GAPS Cashew Bread

Turned out GREAT this time!

You will need:

3 cups of cashews

1 1/2 tsp Baking soda

1/2 tsp sea salt

6 eggs

2 Tbs raw honey

1 Tbs almond butter (fresh ground, can get at whole foods)

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1/2 dropper of alcohol-free, liquid stevia

5 4oz cans of "earths best" Organic Baby Food, winter squash (or other organic brand)

splash of vanilla

Preheat your oven to 300F, Grease a square glass pan or two loaf pans and melt Ghee.

In food processor place:

*3 cups of Cashews

*1 1/2 Tsp Baking Soda

Mix well into a powder (can be a tad chunky)

Separate yolks from whites and place into bowls

To yolks add all remaining ingredients, mix well (leaving whites aside)

Add cashew powder and mix

Beat whites with electric mixer until they become white, stiff and foamy.

Then add about half of these whites into the other ingredients; add last half very delicately.

Place batter in pan, bake for 1hr50 min

I generally look after 1hr40 min to see and check every few min for the remaining 10.

Cool bread for about 10 minutes, then use a butter knife to loosen edges, flip pan onto cooling rack and remove, Let sit for at least 45 min.

I like to slice the bread and store in Tupperware container, in layers lined with paper towels; keeps well in fridge for a week.

Enjoy!

AMAZING GAPS Beef Broth

I love this recipe SO rich! This may be more of a beginners GAPS but can be tweaked, I hope you like it because we do!

*All food should be organic, lacking hormones and pure of nature*

Pan sear one mock tenderloin filet (or any steak of choice, I picked cheap because we won't be eating it)

Add filet (or choice cut of beef) to a crock pot with

1 pkg of beef bones (whole foods carries this with the beef products)

Add the following ingredients and let sit for at least 12 hours on low, stirring occasionally:

4 bay leaves

10 cherry tomatoes

1 Tbs minced onion

1 Tbs Bosari Original Seasoning (Available at Whole Foods)

1/2 Tsp paprika

1/2 Tsp garlic Puree 

1 Tbs peppercorns

5 shakes ground peppercorn

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and cracked

1-2 carrots diced

1-2 celery stalks diced

1 white onion, diced

A dash of olive oil 

Milk Man

Because it is illegal in the state of VA to buy or sell unpasteurized milk SO we bought a cow and have the farmer that keeps her bring us milk once a week! We then make raw milk kefir out of this and the kids can drink it! Stay tuned for recipe!

In the Absence of Sleep

I'm laying here in bed EXTREMELY frustrated as I am desperately lacking in sleep and B, our 10 year old with Autism has woken up and refusing to sleep. I've been complaining to myself concentrating on how this will "stress me out" and then I smacked myself; we have come so far.

Over the passed several years nighttime became an anxiety stricken sport. "Super Mom" rarely ever slept a decent night sleep and I, Captain Ally, was always bracing myself for what adventures would be in store.

I'll never forget the very first time I took care of B & C (our autistic kids) overnight; I wrapped at least six rubber bands around the French doors that separated the rooms from the rest of the house and laid in bed for hours over analyzing every creek I heard.

I finally fell asleep around 4am only to wake at 5 to the lights in the hall, "oh no!" I thought, running to the hall and finding C butt naked pulling something out of the linen closet. She was covered in what looked and smelled of vomit. "Are you ok.."I began to say when I realized the doors were open! Into the kitchen she had gone.

Every light was on, an entire package of gluten-free hot dog buns had been meticulously sliced into 1/6's and individually placed in dixie cups and coconut ice cream was melting and overflowing in the middle of the table, surrounded by several rice, ice cream cones. The microwave door was ajar and from it spewed pasta with red sauce EVERYWHERE; the further down I looked, the worse it got. And then there was the Shiraz. A beautiful bottle of red wine had tipped over, mixing with the red sauce and strewn across the white cabinetry and tiling, lacking any delicateness at all.

