I have never been a parent who caters to her children at meal times. What I cook is what you get. Period. You might be surprised to hear that, considering I have a child w/ Asperger's Syndrome. I've read that many children who are on the Autism Spectrum are very particular about what they eat; often it is regarding the texture. My Aspie, on the other hand, eats anything, when he remembers that he is hungry! (Of course he's limited now by our GF/CF eating style.) To be quite honest, it's my two neuro-typical children that give me the biggest problem w/ meals. B is my texture freak, w/ an extreme dislike for beans, and M just won't sit still & hush long enough to eat!
So, w/ all of this in mind, what happens when you, the parent, cooks a meal that you don't particularly care for? That's what happened at our house tonight.
One of the things that I promised myself when we began this journey in to GF/CF was that I wouldn't spend a fortune trying to replace gluten filled items w/ the gluten free counterparts. However, there is one exception - pasta. And I have been in a maddening search for a gluten free pasta that actually tastes & feels almost like the real thing. (See! I'm willing to compromise. I said "almost".) Finding a decent replacement is important for our family, b/c one of the kids' favorite meals is spaghetti! I've tried quinoa pasta, rice pasta, & corn pasta. The quinoa was AWFUL - a big pile of mush! Then I tried rice pasta, but I think I undercooked it b/c of my fear of it turning out like the quinoa pasta!! Lastly, I tried the corn pasta, which looks the most like regular semolina pasta, and it turned out okay - last time. Tonight was a different story! I don't know what in the heck I did wrong,... but YUCK! The children were not at all phased by the starchy pile of stuff resembling spaghetti! They devoured it & asked for more!!
What did I do? Blow my cover? NEVER! I took little tiny bites while they busied themselves w/ dinner conversation, and the moment JG asked for more I gave him my plate, stating that I just wasn't very hungry! Then I had almonds & grapes for dinner while no one was looking!
Today's menu:
Breakfast: pancakes (Namaste pancake mix), sausage (Jones Farm), & oj
Lunchbox: pork t-loin, apple slices, & Jello w/ water
Snack: Enjoy Life Cocoa Loco Chewy Bar & Juicy Juice
Dinner: Spaghetti - organic ground beef, Newman's Own Sauce, & corn pasta
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Roller Coaster
I swear, our life is like a roller coaster ride, but I could handle the downs a lot better if I had a guarantee that there was going to be an up the next day!! JG had a fantastic day today! There was not a single meltdown, and that is monumental! He came in from school in a great mood & had his homework done by 4PM, and he did it on his own (except for the practice spelling test)! I didn't have to sit beside him to help him go from one question to the next! I didn't have to coax him to stop rolling his pencil or spacing out! He wanted to go outside to play, so he just sat down & finished every bit of it - humming & singing, all the while!!
JG remained in this great mood for the entire evening! I took he and his sister to feed the ducks & geese down at the bay for his reward. Then we came home to get settled for the night, and he continued to cooperate w/ everything! He showered on his own!! He started the water! He undressed himself! And, most importantly, he was in and out in a very short amount of time! (I usually have to go into the bathroom multiple times during his showers to remind him to bathe & get out.) I'm telling you - you couldn't get any more opposite than yesterday! My head is spinning from the turnaround!!
So, what did I do different?! I certainly didn't wave a magic wand, b/c I would be swinging that thing around every day if I had one! I think that one factor in this amazing mood change is that he got to go to his resource teacher & hang out in the sensory room two times today. It makes an enormous difference if he can decompress at set times during the day,... so that he doesn't "explode" all over us when he gets home! But really & truly, in my heart, I know that the biggest reason that he did so much better today is b/c someone very special to me prayed sooooo hard for us today - for JG, specifically, and for mine & my family's ongoing struggles to take care of such a complex (but amazing) little boy! And I'm so grateful to her for taking time out of her busy schedule today to talk & pray w/ me!!
Today's Menu:
Breakfast: Kinnikinnick (allergen free) donuts, fruit, & orange juice
Lunchbox: leftover white bean soup & water
Snack: Mareblu nut crunch mixed w/ dried cherries & Juicy Juice
Afterschool Snack: grapes
Dinner: grits, eggs, fruit, & orange juice
*Today was our first time to try anything from the Kinnikinnick product line, & it was very well received!! Thank you, JenLacy! I managed to get part of a donut that M didn't finish, and it was oh so yummy!!
