty; when we reintroduced wheat on the elimination diet in July, he wasn't so bad off in just a day or two, it did take longer (like a week) and was less obvious -- cranky, yucky diapers, allergy ring on his bum. The same old suspects as right now. The immediate bad reaction was with the dairy.

I'm feeling good about the decision to re-eliminate. While surely there could be other compounding variables in the mix, it just wasn't helping my anxiety worrying about Bubby and wondering what was going on. I hate seeing him in pain. Best to eliminate the variables we can and come back to it later.

I've also started seeing a new chiropractor (more on that later), so we are planning a few crockpot recipes for this week as I have appointments in the late afternoons, right about when we usually start settling in to make dinner.

As always, we plan Saturday - Friday because that's how we roll! All meals are gluten-free, dairy-free and soy-free, or easily adapted to be.

Italian Sausage Soup

Saturday: Sloppy Joes with green salad and homemade french fries
Sunday: Italian Sausage Soup
Monday: Chicken and Dumplings Soup
Tuesday: Spaghetti with green salad
Wednesday: Leftover Buffet
Thursday: Arroz con Pollo
Friday: Cranberry Roast with mashed potatoes and green salad

Image credit: twohelmetscooking on Flickr

The ingredient of the week at the Gluten Free Menu Plan Monday is winter vegetables. We've been making a lot of side dishes with russet potatoes. We started buying a big ten pound bag at the store (so much cheaper than buying the bigger by-the-pound ones) and have been making homemade fries, hash browns, mashed potatoes and etc. I'd like to make some sweet potato fries soon; I wonder if Bubby would go for them. I have some butternut squash in the freezer (cubes and puree) and I'd like to try out my pumpkin bread recipe with squash (especially now that I'm better at adapting gluten recipes). I've also been wanting to make this squash soup so perhaps I'll finally take a stab at it this week.

I'm linked up at I'm an Organizing Junkie and Celiacs in the House, so click on over for more menu ideas.

Wheat Free Once Again

Image credit: Photography_Gal on Flickr

I wrote previously about the fact that we reintroduced wheat into my diet. At the time, things seemed to be going swimmingly for Bubby and not so hot for me. It's been almost two weeks now since I've reintroduced wheat. While I have started to feel better, Bubby has seemed to go downhill. I still don't really know with any certainty if it is the wheat bothering him right now. There hadn't been anything that really stood out until last night. Earlier this week, I thought I may have seen tiny blood specks in his diaper. As I said earlier, it's hard being the poop police and I wasn't really sure. As of last night I am sure. Bubby has been crankier (so much that Glenn jokingly called him Baby Godzilla today) and I feel like his diapers have been going downhill. The ironic part is that I was just starting to feel better with our wheat introduction, although I still have some undesirable gastrointestinal issues.

Before last night, my thinking was to introduce wheat directly into his diet (although who knows how that would go as he doesn't really consume anything beyond breastmilk). I thought it was our best bet to figure out if that was really what was bothering him. Now, I feel like our only logical option is to re-eliminate. As I said earlier, for me eating gluten-free really isn't that hard. And, if dairy and soy were back in our diet eating gluten-free would be very easy. So, back to the drawing board! We'll re-eliminate the wheat, wait a few weeks and try the dairy.

At least, that is our thinking for now. I feel like it really is for the best.

Reintroducing Wheat: Take Two. And What to Do?

Image Credit: Photography_Gal on Flickr

On Monday of this week we reintroduced wheat into my diet. I've been meaning to write this post since then. Friends have been asking how it's been going. I haven't been updating on Facebook as much as usual (mostly because I am trying to unplug more this year). But, the main reason I haven't updated on how it is going is because I really don't know.

