Evan's M.A.D. Birthday

Birthdays are usually filled with parties, presents, cake and ice cream.  Evan expects nothing less.  Oh, he knows his cake is not like everyone else's...but that is not a reason not to make it just as special...if not more!

Oh....and this kid does NOT let you forget his birthday is coming!
The day before, it was: "When I wake up in the morning....I'm gonna be 7!!!!" (like every 20 minutes).
And he would say it at the most random times.  We would be talking about a school assignment, or he would be happily playing with cars, when all of a sudden I could feel his energy vibrating and knew what was coming..."HEY MOM!  When I wake up in the morning...I'm gonna be 7!!!"  Yup.  That was our day.  If ever there was a day we were ready for his bedtime, it was then.  Of course it was cute and endearing (the first 347 times), and each time we would smile and confirm his statement.  You couldn't help but smile at his absolute exuberance!

On that special day, he woke to a room filled with balloons.  Well, kind of.  He was so sleepy he came straight into our room (as is his routine) for some "good morning" snuggles and hugs and didn't even notice the balloons!  When he went back to his room to get dressed...SURPRISE!!!  All smiles from then on!  Unfortunately (or fortunately) it was a school day for him.  I packed him a special lunch with a simple "happy birthday" note, and sent him on his 7 year-old way.

To help make his day special, he got to pick what we had for dinner (pizza without the crust), and I made him a special desert that he also had at his party a few days later.  I threw out a bit of a prayer with this desert as I hadn't made it before and some of the previous deserts I had made didn't go over all too well.  This is a recipe I came across on Pinterest.  It sounded good, and looked good, and people had good things to say about it.  SO...jumped in, and grateful I did!!  WOW!  All of us commented on how it tasted extremely similar to pound cake.  Probably the closest thing he has had to any bread in years.  Very tasty...even by us in the family that are not on a specialized diet.

The simple and awesome recipe can be found here:
http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/pound_cake.html

The entire recipe works out to about 6.3g net carbs
Out of this recipe, I made 10 cupcakes (so about .6g net carbs/cupcake)

After making the cupcakes...
1.  I cut off the top,

2.  Added some of his "fluff" (made a batch with berry flavored Stevia drops, and added in 4 blueberries and 2 strawberries for flavor, color and nutrition),

3.  And topped with 2 blueberries and one strawberry.

Super simple!!

With all the add-ons, the net carbs of this beautiful and delicious desert is a whopping 2g net carbs.

Definitely a desert we will be making again!!

Sick Days and M.A.D. Mac n' Cheese!

For the parents of a kid with epilepsy, sick is never good.  "Sick" puts us on edge, watching, waiting, wondering if, and more likely, when a seizure will strike.

Evan came down with a cold over the weekend.  Thankfully no seizure as a result...and we were throwing everything at it to help his body.  Vitamins, rest, humidifier, naturopathic remedies, extra fats, etc.  This time it worked...but there are no guarantees.  The feeling isn't so much that we won...but that we got lucky this time.

I sent him to school on Monday as he seemed to be on the upswing of his cold and doing relatively well.  When I was nearly to work, I got a call from the school that he was extremely tired and fell asleep on the bus on the way to school.  So, I flipped around to go pick him up.  On my way I got to thinking about how epilepsy changes sick days for me.  My older son is at the point where if he has to stay home from school sick (not high fever sick, but "just-not-well-enough-for-school" sick), I could go in to work for a while, or run an errand or two if needed.  He is old enough and quite capable of being left home alone for a while.  I got to thinking, that when Evan is that age, that will not likely be an option.  It is very possible I will always feel the need to be home with him when he is sick and more prone to seizures.  At the moment I thought this, it was a moment I felt yet another loss.  Partly for me, but mainly for him.  Being old enough to stay home alone has been a rite of passage for my older son.  Something Evan will likely not experience until he is much older.  I know there are potential devices and safety plans and work arounds that will likely allow him more freedom than what I was thinking at that moment, but in that moment I simply felt more loss.

The thoughts didn't last too long before I had a self-talk and reminded myself that we take what comes when it comes and we do our best.  We cannot predict what will happen in the future, so it is silly to spend too much time there dwelling and worrying.  We will adapt and figure it out.

Thankfully Evan's little body just needed a little extra rest as about an hour after he was home he was asking to go play outside.

