why is my childhood remade?

Did you ever walk down the aisle of a toy store and see your favorite childhood toy but it wasn't? Why do they do that?  

Examples:

RAINBOW BRITE

This was one of my faves growing up. I was Rainbow Brite for Halloween 3rd and 4th grade! My mom made the costume for me. It was AWESOME!!  (love you mom!)  

This IS Rainbow Brite

This is NOT Rainbow Brite.   

Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberry Shortcake was not trendy. She wore a patched dress and striped tights! Why does she have to be trendy and wear what is "in." That's not what the dolls and series were all about. She's been made over TWICE since I had these dolls... REALLY? 

My Strawberry Shortcake

1st Redo - 

At least I can see the resemblance to my dolls in this one...

2nd Redo (REALLY?)

Care Bears

Another fave in our house growing up.  This one isn't as bad.  The made them "cuter" if possible and added a few and got rid of others.  My son loved the new TV series when he was a toddler, but it still wasn't the same. The were made younger sort of. 

"OUR" Care Bears

NEW Care Bears

Thundercats

I loved this TV show and I understand why people wanted to bring it back because it was a great show but....

This IS Thundercats...

Um, Thundercats?

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe

With his 80s bob haircut, maybe he was do for a reboot, but no one really watched it...

This was just for fun and there are ALOT of others.  How many times has Transformers been redone?  Too many to count I think.  TMNT, MMPR and others.  Maybe if I come up with some good one (or you suggest some) I will do another blog like this. 

AF Diet ~ Days 27 & 28

Day 27: (Monday, January 27, 2014)

Breakfast: I had 2 clementines for breakfast.  I was tired and HistoryBoy had a Doctor's appt. 

Lunch:  I made Amy's Dairy Free Rice Macaroni & Cheeze again.  It was ok.  I will eat it again. It is not as pleasing as real cheese but I am not disappointed. 


Dinner: I made fajita/burritos for dinner.  No beans.  I have to say I am not buying the shells we got La Tortilla Factory Gluten Free Wraps.  UGH!  No again, ever.  They were hard and not much flavor.  On a better note, the turkey came out great! (recipe to follow) I used ground turkey and salsa, rice and chopped peppers and onions.  Everything but the wraps was good.  So I will look for another brand... No one ate more than one wrap and we threw the rest away.  


Snacks:  Clementines and dove chocolate.  

Day 28: (Tuesday, January 28, 2014)


Breakfast: I got up and made blueberry pancakes for breakfast.  I used Maple Grove Pancake & Waffle Mix. I used frozen blueberries. I rinsed them first to get any extra ice off them and threw them in.  They turned out great, except for my last 2 which I left on the stove to hand the guys theirs... So mine burned a bit, my own fault LOL  


Lunch: I had Saladworks again.  I was out of the house for a Dr. appt so I had the same salad from the other day, lettuce, chicken, sunflower seeds, craisins and candied pecans.  I used the fat-free Balsamic Vinaigrette. 

Dinner: Tonight was breaded pork chops (recipe to follow) with mashed potatoes and mixed veggies (broccoli, cauliflower and carrots)

Snacks: Too much running, no real snack. TOO tired...

My Diet Has Me Confused...

I am being very good about the Gluten Free part of my diet, I really am and it isn't bothering me a lot either. The milk part is hard, ridiculously hard, crying myself to sleep I want a real class of milk not this pretend class of crappy milk. 

I haven't had milk. I am sticking to that, but casein and whey also count as milk. However, according to the diet, I am allowed some cheese (high quality cheese... what exactly would that be?) and yogurt, greek yogurt or probiotic. Sigh. AND there is no REAL explanation as to the whys and wherefores. 

Is it the lactose I need to avoid? Is it the protein? The whey? The diet website does not explain and the other websites that people have offer their opinions, not what the diet is about... I am just going to stick to it the best I can. Avoiding milk... sigh... oh milk I miss you... Please come back soon...

