What's For Dinner?

What did you have for dinner tonight?

We had green bean bundles, pork roast, and veggie medley with creamy garlic sauce.

I think the veggies with the sauce tastes like pasta primavera!

~Stacey

Tongue Tie, Food Eliminations, and Baby#2

Four months after eliminating dairy and starting on this journey I discovered that I was pregnant again. I was shocked and elated all at once, such are the emotions of a newly pregnant woman. I was on my way to a healthier me having recently lost 40lbs and gone off the antidepressants I had been on for ten years. I had eliminated dairy and eggs, two huge no-nos for my body and the world was looking brighter. I had conquered some unknown demon and was finally healthy!

My second pregnancy was easy and I felt great. Compared to my first pregnancy this was a breeze and we excitedly awaited the arrival of Jackson. Or Abigail. We weren't sure since the baby wasn't showing the goods!

I distinctly remember saying at one point in my second trimester, "Watch, this baby will be allergic to something else, like soy or wheat." Did I have a crystal ball that told me this? Did I know deep down I was headed for what came next? Or did I know on some level I had issues with these foods and just needed the kick in the pants to see it?

We welcomed Our second daughter in November 2009. From the start she was bumpy and rasht but I was told ny our new pediatrician this was baby acne and totally normal. By 3 days old the baby was losing suction while nursing and the THREE different LCs I presented this to said the baby's as doing this because she was done and sleepy. No no no that didn't seem right and no one listened to my concern. Once the milk stopped flowing freely she'd lose suction and struggle at the breast. No one thought it was an issue and chalked it up to my being over anxious. We plodded along this way since she was gaining well and having adequate wet and dirty diapers.

At 10 days old I gave in to my extreme cheesecake craving (and don't I deserve that after a surprise home birth?). We went to Whole Foods and picked up a MooCluck cheesecake, made from soy. It was quite delicious for a cheesecake void of all cheese. Anyways, by the next morning my daughter was covered in bumps. As I was nursing I was watching the bumps appear on her body and it was obvious that soy was an issue. I laughed about that a lot that first day but being that I needed to test my theory I held off on the cake for two days and tried again. Same reaction. I had proved to myself it was an issue and the soy elimination began.

Did you know soy is in everything? EVERYTHING. One of the main ingredients in Stovetop Stuffing is soy protein isolate and oddly enough that stuffing (as delicious as it was) always made me sick. Huh. Go figure.

Along with the bumps came green poop. Baby poop should be yellow and smell sweet but my poor soy allergic baby had green, slimy, mucous filled diapers that were just....wrong. Her weight gain continued to be adequate but her stools were weird - green - with the occasional "normal" stool thrown in to give hope.

The details are a little fuzzy but over the next month I ended up eliminating peanuts, nuts, fish, shellfish (which I know I'm allergic to) in addition to our dairy and eggs. Another month went by and I eliminated wheat (THAT was scary). On day 3 of my wheat elimination I woke in the middle of the night with diarrhea and extreme nausea. I ran a fever and felt absolutely hideous until my husband made me a slice of spelt toast and after a few nibbles I felt normal again. Sounds weird, right? I was going through withdrawal! Remember how we talked about dairy being a drug? Wheat and gluten are as well, and my body was not happy with the elimination.

http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2012/04/wheat-is-an-opiate/

http://www.livingwithout.com/issues/4_8/giving_up_gluten-2024-1.html

http://www.livestrong.com/article/246282-gluten-free-diet-and-withdrawal-symptoms/

At this point my daughters stools were still green and mucus, and they had zero smell at all. In early March I tested my wheat theory and both the baby and I were very sick. At that point, and grasping at straws, I eliminated gluten. I had to psyche myself up for it because going gluten free in our society is no easy feat when you don't know where to start.

My daughter was now 4 months old. She's still rashy, still pooping green and mucus, she wants to nurse all the time and on top it off it all she stops sleeping. I can't eat bread or peanut butter or pasta or anything thats tasty and oh.my.goodness I'm so hungry all the time and every food seems to be the enemy. Breathe.....

