About the Potato Project

Welcome to the Potato Project.  I'm Ashley and I enjoy making simple, versatile, affordable food with whole ingredients that can appeal to people with complicated dietary needs.  So whether you are looking to manage a difficult diet or are just looking for something new to try, I hope you can find something on here that works for you.  Many of my recipes can be easily modified to meet diverse needs.

My Story: 

Shortly after the birth of my daughter, I started to feel that something was wrong.  After nursing she would spit up buckets and would scream, sometimes for hours, until she fell asleep exhausted.  I expressed my concerns to her doctor only to be told that this was normal for a baby this age and that it would pass.  It didn't.  My mother suggested I take her to a chiropractor that she knew who did laser treatments for allergies.  Frustrated with the response I'd gotten from the medical "experts," I decided to give it a try.  The chiropractor diagnosed her with allergies/intolerances to most grains, dairy, corn and all derivatives, eggs, fermented foods and vinegars, onions, garlic, peppers, tomatoes, certain kinds of nuts, berries, melons, mustard, and dogs.  Thankfully none of her allergies were anaphylactic, but trying to manage that many became a food nightmare.  Just the corn allergy alone eliminated 99% of pre-made food, which created a new nightmare of having to make literally everything from scratch, including non-dairy milk for her bottles.  I considered switching to formula, but just couldn't bring myself to do it since the stuff is basically processed corn in a can with some dairy and/or soy added in.  So began the longest year of breastfeeding ever.  I eliminated most of the above foods from my diet and began my quest towards helping my daughter feel better. 

While it did get better, it was not without it's challenges.  As my daughter got older and began eating solids, she began to develop eczema.  It didn't seem to matter what I did or didn't eat, her eczema would not go away. Try as I might, I could not manage her allergies and breastfeed too.  After a year of working full time, going to school, getting no sleep, and always feeling like I was going to starve to death, I was beginning to lose my mind in a dangerous way.  I desperately wished that it would just end, and if it hadn't been for my daughter, I might have found a way to end it.  After a particularly brutal argument with my mother, I quit breastfeeding and went back to eating a somewhat normal diet, although I must admit that most store bought food is permanently ruined for me.  I began to research her allergies more and realized that I was still eating a lot of corn that I didn't know about as well as environmental exposures.  I eliminated as much corn as I could from her diet and began making separate meals just for her that strictly met her dietary needs.  Finally, her eczema began to subside. 

Throughout all of this, my biggest complaint was that it would take hours and a considerable chunk of my paycheck to make all of this food from scratch. There just had to be an easier way.  I began thinking about potatoes.  They are versatile, cheap, kids love them, and the Irish practically lived on them back in the day.  I felt like my diet needed to be more like that of the Irish, simple, affordable, and versatile.  Thus the Potato Project was born with a little inspiration from another blog that I began following (ohsheglows.com).  While you won't find too many recipes with potatoes in them on here, you will find the simplicity and diversity that they symbolize.  Many of my recipes are made with the option to substitute or omit ingredients, and many are vegan, gluten free, and free of most or all of the top 8 food allergens.

I'm happy to report that through laser therapy, my daughter has outgrown her allergy to eggs, berries, she is less sensitive to corn, and her eczema is mostly under control.  Unfortunately grains are still our biggest problem, which has forced me to reinvent cooking several times over. Overall, our diet has gotten easier to manage, and I'm learning faster and better ways to do things every day.  However, we still have a long way to go.  I still struggle finding food that she can and will eat, and juggling a job, school, and a toddler is no easy task, but I'm hopeful that I will get there someday.  I hope that our journey and struggles can help someone else with theirs, and I hope that you enjoy the Potato Project.  

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