I know one thing. For the last five days I've had gastrointestinal issues the likes of which I haven't seen in quite a while (maybe seven or so months??). I'll spare you all the details, but I feel like there are fireworks going off in my stomach, I have horrible cramping and pain, and I've had a headache off and on. I've gained two pounds. I'm bloated and can't fit into jeans I've been wearing (with a little room) for the last four months. I'm in more physical pain than I have been in awhile too, although I've been in pain ever since I went to the chiropractor in August and they messed me up even more than I was when going in. I'd read before that I would probably feel poorly as I reintroduced the wheat. Is it normal to feel this bad though? I have no idea. It has gotten a little better in the last day or so, but I still feel horrible. Is it temporary? I can only hope. If I continue to feel poorly, I guess I'll look into finding out if I *I* have a gluten intolerance.

And Bubby? I really can't tell with him. When we reintroduced last time, it was obvious within two days that he had a problem with wheat. His poops were green, mucousy, and blood-streaked. I told Glenn I feel like I'm the Poop Police (which Beanie overheard and said, "what's the poop police??"). I mean, it's poop. And breastmilk-no-solids-yet baby poop to boot. It's obviously not to the point we were at last time, so that is good. He has been a little crankier, but nothing that really stands out. Babies have cranky days, right? Since I've reintroduced so slowly (and even more slowly than planned since I feel so crappy) I wonder if it'll take a bit longer to really impact him. We shall see.

The actual reintroduction has been a bit anti-climactic. If there's one area you can really find good tasting food in, it's gluten-free. I've become quite good at adapting gluten recipes. I like the taste of quinoa or rice pasta. And, the things I really want to eat, like a doughnut or a big tasty cupcake from PCC -- hard to find without dairy or soy. Most all vegan tasty treats are made with soy. So, really, all I've had is some bread. And, even that you have to watch because many sandwich breads contain dairy and/or soy. We bough some Dave's Killer Bread at Costco. I had a Sin Dawg for breakfast. I had a beer from the Pelican Brewery in Oregon (that was probably the most exciting as the first time we went I was pregnant with Bubby and the second time I was avoiding wheat, so we bought some and brought it home for me). Some fancy baked bread with our pasta, although I still ate brown rice pasta. I imagine I'll still be baking a lot.

I'm glad we reintroduced since Bubby seems to be doing a lot better with it. It's nice to have the reassurance that he may not always have food sensitivities. I guess I'm also glad because it might have opened a door into figuring out what has been wrong with my GI system (since I've been to the doctor in the past for it and had differing opinions).

I feel like right now we're still in wait-and-see mode, so keep on wishing us luck.

Elimination Diet: My Favorite Foods & Products

When I first went on the elimination diet & eliminated all eight top allergens from my diet (dairy, soy, wheat, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish and shellfish) I had a hard time adjusting. There were are lot of things I couldn't have. I tried to focus on the things I could have, but in the beginning that list seemed short -- meats, fruit, vegetables and rice. I quickly learned to make the best of our new-found diet situation; it was all about exploring new foods, preparing my own food and eating whole, unprocessed foods.

The following is a list of the foods and products that made me feel like I wasn't missing out on anything at all. In fact, I got to add a bunch of news foods to my repertoire.

1. So Delicious Coconut Milk Creamer: I really like a cup of coffee in the morning. I like it with creamer. A lot of creamer. When I first went on the elimination diet, a friend suggested almond milk for my coffee. Too thin. I tried vanilla syrup. Better taste, but still not my thing. I ended up forgoing my morning cup of joe because I just couldn't find anything I liked to put in it. When I found out about So Delicious coconut milk coffee creamer I was ecstatic. I think I ran to the store that same day to buy some. It tasted just like the creamer I was used to, if not better. The consistency was just what I was looking for; it's creamy and flavorful. I never run out of my vanilla coconut milk coffee creamer now; the fridge is always well stocked.

2. Zing bars: We were wandering around the market one day when I noticed a sample table. I usually avoid them, but this one caught my eye. I was so excited to find Zing bars. They are locally made. When I was first starting the big elimination I was at a loss for what to eat for protein. Before, I stuck with nuts, eggs, and dairy for most of my protein, meat to a lesser extent. On the elimination diet, I was starting to feel like I was always hungry. I was starving in the evenings between nursing all the time and the diet. The Zing bars were perfect when I needed a snack to get me through. I started out with the Chocolate Coconut Zing bar (contains almonds & coconut) and, later when I could have peanuts, I tried out the Chocolate Peanut Butter one. There is also a Cranberry Orange flavor that is dairy free too, but contains cashews. I am positive I will never look at a protein/energy bar the same way. You'll be hard up to find one that comes close to Zing bars in taste.

