Flour Tortillas!!

Connor has been gluten free, dairy free and soy free since he was a baby. His momma, me, on the other hand, became gluten free as an adult. I know what a warm donut tastes like. I know what a warm, flaky croissant tastes like. I miss good, light, fresh, good bread for a sandwich. I love good food, which makes going gluten free, and dairy free so hard for me. It is hard to find good gluten free food. It is hard when you know what a good home made flour tortilla tastes like fresh off the grill to then settle for a store bought corn tortilla. Well, I have found a way to satisfy some of my food sadness. I haven't found a good donut or croissant yet, but I have found an excellent and easy flour tortilla recipe.

When I was a young wife, before I had kids, I use to make home made flour tortillas daily. We would some how find a way to make tortillas work with what ever we were having for dinner. We could be having fried rice, and we could make it work with flour tortillas. When friends came over, the first thing they asked for were the flour tortillas. Good, homemade flour tortillas are incredible. We are from the West, and Mexican food is a part of our culture. I was very sad when we found out we had to go gluten free, because that meant the tortillas had to go, until now. I found an incredible and EASY recipe for those of you that are challenged in the kitchen. A website called, "Gluten Free Cooking School" has the best recipe for gluten free flour tortillas. I challenge you to make these and not tell anyone that they are gluten free and see if anyone notices. I find the true test is when they go unnoticed as being "good for being gluten free". I want them to just be great!! My family keeps asking me to make these tortillas. That is awesome!!

Gluten Free Tortillas:

2 c. Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour Mix (I use Bob's Red Mill)
1 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 c. warm water

1. Add the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and mix the ingredients thoroughly.

2. Add the cup of warm water to the bowl and mix the dry goods into the water. Just mix it all up until all of the dry ingredients are no longer dry. And then keep mixing a minute longer.

3. Separate the dough into 8 pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Place all but one of the dough balls back into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap until you’re ready to work with them.

4. Sprinkle a clean, flat surface with a bit of all purpose flour and then roll your dough ball into a roughly circular shape. Get is as thin as possible. Make sure to keep it from sticking to your surface.

5. Throw the tortilla onto a hot griddle (I use a cast iron griddle on medium heat with just a smidge of shortening or oil) and let it cook approximately 1 minute – or until it has started puffing up and the bottom side is developing those lovely brown spots. Flip the tortilla and cook the other side until is toasty as well.

6. Slide the cooked tortilla onto a waiting plate and repeat from step 4 until you’ve cooked all 8 tortillas. I generally roll one tortilla out while another is cooking, so that there’s is always a tortilla on the griddle.

I find it helpful to not stack hot tortillas on top of each other. I like my tortillas slightly crunchy and the steam from one tortilla will make the next one soggy if they are stacked.

ENJOY!!

In the paper

Well, Connor and I were in the local paper yesterday. I am not thrilled with the article since the majority of the text was either fluff about us moving to this town, or reiterating the authors past negative article. I wanted to talk about being an advocate for your child. I wanted to talk more about how far Connor has come. I especially wanted to talk about the positive things the school district is doing for my son. Apparently, the newspaper sells more with negative articles, surprise, surprise.

I want to say thank you to my son's teacher, Ms. Lloyd, his para, Ms. Monica, his resource teacher, Ms. Wendy, and his entire team. Thank you for your constant hard work and patience. I am under no delusion that Connor is an easy child or that your jobs are easy. I wish more people, even people with typical children, could understand the lengths you go through to help our children. You sacrifice money and time and heaven knows patience, to help our children daily. I am not good at saying thank you and I expect a lot from you, but I am appreciative. You are all good at your jobs and have wonderfully large hearts. You have helped my son and you have loved my son. Thank you. To all teachers and all supporting staff across the country, thank you.

In case you want to read the article:


Mom pleased with support of autistic student

December 01, 2009 10:21 PM
BY WILLIAM ROLLER, SUN STAFF WRITER



When Jill Mitchell first met with Yuma Elementary District 1 to inquire about services available for her autistic son, she was prepared to fight for them.

