It never hurts to ask for "custom made" food...

Can you actually use "custom made" with food?! Mmmmmh?! Well, its not a grammar blog so I will not worry about this now :)

I am getting ready for a girls weekend. The girls weekend is with my German girls friends and Ron will stay home with the little girlies. In any case, we will go on a fantastic hike this morning in the Columbia Gorge and I am responsible to bring the "hiking snack" for everyone. It is Pretzelbread from "My little t American Baker". So now finally I am getting to the Galactosemia point, right?! Alena, Mia Rose, and I just went to pick up the Pretzelbread. An entire bag of delicious smelling fresh bread...it is just so good, BUT it contains some butter. Neither of the girls can eat it and they LOVE Pretzelbread (in Germany they eat a Brezel every day :) ). I explained to them that it contains milk, and they each got a yummy fruit roll. Almost end of story...I ended up talking to the owner asking whether it is possible to get the bread w/o butter and the answer is YES!!! I am so excited. Here is the scoop, you have to order 24 each and give him at least 2 days advance notice. That's it. - 24 each sounds like a lot, but I think that it will be just fine to freeze them. When ready to eat I think it'll need a little brushing of water and some time in the oven. That's eat!!!

Here is the link to the bakery http://www.littletbaker.com/ . It is located right here in SE PDX on the corner of 26th and Division.

P.S.: I just remembered the proper word for food "special order" isn't it?!

What is in our fridge?!

I know its late, but this is really the topic I wanted to write about for a while now. What is in our fridge? A question I would have never asked myself if there were no dietary issues in the house. So really the question you may be wondering is do we keep any type of milk products in our fridge? And the answer is...yes, we do. We don't usually have milk, but often we have ice cream (in addition to the soy ice cream, etc.), and young cheeses in the fridge. Sometimes, this is rare so, Ron will buy some milk...I feel strongly that the girls must learn at home that there are foods that they cannot eat. They do not learn, if every food we keep in the fridge is OK for them to eat. It was not always like this in our house so...

...I did not allow ANY type of milk products in the house for the first 3 years of Alena's life. That summer we travelled to Northern Italy and met a family who also has two kids with CG. Their kids were 9 and 7 at the time. Beautiful kids. The family invited us to spend the night and we talked over a couple of bottles of wine. I was shocked when I found out that they keep regular, and soy milk in the house; Nutella and Chocoreale; Butter and Margarine; etc. Wow, I asked them, don't you ever worry...and this is where I learned to let go of it. I really was obsessed not to allow any milk in the house. Honestly, what would and what does happen if a mistake happens? This family taught us that kids learn at home best. In any case in the morning I almost had a heart attack. Here was the breakfast table set with butter & margarine; Nutella & Chocoreale; Yoghurt & Soy Yogurt; Milk & Soy Milk the kids sat at the table and you know what happened. Lisa & Philip showed Alena what she could eat. Not once, not once did they want anything else. It was the most normal thing. This was a moment of revelation for me...OK,OK its getting late, words are getting big. But it was...this was when it all became small. And yes, the glass is always, always, always half full. Good night!

Swimming and lots of fun...

We always looking for fun stuff to do on Wednesday afternoons. Sometimes we go to the Zoo, OMSI, or the Children Museum...and today we needed something different. Swimming - both girls love to swim, and it something we do almost daily when in Germany - the public pools here are nice, but for my taste they are overly chlorinated. However, The Kennedy School has a wonderful Soaking Pool. Nice size, and easy to manage both girls. - What fun we had. It is really, really warm just like a bathtub. Mia Rose actually did call it a bathtub :). It is outside which is nice since the water is so warm. Perfect for a lazy Wednesday afternoon. So what on earth does this have to do with Galactosemia. OK, OK not so much really but The Kennedy School also has a restaurant...see where I am going with this ;). In any case after our great soak the three of us ventured into the restaurant. We shared an order of Tater Tots with ketchup (it usually comes with Ranch), as well as a salad. What fun everyone had...swimming and some junk food :)

Sidenote: Tater Tots at The Kennedy School are OK, we do not like their fries.

