iPad mini giveaway

Smart apps for kids is giving away an iPad mini in celebration of their second birthday!

Go over and enter!

MSPI - Milk and Soy Intolerance

This is something that I wrote for a friend and am putting it out there so if anyone needs help and googles MSPI. Maybe I can be of some help. 

Lauren was MSPI and it was hard to adjust to a new diet and the new life of being mommy. She seemed to be colicky but it was an all day thing. The new diet was so worth it to relieve her pain and stop the crying. When I was pregnant with Kate I slowly cut out dairy through the pregnancy and by the third trimester it was completely out with a cheat or two. Starting and following the diet this time was so much easier. It was almost fun to figure out new changes. I'm also a much better cook because of it. They won't say that taking out dairy while pregnant helps but I believe it really did help with Kate. I messed up when she was a newborn and I could tell it effected her. By 4 months I was able to slowly add things in and she was fine. I believe starting out with a "good gut" helped tons.

MSPI is largely concentrated in the Midwest. There are a lot of resources here and most of the research done on it is done in Omaha. My doctor told me that if you go to a dr. in California they really might not diagnose MSPI and  won't have a lot of resources for you. There is definitely a genetic component. My sister and I were dairy intolerant. Not soy. Same story with both her kids and mine. 

Do you have a list of all the ingredients you need to avoid? There are many ingredients that mean dairy is present such as casein. 

Have you ever been to Milkworks? It's a breastfeeding center in Lincoln. They have an email support group and there is tons of great info there and you can ask lots of people questions easily. Just email and they'll add you.
http://www.milkworks.org/virtual-support

Make an appt. with the Hyvee dietitian. She'll walk you around the store, show you things and help you read labels. If you go to the one on West Q in Omaha, I know her and she's really nice.

You can take a probiotic to help with digestion and it'll pass to baby. Culturelle is the brand that is safe - I think all of their different ones are but just make sure it says dairy free on the front. Walgreens has it or I think other places do also.

If you're taking a prenatal, check it. There might be soy in it.

We only have to avoid milk. Although if I eat something that I made with a lot of soy milk, Kate seems a little unhappy. I know my sister only had to avoid the milk products with the most protein in them so once you get it cleared out for a month or so you can test his tolerance.http://www.allergynutrition.com/resources/FAQ/15/Foods%20Most%20Frequently%20Associated%20with%20Allergy.pdf If he ends up only dairy intolerant that opens a lot more options for you.

Pretty much you can have whatever you want, you'll just have to find a way to make it yourself. At first it's really really hard but it does get easier. Taco's are actually pretty good without cheese  I'm constantly eating peanut butter and jelly. All Rotella bread is safe. If you go to their factory in Omaha (like 108 and harrison) they have a store and it's SO cheap. Most health food sections have an Enjoy Life brand that is all allergen safe so it's easy to grab their bars, etc and have something ready made to eat. I believe Oreos are also safe. I know they are dairy free but I also think they are soy free. Those I keep on hand at all times as well to curb cravings and have something easy to grab and snack on.

Google "dairy free" recipes or "soy free" instead of MSPI. Vegan sites are pretty helpful although they will use soy.

Subs:
Milk: rice, almond, coconut
Butter: Earth Balance soy free(hyvee) or Fleishman's original unsalted (i havent looked for this in a while but I used to get it at bakers on west center)
Cheese: Daiya (Hyvee has cheddar or whole foods has cheddar, mozzarella, pepper jack)
Chocolate: Enjoy life brand(hyvee) or bakers chocolate. Whole foods has dairy free/soy free chocolate chips in their bulk section and it's cheaper to buy it that way. Ghirardelli hot chocolate mix is safe(walmart. really good mixed with vanilla rice milk)

Rice Milk is cheapest at Hyvee. The Hyvee brand.

Silk brand Almond milk is better than other brands. They have cartons in the refrigerated section or at Walmart they have smaller cartons on a shelf that isn't cold and can be stored for a long time. I've only seen those at Walmart so far. Silk has a Dark Chocolate Almond milk that is really good to drink.

To sub for cream of chicken: heat up almond milk(would pry work with coconut milk - MAYBE rice milk) in a pan, add a few tablespoons of flour, mix and heat. Add some corn starch or arrowroot powder to a little chicken broth. Add to the milk mixture and continue to heat until it thickens. 