3. Quinoa: I had never had quinoa before going on the big elimination. Glenn had picked some up at Trader Joes a long while back and it was sitting in our cupboard. One night we were getting dinner prepared and I realized that I couldn't have the side dish Glenn had picked out (I can't remember what it was or why now). I started looking through the cupboards trying to find something I could eat as a side. I found the quinoa. I'm so glad I did. Quinoa is one of our favorite grains now. We use quinoa pasta in our favorite soup. We have two delicious side salads that we make: Greek Quinoa and Red Quinoa with Papaya & Mango Salsa and Arugala. We have quinoa for breakfast. Beanie loves it too.

4. Trader Joes Brown Rice Penne Pasta: I was sure I'd have to miss out on pasta being gluten-free. Not the case! We definitely don't have it as often as we used to, but the TJ's brown rice penne pasta is delicious. We've tried a few brands of brown rice pasta, but the TJ's one is, by far, the best. For a full review, click here.

5. Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Flour: I'm not a fancy baker or cook. I do like baking with Beanie and, having the dietary restrictions we do, it's often easier to make something yummy at home. Often times recipes call for a mixture of flours, but I found the easy way out -- Bob's Red Mill gluten-free all purpose baking flour. We had started using rice flour initially, but switched to the Bob's Red Mill one, which is a mix of gluten-free flours and potato starch, and are happier with the taste and texture of our baked goods. Also, must mention the xantham gum too -- really helped with the baked goods! Basically, we've liked every single Bob's Red Mill gluten-free product we've tried and there have been quite a few: vanilla cake, cornbread, brownies, and pancake mix to name a few.

6. Luna & Larry's Coconut Bliss ice-cream: Okay, okay ice-cream is definitely not an essential food item. Or maybe it is? What I do know is that Luna & Larry's Coconut Bliss ice-cream was my treat when I felt like I couldn't eat anything. In the beginning of the big elimination, I felt like every time I ate it was a constant reminder of the diet. Going to the freezer and pulling out some ice-cream was something I looked forward to each evening. My two favorite flavors are the Mint Galactica (the best mint chocolate chip ice cream Glenn says he's had and he's something of a mint chocolate chip ice-cream connoisseur) and the Chocolate Peanut Butter. The Chocolate Hazelnut Fudge was the first one I had and it is so rich and tasty that just a small bit will satisfy you. Even if there's no reason for you not to have dairy ice-cream I implore you to try Coconut Bliss.

7. Rudi's gluten-free bread: Sometimes you just really want a sandwich. Or a slice of toast. Glenn found Rudi's gluten-free cinnamon raisin bread for me and I was hooked. Their multigrain bread is my favorite for sandwiches. I don't do sandwiches a lot, but when I do I definitely prefer their bread. (contains eggs -- I didn't try this until later on)

8. Earth Balance soy-free buttery spread: Earth Balance dairy-free soy-free spread is so good! It's great for baking, putting on toast, or (Beanie would tell you) just eating out of a spoon. I'm not kidding, just today we were making biscuits and she was so excited to put the measuring cups in the sink so she could, and I quote, "lick them all clean." She now asks for "mommy's butter" on her food too.



9. Rice Dream Rice Milk:  Rice Dream rice milk became my go to drink. I don't really drink it by itself, but I always have it on hand for baking, granola, and lattes. I was so excited to get a case of it at Costco; I only have two cartons left so I hope I can find it there again soon.

There were obviously foods that, although not "required" by any stretch of the imagination, made the elimination a lot more fun. So, honorable mentions go to:


Enjoy Life chocolate chips -- Enjoy Life Foods are gluten-free and made without any of the top eight allergens
Kinnikinnick cinnamon donuts -- These are delicious with coffee.
Kinnikinnick frozen waffles -- Some mornings I don't feel like oatmeal. Or eggs. Or making pancakes. These waffles are easy to pop in the toaster and really tasty.
Udi's gluten-free double chocolate muffins -- My post Best Treat Ever pretty much sums it up.

