Diet, Play, and Diapers!

You like the title of this post? Well we have had so much going on this past week in the McKinney house that I had to share.
First off, this wonderful diet (sense the sarcasm?). Since starting the SCD Haiden has regressed at school. He has been very, very sensitive and crying over just about everything that doesn't go his way. Now there are several factors that could play into this so I'm not for sure if it is just the diet, a combination of things, or Haiden figuring out how to get his way:). We started the diet, then Haiden got the flu, then he had several snow days. So I called our DAN doctor and she recommended stopping all nuts, adding rice back in, and focus on being GFCF/soy free/egg free. Seriously? Ahh, this is all getting pretty exhausting. Though being told that we could eat rice made me want to jump up and down! So I really had my hopes up that we would be able to fully heal Haiden's belly and eventually eat anything we wanted. Now, I think maybe this is just how we are suppose to eat. Honestly, the thought of eating something that comes out of a cow's boob really freaks me out. When I think about it Haiden has made tremendous gains in the past three years! Maybe this is his full recovery? He is healthy, he doesn't have bowel issues anymore, he leads a pretty "normal" life, he sleeps good, he eats good, he is so happy, and he enjoys life. Maybe he will always be a quirky little guy. If so, I can fully accept that. He is an amazing kid! I just can't live with myself unless I know that I did everything possible (safe of course) for him.

Here are some pics of a few things we have been eating this week.

Fish Tacos! Rice tortilla, grilled tilapia, brown rice, black beans, avocado and cumin dressing http://www.choosingraw.com/raw-foods-tutorial-the-raw-cocktail-party/Homemade Hummus! Just put dried chick peas (soak overnight then cook in filtered water for 3 hours), roasted red pepper, garlic cloves, basil, salt and pepper into the food processor.Then you will have a delicious hummus without any preservatives. You can do so much with hummus. I like to put them on rice wraps, dip with veggies, dip with butternut chips, and dip with rice chips.

We went to Haiden's school play performance this week! It was so adorable! The play was called Humpty Dumpty and Haiden was the King's Messenger!

I have always wanted to use cloth diapers but just didn't have the guts to do it...until now! I received my order from Toasty Baby (http://www.toastybaby.com/) today and couldn't wait to put my babies in their new diapers.

Ella is potty trained but she still wears a diaper during nap time and through the night. She loves her new cloth diapers and didn't want to take it off after her nap. Can you tell she just woke up?

Mason was army crawling towards the pile of new diapers.

He is such a handsome little guy!!

My Baby Isn't A Baby Anymore

HAPPY 6TH BIRTHDAY TO HAIDEN! Yes, my little man is not so little. I can't believe he is already 6 years old. Where has the time gone? I remember my Dad always talking about how time goes so fast and I would always think yea, yea, yea. Well Dad, I know what you mean now.

Haiden is an amazing little man and has come so far! http://mckinneyclan3.blogspot.com/2009/04/in-beginning.html

He has taught me so much about life and being a mother. The most important lesson I've learned from Haiden is to always trust my God given motherly instinct.

As I think about Haiden, I think about all of his great characteristics. He is such a sweet boy, very caring, and very in tuned with others feelings. He shares other pain and their joys. He says, "I love you Mommy." at least once a day. He is obedient and respectful. He has a smile that can light up the entire room. He loves anything football, music, and racing. He is extremely intelligent. He is a great soccer player. He likes things to be structured but doesn't mind a messy room. He is a champ when it comes to all this diet stuff. He likes it when we all end our prayers with Amen at the same time. He isn't a baby anymore and it is hard to watch him grow but I know, I just know that he is going to do more great things!

We have a birthday tradition at our house. The morning of their birthdays we decorate their chair with balloons, hang up a HAPPY BIRTHDAY sign, put candles in their breakfast, and sing Happy Birthday. Haiden was so excited! (Yes, he does have a swim shirt on. Just another one of his quirks that I love.)

