The Price of Religious Freedom, First Grade-Essay Format

"If I were a Pilgrim I would milk the cows. And I would play marbles. I would not like to be a Pilgrim. I would have to wear lots of clothes."

2008 Dairy-Free Thanksgiving Menu

Dairy-Free Thanksgiving Menu
Two turkeys, deep-fried
Gravy (substitute dairy-free margarine for the butter)
Mom's stuffing, two batches, made with DF bread
Scott's mashed potatoes (made with soymilk and DF margarine)
Sweet potato and apple casserole
Peas
Green bean casserole
Salad
Rolls
Cranberries: cranberry jelly and the awesome cranberry orange relish made by our grocery store
Raspberry jello salad (my neighbor's recipe, made with frozen raspberries from the farmer's market)
Applesauce
Relish tray
Appetizers, if someone else wants to make them

Pumpkin Pie


Cider
Soda
Water
Wine
Decaf coffee
Soymilk

Impossible Wish

"I want to be big big."

"Someday you will be big big. You'll be bigger than Mama."

"Why?"

"Because that's what happens."

"I don't want to be big."

"You don't?"

"Noo, I want to stay 'mall."

"I want you to stay small, too."

"OK."

My Sweet Vegan

I love cookbooks and cooking. So do my husband and dairy-allergic daughter. Since Katherine is just learning to read, she is especially drawn to cookbooks with color photos. At age seven, she knows that while they may look good, many of the foods in our cookbooks are not safe for her to eat. She cheerfully comes up with substitution suggestions, and Scott and I try to figure out how to make dairy-laden recipes safe for her.


Poppy Seed Cupcakes with Lemon Curd Filling

When I received a copy of My Sweet Vegan in the mail this past weekend, it was so much fun to hand it to Katherine and say, "All of these recipes are dairy free. Which one do you want to make first?" Katherine looked at the beautiful, full-color photos of rich and creamy and chocolate-y and caramel-y desserts and said, "ALL of them? I can eat them all?"


Silken Chocolate Mousse Cake

Yes, you can, Katherine. And so can the egg allergic and vegans. You can all enjoy Whoopie Pies and Bananas Foster Cake and Pumpkin Pecan Pie. Katherine and Scott chose a dessert to make--Chai "Cheese" Cake, and I was sent to the store for Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese and tofu. She can't wait to make something else, and we can't wait to help her.


Caramel Macchiato "Cheese" Cake

A few of the ingredients are a challenge for us to find in our small town right now, such as brown rice syrup and dairy-free soy yogurt. But we are working on it, and since we are not vegans or allergic to eggs, we can use ingredients like honey and eggs (and dairy-free sour cream) if we're stuck.

At just $15.61 on Amazon for a 184-page cookbook with a full-color photo of each and every recipe, I think this is a great gift idea for the dairy-allergic, or egg-allergic, or vegan person on your list.
My Sweet Vegan: passionate about dessert

Written for Go Dairy Free.

It Must Be Winter Because...

...fun treats arrived in the mail, and another is on the way.

...I'm planning holiday menus.

...Katherine and I are choosing ornament kits to make.

...I'm feeling thankful (for all of your wonderful comments).

...we've unpacked all of the hats, mittens, scarves, gloves, and boots.

...I'm figuring out the best way to arrange our house to entertain three children indoors. (Ideas?)

...it's snowing!

Beating a Dead Horse to Death

This was going to be a post about another near-miss food allergy experience Katherine had last night and she's fine but I'm angry and when are people going to understand and I realize that eternal vigilance is the price of food allergies but what can I do so that this doesn't keep happening at a church we've attended for five years and blah blah blah allergycakes.

Are you as tired of this as I am?

So. What I am going to say instead is "Thank You" to all of you. Thank you for reading and being supportive. Because of you, I did not just vent on my blog and leave it at that. I called the director this morning (a very hard thing for me to do) and told her how upset I was, and I will do the same thing at a meeting next week. Otherwise nothing will change.

Thanks for helping me find my voice.

How to Make Eating Peas More Exciting

1. Pretend all of the peas on your plate are Batmans and Jokers.

2. Have two peas "fight" each other.

3. Squeeze the Joker pea between two fingers.

4. Announce, "He is squeezed."

5. Eat him.

6. Announce, "Batman is safe."

7. Eat him.

8. Repeat.

9. "I want more peas!"