Here is the link to the Kennedy School http://www.mcmenamins.com/index.php?loc=57&category=Location+Homepage

Lunch meat...part two "Ham"

I love ham :) and I actually used to be vegetarian, but this is really besides the point now isn't it :). In any case I love ham. Its great on sandwiches, great fried up with noodles, onions, maybe some tomato, maybe some Tofutti Sour-Cream...I think I am getting hungry. Again, I am trailing off subject...OK so let me talk about the topic "Ham". - I am sure you all know that many hams contain lactose. Not sure why they use it, but its just one of those food which we avoid when eating out, or ordering pizza. In Tuttlingen, my home town in Germany, there is one butcher who produces ham w/o any lactose. One !!! - Luckily I found ham by a couple of different producers which are lactose free.



- Applegate Black Forest Ham --> it is sooo... good http://www.applegatefarms.com/

- Niman Ranch Ham --> http://www.nimanranch.com/index.aspx; this is the ham I buy almost

every week. Its yummy...

- New Seasons also makes their own ham. Personally I am not so crazy about it

- Parma Cotto Ham if you want to splurge is also lactose free --> this is excellent

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parma_ham



Let me know if you like them. You know that I LOVE feedback :)

I have a question...

yes, I have a question. The question is concerning medical bracelets. Is anyone using medical bracelets? If so which ones, and have you found cute ones?

For years (its quite embarrassing) I have been thinking about getting medical bracelets for the girls. At least for Alena as she is old enough to leave it on. To-date so I have not found anything I liked and I know that she would not wear anything which is cute. So I go back and forth. Does she really need it? Well, OK we may get into an accident...I know chances are remote, but so are chances of having CG...Anyone have found anything cool?

I think a couple of years ago a read in the New York Times about a mother in Colorado who started stickers, bracelets, etc. for her highly allergic child.

I would appreciate any feedback. Thank you so much.

School, snacks, and dietaray "mistakes"

???What is this topic about. I admit the title is really not very good, but honestly right now I cannot come up with a better one. So let me tell you what this post is about.

Alena will be entering Kindergarten in the fall. This is a big decision on all levels. I think that there is a lot of pressure to pick the right school. A school were Alena can blossom, be confident and grow. I know academics are very important, but I also think that it is important to find a school which focuses on the "whole" child. We do have several options around so that is a good thing :) One part of the decision of course that we feel confident that the school is fully aware and capable of dealing with Alena's dietary needs i.e.: make sure that she has a treat when another kid brings something in. I am pretty comfortable that this will/is not a big deal as so many kids have allergies and dietary issues. I think that its important so that her future teacher(s) are interested to be educated about CG and won't single her out, or try to find issues and attempt to link it to CG.

The good thing about CG is that even if something goes wrong (I mean if she were to ingest some milk item) that it is not life threatening at this stage. Yes, it is not good but it will not threaten her life. 2007 was Alena's first year in preschool. In her class the kids took turns on bringing in snack. Alena's teacher was very interested in learning about CG, and her dietary needs. She understood that she could not have any milk products. But you know what happened, right? One day a parent brought in yogurt tubes, and by mistake Alena got some too. She of course was only 3 at the time and not as aware to avoid milk products as today...In any case, I got a frantic phone call from the teacher telling me what had happened and asking what she needed to do. Well, there really was nothing that needed to be done. It obviously was not a great situation, it should not have happened but it did. Alena was fine, her levels were fine...so I take comfort in knowing that should, by mistake, she eat something that's not OK she will not collapse. The teacher however from that point on forward was even more vigilant in making sure that the snacks Alena ate were OK for her. I always kept Tofutti cheese, crackers, pop sicles, etc. for her at school so that there was a substitute item for her. Alena learned in that situation however that there are foods she cannot eat and that its not a big deal....

Bottom line is to find a school we love, teachers that care, and remember that the sky is the limit for all of us :)

Lunch...lunch meat...Part One - Salami

I just thought about this. Something I also never really paid much attention to before I had kids, and before they went to school. - I am sure you are aware that a bunch of processed lunch meat (Wurst as we Germans like to call it) contains lactose. This is something I found out pretty early. I was however so disappointed to find out that most Salami (and I LOVE Salami) also contains milk. From what I understand milk is used in the manufacturing process to give it that nice tangy flavor. Luckily there are a few which are "safe" for the girls. Both kids love

• Coppa, or Capicola http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coppa is delicious. When you buy it make sure that it is sliced really, really, really thin. Almost paper thing...fantastic. Here in PDX I buy it at Pastworks on Hawthorn. New Seasons has it as well but they never slice it thin enough for my taste. FYI - when searching for the wikipedia link I saw that there are a couple of online stores selling it
• Applegate has prepacked salamis which are all lactose free http://www.applegatefarms.com/

Do you know of any other salami's which are available that is good? Please let me know.

