Several people have asked us to get the information out so they can help us and other kids they know.  Here is some information we have gathered over the past year and a half.

We are shocked at the number and types of food containing either RED DYE.  Here are just a few of the foods we have found.  I will try to update the list as often as possible.

• Refrigerated pie crusts
• Some brands of cake mix - even white, yellow & butter mixes
• Name brand cinnamon rolls (Meijer brand is safe)
• Fruit snacks (Gerber baby fruit snacks are safe)
• Nearly every candy - M&M’s, skittles, candy canes, etc.
• Potato chips - Doritos, Pringles, Cheeto’s, Cheese Balls (check the label, some flavors are safe)
• Ovaltine
• Pudding mix (most pre-made containers are safe)
• Yogurt (Dannon vanilla and plain are safe)
• Vitamins, cold medicine, etc.
• Flavored applesauce (Mott’s Healty Harvest is safe)
• Marchino cherries
• Cereal - Fruit loops, strawberry mini wheats, and many others
• Toothpaste - even some that are blue
• Red40.com has a list of foods but it is not all inclusive.  It is always best to check the labels.

Another natural dye agent to be aware of is Annato which we found in some crackers and a couple other items.  It has been known to cause similar problems as the red dye.

The side effects of the consumption of any red dye are known enough in Europe and the UK that the substance is either banned altogether or not recommended for consumption by children.

The following links show what other parents have gone through with their children and how eliminating red dye worked miracles in their children’s lives and behavior.

http://www.norcalblogs.com/watts/2007/03/red_40_menace.html

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/131963/is_the_red_40_food_dye_additive_having.html

http://www.teachers.net/gazette/APR03/bruno.html

http://journeytocrunchville.wordpress.com/2007/07/21/eating-a-rainbow-red-40-and-its-sidekicks/

http://fourtimesthefun.blogspot.com/2007/02/feeding-our-children-petroleum-food-dye.html

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Red Dye

Ingredients:

1 lb. tilapia, thawed (4 fillets)

1/2 box Drake’s Crispy Fry Mix

3/4 c. water

Directions:

Mix Drake’s with water until smooth.  Thoroughly coat the tilapia.  Put in greased pan.  Bake at 425 for approximately 15 minutes.  You will know the fish is done when it easy flakes apart with a fork.

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Tilapia

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg. butter cake mix
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 c. oil
• 1 can (12 oz.) root beer

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9X13 pan.
• Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Beat on medium speed for 4 minutes. Pour into pan.
• Bake for 33-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow cake to cool.

Frosting ideas:

• Combine 1 box of instant whipped topping mix with 1/2 cup root beer. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes or until peaks form. This tastes like a root beer float – yum!
• Combine 1 box of white frosting mix with 2 Tbsp. root beer.
• Combine 2 Tbsp. of root beer with powdered sugar to make an icing.

This recipe is also at my husband’s website, Gift Baskets from Michigan.

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Root Beer Cake

Here are the easy instructions:

1. Find a pillowcase at Goodwill.  Wash and iron if necessary.
2. Cut about 1/4 inch off the short sewn end of the pillowcase.
3. Cut the pillow case on the diagonal.
4. Sew double folded bias tape along the 4 cut diagonals.
5. Place one half inside the other, lining up the bottoms.  Sew across the front where there is an overlap.
6. Turn inside out.  Sew across the bottom.
7. Turn right side out.  Tie the top.
8. Fill with all of your favorite things and enjoy!

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Pillowcase Purse

Ingredients:

• 1 can of cream of chicken soup
• milk - use can to measure
• 1/2 box of chicken stock
• 1 can of creamed corn
• 1 can of sweet corn
• 1/4 onion, finely chopped
• 2 small chicken breasts

Directions

• Combine all ingredients in soup pot.  Bring to a boil and then simmer until the chicken is cooked through.
• Remove the chicken and either dice or shred it.  Return chicken to pot.
• Serve with homemade bread or biscuits.

Optional Ingredients

• 1 spoonful of sour cream
• 1 Tbsp. butter
• Sprinkle shredded cheese on top before serving
• Sprinkle fresh chives on top before serving
• Bacon bits (my son’s favorite)
• Diced potatoes or diced frozen hash browns

Enjoy & be thankful for easy recipes

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I’m Thankful For Soup on Cold, Snowy Days

My husband is a wonderful father.  He opened his own business before we had children because he wanted to be able to work at home so he could take care of the kids while I teach.  He plays with our children - reads them stories, creates things with them, makes up wonderful adventures, teaches them how to do things, and has turned work into play.  In some ways that backfired because our son is such a hard worker that he expects everyone else to be

I am thankful for my husband and my kids are thankful for their Papa.

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I’m Thankful For My Husband

Meanwhile, The Bear (almost 16 months old) was put on amoxicillin for an ear infection.  She woke up after a nap one day and was covered in spots.  At first we thought it was a heat rash, but it continued to get worse.  Two days later, it was on the palms of her hands and the bottoms of her feet.  It turns out that she is allergic to penicillin.  I’m so glad we discovered it now and that her reaction wasn’t too severe.  The Bear is better now.  You can only see her spots when she is over-heated.

God has really blessed us through all of this.  Things could have been much worse.  We have great medical insurance, wonderful doctors, co-workers who stepped in and made it easy for me to stay home with the kids, and a supportive family.  God is good and I am thankful!

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I’m Thankful For My Children’s Health

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Deer

• Thinly slice 2-3 apples (I used the apple-peeler-slicer which made the job go super fast.)
• Arrange the apples on a cookie sheet lined with wax or parchment paper.
• Sprinkle apples with cinnamon and sugar.
• Bake at 250 degrees for 2 hours, flipping every 1/2 hour.

Enjoy!

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Dried Apples

• Don’t talk in people’s faces because it feels weird.
• In preschool, you stand in line to go to the bathroom, get a drink, and go outside.  “We stand in line for for hours!”
• Boys don’t play with girls.
• McDonald’s is closed on Monday.  (They play McDonald’s in the kitchen center.  Apparently, they didn’t play it on Monday.)
• When it is hot you have to drink a lot of water.
• His partner is the boy with the round head.  When I asked what his name is, Mr. Table said, “I don’t know but he is cute.”

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Preschool