Fresh Finds

Garden Gloves. An excellent fidget for kids who like cloth. They have neat plastic 'nubbons' for texture. These cost just $1.97 each! I can't find many fidgets for that price and I can stock up when they go on clearance this fall.

Little 'nubbons' feel great!  A cute photo of Izaiah very serious about his fidgeting!

Another idea for cloth lovers is thermal shirts and/or pants. They are longer for folding and halving and have an interesting texture.




Rutabagas. If you have an allergy to potatoes this is the perfect replacement! They have a natural butter flavor and are easy to cut up and cook. I like to cook them with onion, salt, and garnish with parsley. You can boil them or bake them like fries. With 2 growing seasons you can have a good harvest if you garden. You can store them in a cool, dry place over the winter. They will keep for about 4 months! TIP: let them warm up to room temp before peeling.






Scentsy Burner.  Super popular, but  unfortunately can wreak havoc for those with sensitivity to the wax they burn and the fake scents.

I've been using mine with essential oils instead! I use 2 or 3 tablespoons of grape seed oil in the top container as a 'carrier' oil. Then I add a few drops of our favorite essential oils. Currently we are using lemon, lavender, and peppermint to help with environmental allergies.






Lava Lamp. We snagged this from Toys R Us. Not really anything new, but this is a smaller version so less pricey.

Now that we have Izaiah's allergies all figured out, all of our food is cooked fresh. Not only do I do this for meals, but for snacks too. Since I can't just go out and buy crunchy snacks like crackers, I have to make my own. Here is a great recipe from Cats in the Kitchen Blog My changes are only for our allergies. I can't recommend this blog enough for help in the kitchen when there are multiple allergies including yeast. 

 





Allergy Free, Organic Crackers and Dip
Ingredients for Crackers
1 cup zucchini chopped
1/2 cup bok choy chopped ( feel free to use carrots if not allergic!)
1 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds ( sunflower seeds can also be used!)
1 T hemp seeds
1 T chia seeds
1 T amaranth flour (or coconut)
1 T grape seed oil (or olive oil)
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp cilantro or basil leaves (optional )
1/2 tsp salt 
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 to 3 TBSP of water (start with 1 add more if needed when blending)

1. Blend all in a food processor or Ninja. Mixture will be thick.
2. Grease a cookie sheet. Then with wet fingertips, spread dough into the shape of a rectangle 1/8 to 1/4 thick. It should be thin, but no holes.
3. Bake at 300 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until just very slight brown can be seen around the edges. 
4. Using a pizza cutter, cut into squares and rectangles and using a metal spatula, flip the squares over.
5. Continue drying them for another 20 minutes. Flip again if needed. Keep drying and flipping until you get your desired cracker crispness. 

Dip Ingredients:
1 cup chopped zucchini
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
2 - 3 leaves bok choy, beets, or kale
1 lemon (juice of 1 lemon)
1-2 T chopped onion (optional)
If desired, add seasonings for flavor such as salt, cilantro, cumin, coriander, bay leaves...if you use the crackers above, the seasonings are already in the cracker so the dip doesn't need them.  

Mix all  ingredients in a food processor or Ninja.