Meatless Monday Menu: Vegetarian vegetable soup, quesadillas

I prefer quesadillas to grilled cheese sandwiches, there I said it. They are just easier to make, faster, less clean up. You don't have to butter the tortillas, they toast just fine in a dry pan. Also, because you fold the tortilla in half it is less likely the cheese will fall out when you flip them. I make them ALL the time.

Anyhow last night the baby was very ill so I made 2 cans of Campbell's vegetarian vegetable soup and some quesadillas. I strained some of the soup and gave the baby some broth, a popsicle and some ginger ale. This morning she seems to be doing much better.

If you or a loved one comes down with a stomach bug there are some things you can have on hand to help settle the stomach.

Things that are always in my pantry:

Gatorade powdered mix (any flavor but no bright reds)
Saltine crackers
Peppermint tea
Peppermints or mini candy canes
white rice
jars of apple sauce

Things that I get from the store:
White bread
bananas
ginger ale
popsicles (not the good kind with fruit juice, the cheap sugar water pops, also no bright reds)

I grew up following the BRAT diet for upset stomachs, Bananas, rice, applesauce and toast. The reason I use white bread and white rice is that they are more easily digested and if your stomach upset also involves diarrhea then skipping the fiber seems like common sense. A cooled peppermint tea or a ginger ale can alleviate feelings of nausea and do not give the sick person anything dyed bright red to drink. If they do throw up again, red is the hardest stain to get out of clothes pr bedding or heaven forbid upholstery! I also avoid the high quality pops because the fruit juice could also aggravate the very delicate gastrointestinal tract. I only deploy the Gatorade if the sick person has been ill many times over several hours, otherwise ginger ale, water, very dilute apple juice, and tea are plenty to keep them hydrated. Once you've been up all night with a constantly sick kid then you can get the Gatorade out.

Be on the lookout for dehydration, signs can include:

Sunken eyes
crying without tears,
dry mouth
decreased urination (dry diapers in babies)
darker urination
lethargy

Keeping your sick kid drinking small amounts of fluid over long periods of time is easier on the stomach then having a big drink, encourage them to take many small sips.