Thursday, February 23, 2017

Egg-free Coconut Chicken with Fruit Salsa

1 1/2 -2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts- cut into strips

Breading 
1 cup coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt

Dip
4 TBL water
2 tsp oil
4 tsp baking powder
1 TBL brown mustard

Preheat oven to 425. Grease 2 cookie sheets. Mix up the breading and place in a bowl suitable for dredging.  Mix up the dip in shallow bowl.  Dip prepared chicken, coat in breading fully and place on cookie sheets.  Bake for 17-20 minutes or until done.

Fruit Salsa
1 Mango-diced
2 cup strawberries-diced
1/2 onion-diced
Cilantro to taste (I don't use much-I'm not a fan)
TBL lemon juice
(optional) 1/2 jalapeno-seeded, membranes removed and diced

Mix together and let flavors mingle for a couple hours.  I mixed it at lunchtime for dinner in the evening and it was perfect!


Overview
We made this tonight for dinner and it was a huge success!  Nora loved it all we served it with basmati rice and a side salad for some veggies. Tortilla chips would also be tasty but I wanted it lower calorie for me. I'm trying to be good... below you'll find the option for the egg version for the dip.  I loved how well the dip/breading adhered to the chicken, normally I have issues with the breading not sticking-not an issue with the egg free version. I also ran out of baking powder and made my own out of soda and cream of tartar. I've altered this for our tastes and how I knew we'd like it from here.


Optional dip recipe using eggs for the chicken:
1 TBL water
1 TBL brown mustard
2 eggs

Thursday, February 16, 2017

MommyCon Chicago 2017-Giveaway!

MommyCon.  One of my favorite events of the year.  This year I'll be traveling extra far to get to Chicago but with family living a couple hours away it isn't too bad and I love it so much!  Pete is really excited about it too, not that he is going, but because "you're going to learn all about how to be a better mommy".  Thanks kiddo, though really I think he is mostly excited to spend time bacheloring it up with daddy for a couple weeks, since they already have tons of plans of things to do while the girls are away.  But he does hit at the heart of what MommyCon does for me, it helps be learn how to be a better parent for my kids. I've learned more about cloth diapering, breastfeeding, caring for myself, creating lasting bonds and not beating myself up with mom guilt.  The classes, vendors and just the other parents I spend the weekend with all help me recharge my batteries ready to take on the next parenting challenges.  It is also really fun to run away for a weekend and geek out on lots of natural parenting goodies as well!  The other moms (and dads) are a great group, we share common interests and concerns and are always willing to help out if you need it.

This year I'm looking forward to the How to Teach Boys vs Girls about Money, The Mob Party, Potty training, redefining motherhood and finishing it up with What happened to my pelvic floor.  The classes are great this year and I love that they aren't all overlapping.  I'm just going for Saturday, because it is my dad's birthday weekend and since I'm in town I want to be there to celebrate.


Now for the good part! A giveaway!  I'm giving away two (2) 2-day passes to MommyCon Chicago+WEAR.  You'll have a chance to win one of the two passes I'm giving away!  Good Luck and may the odds be ever in your favor!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, February 13, 2017

Food Allergies

Want to see what an allergy skin test looks like? Here is Nora's after 4/5 hours.  The reactions are all gone, all those purple dots are where they jabbed a sharp into serum and then into her back to see if she'd swell up.  I had to hold her there while she was clawing trying to scratch her back because it itched so bad. They had to go through and measure each of the welts then got to wash her off and put some ointment on her to make it feel better. They also tested for the major food allergens, and some environmental allergens as well and shes got a dust mite and dog allergy as well-which means Dex is limited with where he can go in the house, mom has to clean more and Nora takes some daily allergy medicine.
This is the evening the day she was tested, those dots mark all the places they poked to see if she had allergies
She also had a blood draw done that same day to test her peanut levels as well. Poor thing got turned into a pincushion that day.
This is where she had to have a blood draw to test her peanut level

She's allergic to eggs, peanuts, and tree nuts.  We have been avoiding them since October of 2015 when she was first tested. These are full blown allergies, not a lifestyle choice or health decision. This is if she eats this she will react instantly and depending on what it is have life threatening consequences.  So if I seem uptight at parties or events with food here's your reason why, also don't be offended if I just bring her own food, because sometimes it is just so much easier than dealing with anything else since I know it is safe for her.  


We now carry an epinephrine auto-injector everywhere we go, the common name is an epi-pen but with insurance that won't cover it we went with the CVS generic that cost us only $11 instead of the $500 of the epi pen. They can't get too hot or too cold, they expire after so long. 


Her food allergies are NOT going to magically disappear, no matter how much I wish or pray they would it will take years if any of them are actually outgrown.  Her level for peanuts was borderline low so she should be up for a food challenge at the allergist office where they are prepared in case she were to have a reaction and know what to look for in early stages.  

Considering what we had to put her through that day she ended up being happy as a lark, didn't hold any hard feelings to me or the nurses, but she also got to eat a sucker so that makes it all better in the mind of a two year old.

After the test she's happy again


Thursday, February 9, 2017

Aunt Sarah Visits Virginia

Aunt Sarah came to visit before she loses her free flying privileges with the upcoming wedding!  We had a super fun time, she was amazed at the temperature and was determined to go to the beach.  Locals were all wearing coats and she's in shorts and a long sleeve shirt.  I warned her the water was cold, and it was but the sand was nice as was the sun.  Nora had a blast on the beach too, Pete was mad he had school and couldn't enjoy that bout of fun with Sarah.  He did get to show her all around the aquarium though, which is one of his favorites. Nora was thrilled to have her and was very sad to see her leave.   
Pete had already run off to go to the sub by the shark tank