Happy 2nd Seizure- Free Anniversary, Autumn Joy!

Posted in Ketogenic Diet by ten40s

Autumn’s last seizure was Wednesday, May 30, 2012 at 9:08 a.m.

2 years – no seizures.

After having up to 100 seizures a day.

What can be said? Who do you begin to thank? How did we get here?

A diet. Prayer. And a joy-filled little girl.

It is just a great day for giving thanks and praise to each and every soul that has walked with us, prayed for us and taught us in so many ways. And the One and Only!

“Every Good Gift and and Every Perfect gift is from Above”

James 1:17

Re- Posting the video – although the subtitle needs to be changed to:

…2 years and counting!

And this was breakfast this morning – yes, Autumn actually gets that much! For all who may be new to the diet – don’t lose heart – this much watermelon will come again!!!!

2 Years of immense

Keto Joy!!!!

Know The Charlie Foundation, Know Peace – and Joy!

Posted in Ketogenic Diet by ten40s

Is that an overstatement?

On the eve of Autumn’s 2-year, seizure-free anniversary, our family certainly does not think so!

Can you imagine the joy and the life we have today that came through this organization? If you read this, and want to share in that joy – and help others share in that joy, please consider celebrating by giving $20 to help the joy continue! Your investment will reap a harvest!

Donate here now! Thank you!!!!!

Cereal – A Family Favorite!

Posted in Ketogenic Diet, Recipes by ten40s

Everyone of Autumn’s brothers and sisters love cereal, and it’s also her dad’s favorite nighttime snack 😉 . Because most cereals are not all that nutritious, we try to limit cereal to once a week. Almost always the number one requested item for a birthday breakfast is Cinnamon Toast Crunch…not exactly a health food! 🙂

Autumn, however, can have have cereal on any day of the week – due to this yummy chocolate cereal from The Charlie Foundation/Keto Cook created by – once again, the infamous Dawn Martenz.

You will find the recipe for a 3:1 ratio here: http://ketocook.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/chocolate-breakfast-cereal-handout.jpg

You can raise the ratio by using cream instead of almond milk. We also use cream so that Autumn can add in some fruit. I have, at times, modified this recipe to make a “cinnamon toast crunch” cereal as well.

Here are the items we use in making it:

Mix ingredients as directed in recipe. We make a “10 times” batch so we have quite a bit of dough that we separate onto 3 parchment lined cookie sheets:

You need to be watchful of the taste testers:

Then place another piece of parchment paper over the dough and roll out thin :

It actually works better to roll it out on the table/counter than on the cookie sheet:

Then “score” each pan of dough into bite-size pieces:

After they are all done baking, we break the pieces up and measure all the cereal:

Then we divide that number by however number batches we made. Although we make a “10 times batch” we often divide by nine due to people taking “snitches” of the batter and losing a bit in making it. We then store each amount into its own separate plastic baggie:

We store all the bags in one container and keep it in the refrigerator….so we can just pop out a bag for breakfast…not just for birthdays…but any day!

Keto Joy!

Watching and Waiting

Posted in Ketogenic Diet by ten40s

If you have been following this blog, you may recall that we started weaning Autumn off the diet this past February. We have been reducing her diet :25 approximately every 4 weeks. Today we started once again at a new ratio, we are now down to 1.50:1. The plan is to go down to 1.25:1 in mid-June and 1:1 in early July – at that point we will be basically “low-carbing” things as she returns to a regular diet.

However, that is just “our” plan. We have no idea what will actually happen. Although I would never consider myself a pessimist, my kids have called me the most pragmatic person they know. And that pragmatic side of me says that, for now, her blood ketone levels are still too high to know for sure if she is “out of the woods” yet.

Most research on the ketogenic diet states that it is necessary for blood ketone levels to be at least at 4.0 for seizure control – although that may not be sufficient. All throughout the diet, Autumn has measured in the 7’s or higher. The monitor only goes up to 7.9 and then just reads “HI” for any higher values. We had to monitor Autumn closely when we first started the diet because she would consistently measure “HI”.

Right now, she is down to a 4.8.

So, is she not having seizures because her ketone levels are still high, or because she is actually “healed”?

Right now, we just don’t know.