Days 24, 25 & 26 AF Diet

Day 24: (Friday, January 24, 2014)

Breakfast: OMG, I have found the BEST way to make Cream of Rice.  I started to make it as I usually do but I added a chopped banana (in addition to the raisins and agave that I usually use).  It was delicious.  Next time I make it, I will probably not use the sweetener as the bananas sweetened it up very well, so this way I don't get any added sugar. 

Lunch: I made myself a toasted Sunbutter sandwich.  YUM!  I can have peanut butter, I am not allergic or sensitive but I tried this so I could have an alternative for HistoryBoy who is allergic, and I LOVE it. I toasted Udi's white bread, and spread the Sunbutter on it. I was going to use jelly but I felt it didn't need it. 

Dinner: I cooked up Bison steaks marinaded in Tastefully Simple's Bayou Bourbon sauce. (It was yum!)  I also decided to try Uncle Ben's® Whole Grain Medley™ Brown Rice and Quinoa.  We will NOT be eating it again, I really did not like it.  Maybe it's an acquired taste... Maybe it needed seasoning I don't know. The meal was rounded all with steamed baby carrots

Snacks:  I am still trying to watch snacks but I found a really great sorbet, Ciao Bella Mango Sorbet.  It is delicious.   

Day 25: (Saturday, January 25, 2014)

Breakfast: 

Lunch: I decided to try and make some cranberry bread.  I love cranberry bread and it is haven't found a mix, BUT I did find The Cravings Place Create-Your-Own Quick Bread and Muffin Mix to use to make my cranberry bread (recipe to follow).  It came out pretty good.  It is an UNsweetened bread/muffin mix, so just mix in your own ingredients and it comes out pretty good.  I am going to try it again and see if I can do it better.  It felt a little heavy but I don't think I mixed it well.  I mixed it by hand because I wasn't feeling well (and lazy) and didn't feel like dragging out my mixer so next time I am going to use my mixer and see if it comes out better.

Dinner: Tonight was a quick throw together, (easy peasy recipe posted later). I made Spaghetti & Meatballs. 

Snacks: I had some potato chips and 2 piece of Dove.  :-)


Day 26: (Sunday, January 26, 2014)

Breakfast: I had a slice of my Cranberry bread for breakfast. 


Lunch:  I had Saladworks today for lunch. (As a note, they have a pretty cool online allergen menu guide, check it out) A yummy salad with chicken, craisins, candied pecans, tomatoes and sunflower seeds with Balsamic Vinagrette dressing.  Since I need a gluten free option and can't they roll they normally offer with the meal, they have a bag of kettle chips which are gluten free so I got those.  I didn't even eat them, I had enough with my salad but it's nice to know they have choices. 


Dinner: We went to the movies today, so I am exhausted.I am getting used to cooking up my ingredients and throwing them.  I grilled up Ground Beef (93% lean) with rice and green beans (Another Easy Peasy recipe to follow)

Snacks:  I found Orville Redenbacher's microwave popcorn, "SALT ONLY" variety, also a lime & salt.  I am going to try these out and see if I like them.  I also bought popcorn kernels so we can pop it ourselves and I can put whatever I want on it!  :-) I tried the Lime.  When you open it, it smells like Fruit Loops sort of, LOL>  Must be the lime juice, but it wasn't bad.  It gives it a nice flavor but I am used to butter popcorn which I haven't had since I started this diet, but it still doesn't mean it didn't taste different, but different isn't always bad.

Eating Out... Gluten Free

I found a really cool wesite called Urbanspoon.  Some of you might know it, but it breaks down restaurants in categories and one of those categories is GLUTEN-FREE friendly. Awesome, right?

I also found the Gluten-Free Registry which lists restaurants all over the country. Pretty cool too, right? They list restaurants by state.  They also have a kindle edition, by region, if you are on the road with no internet to look it up. It is 2.99 for each region.  Unfortunately for me, PA and NJ are in different groupings. DOH! Here is the link of restaurants in the Deptford Area. It looks like most of the big name restaurants around the mall are listed. For Woodbury, there are only 2 restaurant listed, Charlie Brown's and The Nut Shop and none are listed for west deptford, so it is not all-inclusive but it does give me options! (Even for my Ocean City summer trips or my trips to Palm Beach/West Palm, Florida!!) It also tells you whether they feature Gluten-Free or just accommodate those with issues.