Mitchell, who moved to Yuma from Woodland Park, Colo., last summer, said services for her son Connor, 10, were not optional - she said she has read books and attended conferences and knows what works.

But despite some criticisms she had heard about special education programs at the district, Mitchell was pleased with what she found. "The fabulous thing about District 1 is that I didn't need to fight because they agreed on everything," she said.

The Arizona Department of Education audited Yuma Elementary School District 1 in October after a complaint was filed by a parent. The audit noted that 29 percent of special education teachers have not met the Highly Qualified standard in the subject area they are assigned to teach as mandated under the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act. And there are four positions currently filled by long-term substitutes.

Mitchell said she knew that her son needed a paraprofessional "and without blinking an eye, they agreed."

A paraprofessional is a trained aide who spends all of their time with a disabled student while they are at school. After 8-1/2 years of therapy, diet and supplemental vitamins, Connor is now considered a "high functional autistic," Mitchell said.

"He walks and talks and does his homework, but he still has emotional and behavioral issues associated with autism. So he needs to have constant supervision to be successful."

Mitchell's husband, now a civil engineer at Yuma Proving Ground, had been self-employed. But because his business was keeping him from home, they moved to find a job opportunity in a sunnier climate with hopes of a better quality of life.

Initially, Mitchell noticed that parents had a negative view of how school districts handled autism. She found many parents who were criticizing their school's approach. This is because a diagnosis of autism is new and the rates are skyrocketing, she said.

Yet negative comments did not discourage her because she never was content to drop off her son at school and expect them to do all the work, Mitchell said.

Despite Connor's disability, he is participating in a regular fourth-grade classroom at Sunrise Elementary School. One of the initiatives the school takes that is especially helpful is the "lunch bunch" break period when Connor, his paraprofessional and two other classmates get together.

They not only enjoy sharing their meal, but it is an opportunity for Connor to work on his conversational and social skills in a small group setting while all 32 of his classmates take turns dining with him.

By having all the children rotate turns sharing quality time with Connor, none of them feels left out of the fun, and they have the chance to get better acquainted. Even before he arrived for the school year, District 1 had a counselor meet with Connor's class to explain how a child with autism is different but they can still be friends, Mitchell said.

"That made a difference in his being integrated into a regular classroom because now when he showed up, he was accepted by everyone."

Connor is now performing grade-level work, but that requires a lot of effort because he still has a lot of issues to overcome every day, Mitchell said. But, she noted, there is one type of therapy called applied behavioral analysis (ABA) that works better than others.

When Mitchell discovered Connor's paraprofessional lacked this background, she appealed to District 1, which had Connor's paraprofessional trained in ABA at Alice Byrne School. Mitchell's only complaint is that not enough teachers receive this specific professional development and the state needs to pass more bonds to fund this.

"I think parents ultimately got to take the responsibility for their own child and not blame the schools because District 1 has done an excellent job," she said.

In a previous Yuma Sun story, Darwin Stiffler, District 1 superintendent, said only 16 teachers out of nearly 60 special education instructors must meet additional requirements. He said ADE's report recognized that the teachers are certified in special education.

But ADE is adding new obligations that were not compulsory until now in order to meet the Highly Qualified standard. The 16 teachers must pass the Arizona Education Proficiency Assessment (AEPA), which evaluates general education knowledge, Stiffler said.

He said District 1 will comply with helping teachers prepare for the AEPA by providing professional development and reimbursing teachers for the exam expense.

Gluten and Dairy Free Brioche Recipe

For anyone who knows me, they know I love food, love eating, but hate cooking. My friend Aran is an amazing pastry chef and cook and she was kind enough to post one of her creations on my blog for those of you who actually enjoy baking and cooking. This looks fantastic and I hear they tasted pretty great too!!

