Interesting Reading

Some links to provoke thought and conversations as to what is CAUSING T1D, lets talk...

http://diabetesupdate.blogspot.com/2009/09/wheat-may-be-sparking-autoimmune-type-1.html

http://www.diabetesandenvironment.org/home/other/diet

http://immortalhair.forumandco.com/t4404-wheat-is-a-cause-of-many-diseases-i-leaky-gut

http://diabetesanddiet.net/diabetes-and-nutrition/what-is-the-cause-factors-of-diabetes-type-1-and-the-factors-associated-between-nutrition-and-diabetes-type-1

Mac & Cheese!!!

Okay, so this was a "treat" today because Mommy was riddled with morning sickness the entire day and was a bit lazy.  We only eat rice pasta on ocassion because it does raise Madison's blood sugar a bit but we do have it once or twice a month as a treat or quick meal when nothing else has been planned.  We all have those days right?  So I thought I'd share! This is a very flexible recipe (as are all of my recipes) completely open to your interpretation, we make it differently every time, here is what we made today:

MAC & CHEESE

Ingredients:
Brown Rice Penne Pasta (or anything you like)
Goat Cheese (we use crumbled feta because its very creamy)
Organic Chopped Frozen Spinach 
Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Grass Fed Butter
Sea Salt
Pepper
Garlic or Garlic Powder

Directions:

• Bring water to a rapid boil and add in pasta
• Once pasta is almost done add frozen spinach to boiling water (you can definitely use fresh spinach but add it right before you drain the pasta)
• Drain water from pan
• Return pan to stove on lowest heat
• Add in goat cheese (as much or as little as you like, add it slowly until it reaches the desired consistency)
• Pinch of salt and pepper
• 1-2 cloves of garlic minced (or organic garlic powder)
• Mix well and Serve!!

Taco Salad! (Grain, Gluten, Egg & Cow Dairy Free)

So obviously from all of my recent recipe posts we've been trying out some new meals in the Clark household!  Here is one more for you, that I just kind of threw together (hence the random measurements and horrible instructions) that everyone REALLY loved.  The recipe below is doubled so that there is leftovers, we do this with almost all of our meals to make the next days lunch easier on me.  :)  I took a picture (below) of how much was leftover so you can see how much food it actually makes.  I'd say it will feed a family of 4 for 2 meals. 

MADDY'S TACO SALAD

• 4-5 cups Romaine Lettuce (chopped)
• 1 cup Shredded Cabbage 
• 2-3 Tomatoes
• 2lbs of grass fed ground beef
• Kidney Beans (amount is up to you we used 1 large can)
• Pinto Beans (amount is up to you we used 1 can)
• White Onion (chopped)
• Cilantro (chopped)
• Green Bell Pepper (chopped)
• 2 1/2 Tspns of Cumin Powder
• 2 Tspns of Garlic Powder
• Sea Salt (your preference)
• 2 Tblspns of Organic Tomato Paste
• 1 Tblspn Ex Virgin Olive Oil 
• 1 lime
• Goat Cheese
• Plain Goat Yogurt (drizzle)
• Dressing (drizzle - we use Organicville but it does contain a small amount soybean oil)

MEAT MIXTURE

Cook ground beef in a large skillet drain once it is fully cooked and brown, return to medium heat and add olive oil, chopped onion, cilantro, bell pepper, sea salt, lime juice, cumin, and garlic powder.  Let simmer for 10 minutes then add all beans and tomato paste, mix well and simmer for 15 more minutes.

SALAD MIXTURE

Mix romaine lettuce, cabbage and chopped tomatoes in a large bowl.

PLATE & SERVE

Put lettuce mixture on plate
Top with meat mixture
Sprinkle with shredded goat cheese (we like goat cheddar or goat gouda from Trader Joe's or Whole Foods)
Drizzle with your favorite dressing and plain goat yogurt in place of sour cream

More Recipes!