Here is Urbanspoon's list for Gloucester County, for those interested.  I don't think it is all-inclusive either because I have found local diners and eateries to be just as great, but this is still a good list!

• Filomena's Lakeview 80%
  

  $$$ Gloucester County - American, Italian, Seafood 1738 Cooper St,Deptford
• Bonefish Grill 88%
  

  $$ Gloucester County - American, Seafood 1709 Deptford Center Rd,Deptford
• Riverwinds Restaurant 71%
  

  $$$ Gloucester County - American, Seafood, Steakhouse 1075 Riverwinds Drive, West Deptford
• Pasta Pomodoro 93%
  

  $ Gloucester County - Italian 404 Egg Harbor Rd, Sewell
• Barcelona Bistro 80%
  

  $$$ Gloucester County - Mediterranean, Spanish 126 S Broadway, Pitman
• Outback Steakhouse 90%
  

  $$$ Gloucester County - Steakhouse 1709 Deptford Center Rd, Detpford
• Pelican Restaurant 80%
  

  $$$ Gloucester County - Italian, Seafood, Steakhouse 508 Hurffville Crosskeys Rd, Sewell
• Sweet Lula's 79%
  

  $$ Gloucester County - American, International 28 S Broadway, Pitman
• Berry Creamy Frozen Yogurt
  

  $ Gloucester County - Desserts/Ice Cream 2000 Clements Bridge Road, Deptford
• Red Robin
  

  $ Gloucester County - American, Burgers 1750 Deptford Center Rd, Deptford
• Muscle Maker Grill
  

  $ Gloucester County - American, Sandwiches/Subs, Vegetarian 880 Mantua Pike, Woodbury Hts.
• Yhanne's House of Cheesecake
  

  $ Gloucester County - Bakery, Coffee, Desserts/Ice Cream 835 Delsea Dr, Clayton

AF Diet ~ Days 21, 22 & 23

Day 21: (Tuesday, January 21, 2014)

Breakfast: I tried Cream of Rice again, and guess what it wasn't so bad.  I used hot water when I mixed it up and used a fork to whisk it up rather than just stir it up .  I used raisins and agave to sweeten it.  I actually liked it. 

Lunch:  I had Progresso's Garden Vegetable soup.  They have a list of soup which are gluten free so I am going try a couple of others on the list see if I like them. It says Gluten Free on the label. Do you know how many label I had to check to find ONE soup can that was Gluten Free?  That was why I made my own Tomato Soup a few weeks back.  I may try to make my own veggie soup but this is pretty good.  I am surprised that minestrone is not gluten free. I may try that as my next soup recipe!

Dinner: I made Turkey Burgers, ground turkey with Tastefully Simple's Garlic Galric seasoning and Garden Veggie about a tbsp of eat per lb of meat as a guide Easy Peasy Dinner that HistoryBoy loves, and I can eat with my Gluten Free bread. I had some canned peaches in fruit juice with them. I am really trying to keep the meals balanced.  It is so easy when Angus is away for HistoryBoy and I to be lazy, LOL.  Angus like bigger meals.  

Snacks:  I had a clementine, some Glutino gluten free pretzels (i finished my gratify ones but I am going to buy more of those I find I like them better except the honey mustard ones from Glutino, those are really good) and a couple of pieces of dove dark chocolate

Day 22: (Wednesday, January 22, 2014)

Brunch: It was a snow day, we slept in and when I got up I ate Cream of Rice again same method as yesterday and I used a little Maple Syrup instead. Still enjoyed it. :-) Happy I finally figured it out.  Breakfast should NOT be this hard to figure out.  Doesn't it know I am not at my best in the morning... Well today it wasn't really early but still...

Dinner: For dinner, it was an easy night, since I had spent the day cleaning since we were stuck inside, I didn't want to cook, I just made a sandwich using Udi's Gluten Free White Bread and Sunbutter.  I toasted the bread and I have to say I really enjoyed the sandwich. 

