Rice and Corn Chex are now Gluten-Free!

It's so hard coming up with a gluten-free cereal that my kid will eat. And that I can afford. He loves Panda Puffs but they are so expensive.

As you know, we're packing up so we can put the house on the market. That means pretty much no cooking once the kitchen is packed up. We'll be existing on yogurt, cereal, fruits and veggies. Sounds fun, right? Well, we can do it.

It had been several months since I'd bought cereal that wasn't from the health food store. I just don't eat it that often, and honestly, it's not a good value for dollar spent. But since we'll be eating more cereal over the next month (or god no, two months), I thought I'd look for another. So I was looking in the cereal aisle the other day, hoping to find that a gluten-free cereal has magically appeared on the shelves. And I saw them. Rice Chex and Corn Chex. They actually have "gluten-free" right on the box!

Ok! Now I can collect coupons for them, buy lots, and add them to our stockpile as well as what we'll be eating until we sell the house and move to our homestead.

Anyone got any original chex recipes? Feel free to post them here.

Hello, Chex people! Got any coupons? :) Vikki

Raw Food Diet on Stored Foods?

My health is horrible. I eat junk, even though I'm supposed to be getting healthy by changing my eating habits. I'm a cheeseburger and pizza junkie. I love cookies and cakes and ice cream. I try to eat a lot of stored foods, but I need to get out of the MickeyD's cheeseburger/Big Mac mindset to enjoy them. I'm a really picky eater; I don't like most cooked vegetables but I'll eat them raw. However, the taste of them changes when they are dehydrated, which is necessary to make them last over the Winter.

A wonderful lady, Susan Schenck, is considering donating her book "The Live Food Factor" to our blog contest but that got me thinking. I did the raw food diet a few years ago, and felt great while on it. Then I slipped and couldn't get back on for various reasons.

Now, I'm wondering. Is it possible to get back on the raw food diet and actually survive on it via stored foods if confined for a long while?

I went over my list of stored foods. Here's what we store that qualifies as raw:
-dehydrated fruits
-dehydrated vegetables
-beans/peas/lentils/soybeans
-rice and corn pasta
-rice? cornmeal? oats?
-pre-ground flax seeds (40 oz container-expires 2 years unless opened)
-frozen walnuts, pecans, almonds, cashews, peanuts

I'm sure I missed a few things.

And I'd have to grind the vegetables into a powder (all-vegg powder) to make them palatable (to me).

Our garden can/has produced the following, which we can either freeze (not preferred in case of loss of electricity) or dehydrate:
-peanuts
-corn
-sunflowers
-eggplant
-beans, including string and soybeans
-peas
-tomatoes
-okra
-peppers (bell and hot)
-greens
-radishes
-carrots
-etc.

On our homestead we'll plant lots of fruit and nut trees so we'll have those to freeze or otherwise store (almonds, pecans, walnuts, filberts, apples, pears, nectarines, etc.). Bushes of cherries, blueberries, cranberries and elderberries. Vines of grapes and passionfruit.

Plus we have growing inside year round a couple of tomato plants. In the Winter we grow carrots, radishes and greens like lettuce and spinach. We just started adding sprouts to our indoor "gardening". Could possibly add blueberry to year-round. Possibly strawberries. If we get/build a house with a big south-facing room with lots of windows, we could grow even more, like the lime/lemon/tangerine tree, banana tree plants, and more.

So... I could, depending on the availability, eat a fresh salad every day from our indoor and outdoor garden with a variety of veggies to go in it. I could eat my special crackers (below) with a variety of nut butters, salsa, guacamole, or raw hummus. Fresh or rehydrated fruit drizzled with homestead honey. Gazpacho (raw soup with tomatoes, cucumbers, etc.).

When I was full-on gluten-free a couple of years ago, I learned how to make a raw flax cracker. (Will post recipe soon - I made one that was unbelievably delicious.) Could grind the beans/peas/lentils/rice and add as "flour" to the cracker, along with the cornmeal/corn masa. Maybe even oats. Could add powdered veggies - the ones I don't like - and spices/herbs to change up the taste. This is a cracker that's dehydrated so it would qualify as raw.

