Thick egg nog

Here's another version of egg nog, thick like at the store...

1 gallon whole milk
9 egg yolks, (you can save the whites for making meringue cookies)
3 cups white sugar
1 tsp. grated nutmeg
2 TBS real vanilla (approved or only alcohol and vanilla listed, no vanillin)

Mix the milk, egg yolks and sugar in a large pot and bring to a rolling boil, stirring occasionally. WATCH THE POT CLOSELY so it does not boil over. As soon as it reaches a rolling boil, remove from heat and add nutmeg and vanilla. Allow to cool to room temperature; then refrigerate in large jars or a crock.

I personally hate thick egg nog and like the other version I posted, or this kind watered down with 7-up. But, I know a lot of you love this slimy stuff so I'm posting it ;.)

Another Olive Garden trip

We went to the Olive Garden in Sugarhouse and had a different experience. They also had great food and great service but we found out that there they have plain pasta, no oil. They could do plain pasta with real butter and romano on top. mmmmmmmm.
Since it was a special occasion we also brought some homemade peanut butter bars and gave them to the waitress to put on a plate and bring out.
The kids were so excited to see that they had a special dessert.

Andrew's old medicine

I just found this on my computer...it was Andrew pre-Feingold. This was his daily routine of medicines, inhalers, homeopathic medicines, and naturapathic medicines. Now he's totally off of all of this.

A news story about red dye

http://www.wpbf.com/video/18151193/index.html

This is a 3.5 minute video of a newscast about red dye.

Sara's success story

Life has changed so much around here that I don't even know where to start!

My older son is happy and calm for the first time in his life. No joke. He has never been happy, not even as an infant or a toddler. 13 years of frustration, depression, misery, insomnia, stomach aches, crying jags, low self esteem and anxiety.

It has been almost 2 weeks now since his last difficult day. He finally stood up for himself to a "friend" who had been treating him poorly, he knows he deserves better now. He goes to sleep easily at night and sleeps all night without talking in his sleep, sleep walking or nightmares. He is affectionate and calm. His tolerance for pain and frustration have increased greatly. He has received compliments from his scout leaders and climbing coaches due to his vastly improved attitude, strength and stamina. I look at him now and feel hope and joy instead of sadness and despair for his future.

He is no longer scared of the world and has enrolled in school starting in February. This will be his first venture into school since his extreme social anxiety led to us homeschooling 3 years ago.

He has grown an inch and gained 10 pounds now that eating doesn't make him feel sick!

My 3 year old has been calmer too, he's not the target but we have seen some improvement in his behaviour. The biggest thing is that he is starting to eat more foods and his dairy allergy/intolerance is lessening.

He would normally refuse to eat anything other than a soy yogurt and juice for lunch. He just sat down and ate homemade bread with sharp white cheddar melted on top, some grapes and a glass of water. He is contemplating the orange pepper slices and I think he might just eat them.

We have started to introduce stage 2 foods and I am thrilled that the boys are both tolerating grapes well and we are trying tomatoes this week. I hope that goes well as it will open up a whole range of meals that we love.

My husband was extremely skeptical when we started this almost 8 weeks ago and this weekend he gave me a hug and thanked me. He is astounded by the change in the boys and completely convinced that this is the right thing for our family.

HOLY CRAP! Logan just ate the orange pepper slice, he's never eaten a vegetable in his life!!

I feel better too, I "cheated" the other day and got some Skittles to soothe a pregnancy craving. I ate half the package and felt sick for 3 hours.

Sorry it was so long, I just wanted to share our success.

If you want to read more about Sara and her successes see her blog at

http://www.supercrunchymama.blogspot.com/

It's official, we've adopted

This has nothing to do with Feingold but I just wanted to say that we finished adopting today. We've had Ana for almost a year now and it's finally official.

Time and money savers

A mom on the Feingold board was discouraged today because of the "extra cost" of Feingold so I'd like to post some of the great suggestions that were made. There may be an initial cost increase because of replacing things like condiments but after that most people save money because their kids aren't asking for all the yuckys at the store and many people (myself included) have reported major savings in doctor bills, medicine, and over the counter medicine.

Here are some extra ways to save money and time...

Once a month, make a huge batch of cookie dough, roll it into little balls and freeze on cookie sheets. Put the frozen dough balls into a big ziploc in the freezer and you can cook them from frozen whenever you want fresh cookies. I use a small ice cream scooper to make the balls and just plop them on the cookie sheet. It's ok if they're right next to each other. They'll come apart enough when you freeze them.

If your kids like instant oatmeal packets make your own for about 5-10 cents a packet

Google once a month cooking for ideas on freezing meals and soups.

Make a huge batch of bread or other baked goods, slice, package, and freeze

Don't try to have all the name brand already made stuff, homemade bulk mixes and snacks work great.

Order from Amazon or if you have an Azure Standard drop nearby order from them, they're great and you're supporting an organic family business.

Learn to stretch your meat farther, buy a whole chicken then use the carcass for chicken stock or chicken soup. Don't add the full amount of meat to a recipe.

Start to love homemade popcorn. A quadruple batch with a WHOLE CUBE of butter only costs 50 cents-a dollar depending on how much your butter costs. Compare that to the cost of a small bag of cookies.

Don't buy expensive lunchmeat, cook an extra chicken or turkey and cut the meat into thin slices and package in baggies. Use the bits of meat that nobody likes, process or cut into small pieces, mix with mayo for chicken salad with lettuce, a tortilla, or bread in a sandwich.

When you find a good deal add extra to your pantry for storage, then you don't have to run out and buy it at regular price.

Restaurant Research-Applebees

Well, I contacted Applebees and they said they couldn't help me. They can only guarantee the safety of foods regarding the top 6 allergens...like wheat and nuts.
That is very frustrating.

jello and whipped cream

In searching for another recipe for whipped jello I came across this recipe and thought I'd post it. Just a note...if you're not using an approved juice you're best off with a frozen concentrate (100%) since lots of bottles have preservatives.
We make jello all the time and use the huge container of knox gelatin or the bulk bag at the local kitchen store.
I wanted to make cranberry jello for Thanksgiving and I know there's a method for whipping cream and jello together I think before it sets to make a foamy dessert.

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/fresh-raspberry-gelatin-and-whipped-cream

BTW, this recipe is for fancy pretty cups...if you just want a big old load of jello use 2 qts of strong flavored juice, a cup of sugar if you want it sweeter, and 1/4 cup of gelatin. Bring it to a boil, pour it and set in the fridge.
If you are stage 1 you can use 100% pineapple juice that's frozen and a can of crushed pineapple, whipped cream on top..........mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...........a jello lover's delight.

Veggie Dip or Salad Dressing

I have a variety of dips and dressings I make with just a few ingredients...here's what I use

sour cream (I use Daisy, the only ingredient is cream)

mayo (I use Best Foods regular)

Use either sour cream or mayo, or a blend of 1/2 and 1/2 of both.

about 1/2 tsp salt per cup of dip

1 tsp onion powder (not onion salt)

1 clove of garlic, minced or squished

1/2 tsp of dill

1/4 cup of blue cheese (made with whole milk or just milk, not lowfat)

I mix all or a few of these together. To thin for a dressing just add a little whole milk.
This will taste much better the next day as the flavors meld together. Add more salt the 2nd day if it needs it. Be creative, add your favorite spice.