On a recent training run for Saturday’s half marathon — my first — I described the opening scene from Raising Cubby to my running partner who works with special needs students.

“Yep, I have a student like that,” she responded. (I assume she was nodding in agreement but I tend to look at the road ahead when running.)

I was honestly baffled. This is a world I do not live in.

But, that’s also why I wanted to read this book. I wanted to understand it.

Alas, with training for a half marathon, working a full-time job and raising two food allergy kids (a different kind of special needs), I just haven’t had the time to read more than the first chapter.

What are you busy reading?

This post was inspired by Raising Cubby: A Father and Son’s Adventures with Asperger’s, Trains, Tractors, and High Explosives by John Elder Robison. Parenting is a challenging job, but what challenges does a parent with Asperger’s face? Join From Left to Write on March 12 as we discuss Raising Cubby. As a member, I received a copy of the book for review purposes.

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Michelle Obama gave the closing keynote at the 2013 Partnership for a Healthier America Summit, which also included Newark, NJ Mayor Cory A. Booker and New York Giants Quarterback Eli Manning.

I attended the Partnership for a Healthier America Summit on March 8, 2013 at George Washington University’s Lisner Auditorium. The energy in the room was infectious.

This fitness foodie totally geeked out.

I loved learning about the Farm to School program, hearing the dynamic Cory A. Booker, mayor of Newark, NJ, and discovering the Reebok’s BOKS (Build Our Kids’ Success) program from its ambassador New York Giants Quarterback Eli Manning.

Listening to the First Lady deliver the closing keynote was pretty cool, too.

OK, REALLY COOL!

(so was getting a press pass with “White House” on it.)

Now, I’m even more inspired by her Let’s Move! campaign.

What’s inspiring you today?

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It was very Mad Men.

Click over to Mom It Forward to check out my tips on how to vacation in Scottsdale, Arizona like a 1960s celebrity.

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Just before I made this diet change, I was invited to be a member of the WORLDFOODS Maryland Fusion Taste team by Liza of (a)Musing Foodie. WORLDFOODS makes ready-to-use sauces in a variety of Asian flavors.

I panicked a little. How was I going to review Asian flavors with my diet restrictions?

Fortunately, the hamper I received from WORLDFOODS was complete with gluten and dairy free sauces.

Score!

And the flavors are amazing – very robust, just the right amount of spice, perfect for dressing up any dish.

Seriously.

I improvised with what I had in my pantry and the Thai Green Curry Paste and I now have a new favorite dish. This side-dish is so good, I’ll eat it as a meal. And I don’t share. Go make your own!

Easy Chickpeas-y Curry Rice

Ingredients

1 TBSP Coconut Oil

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped green peppers

1 15.5 oz can of chickpeas, drained

4 TBSP WORLDFOODS Thai Green Curry Paste

2 cups rice

Instructions

Make rice as directed – I use boil-in-a-bag rice.

Heat oil in pan.

Saute onions until translucent.

Add green peppers. Saute until soft.

Add chickpeas and curry paste. Mix until combined.

Heat evenly.

Combine curry chickpeas and rice. Enjoy as a side dish or lunch entrée.

Makes 2 servings.

Want to win some Thai Curry sauce? Visit WorldFoods on Facebook to enter their giveaway. Click on the USA Sweepstakes tab and enter the password MDFTT. This contest is open until 11:59 p.m. EST November 30, 2012.

Disclosure: As a member of the WORLDFOODS Maryland Fusion Taste Team, I received samples of WORLDFOODS sauces for the purposes of review. The opinions expressed above are my own.

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Just before my daughter’s first birthday, she had an allergic reaction to a graham cracker. She took one bite and her face broke out in a rash.

It was that quick.

Because of our family history, we were planning to have her tested for food allergies at her one-year check-up. I just wasn’t prepared for the results.

Wheat. Garlic. Soy. Eggs. Peanuts. Treenuts. Bananas.

The only food allergen she shares with my son is eggs (he outgrew his peanut allergy).

Since I’m still breastfeeding my daughter, I’ve had to adopt her diet, only not as strictly. For example, I can eat foods with soy or garlic near the end of the ingredient list but not as a primary ingredient.

No tofu or roasted garlic for me.

So, I’ve been learning to eat – and cook – gluten-free. Its been a hard adjustment; it was when my son was diagnosed, too.

I miss bread.

Yet, I’ve discovered a few things about my own diet in the process. When I cut out wheat, I reintroduced dairy. And discovered that I’d rather be dairy-free. As much as I like cheese and ice cream (never been a milk drinker), I don’t like the way I feel when I eat it – sluggish and heavy. When I stop nursing, I plan to cut dairy back out of my diet and reintroduce wheat.

Here’s hoping I don’t have a gluten intolerance.

