Running the Race

GAPS Legal Dairy Free Cream of Tomato Soup

2012-01-09T16:55:00.001-06:00

I made this recipe up and it was super easy and yummy! I love Pacific's Creamy Tomato soup. But since we are on GAPS it has illegal ingredients. I was aiming for that kind of tomato soup flavor. This turned out great and is now another family favorite.

1 Tbsp Coconut Oil
1 large onion diced
1 carrot diced
1 1/2 celery stalks diced
2 garlic cloves minced
1 28oz canned diced tomatoes
2- 3 cups homemade beef bone broth (or other broth)
salt to taste
pinch dried basil

In pan on medium heat put coconut oil. When melted add diced veggies and cook until onions are translucent. Add a pinch of salt. Add minced garlic. Cook for another minute. Add large pinch of dried basil. Add in diced tomatoes and broth. Bring to a simmer and let simmer for about ten minutes. Remove from heat and blend with stick blender (you can pour it in the regular blender, but just be aware that hot liquids in a blender do expand and don't let the top blow off.).

You can add sour cream or shredded raw cheese if you do dairy. My little guy had a dollop of coconut milk in his and liked it.

You can also leave out the extra broth and add more basil and use this as a pizza sauce.

These crackers http://grainfreefoodie.blogspot.com/2010/03/dairy-free-cheez-it-crackers.html
or this http://www.wellfedhomestead.com/gaps-legal-grilled-cheese-sandwiches-and-tomato-soup
would be yummy to go with it.

The coconut bread that I made with it was not a good fit. I'll try the crackers next time.

Banana Carrot Grain Free Muffins

2011-12-29T17:14:00.000-06:00

This recipe was created by our sweet friend Sarah. They are absolutely delicious. They make great road food too!

Banana Carrot Muffins

1 c pitted dates
3 very ripe bananas
1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
3 eggs
1/4 melted coconut oil

In food processor, process dates. Add melted coconut oil and process til smooth. Add eggs, bananas, & vinegar. Process until smooth.
Add dry ingredients listed below (except grated carrots) and process again.

2 cups almond flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon

Add 1 1/2 cups grated carrots and pulse to just combine.

Scoop out into well greased muffins cups and bake at 350 degrees for 24 minutes or less. Makes 15 regular muffins and 24 minimuffins.

Remove from pan and let cool until warm. Then cover and let cool completely. Bet you won't let them cool though before you eat them :)

Totally GAPS Legal Thanksgiving Meal!

2011-11-24T20:41:00.001-06:00

I feel like I have come over a huge hurdle! I made a 100% GAPS Legal Thanksgving dinner.

Here is what we enjoyed today. (We can't wait to eat the leftovers tomorrow!)

Honey Brined Turkey (see recipe below)

Butternut Squash Casserole

Pecan Crusted Apple Pie

Crustless Pumpkin Pie

Homemade Cranberry Jelly (recipe below)

Coconut Flour Bread Dressing with Giblets

Honey Brined Turkey Recipe
I took this recipe and this recipe (both from Alton Brown) and created my own. I have been making AB's classic Roast Turkey for years now. But because it has sugar in the brine I needed a modification. This worked great! The only thing I would do differently is brush the turkey with melted coconut oil instead of rubbing it with ghee. The ghee caused the uneven browning that you see in the picture. It was still very moist and delicious if not very pretty.

Turkey Brine
1 cup hot water (I use filtered)
1 lb real salt
1 lb honey

Combine hot water, honey and salt and stir until salt dissolves. Add 1 Tbsp whole black peppercorns and 1 1/2 tsp whole allspice berries. Pour into a 5 gallon bucket or cooler. Add in 2 quarts of vegetable broth and 1 seven lb bag of ice. Stir to combine. Place thawed turkey neck-side down in liquid until completely immersed. Let sit in cold place for 8 to 16 hours.

Aprox. three hours before serving. Remove turkey from brine. Throw away the brine and wash and pat dry the turkey. Rub the turkey with melted coconut oil and place in roasting pan. Add to the cavity 4 sprigs of rosemary, 4 sprigs of sage and 1/2 onion sliced, 1 red apple sliced and 2 cinnamon sticks. (Steam the onions, cinnamon, and red apple in one cup of filtered water until soft and then add to the cavity with sage and rosemary.)

Roast turkey uncovered on lowest rack at 500 degrees for 30 minutes. Turn down the temp after that to 350 and roast for another 1 1/2- 2 hours until thickest part of breast reads 161 degrees on a meat thermometer. (I tent my turkey breast with foil to keep it from drying out after I turn down the heat to 350. I took the foil off the last 30 minutes. Let rest covered for 15 minutes before carving. My turkey was 13 lbs and took a little under 3 hours total.

Cranberry Jelly

I followed the basic homemade jello recipe from here and made it into what I was aiming for (tastes like the canned cranberry jelly that is GAPS legal).

1 Quart "Just Cranberry" Juice
Grade B Maple Syrup
4 Tbsp Great Lakes Gelatin Powder

In a pan over medium heat mix cranberry juice and maple syrup. (I added around 3/4 cup or less.) Taste to see how sweet you want it to be. Let cool. Then remove 1 cup of juice mixture and heat until hot in a small pan. Add gelatin powder mix well with a whisk until gelatin is fully dissolved. Add the rest of the cold juice mixture and set in fridge to chill over night.

PLEASE Note: I did not know until after Thanksgiving that maple syrup is not legal on GAPS. But it would be easy to add honey to taste instead. That's what I will do next year.

The Best Way to Get Your Kids to Eat Their Veggies- Chocolate Pudding!

2011-11-03T19:28:00.000-05:00

This is such a crazy creation and you would never think that it would taste as amazing as it does. Chocolate pudding that is made with avocados! I got the recipe here. I was totally skeptical when I started making it. But it is lick the bowl good and you would never know it had avocado in it! Great way to get avocado into those (like my boys) that won't eat it otherwise.

Braised Cabbage

2011-10-29T19:32:00.000-05:00

I made this from the Internal Bliss cookbook. I never even liked cooked cabbage until I made it this way. The beef bone broth makes it taste rich and meaty and the ghee and coriander are key to cutting the bitter taste and bringing out the buttery sweetness.

You can find the recipe here.

What's in the Pantry or Fridge Now?

2011-10-28T12:05:00.005-05:00

Since we started the Gut and Psychology Syndrome Diet back in August we have changed allot of what we keep in the house. I got rid of almost all of my gluten free stuff and went grain free. So we are grain free, real food, sugar-free, and lactose free family now.

Freezer usually has:
Grassfed Beef
Grassfed Organ meats
Organic Chicken
Pastured Pork Fatback
Wild Caught Fish
Homemade Chicken Bone Broth
Homemade Beef Bone Broth
Pureed Butternut Squash
Cooked and then frozen organic veggies
Local fruit- sliced peaches, organic strawberries, organic blueberries, organic apples (sliced and apple sauce)
Coconut Flour
Chicken Bones and parts
Beef Bones

Fridge usually has:
Homemade Coconut Milk Kefir
Homemade Cow's Milk Kefir (cultured for at least 24 hours) Raw Milk would be best if you can get it.
Crispy Nuts in glass jars- almonds, pecans, sunflower seeds, & pumpkin seeds
Lacto-Fermented Mayonnaise
Fresh vegetables all organic (our favorites are: red swiss chard, winter squash, salad greens, beets, zucchini, carrots, celery, onions, garlic, green beans, tomatoes, avocados etc.)
Eggs tons and tons (pastured would be best. I am working on finding an affordable source. We go through about 6 dozen eggs or more a week, depending on how much baking I do.)
Probiotics
Fermented Cod Liver Oil/ X Factor Butter Oil Blend
Bubbies Dill Pickles
Bubbies Sauerkraut

Fridge, Freezer or Counter Top:
Coconut Flour Baked Items: muffins, bread, pancakes etc.

Pantry:
Local Honey
Coconut Flour
Almond Flour
Organic Cashew Butter with sunflower oil (NOT safflower oil)
Organic Peanut Butter
Jarred Anchovies in Olive Oil
Lard
Canned Wild Caught Albacore Tuna in water with salt
Kosher Beef Gelatin Powder
Kelp Granules
Celtic Sea Salt
Herbs and Spices with no additives especially silicon dioxide
Coconut Oil (I buy mine from Swanson Vitamins or CLNF)
Organic Cold Pressed Olive Oil
Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar

Beef Heart Chili

2011-10-04T20:08:00.002-05:00

"Beef Heart Chili" not the type of name that makes you start salivating, right? But it is actually the best chili I have ever made! (No, I am not kidding!) My husband and I were floored after we made this at how good it is. Now granted, not everyone finds handling beef heart that easy (my husband cut and cleaned this one for me). But if you can get past that part, you will be amazed at the dish you eat! You could feed this to someone and they would never know that it wasn't made of ground beef. Go ahead, try it. You'll be glad you did!

