Tag Archives: wheat free

Simple Pleasures

When in the midst of dealing with the complicated life that is M, it’s really easy to get bogged down with the problems and overlook the simple pleasures in life. As the saying goes, sometimes you need to just stop and smell the roses. Despite the challenges of the last few months, there have been some wonderfully simple pleasures that are a precious reminder of just how good this summer was between the difficult bits:

Standing in the back garden with the children and watching the Red Arrows fly overhead
Courtesy of en.wikipedia.org
G & M using walkie-talkies made from nothing more than scrap cardboard and their imaginations

Drinking an ice-cold glass of home-made lemonade
Without the “pink”
Taking the train into the city and walking around on a local Art trail whilst investigating the area and sights

Watching G and M cheer as Andy Murray won Wimbledon
Courtesy of capitalfm.com
Watching G and M then recreate the Wimbledon moment using our washing line and their beach tennis set

Late night cuddles with M and early morning ones with G

Enjoying some classic Disney films before bed and finding some new favourites
Courtesy of hdwpapers.com
Home-made burgers cooked on the BBQ

Camping in the garden – well this was one for Mike and the kids, I am definitely never, ever going to consider camping to be a pleasure of any kind

G & M spending hours out in the garden: building dens, climbing trees and bouncing on the trampoline

Courtesy of dartmoor-npa.gov.uk

Long lazy summer days spent lying on the beach, building sandcastles and splashing in the sea

Perfecting a myraid of free-from, M-friendly recipes and enjoying tasting each and every one!
Rainforest flapjacks

Pen-blwydd Hapus Mamgu!

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Or, for those of you not fluent in Welsh, “Happy Birthday Grandma!”.

This weekend we celebrated my Mum’s birthday with her and what better way to celebrate than to try out some new recipes, especially those for cake! All recipes have been adapted for a MEWS-diet and I have to say a special thanks to fellow blogger, lucysfriendlyfoods, for her egg-free meringue recipe and invaluable advice for an alternative to soya protein:

Pea protein – a new ingredient to me, but the key to a successful egg-free meringue

I made, and we all enjoyed, successful chocolate meringues and carrot cake. G and M gave both recipes a 10 in their taste tests and I finally feel as if I’m beginning to crack the M-friendly baking dilemma that’s been threatening to beat me for a couple of years. What better way to share than some photos from the day:

At this point, the mix tasted a little like that American delicacy, Marshmallow Fluff!

The final product – perfect and delicious egg-free chocolate meringues

And who’d have thought you could go from this…

…to this?

Happy birthday Mum!

Viva Portugal – and our answer on a postcard!

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Courtesy of mapsof.net

Preparing for this summer’s holiday to Portugal went well as we completed the Pellet study with M and I finally answered the question of how to carry all of M’s medicines and foods without paying for an extra bag. So, all I needed to do in the last two days was pick up our holiday money, pack the suitcases and speak to GOSH about the test results from the abdominal x-ray.

Needless to say, the first two list items were quickly ticked off and I even managed to fill the extra suitcase for M without forgetting anything essential. Tracking GOSH down and speaking to them sensibly took a little longer. I was anxious to discuss the results of the Pellet Study and what the next step was before we went on holiday, especially given that M’s move up to his new school was imminent soon after our return. The registrar I finally spoke to on the Friday morning had a real mix of news for me.

The good news was that the x-ray showed that M had passed most of the radiopaque markers – his x-ray was a mix of images 1 and 2 – which suggested that there was no real issue with his gut motility. The bad news was, that despite 12 days on an increased level of Movicol, M was still heavily impacted. What wasn’t clear was whether we had ever successfully emptied his bowel or if he had become re-constipated during the 5 days he was not taking the Movicol during the study.

The next decision was not an easy one to make, especially with a week abroad on the horizon. We had to continue with the Movicol, taking 4 sachets daily for the week we were away, which would hopefully keep things moving and empty his bowel out as was so desperately needed. Both the registrar and I felt it was likely that the 4 sachets would be too much for M’s system, but we really had no other choice and reluctantly I agreed, with a follow up phone-call planned for the first Monday back home. Into the suitcase went the required sachets and extra packs of pull-ups to see us through the week.

Despite the challenges we knew this would bring, we were determined to enjoy the much needed break and the sun. We set off with plenty of time to spare “just in case”, breezed through check-in and customs, survived the 2 hour wait to our flight and eventually landed safely in Faro. An hour’s taxi ride to the resort, a quick late night tuna pasta dinner (courtesy of the supply suitcase) and we were into bed for a good night’s sleep before our holiday started properly.

