Hi, my name is Cassidy & I’m so happy you stopped by! I am married and have 2 kids, Lance who is 12 years old and Ava who is 10. We started a gluten and dairy free diet in June of 2009 because Lance was diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS), which is in the autism spectrum. But most recently he was diagnosed with epilepsy (he has long and intense grand mal seizures, so scarry!!!), tic disorder, oppositional defiance disorder, and his diagnosis was changed from PDD-NOS to Aspergers. Like many children in the autism spectrum, Lance cannot break down the proteins in wheat, barley, & rye (gluten) and dairy (casein).
We see a huge change in behavior if Lance eats gluten, casein, artificial sweeteners, or food coloring. He is less verbal, hyper, obsessive, has excessive flapping, and just acts “out of it.” We also try to avoid soy (has tons of hormones!), refined sugar, and most recently all grains – not only to benefit Lance but also because of my own health problems. I have been diagnosed with Hashimotos disease (where the immune system attacks the thyroid), and gastroparesis (delayed stomach emptying)
A gluten free and grain free diet help with all of these conditions, but especially with Hashimotos disease. With the challenges of life, sometimes it’s all I can do just to keep our family on a gluten and dairy free diet. However, when I cook I have complete control of my ingredients and I try my best to use foods that will be healing to the gut and keep my family as healthy as possible.
I really hope you enjoy my recipes! And please leave comments because I love hearing feedback and I always welcome constructive criticism 🙂
*If you or someone in your life has celiac or a life-threatening allergy, please examine all labels and packaging to make sure the ingredients I use are safe for you. Every now and then I will use products that are processed in a facility that also manufactures wheat or dairy.
Someone shared one of your recipes on FB (the awesome dinner rolls). Thank you for sharing your recipes and your gift of trying new things (I certainly don’t have the knack for it nor do I want to…cooking isn’t fun for me so it’s much appreciated!).
I read your “about me” and kudos for you for taking charge of your family’s health and yours. I only share this with you because I care. Have you heard of Medical Medium? I think this will take yours and your family’s health to a whole new level. The fact you already cut out gluten, dairy, and soy is huge. The next step is lower the fats and excluding corn and eggs if you haven’t already. The word “paleo and Keto” caught my attention. Yes, people get results because they change their diet but after 10-15 years of being on a high protein/high fat diet, our livers will become sluggish and develop thick blood.
Medical Medium has a book called Thyroid Healing, which explains about Hashimoto’s. Check it out….lots of free info on his blog and free radio shows. Why not go for the gold? Thanks again for sharing your story and your recipes.
Hi Cassidy,
I loved hearing about your kids. I have 16 year old who has high functioning autism and a 12 year old who has classic autism. We follow a diet similar to yours despite the fact that most people think our diet is goofy. My son who is 12 got tested for food allergies when he was 7, and the tests showed he is very allergic to dairy and has a sensitivity to wheat. His stomach problems pretty much went away. He never has developed any major behavior problems, and his behavior specialist credits this to his diet along with the therapy. I wanted you to know that 5 years ago when we started this life style, your web site was one of the first ones we found. My kids absolutely love your pumpkin donuts. I don’t make them too often because they are so addictive! It is such a shame more doctors do not support this life style. It would help so many kids on the spectrum.
I wish diets for autism were more mainstream too, I think it would help so many kids! Thanks for the nice comment, I’m happy y’all like my pumpkin doughnuts 🙂 Thanks also for sharing about your kids, I’m happy diet has helped so much – I know it can be hard so kuddos to you and all you do for your kids!!!!
-Cassidy
Thanks for a marvelous posting! I seriously enjoyed reading it, you happen to be a great author.I will make sure to bookmark your blog and
definitely will come back very soon. I want to encourage one to continue your great job, have
a nice evening!
I just wanted to thank you for this website! I am recently diagnosed with hashimotos and diving in to paleo full force. Have you found that it helped your disease? Do you still have antibodies? Thanks!!!
