Parent Teacher Night

Tonight we met Mrs. Fulford.  She will be Kennedy's 1st grade teacher at Calvary Chapel School.  Mrs. Fulford will be a great teacher for Kennedy because she has a sister with Celiac Disease and understands colitis.  We are very lucky.  Outside of the room was some of Kennedy's artwork.  They are reading this week about Curious George and had to write a poster on what they would be curious to know about.  Kennedy wants to know how motorcycles work.  CUTE!

Karleigh has Mrs. Mathews for her 5th grade teacher.  She seams like a great teacher.  Karleigh had to create a business.  As you can see her store will have it all.  Just looking at all of the stuff she will be selling at her store I can see what has affected our lives over the last 2 years.  I love my girls!

King Arthur Flour Brownies Rock

King Arthur Brownie's are awesome!  I made a batch of these tonight for Karleigh's 10th birthday and we loved them!

Gluten Free Taco Pizza

Ingredients


Mix one box of pizza crust.  I use Bob's Red Mill.

 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

 3/4 cup water

 1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning mix, divided

 1 teaspoon chili powder, or to taste

 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

 1 (16 ounce) can fat-free refried beans

 1/3 cup salsa

 1/4 cup chopped onion

1/2 pound ground beef
 4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Mix ingredients as listed on the pizza crust box.  Select the dough cycle. Check your dough after it has been mixing a few minutes. If it is too dry and not mixing, add water 1 tablespoon at a time, until it is mixing and has a nice dough consistency. You want the dough to be pliable but not sticky.

2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine tomato paste, water, and 3/4 of the package of taco seasoning mix. Stir in chili powder and cayenne pepper; set aside. In another bowl, mix refried beans, salsa, and onion; set aside. In a large skillet, cook ground beef until evenly brown; drain excess fat. Season with the remaining 1/4 package of taco seasoning and a small amount of water. Simmer a few minutes, and then remove from heat.

3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

4. When the dough cycle is finished, remove the dough from the machine. Divide the dough in half, and pat into two 12 inch pans. Spread a layer of the bean mixture on, then a layer of the tomato mixture. Sprinkle with seasoned beef and top with cheddar cheese.

5. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted. Turn pizzas halfway through baking.

6. Trow on some lettuce, chopped tomatoes, guacamole, crushed tortilla and sour cream.  Mmmmm good!

Karleigh and Kennedy's first day of school

Karleigh and Kennedy started school today at Calvary Christian School.  Karleigh is going into the 5th grade and has Mrs. Mathews.  Kennedy is going into the 1st grade and has Mrs. Fulford.  This school year is going to be good.

Grass fed beef

YEAH!  I found grass fed beef at the Boise Co-op for only $4.99/lb.  We tried it tonight and it is awesome.  Aderspring Ranch

Beef from grass-fed animals has lower levels of unhealthy fats and higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids, which are better for cardiovascular health. Grass-fed beef also has lower levels of dietary cholesterol and offers more vitamins A and E as well as antioxidants. The study found that meat from animals raised entirely on grass also had about twice the levels of conjugated linoleic acid, or CLA, isomers, which may have cancer fighting properties and lower the risk of diabetes and other health problems.

FINALLY! Really good bread and bagels!

FINALLY!  The best gluten free bread and bagels!  I never thought that there would be a GF bread that wouldn't taste gritty!  We have found a piece of heaven!  Dr. House recommended this company and we went to the Boise Co-op and bought some.  We made bagel sandwiches and the bread was so soft!  I also made french toast with the bread and it was excellent.  I will be ordering the bread, bagel and muffins from their website.  http://udisglutenfree.com/

Kennedy's Test Results

Today Kennedy had an appointment with Dr. House and we finally got the results of the Comprehensive Stool Analysis and Parasitology.   Looks like a lot of the probiotics are working well for her.  One of the major things we found is that she is not digesting carbohydrates.  Dr. House wants Kennedy to take a Pancratic Enzyme 30 minutes before each meal to help with digestion.  Another area she is lacking is fiber which is hard with a gluten free diet and having an allergy to flax seed.  We will try to work on getting more fiber from fruits, veggies and beans.  We do feel like we are finally getting somewhere and know that we are doing everything possible to get her back on track.   I had told Dr. House that it was sometimes hard to go to birthday parties and other events and eat out of a cooler.  She looked at me and said,  "Just because children are running around eating cake and ice cream does not mean that on the inside they are healthy."  Wow!  That was one of those light bulb moments when it totally made sense!  How true is that? 

First Roller Derby Practice

Made it to my first roller derby practice.  We left Cascade early so I could be in Eagle by 9:30 a.m.  Practice was from 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. and it was warm.    By the end of practice I thought that I was going to die!  It isn't easy being a roller girl, but I do think that it will be a lot of fun!

