Final work day

Today was Dr. Morrison's last day!  He has now retired and ready to really start living!  I have had some great memories of working for him the last 16 1/2 years.  I owe a lot to him and I am thankful for having had the chance to work for such a wonderful person.

Check up with Dr. Angela House

We took Kennedy in for a check up today with Dr. Angela House.  Kennedy hasn't gained any weight and still is having frequent trips to the bathroom.  It seems like the last 6 weeks Kennedy has been eating foods that she is not suppose to be eating.  This constant contamination is making her so unhealthy.  The plan is to increase the probiotics and L-Glutamine.  We are also going to send in another stool sample to check for progress in the last 3 months.  One of the quotes from Dr. House really hit it home for me.  She said, "It is like trying to grow a garden in concrete"!  With the colitis, Celiac disease and IGA deficiency we really have a lot stacked against us!  It is so rough because on the outside she looks so happy and healthy, but it IS what's on the inside that matters most!

Boise State vs. La Tech

Had a great time at the BSU vs. La Tech game.  Went tailgating with some food friends.  Had a little rain, sun, hail and wind!  I guess you can't have everything.

Gem State Challenge 2010

It is Gem State Challenge time again!  The weather is awful.  A lot of rain this weekend.  Karleigh played 4 games and their team took 1st place!  Kennedy spent a lot of time in the truck keeping dry and watching movies.

Pamela's Pumpkin Betty Bars - No Crust & Easy

Cake:
1, 30 oz. can gluten-free pumpkin pie mix (pie mix is easy, the spices are mixed in the pumpkin)
1, 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup melted butter
2 cups Pamela's Baking & Pancake Mix

Topping:
2 cups nuts (recommended: pecans and walnuts)
1/2 cups melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix all cake ingredients together. Put in a well greased 9-inch x 13-inch pan.

Mix topping ingredients together and gently pat onto top of cake mixture.

Bake at 350° for 50 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool, cut into desired bar shapes and serve.

Chef's Note: this tastes very much like pumpkin pie, but you can pick it up like a bar. This recipe makes a big batch, enough for Thanksgiving. For a smaller batch use an 8-inch x 8-inch pan and use a 15 oz. can of pumpkin and half the rest of the ingredients.

Gluten Free Pumpkin Pancakes

Ingredients

2 cups Pamela's Ultimate Wheat Free Baking & Pancake Mix

1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 C canned pumpkin pie mix
1-1/2 cups milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons canola oil
Butter & warm maple syrup for serving; optional

Directions
Combine Pamela's Ultimate Wheat Free Baking & Pancake Mix and baking powder in a large mixing bowl; set aside. Combine remaining ingredients in a separate bowl; mix well. Stir pumpkin mixture into flour mixture until just moistened. Pour batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto a lightly greased hot griddle.  Top each serving with butter and warm maple syrup if desired. Yield: Approximately 16 pancakes.

Another Soccer Satruday

 Kennedy played in a soccer game today and had 4 goals.  She is amazingly aggressive.  I guess she gets that from me!  HA!

Karleigh played against another Super Nova team today.  We won the game 8-1.  We are really doing good this year.  Next weekend we have a tournament here in Boise.

Pumpkin Custard

Ingredients


• 3 egg whites, lightly beaten
• 2/3 cup sugar**
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon**
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger**
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg**
• Dash ground cloves**
• 1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin or Farmers Market Pumpkin Pie Mix
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 can (12 ounces) fat-free evaporated milk

**IF YOU CAN FIND THE FARMERS MARKET ORGANIC PUMPKIN PIE MIX THEN YOU DON'T NEED SUGAR AND SPICES BECAUSE IT IS IN THE MIX.
Directions

• In a large bowl, beat the egg whites, sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. Add pumpkin and vanilla; mix well. Gradually beat in milk. Pour into eight ungreased 6-oz. custard cups.

• Place the cups in a 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan; add 1 in. of water to pan. Bake at 325° for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Serve warm or chill. Yield: 8 servings.

Cooking with Nana

They have this great organic farm right of Meridian Road, not too far from our house.  I drive by it all the time, but have never stopped by.  We finally decided to check it out this weekend because we wanted to make some good healthy food.  The place is Rice Family Farms and they are certified organic.  They have a lot of fruits, veggies, milk, eggs and grass fed beef.  I can't believe that I haven't used this place!  It is now my new stop on the way home.

Day at Wahooz Family Fun Zone

The girls had the day off school and with Nana and Papa being here this weekend we decided to go spend the day being kids again.  We played miniature golf, rode go-karts, played laser tag and played games for 3 1/2 hours.  It was fun time enjoyed by all!

White Chicken Chili

1 lb. chicken cut into 1" cubes
1 medium onion chopped
1 1/2 tsp. garlic
1 TBSP oil
2-15 1/2 cans great northern beans
1-14 1/2 oz. chicken broth
2-4 oz. cans chopped green chili's
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 C. sour cream
1/2 C. whipping cream

Saute chicken, onion and garlic in oil,  add beans, broth, chili's and seasonings.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Stir in sour cream and whipping cream.  Serve immediately.

Jackson Hole Fall Soccer Tournament

 So 2 days of soccer in Jackson Hole, WY was a very tiring experience.  Karleigh's team did an amazing job.  Especially this being their first tournament together. 

