Tommy was a late walker and talker. A few months ago his
pediatrician recommended that we take Tommy to be evaluated by our state’s
Early Intervention Program. Tommy qualified for physical, speech and
occupational therapy. Initially I was a little embarrassed. I felt like I had
somewhat failed as a mom and that I wasn't trying hard enough to teach Tommy to
walk. It turns out he just wasn't ready. After a couple months of physical
therapy, Tommy is now walking around like crazy and he no longer needs physical
therapy.
Because of Tommy’s food allergies, he never had many of the
common baby snacks like puffs and Baby Mum Mums. He loves food and he used to
gobble up his food so quickly that he wouldn't chew. Anything with a firmer
texture was just swallowed whole and while he never full on choked, sometimes
it was a little scary. Tommy’s occupational therapist gave us tips on how to
encourage chewing by giving Tommy things like dried mangoes and not giving him
all his food at once.
Tommy’s occupational therapy now consists of a weekly group
therapy/play group with other kids ages 2-3.
Each week they have a discovery activity, like playing in a large
fishbowl, they sing and sign a song about animal noises, do a little craft and
then have snack time. Snack time is a big part of the group since it helps the
kids overcome any food aversions they have plus they learn how to use utensils.
Tommy’s occupational therapist is well aware of his food
allergies and she coordinates the snacks with me so that she will either
accommodate his allergies or I will provide an equivalent snack. One week his
therapist said that they were going to have French Toast with maple syrup for
snack.
So that left me with the challenge of making a wheat, dairy, and egg free French Toast
recipe within a couple of days. Thank goodness we finally had a bread recipe that you can actually slice. It turns out mashed bananas, coconut milk and cinnamon
makes a delicious batter. Tommy LOVED the French Toast.
It was a huge sense of accomplishment to make a delicious French Toast recipe that Tommy loves and I think tastes better than the traditional version. As my husband said, making a wheat, egg, and dairy free French Toast is like painting a masterpiece without being able to use one of the three primary colors. This victory has fueled my curiosity and drive to make more family recipes.
And I think we've officially entered the “Sticky Kid” phase...
Coconut Banana French
Toast
8 slices of bread
1 mashed banana
½ cup coconut milk
¼ tsp cinnamon
Coconut oil for
cooking
Heat 1 tablespoon of
coconut oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Whisk the mashed
banana, coconut milk and cinnamon in a large bowl. Soak the bread in the milk
mixture. When the pan is warm, add as many slices of bread to the pan as will
easily fit without touching. Cook for approximately 3 minutes on each side or
until browned. Continue cooking the rest of the bread adding more coconut oil
as needed. Slice into sticks and serve
with maple syrup. The French Toast can easily be frozen and thawed in the microwave.