The week was amazing. The kids loved every moment of both the beach and the pool and we were all amazed at how much their confidence had grown in the last year. M revelled in splashing about and jumping waves, which was something he wouldn’t do the first time we went just 2 years ago. He was also brilliant at wearing a pull-up under his swimming trunks to avoid any unwanted problems in the water. It was far more challenging to change him because of the combination of damp bodies, tight-fitting pull-ups and wet trunks, but we survived it.

He had his moments and we had a couple of major melt-downs as he let out his frustrations about his condition and all that was going on. Unfortunately, Mike suffered the brunt of this as he’s not usually the one on-hand all day, but he survived it too. The upside is that it gives more ammunition and examples to pass on to the CAMHS team when we see them later this month to argue the case for M needing more support to cope with his emotional and psychological well-being.

M’s trusty friend “Cat”, came on holiday with us and the maids made M smile by dressing him in M’s pjs

We even managed our meals. This year we chose to eat breakfast and lunch in our apartment every day, rather than venture to the breakfast buffet provided at the hotel. It was a difficult decision because both children love the opportunity to chose from the vast array of food available, but we knew that it would be a far too limited choice for M. Instead we ate out every evening at a number of local restaurants along from the hotel. One of the best things about eating out in Portugal is that it was surprisingly easy to accommodate M’s food restrictions. His love for most things fish and seafood meant that we were able to order fresh fish that was cooked in olive oil with a side order of chips and he was satisfied. We found that most of the restaurants were helpful in preparing prawns or fish without any sauces and we skipped dessert as none of us needed it.

As expected, the movicol made the week difficult, but it made a big difference to be dealing with all the stresses and strains in a sunnier climate. We all needed the break from the daily grind at home and I came back feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the challenges of the new term.

One of the many sandcastle creations M built during the week

Apples

The Allergy & Free From Show North, Liverpool

Have you met Frank*?

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Over the last few months since entering the mysterious world of blogging, I have enviously been reading of fellow bloggers being asked to try out and review a vast range of products. I’ve wondered how they’ve managed to bring their blogs to the attention of manufacturers and producers looking to launch new products and whether I could even dream of reaching such lofty heights with my own humble blog.

So, imagine my delight at receiving a message at the beginning of the summer holidays from Ben at The Frank* Food Co. We had discovered this relatively new treat at the Allergy & Free from Show back in June and both children had gorged themselves on the free samples available. In our ever-constant search for snacks that are not only M-friendly, but healthy and delicious, I was thrilled to uncover another brand to add to my cupboard.

The company’s strapline states “Frank*Snack Bars are a deliciously indulgent snack bar made with 100% natural ingredients” and comes in a choice of 5 flavours: Orange & Chocolate, Double Chocolate, Strawberry & Chocolate, Blueberry & Chocolate and Oat & Chocolate. The parcel that arrived from Frank* contained one of each and the children and I eagerly embarked on our very scientific approach to tasting, reviewing and ranking each one.

The chart below shows their comments and marks out of ten for the 5 different flavours:

	G	M

Orange & Chocolate	Delicious, but needs more orange and less chocolate Mark: 9/10	Fantastic Mark: 10/10
Double Chocolate	Very chocolately, very nice Mark: 5/10	Too much chocolate, but very nice anyway Mark: 5/10
Strawberry & Chocolate	This one is nice, but needs less strawberry Mark: 6/10	Okay Mark: 7/10
Blueberry & Chocolate	Too much blueberry Mark: 7/10	Nice, but the blueberry & chocolate flavours are fighting too much Mark: 9/10
Oat & Chocolate	Perfect! Mark: 10/10	Perfect! Mark: 10/10

Favourite flavour	Oat & Chocolate	Orange & Chocolate

The results are clear. G liked them all, even the blueberry one she was reluctant to try, but felt overall that the fruit flavours were too strong. She loved the Oat & chocolate one and said she’d pick this one every time. M liked them all and chose Orange & chocolate as his favourite, though I do wonder if my love for Terry’s Chocolate oranges influenced his decision. The biggest surprise was that neither child rated the Double chocolate bar that much and although they both enjoyed it and certainly wouldn’t turn it down, they felt it was just too much chocolate.

As for Mummy’s review? I’m in favour of them all as they certainly provide a healthy snack and are a nice addition to my kitchen. I wouldn’t give them one every day, but as a treat, they are perfect.

If you’d like to give Frank* bars a try, you can find a complete list of stockists on their website or you can order on-line for home delivery too.

Rainforest Flapjacks

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Now, you wouldn’t be blamed for thinking that the past 3 weeks have involved little more than baking and eating an array of M-friendly treats. This week was no exception. Having attempted the series of lemon recipes as well as the best chocolate cake ever and feeling somewhat delighted with the results, we decided that our next baking efforts were going to be the rather exotically named “Rainforest Flapjacks”.