Bakers has a really good vanilla coconut based ice cream. There are lots of coconut milk ice cream recipes out there if you have an ice cream maker. Hagen-daaz has really good sorbets that are are good replacement for the ice cream craving. Other stores will have rice or coconut ice creams that are good too. I just remember the vanilla one at Bakers is really good. Can't remember which brand though. If you stick a frozen banana, a few strawberries and a little "milk" in a magic bullet it's a lot like strawberry ice cream. So good.

Most restaurants have allergen info on their sites(look for a nutrition link) or allergen menus you can ask for. Otherwise if you are somewhere other than a fast food restaurant you can request the chef to make something special for you. Just make sure you say its because of allergens and they need to use a clean spot on the grill so there isn't any left over cheese on it or something. Most processed lunch meats have an ingredient in it you can't have (can't remember which one) so you can get meat from the deli. Depends on how safe you want to be but you might need to ask if they use the slicer to cut cheese also and request they clean it first. You can even order pizza from places without cheese, add a ton of toppings and it's not bad. Just make sure to check their site to find a crust that is safe. Pizza hut's hand tossed is dairy free but says it's prepared in the same area as soy and may have some in it. Again, depends on how safe you want to be.

Read every label. Even if the allergen warning says it doesn't contain milk, there may be an ingredient you still are supposed to avoid, such as caramel coloring. That one sucks. That is in everything. If you find something that isn't safe, check another brand. It may be safe.

Some sites I have saved:
http://www.realfoodallergyfree.com/
http://onceamonthmom.com
http://www.mspimama.com/
http://tedmamas.blogspot.com/

Anything else you really want to know how to make? More info on? Hopefully this helped and not overwhelmed  Let me know ANY questions you might have. I'm sure I left stuff out. Green poop usually means soy is really bothering him.

Here is another cheat sheet for Lincoln/Omaha:
MSPI-friendly restaurant guide:

Arbys: Market Fresh BLT (they use Rotella bread), Pecan Chicken Salad, curly fries

Auntie Anne's (@ Gateway Mall): pretzels or pretzel sticks made fresh ask for NO BUTTER! They supposedly have a cooking spray that is safe that they will spray with if you want salt or cinnamon sugar on pretzels.
Brix (@ Village Point in Omaha): chef was very helpful and willing to do whatever he could to accommodate me

Burger King: chicken fries, hamburger patty, ciabatta bun, sourdough bread, onion rings, fries, creamy poblano sauce, stacker sauce, english muffin, tortillas, hash browns, southwest potatoes, bacon, ham, sausage

BW-3's: Traditional Chicken Wings with the following sauces: Mango Habanero Sauce, Honey BBQ Sauce, Sweet BBQ Sauce, Mild, Medium, and Hot Sauces, Wild Wing Sauce, Spicy Garlic Sauce, Honey Mustard Wing Sauce, Blazin' Sauce

Cheesecake Factory: they have many ingredients and make everything fresh so they could do about anything. Angel hair pasta with chicken, basil and maybe some veggies with olive oil and I think sauted garlic. Evelyn's Favorite Pasta with some slight modifications.

Chipotle: they will be very careful if you let them know you have allergies. The ingredients are all separate so you can just leave off the cheese and sour cream. I always add the guacamole (extra charge) for the calories and good fat. I just remind them to watch out for cheese that may have fallen in there.

Dish: the owner went through mspi with his child and always puts a couple of mspi-friendly options on the menu. if you have any concerns, you can speak with him and he'll help you figure out what you'll be able to eat.
Famous Daves: The cajun chicken sandwich, no onion strings, no cheese and no sauce, fries, and firecracker green beans. There are some other sides that are safe and the hamburgers are also safe, but most of the other meats are not. Char Grilled Chicken Breast Sandwich, Georgia Mustard Sauce, Texas Pit Sauce,
Potato Salad

Fireworks: steak and some plain steamed veggies. They were easy to work with.
Granite City: very good to work with. I had the Balsamic Chicken with plain steamed veggies.
Grateful Bread: have a variety of vegetarian soups to choose from. They list all of their ingredients. French bread is safe too.
Highlands Great Wall: They made a steamed chicken and veggies meal for me, with no sauce and steamed rice.

