Eva's Frozen Birthday Party

Eva turned 6 at the end of October, and like many other little girls, requested a Frozen birthday party. With the help of her very creative sisters, we pulled it off, and had a lot of fun putting it together. And let me add, we did this whole party on a very tight budget, using many things we already had and filling in the rest with items from dollar and discount stores. I think Eva will remember her magical birthday for a long time to come. Her exclamations of  "this is the best birthday ever!" made it so worth while!

We picked light blue, teal, silver and white to create our winter wonderland. A simple white vase with some sticks from the backyard and a few glittery Christmas ornaments made a dazzling center piece. We covered the table with a bag of fake snow and added a few tea-lights in mason jars and more glittery snowflakes. We tied the napkins with string and silver icicles.

Her birthday banner was a few doilies and some teal glitter glue. We decorated the ceiling with more tinsel and Christmas tree ornaments. We added some snowballs by stringing cotton onto some cotton thread.

Our menu was super simple and very kid friendly. We had wraps with ham or turkey and cheese and grilled on the panini. We served these little pinwheels with honey mustard sauce. {I used GF wraps for Eva}. We also had Olaf noses (carrots) and jello cubes. I made the jello cubes healthy, using only gelatin and 100% grape juice. They were supposed to be blue, but since all of the juices that were blue were very artificial and loaded with food coloring, our ice was purple!

And everyone's favorite part of the meal were the Melted Olafs. I used plain coconut yogurt for Eva's Olaf, and Greek yogurt for the others.

Our birthday games included a "snowball treasure hunt" where we hid LOTS of cotton balls and had the children look for them. We also played "pin the nose on Olaf!"

For our craft we made icicle pictures. Simply mix epsom-salt with a little water (water should be very warm). Have the children paint winter pictures on a black piece of construction paper. When the picture dries up they will have a crystal picture. {When the crystals dry up it is a little messy; I suggest putting your finished art work inside a plastic sleeve} Alternately, you could make chalk drawings.

We also made each child some glittery snowball play-dough. Play-dough is always a big hit with children. For a free printable and for a recipe click here

We finished the festivities with, you guessed it, ANOTHER viewing of Frozen and Eva belting out "Let it go!" This girl can sing! I love to see how far she's come over this past year. The song "Do you want to build a snowman?" was the song that finally helped Eva learn to pronounce the "SN" sound. Before that she could never say the "S" - it just came out as "Noman." God is so good!

Big sister Elise hand drew Elsa and Anna and framed it for Eva's room- isn't it sweet?

Eva Goes To Brain Balance

Eva with her main coach, Miss K

April is Autism Awareness month. All of us probably know a family that has been impacted by autism. Although almost unheard of just a decade ago, it is estimated that 1 in 150 children are somewhere on the autism spectrum disorder today and those numbers continue to climb. In this post I want to share how Brain Balance has helped our daughter, Eva, who was diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) which is on the ASD. {You can read about our journey with Eva here}

While studying autism and talking to others about it, I felt overwhelmed by how many different therapies we would need to employ to get our daughter the help she needed. Mainstream treatment utilizes various therapeutic approaches that seek to improve the problems associated with the child's development and behavioral problems. There are behavioral therapies, occupational therapies, social skills therapies as well as language/speech therapies and all of these require daily or weekly sessions. I am so thankful that a friend told me about Brain Balance. Right from the start I felt like the staff understood what was going on with our daughter and they were confident that they could help. For the first time in Eva's life, we felt hopeful.

What is Brain Balance? Brain Balance is the groundbreaking program for children with Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia and other Neurological Disorders. The majority of professionals today don't take a whole body approach to seeking a solution to childhood neurological dysfunctions. Instead they focus and treat each individual condition, focusing on things like attention, learning, socialization, tics etc. Dr. Melillo, the founder of Brain Balance, however, looks at all of the body systems involved, not just the brain...