This recipe came home from school and looked easy enough to adapt for M’s dietary needs. I will confess right now to having felt a little frustrated by M’s school’s reluctance to cook with him. The two occasions they have chosen to cook with his class have both conveniently coincided with times when he was away from school. Do I blame them for not wanting to cope with his complex dietary needs? Not entirely, but I have had to deal with the fall-out, disappointment and tears at home.

My solution this time round was to suggest to M that he asked for the recipe so that we could attempt it at home. In due course, the printed sheet made its way into M’s drawer and finally came home in a decent enough state that I could still read the list of ingredients. Everything was easily substituted for M-friendly alternatives and, in the case of the oats, G-friendly millet flakes. I had the full complement of ingredients in either the fridge or the cupboard and so we were ready to start.

As ever, I took my chances and doubled the quantities to make sure I had enough flapjacks to last the week and so we began. The process was easy, the children loved measuring out the ingredients and the odd bit of a chocolate might have strayed into an open mouth along the way. We used a bar of the wonderful Moo-free Cranberry and Hazelnuts chocolate which is both soya- and dairy-free, though plain dark chocolate would work just as well.

The end result was a delight. Both children devoured the first few pieces without hesitation and the double quantity only just lasted the week. G even asked if I could make it without the nuts so that she could take a slice for her packed lunches at school from September.

In case you’re wondering what makes them “Rainforest” flapjacks (as Mike asked), my answer is simple. They contain bananas, chocolate, are perfect for our 2 little monkeys and the name linked in perfectly with M’s topic for school!

This post is an entry into the Foodies100/Schwartz Flavour of Together challenge – you can add your own exotic Flavour story via this link

The Best Chocolate cake in the World

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We’ve enjoyed a peaceful weekend away in South Wales. The weather hasn’t been the idyllic temperatures and sunshine of July, but we had a great time anyway. The odd rain shower or clap of thunder didn’t stop us celebrating my Uncle’s birthday in style. We had a BBQ and buffet feast, including my now infamous Lamb and mint burgers and G and M insisted that I made a birthday cake to mark the occasion.

Courtesy of fanpop.com

Last week’s Lemon drizzle cake was a big success, but I was still not satisfied with the granular nature of the sponge that comes from baking with rice flour. Since then I have been searching for a recipe to make the perfect rice flour cake and discovered this one that assured me that the granular texture would be a thing of the past. Having uncovered such a promising recipe, I just needed a reason to bake it and what could have been better timed than a family birthday?

For the first time I ventured into the mystical world of cooking with xanthum gum – a substance much mentioned in gluten-free cooking, but something I had yet to actually use.

We mixed together the xanthum gum, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda and once again watched the chemical reaction between that and the white wine vinegar that the recipe required. M was enchanted by listening to the ingredients fizz and watching the bubbles of carbon dioxide rise to the top of the mixing bowl – “just like the volcano we made with Daddy”.

I had erred on the side of caution given my previously chronicled inability to bake cakes thatrise and made up one and a half times the quantity of cake mix. I needn’t have worried. Perhaps xanthum gum is the answer to my baking issues, I just don’t know, but I had more than enough cake mix to make a double layer cake and a dozen cupcakes too, all of which had a lovely depth to them.

I decided to use the classic flavour combination of chocolate and raspberries and layered the cake with raspberry jam, vanilla butter icing and dried raspberries. I finished it with a garden-themed decorating scheme and was proud of, at very least, how the cake looked.

That evening, I nervously cut into the cake and served it to the assorted, gathered family members. The cake was beautifully moist, the chocolate sweet but not over-powering and, best of all, there was not one single sign of that granular texture I’ve come to loathe when baking with rice flour. G gave it a resounding 10 out of 10, M stated that it was the “best cake ever, cooked by the best Mummy ever” and even the harshest of critics complimented me on how delicious the cake was. So the conclusion I’ve reached is that this is a cake recipe to treasure and I’ve now just got to work out how to adapt it for as many different versions and occasions as possible.

A taste of sunshine

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The weather may have turned a little grey and damp once again, but at the end of last week, we decided to bring a taste of the sunshine into the house and spent Friday afternoon baking. I’d been promising the children a baking afternoon for a while and Friday seemed like the perfect opportunity and a great end to the first week of the holidays.

Despite a little active discussion about what we could make, we settled on Lemon Drizzle cake. I searched for a vegan recipe and found this wonderful one by cookery blogger, Sharon. I needed to adapt it a little to accommodate M’s wheat- and gluten-free requirements, but most of the hard work (making it egg-free!) was already done.