Thank you – I hope you are liking my recipes!!! Yes, I have found that being Paleo really helps me. If I feel like my symptoms are flaring up I can usually go strict Paleo (or even whole30) for a week or so and I start feeling better. I don’t know if I still have antibodies or not because I haven’t been tested in quite awhile but overall I do pretty good now with more good days than bad. Also, I’m not a doctor and can’t tell you what’s right for you but I also take a supplement called GTA FORTE 2 and it helps tremendously also. Hope going Paleo works for you!!
Hugs,
Cassidy
Hi Cassidy! I found your website because I was looking for a Paleo vanilla pudding recipe. My 13 year old son has Hashimoto’s disease (he was just diagnosed when he was 12). He has not officially been diagnosed but he is also on the Autism spectrum. What was strange is that he developed a lot of autistic features with the onset of his autoimmune disease, such as hand flapping, (which I put together after his diagnosis of Hashimoto’s). My daughter has IBS and she is also gluten intolerant and allergic to nuts so the easiest thing is to just eat Paleo and a lot of AIP recipes. We tried going gluten and dairy free but my son was still getting sick a lot so we’re recommitting to a Paleo lifestyle. I’m looking forward to trying out your recipes and following your blog! Best of luck to you and your family. 🙂
Thanks Sharon, best of luck to you too! It seems unusual that your son was diagnosed with hashimoto’s so young and his autistic features set on after his autoimmune disease! I hope living a Paleo lifestlye helps and that you like my recipes. Making the switch to Paleo was a bit difficult at first but after awhile it becomes second nature 🙂
Best of luck again!
-Cassidy
Hi! I’m so happy I ran across your blog while trying to figure out how to make a Paleo angel food cake. I used your recipe and put them in mini bundt pans last night. It’s delicious. Just wanted to say thanks and I linked to your recipe on my blog post this morning. 🙂 Thanks for a great recipe!
April Policani
GlutenFreeZen
YAY April, I’m so happy you liked it and shared it on your site! Thanks so much!!!
XO,
Cassidy
I cant wait to try your recipes ..I have a fatty liver and I want to change my way of eating ..I am glad I found your web ..
I decided to try this recipe today, but substituted Einkorn Flour for the tapioca flour since my husband and I are not totally grain free; just trying to watch the carbs. I must say these buns were very tasty! I managed to get 4 regular size buns which was a perfect portion for the 2 of us. We each had one hamburger for dinner and we’ll each have one for lunch tomorrow. Great recipe!
I’m loving your recipes. I have been a clean eater for sometime now so no gluten, dairy, soy, artificial flavors/colors/dyes, processed sugars, caffeine or alcohol. I had my health compromised 2 years ago and was told I have altered my metabolism from being chemically overloaded. Was on inhaler’s, nasal sprays, allergy pills, prednisone, had walking pneumonia last 6 years, etc. so were my kids and hubby on blood pressure meds for over 12 years. We are all medicine free and have been for 2 years now thanks to nutritional healing. My cousin is a naturopath and educated me on healing my body inside and out. What I wanted to share was that internally your getting rid of gluten but did you know that the things you put on your body can have gluten and a ton of other chemicals that actually over time cause you harm also. This was my case. I use all Arbonne products because anything you put on your skin with in 26 seconds get absorbed into your bloodstream and organs. How many of those are toxins that should not be on us. All of them. True story a lady had son with autism and they were eliminating everything from his diet but he was still having some issues guess what they figure out…. The mom was a hugger and every time she hugged her son her foundation was going into his skin causing his issues. The chemicals in the foundation was a trigger for her son. Scary huh. She now uses all Arbonne and is an amazing consultant. I just wanted to share the medical side of external issues that most don’t know or think about. Clean up your gut, and pre-prevent but also clean up your shampoos/conditioners, hairsprays, lotions, facial, makeup, body washes, perfumes, etc. All which have harmful and damaging chemicals. This too can be life changing. Thanks for sharing your website and amazing recipes. Here’s my contact info if you have further questions. kantrablue@yahoo.com
Much Aloha,
Kantra Blue
I am so thrilled by your website, my son was just diagnosed with petit mal seizures this past Thursday. We are still waiting for an MRI to look further at his brain. With this said, I am really wanting to change his plus my daughters and my husbands diet. Just for his health plus ours. Do you happen to know anything else about seizures or possibly essential oils?
