Before I go into this guide for cooking, I want to share a little bit of my background as to why food allergies and sensitivities are a big part of my life. My story begins in 1992, when I was merely 4 years old and contracted the food-borne illness, E. coli. My case was severe enough that they transferred me from our local hospital to Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh for a total of 21 days combined, four blood transfusions and a very close call to pancreatic failure. A nurse from Children’s (who knew a family member) had shared that my case was not looking hopeful and that I may not survive. My family and I still thank God today for the miraculous healing I experienced that late October. Our doctor had told my parents, because of the E. coli, I was very likely to experience digestive problems as I grew up – and indeed, I did. In high school I was diagnosed with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), acid reflux, lactose intolerance and Candida. I remember keeping a notebook of which foods were safe to eat and which foods were not. I was never a fan of side effects to medications, so I did my best to eat smart and seek a functional medicine approach, unless I had no other option.

Fast forward a few years into my twenties and my stomach issues became more tolerable. My husband and I met in 2010, married (St. Patty’s Day) in 2012, had our son in 2014 and daughter in 2016. Sometime after our son was born, my husband began having some serious digestive and fatigue issues. We both feel that we may have experienced food poisoning during that time, and that it had a significant effect on his condition. We sought medical advice from our PCP, who sent him to a number of specialists, where we eventually learned he has SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth – methane). This condition has only recently been recognized in the medical field, so after multiple failed treatments through a medical doctor, we began seeking functional medicine doctors and treatments. Through this we then learned he suffers from Adrenal Fatigue, a gluten sensitivity and tested highly positive for a garlic and cod allergy. I have no doubt in my mind that God put us together for a reason – because we’ve both gone through some hardships physically and emotionally due to our health; and because of that we can empathize with one another that much more.

So how do we go about meal planning for our family of 4 on a weekly basis, who has a multitude of food allergies, sensitivities and unpredictable ups and downs? First and foremost, I’ve always found it most helpful to focus on what we can eat and build a menu around those fundamental items. We live off of one income, so we do our best to stick to a weekly grocery budget. Our favorite places to shop (and save money) are Aldi and Vitacost.com, with the occasional purchases from Target, Giant Eagle and Amazon. Most specialty food companies provide store locators on their websites, which is such a nice feature. We have also utilized a multitude of Young Living essential oils to provide additional nutrition in our daily lives.

Here are some of our favorite resources we have found over the past few years, dealing with everything from Low FODMAP diets to gluten sensitivities, cleanses and beyond.

1.)   The Clean Gut Cleanse – www.cleanprogram.com

My husband and I both read the “Clean Gut” book by Alejandro Junger, MD a few years ago and it helped kickstart his elimination of some of his health issues. I admit, the kids and I did not strictly follow the cleanse written out in the book, but my husband did and we still use some of the recipes and suggestions from it to this day. Their turkey chili is always a hit with our guests and their morning shakes are something the kids and I drink every morning without fail. This is a perfect resource to begin with for someone who is ready to combat the root cause of underlying health issues.

2.)   Bethany Ugarte (lilsipper) – www.lilsipper.com

Something I absolutely love about social media is the opportunity to connect with others who have experienced similar health issues as you, and have done their research along the way. Bethany Ugarte (aka – lilsipper) is someone my husband found through his SIBO support group, and who has a wealth of knowledge and personal experience to boot. She is always sharing tips, tricks and recipes for IBS, as well as several other food sensitivities. She isn’t afraid to talk through food labels, hidden ingredients and bring truth to popular health fads. Lastly, she has a knack for sharing some simple, amazing recipes that make sensitive tummies rejoice.

3.)   Autoimmune Wellness – www.facebook.com/autoimmunepaleo

When you suffer any health issue, it is so important to find a community in which you can learn and share. The Autoimmune Wellness page on Facebook has been a wonderful community for my us these past few years. In addition to recipes, this page offers encouragement for people who are dealing with ongoing health issues. I know for a fact, having a community like this (across the world) has benefited our health journey immensely.

4.)   Food Matters – www.facebook.com/foodmatters

Another fantastic resource via Facebook is the Food Matters page. Food Matters is a documentary available on Netflix, whose tagline is, “You are what you eat” and it provides excellent background on the food industry and how we can improve our health by embracing a healthier lifestyle. Their website www.foodmatters.com as well as this facebook page provide a wonderful number of recipes, tips and guides regarding natural health.