Ingredients:
1/2 beef heart ( rinsed, cleaned, trimmed and cut into cubes) Be sure to remove all visible fat, silver skin and arteries, capillaries etc.
1/4 lb salt pork (very cold)
2 green peppers diced
1 large onion diced
4 cloves garlic minced
1 Carrot finely grated
1 cup beef bone broth
1 tsp salt
24 oz canned crushed tomatoes
1 Tbsp Cumin
2 Tbsp Chili Powder

Instructions:
1/2 beef heart ( rinsed, cleaned, trimmed and cut into cubes) Be sure to remove all visible fat, silver skin and arteries, capillaries etc.
1/4 lb bacon or salt pork or fat back (very cold)

Grind heart and pork fat in food processor until ground beef texture. (careful not to over process! Use the pulse feature for about 20 pulses or less. You don't want meat paste.)

To a large pan add the ground heart & pork fat mixture and the following

2 green peppers diced
1 large onion diced
4 cloves garlic minced
1 carrot finely grated
1 cup beef bone broth
1 tsp salt

Turn stove on to medium heat and cook until meat is browned and veggies are soft.

Then add:
24 oz canned crushed tomatoes
1 Tbsp Cumin
2 Tbsp Chili Powder

Cover and let simmer for about 15 minutes.

Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

This is a part Fat Tuesday and Real Food Wednesday

Coconut Flour Pancakes

2011-10-02T23:25:00.001-05:00

I make these regularly in my house. I got the original recipe from here. These substitute well for bread as a "pancake sandwich" with anything you like. They are great anyway you can think of. If you want to make them for a savory dish leave out the honey and vanilla. They even work as a stand in for hamburger buns!

This is my version:

4 eggs
1 cup milk of choice (I use unsweetened almond milk or full fat coconut milk)
2 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp honey
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup coconut flour (I use this coconut flour)
2 Tbsp melted coconut oil or ghee

In a large bowl mix eggs, milk, vanilla, honey, salt and cooled liquid oil. Whisk well. Add in coconut flour. Whisk very well, until there are no lumps. In a frying pan on medium-low heat or a griddle at 275-300 degrees. Fry your pancakes. I use an ice cream scoop and ladle them out. The batter will be thick. I just swirl the lump of batter flat with the back of the spoon. Cook well on first side until bottom is brown. Flip carefully and cook until brown on second side. Remove from pan and eat hot or let cool and eat later.

Just an FYI if you have never worked with coconut flour. You need to let your batter rest for a minute to soak up and swell. Coconut flour brands are all different. If you use something other than Wilderness Family Naturals coconut flour, then you may have to adjust the flour quantity up or down to get the right consistency. I hope to take pictures next time I make these so there will be better instruction.

Grain Free Apple Cinnamon Muffins

2011-10-02T23:13:00.001-05:00

Here is another variation of the muffin base I used for the banana muffins. This recipe originally comes from here and I changed a few things. Below is my version:

5 eggs
2 cups chunky homemade apple sauce (or store bought if you want)
4 Tbsp Honey
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp cinnamon
1/4 cup lard (or coconut oil or softened butter or ghee)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup coconut flour.

To make applesauce. Peel, core and slice 2 large apples. Place in food processor and blend until chunky. I used two large organic Jonagold apples which are rather tart. You can decrease the honey to 2 Tbsp if you use sweeter apples or applesauce.

In a large bowl put eggs, applesauce, honey, vanilla, cinnamon and lard (or oil of choice). Whisk well. Add coconut flour and salt and whisk again. Let sit for a minute while you grease your 12 cup muffin tin (or more). I got 16 muffins out of this last batch. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from pan and let cool on cooling rack or eat hot.

Grain Free Banana Muffins

2011-10-02T22:48:00.001-05:00

I made these by request for my five year old this morning and they were a huge hit! I got the recipe from here

Below is my version

5 eggs
2 ripe bananas (with spots)
1/4 cup lard (or coconut oil or softened butter)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp honey

In a bowl whisk eggs, smashed bananas, vanilla, lard (or oil of choice) and honey together. Add salt and coconut flour and whisk again. Let sit for a minute, while you grease 12 muffin cups. Scoop into muffin cups and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until lightly brown and toothpick comes out clean.

I'll have to take a picture from the next batch. The ones today went too fast!!

Grain Free Apple Pie

2011-10-02T20:49:00.001-05:00

I made the most lovely grain free apple pie tonight using this recipe from Real Food Forager.

I used soaked, crispy almonds instead of pecans. (Pecans have been a little steep for my budget right now.)
And I substituted lard for coconut oil. (I was out of coconut oil.) Either work really well in this recipe. I used only 5 organic Jonagold apples.

Now go try it at your house!!

Pumpkin Pie Muffins- Grain Free, Refined Sugar Free and Dairy Free

2011-10-01T21:19:00.001-05:00

I bought a lovely pie pumpkin a while back from a local farmer and made the best pumpkin muffins. I found the original recipe here. I tweaked it a bit to get to the flavors I wanted, and I doubled it to make enough for a family of five. The recipe below makes 12 muffins. I made these GAPS Legal too. They taste like eating a pumpkin pie!

1 cup pitted dates
6 Tbsp Honey
4 Tbsp coconut oil melted
1 cup cooked mashed pumpkin (or canned plain pumpkin)
6 eggs beaten
4 Tbsp shredded unsweetened coconut
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup coconut flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp all spice
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg

In a food processor place dates, drizzle in honey and melted coconut oil to make a "date paste". Add in pumpkin and blend again. Add eggs, shredded coconut, vanilla, salt, and spices. Blend again until smooth. Add coconut flour and blend one last time till smooth. Grease a 12 cup muffin cup or use paper liners. Using a scoop put in batter into muffins cups and bake.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes our clean. Let cool and store while just barely warm (if there are any left!)

The picture above is the last muffin. (Sorry for the fuzzy picture.) You can just say that these were so good that they disappeared in a blur....

To make the cooked pumpkin-
place a whole small pie pumpkin in the the oven on a cookie sheet at 350 and bake until a knife goes in easily (an hour or more). Let cool. Cut open and scoop out seeds. Scoop pulp into a container and save for cooking or freeze in quart sized zip bags for later use.

I also use left over pumpkin pulp or cooked butternut squash pulp as a substitute for mashed sweet potatoes. Add butter, ghee or coconut oil, cinnamon, honey and large pinch of salt and stir together.

Homemade Coconut Milk

2011-09-07T10:07:00.000-05:00

I started making my own Coconut Milk in the past month. All the store bought canned coconut milks have guar gum or some other additives to keep it emulsified. I wanted a pure coconut milk. This is super easy and cost way less than a can of coconut milk to make. I use this same coconut milk to make Coconut Milk Kefir.

Homemade Coconut Milk
1 cup of Shredded Unsweetened Coconut (preferably organic)
1 cup of boiling water (should be filtered, or distilled)

Pour boiling water over shredded coconut and let sit until cooled. Pour mixture into a food processor or blender. Blend until very smooth. Pour blended mixture through a cheese cloth (I just use a muslin cloth). Squeeze the cloth to extract the liquid. Keep squeezing until no more liquid comes out. Discard the pulp. Store your coconut milk in the fridge. Use within 2-3 days. If you let it sit beyond about 4 days it will go sour.

I generally try to only make what I can use within a couple of days. It also freezes nicely but separates a little when defrosted. You can just blend it again to bring it back to a smooth consistency.

I buy my shredded coconut in 5 lb bags for about $16 and use it constantly.

Enjoy!

Sunflower Seed French Toast Sticks (gluten free, grain free, dairy free)

2011-09-07T09:58:00.001-05:00

I made this Sunflower Seed Bread last night and then cut it into sticks and made French Toast out of it.

Sunflower Seed Bread
(original cake recipe from the Internal Bliss cookbook)

2 1/2 cups of Sunflower Seeds (soaked and wet)
2 Tbsp Coconut Oil
1/3- 1/2 cup Honey (used 1/3 of a cup)
4 eggs
2 Tsp Cinnamon

Soak your sunflower seeds for 8 hours in 5 cups of filtered water with 1 Tbsp of sea salt. Drain out through strainer and rinse with filtered water.

Preheat the oven to 350.

Grind the sunflower seeds into a paste in your food processor.
Add the rest of the ingredients and process until smooth.
Pour mixture into greased 8X8 baking dish or 9 inch cake pan
Bake for 50 minutes or until knife comes out clean.