Hi Krista, I’m so sorry to hear about your son.
I actually don’t know a lot about seizures. Our neurologist told us that if he can go 2 years without a seizure he will probably outgrow it and get off of his medication. And ever since Lance got regulated on seizure medication he hasn’t had any more, even though lately his behavior has made us worry that he may have another one soon. I’m hoping to take him to a homeopathic doctor that we like over the summer and find out some more information.
As far as essential oils are concerned, I’ve started giving my son Frankincense as it is suppose to help with seizure activity, but I can’t say for sure as my son is on seizure medication as well. It’s expensive but lasts forever. I’ve heard that inhaling it and rubbing on the soles of your feet during a seizure can make it stop but I have never tried it. I’ve also read that ‘Balance’ from doTerra can help. There are some oils that can increase and bring on seizures that you should be aware of, they are Basil, Rosemary, and Wintergreen oils. And some others that you should avoid or use with care include Camphor, Eucalyptus, Fennel, Galbanum, Hyssop, Nutmeg, Pennyroyal, Sage, Savin, Spike Lavender (not the common Lavender augustifolia), Tansy, Tarragon, Thuja, Thujone, Turpentine, Wormwood.
I’ve read of some studies that suggest that seizures are the result of toxins in the brain, but who knows if that’s true or not. I recently did a heavy metal cleanse using essential oils with both of my children and want to do a cleanse for chlorine but I think I will try to take him to the homeopathic doctor first as I don’t want to do anything dangerous or wrong.
I hope this helps at least a little bit and I wish you and your family all the best!!!
Much Love,
Cassidy
Hi Cassidy.
I have been eating gluten free for 8 years now, low carb for about 2 years now, and was just diagnosed with Hashimoto’s last summer. I’ll look forward to following your blog and recipes too!=)
Hi Cassidy and Family,
I just wanted you to know that I will be praying for your dear family. I love your website and I have a dear nephew Riley with some of the same conditions and will be sharing your website with my brother John and my sister in law Autumn. Riley has been eating gluten free for some time now and doing much better. Thank you very much.,
Thanks so much Liz! I’m happy Riley has been doing better, I have a special place in my heart for other families who deal with children in the spectrum and I will be thinking of you and your family as well 🙂
-Cassidy
Hi Cassidy,
How very generous of you to share these fabulous recepies…….My son (7 yrs old) is autistic. We are branching out into the GFCF world and your blog gives me lots of ideas for interesting and healthy recipes to help us eat within this framework. Thank you!
BTW, I came across this article which – a scientific study of autism and epilepsy and the use of amino acids. http://www.autismspeaks.org/blog/2012/09/14/amino-acids-autism-and-epilepsy
HEYYYYYY sister 🙂
God always knows who to put in our paths just when we need them and he knew I needed YOU!
My 13yo son suffers from TIC disorder/tourettes and has from age 2! However, it wasn’t until the last month that I’ve come to the realization that drastic diet conversion can HELP HIM! Our neurologist (7 yr ago) said no diet could help so I let it go but now I’m a lot smarter than I used to be. My ex-husband wants to put him on ADHD medication (he doesn’t have ADHD, he struggles academically b/c he’s trying to control his tics) which will make his tics worse and he is unwilling to alter his lifestyle and change bad eating habits. However, when he’s home there’s (now) no artificial color/dye/flavor, preservatives, processed, gluten or dairy. To say the least the last month has been extremely tough and rather expensive w/ all the “trial dishes”…but now there’s YOU and I just know your sight is going to be a true God send. Bless your heart, I’ll be praying for you and this journey (we’re on) <3
Thank you Michelle!!!
Diet can make a drastic change and help more than you would think! And after awhile it will become second nature – I wish all the best to you and your son 🙂
XO,
Cassidy
Hi Michelle:
You hit the jackpot finding Cassidy’s site for sure! I Also recommend checking out the Feingold Diet and foundation. They have a lot of research, food lists, Dr. lists, etc that is readily available and very helpful. My oldest son was diagnosed Asperger’s plus and at that time Feingold was the only nutrition based therapy I could find. Even the schools were allowed to Demand that you used drugs. I had to move my son to private school. Anyhow by using the Feingold diet and behavioral therapy and consistent excercise routine, my son is a socially and physically successful adult today….Drug Free!
