day 143 - pancakes & mag for mac

mac is my oldest.  he loves breakfast, especially my waffles now that i have them back tasting better than ever.  i got up a tad early yesterday to make some at his request.  i switched it up to pancakes at the last minute.  my last few batches were out of a gf box and they were super dry and bleh.  welcome to our new pancake recipe: my kids' favorite of all time and it is my official go-to from now until the end of the world... and of course, it's from the artisanal gluten-free cookbook.  this pancake batter is so very doable on a school morning.  i made a double batch and popped them into the toaster today - yea baby.

notes:

sub my rice/coconut milk for the dairy.

sub earth balance for the butter.

i haven't talked too much about my mac.  he is 8 yrs old, now in 2nd grade.  here's a quick history:  his kindergarten teacher often talked about his "active" behavior in the classroom.  it was never a huge concern for us (i am sure the classroom disruption was a huge issue for her and the other kids though!) because there were absolutely no academic concerns.  he had abbie's current teacher in 1st grade and did very well.  he had his "quirks": silliness and lack of self-control were amongst the biggest issues in the classroom.  he also saw the social worker from time to time to deal with his "type-a-i'm-in-control-of-you" personality with his friends.  our little mac does not like to follow (we're working hard on finding a balance - he couldn't possibly have inherited that type-a personality from us... nooooooooo.)  

you know the scene in the movie old school when an oblivious, naked will ferrell yells back to his friends, "let's go streakin!"... only to find out that nobody is following him later?  yup, that could be mac in the playground running away, yelling, "let's go guys!" after explaining a new elaborate game in which you must follow mac AGAIN as his minions...   my favorite story from his preschool teacher was when mac dug deep into a deep toy chest for something, he lost his balance and fell into it head first.  he got out all flustered and yelled super mad at the entire class, "who pushed me!?!?  did you do it, or did you!!????!!!"  well nobody did my little freakshow, ya fell in all by yourself.  

our biggest concern as of late has been his transient eye tics:  he rolls them, blinks them and looks high up into to the right hand corners.  the tics wax and wane.  less in the morning, more in the evening.  some days more than other days.  they would increase with anxiety more than anything else.  especially when talking one on one with you, talking in front of a crowd or reading aloud (i'd even get some throat clearing tics in there sometimes).  the first time i noticed them was around 1-2 years old and they have been getting more frequent as he matures.

when we started the food change, i focused 90% of my attention on abbie for she was the panic button, not mac.

but boy oooooooh boy, has he benefitted from this food craziness.  his teacher shared some of the changes that have occurred over the past few months with me:

- he regulates his emotions better in the classroom.  he would start to cry in the classroom if he didn't get something he wanted, like friday free-time.  oof.
- he exhibits much improved self-control in the classroom - i.e. he knows when it's appropriate to be silly and when to stop.  this was a huge issue last year.
- his handwriting is dramatically better.  no more reversals in numbers and i literally thought he brought home the wrong paper one day.

she was very clear in that she didn't know if it was the food change or not...kids hit emotional & physical growth spurts all the time...who knows...but it has been a significant enough change for her to go out of her way to tell me - oh oh thank you!

chris and i have noticed the following:

- he is kinder & less emotional at home.  he shows more patience with his siblings...to a certain point:)
- he is no longer showing any eye tics.

wait, what, back up...no more tics?

my pancake broke due to shock.

do i know exactly why mac's tics have gone away?  can i point to a definitive cause?  nope.  i can't even tell you exactly when they stopped over the past week.  all i know is that they aren't there anymore.  the biggest difference (other than our cleaner diet for the past 143 days) is that i increased his magnesium rich foods (thanks to the suggestion of the nutritionist we've been working with).  when i make smoothies or ice cream, i try and remember to break open some calcium-magnesium pills into them.  since finding the kick butt gf flour blend, i have been baking a ton more and thus he has been eating a more whole grains (brown rice is #1 for magnesium content).  compared to the other two, he definitely requests and eats more bread, waffles and pancakes.  he loves and has been eating more almonds and cashews.  last week, i purchased some magnesium bath salts and let him soak until he turned into a raisin one night...i also gave him one back massage with some magnesium oil.  gotta do that more!!!