So my photos aren't the best but I think you get the picture.  :) This was last nights dinner, Meatballs (a recipe I made up on the fly) and this mornings leftover WAFFLES (yes you heard me right) which I froze from the weekend and served with homemade applesauce.  Enjoy! 

MADISON'S GLUTEN, GRAIN & EGG FREE MEATBALLS
Makes about 12 meatballs

• 1 lb of ground turkey meat or ground beef
• 3/4 cup of Almond flour 
• 1/4 x cup of chopped onion
• 1/2 cup of any chopped veggie (optional - we like spinach)
• 1 Teaspoon of sea salt (or as much as you like)
• 1 Teaspoon of organic garlic powder or 3 cloves minced fresh garlic
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil to sautee

Stir Almond Flour, Onion, Garlic, Sea Salt, Chopped Veggies in a medium bowl until mixed well.  Grab a small handful of turkey meat for your first meatball, press it flat on a flat surface and place a spoonful of your mix on top of your meatball and blend it with your hands, once the mix is blended well roll into a ball, if not coated with enough almond flour roll it in your mix.  Repeat until your turkey meat is gone.  Sautee meatballs in olive oil in a frying pan on Medium heat for 20-25 minutes.  Break open the largest one to make sure it is cooked through.  Serve with Marinara or anything your family likes!  We like Trader Joe's Marinara for dipping!
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SIMPLE GLUTEN & GRAIN FREE WAFFLES!
Recipe adapted from http://thegoodeatah.blogspot.com/2010/02/coconut-flour-waffles.html

• 4 tablespoons melted butter (we used goat butter but if you can do grassfed cow butter Kerrigold is good)
• 6 eggs
• 1/3 cup agave nectar
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/3 cup coconut flour 
• 3 pinches of Stevia Powder
• 1 Tablespoon of Vanilla
• 1 Teaspoon of Cinnamon

 In a blender, mix the butter and eggs until combined thoroughly. Then add the agave, sea salt, baking powder, Stevia, vanilla and cinnamon and mix to combine. Lastly, add the coconut flour and mix until completely combined without any lumps. Let the batter sit for at least five minutes (it will thicken) before adding to your waffle maker.

This recipe makes 4-5, large round waffles.
**Our batter made 5 waffles, we only ate three so I took the other two waffles and broke them into four triangles each (8 pcs) and froze them.  Throw them in the toaster for a quick breakfast and serve with your favorite fruit, we like homemade applesauce.
**These waffles are not that crispy but are crispier when toasted after freezing


MADISON'S HOMEMADE APPLESAUCE
Makes 1 Serving

• 1 Medium apple (any type - sliced)
• 1/2 Lemon (juiced)
• 1 pinch of Stevia (optional)
• 1/2 Tspn of Cinamon

Blend all ingredients in a food processor until desired texture is reached sprinkle with cinamon and serve! :)

Goodbye Binges and Un-Boring Breakfast Recipes!

Madison and I are getting super strict tomorrow.  We are fighting some serious candida in our household so we will be ditching most fruit (torture) and even some veggies for the next week or two to help speed the healing process.  I'm hoping that finally following the food plan myself I'll lose some weight and feel better.  No more late night:  Mommy's exhausted, guilt-ridden, kids are in bed so they won't know cupcake binges!  I'll keep you posted on our progress. 

On another note, breakfast is getting super boring around our house lately, its typically eggs and turkey bacon or sausage. ZZZZZzzzzzzz

And although I will be taking a shot at a new almond flour flatbread recipe tomorrow until those results are in I shall post some non-boring, easy breakfast recipes that we will be adding to our rotation this week.  Oh and did I mention they are of course Gluten, Cow Dairy, GMO Grain, Soy FREE?  Yep, that's how we roll  =)

Apple Walnut Yogurt Parfait

  

• 1 apple (chopped)
• Handful of walnuts (or any nut you like)**Nuts can contain mold, try to choose whole nuts instead of sliced or chopped and chop them yourself and eat them right away.  You can also soak nuts for easier digestion. More on soaking here
• 1 cup plain yogurt  (we use goat yogurt)
• Cinnamon
  