That same day I had been craving a good, homemade baked mac n' cheese (oh so sinful!!)...so guess what was for dinner Monday?  Yup....nummy baked mac n' cheese.  Evan found out what I was planning and decided he wanted to participate...so I had to come up with a M.A.D.-friendly option on the fly.  I had decided to give cauliflower mac & cheese another shot.  The first time I tried this was years ago.  I followed some recipe and it did not go over well.  Honestly, I tasted it and couldn't blame him.  We haven't tried since.  I was glad I decided to give it another whirl as this one turned out much different.  I made it and served it, and he devoured it.  Success!!  We all had a taste...really not bad!!  I think we all could adapt and eat it as a healthier option to the recipe I had made for the rest of the family (which was the ooey, gooey carby noodley sinful one).

The recipe for the M.A.D. version is below.  Its really is pretty simple as well as fluid (so easy to tweak if ya want - get creative!!).  With some things it was "add a little of this" and "add a little of that".  If you tweak it more and find other yummy ways to prepare it, please let me know. I'm always open to trying new things.  I did fail to take pics of the process as I really wasn't sure how it would turn out, and only got a quick snapshot of the end result.  Sorry, its all I got, folks.

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Evan's M.A.D. Baked Mac n' Cheese:

• 1/2 c. steamed cauliflower (I used frozen florets thawed in the microwave)
• 1/2 c. sharp cheddar cheese (shredded...can also use whatever you have)
• heavy cream
• 1 T to 1/4 c. Alfredo sauce to taste (jar...I used Bertolli.  This is *OPTIONAL but helps flavor)
• mustard powder
• paprika
• turmeric
• crushed pork rinds

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Melt the cheese into the heavy cream.  I simplified this and put them into a glass liquid measuring cup and heated it to melting in the microwave.

3.  Add in the Alfredo sauce, mustard powder, paprika, and turmeric into the melty cheese and stir well to mix.  Taste and adjust balances as needed. 

4.  Crush, smash, or "rice" the cauliflower.  Be sure its well steamed before you do this.  Mine was a bit under done and it made this process more difficult than necessary.

5.  Mix cheesy sauce into cauliflower and pour into a small ramekin or other oven-safe dish.  Sprinkle crushed pork rinds on top and bake for 20 minutes.

Recipe makes 1 serving.

Net Carbs: 4g with the 1/4c Alfredo sauce.  If you use less sauce, or a different brand, this could change.  Bertolli is 2g/net carbs for the 1/4c.

I.E.P. Rollercoaster

I attended Evan's IEP yesterday.  I am SO thankful for the schools here and the team that is working with Evan.  They are truly committed to seeing him succeed, and always grateful for input, information, and suggestions from me.  I have heard many parents complain about their schools, and have heard some real horror stories about the battles some parents have had to go through to get proper services and supports for their children.  I am relieved that, so far, I have not had those experiences.

That being said....this IEP was a bit difficult for me.  They did his 3-year testing to show that he still qualified for services which included testing in many areas.  Speech, IQ, math, reading, writing, comprehension, cognition, etc.  Overall, I have always seen Evan as a generally typically-developing kiddo.  I know he has a speech delay and is a bit delayed socially, but never really had it all laid out on paper as I experienced yesterday.

On the Wechsler IQ testing, Evan scored a 73, well below average.  Many of his testing scores came out with similar results.  My heart sank a bit.  I've never seen him as being so far below average!  I wasn't prepared for that, and admit that there was a part of me that temporarily felt defeated (and guilty).  But, then a voice inside me reminded me of what I have felt for a while now.  Evan is NOT abnormal.  He is simply developing at the pace Evan is supposed to develop at.  Yes, medications have played a role in his delays, and I can feel guilty about that...but, the fact is, HE IS DEVELOPING!  He is continually learning and growing.  Who cares if its not at the same rate that Mr. Wechsler thinks he should be developing at (ok...I really don't know if there is a Mr. Wechsler...that is just an assumption of mine)!

Then was the reinforcing upswing of this rollercoaster.  All the evidence of how hard he has worked and how far he has come.  He has met, and in many cases, exceeded the IEP goals set last year.  At the beginning of the year he was barely writing the letters of his name...he now copies full sentences and can write all letters of the alphabet.  At the beginning of the year he couldn't write any numbers...he can now write numbers 1-20.  Heck, at the beginning of the year he wasn't recognizing numbers beyond 5!  He can now count to 100.  He is starting to read!  These are just a few of the examples the team gave me, reinforcing that HE IS DEVELOPING!  More importantly...he will continue to develop as God has intended for Evan.

I am refusing to see him as a test score, and encourage all parents to do the same.  Those do not take into account what we know about our kiddos as their mom.  Test scores cannot define him or anyone else, and cannot predict what a person can do with their life.  Set high standards for your kids and watch them grow!  Allow them to  explore their limits, don't limit them.  Ok...maybe its ok to limit them when it comes to some things...too much ice cream isn't good for anyone!  