Gluten-Free Brioche

adapted from "Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day" by Zoe François and Jeff Hertzberg

Makes enough bread for three 1.5 lb loaves

1 cup brown rice flour
1 cup tapioca starch (tapioca flour)
3 3/4 cups cornstarch
2 Tbs granulated yeast
1 Tbs kosher salt
2 Tbs xanthan gum
2 1/2 cups hemp milk
1 cup honey
4 eggs
1 cup neutral flavor oil
1 Tbs gluten-free vanilla extract
Egg wash
Raw sugar for sprinkling on top

Whisk together the brown rice flour, tapioca starch, cornstarch, yeast, salt and xanthan gum in a 5 qt bowl.

Combine the liquid ingredients and gradually mix them into the dry using a paddle attachment until there are no dry bits of flour.

Cover and allow the dough to rest for 2 hours. The dough can be used now or refrigerated for up to 5 days.

On baking day, grease a 8.5"x4.5" pan. Break a 1.5 lb piece of dough and shape it into a round. Wet your hands as the dough will be sticky. Elongate the dough into an oval and put it in the pan. You might need to wet the top a bit to smooth it out. Let it rest for 90 minutes (40 minutes if you are using non refrigerated dough).

Brush the top with egg wash and sprinkle raw sugar right before baking. Bake at 350F for about 40-45 minutes.

Toasted Brioche, Poached Egg, Watercress and Apple Salad

Serves 4

8 slices toasted gluten-free brioche
4 eggs (preferably farm fresh)
2 cups watercress
Bunch of purple basil
2 Granny Smith apples, thinly slices
Few drops lemon juice
Water for poaching eggs
1 Tbs white vinegar
Mustard and toasted hazelnut vinaigrette

Poach the eggs. Bring 3 qts of water and the vinegar to a boil. Reduce heat to a low simmer. Break off the egg into a ramekin and gently submerge the egg in the simmering liquid. Do not let the water boil and only cook 1 or 2 eggs at a time. Cook for about 2 minutes or until white has coagulated but yolk is still liquid. Remove with a slotted spoon.

Thinly slice the apples and drizzle with some lemon juice so they don't oxidize.

Place 2 small slices of toasted brioche on a plate. Garnish with watercress, purple basil and thinly sliced apples. Place the poached egg on top and season with a bit of salt and pepper. Drizzle the mustard and toasted hazelnut vinaigrette on top.

Mustard and Toasted Hazelnut Vinaigrette

2 tsp mustard
2 Tbs minced shallot
2 Tbs hazelnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
Salt and pepper
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
3 Tbs olive oil

Place the mustard, minced shallots, hazelnuts, balsamic and apple cider vinegars in a bowl. Add some salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle in the olive oil while whisking creating a light emulsion.

For more photos, please visit Aran's blog.

Our school district is making me happy

Before we moved here to this new town, my husband and I read as much as we could about it. I read about the school district and read comments from fellow parents of children with autism to get an idea of what we were getting into by moving to this town. I was getting worried at first because I read only negative comments about teachers not knowing how to teach their autistic child, or parents not getting a lot of help with their child. I then came to the conclusion that no matter what I read, or what the parents wrote, it was all about being active in the education of your child, autistic or not. I would never just drop any of my kids off at school and not have communication with the teachers on a constant basis. I can't imagine taking my child with autism to school and just letting the school do "whatever" without my input and direction. I have never just sat on my hands when it comes to Connor.

When school started, I had a lot of communication with his new team. We met for his initial "what are we going to do" meeting before Connor even started school. I needed to know EXACTLY what services they were going to provide and how they were going to do it. Connor needs a para, that is not up for debate. Thankfully, the team agreed without any arguments, but I would have fought for that if I had needed to. He also needs lots of structure and visual cues. He needs a reward system. He needs....
I did a lot of reading and went to a lot of conferences to know exactly what Connor needs and to know what to demand from the school. Parents should not expect anything from anyone when it comes to their children. They are your children! Do the work. Go to the school with your eggs in a basket and know what you need to advocate for your child. Don't ever expect anyone to ever give your child what they need.

My only complaint has been that Connor's para, although a very good personality for him and for autism in general, has no ABA training. At the last meeting, I brought this up again. In response, they suggested that while we were going to be out of town for a whole week, for Connor's para to go and have training done at one of their other schools. They sent her to this school for a whole week to do training and to shadow another para with more experience. Connor's para came back from the week focused and with so many great ABA techniques. I am more excited than I can express. She is now reading social stories to him, using a typical ABA reward chart, and using other techniques shown to work for high functioning children. YAY!

