Salmonella Outbreak

I'm so glad he liked the slightly salted plain rice crispies that I bought yesterday.

What's on his lunch bag today:

spaghetti for lunch
carrots
stoneground corn chips
1 piece of O's
rice crispies
water

I am beginning to think of what he's going to have for tomorrow. I just heard from the news about the pistachio salmonella outbreak. Ooops! I just bought a bag of pistachios yesterday from Trader Joe's!! Well, they said not all pistachios were contaminated. The recalled pistachios were shipped on or after September 1, 2008 by California processor Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella Inc. The FDA has announced that because the pistachios were used as ingredients in many foods, many products may be recalled. You should be aware of products from grocery chain Kroger Co. The company has recalled its Private Selection shelled pistachios in Kroger, Ralphs, Fred Meyer and other stores owned by Kroger.

Snacks for Tuesday

I have gone out early from work today and got a little time to pick up some things at Trader Joes. I don't really know what to buy because the last time I shopped here was for something healthy gfcf & a bit sweet snack. But now I have to drop the second to drop sweets. And today I got some nuts, lightly salted popcorn,tortilla chips and rice crispies. My son didn't like the popcorn I bought him yesterday. I am going crazy thinking about the foods that he can eat..I wish God will send me an angel to guide me through this.

Good Snack but not GFCF

I would recommend this Popumz to be in your kids lunch bag because they are so good. If you look in the package you will see the healthy benefits it has in a bag like omega3, source of protein and fiber. The best thing is they are organic and contains 0 Trans Fats. My daughter loves this but at first she refused to eat. I also take one of this in the office for snack. This is from Whole Foods by the way.

Vegetable Today

The vegetables I picked for this week are broccoli, spinach, cucumber and collard green. Broccoli, because it's my son's favorite. I want to try cucumber for his snack since we are on a mission to get rid of sugar. Spinach is for any dish I will prepare this week. It could either be for tinola or vegetable soup. Collard green because I want to try a new recipe. I love collard green. They are tasty and they are an excellent source of beta carotene, folate and vitamin C. Collards are also a good source of calcium.

Tougher This Days

I'd gone out for just grocery shopping today and prices sure hit my pocket. I couldn't
imagine how 3 bags of groceries could cost over a hundred bucks and yet they're not
filled all the way to the top. Being on GFCF diet is a tough decision to make. And for the last 3 years, I had been contemplating on getting my son on the diet and finally, I decided once and for all to put him just this year. Being on the diet means you have to never eat gluten & casein ever again. And once he accidentally eat just a tiny bit or crumbs of food with gluten, I have to be prepared to suffer the consequences of it. That means 3 days of negative behaviors. It takes about 3 days to get that gluten out of the system even if it is a tiny bit of it. And today, is my first experience of him eating a gluten in the form of a cookie since February. He'd been wanting to eat it as soon as he saw his sister munched on it. Just a split second of me having turn my head back, he got the culprit into his mouth. I should have asked him to spit it out, but because I panicked I wasn't able to think fast of what to do. I was so disappointed and felt all my hardwork were wasted. I kept thinking if I should put all of us on a diet. I don't know the answer yet. Sometimes I think I should not, considering the economic situation and sometimes I think I should. While some families embraced the diet, I am still not prepared to do so.

Snacks This Week

Today I went grocery shopping for this week's snacks. I spent an hour going through the isles & reading labels to check for gluten free, casein free & yeast free items. Some of my top picks are the green peas & white corn, carrots, corn puffs, gluten free corn flakes, gluten free/casein free/nitrite & preservative free beef hamburger patties. I am going to try to get him to eat the brown rice cracker vegetable flavor by Whole Foods. Now these are all for my son. My daughter's picks are yokids yogurt, 365 Quack & Bite crackers (organic Gold Fish), Annie's Bunny Graham, her favorite 365 Frosted Flakes and I also got my favorite drink Almond Breeze milk for Andre's chicken soup. Yes, I pour milk on his chicken pasta soup. As much as I don't want to buy fruits, as they are food for the yeast, I have to pick up some organic Fuji apples, pears & bananas for everyone in the house except for my son. I have instructed my babysitter not to give any fruits to him from now on until he is cleared. It is a very tough decision since eating fruits is one of his favorites.