**Comic relief for the day: JG now wants a female goose named Lucy for Christmas!!
JG remained in this great mood for the entire evening! I took he and his sister to feed the ducks & geese down at the bay for his reward. Then we came home to get settled for the night, and he continued to cooperate w/ everything! He showered on his own!! He started the water! He undressed himself! And, most importantly, he was in and out in a very short amount of time! (I usually have to go into the bathroom multiple times during his showers to remind him to bathe & get out.) I'm telling you - you couldn't get any more opposite than yesterday! My head is spinning from the turnaround!!
So, what did I do different?! I certainly didn't wave a magic wand, b/c I would be swinging that thing around every day if I had one! I think that one factor in this amazing mood change is that he got to go to his resource teacher & hang out in the sensory room two times today. It makes an enormous difference if he can decompress at set times during the day,... so that he doesn't "explode" all over us when he gets home! But really & truly, in my heart, I know that the biggest reason that he did so much better today is b/c someone very special to me prayed sooooo hard for us today - for JG, specifically, and for mine & my family's ongoing struggles to take care of such a complex (but amazing) little boy! And I'm so grateful to her for taking time out of her busy schedule today to talk & pray w/ me!!
Today's Menu:
Breakfast: Kinnikinnick (allergen free) donuts, fruit, & orange juice
Lunchbox: leftover white bean soup & water
Snack: Mareblu nut crunch mixed w/ dried cherries & Juicy Juice
Afterschool Snack: grapes
Dinner: grits, eggs, fruit, & orange juice
*Today was our first time to try anything from the Kinnikinnick product line, & it was very well received!! Thank you, JenLacy! I managed to get part of a donut that M didn't finish, and it was oh so yummy!!
**Comic relief for the day: JG now wants a female goose named Lucy for Christmas!!
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
A long day...
So, JG got sick w/ his first cold of the school year & stayed home Thursday & half of Friday, and we continued to lay low through the long weekend. He never ran much of a fever, and I never gave him any medication - just ran the humidifier a couple of nights. He still sounds a little nasally today, but he went to school all day. What I find disheartening, though, is that a nice long weekend that most of us would love actually wreaks havoc on JG. The lack of routine is just so hard on children on the spectrum!
The last few days have included some major meltdowns - the kind that wear me down to a puddle! In fact, as I sit here blogging, I'm having a beer & trying to come down from the day. It's hard, especially when you know that you'll probably have to face the same thing the next day. I know that all of you Aspie parents know what I'm talking about, for sure, and probably some of you other parents, too!! I need to look back at my own blog & read about the day that we had the "awakening" - when JG apologized to his little sister & wrote a letter to God! I need to read it & be reminded that there will be more of those kinds of days to come. We're just at the beginning of this path to healing!! "Awakened" days will multiply & meltdown days will diminish!! That's my prayer for JG today.
All of the whining being said, I warned ya'll that I wouldn't have much shopping this week - so what should I tell you about? Recipes? Menu? Maybe a little of both!
Breakfast: Rice Chex, Rice Dream milk replacement, & orange juice
Lunchbox: Thinly sliced pork tenderloin (grilled on Sunday), leftover sauteed red potatoes, whole green beans
Snack: Mareblu nut clusters, a plum, and Juicy Juice
Afterschool Snack: Luigi's Italian Ice Philly Swirl Stix NEW DISCOVERY!
Dinner: Homemade White Bean & Ham Soup - In the crock pot combine 1lb. dry white northern beans (previously soaked); 1 whole onion, chopped; 2 stalks of celery, diced; 1 carrot, diced; 2 cloves of garlic, minced; 2 bay leaves; salt & pepper to taste; and some leftover ham, diced. Cover w/ plenty of water & cook until the beans reach your desired texture.
*This is the kind of recipe that makes it clear that I threw things together & left it, but it turned out soooo yummy! Even my bean hating, non-Aspie loved it & ate 2 bowls!!
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Today's Menu
Breakfast: eggs, grits, fruit, and orange juice
Lunchbox: ham, potato salad, fruit, water
Snack: Mareblu nut crunch & Juicy Juice
Dinner: Taco Salad topped w/ salsa, romaine lettuce, & organic ground
beef seasoned w/
1 tbsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
This was my first time to use my own taco seasoning, but after the episode w/ JG's tics getting so bad after having store bought fajita seasoning last week, I couldn't risk that happening again. I'll never know for certain if the hydrolyzed soy protein was the true cause, but now that I've seen what neuro-toxins can do I'll be mixing all of my own seasonings!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
AMAZING THINGS ARE HAPPENING!
An amazing thing happened at dinner tonight, and I am not using the word "amazing" frivolously! As Hubby & I were getting our plates ready to head to the dining room, I glanced in at the kids and saw JG getting up from his chair at the table. In the moment that followed I received a blaring affirmation that I'm doing the right thing!! JG went to his sister, hugged her, & told her that he was sorry for ever being mean to her!!!!! We weren't even in there yet, so he wasn't performing for us to see! I backed right up in to our kitchen and started crying!!