Autumn Eats

I made pumpkin puree on Monday, per The Pioneer Woman's instructions. So now I can make pumpkin bread. Then maybe I'll continue my autumn baking with a recipe from BeanPlate, like Nora Bee's Shoo-fly Pie. Mmmm....

Pumpkin Bread from The Fannie Farmer Cookbook

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I usually omit this.)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sift together the flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda. Mix the pumpkin, oil, eggs, water, and spices together, then combine with the dry ingredients. Stir in the nuts, if desired. Pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake 50-60 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Turn the bread out of the pan and cool on a rack.

Edited to add: For muffins, bake the batter at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes in muffin tins.

Food-Allergic American Girl

Yesterday Katherine and I, along with Helen, Gramma, and twelve of our neighbors, went to an American Girl Fashion Show held as a fundraiser for the Ireland Cancer Center in Cleveland, OH. All of the girls wore dresses that matched their dolls' dresses--in color, at least. We don't have the cash to spring for "real" AG dresses for our girls. Lunch was served during the fashion show, and Katherine was provided with a dairy-free meal. The girls had a lovely time being together at such a fancy, grownupish event, and the moms and grandmas had fun, too.

Are you sensing a "But..." coming? Good for you!

When we received our reservation confirmation letter for our not inexpensive tickets (I know, I know--it's for charity!), the letter said, "Lunch of grilled breast of chicken and vegetables over pasta for adults and fingertip sandwiches and potato chips for children will be served. If there are any major allergies in your party that need accommodation, please contact us as soon as possible so that we may work with Executive Caterers in Landerhaven."

Wow! I thought, as I dialed the provided phone number. How great that they're thinking about this! I thought, as I left a message on voicemail. What the heck? I thought, as I waited a week for a phone call.

Then the call came from a volunteer. "We ask that you call the caterer directly so that there is no mix-up in the passing of information," she said.
"That's great! I really appreciate that! What is the caterer's number?"
"Oh, I don't have that. You'll have to look it up yourself."
........?
"Ma'am, I live two hours away in another state. Could you please look it up and call me back?" "Well, I wouldn't know where to look."
"Fine. But you're going to need that information for other parents who might call."

Using my trusty friends, The Internets, I found the caterer's number and spoke to a woman there. We decided that it was easier to order Katherine a plain chicken breast, with sides of plain pasta and vegetables then to try to figure out safe breads and fillings for the finger sandwiches. I also requested juice in place of the milk the other girls would have. No dessert was mentioned in the menu, so I didn't think to ask about it. I told the caterer that the people holding the fundraiser didn't have the caterer's number to give out and that she might want to call them.

I packed a PB & J sandwich and dessert for K., just in case, and off we went. She was served a plate of chicken and pasta with a buttery-looking sauce identical to the adults, so I sent it back to the kitchen to make sure it was safe. It was made with olive oil, so yes. I also requested a bag of potato chips for her so she could be like her friends. No one had gotten the message about the juice, so I requested a glass, along with a fancy straw like the other girls had with their milk.
The dessert was chocolate mousse, so I just pulled out the cookies I brought for Katherine. I wish I had asked about sorbet or something on the phone, though. Or that the woman I spoke with had mentioned dessert.

In summary, Executive Caterers did provide safe food for my daughter, and the servers were very pleasant and helpful. The people planning the American Girl event need to get their act together, especially since they've been doing this event for a dozen years. Don't write about accommodating allergies in your letter if you don't even have the caterer's phone number! And while I am always thankful when people are accommodating, I also think that is is my daughter's right to have safe food, especially when we have paid a good bit of money and the event planners bring up the subject of food allergies first!


Sidebar complaints, RE: treatment of mothers with infants, centerpieces
One of my friends and I brought our babies along, a fact we stated very clearly on our registration forms. No additional information was sent to us, so we assumed it was fine. We brought small strollers for the babies, but upon arriving were told that there was no room in the ballroom for them. Yet many of the little girls had full-size umbrella strollers for their dolls that they were allowed to bring in. (Did I just go there? Oh yes I did.) So my friend and I held our babies while eating and feeding them. It was fine, but we were back in a corner where there was plenty of room, and why didn't someone contact us and explain what the situation would be beforehand?

