Egg Free Soy Free Sourdough English Muffins

Why haven't I ever made English muffins before?? And also important, why aren't you making them right now? Sometimes bad things in life (my son's egg and soy allergy) bring about fantastic things, like these muffins. I don't know that it will make up for a lifetime without Chinese food.....but it's a start. Not only do they avoid all of our collective allergens, but they are wicked tasty, and cook on a griddle. So unlike biscuits, there is no need to heat the whole house.

I modified the recipe from the "Sourdough English Muffin" recipe in this book.....I love this book. Not only are there tons of recipes for bread machines, there are tips on what to do with stale, leftover bread.

Unfortunately, since I got the recipe from a book....and....you know.... copyright laws and stuff, I didn't feel like it would be a good idea to post it on the interwebs. However, I will tell you the modifications I made, and you can either buy the book.....or modify another recipe that you already have.

All I did was use 1/4 cup canned pumpkin and 1tbs oil to replace the egg. Also I replaced half of the flour with whole wheat flour. These smelled great, tasted great, and went fast! They will be on our breakfast table this holiday season.

Someone (other than my mom) Thinks I'm Special

I got a blogger award. Isn't it cute? Thank you Grace!

In order to post this on my blog I have to answer ten questions and then have six of you do the same. Then you have to answer the questions...tag...etc...etc....

Here goes nothing....

1.If you blog anonymously, are you happy doing it that way; if you are not anonymous do you wish you had started out anonymously so you could be anonymous now?

I started out anonymous, and it's not like I go around shouting from the rooftops that I have a blog. I'm happy where I'm at.

2. Describe one incident that shows your inner stubborn side.

One?? Inner??

3. What do you see when you really look at yourself in the mirror?

Me! And I'm happy with that.

4. What is your favorite summer cold drink?

Ginger lemonade

5. When you take time for yourself, what do you do?

I like to drink tea and listen to the sound of silence.....it rarely happens.

6. Is there something you still want to accomplish in your life? What is it?

I want to raise my children to be healthy, joyful, loving adults, who are content. I think contentment is better than being famous, or rich, becoming a lawyer, or a mother of 20 children....go get some....errr...contentment that is...

7. When you attended school, were you the class clown, the class overachiever, the class shy person, or always ditching school?

Oh my goodness...what year? I went to a school for the gifted in elementary school (ya, I don't know what happened there) so we were all overachievers. I don't think I was ever shy, I may have been a little of a clown.

8. If you close your eyes and want to visualize a very poignant moment in your life, what do you see?

Holding my children. There have been several moments throughout my kids lives where I have held them in my arms and thought, "This is it, if I die and look back on my life, I doubt I will have any moments more wonderful than this on earth." It's a feeling of overwhelming thankfulness, joy, and contentment.

9. Is it easy for you to share your true self in your blog or are you more comfortable writing posts about other people or events?

Oh heck no...I have trouble sharing my true self with people I have known for years. I actually have an easier time on my blog because I can read over my words. I'm not the spill emotional vomit all willy nilly sort of person. You will see one or two personal blogs, but there is a reason I have a food blog. I do try to be truthful. I share what I liked, didn't like, what worked, didn't etc...however I think truthful, and true self are two different things.

10. If you had the choice to sit and read or talk on the phone, which would you do and why?
Let me tell you a secret....I absolutely hate talking on the phone. I only do it because distance necessitates. If I talk to you on the phone it is because I love you more than I hate talking on the phone. . It goes back to the willy nilly emotional vomit thing, coupled with the fact that I am almost always doing something. I would much rather see someone in person. I love to read though. When I'm on bed rest I usually go through quite a few books.


Ooooh, almost forgot to tag people. I was so in awe of the awesomeness of some of my answers.

I'm going to choose a few people who I haven't seen blog in a while....because I miss reading your blogs. If you aren't blogging because you don't wish to, feel free to write me an email and kindly tell me to get lost. I struggled to pick out people who a.) actually read my blog, and b.) will actually respond. There are quite a few people out there with blogs I adore. I would give them all an award if I could....in fact...hmmm...ok, keep me accountable to this....By the end of September I will update my blog to show more blogs in the "stuff I like" section. Keep an eye out for that. For now, here are the winners.

New Veginings (Toni)

Lilac Berries
The Tinker's Muse
Good Food, Clean Cooking, My Life
Food = Bad (Sarah, I want to see you blogging again. I heart you)
Bare-Breasted Gaming (don't worry it's G rated)


For some other awesome blogs that deserve awards check out the "stuff I like" section.

Mommy Tip Monday: Picky Eaters

Picky Eaters Part One
(our story, SPD and eating)

That's right, part one....I have a lot to say on the subject. The little lawyer birdie on my shoulder* has reminded me to inform you that I am not a doctor, or an occupational therapist, or an allergist. Many things can cause picky eating besides just being strong willed and holding out for chocolate. And I am neither qualified to diagnose, or treat your child....I'm not qualified for much of anything except to give you a rockin' Swedish massage in the great gem state, oooh and also I have Jr.whale trainers pin...but I think that's only valid at Sea world.

