Fourth of July Pie

This Fourth of July Holiday, my multiple food allergic tween and I cobbled together a Milk-free, Egg-free, Nut-free berry pie.  We have made apple and berry pies before, but this one was special.  We didn't have enough cherries in our Farmer's Market stash, so we decided to add our Farmer's Market blueberries too.  It turned out berry delicious!  Recipe follows below:

Cherry-Blueberry Pie

Milk-free, Egg-free, Nut-free

The Flaky Pastry crust recipe is adapted from the 1982 edition of:
Sunset Easy Basics for Good Cooking

Flaky Pastry
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup solid shortening or lard
4 to 5 tablespoons cold water

Stir together flour and salt.  Cut shortening into flour until about pea-size.  Sprinkle water over mixture a little at a time - stirring lightly with a fork.  When just moistened, gather mixture into a ball.  Divide ball in half and flatten.  Wrap and leave in fridge for an hour.

Filling
4 cups pitted cherries
2 cups blueberries
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon lemon juice 
2 tablespoons Smart Balance Light
2 tablespoons soymilk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Sprinkle berries with sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and lemon juice.  Roll out bottom crust and fill with berry mixture. Dot around top with Smart Balance Light.  Roll out top crust and cut to create lattice effect.  Brush top lightly with soymilk. To prevent excess browning, place strips of foil around edges.  Place pie on baking sheet and bake on lowest rack for 30-35 minutes.  Remove foil and bake for 25-30 more minutes.

Bring to picnic dinner at the fireworks!

Ice Cube Tray

Life Cycle of the Ice Cube Tray
 

Before kids - the ice cube tray is for ice cubes.
Raising babies - freeze lil portions of homemade baby food in it.
Tween girl - uses the ice cube tray to corral earrings :)
Busy Mom - tidies the junk drawer with it.
Garage - relegated to nails, screws, and bits.
Recycle bin - Recycled - into another ice cube tray?

Food Allergy Positives

Read with interest the simple "How To Organize Your Loose Recipes" post on Wikihow from fellow NAPO-Chicago member, Barb Tischler this week.  My multiple food-allergic tween and I have been collecting recipes from magazines, on-line searches, and FAAN (Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network) newsletters (from back in the day when newsletters were of the snail-mail variety) for several years.  Inspired, we piled our collection and got to work.

My almost-not-a-tween spent her own time culling and sorting, so I stepped aside.  Adapting the binder idea, she re-used an accordian-style folder from school.  The result is a file of sheets of recipe options she has used, will use, or will adapt to use.  The plan is to collect the most successful recipes from the collection and start a new binder with the plastic protectors per Barb's suggestion.  It will be her very own Milk-free, Egg-free, Nut-free (except almonds!), and Sesame-free cookbook!

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The Gifts of Food Allergy

I want to share an excerpt from our former FAAN newsletter binder of recipes.  It is an uplifting message from 2003 that my almost-not-a-tween found, highlighted with happy orange marker, and posted on the fridge. It speaks to the value of living with food allergies and we live it every day.

Post as it appeared in 2003:

The Gifts of Food Allergy

Raising a child who has food allergies brings many unexpected challenges into our lives.  Life would be much easier without having to deal with food allergies.  However, think of all you have learned and the positive ways food allergy has affected your life.

Nothing is all bad or good, and food allergy is no exception.  Listed below are some of the positive ways food allergy has enriched the lives of families just like yours.

* Your family is aware of what they eat, and is likely to make healthy food choices.
* You are active in your child's academic life; the administration, nurse, and teachers all know you.
* You've become more than you were (stronger, wiser, more assertive) to keep your child healthy and happy.
* Your child knows what it feels like to be different and has learned to be compassionate to others.
* Your family has learned to "look out for each other," allowing children to learn true caring.
* Your child has learned that his or her actions can have extreme consequences and has learned to make responsible decisions.
* Food allergy teaches patience, safety, and restraint as opposed to immediate gratification (e.g., the label must be read before eating an item, food cannot be shared, etc.)
* Your child grows up focusing on activities rather than snacks and meals.

These are only a few ways that food allergy can affect our lives in positive ways.  There are many, many others.  Feel free to share some of yours with us.  We'd love to hear from you.

Tween and I would love to hear from you too!
Eat happy :)

Order Up!

