Residual Autism

We had conferences for Doodle this week with her Kindergarten teacher. Doodle is in the midst of being tested through the school to see if she continues to qualify for special education. We will have that update in another month, but I wanted to see how she was doing in the classroom, prior to getting the test results back. Doodle has just the nicest, kindest, sweetest Kindergarten teacher you can imagine. She is very loving and patient - at least as far as I can see. I was very impressed with how far Doodle has come, as was her teacher. Doodle keeps up with her class academically and has made terrific progress in both reading and math. We just need to work on forming numbers correctly and in the right order all of the time.

One area of concern continues to be her ability to pay attention. Her teacher expressed concern again about being easily distracted. She can stay on task during an assignment at her table, but has difficulty focusing when doing other things like tying her shoes or getting ready to go outside for recess. She also mentioned that Doodle has a hard time making eye contact. She will initially look you in the eye, but turns away quickly. She also has difficulty approaching someone to play with her. She will play near other kids and wait for them to address her. I'm calling this residual autism. Once the kids notice her, they will invite her to play, but she rarely asks other children at school to play with her. It's hard for me to see this, as she constantly is asking other children in the neighborhood to play with her. She's best friends with our neighbor's daughter and they are constantly running between the two houses. I'm thinking she takes a long time to warm up to kids, but once she does, she is comfortable asking kids to play with her. Hopefully she will learn to overcome this trait.

As a result of the conferences, my husband and I have decided to try to eliminate more from her diet. Seems daunting to eliminate even more than dairy and gluten. I recently read an article where the researchers found that diet is equally effective in treating ADHD as medication.  The researches had children follow the Restricted Elimination Diet where they eliminated milk, gluten, eggs, and tomatoes from the children's diet. Since we are already gluten and dairy free, we've decided to eliminate eggs and tomatoes. Just like when we eliminated milk and gluten, I didn't really realize how often we use eggs and tomatoes. Eggs, in fact, are a staple in our house and it won't be easy finding a substitute for our morning breakfast routine. If you have any tips, let me know - I'm sure I will be fumbling around with this diet change for the next few weeks until we get it right.

Pizza Quesadilla's

A few weeks ago we were given some gluten free products to sample. I'm normally skeptical, as most commercial gluten free products don't compare to our own homemade versions. However, this time we were given some gluten free tortilla's from French Meadow Bakery in Minneapolis to try from a friend. Doodle was so excited to try them as Quesadilla's with her Daiya dairy free cheese. She has been hooked ever since!  The other day she took it upon herself to make her Quesadilla's while her dad was in another room. She pulled the tortilla's out of the freezer, added her dairy free cheese, and topped the whole thing with pepperoni. Then she hunted down her dad to cook the whole thing on the stove top. Their super easy to make and Doodle LOVES them.  The tortilla's are soft and taste just like the regular gluten filled version. I'm going to have to pick some up next time I'm in the Minneapolis area.

Pizza Quesadilla's

2 Gluten Free Tortilla's
1/4 Cup Daiya Dairy Free Cheese
6-10 slices pepperoni
Dairy free butter or Olive Oil

1. On one of the tortilla's spread the dairy free cheese and pepperoni. Top with the second tortilla.
2. Heat frying pan and butter or olive oil over medium high heat. Place tortilla's in pan and let fry for 1-2 minutes or until slightly brown.
3. With a spatula, flip the tortilla's and brown the other side. Remove and enjoy!

If you haven't tried French Meadow Bakery gluten free products - I encourage you to do so. They are delicious! Become a fan on Facebook, too...It's wonderful to have great gluten free food, so nearby. A rare find!

Great Bread Recipe

Finding a decent Gluten Free bread is like finding a needle in a hay stack....elusive! Most of the bread found in the local store tastes terrible and crumbles when you try to eat it. We used to buy Doodle GF hamburger buns for when we were grilling out, but she would inevitably just pick the hamburger off the bun and eat it plain. What a waste of $5.00! So, we had completely given up on bread in our house, until a few weeks ago. I tried a recipe from a new blogger that I am following and the bread was delicious - I even liked it and I'm not Gluten Free. It was simple to make and didn't take much time at all.

The Simply Sugar and Gluten Free blog is by Amy Green and I have to say I love her story! Have a look at her website, try her new cookbook, and definitely whip up a loaf of this tasty bread. Just tonight I made Doodle a grilled cheese sandwich from this bread and she gobbled it up.  Pair the sandwich with some Kettle Cuisine Gluten Free Chicken Noodle Soup, and you've got yourself a hearty lunch.