We have set the bar high again with his IEP this year, as we did last year.  I look forward to seeing him surpass those goals by March 2016.

Mommy Fears...and why I can't enjoy sleeping in

There are many "mommy fears".  Some are justified, some are irrational, and some (ok, many) we can't explain.  There are the ones we have when our kid is doing something "dangerous" such as riding a skateboard down the driveway (fully geared...so maybe not completely dangerous), and we bite our tongue, hold our breath and maybe even look away...hoping and praying they won't fall.  These are the fears all mommies have from time to time.

Then there are the fears I never anticipated I would have, and didn't have, before epilepsy.

Most mornings Evan is awake between 6:30am and 7:00am.  On occasion he will sleep longer, but that isn't too often.  Before seizures, having a morning the kids didn't wake up before 7:00 am was seen as a blessing.  A gift, of sorts, from the universe..."You are such hard-working parents, you deserve to sleep in!" says the Universe.  "If I must." I would reply.  

This morning I woke up to my alarm and not a 6 year old poking me in the face.  Hmmmm...Evan must have been tired and needed extra sleep.  As we know, sleep is good for our kiddos with epilepsy, so I let him sleep.  I showered and got ready for the day.  7:30am came and went.  With each passing minute, I had to resist the urge to go in and ensure he was ok.  Side-note...he is a light sleeper, so just going in to check on him would cause him to wake up, thus my internal struggle!  I argued with myself..."what if something is wrong?!?"..."but if he is sleeping, his body must need sleep!  Let him rest!"  After about 20 minutes of fretting and worrying and arguing with myself, I couldn't stand it any longer and I went in.  He raised his sleepy head to look at me...a sleepy grin crossed his face as he said "mornin' mama".  My heart warmed and my brow released as I let out a sign and said "good morning" and smiled back.

Since epilepsy, I no longer can enjoy a morning of "sleeping in".  I still catch myself at times, lying to myself..."Oh, I just wish they would sleep in!!" but, deep down, I know that it only brings worry that increases with every passing minute.

Hemp Hearts

I stumbled upon Hemp Hearts while walking through Costco.  The bright orange-e-yellow (is that a color??) bag caught my eye.  At the top of the bag, words called out to me "Omega 3 and Omega 6".  That definitely grabbed my curiosity by the collar!  I stopped and grabbed a bag to examine it further.  P.S. Kudos to you, marketing genius of Manitoba Harvest!  Somewhat skeptical, I flipped the bag over, sure I would find something wrong with it.  Carbs? 3g  HAH!...oh wait....there is also 3g fiber so really 0g net carbs.  Fats?  13g...thats good.  Protein? 10g...not bad.  Funky ingredients added in I can't pronounce?  NOPE...just one ingredient...RAW SHELLED HEMP SEEDS.

I was smitten!  I HAD to find a way to use these!!  Through the power of modern technology, I whipped out my smartphone and found a couple of recipe ideas (an "oatmeal" of sorts and a cookie recipe).  Excited, I tossed the orange-e-yellow bag into the cart.

"What in the world are hemp hearts?"
In short...hemp hearts are hulled (or shelled) hemp seeds.  Yes, the seeds of the hemp plant...basically the same plant marijuana comes from.  No, they are not marijuana, and no, they will not make you high.  If you came here for that, you are barking up the wrong plant (BUT, I do have a cookie recipe for you below).

Back to this amazing hulled beauty.  I have since done some more research on hemp hearts and their amazing properties.  I have not been able to truly find anything wrong with them!  They contain a good balance of amino acids, proteins, essential fats, and vitamins.  They are literally loaded with nutrition!  They have NO glycemic load, and are suitable for those with sensitivities to nuts, gluten and/or lactose.  AND due the high protein, they can also be used as a meat substitute.

Body Ecology (click to read article) has done a thorough post/write-up about hemp seeds for those wanting to know more.

"Ok, you convinced me.  Where can I buy them?"
 They may be available at a Costco/Sam's Club.  You can usually find them at health food stores, OR you can find them on Amazon (link in My MAD Pantry to the ones I use).

"Now what do I do with them?"
Healthy for the whole family, hemp hearts can be used in many ways.  They are completely edible in their raw form, so can be sprinkled on salads, yogurt, or just simply eaten out of the bag.  Raw, they have a unique nutty flavor and are a bit chewy.  Their texture is similar to that of finely chopped walnuts (or other softer nut).  Evan's favorite ways to enjoy hemp hearts are sprinkled on his Fluff, as an "oatmeal"(recipe below), and as a cookie.  Honestly, our whole family enjoys the cookies...even my 9 year old has requested them.  "Go for it, buddy!"  He thinks he is getting a cookie, and I know he is getting a super nutritious snack!

