Pacific Natural Foods

So excited about this link I found. I hate that it hasn't been updated since 06.2009 but I called to ask about their condensed soups - CORN FREE - all of them and requested they update the information. It's a great chart - even if most of their products contain corn or soy.

Flu Season

Hubs came home last night feeling crummy. Achy, sore throat, head ache. Fabulous. He had called earlier so I changed the menu from a hearty chicken chili to a basic chicken soup loaded with veggies, ginger & garlic.

We can't purchase any kind of safe over the counter treatments or vitamins so standard procedure here is different than loading up on Vitamin C and store bought chicken soup. When allergies are at hand nipping these things in the bud is the best you can do. Lots of sleep, lots of water, lots of veggies and citrus fruits (for vitamins & minerals).

Quick chicken soup
Chicken, boneless skinless breasts or thighs work best
Veggies (I ran to the market and purchased a fresh zucchini & onions. I already had fresh carrots, celery, spinach, canned green beans, & frozen peas)
Broth (I used 32oz box)
Garlic (I used a few cloves of fresh & some powdered as well)
Onion (fresh & a little powdered)
Ginger (powdered - hate grating my own)
Salt & Pepper
small amount of butter/olive oil

Melt the butter or warm the oil in a large pot. Throw in the fresh onions & garlic until they start to become translucent. Chop chicken into bite sized pieces. Brown in the pot with onions. Season well with salt, pepper, onion & garlic powder as well as ginger. Once the chicken is browned pretty well, dump in the rest of the fresh ingredients - minus the spinach and simmer. Carrots & celery take a little while but after a few minutes drop in frozen ingredients. The spinach can be put in the bottom of a bowl or added right before serving into the pot. It really needs only a moment. I always taste the broth. If it's not flavorful enough I add more of the powdered seasoning because it disperses more quickly than fresh garlic or onion.

This soup works well for any occasion but I made a large pot last night and we ate it for dinner last night, lunch this morning and dinner this evening. It's not too filling but it's loaded with nutrients and easy to digest.

Stock up on:
Safe chicken stock
- home made keeps in the freezer for up to a year but takes time to thaw out and requires a little time
- Kitchen Basic Original Chicken Stock in a box is wonderful - you can purchase it in boxes of all sizes and I always keep it in the pantry, it specifically states "corn free" and we have never had a problem with it
Eggs
- Scrambled eggs are very easy to digest and quick to make
Veggies
- Fresh, seasonal is best but they have to be used quickly so they don't spoil
- Canned veggies are good and we typically keep green beans (Central Market Organics)
- Frozen, I always have peas in the freezer & if my organic veggies aren't being eaten fast enough I will freeze just about anything. Currently I have bell peppers & spinach that I was afraid we wouldn't eat before it spoiled (HATE, hate, hate throwing away food!).
Spices & Herbs
- Garlic
- Ginger
Honey - we purchase raw local wild flower honey
Orange Juice - Central Market Organics is pure 100% squeezed oranges, nothing added and is less expensive than purchasing oranges and juicing them myself
Epsom Salts - just the salt don't purchase the scented ones they might have corn
Pure essential oils - we add to baths, and "humidifiers"
Since I don't have a diffuser or anything for my essential oil so I boiled water on the stove and placed about 4 quarts of very hot water in a pan with a few drops of eucalyptus oil on a table beside the bed. It acted as a humidifier of sorts.


I'm happy to report that David is nearly as good as new despite being so sick last night.



Helpful links:
http://www.organicnutrition.co.uk/articles/colds.htm
http://www.remedies-for-natural-health.com/natural-flu-remedies.html

plaCes t O Read iNgredients

I checked a book out of the library that was all about purchasing organic foods. The bottom line was that home cooking from scratch was the best way to avoid additives and preservatives.... Well of course but for those of us with a corn allergy even home cooking from scratch can cause allergic reactions.

This means I'm the one parked in a corner at the grocery store carefully reading all the labels before anything gets placed in my cart. Organic does not = corn free. 100% organic means that in the labeling not much can be hidden under the ambiguous "spices" or "natural flavors". Corn is ubiquitous. It is used as a sweetener, lubricant, thickener, adhesive... and on and on...

Home cooking from scratch is basically all we eat. But chicken is sometimes packed with "broth". Even the whole chickens or the chicken breasts packed separately. Veggies are coated with wax to help prevent bugs and make them look prettier... and that wax often contains corn. One can see where I am headed with this.

I wish that corn and corn products were only found in food items but when I shop I have to read the labels on detergents, soaps, deodorants, household cleaning products, dog shampoos, toilet paper, medicines and so on. We have friends that have an allergy to wheat. I wish David had an allergy to wheat. Avoiding wheat is much more common. Individuals and families avoid wheat not just for allergy purposes but as a diet preference. It is easy to find "gluten free" items at the market in every aisle. I've only found one item that specifically says "made with out corn", but then it's in a list that also includes: soy, wheat and so on. That's ok, I'll take it.

