Blue Mountain Exchange-Pasco, WA

February 26, 2010 was our first game. It was an 8:00 a.m. game and there was so much fog that you couldn't see the other end of the field. We played an awesome team and lost. Kennedy hung out under the blanket watching Scooby Doo.

Later that day we played our second soccer game. The sun was shining and it was 65 degrees. The girls played a good game, but we lost.

Sunday was our final soccer game it was another 8:00 a.m. game. Looked totally different today without the fog. The girls looked tired after spending two nights together in the hotel. First time staying as a team without the parents. This is a good group of girls, but I was still a nervous wreck.

Before we left for Pasco, I made lasagna and chicken noodle casserole in these tin pans. We brought the convection oven to the hotel and made our dinners right in the hotel room. We found a great restaurant in Kennewick that offers gluten free meals and next time we will give the place a try. It is called Nothing but Noodles and the food looked great.

Gluten Free Tuna Noodle Casserole

8 oz. gluten free pasta(I use Quinoa)
2 TBSP butter
1 medium onion , diced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 (6 ounce) cans tuna
1 TBSP cornstarch
4 ounces cream cheese
2 cups milk
1 cup peas
2 cups crushed potato chips 2 cups shredded cheese

1. Melt butter in a large skillet and saute onion until soft. Add salt and pepper.

2. Drain the water from the tuna into a small bowl. Whisk cornstarch into tuna water until smooth. Set aside.

3. Stir cream cheese into skillet and cook until melted. Add milk and reserved tuna water.

4. Stirring, bring just to a boil and remove from heat.

5. Mix in peas and tuna, separate the tuna into bite sized flakes.

6. Boil pasta for 5 minutes or until al dente. DO NOT OVER COOK!

7. Drain pasta, and rinse.

8. Toss pasta and sauce into a casserole dish and bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

9. Top with potato chips and cheese and bake for 10 minutes more.

Finally a quick breakfast idea

It is so hard cooking breakfast every morning. Cold cereal every morning is not an option. Not only do the kids get sick of it, but it doesn't seem to keep them full for very long. Today we tried Bob's Red Mill Mighty Tasty Gluten Free Hot Cereal. It was good. The girls added raisin, butter and a little brown sugar to make an excellent meal.

7 vs. 7 Soccer Tournament at BSU

Karleigh had a soccer tournament today. She played in 5 games that started at 8:00 a.m. and last game was at 2:40 p.m. It was a good day for the team with 2 wins, 2 losses and 1 tie. I think that I am just as tired as Karleigh is tonight. All of us will be going to bed early.

Gluten Free Karleigh

Today Karleigh has decided to join Kennedy and Dad in the gluten freee lifestyle. I am so proud of her. We have noticed the last few months she has not had a lot of energy and looks pale. She also hasn't grown a lot either. Her docter has diagnosed her with lichen sclerosus et atrophicus which is an autoimmune disease. This can be triggered by gluten and we are hoping that by elimanating gluten it will decrease her symptoms.

SAUSAGE ROLLS

This recipe is from Erin H. and is the 2007 Pamela's Greatest Gluten Free Recipe Contest. I made these tonight and the girls LOVED them.

1 bag Pamela's Gluten-Free Bread Mix (including the yeast packet)
1/4 C. oil
2 large eggs
Warm water(to equal 2 cups with the eggs and oil)
16 oz. ground breakfast sausage
12 oz. cream cheese at room temp. (gluten free)
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 325. Prepare the mix(including yeast pack) according to the package instruction for STAND MIXER PREPARATION. Grease 24 muffin cups with gluten-free cooking spray. Drop prepared bread dough, dividing equally, into prepared muffin cups. With oil on your fingers or the bottom of a shot glass dipped in water, press dough down and up the sides of each muffin cup. Set rolls aside to rest while preparing the filling. Approximately 20 minutes.

Brown the sausage in a roomy skillet, crumbling well while cooking. Remove from heat, DO NOT DRAIN THE SAUSAGE GREASE. Add softened cream cheese to the sausage and stir well to combine. Divide the sausage mixture equally among the muffin cups.

Bake in preheated 325 oven for 25-30 minutes until lightly brown. Cool slightly in pan, then remove.

Note: These sausage rolls may be frozen, well wrapped, for up to 3 months. Also a fun breakfast, try serving with a poached egg on top!

Prednisone for Kennedy

Kennedy has not had any changes in her stool since December. We have been on Lialda for 1 month now and she is still having a lot of diarrhea. I spoke with Kennedy's doctor and she wants to start her on 20 mg of Prednisone to help her body get over this colitis. There are a lot of risks involved with taking Prednisone, but if we do nothing we will not be helping her either. So tomorrow morning she will start Prednisone.

Corticosteroids (often referred to simply as steroids but are not to be confused with body-building "steroids") were first introduced as therapy for Irritable Bowl Disease in the 1950s. Since that time, these powerful and fast-acting anti-inflammatory drugs have been the mainstay of treatment for acute flare-ups of disease. Most patients notice an improvement in symptoms within days of starting corticosteroids. In addition to their anti-inflammatory action, corticosteroids also are immunosuppressive. That means they decrease the activity of the immune system, which experts believe may be out of control in people with IBD. As a result, they may make certain individuals more susceptible to catching infections.

Corticosteroids closely resemble cortisol, a hormone naturally produced by the body's adrenal glands. This group of medications is available in oral, rectal, and intravenous (IV) forms. When people take corticosteroids, their adrenal glands stop producing or slow down the production of normal cortisol.

In general, corticosteroids are recommended only for short-term use in order to achieve remission. As valuable as they are in acute situations, corticosteroids are not effective in preventing flare-ups and therefore are rarely used for maintenance therapy in IBD. In addition, long-term use is not advised because of undesirable side effects. For that reason, corticosteroids are usually given in the lowest possible dosage for the shortest amount of time. Frequent short-duration use, however, is not recommended.

Kennedy's Kindergarten New Mexico State Report

Today Kennedy shared New Mexico with her classmates at Calvary Christian School. Nana sent her some post cards to put in her booklet. She also shared with her class the fact the Smokey Bear was rescued from the forests of New Mexico in 1950.

Valentines's Weekend in New Meadows

Skiing at Brundage with Nana.

Celebrating Valentine's Day in New Meadows.

The Skiing Crew

Nana flew into Idaho for a long weekend of skiing in New Meadows. It was a warm day and we got a lot of runs in. By mid morning Kennedy was following Karleigh out into the trees and hitting the jumps. We took a lunch and ate out of the back of the truck. We had so much fun.