“These disorders may manifest with different symptoms but they are really one and the same problem; a brain imbalance. There is even a name for it- Functional Disconnection Syndrome, meaning areas in the brain, especially the two hemispheres of the brain, are not electrically balanced, or synchronized. This electrical imbalance interferes with the ability of the two hemispheres to share and integrate information, meaning the brain cannot function as whole. The result is that a child with a brain imbalance has normal or even unusually good skills associated with the higher-functioning area or side of the brain, and unusually bad skills associated with the underactive area or side of the brain. The problem seems to come about because one side of the brain is maturing at a faster rate than the other. As the child develops, this imbalance becomes more significant and the two hemispheres can never fully function as one. The brain is functionally disconnected. Fix the disconnect-that is, get the immature side of the brain to catch up to the other side-and the symptoms go away. So does the disorder.” (taken from Disconnected Kids by Dr. Robert Melillo, page xi)

What the Brain Balance program endeavors to do is stimulate the slow side of the brain to develop properly without affecting the other side. This is done through daily sensory, physical and academic exercises that are selected to target the troubled areas. These exercises work at eventually integrating the two hemispheres of the brain, getting them synchronized. The popular approach today is to work on the child's strengths, which constantly makes the already strong side of the brain stronger. This is really causing the weaker side to become weaker and is in essence making the problem worse. Brain Balance does just the opposite- it focuses on the "broken" side, or weaker hemisphere, to catch up to the stronger side. 

Part of the program includes limiting screen time of all sorts- including TV, movies, computers and other electronic devices. All of these produce a slowing down in the brain. Thankfully we don't watch TV and Eva wasn't exposed to computers or other electronic devices very often. We really tried to limit her movie time to one a day, if any at all. Ironically, most of these children have an amazing aptitude with the computer. Whenever Eva got her hands on someone's phone or iPad, she just seemed to know what to do! The tendency for parents, then, is to allow their child to spend hours on the computer, because their child is brilliant with one. But this really hampers the weaker side of their brain even more and ultimately accentuates their problems.

Another big component is diet. All children that enter the program are sent for blood work to test for food sensitivities. Although we are all familiar with food allergies which can cause things like hives and breathing problems, food sensitivities can come on slowly and produce symptoms that can cause behavioral problems. Food sensitivities produce inflammation in the body, so eliminating the food culprits will reduce the inflammation, heal the gut, and ultimately help the brain to function properly. I wasn't too worried about Eva's blood test because we had already eliminated both gluten and all dairy from her diet and seen great results. Boy, was I in for it! Her tests revealed over 36 foods that she was sensitive to! This showed that food was also playing a major part in Eva's behavior. On the list were things she consumed almost daily- bananas, garlic, vanilla, onions, strawberries, rice, limes, cocoa, tea, egg whites, soy, chicken, turkey, beef, pork and many others. She could, however, eat shrimp, lobster and oysters- although I don't know too many 5 year olds that like those! To say I was overwhelmed, was an understatement. Thankfully I had several sessions with a nutritionist as part of the program, and she helped me figure out a balanced diet for Eva. I learned how to make things out of garbanzo bean flour and how to make carob chips from scratch! Eva cooperated amazingly well and we are slowly incorporating some of the foods back into her diet. Part of the diet also includes adding probiotics, healthy fish oils (which Eva still dislikes) and digestive enzymes to aid with digestion. As I've mentioned in a previous post, it is vital that these children are on a whole-foods diet, free of sugars and artificial sweeteners, additives and preservatives.

We did many things to stimulate Eva's brain to allow it to catch up. Eva had a right brain weakness. Children with a right brain weakness don't feel their bodies very well. This shows up in the way they walk and they are often clumsy and fall and bump into things a lot. They have poor gross motor skills including balance, rhythm and coordination. They struggle with non-verbal skills, have poor social interaction, and are often impulsive, anxious and display poor attention. Children with a right brain deficiency have immune systems that are in overdrive- their immune systems speed out of control and remain in defense mode often causing allergies, asthma and/or chronic food sensitivities. {Left brain weaknesses show up with different symptoms, which I won't go in to- but Dr. Melillo's book Disconnected Kids does an excellent job explaining all of this}

Eva did lots of exercises to strengthen her core and to help her become stronger, both during her Brain Balance sessions as well as at home. Every movement we make stimulates our brain! We also really tried to increase aerobic exercise with the mini trampoline, playing outside and even doing workouts with mom.

They did a lot of visual therapy during her sessions to improve Eva's eye movements. I also work with Eva several times a day using finger puppets to encourage her eyes to track properly. This was probably the hardest thing for Eva to do and she really resisted these in the beginning. Her eyes tired quickly. It still isn't her favorite, but she has improved so much. I now see her glancing sideways using only her eyes, which she couldn't do in the past. She still is unable to cross her eyes which is supposed to be the last exercise she will master which also requires the most muscles to perform. (Incidentally, our eye doctor never caught on that Eva had huge visual processing issues).

