The Joy of Allergies: Gluten-free Berry Crisp and the Amazing Cross Family

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Gluten-free Berry Crisp and the Amazing Cross Family

I feel like shouting from the rooftops....yesterday was the first Costco trip I didn't buy diapers or pull-ups in.....years!! Day 5 of "nowears" and we are going strong. And that's all I'll say about that, because I know you're not here to read about potty training, just had to share. :)

Other than the run of the mill, deciding which half marathon to run next, dealing with a certain preschooler crashing face-first off her bike into the curb, making dessert for MOPS, and getting a little substitute teaching time in last week, I haven't been up to too much. So, in the meantime I'll share with you what is on my heart.

I have been attending MOPS (Moms of Preschoolers) since Grace was a baby. I have met some amazing women and have watched faith in action through this program. Some of the speakers we have had have been so motivating and inspiring, I have been left feeling in complete awe and in appreciation of their work, dedication to their passion, and above all commitment to being a good mom and caring for their family. One such speaker, who also happened to be another MOPS mom in my group, was Amie Cross, who spoke last year about her family and their upcoming missions trip to South Sudan. At the time of her presentation I remember thinking, "Wow, this woman is amazing. Her husband is going to be building water purification systems and teaching water purification techniques to the Sudanese people in their area while she cooks, cleans, home schools and cares for her four young children, all the while 'dealing with' the elements and realities of living in an extremely different environment." Wow, right? I remember thinking I don't think I would have the courage to do what she is doing. I mean, what if something happened?

Well, something has happened, and I would like to ask you to pray for this dear family. For days, Amie and the children have, one by one, been affected by a severe intestinal illness. After several days of sickness, the family was fortunately able to get from their small village to Nairobi and has begun receiving medical help (no easy task, nor an inexpensive one...think about riding in the bed of a pickup on dirt roads, waiting for the airport to open in order to get to a plane which was out of fuel and needed to get to another airport to refuel....yes, these things really did happen, all the while with puke and fevers and all around miserable achey bodies). As I type, they are awaiting test results so that a correct course of treatment can be determined.

The Cross Family has been blessed by both a physical and prayerful support system. Please join me in making that support system stronger. Here is a link to their facebook page, where the family is able to periodically post updates, as well as to their blog, http://gospelwater.net, which will no doubt leave you feeling inspired and uplifted by the work that they are doing (and will give you a good laugh at some of their experiences!).

I am so reminded of the fear and stress I felt just a couple of short months ago when Emma had spent days vomiting and become so severely dehydrated that she had to be hospitalized for three days. It was a scary time, and we were only minutes from the help that we needed. I simply cannot imagine the emotional roller coaster this family has been on for the past few days. Thank you for keeping them in your thoughts.

Now, about that dessert I mentioned for MOPS. I'm on week 2 of no refined sugar, so was slightly disappointed when I realized I was to provide a dessert for this morning's meeting. But, I came up with something that must have been good, because there was just enough for Grace and Emma to finish off a couple bites each when we got home.

Gluten-Free Berry Crisp

3 cups berries (I used my Costco mix of blueberries, rasberries, and blackberries)

1/4 cup honey

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/2 cup basic gluten-free flour

1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/3 cup Sucanat or brown sugar

1/2 cup gluten free oats

1/4 cup Spectrum shortening

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Toss the berries with the honey. Sprinkle with the cornstarch and gently incorporate.

3. Grease an 8 by 8 baking dish. Transfer the berries to the dish.

4. Whisk together the dry ingredients. Melt the shortening and add it to the dry mix. Mix until you have a large crumb. Sprinkle over the berries.

5. Bake for 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling up.

I did steps 1-4 last night then put it in the oven this morning. Again, it was delicious!

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Welcome to the Joy of Allergies!

You may think I’m off my rocker with a name like "Joy of Allergies," but living with food allergies doesn’t have to be an unhappy battle with illness. In fact, discovering allergies, specifically food allergies in my case, has been a blessing in disguise in our family.

As a kid, I don’t remember hearing too much about allergies. I am pretty sure I was affected by the typical seasonal crud, but nothing food-wise really bothered my friends or me. Or did it? When most people think of allergies, they think of hives, feeling itchy, congestion and nasal symptoms, and in extreme cases anaphylaxis. Well, food never caused any of those for me. However, I did have headaches a lot as a kid, and constant tummy troubles, and come to think of it I was constantly congested and did have some patches of itchy skin. As an adult I have discovered I am allergic to wheat and dairy. Since removing those from my diet, I am symptom-free! Every now and then, often by mistake, I consume one or both of these and can immediately feel the effects.

When my oldest daughter, Grace, was one, I fed her peanut butter in an attempt to get some much-needed protein in her diet. Instantly she broke out in welts, was itching like crazy, and was swelling up every place the peanut butter had touched. She even rubbed her eyes, which caused her eyeballs to swell. I did not know this was possible, but my poor girl’s eyes were literally bulging out of her head. It was crazy! She has since had some reactions when she has been in the same room as peanuts, or even if someone has just had it on their breath. We carry an epipen and avoid peanuts like the plague. In the past year I suspected there must be something else in her diet that was causing her trouble. She complained of tummy aches, frequently got bumps on her shoulders, was often itchy, and had some strange behavioral issues. We had some further testing done and discovered in addition to the peanuts, she is also allergic to wheat, dairy, soy, and eggs. Upon removing them from her diet we have seen a dramatic difference.

On to my youngest, who was the driving force to getting us all tested in the first place. Emma was six months old when she developed a persistent dry cough that didn’t go away for about four months. She was finally diagnosed with asthma, and when put on a couple of steroid inhalers, stopped coughing. Then she started getting ear infections….one after the other. She eventually had tubes put in, and we were hopeful that would be the end of the misery. Only it wasn’t. Much to our surprise, Emma continued to wake up all night pulling at her ears, itching at her hands (which along with her cheeks and legs were covered in eczema), and grabbing at her nose. I took her in for an allergy test, which confirmed she too was allergic to many things including wheat, dairy, eggs, and banana (of all things!). The very day we eliminated these foods from her diet, her personality seemed to shift from a grumpy, tired baby to one that had a little more life and great big smile. But the biggest blessing (at least to Mommy and Daddy) was that she slept through the night, and even woke up singing the next morning. Now that she has been on an allergy-free diet for almost six months, Emma no longer uses an inhaler on a daily basis, has not needed antibiotics, does not use any sort of cream nor does she have any sign of eczema, and doesn’t require the use of antihistamines. She is also a great sleeper so long as she doesn’t have any teeth cutting through!

My husband recently discovered he is allergic to yeast and eggs. It's a little soon to determine whether avoidance is making much of a difference (and just how strict he is on that avoidance is a little fuzzy to me). But, I am looking forward to seeing how it might affect his Rheumatoid Arthritis and overall inflammation.

Yes, I would say that discovering allergies in our family has been a huge blessing. I was overwhelmed at first, I’ll be honest! One of my favorite hobbies is baking. How on earth does a person bake without wheat, dairy, soy, and eggs? Well, it is possible, and can actually be quite tasty. And I’m here to say that baking is still one of my favorite hobbies, so it is true that it can still be fun! My hope is that this blog will help others discover some yummy allergy-friendly recipes, get some guidance on allergy topics, and also help me keep myself organized and log my own experience as I walk this journey with my family.

Feel free to contact me

joyofallergies@gmail.com

facebook.com/JoyOfAllergies

- Stephanie