I'm going to look into this and start posting raw-recipes as soon as possible. Perhaps this would help my myriad of symptoms if I'd just get off the junk food. Does a diet that has 85% raw food interest anyone besides me? Vikki

Meals for $5.00 a Day (Per Person)

Prices of food continue to rise. Meanwhile, we are struggling to keep our heads above water. Some people talk about eating for only a dollar day, and some blog about $5.00 a meal. We're trying to do $5.00 a day (per person) so for our family, it would be $15 total a day. Here's the info we've researched:

Here's a list of what NOT to do if you're watching your pennies, like we are:

• DON'T buy frozen dinners - they are full of salt and chemicals and not good for you anyway
• DON'T buy the pre-packaged cereals
• DON'T buy hot dogs or lunch meat
• DON'T eat out or bring home fast or restaurant food
• DON'T use refined flour or buy bread
• DON'T buy pre-made cookies, puddings and other desserts
• DON'T even look at the junk food, chips, crackers and soda pop - empty calories

Here's a few suggestions:

• Buy rice, flour, salt, oil, popcorn, honey, pasta, nuts, sugar and beans in bulk from a bulk food club.
• Make your own bread and other baked goodies.
• Watch your portions. Americans eat way too much. Use smaller plates and follow the "per portion" suggestions on packages. You'll get used to it.
• Stock up on dented but still good canned goods, and other canned goods when they go on sale. That means watching circulars and unadvertised sales.
• Clip coupons. But if you're going to pay more for the item even with the coupon versus store brand, buy the store brand.
• See if your grocery store has a discounted meat or discounted dairy section. If they do, ask when is the best time to find the best deals. Go then.
• Don't buy deboned and deskinned meats because you're paying for that extra service. Buy whole meats on sale, cook, and freeze in meal portions. Use the bones to make broth.
• Rely on soups, stews and stewps (thicker than a soup, thinner than a stew).
• Grow as many fresh fruits and vegetables at home as you can. Make every bit of your landscaping edible - fruit trees, berry bushes, asparagas, rhubarb, and annual vegetables.
• Learn to raise animals (like fish, chickens or rabbits) for meat, or hunt. Keep chickens for eggs - more bang for your buck!
• Sprout your own seeds to eat the sprouts - a little goes a long way for nutrition.
• Use your slow cooker (crockpot) regularly to make your dinner meal easy. If it's ready when you get home from work, you won't feel as tempted to order in.
• Use aromatics (strong-smelling herbs, onions and garlic) to make the food more pleasing to your sense of smell and taste.
• Be sure to have 2-3 different colors on your plate to make the food more pleasing to your sense of sight.

Here's a suggestion for one day:

• Breakfast ($.69) - 2 eggs (.22), cheese (.1o), grits (.34), tea (.03)
• Lunch ($1.22) - chicken salad (.67), 7 yellow pear tomatoes from garden (0), sliced apple (.55)
• Dinner ($1.12) - black beans (.22), double serving rice (.12x2), vegetable salad from garden (0), salad dressing (.66)

Wow! The above total is $3.03 per person! We even have money leftover for snacks like dried fruit, nuts, or homemade flatbread. And VHTS could have a big glass of soy milk with his breakfast!

Most of the above is good info for people who are working to exist on their stored foods. Hopefully, our blog will help you find a way to eat your stored foods, like that big bag of rice or making your own bread.

So... who has tried to eat on $5.00 a day? Or less. We are trying, but with a Very Hungry Tween Son (VHTS) who is always hungry but can't eat wheat, we are averaging about $8.00 (gluten-free bread is expensive). However, we've discovered we can grind our bulk rice and bulk almonds to make an unbelievably delicious cookie-thing. We'll keep trying to reduce our costs.

Inventory Check: Birth Control

Not really something we've seen mentioned very often on other "preparation" websites, but it's pretty essential. Assume, for a month, a worst-case scenario. TSHTF. Catastrophe. Complete anarchy. Earth changes. No more condoms or birth control pills, IUDs or etc. You get that urge, and have no more condoms or anything else left. Do you NOT, um, you know, do it?