Next topic will be ham :)

Calcium...

What a topic! - Again, not so exciting I thought the zoo topic was much more thrilling right?! Calcium however is a topic we cannot avoid. Well, calcium and Vitamin D. I never used to think much about calcium and the importance of it in our diet. Those times are long gone ;) I think they ended when Alena was no longer interested in drinking her Isomil Advance (wow I cannot believe that I am actually no longer sure on the name of the formula for toddlers...). Our clinic prescribed calcium as soon as she was off formula. First she liked to drink soy milk. At 3-1/2 or so she started to prefer water. Luckily she ate/eats soy yogurt and loved/loves sparkling water which also contains some calcium. These days she is back "on" with chocolate soy milk, and OJ fortified with Calcium & Vitamin D.

Mia Rose on the other hand stopped taking her bottle much earlier. She liked soy milk in the beginning, but now she will only drink it sporadically...some chocolate soy milk maybe once or twice a week. Mia Rose however LOVES OJ. We go through at least 2 cartons a week, sometimes 3 and I do not even drink OJ....

Both girls take calcium supplements which also have Vitamin D in them. The really great thing is that they love their supplement so much that they will ask for it. The other good thing is that it makes me also take calcium supplement. So every morning, and evening Alena, Mia Rose & myself chow down on a delicious calcium supplement.

When we were in Europe this summer we met with a couple of families in Berlin. It was interesting to find out that they do not supplement calcium at all. You know why? Well, they do allow - and clinics in Europe encourage it - some aged cheeses...Isn't that interesting? I will write more on that topic another time...

A fun day at the Zoo

No school today so we took a trip to the Oregon Zoo. This is a fantastic Zoo and if you have not been you should come visit just for the Zoo :) http://www.oregonzoo.org/ Did you know that there is a baby elephant? The picture to the left is Alena and behind her is Sammy (Samundra) the baby elephant. Isn't he cute? In any case, we saw a lot of the baby elephant today, the ice bears, sea lions just great. Since was sunny and not so cold we also rode the train. OK - so what does this have to do with Galactosemia at all? Well nothing so far but as it happens often I did not pack lunch and we had a few snacks with us. We have eaten at the Zoo before but the girls were never able to eat the fries (at the upper restaurant, I am not so crazy about the Cafe). The kids menu includes animal cookies which are not OK, and the only meal that is OK is the hot dog W/O the bun. I am happy to report so that they now have a new recipe and they do not include milk :) So, hot dog, french fries, and Fanta...alright its not the healthy meal we all strive for but once in awhile...To make up for our lunch we are having stir fry with broccoli & carrots for dinner.

Tangerine Sherbet - fun activity and delicious

I like to read the New York Times online and last Sunday I saw this link to "Tangerine Sherbet". The recipe intrigued me plus we had a few tangerines that did not taste so yummy anymore left. I took a look at the video and thought that this could be a fun activity to do with the girls. In any case, last week we squeezed out the tangerines, heated the juice up with some sugar, cooled it, poured it through a strainer, added some plain Silk creamer...the next day we had tangerine sherbet for dessert. It was great.

Here is the link to the original recipe from the New York Times, if you have some time be sure to watch the video...it is really, really easy and fund at the same time
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/04/magazine/04food-t-001.html

This is my adapted version

- 2-1/4 lb. tangerine
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup plain Silk creamer

NOTE: I did omit the gelatin. I also do not have an ice cream maker so I followed the second set
of instructions from the Tiny Kitchen Video post.

It turned out great and we ate it out of the frozen tangerine halves...

Let me know if you try this one out. I think this can be adapted to be used with a ton of different fruit...

Playgroup & treats

Every Friday we go to the German playgroup here in PDX. Each parent usually brings along snacks for their kids, but sometimes there are treats. Today one parent brought chocolate cupcake treats made with milk items. My first thought was "I cannot belive" she brought items my girls cannot have...", then I had to stop myself. How self absorbed of me to only think about myself and my kids. The universe does not resolve around me...Truth is, that it is great to have cup cakes for the kids, they loved them. And yes, I felt sad that my girls annot eat the treat but you know what? It did not bother them the least bit. I told them that the items contained "Kuhmilch" (milk) and that was it...The girls then went on to eat the animal cookies we keep at the location and honestly that was it.


