Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in Tucson, AZ

I was given the opportunity to review a cookbook designed for parents and caretakers of children with ADHD and/or Autism. 

The Ultimate Guide to the Gluten-Free, Casein-Free Diet

While J is on the Autism Spectrum and also has an ADHD diagnoses, we have not gone completely gluten free/casein free (GF/CF).  We did at one point last spring eliminate wheat from both boy's diets as well as oats from Little J's.  This helped immensely with some intestinal issues they were having.

However, even if your child is not completely GF/CF, this book would benefit any family.  The first 90 pages are filled with tons of nutritional information.  There are handy charts for supplementing and substituting many common allergens and irritants in a child's diet.  The next 130+ pages are recipes for all manner of kid friendly foods.  There are "Trojan horse" methods for hiding nutrition for the picky eater and clever "plating" ideas to make old recipes seem new.  Each recipe includes easy to read symbols to let you know which allergens have been eliminated from the recipe.

I was very pleased with the selection of recipes.  Even if we do not stay wheat-free, several of the Trojan horse recipes will work well for my picky eater Little J.  All of the sweeter recipes will help the "carb junkies" in the family as well.  This book will help my kids be able to eat items that look like their peer's but still maintain their diet.

Here is an excerpt with one of the school lunch ideas:

Lunch #5 Chicken & Magical Muffins

Baked or grilled chicken (leftovers from dinner) - cold chicken breast

Apple salad served in cold thermos

Veggie-Muffins 1 - 2

Fruit smoothie in cold thermos or GFCF V8 juice, GFCF juice box,

Fortified organic rice milk box

Snack if needed: Carrots & bean dip in BPA-free container

Apple Salad

2 large Red delicious apples, unpeeled, cored and cut into 1 inch chunks

2/3 C crushed pineapple, drained or fresh pineapple minced - reserve juice

1/3 C celery, diced

2 Tbs raisins

Dressing

3 Tbs soy yogurt

2 teaspoons GFCF mayonnaise

1 Tbs pineapple juice

1/8 Teaspoon cinnamon

In a medium bowl, combine the salad ingredients. In a small bowl, combine the dressing ingredients, Pour the dressing over the fruit mixture and stir.

Veggie- Muffins

1 store-bought GFCF cake mix prepared according to package directions- but not baked

Add 1 C pureed vegetables - using one or more of the following:

carrots, squash, peas, green beans

Add 1/2 C applesauce to batter

Option - stir in 1 C GFCF chocolate chips

Mix purees in with the batter, stir in chocolate chips (optional). Transfer the mixture to a muffin pan, filling each cup about two-thirds of the way. Bake at 375⁰ F for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Do not overcook, as this will result in dry muffins. Once cooled, these muffins can be frozen to be eaten later.

Yields 12 muffins

The above is an excerpt from the book The Kid-Friendly ADHD & Autism Cookbook: The Ultimate Guide to the Gluten-Free, Casein-Free Diet
by Pamela J. Compart, M.D. and Dana Laake, R.D.H., M.S., L.D.N.
Published by Fair Winds Press; November 2006;$24.95US/$32.50CAN; 978-1-59233-223-6
Copyright � 2008 Pamela J. Compart, M.D. and Dana Laake, R.D.H., M.S., L.D.N

Author Bio
Pamela J. Compart, M.D., is a developmental pediatrician in Columbia, Maryland. She combines traditional and complementary medicine approaches to the treatment of ADHD, autism, and other behavioral and developmental disorders. She is also the director of HeartLight Healing Arts, a multidisciplinary integrated holistic health care practice, providing services for children, adults, and families.

Dana Godbout Laake, R.D.H., M.S., L.D.N., is a licensed nutritionist in Kensington, Maryland. Within her practice, Dana Laake Nutrition, she provides preventive and therapeutic medical nutrition services. Her practice includes nutritional evaluation and treatment of the full spectrum of health issues affecting adults and children with special needs.

If you would like a copy of this cookbook please leave a comment on this post with your email address in the form "screenname[at]provider[dot]whatever" so that is will pass the spam filter.  All entries must be in by midnight on Friday, December 5th.  I will use a random generator to pick the winner.  This giveaway is not limited to parents of special needs kids, nor is it limited to Tucson.

Additionaly, if you do not win the book, but would like a document with 5 more of the school lunch ideas, please add that to your comment.