Breaking bread

Success! I couldn't wait to use my breadmaker so I rushed to Pinterest to find a vegan recipe!  This is from gazingin.com 

I substituted rice milk for the almond milk.  Worked great!  I had no idea how easy it is to use the breadmaker!  And the bread is delicious and kason loves it.

I enjoyed the first piece with my favourite- Stella's Jam!  

It's so great to be able to make something for all three of us to enjoy.  That was the fear that I was starting to have.  I want to be able to get home from work and make a meal that my whole family can enjoy.  Through research and a little work I am learning how to do this!

So far- a favourite meal of ours: BBQ pork chops, quinoia, and steamed yellow beans!  Yay!

Best hubby!

Kelly and I celebrated 4 years of marriage this week!  Instead of jewellery he treated me to something that he knew I would love!

Yay!!  He knew exactly what I wanted.  

We were at The Forks last weekend and I was ecstatic to hear that Tall Grass Bakery makes most of their bread Vegan!!!!  Kelly said he couldn't believe the joy that brought me and he knew that this was the gift that would make me happiest.  That's what being in a marriage is about!  Getting things for your partner that you know makes them happiest, not just what you think you should get them.

Later on our anniversary Kelly just said "I only want what's best for you and Kason" to me.  

I love my husband and what a fantastic father he is to kason.  

So I'm looking forward to baking my first loaf of bread tomorrow!  Stay tuned.  

Lasagne!

Yay!  Time to make something normal that we can all eat!

Anyone used this before?

It's pretty gross, I'm not going to lie.  Tastes like cheese whiz- only you don't really know what you are eating- because it's not dairy or soy.  Sort of looked like a block of tofu in the package but it did the trick.  We used brown rice lasagne noodles we found at Vita Health and extra lean ground beef.  

Before

 After

A little charred but tasty!  Good thing I didn't burn it because this lasagne is pricy with all the alternates in it.

We dug in and Kason liked it best!  Success!  I missed cottage cheese in my lasagne but we will have to live without.  We made sure to freeze a bit for kason on one of those days where Kelly and I decide to order pizza!

Hey! Should I try pizza next?  Someone told me to try goats milk- so if that's a go we can use goats cheese (my fave).  

Dairy side note!  Kason is slowly getting into this little gem!

Sweet Impressions

I can see that this no egg/ dairy thing could suck as kason gets older with birthday parties!

For Kason's birthday party I went to a wonderful bakery on Harrow called Sweet Impressions.  They are a completely nut free bakery but also have this wonderful 'Vegan Angels' line.

For Kason's birthday I got him a Vegan Angel cake just for him.  It's made with vegan becel and egg replacer.  I thought it was darn delicious!  Kason did too I think...

So when we want a treat for kason Sweet Impressions is where you want to go!!  Thanks to my good friend Missy for telling me about the place!!!

Ps- the bakery is amazing for regular items too!  Cupcakes and Imperial cookies are at the top of my list!

Farmers Market

We decided to tackle the Farmers Market this weekend in search of some organic and all natural - allergen free items!

First up!  Bread!

Found a great little Hutterite stand that has one kind of bread that is dairy/egg/nut free.  Sure- it was $5 a loaf- but maybe the next best thing to making my own bread.  Still working on finding a bread maker!  Hopefully it will work out to less than $5 a loaf!

Next- veggies!

Found the biggest cucumber I could find for kason!  This is his favourite veggie at the moment!  Gotta love fruit and veggies!  A sure thing for kason with his allergies!  Luckily I don't have a picky veggie eater yet!  It will happen- from what all my mommy friends tell me!  Maybe he won't be fussy since he has tried so little compared to other toddlers his age.

Last- we found a little secret gem-

Although I find it strange that they are marketing allergy free cupcakes that are made In a facility that processes allergens, I'm still grateful for another option for treats!  I purchased a $3 cupcake for kason and froze it for a special occasion!  Maybe for our 4th anniversary this year!  Kason and I got to have a delicious sample of a chocolate cupcake at the stand which was very special!

So now to tackle another day-another week with my allergy kid!  More fruit and veggies!!

Food allergies in the news

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/topstories/article/319790/483/Family-struggles-with-food-allergy-at-soccer-camp

It's stories like these that keep me on my toes.  It's too bad that there are people out there who feel so inconvenienced by kids with allergies.