Connor came back from a week away from school and transitioned well back into the class. Good work team, and good job Connor's para!

Update on new school

So, the boys have been going to their new school for a while now. I literally hold my breath every day when I go to pick them up. They have a knack for tag teaming who is going to have a bad week. I started out joking that when one is having a good week, the other has to struggle. It isn't so funny anymore. Connor took to his new school smoothly. His para is strict with him, and keeps him on task. He wasn't having any meltdowns, and was even making friends, real friends. So...Fisher was struggling. He was getting into trouble with his teacher EVERY DAY. He couldn't focus or concentrate on her direction and was constantly saying he "didn't want to do it". Seriously?! When did I make the mistake of allowing Fisher to think he had a choice? Anyway, every day was tough when I picked up Fisher. He had to stay after school every day to make up for the work he wasn't doing during the school day. Every night was like pulling teeth to get him to do homework. Then one day...tag.

I hadn't noticed the shift at first. Fisher stopped having to stay after school. He wasn't fighting me with his homework as much. His teacher would just smile and wave when I picked him up from school. I thought, yay, Fisher is getting it!! Then, I started to notice that Connor was having some small fits at school. His notes home from the Para were getting longer and longer every day. His teachers had the look of exhaustion when I picked him up. They were definitely at their wits end with the fits getting progressively worse. I tried to explain the concept of "the honeymoon" phase. Sometimes when Connor starts a new supplement or a new therapy, he goes through a fantastic stage followed by a horrible one. It is complicated and has many layers of explanation, but the bottom line is this is typical for him. I think the beginning of the year gave the staff a false sense of security with Connor. He didn't have many issues and the days were smooth. Now that he is demonstrating more "autistic" characteristics, they are shocked. I went in last week to do a para training. I watched her for a few hours to see how she interacted with him naturally. I watched to see how she handled his behavior, without interrupting her initially. I wanted to get a good idea how she handled things and also how Connor reacted to her.

Connor's para is a strong woman. She doesn't let Connor get away with anything. She holds him accountable for his behaviors. I always say that when getting a para, go with personality. You can always train someone, but you can't train their spirit. Connor's para is definitely new to autism. She has not had formal training, but she is a mom, and a strict mom. Sometimes ABA (applied behavior analysis) is counter intuitive for a mom. Mom's are giving and helping and often times does for the child instead of allowing the child to do for themselves. It is hard to just stand back and not constantly say, "Get out your pencil", "Open your book". Instead, we allow Connor (as a high functioning autistic) to try and do these tasks with just the classroom teacher's direction and then do subtle reminders. We tap on his book when it isn't open yet. We point to the pencil in his desk if he hasn't gotten it out yet. We don't do these things right away though, give the child a few extra seconds or minutes to allow their brain to catch up. Connor is probably thinking and dealing with more stimuli than we can imagine. He was sitting next to the electric pencil sharpener when I came in. Kids were getting up to sharpen pencils every few minutes right next to him, all day. Even without verbally acknowledging this action, I know he was having to process it as extra, unwanted stimuli.

The day I went in to observe and then train was a successful day for Connor. I have gone to Connor's class many times in the past to train or help, but this was the first time he asked me to come back. He actually liked me being there. I will be back again tomorrow to train Connor's specials teachers, art, music and PE. I will also watch his para using the ABA techniques I showed her to see what else we can do to help Connor at school without being too much. He needs help, but he is what i call "crazy smart". He is a Thomas Edison kinda smart. I don't want to quash his individuality and I don't want to put him in a box. But I do want him to have real relationships and fit in. Sometimes by stepping back a little at school, we allow him to spread his wings. He can take two minutes to get out his math book instead of only one minute.

