Comfort Food! Gluten-Free Individual Chicken Pot Pies

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Karin

Gluten-free chicken pot pieWho doesn’t love comfort foods this time of year? Warm and filling, chicken pot pie is among my family’s faves. Since my daughter was told she had juvenile diabetes in January I have been counting the carbs in our meals to determine her insulin needs, keeping things gluten free means I can have them, too. And I can’t resist chicken pot pie. Baking these in individual portions makes them easy to pull out of the freezer for healthy, delicius chicken pot pie any time. I sent one off with my daughter last night – way better than fast food in a time-crunched evening.

Carbs: 29g per serving


Gluten-Free Individual Chicken Pot Pies

Chicken Filling:

1 tbl butter
1 12oz bag frozen vegetables
1 1/2 c cooked, cubed chicken
1 3/4 c chicken broth
1 tsp seasoned salt – I use a pinch of sea salt with “rotisserie herbs” blend
3/4 c milk
3 tbl cornstarch

Biscuit Topping:

3/4 c Pamela’s gluten-free baking mix
pinch of sea salt
2 tbl butter, softened
1 egg
1/2 c milk

In a sauce pan melt the butter, then add the frozen vegetables, chicken, chicken broth and seasoned salt. Stir over medium heat until boiling. Stir cornstarch into the milk, then stir into hot filling. Continue to stir over low heat until boiling. Divide into 6 servings in individual containers (about 1 cup each). I use pint-sized glass canning jars.

Mix up the biscuit topping by cutting the butter into the baking mix, then add the egg. Add enough milk to form a sticky dough. Divide the dough into 6th and drop one severing onto the top of each filling mix.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes, or until the biscuits are lightly browned and the filling is bubbling. When fully cooked, remove from the oven and set out to completely cool with the lid loosely on. Once cooled tighten the lid and refrigerate or freeze until use. Remember if you are using glass canning jars not to put them into a hot oven from the refrigerator or freezer and to make sure they are completely cooled before freezing – and that there is a gap so that there is room for the contents to expand in the freezer. That’s why I use the pint-sized jars. Why glass jars? I had a six-pack in my cupboard from jam I never made this fall (sigh) – and I don’t like reheating plastic, I worry about the chemicals leaching.

I’ve made these dairy-free as well, using chicken broth instead of milk in the filling and rice milk in the biscuits and it turned out great, of course the carb counts change with variation.

So, what’s for dinner?

This recipe was adapted from Betty Crocker’s Diabetes Coookbook.

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New Year, New Diagnosis – Add a Side of Juvenile Diabetes?

Posted on January 1, 2013 by Karin


I always look forward to the New Year – and birthdays, to me they represent the chance at a clean slate and new possibilities.

For the last couple of weeks my older daughter S, who is always healthy, had been feeling a little under the weather. Kind of like she was fighting a bug. Tired, not really hungry. Saturday she mentioned that she was drinking a lot of water but still felt thirsty. I did some Googling and found Juvenile Diabetes as a possibility, but I was certain that couldn’t be what she had, there is no family history and she’s always been a healthy kid. Sunday I was downstairs and heard a loud thud. When I ran upstairs I found my daughter lying in the hall, she had passed out. The rest of day she felt normal and hung out with her friends, but I didn’t like the way things were adding up. We made an appointment with our pediatrician first thing Monday morning.

After our appointment our doctor asked if we could stay close while my daughter’s labs were being done. We were in Wholefoods grocery store about an hour later when she called us with the results. The words, “She has Juvenile Diabetes,” hit me in the gut and took my breath away. I’ve been through the medical process so many times with my youngest that I’ve developed a way of dealing with all of that, but this was new territory and I had no idea how to handle the news. The doctor continued, “You will need to take her directly to Children’s Hospital, where she’ll be spending the next few days. Karin? Are you OK?” “Yes, I understand,” I whispered, and hung up the phone. My daughter was right there, looking at me, and said, “Mom, what’s wrong with me?” Ugh! How was I going to tell her when I hadn’t processed this myself? I asked my daughter to get something for me then quickly called my husband. By the time he picked up the phone my daughter was back and the conversation could no longer be avoided. We walked to the car, I put my husband on speaker, and, in my bravest voice I shared the news.