Snacks:  I had some Herr's potato chips today and some Glutino's honey mustard pretzels, along with a clementine.  


Day 23: (Thursday, January 23, 2014)

Breakfast: I had Honey Nut Chex but instead Rice Milk I tried Oat Milk. I think I enjoyed it, bit if I sound unsure it is because I am.  I poured on about the same amount I usually do of the rice milk, but it seemed to disappear. I think the Chex absorbed it.  The flavor was ok.  But I definitely needed to use more next time because the cereal was still dry. It was weird. 

Lunch:  I made a Ground Bison with Mirepoix.  Basically, that's Ground Bison meat, with chopped onions, celery and carrots. I threw it in a skillet and let it cook up.  Because I wanted to try something different with it, I used 2 tbsp Tastefully Simple's Honey BBQ Seasoning.  It contains's Salt, Honey granules, brown sugar, paprika, garlic, onion, spices, sugar. black pepper, and natural flavoring.  (WARNING: It does say it was manufactured in a facility that process milk egg wheat soy and tree nuts, but I have noticed ALL Tastefully Simple products say this EVEN their GF products)

Dinner: I only ended up having a slice of bread with some Smart Balance and a Snapple for dinner. We got home late from HistoryBoy's one appointment and were running late for the next and I didn't have a micro-meal ready... Sigh

Snacks:  Clementine... last one...

Not My Usual Fare...

Today's blog isn't my usual fare but... I found this stuff interesting and thought I'd share...

Sometimes what you need to eat isn't what you think...

Check this out...

Here are a couple of article with some neat info

1. Info about cravings: 5 Things You Didn’t Know About Food Cravings
2. Why eating Junk Food is not the answer: Eating junk food may make you crave even more junk food
3. Finally, How to Resist Naughty Food Cravings

AF Diet ~ Days 18, 19 & 20

Day 18: (Saturday, January 18, 2014)

Breakfast: I ate Honey Chex again with rice milk. 

Lunch:  HistoryBoy had a Dr. appointment so we were out.  We stopped at Chik-Fil-A.  They had a Gluten Free option for me. They have Grilled Nuggets, which I have to say were really good, and their waffle fries, which were also good. I didn't eat them with any sauce because I didn't know if there was a sauce option Gluten / Dairy Free. Honestly, the nuggets didn't need it.   

Dinner: I made Pizza tonight. I used Udi's Gluten-Free Pizza Crust with the leftover Priano Tomato Basil sauce from the Baked Ziti from last night and Daiya Dairy Free Mozzarella Style Shreds.  I made 2 pizza.  One cheese and one half cheese, half pepperoni for Angus.  It wasn't too bad.  I think it probably could have used a little more seasoning. HistoryBoy wasn't crazy about it.  He ate one slice and asked for a Hot Pocket. LOL. Angus ate a whole pie on his own but asked that we flavor it up next time. I said sure and ordered some Daiya Dairy Free Pepperjack Style Shreds to add with the mozzarella to spice it up a little bit.  

Snacks: I had one of the GF Rice Krispie Treats I made last night. 

Day 19: (Sunday, January 19, 2014)

Breakfast: I went back to Vanilla Chex for a change still with Rice milk. 

Lunch: I made Bush's Beans again today with Dietz's and Watson hotdogs.  It's funny, something I loved before is gluten free. AWESOMENESS, so I just add it into lunches here and there.


Dinner: I made a Ground Turkey and Gnocchi using Conte's Gluten Free Potato Gnocchi with Spinach (recipe to follow)  It was YUM!

Snacks: I still have those Rice Krispie Treat and I had a couple of pieces of Dove Dark Chocolate.  


