Flare Up Food Favorite

Salt-less, oil-less, skinless steamed or baked chicken. Saltless, butter-less mashed potatoes or white rice. And unseasoned, butter-less cooked carrots. no flavor. no creativity. no nothing! This is the flare up diet. The most taste you get is from the gatorade or cucumber infused water you are allowed to drink. And then there are the days you get so sick that you can’t even get the chicken actually down. It’s just too hard to break down. Let’s be real, some days it hurts just to drink water and gatorade.

I usually went the baby food & smoothie route. It was easier to eat. Easier to get added supplements and vitamins in. And you only have to eat a little bit at a time. Plus, for me, as a mom with a little one, it made it fun for me and Hippo. We would share bowls of little puffs or yogis and watch movies. Or we made smoothies or popsicles made out of purées to share while outside on the balcony or by the pool. It was easy and healthy. I’d make one for him and then I’d make mine with the added chia or flaxseeds, powdered vitamins and wheatgrass or E3Live. Now I know they say that you shouldn’t mix the E3 live or wheatgrass, but that stuff is usually too strong for me to take by itself, so I have to mix it.

This was how I was originally introduced to Happy Family Brands. They were one of very few baby food brands at the time that was organic AND tasty. Their line was limited then, but it worked so well to mix into a coconut milk based smoothie with some added protein. Or just something I could eat in the car or when we went out with the baby. I would just pack one for him and one for me, and it was the perfect amount for me to eat while I was in a flare up. Then I start mixing purées together. For instance, purée roasted cauliflower, inside of zucchini and a pouch of winter squash (HappyFamily) into mashed potatoes. Not that you have to trick yourself, like you would a toddler, but sometimes it’s easier to just eat everything together. So, basically my tricky tips for the baby, I use on myself for convenience, health and time saving.

I am starting a whole new series of tricky eats for picky toddlers and IBD family friendly recipes series of demos, samplings and information using Happy Family for moms clubs like Club MomMe and various nutritionists around Los Angeles. If you are in Los Angeles, I would encourage you to come to one the events!! Everyday after I will post a few of the recipes I will demo, here on the site. But for giveaways, nutritional packets and exclusives you should definitely attend.

If you’re in LA this Monday, come by!