Hope

Homemade Hummus

This is one of my favorite things to eat. I make it with homemade pita bread and YUM. I eat way too much of it. It's kind of a taste-as-you-go-along recipe, so the measurements aren't exact. I just kind of use them as a starting point and add as I go.

1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas) - drained
Juice of 1-2 lemons (I used 1 1/2 last time)
2 garlic cloves
Olive Oil (1/4 cup?)
3-4 Tbsp. Tahini Paste
Salt & Pepper to taste
Paprika (optional)

Put everything in the food processor, except for the olive oil. Turn the food processor on and slowly add the olive oil. Blend until texture is acceptable. You can also add the liquid from the garbanzo beans if you want it creamier without adding too much oil. Taste. Add more of whatever you think it needs. Just be sure not to add too much salt. :)

Eat with crackers, pita bread, veggies, or whatever you have around!

A New Adventure

Since Jack has been diagnosed with autism, we have heard a lot about the gluten-free/casein-free (gfcf) diet. It's a very popular diet used by many families with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) and some families swear it helps their children function better. The theory is that children with ASD aren't able to properly digest gluten and casein proteins, which causes an opiate-like effect in their bodies. In turn, their behavior, immune system and development are affected.

SO. After a lot of thought, a lot of prayer and reading a lot of information, we are exploring starting this diet with Jack. Today, we went to Whole Foods (over an hour away) and picked up some of their pre-packaged gfcf foods. Our thinking is that we'll slowly ease into it before going "cold-turkey." We want to see what foods Jack likes and will eat. Once we figure out what he'll eat, then I can dive deeper into this and start making those foods at home, instead of buying them pre-packaged. Jack is a VERY picky eater to begin with, so this should be interesting.

Here's what $60 buys you in the world of gfcf. :)