Countdown to GI

Roo goes to the GI specialist this Friday.  So much for our 6 week challenge.  It seems we have failed miserably yet again.  He has gained a measly eight ounces in the three months since his last endoscopy and boy did we work for it!  We were doing so well there for a couple of weeks but as usual it's three steps forward, two steps (sometimes many more) back. 

He is twenty pounds.  Exactly twenty pounds.  Did I mention he'll be two next week?  All I'm hoping for now is a small, but acceptable, increase in height, since we've been accused of stunting his growth.  Okay, maybe not "accused" persay, but I wish they'd stop bringing up his shortness as a concern.  I mean, have they looked at Mufasa and me?  And technically, he is on the chart for height.  Nothing wrong with third percentile.  Nothing at all.  Besides, his pants look a little shorter, though they're gaping at the waist more than ever.  Thank goodness for adjustable waistbands or he would be sporting a wardrobe full of dresses and tunics.  At least they'd match Looly's sparkly shoes he loves so much. 

In a final effort to plump him up an ounce or two before the big weigh-in I've been focusing on some old favorites this week.  Pasta with turkey bolognese, rotisserie chicken drenched in dairy-free margarine, dairy-free mini-chocolate chips, heavily "buttered" rice, avocado in what else, olive oil dip, and strained raspberry coconut milk yogurt with scoops of soy formula stirred in.  Anyone care to join us for dinner?

Chicken pot-pie earlier this week was a hit.  As it turns out, Pillsbury ready-made pie crust is vegan and nut-free.  Very exciting news in our house.  I put it all on the line last night, however, with some citrus mahi mahi that was not well-received by anyone under age four.  Tonight it's lamb tagine, but I will safely serve plenty of oily couscous and buttery broccoli on the side.  In case of an emergency I have some meatballs at the ready in the freezer.  Keep your fingers crossed.  We have 45 hours and counting to give it our all and keep that dreaded feeding tube at bay.  Chants, vibes, wishes, prayers - whatever you've got to encourage "no more vomit!" are greatly appreciated.

Week in Review

Happy Valentine's Day!

We boasted a relatively successful week.  Tacos, pork chops, and pork/tofu fried rice all received glowing reviews from the articulate members of the family.  The little ones took bites so I take that as two additional thumbs up.  The lemon-dill halibut was popular with the adults, but Looly refused to touch hers.  Looly ate a few bites by force and Roo protested the best way he knows how, by vomiting his back onto the table.   

I'm proud to report that in the continuing effort to expand our allergy-free horizons, I whipped up a hefty pot of vegan potato leek soup last night.  It was pretty good, though I did add some grated Parmesan and a few splashes of Tabasco sauce for the grown-ups.  Fortunately Looly can't read this because I told her it was cheese soup since she doesn't like potatoes.  She stirred in some broccoli and claimed it was just like Panera.  Uh, thanks.  I think. 

Tonight I made falafel and tabouleh which went over better than I anticipated with the kiddos.  Looly actually liked the tabouleh and ate some of her falafel.  Bean, my carb girl, loved her pita bread and Roo choked down most of one whole falafel and a few diced tomatoes.  The big hit, however, was the chocolate fondue for Valentine's Day dessert! 

Still on tap for this week...barbecue chicken, pasta with meatballs, turkey burgers, and one of my favorite (easy!) standbys, rotisserie chicken with ginger-salt dip, edamame, and brown rice.

Menu Planning

Each week I plan our dinner menus. I've been doing this for years, since long before we had children. I have a much loved green binder full of magazine tear-outs and photo copies of hit recipes from the last ten years. My green binder is not getting much play these days. Who knew how central a role both cheese and nuts played in so many of my old favorites?

In my abandoned stash I have a great slow cooker recipe for Thai peanut pork stew. I make a mean feta and spinach tarte. And I'm dying to make this gorgeous, rich flourless chocolate cake for Valentine's Day but will save it for Mufasa's birthday instead. When it rolls around the first week in March I will pour seven ounces of molten dark chocolate over eight freshly cracked eggs, a splash of amaretto, and whip it into a frenzy without the tiniest bit of guilt that Roo can't have even a taste. We'll savor it once he's in bed and throw away the sponge when the dishes are done. Don't worry - the kiddos will get their turn with dairy and egg-free cupcakes a couple of weeks later for the twins' birthday.

These days the menu planning is about necessity rather than experimentation. Instead of my old green binder, I've been relying on my own ingenuity and a couple of decent cookbooks that address Roo's allergies. Unfortunately the cookbooks leave a little to be desired in terms of creativity. What's to Eat? and it's sequel, What Else Is to Eat? both by Linda Marienhoff Coss, provide quick, generally family friendly recipes that are completely milk, egg, and nut free. These have been helpful and were a great starting point when we first received Roo's diagnosis and I was facing the grocery store with much trepidation. The recipes are largely made up of what my Indian husband affectionately refers to as "white people food" - meatloaf, roasts, sauteed chicken breasts, homemade barbecue sauce, tuna salad, you get the idea.

Now that I'm starting to get more comfortable reading labels, substituting, etc. I'm getting a little bored and while they've been kind enough not to shout and pump their fists in protest, I imagine that everyone else in the family is too.

So, I'm hereby making a commitment to experiment more. I vow not to fear the dreary box of egg replacer that is lurking in the recesses of my pantry. I'm opening my heart and my oven to lamb in all its various forms. Rice cream sundaes? Why not? Hominy? Here I come. And really, who doesn't appreciate the sheer versatility of polenta?

Admittedly, this week's menu is rather bland, but will provide a glimpse of how I've stagnated at the moment. I hope to expand our family's taste repertoire over the next several months, while continuing to increase Roo's caloric intake without poisoning him. Yikes!

Here's the week in a nutshell:

Saturday: Chicken tacos were a huge hit. The kids loved all the colors (tomatoes, avocado, black olives, lettuce, chips, salsa, etc.) and everyone ate well, including Roo. Major success!

Sunday: I took a pass on cooking due to a Superbowl party and lots of snacks. The little ones ate leftover taco meat with corn and bread and butter when we got home. Pathetic, perhaps, but it is what it is.

Still to come...

Monday: Pork chops, brocolli, and hashbrown potatos
Tuesday: Leftover pork and tofu fried rice using Trader Joe's prepackaged vegetable fried rice (love it and it's vegan!!)
Wednesday: Lemon-dill halibut, brown rice, edamame
Thursday: Chicken breasts, corn and black beans, couscous
Friday: Date night! Kids will eat leftovers or chicken nuggets and fries, or some other equally deplorable (and easy) option.

Here's hoping for healthy appetites.