Let cool some before removing from pan (has a tendency to want to stick). While still warm loosely cover with plastic wrap and let cool completely.

French Toast Sticks
Cut the Sunflower Seed Bread in half lengthwise.

Then cut off stick size slices. Dip into a batter of 2 beaten eggs combined with an 1/8-1/4 cup of milk of choice (I used homemade coconut milk). Turn to coat all sides. Cook in hot pan in lots of oil or butter (I used coconut oil). Turning until all four sides are golden brown. Serve with your choice of toppings. (We used a drizzle of maple syrup.)

These are very filling. My kids and I ate only two each along with a fried egg.

(Buddy ate two french toast sticks with a fried egg, and his cup of beef bone broth. He could barely finish the second toast stick. )

Homemade Breakfast Sausage

2011-09-02T13:50:00.000-05:00

We love breakfast sausage, but we don't like all the nasty extra ingredients they put in it.

A while back I set out to find a way to make my own. I don't have a meat grinder or any of the paraphernalia required to make cased sausage. But it is really easy to make sausage patties. The first time I made this recipe, I bought a pork roast and cut it into large cubes and ground it by pulsing it in batches in my food processor. The second time I picked up a pound of clean ground pork from Whole Foods and whipped up the same recipe super fast. You will never buy breakfast sausage again when you see how easy this is. I love being able to control exactly what is in our food and still getting the flavors that we have enjoyed in the past.

Jimmy Dean Type Pork Breakfast Sausage

1 lb ground pork
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp rubbed sage
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp crushed coriander
( I found the whole coriander was a little intense. I collect the coriander seeds when my cilantro goes to seed and crush it in my mortar and pestle. The coriander is that "something" spice that gives most sausage it's sausagey flavor.)

For a Hot Version just add 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper

In a large bowl place ground pork. Sprinkle the spices over the pork or mix the spices seperately and then sprinkle over the pork. Mix well (I just used my hands). Form into small patties. And cook in a pan on medium heat with a little oil for each batch of sausages. Turning and cooking until cooked through and golden brown. Drain on paper towels or brown paper and serve.

You can also store these in the freezer in zip-top bags, just place waxed paper between the patties to prevent sticking.

Maple Sausage
1 lb ground pork
3 Tbsp Maple syrup
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp crushed coriander

Maple Garlic Sausage
1 lb ground pork
1 tsp salt
3 Tbsp Maple syrup
1 tsp granulated garlic
This combination ends up tasting like Chinese food to me. The combination of the salt, the syrup, and the garlic is very reminiscent of a soy sauce flavor with garlic. Odd but true, and very tasty!

These two sausage versions cook quickly and brown faster because of the sugar in the maple syrup. So watch to be careful you don't burn them.

In a large bowl place ground pork. Sprinkle the spices over the pork or mix the spices seperately and then sprinkle over the pork. Mix well (I just used my hands). Form into small patties. And cook in a pan on medium heat with a little oil for each batch of sausages. Turning and cooking until cooked through and golden brown. Drain on paper towels or brown paper and serve.

GAPS Birthday Cake

2011-08-19T14:17:00.001-05:00

Buddy turned five this week! I made him a GAPS Diet legal birthday cake and it was delish!

I made the Coconut Flour Orange Cake from this recipe. or here (you can leave out the baking powder) And then I frosted it with the Marshmallow Fluff recipe from here. This was really good! I doubled the cake recipe to make a two layer cake. I would recommend taking the cake out of the pan before putting the orange juice over it (if you plan on serving it from another dish). I also used four egg whites instead of one in the Marshmallow Fluff, but the same amount of maple syrup called for. Frost this right before serving because the egg whites deflate as it sits. I think the maple syrup contributed to that. Even when it melted on the left over pieces it was delicious but it was ugly left over.

I use the coconut flour from Wilderness Family Naturals. You can buy it here or here. The Bob's Red Mill coconut flour is denser than the one I like to use. Just keep in mind that every company's coconut flour is a little different in consistency and that will determine the texture of your finished product. I like to make coconut flour pancakes with Bob's Red Mill coconut flour. But it makes more crumbly, dry bread. I will share my Coconut Flour Pancake Recipe and Coconut Flour Read Recipes soon. I use the Wilderness Family Naturals Coconut Flour for bread.

Blessings,
Edie

Cinnamon Almond Flour Cookies

2011-08-01T11:44:00.000-05:00

I made these the other night with Buddy and they were YUMMY!. Considering I haven't had a cookie in about three months, I think anything that tastes close to a real cookie would be amazing to me at the moment. Be warned though, they are so good you won't want to eat just one. But because of the oil and almond meal they are really filling. I got this recipe from Nourished and Nurtured.

"1/2 cup (1 stick) butter (you could use extra virgin coconut oil too)

5 Tb honey

1 Tb vanilla extract, preferably organic

2 1/2 cups almond flour, preferably from crispy almonds

1/2 tsp celtic sea salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

Melt the butter in a small saucepan.

Turn off heat, and stir in the honey and vanilla extract.

In a medium bowl, combine almond flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon.

Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix well.

Drop by Tablespoon onto a stoneware or greased sheet pan.

Don't flatten them as they will spread well on their own during baking.

Bake at 350 degrees for 7-12 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned.

Allow the cookies to cool before moving them."

I used salted butter the first time I made these.

If you use salted butter leave out the salt listed in the recipe.

Baking Soda is not legal on GAPS Diet.

I haven't tried it without the baking soda, it may still work.

I will post an update when I do.

I think these would be good with raisins mixed in and some extra cinnamon.

Gradually going GAPS

2011-07-31T22:07:00.000-05:00

I have been researching and praying since January about putting our little guy on the GAPS Diet. I found out about it from a friend and read up on it online. The first places I went to were here and here. But after initially reading what it would take, I shrugged it off. This diet looked way too complicated and expensive. So we kept on doing what we were doing diet wise.

As this year has progressed I can see that Buddy was not doing as well as he had been; and I suspected that he was started to react to the foods he was eating regularly. Hubby and I talked about it, and agreed that we should have him retested. We agreed that if he tested positive for things he had previously tested negative for, then we would consider putting him on the GAPS Diet. Well, life happened. Buddy had to have ear surgery and then a long recovery. He wasn't off of antihistamines for a long enough period for us to get another round of testing done.... until recently. He got retested this month and the results were as we expected. He is now reacting to the food he regularly eats such as apples, bananas, corn, pork, beef etc. These same foods that a year and a half ago were NOT allergen foods, but now they are.

The GAPS diet we will gradually be moving Buddy on to is short for the Gut and Psychology Syndrome Diet. It was created by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride a Neurologist and Nutritionist. She successfully treated her son for autism using this diet and he is now off the autism spectrum.

The premise of the diet is that many physical and psychological problems are often rooted in an imbalanced intestinal system. In regards to our situation- the food allergies are actually a manifestation of a leaky gut. Using the GAPS Diet protocol we believe that it could be possible for Buddy's intestinal system to heal and thus his allergies would gradually disappear. There are many testimonials of people who have gone on the diet and found great changes occur in their physical and mental health.

This diet is complicated and can be expensive, but I have been praying for direction. I asked the Lord IF He wanted us to take this next course of action; then I would need provision for the resources (both financially and food wise) and resources for learning how to once again cook and feed my little guy a whole new way. And that has been provided.

So I am now learning how to cook grain free, among other things. I have learned how to make kefir, sauerkraut, and bone broths. There is allot to learn and I intend on doing it gradually. As I find new recipes and things change, I will share my discoveries here or here. All of this in the hopes that what we are discovering will help or encourage someone else on their path as well.

Blessings,
Edie

Gluten Free Crepes

2011-06-10T11:48:00.002-05:00

I have eaten these allot recently, now that I have gone grain free again for myself. You can fill these with anything you like. I usually eat them for breakfast stuffed with stevia sweetened cream cheese and fresh berries. You can fill them with anything you like making them sweet or savory.

1 Large egg
2 Tbsp Heavy cream or allowed milk
3 Tbsp Tapioca Flour
pinch of salt

In a medium bowl combine egg, cream/milk and salt. Whisk with a whisk until fluffy and then add in tapioca flour. Whisk again until smooth.

Place a 10 inch non-stick frying pan over medium heat. When pan is hot pour 1/2 the mixture in the center of the pan and swirl the pan to create a thin layer of batter over the entire bottom of the pan. Cook until top side looks no longer wet. Flip crepe and cook for another minute. Take out of pan and fill with desired filling. Roll and serve warm. These cook fast, so have your filling ready before you start cooking the crepes.

You can use a larger pan and make larger crepes, but I find that the larger the pan the harder the crepe is to flip. I think a 10 inch pan is the most manageable pan size.