  

Chop up the apples and nuts. Layer them with the yogurt as seen on picture, then top with cinnamon. Recipe from http://www.thecandidadiet.com/

You can also add an almond flour crust of almond flour, grapeseed oil and cinnamon pressed into a small dish and frozen overnight.  Recipe from livingwithouttype1.blogspot.com
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Coconut Amaranth (The non-oatmeal oatmeal)

• 6 tbsps Coconut Milk or Almond Milk
• 1/2 cup amaranth (can sub for quinoa flakes if you prefer)
• 1 apple  (pear is good too!)
• Cinnamon
• Stevia 
• 1 Cup water

Mix the water and amaranth in a saucepan, then heat to boiling. Turn heat to low, and allow to simmer for 20-25 min or until most of the water is be absorbed.

Mix in a little Stevia with the amaranth, together with some sliced apple (you can puree it too if you like it better that way). Pour the coconut or almond milk on top, then sprinkle with cinnamon. Recipe from: http://www.thecandidadiet.com/
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Vegetable Omelet or Breakfast Cupcakes

• 2-3 organic eggs (serves 1 person)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp chopped onion
• 2 tbsp chopped green pepper
• Handful of fresh spinach
• Small handful of shredded goat cheese (optional)

Heat a skillet with olive oil, add onions and greens pepper, add spinach a few minutes later, stir fry until veggies are tender. Stir in the slightly beaten eggs until eggs are done. Serve immediately with sea salt.

To make breakfast cupcakes beat eggs and mix in all vegetable ingredients and cheese if desired, pour mixture into a muffin pan (lightly oiled with EV Olive Oil) and bake for 10-15 at 325 degrees (temp/time varies depending on your oven)

Probiotics and Type 1

The use of probiotics can be very beneficial for both you and your little one and in fact is crucial if your child suffers from an auto-immune disease like our children, broken immune system or has taken antibiotics (hopefully not).

Probiotics are friendly bacteria found in foods and dietary supplements that can help bring back the balance of good bacteria.

When your child is given antibiotics both the good and bad bacteria are being destroyed.  Good bacteria (probiotics) are needed to restore what was lost, boost their immunity and help their body fight infection.

We LOVE babyflora by RenewLife, in fact we LOVE all of their products. But there are quite a few good ones on the market if you do a google search.  Make sure that they are specifically for children and check, double check the ingredient list for any additives, milk derivitives or other funky stuff. :)

RENEW LIFE WEBSITE (KIDS PRODUCTS)

The best cracker ever invented!

I was at Whole Foods waiting for a veggie platter they were making for me and found myself standing next to the gluten free aisle. Since Madison's diagnosis we've been on the hunt for a good cracker or crispy cookie that adhere's to our diet. Its been impossible, everything we tried had an awful taste to it. So I saw this pretty little white bag filled with what looked to be healthy graham crackers, ingredients looked good and so I thought I'd give it a try. I must tell you these are the BEST cookie/crackers we've tried yet, they did NOT raise Madison's blood sugar, they taste a lot like graham crackers and they are a good grab and go snack. Let me know what you think if you get the chance to try them!

On a side note, I also ran out of eggs this morning and used these as cereal! LOL  Here's what I did for a gluten free cereal:

MADDY'S CEREAL:
- 5 Cinnamon Skinny Crisps (break into pieces)
- A handful of pecans (chopped)
- A handful of slivered almonds
Top with Almond milk, fruit or any other topping you like, Madison like turkey bacon or sausage on the side too!

It's been a long time!!! Where have I been??

I am so sorry that I haven't posted in a while! The truth is I haven't been on a warm island vacation sipping margaritas...in fact I've been sitting at my computer since November trying to remember my login info so I could post something! I finally figured it out, I don't know what I was thinking when I set my password, you'd think I was protecting Fort Knox.

I am so happy to see that I have three followers and comments to moderate!!! WOOOHOOO! Thank you so very much for your kind words and inspiration!