Hu Hot: If you go, when they take your bowl to cook your food, let them know you have an allergy. They clean off like half the cooking area and use clean utensils only on your food. Can have two sauces: kungpaowow and not so sweet and sour
Jimmy Johns: Italian bread is safe, avocado spread, and ham and turkey are all safe. I think there was something in the roast beef though - but again I was avoiding a lot more at the time, so may be milk and soy free.

Lazlos: I had the chicken and rib meal (plain not sauce) with steamed veggies.
Macaroni Grill: they have special menus for different types of allergies (soy, dairy, gluten etc.).

Maggie's vegetarian wraps: a great place to eat. I believe the owner's children had mspi.

McDonalds: Chicken Selects (no bun) or a Snack Wrap with Crispy Chicken (chicken select) no cheese, Chipotle BBQ sauce or Honey Mustard, the apple pies are supposed to be safe too. McBistro chicken sandwiches without the sauces & cheese, their chicken strips are okay with honey mustard sauce

Misty's: Salmon BBQ salad (may be other things as well.)

Noodles: Pad tai, chicken, beef, shrimp, Ciabatta Roll, salad w/ balsamic or asian dressing

Old Chicago: Chicken strips, french fries and honey mustard dressing

Olive Garden: Plain breadsticks and spaghetti with marinara

Panda Express (@ Gateway Mall): steamed rice,sweet and sour pork (according to their website these are the only items that pass)
Panera: alpine chicken salad sandwich on sourdough, French bread, Mediterranean veggie sandwich minus feta, and more (they have an allergen menu if you ask for it)

Papa Johns: Veggie Pizza on original crust No Cheese. I sprinkle on nutritional yeast and use their garlic sauce

Papillion: Stuffed grape leaves, hummus, pita bread

The Parthenon: I just spoke with the chef and he helped me pick something.
Pepe’s (Havelock): they have some great vegan sweet potato quesadillas, which are safe using the rice tortillas and possibly regular tortillas.

Qdoba: chicken burrito with rice and salsa only, pork, poblano pesto sauce, ranchera sauce, guacamole, chips

Quiznos – wheat bread, aioli sauce, chipotle mayo, country bbq, creamy horseradish, balsamic, four pepper chili, honey bourbon mustard, honey mustard, mayo, raspberry chipotle, zesty grill, guacamole, marinara sauce, bacon, capicola, chicken, roast beef, roasted turkey, salami, ham,

Raising Canes: Upon request, they will make the chicken strips without dairy and omit the butter on the toast.

Red Lobster: they have a grid of which foods had which allergens. The server also checked ingredient lists to see if sauces, seasonings, etc. could be left off. He was very knowledgeable and patient. I had fresh grilled fish with broccoli and asparagus. There wasn't a lot of choices but they tried very hard to accommodate.

Red Robin: have an allergy menu, if you ask for it. Basically, you can get a burger with no cheese and no seasoning on the burger or fries (the seasoning has soy protein in it).
Ruby Tuesdays: ruby minis combination or ruby’s classic burger (no cheese, no butter), salad with balsamic vinaigrette or honey mustard, Plain chicken breast (no seasoning) and plain baked potato

Runza: deluxe grilled chicken sandwich , Shanghai Chicken Salad, Raspberry Vinaigrette, poppy seed dressing, and honey mustard, BBQ sauce, Fries

Subway: Italian bread, wraps, sourdough bread, roasted garlic bread, grilled chicken (make sure it is the whole breast not the already cut pieces as they have a milk coating on them), cold cut combo, ham, Italian BMT, oven roasted chicken, spicy Italian, subway club, tuna, turkey breast, and mayo, vinegar and oil (plus all the other veggies you want on it), honey mustard, sweet onion, mayo, oil, vinegar, mustard

Taco Bell: 7 layer bean burrito minus cheese, sour cream add fresco salsa, Chicken Burrito Supreme fresco style, Chicken Enchirito fresco style, Chicken Grilled Stuft Burrito fresco style , Chicken Taquitos fresco , Fiesta Burrito Chicken fresco style , flour tortilla, taco shell, Tostada, Guacamole

Taco Bell: bean burrito fresco, potato ole’s

Tandoor and The Oven: Several dahls and curries are safe-check there when eating out

Texas Pitt BBQ is safe.
Texas Roadhouse: I had a plain unmarinated chicken breast, plain sweet potato (they specially made one from scratch not already coated in butter) and some steamed plain veggies

Venue: has been very accommodating too (they are more Gluten friendly however they were great to work with forMSPI).