Yeah, right.

And a month later, a pregnancy is discovered. Do you have any "birthin' " books on hand? A doula or midwife nearby? How is an 8-month pregnant woman going to help defend the property, chop wood, plow the land?

Did you give this any consideration?

Quote from:http://www.moondragon.org/obgyn/contraception/herbalbirthcontrol.html

Numerous herbs have been used historically to reduce fertility, and modern scientific research has confirmed anti-fertility effects in at least some of the herbs tested. Herbal contraception may never reach the level of contraceptive protection as the pill, but it offers alternatives for women who have difficulty with modern contraceptive options or who just want to try a different way. Very little is known about many of the herbs, or about long term side effects or safety concerns. Most herbalists don't recommend herbs for contraception, because of their potential unreliability. Many herbal methods have been tried with mixed results. People who are not interested in getting pregnant are usually not interested in mixed results. With any method of contraception, there is some risk of pregnancy. Each woman has to decide how much of a risk is too much. Most modern forms of birth control are 70% to 99% effective depending on the method chosen. For women who can't use modern forms of contraception, herbs can offer alternatives, and reducing fertility would be better than no birth control at all.

Here's another link that gives a lot more information: http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/showthread.php?t=55355

So... you can stock up on condoms and sponges and jellies and cervical caps (pills will grow old), and/or take advantage of herbal knowledge. Remember, these will NOT protect against sexually transmitted diseases.

Just, please, be prepared.

NOTE: Expired condoms can be used to cover the muzzle of a gun when out in damp/raining/snowing weather.

DISCLAIMER: We are not medical professionals so please consult your medical professional before using anything other than prescriptions.

Protein: Incomplete Vs. Complete

I was recently doing some research for more stored food recipes, and came across this wonderful link: http://www.celebritydietdoctor.com/complete-protein-myth/

I had been trying to figure out food combining to make sure that we got protein at every meal with limited supplies. After reading the above article, which I tend to believe, I've come to the conclusion that if we just eat a balanced diet, our protein intake should be fine.

Sure would make things easier. What do you think?

Inventory Check: Salt/Pepper (and Sodium Content of Foods)

Do you have enough salt?

How many of us live near a salt mine or ocean? Easy access to salt. Not many of us. Personally, we're landlocked, and the closest salt "mines" are about 400 miles away. I've already warned Hubby that if things happen like "Jericho", he will be taking horses and buggies and a bodyguard detail to go mine salt and bring back as much as possible. Okay, maybe not.

We looked. There really isn't a good substitute for salt.

Recommended Dietary Salt (sodium) Intake:
"Low" salt diet ... ... 400 - 1000 mg/day
"Normal" salt diet ... ... 1100 - 3300 mg/day
"High" salt diet ... ... 4000 - 6000 mg/day

Sodium Content of Common Foods (from: http://oto2.wustl.edu/men/sodium.htm):

All values are given in mg of sodium for a 100 g (3.5 oz) food portion. These values are a guide. More accurate values are given in the Nutritional Information on the package of most products, in the form of mg of sodium per serving. Edited for space:

Apple, raw unpeeled 1
Apple juice, bottled 1
Applesauce, sweetened 2
Asparagus, cooked 1 (regular canned 236)
Avocado 4
Baking powder 11,000
Banana 1
Barly, pearled 3
Beans, Lima 1 (regular canned 236)
Beans, snap green, cooked 4 (regular canned 236)
Beans, white common, cooked 7
Beans, canned with pork and tomato sauce 463
Bean sprouts, cooked 4
Beets, cooked 43 (regular canned 236)
Beverage, water 0
Blackberries 1
Bouillon cubes 24,000
Broccoli, cooked 10
Brussel sprouts, cooked 10
Cabbage 20
Cantaloupe 12
Carrots 40 (regular canned 236)
Cashews, unsalted 15
Cauliflower 10
Celery, raw 126 (cooked 88)
Cereal, Corn grits 1
Cereal, Cornmeal 1
Cereal, Farina, dry 2 (cooked salted or instant 160)
Cereal, Oatmeal, dry 2 (cooked salted 218)
Cereal, Rice flakes 987
Cereal, wheat flakes 1000
Cereal, wheat, puffed 4
Cereal, wheat, shredded 3
Cheese, Parmesan 1,862
Cherries, Raw 2
Chicken, cooked, without skin 60 to 80
Chickpeas, dry 8
Chicory 7
Chocolate, plain 4
Clams, raw soft 36
Clams, hard, round 205
Cocoa, dry 6
Cocoa, processed 717
Coconut, fresh 23
Coffee, instant, dry 72
Collards, cooked 25
Corn, sweet, cooked 0 (regular canned 236)
Cowpeas, dry, cooked 8
Crabmeat, canned 1000
Cranberry juice or sauce 1
Cucumber 6
Dates 1
Duck 74
Eggplant, cooked 1
Egg, whole, raw 74 (whites 152, yolk 49)
Endive, curly 14
Figs 2
Flounder 78
Flour 2
Fruit cocktail 5
Gelatin, dry 0 (sweetened, ready-to eat 51)
Grapefruit, fresh, canned or juice 1
Grapes 3
Haddock, raw 61 (battered 177)
Herring 74
Honey 5
Honeydew melon 12
Kale, cooked 43
Lamb, lean 70
Lemon, juice or fresh 1
Lettuce 9
Lime, fresh or juice 1
Liver, beef 184
Liver, pork 111
Lobster 210
Macaroni, dry 2 (commercial with cheese 543)
Milk, evaporated 106
Milk, dried 549
Molasses, light 15 (Dark 96)
Mushrooms 14 (canned 400)
Mustard, prepared yellow 1,252
Mustard greens 18
Nectarine 6
Noodles, dry 5
Nuts, in shell 1 (processed nuts may contain high amounts of salt)
Oil, corn 0
Okra, 2
Olives, green 2,400
Onions, green 5 (mature 10)
Orange peeled, juice, canned or juice 1
Oysters, raw 73
Papayas, raw 3
Parsley 45
Parsnips, cooked 8
Peaches 2
Peanuts, roasted 5 (salted 418)
Peanut butter 607
Pears 2
Peas, cooked 2 (regular canned 236)
Peas, dried 40
Pecans, shelled 0
Peppers, green 13
Perch 79
Pickles, dill 1,428
Pickles, relish, sweet 712
Pineapple, raw or canned 1
Pizza, cheese 702
Plums 2
Popcorn, salted with oil 1,940
Pork 65
Potatoes, baked, boiled or french fried 2 to 6
Potatoes, mashed salted 331
Prunes 4
Pumpkin, canned 2
Radishes 18
Raisins, dried 27
Raspberries 1
Rhubarb 2
Rice, dry 5 (cooked salted 374)
Rutabagas 4
Salmon 64 (canned 387)
Sardines, canned 400
Scallops, 265
Shrimp 150
Spaghetti, dry 2
Spinach, raw 71 (cooked 50)
Squash 1
Strawberries 1
Sugar, white 1 (brown 30)
Sunflower seeds 30
Sweet potatoes 12
Tapioca, dry 3
Tomato 3 (canned 130)
Tomato ketchup 1,042
Tomato juice, canned 200
Tuna in oil 800
Turkey, 82
Turnips 34
Veal 80
Vinegar 1
Walnuts 3
Watermelon 1
Wheat germ 827
Yeast, compressed 16 (dry , active 52)

= = =

Even though you can get sodium from natural foods, salt is important. Dole it out carefully. Too much can dehydrate you, making your need to drink more, and could send your blood pressure through the roof. Use it sparingly, to pickle vegetables from your garden, to preserve/smoke meat, and so forth. See if you can make it last as long as possible.

Meanwhile, we're buying 25-pound bags, 3 at a time, from Sam's club. It's about $4.00 a 25-lb bag, which is much cheaper than buying the little containers at the grocery store. We store the bags of salt in storage buckets with moisture absorbers. Since we don't use much salt, a 25-pound bag will last us about 3 years (including pickling veggies harvested from our garden).

Note: iodized salt changes chemical composition over time, and even becomes somewhat poisonous, so store just plain table or sea salt.