The Transtrum White U11 Girls team won GOLD!  YEAH!

In the championship game Karleigh scored all three goals making it 3-0.  The coach gave his hat for her to wear for getting the "HAT TRICK"!  Wow, were we proud of her. 

We did find some awesome places in Jackson to eat.  Betty Rock Cafe served many Gluten free foods.  We also had cookies for Lotus Cafe.  It was so nice to be able to travel and have options other than what I bring and cook in the hotel room.

Jackson, WY

 We had the best time in Yellowstone's Bear World.  It is located outside of Rexberg, ID.  You can drive throughout the park and see deer, elk, grizzly bear, black bears, wolfs, and bison. 

 The bears were so calm.  They would sit in the middle of the road and watch you drive by. 

The petting zoo was a hit for the girls. 

There were also some small amusement rides.

 Today was a great day.  We drove to Idaho Falls and spent the night last night.  This morning we woke up and headed up to visit Yellowstone's Bear World.  Worth every penny.  We all loved it.



Chocolate covered strawberries

So today a girl in Kennedy's class brought fruit kabobs for her birthday.  Kennedy ate one of the chocolate covered strawberries!  NOT GOOD!  She came home tonight and instantly had diarrhea.  I know that the teacher can't police what all of the students are eating and that it is Kennedy's responsibility to not eat the chocolate.  She is only 6 and it is hard to say no to chocolate.  Now it will take us a week to get her back on track!

Soccer Saturday

Today both girls had soccer games.  Nothing like spending the day on the soccer field's on a beautiful day.  Karleigh's team won 12-0 and she had 3 goals.

Kennedy played a game and had 1 goal.  Her team doesn't keep score (WE WON). 

Udi's Gluten Free Pizza Crusts

I bought these pizza crust's at the Boise Co-op yesterday and have been so excited to try them since the Udi's bread and bagel's are so good.  You get two thin pizza crust's per package and as usual with gluten free food it is not cheap.  They made great pizza and good to have on hand for a quick pizza.

Udi's Bagel Pizza

Here is a quick meal idea.  Instead of mixing up a batch of pizza crust I decided to try making bagel pizzas.  Udi's gluten free bagels are awesome.

Udi's Gluten Free Bagels
Pizza sauce
Cheese
Toppings

Two Soccer Games Today

Today Kennedy had her first soccer game.  Papa Neil took her to her game because Karleigh had a game in Nampa at the same time and I had a baby shower.  She made 3 goals.

Karleigh also had an awesome game.  FC Nova won 3-1.

Karleigh's Soccer Game

Tonight we had a soccer game against Karleigh's old team.  We lost 4-1!  The team we played is the best in the U11 girls group so we did pretty well considering that.  They have been to 3 out of state tournaments this summer so they are in sync.

Karleigh's Science Project

Karleigh had a science project this week.  We had to make a recipe and discover yeast.  We decided to make a gluten free pizza.  Tomorrow she will take it to school for lunch.

Spirit of Boise Balloon Rally

Tonight Boise hosted a night glow of hot air balloons.  We went down to Ann Morrison Park in Boise to check it out.  We met some friends, James and his girlfriend and sat on the grass waiting for dusk.  They had some pretty cool balloons, but by far the BSU one had my vote for being the best!

Karleigh's First FC Nova U11 Soccer Game

Karleigh plays in the first game against Nampa Nitro. 

She had one goal and they one with a 3-2 score.

She is #42 this year.  That was her Dad's basketball number.

Kennedy would rather hang out and play her Nintendo DS.  She has also met a few of the siblings and they all played together during the game.

Food from our garden

Finally!  We got to pick tomatoes from our garden today.  We had everything to make a fresh bowl of salsa.  The girls said that it was the best salsa that they had ever eaten!  YEAH!

Gluten Free MIni Corn dogs

                                        
Mini Corn Dogs


1 pack uncured, nitrate gluten free 100% beef hot dogs

2 cups Pamela's Gluten-Free Bread Mix (without yeast packet)

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 eggs slightly beaten

2 cups warm water

Yield: 8

In a 12-inch skillet heat approximately 2-inches of oil to 375°.

Slice hot dogs into quarters and set aside.

Mix dry ingredients together.

Lightly whisk eggs and water. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, whisking until smooth. Heavily coat sliced hot dogs in batter in place in hot oil for about 4 minutes until dark golden brown. Drain hot dogs on cooling rack and serve.

Chef's Notes: I used a smaller and deeper heavy pan and worked two skewers at a time. (I used a baby fryer- great!). I tried different sized pieces which all worked. The most important thing was to use a heavy duty skewer that would hold up to the heat of deep frying.

For a county fair type corn dog, make the recipe which is pretty thick and scoop the dog through the batter and smooth over the surface to coat.

For the ultimate corn dog, use a portion of the batter which has been thinned with water and pour a smooth coat over the first coat.

Use the best hotdogs you can find and you won't be able to resist.

Aloe Vera Juice Tablets are here

Finally got the Aloe Vera Tablets.  We have been trying to order them since the middle of May!  YEAH!  We are hoping that this too will help Kennedy!

RUNNING OUT OF ROOM IN THE PILL ORGANIZER!! UGH!

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?