It’s been an interesting couple of weeks here. I am officially a grad student, and am busy working through my Research Methods class. We’ve packed up, moved, and are working to unpack, so that we can be closer to school for me, which will be better for everyone. Martin and I got married. AND…
We found out that Braden is, in fact, allergic to wheat, peanuts, soy, corn, and sesame. I quickly went through all of the food in the house and marked what he could eat as “Braden-friendly”, and made a big mess of it in the living room so that he could see that there was still quite a bit that he can have, even of what we already had in the house.
So Martin and I are on a mission to eat all of the non-Braden-friendly foods while the kids are gone over the summer (they are home for a few days and gone for a few, throughout the summer). I’ll still do reviews of everything gf (they’re gone every other weekend anyways), but there’s no sense in making food that not everyone in my family can enjoy.
Braden and I are about to embark on a quest to make the best tortilla that meets all of his needs. It shouldn’t be too hard, but since we have a bunch of different flours, we’re going to spend much of the summer experimenting with them all. Just as soon as we unearth the kitchen from the mound of boxes. 🙂
Luckily for Braden, there are many of our favorites that are already Braden-friendly or will be with just a change of one ingredient. My brownie recipe, for instance, just needs some Enjoy Life Chocolate chips or mega chunks.
For him, at this time, we are definitely removing all of the allergens, but aren’t going so far as a small ingredient like flavoring that may have been derived from corn (the teeny tiny stuff), but if it says corn on the package, it’s out. The allergist didn’t think it was that serious, but we will reevaluate as needed.
I learned today that you can make a baking powder substitute (which contains cornstarch) by using 2 parts cream of tartar and 1 part baking soda.
So, from now on, if you see “Braden-Friendly”, you’ll know it’s not only gluten-free, but also peanut-, soy-, corn-, and sesame-free.
If you have some favorite products that fit these categories, please let us know. We’ve got a big family vacation coming up, and will need to be prepared.