Now I know what to ask when we start sending kason to camp!

Ps- allergy to beef?  That would suck!!

Over the top mom?

The thing I am learning about being a mom of an allergic kid is that I have to be incredibly obsessive about everything that goes into Kason's mouth.  

Remember when you had a newborn and you made everyone wash their hands before they held your babe and you could barely hold a conversation while you were with them?  As they grow older, moms become more comfortable and it's easier to zone out and assume your kid is ok or getting into harmless trouble.  I must say- I have always been jealous of those moms who could let their kid walk out of the room and not need to follow them!  

With an allergic kid- it's tough to do that.  In your own house it's a safe assumption that the allergens are not present (of course our house is peanut free) but most people's are not and I would never expect them to be (how I miss ice cream with pb and jam in it!)

So instead of letting my toddler play carefree at a friends house-  I have to make sure that very little speck of food he finds and picks up is not nuts or dairy!  And I have to be anal and annoying when asking friends if their kids had pb today if they are playing with the same toys. 

Of course- if any of my friends asked this of me I would not only understand but go out of my way to ensure that these items are not present- which most of my amazing friends do!  But it still makes me wish I could have those carefree moments when visiting a friend.

Then I had an epiphany- would I be that carefree if Kason was allergy free?  This little dude who I have been with since his creation- who I nurtured, fed, helped sleep- would I really just let him go and see if he finds a tub filled with water or the toolbox?  Probably not.

These are the unique characteristics that make you parents- caring for your child!  Sure- having an allergic kid comes with challenges and some requirements when visiting friends- but I wouldn't change it for the world!

Foodie

Ya right!  I'll never think of myself as a chef or a baker- but I'm going to give myself credit for trying!  

For some reason I am obsessed with baking for kason.  And I have only baked twice for him!

I think it's because I think that all little kids deserve a treat- delicious home made chocolate chip cookies just out of the oven!  Delicious.  

I was so sad at the idea that kason and I could never have this experience- that was before I did a bit of research! 

There are so many alternatives out there!  I started easy and made muffins from am organic mix- don't judge!  My intent is to switch to making everything from scratch but I need to work my way up to that!

I used my trusty egg replacer which is amazing!  Great for making meatballs and burgers as well as baking!!  Works great as a binding agent.

Then- to top it off I added dairy/nut free semi sweet chocolate chips.  Purchased for a steal of a deal of $12.95  from my favourite little shop 'Sweet Impressions' (more on them later and how much money doesn't matter when you are in there!)

The finished product....

Ok- so it's really nothing special.  A very average tasting oatmeal chocolate chip muffin!  But the amazing part!  We can give it to Kason AND he loves it!  It's a great way to get him to drink his 'milk' too!

More allergies

Being a mom of an allergic kid means you have to put your frugalness aside and be prepared not only to spend a little more on alternatives (like the $13 package of dairy free chocolate chips) but to waste food when he has a reaction.

We were so excited to start Kase on soy formula to reduce the costs of formula- since his formula is almost twice the price, but now we are stuck with a full opened can of formula and a blotchy kid on Benadryl.

These entries are going to end up being vent sessions for me!  Wish me some successes soon!

MY allergic kid

These last few months have been a real eye opener for us with Kason's allergies.  Everyday we are learning something new and how to adapt.

On Monday kason had a strong allergic reaction where he got approx. 20 hives clustered in one area.  Luckily we were able to control it with Benadryl but it's the first time that we have considered using his Epi-pen.  

We are learning about how expensive food alternatives are and how to use them appropriately.  We are learning that it not only requires time and effort to feed a kid with allergies, but creativity and love.  

It's been about a year since I started this blog, and I laugh when I think about how the blog was designed to discuss losing weight and being a mom.  Well, I lost the weight because I am a mom!  Having to cut out dairy while breastfeeding helped me lose those last 10 pounds and not being able to keep peanut butter/granola bars etc. in the house helps.

This blog is going to take a slightly new direction now- this is an opportunity for Kason and I to show our experiences living healthy with allergies.  Perspectives from the parents, Kase man and our incredibly attentive and helpful day care owner who is teaching me not only how to be a better parent, but challenging me to try new things with alternatives instead of assuming that they can't be don't because of allergies.  

Share with me your perspectives, advice and questions please!  I'm learning too!

Happy healthy eating peeps!