 The hemp heart/chia seed cookies go a little something like this:

The cookies are especially versatile in that they can be used for any occasion where a cookie may be needed.  Ok, lets face it, cookies are always needed....but these simple after dinner treats can become something special when you add in a cookie cutter or two!!  Think hearts for Valentine's day, evergreen trees at Christmas time, etc.  I even concocted a M.A.D. friendly icing using coconut oil...but that is still in the development phase.

I have found it important to be sure the dry ingredients are all mixed well first, and that you squash as many coconut flour lumps as possible.  Once you add the wet ingredients, mixing thoroughly becomes a challenge and if you didn't mix well, then your cookies may develop pockets of super flavor (holy cinnamon, Batman!!).  For a good, evenly flavored cookie, this is an essential step.

Dry ingredients, mixed

Before you add in the wet ingredients, be sure the coconut oil is COMPLETELY melted...that means no little white lumps of any kind left.  The oil should be basically clear.  After the wet ingredients are added and mixed in, you will notice that the coconut flour quickly absorbs most of the actual liquid, making the dough a bit flaky while at the same time still a bit gooey due to the coconut oil.

Flaky and gooey "dough" ready to be formed into cookies

Now its time to get down to business!  Be sure to take your rings off before this next step.  Things are about to get a bit messy.  On the plus-side (and with cookies there should always be a plus side) the coconut oil is great for your skin.  Roll the dough into 12 (basically) equal balls, place them on the parchment-lined cookie sheet and gently squish them into cookies.  The edges will break a bit, but you just have to lovingly smoosh them back into place.  The shape you smoosh them into is the shape they will remain.  With this recipe, they will not rise, expand, or anything like that.  They will stay the way you put them (unlike the throw blankets I keep folding and placing on the couch).

The Christmas cutouts we made using this recipe after baking.

You know they are done when the timer you set for a short 15 minutes dings.  They only very slightly change in the way they look (may or may not become slightly more golden), so do not wait for a sign other than "DING!".  Doing so could result in smoke alarms going off.  Maybe I do speak from experience, maybe not.  My secret is safe with me.

After they have cooled a bit on the parchment/cookie sheet, they are ready for hungry tummies to enjoy!!

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Evan's Hemp and Chia Cookies:

This is a recipe from Thrive Style that I have slightly altered to use the hemp hearts (instead of seeds with the hull on), Stevia drops, and make them a bit more to Evan's taste.

• 1/2 c. hemp hearts
• 1/4 c. chia seeds
• 1/4 c. coconut flour
• 1 1/2 rounded teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 rounded teaspoon ground ginger (dry)
• 1/8 rounded teaspoon sea salt (white, black, pink...any will do!)
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 c. coconut oil - MELTED (very important!)
• 10 drops liquid Stevia (or to taste)
• 1/2 c. finely shredded coconut (optional)

Mix hemp hearts, chia seeds, coconut flour, cinnamon, ginger &sea salt in a medium-sized mixing bowl.  If adding in the shredded coconut, add that to the dry ingredients as well.  Add in eggs, coconut oil, and stevia drops and mix thoroughly.  Form into 12 balls (about 1") and place onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Press the balls into the shape/thickness you want them to end up.  With this recipe, they will not rise, expand, or anything like that.  They will stay the way you put them.  Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.  Let mostly cool on the cookie sheet to reabsorb some of the fat/oil goodness that may have leaked from the cookie.

Net Carbs (without optional coconut):  11.2g for FULL BATCH of dough
(for a 12-cookie batch, that is a mere .93g per delicious cookie!)

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Evan's M.A.D. Oatmeal:

• 1/4 cup hemp hearts
• 1/4 cup chia seeds
• Pure Stevia drops (I use about 5 drops)
• Cinnamon (I use about 1/4-1/2 teaspoon)
• Heavy Cream (a splash or two)
• 1 egg - beaten (optional)

Put hemp hearts and chia seeds in cereal bowl.  Fill with enough water to not quite cover the seeds.  Let sit for about 2 minutes to let the chia seeds start to activate. If adding the egg, add that to this mixture.  Microwave on HIGH for 1 minute.  Egg should be cooked, and most water absorbed/evaporated.  Fluff with a fork.  Add in cinnamon to taste, the "splash or two" of heavy cream to loosen it all up a bit and help cool it down for young mouths, and the Stevia drops (again...to taste).  Mix well and serve.