We spent the rest of the day in Children’s ER, having tests, meeting doctors and waiting for a room. All the while really trying to wrap our minds around all of this. My husband came up for his 24 hour shift, as is our hospital routine with V. As he walked me out to the car with tears in his eyes he said, “We will not be angry. We will not blame each other, be mad at God, or bitter about the disease. We will stand together and we will win. This changes a lot, but we will win.”

I laid in bed last night, tossing and turning, thinking about things. It seemed on one side I was trying to understand why this happened, don’t we have enough going on? What did I do wrong, I’m sure I should have done something better. I am mom to two amazing girls and somehow I let both of them down. Why didn’t God stop this? I thought I was out of of tears years ago, but found I had many more.

I’d toss and turn more, landing on my other side and think about how blessed I am. I have my family. They are healthy. This is very treatable. Many people don’t leave Children’s Hospital as lucky. We will fight, we will win.

I just really could have used one less fight.

God still has a plan, and 2013 is still filled with new possibilities.

Posted in Thoughts | 2 Comments

Flying Solo with My Special Needs Child Part 2

Posted on December 30, 2012 by Karin

I recently wrote about my first experience with airline special services for my handicapped child when I flew alone with my special needs child to Park City. With the extra assistance from getting through TSA to boarding the plane, and on the destination side where we were helped all the way out to our rental car, we definitely felt like VIPs. The skeptic in me kind of wondered if it was too good to true, and how it would work on our return trip home. Pulling into the rental car return was the first text. I asked the car agent about special services. I’m not sure if he didn’t understand me or didn’t care, but somehow I was going to have to get 2 bags, a backpack and car seat from the rental garage to the ticketing counter by myself – all while pushing V in her chair. With little options available, I strapped her car seat to one of my wheel bags, put on the backpack and started making my way across the parking lot, pushing V while pulling the two bags and teetering car seat. Halfway across the garage I saw a baggage cart, but I was kind of afraid to stop while I had momentum. Just then a business man came running up, offering to help us to the ticketing counter. He took our bags and car seat and led the way through the garage, across the street and to our counter. I continue to be blown away by the kindness of strangers. At the ticketing counter I checked my bag and requested special services. An agent met us at the counter about 5 minutes later and the rest of the experience went just like the flight in – VIP all the way, baby!

Moral of the story? Make sure that you check that special services box when you are flying with your special needs child, and don’t hesitate to follow up at the counter to ask for what you need. Help is there for you, and it makes traveling with your special needs child a lot more doable. Time for another adventure!

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Getting Treated Like a VIP – Flying Solo with My Special Needs Child

Posted on December 16, 2012 by Karin

Meet our new friend AKA Superman from Delta Airlines, he even loaded our luggage into the car.

I’ve flown a lot by myself and with my whole family, but never alone with my special needs daughter. Just her luggage and equipment takes a small village to manage, or at least the extra support of my husband and 15 year old. So when I made plans to take her to Park City for the Holiday Family Camp I was really excited for the camp, but apprehensive about the trip to get there. Visions of trying to get her, her push chair, car seat, meds and my stuff through TSA terrified me – thinking about how I was going to get her car seat set up in her seat, our bags stowed, her seated and her push chair folded down made me break out in a cold sweat. I checked the “special services” button when booked our flight and hoped it would all work out. It did, and was so good I felt like a VIP.

After checking my bag I stopped by the special services counter for Delta and an attendant was assigned to us. She led the way to the front of the line at TSA, helped put our bags on the conveyor and gathered up our things – shoes, laptop, carry on, liquids, etc after they scanned, and while I had a pat down and my daughter was tested for bomb residue. The attendant then toted the car seat and carry on while I pushed my daughter all the way out to the satellite terminal. I was relieved and a little bit giddy. Then she left. Now, how were we going to board the plane and get everything in place? I had visions of angry passengers waiting for me while I installed her car seat – and still wasn’t sure where my daughter would be during this time, she can’t sit without support.