Gluten Free, Dairy Free Chocolate and Roasted Beet Pudding Cakes

Photos by Aran Goyoaga

Gluten Free, Dairy Free Chocolate and Roasted Beet Pudding Cakes

My friend, and my kids' godmother, is an amazing pastry chef. She created this beautiful masterpiece and I asked her if I could post the recipe on my blog for those of us who are gluten free. Aran said that the recipe could be altered from its original state to accommodate dairy free diets as well by substituting olive oil or shortening for the butter in the recipe. I am not a fan of beets, but I have it under good authority that a fellow non beet lover liked this cake a lot. I think anytime we can add a great veggie to our desserts is a good thing.

Thanks Aran!!

Makes 6-4 oz ramekins

2 eggs
2 yolks
50 grams sugar
55 grams non-hydrogenated shortening (originally, this was butter)
170 grams gluten, dairy and soy free chocolate chips
55 grams roasted beet puree
20 grams rice flour
pinch salt

In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip the eggs, egg yolks and sugar until pale and very thick (ribbon stage).

In the meantime, place the shortening and chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl and melt them together over a double boiler. Add the melted shortening and chocolate mixture into the whipped eggs and mix. Add the roasted beet puree and mix. Finally add the rice flour and salt and fold.

Pour the runny batter into the greased ramekins and place them on a baking sheet. Bake at 400F for about 8-10 minutes until the edges are set but the center is still soft and pudding-like. Let them cool for about 10 minutes before trying to unmold them.


Roasted Beet Puree

2 beets

Cut the leaves off the beets leaving about 1 inch stem on. Wrap them in aluminum foil and bake them at 400F for about 1 hour or until fork tender. Let them cool completely in the aluminum foil and them peel them.

Cut the roasted beets and puree them in a food processor. Strain the puree through a fine sieve. It makes more than what you will need for the cakes but you can freeze the rest.

New Post...finally

So if any of you are actually reading this, you know that I have written a new post for the first time all summer. This was a long and grueling summer for me. We moved to Arizona from Colorado IN THE SUMMER. People that live in Colorado make it through nine or ten months of crappy weather for the chance to experience two blissful, beautiful Colorado months. There is probably no more beautiful place in our vast and diverse country as Colorado in July and August. The state is green and lush and the temperature is a perfect 75 degrees. There are few bugs and no humidity either. The camping and fishing and overall outdoorsy people go crazy. My friends hiked and visited the ski areas that are actually more beautiful in the summer. All this was happening while I was in a state where the smart people leave for the summer. I moved to a state that the summer is the one season you don't want to experience. If I had a say in life, I would not have done it this way, but life didn't ask my opinion. A good job opportunity came up and we had to take it. I believe everything happens for a reason so I am not dwelling on this (too much) but instead looking for the next door of opportunity. I can't complain too much (well I can, but I won't) because we did rent a house with a pool, so the kids had a blast in the pool all summer and their momma got a pretty decent tan.

So here we are having started school in a new school for the first time in my children's young lives. In Colorado, we were in the same school since Connor had started school, but every year was a entirely new staff. I had to retrain the staff on Connor and his issues and needs every year, so I was prepared for this. Since we moved here in the summer, I wasn't able to get a hold of anyone at the school to let them know about Connor and his needs. I called and called the district office as school approached, but with no real answers. The first day of school was approaching, and I still had no communication from the school. I refused to just drop Connor off the first day of school with no para, or trained team, or plan in place. The Friday before school was going to start was the open house to meet the boys' teachers. I was able to meet the principal and the special education teacher and explained the situation. The principal called the district office and got someone on the phone who could get our ball rolling, and fast. She set up a meeting for the next week, the first week of school, for the entire team. I told them I would be keeping Connor out of school until we met and all the plans were in place. When we met, I expected to have to fight for everything. Connor needs a para. He needs a visual calendar. He needs a lunch bunch group with students and a teacher. He needs a lot of things and they didn't already have any of these in place. The team and I met for our meeting on the third day of school, a Wednesday. I proceeded to ask for all of the things I believed Connor needs, and was prepared for a fight. They don't keep paras on hand for children and they would have to hire one just for Connor. This seemed like it was going to be fight for sure. Instead, the team as a whole said "yes" to ALL of my requests, without any issues. Instead of fighting for everything Connor would need and having to justify everything, they just said "yes". Not only did they do everything I asked for, they got it done at record speed. He started school the next Monday. I am still waiting for the other shoe to drop...