could it be that he has a magnesium deficiency?   i have no idea if it was a singular act or the combination of acts (clean food & more mag) that can take credit for the tic abolishment.  it could be that none of this had any effect and he just "grew out of it" this month.  it could be that the tic's will come back next week or a month from now and i'll look like a silly idiot in all of this.  or that he still has them at school or at friends' houses and he is more relaxed at home so.......who knows, who cares...they're GONE baby.

my parents went to florida last weekend.  i told them to check mac out and they looked at me like i had gone mad.  his tics would always be the most frequent in the evening.  the past few nights they've been over at night to see him eye-tic-free.  will this last?  oh honey, i sure hope so.

i found these mango peach omega 3 packs for the kids and have been sneaking them into the morning oj or smoothie.  today, i used my aerolatte wand to really blend it in and that worked pretty well compared to the spoon method (which, mind you, they did not notice the small clumps even then).  of course, the added bubbles freaked mac out and he didn't want to drink it because he saw me putting it in his cup.  darn-nit!!  to the moon alice!!!  i've been giving it to you for 4 days - stop being a sissy mary!!!!!!  so i explained what it was, why omega-3's are good for you...yada's, and he drank it all up.

these pancakes are truly melt in your mouth wonderful...and chalk full of the mag baby.  

nom nom nom.

yea, i threw out the cap to the maple syrup.  

i think i need more mag.

oh just bag it.

ps

i am soooo making this recipe soon...i can't wait to try it, found it from here just now.

tuesday links to love

some of the links i'm lovin today - hope you like em too:)


the food babe and coca cola's new low calorie beverages

the non-gmo project - does my food product have genetically modified ingredients?

cooking more?  an essential guide to kitchen supplies

clean eatin snack attack:  apple sandwiches please

delicious chicken recipe i can't wait to try




ps

major props to an amazing hot mama and papa pair - nina and ismeal are workin a food change baby!
so excited for operation cream puff.
waterfallin...

help for the grocery store!!!

oh dolly miss molly.

does the grocery store overwhelm you?  can't figure out the science experiment words on labels and haven't had the time to make a cheat cheat...who has the time to do that anyway!?

here is a link to tribe wellness's favorite clean food apps so you can start rocking your pantry and the pants off of your peeps.

a must read review of real food & clean eating shopping apps

i can't wait to try one out!





image via mix-marketplace.com

well hello mr kohlrabi, nice to meet you

my hot mama girlfriend christina (who just happens to be a high school foods teacher) brought these stranger danger veggies over last week.  as she handed the bag over to me, she asked, "have you ever heard of kohlrabi?"...and i said, "ko-habi WHAT!?"  never in a million years had i ever heard of this alien species.

how lucky am i to have a friend who brings random, bazaaro veggies to my house?  cheers to our new year's food resolution:  more veggies for our bellies.

the bulbs look like predator eggs or something from star wars...and how in the world to cook them?...oyeeoye.

somehow, i figured out how to spell it, searched "kohlrabi and potato recipe" and found this little ditty:

adapted from scalloped kohlrabi and potatoes from foodiefresh

2 organic russet potatoes

2 kohlrabi bulbs

dried onions

dried herbes de provence

2 cups (rice milk + coconut milk)

6 T earth's balance buttery spread soy free (broken up to spread over 2 layers)

s&p

notes:

i followed her directions to a T - it's a 3 layer repeat: 1. the potatoes 2. the kohlrabi 3. shake and bake the onions/butter chunks/herbes (oh just eyeball it...give it a nice healthy layer please) and repeat for a total of six layers.  easy peasy.

the recipe is ahmazing and i plan to use it for all future things scalloped in my life - kohlrabi in the house or not!  i used a pairing knife to cut off the kohlrabi's hard outer shell (kinda like an apple but much thicker skin).  it is similar in taste and texture to jicima, and i loooove jicima.  

i get a lot of questions about my genius rice/coconut milk mix for dairy free baking and cooking.   i simply stop short of whatever amount i need (2 cups in this example) and add the coconut milk to reach the exact amount, as if it's the cream in the coffee.  if i want it creamier, i add more coconut and less rice milk.  badda bing badda boom.  no crazy measuring, just do it.  pretend you know what you're doing for cryin out loud.  i mean, look at me...crazy lady.

the potato layer...

the kohlrabi layer...

here is the middle herb and butter layer.  shake and bake!!!

this is all that was left from the two casseroles i made up.  yippeeeee!  it made excellent left-overs that made it for my lunch and another entire family side dish the next day.  gone.

