A Suburban Foodie Living in Rural Illinois

I've always enjoyed experimenting with new foods... Unless you speak with my mom. She will likely recall a time when I ate spaghetti. At restaurants, I literally only ate spaghetti. She would occasionally let me take a "life experience day", which meant that we would both skip out on our responsibilities and explore whatever intrigued us at the moment. Most days began with lunch at Red Lobster, where I would order, yes, spaghetti. But as I matured, so did my palate. I've learned to try everything at least once and preferably cooked in multiple fashions. So when I married, my husband was accustomed to everything frozen and quick. He would at times offer to make dinner and would whip up the most amazing meat loaf known to mankind. But most times, he allowed me creative liberties in the kitchen. Remind me to never share the story of the French Onion Soup. 

Living in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, variety was never an issue. I would pass an Asian market on my way to work or cross the street to grab a quick bite at the supermercado. When we decided to move to central Illinois, I had no idea how bland the dinner menu would become. I've scoured Pinterest and googled recipes, but there are only so many ways to prepare potatoes. While trying to find a local source of raw milk, I happened across a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) named Golden Oldies Farm. This concept is nothing new. There are dozens of CSAs in suburban and even urban localities. But in rural Illinois, there are not many. I contacted them for additional information and quickly signed up. Because there are only 3 of us (DH = dear husband, DS = 4.5 year old dear son, and myself), it made sense to split our share between our family and my parents. I'm going to share our experience here and will include recipes for the produce we collect each week. My recipes are dairy free and often vegan, but I will tag them appropriately for quick reference.

Find a CSA farm near you here. Please bear in mind that they often discontinue selling shares once the season has begun, but still contact them because each is individually owned and may operate differently.

Stay tuned for our meals of the week!

Dairy-Free Day!!

It is so difficult to know what is dairy-free and what isn't. I've been wondering if baby J's restless nights are linked with somehting that I've been missing (or something that isn't missing) in his diet. Reaffirmed. Walking into Wendy's today, I noted a large chart, about the size of 3 posters, hanging as I entered the front door. It is a new feature and I am glad they have added it. It has a list of the 7 most common food allergens and their presence (or potential presence) in foods offered by the franchise. They are broken into 3 categories, distinguishable by different colored dots. Red means that the allergen is present, blue means that the food is cooked on the same surface or in the same oil as that allergen (and may be cross-contaminated), and green (?? the colors are on the chart, but I don't recall this one) means that the food is prepared or manufactured on the same line as the allergen (and may be cross-contaminated). Wow! What a concept! Just put it out there for everyone to see. So dairy-free at Wendy's is even more limited than I had believed. There were a lot of red dots. But now I know.

This encouraged me to venture into the land of the unknown regarding other fast food restaurants and allergen information. Here is what I've found so far. I will continue to update the list as I learn more. And remember that just like all processed foods, the ingredients continually change and so the facts today may not be the facts tomorrow.



McDonald's (note that the bottom section lists actual allergens- like milk- and what products they are in)

Arby's lists the allergens in red next to the name of the food item.

Burger King

Chipotle makes it easy by only using dairy in their cheese and sour cream. That's why we love you, Chipotle!

Panda Express says milk in the Orange Chicken and mixed veggies, so no more for baby J, but at least the Mandarin Chicken is still okay!

KFC says go for the Original or Grilled with Dairy allergies, but avoid anything breaded or extra crispy.

Popeye's makes you work for any info. They list all ingredients, but only a few allergens that are contained in each. For example, they list "wheat" as an allergen, but not "milk", although the ingredients clearly state that they contain milk. Sigh. Virtually everything has an allergen. Buh-bye.

You've got to love Subway for just putting it all out there. Usually good old non-processed ingredients.

Taco Bell lists the allergens in a great, easy to use chart; but it is only accessible online. It isn't possible to print it.

Wendy's who gave me this idea.

White Castle for those with iron stomachs.

Have fun eating out with the help of my list! These are just places local to me, but if you'd like to review other options, a great resource is the Go Dairy Free dining out guide and the shopping lists.

Long naps on mommie's lap

As a result of some more sneaky, as of yet unlocated, dairy, baby J hasn't been sleeping well. So I did something I haven't done in awhile- I let him nap on my lap. He is unusually tired, made evident by the fact that his usual 90 minute nap has extended to an unbelievable 2 1/2 hours! And he's still out! I'm incredibly bored but he should be a happier camper this afternoon.

Decaffeinated Mommie- A Tragedy

As a result of my eagerly sought after desire for rest, I have found solice in my unrequited love for coffee. A true romantic, I anticipated each day the dance that the cream and sugar would have with the freshly brewed beans. I say cream because I am truly infatuated with cream, otherwise known as half & half. The colour that it creates as it blends into the rich brew is a comfort. The aroma that it creates arouses the senses. But the taste, ah, the taste has always been a reward to me. Now, more than ever, my fatigued brain craves it all.

However, my son seems nearly recovered from just shy of 9 months of hysteria-induced insomnia. The solution seems to have been a dairy allergy. Being a true fan of natural nourishment, he still nurses upon his request. While it is not nearly as frequent as during infancy, it is often enough that my dairy consumption affects him adversely. For this, I began to express my deep affection for the unnamed manufacturers of a product referred to as "non-dairy" by their own label.

As a trusting person, I did not second-guess their claim. I simply consumed their product gratefully. All the while, I was not able to mask this lie from my son's digestive system. Because recovery from his most recent dairy consumption was not happening, I began to investigate. To my dismay, the culprits are the very ones who offered me comfort on those tiring mornings. So, to the makers of shmInternational Deliars, at least I know where we stands. It is my deepest desire that we are able to reconcile our failed relationship. Until then, please know that I think of you often. Soon the wounds will heal. I will learn to love again. But for now, I endure.

