AsherNothat'spoop!

Today I decided to take the boys outside.
They wanted to take a walk so I took them on a walk through the wooded area behind our house.
There are still no leaves on trees so you can see straight back to the little pond.
Anyway, I told them not to touch anything unless they asked me first.
Moments later from behind I hear, "Mom, gwapes!"
I turn and do the only thing I can do with the amount of time I'm facing.
I yell, "AsherNOthat'spoop!" Yes, I'm pretty sure that came out as one word.
Deer poop in fact. It was not a grape at all and it was within inches of his lips.
Sooooooooo glad I caught it before it went in.
The rest of the walk we heard "more poop!, more poop!"  Lots of deer behind are house apparently.

Also, right now it's snowing outside.

Dear PA,
Don't you know it's the end of March, that the official first day of Spring was the 20th, all the snow just melted. Seriously, STOP SNOWING!

Tonight's dinner:
Noah: I don't want it, it's really really gross! (crying, crying, more crying)
Asher: Noah, calm down! Eat dinner!

He finally ate.

In the past week I've made gluten free corn bread muffins, lemon pound cake (oh so good), pancakes, bread and tortillas are on the list for tomorrow. I don't think I've been feeding Heath very well so this past week I've been trying to do a little better.

A gluten-free dream come true!

This bread.
http://ourgaggleofgirls.com/recipes/2007/12/06/delicious-gluten-free-bread/

Found this site yesterday.
I have only tried the bread so far but the other recipes look just as good.
SERIOUSLY GOOD BREAD!

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cup gf flour (amaranth, sorghum, and millet all work well here)
• 1 cup arrowroot, tapioca, or corn starch (potato starch tends to make it fall)
• 2 TBS sugar
• 2 1/2 tsp xanthan gum or guar gum
• 2 tsp yeast
• 1 cup water (110 degrees)
• 1 1/4 t salt
• 2 t apple cider vinegar
• 2 T olive oil
• 3 eggs
• parchment paper 

Method

Whip together the 3 eggs in your stand mixer.
While they are whipping, combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, and whisk together.

Add the rest of the wet ingredients to the eggs, mix together. Slowly add the dry ingredients, beating together on low. “Knead” for 4 minutes. The dough will be very wet, almost like cake batter.

Line a 9×5 (or so) bread pan with parchment or Reynolds Release (or grease your hamburger pan). Use a spatula to fill the bread pan with the dough/batter.

Let rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from pan and cool (it cuts much better cooled if you can wait that long).

If you are going to save the bread, slice it once it is cooled, then place a piece of wax paper between the slices and freeze. Toast it straight from the freezer to warm it up.



We ate pretty much the entire loaf eating grilled cheese sandwiches. That's never happened with gluten-free bread around here. Heath even asked me why I didn't make two loaves. Seriously, yum!

More and more people with allergies.

Allergies are on the rise. As you know we are gluten-free.
Just wanted to share some of the best info I have found on being gluten free.
Go HERE for great information.
This tells you all the gluten-free grains and compares them nutritionally to wheat.

If you have an egg allergy, here's some good info for you.

Egg Replacer Options:  

To replace eggs in baking recipes you have several options, each of these options makes the equivalent of 2 eggs in baking: 1/2 cup applesauce + an additional 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder OR 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds + 6 tablespoons hot water + an additional 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder OR 1 tablespoon of Ener-G Egg replacer + 4 tablespoons hot water. I also think it's a good idea to add an additional tablespoon of oil per egg to replace the fat/moisture content from the egg yolk! 

“Eggs” from unflavored gelatin (Knox): The gelatin is less expensive than powdered eggs (as little as 3 cents per tsp) and has an indefinite shelf life.

1tsp gelatin =1 egg, 1 oz gelatin = 12 tsp, 1 pound gelatin = 192 eggs.

Making one egg: Combine 1 tsp of unflavored gelatin with 3 Tb of cold water and stir until dissolved. Then add 2 Tb of hot water and stir. When using your own recipes, decrease the liquid called for in your recipe by about ¼ cup to compensate for the added water from the “egg”.