Day 20: (Monday, January 20, 2014)

Breakfast: I decided to try the wallpaper paste (LOL) Cream of Rice again.  I doctored it up with raisin, brown sugar and maple syrup. I am not sure what I did differently.  It tasted better and had a better consistency but it didn't dissolve like it did last time. While it tasted pretty much like wallpaper paste last time, it wasn't grainy, this time it was, so I guess this is a trial and error kind of this. Fun time. SO maybe Cream of Rice isn't my food. LOL

Lunch:  We were to my GM's for lunch so I brought my leftover's from last night.  As a note, everything EXCEPT the gnocchi reheated well in the micro.  The turned out like little piece of um, rocks? maybe that fell to crumbly pieces in your mouth when you ate them, not in a good way.  So I do not recommend a reheat for them and when I make again I will leave them out of the leftovers and just keep rest of meal because it was delish!

Dinner: I made Grilled Mahi Mahi tonight. Made Gluten/Dairy Free Mashed potatoes and steamed baby carrots. (Recipe to follow) 

Snacks:  I had a couple Rice Krispie Treats and some Gratify Gluten Free pretzels.  

Recipe
Pizza
1 Udi's GF Pizza Crust 2 pack
1/2 jar pasta sauce (1/4 for each pie)
1 pkg Daiya Dairy Free Mozzarella Style Shreds
1 pkg Hormel Pepperoni (optional)
Dash of Italian Seasonian (for flavor)

Preheat over to 375*
spread 1/2 of sauce on each pie crust
sprinkle cheese liberally
sprinkle Italian seasoning over each pie
cook each pie for 7 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Enjoy!

Now That I Am On This Diet...

With the AF Diet firmly in place I am searching for ways to make my meals healthier.  In for a pint, in for a pound, right? This chart shows some cool ideas for substitutions.  I am not keen on a couple of them, like mashed avocado, but I have already found Smart Balance as my gluten/dairy free substitute for butter and I like Agave better than Stevia for sugar.  

for more info check out (from Picklee.com)

Healthy Baking Substitutions {healthy living}

It where I got the pic and it tells you what each are best used with/for

AND this website has some more cool ideas.  Check it out! 

How To: Make Healthy Baking Substitutions

83 Healthy Recipe Substitution

The list is not strictly Gluten Free so be aware, but it really does have some great ideas as far as healthy baking substitutions that I am going to try.  

How about you?

Days 15 16, & 17 AF Diet

I am getting the hang of it.  I have still not noticed a difference yet, but it could be because not I am sick with pleurisy and feeling completely under the weather.

Day 15:  (Wednesday, January 15, 2014)


Breakfast:  I had Oatmeal again, this time I used Agave to sweeten it along with the raisins.  I think I needed to cook it a smidge more (I cooked it the same amount of time last time) but it didn't taste thoroughly cooked, but I was hungry and too lazy to heat it more, so I ate it. LOL


Lunch:  I slept through lunch, seems to me a theme lately.  I have to start feeling better.

Dinner: I made myself Amy's Rice Macaroni with Dairy Free

Cheeze, Made with Organic Rice Pasta.  I made the guys burritos but they weren't gluten free so... I went for this. It looked like regular mac and cheese but it didn't thrill me. It was just ok.  That isn't to say I won't try it again, I'm not feeling well so my taster could be off.  I'll give it a second try before I give a full opinion.

Snacks: I think I ate 3 clementines and a piece of dove chocolate.  I may have eaten 4 clementines though. LOL  Those things are little and easy to eat

Day 16: (Thursday, January 16, 2014)

Breakfast: I tried Honey Nut Chex today and I liked them, so did History Boy AND he ate them WITH milk.  He NEVER eats cereal with milk, so that was a plus. I ate mine with rice milk.  I really like cereal with rice milk.  I still miss milk, when I get a whiff every once in a while when I pour a glass for him I want to just down the gallon! LOL 

Lunch:  It was a late lunch because I my cough kicked up and I needed to take my cough med which knocked me out. I made Angus burgers for Angus, History Boy (home sick with a fever) and me.  I put their on Thin Sandwich bread which I used to love.  I made toast for myself out of Udi's Gluten Free White Sandwich Bread again.  I used a little Smart Balance on it and I really enjoyed it, much more than I had when it plain. Although I realized today that the Smart Balance I have is not dairy free, it contain Whey.  DOH! So do I have to start from scratch? It looks like I need to use Smart Balance® Light Buttery Spread with Flaxseed Oil, or Organic Buttery Spread which are Vegan... (that should be Dairy Free right?) or Light Omega-3 Buttery Spread or Light Buttery Spread made with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, which both say Gluten Free, not the one I am using which is only gluten free... Sigh.  At least I haven't used it very often or very much...