Gluten Free Idaho Dutch Oven Lasagna

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
23 ounces spaghetti sauce
9 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
3 eggs
2 1/4 cups cottage cheese or ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 large potatoes sliced thin
1 1/2 teaspoons oregano
3/4 cup hot water


Preheat the Dutch oven. Brown the ground beef. When done remove the beef to a large mixing bowl. Add the spaghetti sauce to the beef and mix well. In another bowl, add the cottage or ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese (reserve a few ounces for later), eggs, and oregano, and mix well.

Place the layers in the oven in the following order: Spread potato slices around the bottom of the oven. Spread about 1/3 of the meat mixture over the noodles. Spread 1/2 of the cheese mixture over the meat mixture. Spread the potatoes and place over the top of the preceding mixtures. Spread 1/2 of the remaining meat mixture over the noodles. Spread the remaining cheese mixture over the meat mixture.  Place remaining potatoes over the cheese mixture. Spread the remaining meat mixture over the noodles. Pour the hot water all around the edges of the oven. Place the lid on the oven and bake one hour or until done. Check frequently.

Hints: This recipe works well with charcoal (12 briquettes on bottom and 12 on top).

Crown Point Trail, Cascade

Today we took the girls on a 5 mile trail around Cascade Lake.  It was a lot of fun seeing the lake from a different perspective.  The weather was perfect and we all had a great time.

Pat's Gluten Free Biscuits

I met a lady at work a couple of weeks ago that has had Celiac Disease for 25 years!  We talked for a long time and she brought me some noodles to try and a spice cake that was awesome.  Then this week I received a recipe for her biscuits and they are great!! 
Mix the flour ingredients and keep on hand to mix up biscuits anytime.

Flour Mix
2 C. rice flour
2 C. potato starch
1 C. tapioca flour
1 C. sorghum flour
2 1/2 tsp. xathan gum

Pat's Biscuit
1/2 C. unsalted butter
2 1/2 C. flour mix
1 TBSP baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 C. plus 1TBSP cold milk
1 TBSP rice vinegar
1 TBSP melted butter

Heat oven to 450.  Place the butter in the freezer for 10 minutes.  Stir the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.  Cut the butter using a cheese grater and mix until the mixture resembles a course meal.  Stir in the milk and vinegar.  Knead 3 to 4 turns on a lightly floured surface and pat into a 7X10 rectangle.  Cut the biscuits and place on a baking pan 2 inches apart.  Brush the tops with melted butter.  Bake on the top shelf of the oven for 17 to 18 minutes.

Future Rollergirl?

So I went to a roller derby last weekend and loved it!  Boise has a team called the Treasure Valley Roller Girls and they are awesome.  I am going to start training and hope to make the team in a couple of months.  Me and a friend went to the Nampa Rollerdrome tonight to practice rollerskating.  It is not as easy as I remember it!  Spent 1 hour and 45 minutes out on the rink and loved every minute. 

When I got home I realized that for the last two year I have been consumed with Kennedy and her medical condition.  I have been so focused on getting her healthy that I have lost myself.  I need a few hours a week to myself and I think that roller derby is just what I need.

Quick and expensive gluten free cookie mix

Sometimes I just don't have enough time to make chocolate chip cookies.  It takes a lot of time to make from scratch when you need 6 different flours. I found King Aurthur Flour cookie mix and made a batch this morning.  The cookies were good, but this price of $7.50/box is not so good.

Southwest Summer Pork Chops and Easy Mexican Rice

Southwest Summer Pork Chops


Ingredients

• 4 teaspoons dried minced onion
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 6 (3/4 inch) thick bone-in pork chops
• 1/4 cup barbecue sauce(make sure it is gluten free)
• 2 tablespoons lime juice

Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine the first eight ingredients; rub over pork chops. Place pork chops in a large resealable plastic bag. In a bowl, combine barbecue sauce and lemon juice. Pour over pork chops. Gently rub bag to distribute sauce. Refrigerate 1-2 hours.

2. If grilling the pork chops, coat grill rack with nonstick cooking spray before starting the grill. Grill chops, covered, over medium heat or broil 6 in. from the heat for 6-8 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees F.

Mexican Rice


Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup uncooked long-grain rice
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 2 cups chicken broth

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add rice. Cook, stirring constantly, until puffed and golden. While rice is cooking, sprinkle with salt and cumin.

2. Stir in onions and cook until tender. Stir in tomato sauce and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Making an unplanned trip to Utah

Kevin and I had to make an unplanned trip yesterday to Salt Lake City, UT because one of his cousin was sick and passing away from cancer.  Luckily the girls were in New Meadows with my parents so we could take off and not worry about much.  We got down to Utah just in time to say good bye to Rick.  He died early this morning due to complications from cancer.  He was only 43 years old.  Life is so precious and we don't know how much time each and every one of us have. 

