Alfredo Sauce

8 oz light cream cheese, softened
6 TBSP butter
1 1/4 C milk
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp lemon pepper seasoning
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 C Parmesan cheese
16 oz pasta

Boil water in a large pot.  When it comes to a boil add 1/4 tsp salt and pasta.  Stirring occasionally, cook as directed. When pasta is done, return to pan, drizzle with olive oil and stir.  Then add 1/2 C parmesan cheese and stir.  Then add sauce when it is done.
To make the sauce...
Melt cream cheese and butter in a medium sized pot, stirring with a whisk.  When they are melted and combined, slowly whisk in milk. Then add seasonings.  Keep stirring until heated through.  Pour over pasta and let sit for a few minutes, stirring occasionally to let the pasta absorb the sauce.

If you want to add chicken, I cube one large chicken breast and cook it in a pan with lemon/pepper seasonings and a little olive oil.  When it is lightly browned, add 1-2 cloves of garlic and stir until fragrant(5 seconds).  Then add the chicken to the sauce before pouring over pasta.

November is almost half over!

Time continues to fly.  Taylor is doing well in preschool and we have had no issues with him being able to eat his foods safely.  I am very grateful for that.  I continue to find recipes that work for our food allergies and shelf stable foods that allow Taylor to eat similar foods to other kids. "Back to Nature" has several crackers and cookies that meet all Taylor's requirements.  He loves their Crispy Cheddar crackers.  Trader Joe's has Golden Rounds Crackers that are soy free.  These were a great find by my mother!  Trader Joe's doesn't have very many products that are soy free, but there are a few and we have been glad that they opened one here in Salt Lake City.

I hope that some of my recipes will help another Mother who struggles like me to find the right kind of food to feed her family.

This is a link that talks about soy allergies.  I found it very helpful.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/soy-allergy/DS00970/DSECTION=symptoms

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

3/4 lb extra lean ground beef
1/2 C minced onon
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 (8oz) cans tomato sauce
2 (6oz) cans tomato paste
1/2 C water
2 TBSP sugar
1 1/2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black peper

Cook the ground beef with the onions in a large pot.  I like to add salt/pepper/onion powder when cooking the meat too.  When the meat is almost done and the garlic cloves.
Stir in tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, and seasonings.  Cover and bring to a simmer.  Turn down heat and keep a simmer for 30 minutes-1 hour, depending on how much time you have, stirring occasionally.  The longer you cook, the thicker it will get.

Delicious Soy & Egg Free Chocolate Cake adapted from Hershey's "'perfectly chocolate' chocolate cake"

2 C sugar
1 3/4 C all purpose flour
3/4 C Hershey's cocoa
1 tsp baking powder(always check to see if it is soy free)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 TBSP flaxseed + 4 TBSP water
1 C milk
1/2 C canola oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 C boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9x13 pan with butter and then flour it. Mix flaxseed and water in a small bowl and allow it to sit for a couple minutes.

Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
Add flaxseed/water combination, milk, oil, and vanilla.
Mix with a hand mixer for 2 minutes. Then stir in boiling water(batter will be thin).
Pour into 9x13 pan.

Bake 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Let cool.

Hershey's "'Perfectly Chocolate' chocolate frosting

1/2 C. butter (1 stick)
2/3 C Hershey's cocoa
3 C powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Melt butter, then stir in cocoa.  Alternately add powdered sugar and milk and beat with a wire whisk.  Add vanilla and mix.  Spread over cooled cake.

This cake can be made in two 9" round pans and bake for 30-35 minutes, in a bundt cake(make sure you grease it very well with butter then flour) for 50-55 minutes, and cupcakes for 22-25 minutes(make sure to only fill muffin tins 1/2-2/3(no more).

This is my husbands favorite cake.

Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup(replacing the canned stuff)

There are many recipes that call for a can of condensed cream of chicken soup.  This works perfectly as a substitute. I double this when I make funeral potato casserole.

2 TBSP butter
2 TBSP flour
1 C Swanson's chicken broth, lower sodium version
2 oz light cream cheese, softened
salt & pepper to taste

Melt the butter, then stir in the flour to make your roux.  Then slowly whisk in the broth.  When that is warmed through, stir in the cream cheese.  Season as desired and let come to a boil for 1-2 minutes to thicken.

