YUMMY chocolate Fix

So gluten free can be a pain, and I can't say I have been 100% gluten free but it's been cut dramatically. I found so many yummy recipes out there like this one that make it easier:

chocolate pecan clusters

2-1/4 cups cane or coconut sugar, divided
3/4 cup pure coconut milk (Native Forest), fat from inside of can and lid reincorporated
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 cup water
2-1/2 cups dry roasted, unsalted pecans (or nut, seed, or dried fruit of choice)
... 4 tablespoons soy-free vegan buttery spread (Earth Balance), or butter of choice
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
4 teaspoons dark rum (optional)
2-1/2 cups soy-free vegan chocolate chips (Enjoy Life)
Place oven baking rack in first position; preheat oven to 425 degrees F; line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. In small saucepan, combine 1-1/2 cups cane sugar, coconut milk, and sea salt; place over medium heat; stir to dissolve; bring mixture to a boil; stir then remove from heat; set aside until needed. Measure pecans onto prepared baking sheet; place sheet into preheated 425 degree F oven; bake 7 minutes; remove sheet to counter to cool. Meanwhile, in another saucepan, combine remaining 3/4 cup cane sugar and water; place over medium-high heat, bring to a boil - do not stir - cook 5 minutes; swirl liquid in pan; continue to cook 2 minutes; remove pan from heat to counter. With great care, slowly pour coconut sugar mixture into second hot sugar mixture; stir to combine (be careful as the mixture may bubble up considerably); stir in toasted pecans; return saucepan to medium high heat; place candy thermometer along side of pan; heat mixture to 242 degrees F (about 8 minutes); stir occasionally. Remove saucepan from heat; beat in Earth Balance, rum (optional), and vanilla extract; beat by hand with large spoon until mixture is very thick and impossible to stir, about 10 minutes - (if you don't mind the pecans being broken up, use an electric mixer set on low speed - beat 5 minutes instead). Using a tablespoon, scoop balls of pecan mixture onto parchment-lined baking sheet; set aside to cool or place sheet in refrigerator about 20 minutes. Place medium saucepan 1/3-filled with water over medium heat; bring to a boil; place second pan over first; add chocolate chips; stir to melt completely; using large metal slotted spoon, dip each pecan cluster in melted chocolate then place on parchment paper to cool; place full sheet in refrigerator about 30 minutes, or until chocolate is set and hard; remove to airtight storage container; store at room temperature up to 7 days. Servings: about 24 candies
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Preheat: 425 degrees F

AH! Why is gluten so hard to take out?

Let's just say I am not being 100% successful in gluten removal. My biggest issues? Pasta and Sourdough bread. For those that know me, I LOVE sourdough bread and I have not found an alternative yet. I splurged and bought a bag from trader joes :( I really need to get this under control because I don't want to be going cold turkey in the Fall. I have been doing fine other than those 2 things. I think maybe a trip to my local gluten free store for some advice in finding alternatives for these two things is an order. On the plus side, I have found that Udi's gluten free bagels are A-Mazing!!! So between those and rice chex during the week I have been able to eat a quick breakfast.

Gluten Free Journey has begun....

Let me start off by saying I do not have breakfast figured out AT all. So, only lunch, snacks, and dinner have become gluten free. I feel like all the gluten free breakfasts that would be good such as eggs, hashbrowns etc... are not ideal for my get out of the house as early as possible routine in the morning. But, I have to say that lunch and dinner were not to bad yesterday, of course it's only day 1 and it will get much harder.
I think I'm going to need to explore the world of gluten free frozen waffles and pancakes to see if I can find something easy for weekday mornings.
Yesterday lunch was fairly easy I had a burrito bowl basically salad with chicken and for dinner I had this amazing bacon wrapped steak dish with homemade mashed potatoes. The only gluten ingredient in the recipe was flour however and that was easy to substitute.
Weekends and parties will prove more challenging but I'm up for it... hey at least I can still have potato salad :)

Did someone say Vitamin D?

Well, in preparation for this Fall another thing I had on my to do list was to check my vitamin D levels - since I think I heard low vitamin D levels and Autism about 60 times at the Autism Research Institute (ARI) conference. So, when I had to go in for my sinus infection, I thought why not get it done then.
My doctor told me the normal range was 30-80 and that we wanted to aim for about 50. Off to the lab I went. Today, the lab calls me. You know it's never good when you get a phone call instead of that sheet of paper they drop in the mail that means nothing when you get it.

So my level: 21.4. So, now I have to take 50,000UI a week of Vitamin D for 8 weeks and get it rechecked in 12 weeks.

Next week at Will's check up I am definitely going to ask to have his levels checked.

Gluten Dairy Galore!

The last days of Gluten and Dairy and soy await me. I am not a big fan of soy anyway, considering most of the soy in this country is not in it's original state but Gluten and Dairy how I will miss miss miss you! I feel like I need to eat a big vat of pasta - I won't but it's tempting :)

I am going to be phasing things out, cold turkey is for smokers not for food. So I wonder what is easier to leave behind dairy or gluten?? For me, coffee will be a challenge without dairy because I can't drink it black, although I might if I get desperate and gluten will be hard because let's face it pasta is SO GOOD. You don't come from an Italian background and hate pasta.... It's like telling a Southerner not to like fried okra or biscuits and gravy.

What would you eat if it was your last gluten meal for 2+ years?

Holy Pill Box!!

So after my research I have found that the following information from the ARI (Autism Research institute) website that could help decrease risk. Most of these are common sense, but none the less, good changes to make. We are not planning on starting to try till the Fall, which is helpful as many of these should be started prior to conception.
1. Go on an ORGANIC WHOLE FOOD pre-natal vitamin - I chose New Chapter prenatal
2. Add an Omega 3 supplement - I choose Nordic Naturals
3. Bring Vitamin D supplement to at least 2000IU - chose Kirkman labs supplement
4. Take a probiotic - I chose Klaire Labs Pro-bio complete
5. At least 1800 mg of calcium a day - added a supplement in addition to my multivitamin - Kirkman labs makes a powder
6.At least 800 mcg of Folic acid a day- our multi that we chose has 600mcg so I added additional support from a supplement from Kirkman labs
7. Avoid vaccines, dental work (especially mercury fillings), and drugs when possible
8. Get enough protein -80gms
9. get weekly chiropractic care
10. natural childbrith
11. Drink enough water
What I also believe is that avoid drinks outside of natural organic juices (veggie and fruit), and water. Avoid drinks with chemicals and try to eat as much of an organic diet as possible.
Personally, I will be going GFCFSF (Gluten, Casein, Soy) free which will be the hardest part of my journey.
Nothing is proven, none of this may help, but personally I am going to follow these steps to help prevent my second one from receiving an Autism diagnosis. As I go through the steps prior to conception and through pregnancy I will let everyone know how the diet is going as well as discuss my feelings about my birthing plan. I hope you will come with me on this journey and enjoy my successes and learn from my challenges.

The questions we had when deciding to have a second child

It's a big debate among many parents who have children with Autism - should we have more children? What are the risks? Is there a way to prevent Autism or at least try? What would you do if you have a second child with Autism, could you handle it without going crazy? Would you be able to financially afford it? The decision is an emotional one and a mental one. No one has a crystal ball to tell you what will happen in the end, so really it's all about risk - are you willing to take the risk? We know the risk is higher than an average family if you already have one child with Autism or your close family members do. To us, we want a second child so because of this I went after the research to find out how to lower the risk of my second little one to have to go through what my little Will goes through.