The Looming Reintroduction

In less than two weeks Bubby will be eight months old. The time is quickly coming when we can reintroduce the allergens into my (and subsequently his) diet. His pediatrician said that we could reintroduce at either nine months or twelve months old; she left it entirely up to us.

On one hand, I'm excited. According to our pediatrician, most babies outgrow milk protein & soy sensitivities by one year of age. She said that out of all the infants she'd seen with sensitivities she only had three who didn't outgrow at one year and only one who didn't outgrow the intolerance by three years old. Right now, it really isn't a big deal for Bubby. He nurses and he doesn't know any differently. I really hope he outgrows the intolerance by the time he's old enough to know what is going on. Being able to consume wheat, dairy and soy (or, really, any combination of the three) would make things a lot easier, for me right now and for Bubby later. It's only been in the last few weeks that I've started missing foods, started craving a grilled cheese sandwich, or started getting frustrated when Glenn comes up with dinner idea after dinner idea that I can't have. The other thing is that the holidays are looming right around the corner and, while I'm sort of looking forward to lots of recipe adaptations and exploration, it'd be nice to be able to enjoy some of the holiday favorites we are accustomed to. If we tried a reintroduction at nine months, there is the possibility we would be good to go at Christmas. When I think about the reintroduction from my "holiday perspective" as I call it, it makes me feel more than a tad selfish.

On the other hand, I'm nervous. I don't want to reintroduce these allergens if they're really going to bother Bubby. I know we have to try them out sooner or later. The fact that he had such a difficult time when I reintroduced before (mucousy, horrible diapers with streaks of blood and incredibly fussy) makes me want to wait as long as possible. Eliminating wheat, dairy and soy from my diet made all the difference in the world for Bubby. I don't want to cause him pain or discomfort.

I know the reintroduction is something we have to try sooner or later. Glenn and I have been talking about it. I've been reading what I can. We want to be able to make the best, most educated decision for our son. It's nervewracking, but it also brings about the possibility of no longer living gluten-, dairy-, and soy-free.

I know I should be (and I am!) happy about that prospect, but, the truth is, I have become very accustomed to this lifestyle. I feel healthier, although I am almost positive that can be attributed to the lack of dairy as I noticed a difference when I was only dairy-free. Part of the nervousness with the reintroduction has to do with not only how Bubby will react, but how my body will react.

There are a lot of unknowns with this looming reintroduction. I am excited to see how it all plays out and also a bit nervous too.

Dining out when on a restriced diet.

It's darn near impossible I tell you.

We spent last week on the Oregon coast. It was beautiful.

Before we left my biggest worry was probably wondering how the heck I was going to eat when away from home, especially now that I am soy-free too. I decided to pack some staples (brown rice pasta, quinoa pasta, quinoa, gluten-free bread, etc) and stop at the store on the way down to get fresh goods. Luckily we had a full kitchen in our condo so cooking for myself should not be a problem. We planned that I would cook "in" and Glenn could order from the restaurant and get it to go. Or I would just cook for all of us.

But, we were on vacation. My dad and step-mom were there a few days. They wanted to take us out. We ended up exploring down the coast one afternoon and needed lunch while we were away. My step-mom wanted to take us to a hippy dippy (her words) place for lunch. Supposedly they had gluten-free bread. Not that that would guarantee that it was also dairy- and soy-free, but whatever. The only thing hippy dippy about the place was that they wore tie-dyed tee shirts. And they didn't have any gluten-free bread that day.

I was frustrated because as careful as I was being I knew there was a very strong likelihood that I was consuming soy, and probably even some unknown dairy or wheat. I felt like I was fighting a losing battle trying to explain it, even to Glenn. When I said something about how we needed to get back to only eating at home so we can get the soy back out of Bubby's system, Glenn was like "what???!?!" I tried so hard, but who knows what was in the corn tortilla (that I ordered instead of flour), the salad dressing (that I used oh so sparingly), or what cooking oils they used for the fish and chicken.

