Life on our corner

I have been praying that the Doctor would have wisdom as I brought Reuben in for his month. It is funny how baby three has in some ways made me feel like a new mom all over again. Let me brag on myself first, for the first time in a long time we were not late. I always under estimate how long it is going to take to load and unload with three kids, hats, gloves, and a stroller! Our big question for Dr. John was Reuben's excessive spitting. He asked me a few questions and decided that we needed to get in for an upper GI. This should tell us why (acid reflux, a problem flap or valve) and how much damage has been done. Then we can determine a course of action (surgery, meds or wait and see.) He seemed to think that it needed to be done very soon which was funny, but I am very, very happy with this plan. I had some questions about other food allergies. He does not think that we need to go to an allergist yet. He was not surprised that peaches was in my list of food suspects though. As

Happy December! We had our first Christmas party tonight so I finally started baking yesterday. I think I have put off baking partially due to my not so helpful helpers and partially because I don't know how it fits in with eating/living healthfully, but when I can take many of the cookies to a party for others to eat then it is all good! We attended a holiday block party which is an example of one of the many reasons we love where we live. These families are great! The Christmas spirit has hit Jonah hard. I feel like we have glitter glue everywhere as he has also taken to making Christmas cards to decorate the house. Jonah had his first Christmas program. His little group sang a song and he even had one line in the play. He was so nervous and excited at the same time. The program has caused me to resume my contact with AEA for possible speech therapy. I initially contacted them this summer about his intermittent stutter, but by the time they got back to me it was gone again. It is

½ cup all-purpose flour ½ cup whole wheat flour 1 Tbs baking powder 1 tsp salt ½ tsp ground cinnamon ¼ tsp ground nutmeg 1 cup cornmeal 2 large eggs 1 cup pumpkin puree (canned or freshly cooked and processed) 2/3 cup brown sugar ¼ cup canola oil 1 Tbs molasses Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease 10-inch glass pie pan or 9-inch square baking pan. Sift flours, baking powder, salt and spices in a large mixing bowl. Whisk in cornmeal. In separate bowl, beat eggs lightly. Whisk in pumpkin, brown sugar, oil and molasses. Make a well in the dry mixture. Add pumpkin mixture and blend batter with a few quick strokes (just blend with a fork- don’t overmix.) Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes, or until cornbread is browned and the surface has a slightly springy feel.

1/3 cup shortening 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 egg 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 1/2 cup pumpkin Coating: 1 stick of butter, melted 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 3/4 sup sugar In a small mixing bowl, beat shortening, brown sugar and egg until smooth. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and pumpkin pie spice; add to the sugar mixture alternately with pumpkin. Fill greased muffin cups two-thirds full (don't use muffin liners). Bake at 350° for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan. Meanwhile, combine cinnamon and remaining sugar in a shallow bowl. Roll the warm puffs in butter, then in cinnamon-sugar. ( or roll powder sugar.) Serve immediately. Yield: 1 dozen.

I felt like this week went Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Sunday, Saturday, Saturday, Sunday. This has to be one of my favorite weeks of the year! Monday I took Reuben to the Dr for an ear check since he has had so much trouble the past months. Two wonderful things happened. First, his weight stayed the same two weeks in a row (25.4) and second, his ears looked great! We spent Thanksgiving at my parents' house. (Jordan's mom was sick:(.)It was my first day back on dairy. I didn't go crazy because I didn't want to make myself sick! I discovered that I have become a chocolate snob and now really like the dark stuff over regular milk chocolate. I have yet to have a glass of milk, but the cheese that I have had over the last couple of days has been great. It is very freeing to eat food without reading the ingredients first. Reuben has made a hard transition causing me to ask "why go through all this?", but I after grocery shopping and meal planning for the week it will

I listened to a really convicting broadcast this week on being thankful so this week I will try to highlight things that we are thankful for. I am thankful that Audrey is being such a good sport about wearing her thumb guard. I am so surprised by how much she is able to do with it on and that she doesn't make a big deal about it even when people comment. (Many people think that she has broken her thumb!) The down side is that during naps she is sucking the opposite (right)thumb. It is so much less compared to what she sucks the left. Only to get to sleep not through the entire night and not during the day. Not sure what to do about that yet. Tonight she asked me to put a thumb guard on the right thumb as well. "I need two of them." It is as if she wants to stop can't. :( I am so thankful that Reuben's second tooth popped through and that he has not had an ear infection or been on antibiotics this week! Happy boy again! I take him to the Dr. on Monday just to get

Tomorrow marks a big day for the Vos family, Audrey will begin to wear her thumb guard. For two and a half years that little left thumb has been her best friend, and now it is time to say good-bye. We had decided to "take it away" for two reasons 1) the dentist said that we have until age three before she does real damage to the shape of her mouth 2) we can only wonder how many germs and bacteria have entered our house through that cute but dirty little thumb. So for the next three to four weeks day and night she will wear a rubber thumb guard. I am sad for her. Another day where parenting means choosing what is best and not what is easiest. It seems like I have had a lot of those lately! We had a great week getting back into the swing of things after being scattered abroad. Reuben is doing really well at night and we are getting close to sleeping through. Hooray! I tried to get the kids out and about as much as possible this week because cold days are around the corner and e

