Apple Crisp and Eczema Update

Lots of people like to go pick apples at an orchard once the fall weather arrives. Well, the sweater weather is here, but we don’t have to leave our house for apples. We are lucky enough to have a few apple trees right on our property. So we picked some of our apples and decided to make an “Alexie-friendly” apple crisp recipe.

With Alexie’s food sensitivities, we do a lot of baking. We have to make everything from scratch using some unique ingredients. But we like our special, seasonal treats. So we’re making a classic apple crumb that our whole family can enjoy together.

Eczema update

It’s been almost 7 months since Alexie got her food sensitivity diagnosis, and there have been lots of changes.

Our diet has changed a lot. Since Alexie is dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free and grain-free among other things, we have to get creative. “What do you feed her?” is the question we get the most. We basically live on fruits and vegetables and meat. We use quinoa a lot. From just quinoa, to quinoa pasta, to quinoa flakes. We also use a lot of cassava flour, which is a great flour alternative.

She doesn’t nap much anymore. Prior to her diagnosis, she was napping every single day. Like 3+ hours a day and still sleeping her whole night at almost 4 years old. Once all her scabs healed up (which took about 5 weeks) she gave up her nap. I think her body needed the extra sleep just to heal and fight infections. But now that her body is healed, she just doesn’t need as much sleep. She still takes the occasional nap but they are only about an hour long and maybe once a week.

Apple Crumble

• 6-8 apples (ours we small so we used 8 or 9)
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup vegan butter (we use Earth Butter or Melt butter, soy-free)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup quinoa flakes
• 1/2 cup cassava flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cloves

1. Peel and chop apples. Toss with 2 tsp of cinnamon and place into a pie pan.
2. In a bowl, combine melted vegan butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, quinoa flakes, and cassava flour.
3. Spread on top of apples and bake in a 350*F oven for 30-35 minutes until apples are soft and the crumble topping is golden and crisp.
4. Allow to cool a little and enjoy!

Alexie really enjoyed her special dessert and actually we all love it. It’s nice to be able to have these fall recipes and traditions that we can all enjoy together.