Reading his card to us. He thought it was so cool that his presents were from Mommy, Daddy, Ella, and Mason.

His reaction to one of his presents. We got him the Madden football game for his Wii. Did I mention he loves football?

Juicing and Healthy Child

My fabulous hubby came home last weekend with a juicer! I was so excited as Haiden tried to carry it in to the house...so cute. I've been wanting a juicer for awhile because there are soooo many health benefits to juicing (http://www.bestofjuicing.com/). I love taking the kids to Georgetown Market to get juice from their juice bar but it is pricey. So now I can make their own juice at home!

Our first juice was carrots, apples, and lemons aka "I Love Juicy".

The kids enjoying their juice!

I also wanted to share a great website I have discovered, www.healthychild.org. Do you know what your furniture is made of? Do you know what your mattress is made of? Do you know what your kids toys are made of? Did you know some of these things could actually be making you sick? I strongly encourage you to visit and explore the Healthy Child website because small changes can make a huge difference!

Dr. Andrew Wakefield

You may or may not have heard of Dr. Andrew Wakefield. If you have, then you have heard his name on the news or you are an autism parent fighting for your child. If you have not, then I promise you, eventually you will.
In recent weeks the media, led by pharma companies, have portrayed Dr. Wakefield in a very negative way. You see Dr. Wakefield has completed the only study every comparing vaccinated to unvaccinated subjects. His first phase of the study was just published three weeks ago. You can check it out here,
http://fourteenstudies.org/pdf/primates_hep_b.pdf. His findings are very disturbing and damaging to the pharma companies.
So if you haven't figured it out yet, the pharma companies DO NOT have your best interest in mind. Don't believe me? Check out this web map of how the people leading the "Vaccinate Everyone For Everything" campaign are all related, http://adventuresinautism.blogspot.com/.
I share this with you because I don't want you or another child to have to suffer from the effects vaccines can cause. We've been there, it is heartbreaking and devastating. http://mckinneyclan3.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-do-you-think-about-vaccines.html.
Some people argue that if we do not vaccinate then we are exposing our children to disease. My answer for that, "Not true!" See for yourself, http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/photo.php?pid=4889894&id=69667273997.

Super Food Goodness

It has been yet another busy week in the McKinney house. Haiden missed two days of school due to the snow. While he was home I was so proud of him. For the first time, he kept himself entertained and busy. In the past he would play for about 10 minutes, wonder around the house, lay on the couch, then go play the same thing he was playing before. These two days at home he just played, and played, and played with several different things! It was so much fun to see. It is the small gains that keep me motivated with biomedical treatment.
Another thing I've been paying closer attention to is his caloric intake. Thanks to dietitian Staci Small (http://thewellnessphilosophy.blogspot.com/), who has been helping me through Facebook, Haiden isn't nearly as tired and fatigued. I am constantly offering Haiden food to make sure he gets at least 1200 calories a day.
So most moms know that once you become a mom you all of a sudden are last on your list of people and things to take care of. I have been that mom. Now that we are on this new diet I have a new passion for health. I've been eating the best I've ever eaten my entire life and I've also started running, thanks to my wonderful friend Karin. A part of taking care of myself has meant no more Reece's Peanut Buttercups...darn. Luckily I stumbled upon a vegan recipe for homemade almond buttercups http://www.greenandcrunchy.org/2009/11/homemade-vegan-chia-seed-almond-butter-cups/...heaven! Of course I had to give them a try.

I used 4 Boom Choco Boom bars that I found at Georgetown Market, (I did a little dance when I saw these.), almond butter, chia seeds, and flax seeds.
Here is my end result! Absolutely fabulous!