The centerpieces were made of plastic wands with paper stars on top. The same kind of wands were used in the grand finale, which was made up of the models and some girls from the audience. Those girls all got to keep the wands, but we were told to leave the wands on our tables for the second show. Now, I could care less about this, but it bothered our girls, and you know the girls at the second show were going to be allowed to take those wands home. The sponsors couldn't shell out ten more dollars to get enough wands for both shows? Please.

Sigh. I know, I know--it's for charity!

Making a Canyon Out of a Gopher Hole

Eli and I raked and mowed the lawn this morning while Helen napped. E. was such a good listener and did such a good job. Then on the way to the house he caught his foot in a hole and fell down. He proceeded to crawl around, crying, not putting any weight on his foot for the next hour. I called the doctor's office and the nurse said I needed to bring him in... to their partner's office the next town over.

Scott always tells me not to overreact, to which I respond, "You're right, you're right. I know you're right," and then do it anyway--arranging for someone else to pick K. up at early dismissal, berating myself for not packing any food for lunch or enough diapers for the baby, wondering how long we might be at the doctor's office/hospital, envisioning life with a two-year old in a cast ("How will we bathe him?!?"), making panicked phone calls while Eli screams in the backseat of the van ("I DON'T WANT A BAND-AID!! IS FEEL BETTER NOW!!")

Well. It is just a mild sprain. Thank goodness. The doctor had never met us before, and he gently reminded me that kids this age are often more scared than hurt. I tried to explain how unusual this behavior is for E., and the doctor just smiled kindly. Whatever. Eli is fine, and that's what's important.

But now I feel all jangly and full of nervous energy I need to burn off. I feel the way I did when Scott and I were driven from our wedding ceremony to our reception. Friends had left a split of champagne in the backseat. We finished it on the 10-minute drive, and it didn't even make a dent in my nerves. It just made me stop shaking. Maybe I'll go out for some therapeutic Christmas shopping tonight and bring home a bottle of wine to split with Scott.

Table Torture

The challenge of getting kids to eat dinner is nothing new, what with the "how many more bites/why do I have to try it/I know I won't like its." Throw in a menu limited by food allergies, and it can be even more of a struggle. But have you ever heard this?

Middle child takes bite of sauce. *Full body shudder* Pause. "It scares me."


Let me know I'm not alone. What's your favorite dinnertime food fight story?

Small Town Politics

We went to our little voting location this morning bright and early, and the line was already out the door. The sweet ladies who work the polls were excited about the turnout, but not so excited about the already-malfunctioning voting machines and printer. I love that they know everyone and have the book open to where you need to sign your name before you even tell them.

Katherine gets to vote at school, too, so she thought it was kind of neat to come along with us first. Eli thought we were going to see a boat, so he was not so thrilled. "Where da big boat? We go on it? It so loud?"

After we voted, Eli, Helen, Grandad and I went to the Kiwanis' All-Day Pancake Breakfast, where E. ate his weight in pancakes and sausage. When Katherine used to come with us, we'd bring a bagel for her to eat with the syrup and sausage. Today I bought some frozen sausage to share later with K. and Scott. Mmmm...

Time to get something done. Hope you're having a good election day!

Hiya, Pumpkin

After making pumpkin bread and pumpkin cookies for our Halloween festivities, I was left with about a half of a cup of canned pumpkin--not pumpkin pie mix but 100% pumpkin. I didn't want to throw it away, but I couldn't think of a good use for it. Then it hit me: baby food! It's the perfect consistency for Helen right now. If she were younger, I would run it through the food processor with a little water. I'm feeling pretty proud of myself, so if you've already been doing this for years be kind in your comments.

Katherine's most recent issue of Scholastic News is about a pumpkin festival. One of the activities asks you to circle the festival foods you would try. Katherine circled pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, and pumpkin pancakes. She did not circle macaroni and cheese with pumpkin seeds. Good job! (We'll just assume the other items were made with soymilk.)