We also did daily smelling exercises. I never realized that she had trouble inhaling properly to smell. She has a bin full of spices and essential oils that she loves to smell. We also regularly applied peppermint oil to her right shoulder to stimulate her brain. Do you know that there are certain areas of the brain that can only be stimulated by smell? (As the daughter of a perfumer, I find the sense of smell fascinating!)

Music therapy was another aspect of our daily routine. Eva has her own playlist of music that is geared to stimulating the right hemisphere of the brain using low frequency sound. We cut the wire to her right ear so she would only hear the music in her left ear. Here she is listening to her music while coloring just before bed.

Probably Eva's favorite exercises were the vestibular exercises. In Brain Balance she would spin around in a tire swing and chair. At home we used a bar stool in the kitchen that spun all the way around. Just a few days ago the little girls were dancing in the living room. Eva was spinning around and around- and she never stumbled or bumped into anything! She may just become a ballerina yet!

In Brain Balance they also did academic stimulation with Eva. Here she is holding a chain of her rewards for moving up a grade level in various areas. I think in one area she is even at a first grade level! At home I was finally able to begin working on school work as well. She is now doing Kindergarten workbooks and able to sit through a short chapter book. I am amazed at how eager she is to learn!

We have been so encouraged by how Brain Balance has helped Eva. We have also met other families whose children have also benefited in so many ways. (I haven't met a parent yet who hasn't seen some good results in their child). I have also read dozens of incredible testimonies that all testify of the same thing. Dr. Melillo's book "Disconnected Kids" also has many profiles with amazing stories of how autism and other disabilities have been turned around completely. Most parents are told there is no known cause for their child's problem and, even worse, that there is no cure. But Dr. Melillo says he has seen astounding results with his program. In Dr. Melillo's own words:

"The Brain Balance program is based on my clinically proven findings that the way your child's brain functions today is not necessarily the way that it has to function for the rest of his or her life. My research and the research of others has found that many children can recover from disorders such as autism, ADHD, Asperger's syndrome, dyslexia and others when their unique developmental needs are met and the underlying causes of these disorders are addressed. Even children with the severest forms of these disorders have the capacity to improve behaviorally and academically and learn skills that will enrich their quality of life." (Disconnected Kids by Dr. Robert Melillo, page 5)

In my next post I hope to share the positive changes we have seen in Eva after going through the Brain Balance program...

Going Gluten & Dairy Free (with a 4 year old)

Cashew Orange Date Balls

I have to admit that the thought of cutting out gluten seemed difficult to me at first. I was familiar with going dairy free, as I have had to cut out all dairy while breastfeeding my babies because all of them have had milk protein sensitivities. But this dutch girl likes her bread, and I couldn't imagine feeding my family without this staple that I was so accustomed to! Even though gluten was only affecting Eva (aged 4), I decided to try to involve our whole family in order to make her more compliant. I realized that it would be easier for her if we were all eating "her way" until she got used to this new way of eating.

I started out by making bread using Pamela's gluten free bread mix in my bread machine. I ordered this in bulk from Amazon at the recommendation of several friends. The taste and texture weren't bad, but I was disappointed at the size of my loaves as they often resembled hockey pucks (possibly due to my bread machine). Even if a loaf came out nice, it would cave in as it cooled. Thankfully Eva didn't seem to mind and she quickly owned this bread as her own. After going through all of the mixes, I switched to Udi's bread, available at most health food stores, as well as Trader Joe's (much cheaper). It came to about the same price as the bread mix by the time I added the oil and eggs to the mix. Because the bread was only for one family member, I decided this was the easiest course. I know if we all had to eat this bread, I would have to make my own from scratch due to the cost.

I also stocked my pantry with tapioca starch, potato flour, arrowroot starch and different kinds of rice flours. I put together different gluten free flours (some I found online and others recommended by friends). But I have to tell you, I hated how my baked goods turned out. They looked inferior and even worse, they tasted "off." I also felt like they sat like a brick in my stomach; I didn't like how I felt after I ate my new gluten free recipes. All that starch wasn't agreeing with us. My family was complaining and I felt discouraged.