So here I am in the present day complaining to myself that our B is sitting on his knees next to his bed, putting together a puzzle. Here is a moment to really cherish. Not the moment I was lacking in sleep, but rather the moment where I could truly appreciate that, even though I am so caught up in how it bothers me, he is miraculously acting just the way he should; like a 10 year old boy.

Heartwarming "Childhood" By Aspie Kid

"Childhood" By Aspie Kid
This is such a touching story and a very good reminder that there should be no expectations to what is "typical"...we may be pushing for something that is actually limiting potential. Let us not lose sight of what we really desire, for our kids to be able to embrace life to the fullest; whatever that may be.

Fermented Veggies: A MUST for digestion

Wash all veggies very well.

Next get a packet of CULTURE STARTER (make sure it’s not kefir starter) and stir it in 1 ½ cups water that is about 90 degrees; something a little hotter than room temp. This needs to sit for 40 minutes.  Set timer.

With the cabbages: save the outer leaves for the top of the jars. We need about 10 or so.  We roll these up and stuff them in last.  These need to be washed too!

Next, shred all the veggies: Use 2 green and 1 red cabbages, or 2 red and 1 green (I buy an extra one for the leaves)

Shred about 8 carrots, 8 stalks celery, shred the kale bunch, 2 sweet potatoes, 3 beets, 2 green apples, and the ginger. 

Mix them all together. Use the large platters. You will need about 3 of them. 

Now take the culture starter-water mix and put in the blender with about 2 or 3 large handfuls of the shredded veggies. Blend.  Then add enough water to make a “paste” or a slightly thick “puree”. 

You take this and spread it out evenly over the veggies and toss well.

You pack the veggies in glass jars.  Use your fist or a potato masher to get the air out.  Leave about 2” free from the lid.  Put in rolled cabbage leaves here and put lid on. Cabbage leaves allow room for the expansion of the bacteria.

Lids must be tight. No air can get in. 

Leave on counter for 3 ½ days.

Voila!

Mix a spoonful with some stevia and a little olive oil and have them eat  it before every meal!

NOTE: We order our culture starter through "BODY ECOLOGY"

Wall Street Journal Boasts Possible Treatment; Ally Boasts WE are the treatment.

New Treatment in the Future?

It is really hard for me to look at this article and say "OMG YES".

For years we have spent every one of Sara's (Super Mom) precious pennies investing in her two autistic kids. We have done Gluten & Casein free, body ecology, stem cells, detox after detox and the kids take about 25 supplements a day, all being natural except for allergy medicine and trazadone. Stem cells, speech therapy, Son Rise therapy and camps; everything and anything. The results?? Over the past 8 years I have personally seen a 50% improvement. So who is to say there is not already treatment? And yes, if there really is a blessed miracle bring it on, but don't just sit there and wait for it! These are YOUR CHILDREN. Embrace, invest and love every moment with them. Progress IS possible..we see it every day :)

GAPS Approved Blueberry Muffins

Preheat oven to 350F and grease muffin tin with ghee, or olive oil.

In a mixer, blender or bowl with electric beaters, mix:

7TBS Raw Honey
4TBS Ghee
7 Eggs
1.5Tbs Organic Pure Vanilla Extract
1/2tsp salt
A full dropper of liquid stevia

Add & Mix:
1 cup of Almond Flour (as GAPS as you can get or make your own)
1tsp baking soda

Add 1-1.5 cups of wild or organic blueberries
While most people would suggest to "be careful" My vote is mix those berries right in! Bursting them adds flavor and turns the muffins blue which is actually a lot of fun for kids who are on a "boring" clean diet

Bake for 26-30 minutes
(I like to start looking at them after 23 minutes, checking to see if the center is too wet..)

Pull out and use a butter knife to loosen the edges, wait for about 15 minutes and gently remove from pan to cool on a wire rack.

Tastes amazing with a little ghee spread on top!

NOTE: This is for Beginners GAPS...not uber GAPS.

Therapeutic Play Date

ADD & ADHD are considered "on the spectrum", who knew???