At this time last week Jordan was dropping off the older two and I was packing our suitcases for Florida. Jordan had a business trip that I got to piggy back on and since I am still nursing Reuben he came too. Reuben did pretty well on the flights down. We had a layover in TN and that two hour flight was interesting because we were separated from Jordan and I had to sit between (although more accurately put on top of) a guy that looked like Harold Krenshaw from Monk and a woman in her mid 40s who wasn't a "baby person." Reuben kicked her the entire flight. I told her she paid her dues and I hoped that she never had to sit by a baby on a plane again. Florida was beautiful. I think that I was made for paradise. Jordan was not and said I had to come back to Iowa. There were tons of shops and places to eat right by the hotel and I enjoyed the simplicity of walking for whatever was needed. It reminded me of the small town I grew up in when I would walk to Terlow's Market f

OK, my goal was to post once a week so I had better not drop the ball the first week! I think that we are all recovering from everything. I am thinking about getting us T-shirts that say "I survived the Plague of 09." Jordan says that the side effects of all the medications that we were on are just about as bad as being sick itself. Reuben has terrible diapers and now a diaper rash. We cut Audrey's last two days of prednisone in half because we couldn't handle her biting and pinching people any more. (The doctor had left the length that she was on this to our discretion.) I am not taking my antibiotic tonight because it feels like it is burning a hole in my stomach. Jordan got a lot done this weekend. He raked and bagged leaves and got the shed almost painted. He ran out of trim paint! We (Jordan, Reuben and I) leave bright and early Tuesday morning for FL. I think that I am excited. I didn't think that I would be anxious about leaving Jonah and Audrey. I also saw

There is a part of me that is struggling with this and there is a part of me that is excited. Am I really a blogger? I guess now I am. What better time to start than when I am sick and supposed resting. (Why is it so hard to rest as a mom?) I started gathering all my dairy free recipes to share. If no one else finds them helpful at least I have them all in one place for my own meal planning! I also hope to put some family updates. My goal is once a week. If I were to have been blogging the last couple weeks all that I would be blogging about is sickness, sickness, sickness. 7 co-pays (plus more meds than you care to know!) in the last 10 days! Thankful for insurance, but man I hope that this is not indicative of the winter. We are all crossing our fingers that this doesn't effect our plans for next week. Jordan, Reuben and I are supposed to go to FL (Reuben and I are piggy backing on a work trip of Jordans!) Jordan and Audrey are supposed to take the tour of Jasper county (if we

3/4 cup white sugar (a friend said she switched it to brown sugar) 1/4 cup vegetable oil 2 eggs 1 cup canned pumpkin 1/4 cup water 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/2 cup ghirardelli semisweet chocolate chips Preheat the oven to 400. Grease and flour muffin pan or use paper liners. Mix sugar, oil, eggs. Add pumpkin and water. In separate bowl mix together the baking flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices and salt. Add wet mixture and stir in chocolate chips. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes.

2 pounds lean ground meat 1 pound sausage (I use turkey sausage) 1 (6 ounce) box stove top dressing (see other blog post for dairy free "Stovetop Stuffing" mix) 3 eggs Mix above ingredients and shape into balls. Place on baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. These are the only meatballs that my husband likes. He says that they actually have flavor and are not mushy (a common meatball complaint with him!)

Seasoning 4 tablespoons instant minced onion 1 teaspoon garlic powder 3 tablespoons parsley flakes 1 1/2 teaspoons poultry seasoning (watch carefully for dairy-I have omitted) 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 30 slices homemade bread (I use Arnold's or Country Hearth for a dairy free wheat bread) Directions Put bread into 13x9 baking pan and toast at 300 degrees for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven and cool. Toss with seasonings. At this point, it may be bagged in a Ziploc until needed. TO PREPARE STUFFING 1 cup chicken broth (I make my own to insure that it is dairy free) 1-4 tablespoon margarine (Choose your favorite vegan!) 4 cups of the seasoned bread mix.

1/3 cup cocoa 2/3 cup sugar 2/3 cup brown sugar 1 cup 4 Tbs flour 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp vanilla 2/3 cup oil 3 eggs powdered sugar (to sprinkle on top!) Mix together and pour into greased pan. Bake at 350 in a 7x11 pan for 32 min or in a 9x9 pan for 27 min. Do not over bake. (I will often double and bake in a large bar pan. I see no reason so skimp on the brownies!) Sprinkle with powdered sugar and enjoy!

5 or 6 chicken breasts 1/2 cup white sugar 1 cup ketchup 3-4 Tbs flour 3 Tbs soy sauce 2 Tbs Worcestershire sauce 2 Tbs white vinegar 2 tsp garlic powder or salt Preheat oven to 350 and grease 9x13 baking dish and fill with chicken. Mix ingredients and poor over chicken breasts. Bake covered with foil for 1 hour then uncovered for 1/2 hour. I have used this sauce for both chicken and pork. I have slow cooked or grilled it. I love this one!