I'm tired, I'm beyond frustrated, and I'm mad at the world. No really, l was so angry I could spit nails or breathe fire. I saw no joy in life because it was all such a struggle and all anyone could offer was "why not use formula?" Yes that's the easy I-dont-have-to-do-all-these-food-eliminations way but have you seen the ingredients in formula? They're dairy or soy based. That makes formula a no no from the start! I'd also like to remind you of my resolve from my first child to eliminate dairy as not to hurt her. My resolve is strong as steel now and isn't nobody getting between me and breastfeeding. Nobody.

This is also when I discovered my older daughter was allergic to corn....a bumpy itchy rash on her behind. We tested this theory too and within 20 minutes of eating Ian's gluten free chicken nuggets (corn in the breading) she hd a red, itchy, bumpy rash on her behind. It took awhile to get rid of all the corn because it hides in everything by weird names.

Is your head spinning yet? I'm off dairy, eggs, soy, nuts, peanuts, fish, shellfish, wheat, gluten, and now corn.

But the acne I've struggled with since I was 11 is gone. I've lost all my baby weight plus an extra 15lbs. Wow.

But my baby, 6 months old now, has only gained 5 oz in two months. I'm starving my baby. I'm not producing enough milk. Here come the comments....formula...you can't nurse....formula is better....you're failing...

You know what? I didn't do all this to fail. This is my child, my chance, and I'm not giving up.

A friend gave me the number of a holistic lactation consultant and I met with her that week. She gave me a list of things to try, suggestions to pump after feeds, and sent me to see her chiropractor of choice for body work for the baby. I felt like someone was listening. Finally.

I saw the chiropractor and within the first 5 minutes she confirmed there was a posterior tongue tie. WhAt?! How did this go unnoticed for 6 months? Oh yes, I had no pain and she was gaining well. Remember the loss of suction I mentioned? Tongue tie. Remember the green poop? Tongue tie and food issues. Remember how I said I wouldn't fail? I won't!

To be continued....
~Stacey

Coconut Flour Breakfast Oven Cakes

Breakfast is by far my most challenging meal. We can't eat eggs, cereal, pancakes, waffles, yogurt, oatmeal, or granola which generally leaves us with .... Meat. I love bacon, don't get me wrong, but I need MORE! Additionally I have two bottomless pits to feed so more is essential.

What's for breakfast?

Without the ability to utilize eggs in recipes my choices for making pancakes or other baked goods have been limited. I created my own pancake recipe two years ago using coconut flour, chia seed, and flax but they were always so moist I felt I had to keep trying.

I'll never make a replica of an IHOP meal with our limitations, but it's fun experimenting. I have made some killer IHOP tasting pancakes but for that I used cashew flour, and that's not always on the "go" list for people. Sigh. Food allergies!

Recently I was looking for something new for the morning and thought I'd have a go at my old pancake recipe. I gathered the ingredients and, out of pure laziness, dropped spoonfuls on a cookie sheet and popped it in the oven. I was delighted to find that the "pancakes" came out drier and solid, unlike when cooked in the pan. I took a bite and was extremely pleased with how they turned out...so I promptly added sunbutter and voila - instant "peanut butter toast"!

Coconut Flour Breakfast Oven Cakes
1/3 cup coconut flour
3tbsp flax meal
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tbsp maple syrup, grade b

Preheat your oven to 375* and grease a cookie sheet with coconut oil.
Mix your dry ingredients in a bowl.
Mix the wet ingredients in another bowl.
Add the dry to the wet and mix thoroughly. Let this set for a minute or two as the coconut flour will absorb all the liquid and expand slightly.
Drop spoonfuls onto the sheet and flatten to your liking. They will not spread or change shape.
Bake for 30 minutes until they are an acceptable shade of golden brown.
Lather with sunbutter and enjoy! My girls eat them with applesauce.
-Stacey

~Stacey

Basic Paleo Meatballs

We love meatballs. Meatballs are fun! You can reach in the fridge and grab a leftover meatball and eat it cold as a snack. And yes, I've always eaten food that should be hot, cold. Some leftovers are just better cold.