On our way back from Utah we decided to do some sight seeing.  We went to The City of Rocks and Shoshone Falls.  So easy to travel without kids!

Weekend in Cascade

Sisters watching the river in Cascade.

Riding our bikes on the Cascade walk path.

Me and my girls.

Kennedy found the toy drawer at Grannie and Gramps house.

Grannie and Karleigh

                        Karleigh and Gramps hanging out on the couch!                      

Kevin and his grandparents holding hands!

Kevin's grandpa was his best man in our wedding.

 Great Grandparents and the girls.

New Pancake Mix

King Arthur flour  makes a gluten free pancake mix that we found and tried this weekend camping.  It is a wheat-free, soy-free, nut-free mix that packed in a dedicated gluten-free facility.  A little pricey, but a for a quick breakfast it was good.

No end in sight!

Talked with Kennedy's nurse practitioner and it looks like these medications will be needed for the next year!  I feel like Kennedy is living her geriatric life at 6 years old.  We carry this pill organizer to keep track of all these medication.  This is how it breaks down:
VSL-3(probiotics)-$114.00/mos.
Lialda-$120.00/mos.(luckily I have a $120.00/mos. coupon from the manufacturer or it would be $240.00/mos).
Canasa-$108.00/mos.
Vitamin D-$10.00/mos.
L-Glutamine-30.00/mos.
Proboulardi-$60.00/mos.
Vitamins-$15.00/mos

Wow!  This is all so much and when it comes to your children you will go to the end of the earth to help them.  I am hoping to have Kennedy going on another insurance next month and possibly save us some money!

Stocked back up on mac and cheese

Kennedy received a shipment from a friend in Oregon today-24 boxes of gluten free mac and cheese.  We love Trader Joe's and don't have one in Idaho.  So sad because they have a lot of gluten free foods at a decent price. 

Round #2

Finally!  We got another stool sample today!  Now we can get this off to the lab and finally have some answers.  I made sure that I filled all three containers to the line so that they won't reject it this time!  I will make an appointment to see Dr. House in two weeks to get the results!  YEAH!  I can't wait!

Frozen Peanut Butter Pie

Ingredients


1/3 cup butter

1 cup Enjoy Life semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 1/2 cups crispy rice cereal

Topping

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

2 (5 ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk

3/4 cup peanut butter

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup whipped cream

Directions

1.In a heavy sauce pan over low heat, melt the butter and chocolate chips. Remove from heat and gently stir in rice cereal until coated. Press into the bottom and sides of a 9X13 inch pan. Chill 30 minutes.

2.In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in condensed milk and peanut butter until smooth. Stir in lemon juice and vanilla. Fold in whipped cream. Pour into prepared crust. Freeze for 4 hours or until firm. Keep in freezer until ready to serve, and return leftovers to the freezer as well.

Celebrating Kennedy's Birthday in July

Kennedy broke her arm in May two days before her birthday party and we had to cancel it.  We told her that we would have the party later in the summer after her arm had healed.  We had some of our friends going camping with us this weekend and we decided that it would be a perfect time to party.

The girls all played a game where we tied one balloon to one of their feet.  They ran around camp trying to pop the others balloon.  The last girl left won the game.

  We also had a pinata that was filled with a lot of goodies.  Each girl got to try to break the pinata several times.  Finally it broke open and they gathered all the stuff. 

Potato and Bean Enchiladas

Potato and Bean Enchiladas


Ingredients

• 1 pound potatoes, peeled and diced

• 1 teaspoon cumin

• 1 teaspoon chili powder

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 tablespoon ketchup

• 2 cups enchilada sauce(see below)

• 1 large onion, chopped

• 1 bunch fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped, divided

• 2 (12 ounce) packages corn tortilla

• 1 (15.5 ounce) can pinto beans, drained

• 12 ounces mozzarella cheese

• oil for frying

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). In a bowl, toss diced potatoes together with cumin, chili powder, salt, and ketchup, and place in an oiled baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until tender.

2. Fry tortillas individually in a small amount of hot oil until soft.

3. Mix potatoes together with pinto beans, 1/2 cheese, 1 C. enchilada sauce. Fill tortillas with potato mixture, and roll up. Place seam side down in an oiled 9x13 inch baking dish. Spoon remaining enchilada sauce over enchiladas, and spread remaining cheese over sauce. Bake for 20 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

Ten Minute Enchilada Sauce

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

• 2 tablespoons self-rising flour

• 1/4 cup New Mexico or California chili powder

• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

• 1 1/2 cups water

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1/4 teaspoon onion salt

• salt to taste

Directions

1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in flour and chili powder, reduce heat to medium, and cook until lightly brown, stirring constantly to prevent burning flour.

2. Gradually stir in tomato sauce, water, cumin, garlic powder, and onion salt into the flour and chili powder until smooth, and continue cooking over medium heat approximately 10 minutes, or until thickened slightly. Season to taste with salt.