We don't use black pepper. Son and I hate the taste, and Hubby is getting used to doing without. But we know some people like it, so we've stored a couple of shakers of it.

What about you?

Survival Food for Hypoglycemia

I recently had a hypoglycemic attack. The first in months and months ... and because it had been a while, I'd forgotten my first rule: no sugar in the morning/protein preferred.

My son recently got a gluten-free cereal that had a lot of sugar. Even though it tasted horribly sugary, I ate a bowl, with rice milk. An hour later, I realized what I'd done, and started gnawing on half a protein bar.

Two hours later, we were in the middle of our Saturday errands when I began to tremble. I could barely stand. My hands shook. I was sweating. Breathing heavy. Almost couldn't talk. My head was going to explode, and everything was fading. I felt faint.

We rushed to the nearest place to eat (unfortunately, a McDonald's). My son and Hubby looked scared; my Son held my shaking hand as I tried to patiently wait at the table. I couldn't - I sent Son over to get something, anything, from Hubby. As soon as I was handed food, I chomped down. I'm sure I looked like a big fat woman with no control, and by the shaking of my hands, I also looked like an addict or someone with Parkinson's.

This episode reminded me: we need to stock up on enough items to get me through several hypoglycemic attacks. The following is from the website: http://www.lef.org/protocols/metabolic_health/hypoglycemia_01.htm

Nutrient and Supplemental Therapy:
Acute hypoglycemia therapy focuses on immediately raising the blood sugar level. Any substance containing carbohydrates, such as saltine crackers, fruit juice, or hard candy, if taken at the beginning of a hypoglycemic episode, will help raise blood sugar quickly and ease the severity of an attack. A severe hypoglycemic attack is therefore a good time to consume rapidly absorbed simple sugars. Fruit juice, glucose syrup, or sugary soft drinks can be lifesaving. Milder attacks can be managed with foods that contain complex carbohydrates, which are less rapidly absorbed. However, these should not be used by a person having a severe attack (i.e., a diabetic with an insulin reaction).

The following nutrients have been shown to help normalize blood glucose levels:

Chromium. Chromium is widely recognized as an essential trace element. It has multiple effects on insulin levels. Chromium has been widely studied in the context of type 2 diabetes for its ability to lower blood sugar levels at higher doses by increasing insulin sensitivity (Racek J 2003). However, studies have also shown that chromium can help enhance glucagon secretion (McCarty MF 1996).

Amino acids. Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in the human body and is involved in more metabolic processes than any other amino acid (Stumvoll M et al 1999). Few clinical trials have been conducted to determine if glutamine supplementation can increase glucose levels. Amino acid infusions, however, are known to raise glucagon levels, which in otherwise healthy individuals produces an increase in glucose (Nair KS et al 1990). Hypoglycemia was induced by insulin infusions in diabetic and nondiabetic subjects in two studies. The participants then received amino acid mixtures. The results indicated a sharp rise in glucagon secretion in normal participants and a modest rise in diabetic participants (Caprio C et al
1993).

A study in an animal model demonstrated that the liver's ability to produce glucose from certain amino acids was increased during hypoglycemia induced by insulin. Glucose levels increased in animals given the amino acid infusion but not in control animals given only a saline infusion (de Souza HM et al 2001).

N-acetylcysteine. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is a protein amino acid that has antioxidant properties. It has been shown to alleviate hypoglycemia in rodents exposed to toxic chemicals by preventing the rapid loss of glucose. For example, in one study of rats exposed to a toxin that causes hypoglycemia, administration of 200 mg/kg NAC prevented depletion of glucose (Sprague CL et al 2005). In another study of rats exposed to arsenic, which is known to cause hypoglycemia, administration of 163.2 mg/kg of NAC daily prevented hypoglycemia (Pal S et al 2004).

Lifestyle Changes for Hypoglycemics:
A well-balanced diet will help normalize blood sugar levels. Usually a regimen moderate in protein, unrefined carbohydrates (such as whole-grain products and vegetables, which are slow to be absorbed), and fats is recommended. Foods high in rapidly absorbed sugars should be avoided. This diet can help prevent reactive hypoglycemia due to a sudden influx of glucose into the blood.