Eggs: Storing fresh eggs for up to 1 year. Rub warmed mineral oil on your hands and coat the entire surface of the fresh egg with the oil. Replace egg in carton with the point down. In cold climates they can be stored in a cool, dark place. In warmer climates, place in the refrigerator. Rotate once a year. (This is taken from Wendy DeWitt's "Everything Under The Sun" handout which you can get in it's entirety by emailing her. This is her blog (her email address is there.) It's a great emergency prep handout.  

Store some of these things in your food storage.
You can store gluten-free grains like you do other grains. Store in #10 cans or buckets with oxygen absorbers. They don't store as long as wheat but should store for a good 10 years or so.
If you are gluten-free it's A TON CHEAPER to grind your own grains than purchase the flour.
You want your grains to be hulled unless you plan on doing the hulling yourself which is a process.

And finally Milk allergies.

For storing milk they do make powdered soy milk and powered coconut milk. You could store nuts to make nut milk. Of coarse, these are all more expensive. sorry!

Anyway, it's true that Asher gained a pound. Yes!  Also, true that my dad owns a tattoo gun. BUT also true that it's for using on goats.

A post of Thanks Giving and Thanksgiving.

"My point is to urge you to find ways to recognize and remember God's kindness. It will build our testimonies."

-President Henry B. Eyring

This is a favorite song right now. If you know it don't sing it, read it. 

When upon life's billows you are tempest tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings; name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care? Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear? Count your many blessings; every doubt will fly, and you will be singing as the days go by. 

When you look at others with their lands and gold, Think that Christ has promised you his wealth untold. count your many blessing; money cannot buy Your reward in heaven nor your home on high.

So amid the conflict, whether great or small, Do not be discouraged; God is over all. Count your many blessings; angels will attend, Help and comfort give you to your journey's end. 

-Count Your Blessings, pg. 241, LDS Hymnal

I feel like I have a lot to be thankful for. 

This year no black Friday shopping (which in years past have excited me more than Thanksgiving itself - I know, just wrong). 

Yesterday for Thanksgiving it was just our little family.

The first time I have ever cooked Thanksgiving dinner.

We had a whole chicken that we cooked in the crock pot. 

It was as good as it looks. 

Heath did the mashed potatoes. 

He had plans to go to school yesterday in the evening. He didn't go. I'm thankful for that. 

I'm thankful for Heath and all the hard work he does for our family, all the service/time he gives at church, his faith, that he came home from school at a very busy and important time to take care of the kids while I was having a migraine, that he makes the beds practically every day, that he adores me and puts up with my crazy ideas, that he's a good father, that he went trick or treating with us this year, that he encourages me to be better, that he listens to prompting and follows them even when it's not convenient, and that he's funny. I really could go on and on but for the sake of time I'll stop there. I love Heath. 

Some of the potatoes where green right under the skin. Heath insisted they were poisonous.

I'm sure this was an "i'm silly like Andy moment" 

We ate them. I'm glad to report we are all doing well. 

We also had broccoli salad, deviled eggs, rolls, corn, pumpkin pie, and chocolate pie. Remember all gluten-free. 

Here's my pumpkin pie. I had to put a picture because it's only the 2nd pumpkin pie I've ever made but the 1st I've ever made with pumpkin from our garden that WE grew. I'm thankful for gardens.

The scratches on my table are custom. It makes it look vintage. 

Ok, it happened by accident but I don't mind 'em.

I called my mom practically a million times and Heath's mom one time. 

I called for a recipe for the chocolate pie, to see if it's paprika that you put on deviled eggs, I asked questions about pies, about broccoli, about potatoes, and more. She sounded glad to help me every time I called. 

I am thankful for my mom and my mother-in-law.  And also thankful for my dad who is someone I know I can always talk to about emergency preparedness and will always be interested and always (well, almost always) know the answers. and a dad-in-law that is always a voice of reason.

We haven't had snow yet this year (which is surprising) until just a few minutes ago. It's snowing.

I really have so much to be Thankful for.

That my camera is working.

This dude and his wild imagination.

This little guy and all that he's accomplished down to the drool.

and this guys who was truly meant for me.