Only my closest friends & family know what this means, but M is typically JG's "whipping boy". He takes out a lot of his anger & frustrations on his little sister. I often worry about the long term effects of M being told that she's "stupid" or an "idiot" repeatedly every day by her big brother. (I try to counteract it by constantly telling her that she's smart & beautiful.) I think that God gave her the personality that she needs to love her brother unconditionally and to forgive him often, because she truly thinks that he hung the moon! And tonight she gathered up lots of missed hugs & kisses while her brother was willing to share them!
AND, as if that wasn't enough, (my heart is exploding) JG was a pleasure to be around at dinner and the entire evening! He made us all laugh multiple times at the table, almost making me spit out my food, which then made B laugh at me getting so tickled! There was lots of giggling,... which is a far cry from the nights, not too long ago, that were spent w/ JG & I eating at a separate table from the rest of the family.
I can't stop there! He also sat down after dinner, on his own devices, mind you, and wrote a letter to God. I asked him if I could read it & he let me. It was so sweet, and soooo JG! He told God that he knows that people get wishes, and he has never had a wish come true. So, he told God that he wishes that he could have the power of fire-bending, and that he would try his very best to be good if he could have his wish. He later added to his letter that he wishes his brother & sister could have special "bending" powers, too! (JG is really in to Avatar: The Last Airbender, right now, just in case you couldn't tell!!) Needless to say, we had to have a little talk before bed about God's timing & plans not always being the same as ours, and that you don't have to write a letter to God & leave it like a tooth under your pillow for the Tooth Fairy b/c you can pray to God anytime.
God is so good!
Only my closest friends & family know what this means, but M is typically JG's "whipping boy". He takes out a lot of his anger & frustrations on his little sister. I often worry about the long term effects of M being told that she's "stupid" or an "idiot" repeatedly every day by her big brother. (I try to counteract it by constantly telling her that she's smart & beautiful.) I think that God gave her the personality that she needs to love her brother unconditionally and to forgive him often, because she truly thinks that he hung the moon! And tonight she gathered up lots of missed hugs & kisses while her brother was willing to share them!
AND, as if that wasn't enough, (my heart is exploding) JG was a pleasure to be around at dinner and the entire evening! He made us all laugh multiple times at the table, almost making me spit out my food, which then made B laugh at me getting so tickled! There was lots of giggling,... which is a far cry from the nights, not too long ago, that were spent w/ JG & I eating at a separate table from the rest of the family.
I can't stop there! He also sat down after dinner, on his own devices, mind you, and wrote a letter to God. I asked him if I could read it & he let me. It was so sweet, and soooo JG! He told God that he knows that people get wishes, and he has never had a wish come true. So, he told God that he wishes that he could have the power of fire-bending, and that he would try his very best to be good if he could have his wish. He later added to his letter that he wishes his brother & sister could have special "bending" powers, too! (JG is really in to Avatar: The Last Airbender, right now, just in case you couldn't tell!!) Needless to say, we had to have a little talk before bed about God's timing & plans not always being the same as ours, and that you don't have to write a letter to God & leave it like a tooth under your pillow for the Tooth Fairy b/c you can pray to God anytime.
God is so good!
This Week's Shopping
I have a dear friend that gets a laugh out of the fact that it seems like I am always "at the store" when she calls. Her jests are not too far off base! Mind you, most of those shopping trips are rather small. With the GF/CF eating style I have found that it's very difficult to "stockpile" items in my pantry, b/c we typically just eat meat, fruit, & veggies. You wouldn't want to stockpile fresh items like produce b/c some of the items could spoil before you use them, and meat (predominantly "green") is too expensive to stock up on! And have you ever noticed the limited amount of coupons that are floating around for fresh foods?!
This time last year I was a coupon queen!! We didn't eat a large amount of convenience foods, and there were a lot of coupons that were useless to me back then. However, I still managed to save "mucho dinero" w/ the coupons that remained after my weeding through! Now,... good luck on finding coupons for fresh organic meat & fresh produce!! Yes, every now & then I'll have some good luck & find some in a copy of my Kiwi magazine or in the Sunday circulars, but it is extremely rare! With all of that in mind, I've gotten a really bad attitude about how those of us who live on a tight budget are strong armed in to eating unhealthy. Or, at the very least, I feel comfortable in saying that it is quite difficult for a frugal family to eat healthy. I'll refrain from discussing my conspiracy theories!