You can make meatballs 1000 different ways, with more sauce variations than you can even count. Our current household favorite is a simple ground beef meatball, with what we've dubbed "swedish" sauce. OR, "Creamy Garlic Sauce"

We have it easy for meatballs, because we can eat eggs. Stacey's family does not eat eggs, so there will be an egg free variation to these as well. I tend to make a LOT of meatballs at once, and eat leftovers for a few days, or freeze them. I'm positive you remember those frozen meatballs at Sams Club? Same concept, only real, wholesome food. No additives, preservatives, MSG, not to mention gluten free and delicious.

Now if you're at my house, the first and most important part of making meatballs, is removing the ground meat from the freezer early enough to actually accomplish your goal. If you don't thaw out your meat, this recipe simply will not work no matter how strong your mixer or your arm.

Tools you'll need;
A large, high powered stand mixer. This is of course optional, you don't HAVE to have a mixer. But my mixer is magnificent, and I use it every chance I get. I love my KitchenAid mixer. The large 6qt professional series mixer will mix 5lbs of meatballs/meatloaf for me. Altho at that capacity I have to use the splatter screen. ~insert evil laughter here~
A medium bowl
whisk 
13x9 baking dish, or two.

Meatball Ingredients;
2lbs ground beef
1 cup almond meal (I grind my own in my Ninja but Bob's Red Mill is a finer grind)
3-4 eggs
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
1 tsp black pepper
1-2 cloves minced garlic

Dump all of that into your stand mixer (or a large bowl) and turn it on with the paddle attachment, and let it come together slightly on the lowest setting. Then turn it to whatever setting you'd use for bread. For mine, that's speed 2.

While your meatballs are working (or after if you prefer to pound the days frustrations out on some meat with your hands) make your sauce.

Garlic Cream Sauce ingredients;
2 cans full fat coconut milk
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2-3 cloves minced garlic
1-2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp basil

Whisk it together and go back to your meatballs. Form your meatballs, about 1- 1 1/2 inch balls works best. Lay them out in your baking dish (or two) and then pour the sauce over the top.

Bake @ 350* for 45 minutes to an hour. You want the sauce bubbly, reduced, and slightly browned around the edges.

When they're done, pour them in a serving dish. The smallest they'll fit in and let them rest in all the delicious creaminess of the sauce. This is important, as they cool slightly, the sauce thickens and sticks. And trust me, you'll want to lick your plate.

I generally serve our meatballs over a roasted or steamed spaghetti squash or steamed broccoli.


~Jamie

So what do you eat? And tuna salad recipe.

This is the question I hear most often. I understand how frightening it is to someone to hear that we can not eat (here goes!) .... Gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, corn, rice, grapes, raisins, onions, watermelon, banana, potato, tomato, eggplant, pepper....

It sounds scary, but it's reality here. That's the total list for all five of us and not every item applies to everyone here. For me, however, the only items I can eat on that list are....grapes. That's it.

"So what do you eat?"

The million dollar question! I eat vegetables, fruit, and meat. That's basically it and while it seems limited it's quite freeing. There's an ease to cooking that comes from being limited in choices, and that's what I want to chat about now.

"So what do you eat?"

Well, let's talk about what I ate today. For lunch I had tuna fish, cucumbers, and some leftover roasted Brussels sprouts and broccoli. I know what you're thinking about the tuna - what about bread? Mayo? Neither is included in this meal - no gluten, no grains, no eggs (mayo).

Tuna Salad
1 can tuna fish
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 chunk of cucumber, chopped
3 baby carrots, chopped
1 scoop Bubbie's kosher dill relish
Sea salt
Black pepper
1 avocado

The avocado acts as the "mayo" and holds it together. I tend to toss some dill in when I make this and it's a great on the go kind of meal. I took the girls to the library for a play date and a showing of Disney's "Brave" so tuna was a great meal to take for an on the go, 2 kids and a newborn lunch at the library.

"So what's for dinner?"

Dinner tonight - very simple and very tasty. The menu for Chez Stacey tonight boasts pork tenderloin, green bean bundles, steamed squash, and roasted Brussels sprouts.