Sometimes I really need to get over myself. Of course people will bring items my girls cannot have it's just life...and yes, it is no big deal not for the kids and now that I thought about it neither for me. I need to remind myself to keep things in perspective --> http://galactopdx.blogspot.com/2009/01/perpective.html

Panko baked chicken thigs...

This is one of my standard dishes. I make it generally at least once a month...it is easy, fast and everybody in our house loves it. Plus it fits very well to the Panko topic I posted earlier this week...


You will need
- 1-3/4 skineless, boneless chicken thigs
- 1-1/2 Panko bread crumbs
- 2 tsp minced garlic (I usually put 2-3 cloves through the press)
- 2-3 tsp dried herbs (I alternate between Spice Hunter "Italian Seasoning" and "Poultry
Seasoning"
OR
- fresh herbs i.e.: Thyme, tarragon, or other herb you like - you can also add 2 Tbsp chopped
parsley
- Salt, pepper, and paprika (optional) to taste
- 6 Tbsp Dijon, or other good flavored mustard

1. Preheat oven to 400 F
2. Combine Panko bread crumbs, garlic, herbs, salt, pepper & paprika (if using) on a shallow plate
3. Put mustard over chicken thigs and roll them until covered -> original recipe calls for using a pastry brush to paint mustard lightly on the chicken; we like to taste the mustard as well so I use a lot of it
4. Roll the chicken in the Panko mixture until breaded
5. Place chicken into a baking pan and bake app. 40 minutes.

They can be eaten hot or cold. - It makes a great meal, can be prepared ahead of time and no need to use a pan :) I usually serve rice with it as well as oven roasted veggies. This time of year I oven roast Brussels sprouts, and beets. Delicious. The girls really like the veggies as well...

Note: This is recipe is not exact whatsoever. I generally just "slap" on the mustard on the chicken until they are all covered, for the bread crumbs I use as much is needed until all the thighs are completely covered and I use a lot of herbs b/c.


I found this recipe a couple of years ago in the New York Times who had adapted it from Gary Danko and I in return adapted the New York Times version.

If you make this, will you please let me know if you like it? Thank you.

Ian's Natural Food - convenience foods

Have you tried the fish sticks from Ian's Natural Foods? The girls really like them. Did you know that they have an entire range of fun foods without any milk sugar? I just looked at their site and am so excited. Mac and no cheese, French bread pizza, etc. take a look here http://www.iansnaturalfoods.com/allergen_free.html NOTE: for full disclosure on all items click on "Nutrition Facts" I noticed at least one item containing milk. The items are available through resellers. I contacted the company and found out that everything is also available for purchase through the web-site, continental US only. In their response the company advised that "...the Red Banner product line is different in that very strict manufacturing guidelines are followed. Any possible contaminant (like milk) is removed from the plant, and the equipment and room are sanitized. All ingredients are tested for cross contamination – as are swab samples from the machinery. In addition, samples from each run of finished product are checked for presence of wheat, milk, eggs, nuts and soy by an independent testing laboratory..." The web-site is great and easy to navigate. You can take a look at all the foods they offer. Ingredients are listed when you click on "Nutrition Facts" Allergens are marked at the end of the ingredient list.

I hope this is helpful...

Bread Crumbs....

OK, is this a boring topic? Yes? Maybe? Maybe not? - I actually use bread crumbs at least once a week and it took me some time to find the type I like to work with. So hey, it may be a good topic for a Wednesday morning...

Maybe its a German thing but I use bread crumbs frequently. Meatloaf, Fleischkuechle (German little flat meatballs), Schnitzel, breaded chicken, etc. No, we don't eat breaded food every day :). I choose the type of bread crumb depending upon the type of food. OK I will hold you no longer in suspense...

- Manischewitz, Matzo Meal Unsalted - it comes in a 16 oz container. I prefer the Matzo Meal
when I use the crumbs as a "glue" like in meatloaf, Fleischkuechle, etc.