All of that rambling being said, I have developed some tricks to feeding my GF/CF family frugally. And yes, Coco, it means I make multiple trips to the local stores! Here are some examples w/ this week's shopping:
On Sunday I went to Sam's Club to pick up a few staples that I had found the week before. Mareblu Naturals makes a yummy nut cluster, Blueberry Pomegranate Trail Mix Crunch, that is peanut-free, gluten free, & dairy free. My non-Aspie son thinks that they taste like blueberry waffles! I also picked up a Sam's Club brand spiral sliced ham that is certified gluten free, a big bag of corn tortilla chips ('cause taco salad is just so yummy & can easily be GF/CF), and a bag of romaine hearts. On my last trip to Sam's a couple of weeks ago I also picked up some frozen berries for smoothies, frozen whole green beans, hummus, organic baby carrots, and Multi-Seeded Crackers. I've also spotted a good deal on some chicken & apple sausage that is certified gluten free, but I haven't been able to bring myself to buy that large of a package of sausage!
After Sam's I stopped at one of our local farmers' markets & bought a bag of red potatoes, some sweet potatoes, a bag of onions, cantaloupe & some peaches. Then I stopped at Publix for our Rice Dream, orange juice, Van's Waffles, Juicy Juice, and a few other essentials. That was it for the day,... but then I made another stop by one of our other grocery stores today! I only got 7 items at Bruno's, though - paper products (recycled) & meat! And, to be honest, those items, added to the ones that I already had, will cover us for another week or so.
Menu:
Monday breakfast: Van's waffles w/ fresh cut fruit salad
lunchbox: leftover grilled sausage, fruit salad
snack: nut clusters & Juicy Juice
dinner: ham, potato salad, & green beans almondine
Tuesday breakfast: Van's waffles w/ fruit salad
lunchbox: ham, potato salad, fruit salad
snack: nut clusters & Juicy Juice
dinner: leftovers! (red beans & rice or ham & potato salad)
This time last year I was a coupon queen!! We didn't eat a large amount of convenience foods, and there were a lot of coupons that were useless to me back then. However, I still managed to save "mucho dinero" w/ the coupons that remained after my weeding through! Now,... good luck on finding coupons for fresh organic meat & fresh produce!! Yes, every now & then I'll have some good luck & find some in a copy of my Kiwi magazine or in the Sunday circulars, but it is extremely rare! With all of that in mind, I've gotten a really bad attitude about how those of us who live on a tight budget are strong armed in to eating unhealthy. Or, at the very least, I feel comfortable in saying that it is quite difficult for a frugal family to eat healthy. I'll refrain from discussing my conspiracy theories!
All of that rambling being said, I have developed some tricks to feeding my GF/CF family frugally. And yes, Coco, it means I make multiple trips to the local stores! Here are some examples w/ this week's shopping:
On Sunday I went to Sam's Club to pick up a few staples that I had found the week before. Mareblu Naturals makes a yummy nut cluster, Blueberry Pomegranate Trail Mix Crunch, that is peanut-free, gluten free, & dairy free. My non-Aspie son thinks that they taste like blueberry waffles! I also picked up a Sam's Club brand spiral sliced ham that is certified gluten free, a big bag of corn tortilla chips ('cause taco salad is just so yummy & can easily be GF/CF), and a bag of romaine hearts. On my last trip to Sam's a couple of weeks ago I also picked up some frozen berries for smoothies, frozen whole green beans, hummus, organic baby carrots, and Multi-Seeded Crackers. I've also spotted a good deal on some chicken & apple sausage that is certified gluten free, but I haven't been able to bring myself to buy that large of a package of sausage!
After Sam's I stopped at one of our local farmers' markets & bought a bag of red potatoes, some sweet potatoes, a bag of onions, cantaloupe & some peaches. Then I stopped at Publix for our Rice Dream, orange juice, Van's Waffles, Juicy Juice, and a few other essentials. That was it for the day,... but then I made another stop by one of our other grocery stores today! I only got 7 items at Bruno's, though - paper products (recycled) & meat! And, to be honest, those items, added to the ones that I already had, will cover us for another week or so.
Menu:
Monday breakfast: Van's waffles w/ fresh cut fruit salad
lunchbox: leftover grilled sausage, fruit salad
snack: nut clusters & Juicy Juice
dinner: ham, potato salad, & green beans almondine
Tuesday breakfast: Van's waffles w/ fruit salad
lunchbox: ham, potato salad, fruit salad
snack: nut clusters & Juicy Juice
dinner: leftovers! (red beans & rice or ham & potato salad)
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Almost Done
I hope that it's okay that I start counting down the hours 'til the weekend on Thursday! Who am I kidding?! I probably start on Monday! It's not that we do anything particularly exciting on the weekends,... but I'm just happy to not have to get JG anywhere for 2 whole days. So, only one more morning struggle left before I get a 2 day reprieve. These are the thoughts that get me through a day.