Yeast Free Food

As we progress on gluten free & casein free diet. We have decided to put our son on yeast free diet as well. Candida, or Candiasis, the yeast infection, gets its name from Candida albicans, which is harmless yeast that live in the mucous linings of our digest tract and other membranes. Normally harmless, the fungus lives in harmony with other microorganisms in the body, but can grow out of control. When it grows out of control, our body gets sick in a way we are unable to process information correctly because our brain gets affected and our moods & behavior changes. The main cause of yeast infections are:

• Antibiotics
• Steroids
• Hormones
• Birth control pills
• Stress
• Sugar

Yes, sugar! My son is addicted to anything sweet and tends to crave all day for it. Sugar is one of the biggest problems; Candida albicans thrives on sugars and sweeteners. Avoiding all sweeteners, including dextrose, fructose, maltose, glucose, sorbital, and aspartame as well as other food additives. MSG, malt and many products added to canned and packaged foods will aggravate or promote yeast growth.

What to Expect
The feeling that our body will undergo once yeast is being avoide will be just like detoxifying, uncomfortable symptoms can begin a few days into the diet but only last a day or two. They including headache, muscle pains, fatigue and sometimes it might feel as if you have the flu. These are the hardest days of the diet; the yeast inside are SCREAMING to be fed. As they die off, they release gases and that’s what is causing those horrible headaches and other symptoms. By the time these symptoms disappear, you will be feeling fantastic.!

Veggies

• Asparagus
• Avocado
• Beets
• Broccoli
• Carrots (limited)
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Eggplant
• Green Beans
• Leaf Vegetables (Lettuce, Kale, Collards, Mustard, Greens, Swiss Chard)
• Onions
• Peas
• Peppers
• Potatoes (in moderation)
• Radishes
• Squash
• Tomatoes
• Turnips

Beverages

Water
Tea (decaf)
Vegetable Juices (V8)
Coffee

Foods that you can eat anytime of the day

• Chili, Soups
• Oatmeal
• Hummus
• Vegetable Dips
• Tabouli, Tabouleh
• Rice dishes
• Mexican food (Try to eat corn tortillas, not flour)
• Popcorn
• Rice Cakes
• Nuts
• Sunflower seeds

A week's worth of recipes:

1. Easy Crock Pot Chicken
2. Steak, Baked Potatoes and Salad
3. Country Fried Chicken Dinner
4. Pasta Night (Really!)
5. Taco Night
6. Pork Chop Dinner
7. Pecan Crusted Salmon

Some recipes I have found on the internet are listed as follows. I might have to make some of them this week.

Easy Crock Pot Chicken

Put 3 pounds bone in or 1-2 pounds boneless chicken in crock pot. Cover with a can of cream of mushroom and cream of chicken soup, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook on low 6-7 hours or high 3-4, depending on your crock pot, until done. Serve over steamed rice, with a side of green vegetables.

Steak, Baked Potatoes and Salad

Prepare your favorite Steak on the grill and serve with baked potato (yes, with butter and sour cream!) and a salad with a healthy dressing (low sugar) Preferably an oil and vinegar dressing. While this may seem taboo to most diets, enjoying meat and potatoes, in moderation, is not only ok, it's very satisfying. Steak can be replaced with other meats, such as meatloaf, but don't add sugar.

Oven-Fried Chicken with Corn Bread, Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans

Heat oven to 375°F. In roasting pan, melt 1/4 cup butter in oven. Combine 1/3 C. Rice Flour (or any non-gluten flour), 1 tsp each Salt and Poultry Seasoning and 1/2 tsp pepper in flat bowl or on plate. Dip cut up chicken (boneless, bone-in, pieces-any type) in melted butter, then coat with flour mixture. Place chicken in pan. If bone-in, bake 25-30 minutes; turn chicken over. Continue baking 30-35 minutes until fork tender and cooked completely. If boneless, reduce baking time by half, but check to make sure cooked thoroughly. Serve with the following recipe and a side of mashed potatoes and green beans.