Wendy's: Chili, Single burger with no cheese, junior hamburger, fries, wings, bbq, sweet/sour, honey mustard sauces, hamburger, chicken sandwich (not wrap), garden salad w/ Italian or thousand island

Tuckered out

I think lauren has only fallen asleep in the living room once or twice before. Playing in the snow tires you out!

Our little angel

Lauren's first Christmas program. Everyone said she stole the show as the littlest angel.

Santa Claus is coming to town 2012

Santa came to visit us today at the Mead Library! Lauren has really started to understand Santa and was super excited on the way up and while waiting for him.

Once he arrived she was shy and took her cousins lead in hiding. 

I reminded her she had something to ask him and then she realized, "Oh yeah, I do want to talk to him."

So she went over and did a little quiet talking but wouldn't get too close. Even to get her "special treat".

When we left she said hi shyly to him but as we were getting in the car he walked out to go visit the bank and she got all excited again and waved and yelled "Bye Santa!"

She has been loving looking at these pictures and telling me all about it :)

Kate of course cried as soon as I got too close or set her on the floor. 

Two little crackas...

...enjoying their "crackas". ("cracka" as stated by Kate)

Organizing Children books

Lauren's books have been piled in her armoire for a while now and sorting through them can be frustrating. Now that she is FINALLY interested in books, I like to switch them out regularly for each holiday or season or just when we get tired of looking at the same ones. We get new books regularly as gifts, garage sales, second hand stores and mostly from our local library that purges kids books as they start to show wear.

This is her book shelf that we set the "current" books. I got this for $1 at a garage sale and it is SO worth it. Her interest level in books increased immediately when she could see the covers and not have to sort through them herself.


Right now, it contains summer/zoo/flower type books along with a some other ones such as the Mercer Mayer dentist book because she is going to have her first dentist visit soon!

Next to her chair is a special basket....Dora! This is pretty much all we get to read these days.


In the bottom shelf of the bookshelf is bedtime and nursery rhyme books. In the basket is board books and ones she can play with.


Next up is the rest of the books we own. They stay here and like I said before, get rotated out.


We have a basket for Dr. Seuss. We got a bunch from Adam's grandmas house and have added a few more over the last couple of years.


The next basket is Disney/ tv or characters she knows. (Her middle name is Olivia so grandma has started her a collection of Olivia books).


Then there are two baskets next to that that contain a mix of random books.

The next basket is themed books. Each theme gets its own ziplock bag. We have Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Winter.




Down below we have some bigger hard cover books and also books that do things such as pull out or make noise.

Beside that we have another basket with ziplocks. These ziplocks contain Mercer Mayer books, Berenstain Bears, and Golden books.




Now, hopefully they stay this way!

Linking up to OrgJunkie.com!

MPM 2/27

Monday: Hot dogs and sweet potato fries

Tuesday: Jambalaya for Mardi Gras!

 Wednesday: Shredded beef enchiladas (leftover roast from last week)

 Thursday: Leftovers

 Friday: BBQ Chicken Pizza

 Saturday: Breakfast casserole for supper

 Sunday: TBD

I'm going to make some pretzel bites, some taco/onion soup/ranch seasonings, and some 6 week muffins (my great-grandma's recipe that were her favorites)

 Check out 100s of other menus at Orgjunkie.com

MPM 2/20 - 2/26

Monday: Buffalo Chicken

Tuesday: BBQ Meatballs (x3 - one for freezer, one for family in town)

 Wednesday: Roast

 Thursday: Leftovers

 Friday: Chicken Pot Pie

 Saturday: Chili

 Sunday: Homemade Chicken Nuggets (plus some for freezer - didn't get to these last time)

This week I'm also going to make some Vanilla muffins with cinnamon crumb topping, possibly some raspberry crumb bars, and I need to make some homemade taco seasoning. Hopefully this will be a minimal grocery week with only a few basics to buy.