Makes 2 or 3 crepes. This recipe doubles nicely.

Coming next- Homemade Allergen Free Breakfast Sausage

Gluten Free Popovers

2011-06-02T11:25:00.002-05:00

I found this recipe in my LifeChange Cookbook. I have made this recipe numerous times with dairy in it. I made them for the second time today dairy free. You can make them either way. If you make them with almond milk they will not puff as much but will still be delicious. In the picture above they are shown with a dollop of butter and a drizzle of honey. These are great as a bread with a roast and gravy, as a carb with breakfast with fruit, honey & butter (if you do dairy). They can also be topped with Diary Free Pudding or Dairy Free Custard (recipes to come). There are dozens of creative ways to use them!

Popovers (Gluten Free Version with Dairy)
(Makes 24 popovers)

2 eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup tapioca flour
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Butter two 12 cup muffin tins. In a medium bowl (I use a four cup glass measuring cup) beats eggs. Then add cream, and beat with a whisk to combine. Add tapioca flour and salt. Whisk together until smooth. Place empty buttered muffins tins in oven for 30 seconds (NO MORE). Remove hot tins and pour in batter 1/4 inch in each muffin cup. Place back in oven and bake 16-18 minutes or until golden brown and puffed. Don't Peek and open your oven door while baking! I turn on the light and look through the glass to check mine. Remove from tins and serve immediately.

Store leftovers in a ziploc bag and reheat to crisp in a 325 degree oven for 2 or 3 minutes.

Popovers (Gluten Free Dairy Free)

(Makes 24 popovers)

2 eggs

1 cup almond milk

1 cup tapioca flour

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease two 12 cup muffin tins. In a medium bowl (I use a four cup glass measuring cup) whisk eggs. Then add cream, and beat with a whisk to combine. Add tapioca flour and salt. Whisk together until smooth. Place empty buttered muffins tins in oven for 30 seconds (NO MORE). Remove hot tins and pour in batter 1/4 inch in each muffin cup. Place back in oven and bake 16-18 minutes or until golden brown and puffed. Don't Peek and open your oven door while baking! Remove from tins and serve immediately. When using almond milk the popovers do not puff quite as much. They may be a little chewy on the bottom but still very tasty.

Store leftovers in a ziploc bag and reheat to crisp in a 325 degree oven for 2 or 3 minutes

Oatmeal Cookie Granola

2011-05-27T14:12:00.001-05:00

I have been playing around more with my granola recipe and fell upon this combination. It tasted like crumbled oatmeal cookie! Yum!

3 cups gluten free rolled oats (I buy mine here in bulk.)
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup raw pecan halves
1/8 cup golden flax seeds
1 and 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 large pinch of salt
(I also threw in a scoop of rice protein powder when I mixed the dry ingredients for extra protein.)

Mix dry ingredients together. Then add in wet ingredients-
3/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup oil of choice (I like coconut oil or safflower oil. Choose a neutral oil.)
1 tsp vanilla (I buy alcohol free here)

Pour out onto large jelly roll pan or cookie sheet with a lip. Bake at 300 degrees for about 45 minutes. Stir after the first 15 minutes. Stir again 15 more minutes later. Then after that check your mix about ever 5-7 minutes. Watch that it does not cook too fast on the edges. (I mix mine from the edges in so that the middle gets toward the edges and the edges get pushed into the middle.) Ready when it is golden brown.

Pull out and let cool completely before storing in an air tight container. Mix in 1/2 cup or more of raisins before storing. (We didn't wait and just ate ours warm with almond milk over it...mmmmm!)

Makes about 9 half cup servings.

Homemade Granola

2011-05-10T12:42:00.000-05:00

We love granola in our house but buying gluten free granola is a challenge. So here is my basic recipe. The beauty of making granola is that there is no wrong way to do it. You can add whatever you like within certain ratios and viola! personalized to your taste.

3 cups gluten free rolled oats (I buy mine here in bulk.)
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup raw pecan halves
1/8 cup golden flax seeds
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 large pinch of salt

Mix dry ingredients together. Then add in wet ingredients-
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup oil of choice (I like coconut oil or safflower oil. Choose a neutral oil.)
1 tsp vanilla (I buy alcohol free here)

Mix wet with dry ingredients and spread out onto large cookie sheet. Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes. Stir after fifteen minute intervals. Take out of oven and let cool on cooling rack. At this point add any dried fruit you desire. I add 1/2 cup of raisins. I don't like my raisins baked with the granola, I think they get a weird off taste to them. Let mixture cool completely and store in an airtight container or zip-top bag. Makes 9 servings (1/2 cup size).

You can add whatever kind of raw unsalted nuts you like and whatever dried fruits you choose. You can also exchange the maple syrup for honey or another sweetener like rice syrup if you like. I plan to try out some other derivations in the future and I can post my results later.

Rice Lasagna

2011-04-03T15:40:00.002-05:00

This is a favorite in our house, but you do need to think ahead and cook the brown rice before hand. I often have made this with leftover rice. If not, then you need to plan your assembly time to start after your rice is cooked. 1 cup of uncooked rice makes about 3 cups of cooked rice.

[Just in case you don't know- Cook brown rice in a medium pan with lid. 1 cup rice and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil. Lower heat to low and simmer covered until rice is tender. (Brown rice takes about 45 minutes or less at our house.)]

Rice Lasagna

1 lbs Ground Beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
30 oz. spaghetti sauce (your favorite jarred or homemade. I like Muir Glen-Garlic Roasted Garlic)
15 oz ricotta or small curd cottage cheese
2 egg whites (or 1 whole egg)
8 oz. or more of shredded mozzarella
3 cups cooked rice (I use long grain brown rice)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium sized pan brown beef and onions and then drain off fat. Stir in spaghetti sauce. In a separate bowl combine ricotta/cottage cheese, egg whites, and shredded mozzarella (you can add more than 8 oz if you like it cheesier). In a 13X9 lasagna pan spread 1/3 the meat sauce mixture, then 1/2 of the cooked brown rice and then 1/2 the ricotta mixture. Repeat layers a second time. Save last 1/3 of meat sauce for very top. Finally, cover top with grated Parmesan. Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Whole Wheat Bread

2011-03-25T15:20:00.000-05:00

I just posted my recipe for Whole Wheat Bread, complete with step-by-step pictures. I am sure that I am not the only one who has to feed their family member/s with allergies along with balancing feeding everyone else. So this is for the "other" family members. You can find the recipe here.

Gluten Free Chocolate Cake!!!!

2011-03-10T17:25:00.000-06:00

I had a birthday this past weekend and was blessed by one of our dear friends. She took a recipe that I was planning on trying and made it for me. It is a modification of a simple chocolate cake recipe that I have used for years. My dear husband even made the original recipe to sell at our Church's Men's Bake Off. It was yummy!!! So here is a picture of the cake my sweet friend made and a couple of different possible ways to make this chocolate cake. It is the best Gluten Free Cake I have EVER eaten. It lasted beautifully in the refrigerator and did not dry out. (I ate a piece today after it sitting for five days.) It is chocolaty, sweet, moist, and delicious! YUM! YUM!

This is where I got the original recipe. You can top this with a German Chocolate Cake Frosting if you are able to do dairy. You can make it Gluten Free with Dairy OR Gluten Free and Dairy Free. If you want to make this dairy free you can make a confectioners frosting to put on it. The picture above is frosted with a butter cream frosting made out of butter, confectioners sugar, vanilla and coconut milk.

1 3/4 cups All Purpose Flour (Gluten Free Pantry's All Purpose Flour was used here)

2 Cups granulated sugar

3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 large eggs

1 cup milk (coconut milk was what was used here)

1/2 cup vegetable oil (I use safflower oil)

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add eggs, milk, vanilla, and oil. Beat with an electric mixer for 2 minutes on medium. Add boiling water and mix gently with a spoon by hand until well combined. Pour the batter into two greased and floured 9 inch round cake pans or three 8 inch round cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes and until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool slightly and then turn out of pans onto cooling racks to cool. Let cool to just barely warm and then cover loosely and let finish cooling. Frost with your frosting of choice when cool and store in refrigerator before serving.

Our Favorite Gluten Free Bread

2011-01-25T19:48:00.001-06:00

I've been meaning to post this for a while. I still have not created a scratch recipe for gluten free bread. But this is our favorite gluten free mix Gluten Free Pantry's French Bread and Pizza Mix. This is the way I make it for our food limitations.

First off I will give you the ingredients for the mix: white rice flour, potato starch, corn starch, guar gum, granulated honey, salt, and Red Staf Instant Yeast (packet included). It does say "may contain traces of soy". But my son has never had a problem with it.