So, Connor has had a great couple of weeks of school. He adjusted well to his new class and teacher and para. He still thinks school is boring, but what kid doesn't? He is doing well academically. He is doing well in his "lunch bunch" group. It would seem that life would finally calm down for me, right? Wrong...



My middle child Fisher has always been our easy child. He is a typical middle child. As much as we try to give him attention, he tends to slip through the cracks on occasion. Connor has obvious needs and requires a lot of time and energy and the baby is little and requires a lot as well. Then there is Fisher... He is a wonderful middle child because he is patient with Connor and Sophie and he has a big heart. When you are easy and low maintenance in this house, you tend to get less attention. Squeaky wheel... Fisher didn't adjust to his new school as easily. Fisher doesn't do well with change. He likes to be home and not travel because it is such a change for him. In fact, on the second or third day at Disney World, he begins to ask when we are going home. He likes the status quo. He was born in the house in Colorado that we just moved out of to move to Arizona. He was actually born IN that house because I had a home birth with he and Sophia. He loved that house. He loved his school although I don't think any of it had to do with the actual house or school. He just loved the routine of them. Moving here was a big deal for Fisher, but because he is not a big talker, he never really talked about it. This move was like a vacation for him in the beginning. He swam everyday and played games and watched TV in his room. He didn't have TV in his room at the house in Colorado, so this was cool and new. Then school started...



Fisher's teacher took me aside on the second day of school to ask about Fisher. She was already concerned that he wasn't adjusting well to the start of school. He was having a hard time with sitting still. He was also having difficulty with the work load of the day. He couldn't remember his letters all of a sudden and writing was a real issue for him. He got distracted easily and rarely was on task. We agreed that she would watch him closely for a couple of weeks and then we would determine what steps would need to be done in order to help him. Two days ago the teacher recommended Fisher be tested for ADD.

The autism spectrum is called that because it is a big and vast issue. Connor has autism. It really only makes sense that his brother would be on the spectrum also. Keep in mind that Fisher was born at home and has never had a vaccine. He eats organic food and has a home with all natural cleaning supplies and organic sheets, etc. I have done all that I know to do to limit his toxic load, but I was still toxic when we conceived and when I carried Fisher. I know there is a certain genetic aspect at play here, but I believe that the toxins are present, just less in Fisher than in Connor.

So, what am I doing for Fisher? Fisher is gluten free, dairy free, soy free. He eats what Connor eats. Also, Fisher takes supplements. He take Dr. Amy's multivitamin just like Connor and I do. He takes magnesium and Vitamin D and fish oils and a green supplement. He isn't getting a lot of sugar or processed or artificial anything. He is doing much of his school work at home now also. I sit with him when he gets home from school and we quietly and calmly go over his work. His frustration level is very high and he is quitting easily, but I just reassure him. He gets rewards for completion of his work in a timed manner. He gets to get up and go in different rooms to do his work. I feel that movement is key with him. I just bought all the supplies for a reward chart for both boys. They do what they are expected to do without issue and they get a star. X amount of starts equals a reward.



I did a lot of research on ADD. I am not worried about Fisher in the long run like I am with Connor. Fisher just learns in a different way and the public school system is not set up for it right now. Fisher's teacher is encouraging a diagnoses, but I don't believe in labeling my kids. Connor has always been told that he HAS autism. He thinks of it as an illness that we are curing rather than something HE IS. Fisher has the "symptoms" of ADD and that is enough for me. I would rather spend my time and energy toward helping Fisher rather than labeling him. Insurance won't cover anything with that diagnoses anyway so it seems it would be labeling for the sake of labeling.

I know it is said that you are never given more than you can handle and that everything happens for a reason and that this too shall pass...Enough with the cheesey cliches? Oy vay!! Enough already!! I'm ready to be given less than I can handle for once!! We will make it through this and the saying that I love right now more than any other is:
If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.