Allergy Update and Pizza!

We had C's allergy blood tests repeated and we're about the same, if not a little bit worse right now. He stayed pretty much in the 3 and 4 category, but some of the IgE numbers went up especially for peanuts, eggs, sunflower seeds and cashews. I guess I was expecting them to go down a little bit now that he's a year older, but that just means he hasn't hit the "peak point" yet so we're not on our way to outgrowing them anytime soon. Which is a big bummer.

C has never consumed a food that he's allergic to because we found out about his allergies before he was eating table food, so he's never had a real reaction.  The doctor said that based on his numbers, a reaction could be vomiting, bad hives or swelling of the face/throat. So clearly we will continue to maintain a strict diet without any nuts, eggs, sunflower seeds or sesame seeds.

At home, cooking without eggs and nuts has become a way of life for me, so I've learned my way around the kitchen without them and have become pretty used to finding substitutes. The hardest part about these allergies is that I can never leave home without some kind of plan for C's meals and snacks which can get kind of overwhelming at times especially when you're busy and don't have time to prepare food in advance. There are not many quick "go to" foods we can rely on on a busy day.  Whenever we go out of town or overnight somewhere, I plan ahead for every meal and usually bring food along for those meals or check menus at restaurants nearby to see if there's something safe for him. Besides all that though, the hardest thing is that C is a toddler and he's picky. He doesn't always like what we're having for dinner and there are very few quick back up plans he can have. That's why I love this pizza recipe that I found: http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/pizza-night. I made a substitution so it will be gluten free (b/c of course C just couldn't stop at eggs, nuts and seeds!) and although I prefer the wheat version, this isn't too bad. It's easy, quick pizza without all the ingredients that are bad for you. and he absolutely loves it so I don't have to worry about him not eating it. Also, I can add whatever topping I have on hand and even sneak in some veggies (like tonight's version with broccoli!) This recipe works great when I know he's not going to like what we're having for dinner, or for nights like tonight when he decided to get pink eye and I didn't get home from the doctor with him until 6 :P

Gluten Free Pizza
3 1/2 cups gluten free all purpose baking flour (I use Bob's Red Mill brand)
3 1/2 tsp. xantham gum
1 cup butter, melted
1 cup plain whole milk yogurt
1 tsp. salt

Stir together flour, salt and xantham gum in a mixing bowl. Add yogurt and melted butter. Mix well.

Pizza toppings:
1 jar pizza sauce (or make your own)
8 oz. mozzarella cheese
favorite toppings: pepperoni, sausage, peppers, broccoli, you name it!

I also usually sprinkle some garlic powder and oregano over the crust to flavor it.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out dough (this recipe will make 2 separate crusts or 6 mini crusts). Spread pizza sauce on dough, top with shredded cheese and preferred toppings. Cook at 400 for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is golden brown. 

If you have leftover dough and don't want to make another pizza, you can make pop tarts! Just roll out the dough, cut into squares, spoon jelly in the center of half of the squares and top it with the other half and then press down on the edges with a fork. Bake these at 350 for 25 minutes.