**I also add onion powder, or Italian seasonings, etc depending on what dish I am making.

Taylor is now in Preschool

Taylor began his first year of preschool last week and we both survived!  He had fun and I learned that he would be safe there and not have an allergic reaction.  It has been a little stressful trying to plan and make sure that not only the teacher, but the parents and other children understand that Taylor has to be very careful what he eats and touches.  I was so glad for the great support of his teacher and willingness of the other parents to understand.  I have been able to convince Taylor that he needs to try a few other types of store bought foods that I can leave a preschool for him to eat at snack time when the snacks for the day aren't something he can eat.  He is doing pretty well.

Taylor continues to improve and seems so much healthier as he continues to stay soy free especially.  It seems to affect his bowels almost immediately.  I am so grateful that we had him tested.  It has made his life much happier to not have to struggle with going to the bathroom all the time.  I am grateful to have less laundry to do.

Life is good and I am grateful that the first week of preschool went so smoothly.  Now that we are back to a "normal" routine, I am finding time to blog again and try more experiments in the kitchen(which I really love to do).  And our journey continues.

Soy and Egg Free Pancakes

1 C flour

1 TBSP sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 C milk

2 TBSP canola oil

1. In a medium sized bowl, whisk with a fork the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  

2. Add milk and oil and mix with a fork or a wire whisk until combined and most lumps are gone.

3. Spoon small amounts of the batter onto a non-stick electric griddle at 350 degrees or in a non-stick pan over medium heat.  The pancake is ready to flip when sides are cooked and center has bubbles coming through.

Yield is about 16 small pancakes.  

**Taylor loves these.  I finally found how to tweak a pancake recipe to his enjoyment.

Soy and Egg Free Molasses Crinkles

13 TBSP Butter, softened
1 C Brown sugar
1 TBSP flaxseed + 2 TBSP water(mix together in separate bowl for a few minutes before adding)
1/4 C molasses(or slightly less)
2 1/2 C flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cloves
1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger

1/3 C sugar(or more as needed for rolling dough balls in)

1.  In a separate bowl mix together flour, salt, baking soda, cloves, cinnamon, and ginger.  Set aside.
2.  Cream butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl.
3.  Add flaxseed/water combination and molasses.  Mix.
4.  Add half of the flour mixture and mix.  Then add the rest and mix again.
5.  Using a small sized pampered chef scoop, scoop balls of dough and then roll them in your bowl of sugar. 6.  Place on an ungreased cookie sheet.  I always use two cookie sheets at a time and rotate the position of 7.  the sheets from the two rack positions(on right above the middle and on right below) half way through.
8.  Bake at 350 degrees for 9 minutes (or cook for 5 minutes first then rotate sheets and cook 4 more                minutes) Yield is about 52 small cookies.
9.  Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute before removing to a cooling rack.

Summer time

So as we have enjoyed summer, I have had a little time to try some more experiments.  I really am enjoying this cooking adventure more and more.  I have also truly realized that I am bothered by soy and egg.  If I eat it now after not having it for several months, my intestines really throw a fit!  Now I can understand better how Taylor feels.  I am grateful for the access we have to other ingredients so that making this change in how we eat is an easier process than if we would live in other countries.

We took a short stay-cation over in the mountains up Big Cottonwood Canyon at the Brighton Ski Resort.  It was a glorious two day vacation that was full of fun, laughter, relaxation, and the beauties of this world.  It was very good for my spirit and I felt ready to accomplish the tasks awaiting me back at home.  My family means everything to me and I treasure those brief days we had to bond without the worries of chores and places to be.

My hope with this blog is that it helps someone start on their way a bit easier than I felt my journey of cooking for a family with allergies has been.  I love to cook and have enjoyed learning new ways to cook delicious food.  I love desserts, so this blog might end up being heavy on the desserts, but I hope that I can create a substantial recipe base for all types of food.  So, on we go on this great journey to feed ourselves with joy!

Cinnamon Streusel Muffins

2 C. flour
1/2 C. sugar
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 C. milk
2 TBSP ground flaxseed + 4-5 TBSP water
6 TBSP butter, melted

Topping
1/2 C. flour
1/4 C brown sugar
1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
4 TBSP slightly softened butter(microwave 60 seconds on 10% power, flipping half way through is just about right)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients(first 5).  Then add milk, flaxseed + water, and melted butter.  Stir until just combined.  Do not overmix.  Place in muffin wrapers in muffin tins.  If you don't have muffin wrappers, then grease the muffin tins first.