Even though we pack K's lunch every day, we still get a copy of the cafeteria menu. November's sidebar column is about the importance of milk: "Milk provides calcium, vitamins, and nutrients that kids need. Encourage your [child] to drink three cups a day. Keep the milk fat free, but it is okay to add chocolate and strawberry flavoring. If your child is allergic to milk, try calcium enriched soy or rice milk. If your child is lactose intolerant, get lactose free milk."

Thank you for these wise words, School Cafeteria Menu! Too bad the school doesn't provide soy or rice milk or lactose-free milk in the cafeteria! Or dairy-free meal choices, for that matter!

Sigh. I guess they're trying, sort of, right?

Treats and Tricks

Happy Halloween! Our trick-or-treat was last weekend, so I'm trying to liven things up around here with some ghost sandwiches (Mine are on multigrain bread. Dirty ghosts?) for lunch and our traditional mummy dogs for dinner. I might make mashed potato ghosts, too. And pumpkin bread. (All made dairy-free, of course.) Maybe we'll watch It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown while we eat toasted pumpkin seeds. Krazy!

In food allergy news, the new Living With Food Allergies Blog Carnival goes up at Go Dairy Free today. Also, I just joined Zeer.com. Have you checked it out yet? And finally, Juventa from Milk Allergy Companion just introduced herself. Yay, dairy-free bloggers!

Hemoglobin update, part two: I've been putting Helen's vitamins in her morning oatmeal, which she doesn't seem to mind. And while there are differing opinions about whether or not my iron levels affect the baby or not, I figure it can't hurt to be taking my iron supplements. Just to clarify about the nurse's questions, the content of her questions didn't bother me, what bothered me is being asked questions that have no right or wrong answer as if there IS a correct answer.

It's not enough that we have to worry about our children's foods, lotions, and soaps. Now we have to worry about milk in their clothing! Karen sent me a link to these ecofriendly clothes made out of milk fiber. I kid you not.

Work It, Nowheymama!

Do you ever visit Work, It Mom! where Sundry and Swistle have their Milk and Cookies column? Well, WIM started a new Problem Solved column where different bloggers write about topics like homeschooling, cheap skincare, etc., and my column about food allergies is up today! Please go over and leave a comment!

Hemoglobin update: Miss Helen does have low iron levels, so we've started her on multivitamins with iron. Thank you for all of your suggestions. I did dust off my box of (big, nasty, horse-choking) prenatal vitamins with iron and started taking them again. A mother's love knows no bounds.

Eli and I are off to play in the "no" and make "nomen" and "noballs" to throw at each other because it's "no-ing." Even though it's not Cwistmastime.

Please Rephrase the Question

Questions asked by the nurse at Helen's nine-month checkup this morning:

"She's sleeping through the night all the time, isn't she?"

"She's not breastfed, is she?"

"She's cruising, isn't she?"

"You don't live in a house built before 1950, do you?"

Because her hemoglobin number was low: "Are you sure she's not exposed to lead?"

[Answers: No, yes, no, yes, yes.]

Anybody else's baby have low hemoglobin results at their nine-month checkup? Tell me about it while I go stuff Helen with iron-fortified baby cereal.

Russian Hot Pot

For CAQuincy, here is Russian Hot Pot, which is not how the Mad Men guys refer to their secretaries ("She's a real Russian hot pot.") but is instead a simple one pot meal.

Russian Hot Pot

My mom clipped this recipe from a magazine (probably Woman's Day) years ago. It recommends serving the dish with bread and pickled beets, which I guess is where the "Russian" comes in.

2 cups beef bouillon or beef broth
1 pound thin-skinned potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 pound green cabbage, cored and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
1 16-oz can whole tomatoes
1-1 1/2 pounds ground beef or ground turkey

Put the bouillon or broth in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Add the potatoes and increase the heat to high. Add the cabbage and onion. Add the tomatoes, breaking them up with your fingers. Add the meat, crumbling it up. Bring contents of the pot to a boil for about thirty seconds. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Serve in soup bowls.

The leftovers freeze well, or you can mistakenly leave them in the pot on the stove overnight and create a fruit fly breeding ground. Your choice.

Thursday List

Thanks to everyone for your eating out tips! I think one of us should win the chance to cook with Martha Stewart, don't you?

Helen is at that in-between food stage I always forget about. She wants to eat everything with her hands but still needs us to help fill her up with pureed foods. What are your favorite baby foods for nine-month (*Sniff!*) olds?