When the agents came to the counter at the gate, I got in line to ask some questions. The agent I spoke to put a tag on my daughter’s push chair to gate check it, offered to check my carry on for FREE, which gave me one less thing to worry about, then said she’d make sure that we boarded first and had plenty of time to get V on.

She lied. First Class boarded first, but then she called our names. When we boarded the plane I explained my challenge and the flight attendant asked what seats we were in and offered to take the car seat while I got my daughter. Another attendant came out to fold down V’s push chair and by the time we got to our seats her car seat had been installed for me. Huge sigh of relief.

Next challenge, getting off the plane, picking up our bags at baggage claim and getting everything in the rental car. Again, Delta attendant to the rescue. Might as well been Superman. He helped me get everything off the plane, and transported it all to baggage claim while I pushed my daughter. He picked up our bags at baggage claim, waited for me at the rental car counter and then loaded everything into the car for me. I don’t think I tipped him enough, now that I think about it.

I was told that all airlines have a similar service, so make sure that you check that “special services” box next time you fly with your special needs child. It will definitely make your next flight more manageable. There is no extra charge for this for travelers with special needs. See their website for more information.

If only special services could have stopped the little dog in the row in front of us from barking throughout the flight…

Posted in Park City, Solutions | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Packing for a Ski Vacation

Posted on December 15, 2012 by Karin

What can I say, pink is definitely her color.

Last year we took our first family ski vacation with my special needs daughter – she’s 13! We’re a family of snow lovers, so why did it take so long? Honestly, fear. There were so many unknowns that it became something that we stopped considering. We’ve had trips where we’ve spent almost the whole time in our room because it wasn’t working for my daughter – she was too overwhelmed, or didn’t like the weather – especially extreme heat, or it was hard to get around. So where could we go that had options for her? How would she handle the cold and altitude? And what if she didn’t like it. That was the big thing for me. What if we had this big ski trip planned and she was miserable.

Enter Snowmamas. I submitted an entry to join the Snowmamas team last year, and was selected as a writer for their web site, managed by Park City Mountain Resort (PCMR). We had been to Park City years ago, when my oldest was just a baby, and we loved it there. Plus Park City is home the the National Ability Center (NAC), where their motto is “All ages, all abilities” – they have over 20 adaptive sports available on their 26 acre ranch. Snowmamas sponsored a trip for our family and helped give our family a new focus. We found Park City beautiful and easily accessible, with friendly people and, of course, world-class skiing. But the big thing for us was all of the activities that we could do as a family – finally! And it was all so close together. We would snowboard most of the day, then go out to the NAC just a few minutes away where my girls could ride horses together later in the afternoon. Our family learned how to cross-country ski, the NAC had all of the equipment ready for us. And V got to rock-wall climb, something I really didn’t think she’d get in to, and you know what? She loved it! She was even trying to lift her feet to the next step, which I’d never seen her do before.

Prior to this trip, I spent a lot of time pursuing answers for my daughter, she is still undiagnosed and has a lot of challenges. During this trip I realized that my daughter’s daily life is pretty boring and that she needs more adventure – our whole family does! I still look for answers for her, but it is not my focus. My focus is living. After our trip my 15 year old said that it was the best trip ever, that it was so fun to do something with the whole family like everyone else.

A couple of weeks ago we found out about the NAC Holiday Family camp and I knew I had to bring V. My oldest daughter can’t miss school this week, so she and my husband graciously let us come without them. So here we are, getting ready for our big trip, V is so excited she can’t sleep, and I’m really excited, too. Our bags are packed and we are ready to go. The one thing about a ski vacation is you have to take a lot more things with you than a beach vacation! I was a little neurotic about packing last year, wanting to make sure V stayed warm and was comfortable in all of these activities. This year packing was much easier – I just hope that getting all of this to Park City is as well, this time it’s just me carrying everything – and pushing V’s chair. We’ll see how that all works out. Stay tuned!

My tips for packing for a ski vacation? It’s all about layers. Here’s her ski outfit – lots of layers:

packing for a ski vacation for special needs children

She stayed warm and comfortable – even her hands and feet were warm. We had lots of Hotties hand warmers around as well, we bought the big box at Costco.

Here’s a packing list that I put together for Snowmamas last year, there’s a checklist print out at the end.