Dairy Free Grilled Cheese Sandwich

2 slices Perfect GF bread
2 tsp Dairy Free Butter
Handful Daiya Cheddar Style Cheese Shreds

1. Heat skillet on medium high stove top.
2. Spread butter on one side of each piece of bread.  On the non-buttered side of one slice of bread, place Daiya Cheddar Cheese.
3. Place the non-buttered side of the second slice of bread on top of the cheese.
4. Place butter side down on skillet and fry until golden brown. Turn over sandwich with spatula and fry the second side until golden brown and cheese is melted in middle.
5. Serve with soup and enjoy!


I hope to try out some of Amy's desserts soon - I love that she doesn't use sugar in her baking! Something we try to avoid in this house as well, because Doodle is addicted to sugar and it makes her quite cranky if she has too much of it. Tonight we made a new version of gluten free oatmeal cookies which I will post soon as well as an updated version of sugar cookies with added protein.  In the mean time - hope you are enjoying some spring weather! We had a nice reprieve this week and most of the snow melted. I'm, however, avoiding the blizzard that is currently raging outside and preparing for another late start of school tomorrow morning. Just a few more weeks until spring officially starts - I can't wait!

Chocolate Chip Cookies - Remake

This week we have seen the best and worst of winter - temperatures ranging from 30 degrees above zero to 30 degrees below zero. I like to call January and February in Minnesota the dark days of winter. I'm hopeful that the Ground Hog was correct in its prediction and we will truly see an early spring, because I've had just about enough of winter!

Being cooped up this week, as school was canceled twice, I had the opportunity to remodel my chocolate chip cookies. I'm always looking for new ways to add protein into any dessert that I make for Doodle. She gets super cranky if she has too much sugar (I'm talking colossal meltdowns!) and not enough protein. So, during the hiatus from school, I made chocolate chip cookies and incorporated a new flour I discovered at Trader Joe's: Peanut Flour. One serving has 16 grams of protein - yes 16 grams!   Plus, it doesn't alter the taste of the cookies, so Doodle doesn't know the difference.

Chocolate Chip Cookies - Remake

1 1/3 Cup Sweet Rice Flour
1 Cup Peanut Flour
1 Cup Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Flour
2 tsp Xanthan Gum
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 Cup Shortening
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Light Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Agave Nectar
1 T Vanilla
2 Large Eggs
1/2 Package Dairy Free Chocolate Chips (I use Ghiradelli Semi Sweet)

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine Flours, Baking Soda, and Xanthan Gum in a small bowl. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl combine Shortening, Sugar, Brown Sugar, Vanilla and Eggs. Cream together on high speed.
4. Add to mixture dry ingredients and mix on high speed. With a spatula, stir in chocolate chips. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
5. Prepare a baking sheet with non-stick spray. Drop cookies by the spoonful onto baking sheet and bake for 9 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on baking sheet for 1 minute. Remove cookies from pan and place on cooling rack.

This recipe makes about 3 dozen cookies. Normally, this will last in our house for 2 weeks, but I couldn't keep these cookies around for more than 4 days. Doodle's sister had a sleepover with a friend Friday night, and the two girls cleaned me out of these cookies! So, I found myself whipping up another batch today while I wait for the Super Bowl to start. They will make a great treat after we all enjoy some GF DF pizza and watch the big game.

Autism Recovery

I recently read this post from Holly Robinson Peete on a segment done by the Today show on Autism Recovery: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/holly-robinson-peete/autism-recovery-pediatric_b_191152.html . I can so identify with what Ms. Peete has to say about the response from traditional pediatricians to treating Autism with anything other than behavioral therapy. I am met with the same resistance and reluctance by my family doctor.

My doctor has seen the tremendous different that diet and supplements have made in Doodle's life, yet she refuses to acknowledge that the diet had any effect on her behavior. It's maddening! I met the same reluctance the first year Doodle was in pre-school. Her special ed teacher and therapists nodded their head as I described the differences that I was seeing in Doodle's cognitive reasoning, limiting repetitive behavior, and improved eye contact. Because she still had tremendous attention issues and difficulty conducting conversations with children in her class, I felt like my observations were dismissed. It wasn't until she returned to pre-school in the fall, a transformed child, that the teachers and therapists started to pay attention. She was a different kid! The difference? Vitamin D added to her diet and supplement regimen. There was such a tremendous difference that they couldn't help but agree that she had changed - she wasn't the same child they had seen just 4 months earlier.