5.)   Ancient Nutrition (Dr. Axe) – www.draxe.com and  www.facebook.com/ancientnutrition

If you’ve never heard of Dr. Axe, here’s a quick description from his site: “Dr. Josh Axe, DC, DNM, CNS, is a doctor of chiropractic, certified doctor of natural medicine and clinical nutritionist with a passion to help people eat healthy and live a healthy lifestyle.” He is easily one of the top natural health resources right now and his sites offer recipes, DIY remedies and trending health news. I have utilized his sites on multiple occasions from cooking dinner to finding a “safe” dessert to make for my whole family.

These are just a handful of resources that our family has utilized over the past few years. Raising a family, while battling health conditions is difficult, but figuring out what’s for dinner should not be—let alone breaking the bank to do-so. If you, or someone you love is dealing with chronic health issues, I hope you check out these resources I’ve provided. I’ll leave you with one last quick tip – 2-ingredient frozen fruit and coconut cream ice cream! Our family made this after dinner tonight and it was absolutely delicious and all 4 of us gobbled it up (even our 2 and 4-year-old). Take 1 cup frozen fruit (we chose mangoes) and ½ cup of coconut cream and blend until smooth. We found this through The Gabriel Method (www.facebook.com/Gabriel.Method), who has an incredible weight loss story and shares recipes from time to time. Enjoy and know that if you struggle with food allergies or sensitivities, there are several resources available to you. Our family is by no means perfect, but we are continually researching and learning new things to improve our health.

I have four kids that are all 18-20 months apart. That means that we’ve been in a swamp of diapers for 5 years straight now. We are lucky to have never had more than two in diapers at the same time.

I hate the waste of diapers. Sometimes I will cloth diaper for a while, but that is hard to keep up with. The amount of laundry we do is already on par with Everest. Adding daily cloth diapers just pushes mama to new heights. But, I’ve always used reusable diapers in water.

Not only do reusable diapers cut waste, but they are thinner, cheaper and cuter than the disposable ones. They are easier to keep clean than regular cloth diapers too, since they are only used in the water. Here are my five tips for using reusable swim diapers.

Get Adjustable Ones

Start by getting reusable swim diapers that will grow with your kid. Not only did mine last until each kid was potty trained, but I could also use my diapers on every kid. The adjustable ones, like these, are able to snap smaller or open up to be bigger. They always fit great and it makes them more cost effective. The diapers I have in the original size (0-3 years) has fit my newborns at the same time it can fit my large toddler. It’s great not to have diapers that are outgrown and serve no purpose. These are made to last.

Don’t Travel in Them

Swim diapers aren’t made for land use. If the diapers were completely waterproof, they would be terrible to swim in. If your kid goes potty in a swim diaper, it is going to leak out. We just wore regular clothes and diapers to the pool and brought our change of clothing. Once we were at the pool, it’s easy to make the switch in the locker room or even behind a towel poolside.

Take a Spare

We’ve had a few nasty diapers while at the pool. If you bring a spare, then your fun doesn’t have to end with a dirty diaper. You aren’t going to have a pool embarrassment with a Code Brown while wearing a reusable diaper, but swim time is over if you only brought the one. Just like if you were using disposable diapers, take a backup diaper and a plastic bag in case you need to do a little damage control. A quick change and your kid is good to go. If you want to be even more prepared, have a small bottle of soap so you can start the soaking process before you get home…

Use Dawn

For some reason, Dawn dish soap (the blue original one) is AMAZING for getting out food-related potential stains. Because bowel movements are food-related, Dawn does a great job. Usually dumping them into the toilet will get rid of most of the mess, but you may need to let them soak a little to remove the residue. Keep your diapers fresh and white by adding Dawn right to the “stains,” letting them soak a bit before washing and drying. All of our BB Littles diapers still look white and new after years of use.

Feel Free to Keep Using Them…

My oldest boy is a bean pole kid. Even after he was done potty training, he kept wearing the reusable diapers as swim underwear under his trunks. I knew he wouldn’t have a pool accident, but I didn’t trust his swim shorts to stay up. Rather than have him embarrassed by losing his pants at the pool, I used the diapers to help keep the shorts up and make sure he wouldn’t be exposed if they did get pulled down. He even asks to wear them because it makes him feel better too. I just call them swim underwear when he is using them.