I’d love to hear about ski destinations that you have found work well for you special needs child, friends share.

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Holiday Family Camp at the National Ability Center

Posted on December 6, 2012 by Karin

V and her huge smile on our trip to Park City last year.


Last night I told V that she was going to the Holiday Camp at the National Ability Center (NAC) in Park City, Utah.

I should have waited until morning, she was up all night, too excited to sleep!

I understand her enthusiasm, she had so much fun visiting NAC last year – downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, horseback riding, and rock wall climbing – it was actually fun for our whole family to be active together like that for the first time.  The thought of doing those things with her again are exciting for me, too!  Especially this time of year, I’ve been wanting to visit Park City at Christmas – I can’t wait!  But because of school conflicts for my older daughter, this time it will just be V and I flying solo, which should be interesting…

There is still space available at Holiday Camp, but if you can’t make that there is Winter Extreme Overnight Camp in March.  The camp is $250/per person and includes all meals, accommodations and equipment for your 4-day camp.  Of course you can always plan your own family visit like we did last year.

Check back, I will be posting updates!

Posted in Do, Park City | 2 Comments

Snow Tubing on Kung Fu Panda Hill at the Gaylord Texan

Posted on November 24, 2012 by Karin

This big kid had a blast on the Kung Fu Panda Awesome Snow Tubing hill at the Gaylord Texan on a recent press trip to Grapevine, Texas.  After buying a ticket for 10 runs, you grab a tube, climb the stairs, hop on your tube, and shoot down the hill.  Yes, I was the one with my hands up yelling, “Wooooo!” all the way down – I felt like I kid again!  I found myself jumping up and practically running back up for another ride, asking the attendant at the top to give my tube a spin as I pushed off this time.  Look out kids!

Here’s the scoop on the Kung Fu Panda Awesome Snow Tubing Hill:

Accessibility

There are stairs, I found no alternate ramp.  If V was with me I would have carried her up the stairs and tubed down with her – probably not spinning the first time, but she would have enjoyed that after a couple of runs.  Everyone was very accommodating and the lines were not long, we visited Monday around 11:00am.  My sense is that the attendants would help get a tube up to the top for you if your hands were full helping your special needs kid up to the top.  The stairs were not really long or steep, but they were stairs.   The environment was not too overwhelming, it wasn’t real bright or loud.  It was also fairly warm, a nice factor for kids like mine who get cold fast.

Cost

  • Snow Tubing Only Ticket – $16.95 All Ages* Includes 10 Runs on Kung Fu Panda Awesome SNOW Tubing
  • Snow Tubing & ICE! Combo Tickets are also available
  • Adults $35.95 Includes ICE! Ticket + 10 SNOW Tubing Runs
  • Children (12 & under) $25.95 Includes ICE! Ticket + 10 SNOW Tubing Runs

Disclaimer: A ticket to Kung Fu Panda Awesome Snow Tubing was provided to me for purposes of review, the experience and opinions are my own.

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Sledding in Texas? The Gaylord Texan Presents ICE! Christmas Experience

Posted on November 20, 2012 by Karin

The Gaylord Texan in Grapevine is serving up lots of holiday cheer November 8, 2012 to January 1, 2013 with ICE! featuring DreamWorks’ Merry Madagascar and a fun sledding hill.

Wrap up in the cozy parka provided and walk through Merry Madagascar, where the the story about how Alex, Marty, Melvin, Gloria and the Penguins save Christmas after Santa and his sleigh crash on Madagascar is revealed through beautiful, larger-than-life ice sculptures.  Your kids will love seeing the fun and colorful Madagascar characters, culminating with a super-fast sledding hill.  This is where the parka provided upon entrance serves a role beyond keeping you warm.  Climb the stairs to the top of the sledding hill, sit down on your parka and fly down the icy course.  The experience ends with an exquisite nativity scene in sculpted ice with a light show.

Accessibility note: There are stairs up to the top of the hill, I did not see a wheelchair ramp.  I would carry my special needs child up and sled down with her, but she’s only 45 lbs.

 

 

 

Disclaimer: A ticket to ICE! was provided to me for purposes of review, the experience and opinions are my own.