Prior to corn allergy discovery (PCAD) I cooked from scratch for fun and because that's what my mom did. When time was of the essence however, I would occasionally pick up short cut meals such as frozen pasta with sauce in a bag and in the summer I purchased all our bread (we live in Texas and I made all our bread from scratch in the cooler months but hated running the oven in the summer heat). PCAD one could open the pantry, the fridge or the freezer and find these shortcut items. Now my pantry contains two short cut items that I purchase regularly and never make from scratch BECAUSE I DO NOT HAVE TO. Kraft Macaroni & Cheese is corn free. (Who-da-thunk??) I've emailed Kraft and have had a response. Ingredients do change in products but David has not had a reaction to this product so we continue to purchase and eat it. And of course Kitchen Basics products.

Happy label reading!! Be diligent even with safe products as companies do change ingredients from time to time.

Safe Foods

Here's a new list of safe foods. I still check the labels almost every time I purchase these things - just to be certain - but at least I can find them quickly now.

• HEB Central Market sea salt potato chips
• Kraft Mac 'n' Cheese (blue box, regular only)
• Oscar Meyer Natural pre-sliced turkey breast
• Breyers ice cream (strawberry, coffee, regular vanilla (NO other vanillas), chocolate)
• Hagandaz ice cream (Most of the FIVE ingredient ice creams are safe!!)
• Most block cheeses (but NOT reduced fat unless sometimes if it's made with 2% milk) and some "natural" sliced cheeses
• Whole Foods has chocolate candy bars that are made w/o soy!!!!

updated 12.15.2010

World Market

Today I ventured to Cost Plus World Market. I have found that traditions and food availabilities in other countries often lend towards more corn free and soy free items. I wasn't sure I'd find much but was delighted with their selection of foods and SPICES!! I have been saving to purchase two vanilla beans to make my own vanilla extract. Thus far the best price that I have found was $17/per bean. YIKES!!! I need two pods. I couldn't justify $34 for vanilla extract given the explosion in our food budget. Imagine my surprise and joy when I found TWO vanilla beans for $2.99!!! In fact all of their spices were $2.99. I have never purchased spices, have never even looked at their spice selection. It's wonderful. All kinds of "exotic" spices for a fraction of the cost of grocery stores. They also had a large selection of organic foods. I had purchased a can of organic soup to keep on hand for when we don't have leftovers for David's lunch. The can in a grocery store was nearly $5. WM had the same product for 1/2 as much! They had organic pastas, raw sugars, chocolate bars and more on sale and at great prices. As a result of David's allergies we are eating more and more organic foods. Organic food labels are easier to read and have each ingredient labeled clearly rather than ominous words such as "spices" or "food thickeners" which could mean corn.... Many pre-mixed spices and seasoning salts have dextrose (corn) in them so unless spices are clearly listed we don't purchase the product. We had a food drive at church yesterday so we cleaned out just about everything left in our pantry that David couldn't eat. There are just a few items left that were opened like peanut butter. I love my peanut butter so I'm OK with that. I made David almond butter which was pretty delicious and plan on trying some cashew butter next.

Bertolli

I was hoping *fingers crossed* hoping that I wouldn't have to make spaghetti sauce from scratch each time we wanted a pasta dish. On a whim I checked the sauces at Sam's Club. And found one! Bertolli Organic Olive Oil, Basil & Garlic sauce. First time to eat it is this evening. Hopefully it's delicious.

Granola

I intended to post this recipe. Well it's an idea of a recipe.

Granola Guidelines

3 cups of old fashioned OATS
1 cup of flaked coconut (although this can be left out if one doesn't like coconut, or the flavor doesn't go with the other choices below)


(FAT) 1/4 cup of any one of the following:
Canola oil
Butter, melted
Coconut oil
Olive oil (it's quite flavorful so be prepared)
Vegetable oil (but not if the granola is for David)


(SWEETENER) 1/4 cup of any one of the following:
Honey
Brown sugar
Other sweetener of choice


(SPICE) Amount to taste of any of the following or combo of the following - ground:
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
All Spice
Cardamon
Cloves
Garam masla (a spice mix that includes: cloves, black pepper, and more)


(NUT) 1 cup of any of the following, or any combo of the following - chopped:
Walnuts
Cashews
Pecans
Brazil nuts
Hazel nuts
Macadamia nuts
Almonds
Peanuts (but not if the granola is for David)


(DRIED FRUIT) 2/3 cup of any of the following, or any combo of the following:
Raisins
Dates
Craisins
Dried apple
Dried banana pieces
Any other dried fruit


(I wouldn't recommend going to crazy the first time you mix the granola as it's easy to over flavor when there are too many things going on at once. Pick a theme such as Hawaiian and go with it using coconut oil, dried pineapple and macadamia nuts with cinnamon as your spice.)

