Memorial Day 2014

I have loved everything about not being on Facebook this last week.  I have been so much more productive and I feel so much less stress.  It has been wonderful.  I have also gotten along with my children so much better these last couple days because my life revolves around them and nothing more.  It has been wonderful.
On memorial day this week we took our friends four wheeling out at my husband's parents house.  To say it was fun is an understatement.  We loved every minute of it.  We have been so blessed with wonderful friends lately.  After four wheeling we headed back to their place for a BBQ.  It was so good.

We are all so blessed to live in a country were we are free.  I am grateful for the men and women who have died to make this country a place where my family is free.  Thank you for your service and determination.

Rose Passed Out

I have not wanted to write this down, because I have been hiding it but I finally think I am ready to let go of this experience.  Even now thinking about it starts a panic attack and I can't believe I actually lived through it.  I should probably give you some background on my personality and why I am so afraid of what happened. When Rose was diagnosed last August with Type One Diabetes, they told us to watch out for lows because Rose can pass out  and die if her Blood Glucose goes too low for a long period of time.  Everything else with diabetes was hard but I could handle that.  The low blood glucose and her passing out scared me too death.  I have never been good with dramatic incidents.

 If you ask any of my family members how I react during a crisis it would be that she starts having a panic attack and freaking out.  I can remember very specific incidents in my life where I don't know how to react except to start yelling and having a panic attack.  One of those experiences is when I was in a car accident with my brother.  We weren't hurt but we had a collision with a car that pushed us into a 8ft chain link fence.  I was screaming and having an all out panic attack where I couldn't even breath.  My brother was so fed up with me that he had to tell me to "shut up" so he could help the other car.  The other memory that comes to mind is when I was in labor with Rose.  I labored with her for 12 hours and finally my doctor came in and told me that it was time for a c-section.  I was so scared and panicked, I burst into tears and couldn't control my breathing at all.  My husband, my mom, and my dad all had to calm me down.  I do not deal well with crisis moments. When the doctors warned me that my daughter had a higher possibility of passing out it scared me.  I never wanted to experience it.  Well this last week I did and surprisingly I didn't start screaming, I actually knew what to do.

Now that you know more about how I react in a crisis you can understand why I was so afraid of Rose passing out.  With every fiber of my being I did not want us to go through that trial.  I begged and begged not to have to experience something like that. Now being on the other side I know that my natural instinct and adrenaline kicks in and I can get Rose's Blood Glucose back up.

Last Friday, Rose was complaining of her ear hurting.  She kept tugging on it.  I kept telling her that we needed to wait for Daddy to get home before we could do anything.  We waited and with in one hour of the ear starting to hurt she started crying in pain from it.  I left James with my husband at home and took Rose to the after hours doctor.  We had to wait for 30 minutes to get in and by then Rose was a complete disaster.  She was crying and begging me to take away the pain in her ear.  I couldn't do anything except try to distract her with my phone.  Finally we got to see the doctor and sure enough she had a double inner ear infection.  He prescribed her an antibiotic, ear numbing drops, and codine to help ease the pain.  We then were in a hurry to get to the pharmacy to pick up her prescription to ease her pain and discomfort.  We dropped the prescription off and I told Rose she could have ice cream to help distract her.  She kept crying and screaming in agony as we picked up the ice cream.  Then we headed back to pharmacy to wait.  The pharmacist told us it would be ten minutes, well fifteen minutes later they still weren't done.  I was so frustrated that I had this screaming four year old and the pharmacist couldn't hurry any faster.

Rose all of a sudden started to calm down and her eyes kept rolling back into her head.  I kept telling her to wake up and tried to talk to her to keep her awake. She wasn't at all coherant so my gut told me something was wrong. I started to look for her Blood glucose meter to check her blood. Of course she had forgotten to grab her bag in our hurry out the door.  Which meant I had no candy, glucagon pen, or glucose tabs to get her blood sugar up.  I frantically moved the cart down several isles, trying to find anything with sugar to get her blood glucose up.  I finally found some glucose tabs and started breaking them up and putting them on her tongue. In between her eyes rolling back into her head I was able to talk to her enough for her to start chewing the tablets.  After about three tablets I knew she should start feeling a little better. After about five minutes she started to come to.  My adrenaline was pumping so hard that I didn't even notice the pharmacist telling us that Rose's prescription was filled. Rose was still pretty tired from everything but she wasn't on the verge of passing out anymore.  We got our prescriptions and headed home.

When we got home my husband kept asking me what happened and what I did.  Honestly to this day I still don't remember much of what happened.  I know that I was being led around the store and told what to do, because I don't act well in a crisis.  The good news is that we are fine.  Rose didn't remember anything and she had no idea how freaked out I was.  Which is such a blessing.  I don't want her to take on any of my fears about diabetes.  She has enough to worry about then how her mother is terrified of this stupid disease.

On the other side of this incident I am grateful for several things.  First I am grateful that James wasn't with us.  Rose had all of my attention and I didn't miss a single sign of her low blood glucose.  Second I am grateful I was in a pharmacy when it happened.  They had everything I needed there, even if we had forgotten out diabetic back pack at home.  And third I am grateful for my mother's intuition that I knew something was wrong with out even testing her blood glucose. I hope I never have to experience it again, but I made it through it and I am stronger because of it.