For cornbread:

• 1/4 cup oil
• 1 cup milk with 1/2 tsp vinegar added to sour it
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup cornmeal, yellow or white
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda and salt
• 1 cup frozen or thawed corn

Mix wet ingredients together, than add dry ingredients. Pour in to greased 8 x 8 inch pan, bake at 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes.

Pasta Night

Most supermarkets now carry a variety of rice pasta. Experiment with them to find your favorite, as some cook better than others. Make sure to cook according to direction. Serve with your favorite pasta sauce, look for one that is low in sugar and does not have added corn syrup. Add as much cheese, meat and vegetables that you like. Serve with salad or greens. Remember not to be tempted by sides of bread. But you can fill up on as much of the pasta and greens as you want.

Taco Night

Serve Corn Tortillas (soft or hard), heated according to direction with one large bowl each:

• Shredded Lettuce
• Chopped Tomatoes
• Chopped Onions
• Refried Beans,
• Shredded Cheese
• Salsa

Pork Chop Dinner

Brush boneless pork loin chops, cut 3/4 inch thick with 2 tsp. lemon juice. Season with 1/2 tsp. ea. dried thyme, salt, and basil and 1/4 tsp. ginger. Broil for 8-10 minutes, 3-4 inches from heat, turning once. Cook until no pink remains and juice runs clear. Serve with ride-pasta salad and a side of your favorite vegetables.

Pecan Crusted Salmon

Grind 2 cups pecans in to a coarse meal, add 1 1/2 tsp garlic salt and 1/4 tsp or less cayenne pepper. Coat 4-5 oz. salmon portions with olive oil, roll in pecan mixture and place on baking sheet. Bake at 450F for 5 minutes or until done to your liking. Serve with salad and a side of your favorite vegetables. Bigger appetite? Add a side of oven baked french fries. To make this even quicker and easier, just grill salmon with seasoning and olive oil.

Experts say taking advantage of all the good parts of the diet helps offset those sugar and bread cravings.

For breakfast and lunch snack on:

blueberries, nuts, iced green or herbal tea, sunflower seeds, corn chips, rice cakes and salsa, hummus, vegetables and dip.

World switches off to save planet in "Earth Hour"

Just in case you don't know..this is from the news today..

Lights went out at tourism landmarks and homes across the globe on Saturday for Earth Hour 2009, a global event designed to highlight the threat from climate change.
From the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge to the Eiffel Tower in Paris and London's Houses of Parliament, lights were dimmed as part of a campaign to encourage people to cut energy use and curb greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels.
Organizers said the action showed millions of people wanted governments to work out a strong new U.N. deal to fight global warming by the end of 2009, even though the global economic crisis has raised worries about the costs.
"We have been dreaming of a new climate deal for a long time," Kim Carstensen, head of a global climate initiative at the conservation group WWF, said in a candle-lit bar in the German city of Bonn, which hosts U.N. climate talks between March 29 and April 8.
"Now we're no longer so alone with our dream. We're sharing it with all these people switching off their lights," he said as delegates and activists sipped bluish cocktails.
The U.N. Climate Panel says greenhouse gas emissions are warming the planet and will lead to more floods, droughts, heatwaves, rising sea levels and animal and plant extinctions.
World emissions have risen by about 70 percent since the 1970s. China has recently overtaken the United States as the top emitter, ahead of the European Union, Russia and India.
BILLION PEOPLE TAKE PART
The U.N. Climate Panel says rich nations will have to cut their emissions to a level between 25 and 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 to avoid the worst effects of warming. Developing nations will also have to slow the rise of their emissions by 2020, it says.
Australia first held Earth Hour in 2007 and it went global in 2008, attracting 50 million people, organizers say. WWF, which started the event, is hoping one billion people from nearly 90 countries will take part.
"The primary reason we do it is because we want people to think, even if it is for an hour, what they can do to lower their carbon footprint, and ideally take that beyond the hour," Earth Hour executive director Andy Ridley told reporters at Sydney's Bondi Beach.
In Asia, lights at landmarks in China, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines were dimmed as people celebrated with candle-lit picnics and concerts.
Buildings in Singapore's business district went dark along with major landmarks such as the Singapore Flyer, a giant observation wheel.
Other global landmarks that switched off their lights included the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, the Reserve Bank in Mumbai, the dome of St Peter's Basilica in Rome, Egypt's Great Pyramids and the Acropolis in Athens.