Mix topping together by cutting butter into other ingredients, using your hands actually works best.  Put about 1 TBSP topping per each muffin.

Makes 12 muffins.  Bake for 16-18 minutes. Delicious!

Crockpot Chili

1 1/2 lbs extra lean hamburger, cooked and drained
1/2 lb Italian sausage, cooked and drained
1/2 chopped onion
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 can diced green chilies
2 cans kidney beans, drained & rinsed
1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
26 oz beef stock (OR 20 oz beef broth + 5 oz homemade chicken stock)
4 cans tomato sauce
2 TBSP worchestershire sauce
2 TBSP brown sugar
2 TBSP chili powder
1 TBSP cumin
3-4 dashes cayenne pepper

Brown hamburger, sausage, onion until cooked and onion is tender.  Add minced garlic and stir 30 seconds until fragrant.  Place in crockpot.  Add all other ingredients and stir.  Cook on high 1 hour and then low for 6 hours.  This recipe has a lot of "sauce" to it.  If you want a thicker sauce, then you can reduce the liquid or add some cornstarch mixed with cold water at the end.  Serve with chips and cheese or whatever you would like.  This recipe is also mild.  If you want more spice, more veggies, more meat etc..make it the way you like!  This is how my kids like it.:)

Whole Chicken and Chicken Broth in the crockpot

This recipe was a little intimidating to me because I had never before bought a whole chicken and cooked it, let alone make homemade broth.  But this was surprisingly easy(crock pot does most of the work) and very delicious!

1 whole chicken(I bought frozen and let thaw in fridge for 2-3 days)
5-6 cups of hot water(mine would only hold 5 cups)
2 stalks of celery, rinsed and cut into chunks
2 carrots, peeled and chopped into chunks
1/4-1/2 onion, chopped
1 TBSP parsley
1/2 TBSP peppercorns
1 tsp Real Salt
3-4 dashes poultry seasoning

1. Chop all vegetables and place in bottom of crock pot.
2. Sprinkle all seasonings over vegetables.
3. Rinse chicken and place on top of vegetables.
4. Pour hot water into crockpot.
5. Cook on low overnight(about 9-10 hours).
6. In the morning, take out chicken, be careful because it is so tender it falls apart(Use it for soup or any recipe that calls for chicken).  Take all the meat off the bones and then put the bones back into the crockpot with the broth.
7.  Continue to cook the broth and bones all day about 10-11 hours.
8. Turn crockpot off and ladle broth, veggies and bone into a strainer over a large glass bowl.  You want a strainer with very small holes.  When broth is all strained into the large bowl. Let cool for 30 minutes covered with a paper towel.  Take paper towel off and cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in fridge.
9. The next morning the fat will solidify and you can easily scrape it off.  Then your broth is ready for you to use in any recipe.  It is very delicious!

Note:  Some recipes I read said to strain the broth with cheesecloth too.  I didn't have any so I didn't use any.:)  But if you want all the tiny particles strained then you might want to try it with cheesecloth.

Yield:  All the meat from the chicken, plus about 4 1/2 cups of chicken broth.  You can use the broth right away, or freeze it for later use.

Taylor's 3 month check-up

This past Monday, Taylor had his check-up with his allergist.  I thought that he would test Taylor again, but he wants to wait another year before we test him again.  He just asked how he did with egg and soy and whether he had any other allergic reactions during the past three months.  He was very impressed with how much better Taylor's eczema on his hands looked.   We decided to still stay off egg and soy and rotate months or every couple months on and off to see if he still has any reaction.  Then we have another check-up in six months.  Taylor was very glad that he didn't have to get poked again.  Taylor's doctor also gave us some samples of coconut free shampoo, conditioner, sunscreen, soap, and lotion to try.  I haven't found a convenient way to purchase shampoo without coconut.  He doesn't really use conditioner so I hadn't looked at what's available.  The samples are put out by the Mayo Clinic.  So, I'm guessing that they are expensive.  Maybe every six months I can just get free samples!!:)

Life is good, and Taylor is accepting his lot in life.  He does very well and always tells everyone he meets that he has allergies.  At first I was kind-of embarrassed by this, but I have realized this is a good thing.  The more people around him that know he has allergies, the safer I can keep him.  Taylor's doctor also recommended getting a kid friendly allergy bracelet.  Walgreens is currently selling them through November 1, 2013.  I think that I will go and look at them and see how much they are.  For preschool, this might be a good reminder to him and other kids that he has to always ask before he eats something.