The use of a fiber supplement before meals also helps control the rate of absorption of dietary carbohydrates. Alcohol, caffeine, tobacco, and other stimulants should be avoided because they are capable of precipitating a hypoglycemic attack. Small meals taken often during the day are recommended to control the amount of carbohydrates entering the system and to prevent rapid declines in blood glucose levels.

Guess we're stocking up on crackers, fiber tablets, chromium, glutamine, and dried veggies. Do you have a special diet to prepare for?

Survival Food For The Stomach Flu

The worst has happened. You've bugged out to the woods, or you are confined to your home while civil unrest rages around you. Whether it's nerves, or what.... you've got tummy aches, then cramping, and diarrhea. Oh no... you're sick. Maybe it's just a little intestinal flu or bug, and maybe a little something has irritated your digestive system. Let's assume you are just dealing with a little stomach bug...

Resort to the BRAT diet:
B = bananas (jarred babyfood or dehydrated chips)
R = rice (instant, rice cereal)
A = applesauce
T = toast (crackers are great substitute)

Gelatin is also good. Remember to drink plenty of liquids: water, gatorade (from powdered), etc. Be sure to monitor your body. Rest when you need to. You need to get back up and running as soon as possible.

Please remember our disclaimer: we are not medical professionals, and are not offering medical advice.

No More Daily Menus for Rotation Diet

We are the type of the family that likes to decide what to eat at the last minute. This planning a day or a week before is killing us! Aargh! On top of that, my stomach is still in knots from the huge influx of whole grains. My poor IBS.

Plus, we think we've discovered that my Son has some kind of reaction when he eats wheat. This is interesting, from a behavior standpoint, a diet standpoint, and now, a storage standpoint. I guess no wheat for him means more rice, rice pasta, potatoes, chips, etc. No canned chicken noodle soup. Ah man... :(

So... this grain rotation diet will continue in this household for several more months, but most people are coming here for our stored-food recipes and cooking techniques. That's what we'll continue to give you.

Thank you for your patience as we strive to help as many people as possible. We are trying to post 2-4 times each per day.

The Williams Family

Menu: Soy

Today is SOY day in our rotation diet. Mysstomach still messed up, so here's our menus for today:

Breakfast
Yogurt

Lunch:
Soy Muffins*
canned pineapple
---Son:dried soy beans
---Hubby:defrosted cooked steak pieces
---Me:gelatin

Dinner:
Bacon-Wrapt Tofu*
Pork-n-Beans (canned)
Carrots


* Recipe posting today

Copyright (c) 2009 New View Group, LLC

Grain Rotation Diet - Hazards

Being on this grain rotation diet has been good and bad.

Good in that it's helping us come up with good recipes, be creative, and try new things while working to figure out specific grain allergies.

Bad in that, well, let's just say, using a lot of whole grains is helping clean out our digestive system. Big time. Massive. As a woman with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), this has given me a new perspective on pain. And a great disappointment in omeprazole (prilosec).

So, because I'm so miserable, I have to suspend this rotation grain diet FOR ME for a few days while I get the pain under control. I'll do no-grains, like goat yogurt, fruits and veggies, nut butter and (ugh) gelatin.

I'm posting our menu in another posting (in a few minutes!).

Holiday Gathering

Whether you're home alone during the Holidays, snowed-in, or having friends over, there's no reason to not celebrate this special time of year in a special way.

First, remember, that if is NOT all about the food. Sure, most people come over expecting outstanding delicious dishes but that doesn't meal expensive and intricate. Just different. Decorate a table with color placemats, pinecones tied with gold ribbon, and light candles/turn down the lights. For food, keep it simple. How about ... ...

• a canned ham, heated with pineapple and maple syrup, OR a lentil and ham soup
• fresh baked bread, with a dipping "sauce" of olive oil with herbs de provence
• sweet potatoes, sliced, baked, and topped with "butter"
• green salad
• dessert of dates, apples, pears and other fresh and dried fruits with cheese and special crackers

Second, center the occasion around friendship, love, togetherness, and enjoying just BEing.