Gluten Free Chicken Salad Sandwich

My husband loves chicken salad sandwiches.  He has missed them so much since we have have gone gluten free.  So this week I surprised him with Gluten Free Chicken Salad Sandwiches.  They are so good.  I use this bread recipe to make pizza dough, pitas, and even flat breads that I put PB&J on for lunch.  Rose has really missed her Pb&J sandwiches.  P.S. There are a lot of steps to making these so I hope you don't get lost. Without further audieu...

Gluten Free Chicken Salad
Six Sister's Cafe

1/4 cup white vinegar
salt (to taste)
pepper (to taste)
1-1/4 cup mayonnaise
1-1/4 cup sour cream
4 stocks celery, chopped
1 bunch green onion, chopped
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts; cooked and shredded

Directions:
Mix vinegar, salt, pepper, mayonnaise and sour cream together.  Mix celery, green onion and chicken in separate bowl. Mix all ingredients together. Let set overnight or for a few hours for the best flavor.  Serve on buns or rolls.

Easter 2014

I love Easter.  I love spring and I love everything that goes along with it.  Easter has always meant a lot to me.  I love celebrating with my family the day that my Redeemer was resurrected. I have a testimony of Christ and I am so grateful for His atoning sacrifice.  Because of Him I know that death is only a transition from this world to the next.  I know that I will be with my family forever and that one day my little girl will have a perfect pancreas.  (This is the picture that is hanging above Rose's bed.)









We were lucky enough to be at  my friends house watching her dog for Easter this year.  My kids loved being in a house and I loved the space.  We also went to church and then headed over to my brother's house for some celebration with my family. Easter is all about families and what Christ did so that I might be able to be with them for eternity.

Gluten Free Easter Pancakes.

Thai Meatball Lettuce Wraps

Thai Meatball Lettuce Wraps

Adapted from Abundant Bowl’s Recipe

Anne Woodhouse, CHN

Boise Natural Health

Anne@AbundantBowl.com

208.867.6612

1 ½ pound ground turkey meat

2 green onions (White and Green parts)

2 cloves garlic 

2 T. Parsley

1 large egg, lightly beaten 

2 Tablespoon olive oil 

1 ½ Tablespoons Asian fish sauce,

½ t sea salt 

Preheat oven to 350 F. 

Finely dice the onion and the garlic, keep separate. Wash and finely chop 

parsley. Sauté the onion in olive oil over medium heat until soft and sweet. Add 

the garlic in the last minute and cook just until fragrant (1-2 minutes). 

Combine meat, onions, parsley, beaten egg, and seasonings in a bowl and mix 

with a spatula or your hand until combined. (Note not to over mix or this will 

make you meatball tough!) 

 Cover and leave in the refrigerator for half an hour or several hours for the 

flavors to meld. Note, more time, more flavor. ( I freeze mine for up to a week.)

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or foil and scoop out a tablespoon 

of the mixture. Roll in your hands to form the meatball and place on the lined 

baking sheet. Have a bowl of cold water beside you to dampen your hands 

with; this helps them not get too sticky for rolling the meatballs.

Bake the meatballs for 20-25 minutes until cooked through. Remove carefully 

and drain on several layers of paper towels for a couple of minutes before 

transferring to a serving platter. While your meatballs are cooking make your Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce. I serve my meatballs with lettuce and brown rice. 

Nuoc Cham (Dipping Sauce)

Adapted from Abundant Bowl’s Recipe

Anne Woodhouse, CHN

Boise Natural Health

Anne@AbundantBowl.com

208.867.6612

2 Tbsp. maple syrup 

½ cup water 

¼ cup fish sauce 

1/3-cup rice vinegar 

1 lime juiced 

1cloves garlic, minced 

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes 

1 green onion, thinly sliced 

 Combine all ingredients together in a small jar. Store in refrigerator until ready to 

use. The sauce will keep in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks. 

Quinoa Bites

Can life please slow down?  I am running around with my head cut off and can't seem to get caught up.  So the blog once again gets neglected.  We have been finding some really good recipes lately that we love.  Here is the one from this week.   It is once again from Mel's Kitchen.  I told you I love her food. She is amazing.  This is the original recipe.

Cheesy Ham and Broccoli Quinoa Bites

Adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

YIELD: MAKES 2-3 DOZEN MINI BITES

INGREDIENTS

3 cups cooked quinoa, chilled or at room temperature

2 eggs, lightly beaten

8 ounces deli ham, chopped fine (about 1 1/2 cups)

1-2 cups finely chopped steamed broccoli

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 cup shredded swiss cheese

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, stir together all the ingredients except the cheese until combined. Stir in the cheese until well-distributed. Lightly grease a mini muffin cup tin. Scoop the quinoa mixture into the tin, filling the cups all the way to the top and lightly pressing to pack the mixture a bit. I found it helpful to use my cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoon size) to scoop the mixture into the tin.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, until golden on top. Remove from the tin and repeat with the remaining mixture (you can scoop it into the warm tin and bake again). Serve warm or at room temperature.