Our town does Trick-or-Treat the Saturday before Halloween, which makes Halloween itself rather anticlimactic. That means Trick-or-Treat is this Saturday! And the school "Literary Parade" is tomorrow! I dug out all of the kid's costumes yesterday and am making a peanut and dairy-free treat (rice krispie treats) for Katherine's class party.

Speaking of food allergies, thank you so much to The Allergic Kid for the link to BeFreeForMe.com. Coupons for expensive allergen-free foods! Whee!

This bread recipe has changed my life. Fresh bread every night! Tonight we're having it with Russian Hot Pot. I don't know what's Russian about ground beef with cabbage, potatoes, and tomatoes. The pickled beets served on the side, maybe?

Eating Out

Recently, Linda wrote and asked, "I have a 5 year old who is allergic to dairy and I am very
interested in any dining out tips you may have! I am specifically looking for restaurants that
you frequent and what you order there. Also, Eating out for breakfast seems daunting. What are your 'staples' for eating out or packing to take with you?"

I'm going to divide this subject up into a few categories to make it easier to manage. Disclaimer: This is just what we do for our daughter. I am not a doctor, and your child's allergy may be more severe than Katherine's. Etc., etc..

At Home
When we're home, we don't eat out very much. When we do, we go to places we know well where we've never had any problems. Either Chinese restaurant in town is fine, but of the six or so pizza places, only one has dairy-free crust AND has never cross-contaminated Katherine's pizza with cheese. Interestingly, it is a local, not national, chain restaurant, and the workers are almost all college-age guys. They take great care of us. Katherine's Chinese food staples are sweet and sour chicken and white rice, and her favorite pizza is bacon with sauce--no cheese.
We also like our local Eat n' Park's breakfast buffet, which is a good place to take visiting family or friends. It has several dairy-free items available and has Silk soymilk on the menu. The servers are always happy to get buffet items from the kitchen for Katherine so we know they haven't been cross-contaminated. Katherine usually eats fresh fruit, applesauce, cereal with soymilk, and bacon. If it's the brunch buffet, she'll add fresh vegetables, crackers, and jello to her menu.

Traveling
Before we travel, I go to the websites of the chain restaurants (fast food places) we're going to visit. Each chain is supposed to have nutritional information brochures to hand out upon request, but they are often out or the workers don't know where they are. At McDonald's, Katherine gets the Happy Meal with a plain hamburger, apple dippers (no caramel dipping sauce), and a juice box. At Burger King, the chicken tenders have dairy, but the chicken fries do not. Sometimes I can convince the employees to put chicken fries in her kid's meal instead of the tenders, and sometimes I have to order the chicken fries separately and make a trade. Their french fries are fine and are cooked in a dedicated fryer. Katherine can also eat the apple fries (no caramel dipping sauce) and drink juice. She can eat the Subway kid's meal with raisins or apple slices and a juice box.
For breakfast, bagels with jelly (no butter or margarine) are usually a safe bet, or else we get a box of cereal that she eats dry or with soymilk we packed. I always keep a few granola bars on hand just in case.
If I pack lunches from home for the kids to eat on the road, I include a little prize, like a Hot Wheels car, so they don't feel like they're missing out on fast food fun.

When we eat out at a restaurant I've never been to before, I grill the server about menu items. While it may be a bit embarrassing to Katherine, I make it very clear that my daughter has a severe allergy and that she cannot have any dairy. No one wants an allergic reaction in their restaurant, so usually people are very accommodating. I've had servers bring labels out for me to read, go back and check with the chef, bring the manager out, etc.
Raw fruits and veggies, plain pasta with oil or DF tomato sauce, grilled chicken (cooked in oil)--these are staples we can find just about anywhere. If there is a salad bar, I can usually find lots of things there for Katherine to eat. I usually pack fruit snacks or a cookie for dessert.

Whew! I'm going to stop there for now. Let me know what else you'd like to know, or share tips you have!

The Birds and the Band-Aids

"Eli, we're going to see my doctor today."

"You get lollipop?"

"No. We get lollipops at your doctor."

"Oh. You get band-aid?"

"No, I don't think so."

"You have baby in your tummy?"

"No. No I don't."

"Oh. OK."