I know it's probably hard for anyone to understand who doesn't have to eat this way, but it really is just impossible. At the beginning of our trip I had been soy-free for two weeks. Bubby was doing better. Finally! He also cut a tooth the first day we were there, so he had extra reason to be fussy but we still had noticed improvement in his mood and his diapers. And, he hasn't had any hives since I gave up soy. Now I feel like we totally back-tracked. Like we're back on day one of being wheat-, dairy- and soy-free. I'm sure relatively small amounts, if any, were consumed but Bubby has had horrible diapers today. It's like his body is ridding itself of the allergens. And it's just like before I re-eliminated the soy.

At least we're back home and I can know without a doubt what I am eating. That's the only way to be sure.

On a side note, I think Glenn is starting to realize how hard it is to be soy-free. He keeps looking at labels and saying, "Soy! Why?" I wonder too. Does anyone know why it's so prevalent in EVERYTHING?

The re-elimination of soy.

Today is day number one of my re-elimination of soy. Bubby has been showing many signs that something is bothering him and this seems to be the most logical step. I haven't been consuming a lot of soy, but it is sneakily in everything it seems. I'll have to be more careful & vigilant again.

I think we'll move toward consuming only whole foods. I'm going to tinker with concocting some marinades -- any ideas?

I'm hoping this is the answer. He was doing so well for awhile. My best guess is that this should help. I'll keep you posted.

If I was a betting girl...

...I'd be a winner.

Appears Bubby has an intolerance to both wheat and dairy. Starting yesterday morning I noticed some yucky diapers and by 7pm last night Bubby was an inconsolable baby. It broke my heart. He was obviously in a lot of discomfort. He was up for most of the night -- I think we got some spurts of 45min of sleep here and there. This morning he had a super gross diaper. So, here I am a gluten-free and dairy-free mama.

I called my mom this morning in tears. I hardly ever call her like that, mostly because she isn't really the warm & supportive type, but I didn't know who else to talk to. I was exhausted from the night before, Glenn and I had a rough day yesterday, Beanie woke up at 5am this morning and wasn't going back to bed, Glenn woke up and decided to go on his hike despite everyone having a very rough time. I don't know, I guess I was hoping he'd wake up and think, Oh what a rough night for all of us. It'd probably be helpful to stick around the house today. I know he's been working his butt off at work. I also know I've been working my butt off here with the kids. I can't do it all. It's hard for me to even try lately. Sometimes I really wish that we had some family closer to us (even though they're all pretty cuckoo and if they were closer I might find myself wishing they were farther away). I just know that we need some help right now...

Anyhoo, off that tangent. Sorry. Can you tell my mind is totally rambly and in need of some strong coffee this morning?

I've been working through some thoughts on this whole elimination diet process, but I'll have to save that for another post because Bubby is seemingly ready for a nap already. I guess that's what happens when you're up all night. If only Beanie was ready to go down too, but that's wishful thinking ;)

Elimination Diet: Reintroducing Dairy

Yesterday I reintroduced dairy. Admittedly I was a bit reluctant with this reintroduction. Bubby did show improvement when I had eliminated only dairy very early on. Some improvement. However, I'm not really sure if my wheat consumption was also lower during that time. Now that we are pretty sure he has a wheat intolerance I do feel it's worth it to give the dairy a try for a few days and see where it brings us. I originally thought we might wait a bit, but Bubby has his four month well check on Thursday and I would like to have an idea of what's going on before we got and meet with the pediatrician. It will be helpful to know if we're dealing with a wheat intolerance or a likely wheat and dairy intolerance.

We went to Whole Foods on Friday on the hunt for some Udi's or Kinnikinnick (say that five times fast) gluten--free hamburger buns. We didn't find either, but did find that they had their Udi's products on sale (I'll save my reviews of those for a separate post).