sneaky sneaky... chris and the kids had no idea there was an alien vegetable invasion in the potatoes.  he fed this to the kids without me (i prepped it, put it in the oven and he served it up while i zoomed off to work). 

so, don't be afraid of the kohlrabi, my little jedi's, the force will be with you.

ps

rené, if you're reading this, you must add this into your jicima and avocado salad.  

it would be a ridonculous addition.

pps

trying to figure out how more organic food can fit into your tightening budget?  check this out:

8 ways real families on real budgets can afford organic foods

friday lunch with t-bone & a must read book

this is the start of my favorite lunch: chard & tomatoes.  it got a makeover thanks to the recipe ideas the wonderful ladies over at the food tube gave me and all of the peeps on our interweb.  here is the question they answered for me in one of their episodes and i couldn't wait to try out adding the stalks to my salad!  

first of all, what a hoot to be on there with them and second of all, i am seriously so excited to have some more ideas for one of the lover-veggies in my life.  it's a tough sell to those who aren't so into the green stuff:)  

...and i will be making that chard pie for an upcoming dinner party:)  you bettah believe it!

the mullies chard and tomatoes

1 bunch of chard (stalks trimmed and chopped, greens roughly chopped to your liking)

1/2 red onion

1/2 cherry tomato carton 

evoo

s&p

pistachios (but use whatever you like)

sautée the onion and chopped stalks (they looked like chopped celery but so much more colorful!!) in evoo and add some s&p.  halve the tomatoes and add them next...let it cook for a bit to soften the tomatoes and release the juices.  add half of the leaves, let it cook down and then add the rest.  and done...i love nuts (hee hee) so i found some pistachios and threw some on top.

oh baby that's good eatin.  me and tommy.  (that little dish above is an upcoming post from din din last night:)

that is tommy's bite...my one bite rule!!!

here is how it went:  chewed, a little surprised, gagged at the texture...oh please don't puke!...and down the hatch.  he didn't want another, but he said he liked it.  

...one bite at a time...

so the plan was to wait and post this lunch later, but then i got a new email notification from one of my favorite blogs and just had to whip this puppy up pronto.  i literally just took the last bite of my chard!

100 days of real food interview with robyn o'brien, author of the unhealthy truth

THIS IS WHAT I HAPPENED TO US!!!!  OMG, MAN DOWN, my stomach is in knots....another mom out there...more research, more info....humina humina humina... i can't wait to get this book and read it. 

this is BIG people.

i can't wait for part 2 tomorrow.  

lisa...you rock this hizouse.  

it's go time - making gluten free homemade pasta

my mom (how cute is she in her mom's vintage apron!?) and i had grand slam plans to make our own homemade gf pasta and sweet pan sauce.

it didn't go exactly how we envisioned.
i mean, it was all edible but definitely not eligible for a leftover container.  the kids were cranky, i was tired... our long weekend was over.  i forgot to bring mac to a birthday party - major loserville on that one.

however, we learned so much from our first pasta making night.  i taught my mom how to make the gluten free flower blend we've been loving.  it's our 4th quadruple batch - we love it pete and kelli!

brenda's expression here pretty much sums up the night.  HA!

first adventures in egg + gf flour = pasta making...we figured it might be better in a bowl vs the counter:)  the kids had a blast!

makin walnut sized ballz for my mom's shiny new pasta maker attachment.  

abbie was really good at bread kneading!

we'll be making a stance and grip change for our next showdown with the homemade noodles.  

the pasta attachment worked like a dream.  here is where i think we made our mistake:  we should have kept the noodle tubes in longer strings and had them dry for a bit before we cut them.  instead, we let the kids cut them to size immediately as they squeezed out.  

(insert our voices here) "GO, STOP, NOT YET, NOW, NO, GO, AHHHHHH"...whoo weeeee, let me tell you, directions were fun with kids when they feel like they are at the playdough machine.  this resulted in major clumpage in the bowl = super baaaaruuutal to pull apart and cook.   

however, the dough consistency & taste was fantastic!  i'd like to try this again with a different size pasta tube or even ditch the electric attachment and tackle lasagna noodles or homemade stuffed ravioli's....oh, now that sounds good!   i have an imperia hand crank italian made pasta machine and i'm bustin that out next time, foh shoh.  here is the recipe and boy does it look good handcut!!!  