- Panko (not sure if its breadcrumbs) any type but please remember to double check the label.
Trader Joe's sells a good version, Kikkoman is good, and Ian's has an great Panko breadcrumb
selection.
* I am not sure if you are familiar with Ian's but they have great convenience food
and according to their web site it is all milk sugar free (among other allergens).
We have had the fish sticks, and buffalo chicken before the girls liked it a lot...
Here is the link http://www.iansnaturalfoods.com/

Have a great day everyone. Please let me know what you think. Do you like this type of information? Is it helpful? Do you like the products?

P.S.: I almost forgot here is the link to Manischewitz http://www.manischewitz.com/

I messed up today...well, almost

So this week I am by far not as organized as I was last week. Mia Rose and I went grocery shopping this morning. This week I am making all "standards" our shopping today was really "off the cuff"...Taco's, chicken, potato soup, pasta. Pretty boring stuff. I also got a spice mix for Guacamole. I generally make it from scratch, but oh well...the brand I got was Simply Organic.

OK - we got home late from a play date this afternoon. So Taco it was for dinner. Quickly I put everything together, cut & scraped out the avocados, added the spice mix...but wait I had not read the ingredients. WOW - I realized that I really had not read the ingredients, but its only seasoning for guacamole...I looked at the ingredients, my heart beat faster, oh no...it reads "Organic Onions, Organic Nonfat Milk....". Good thing I had not mixed it all up and I was able to safe quite a bit of avocado for the girls. - What was I thinking to not read the label?, or even better question I usually make it myself why did I even want to buy a seasoning mix? Oh well, the only thing that pops in my head now is an old, old song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nt5ShknVheg. I really dated myself now, right?!

The lesson I learned today is to never let my label reading guard down...
That was
In any case tonight we had Taco's (what great fun food :) for dinner. Very fast, easy to make.

Cookies and Birthday Party

We all were invited to a 2nd Birthday party today. There was of course a ton of food neither girls could eat. Goldfish crackers, ranch dressing, salami, cheese, cake, cup cakes, etc. Of course I am still a bit anxious about Mia Rose getting into the crackers, but not so much anymore. I know that I don't have to worry about Alena anymore since she will generally double check with me. So when we first got to the party I pointed the foods out they can, and the ones they cannot eat. - Generally I always bring food for the girls but I did not need to today. My friend was so sweet to make the trek to Sweet Pea Bakery to get yummy cup cakes (they are so good you never know that they do not have milk, butter, etc. in them) http://www.sweetpeabaking.com/.

She also got Vegan cookies which I have gotten before too. They are really, really good and come in a variety of flavors. Here is the info on the cookies

• Alternative Baking Company, Inc. - www.alternativebaking.com is the Web-site. Here in PDX we can buy the cookies at New Seasons. But listen up, I just looked at their Web-site and they DELIVER throughout the US...Isn't that great.

I would love to hear from you if you like these cookies as much as my girls do. Chocolate Chip is (of course) their favorite flavor...

Saturday afternoon at the movies...

It is very cold here right now, OK its in the mid 30s, and an entertainment for the whole family was desperately needed today. What to do? OMSI, or Childrens Museum are just way too crowded on the weekends, but there are always the movies, right?! Madagascar 2 is currently playing at the Baghdad. Nice thing about the Baghdad is that they serve pizza, drinks, popcorn, and beer in the theater. I called to check on the dough and sauce. Both are safe. Yeah :) - We had a great time :)

Here is the link to the Baghdad Theater & Pub http://www.mcmenamins.com/index.php?loc=9&id=176

Hot chocolate, and bagel w/cream cheese

Alena was not in school yesterday afternoon and came along to my office. We took a break in the downstairs coffee shop. There were not any vegan treats for her, but in they were able to make a hot chocolate for her. How? Soy milk, and for the chocolate they use a syrup. I was convinced that the syrup would not be OK but it was. OK it was full of "High Fructose Corn Sugar" but what the heck every so often....So it really never, ever hurts to check and not just assume that there is nothing she can have :)

This morning Ron, Mia Rosie and I went to the Bagel shop after we dropped Alena off at school. Mia Rose loves everything bagels, and also Tofuti cream cheese. I was certain that Noah's Bagel shop would not have Tofuti, again I was pleasantly surprised. FYI - in PDX only the Hawthorne Noah's carries Tofuti.

Elmo soup...yes, that's right...

