Product Reviews

This week, I have had the opportunity to purchase and bake some yummy gluten-free products. I have included a link to these products at Amazon.com at the bottom for anyone interested in trying them out for your family.

I learned through some research I have done to find a good cake recipe for my son's birthday party (in January) that Betty Crocker makes gluten free yellow cake mix, chocolate chip cookie mix, and brownie mix. 

On Saturday, I made the Betty Crocker chocolate chip cookies. They were great. Nice and soft out of the oven, a touch crispy the next day. Since my son is spoiled and thoroughly enjoys soft cookies, he wasn't a fan of these (he doesn't like Oreos either, so I'm convinced there's just something wrong with him. haha jk). My husband and I liked them, though. The only complaint I have about the cookies is that the dough is crumbly rather than soft like regular chocolate chip cookies, so I had to scoop it and form the dough into balls before placing it on the cookie sheet. It was impossible to tell that these are gluten free once they're done, though. They're that good. 

We also tried the Betty Crocker gluten free brownies. OMG delicious! They had nice crispy tops and edges, but soft in the middle. And chocolatey! Delicious as well. The only thing I didn't like about these is that the batter is REALLY REALLY thick, so they don't pour at all, and take a bit of work and patience to spread in the pan. These could easily be mistaken for regular brownies. There is no way to tell they're gluten free. My son loved them! He's had one in his lunch twice this week and got excited each time. 

I also made the Betty Crocker gluten free yellow cake - well, cupcakes, anyway. I didn't get to sample these because they're for DS's Halloween party at daycare (no school again tomorrow, so all day at the before/after school program). These mix well and spoon into cupcake pans well. One box makes 12 nice sized cupcakes. They are soft and fluffy. They come out of the pan nicely too. I didn't use cupcake papers b/c I always feel like I lose too much cake on them. They look and smell absolutely delicious! I wish I could try one... maybe if there are leftovers. ;) 

Finally, I didn't make these, but my mother-in-law did and they are absolutely fantastic! She gets this baking mix called Pamela's Ultimate Baking and Pancake Mix. This stuff makes the very best chocolate chip cookies I have ever had. Ever. Hands down. They're soft. They're moist. They're just absolutely delicious! My mother-in-law has been instructed to NOT make these again b/c they're too irresistible. Seriously! I have eaten, literally, 18 in the last 3 days. I cannot keep my hands off them. They're that good. And my son adores them. Father-in-law even says they're delicious, as does husband. Definitely worth investing in the flour. Most definitely! 

So anyway, while they're not "paleo/primal" by any stretch of the imagination, which is my preferred method of eating, if you're a cookie, cake or brownie junkie, here is your gluten-free cookie, cake and brownie fix. I hope you enjoy as much as our family did. 

All of these products can be purchased at the links below.



*warning: these mixes require the use of eggs. 

Rough Morning - Oppositional Definance Disorder

We had a rough morning today. Dear Son (DS) was doing everything in his power to completely defy my demands that he stop certain behaviors (making various noises with his mouth - clicking his tongue, slurping sounds, etc). It was like he was deliberately trying to annoy me. It was a rough morning with frustration, yelling and tears. Not the way I want to start the day. I tried my hardest to remain calm and correct his behavior with calm instructions but after directing your son to stop making these noises SIX TIMES I tend to get a bit frustrated. And what is worse is that my daughter followed his lead and started also making the noises. I finally resorted to a single swat on the butt to get his attention and indicate that I am serious when I tell him to stop doing something.

What is weird to me is that he was a beautifully behaved child before having breakfast. He got dressed without much fuss (I had to ask him a couple times to put his pants on instead of playing with them, but I don't consider that to be defiance, just a kid being a kid). So, this makes me wonder if something in his breakfast triggered his behavior this morning. He had 1 egg and sausage as usual. Maybe he has a sensitivity to eggs or something. I already get the "cleanest" sausage available in the stores. Aside from being made from CAFO meat, it has no other alarming qualities. No MSG, no sugar, no preservatives... It's the sausage I ate when I was following the Whole30 protocol.

Anyhow, as I was thinking about this blog in the shower this morning, I thought about seeking out information on Oppositional Defiance Disorder as well b/c my kid isn't really hyper, he just defiant. And a friend of my sister has her daughter on medication for the same disorder. I thought if I found some information on diet change and ODD, I could share it with her so her daughter could be taken off of medication.

So, I started searching. I found a forum where someone posted information from the Mayo Clinic regarding ODD. DS has a LOT of signs of ODD. And from what I'm finding, ODD is another mental health disorder that can benefit greatly from diet change.

Here is what the Mayo describes as ODD. The signs I feel my son expresses are in red.

Your child may be displaying signs of ODD instead of normal moodiness if the behaviors:

• Are persistent
• Have lasted at least six months
• Are clearly disruptive to the family and home or school environment

The following are behaviors associated with ODD:

• Negativity
• Defiance
• Disobedience
• Hostility directed toward authority figures

These behaviors might cause your child to regularly and consistently:

• Have temper tantrums
• Be argumentative with adults
• Refuse to comply with adult requests or rules
• Annoy other people deliberately
• Blames others for mistakes or misbehavior
• Acts touchy and is easily annoyed
• Feel anger and resentment
• Be spiteful or vindictive
• Act aggressively toward peers
• Have difficulty maintaining friendships
• Feel a lack of self-esteem - I'm not sure if he really expresses this one or not... it's possible.
• Have academic problems - I wish they had defined this a bit more. He's a smart kid and does well academically, but has problems minding the teacher... does that qualify as academic problems?

In addition, your child isn't likely to see his or her behavior as defiant. Instead, your child will probably believe that unreasonable demands are being placed on him or her.

Wow. Not sure why I chose to differentiate between what he displays and doesn't display since I highlighted them all... So, now that I have a pretty good suspicion for what we're dealing with - ODD instead of ADHD/ADD, maybe we can build steam and nip this in the bud. From what I've read, ODD goes further than just gluten sensitivity and we will also have to evaluate dairy intolerance and color additive sensitivities. I guess this weekend I'll get some almond milk and see if he'll drink it.

I'll probably be posting a lot of links or doing a lot of article reviews today. Sorry if I blow up your inboxes. ;)