Know you should be teaching your kids how to prepare meals, but can never find the time?
  

Resigned to the fact that your family will eat out too often again this summer?

...or are you just tired of doing all the work?

What if you could teach skills that will last a life-time,
save money on restaurants, and
make happy memories with your kids?

Organize summer meals by creating a "culinary school" in your own kitchen
and

Make Dinner Matter!

     This summer vacation marks the third year in a row I have made a summer cooking schedule for our family.  In the beginning, I decided to have the kids help me - just so I wouldn't be alone in the kitchen.  Now my food allergic tween proudly prepares entire meals for the family - on her own!  My goal for your family is to keep the expectations realistic and the mood fun.  This means writing the toddler into the rotation too! 
     Sound too complicated?  Hey, you've got weeks worth of soccer practice, or swim lessons on the calendar.  Teaching your kids independence in the kitchen is important.  And less expensive than signing them up for another camp.  What if you just scheduled it in?

For example:
1. COMMIT  I selected the 7 weeks between Monday, June 20th, and Sunday, August 7th.

2. BE REALISTIC  Of the 49 days, I figured 2 per week for special occasions and/or eating out.  Subtracting a vacation week left 30 days to make dinner matter. 

3. ASSIGN DUTY Who gets to cook/help you cook dinner when...?  Put it on the calendar!  (Note: Use the phrase, "gets to," rather than "has to!"  It will change your attitude too.)

Considering?  Read on...

------------------------------------------------------------------

Make Dinner Matter

Step 1 - Menu Plan

One of the benefits of being assigned a night in our house is getting to select the meal!  If this is new for your family, you may want to select a few kid-friendly cookbooks from the library for inspiration.  It also helps to menu plan once a week and shop for as many items as possible at one time.  To save money, you may want to shop first and hit the sales, then menu plan based upon what you purchased. 

Bonus points - As you schedule the meals, display a few days worth of "menus" on the fridge (or computer screen).  Have your kids write (or type) it up.  They look forward to their meal nights!...Can't write yet?  Kids can glue pictures of items - or draw them.

Step 2 - Make Time

Kids in the kitchen need time to explore.  Make sure you allow enough time for food prep, mishaps, and messes!  Then teach them how to clean-up...

Step 3 - Land the Helicopter

Don't hover.  If a particular task makes you nervous, break down the steps and teach your child how to perform it safely.  If your child has never cut an onion, for example, you have a lot of groundwork to lay (use a cold onion, pre-cut manageable chunks, and be ready with sympathy if eyes are burning).  Learning a new task is nerve-wracking if someone keeps catching you doing it wrong. 

Above all be flexible, be realistic, and have fun!  Think you are going to try it?  Have questions?  Let me know...

Knife Skills for Toddlers 
Food Allergy Organization Tips 

p.s. I have a super-picky eater.  On his nights, someone else prepares the meat for the rest of us, as needed,  because meat grosses him out! 

Eat Simple

"Food should be a source of nourishment for children, not entitlement, entertainment, or empowerment." ~ Simplicity Parenting

Gathering for dinner is challenging in this age of quick and easy convenience options, demanding schedules, and food restrictions.  It requires planning and routine.  If mealtimes have become overwhelming and you don't have time to re-invent the pasta wheel -  simplify.

One step.  Keep one food group the same and vary what you serve with it!

1.  Establish a weekly menu routine for one part of your nightly meal.  If this is new for your kids, have them assist with creating choices for the one food group.   Give everyone input and do what works for your family.  The key is to assign certain foods for certain days of the week for as long it takes (or until you are bored and need a change!).  It works because it establishes a routine in the midst of what can be a chaotic time of day.

This example is built around the STARCH . 

Sunday - pasta

Monday - rice

Tuesday - tortilla

Wednesday - couscous

Thursday - potato

Friday - EAT OUT

Saturday - EAT OUT

Young children can cut pictures from magazines to represent the various options.  You can write the word below the picture to help teach reading!  Tweens can be responsible for preparing the starch, as able.  DO what works for you.

Great for working within the boundaries of a food allergy, or a simplified schedule used by a family member with special needs!

(This week's posts are dedicated to a friend who finds it impossible to find time to make dinner.  She works full-time and has several kids.  “Impossible only means that you haven't found the solution yet.”)