(Set Oven to preheat at 375 degrees. )
In my Bosch Universal mixer with batter whips attached I dump the contents of the box and yeast packet and then the following ingredients

1 3/4 cups warm water (110-115 degrees)
1 tsp cider vinegar (if vinegar is an issue you could probably substitute lemon juice)
1 Tbsp honey
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup olive oil
2 eggs plus 1 egg white

I turn my mixer on low to combine the ingredients and flip it to medium and let it run for 2 minutes. While it is running, I spray my 9X5 bread pan will Pam Olive Oil Spray. When the two minutes is over, using a ladle I carefully scoop the batter into a well greased pan. The batter has the consistency of mashed potatoes. This is what it looks like.

Then cover with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place until the dough rises to touch the plastic wrap. After I pulled the wrap off the risen dough, it looked like this.

Place in 375 degree preheated oven. And bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Turn out of the pan onto a cooling rack and let cool until warm to touch. I bag my bread as soon as it is warm and no longer hot. That keeps the crust soft. Then once it is cool in the bag, I take it out and slice it. I place plastic wrap between each slice and then freeze the bag of sliced bread. I pop a slice at a time into the microwave for 25 seconds, then flip it over and then another 10 seconds. Voila! Instant fresh soft bread!

New Gluten Free Baking source

2011-01-07T19:40:00.000-06:00

I am excited to say that Country Life Natural Foods has started carrying gluten free items, particularly gluten free oats and gluten free rice flour. And they are in a price range that we can afford! They also have gluten free all purpose flour mix (which has legumes in it) and gluten free pancake mix. Go check it out here!

Gluten Free Pancakes (Take 2)

2011-01-07T19:28:00.000-06:00

I have played a little with my pancake recipe, thanks to my sweet sister who has been trying them out. She is helping me to know if my recipes are easily reproducible in another person's kitchen. This last time I made them I took some pictures and changed one thing to hopefully create a better product for more people.

2 cups Rice Flour mix

5 tsp aluminum free baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 Tbsp honey

4 Tbsp oil of choice ( I use safflower oil)

2 eggs

2 cup almond milk (I like Almond Breeze unsweetened) or other milk

Mix dry ingredients together and them add wet ingredients and whisk.

Using a ice cream scoop, ladle mixture onto hot non-stick pan or griddle. I use my electric griddle and set it at 350 degrees. These pancakes seem to do better on a slightly hotter griddle than my wheat pancakes. The honey seems to help them brown. Flip when lightly brown on one side and bubbles pop.

Cook and eat or freeze right away. Makes about 24 standard sized pancakes. We love these with butter and agave nectar or maple syrup or even jelly.

Gluten Free Corn Muffins

2010-11-26T17:43:00.000-06:00

1 1/4 cups corn flour
1/2 cup Rice Four Mix
1/2 tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder
1 egg (beaten)
1/3 cup oil (I used safflower oil)
1/3 cup honey
1 cup almond milk or water

Mix dry ingredients together. Add wet ingredients and stir to combine. Spoon into greased muffins tins and bake at 350 degrees for 15-19 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Remove from pans and set on cooling racks to cool after baking, then wrap/cover right away. Gluten free baked goods tend to dry out really fast. Freeze leftovers and reheat by wrapping in aluminum foil and placing in 350 degree oven for 5-10 until warmed through and soft.

I turned these into gluten free cornbread stuffing yesterday for our Thanksgiving.

Happy Baking!

Allergen Free Cranberry Jelly

2010-11-23T18:46:00.000-06:00

I did it!!!! I made cranberry jelly for Buddy. (Now I just hope that he will like it as well as the stuff out the can) Buddy loves the canned cranberry jelly. Yes, I mean the one you pour out in the shape of the can. But the only problem is that even the Organic stuff I can get from the store has sugar and lemon juice in it (citrus is a big allergen). So I set out to make some. I decided against the whole cranberry method, because Buddy has texture issues. And I thought I could probably not get it completely free from pulp and seeds. So I decided on pure cranberry juice. The first batch I forgot about on the stove and it burnt (agave nectar smells really bad when burned). I was going to use fruit pectin, but then I read the ingredients (dextrose and citric acid etc). So I went with good old plain gelatin (we have no problems really in the meat department).

Cranberry Jelly-

1 cup cold pure cranberry juice (I used Knudsen's Organic Just Cranberry Juice)
2 cups cranberry juice
Rice Syrup and Agave Nectar to taste (~ 1 cup rice syrup and 1/4 cup agave) I used Lundberg's Rice Syrup & Madhava Amber Agave Nectar
Box of pure gelatin (I used Knox unflavored gelatin)

Pour 3 c. cold cranberry juice in to pot, stir in rice syrup and agave (sweeten to taste). Ladle out 1 cup of sweetened juice. Bring remaining 2 cups of juice to a boil. Meanwhile sprinkle 3 packs of plain gelatin (box comes with four) over the 1 cup cold cranberry juice and let sit for one minute. Pour boiling juice into bowl with cold juice that was mixed with gelatin. Stir well to combine. Let cool and place in refrigerator. Refrigerate until set.

Now we are ready for Thanksgiving!

Minestrone Soup

2010-11-13T22:53:00.000-06:00

Cool weather is here. And that gets me thinking about soup and other warm dishes. This is a recipe I came up with years ago. You can add pasta if you desire, but I am kind of a texture freak and don't like pasta in my soups.

Minestrone Soup

Large Onion diced

½ cabbage chopped

3 stalks celery diced

6 carrots peeled &diced

3 Large russet potatoes peeled & cubed

3 cans diced tomatoes

1 large can Hunts Original Spaghetti Sauce

2 cans Green Giant Northern Beans

3 cans Red Runner Creole Style Red Beans (or four cans Red Beans, leave two reg, and puree two cans in blender)

1 large can tomato paste

1 large pack of frozen corn

In a large soup pot, over medium heat, pour olive oil (good turn around the pan), celery, onions, carrots, potatoes and cabbage. Cook until cabbage is translucent and onions are clear. Pour in the complete cans of tomatoes, and spaghetti sauce. Fill each emptied can with water and add water to pot. Pour in complete cans of beans and tomato paste. Fill those cans with water and add to pot. Bring to a boil and add corn. Bring back up to a boil and simmer until potatoes are tender. Serve steaming hot with grated parmesan on top.

New Orleans Style Charbroiled Oysters

2010-11-13T22:49:00.001-06:00

These are one of my all time favorite things to eat. We usually make these when we go to New Orleans during oyster season. Our friends or my hubby pick up a sack of raw oysters and then as they shuck them and put them on the half-shell I cook them on the grill. I have served these to self-proclaimed non-oyster eaters and they have liked them.They are the best thing EVER! The recipe is based on charbroiled oysters that you can order from a restaurant called Drago's in Metairie Louisiana.

Mmmmmm just typing this is making my mouth water.

Charbroiled Oysters

24 raw oyster on the half shell (large)

1 lb. Butter

2 Tbsp. minced garlic

½ tsp. Grated Parmesan cheese

½ tsp. Grated Romano Cheese

½ tsp. Minced parsley

black pepper

cayenne

Melt butter in a large microwavable container. Add garlic. Mix cheese, black pepper, parsley & pinch cayenne in a separate bowl. Place oysters on the half shell on the BBQ grill. Place a pinch of cheese-parsley mixture on each oyster and spoon garlic-butter over each. WATCH OUT!!!!! EXCESSIVE FLAMES!!!

Cook until oysters are puffed . Serve immediately with hot crusty bread.

You can also place the oysters in a lasagna pan or baking pan with a good lip on a bed of rock salt, top with cheese mixture and butter mix and then place them in the oven on broil. You can also crumple foil and place it underneath the oysters to prevent sliding. Broil until puffed. But watch them VERY CAREFULLY. They can go from yum to burned really fast.

Banana Bread

2010-11-13T22:38:00.001-06:00

This recipe comes from my sweet college roommate, who could bake like nobody's business. I modified to make it my own, as I have to do usually with everything. I usually don't add nuts.

Banana (Nut) Bread

½ C. Sugar

1/3 C. Shortening

2 eggs

1 ¾ C. all purpose flour

1 tsp. Baking powder

½ tsp. Baking soda

½ tsp. Salt

4 c. mashed very ripe bananas

½ c. walnuts or pecans (optional)

Cream sugar and shortening. Mix together the dry ingredients and add alternately with the bananas to the creamed sugar mixture. Stir in nuts if adding. Bake in loafs pans at 350º F for 40-45 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.

Or bake in muffins tins for about 18 minutes or less. Ready when a toothpick comes out mostly clean.