The green bean bundles involve some effort but the rest is simple. The pork was seasoned with salt, pepper, basil, rosemary and cooked in a glass dish with some water. It came out very moist with just enough seasoning to be flavorful and not overwhelm our "ew it's spicy!" kids. The squash was steamed and the sprouts quartered and roasted with a touch of extra virgin olive oil. The green bean bundles require taking a few green beans and wrapping them with bacon (photo recipe to come) but its super easy and worth every effort. So there you have it, tasty simple dinner and you don't need to love to cook to achieve this!
~Stacey

Sweet'n'Sour Chicken

Chinese food, or Oriental food takes a far backseat in your mind when you discover soy makes you ill. You know, that feeling when you realize you've finished an entire pot of coffee and just feel icky and nauseated for the rest of the day? Yes, that feeling, but coming from even small amounts of soy. Or while breastfeeding, the reaction from your infant makes your stomach turn even more. A week later you're wondering why your baby has a rash and eczema on face and the baby acne returned. Then in your older child, the tantrums, lack of eye contact and hyperactivity returned. Hmmm. From some soy sauce? Really? Le sigh.

                                                   Traditional Sweet n sour chicken.

                                                     Battered, fried, covered in sugar

So you go through a year or 18 months with no oriental foods whatsoever, no soy sauce, no egg rolls, and you wistfully think back to those days of not knowing why you felt bad. You think "maybe I could try it again, maybe it won't make us sick" and reach for the super yummy Tofu sour cream in the grocery store. After indulging, the symptoms return. And this time you remember why you stopped eating it in the first place. It's just NOT worth the reaction.

You begin to take a Holistic, or whole body, approach to everything. What you eat, drink, how you treat an illness etc and see the words Coconut Aminos pop across your screen. Intriguing. You start searching, and find that Coconut Aminos is a fantastic substitute for Soy Sauce. And not only is it a substitute, it's also a fermented food rich in nutrients. Fermented Coconut tree sap? Sound strange? Perhaps. Until you try it, and realize that it's better than soy sauce, and that you can eat it and feel satisfied and full instead of gassy and nauseated.

Sweet'n'sour Chicken

Ingredients;
1 whole chicken, thawed
1 can chunk pineapple with juice
1 bottle Coconut Aminos
Sea salt and Pepper.
*note, next time I plan to add some large onion and green bell pepper slices. I simply did not have them on hand.

Rinse off your chicken, and place it either in a large stock pot, or in your crock pot. Sprinkle it with salt and pepper to your taste. It doesn't take much.
Pour the Pineapple and Coconut Aminos in the pot. Stir it up and spoon some over the top of your chicken. Set your crock pot for 4-6 hours on high, all day on low, or if you cook it in the pot, start it on a med-high heat until it comes to a boil, and then reduce heat and let it simmer for 1 1/2- 2 hours depending on the size of your chicken. Be sure and spoon the yummy sauce over the top about every half hour (stove) or hour (crock pot).

When it's all done, you can either serve it up by slicing the chicken, or let it cool, and de-bone it (DO NOT TOSS THOSE BONES!) and mix the chicken back into the sauce to re-heat. Serve with steamed cabbage, squash, rice, or a veggie medley.

                                                         Jamie's Sweet'n'Sour Chicken

                       Rich in nutrients, deep, balanced flavor, bones reserved for bone broth.


Voila! Altho this is not a traditional Sweet'n'sour sauce, even my picky husband and son enjoyed this one!

~Jamie

Who Are We?

We are Stacey and Jamie, stay at home moms who share a passion for real nutrition from real food sources. Each dealing with our own set of food intolerance's, we share common intolerance's of gluten, dairy and soy and a love for all things coconut.

We "met" through an online forum in 2009 when we were both expecting babies in November of 2009. We found through general chatter that we had a few things in common, but it wasn't until a bit later that we discovered we had much more in common that we first thought.

Our girls were born 5 days apart, and actually share a common name. Among sharing a love for natural birth, cloth diapers, breastfeeding and attachment parenting, we soon realized that was just the tip of the ice-burg. Shortly after our girls were born, we celebrated their first holiday.

                                                                   Thanksgiving

AHHH Thanksgiving; dressing, potatoes, sweet potatoes, cakes and 4 or 5 different pie varieties. Vegetables are served drenched in butter, heavy cream and cheese. If you HAVE to eat vegetables, hide their true flavor as much as possible so no one has to actually TASTE a green bean. The beautiful green salad, sits there because someone felt there should be a salad, and it goes un-touched. Was there a turkey? Who can even remember?