Dinner: I made pork chop tonight with a pineapple marinade. (recipe below).  I also made a vegetable stir fry medley using green and yellow zucchini, and red, orange and yellow peppers, which came out delicious if I do say so myself. I mixed the veggies with Explore Asian's Gluten Free Organic Black Bean Spaghetti

Snacks: I didn't have a snack yet today.  I really wasn't feeling up

to it, so sad... I think I am going to pop a piece of Dove chocolate in my mouth just because *that* is so sad...  After I wrote this in the afternoon, while making dinner, I decided to make gluten free, dairy free Vanilla Pudding for myself to be dessert for after dinner (see the recipe below). It turned out really well!! 

Day 17: (Friday, January 17, 2014)

Breakfast: I ate the Honey Nut Chex again with Rice Milk. 

Lunch:  I decided to try one of my purchases from the store I mentioned Gluten Free Dynasty.  I purchased Feel Good Foods Chicken Dumplings and Vegetable Eggrolls.  The Dumplings didn't turn out so well.  Apparently they must have defrosted on my way home.  (It was HistoryBoy's bowling day but I though it was cold enough... apparently not) SO when I attempted to cook them, they turned into a messy watery conglomeration that smelled to high heaven. I dumped the whole mess in the garbage.  I am going to purchase them again and make sure I head right home with my purchases! I am making the eggrolls right now so hopefully they turn out better!   

Dinner: I am making Gluten Free/Dairy Free Baked Ziti tonight.  :-) Impressed?  I figured I already made lasagna, so I can handle baked ziti. Although, as I did not plan completely ahead, I am using ground chicken in place of my sausage tonight. (Recipe below)

Snacks: I had a couple Gratify Gluten Free pretzel today and an applesauce with dinner. Also, I made Gluten Free Rice Krispie Treats (Awesome Right?) Recipe below

Recipes:
Pinapple Marinade
This sweet, fruity marinade has the power of pineapple and cider vinegar to work its way into meat. Add to this a collection of flavors that turn any cut of pork or chicken into something truly great.
Prep Time: 6 minutes
Yield: Makes about 2 cups
Ingredients:
1 cup crushed pineapple
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ginger powder
1/4 teaspoon powdered cloves
Preparation:
Mix all ingredients together and use immediately or store in airtight container for up to 7 days. I poured it right on my pork chops and let it sit in the fridge for an hour and then flipped then for another hour.

Cooking Pork Chop
Preheat Oven to 350*
Cook for 20 minutes
Remove from oven and flip chop
Replace in oven and cook for another 20 minutes or until completely cooked.

Vegetable Medley
1 yellow zucchini
1 green zucchini
1 yellow pepper
1 red pepper
1 orange pepper
2 tsp minced/chopped garlic (refrigerated kind)
2 tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Chop veggies to your preference.
On medium heat, pour olive oil and garlic in wok or medium fry pan.
mix in veggies.
cover stirring occasionally until cooked.
Season with salt and pepper to your taste

I mixed it this time with the black bean pasta.  I won't next time.  The pasta absorbed too much of the veggies garlic which I wanted the veggies to have. And the pasta needs some sort of sauce it was rather bland...

Vanilla Pudding
I searched for a recipe for a good replacement dessert.  I found that most milk replacement wouldn't' work for pudding BUT if you simply REDUCE the amount of milk alternative, apparently it will work with coconut and almond but not rice.

