My son Josiah LOVES to be in the kitchen! Life skills are very important for him to learn and develop, so I've been teaching him how to cook. Considering he is on a restrictive diet, it is necessary that he is able to read labels and interpret ingredients. His autism has actually been a benefit to him in this because he's somewhat obsessive about reading those labels! In fact, he now surpasses me in finding those things that don't get along with his body (gluten, milk & milk products).

Here JoJo is making his noodles. We LOVE Tinkyada noodles, a rice pasta that doesn't get mushy from cooking like so many of the other gluten free products. We also make mini pizzas for him on his gluten free waffles with his soy cheese. Those waffles are capable of pulling of a great variety of meal options for him. Peanut butter and banana. Macadamia butter and local honey. Or his favorite: soy ice cream on waffles!

Josiah is great at letting me know what I need to buy that he may be running out of. Especially his cookies and noodles. Occasionally, I'll mix up a baking mix or pancake mix so I can more easily make some of his special foods homemade; but lately (I think it's because we now have 6 teens at home!) I don't seem to have time to even think, much less cook as much as I need or would like!

I'm very proud of how Josiah is learning how to take care of himself. There's still a lot more to learn, but this is a great start!

Oh, and note the mondo sized frying pan on the stove! No, it's not a mini stove, it's actually THAT big of a pan!