My little valentine...

my baby monkey

I had a little pity party for myself last week.  I blame PMS, but I was so sad thinking about my sweet little baby not being able to have "normal" treats like all other kids because of his food allergies.  This happens mainly during holiday times when other kids who do not have food allergies get to have cupcakes and cookies and little chocolates.  There are allergen-free alternatives to pretty much everything out there, so I really just needed to chill out and do more research...but I had a little moment and was so sad.  

My sweet husband came home with ice cream made with rice milk and made Connor an ice cream sandwich with his "safe" snickerdoodles:

He didn't devour it like I thought he would, but he had fun trying it.

Once I got myself together, I poured myself a bowl of Rice Chex and noticed the recipe on the back for muddy buddies.  Before checking online for an allergen-free recipe which no doubt exists, I did some playing around myself.  I semi-followed the original recipe and used 9 cups of Rice Chex, 1 cup of Enjoy Life dairy-free chocolate chips. 1/2 cup Sunbutter, a drizzle or two of olive oil, and 1 cup of powdered sugar.  Honestly, I don't even think I needed the olive oil, but since the recipe called for butter and I couldn't use that, I gave it a shot.  I also omitted the vanilla that the original recipe calls for simply because I was out of it at home.  

These things are so good!

My husband didn't believe that it wasn't the real thing.  My son gobbles it up and asks for more...and that makes me a happy momma.

This week we worked on valentines for his friends.  I took advantage of the many free printables out there and chose these adorable elephant valentines by Ana of Live & Enliven and these precious zebras found on Bunny Cakes!  Then we added a little something and...:

Can't wait to fill in the names and hand them out!!

Have a wonderful weekend!!  I hope you have fun plans!

Chicken Burgers with Garlic-Rosemary Mayonnaise

It is no secret that my husband and I love to eat.  We enjoy going out to eat and finding new, wonderful restaurants, but having a young child with food allergies can make this challenging and sometimes it is just easier to eat at home.  Since we also love cooking and enjoy being at home, eating in can be just as great.  This past weekend we ate a lot.  The best meal was one we made.  We have done these before, but the Focaccia we used this time really added to the flavor.  If you are looking for a burger idea and haven't already tried these, give them a shot:

Giada's Chicken Burgers with Garlic-Rosemary Mayonnaise

Ingredients:

Mayonnaise:

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 1 clove garlic, minced

Burgers:

• 1 pound ground chicken
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 sandwich rolls or burger buns (We used an herb Focaccia cut to fit the burgers.)  
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 cup arugula, divided  (I forgot to buy arugula, so we used fresh baby spinach.)

Directions:

For the mayonnaise: In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, garlic, and rosemary; set aside.

For the burgers: Preheat a gas or charcoal grill or place a grill pan over medium-high heat. In a large bowl, add the ground chicken, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 1/2 of the mayonnaise mixture. (We used less of the mayo mixture when making the burgers...maybe 1/3 of the mixture.)  Using clean hands, gently combine the ingredients and form the chicken mixture into 4 patties. Place the burgers on the grill and cook for about 7 minutes on each side. Transfer to paper towels and let rest for a few minutes.

Brush the cut side of each roll with the olive oil and 1 teaspoon of the mayonnaise mixture. Grill for 1 to 2 minutes until slightly golden.

To assemble the burgers: Spread a dollop of the remaining mayonnaise mixture on the tops and bottoms of the toasted buns. Place the chicken burgers on the bottom halves of the buns. Top each with 1/4 cup of arugula and finish with the top half of the bun.

So delicious.

Zucchini Bread French Toast!

We had the best fall weekend, including a yummy breakfast on the patio we made on Sunday.  Now here I thought I was creating something cool, only to do a quick Google search and find out that no...I did not invent zucchini bread french toast.  I just knew it had to already exist, but whatever....I didn't read any of those other recipes or blog posts before making our breakfast (which also included bacon and scrambled eggs with Gruyere), so in my mind, I came up with it.  Ha ha.

I used the following recipe for zucchini bread from my Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book .  I omitted the nuts because I hate nuts in bread.



Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 beaten egg
1 cup sugar
1 cup finely shredded, unpeeled zucchini
1/4 cooking oil
1/2 chopped walnuts or pecans, toasted (again, I omitted this part)

1.  Grease the bottom and 1/2 inch up sides of an 8x4x2-inch loaf pan; set aside.  In a medium bowl combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg.  Make a well in center of flour mixture; set aside.
2.  In another medium bowl combine egg, sugar, zucchini, and oil.  Add zucchini mixture all at once to flour mixture.  Stir until just moistened.  Fold in nuts.  Spoon batter into prepared pan.
3.  Bake at 350 degree oven for 50 to 55 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.  Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.  Remove from pan.  Cool completely on a wire rack.  Wrap and store overnight before slicing.

That last sentence sounds ridiculous.  I sliced that thing about ten minutes after it was done.  I had to have a taste.  :)  Anyway, I don't have a real recipe for making french toast since we rarely follow recipes, so you would be better off using what ever technique you use when making it.  I just sliced the zucchini bread into about 3/4 inch slices, made a mixture of egg, milk, cinnamon, and nutmeg, dunked the slices, and then put them in a pan with a tiny bit of butter over medium heat for about 6 minutes on each side...I think.

I plan to try it again with pumpkin bread, banana bread and maybe with apple bread.  I am drooling just thinking about all of the possibilities and wondering why I didn't try any of this years ago.  It is seriously so good, so if you are like me and have not tried this, you must!! 

Have a great week!!

Feeling Closed In...

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My son has major food allergies and last week we had a food challenge for soy, since his latest round of tests showed he may have outgrown it.  The test takes four hours and we were confined to a room the size of a small area rug the entire time.  We packed enough toys and snacks to keep us occupied for the full time, but being in such a small space for so long can make anyone go a little nuts.  I felt so claustrophobic, but after about 45 minutes, we were completely at home.

We made a small 'family room' in one corner, where the portable dvd player was set up playing Elmo over and over again.  :/  We had a little 'kitchen' AKA his stroller, where he ate his snacks.  The torture chamber  examining table :( acted as his 'bedroom' where he took a short 15 minute nap in between force-feeding soy milk testing.  We also had a little 'learning/family room' area where we did puzzles, played with blocks, and flipped through tons of flashcards.  He loves his flashcards!

It really got me thinking about small spaces and how you really have to get creative when you are low on space.

Here are some of my favorite 'on the small side' multi-tasking spaces:

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I have had this in my file for at least three years and did not save the source. If you have it, please let me know, so I can give credit.

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Seeing such great images where the best was made of their spaces, I took this as a sign (much like my speeding ticket as a sign to slow down in life) that I needed to make the best of our situation with food allergies. I was becoming crazy thinking about traveling or even going out to eat and what food can he or can he not eat. I felt almost claustrophobic, if that makes sense....like I was trapped in this food allergy world. Will his diet be so limited because he can't eat wheat, dairy, eggs, and peanuts? Is he going to starve? No more...Make the best of it. I have decided...finally...to make the best of it. This whole experience really opened my eyes to foods I never even would have thought to feed him at this age. Who knew he would love polenta or quinoa or spinach cakes. Cooking for him has become so fun. It has always been fun, but the challenge of coming up with healthy, allergen-free foods for a 15-month old has been such a learning experience and has made me realize that allergies don't have to be the end of the world...much like a small home or room really isn't that bad when you can learn to make the best of it. :)