1 1/2 lbs stew meat (do not brown) 6 medium carrots, sliced 4 medium potatoes (I leave the peel on) 1 large onion, diced 1 cup celery 1 Tbs sugar 2 Tbs tapioca 2 1/2 cup tomato juice salt and pepper to taste Preheat oven to 250. Put all ingredients into large baking dish and bake 5 hours. Serve over mashed potatoes, noodles or rice.

1 2-3 pound Roast-thawed (We like anything but a Chuck roast-it is too fatty!) 1 envelope dry onion soup mix water Place roast in lightly greased crock pot. Sprinkle with soup mix. Cover completely with water (don't skimp or it will be dry!) Cook on low for 6-8 hours-it will look done before that, but cook it until it falls apart.) (You can add potatoes and carrots for the last 4 hours of cooking.)

3 eggs 1 cup oil 2 cups sugar 1 Tbs vanilla 2 cup zucchini, finely shredded (I leave the peel on because that is where the fiber is, right?) 3 cups flour 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa 1 tsp salt 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp baking powder Preheat oven to 350. In bowl, beat together eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla. Stir in zucchini. In a separate bowl combine flour, cocoa, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and baking powder. Add zucchini mixture to flour mixture until just moistened. Spoon into 2 greased and floured loaf pans. Bake 1 hour. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto cooling rack.

6 or 7 very ripe bananas 1 1/8 cup raw honey 1/3 cup oil 2 tsp vanilla extract 3 cups whole wheat flour 2 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt 1 1/2 cup chopped) walnuts or pecan (optional) Mash bananas and mix with honey, oil and vanilla extract. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Add nuts. Blend the two mixtures and divide into 2 lightly oiled loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

1 can cranberry sauce 1 pkg dry onion soup mix 4 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts Put frozen chicken in crock pot. Mix together cranberry sauce and dry onion soup mix and pour over chicken. Cook on low for 9-10 hours.

2 cups brown sugar 1 cup white sugar 1 tsp salt 2 cups Crisco 4 eggs 4 tsp vanilla 5 cups flour 4 tsp baking soda 1 bag Ghiradelli's semi sweet chocolate chips Preheat oven to 350. Cream together first 4 ingredients, then add next 4 and lastly the chocolate chips. Place spoonfuls on cookie sheet and bake for 9 minutes.

2 lbs uncooked hamburger (thawed) 1 large onion-sliced 6 medium potatoes-sliced 1 large can pork and beans 1 can tomato soup (do not dilute) Layer in order. Bake covered at 350 for 3 hours. This is an old family favorite of my husbands. I thought it sounded strange at first, but he loves it!

1 chicken, cut up (can use legs, thighs or breast) 1 (8 oz) bottle Russian salad dressing 1 (12 oz) jar of apricot preserves 1 env. Lipton onion soup Combine soup mix, salad dressing and preserves. Pour over chicken in baking pan. Marinate in refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight. Bake uncovered, at 300 for 2 hrs or 250 for 3 hours.

· 1 cup all-purpose flour · 3 T. sugar · 2 t. baking powder · ½ t. salt · 1 cup unsweetened plain almond milk or other non-dairy milk · 1 large whole egg, lightly beaten · 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten · 1 ½ t. canola oil Preparation: 1. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt, making a well in the center. 2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the almond milk, whole egg, egg yolk and canola oil until well combined. Add to the well in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. (Batter should still have some lumps.) 3. Lightly oil a heavy-bottomed skillet or griddle and heat over medium heat. Once hot, add the batter to the pan, about ¼ cup at a time, flipping when bubbles begin to form on the surface of the pancakes and the edges begin to rise. Cook the other side of the pancakes for about 1-2 minutes more, or until golden brown. Repeat until all of the batter is used,

1 cup Peanut Butter 1 egg 1 cup sugar Preheat oven to 350. Stir the above ingredients into a ball. Spoon cookie dough on to cookie sheet and press down with fork. Bake 8 min or until cookies just begin to crack. Do not over bake. Let cookies cool on the pan. (You can add chocolate chip to this recipe too!)

Onion to your liking 1 lb ground beef 1 1/4 cup Ketchup 1 Tbs brown sugar 1 tsp mustard Tabasco to taste Combine all ingredients. Simmer on stove in a crockpot

1 can diced tomatoes, undrained 1 pkg. stuffing mix for chicken (see blog post for Stove Top Stuffing) 1/2 cup of water 2 cloves garlic 1 1/2 lbs. of boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into pieces 1 tsp dried basil leaves 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (optional) Preheat oven to 400. Place tomatoes in medium bowl, adding stuffing mix, water and garlic. Stir until moist and set aside. Place ckicken in 9x13 in baking dish, sprinkle with basil (and cheese.) Top with stuffing mixture. Bake for 30 min or until chicken is cooked through.

1/2 - 1 onion, diced 3-4 frozen chicken breasts (about a pound) 2 cans petite diced tomatoes 1 packet taco seasoning Layer in the above order in crock pot. Cook on low for 7-8 hours. Shred chicken and serve with warm tortilla shells. (Those not on a diary free diet can also top with cheddar cheese and sour cream.)