I've been thinking about the reintroduction of dairy and there were a few things on my list I really wanted to have considering the possibility that I may only be consuming dairy for a day or two. On the top of the list? Pizza. There's a local pizza joint that has quite a few gluten-free and vegan items on their menu. We usually get "normal" pizza there, but a ways back we had gone with my friend who was gluten-free and she said their pizza crust was really good. So last night we totally blew our food budget and ordered out once again (July's been a bad month for the dining out budget with my birthday, hot weather and long days).

The pizza was delicious! It was small but I *gasp* ate the whole thing. Glenn also picked up a  WOW chocolate chip cookie which was probably one of the best cookies I've ever had gluten-free or otherwise.

Needless to say, I ate way too much food.

Bubby seems to be doing well so far. We'll see what the next 24 hours or so bring.

Elimination Diet: Reintroducing Soy

I reintroduced soy today with a caramel macchiato from Starbucks. It was okay. I really don't care for Starbucks in general. And then it dawned on me that the caramel most likely had dairy in it.

FAIL.

If what I've been reading is accurate though, I'd be surprised if soy was what was causing Bubby so much upset. According to what I've read, most children who have an intolerance to soy react to the protein and have an easier time with the oils. I had little, if any, soy protein during Bubby's first couple months. Maybe some tofu once or twice. So either Bubby is in the smaller percentage of kids who react to soy oils consumed by Mama or (hopefully) he won't have a problem with them.

We'll see what else I eat (drink) for my soy reintroduction. I was thinking of maybe making some stir fry with rice noodles and tofu, but I sort of wonder why I'm going to the effort of worrying so much about the soy proteins when they're not something I regularly consume anyway.

Elimination Diet: Reintroducing Peanuts

On Thursday I reintroduced peanuts with a yummy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Zing bar. I've written about them before in this post. I didn't care for the peanut butter chocolate chip one as much as the Chocolate coconut one, but it was pretty tasty. There is one other flavor (Cranberry Orange) that is also dairy, soy, and gluten free. The rest have dairy in them.

Tomorrow night I'm planning on making Swimming Rama, one of our favorite Thai dishes. Glenn actually made some a couple weeks ago & it looked delicious. I was quite envious and mine looked so plain without the peanut sauce.

The next two reintroductions are the biggies -- soy & dairy. I have long assumed that Bubby had an intolerance to dairy and something. I almost hate to try the dairy again when he is doing so well right now. It's the only real way to know though, I guess. I'm just hoping it's not wheat, dairy & soy. Glenn thinks it may just be the wheat. I'm not convinced of that at all -- Bubby did do better when I had cut out only the dairy, better just not great. I may wait longer to reintroduce the dairy...I don't know. I just don't want to ruin what we have going right now.

Elimination Diet: Reintroducing Eggs

***It was yummier than it looks. LOL***

On Sunday morning I reintroduced eggs. Glenn made a yummy scramble with eggs, potatoes, ham, peppers & onions. He added cheese to his & Beanie's after he scooped mine out. It was so yummy!! One of my favorite things about Glenn's days off (not that he's been having many of those lately) is eating breakfast as a family.

On Monday I made an omelet with peppers and onions. It was really good too.

So far so good with the eggs. Bubby is showing no signs of difficulty with me eating  them. I'm pleased to say that my happy baby is back. He was doing so well before I reintroduced the wheat and it seemed to take him awhile to get back to his new normal after the tough time with the wheat. Thing seem to be much better again though and he's only normal baby fussy.

Elimination Diet: Reintroducing Shellfish

On Thursday night we made prawn skewers for dinner. I marinated the prawns (well, my prawns) in the Annie's Italian dressing. I marinated the rest in regular old Italian dressing. They were really yummy. I served them over a bed of brown rice. I totally meant to take a picture, but I forgot.

I am admittedly a bit frustrated with the elimination diet. I feel like there's nothing in the house I can eat unless I go out and spend a ton of money at the specialty stores. I waffle between feeling that way and being adventuresome trying new foods. Bubby is still a bit fussier than he was before I reintroduced wheat. It's also been very hot out (well, hot for the Pacific Northwest) and I do believe he is teething. His diapers have been a bit on the yucky side -- sometimes way more so than others.

