Crockpot/Slowcooker/quick meals

[rachael]

Hi all, My husband and my schedules recently changed and I am feeling very overwhelmed about cooking for our little HFIer (he's 2.5). I'd love to hear your suggestions for crockpot and slowcooker meals, or things that freeze well.

Here are the crockpot and slowcooker ideas that I found on here: 
ham and string beans hfiinfo.proboards.com/thread/370/ham-string-beans-potatoes,
tangy lemon chicken hfiinfo.proboards.com/thread/1356/tangy-lemon-chicken-slowcooker 
Chinese rice chicken hfiinfo.proboards.com/thread/1202/chinese-rice-chicken-ginger-soup).

Right now, we just make and freeze meatballs but I'd like to try making and freezing chicken fingers (we currently buy him chicken fingers but the dietician is telling us not to use corn ANYTHING and they have a small amount of corn starch) and fish sticks (my little guy LOVES fish). Can you tell me your ideas so I don't lose my sanity?

For frozen meals, we freeze meatballs but I'd like to try making and freezing chicken fingers (we currently buy him chicken fingers but the dietician is telling us not to use corn ANYTHING and they have a small amount of corn starch) and fish sticks.

Can you share other ideas?

[Average Dude]

If I were you, I would avoid anything processed. Just feed your kids plain fresh meats , eggs, and maybe a litle dairy. Even small amounts of spices etc will cause damage, so, if you want to avoid problems, keep it simple. If you can eat whatever you want, be thankful, but you shouldnt give your son spices etc, he is too young to tell you how he feels, so , wait until he is older so he can decide for himself what foods he can safely eat/amounts etc. Variety and HFI dont match,if we want to feel our best. Hope my message was understood. Peace.

[colormist]

things I cook in the slow cooker:
Roast beef with white potatoes & white mushrooms
Chicken and cream of mushroom soup/cream of chicken soup
Cubed steak & cream of mushroom soup

That's about the extent of my talents

[tummyache]

Here is something I make:

ITALIAN CHICKEN and POTATOES

SERVINGS: 4-6

• 4 potatoes, diced, special pre-prep*
• 1-1/4 lb, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp dried Italian seasonings
• 1/4 tsp pepper

*Potato pre-prep for HFI: Peal and dice the potatoes; soak and rinse a couple of times to lessen the sugars.

Place the potatoes on the bottom of the crock pot, then drizzle with half of the oil and sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Top with the chicken, and drizzle with remaining oil, and sprinkle with Italian seasoning and pepper. Cover crockpot and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours and until potatoes are tender and chicken is thoroughly cooked.

[rachael]

Thanks, all! We just finished dinner but I'm still salivating thinking about that Italian chicken!

Colormist: Is there a particular kind of cream of chicken soup that you use? All the ones I see have veggie broth or natural flavors and the nutritionists say not to give him anything with those ingredients. The nutritionists also say that all spices except garlic and onion related ones are safe, but it sounds like that may not be the case. It's really hard to figure all of this out. We're a year in since my son's diagnosis and still so confused.

[tummyache]

With the Italian Chicken...I don't see why you couldn't use any other flavoring that is safe. It is so simple; maybe just a bit of parsley, lemon juice, and salt + pepper? I'd keep it really simple if herbs are a problem for a 2 yr old.

[colormist]

I used Campbell's Cream of Chicken/Mushroom. Any variation on the classic recipe will had WAY more fructose in it, so I stick to the boring can. And yes, your nutritionist is correct about those ingredients not being safe. It's one of the small deviations I allow myself so that I don't go mad eating bland food.

Also note that parsley has an unusually high amount of fructose. The other green herbs are better alternatives: marjoram, rosemary, thyme, basil, oregano.

Not to add to your cooking, but could you make the stock and freeze it (for dumping into a crock pot at a later date)? Here's a recipe for cream of chicken soup that seems mostly safe (http://allrecipes.com/recipe/13439/cream-of-chicken-soup/)--of course skip the sugar.

[rachael]

Thanks! I hadn't thought of making my own cream of chicken soup! We make our own safe chicken broth so maybe next time I do that I'll use the "leftover" chicken to make cream of chicken soup. This will be much easier when he's a little older and can tell me when he is feeling crummy.

Good to know about parsley. No wonder he didn't like the pesto chicken pasta I made!

[rysmom14]

Colormist, you said parsley is no good. Does that count fresh and dried? Maybe this is a missing piece for us, since I cut out all spices except salt, pepper ad dried parsley. but I put the parsley on a lot so maybe this is a problem.

[jenn123]

This is an easy database. Spices are under misc

csidcares.org/treatment/food-composition-database/

[colormist]

OMG, that website is awesome! What a great resource! Much faster to use, too, than the other website I frequently check for nutritional information.

Not sure if fresh parsley would have more or less fructose than dried. My inclination is to say that fresh has less, but I think to be safe it's best to just try a herb with a lower fructose content (like Rosemary).

[rachael]

That website is great! I know that there are different levels of safe and that it's likely different for a 2-year-old, but what amounts of fructose/sucrose/sorbitol do y'all use for pretty safe, use with caution, and stay away?