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Visit Santa this Christmas on the North Pole Express Train Ride in Grapevine, Texas

Posted on November 17, 2012 by Karin
Grapevine Texas Christmas Horth Pole Express

Photo courtesy Grapevine Visitors Bureau

Grapevine is officially known as the Christmas Capital of Texas for good reason, with over 1,400 holiday events in 40+ days starting the week of Thanksgiving, you are sure to leave with a healthy dose of Christmas cheer. One of the highlights of these Christmas events is the North Pole Express. Maybe it’s because of the popularity of Thomas and his friends, but almost every child I know has a love of trains, so when I heard about Grapevine’s North Pole Express on a recent visit I had to find out more. Although the North Pole Express wasn’t decked out for the holidays yet, I was able to get a taste of the experience, which was intriguing and made me want to come back to experience the full event.

 

As I prepared to board the North Pole Express I was greeted by the conductor, and instantly felt like I was entering the Polar Express movie, it really felt magical. The interior of the old train was beautiful and authentically maintained, as I looked around my mind starting imagining its history in the old west. I spent time talking to the conductor about the experience. It is wheel-chair friendly and might be a great way for your special needs child to warm up to Santa, giving them time to transition versus waiting in line and sitting on Santa’s lap – which never works for my special needs child. She gets too stressed out by the whole experience. I think she would really enjoy hearing the sounds of the train, the excited kids and experience the Christmas ambiance, having Santa come to her after she’s gotten comfortable. Plus, I have to say my kids would love climbing aboard in their jammies.  All aboard!

Want to find our more about the North Pole Express? Visit Grapevine’s website.

North Pole Express Christmas train in Grapevine Texas

"The thing about trains... it doesn't matter where they're going. What matters is deciding to get on." - Polar Express movie

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Accessible Hiking in the Seattle Area – Iron Horse State Park

Posted on September 24, 2012 by Karin

I love the changing seasons. While I’m never ready for summer to be over, there’s just something about the crisp feel of fall that helps me let it go a little easier. Last Saturday afternoon the sun was shining, the air was crisp and we had to get out of the house to enjoy it. We headed up to Iron Horse near Snoqualmie Pass to see if the trails were wheelchair-friendly.

Located at the summit of Snoquamlie pass at Hyak, Iron Horse is part of the rails-to-trails movement of the 1980’s, when the state acquired the rail lines from the bankrupt railroad company and removed the tracks, resulting in level, well-maintained trails spanning 1,612 acres. These kinds of trails make hiking with a child in a wheelchair or stroller, or biking with a trailer completely accessible. Aside from a gate we had to maneuver around, there are no obstacles to accessibility.

We were intrigued by the Snoqualmie Tunnel on the map and had to check it out. Walking up to the entrance was kind of creepy; the tunnel was long and dark as far as you could see, with the exception of a tiny dot of white, which was the end of the tunnel. We walked into the darkness, not sure how long it was, but certain it couldn’t be that long. Turns out the tunnel is 2.3 miles long. We had a great afternoon exploring – Read my “Spooky Walk” post on TravelingMom.com.

Accesible Hiking the Snoqualmie Tunnel

The Snoqualmie Tunnel entrance...Here we go!

Snoqualmie Tunnel accessible hiking in the Seattle area

Here we are in the halfway point of the tunnel!

The other side of the tunnel - here you will find picnic tables and a bathroom for a quick rest stop.

What I’m most excited about is how many trails there were there and they are all level, compact crushed rock – perfect for my special needs kid in her all-terrain wheelchair or bike trailer. I think we’ve found a place that we can explore many times and find something new each time.

A few tips:

  • You will need a Discover Pass, $35 annually for all Washington State parks, or pay $10 for one day parking. We saw the ranger giving tickets, so don’t skip this part.
  • Dogs are welcome, but must be on a leash – our dogs had a great time.
  • The Snoqualmie Tunnel is only a tiny part of a great, accessible trail system that allows families with special needs kids like mine the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful Northwest outdoors. Go to the Washington State Parks website for a full map of the area to plan more hikes for your family.
Posted in Northwest Road Trips | 1 Comment