Third, if you plan to exchange gifts, put a dollar limit on them. This is a rough year for most people. Hubby and I aren't even exchanging gifts at all this year. We put a few dollars away each payday for Son but the adults in our family really aren't getting anything - a basket of bread mixes, a box of special coffees and assorted tea bags. Son made pictures for a few family people.

Enjoy this time of year. Don't stress - BELIEVE that life is not only worth living, but worth enjoying!

Happy Holidays

Rotation Diet for Grains: General Schedule & Layout

Our 365 Rotation Diet:

Our little family is planning a little experiment: 365 days on a grain "Rotation Diet". Well, maybe not a full 365. Maybe 30 days. Anyway, here's how we're figuring out the days-of-the-week schedule, with some changes for special days of the year. We'll be using a lot of stored foods (canned, dried, staples, etc.) but some meals will use fresh fruits and veggies from our garden, and cheap purchases from the local grocery.

As to the rotation of the grains, there ARE a lot of different grains/starches to use, but some of them are so expensive, so you'll note we're combining some on certain days. I mean, who can afford to store quinoa flour for every week in a year? Also, we're counting "potato" as a separate day because some people develop allergies to potatoes too. Who knew?

In addition, because one of us is lactose intolerant and, well, we have health issues, we're noting "lactose-free", "gluten-free" and "heart-healthy" on relevent recipes.

Sunday:
-Grain/Starch/Flour:wheat OR buckwheat OR kamut OR spelt (pasta, bread, etc.),
-Additional Flour: almond,
-Nut/Seed/Legume/Meat:almond/pea/egg/pork/fish,
-Calcium:cowmilk,
-Fruit:pineapple/peach/blueberries/wonderberries/persimmon,
-Veggie:mushrooms/peas/cauliflower/squash/pickles/all-vegg pwdr,
-Other: Chocolate

Monday:
-Grain/Starch/Flour:quinoa OR millet OR amaranth,
-Additional Flour: pumpkin seed flour/sunflower seed flour,
-Nut/Seed/Legume/Meat:pumpkin seeds/sesame seeds/sunflower seeds/peanut/lentils/beef,
-Calcium: goatmilk,
-Fruit:citrus/orange/grape/raisin/apple/raspberries,
-Veggie:greens/cucumber/spinach/pumpkin/all-vegg pwdr

Tuesday:
-Grain/Starch/Flour:potatoes (baking & sweet),
-Additional Flour: sesame seed flour, white bean flour,
-Nut/Seed/Legume/Meat:peanut/pistachio/sesame seeds/chicken/egg/white bean/coconut,
-Calcium: goatmilk,
-Fruit:mango/kiwi/cherry/pineapple/papaya;
-Veggie:carrots,celery,cabbage,squash,tomato,all-vegg pwdr

Wednesday:
-Grain/Starch/Flour:soy/tofu,
-Additional Flour: filbert or hazelnut flour,
-Nut/Seed/Legume/Meat:beef/fish/filbert/hazelnut,
-Calcium:soymilk,
-Fruit:banana/pear/cherries/strawberries,
-Veggies:artichoke,spinach,cabbage,carrots,all-vegg pwdr

Thursday:
-Grain/Starch/Flour:corn,
-Additional Flour: pecan flour/black bean flour/red bean flour,
-Nut/Seed/Legume/Meat:pecan/pea/pork/black bean/red bean,
-Calcium:cowmilk,
-Fruit:berries/pomegranate/apple/fruit cocktail,
-Veggies:celery/greens/broccoli/cauliflower/radish/ tomatoes/all-vegg pwdr,
-Other: Popcorn

Friday:
-Grain/Starch/Flour: rice/rice pasta,
-Additional Flour: bean flour, walnut flour, sesame flour, flax flour,
-Nut/Seed/Legume/Meat:bean/walnut/cashew/sesame seed/flax seed/chicken,
-Calcium: rice milk,
-Fruit:banana/melon/strawberry/apple/raisin/plum/prune,
-Veggies:greens,cabbage/water chestnuts/beets/eggplant/tomato/okra/mushroom/all-vegg pwdr