 Check out 100s of other menus at Orgjunkie.com

MPM 2/6 - 2/12

Monday: Meatloaf w/ Green beans and baked beans 

Tuesday: Whole Chicken with leftover sides

 Wednesday: Chicken Noodle soup with Quick Potato Dumplings

 Thursday: Leftovers

 Friday: Taco Potatoes

 Saturday: Chicken Fiesta

 Sunday: Taco Ring

 Check out 100s of other menus at Orgjunkie.com

Mpm

Monday: Sante Fe Five-Bean Soup (Page 38, Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Fast-Fix Family Favorites)

Tuesday: Tacos as Lettuce Wraps with Black Bean and Corn Salad

Wednesday: Leftovers

Thursday: Turkey Wraps with Chipotle Mayo and probably leftover black bean and corn salad

Friday: Sweet and Spicy Bacon Chicken and sweet potatoes

Saturday: Leftovers

Sunday: Chicken with Peanut Curry Sauce (Page 94, Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Fast-Fix Family Favorites) and rice


Last week we ate:
Spaghetti and garlic bread

Mac n cheese (mom at MOPS)

Homemade Buffalo Chicken Strips and Sweet potato fries (didn't eat any the week before)

Steak and Mashed potatoes (didn't get in the week before)

Pizza (Pizza Hut the no cheese pizza so I ate bone out chicken with honey bbq sauce)

Spaghetti Feed at high school

Everyone ate something different :)
Check out 100s of other menus at Orgjunkie.com

MPM 1/8 - 1/15

Sunday: Steak and potato patties

Monday: Baked ham and pasta salad

Tuesday: Biscuits and Gravy (using rice milk or maybe soy milk)

Wednesday: Leftovers

Thursday: Coca cola chicken and steak fries

Friday: Sweet and sour meatloaf

Saturday: Burritos (no cheese for me)

Sunday: Homemade chicken nuggets and sweet potato fries

Check out 100s of other menus at Orgjunkie.com

MPM 11/7

A day late again :)

Monday: Chimichangas from the freezer.
Tuesday: Chicken noodle soup
Wednesday: Pizza. Bought a couple vegan mozzarella cheese. Hopefully they're good!
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Homemade Corn Dogs with soy milk
Saturday: Lunch football game. Not sure if we'll be home for supper or not.
Sunday: Undecided

Check out 100s of other menus at Orgjunkie.com

MPM 11/1

A day late but I do have a plan this week!

Monday: Halloween. Hot dogs and hot chocolate at the fire hall.
Tuesday: Whole chicken in the crock pot for Adam. Me and kids at MOPS.
Wednesday: Chicken for me and Lauren. Adam supper out.
Thursday: Broccoli Chicken with leftover chicken. I didn't get this made last time it was on the menu.
Friday: Leftovers
Saturday: Homemade Dairy free potato soup. I might use a combination between this recipe and the one below.
Sunday: Undecided

Dairy Free Potato Soup Saute onions and garlic in EVOO. Add chicken stock, some herbs (whatever I have on hand-thyme, dill, oregano etc.) and potatoes. I boil until potatoes are almost done and chuck in some broccoli. I let it go another few minutes and cool. Then puree it all.

Check out 100s of other menus at Orgjunkie.com

Meet Kate

Kate Sophia was born on 10/5 at 5:41 in the morning. She was 8 lbs 13 ounces and 21 inches long. A much bigger baby than Lauren was at 7 lbs and 19 in long!



We had quite the night as Lauren was up all night throwing up. She started at 12:30 and stopped at 3:30. Contractions started at 4 and after a mad dash to the hospital Kate was born 29 minutes after we walked through the ER doors. That was even after they kept telling me not to push so we could wait for my doctor.

We are settled in and Lauren loves her new little sister. She wakes up asking for her. I think she wishes Kate could play a little more though :)

First bath:


Leaving the hospital.



Two weeks:




She'll be three weeks old already tomorrow!

I'm getting tired of not having meals planned so hopefully Meal Plan Monday will be back next week!