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.