McCall, Idaho in the summer

Today we drove up to McCall and went to Payette Lake and Brundage Mountain.  Along the beach the water was yellow from all of the pollen.

Brundage Mountain Ski Resort in the summer.  You can ride up to the top on the ski lift and hike down or ride your mountain bike.  It was so nice seeing the mountain I grew up skiing on in the summer.

Kennedy's Check-up

Today we took Kennedy to see Barbie Doherty, CRPN for her 3 month check up.  Since our last appointment in April we have taken Kennedy of soy products.  We have been seeing Dr. House for a second opinion.  Kennedy has grown 1/4' and she looks so healthy.  Barbie was impressed and said that in the 18 months that she has been seeing Kennedy she has never had normal bowel sounds and today she did.  We are going to continue on a gluten/soy free diet and have another follow up in September.  Towards the end of the end we will plan on taking Kennedy back to repeat the biopsies of the colon.  We are thankful that we finally seem to be going forward.

Yummy Sloppy Joes

I used the bun recipe from Kinnikinnick.
Ingredients


1 pound lean ground beef

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard

3/4 cup ketchup

3 teaspoons brown sugar

salt to taste

ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1.In a medium skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef, onion, and green pepper; drain off liquids.

2.Stir in the garlic powder, mustard, ketchup, and brown sugar; mix thoroughly. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Not a good specimen

Got home from work today and had an email from Dr. House stating that the lab had called her and we have to get another sample because we didn't have enough in the 3 vials we had to send!  Really?  WHY ME?  So now we have to start over and this time we need to make sure we do it right.  I will pick up another sample box next week and I am hoping that it doesn't take 2 months again.

Double Check the Food

When I went to pick Kennedy up from the daycare the babysitter had been concerned because Kennedy had really bad diarrhea.  She had noticed on the ingredients of the blue corn tortilla chips that they had soybean oil.  WHAT?  The night before we had went to the store and Kevin grabbed the Tostitos Blue Corn Chips.  Kennedy had eaten these chips for the last two days!  The Tostitos have soybean oil but the Tostitos Natural do not.  AHHHHH!  Will this ever get easy?

Finally got our stool sample!

When we saw Dr. House in May and she ordered a Comprehensive Stool Analysis on Kennedy.  We have been trying really hard to get the sample, but Kennedy has not been to excited to let us do it.  Finally tonight we got the sample and should have the results in 2 weeks! 

Comprehensive Stool Analysis with Parasitology Test (x3) (CDSA or CSAP) evaluates digestion and absorption, bacterial balance, metabolism, yeast levels and the presence of parasites. This test is used in to evaluate the cause of various gastrointestinal symptoms, or systemic illnesses, whose origins can be traced back to parasites or intestinal dysfunction.

Gastrointestinal (GI) complaints are among the most common reasons that patients seek medical care. Symptoms associated with GI disorders include persistent diarrhea, constipation, bloating, indigestion, irritable bowel syndrome and malabsorption. The Comprehensive Stool Analysis with Parasitology x3 may be used to assess digestive and absorptive functions, the presence of opportunistic pathogens and to monitor the efficacy of therapeutic remediation of GI disorders.

The Comprehensive Stool Analysis with Parasitology x3 is an invaluable non-invasive diagnostic assessment that objectively evaluates the status of beneficial and imbalanced commensal bacteria, pathogenic bacteria, yeast/fungus and parasites. Precise identification of pathogenic species and susceptibility testing greatly facilitates selection of the most appropriate pharmaceutical or natural treatment agent(s).

Kinnikinnick Buns

Tonight I made the Kinnikinnick buns.  It was super easy all I needed was milk and mix.  The buns were excellent!  I am going to try to make sloppy joes next week. 

No good flat bread

Well today I was so excited to try this new flat bread that I bought at the Boise Co-op.  I made the 6 inch subs and it looked and smelled great.  Not so much when we ate it.  It was really like eating a thick rubber band.  Not going to buy this.

CHECK THE INGREDIENTS

So my Mom and Dad took the girls to get pizza on Friday.  They went to Chicago Connection because they have a gluten free pizza.  We usually don't eat out because of the risk of cross contamination.  My Mom asked the waitress if there was soy in the crust and they looked over the list of ingredients and told her that there wasn't.  So Kennedy had pizza on Friday and ate the rest of the pizza on Saturday.  Sunday Kennedy had diarrhea and I couldn't figure out why.  On Monday my Mom took the girls shopping and decided to go to Chicago Connection for lunch.  She asked the waitress again to check the ingredients for soy.  She came out and told my Mom that there was soy flour in the crust!!!  This is why we don't eat out.  The employees at a restaurant should be more trained and aware of food allergy issues.  Now we are paying the price of eating soy again.