OK - so before Alena was two I was sure that she would not watch TV, not be exposed to Disney, or any other item marketed specifically towards kids. Ha, ha, ha...What world did I live in?! She does watch TV, and just loves all the Disney princess movies :) Earlier this week I was very surprised to realize that she knows all the names of the princesses...

What does this have to do with Elmo soup? - Let me explain. When shopping have seen Dora the Explorer soups, and canned pasta, etc. All of that stuff always has some kind of milk sugar in it and of course are not OK. Mia Rose and I went shopping on Monday. Guess what she saw? Yup, Elmo soup. Of course she was all excited about it...and for once I did not have to say "no" as the soup does NOT contain any milk sugar (FYI - if you exclude tomatoes and other veggies this soup is not for you). Very, very exciting...here is the scoop

- Earth's Best, Organic Elmo Vegetable Soup
- Earth's Best, Organic Elmo Noodlemania Soup
- Earth's Best, Organic Elmo Tomato Soup

Comes in 14.5 oz. can - girls have not yet tried them :)

What was our dessert on New Years Eve; the answer is...

Three people voted. Three different answers. One for Tofutti Cuties, one for Cherry Pie, and another person had no idea. So, are you all ready to hear the answer? Are you really ready...OK is this a little lame :). We had the rest of the Cherry Pie from Trader Joe's topped with Whipped Topping from Soya Too! It was fantastic :)

Perspective...

The diet is easy, isn't it Ron said to me a couple of days ago. What do you mean, I responded, it's easy here in PDX, but our trip to Chicago showed that it can be challenging. His response...think back five years ago when Alena was in the hospital...

Going back five years, Alena was readmitted to the hospital less than a week after she was born. We were given the strange diagnosis of Classic Galactosemia and were told that she may develop E. Coli Mengengitis. Less than 24 hours later she did develop E. Coli Mengengitis and had sepsis. She needed blood transfusions, she had a PIK line, she had a catheter and infusions, she weighed no more than 5-1/2 lbs. We did not know whether she would survive, and if so whether there was any damage to her brain. I was on my hands and knees in the hospital chapel begging for my baby to survive. Ron and I decided that if our baby suvives, managing a special diet will be a piece of cake. Here we are five years later. Alena IS completely health, she is thriving, and when thinking back to her first few weeks of life, managing the diet IS a piece of cake. Ron is right, the diet IS easy.

What's for dinner?

When Alena was a young toddler I was so overwhelmed and wondering WHAT I was going to cook, let alone make something a toddler would like. Alena is 5 now and it is so much easier than I ever thought. Actually it is no different than before. Well, there is one major adjustment I needed to make. It is simple, I try to plan the meals for the entire week ahead of time. This is probably something I would have made anyway going from two adults to a family with small children. But I probably would use more convenience food, and include a lot of cheese. To plan ahead I look through my cook books, recepies I cut out from the newspaper, etc. I do not discount anything just b/c it has a milk product in it. If something sounds good and it has milk/cheese/butter in it I try to figure out a way to get around it. This is not possible for some recepies, but for a lot it works and still tastes great. I swap items milk = soy/rice milk, creamer/half&half = Silk creamer, breadcrumbs = Panko breadcrumbs, buter = margarine, etc.

I admit that there are weeks when I do not plan, and those are the weeks I am more crabby :) This week so I planned, and everybody is happy at least so far....So what do we eat. Yesterday we had Veggie Stew. Great way to add all the veggies to the diet and the girls actually loved it.

Today we had oven baked Tilapia, mashed potatos, and sauteed greens w/garlic (kale). Alena loved the fish, and kale. Mia Rosie on the other hand was more of a mashed person today...

The fish really was yummy I adopted it from a recepie I found at www.makedinnereasy.com

Baked Tilapia
- Panko bread crumbs
- Paprika, pepper, salt, italian seasoning
- Olive Oil
- Tilapia filet (we had two)
* Preheat oven to 400F
* Mix Panko bread crumbs w/spices - and put on a large shallow plate
* Brush fish with olive oil (I actually poured some on a plate and put the fish through it)
* Place fish in Panko crumbs and cover each side with crumbs
* Line a baking dish with aluminum foil add a little olive oil to it so entire surface is coated
* Put coated fish in baking dish and bake at 400 for 15 - 20 minutes

Alena LOVED it. I served it with Trader Joe's Tarter Sauce

Mashed Potato
- Cook potatoes
- Mash w/masher
- Add silk creamer, salt, bit of olive oil

Kale
- Garlic
- Olive Oil
- Salt
- 1 bunch of Kale

* Chop garlic coarsely
* Heat Olive Oil in pan
* Add garlic and a pinch of salt
* Chop Kale (I used Lacinato Kale)
* Add Kale to garlic/Oil mixture. I start from the bottom up - once they get lighter green I add
the rest of the kale. Put lid on kale
--> It is done when it is lighter in color. We still like it a little crunchy...