needless to say, we had a lot left uncooked in the bowl, all cemented together, looking quite sorry looking.  garbagio.  

arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.  jumpin in.

did i say brutal?

nice whisking kiddos - tonight was the first time at the stove for them!!!  poor mom is still busy trying to pull apart those noodles...oof.

the mullies in denver alert: check out what my sister and bro-in-law have in their kitchen for their almost 2 year old, super cutie pie Claire.  

the original to the market is called the learning tower and they got the kitchen helper which is less expensive.  Claire cooks & preps with them all the time...how cool is that!?  

final tasting notes!?  well....mac had two helpings of noodles with earth's balance/s&p/vegan parm and gobbled it up.  i had to add red sauce for tommy and abbie cuz they were not having the sauce we made together.  

the adults finished our plates but will be finding another sauce recipe.  here is the one i tried.  yea, no, it didn't turn out like the picture:(   ahhhhhh shucks.

i did the same thing when i realized i forgot to cook my veggies i had planned.  0 for 2 so far.

dementia happens.

game saver:

we finished the night with oranges and homemade honey popcorn.  this recipe was super easy & delish and a definite mullies keeper.  the kids loved it and so did i.  thanks shanna for passing melissa's recipe along! 

notes:

i subbed earth's balance soy free buttery spread for the butter.

1 for 3!  

gotta get back to practice.

ps

here is a great article on portion control and real food.

day 137 - ABBIE'S CELEBRATION DAY

this little lady is going to get a surprise celebration tonight when she gets home.

are you ready for this one?  did you hit play yet?!?!?!?!?

this morning, i received an unexpected conference call with some very special teachers and administrators at abbie's school.  they had crazy exciting news to share:  abbie's records were taken last week and she is currently reading at level g independently.  

137 days ago, she was reading a grade level behind at level a.  

where are the smelling salts!? 

she is now a tad above grade level expectations and has been officially released from reading intervention.  abbie will be spending her entire day in the classroom.  NO MORE PULLOUT. 

YYYEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!

(this also could be a picture for when i screw up a recipe)

i think we all started crying.  this we did not expect.  to all of abbie's teachers and staff at fairhaven school:  thank you so very very much for supporting abbie, for supporting this food change as a viable intervention, for cheering us on and for giving me the courage to stick with a food change and not give up too soon.  

thank you for never making me feel like i was jumping off the plank.  the sharks never got her.  

to catherine, without you doing the research so many years ago, trying it first and telling me about it all...it never would have happened.  you were the first drop.  thank you.

we did it!

every tear is a wate... ok, ok, ok i hear you loud and clear...THERE'S A PARTY GOING ON IN HERE...

ps

some articles for your reading pleasure:

abc news: more fake food than real food on our grocery shelves

ADHD rate on the rise in california

the importance of gut health in the treatment of ADHD and sensory processing disorders

treating ADHD & sensory processing disorders


pps



did you know that certain everyday foods can trip your brain out?  foods that make you hallucinate.  yikes!  well that story got my wheels turning and i found a bunch of stuff that relates to the gut-brain connection.  here are some links to help connect the dots...  if you believe in all this hocus pocus:)

5 foods to eat if your feeling blue

sweet soda drink & depression

oh snap! eating fastfood can make you sad...really.

anxious are you? try cutting out these foods.

panic attacks vs real food

7 foods to make you happy baby

yeeeeeeeeee-haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

the mullies are dancin on the big 'ol food revolution blog this week!

getting family and friends in the kitchen in 2013

the video montage at the end of the article really captured the night we all had together in the kitchen.  i mean, i love and want to squeeze it to death.  tinglies every time.  paul you rocked it.  and meg, your pictures are stunning.  t.h.a.n.k. y.o.u. and we are sooooo doing this again.

talk about a nuclear explosion to start the week!  jamie o's new food tube channel broadcasted live and i spent most of my free time yesterday watching all the new videos his food team put on.  they even answered my chard question!  i literally had no idea that i could use the stems...to think i have been throwing them in the garbage this whole freakin time...it's a travesty, i should be shot...and you better believe i'll be cooking up that chard pie soon...stay tuned for that little ditty.

this is one crazy lot: megan (the allergy awareness mom), me (nuts), christina (the kitchen queen) and stacey (the not-so-confident cooker).  these are the hot mamas who were the first brave souls to join me here and share their evolving, not-so-perfect experiences in the kitchen.