In the meantime, I’m making do with our situation and trying to get creative in the kitchen. Here’s a pancake recipe that my husband and I made this weekend that’s perfect for the season.

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes (Gluten-Free)

Adapted from a So Delicious Dairy Free Pumpkin Spice Coconut Milk carton

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour (Bob’s Red Mill All-Purpose)

1/2 tsp xanthum gum

3 TBSP sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 cup applesauce

1 cup milk or milk alternative

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 TBSP vegetable oil

Chocolate Chips (Enjoy Life)

coconut oil for the pan

Instructions

Whisk the dry ingredients (flour, xanthum gum, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice) together. Set aside.

Mix wet ingredients (pumpkin puree, applesauce, milk, vanilla, oil) together in a separate bowl.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients together.

Heat the oil in a skillet. Pour approximately 1/4 cup of batter into the pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips as desired. Cook 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

Top with fruit, syrup and/or powdered sugar.

Makes approximately 1 dozen pancakes.

Tips

If the batter is too thick, add a little more milk until the batter is the desired consistency.

If you have leftover pancakes, store them in the refrigerator or freezer in an air tight container, separating each pancake with parchment paper.

If you don’t have xanthum gum, you can still make these pancakes. They’ll turn out fine.

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I was inspired by Kitchen Play’s July Progressive Party. Each month, Kitchen Play hosts an online party with a sponsored theme. This month’s theme is summertime dining with CUTCO.

I love our CUTCO knives (but don’t tell my husband because I wasn’t happy when he bought them; they are a bit pricey). Those knives are the ones I reach for first when cooking. They made slicing fruit for sangria a cinch.

White Watermelon Sangria

Inspired by Summertime Sangria from Nutmeg Nanny

3 cups white wine

1 cup ginger ale

1 cup watermelon, blended

1/4 cup sugar

apple, lime, orange slices

Stir ingredients together and refrigerate for two hours. Serve over ice. Garnish with fruit.

What’s your favorite summertime dish?

This Kitchen Play Progressive Party includes a giveaway from CUTCO for a Salad Mates gift set. This post is my entry. The opinions expressed and the CUTCO knives described above are my own. I was not compensated for this post but hope to win the giveaway.

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The idea didn’t occur to me until I was approached by Stephanie from the National Watermelon Promotion Board about participating in the Watermelon Carving Contest Blogger Challenge.  The challenge sounded fun so I enthusiastically agreed.

And then our watermelon arrived.

My husband and I stared at it, not quite sure where to begin.

Fortunately, there are carving recipes on the National Watermelon Promotion Board’s website. And there’s a category in the contest for duplicating one of those recipes.There are six categories altogether; the other five categories are for original creations.

We were inspired by the turtle carving and decided to make a crab, in honor of our home state, Maryland.

We created a fruit bowl from the watermelon crab carving.

It was a lot easier than we thought and a lot of fun, too.

First, we (and by we, I mean my husband; I took photos) cut the watermelon in half. Then, he scooped out the insides of each half with an ice cream scoop – we couldn’t find our melon baller.

Next, my husband drew an outline of a Maryland crab on the top half of the watermelon with a dry erase marker. Then, he cut out the rind along the outline.

To finish the crab, we used blueberries for eyes and filled the bottom half with the watermelon balls.

Our Maryland Crab watermelon carving

What would you carve out of watermelon? The 3rd Annual Watermelon Carving Contest is open through August 4, 2012 – the day after National Watermelon Day – so there’s still time to enter. You could win up to $600!

Our watermelon crab scuttling away.

For participating in the Watermelon Carving Contest Blogger Challenge, I received a watermelon, a Dexas watermelon cutting board, a Temple of Thai carving tool and a set of Lips and Love Basket heart shaped cookie cutters from the National Watermelon Promotion Board. The ideas expressed above are my own.The watermelon crab creation is all my husband.

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Photo Credit: lululemon athletica via Flickr

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A new line of candy, while not food-allergy-friendly, recently caught my attention.

UNREAL

Its candy unjunked.

What’s does that mean? It means its made with real ingredients – cane sugar, milk, peanuts and cacao.

It means its free of artificial flavors and preservatives and it does not contain GMOs, hydrogenated oils or corn syrup.

UNREAL has taken the junk out of candy.

That’s not to say its healthy – its still candy – but it’s a step in the right direction.

And the taste? While I can’t personally tell you how good this candy is – its full of the allergens I’m avoiding – I can tell you that it didn’t last long in our house. The lot of samples we received* was gone in a day thanks to my husband.

But don’t just take my word for it. Join me for Kitchen PLAY’s #GetUnReal Twitter and Tasting Party on Tuesday, July 24 at 7 p.m. and find out what others are saving about this new candy.

What foods would you like to see unjunked?

I received samples of UNREAL from Healthy Child Healthy World. The opinions expressed above are my own.

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