Cupcakes

Tj-safe cupcakes made using Cherrybrook Kitchen vanilla cake mix, drizzled with Enjoy Life chocolate chips and sprinkled with Let's Do It Sprinklez. (I melted the chips and drizzled them on the cupcakes. The one in the center was my attempt at making it look like frosting.

*Note: the batter was a bit thick, so I added some extra water and a little bit of Silk Vanilla Coconut Milk. The cupcakes were good, a little too moist for my taste though- I cooked them from 20 minutes. Next time I will add all coconut milk (no water to thin) and cook a few minutes longer.

Even with the flaws, TJ loved them (and so did the adults that ate them too!)

Pastry-Free Pot Pie

I am following this recipe, but adding in grass-fed ground beef. We are also leaving out the pearl onions, as none of us like them.

http://allergicliving.com/index.php/2010/07/02/main-pastry-free-veggie-pot-pie/

Follow-up appointment today.... 1:45pm

I am so anxious to visit the GI dr with the baby today. We are getting the results of his second endoscopy, which was last week. He told us that the esophagus was still badly inflamed, but he wasn't sure if it was better/worse/the same as the first scope in December. Once we see him today, we will have that answer and see how we are going to proceed- continue w/ this modified diet, begin meds, or some other alternative that I know nothing about. I have a sneaking suspicion that a steroid will be the drug of choice today, and if it helps heal my son's tender insides, I will do it.

We also have an appointment with a nutritionist in April, although I am pushing for a sooner appointment. Apparently the "good" ones book up quickly. :(

And I am on the lookout for another allergist as I am not happy with the one we are seeing. Any suggestions for an allergist in the Staten Island or NJ area?

Quinoa Stirfry

Ingredients:

2 bags of frozen chicken strips from Trader Joes (note that the ones in the refrigerated section contain soy. DO NOT use them if you have a soy allergy. We use the FROZEN ones as they do not contain ANY ingredients that TJ can't have. PLEASE always read the labels, though.)

3 small zucchini, chopped

1 package of mushrooms, chopped in quarters

1 small package of Trader Joe's pre-chopped onion/shallots/garlic mix

Canola oil

1 cup quinoa

3 cups chicken broth

Directions:

In a large skillet, sautee the onion/shallots/garlic mix in a drizzle of the oil. Once all are softened and translucent, add the zucchini and cook until softened. Do the same with the mushrooms. Once all veggies are cooked, add in the chicken. Once the chicken is no longer frozen, add the quinoa and the 3 cups of chicken broth and mix well. Put lid on skillet and cook until quinoa is tender, about 30 minutes. Mix well and remove from heat. Leave the lid on for another 10 minutes to allow more liquid to absorb.

You will be left with perfectly cooked veggies, quinoa and a small bit of "gravy" from the remaining broth. The result is deliciousness. Enjoy! No rice or other veggies needed. (We had this with a salad.)

This is definitely a TJ-approved meal!

Mini-chopper.... A+!

I just wanted to give an easy idea for those of you looking to make the hash browns. A mini-chopper is a must. It took me about 25 seconds to chop an entire sweet potato plus the onion chunk (versus the annoyance of using the grater for this last week.) I think I like the texture of the finely chopped potato better than the grated ones too....

TJ-safe cake mix!!!

And not at a crazy price either!! (Retail at $5.49 a box)

After repeatedly seeing a commercial for those cake pop trays on Sprout this morning, TJ was crying for cake pops. (Before being diagnosed, I used to make them ALL the time for him.) IT was early & we were both in our pajamas, as you see, but we worked together to mix the batter.

You MUST try Cherrybrook Kitchen gluten-free vanilla cake mix. Believe it or not, it is sold in Stop & Shop (I am so thankful that they opened up near me! It's great to have another alternative to the small health food store, which I love to support, but can't always afford to!)

TJ helped me prepare the batter- it calls for water and butter, but gives applicable substitutions if you can't have real butter (like TJ.) Instead of using oil or applesauce, we actually used his butter (the Earth Balance soy-free spread) and it was delicious. We used a mini-muffin tin. I didn't frost them (I wanted to save the frosting for another time since it is a bit pricier than Duncan Hines!) TJ ate about 5 of them before I made him stop! I didn't want a tummyache!

Delicious butter spread

Earth Balance Soy-Free Spread

This is what we use in place of butter for all of TJ's cooking. It tastes like butter but has the texture of margarine.