Expanding Menu

Potato continues to be going well.   He has CheeCha puffs, which are potato flour, potato starch, and salt and then puffed.   He has eaten baked potato and mashed as well as fried….none of them in too large of quantity since he still mainly nibbles his foods.   We tried a potato stick by Utz, ingredients were cottonseed oil and potatoes.  He had irrational tantrums that coincided with eating them two times, so we simply threw them away- unsure if it is the cottonseed or a cross contamination issue or what but no reason to take any further chances when we can just move on. 

Normally, I would call the company and be sure that there is no cross contamination risk but that is easier to do when you know which foods you are strictly avoiding.  Many of little man's allergies are different. Dairy- we pulled before he was 6mo.old, already connecting a milk protein intolerance (and history of that with the other boys I knew he would need to avoid until at least around 1yr.), soy we had rechallanged when he was 18mo. because we just were never sure when we tried soy at 5-6mo.old what it was that he wasn’t tolerating in it and since the soy formula we used also had corn- was it the corn syrup in the formula?  Maybe, probably.   A soy challenge was when we first learned some of his reactions result in small intestinal villi damage….possibly more of what is referred to as Enteropathy. (sometimes even called FPIE (without the S)- Food Protein Induced Enteropathy.    Although the reactions are not as acutely severe as FPIES (there is no shock), the effects can be just as serious.  So, we have avoided soy in any forms as well.   We suspect that some of his reactions are this enteropathy where some are the FPIES.  The severe acute FPIES almost seems protective of the more-long-term damage of the enteropathy, because with an acute reaction- at least we know sooner rather than the side effects of a chronic FPIES state he has all too often settled into.  We know we need to avoid dairy, soy, rice and corn.  There are a few others that were bad fails (sunflower, buckwheat ,....).  Thankfully, little man hasn't had a full shock episode from first exposure of a new food. 

Back to potato and the expanding menu....in my search for fun ways to serve potato, and a potato pancake recipe, I came across a Pizzelle maker.  Pizelle’s are thin waffles- and can even be made into a cone or a rolled shape to fill.   It was not a cheap kitchen gadget to add to the growing supply but all I could think of was how much he likes crumbs and crisp and that his ingredients are more conducive to producing thin/small recipes than thick/large ones….so I bought it. 

I made him his first pizzelle right away- utilizing a potato starch that I am still hoping is safe (but not sure); but most of all using a baking powder!    We have successfully been using baking soda in his recipes but baking powder has corn starch in it, all except 1-2 brands- Hain is one, it uses potato stach.   With the addition of these ingredients, there is enough to hold together dough to successfully make the pizzelles!  “Waffles”!  he says!  

With waffles, came pure maple syrup.   I had bought some months back so had it in the cupboard, which was a good thing because his brother was having waffles for breakfast and got out the syrup, little man promptly asked "syrup, yes?" And I was able to say "yes, syrup!" He LOVED it!! He ate waffles all day long for a few days!  Noticing a trend here- when he discovers a new safe food, he goes through a typical toddler "jag" and it is all he eats, sometimes all he can think about! 

So, we are expanding his menu and experimenting with the new ingredients.  He now has hemp, millet, safflower oil, arrowroot starch, peaches, cocoa, potatoes, and pure maple syrup!  What is next?