In my previous post I mentioned an alternative to insulin, if you're interested in learning more about what that is please check out the wonderful Kim Brown at livingwithouttype1.blogspot.com

Also, if you are a family member of someone with Type 1 please check out our support site, there is a lot of good information and resources there and more posted everyday. Join Maddy's Network Here!

So, now that Madison is speaking fluent English as opposed to babble I have really been trying to teach her how important her insulin is. Sometimes she fights me sometimes she hardly notices I'm giving her an injection but regardless I always tell her "I'm going to give you your insulin now". If she fights me I ask, "why is it important to take your insulin?" she always responds "insulin makes me healthy Mom" this makes me happy. :) It seems to make her feel better too on the days when she's just had enough poking and proding to understand in her own toddler way that these stinking shots are what allow her to jump, run and have fun! (that's what I told her healthy meant) ;)

Last night I was sitting on the couch watching JAMIE OLIVER'S FOOD REVOLUTION (best show ever by the way! Please watch!) and I looked down at my feet and thought my poor baby girl is probably so sick of toe pokes. I tried for a few minutes to put myself in her shoes and I couldn't imagine being that little and carrying such a huge responsibility and tough exterior all the time. She is truly an extraorinary person and she doesn't even know it yet.

Its important that when we have days when we're tired, stressed and just have had enough of this Diabetes crap that we remember that our kids have the biggest burden of all and they look to us for strength when they have none left so stay strong, stay focused and let's give these kids the proper tools to manage this disease until the day comes when we are all freed from its grasp.

Welcome to my blog!

Today is the day our website finally launches and I couldn't be more excited! I've been working on our website and our support network "Maddy's Network" since May (almost 6 months ago) when we found out Madison had Type 1 Diabetes at the age of 12 months old.

She is now 18 months old and is doing amazingly well. She's a tough kid for sure. I'm amazed by her strength everyday but still can't help but wish it were me and not her.

The truth is I was angry in the beginning, I understood completely how people that had gone through horrible experiences lost their faith and I definitely lost mine. Those first few weeks I was full of hate, anger and pain but I learned quickly that I had to let that go if my daughter was ever going to have a chance at a happy life. Those feelings aside, my first instinct was to find her a cure, I mean how hard could it be?

To make a long story short (and I will go into greater detail of our journey in segments on this blog) I am surprised by how much we have grown as a family in 6 short months. We are different people today than we were then. The amount of knowledge I've gained has been incredibly valuable to my daughter's health and hopefully I can share that information and my resources here with you to help you find your way.

Some days it seemed like we would never feel normal or laugh again, there was not much light at the end this tunnel and my husband and I were lost. We were still just learning to be parents to our first child we couldn't fathom having to give her injections and blood glucose tests. We often joked before her diagnosis that we were surprised we had managed to keep her alive as well as bathed, fed and well dressed as long as we did, we thought she was so fragile. This Diabetes thing was a real life or death situation, it was up to us to learn how to manage this disease based on a 1 hour hospital crash course and a few books and still manage our everyday struggles of life and parenting.

Knowing that her blood sugar could drop in the middle of the night while I was sleeping and she could go into a coma or die terrified me, I didn't sleep the first 3 months. I tested her every two hours, it was so unpredictable and unmanageable at first. Then one day it just got easier.

I started focusing on why this happened to us and what we were supposed to learn from it. I knew that there had to be other Mom's like me going through this searching for answers and alternatives and I knew that there were other Moms like I was in the beginning, completely lost with nowhere to turn. I networked with everyone I could find online I traveled to multiple Naturopaths, Nutritionists and Endocrinologists and I found that there was an alternative to insulin injections. More on this later.

My point is that it is always terrifying to feel out of control when it comes to your child's life and health but there are ways you can regain control. Most importantly you have to stay positive, remember this is a lesson, we are here to help each other through, you are not alone in this fight and it is a fight we will one day win. Until then we'll continue to search for the answers, the cause and the cure and try to educate the people who think we just fed our kids too much cake.