Food. Mmm. Food.

I keep thinking that there is so much to document, where do I begin? I'll start with what I think almost as much (well, maybe half as much) as I think about Ethan - Food.

I'm still dairy, soy, wheat, egg, and free. As of 20 minutes ago I was peanut free too but today I introduced natural peanut butter. The plan was to introduce one allergen a week. We started that April 1st. I should be all the way to introducing wheat but we've had some setbacks such as the reaction to Tri-Vi-Sol, then a cold, then a rash on his belly and itchy eyes. I'm not sure if those were caused by salsa or strawberries.

What do I eat? People ask me that every time they hear about my diet. The short answer: A lot of rice. Rice milk, rice cereal, rice with chicken and vegetables.

More details?
Breakfast is usually rice milk with Rice Krispies and fruit. Rice milk is not as bad as it sounds. It tastes like sweet skim milk. You do not need sugary cereals with it. I also eat plan old fashion oatmeal. I add brown sugar or fruit to it. It only takes 2 minutes in the microwave and I'm guessing that it's healthier than the packets of oatmeal (less sugar and no soy).

Lunch is usually leftovers from dinner the night before. I've also been loving those microwavable pre-wrapped sweet potatoes. I add a little olive oil and brown sugar to them sometimes. I've also learned that Boarshead Oven Gold roasted turkey lunch meat is dairy and soy free. For turkey sandwiches I've used Enjoy Life Foods plain bagels. They aren't too bad once toasted. I add Dijon mustard and baby spinach to the sandwich. I've also tried Ener-G brown rice bread for sandwiches. Eh, I can take or leave it. It's filling but crumbly.

Dinners usually revolve around chicken or turkey burger. Matt's favorite has been ground chicken seasoned with garlic salt and brown sugar then add crumbled bacon. Served with rice and veggies of course :) We also have sloppy joes (mine is w/o a bun). We have grilled or baked chicken on a lot of nights b/c it's great leftover on a salad for lunch the next day.

Salads - no fun salad dressings. Just plain oil and vinegar. I often add carrots, avocado, tomatoes but I'm questioning whether or not Ethan has reactions to them so I've been avoiding them.

Snacks - Fritos and plain Lays potato chips!

Sweet snacks - Enjoy Life Foods has cookies and bars. The cookies were pretty good from the start and the bars have grown on me. The first time I ate one I didn't care for it but now I love them. One of my coworkers said that my taste buds must be dying off :) Enjoy Life also makes granola that I love (the cranberry one). I add it to my oatmeal and cereal. They also make chocolate chips!! I have been eating handfuls of those lately. I also added them to pancakes (the allergen free pancake mix is made by Cherrybrook Kitchen.

Cons and Pros: Our grocery bill is definitely higher with all the fresh fruits, vegetables, and allergen free food. Between the pancake mix and chocolate chips my pancakes cost about $12 but they were good!! The cookies are about $5 for a box of 12 small cookies but when you need something sweet it doesn't matter. We figure that we are saving money by not eating out and not buying formula so it works out. An added bonus is that I FEEL better. I have more energy and have lost more than my baby weight. Of course the biggest bonus is that I can continue breastfeeding Ethan. I feel SO fortunate that it has worked out so well. I have to admit that before Ethan was here I knew that I wanted to try breastfeeding but sometimes the thought of it creeped me out. That hasn't been a concern since his arrival. I also worried that I wouldn't be able to breastfeed. I read that women with PCOS can have milk supply issues. I've also had friends who have tried SO VERY hard to nurse and struggled with latch issues, supply issues, etc. I worried about facing those same challenges. So, again, I feel very fortunate. The diet is something under my control and I can do this. I think some of those other challenges would be much more difficult.