And then I discovered a different way of baking. A friend told me about a website called Detoxinista, and I love making recipes from this site. I now make cookies and cakes using almond flour, almond meal or almond butter, farm fresh eggs, coconut oil and natural sweeteners like honey or maple syrup. Another website I really like is The Spunky Coconut, another gluten free, dairy free site that also uses only natural sweeteners. Although I don't agree with all of their food philosophies per se, there are great recipes for smoothies, homemade ice cream, cookies, bars, raw cheesecake and lots of other desserts. And they all use whole food, healthy and readily available ingredients. Many of these recipes are super easy as well and require only one bowl or a food processor. For years I have struggled on how to feed my family healthy snacks and desserts, and many of my attempts have been flops. Now I can make healthy raw and baked goods which are good enough to eat any time of the day because they supply protein, nutrients and healthy fats.

My favorite gluten free, dairy free cookbook is  Nourishing Meals by Alissa Segersten and Tom Malterre, MS, CN. 

Some of our new family favorites are almond butter pancakes, coconut raisin cookies, cashew date balls, grain free pumpkin bars and coconut banana cake. I continue to experiment and learn new recipes weekly. I have found that these baked goods freeze well. In fact, I usually put them in the freezer on the day I bake since they tend to be moist and get softer if left out. They can be eaten right from the freezer, and that is the way my kids prefer to eat them.

With these recipes breakfast and snacks are easy to take care of. Breakfast for Eva can even be a few coconut raisin cookies and a smoothie made from canned coconut milk and berries. Lunch is usually Udi's bread or a wrap with turkey and some fruit, or a nut butter sandwich with banana; rice crackers with hummus or egg salad and some veggie sticks or even an apple spread with almond butter and raisins. Dinner is not too much different when it comes to going gluten free. The only switch is regular pasta to brown rice or corn pasta. It was harder to cut out dairy with dinner- Eva likes cheese and sour cream on things like spaghetti and Mexican dishes.But over time she has gotten used to the idea that she cannot have these things. (Even dairy free versions contain casein, which she cannot have).

Although changing our diet seemed like a big hurdle in the beginning, I can honestly say that the change has been good for our whole family. I feel like I am more careful than ever before about what I feed my family, and I love knowing my family is eating wholesome foods. I am so thankful for the resources available to us (many free of charge) to help us learn to better nourish our family.

Below is one of our new favorite snacks. This is my version of a recipe found in Nourishing Meals, mentioned above... Cashews are high in protein, full of nutrients including good amounts of magnesium and copper, high in fiber, and a good source of phytochemicals and anti-oxidants.

Cashew Orange Date Balls

1 1/2 cups raw cashew pieces
1 cup pitted whole dates
2 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted
pinch sea salt
1 teaspoon pure orange extract
unsweetened shredded coconut

Place cashews into a food processor  and process until finely ground. Add dates, coconut oil, salt and orange extract. Continue processing until dates are finely ground and mixture resembles a ball.

Form mixture into small balls and roll into shredded coconut. Transfer to a container and store in refrigerator. Let cool for several hours before eating. Will keep for 2 weeks (if they last that long!)

makes approximately 18 balls

Our Journey With Eva

I am writing my story here on my blog. In my search for answers over these past few years, I have found it so helpful to read the journeys of other moms. There is so much mixed advice out there. The doctors and medical professionals who say there is no connection between diet and behavior, and then there are the passionate stories of mothers who say that there are things that can be done to help your child. The road is different for each of us, but it is my hope and prayer that others may be encouraged by some of the things I have discovered along the way- things I wish I had learned and been able to put into practice much earlier...

We've been traveling down a hard road with our 4 year old. Although as a baby she was similar to the other children (natural birth, breastfed, no vaccinations), sometime after her first birthday, my mother's heart became concerned. Eva was different. The biggest difference we saw was Eva's delay in speech. At age 3, she still wasn't talking. She had trouble falling asleep and staying asleep and always seemed to sleep in a restless state. She would wake up extremely agitated. Because she couldn't speak, she had to show us what she wanted, thus getting into lots of trouble, and I mean lots. She also developed eczema patches all over her body, particularly on her face, from infancy on. She has always been a good eater, although she tends to shovel her food in and doesn't spend too much time chewing.