New Orleans Style BBQ Shrimp

2010-11-13T22:34:00.001-06:00

Now these BBQ shrimp are not your usual BBQ shrimp. These are covered in more like a thin buttery wonderfully flavored sauce and are finger-licking, elbow dripping, 50 napkins good!

I can't make these in the land-locked state we live in, trapped in a small town with no decent seafood to speak of (Yes even the frozen stuff has been in the store freezer for horrifying lengths of time). We do try and makes these when we get to the east coast and can get delicious fresh South Carolina shrimp or, of course, in the city of my heart New Orleans.

But these are a tradition for us back home and are a family recipe and favorite.

New Orleans Style BBQ Shrimp

30 Jumbo Shrimp (2-3 lbs.)

2 sticks butter

2 tsp. Garlic powder

2 tsp. Italian seasoning

2 tsp. Paprika

2 tsp. Crushed red pepper flakes

2 tsp. Salt

dash white pepper

1 1/3 c. olive oil

4 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce

4 Tbsp. Lemon juice

2 tsp. Chili powder

2 tsp. Dried oregano

Spread shrimp out in a large lasagna pan. Combine all other ingredients in a sauce pan on low heat and heat until butter is melted. Let sauce cool. Pour sauce over shrimp, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour. Bake at 300º F turning shrimp every ten minutes until pink all the way through (don't over cook!!). Serve immediately with warm crusty bread for dipping.

Lemon Cake aka Aunt Blanche's Lemon Squares

2010-11-13T22:27:00.000-06:00

I wanted to post some new recipes since Thanksgiving is coming up soon. Most of these are not gluten or allergen free, just plain old run of the mill stuff. But they are favorites in our house. You can make it gluten free by making it with a boxed cake mix like Betty Crocker Gluten Free Yellow Cake Mix.

1 box yellow cake mix

1 box lemon jello

5 eggs

¾ cup water

½ cup vegetable oil

2 tbsp. lemon extract

Combine ingredients and bake on 350°

Follow box instructions for baking pan size and bake time

Makes about 24 cupcakes.

If making as cake, butter and flour pans before pouring in batter. Make in a large square cake pan or bunt pan.

Glaze while still warm and then let rest until cool and glaze has set

Glaze:

¼ cup lemon juice

2 cups powdered sugar

Aunt Blanche always made these in a large rectangular cake pan and then cut them into square, wrapped them individually in plastic wrap and served them to all the ankle biter when they come (even when the ankle biters grow taller than her). They were and are one of my hubby's favorite things.

Allergen Free Thanksgiving

2010-11-05T00:03:00.001-05:00

Well, I have begun the search and planning for our first allergen free Thanksgiving dinner. I am praying for wisdom and creativity. I'm sure I am about to learn a whoooooole lot. First project- gluten free, allergen free apple pie. I'll report back if it is good.

In the mean time here are some good links I found for some possible recipes to try.

Coconut Milk Ice Cream (with eggs & sugar)

Dairy Free Rice Pudding

Coconut Cream Tapioca

Gluten Free Apple Pie

I'll be on the search for more. But these are the first I have found with no allergens or rotation allergens in them. We'll see how they turn out.....

The biggest project to find to make for Thanksgiving- allergen free cranberry jelly.

What's in the Pantry or Fridge?

2010-11-02T23:38:00.001-05:00

I was thinking about writing down a basic menu for the week of what my little guy eats and how I cook it along side everyone else's meals.

But before I do that, here is our basic pantry and fridge items. I have listed them in how I put them in meals for Buddy.

Just to recap our allergens. We rotate cane sugar (trying to avoid more completely but save for special days), sheep milk, pears, chocolate, and cinnamon.

We avoid gluten, goat or cow milk, wheat, soy, barley, sorghum, legumes, citrus fruits, tomatoes, and a number of fruits and vegetables. See our allergen page for more specifics.

Breakfast Foods:

Eggs (cooked any way he wants, but no cheese or milk)

White Corn Grits

Organic Oatmeal sweetened with agave nectar or maple syrup

Rice Pancakes with maple syrup or agave nectar or honey

Rice Waffles

Any of these cereals with Almond milk

Glutino Honey Nut O's (does have sugar, so we rotate)

Enviro Kids Gorilla Munch (also has sugar)

Erewhon Rice Twice Cereal ( I also use this cereal to make my puffed grain bars)
Homemade granola (recipe to come soon)

Almond Milk either Almond Breeze unsweetened in the shelf stable Quart or Vanilla Unsweetened refrigerated half gallon.

Lunches and Dinners-

Deboles Rice Pasta with a meat and fruit

Organic Brown Rice with a meat and fruit

Kroger Organic Plain Applesauce (goes like water around here between my two boys)

Shelton's Turkey Hot Dogs (rotate due to other ingredients not the turkey) with a carb and fruit

( I loved the Applegate Farms Organic Turkey Hot Dogs but we can't get them here. They do have onions and sodium lactate from beets. But they are dairy free, casein free and gluten free)

Ian's Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets with Cascadian Farms Organic shoes string fries or crinkle cut fries and ~~Heinz organic Ketchup~~ (edited to say that Tomato has now been taken off of rotation)

Gluten Free Pantry French Bread Mix This is our staple bread, because it is sugar free and I can make it without any rotation allergy ingredients. My little guy eats this about six out seven days in a week. It is really easy to make and if you slice it and place plastic between the slices, you can pop a slice out of the freezer and microwave for about 35 seconds- comes out like fresh soft bread.

Any Nut Butter (see Puffed Grain Bars recipe for more info)- Peanut Butter, Cashew Butter or Almond Butter with honey, apple butter, or ~~all fruit~~ (edited to say All Fruit now has maltodextrin in it and that makes me nervous, even if it is gluten free. Something that far processed can't be good for you.) or honey on Gluten Free Pantry's French Bread or even as a pancake sandwich on Rice Pancakes or rice waffles.

Beachy's Apple Butter comes from Salisbury PA (I love this!!!! It is just apples, cider and spices. It does have cinnamon which we have to rotate, but it the BEST apple butter you have ever tasted!)

Sorrell Ridge Fruit Spreads- they are sweetened with only fruit juice. We buy the grape. (Note- these did not work out for Buddy. They are sweetened primarily with pineapple juice. But we still buy all the flavors that they make for the rest of the family to enjoy.)

St Dalfour Fruit Conserves- we buy the wild blueberry. It has only blueberries, grape juice concentrate and fruit pectin. (I buy mine at Walmart.)

Pamela's Corn muffins made from mix (we all love these with spicy chili or red beans) Buddy eats them with anything! I make them dairy and sugar free.

Hamburgers grilled or fried with just salt and garlic powder

Kettle Lightly salted potato chips (great with lunch)

Kroger Brand corn chips (that are cooked in corn oil) Buddy actually prefers these over potato chips.

Lots of apples, blueberries, peaches, cherries, bananas, grapes, dried apricots, and raisins. (as much of any kind as he wants any day). I buy frozen peaches, cherries, and blueberries in bulk and pull out what I need.

Plain Sheep Yogurt with pure liquid stevia and frozen fruit. (we rotate sheep milk)

Snacks and treats-
Puffed Grain Bars Extra Nutty

Glutino Original Crackers

Blue Diamond Almond Nut Thins

Pamela's mini chocolate chips (treat! has sugar)

Pamela's Dark chocolate chunk cookies (also treat, has sugar)

Jennies Coconut Macaroons Sugar free. These things are awesome!

So Delicious coconut ice cream vanilla or chocolate (chocolate is rotated) it is sweetened with agave nectar. Awesome, awesome stuff!!!!!

We love any of the So Delicious products but we can really only buy the Coconut Ice Cream in our little town. We did find the coconut yogurt at a big city Whole Foods while on vacation. Buddy chowed down on it. I love that it is sweetened with agave nectar, so we don't have to rotate the vanilla flavor.

OK my brain is fried now. Hope I didn't forget anything. There is always the edit button

Gone Gluten Free

2010-10-16T12:34:00.001-05:00

Well, we have officially taken Buddy completely off of gluten. After much reading and talking with others I decided to give it a go. We decided to not have him tested, because of the concern that official diagnosis would create a black mark on him with insurance later in life. So we are going forth assuming that gluten is the source of the problem and believing we will see results.

We have already started to see results. We removed gluten completely about a month ago. His appetite has increased more and he seems to be feeling better over all. He is really starting to eat like a BOY! (that makes this mother very happy) We are still avoiding all the other foods we have been. That being said, going gluten free is simple and yet not. Just because something is labeled gluten free does not mean that it is safe for Buddy to eat. I hope that over time that WILL become so for him. Our hope is that his body will heal, once the gluten has been out of his sytem for an extended period of time, and we can eventually start trying to add other foods back in on a rotational basis.