So, we journey on... continually trying new recipes and finding more things that Taylor is happy to eat.  I also feel like I am feeling so much better since cutting egg out of my diet.  I am hopeful that I too can out-grow that allergy if I in fact have one.  Taylor and I both love eggs, so it would be good to eat them again.:)  But I am quite happy with flaxseed and it seems to work in many recipes.

Until next time...have a wonderful day!!

Re-introducing egg & soy

So it has been a little over two weeks since we were supposed to give Taylor egg and soy again.  I have been very hesitant with the egg and soy because I worried about his eczema.  He has done really well.  I haven't dared give him scrambled eggs yet, but I am going to try this week.  Mostly his egg has come from things like Kirkland frozen waffles.  I did let him have a tiny bit of Honey Nut Cheerios this morning which have almonds(which he isn't supposed to have).  He really wanted to try them again and technically he didn't test positive for almonds, so we gave it a shot.  He did experience some reflux today though.  I think it could be the cheerios or it could be the ramen noodles I let him eat a tiny bit of last night.  The ramen is really bad because it had all his allergies, plus more, that it was processed on the same equipment.

I just can't wait until his next testing, which is on June 3rd.  Then it will give us some more clear answers hopefully about what Taylor can and can't eat.  It is hard to feed him these foods when I know, or think I know that he is still allergic to them.  I can tell that he doesn't function as well the days he eats more soy or egg.  I still try to mostly feed him non-allergy food.  Just keeping enough soy/egg in his system so that the tests will hopefully be accurate.

Taylor is getting better about knowing what he can eat and when he is hungry it's not such a sad thing that he can't think of what options there are to eat.  He is such a good boy and almost always so tender and kind to everyone he sees.  For example, at my piano recital(yes I take lessons), he handed out papers he colored to the participants at the recital.  He just loves to give and make people feel loved.

I am truly grateful for the food labeling laws that have made my life so much easier.  I don't feel so stressed anymore because we have found some favorite things Taylor loves and I know he is happier.

Life is GOOD.:)

Snacks & Cereal & Treats

Taylor seems to still resist trying new things.  So right now unfortunately he is eating a lot of fruit snacks and fruit by the foot.  Betty Crocker is the one of the only brands that is coconut free.  General Mills seems to be on top of allergies when it comes to cereal.  By far they have more options for cereals Taylor can eat than any other brand.  There have been a couple of Western Family and Great Value, but Taylor seems to like the General Mills ones best.  Taylor has also really loved go-go squeezes.  They sell them now in bulk at Costco.  They are better for him than fruit snacks so I am okay with spending more for applesauce if he'll eat it.:)

He is finally eating the chocolate chips that are soy, nut, egg, dairy, etc free.  I hope soon he will try the actual cookies I make with them.  I made a homemade yellow cake from the Better Homes & Gardens cook book with flax seed instead of egg and it turned out great.  So moist and more dense and filling.  Of course he wouldn't try that either.  At least most of the rest of us like our new diet.

My eczema has actually been a lot better since I have taken soy and egg out of my diet too.  I do eat soy sometimes still when I have crackers.  I did have egg for the first time last weekend and my hands were cracked and bleeding by the end of that day.  I am sure that I will benefit by this diet too.

I am truly grateful for the companies that strive to make foods that people with allergies can eat, especially those companies that go to the effort of certifying that their foods are safe.  It gives me peace of mind and that is good when I hear of people dying from eating something they are allergic too.  I'm not sure if I will survive sending Taylor to preschool next year, but I will cross that bridge when it comes.:)

Life is so good.  I am so blessed.

Chicken & Cheese Taquitos

I made these last night and they were so good.  A little time consuming but worth it.