[jenn123]

I think it is best to avoid all together as much as possible. Remember they may not have a reaction, but there is a build up that happens in the liver and kidneys. over time, that is no good. I try to be as basic as possible as there are things that slip into their diet that have been over looked or mislabeled. I keep it simple as possible and make as much from scratch as i am able. Lots of water is important too to stay hydrated and keep meals, snacks on schedule. Especially with a little one, it does not take a lot to get off balance.
I keep track of her night sweats. In my mind this allows me gage her exposure. I check about five minutes after she falls asleep. generally if she has been exposed, she will be sweaty. It seems to be better, or no sweat at all, if her diet is her version of clean. It has been a year on the diet now and after about a few months was the first time she was sweat free.

[rachael]

So sweating is an indicator that someone with HFI ate something that they shouldn't have? I brought this up to my son's doctor but he just shrugged it off and said there was no connection. This explains a LOT; before we found out that my son had HFI he would sweat profusely ALL of the time. Not so much anymore.

Jenn, does this mean that you completely cut out things like potatoes and green beans that are on the "use with caution" list? It's also been about a year for my son and I'm still struggling so much to keep it all straight.

[jenn123]

We just do the large russet potatoes, peel and soak them then either scalloped (freds cheese recipe) or thinly sliced and baked. I tried other ways, and they were too sweet. I slice thin before soaking for about an hour and then rinse.
Any green beans cause a reaction for her so we don't eat those. Mostly spinach or arugula or green olive with out pimento.
Our shopping list is literally ten or twelve things so it is getting easier. At first I tried to do more interesting things with variety, but it was too much for me. Also it is hit and miss if she reacts when I try something or somewhere, so it is pretty routine around here. As I have said in other posts, rice cooker, slow cooker and bread maker often in use as I leave the house .... and non stop dishes 😊

Yes, the sweating for her was crazy at one time. She would be soaked. it is hardly at all now.

[colormist]

Oh man, last night I woke up in a pool of sweat. I've been trying out a few new foods (matcha green tea, cheese curds from Sheetz, and a few other questionable foods) and not having a lot of symptoms other than being unusually hungry and slightly darker urine. Last night though, I woke up completely overheated. I have my house set at 68-degrees while I sleep to help with how hot I get, but even that wasn't enough.

Just googled Night Sweats to find out what the possible (other) triggers might be causing the condition for the general population:
patient.info/doctor/fever-and-night-sweats-pro

#6 on the list of causes is Nocturnal Hypoglycaemia.

Not sure why your son's doctor would say it was unrelated.

[lucky]

Hi, all...

Night sweats and night terrors can absolutely be symptoms of hypoglycaemia. Our specialists confirmed so.

Another issue to look into is vitamin D levels.

Sweating (head) is a hallmark symptom of vitamin D levels being low in the body. Vitamin D deficiency can lead to a few serious health issues (including heart) so it is really important to confirm if one's D levels are in a healthy range.

[colormist]

I'm going to write a blog post about this and mention the Vitamin D levels. Nocturnal hypoglycemia could be masking the symptoms of a vitamin D deficiency.

[lucky]

Colormist,

Thank you.
That's incredibly generous of you to do so.

Vitamin D deficiency really is a serious side issue that, for us, complicated deciphering a lot of other symptoms. Easily corrected over time, but can be devastating if levels are very low.

Our son did not have any "classic" rickets bone deformity issues so I guess no one ever thought to look into it specifically -until a wise specialist thought to double check D3 levels.

It was always assumed that hypoglycaemia was the only cause of the sweating etc. As it turns out, both hypoglycaemia and a vitamin D deficiency were culprits. But the very low D could have put him in danger for a whole host of additional serious issues.

So it's very advisable to check it.

Also, in case no one mentions it in a drs apt, we were also told that vitamin D is needed for bone growth (makes sense), and that the body's stores dip in growth spurts (also makes sense).

As a mom, I'm wondering if that's why so many kids seem to grow the most in late spring/summer months. Perhaps the stores go up and allow easier growth.

Another issue which is seriously being monitored lately (past several of years) in our area is:

*B12

B12 makes red blood cells. Red blood cells carry *everything* good in our body -including oxygen and all vitamins etc.

The only reason I mention this is because I often read that many HFI (or others under investigation) on this board eat quite a bit of pasta, wheat, cheese etc. as food staples.

While this is fine, careful attention needs to be made to how much red meat is also in the diet. If not enough, a tiny vitamin supplement (dissolves under the tongue) is advisable.

But as always, check first (blood work) before taking as it is smart to know what is or is not needed in your body.

B12 comes mostly from red meat and traditional meat based diets. Many of the older generation were raised more on these types of meat based diets and still seem to continue. This is really good with respect to B12.

But even so, as we age, our body has a harder time absorbing B12. So again, best to check in blood work to occasionally track.

B12 deficiency can cause brain fog (& lack of retaining info), wild mood swings, dizziness and fainting (among other very serious symptoms).

So...
B12 deficiency can also very easily be confused with early stages of hypoglycaemia.

Especially in young children.

[rysmom14]

This night sweat/ night terrors is still something we deal with. With my sons diet is very clean and has been for the past 5-6 months. We have noticed a huge drop in night terrors. he still is sweaty though. we get new labs drawn at the end of July and I am going to ask for B12 and Vit D. I had them add Vit C on his last draw. I got D and C mixed up so I need to check those both this time. but his vitiman C was low too! The Dr. also wants to add on a full iron panel. I guess there is a single iron draw and a more complex one and they think they complex one needs drawn to really see if there is an issue.

I just ordered the NanoVm vitamin and he will be taking that for a little over a month before the new labs are drawn. I had my Vit D levels drawn at my PCP and they were completely tanked and so I a on a huge dose weekly. I know they felt this is a regional issue, so I bet my sons is low too.