                                                                "The Last Supper"

That Thanksgiving is where Jamie's journey into real food began. Stacey's journey began much earlier, but that's a separate post entirely. At that time, Stacey was dairy and egg free. Food intolerance's discovered through her eldest girl a few years before. The day after Thanksgiving, un-affectionately known in the retail world as "Black Friday" seems rather fitting. The day after our girls first Thanksgiving, after nursing tiny newborns at the dinner table and eating leftover pie for breakfast, The girls were fussy. Very fussy. Then came the diapers. This wasn't right, it was so far from right there was something drastically wrong. At this time in Jamie's life, the term "food intolerance" had never entered her frame of mind.

                                              It doesn't seem like much of a pyramid anymore 

Fast forward a few months and Stacey's life has been turned upside down by intolerance's and dealing with an infant who had a severely damaged digestive tract. Jamie has discovered that by removing dairy 100% she had a different child, but still had a long way to go.

Another year, and both Stacey and Jamie have taken their families gluten free, doing it because of the needs of the children, and realizing their own intolerance's along the way. Stacey's diet consisted of grass at this point, and she began a journey into the world of gut healing. A world that helped open Jamie's eyes to the bigger picture of what was happening within her own family.

Through their separate journeys, they came together as friends, and co-conspirators into developing recipes that were not only delicious, but healthy. With an added bonus of not feeling ill after eating. What an amazing concept!

                                                             Green Bean Casserole
          Gluten free, grain free, dairy free with the added bonus of bacon. Who doesn't love bacon?

Stacey has a degree in Special Education, mother to 3 beautiful girls, ages 5, 3 and Newborn. She lives in Connecticut and enjoys knitting in her "spare" time. She is currently a Stay At Home Mom (SAHM) and spends the majority of her time making muffins and playing My Little Pony.

                                                                        Stacey

Jamie is a homeschooling SAHM to two children, a boy age 7, and girl age 3. Due in late July 2013 with #3. In her "spare" time she enjoys reading, Facebook, gardening and sewing. The most favorite of her pass times is gardening, or "playing in the dirt" Jamie also spends a large majority of her time in the kitchen.

                                                                        Jamie

Basic Blueberry Muffins

There are a quite a few things I miss since figuring out all of my food sensitivities. One of them is a warm blueberry bagel with butter and hot chocolate. I know I'll never get to the blueberry bagel part but oh my have I designed a tasty blueberry muffin!

This recipe is free of grains, gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, corn, etc. in fact all it does contain are cashews, coconut, and apples (plus a few other ingredients).

Are you ready for a mouth watering breakfast treat? Grab your apron and join me!

First you need your dry ingredients and a few tools. For this recipe you'll need:

3/4 cup Cashew pieces, ground
1/2cup coconut flour
1/4 cup flax meal
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Coffee grinder
Bowl
Whisk

Grind your cashew pieces until you have 3/4 cup. Add all dry ingredients to a bowl and whisk to blend well.

Next we have our wet ingredients!

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
3tbsp maple syrup or honey
Large bowl
Whisk (hint: reuse the whisk!)
Wooden spoon

Mix the wet ingredients thoroughly with the whisk.

Slide your dry ingredients into the larger bowl and, using the wooden spoon, mix everything well.

Let that set for a few moments and grab your coconut oil. Using a butter knife scrape out. Chunk and toss it in. Use the knife to "cut in" the oil to your mixture.

Next up grab your blueberries! Toss in 1 cup of berries, mix with your hands (yes you need to man handle this recipe).

Smush into tins and bake at 375* for 40 minutes. They will come out still somewhat moist on the inside. We like to bake them ahead of time. My girls eat them cold and I toast them in the toaster oven. This dries them out some and I like the crispy, buttery flavor.

This recipe is very versatile. I've done many combos-- blueberry apple, pumpkin, pumpkin apple, pumpkin apple blueberry, coconut, chocolate, carob chip, strawberry, berry medley. The possibilities are endless!

Can't do cashews? Try almond flour! Can't do nuts? Stay tuned for a coconut flour, egg free recipe!
~Stacey