I am changing once again how I cook for Buddy to be completely gluten free and watching more carefully for cross contamination issues (because the rest of us have to eat too). I can't afford nor desire to put the whole family on a gluten free diet, so watching for cross contamination is always important.

I am also having to search out new sources for things like flours and oats. Wow! Gluten free oats are expensive! I mean like four times the cost of regular oats!! But as I discover new sources I will try and post them here. And as I come up with new recipes I will add them in as well. Hopefully those things will be helpful to someone.

So off to peruse Amazon.....

Our favorite foods

2010-10-02T23:41:00.001-05:00

We have changed our diet considerably since August. I will be updating this to reflect the GAPS Diet we are now following. Below is what I used when we were gluten, casein etc free. See this page for our current foods and diet protocol.

I wanted to list some of our favorite basic grocery items in the hopes that it would be helpful for someone.
(If you want to see a more indepth description of how these are used in our house go to my other post.)

Puffed Grain Bars (find the recipe here)

Erewhon Rice Twice Puffed Rice Cereal

Bread Mix-

Cornbread Mix-

Baking Mix (if I don't make my own)

Almond Milk (the half gallon refrigerated)

Turkey Hot Dogs (gluten free)

Organic Frozen French Fries

Ian's Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets

Kettle Potato Chips

Liquid Stevia

So Delicious Coconut Ice Cream Vanilla Bean

Sheep Yogurt

So Good Gluten Free Sugar Free Banana Nut Muffins

2010-07-27T16:14:00.000-05:00

Buddy gave me the best compliment ever, coming from him. He ate his first gluten free sugar free banana nut muffin and quipped "they are so good, so good you see!" So with that in mind here is the recipe

1/2 cup local Honey

1/3 cup raw organic extra virgin coconut oil

2 eggs & 1 egg white

1 3/4 cups Rice Flour Mix

1 tsp. Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Salt

4 Very Ripe Bananas

1 tsp alcohol free gluten free vanilla

1/4 scoop Rice Protein Powder (optional)

Cream Honey and Coconut oil in a stand mixer. Add eggs and egg white and vanilla (and protein powder) and mix. In a separate bowl mix the rice flour mix, baking powder, baking soda and salt together. While mixer is running add portions of the dry ingredients to the mixer alternating with bananas until all are incorporated. Add nuts if desired. Fill greased muffins tins 3/4 way full and bake at 350 until slightly brown around the edges and toothpick comes out almost clean (aprox 18-20 minutes). I forgot to time them. Turn out onto cooling racks or serve warm.

Makes 18 muffins.

Menu? What's a Menu?- How do we eat

2010-07-21T15:08:00.000-05:00

So I am long overdue in posting a basic weekly menu and how we do what we do. I do not make menu plans. I cook what I feel like cooking that afternoon based on the foods I have on hand. This list is in retrospect using Buddy's food diary -actually a large calendar posted on the fridge. I fill it in as he eats foods that day and circle the allergen food. Then I can look at what is circled and see a visual of what allergens he has eaten when. Based on that, I will never let him eat something in less than four days. So if he eats an allergen food, he can not eat the food again for another three days (atleast).

I am trying really hard to give Buddy more days in a row that he eats allergen free. There are some foods that he eats pretty much everyday (especially Peanut Butter) but the boy has to eat! I will just put in what I cooked for the rest of the family each night for dinner to help give the bigger picture. Breakfast and lunch are the usual uninteresting orders of wheat bread sandwiches etc.

Okay not terribly interesting post but maybe it will give an idea to those who are needing to cook for different food needs in the same house.

A generel rule of thumb, I try and cook the same protein for everyone for dinner but just modify it for Buddy. As when I make chili or meatloaf or meatballs and spaghetti, I make a hamburger on the side (his favorite food anyway!) for Buddy. I pull off the meat for his hamburger before I start assembling the dish and then fry it in a small pan right before we are ready to eat. If we eat pasta, then I cook a small sauce pan full of rice pasta for Buddy. Or when I cook chicken or pork I try and cook the meat the same way but have a smaller baking pan with Buddy's meat that is seasoned safely for him. It is possible to feed everyone and not lose your mind trying to do it. I try and keep it simple.

Here goes the break down, if you're not still with me by the end,
I understand ....

Day 1 (*allergen foods eaten)
Organic Oatmeal with Maple Syrup

Gluten Free Bread with Organic Peanut Butter & Local Honey along with apple slices

Tuna Patties with onion and garlic powder pan fried in safflower oil and coconut oil with steamed Brown Rice and fruit (* allergen foods- fish & onions)
( The rest of the family ate Tuna Patties with Brown Rice and green beans)

Day 2 (allergen free)
Fried Egg with Corn grits

Gluten Free Bread with Organic Peanut Butter & Local Honey along with apple slices and corn chips

Baked chicken breast, steamed organic brown rice and apple slices. I try and cook the same protein in a smaller pan with Buddy's allowed seasonings.
(The rest of the family has baked marinated chicken breasts with baked potatoes and salad)

Day 3 (*allergen food eaten)
Scrambled egg with gluten free bread toasted

(can we all guess this time?) - Gluten Free Bread with Organic Peanut Butter & Local Honey with Peach chunks

Shelton's Turkey Hot Dog (* allergen food- has sage family seasonings in it) with organic mustard and local honey with Deboles Brown Rice Pasta and blueberries and applesauce
(The rest of the family had .... ummm I don't remember, I only keep a food log for Buddy!)

Day 4 (allergen free)
Fried Eggs with Rice Pancakes and maple syrup

*clearing throat* ummm Gluten Free Bread with Organic Peanut Butter & Local Honey with grapes

Hamburger with Cascadian Farms Krinkle Cut Fries with blueberries and So Delicious Vanilla Coconut Milk Ice Cream
(The rest of the family had Hamburgers on Wheat Bread and salad and regular ice cream)

Day 5 (allergen free)
Fried egg with grits

Gluten Free Bread with Organic Peanut Butter & Local Honey with peach chunks and blueberries

Hamburger with Pamela's corn muffins and more blueberries ( cooked Buddy's Hamburger from the same beef that I made the chili- just in a small separate pan)
(The rest of the family had Chili with corn muffins and salad)

Day 6 (*allergen food eaten)
Eggs and Coconut Milk Yogurt with blueberries (*the coconut yogurt has cane sugar in it which is an allergen)

Gluten Free Bread with Organic Peanut Butter & Local Honey and Banana

Pork tenderloin with steamed brown rice and applesauce and blueberries, and Vanilla Almond Breeze with Arrowhead Mills Puffed Corn (he was reaaally hungry that night)
(The rest of the family had Roast Pork Tenderloin, baked potatoes or steamed rice and yellow summer squash) I usually buy the Pork tenderloins from Kroger that are two in a pack. I roast both- one seasoned for Buddy and other seasoned for the rest of the family.

Day 7 ( allergen free )
Oatmeal with maple syrup and raisins

ummm do I really need to type lunch?.... with apples slices and corn chips

Ian's Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets with Cascadian Farms Organic Fries with applesauce and Homemade Puffed Grain Bar for dessert.
(The rest of the family ate- either Grilled Pre-seasoned Steaks or Applegate Farms Organic chicken nuggets with fries or baked potatoes and salad)

Mikey He Likes It! (Puffed Grain Bars Extra Nutty)

2010-07-15T20:22:00.003-05:00

So as you may have read in my other Puffed Grain Bar recipe, Buddy was less than excited about the first recipe product. But with some tweaking (and even some pictures for this one). Here is the one he WILL eat!!

Puffed Grain Bars Extra Nutty
1 cup honey
1 cup date sugar
2 cups nut butter of choice
4 cups puffed grain

So here is the specs on what I used.

I used 1 cup roasted almond butter (no salt) and 1 cup cashew butter (no salt).I like to use the organic nut butters from Once Again Nut Butter.

But we also get the organic butter from Maranatha. Just watch out for their No Stir ones, they usually have sugar and palm oil added.

I usually buy puffed rice, puffed millet and puffed corn from Arrowhead Mills BUT they are NOT certified Gluten Free. They claimed (when I spoke with someone at the company) that they practice good handling practices and clean equipment between runs; but they can not guarantee that there are not any traces of gluten in the puffed grain. But that is okay with us since Buddy does not have Celiac's disease. But if you have someone who does find another brand, one that does say Certified Gluten Free. We are now gluten free so I use Erewhon Rice Twice Cereal for the puffed grain.