So, we just keep watching and waiting, enjoying those extra grams of carbs and protein, and trusting that no matter what happens, God will use it for good, one way or another, as we keep pressing on……..although at times my palms still sweat 😉

A picture from the back porch last week…looking forward to what is ahead!

Keto Joy!

A Cure for Autism/ASD?

Posted in Ketogenic Diet by ten40s

Perhaps. At least a step in the right direction for helping the symptoms.

I have friends and acquaintances – probably all of us do – who have children with Autism, ASD, seizures or a myriad of other disorders. One of those parents posted the following video/link this past week. We just finished watching it for science class today (along with a 45 minute video on the thyroid – all great stuff for even a 9-year-old!) 🙂

I thought anyone following Keto Joy would be really interested, so here is the link:

https://unblindmymind.org

Love those Mounds Bars!

Posted in Ketogenic Diet by ten40s

Growing up, I remember one of my mom’s favorite candy bars was a Mounds Bar, and thus it became one of mine, and thus some of my kids’ favorite…funny how that works. 🙂

There is just something about dark chocolate and coconut….yum. Well thankfully “Keto” Mounds Bars are really easy to make. There are not quite as soft and moist, but they are still yummy!

Ingredients needed: (Click “recipes” for exact measurements)

Remember you can use either stevia or truvia – whatever is your preference. The Ghiradelli chocolate has a higher fat ratio, so that may be helpful in some recipes – although this recipe is almost ALL FAT!

Put the coconut, coconut oil and vanilla in a food processor until well mixed/ground:

Then press into a small pan/container – the one shown is about a 6 x 4 :

Next, mix up the dark chocolate topping using cocoa, truvia/stevia, coconut oil and a pinch of salt:

And pour it on and over…

Cover and place in the fridge until they harden, then take them out, pile in a mound….

and…enjoy!

Mounds of Keto Joy! 😉

Monday Morning -The Reality of a Mother’s Day

Posted in Ketogenic Diet by ten40s

Yesterday was “Mom’s Day”…a day many of us moms enjoyed so many beautiful things. I personally enjoyed…

A flower garden planted by my girls…

An amazing tiramisu cake, made by another daughter(Grain free and sugar free!)

A heart-filled number of cards…

It was truly a beautiful today!

Today, Monday, is also “Mom’s Day.” The Mondays…Tuesdays..Wednesdays….that are done all year round, filled with:

Laundry…

and dishes…

and schooling…

and perhaps back to work, and back to researching the health issues, and doctor’s visits, dealing with financial shortfalls, and strained family relationships… along with the impatience, the anxiousness, the mother’s fears….and I think of all the other moms I know – Tresa, Anna, Kate, Natalie, Gerri, Christine, Dawn, Lisa……who are waking up too, to Monday, with all their issues and their kids’ issues, and I am grateful to know them…. and how today we moms will walk together – although perhaps distantly – and how they will all help encourage me – in some way or another – and all the other moms out there who I will learn from and get help from this year.

And so when I read this note yesterday from one of my sons:

“I read the popular line last night: “What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family.”
It immediately made me think of the way you’ve poured into each of us since day one. We’d have probably already attained world peace by now if everyone had your ability to invest, reason, and love. Thank you for your sacrifice every single day to carry on and do what you do so beautifully and well.
Love you and Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!”

…and all the other kind words from my other sons and daughters, my first thought is: “How is this possible? How can he say these things? Did he, and all the other kids, forget all the times I was yelling, ugly, impatient, selfish, impossible and irrational?”

Then I think of page 13 of of Ann Voskamp’s “One Thousands Gifts” where she says,

“Why does God ask us to give thanks even when things look a failure?

…and on page 14 she says..

because “It’s yielding higher than it looks.” “The life that counts blessings discovers its yielding more than it seems.”

And so when all the years go by – 24 for the son’s words above –

I think how blessed I am to have so much help…so many other moms that encouraged me and helped me give thanks for all things… so that I might have a happy mothers’ day.

So I spray on a spritz of my favorite perfume – my gift from the kids yesterday…

and walk in it….amidst all the other stuff. …and count all those blessings…even as I put them into the washing machine, scrub them off the floor, apologizing for a wrong word or attitude and asking for forgiveness, giving thanks as I go along… and today, I get to do it all without seizures!

Keto Joy!