Vegan spaghetti! Okay, so you may be getting the clue that I'm a wanna be vegan and so far this week I have been. For supper I made this dish that is very easy. For the rest of the family I added sauteed chicken and shrimp. To make it bake spaghetti squash at 350 for 1 hour. Saute asparagus and zucchini with some olive oil and garlic until tender. In a separate skillet you may saute chicken, shrimp, oil, basil, oregano, and salt until done. Then add your favorite spaghetti sauce or, like we did, my hubby's homemade spaghetti sauce (will add that recipe soon). Put over a bed of spaghetti squash and voila! Enjoy!

Haiden's new favorite snack, kale chips. Yes, I know, doesn't sound that good but OMG, I did not expect the flavor these things have...delicious! I just cut the kale off the stems, tossed in olive oil and sea salt, baked at 300 for 20 minutes. You should give it a try.

Haiden enjoying his kale chips. (Ella wasn't a fan.)

Here is my big man dancing after the Colts scored a touchdown. We let Haiden stay up to watch the Super Bowl since he is a football fanatic. Unfortunately his little heart was broken when they didn't win. I just love this picture of him. He looks so good!

Weekend Meal Prep

Brian and I spent Friday night and most of Saturday morning making some SCD food for the week ahead. All of these recipes are on PecanBread's website http://www.pecanbread.com/p/recipes1.html
Butternut chip!

Carrot Chips!

Cashew Butter Muffins (Haiden's favorite)

Almond Flour Cookies

Larabars! These are so good. I got the recipe off of Green and Crunchies blog http://www.greenandcrunchy.org/

We also made pear sauce, fruit leather, and spaghetti sauce.

The kids are all doing well. Haiden is finally back to school after being out a week due to the flu. He is very pumped for the Super Bowl tonight and will probably be able to give you a play by play of the game tomorrow if you want. Ella continues to be my little diva. She has made incredible gains in her speech and is such a little lady. My baby Mason is getting so big! He is up on all four's rocking back and forth, sitting up by himself, waving, and trying to clap his hands.

SCD Recipes

Decided to share some foods we've been eating...all the time...
Here is grilled tilapia with a pineapple salsa, broccoli, and spinach salad. For the salsa I just simmer pineapple, black beans, red pepper, red onion, cilantro, and lime juice. The salad is spinach, blueberries, and pecans.

Stuffed bell peppers. I actually found this recipe at Allrecipes.com. Here is the link,http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Stuffed-Peppers-with-Turkey-and-Vegetables/Detail.aspx

My new obsession...SMOOTHIES! I love making smoothies packed with super foods. I usually just throw a bunch of fruit, spinach, and chia seeds in the food processor and blend...voila!

I finally made pancakes that actually look like pancakes! I used almond flour, pear sauce (my new favorite egg replacer), baking soda, and honey.

And the Diet Continues...

To say that I am frustrated with the SC Diet is an understatement! As I try to find recipes and blogs for ideas I am finding that we can't do the SCD and here is why; the SCD allows eggs, butter, and cheese but we can't have eggs, butter, and cheese due to Haiden's food sensitivities. So I'm on a mission to heal my son's gut with our own diet! A diet full of vegetables, fruit, nuts, and beans. I'm going to call it the H.H. diet (Haiden's Hope). So if you have any delicious recipes with any of those foods please share!

We Have Been Hit By The Flu

Oh no....run...gasp...go get your flu shot! NO THANK YOU! Haiden has been hit by the flu and he is going to be okay! No flu shots, just a lot of TLC, R&R, fluids, vitamins, and some cough medicine. Last Wednesday Haiden began to complain that he didn't feel very well. On Thursday he came down with a fever and cough. This flu bug has continued but he is slowly getting better. The major downside to all of this is we broke his diet. I tried to treat his cough with homeopathy treatment but it didn't work so at 1am in the morning I went to CVS and bought him some cough medicine. Have you ever seen what is in these meds? Take a look next time, you'll be shocked. At the time I really didn't know what else to do since he wasn't able to sleep, I just wanted him to have some relief. The good news is that we haven't noticed any bad side effects! He is still our sweet, intelligent, happy, football obsessed, rigid little boy :)