i'm really looking forward to more of you mustering up the gumption to join me.  cuz you knooooooooow you want to cook more...you knooooooooow you wanna stuff your faces with more of the colorful stuff... but maybe just not yet.  tomorrow, mmmmmm perhaps next weekend?  that's ok, i'm not going anywhere.  happy to have you anytime, with kids or without.  i am an all inclusive party place.

ps


here's a peak back to what i wrote on oct 3rd.  i keep thinking about that morning in trader joe's parking lot when i parked the car...we're a-waterfallin baby.

let's get wet.

beet the burger blahs

i had no idea what this vegetable was when i first got them in my produce box three months ago.  welcome to the beet.

 

play it jacky.

did you say beet?  or beat it?  

i was not going to eat all of these beets by myself so i went on a hunt for a new beet recipe.  these are the first veggie burgers i have ever made from scratch.  i outdid myself.  so just beat it. 

here is the recipe inspo from a fav cooking site:  Best-ever Beet & Bean Burgers  

mullie notes:

i precooked the beets the day before.

i used a prepackaged quinoa/rice package.

i had a huge bag of beets and they weren't running anywhere so i did what i could and roasted them all in one huge batch.  

here's how i roast my beets:

wash em.

trim their tails.

splash em with a little evoo.

house them in tin foil (poke a few holes in the tarp).  

roast them at 350 degrees convection for 90 minutes. 

let them cool off and peel em.  

  i cooked them on friday and they chilled in the fridge until go-time on saturday night.

these organic beets are different than any other kind i have seen so far.  they weren't turn-your-fingers-blood-red and they also weren't golden.  a bit of a mixed-macho-man-beet you could say.  peach, pink, coral, purple...oh so dangerously good for you.

lots of yummy ingredients.

my mom hates beans of any sort.  i made her mash up some organic, canned black beans... HA!  she is being such a good sport, "can't i just use your food processor?"  nope.  beat it mom.  you have to show them you're not scared.

the beet it party brought some of my favorite peeps over: 

my firefighting bro danny (making his bacon cuz da beets scare him),

my bro & sis-in-law kevin and vicki,

and my parents.  

quite a mullies family cooking party.

let's put the beet burgers together, shall we?!

dice up the beets and heat them up with the onions.  

don't forget to beat them with a little salt and peppah.

ran out of fresh garlic, so this came in handy.  thanks emilie:)

yup, dad is doing a crossword and mom is hard at work dumping the fresh lemon juice into the beans.  can you believe him?  he should be beat.

and in go the onions & beets...

mix it all up: rice, beets, spices...super easy peasy.  nobody could mess this recipe up!  even me.  get sticky sweet and make a fatty patty.  everybody wants some!  and hey, don't be shy with keeping them on the cast iron grill for a bit.  the crust is TO DIE FOR.

what what!?  danny fixed my oven handle that was loose...see what music in your kitchen can do?  

vicki has mad salad skills.  those are carrots!  beautiful purple ones with lovely orange centers.  

and don't you want her scarf?  she told me i should use this song for the post... i didn't get it for about 10 seconds...  props girl, the beet it to the beat night would have been nothin without you...hollah that.

i know i know...enough of the holiday plates.  beat it.

we are loving the organicville foods non-dairy organic ranch dressing.   it's absolutely delish, like a creamy vinaigrette, it is also gluten free and i get it at target!   bye bye regular ranch!

tommy ate the beet & bean burger...am i going to heaven?  i only gave him a quarter of a burger and it was the perfect portion for him.  abbie had her one bite and then chowed on the salad & cucumbers i sliced up for her.  not bad, not bad at all.

my mom on the other hand...remember how she despises beans and does not like beets?  this lady has been converted.  she loves the beet it burger.  score.

danny was the only one who wouldn't try a bite...next time.  what a turd.  but he did find the music for the ps video you are about to watch:)

all in all, an incredibly fun night in the kitchen with my wonderful, crazy family.  

we made 8 burgers, and only one was left.  i ate it for lunch yesterday with some leftover celery soup.  these meals just keep on givin... 

ps

and for dessert?   chocolate and laughter, lots of it.  i hope you'll join us in on the fun we had with these little nuggets.   i don't care how old i get, i will never tire of my dad's shenanigans at the dinner table.  don't miss his video - you'll be the *hit* at your next dinner party.

happy monday fun day. now beat it.