Tomorrow it'll be chicken with yams...I will let you know if it turns out good...

Metabolic Clinic...

We just got back from clinic at OHSU. Both girls are doing fantastic, that is always good to hear :)

I am so happy with our physician and dietitian. Our dietitian is really interested in Galactosemia and it is empowering to work with a professional who really cares. Our doc of course is outstanding. Incidentally he is the same doc who tracked us down when Alena's Newbornscreen came back positive for CG. We credit him and our pediatrician for saving her life. He has been such a great advocate for us and empowering us in every way. We are raising the girls bi-lingual and never once did he raise any concern about that. Today he was impressed with the speech of both girls, and also that there is no fuss about items they cannot eat. Makes me happy...

Happy Tuesday...

Another pancake recipe, this one can be sweet, or savory - Its a German recipe

Its Sunday and I have not been to the store so there is no ready-to-eat food in the house. What to do? - I do have eggs, flour, and soy milk. We also have a few apples left so I made pancakes with apples in them. This is a German recipe and it does not go very well with maple syrup (which is a good thing because we are out :) ), we top it with a cinamon-sugar mixture. Here is the recipe:-

2 cups flour
2 cups soy milk (for the sweet version I use vanilla, for the savory I use plain)
3 eggs
1 pinch salt
4 Tbsp Oil (Safflower, or Canola works well - do not use Olive Oil here)

• Mix the first 4 ingredients together and blend well
• --> If you want savory pancakes you can also mix in some chopped herbs
• Let rest for about 30 minutes
• Add the oil, mix in well
• Heat some oil in a pan and laddle some batter into the pan
• Swirl the batter around the pan so it is entirely covered
• Once the batter starts to firm a little add the sliced apples (if you make them sweet)
• --> The savory pancakes can be "filled" with chopped ham
• Turn when the lower side is completely baked and bake the top

We top the sweet apple pancakes with cinnamon and sugar.

The savory ones are good for dinner when served with a salad its a complete meal.

Happy Sunday to all :)

Deschutes Brewery Pub & Restaurant in PDX

OK - we really do not go out that much but it's a Friday night...We picked up Ron from work today and had dinner at Deschutes Brewery Pub & Restaurant. I wrote about this place before and its really a very good option. For the kids there are burgers (be sure to ask for it on either a Hoagie roll, or Ciabata as the regular Hamburger bun is NOT OK), BBQ Chicken, Pizza (pepperoni of course cheeseless), for the adults there are salads, Wings (also OK just not the dipping sauce), and again GREAT beer....The waitstaff is really helpful and they do know the ingredients of their food. When in downtown PDX be sure to give it a try. http://www.deschutesbrewery.com/brewery/brew-pubs/portland-pub/default.aspx

Happy 2nd day of 2009 everyone...

Roasted Vegetable Pizza - frozen - from Trader Joe's

The girls had frozen pizza for lunch - yup I admit that I did not get around to make something from scratch...:)

If you have not had this pizza, try it. It is fantastic. It is available in the frozen pizza aisle at Trader Joe's and I think it is as good if not better as Amy's frozen pizza. And it is also more economical than Amy's :)

One caveat, the pizza does contain tomatoes which we allow.

Happy New Year to all!

Happy New Year, and Dungeness Crab...

Happy New Year to all. We had a great start into the New Year. Our traditional dinner has been fresh Dungeness Crab and we were lucky to get them this year :) The girls, as both of us, love crab. I am of course the person cracking, and getting all the meat out for everyone. We serve the crab with small potatoes, lemon, and melted Earth Balance. Very delicious. As for dessert I will have you guess...please see the new poll. You won't need to register to vote, its just for fun. Will you please vote?