Hi Cassidy! I’m so glad that I found your website. I have two children and am living dairy, gluten, soy, peanut and citrus free! Meal times is sometimes a challenge and I am always looking for new ideas …. so thank you! You’re recipes look fabulous and it’s so nice to just use the recipe as is and not have to worry about substitutions! Thanks for all your hard work! ~ Jenn
I just fell onto your site while looking for a rolled cookie recipe and can’t wait to try some of your other recipes as well!
I have two sons diagnosed with autism. One of my sons gets terrible tics – both motor and vocal – due to phenol sensitivity. We started him on a low-phenol diet (hard when we’re already limiting so many other foods) and the tics disappeared. I saw that you mix supplements in juice and have to hide the fruit, so I just thought I would mention this as something to consider.
Thanks for such a wonderful website!
When my son developed sudden “tics” he was diagnosed with PANDAS. You should google it if you haven’t already. The tics went away. Nice recipies…..
Cassidy,
Thank you for your website. I’ve been gluten and dairy free for 15 years. I had to self diagnosis because I had developed asthma and doctors didn’t have a clue. They knew about celiac but didn’t understand the effect of food on the respiratory system. In my journey of eliminating different ingredients and foods in our diet, I’ve seen immediate affects in both myself and my daughter, who has Down Syndrome. It is my great passion to share this information especially in the special needs community. It kills me to see the snacks that the kiddos are being fed as rewards and for school lunch, especially knowing that those rewards are creating more problems.
Slowly, people are getting informed. It can’t happen fast enough!
But thanks to you for being another source of information.
Thank you for the recipes..we love to bake. Can you imagine, I owned a bakery (gluten and dairy city) for 11 years?!?!
Esther
Hi Cassidy! I just found you website simply in search for the grain free recipes. Wow, I can’t wait to try some of your recipes – they look amazing! I have been gluten free for about 1 year and just recently I’ve started eating primarily a grain free diet. I feel less bloated, my digestion has improved, and my scalp dermatitis has almost cleared. Thank you so much for creating these beautiful recipes and sharing them with all of us. 🙂 Wishing you and your family great health!
-Lauren from VA
Your recipes and website are really useful and wonderfully delicious. Thank you! I also have to avoid dairy, gluten, and soy, and it’s a struggle to get 1200 mg calcium daily. Considering opsteopenia/osteoporosis it’s a very important health issue to prevent. Do you have a dietitian or other person who provides you specific guidelines to make sure you and your family get enough calcium from food each day? I request resources on this if you have them, please. Thank you very much!
Hi Melinda!
We don’t have a dietitian we use, even though we probably should! I don’t really worry about getting enough calcium because almonds are a good source and since I mainly cook with almond flour and we drink almond milk we get a good amount. We also eat a lot of broccoli and dark leafy greens.
Hope this helps,
Cassidy
Hi Melinda,
Contrary to “popular” belief, dairy calcium is much less absorbed because of the inflammation it creates in the gut. So getting calcium from plant based foods is the way to go.
I’ve also seen information that says that countries with higher consumption of dairy have higher rates of osteoporosis (the opposite of what the dairy industry is leading us to believe) and breast cancer, due to the inflammatory nature of dairy.
Esther
Loved looking through your recipes! They seem delicious and simple to make, right up my ally! I have started making gluten/soy/dairy free foods since my daughter started eating solids and we noticed reactions to foods containing those items such as eczema, constipation, gas, diarrhea, and vomiting. I just whipped up some of your dairy and soy free cream cheese for a recipe I am making for dinner tonight 🙂 I look forward to trying out more of your recipes! Thanks so much for posting!
Cassidy,
Your blog is an answer to a prayer for me:) I saw a Natural Doctor 6 weeks ago, for some health problems I have had for awhile. She put me on a very strict anti-inflammatory diet – free of soy, sugar, gluten, dairy, beef, pork, & most grains. This is a very new way of eating for me (& my family, who doesn’t follow the diet, but helps with grocery shopping, cooking, & is a tremendous support to me). I find plenty of recipes that are gluten free, and maybe even dairy free, but not free of everything else I have eliminated. THANK YOU dear lady for your blog! I have a feeling I will be popping over quite frequently to peruse your recipes: )) Loads of blessings to you & your family- Tammy
Love your new website!