If using a solid fat such as butter, melt it prior to beginning. I keep my olive oil in the fridge so as to prevent it going rancid in our hot climate. Same with my Coconut Oil. Thus I set them out a few mins prior to starting. I still have to melt the coconut oil for a minute though.

In a large bowl thoroughly mix your fat, spice(s) and sweetener of choice. Add your oats, nuts and coconut to the bowl and mix well, ensuring that your oats are evenly coated. Depending on the amount of dried fruit/nuts/sweetener that you add you may need to ADD A LITTLE MORE FAT. Use the same fat and add a SMALL amount a little at a time. Mix thoroughly between adding more. The oats should be a little damp-ish but not soaking and the mix should have a little stick to it.

Lightly grease a baking sheet (or two) with whatever fat you used in your granola. Spread the granola mix evenly over the baking sheet. The thinner the layer the more quickly the granola will bake. Pop into oven at 275. Stir the granola every 15 mins paying attention to the edges which will brown more quickly. The granola will need about 50-75 mins depending on how thick it is on the baking sheet and how well it's stirred. STIR EVERY 15 MINS or it will brown unevenly and have an unusual texture when eaten with milk.

Remove from oven when reaches desired toasty-ness. I like mine with a little crunch so I let it brown up pretty well unless I am in a hurry and don't have 70 mins to cook and stir it. Also, if you use multiple pans rotate them in the oven with each stirring session. I typically use two sheets so I take the bottom one out and stir it then put it on the top rack, rotating each time I open the oven to stir.

Immediately after removing from oven add your DRIED fruit and mix in it well. (I like to keep my large bowl handy and dump all the cooked granola back in with the fruit and mix it up.) Then spread it back on the sheet and allow it to cool thoroughly, stirring it occasionally. When it's cool store in an air tight container. I like Lock 'n' Lock containers that seal when closed and prevent air from getting in but Ziplocks work well when my Lock 'n' Lock's are full.

SHOPPING!

On Tuesday June 30 David and I went to the grocery store and picked up, among other things, the items in this photo. All of the items are safe foods for him to eat. Because I knew it would take time to ensure all of my staples were safe we purchased cookies and snack items as well as granola for breakfast. David's allergy is tricky because many gluten free items substitute corn or soy or both for wheat flour. Enjoy Life is dedicated to creating all of their product without the top 8 allergens, which include soy and peanuts but not corn. Some of their products do contain corn so we're becoming pros at reading labels.

Grocery shopping trip

On Tuesday after a light supper of the few products that we had that we thought were probably corn free, we went grocery shopping to purchase products that David can safely eat.

Some of our great finds included:

• Central Market Organics Powdered Sugar - This product is made from Tapioca Starch as opposed to the often used Corn Starch
• Enjoy Life Food Products - All of their products are free from the top 8 food allergies, which include soy and peanut so we have only to look for corn ingredients. Their labels were pretty clear and easy to read so spotting the products with corn were easy
• An alcohol, corn syrup free Vanilla Flavoring product - I have never used anything but Pure Vanilla Extract so I'm a little nervous as to the flavor of this product but typical vanilla's aren't safe for David so here goes nothing
• Back to Nature Cinnamon Crunch cereal - David hasn't opened this cereal yet as he dug into the Enjoy Life granola we purchased to tide him over until I could make granola but it looks good and the ingredients once again were clearly listed and easy to figure out
• Lundberg Rice Cakes - made from brown rice and a little salt, David's waiting until I make almond butter to eat these bad boys

I have been preparing for a brunch this morning. When David was a kid his family would have a 4th of July brunch. We decided to do something along those line, only here at home being that the weather is clearing 100 degrees before 10am. I made three batches of home made muffins last night (all baking mixes are now out for muffins, brownies and cakes - which is fine now but we will have a sweet shortage during school months). I made an apple cinnamon batch, a blueberry batch and a poppy seed batch. I used the same basic muffin recipe and substituted the baking powder with a mix of cream of tarter and baking soda.

Here are baking substitutes for the corn, soy and peanut allergy folks:

Baking powder = 1 teaspoon substitute is 1/2 tsp Cream of Tarter plus 1/4 tsp Baking Soda
Corn Starch = 1 Tablespoon substitute is 2 Tbsp flour

The baking powder substitute worked well in the cheddar biscuits I made for dinner and the muffins I made for this morning. I haven't tried the mix in anything else yet but I'll keep posting.