The point being, an unbalanced diet can cause all sorts of nasty things, vitamin deficiencies, weight loss, failure to thrive etc. So if after reading this you feel there may be a sensory issue causing your child's picky eating, take them to the doctor. Speech and occupational therapy have helped us.....more on that further down the line...


Hi they call me Mama, and my daughter is a picky eater....

"Hi Mama!"

My daughter was born early weighing only 3lbs 8oz. She was what some would refer to as colicky. She screamed in the early evening....and again in the early morning...when she was held too tight...too loosely....or if she didn't like the fabric of the blanket she was being swaddled in. She was referred to as "sensitive". And that she surely seemed to be. She hated the fabric on our couch and would protest loudly if either myself or my husband had the audacity to place her down there.

Words of advice from friends and family were "all babies cry"...uh huh. Let me tell you when I had my son it was night and day! Sleeping through the night within weeks, the only time he cried "without reason" was when I had eaten soy, which we found out really quickly did not set well on his tummy. I wish I had known then what I know now. Which is that my darling daughter senses, the world slightly differently. She has something called sensory processing disorder . Not only that, but at the time she was born a nurse informed me that nothing I ate would affect her colic......well it seems now that doctors are a lot more sensitive to the fact that a baby can truly be allergic to something in Mums milk. Anyhoo...let's bring this back to picky eating.....

Her problems became more apparent as we started her on solid foods, it seemed as though taste had absolutely nothing to do with what she would eat. She loved very crispy things, carrots, crackers, and very smooth foods, plain cubes of silken tofu (yes I said plain), refried beans, cream cheese.....butter...also plain. And she shunned some of the normal toddler staples, like pasta dishes, and grilled cheese. The texture in her mouth was truly displeasing to her, and regardless of how salty or sweet the dish was, she wasn't touching it if it didn't feel right.

Once I figured out it was a texture issue I was able to accommodate so that she had a balanced diet. She has never had an iron deficiency, and she has always been tall (even if she is thin). So though she is on the low end of the b.m.i. she is healthy. I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for her to finish a big bowl of baby spinach salad, but I will watch happily as she slurps up a green smoothie and asks for seconds.

Now that she is older and can speak for herself I ask her what it is about a food she doesn't like...and she usually makes up words. "This spinach is too skrunkely" she will say......I look forward to the day when she uses words that can be found in Webster's. But for now it's a step in the right direction. I want eating to continue to be an enjoyable situation for her, so I try to keep a patient tone at the table when I ask her to elaborate on "skrunkely". And then I thank her for trying the skrunkely spinach.

I'm going to go into some bulleted madness now, to keep this from getting way too long. If you would like me to elaborate, or have more questions on sensory issues feel free to comment or drop me an email...I will probably refer you to someone who knows a lot more than me...like these guys. I plan on writing a part two....at some point. Maybe not next Monday, but eventually. I want to include a little bit on food allergies, and how to make offending foods more palatable.

• Identify the foods your child is refusing to eat, is there a pattern to it? A certain texture that is avoided?
• Does your child meet any of the criteria for an oral sensitivity one way or the other? I know I just discussed my daughters aversion to food.
• Have you noticed any other indicators of SPD?

How we deal with it

• Get help! I felt like I was failing my daughter, how could a child not like food? How could anyone not like food...perhaps I was not a good chef, maybe there was a game or trick or some other mealtime secret that I should know. Once we had her evaluated by an occupational therapist all of the pieces fell into place.
• Know when to pick your battles. There are foods that I will never force her to eat, it's a small list, but a memorable one....because these are the foods that cause a gag reflex and have been vomited into my hands. Since it is such a small list I know that she will lead a completely normal and healthy life without these foods.
  
• Evaluate your goals. Mine are, healthy, growing kids. So as long as she is getting a balanced meal, and trying one or two bites of a "scary food" I'm happy.
• Use a calm, cheerful voice.....and be patient. My daughter eats more when she is allowed to take her time, and doesn't get ultimatums right off the bat.....she's stubborn...no clue where she gets that from.
• This is a very REAL disorder. It may not make sense to me why my daughter will refuse to eat a black bean in an enchilada complaining that it is "mushy mashy" and then sing praises of a black bean burger ten minutes later. However that doesn't make it less real to her. And although I feel the eye rolls and the sceptical gazes of others when I try to explain why you should probably not force her to try those mashed potatoes unless you have a steam cleaner, I can't let others opinions of my daughter affect how I treat her.
  
• Regardless of whether or not others see the things you see in your child it's still important to talk to a doctor. We had so many people tell us that there was nothing wrong with her, and try to explain away her quirks....and you know what, there isn't anything wrong with her, but there is something different about her. And now that we know what it is, and that sensory processing disorder plays a part in it we can help her.
  

*Never to be confused with the little elf on my shoulder.....he mostly tells me to light things on fire.

Spicy Pan Fried Chickpeas

I promised this recipe a while back . Sorry it took me so long. I was hoping to find the original recipe where I got the idea, so that I could link back to it. Alas, I could not. I can tell you it was in a magazine, and that it went along with a really yummy soup. Also worthy of note, I've changed it up a bit...I believe they used AP flour and I use whole wheat, there was also turmeric in the original recipe, which I loooove....however I didn't feel like cleaning up after little turmericy hands the other day. Maybe next time.