Thanks so much Heidi! It’s so much better than my last one 🙂 Hope ya’ll are doing good!
-Cassidy
Hi! I just found your site while searching for grain free tortilla recipes- I can’t wait to look through more of what you have to offer!
Mollie from TheAlmondFlower (gluten, grain and sugar free)
I love your new websight! So proud of you!
Hi Cassidy!!! Love the site and all of the great recipes!
We too are joining others in the dairy, grain free diets.
My kids are now 21 an 17 and I wish I had known more when they were younger but i was trying….
Anyway, reading about your son….I want to send you an AMAZING video of a russian dr…female,
who specializes in nutrition and what she says about our food and the impact on the “gut” and “brains” from foods.
it is startling….one of the things she says is that “epileptic” seizure are caused by toxins in the brain as a result of the gut lining being compromised by food..grains dairy, etc.
and that is natures way of getting rid of the toxins out of the brain….. She is remarkable and if u would like to watch it I will email it to you. Maybe you already know this but I thought you might be interested…she explains the Franken (stein) cows, etc.
Thank you for the wonderful recipes !!!!
In health,
Carol Alverson
Carol Alverson – I know this is an older post but I would love to have the information on that doctor. My daughter was recently diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. I believe what we eat has a profound affect on our health too…..I was thrilled to find this website! My daughter and I were able to find recipes to make together so the diet change will not feel so overwhelming for such a young child.
Hi Marnie!
We see a doctor who does integrative medicine in Houston, but unfortunately he isn’t seeing new patients anymore 🙁 However, I follow the blog ‘Against All Grain’ and she recommends finding a good Naturopath and gives this site to find one. I hope this helps!!!
Hi Cassidy! I found your site from the Detoxinista and see that you live in Houston. My sister lives there (I’m in Dallas) and her whole family is gluten-free, just like us. Have you ever gotten involved with a support group there? I met a girl who was going to start the GiG of Houston group, and have yet to get my sister to go to a meeting 😉 It’s fun to find other bloggers on the same journey who follow the same people (AAG)!
Can’t wait to snoop around your recipes 😀
xo,
Jess
Hi Jess! Actually, we live in Purcell, OK – we just took our son to a doctor in Houston that was was recommended to us 🙂
I’m not involved in any support groups here, but it’s nice to find other GF bloggers – can’t wait to check out your site!
xo,
Cassidy
Hi Marnie!
I came across your comment/question while reading through Cassidy’s wonderful site and noticed that you didn’t receive an answer about the Russian doctor. It sounds like Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, author of Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAPS) and the GAPS diet.
http://www.gapsdiet.com/Home_Page.html
Although I don’t have anyone in my immediate family with autism, aspergers, seizures or tics, my family (3 generations so far) has leaky gut issues, Lyme & other tick & mosquito borne diseases & parasites, sick building syndrome to name a few. We followed GAPS for a while and some of us found some improvement…especially with the addition of chicken broth to our diet. We’ve sought help from a number of doctors and have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to improve our health. Sometimes life is hard but we have to keep putting one foot in front of the other and do what we can to have full and meaningful lives.
All the best to you and yours,
Beverly
Hi there. I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in 1999, and have struggled ever since, fighting off flare ups, continual pain and embarrassing bathroom rendezvous. Five months ago, I went “paleo” and I was amazed to discover that my “bad” symptoms have all but vanished. I am so encouraged by these results, that I have converted my entire family. We do not eat any grains, wheat or dairy and we feel great. Thank you for your recipes. Lean proteins and greens can get boring after a while.
Good health and blessings,
Tara
The children are coming for the weekend so it’s time to make your key lime pie again. We have Celiacs and dairy free people in our family and this is the most requested dessert, even for those without food sensitivities. There may be snow on the ground but there will be a bit of Florida on our kitchen table. Thank you for creating such delicious recipes!