What's For Today -Spaghetti for Dinner

Today I'm making spaghetti for dinner. I have yet to figure out what's going to be for lunch tomorrow & not to mention snacks. Today he had apple & carrot cut ups, cassava chips, & pretzels for snacks, then he had the sweet corn kernel, fried chicken marinated in gfcf soy sauce, garlic & lemon and white steamed rice for lunch. I feel so guilty of not having enough vegetables at home these days. I have yet to go grocery shopping again for veggies.

For my spaghetti:

I use Prego Sauce, lean ground beef, garlic, onions, brown sugar, sea salt to taste, some pickle relish and brown rice pasta. I cook it the ordinary way.

Magazine I Love

Yup! I've been looking for this all over the stands and finally I got them. All good stuff & alot of resources. They have good recipes that I am thinking of trying once I get my hand on that Kitchen Aid mixer. I love to read health magazines not that I am a healthy living person but just because I want to know what's good & bad, learn new things, homeopathic & kid's stuff. I stick them in my brain for my own use or for someone who needs an eco friendly advice.

Groceries Today

After dinner my husband & I went to the grocery store to pick some items on my list. Some of the things I bought today includes my kids' snacks for the week.

Glutino Cinnamon French Toast
Edamame
Organic Sweet Corn
Organic Strawberries
Organic bananas
Organic Apples
Milk
Honey
Lundberg Brown Rice Penne Pasta
365 Pasta Sauce
GF Sesame Teriyaki Sauce (wonder what kind of recipe I'll use this for)
Yo Kids yogurt & Chocolate Drizzle Crisp cookies for my daughter

I wasn't paying attention while the lady was scanning. When we were in the car, I started reviewing the items on the receipts & found 1 item I didn't expect the price to be that much. I was gonna go back, but what the heck..it's freezing cold out in the parking lot, then I had to walk about 15-20 feet & I was wearing thin pants. I had to step back into the car & forget about it. I'll just make sure to put my eye on the scanner & the monitor next time so it won't happen again.

Maria's Italian Kitchen

Today we had dinner with the whole family at MIK. Before I left the house, I had to figure out what I should bring for my son. I realized I didn't cook anything but rice, monggo soup & fish for our lunch. I didn't have any choice but to pack the left overs and bring it with me in the restaurant. When we got there, the first thing he opened was the lunch bag. He found some cassava chips..thank God I brought some chips for him to munch on while waiting. Then it was time for me to pick my food. I glanced through their menu and found gluten free section which includes spicy shrimp and roasted corn risotto. I quickly asked the server if they can make it without having to use any butter, cream & red chilli. She then proceed to ask their kitchen and came back in a minute telling me that they can do it and they cater to some people who have allergic reactions to food. I was released!

Seeing my son looked at us while eating spaghetti & meatballs made him asked for it but I was glad he didn't make a big fuzz about it when I said they're not gluten free. He ended up eating all the shrimps and a little rice on the risotto and drank his HONEST KIDS juice I bought from COSTCO. This juice was the only brand I've seen that has less sugar than the rest in the grocery store and they are free of gluten & casein too. NO HIGH FRUCTOSE!!

Breakfast Links

My emergency links. I always have this in my freezer just in case he wouldn't like the breakfast I prepared for him. Or, sometimes when I have no more energy left to cook for dinner, I pull this out & microwave it, then serve with steamed broccoli. He'll be happy & contented.

These are great tasting according to my son. I bought these from WF & the price, ain't bad..it's well worth it. No Nitrite, no gluten, no casein, all natural, & no preservatives.

It's not easy for me to go merry-go-rounding inside the grocery store to check all labels and figure out if he'll like it. This links are a hit! I'm glad I found them!