Net Carbs:  0g without egg;  .5g (less than 1) with 1 egg

Evan's Plate...A Simple Sunday

Today has been one of those Sunday's where I just didn't feel like making anything complicated for any meal.  Rather, the sunshine and blue sky were calling us outside to play.  SO... Evan's meals have been a bit boring by most standards.  But...wanna know the funny thing???  HE doesn't think so!!  When I told him what I made him for dinner...he pumped his fist and said "YES!!!"

His breakfast:
1 egg omelet-style filled with some cream cheese.  SO quick and easy!!  

Of course such a meal doesn't fill a kid for long...so he had a snack of 10 almonds followed by 10 pistachios and a 0g carb cheese stick.

His lunch:
Keto-Nachos - basically nachos, but with MAD friendly ingredients.  I admit...perhaps I was wanting nachos and an excuse to eat them for a meal.  For Evan, I used pork rinds instead of chips, then we build on from there.  Co-jack cheese, 0g carb pork sausage mixed with ground beef (80/20 for the fat for my little man), topped with some diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, sour cream (full fat baby!!) and a bit of salsa.

His dinner:
1 egg omelet-style filled with some cream cheese (ringing a bell??) and pork sausage, a side salad and some dipping veggies with a Ranch dressing I just can't get enough of!  AND...some fluff for desert.

Evan's plate

BUT...back to the Ranch Dressing!!!  This ranch is AWESOME!!  Most of the ingredients for the dry mix many of us have in our pantry...and, once you have that, it is a SNAP to mix up a batch of this herby, creamy, deliciousness!  I found the recipe on Pinterest.  Yes, My name is Andrea, and I'm a Pinterest addict.  ("Hi Andrea!").  I cannot claim any stake in this recipe...I just make it, and love it, and make some more, and love it some more.

**NOTE:  When the ranch herb mix is mixed with the mayo & sour cream, there will be a carb count due to the sour cream, so be sure to take that into account.

ALSO...the recipe includes a "make your own mayo" recipe that uses honey.  I opt for the easy route and just use store-bought mayo, but if you want to give making your own mayo a try...be sure to replace the honey with stevia as there is a ton of sugar/carbs in honey.

To give credit where credit is definitely due, here is the link to the brilliant person who developed this amazing gift of ranch-y flavor:

http://www.healthstartsinthekitchen.com/2014/10/07/homemade-ranch-dressing-mix/

Fluff and M.A.D. Milk Recipes

As I was heading out to the bus with Evan this morning, he had a request for me.  He wanted me to make him more "fluff".  Fluff was one of our first sweet treat, simple recipes that has been a frequent flyer in our fridge.  It is super versatile, and while they think they are getting desert, you know they are actually getting the fat and some other nutrients they really need.  The downside...my older son, Ryan, will sometimes complain if Evan gets fluff after dinner.  "How come I don't get desert??".  Sugar is not a staple in our house and isn't usually allowed on school nights for Ryan.  I have explained to him that, for Evan, this isn't truly desert...its something he needs, and remind him of that conversation whenever he gets the "how come"'s.

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Evan's Fluff:

-16 oz heavy whipping cream (the heaviest you can find...we usually have 40% on hand)

-Liquid Stevia Drops (about 10-15 drops will usually do, but you can adjust as needed)

-Vanilla Extract

Put it all in a high-speed blender (Blendtec, VitaMix, etc) and mix the crap out of it until it stiffens up into a whipped cream.  You could use a hand mixer as well.  This is basically whipped cream without the sugar.  Can eat a serving immediately, but must refrigerate or this becomes a melty mess!  This recipe makes about 5-6 Evan servings.

Some Fluff variation ideas:

-Use flavored stevia drops.
-Add in a few fresh (or frozen) berries.  We have used the berry stevia drops and also add in literally just a few berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, cherries, blackberries...whatever) and leave out the vanilla. BUT...there are lots of other flavors to try different combinations.  The possibilities are endless!

-Add in 100% cacao powder (really check that there is nothing else added).  Put in about a teaspoon to make chocolate fluff.  With this, I usually omit the vanilla.
-Add a few chopped nuts on top for a bit of crunch and pizazz!!

-I also usually add powdered calcium supplement to this to help him get a bit more calcium in his diet (as per his dietician).

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M.A.D. "Milk":

In a cup, one part heavy whipping cream and one part almond milk (or approximately).  Add in 2-3 drops stevia and a bit of water to help thin it to a more milk-like consistency.  Evan drinks this like a CHAMP with a straw...but of course then doesn't get the cute milk moustache.

 **Note...Almond milk does have a carb count, so be aware.

M.A.D. Milk Moustaches are the BEST!