I love our BB Littles diapers! If you’ve thought about grabbing reusable swim diaper for your little one, do it!

Ever have one of those moments in parenting where you question yourself completely? How about full seasons of parenting where you fail over and over again? That sums up my year of potty-training my son, Josiah. Looking back now there are plenty of moments I can laugh at, however, while living it, those times were defeating.

Here’s how it all began…

My son turned 2, a mere 2 months before the arrival of our daughter, Melody. A couple months before he turned 2, a close friend of mine shared with me how her 18-month old son was completely potty-trained and that I didn’t need to wait until “he was ready.” I love my friend and value her parenting skills, so I borrowed her potty-training book and dove headfirst into the waters. After all, my son was 22 months old and I loved the idea of him being potty-trained before we had another set of diapers to change at home.

The idea of this potty-training method isn’t too new: little one goes commando for 3 days straight, learns how to use the potty and in the end is accident-free and wearing undies. I should’ve sensed trouble when he had 14 accidents in that first hour of day 1. Of course, I only purchased one set of undies, so I was calling my mom to pick more up at the store, while I ran a quick mini load of laundry. With boys, they recommend wearing undies instead of going commando because they get more of a kick out of watching themselves peeing. We did have a turning point on day 3 when Josiah figured out how to pee on command, which was amazing! But as the days turned into weeks, I quickly began to realize things weren’t working out. I went back to my book and realized I was micromanaging the situation. I would hover around, anticipating his next accident and continuously ask, “Do you need to go potty?” I stepped back and tried to be calmer – and if you knew me, my friends and family are always amazed at how calm of a person I am daily.

Despite my best efforts, I decided to temporarily hang up the towel a month before my daughter was born. After all, cleaning up poopy undies at 8 months pregnant (and with morning sickness still in full swing), was not a pleasant time. In the months that followed, Josiah began speech therapy for expressive speech through our Early Intervention program in Pennsylvania. I never really connected it until years later, but his lack of expressive speech made it a lot harder in his potty-training journey. He was at about 20 words at 2 years old, and none of those were about going to the bathroom.

As time went on and I began to find a new balance with having a newborn and a 2-year-old I felt it was time to revisit potty-training yet again with my son. I quickly realized though that backtracking in his training made it a lot harder to re-train him. He already knew how to use the potty, but he was older and more independent – and so the stubbornness in his training hit hard. Numerous tantrums and days where I did my best not to lose my cool were my new normal. I learned that if you’re going to teach your kids something, you have to be consistent – no backtracking, no wavering, no being wishy-washy, no fail to follow-through on consequences.

I vividly remember the biggest fail during our year of potty-training. It was naptime for Josiah and because he would always try to escape his room, I put a gate in his doorway to keep him contained. We have a video monitor, but the quality isn’t amazing, and I turned the volume down because I didn’t want to hear him cry. After about 30 minutes things got quiet and I figured he had fallen asleep. My husband got home from work not too long after and upon changing clothes, came downstairs and told me I should probably go check on Josiah. I went on upstairs and locked eyes with my sweet, charming, loving son. His hands were covered in brown. Then I looked closer and the gate was covered in brown. Then I looked into his room and his toy chest, carpet and bed were covered. He was in a pull-up, but obviously went poop and it couldn’t be contained. Poor guy was so upset though and I couldn’t bring myself to yell at him. I did what any parent would do in an oh-crap moment – I stuck him in the bathtub, clothes and all and began to peel layers off and get him cleaned up. Once he was safely playing in the tub, I went into his room to clean up the scene. Needless to say, I had somehow turned the volume back up on the monitor downstairs, because when Josiah and I came downstairs after the whole fiasco, my husband told me to take Melody and go to my mom’s house to have a girl’s night.

Speaking of – my mom experienced the wiles of Josiah’s potty-training around this same timeframe. She was watching him while I was at an appointment and knew he had to go number 2. He managed to go in the portable mini potty successfully, but as she was cleaning it out she quickly noticed something was off. Upon returning to the living room, she caught him pooping in the corner, up against the wall. Yes – he literally pooped on our living room wall. My husband still has a hard time believing this story, but my mom took photos for evidence.

