Yummy Valentine's Day Chocolates

For my Valentines this year, I needed to figure out something that I KNEW was safe!  I needed to be frugal since the budget was tight, so I just used what I had on hand at home.  I decided to make my own chocolates - yummy!  Michael came home from work and could not believe I had made these all by myself.  He even called me his little Betty Crocker (I am not sure what that meant...either I am a scary cook normally or this was such a brilliant idea it COULDN'T possibly have come from me (ha ha), but I will take it to mean he was just plain impressed!)

I use Guittard chocolate chips (real semisweet chocolate chips) which are made in a peanut and gluten free facility and they contain no milk.  The ingredients are semisweet chocolate (sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter), soya lecithin and real vanilla.  It does have a note that says it is processed on equipment previously used to process milk chocolate, but Silas is ultra sensitive to all dairy and this has not bothered him one bit.

I then proceeded to grab all the gluten, dairy, peanut, almond, egg, and soy free things I could find around the house.  Those of you allergic to corn will not be able to have the marshmallows (we used the campfire brand, I think...whichever ones specify gluten free) or the Glutino Gluten Fee Pretzels because both contain corn starch, but for everyone else, those are great options.  We used marshmallows, raisins, dried mangos, coconut, walnuts and cashews (which those of you with nut allergies will want to avoid, obviously!)
So, here is an ingredient list:
Guittard chocolate chips (or other dairy free ones of your choice)
Olive Oil (or coconut oil or something to smooth the chocolate)

(Here are some ideas of what to dip into the chocolate)
Marshmallows (Campfire or other gluten free)
Nuts
Coconut
Raisins
Pretzels (Glutino Gluten Fee Pretzels)
Your favorite gluten/dairy/allergy free cereal
Any dried fruit of your choice
Fresh fruit like strawberries or bananas

I poured one 12 oz bag of Guittard chocolate chips into a small pan and I put that inside another pan filled with water. Heat the water slowly (on low) and make sure that none of the water splashes into the pan with chocolate. I poured a couple tablespoons of olive oil into the chocolate to smooth it. Stir constantly once it starts melting. When the chocolate is ready, have your prepared goodies all ready to dip! I just used a few forks & dipped the items in the chocolate, then placed it on a sprayed pan to cool (I sprayed the pan with canola oil so the chocolates wouldn't stick.) With the leftover chocolate, I poured it into about 6 cupcake holes in my cupcake pan with some of the items (I used cashews & coconut which turned out really yummy!)


This was a hit with my whole family!  I think we will be making a lot of these in our future!  Enjoy, and please share any ideas with me that might make this even more enjoyable!  (For those of you who don't have tons of allergies, things like sprinkles might be fun to add to the top!)

Egg Substitutes

Before I forget, I wanted to share what we discovered about eggs/egg replacer!  While we were at Whole Foods, a sweet gentleman who works there shared a word with me about egg replacers!  He told me that the best thing he has found to work (and that is the healthiest substitute) is simply to puree a banana (until it is all frothy & light)! Just use that in place of an egg!  It adds lots of flavor and is packed with vitamins and all the good stuff that the egg replacer stuff just doesn't have and it helps hold things together like an egg does.  I have not found it to be an exact replacement, but then again, the egg replacer isn't exact either.  When I use it, my baking is very dense.  Anyhow, I am trying to perfect things with the banana & hopefully I will be able to share some recipes soon!

Update:
It has been a while since I wrote this.  I have found the best egg replacer to be ground flaxseed.  One tablespoon of ground flaxseed plus three tablespoons of water equals one egg.  Add the ground flaxseed with the water, and mix.  Let it set for a couple minutes, and then it is ready to use.

This does not work well in some recipes like brownies, meatloaf, quiches, etc.  Things like waffles in a waffle machine really don't work well without eggs, at least that has been my experience.  Experiment with it and have fun!  Good luck!

New Allergies Revealed! Ouch!

Well, just as I think I have things handled, life deals us another huge blow.  We had Silas tested for more allergies (through US Bio Tek Laboratories, Inc) right after Thanksgiving, and we got the results back in January.  Silas had acted like something was still bothering him, so I figured something would show up.  He had all sorts of issues still rearing their ugly heads.  The results showed us that apparently, LOTS of things are/were bothering him! We found out he has an immune response (allergy) to peanuts, garlic, eggs, & soy (those were the top ones besides the wheat/gluten & dairy), and also oysters, almonds, amaranth, lettuce, lentils, oranges, and grapefruit!  WOW!  I think the one I least expected was garlic.  How can anyone possibly be allergic to GARLIC, for crying out loud!  I use it in everything!  THAT must be the precise problem.

The dr has us on a 4-Day Elimination/Rotation Diet.  The diet can be found at http://www.usbiotek.com/ if you are interested in finding out details.  It really sounds like it might be helpful.  For four days, we have a list of foods we can eat.  Each day is different and food groups (like chicken & turkey) can't be eaten one day after the next.  Related foods need to be separated by a full day so you could eat chicken on Day 1 & turkey on day 3.  The tricky thing is finding enough foods a four year old likes to cover 4 separate days & to keep it all different.  We try really hard to follow the diet and I am hoping it will get easier as we keep at it.  So far, I think we are on the 3rd or 4th week now.  It it still very challenging.  I can't cook meals with multiple ingredients because most of those ingredients I will need to use on another day in the four day cycle.  So, mostly we are sticking to meats, veggies, and fruits. 

The goal of the 4 day rotation diet is to reduce repetitive intake of the same foods.  This may be an aggravation towards food sensitivities.  It is suggested to avoid the "reactive foods" completely for a duration of at least 3 months to a year, or until the symptoms improve, while incorporating a variety of healthy food alternatives. 

So, we are sort of on a new journey here.  I am still in shock, but I hope to share what we discover and maybe help someone in the process.  Already, I have seen Silas' symptoms improve significantly, but I suspect we are still missing some allergens.  The test only covered 99 foods and I am wondering about some spices and things like baking powder/soda, cashews, and a big one I wonder about is tapioca.  He eats that in a lot of different things like his Daiya cheese and it is a flour I use in a lot of baking.  Anyhow, I pray for Silas' healing and we would appreciate your prayers as well.  It is very difficult for a four year old (almost 5 now) to not have choices regarding what food he is to eat each meal.  The Lord created his precious body, and the Lord knows what the exact issue is (and we seem to be having a difficult time finding out what all the triggers are & if there are other root causes).  I know the Lord could choose to just reach out & touch Silas & to heal him instantly, or he can heal him through this journey & through our dr.  I do believe he will be healed one way or another (at least to the point where he is not reacting every time he eats a trace amount of an allergen!)  We just want Silas to be a happy, healthy child who loves the Lord!  Please pray with us for his healing!  Thank you!