I guess I'm just frustrated that when I re-eliminated the wheat that he didn't go back to how he was before. I'm sure it may take a bit to get out of my system, but it's been a week so I was hoping for more I guess. I just want him to be a little happy camper again.

I would like to reintroduce another thing in the next day or so, but with his diapers being so yucky still I wonder how I'll notice the difference. I wondered if it was all in my head about the wheat, but Glenn said he notices that Bubby is definitely doing better now. He said, just like I had noticed, that it didn't seem that the wheat bothered him right away, but rather that it was like a build-up over those couple days and Bubby got progressively worse. Good to know it wasn't all in my head -- I'd definitely wondered with him still doing so poorly this week. It does seem though that within the last couple days that he is only fussy when tired, so that is a marked improvement again.

Next on the list to reintroduce is eggs or peanuts. I wasn't surprised that the shellfish did not pose a problem. I've always assumed that the problem allergens were things I consumed often. While I had shellfish here and there before I started the elimination diet, it wasn't a regular menu item, that's for sure.

I have a few products we've tried that I've been meaning to review...hopefully I'll get around to it soon!

Adventures in Allergen-free baking

Okay, this post has been long promised and I am just now getting around to uploading our pics and having the time to write it out. I posted the recipe and etc earlier, but for the sake of having everything in one post (and because the recipe from Spark People was not exactly the same as my cookbook) I'm going to post again. The other post did have caloric and nutritional info for the original recipe, so if you want that click here. This recipe was adapted from Deceptively Delicious.

Applesauce Muffins

Topping:

2/3c old-fashioned oats (I used quick oats because, doy!, we didn't have any old-fashioned ones)
1/4c firmly packed light brown sugar
1tsp cinnamon
2Tbsp Earth Balance dairy free soy-free buttery spread

Batter:

1 1/2c rice flour
1c old fashioned oats (quick oats here again)
1tsp baking powder
1/2tsp baking soda
1/2tsp cinnamon
1c unsweetened applesauce
1/2c rice milk
1/4c canola oil
1 banana

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray or line with baking cups.

To make the topping, stir together the oats, sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Stir in the buttery spread.

To make the batter, combine the flour, oats, baking powder, and cinnamon in a large ziploc bag or mixing bowl and stir or shake to mix. In a 2nd bowl, mix the applesauce with the milk, sugar, oil, and banana with a wooden spoon. Add the flour mixture slowly, stirring just until moistened. Do not overmix -- batter is supposed to be lumpy. (I'll be completely honest here -- this time making these I totally spaced on doing the batter separately and just threw everything in one big bowl and stirred.)

Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups and sprinkle with the streusel topping. Bake until the topping is lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the muffins, 18-20 minutes. Turn the muffins on to a wire rack and serve warm or cool.

 My little helper.

They turned out great. I really liked them but was a bit worried when Glenn said, "I guess if you were on an elimination diet they'd taste pretty good." He then said he was joking and they were good. Hmmm. I took them to Beanie's birthday playdate and everyone seemed to like them and said how good they were, so unless everyone was lying they really were a hit! I made three dozen and only brought a handful home.

And, bonus, they really boosted my milk supply although I really didn't need that at the time. Something to remember for later I guess.

Oh, and another bonus, the streusel topping is good enough to eat right out of the bowl with a spoon :)

Wheat is Prime Suspect #1

After thinking about how things have been going the last few days I have come to the conclusion that Bubby likely has an intolerance to wheat. Since I reintroduced wheat on Wednesday Bubby has been:

-- having yucky diapers
-- extra fussy
-- not sleeping well at night
-- been having the "I'm in pain" cry again

This morning his face was a little broken out & his bum was red.

Could it all be coincidence or related to teething? I suppose, but I'm not going to take that chance. Sigh. I have re-eliminated wheat from my diet. I'm going to hold off on any new reintroduction for at least a few days to see if/how he improves.

Any gluten-free tips are greatly appreciated :)