4 Chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1/3 C light sour cream (you could probably use cream cheese instead)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/8 tsp cilantro
2 cups cheddar cheese (or more), shredded

15 tortillas(fresh uncooked tortillas from Costco are soy free)

Directions
1. Trim chicken and cut into thirds or halves depending on size and place in crockpot.  Cover with water and cook on high for 4-5 hours.
2. Remove chicken from crockpot onto a plate.  Cover with foil and let rest for 5 minutes. Shred chicken with forks.
3. In a large bowl, mix sour cream and seasonings.  Add chicken and mix well. Set aside
4.Cook tortillas according to package.
5.Preheat oven to 400 degrees
6. Using a pampered chef stoneware cookie sheet, brush 1-2 TBSP olive oil to coat.
7. Place 1-2 TBSP chicken and a little bit of cheese a little off center in a tortilla and roll up.  Place on stoneware seam side down.  Repeat until all tortillas are filled.  I filled 11 tortillas with chicken and cheese and 4 with just cheese(for my non meat eating children).  The cheese ran out of the cheese only ones a little, but they still tasted great.  After all tortillas are on the stoneware, brush the tops of the tortillas with olive oil making sure to get all the tops that are showing.
8. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.  Serve with homemade salsa or whatever you have.

I also cooked some Cafe Rio green rice to go with these taquitos.  My husband was still raving the next morning.  These are not spicy at all.  If you want more spice then you can always add some cayene pepper, red pepper flakes, green chilies, etc.

Chocolate Chunk Cookies

3/4 C granulated sugar
1 C brown sugar
2 sticks butter, softened
1 1/2 TBSP ground flax seed
4 TBSP water
1/2 TBSP vanilla
3 C Flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 pkg Enjoy Life Mega Chunks (semi-sweet)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
1. Mix sugars together well in a large bowl with a hand mixer.
2. Add the butter and mix well.
3. In a small bowl mix the flax seed and water.
4. Add the flax seed/water mixture and vanilla.  Mix
5. In a separate bowl stir the flour, baking soda, and salt.  Add 1/3 of this dry mixture at a time mixing well.
5. When flour is all mixed in, stir in the mega chunks.
6. Using a small pampered chef scoop(or something similar), scoop tablespoons onto waxed paper covered cookie sheets(very important to use wax paper, not parchment--you'll get a different effect).
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until lightly golden brown around the edges.

Success!

Taylor actually tried some soy free crackers and LIKED them!!!  Back To Nature Cheddar Cheese crackers are actually very good.  They are expensive, almost five dollars a box, and the box is little too.  I purchased them at Harmon's.  Hoping maybe I can find them on amazon and buy them in bulk and save a little.  We'll see. I feel really happy about this today!

Helpful website

This website was really helpful to me when I was searching for candy Taylor could eat.  It is nice that others take time to do lots of research and make it available for others.

http://surefoodsliving.com/

Good Trusty Recipes

I am grateful for some of the recipes that I have been making for a long time that Taylor can still have.  He seems to mostly want to eat the things that we had before he was diagnosed.  I think I make pizza once a week or every 10 days.  I have been making french bread since I was twelve.  My mother taught me this wonderful recipe!  Now I am even more grateful that she taught me to make it because I am making it 2-3 times a week.  Taylor loves this bread with no crust and lots of butter.  I figure at this point calories are calories.  Since his two best sources of protein are now on the bad list, I must be happy with whatever I can get him to eat.  Sometimes that is hard for me to accept.  My degree in college was Dietetics, and so I feel like I desperately need him to eat from all the food groups.  I always felt that even though he was small, he was getting a pretty well-rounded diet.  He liked many fruits, p.b. and eggs, broccoli... not too bad for a toddler.  I know that we will eventually reach a point where he will be old enough to realize he needs to broaden his menu, but for right now cereal and fruit snacks are our best friends.  I hope some of you can enjoy some of these recipes even if you don't have to deal with food allergies.  I promise they taste good.:)