Courtesy of buyfruit.com.au

We dashed out to buy the missing ingredients – lemons – and then returned home, rolled up our sleeves and got started. The children had a wonderful time. G had the responsibility of reading the recipe and method out loud for M and me to follow, whilst M became chief-mixer. We watched the “chemical” reaction between the vinegar, lemon juice and sugar and discussed how the frothiness should help make the cake light and delicious. My adapted recipe can be found here.

The end result was a great success. M loved it, though G felt it was too lemony! Having filled the fridge with lemons, we decided to make the most of them and made lemonade using my pink lemonade recipe without the cranberry juice. We then used half of the lemonade to make some ice lollies, perfect for the hot weather.

All in all, a very successful Friday afternoon!

This post is an entry into the Foodies100/Schwartz Flavour of Together challenge, if you have a great flavour story to share, you can easily do it here

BBQs and Bakewell tarts

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The incredible summer weather that we’ve been enjoying this weekend, can only mean one thing; it’s time for a barbecue. True to form, by around 5pm on Friday evening, the shelves of all the local supermarkets had been cleared of the sausages, burgers and other BBQ meats, but for once that didn’t spoil our plans. Most of the BBQ selections available contain wheat, gluten or even soya, which makes them unsuitable for use in our household.

Instead, I took to a recipe that we developed after seeing a similar meal prepared on Canadian TV programme “You’ve gotta eat here“. For those of you who haven’t seen this series, and I highly recommend that you don’t even attempt to watch it when feeling peckish, presenter John Catucci tours Canada, searching out exceptional meals found at various cafes, diners and restaurants across the country. The food featured not only tastes good, but often comes in proportions that defeat even those with the healthiest of appetites. Whilst the burgers we watched being made were traditional in using beef, I adapted them to use family favourites, Welsh lamb and fresh mint. You can find the recipe here.

The final recipe is easy and quick to prepare, delicious to eat and best of all, contains nothing that is not M-friendly. They take around 5 minutes to cook on the BBQ or indeed in the oven and were perfect for a Saturday lunch in the sun.

One of things that M has been missing, other than the by now famous egg mayonnaise sandwiches, is Bakewell tarts. Around 12 months ago, we had discovered Costa‘s gluten-free Cherry bakewells and, as they were dairy, soya and wheat-free and M was trialling egg at the time, we were able to try them out as a treat. M loved them and we had found something he could eat when we popped out for a coffee or were on a road trip.

However, this January’s decision to tighten up M’s diet meant these had to go back on to his forbidden list. It was a disappointment as there is so little available when we’re out and about, but we had the hope that the next trial of egg would mean that he might be able to start eating them once again. Sadly, the current relapse and subsequent medical response means that there is no likelihood of this for the foreseeable future.

M has been hit hard by his current flare-up and so I decided to make a weekend of it and bake some much needed M-friendly treats for both M and G. I quickly decided to investigate whether there was any possibility of making a M-friendly Bakewell tart. Having never even attempted to make Bakewell tarts in my lifetime, even before all the food allergies hit my kitchen, I looked up a recipe to see if I could adapt it.

I was confident I could make a reasonable everything-free pastry base, having successfully mastered pastry at Christmas for mince pies. I have quickly learned that vegan recipes are my friends as they don’t contain any animal products and so instantly remove the issue of being dairy- and egg-free. So, I quickly moved on to the next item on the list, raspberry jam. Fortunately, M suffers no ill-effects from fruit jams at the moment, so that was an easy tick and on to the final element of the recipe: the frangipane.

This filled me with dread. Frangipane is an almond-flavoured sweet pastry cream which, depending on the particular recipe you decide to follow, contains anywhere between 1 and 3 eggs and I just couldn’t see a way round it. With little hope and as a somewhat last-ditch attempt, I used that faithful friend, Dr Google, once again to see if someone, somewhere had created a vegan alternative to frangipane. Imagine my delight on discovering this wonderful recipe from fellow blogger, lucysfriendlyfoods.

I noted the ingredients, checked my store cupboards to see what I already had in stock and drew up my shopping list. A quick visit to the supermarket and we had everything I needed to bake this masterpiece. To my delight, every step of this recipe was easy to follow and put together. 40 minutes in the oven and my work was done.

M was thrilled and had to try a slice before it had cooled fully. The slice I gave him disappeared quickly and his only comment was that he would prefer me to make individual tarts next time. What’s more, G also tried some and enjoyed it. All in all, this weekend has been a resounding success, be it the BBQ burgers or the Bakewell tart.

7 years to diagnosis

Searching for an answer

Tag Archives: wheat free

Simple Pleasures

Pen-blwydd Hapus Mamgu!

Viva Portugal – and our answer on a postcard!

Apples

The Allergy & Free From Show North, Liverpool

Have you met Frank*?

Rainforest Flapjacks

The Best Chocolate cake in the World

A taste of sunshine

BBQs and Bakewell tarts