She walks to the beat of her own drum. She doesn't like clothes touching her skin, or hugs or kisses for that matter. She snips and shreds and tears and takes things. If you can't find it, just check one of Eva's many bags she lugs around- it's sure to be there! She exhibits toe-walking and w-sitting. She either loves people or greatly dislikes them. She thrives on routine, and we generally manage okay at home, but take her to new surroundings, and she melts. Her senses become overly stimulated and a different child emerges- one that babbles, drools and falls apart or becomes a little wind-up toy that cannot be stopped.

In God's providence I met a new friend (all the way from Indonesia!) who had a son with similar symptoms. She opened up my eyes to see that Eva had a lot of sensory integration issues. I still didn't know what was causing it, but it pointed me in some direction. I really wanted to have her tested, but didn't know where to go. No one seemed to be able to give me any answers.

At age 3 1/2 we put her on Juice Plus because our whole family began taking it, and we saw a lot of improvements in her speech as well as her eczema clearing up a lot, although not completely. (I later learned from Dr. Sears  that high levels of antioxidants are very beneficial in treating autism/behavioral issues). A few months later, we had a family over for dinner and they brought store-bought cookies for dessert. While the older children played outside, my little girl was given several double stuffed mint Oreo cookies to keep her happy. The next 3 days Eva didn't talk. It broke my mother's heart. She was back to pointing and nodding. It was like she was locked up inside of her head and couldn't express herself. After doing extensive research on the Internet, I realized that she was extremely sensitive to food dyes. We already knew that sugar made her aggressive, now I had another piece to the puzzle... Food coloring is found in so many products, even hand soap (think of the pink soap in all public bathrooms!). Thankfully we don't consume these products often, but now I am even more vigilant.

Fast forward a few more weeks, and I was visiting another friend who's children have some severe food allergies. I mentioned to her my struggles and how I feared that Eva might have autism. She pointed me to some books she had where children with autism and behavioral issues were healed by going on a gluten free, casein free diet. Although I had researched gluten allergies, I had only come up with stomach issues and digestion problems. Now I had new things to look into. I was excited to finally be closer to some answers.

I  read everything I could get my hands on at the library on autism. I began by looking on Amazon and reading the reviews people wrote, then tried to find them at my local library. I highly recommend the book "The Autism Book" by Dr. Robert W. Sears. (It is also very reasonably priced for what you get). I really like his biomedical approach that focuses on diet changes and supplements that often cause dramatic improvements. His book is a very thorough, easy to read approach to treating autism and related behavioral issues- steps parents can work through without a prescription.  I came away realizing that nutrition plays a big part in developmental and neurological/behavioral disorders.

According to Dr. Sears, the single most common medical problem shared by children with autism is food allergies. Most children are helped by going on a GFCF (gluten free, casein free) diet. According to this theory, there are 3 distinct ways that food proteins can contribute to autism: 1. through direct allergic irritation of the intestines 2. through internal allergic stimulation of the immune system and 3. through chemical effects on the nervous system. (The Autism Book by Robert W. Sears, MD FAAP, page 178) He describes all of these in much more detail in his book.

After reading Dr. Sears' book, we placed Eva on a gluten free, casein free diet- cold turkey, no easing into it. I figured if this was causing her behavior problems to be worse, we'd just get at it. Needless to say, the next week was probably the worst week I ever had with her. Apparently she was having die-off symptoms, where the gluten/casein was actually being released into her bloodstream. She also had the worst flare up of eczema I had ever seen on her. I stuck with it, and a few days later a much sweeter child emerged. We were used to a monster child every morning and about a week after the diet changes, Eva walked into the bedroom where I was nursing the baby, smiled and kissed me on the cheek. I was shocked! Another thing we noticed shortly after this is that she actually left her sleeves down. This may not seem like a big deal, but all of her life she had been either taking her clothes off or hiking up her sleeves as far as they would go up. Overall, she was much more sweet and compliant. Her speech also improved, as did some of her cognitive skills. For the first time she recited colors, some letters and even learned how to write Eva and Mom. I was thrilled! Her eczema has completely disappeared as well.