First Few Supplements

These are a few supplements that he first had:

Vitamin C- he takes 500mg. Vitamin C
Omega 3-for the brain. Even my daughter takes this. She is a very picky eater and would not eat salmon or
sardines. So, just to give her fish oil in her body, she takes 2 omega 3 daily. I use Nordic Naturals brand as they known to make good non rancid fish oil supplements.
Omega 3-6-9-same benefit except it also helps on the behavior
Calcium- since he does not drink milk and cannot have any..because of allergic reaction
Vitamin D- we all need atleast 2000 iu's of this. The vitamin D drop is a good supplement since it does not taste anything but water. Just a drop a day in the water is all it takes or even in juice or favorite drink.
Magnesium Sulfate Cream- for cranky babies & to release toxins

Magnesium Sulfate Cream

I think this little thing helps lessen crankiness and moodiness. It offers the same benefit as the Epsom Salt Bath. Both of my kids were used to having epsom salth bath at night before going to bed. It helps release toxins in their body and calms them down. It aids in having a good night sleep and in constipation as well. Normally, I pour the bath tub with water and put two cups of epsom salt. I let them play in the water for 2o minutes. I tried to be careful since if they drink some of the water, it can cause diarrhea. But my kids are grown they understand that they cannot drink water from the tub regardless if there is epsom salt or not.

Because of my busy schedule, it is hard to keep them in the tub for 20 minutes everyday. So this cream helps me alot. I rub it on his back 3-4 times a day.

More benefits of sulfate:

Improves nutrient absorption
Helps flush toxins
Helps form body proteins

More benefits of magnesium:

Promotes better muscle and nerve function
Improves oxygen use
Helps regulate enzymatic activity
Promotes and enhances relaxation, concentration and sleep

Junky Sweet vs. Glee

Once upon a time I thought all candies are the same. They all can rot your teeth. And eventhough how hard I tried to avoid candies for my kids still I wound up going to the isles of candies in the store. But one thing I learned is choosing the right candies for them. Those candies we got from birthday parties are the ones we avoid and those by the checkstands of grocery stores. Those are fast candies as I called them. They are like fast foods they tend to look good and make me wanna buy them.. but in the long run they don't offer anything except when I'm on sugar rush. Well, my son likes them!. But most of all, he likes gum.

Since February, I avoided non health stores when buying candies or chocolates. I buy him his GFCF gum at Trader Joe's. The Glee Gum is my favorite. It comes in different flavors and it tastes natural. Most of all, it's sugar free. I have 3 packs of these in my bag. One for me and one for him and the other one is extra in case of emergency.

Oh! And before I forget, I have introduced this toothpaste to him and to my daughter last Friday. Guess what? They did not like it. What is to like to a boring not so good tasting natural anticavity toothpaste? I am still creating a plan to substitute this from the regular toothpaste they use until I get rid of them. It will be putting a little bit of Tom's Anticavity Flouride Toothpaste & Aquafresh together. And gradually increasing it until the other one's gone. That's how I became successful in replacing their regular Aunt Jemmima's Syrup for their french toast with Pure Maple Syrup. They didn't complain a bit. As to Aunt Jemmima's, she went straight to the trash can.

GFCF Chicken Soup

Ingredients:
Chicken breasts
Fresh corn or frozen corn
Fresh or frozen peas
1/4 Onion
1-2 Garlic cloves
Rice Milk or Almond Breeze Milk
Sea Salt
Brown Rice Penne Pasta
Fresh Chicken Broth (I use Trader Joe's)

Easy cooking:

Put Pasta into boiling water and sprinkle a pinch of salt. Cook for 10-12 minutes then rinse after.

Combine water & chicken broth in a pot and throw onions & garlic in it and bring to a boil.

Throw in the halfy cooked chicken breast (shredded or cut ups), then the pasta

Sprinkle some salt, then add the vegetables. (Any veggies will do as long as he eats them)

Pour some milk and simmer.

Since he cannot have any milk/casein, he cannot have cheese in it. Not a big deal for him. But, to add some flavor I may use some Galaxy Veggie Cheese from Whole Foods ( I always want to put where I bought the items from since some readers would like to know).

He likes this soup so much that he eats it on breakfast before he goes to school.

Wish List

I've been thinking of buying one of these at Macy's. Since now I'm on my second month of my son's GFCF diet. I've got to learn to cook from scratch now that he cannot have anymore bagels & cream cheese and even our famous pandesal at Valerio. I am totally convinced this is a must have like all the GFCF moms say. Investing on this kind of kitchen gadget isn't a waste of money since it cost's $399.00 plus tax. I love to cook and bake when I have time. And besides, my son's 7th birthday is coming up. I've got to figure out how to make gfcf cupcakes & other foods that he himself will eat on his birthday.