Freeze Ahead Lunch?

     One common time-saving strategy for preparing healthy dinners is the "Make and Freeze."  Organized, busy families might spend Sunday afternoon cooking and baking in order to freeze ahead meals for a later date.  Others double, or triple!, a recipe during the week and freeze the extras.  You can find helpful tips at Busycooks.about.com, or check-out the summary below for more info:

Freeze Ahead Dinners

1.  Wrap food in microwave-safe plastic wrap to freeze.  Thaw in the microwave!

2.  Freeze in small, thin portions.  Food thaws faster!

3.  No time to premake the casserole?
     Freeze ingredients in individual packets - chicken, vegetables, cheese, - with instructions!

4.  Line casserole dishes with heavy duty foil before assembling.
     Fill casserole dishes.  Freeze.
     Remove foil wrapped frozen food and seal in ziplock heavy duty freezer bag.
     Place back into original container to thaw and bake.

5.  Freeze only top quality foods.  Once a lousy meal = twice a lousy meal.

Freeze Ahead Lunches!

     A creative lunch twist on the "Make and Freeze" dinner solution is to - FREEZE SANDWICHES!  It is important to note that this doesn't work for ALL sandwiches, but the TOP FIVE FREEZABLE SANDWICHES, according to busycooks.about.com are:
1.  Chicken Pesto,
2.  Peanut Butter Granola,
3.  Ham Salad Wraps,
4.  Freeze Ahead Tuna, and
5.  Tex Mex Pita.

     Kathy Peel, author of, Busy Mom's Guide to a Happy Organized Home advises freezing meat sandwiches and writes "If you are really rushed most mornings, make sandwiches for school lunches on Sunday.  Label and freeze each one in a zipper bag.  Kids can choose a sandwich each morning, then add fruit, chips, or vegetable sticks.  An ice pack or frozen box of juice keeps the sandwich cold until noon." 

Now, if we could just freeze TIME in a bottle :) 


(This week's posts are dedicated to a friend who finds it impossible to find time to make dinner.  She works full-time and has several kids.  “Impossible only means that you haven't found the solution yet.”)

Quickfire Challenge

     Creating dinner in a flash can be stressful.  On those nights when speed is a necessity, insert a little levity into the process.  Or just DO it for fun!

Quickfire Dinner

  
     Bravo's hit reality competition show, "Top Chef" has a segment entitled, "Quickfire."  Contestants are challenged to prepare a dish and serve it up to be judged in a short amount of time.  In the past, some of the Quickfires have required contestants to "create a sushi dish," "create an original ice cream flavor," and "create a two-egg breakfast dish in 10 minutes, using only one hand."

     Have fun fixing dinner courtesy of the Top Chef folks at BRAVO and their "Quickfire" idea!  Create a family challenge, or make it up as you go along.  Amazing what you can get accomplished when the clock is ticking.  Work as fast as you can and enjoy the ride!

TRY THIS ONE!  

Milk-free, Egg-free, Nut-free

Prepare 4 toasted BLT sandwiches 
served with sliced apple 
and 4 mugs of tomato soup.  

Don't forget drinks and condiments!

"You have 15 minutes.  Your time starts...NOW!"

Possible Strategy
1.  Pre-heat oven to toast bread on cookie sheets
2.  Pre-heat pan for bacon
3.  Start heating soup
4.  Butter 8 slices of bread
5.  Place bread slices on cookie sheets and put in the oven.
6.  Place bacon strips in pan
7.  Rinse and slice tomato
8.  Rinse and tear lettuce
9.  Stir soup
10.Flip bacon

Check your time!  Ahhhh!!!

11.  Set out plates and mugs

12.  Set out condiments

13.  Place tomato slices and lettuce on plates

14.  Stir soup

15.  Turn off heat under bacon (if haven't already!!!) and blot, as needed

16.  Pour drinks

17.  Distribute toast on plates

18.  Assemble BLTs

19.  Remember apple!

20. Hurry to cut apple

Check your time...

21.  Pour soup into mugs.
DONE!  Did you make it?

(This week's posts are dedicated to a friend who finds it impossible to find time to make dinner.  She works full-time and has several kids.  “Impossible only means that you haven't found the solution yet.”)