Saturday:
-Grain/Starch/Flour:oats,
-Additional Flour: garbanzo bean flour, almond flour,
-Nut/Seed/Legume/Meat:almond/lentil/ bean/peanut/turkey/garbanzo beans,
-Calcium: cowmilk,
-Fruit:cranberries/orange/banana/apricots
-Veggies:beets/broccoli/carrots/cucumber/peppers/squash/string beans/all-vegg pwdr

I hope this gives you an idea of what we'll be eating for the 365 days of the year 2009. Please "follow" this blog. Beginning January 1 2009, every morning we'll post that day's "Rotation Diet" menu. We'll also post some recipes for that menu plus recipes that exclusively use stored foods.

Thank you for taking this adventure with us, and feel free to comment!

Rotation Diet for Grain Allergies

We've been working non-stop for the last week trying to figure out 365 days worth of our grain/starch rotation diet and we've discovered... it's hard!

We almost have it worked out, and we're excited that starting early morning of New Year's Day of 2009, we'll begin posting our menus and some of the recipes. Even special meals like Mother's Day, and holidays like Thanksgiving and Halloween.

Just a preview:
- Millet Tabbouleh on bed of greens with diced pickled beets
- Peanut/Oatmeal Cookies
- Turkey Sausage and Rice Stuffing
- Macho Nachos
- Soy Muffins
- Turkey Shepherd's Pie

Would love to see your recipes, and once we start our 365 count, definitely want your input! Please "follow" this blog!

p.s. We'll also post recipes that use ONLY stored foods like canned, dried, frozen, and staples.

Recipes Wanted for Rotation Diet (amaranth, spelt, etc.)

The "Rotation Diet" is basically a way to prevent or pick out allergies to grains and other starches to which you may not have been tested for, and may or may not suspect there is a problem. It rotates suspected foods. For instance, wheat on Monday (just wheat, no other grain) and not again until the next Monday. Only corn on Tuesday and not again until the next Tuesday. And so on. That way, when you react to something, it is more obvious.

This diet also allows you to eat foods to which you have a mild or borderline allergy. If you ate them more often, you might not be able to tolerate them. It will also prevent new food allergies from forming.

The usual Rotation Diet rotates more than just grains and starches (like eggs, cow's milk, citrus fruits, and nuts) but we naturally limit those. We don't have a problem with eggs. We'll schedule our milk (powdered goat/soy/rice milk) for the appropriate days. We don't eat many citrus fruits (cans of mandarin oranges) but will have to carefully plan our "nut" days. If we do this right, we shouldn't have to weigh food or count calories.

In our little family, two of us are overweight, and the Son has behavior issues. We are also picky eaters, and one of us needs lunch-box meals. We believe we three can benefit greatly from this diet, if we can find enough foods and easy recipes to keep us interested. Especially since only one of us really does the cooking.

So, we're preparing to go on this diet for Year 2009, and are looking for recipes for various grains and starches. It's hard! The internet has provided several, but certainly not enough. And we want to figure out how to make our own pasta, cookies, treats, bread, etc. by using just one grain/starch at a time. Most of the recipes we are finding (especially for pasta and bread) use more than just one grain. Argh!

AND... these recipes need to use dried fruit/veggies and other foods easily stored.

So, we're asking (NOPE, we're begging) for your help!

Grains/Starches:
-corn
-rice (brown or white)
-oats
-millet
-amaranth
-potatoes (yes, it's not a grain but IS a starch)
-quinoa
-spelt
-soy (very allergenic which is why it made this list)
-nut/seed flour

Looking for Recipes (Savory OR Sweet) using the above grains/starches to make (the easier the better):
-pasta
-bread and crackers
-cookies
-treats
-main dishes

One grain/starch per recipe. Since this is a stored-foods recipe and cooking blog, we'd like to limit the additional ingredients to be things like bean flour and arrowroot flour, in addition to using honey or stevia or white sugar, eggs (in shell or powdered), salt, baking soda, baking powder, yeast, spices, herbs, etc. Ingredients most people have in their pantries and cupboards.

Will you contribute? When giving your recipes, please feel free to use the comments section, or e-mail us. Thank you.