French Bread

1 TBSP quick rise yeast
1 1/2 C very warm water, divided
1 TBSP sugar
1 tsp salt
1 TBSP olive oil
4 C flour

1. Pour 1 C warm water in a large mixing bowl.  Fill a measuring cup with the other 1/2 C warm water.
2. Put yeast in the 1/2 C water and stir until dissolved.
3. Put sugar and salt in the 1 C warm water in large bowl.  Stir until dissolved.
4. Add the yeast to the sugar/salt water.  Stir.
5. Add the oil and Stir.
6. Add the flour one cup at a time, stirring very well.  After all four cups are added, cover with a towel and let rise 10 minutes.  Stir. Repeat at ten minute intervals 3 more times(for a total rise time of 40 minutes).
7.  Roll out the dough onto a floured surface(I like to get some wax paper and flour that and then roll the dough onto that).
8.  Separate the dough into two pieces.
9.  Roll each half into a 9x12 rectangle.  Roll up from the long side(like you would to make cinnamon rolls).  Tuck under edges at each end.  Place on a greased cookie sheet.
10. Slash the tops of dough 3-4 times with a sharp knife.  Cover with towel again and let rise 30 minutes.
11. Bake at 400 degrees for 22-25 minutes.
12. When you take the bread out of the oven, brush the tops with melted butter.

Homemade Pizza Sauce

2- 8oz cans tomato sauce
1/2 C chopped onion
1 TBSP dried basil
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp dried oregano
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 tsp pepper

1. Put all ingredients in a medium sized sauce pan.  Bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until the onion is soft.

*This makes enough sauce for four pizzas
*I just freeze this in containers and it thaws nicely.
*This is from Better Homes and Gardens and altered only slightly(no canned tomatoes)

Easy Homemade Pizza Dough

3 C flour
1 pkg active dry yeast
1 tsp salt
1 TBSP sugar
2 TBSP olive oil
1 C warm water

1. Combine flour, yeast, salt, sugar in a large bowl.  Stir(a fork works great).
2. Add oil and water and stir until combined.  I sometimes use my hands to knead the dough just a little.
3. Roll out on oiled(or greased if you can have soy) pizza stone.
4. Put on homemade sauce, cheese, and whatever toppings you desire.
5. Bake at 375 degrees for 18-22 minutes.

Yummy Banana Bread

1/2 C granulated sugar
1/2 C brown sugar,packed
1/4 C butter, softened
2 1/2 TBSP water
1 TBSP ground flax seed
2 Lg. bananas
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 TBSP light sour cream
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 C flour
 1. Grease loaf pans(I use the disposable aluminum mini loaf pans) with butter or shortening(if no soy allergy)and then dust with flour.
2. In a large bowl, cream the sugars and butter with a hand mixer(that's what I use)
3. Mix the water and flax seed in a separate bowl. Add to the butter & sugars. Mix.
4. Add bananas, vanilla, and sour cream.Mix.
5. In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients together. Then add to the other mixture a little at a time and mix.
6. Fill pans half full, then sprinkle with granulated sugar.
7. Bake at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Times will vary depending on size of loaf pan and oven.
8. When toothpick comes out clean take out of oven and remove from pans and allow to cool on a cooling rack.
*Note:  I buy the ground flax seed at Costco on the cereal isle.

Our Family's Food Allergy Journey

My name is Emma. I have decided to create a blog where I can post about successes and failures as I try to find allergy friendly food to feed my four year old son Taylor. I am the mother of five beautiful children(whose children aren't beautiful to them?). They range in age from 12-almost 2. I have two daughters and three sons. They bring me such joy. Taylor has struggled his whole life with eating. Since the moment he was born I knew he had reflux worse than my other children. He was always so tiny. The medicine helped but by the time he was one year old he began choking on the stomach contents after he fell asleep. For the next six months until we could get into a specialist I hardly slept at all. I constantly worried that I wouldn't wake up when he was choking. After seeing the specialist and adding one more medication he improved a lot. He finally began to grow!! His specialist always suspected food intolerances, but since there was no dangerous reactions we opted to wait to test because it is expensive. Then about one and a half months ago he finally had a reaction and we scheduled the food allergy testing. We found out he was allergic to egg, soy, tree nuts, coconut, and sesame seed. They also said to stay away from peanuts right now too even though he didn't test positive for that. We will test again in June. It has been a great struggle for me to find things that he will eat. He is very stubborn and picky and isn't excited at all to try new things. That brings me to this blog. I wanted somewhere to record what recipes work. I hope that this will give me a chance to help anyone else too. I decided that our whole family would eat Taylor friendly for dinner, but other meals it would be okay to eat mostly normal. We did change some things because it would just be a pain to have two different items, for example two different loaves of white bread. I am not a blogger, so this is new for me. Hopefully, I can figure out how to put recipes on here and separate them into types of food. Here I go!