JG had a much better day at school yesterday. His tics had settled down quite a bit after a good night's rest on Tuesday night. He does seem extremely tired, though - even more than he did during the first week of school. It concerns me, but I'm doing all that I can do. He has had 3 nights in a row that he's fallen asleep instantly, and that is absolutely not the norm!
I have scheduled a meeting w/ a woman for horseback riding lessons for JG. She lives right down the road, and we're going to meet w/ her on Friday afternoon. She said that she teaches them everything, not just how to ride. He'll learn how to brush the horses, how to clean their hooves, and all of the parts of caring for them, in addition to slowly learning how to ride. She doesn't have any particular experience w/ Asperger's children, but she seems very open to learning about JG. She asked some particulars, and she said that she was going to do some research about his difficulties. She has, however, worked w/ other children w/ various special needs. So,... it looks like we'll be teaching her, as well. I can't wait to tell him!
Also, I've realized that I'm not posting as much information about food as I had planned on doing, so here's a little re-cap.
Tuesday night I cooked spaghetti w/ organic meat, Newman's Own sauce, & corn pasta & it was a hit!! Spaghetti is one of JG's all time favorites, and it has been a long time since he has gotten to have some. I've warmed some up to put in to a thermos for the past two days for his lunch at school. (I also cut it up to make it easier to eat out of a thermos.)
Last night we had breakfast for dinner, and we had pancakes made from a Bob's Red Mill mix, Jones Dairy Farm turkey sausage, and cantaloupe. Everyone was happy! It amazes me that those pancakes are soooo much better fresh! FYI: We use Earth Balance spread as our butter replacement & Log Cabin syrup.
And this morning the kiddos had Van's waffles for breakfast, which has actually been requested repeatedly by my non-Aspie son! I cut up a little bit of cantaloupe on the side, and all the plates were cleaned!
The boys are going to get a special treat for their snack at school today, as I threw together a package of Betty Crocker Gluten Free brownies last night after dinner. And I also did some couponing yesterday in order to purchase some LaCroix Sparkling Water, in the lemon and orange flavors, so that the boys could have something else new & exciting in their lunchboxes! I'll be anxious to hear how they like them, but they were already excited just based on the fact that they were getting to take something that resembled a soda!!
JG had a much better day at school yesterday. His tics had settled down quite a bit after a good night's rest on Tuesday night. He does seem extremely tired, though - even more than he did during the first week of school. It concerns me, but I'm doing all that I can do. He has had 3 nights in a row that he's fallen asleep instantly, and that is absolutely not the norm!
I have scheduled a meeting w/ a woman for horseback riding lessons for JG. She lives right down the road, and we're going to meet w/ her on Friday afternoon. She said that she teaches them everything, not just how to ride. He'll learn how to brush the horses, how to clean their hooves, and all of the parts of caring for them, in addition to slowly learning how to ride. She doesn't have any particular experience w/ Asperger's children, but she seems very open to learning about JG. She asked some particulars, and she said that she was going to do some research about his difficulties. She has, however, worked w/ other children w/ various special needs. So,... it looks like we'll be teaching her, as well. I can't wait to tell him!
Also, I've realized that I'm not posting as much information about food as I had planned on doing, so here's a little re-cap.
Tuesday night I cooked spaghetti w/ organic meat, Newman's Own sauce, & corn pasta & it was a hit!! Spaghetti is one of JG's all time favorites, and it has been a long time since he has gotten to have some. I've warmed some up to put in to a thermos for the past two days for his lunch at school. (I also cut it up to make it easier to eat out of a thermos.)
Last night we had breakfast for dinner, and we had pancakes made from a Bob's Red Mill mix, Jones Dairy Farm turkey sausage, and cantaloupe. Everyone was happy! It amazes me that those pancakes are soooo much better fresh! FYI: We use Earth Balance spread as our butter replacement & Log Cabin syrup.
And this morning the kiddos had Van's waffles for breakfast, which has actually been requested repeatedly by my non-Aspie son! I cut up a little bit of cantaloupe on the side, and all the plates were cleaned!
The boys are going to get a special treat for their snack at school today, as I threw together a package of Betty Crocker Gluten Free brownies last night after dinner. And I also did some couponing yesterday in order to purchase some LaCroix Sparkling Water, in the lemon and orange flavors, so that the boys could have something else new & exciting in their lunchboxes! I'll be anxious to hear how they like them, but they were already excited just based on the fact that they were getting to take something that resembled a soda!!
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