Good Deal at Whole Foods

Since the price of commodities went up, our consumption of apples went down. But not for long. My husband likes to buy apples at Albertson's but I told him it's the apple there is too expensive now adays. It costs about a buck per one apple. So I said to him I'll be on my mission to find cheaper FUJI apples since our son could not leave without an apple or two a day. It didn't take long to find out that TJs has their apples for less than a buck. It got me excited because they sell it for 40cents each. I was happy & excited to tell everyone in the house where to buy cheaper apples until I went to Whole Foods. Now they have from 9 to 12 FUJI apples per sack, depending on the Whole Foods we go in to. (Woodland Hills has cheaper ones compare to Porter Ranch). The price per sack is $2.99. Not to mention they are all organic!! Isn't that a good deal? I think it is!!!

All He Wants for His Lunch Bag

Okay, some of this items like Josef O's Sandwich & Shabtai Gourmet GFCF Cookies were from Simply Gluten Free Store which I had to buy all the way from Thousand Oaks. Not bad, after all it's worth it. My son likes Gorilla Munch for his snack in & out of the school. But lately, he's has not been asking for it just because he's been eating it for a month now..Ian's french toast from Whole Foods is a good french toast not only because it's all natural but because it does not contain yeast..which might be bad for him. We still yet to find out as we have to meet his DAN! doctor & get some lab works done. The So Delicious Dairy Free popsicles was requested by his teacher in school so as not to make him feel left out if his classmates are having some birthday/lunch party which includes food like this. I am being very careful as all these stuff have also sugars and sugar is an enemy!

Breakfast on Saturdays

Here's an old time favorite of my daughter. She wakes me up on late Saturday mornings with "Mommy can you make me a pancake and milk?". Makes my life easier when I'm trying to relax. We like TJ's pancake coz it's all natural ..NO PRESERVATIVES!!

Food Talk

Rice drink..a good milk replacement. I buy this at Trader Joe's. Other health stores have different brand. I go for TJ because I know they are real organic.

I use this for my son's spaghetti since he doesn't like the regular pasta. It takes longer for this pasta to cook. It takes about 10-12 minutes depending on how soft you want it to be instead of the regular 8 minute-cooking. Brown rice is naturally wheat free and gluten free. They are a good source of protein and it's high in fiber. The complex carbohydrates in brown and whole grain food make you feel fuller, longer. Most of all it has more vitamins, minerals & anti-oxidant.Sometimes it can be hard to make the switch. Start slowly by changing one thing at a time. It could be just your pasta or just the bread you make your sandwich with for lunch. Soon you will wonder how you ever ate white over brown in the first place.

I picked this up at Whole Foods just in case I need to make a GFCF cupcake. It's sitting in my pantry.

Homeopathic Treatment

Whenever my kids get sick, I have this handy in my medicine cabinet. Instead of the regular Vicks vaporub, I use vapor balm. This is not only for babies but also for toddlers. It's free of petroleum and paraben and contains natural ingredients like lavender aloe and rosemary. It helps them breathe easier and makes them calmer.
For cough, I use Boerick and Taffel brand syrup as it has only less than 1% alcohol unlike any other cough syrup available in the pharmacy or food store. The good thing about this is it contains honey which we all know is a powerful immune system booster. Honey’s antioxidant and anti-bacterial properties can help improve digestive system and help you stay healthy and fight disease. In a study involving 105 children aged 2-18 years with upper respiratory tract infections of 7 days or less and night-time coughing, a single night-time dose of buckwheat honey was an effective alternative treatment for symptomatic relief of nocturnal cough and sleep difficulty, compared to a single dose of dextromethorphan (DM).

PIZZA I

I wanted to try this pizza crust before I even made one from scratch. I got this from Whole Foods frozen section. The crust wasn't bad at all. In fact, my son loves it. You can put any toppings you want. My son only likes marinara sauce and cheese so it made my life easier. But because he is allergic to casein, I bought Vegan Mozzarella by Galaxy. It's made of soy and is truly a GFCF.