Baby's breakfast

This morning was business as usual. We woke up early. We have passed the two week mark for GF, DF, EF, so we decided to re-introduce the least likely culprit, eggs. (While his sleep habits have changed very little, he has had some positive results from the diet change. For instance, he suffers from gas significantly less often.) So, I followed our morning routine.

Diaper change, check. Baby gates, check. Bathroom door closed, check.

I began taking the morning breakfast materials out. I cannot imagine how happy this boy is to have eggs return, but I know that I could barely contain my own excitement. I began breakfast. Then I cleaned the high chair up and toted it to the dining room. I was busily occupying myself that I hardly noticed that the baby was already taking care of himself. (It is really true, they grow so quickly.)

He had made himself comfy on the kitchen floor with two fists full of chocolate sandwich cookies. If they had contained eggs, milk, and flour, I could have justified it as Bill Cosby would have. But, no, they were dairy-free, egg-free, and gluten-free. Absolutely no nutritional value.

Sorry to let you down, Dr. Huxtabel.

I'd like to thank everyone but Kanye West

It's 8:14 pm on a Friday night and I am excitedly blogging about, no, not the movie I saw or the restaurant that we ate at, but the fact that my son is asleep! I have always wanted to be a mommie. I suppose that I have led a pretty laid back / uneventful life, so such an evening is not extraordinary to me. That is excepting the fact that my son is peacefully asleep at 8:18 pm.

I feel as though I should treat this as award show; if I did, it would go something like this: " I'd like to thank my son for this wonderful show of gratitude. I'd also like to thank my husband and mother and father and all my dear friends for their support. Also, a shout-out to GF, DF, EF Koala Rice Krispies that keep the little tikes appetite satisfied. And, of course, the endurance and ever present support from Jehovah God, who has tirelessly put up with my tantrums, crying fits, spurts of anger, and insanity due to sleep deprivation."

Last night, after he had fallen asleep nestled next to me, I placed him on his mattress situated directly next to our bed. He fell asleep with much difficulty and awoke at 2 am. It was sooooo refreshing for me to have 5 hours of uninterrupted sleep. However, I did awake to the sound of his head thumping against our bedframe as he sleep crawled off his mattress. After that, I think he felt a bit traumatized because he'd only return to sleep after nursing.

Tonight, I thought ahead. I wrapped my gigantic pregnancy pillow around his mattress. He won't sleep crawl / escape so easily again!

Well, pray for us tonight. I think that we might have some resolution with regards to food sensitivities. Thanks again for checking in!

Murphy's Law becomes Mommie Mania

It is now Saturday, day 5 of our experiment. Things are going well. We have yet to see improvement in Sy's sleep patterns, but eating less processed foods can only be a step in the direction of a healthier family.

My greatest discovery since joining Mommie Mania, also called Murphy's Law, what is least likely and most inconvenient is most likely to occur.

For example, in the world of cloth diapering, leaks rarely occur. In an effort to downsize the load which we carry, I began eliminating the "spare" outfit. Oops! That was my first mistake... The CDs (cloth diapers) must have seen me take this action, because they are now less absorbent. Lol!

Next example, have a child with sleep problems who wants to sleep desperately? Have a million errands to run? As a mom, first priority is baby. As
usual, I spend hours trying to help him sleep. Finally, when we give up and decide to run errands, get packed up into the car, drive 5 minutes to the grocery store, and park the car just in time for those heavy eyelids to close. Poor baby.

So, with MM ( Mommie Mania) at its peak, at least we are adopting a healthier lifestyle which can only help us deal with stress more efficiently.

GF Oreos

There is something wonderful and comforting and almost divine about processed flour and sugar. The texture, the taste, the satisfying sensation they create when eaten. If it was for me, I would cope with the side effects of food sensitivities, but for my son, I would eat dirt. Yes, dirt would become my main staple in life.

As I scanned the shelves at Earthly Goods (a coy name for food that is not processed or bleached, in essence, dirt), I actually considered weaning. If we weren't still breastfeeding, I could still be eating normally while he adjusted to this realm dubbed GF, DF, and egg-free. He wouldn't know the difference, after all, he has only been eating solids for 6 months. On the other hand, I have been eating solids for 21 years (well, maybe not, but let's imagine that it has only been that long). So, as I worn my son cozily in our sling and reviewed the shelves contemplating whether to purchase snacks for him alone or for the both of us, it hit me.

I love food. I love Oreos and a tall glass of cold milk. I love iced lattes with lots of whipped cream on top. But, more than that, I love the feeling of my son snuggled tightly against me just before he dozes off at night. I love the ability to provide comfort for him while he is sick. I love picking him up after he has fallen from his wobbly legs and bumped his head. During those times, only mommie can provide what he needs. And, for that, I will make the sacrifice.

Once he weans, though, we are having a snack party with lots of goodies!

Sleep deprivation and food elimination

We have tried many methods with few results. We have even tried sleep behavior modification. So, starting today, we are looking into the possibility of food sensitivities. The nasty nine most common food intolerances are nuts, dairy, egg whites, gluten (the protein found in most grains), shellfish, soy, and I forget the rest. We are starting with the three most common in our house- dairy, egg whites, and gluten.

Today is our first day of food elimination. We usually start with scrambled eggs or oatmeal, but today, we are having rice and bananas.

This morning I realized that I had must have lost my mind last night. According to what my husband tells me, I did. Thankfully it is a new day-- one that I can anticipate such silly shananigans as this one.

So, for now, I will try to remind myself of the delightful boy that I enjoy during the day to appease this long journey through sleep deprivation and food elimination.