Gluten Free Sausage Manicotti / Penne

This is my super simple version of sausage manicotti. It’s quick to toss together and is very filling. I use penne pasta because I haven’t found gluten free manicotti shells in any of my local stores. If you have gluten free manicotti just stuff them with the sausage mixture. Be sure your spaghetti/marinara sauce is soybean oil and dairy free…sometimes they are hard to find.

Ingredients
1 pound mild ground sausage (or hot if you like it)

1 jar of your favorite spaghetti or marinara sauce (I get mine at Trader Joe’s)

8 oz  gluten free penne pasta

1 egg

Brown sausage and drain. Allow sausage to cool and then add the egg, mix well.

Cook pasta according to package, drain well and then fold it into the sausage mixture. Place into a baking dish and then cover with marinara sauce. I like to work the sauce in just a little by taking a spoon and working it around the edges and in the middle.

Bake at 350 for 25 min. You want it to bubble but you don’t want to over cook it or it will dry out.

White Bean & Kale Soup

Soup in the summer? My son requested it so I made it. This soup is very simple. If you are just beginning the allergy diet or want a super “clean” meal this soup it perfect.  In the winter I make a huge pot of it in the slow cooker and we eat on it all day.  This soup is bland, but sometimes that’s what our body needs. It’s so easy to “doctor” this soup up so play around with it.

Be sure to not overcook the kale, you want it to turn a bright green and not shrivel up and wilt too much.

 

 

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 large garlic cloves, crushed or minced

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

6 organic carrots, chopped

6 ribs of celery, chopped

4 cups chopped raw kale (if you use a bog of chopped kale like I did be sure to tear off the stems)

8 cups water

2 (15 ounce) cans white beans, drained

1 tbl red wine vinegar

1 tea Salt and pepper to taste

chopped cashews for garnish

 Directions:

In a large pot, heat olive oil. Add garlic and onion; sauté until soft. Add carrots, celery, salt and pepper and sauté.  Add water and let simmer for 25 minutes.  Reduce to low and add beans, kale, and vinegar. Simmer 5 minutes. Ladle into bowls; sprinkle with chopped cashews.

ADHD Diet Miracle Personal Story

I just stumbled on this personal story of how a change in diet helped a woman and her son. It's very inspirational.

Here's a link to the story: ADHD Diet Miracle Personal Story

My son had ADHD that was so severe, it masked his Aspergers Syndrome for several years. His ADHD reached a peak when he was 12 when I had to enter his bedroom with a pillow to protect myself from flying objects that might be thrown at me.
I would be there as he awoke with his ritalin before he left his bed! That's how severe he was! Luckily for me, he also has a developmental condition. Though he was 12, with the development of an 8 year old, he would still throw huge tantrums! The doctor wanted to increase his meds even though he was already at 54 mgs of concerta and 8 mg of melatonin at night to help him sleep and help his nightmares. I did not want him to have any more medications. My son was turning into a zombie while on them and acted crazy when they wore off.
I needed to know more about alternatives. My son did not go to sleep until 1 am, then woke several times in the night. He was up for the day at 6am, where was I going to find the time to learn more? His school (special school) had threatened me with exclusion (expulsion) and there was no where else for him to go.
The melatonin was a discovery that helped my son sleep. I discovered this when he was ten years old. So in between his sleeping pattern, I started researching and found the Feingold Diet and the "Allergy Induced Autism diet". 2 diets for 2 conditions - one for ADHD and one for his Asperger's.
I discovered that they were remarkably the same. Both included the exclusion of all animal milks, gluten, all MSG's, and chemically related products. But I thought it was too difficult. We ate out most nights because his behavior was so severe. I had little precious time to rest, let alone cook! However, I did notice that he seemed to live on a diet of dairy milk and chocolate chip cookies and could go through 4 pints of milk a day on his own! So I began with trying to eliminate the animal milks. .... and it was ...HELL!
My son hit the roof! He searched the house for milk, then the cookies and made my evening a nightmare. I persevered and got through the night. Exhausted, I went in to his room in the morning with his concerta (and my pillow for my safety!) and as I opened the door this unknown boy to me jumped out of bed, ran to me and said, "morning mummy." He put his arms round my waist and squeezed me and said, "I love you" and ran off down stairs.
In my shock, I did not move and then suddenly burst into tears. These words had rarely been said in his lifetime and I could not remember a morning like this. Then I remembered he had gone downstairs and ran down in a panic. It couldn't be real and there he was on the sofa, calmly watching tv. The diet had begun and for me there was no going back. I wanted my son back and I knew he was in there somewhere.
This was not a cure only a beginning. Of course he was not calm all day!! That would be a miracle! But I waited a year on the no milk diet before I took him for an intolerance test. Yes, the severe aggression had gone but he was still hyperactive, annoying, and unaware of any dangers. The strong ADHD symptoms were still there but not to the severity that I was going to lose my mind entirely.
Amazingly, the intolerance test showed that he was intolerant to animal milks, gluten and other chemicals found in foods. I knew that I had to try the Feingold diet. So we began. With a lot of help from, "Barbara the bread", from the AIA support group, with her fabulous recipes for gorgeous bread and cookies, were entirely gluten and dairy free. My son continued to improve. I reduced his meds to 36 mgs concerta successfully and occasionally he can manage on 18 mgs. I have not found a doctor to help me wean him off the meds entirely.
My son also was found to have a salicylate intolerance. The further I progressed into the diet his behavior improved as well as his happiness with life. He also had vitamins and supplements that help adhd symptoms. They also provided the nutrients for the foods he cannot have in his diet.
He has grown more in this year (2006) than any year and gained weight to take him from a worrying sight to an all round healthy happy boy of 15 almost 16 yrs. He still has developmental difficulties and I know he still has ADHD/Asperger's Syndrome. Compared to his friends, one who has been recently tagged by the police for his behavior and his medications level increased. My son is unbelievable!!
I now had my miracle.
I am so proud of him. No words can express this feeling.. My last battle is to find a doctor to help me wean him entirely from the world of ritalin related drugs because I know he can do it! we will do it together.
many thanks, UK Mom

UPDATE 4/15/2008

Hi Tj UK Mom here from North wales with some good news! my son is now entirely drug free thanks to the feingold diet/AiA diet. He has been totally Ritalin free for 3 weeks with no side effects and no going back!
It has taken 7 years in total to transfer to the diet and slowly withdraw the Ritlain based drug, Concerta that he has been taking since he was 6 years old. we made it! I am so proud of him and would like you to update this to his story to give hope to other parents and people who have ADHD.
It can be done and it is well worth the hard work it takes to implement the diet. my son has a life and a good one at that and this is thanks to the diet. Thank you to everyone who has helped us from Barbara the Bread, AiA, the Feingold diet, Luke and Joe Jackson and a special thank you to his sister for being so tolerant x well done son !