Ingredients
1 box of Jello Instant Vanilla Pudding
1 - 2 cups of almond milk

First Mix 1 c of almond milk with the package of pudding. Mix thoroughly.  in 1/4 c increments, add more almond milk until it reached the desired consistency.  I found that with the almond milk I was using it took 1 1/4 c.  It may be differently depending on how think your milk is. (As a note I used Silk Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk) It turned out pretty well. It was pretty close to real pudding. The bad this is that you realize that you can eat this small amount which is normally four dishes, in one sitting, and all those calories... So you can blow your diet to heck and I did... eeks!  Oh well... I will be good for a few days... LOL  I haven't had any real snacks in a while so I think it balances... (I hope it does anyway)

Baked Ziti
1 lb ground chicken
1 can diced tomatoes
1 tbsp Tastefully Simple garlic garlic (or your garlic choice seasoning)
1 tbsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1 jar gluten free pasta sauce (I used Priano Tomato Basil, it's the Aldi brand)
1/2 pkg gluten free pasta (I used Sam Mills Corn Rigatoni)
1/2 pkg Gluten Free/Dairy Mozzarella (I used Daiya Mozzarella)
Gluten Free/Dairy Free Ricotta (I used the left over from my Lasagna the other day) RECIPE HERE

In large skillet mix 1 lb ground chicken, and 1 can of diced tomatoes (completely drained) It adds flavor to chicken, stir in garlic and Italian seasoning and let simmer on medium heat until cooked. I noticed once it was cooking it needed a little more kick so I added 1 tsp chopped/minced garlic (refrigerated kind).  It made it perfect. 

Cook pasta to taste as you normally would.

Preheat over to 350*F
Spray 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish with olive oil cooking spray to prevent sticking.
I will usually do a layering like I do with lasagna but I was tired and lazy today so I got a big mixing bowl and tossed the meat, pasta, sauce and cheeses into it and stirred it all up. Once mixed up well enough, I poured the mixture into the baking pan. I sprayed a sheet of foil so it wouldn't stick to the top and covered it and stuck it into the oven for 40 minutes and enjoy. YUM!

Rice Krispie Treats
1/4 magarine or other dairy free spread
5 cups mini marshmallows
6 cups Gluten Free Rice Krispies

Melt spread in large sauce pan.
Melt marshmallows over medium heat until melted, stirring constantly.
Once melted remove from heat and add rice krispie 2 cup at a time.
Place sheet of clear plastic wrap in a 9x13 cake pan
Scoop mixture in pan.
Use second sheet clear plastic wrap to press treats firmly into place.
Then cover, (let cool then enjoy!)

Healing the Hurt

I remember History Boy coming home from school not understanding why the other kids weren't his friends.  He thought of them as his friends.  I think that says it all. He sees everybody as good, or at least he used to.  He is getting used to being bullied and knows that those children are not his friends.  It is especially hard when one of the children used to be his friend several years ago.  They were in all the same classes and go along great.  Now the child calls him names and History Boy is at a loss.  What did he do wrong?...

How do I tell him and make him understand that he  did nothing wrong.  I can say it a hundred times but he still has to deal with it.  I have tried to help him with facial expressions, hoping he'll be able to tell when someone really doesn't want to hear what he has to say.  However, trying to turn off the flow of information in History Boy once it has started is virtually impossible.  I love that he loves to learn and wants to share his knowledge.  I'm a teacher, the teacher in me rejoices, but the mom in me knows that this is what hurts him. This is what makes it hard for other children to understand him.  Most kids don't want to know about WWII, the Titanic, Pompeii and other such topics.


He always wows adults with his knowledge and his willingness to learn more about a topic.  He can watch video after video or read book after book about the same topic. To the right is a pic of the book he is currently reading. It is three books in one, Marine Mysteries and Dramatic Disasters of New England, Sea disasters and inland catastrophes, and Pirates, Shipwrecks, and Historic Chronicles. Sound like History Boy anyone?  LOL.  He can converse with adults about such topics, although his opinions are if he watched it or heard it on the History Channel, it must be true, so... watch out. He constantly amazes me, but that still doesn't give me the answers I need to help him.

Here is an article which has some helpful info in it. I found it comforting to know that at least according to these tips, I was doing what I needed to be there for him, even if it doesn't feel like it.



Below is one of the pics I used with History Boy to help with facial expressions.
If it helps you too, you are welcome to it.

Emotions Handout (below is a pic of what it looks like)