Colorful Beef

Where's The Beef?
5 MINUTE PREP  
(45 minutes to bake)
Milk-free, Egg-free, Nut-free, Wheat-free

Items Needed:
casserole dish with lid
olive oil
fresh or frozen vegetable - broccoli, mushroom, diced tomato
pasta sauce - preferably something organic with personAlity
lean ground beef - uncooked
salt
helpful tween

Helpful tween in the kitchen:
1.  Pre-heats oven to 350.
2.  Drizzles olive oil in bottom of casserole dish.
3.  Drops a couple of handfuls of vegetables on the bottom.
4.  Distributes uncooked lean ground beef on top of the vegetables.
5.  Plops contents of pasta sauce jar on top of beef.
6.  Sprinkles in salt, stirs gently, and puts on the lid.
7.  Places in oven (careful, it's heavy!) to bake (45 minutes).

MAKE IT A MEAL:

No time?  French bread dunkers.  Cut loaf and serve on a plate in the center of the table.

No time?  Breadstick dippers!  Place on a plate in the center of the table.

Pasta time?  Make and serve over pasta.

Garnish time?  Riff off one of the ingredients listed on sauce (ex. mushroom, tomato, onion...). Or sprinkle with cheese, as able.

COLORFUL CHARACTER LINKS

commercial flashbacks    

Life cereal: Mikey likes it!

Oscar Mayer: My bologna

Where's The Beef? Clara Peller

(This week's posts are dedicated to a friend who finds it impossible to find time to make dinner.  She works full-time and has several kids.  “Impossible only means that you haven't found the solution yet.”)

Colorful Chicken

Chicken & Salsa
5 MINUTE PREP  
(45 minutes to bake)
Milk-free, Egg-free, Nut-free, Wheat-free

Items Needed:
casserole dish with lid
olive oil
frozen vegetables - corn or multi-colored peppers
chicken breasts
salsa - preferably something organic with personAlity
helpful tween

Helpful tween in the kitchen:
1.  Pre-heats oven to 350.
2.  Drizzles olive oil in bottom of casserole dish.
3.  Drops a handful of frozen vegetables on the bottom.
4.  Places chicken breasts on the vegetables.
5.  Plops contents of salsa jar on top of chicken.
6.  Sloshes around and puts on the lid.
7.  Places in oven (careful, it's heavy!) to bake (45 minutes).

Life is good.

Smile :)

MAKE IT A MEAL:

No time?  Open whatever corn chip is your pleasure and serve from a bowl in the center of the table.

No time?  Toss some tortillas (corn, or wheat - as able) on a plate in the center of the table. 

Rice time?  Make and serve with rice.

Garnish time?  Riff off one of the ingredients listed on salsa (ex. pineapple, tomato, onion...).  Or a dollop of guacamole, or sour cream - as able.


(This week's posts are dedicated to a friend who finds it impossible to find time to make dinner.  She works full-time and has several kids.  “Impossible only means that you haven't found the solution yet.”)

Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Tween in the kitchen.
Tween living with severe food allergies.
Tween living with severe food allergies is ready to cook and bake in the kitchen.
Hmm...How to keep tween safe?

Red!

Tween living with severe food allergies - cooking and baking in the kitchen.

Tween uses own Red! set of measuring cups, measuring spoons, peeler, pan, and cutting boards. 

Mother never uses the Red! kitchen items.  

The bright Red! color alerts Mother to slice her cheese somewhere else.

 IKEA!

Smart Balance

     While raising a child with severe food allergies, our family has developed intense brand loyalty.  One staple in our fridge is a dairy-free butter substitute called, Smart Balance.  We knife our way through about two containers of the stuff per week.
     Somewhere along the way, we began to keep and reuse the containers.  They hold up nicely in the top rack of the dishwasher and the petite size comes in handy for a variety of mini storage needs.  Our tween draws the line at using them in her school lunch, but they are our "go to" containers for snacks on the run.

Life is a balance.  Stack smart.

     The lids deserve a mention as they are secure, yet easy enough for little hands to manipulate.  Lids for traditional small-sized plastic containers can be cumbersome to remove, resulting in orange Cheddar Bunnies explosions.  Yikes!
     When the color on the Smart Balance containers begin to fade, they are used for non-food purposes.  Most recently, we used them during Junior Great Books to hold crayons.  Eventually, they find their way to the recycle bin.