As time continued, my son’s speech exploded and his potty-training skills did as well. I was beginning to wonder if I would have a son going to college in diapers. Thankfully, it just took time and consistency – and more than one girl’s night out for this momma. Looking back, these poop-scapades crack me up, but in the moment, they brought out such frustration in my parenting capabilities. So, if you’re elbow-deep in number 2 – don’t lose hope! In the right time, our little ones grow, mature and learn the skills they need to be responsible individuals. I survived my year of potty-training my son, and I know you will get there too with your little one!

Man, motherhood can really take it out of you.

You can easily get lost in the shuffle of life, decision making, constant neediness of kids and even the mundane moments of responsibility--like keeping up with never ending chores. It’s an amazing job. I don’t know of anything else that would be more valuable or rewarding than raising my four small littles. But, that doesn’t make it easy.

Finding Myself in the Shuffle of Life

It’s hard to make time for myself. It’s really easy to get lost, especially when you have small kids and may not talk to another adult during the day.

My husband works hard too, and I can’t just leave him with four kids after a long day of work to head off and do my own thing. Plus, I’d rather find an activity that didn’t require me to spend money in order to feel invigorated. So, I discovered “me time” at my gym.

Before you write this off as not for you, hear me out. I used to hate working out. I was a volleyball player and basketball athlete all the way through college, but I still hated working out. Give me something competitive and I don’t think about the workload for at least an hour. But put me on a treadmill and I’m dying in less than 5 minutes. Everything hurts. Everything is so boring. I give up fast.

Fast forward to being pregnant with baby #3.

I had two toddlers, ages 2 ½ and 1, that were a lot to keep up with. I started doing some yoga at home during nap time to try and stay comfortable during pregnancy. My husband decided to get a YMCA membership for the pool during the summer. I took the kids to the pool a lot, but that was it. During the fall, I had my third baby.

Then, I discovered the true goldmine of the Y. They have free child watch for kids six weeks and up. If you’ve ever looked into daycare or babysitters, then you know the exact value of 2 hours child free. I started taking the kids just to get a mental break for a little bit. But I also wanted to lose baby weight, so I put together a 30-minute regimen of a little cardio and mostly weights. That first step was two years ago.

Me Time at the Gym

In order to really get the most out of my time, I started listening to motivational podcasts and books on tape. Music is fine, but it doesn’t really give me another focus. The books on tape served as a source of inspiration and kept me distracted.

Once I got over that initial hump of feeling terrible for two days after every visit, it actually started becoming really enjoyable. You release endorphins working out and daily tasks start to feel easier when you are in shape. It naturally boosts your mood and energy levels.

And, I got the luxury of taking a hot shower in silence! No one banging on the door or potentially getting into some kind of trouble while I was busy. I even had time to blow dry my hair, dress in real clothes and put on some makeup. All this while the kids meet new friends, learn social skills and do fun things, like coloring and kids yoga.

PLUS, I did all this outside of naptime. If you are a parent of young kids, you know how valuable that naptime is for getting anything done at all during the day. “Wasting it” on a workout and shower was just one more reason to skip the workout.

Getting Certified

I didn’t stop with just me time. I turned it into more when I got certified to teach. Now my kids are watched while I’m paid to teach a workout class and then shower. Still me time, but even better. Not only do I get a little extra money for the month, but our membership is reduced to 1/3, we get ½ off classes and I can help people get into shape themselves. It’s rewarding, relaxing and being on the schedule forces me to come in when I might otherwise give myself an excuse to skip.

This all started with baby #3, but baby #4 came along not long after and I was very in shape for his whole pregnancy. I was still going to the Y 2-5 times a week until the day I was induced and I felt great!

Benefits of Healthy Habits

It’s important to find things that help you wind down and feel like yourself. I have never been a workout kinda girl, but this has changed me. And it’s changed me for the better.

My kids see me working out and they follow right along. They are interested in having strong, healthy bodies. I actually look forward to workouts and I’m making real progress on that baby weight.

Do you have a “me time” you can count on each week?

I recently attended a 30th birthday party for one of my dearest friends. Besides our anniversary, it was the second time my husband and I had a night out all year. As we sat at a table of strangers (to us), we quickly began discussing our lives with each other to find commonalities and deepen our conversations. We shared everything from how we met, our personal testimonies, our kids, and our careers. My husband is a middle school band teacher of 13 years, and has quite the background of experience, knowledge, and humorous stories to share. The young man across the table from us was a Harvard graduate with an incredible life story; and the young woman across the table from us was an occupational therapist who works with kids on a daily basis.