Yummy pizza - GF style! (that means gluten free)

Today I made pizza for dinner. Heath's not home so I don't know if he likes it but both kids liked it.
I'm not quite sure what the real test is...Heath or the kids!?!
Noah has been saying lately, "So, mom, I don't fink so."
Tonight when I was putting a little chocolate in their milk, I was helping Asher and trying to put chocolate in the milk at the same time. Then I hear a little gasp from Noah. I look over and I'm not even over the cup. Noah said, "mom, are you ok?"
This may not be funny to you but it was to me.
Asher has had his brace off most of the day.
The therapist came and she said she thinks he had a little more range today. Yippee!
She also has a call in to his doctor.
He's so funny. I'm going to put a video on here that only...well, grandparents might enjoy.
It wasn't really what I was trying to capture but notice he's not wearing his brace.

Yes, these are unusually large pepperoni's but gluten free. I bet you didn't know some meats have gluten in them as a filler.

Pancakes for dinner? heck yes! Gluten smuten, who needs it?

Not our family.

We've decided to go gluten free. This week has been pretty much gluten free. Heath has had a more strict diet than the rest of us but really it's not bad AT ALL.
I started wondering about gluten. With all the hybrids of wheat (that man did) with it's increased amount of gluten. Don't you wonder why they take autistic kids off gluten. me too.
Time to revamp the food storage. 

a day in the mud.

It's true that Noah like to "play" exercise with me. He likes to be the guy that doesn't exercise and goes around correcting people. It's true that gluten free flour isn't A flour it's a combination of a bunch of flours. I'm planning on a gluten free Christmas dinner. watch out Utah here we come :)

chewy gluten free chocolate chip cookies. Yummy!

If you're thinking of going gluten free or need to go gluten free or don't want to be gluten free these cookies are seriously good. You can find the recipe here.
I used extra virgin coconut oil instead of the palm oil. I also used sucanat in place of the white sugar.
One of the best chocolate cookies I've ever had. I recommend doubling the recipe if you have kids and/or a husband/wife.

Don't worry Heath I saved you some.

Gluten free bread take 2. And Continue in Patience.

I think it's better than the last. 

looks pretty good, huh? Noah and Asher even liked it.

Ready for Halloween and gluten free.

this is my 202nd post. crazy!
Ever think that if you leave a mess long enough that it might just clean itself?
Don't ever think that. It won't.

We got Noah's Halloween costume. He's been wearing it around and excited about it. I hope trick or treating this year will go a little better than last year.

He watched a few Iron Man cartoons and now he says that the costume is Iron Man. So we go with it. He does quiz me when he puts the suit on. He says, "what's my name?" 

Asher's going to be a monkey for Halloween. No, his costume isn't on in this picture but he sure is cute eating his banana. 

Grandpa Gary (that's what Noah calls him) came with his digger thing and Noah kept wanting to sit on it. So, he let him and he let him work the controls too. He loved it. 

My first ever loaf of gluten free bread. It didn't turn out the greatest but it was pretty good. Heath liked it enough and first thing he did was make grilled cheese sandwiches. That made him happy. He's been feeling like he's starving lately with almost everything having gluten in it. We're getting there. Plus, he LOVES sandwiches.

It could be celiacs and I wanna be a loser.

So, some things might be changing around here.
Heath just got blood taken yesterday to see if he has celiacs disease (gluten intolerance).
Basically we're pretty sure he has it.
He has a lot of the same symptoms his Dad and sister had before they stopped eating gluten.
A little while ago I made cheese enchiladas with whole wheat tortillas and I added wheat germ (which was optional in the recipe). So basically gluten on gluten mixed with gluten.
Heath was up for two hours during the night sick. Sick as a dog. He describes it as battery acid.
I'll let you figure it out from there.
I did some research today.
It started with what kind of food storage can you have for someone with celiacs.
I know, I'm a geek.

Also, I'm in a biggest loser competition.
Last week I lost 5 pounds which made me the biggest loser for the week.
I have immunity for next week as long as I don't gain.
I really really really couldn't believe it because the week before I only lost 2 lbs. and there were people losing like 10 lbs.
Anyway, I'd like to lose about 20 more pounds.
Aaaaaaaaaaanyway

I went running Tuesday but was stopped and told I should turn around because there was a bear.
A bear?...yep, definitely turning around.

Asher has occupation therapy 3 times a week.
His arm and shoulder seem to be getting stronger all the time and I'm just amazed.
He really likes to have his splint on. He's pretty nervous without it.

It's true that Asher dances like his grandpa Papa.

Anyone else gluten free?