Another mom got talking to me at church a few weeks later and told me about a place called Brain Balance, a place a friend of hers was using with her son. She emailed me a coupon for a much discounted rate and I called immediately and made an appointment. At Brain Balance they do extensive testing on 2 different days, one on sensory-motor skills and the other day focusing on cognitive skills. After that we met with the director for over 2 hours, going over the results they found. I was so grateful to finally be in a place where someone understood what was going on with my daughter. Although they don't like to label your child with a diagnosis, we came away realizing that she fits the criteria for PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified). This means there are enough autistic symptoms and developmental delays to warrant therapy, but things aren't bad enough to actually diagnose autism yet.. It's on the same spectrum. Although she is 4 1/2 years old, she was testing at a 2 year old level, in some areas even lower. She has retained many of her primitive (infant) reflexes, has weak core muscles, has heightened sensory issues, auditory processing issues, and many visual processing delays. We came away feeling overwhelmed, but at the same time very hopeful that all of our daughter's problems could be worked on and resolved, given the proper therapy. And yes, therapy comes with a hefty price tag! I was also very pleased with the fact that they will do blood work for Eva to test for food allergies and that nutrition is a huge piece of their therapy. I am hoping she is not allergic to eggs, nuts and /or corn, which are the other common allergies seen in these children.

I came home and read the book "Disconnected Kids" by Dr. Robert Melillo, which I found very insightful. He is the doctor that founded Brain Balance and set up their program. Dr. Melillo encourages parents to try many things at home. I am slowly beginning to work with Eva, although it hasn't been as easy as I had hoped. She is very easily distracted and has a hard time doing what I ask. One of the things she has to do is wear an eye patch to strengthen the weak side of her brain, building up to 2 full hours a day. I'm lucky if I can get her to keep it on for 5 minutes! The one thing Eva really enjoys is the mini-trampoline. Physical exercise is very important for all of our children, but especially for those with developmental delays.

Having children has stretched me in ways I didn't think possible. I see before me a beautiful little girl with so many strengths- she is focused (although not always on the right thing), she has a compassionate spirit that hates to see others hurt or sad, and she has an exuberance about things that she loves- like bags, play-dough and frozen cookies. But there are also many days filled with heartache and tears, frustration and exhaustion. We pray daily that the Lord will heal her completely so that she may come to know and love the Savior. We long to be able to break through the wall that so often confronts us. For now we are encouraged by the slow progress Eva is making. And so our journey continues...

Dairy-free Homemade Ranch Dip/Salad Dressing

A few months back my 4 year old started on a gluten-free, casein-free diet. I came up with this dairy-free ranch dip that my whole family absolutely loves. Confession: we actually went through 1 gallon of mayonnaise in 2 weeks making this dip/salad dressing- they were putting it on everything! We've cut back a lot since then, but it is still a family favorite. I'm hoping to begin making it with homemade mayo soon since I'm not a big fan of store-bought mayo. I have found it helpful to have this on hand for my GFCF daughter- I add it to wraps and burritos in place of cheese to add moisture and flavor. You can add a little more almond milk to make this a salad dressing.

1/2 cup almond milk
4 tsp. lemon juice OR raw apple cider vinegar
2 cups mayonnaise
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried dill
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Mix almond milk and lemon juice or apple cider vinegar and let sit for 10 minutes. Add mayo and remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Refrigerate at least 1 hour to blend flavors. (Makes 2.5 cups)

Homemade Pesto

Nothing says summer quite like pesto from the garden! This year we planted almost 3 flats of basil (3 different varieties) and I just completed my first batch for the summer. Basil is an extremely easy to grow and healthy herb. It is a rich antioxidant and has anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. It is packed with vitamins, minerals and healthy essential oils that benefit the body.

I freeze pesto in little 1/2 cup containers to use in recipes throughout the year. Pesto can be added to pasta, rice, omelets, soups, sandwiches, chicken and fish. Most recipes include either Pecorino Romano and/or Parmesan cheeses, but I left these out for those in my family who cannot have dairy.

I like to make things in big batches if I'm making a mess anyway. So, I used an 8 ounce package of pine nuts and multiplied all of the ingredients below by 7. This made over 6 cups of pesto.

2 cups fresh basil, stems removed, washed and drained
3 Tbsp. pine nuts
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
dash of pepper
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
optional: 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese, grated

Toast the pine nuts on a cookie sheet in the oven for a few minutes. Put all ingredients into your food processor and blend until smooth. Pour into small containers and freeze or refrigerate until ready to use.