One of our girls friends is the same age and has a severe case of ADHD. One would describe her as the polar opposite of ours, talking non stop, always needing to be stimulated and NEVER ending. One would easily think (and we did earlier on too) "How could these two be friends?", as autism is more or less anti-social and lacking in complex dialogue. WRONG!

Linking a ADHD kid with an Autistic kid is a brilliant idea for self-maintained therapy! Time playing together will challenge BOTH needs alike. The ADHD kid is forced to take it easy, sit and do something for longer and to wait for conversation while the Autistic kid is around constant social communication and continual prompting of activities.

A match made in heaven!

Coconut Kefir

A great pre-raw milk staple!

This Kefir is pertinent to digestion, detox and over all wellness!

We buy our Kefir starters from "Body Ecology", mixing about a gallon of fresh coconut water from young coconuts, storing it in a glass container sealed with plastic wrap, in oven with light on (don't turn oven on) for 12 hours...

We take bottled organic lemon juice, organic pure (a cup) pomegranate juice (only about 1-4 cup) and stevia and mix it together for the best taste; store in refrigerator.

Note about coconuts:
We purchase from our local grocer by the case. Wash each coconut thoroughly because you need it bacteria free to keep your batch good. Slice about 1/2 inch from flat bottom, digging into the eye to make a hole. Strain into a clear container, one at a time to check quality. Pink water=BAF

Diet: Step 1

If your child is Autistic and currently eating on a normal diet, take step 1 and merge into Gluten-free Casein-free diets! This DOES NOT have to be expensive. It may require a little more advanced prepping on your time but this is the beginning of success! You will have a very difficult time transferring from a "typical" diet all the way to GAPS so start now! Ease your way and see the progress! Best of luck to you!

SCD: The GAPS Diet

This week begins our intense journey with The GAPS diet (Gut and Psychology Syndrome by Dr. Natasha Cambell McBride). This diet was listed as the #1 most effective, non chemical drug, intervention for Autism by the 2010 "Defeat Autism Now Conference" (as also mentioned in The Brain Food Cook Book). Our hope is to see 100% Recovery as Angela Taylor did, and as we reach that goal, we hope that your family will see progress, and eventually total healing too!

I highly Recommend purchasing "The Brain Food Cookbook" By Angela Taylor, "Breaking the Vicious Cycle" by Elaine Gottchall, "Gut and Pscyhology Syndrome", by Dr. Natasha Cambell McBride and "The GAPS Guide Book" by Baden Lashkov.

Copyrights prohibit me from listing exact recipes derived from this cookbook but my intention is to eventually create our own recipes which we will share with you along the way!

Diet: The Why

I have found that a lot of people out there consider Autism a "mental illness". I have one word for that, WRONG.

Autism is directly linked to the gut which means it matters, more than anything, what is being consumed.

Behavior and speech can also be directly correlated with what has been eaten. I challenge you to experiment, even if you have typical kids. Give one kid processed, red koolaid and another natural juice. In minutes the processed red dye and sugar will act as a stimulant and you will certainly have your hands full!
Now imagine an autistic kid, with a highly sensitive gut, how important it is to monitor the intake!

As described in "The Brain Food Cookbook" and other GAPS, autism literature, many foods act like opiates for gut-disabled people. White, processed flour literally can create an LSD like reaction for an autistic kid, limiting speech to nearly zero and educing epic meltdowns.

This is why I am going to encourage you through our experiments to consider investing in your child's diet. It very well may give you a chance to meet your child for the first time; breaking through speech barriers and allowing personality distinction.

A Letter From the Inside

Welcome to our crazy life!

 Meet Sara, the mother of the century who was gifted to beautiful autistic kids that she would do absolutely anything for, and then there is me, Ally, the captain of this crazy ship!We are two women DETERMINED to cure Autism. We have spent years working with the kids, trying all of the latest and greatest, cooky and spooky, tricks and picks because WE WILL see them at their full potential.

Follow us as we report all of our adventures, dietary trials, therapy, failures and results; We are here for you! Let us try the things you are unsure of and support you with your journey!

Smiles & Giggles,

Captain Ally