2 cups cooked chickpeas
3 tbs flour
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp chili powder.
salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste preference

Oil to coat pan

Put all the ingredients into a Ziploc bag (except the oil) and shake.

Heat the oil over medium heat, and using a slotted spoon (to ensure you aren't frying gobs of flour) scoop out the chickpeas and place them in the pan. Pan fry over medium heat until golden brown.

Occasionally I add a clove of pressed garlic in the last minute of cooking time, very tasty!

I add these to soups, salads, rice, pasta dishes, alongside roasted root vegetables.....that is if I can keep my hands off them long enough for them to make it to the plate, as they are also quite tasty plain. :)

Look Ma, I'm Coding!

For those of you that know me, you will know that I am not a huge fan of the latest and greatest technology. I still have (and use) my VCR. It's not that I'm a pack rat it's just that VHS tapes are so dang durable, and my VCR still works so I haven't taken the time to switch completely over to DVD. Plus I haven't found "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" on DVD yet.
So it should be completely shocking to most of you that I was able to create this button and somehow attach it to my blog...You will note it off to the right somewhere...
I'll pause for applause......
.....
....
....
No takers? Well anyway....Yes, I made this in paint, and yes half of the eggplant is missing. The carrot also appears to be floating in mid air, not because I didn't know how to fix it...merely because eating carrots will give you night vision and other powers, like apparently levitation. I had made another button, and the lettering was too small to read so this is what I came up with. You will see my old design now at the top of my page (how about another round of applause...no... ahh lady in the back, you are too kind*).

You will also note that the button is attached to some stuff, which you can also copy...and put somewhere. Don't ask me where, I barely know how it got on my blog to begin with.

I'd like to thank Grace, who has been encouraging me and giving me ideas over the past two weeks. I'd also like to thank my husband, who told me that my levitating carrot button looked "great"....if only to get me to go to bed.











*I am aware of my need for therapy.

Taco Tuesday (I know it's Wednesday...shhhh)

Question:
When is an appetizer an entree?


A.) When I say it is, because I'm the mom.
B.) When you serve it in a 9x13 casserole dish
C.) When I say it is, because this is my blog.

Answer:
All of the above.

This dish can be eaten as is, or in taco shells (as we prefer it). You can mix it up quite a bit, spinach in place of the lettuce, add jalapenos, bell peppers, or whatever else strikes your fancy. It's basically seven layer bean dip, but I put it in a really big casserole dish and call it dinner.

I make my own refried black beans, so the measurement of three cups might not exactly equal a full two cans of the canned stuff....but this is bean dip...for dinner...I don't think you have to follow the recipe too closely. Omit what you like, keep what you like, serve stuff on the side that causes your children to vomit on you.....which reminds me of a story.......

A story that should probably wait for my picky eaters post.....
I should probably just get to that recipe.



3 cups of refried beans
1/2 cup salsa
1 cup shredded cheese
1 can of sliced olives that have been drained
1 bag shredded lettuce (or baby spinach)
1 chopped roma (or other) tomato
1 diced avocado
1/2 cup cilantro (washed well, with the majority of the stems removed)
1 diced onion if desired

Corn tortillas



Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Spread the refried beans into a 9x13 baking dish.

Spread salsa on top of beans.

Sprinkle cheese and olives on top.

Bake for about 20 minutes, or until it's hot and bubbly.

I used the time to prep my toppings....
Also, if you are using corn tortillas you will want to take this time to heat them according to the directions on the package.


Once the beans are done you have a "blank" canvas of sorts......the best kind of blank canvas, one that's made of cheese!




Layer your lettuce, avocado, onion, tomato, and cilantro over the top. Add whatever else you want. Add heaping scoops of this cheesy goodness into your corn tortillas and eat!

Mommy Tip Monday and a survey

Here we get a whole variety of weather.....most of which requires we stay indoors. That, combined with a recommendation from my daughters occupational therapist that she do hand strengthening crafts makes this activity perfect for our family.

I almost always have all the ingredients on hand for this recipe for homemade playdough. And although we usually leave ours white, after finding this recipe for natural dye I may have to change that.

What to do once you have made the playdough??? Well of course if your children are old enough they can make sculptures that resemble things. However littler hands might have fun just mashing, poking, stamping, or rolling. We make balls, and snakes, and I break out all of the cookie cutters to make shapes. This will seriously keep the kids busy for hours.

Now for the part of the show where I come out and ask a question...

What would you like to see in my Monday posts? I've listed several options, feel free to comment here, on my facebook fan page, or by email. I read, and respond to all three.

a. crafts
b. sensory processing disorder
c. picky eaters
d. product reviews
e. family planning (infertility, natural birth control, etc)
f. shut up and get back to posting recipes
g. other (specify)

I welcome your suggestions and ideas. I have a few up my sleeve, but I would really like to hit topics that you all find interesting and informative. A big thank you to all who take the time to read and or comment on this.