Special Kids...special foods

Earlier this week Amanda had a series of grand mal seizures. She has never had seizures before so it came as a shock to everyone. Seizures aren't uncommon among children with special needs so I have a great support network helping me cope with this.  Amanda recovered quickly and is back to normal. However it has left me wondering 1) why this happened now and 2) will it happen again?

Until Amanda gets a EEG and an MRI in early October all we can do is wait and wonder. There are so few factors within my control.  The EMT who rode in the ambulance with us told me that seizures could be caused by anything from head trauma to low blood sugar. We were able to rule those two factors out.

 In researching tonic clonic (grand mal) seizures I discovered that low levels of sodium, magnesium and calcium can also trigger seizures. I don't know what Amanda's levels are, but she was just screened by an endocrinologist so hopefully we'll find out soon. In the meantime, I can try to add calcium and magnesium to her diet. It may also help improve the quality of her bones.

I've tried special diets for Amanda in the past. For a while we had her on a Gluten Free/Casein Free Diet, also called the Autism Diet sometimes. I had a great cookbook called Special Diets for Special Kids . It had one of the best blueberry muffin recipes I've ever tried. Instead of flour, it called for baby rice cereal. Unfortunately, this diet is also how we discovered Amanda's allergy to soy. For us, substituting soy products for dairy products simply didn't work.

In fact, because Amanda drinks a lot of milk I wouldn't think calcium would be a concern, however its easy to supplement. She doesn't like any of the pills available so I had to look for dietary sources of these minerals. I was surprised to learn that one tablespoon of cream cheese provides only 12 milligrams of calcium. In contrast, a cup of raw broccoli contains 43 milligrams of calcium. There are a number of good sources available through foods she doesn't eat such as fish.

  

Some good non dairy sources of calcium that Amanda does like include:

• Broccoli,
• Spinach
• Beans and peas
• Prunes
• Sesame seeds
• blackstrap molasses
• Almonds
• Brown sugar

Foods that also contain high amounts of magnesium include:

•  Spinach
• Almonds
• Prunes
• Cocoa
• Cashews
• Pumpkin seeds

Given this list, everyone might not make the jump to baking, but I did!

I discovered recipes for two delicious desserts that should contain high amounts of calcium and magnesium: fig bars and brownies. The ingredients were a little expensive, but some of them, like almond meal will last for a long time if stored in the freezer. If you don't want to buy a bag of almond meal you can always grind almonds in a food processor or blender.

I know from experience that messing with a classic treat like a brownie can be a disaster. I once made a batch of brownies based Jerry Seinfeld's wife's cookbook Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food. It used blueberries and spinach. I was quoted in a national parenting magazine as saying "I've changed dirty diapers that looked and smelled better than this..." Not exactly my most flattering feedback, I'm afraid, but true nonetheless. The finished brownies were good, but the batter was - bad.

I had to tweak the following recipes a bit to get them to come out like "regular" treats. The first batch of brownies was based on a vegan recipe and came out more like cookies than brownies. They were so dry that even 4 year old Danielle refused to eat them. The revised recipe came out moist and cake like - as good as any brownie I've ever made. I promise that this will never turn into a cooking blog. Honestly, I'm just not that good a cook. However these recipes are good. Give them a try!

Fairly Healthy Brownies  

• 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, broken into pieces
• 2 tablespoons melted butter or canola oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 container fat free vanilla yogurt
• 1/4 cup prune puree (= 1 container prune baby food)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1/4  teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup any flour (oat, whole wheat, all purpose)
• 1/4 cup almond meal
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with nonstick spray.

2. Combine chocolate and butter in a heat-proof bowl. Set bowl over a pan of simmering water; stir until chocolate has melted. Remove from heat; whisk in sugar, yogurt,  prune puree, eggs, vanilla, and salt until smooth.

3. In a medium bowl, combine flour, almond meal  and cocoa. Stir into chocolate mixture just until incorporated.

4. Spread batter in prepared pan. Bake until top is firm and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs, 30 minutes. Cool completely in pan.

Fig Bars

• 32 dried calimyrna figs, stems removed
•  ¼ cup coconut
• ¾ cups whole wheat flour
•  ¾ cups oat flour
• ½ cup rolled oats
• 2 T. finely ground cashews or almonds
• ½ t. baking soda
•  ¼ t. salt
•  ¼ tsp baking powder
•  ¼ cup canola oil
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• ¼ cup milk
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly oil an 8 x8 inch square cake pan. Set aside.

2. Place the figs in a saucepan just large enough to fit with just enough water to cover. Boil for 2-3 minutes, cover, and allow figs to soak for 10 minutes. Place figs and coconut in a blender or food processor with ¼ cup of the water and puree, adding more water if necessary. Set aside.

3. Sift together the flours, oats, ground nuts, baking soda and salt, and set aside. In another small bowl, whisk together the canola oil, maple syrup &milk until well combined. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix.

4. Spread half to 2/3 of the crust mixture evenly on the bottom of the prepared pan, followed by the fig mixture. Top with the remaining crust mixture, drizzling with a bit of maple syrup or sprinkle with cinnamon sugar if desired. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until golden brown.