Now, her doctor and teachers say they don't see Autistic tendencies in her any longer. Sure, she still needs help with her physical coordination and paying attention, but she's in the top of her class for reading and writing. She maintains friendships at school and at home. The best part is I can ask her how her day was at school and she can describe the day in detail to me - usually putting it into context. I'm thrilled at her progress. I'm thrilled that she is full of possibilities and less about limitations.

For all those parents out there struggling with whether or not to try the diet/supplements on their children, take the plunge. Not every child is "recovered" like my Doodle, but you don't know if your child will recover unless you give it your all. Commit to the change. Have patience for the results. Believe there is help and hope. If I can do it, so can you.

If you ever get the chance to watch the HBO film "Temple Grandin" I would highly recommend it.I love what her mother used to say about Temple and Autism: Different, not less. Being different then the other kids does not make my child less - she has a gift to offer the world and it's my duty as her mother that she has every opportunity to use that gift in life. That's my gift to her. I love you Doodle!

If you've had success with the GF DF diet and autism, drop me a line, I'd love to hear about it.

Dreaming of Summer

It's the dark days of winter here in Minnesota. January is one of the bleakest months of the year, in my opinion. The excitement of the holidays are over, spring is still a distant hope in the future, and the weather turns bitter and cold. Yesterday it was -16F - with a wind chill that made it feel even colder. Yuck! I often ask myself why I still live here, but then spring rolls around and winter is just a distant memory. Tonight we made corn on the cob to remind ourselves of summer nights eating dinner on the deck. Oh how I long for those nights!

I find that corn on the cob is best prepared on the grill. If you're somewhere warm enough to grill, then this recipe is for you. It's simple, but yields the best tasting corn ever!

4 Ears of corn - shucked
4 Tbsp Dairy Free Butter
4 Sheets Aluminum Foil

1. Heat grill to medium high heat.
2. Place each ear of corn in the center of a sheet of aluminum foil.
3. Place Tbsp of Dairy Free Butter on top of corn.
4. Wrap up corn with aluminum foil and place on the grill (upper rack, if possible) and cook for 15 minutes (or until tender). Keep away from the flames or the corn will become charred.
5. Unwrap and serve with a juicy steak, flame broiled burger, or some Jerk Chicken

I can almost feel the warmth of the summer sun beating down on us as we sip some lemonade and enjoy a cool breeze. I'll keep telling myself only 7 more weeks until spring. If you're somewhere warm, soak up some rays for us and send some of that warmth our way here in MN, we need it!

Hot Dish # 2

Winter has definitely settled in at our house. I find us craving warm cozy food that warms the soul after coming in from the frigid temperatures outside. While January has been milder this year, than last, it is still colder than I typically like a winter to be. To help take the chill off after a long day at work and school, I find myself looking to old favorites like chili, spaghetti, and hotdish in disguise. Remember, my family doesn't know what a real hotdish looks like!  While Doodle claims she doesn't like this hotdish, I made it last week and she ate every last bite...maybe she does like hotdish after all!

Chicken & Pasta Hot Dish with Sundried Tomatoes

1/2 Package Tinkyada Brown Rice Spirals
8 oz Prosciutto
4 Tbsp Olive Oil, divided
1/2 Cup Sun-dried tomatoes (not in oil)
2 Boneless/Skinless Chicken Breasts, cut into 2 inch strips
1 Clove Garlic
Red Pepper Flakes to taste
1/2 cup white wine
1 Cup Chicken Broth
1 Package Rich's Dairy Free Creamer
1 Package Rich Whip
2 Tbsp Corn Starch
1/8 Cup Chicken Broth
Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Cook Pasta according to package directions just until it is slightly al dente (still a bit firm).
2. In a large skillet over medium high heat, saute Chicken in Tbsp Olive Oil until fully cooked. Remove from skillet.
3. Add remaining Olive Oil and saute Prosciutto. Once slightly crispy, add in Sun Dried Tomates and cook 1 minute longer.
4. Deglaze pan with White Wine. Add in Chicken Broth, Dairy Free Creamer and Rich Whip. Bring to a simmer.
5. In a small bowl, place corn starch. Mix with 1/8 Cup Chicken Broth, stir until smooth. Add to skillet and simmer until sauce is thickened.
6. Add back in chicken. Drain pasta and add to hot dish. Season with Salt & Pepper and Red Pepper Flakes to taste. Serve immediately.

On a positive note, Doodle received her first report card for Kindergarten. She ranks in the top of her class for both reading and math! Great progress as she learns to read and recognize words. She received encouraging comments from her teacher, however she continues to struggle with focus. If anyone has some great ideas on how to help my child focus, I would love to hear what has worked for you! I'm resistant to putting her on medication and would love to work on ways to control through diet and supplements.