As the night went on, the moment came to share about my life and career. I have a bachelor’s  degree in marketing. I worked as a marketing assistant at Chick-fil-A right out of college, then I was a pretty incredible inside sales associate with CVS Specialty Pharmacy up until having my son. When he was born, I quickly decided that it was time to hang up my career hat and take on being a full-time stay-at-home-mom (SAHM). So, this is my current “career”, I’m a SAHM to 2 littles—Josiah (4) and Melody (2).

Then I heard the following question: “So what do you and your kids like to do?” I don’t know why, but in the moment, the answer to that question left me dumbfounded. It made me think of those college applications that have you list every extra-curricular activity you’ve done in your whole life and tallied up over your 4 years of high school and beyond. It caught me off guard and reminded me of these infamous questions I hear from time to time: “What do you do all day?” “When are you going back to work?” “Are you bored being a SAHM?” Sigh. The truth is, ever since I was a little girl I dreamed of being a mom someday. I wouldn’t trade this life for the world, and I’m certainly in no hurry to return to the work environment of an office atmosphere. The truth is, I know this is a blessing of an opportunity for me, as I know plenty of moms who can’t afford to stay at home with their kids – let alone have little ones in the first place. And the truth is – some days I barely survive, somedays I thrive, and other days I just take in every good moment and learn from the bad.

Motherhood is a 24/7 job with plenty of perks and a cornucopia of hardship, but there is no job more rewarding. So instead of asking the age-old question of “What do you do all day?” to a SAHM, why don’t you try these questions out instead. I promise you, they will be much more empowering and encouraging to her heart.

1. “What is something your kid(s) have done recently that made you proud?” Now that is a question I love answering, because it resonates with how my kids are growing and how I’m doing as a mom. I could discuss how my son has really begun maturing with little things like, using the bathroom all by himself or big things like, being brave and making new friends at the playground. This question resonates much more for me because it gives me an opportunity to share how I enjoy my motherhood and illuminate the sweet moments I capture in this “job.”
2. “What is something funny your kid(s) have done recently?” Laughter is such good medicine, especially for a momma who doesn’t get out much. I absolutely love sharing silly stories of my kids with others because I not only have plenty of them to share, but it’s good to look back at those good, bad, and (in the moment) crappy situations and laugh at them.  Moments like when my daughter uses her toy vacuum to clean up the living room floor (by literally just pushing every toy to the outskirts of the room). Moments like when my son tries to teach his sister how to spell, when she is only 2. And yes, even seasons of motherhood, like the year of “poop-scapades” my son went through before fully potty-training. It helps to look back, cherish and recount those funny memories because it gives perspective to how little ones think and how we have plenty of opportunities to love on them and help them as they grow up.
3. “What is something major you’ve learned since becoming a mom?” I realize this is a deep question for any mom to answer, but this question gives me a chance to show how much I have grown as a person since entering into the throngs of motherhood. I’m all about perspective, so sharing what it’s like in my shoes to someone in a different walk of life, gives me a sense of accomplishment. It’s an opportunity to save someone from making the same mistakes I personally made… For instance, conceiving our firstborn took much longer than I ever expected—I had a chemical pregnancy 3 months in, then it took an additional 4 months after that to get pregnant with our son. It was so difficult hearing people ask me when we were going to start a family, because we were trying so hard and had already suffered loss in our journey. Before we decided to start a family, I am certain I asked other couples when they were going to start a family; but after we began our own journey, I would be much more careful with such a question. You never know what someone is going through personally, and if you ask the wrong question, do your best to be kind and caring in your follow-up. Answering a question like this is far more fulfilling to me because it shows how much I have matured in my “career”—the bags under my eyes match the depth my soul has grown these past 4 and a half years (haha-put that on my next resume)!

Being a SAHM is full of many highs and lows. I have several days where I would like to just hit a button and restart. Then I blink and those days have flown so quickly into years. So please – ask me something that will support me as a SAHM. I thrive on encouragement. I don’t have a boss to give me a yearly review of my work; and I don’t get a raise or award when I’ve done my work well. The encouragement I do receive is when my little ones make me proud, when they bring me laughter, and when I look back and see how much I’ve grown since becoming a mom. I have sacrificed so much more of myself than I ever anticipated, but I know this season of continuously teaching and nurturing my children is just that—a season. I don’t know what the next season will entail, but I am going to focus on the here and now and soak it all in.