~~For this recipe I used 3 cups puffed brown rice and 1 cup puffed millet.~~ I use about 3 cups of Erewhon Rice Twice Cereal. (I found it at the Whole Foods 90 miles from me. I stock up)

Mix together honey, date sugar & nut butters. Microwave one minute at a time. Stir after each minute. I microwaved for a total of 4 minutes (but my cashew butter was cold out of the fridge). Microwave in one minute increments until bubbling and fully combined. This stuff will be REALLY HOT! I cook mine in my Pampered Chef Batter Bowl.

Remove from microwave and mix in the puffed grain (you can also add raisins or chopped dried fruit at this stage too), stirring carefully until well combined. Pour out into a well greased large lasagna pan or cookie sheet with a lip. (I spray my lasagna pan with Pam Olive Oil Spray). Let cool completely.

Cut into squares or bar shapes and store in ziploc bags.

Store flat in one layer or put plastic wrap between layers. They will want to stick back together.

And if you ever travel with them in the car, beware,
you may end up with one very larger grain BALL. Twelve or more hours of travel in an over-stuffed minivan for us, equaled a large grain ball about the size of a cantaloupe. But it was still yummy. We just tore off chunks and munched. When you are in the car for that long with three children, food makes everyone happy and hopefully a little more quiet!!!

So there ya go. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do. There are days I even count this as Buddy's protein in a meal (Shhh don't share that.) and give him some extra crackers and fruit.

Microwave Meatloaf

2010-06-14T14:15:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I know you read the title and are thinking "you can't make good meatloaf in the microwave!" Aaaah but you can and here it is.

1 lb ground chuck or ground round

1 onion finely diced

1 tsp Paul Prudhomme's Poultry Seasoning

pinch salt

pinch of black pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp minced fresh parsley (or dried if need be, but use 1/2 tsp if dried)

1/8 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 c Gluten free cracker crushed, or Gluten Free Italian bread crumbs or crushed saltine crackers

1/2 cup spaghetti sauce (I use Meir Glen Garden Vegetable)

1 egg

Mix all the ingredients together well in a microwave safe - oven safe pyrex dish. Shape mixture into a ring, forming around the outside edge of the bowl. Microwave 7 minutes. Remove and squirt ketchup over the top. Microwave another 7-8 minutes. To finish you can place in the oven or under a low broiler for a crunchier top. When finished cooking, the fat from the beef will pool in the center hole of the ring and you can use a turkey baster to remove it or simply mop it up with paper towels.

What I love is that this is so fast and the shape allows you to remove the fat, which otherwise would absorb back into your meatloaf and make it all greasy. bleck!

So yummy with mashed potatoes and green beans or your veggie of choice. This also makes great meatloaf sandwiches the next day cold and freezes really well. You can make this gluten free by simply using Gluten Free Crackers for your bread crumbs. It double and triples really well, just be sure to increase your cooking time.

Gooey Puffed Grain Bars

2010-05-29T22:03:00.001-05:00

I have to thank my friend Karen for this one. She gave me the recipe and I have used what worked in our diet restrictions in it. Of course Buddy doesn't really like them, but everyone else does. Squirt likes to eat one on her ballet class day when she will eat dinner late and burn lots of calories before. Her Daddy likes to grab one in the AM if he is running late for work and needs a quick breakfast. And Bubba likes to mooch bites from anyone who will share with him. Buddy takes one bite and is done. ((((sigh)))) at least I tried to give him a new food option. Anyway, I have no idea how many calories or protein grams are in one but they are loaded with both.

1 cup honey
1 cup date sugar
1 cup or more of nut butter of choice (I use almond butter or cashew butter)

Combine in microwavable safe bowl and microwave for three minutes stopping and stirring between each minute. Pour in puffed grain of choice and mix well (about 3 cups or less). I just eye ball it until it is the right consistency I want. More puffed grain for crunchier, less for gooier. I use 2 parts puffed organic brown rice and one part organic puffed millet (more protein).

Pour out into greased lasagna pan or other pan with lips and let cool completely. Cut into squares and store in ziploc bag. These are waaaaay cheaper than buying protein bars and have so much less other 'stuff' in them. Simple and yummy.

Bread Recipe 2

2010-05-26T19:55:00.002-05:00

I tried out a new version of a bread recipe today. I picked it up from Paula's Bread. I had been having trouble with my bread being a little too wet recently. I know that humid hot weather didn't help, but I needed a better solution. So this turned out great. I think the key was cutting back on the oil and honey.

3 1/2 cups very warm water (115 degrees or so)
1 Tbsp salt
2 Tbsp dough enhancer
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup oil
5 cups freshly ground hard red wheat flour
3 Tbsp yeast

Combine ingredients in mixer. Mix til just combined. Let sit with lid on and sponge for 20 minutes. Stir down and add about 5 more cups of wheat flour or less, adding one cup at a time until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl. The key is to add one cup of flour at a time at this stage. Let each cup become fully incorporated before adding the next cup. If the weather is dry it may take only 3 to 4 cups of flour. If the weather humid it may take closer to 5 cups. The texture you are looking for is when the bowl's sides look clean and the dough has formed into a ball but still looks pretty sticky. Then mix on setting 1 on the Bosch Universal Mixer for 4 minutes. Turn out onto oiled surface. Cut into four sections and form into loaves. Place in greased loaf pans. Cover and let rise until double in size. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes or until golden brown on top and sounds hollow when thumped. Turn out onto racks, cool and bag. Use right away or freeze. If using from the freezer simply leave on the counter to come to room temperature and then enjoy. Don't refrigerate this bread.

Chili - to add meat or not to add meat?

2010-05-19T15:01:00.001-05:00

Chili

(to add meat or not to add meat that is the question..... )

I never even liked chili until I made this recipe. The original is the Rachael Ray's Veghead Chili recipe. I have played with it and made it my own (as I so often do).

You can either add in a pound of browned ground beef drained or following recipe and leave it vegetarian. Often, if I am short on beans, I will even cut back on the beans and use mostly ground beef. You can adjust the Vegetable Broth to accommodate the change in ingredients adding or not adding to get the consistency you like.

2 sweet peppers diced (green, red or yellow) I use whatever is cheapest
1 large onion diced
2 cans diced tomatoes
4-6 cloves of garlic minced
3 cans of beans (kidney, black or other)
1 cup vegetable broth (Pacific Organic Vegetable Broth is what I always use) Add to get correct consistency right before adding the spices.
1 Tbsp Cumin
2 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 tsp salt

Cut up green peppers and onion. Sauté in large pot in a little olive oil over medium heat. Cook until onions are translucent. Add in garlic and cook for another minute. Add in diced tomatoes & beans. Stir well to combine. Add Vegetable broth as needed for desired consistency (add less for a thicker chili). Bring to a boil and simmer for about 15 minutes. Add in cumin and chili powder and simmer on extra low until ready to serve.

We eat this vegetarian style over steamed brown rice for a complete protein. Or carnivore style without the rice and with the ground beef.

If you are doing this with ground beef. Brown your ground beef separately and add to your pot of onion and green peppers when you add the garlic. Then follow the steps from there adding in or not the beans if you want.

We love to eat this along with a fresh batch of Pamela's Cornbread muffins made with honey and sunflower oil or olive oil. (Of course Buddy usually has a hamburger and rice, since the chili has too many allergens for him. But he loves those cornbread muffins!)

Makes awesome leftovers and freezes well too. You can even freeze cooked brown rice separately to eat with it another day.

If I make this with ground beef, I simply set aside some plain beef for Buddy and fry a hamburger in a small pan on the side for him. Then he eats the brown rice and cornbread with the rest of the family and his choice of allowed fruit.

What's in the Pantry or Fridge?

2010-05-07T21:18:00.005-05:00

I was thinking about writing down a basic menu for the week of what my little guy eats and how I cook it along side everyone else's meals.

But before I do that, here is our basic pantry and fridge items. I have listed them in how I put them in meals for Buddy.

Just to recap our allergens. We rotate sugar, spelt, sheep milk, oranges, pears, tomatoes, chocolate, and cinnamon.

We avoid goat or cow milk, wheat, soy, barley, sorghum, legumes and a number of fruits and vegetables. See our allergen page for more specifics.

Breakfast Foods:
Eggs (cooked any way he wants, but no cheese or milk)
White Corn Grits
Organic Oatmeal sweetened with agave nectar or organic sucanat or maple syrup
Rice Pancakes with maple syrup or agave nectar or honey
Rice Waffles
Spelt Bread (only on spelt day)
Any of these cereals with Almond milk
Glutino Honey Nut O's (does have sugar, so we rotate)
Enviro Kids Gorilla Munch (also has sugar)
Puffed Brown Rice
Orange Juice (rotated)
Almond Milk either Almond Breeze unsweetened in the shelf stable Quart or Vanilla Unsweetened refrigerated half gallon.
Lunches and Dinners-

Deboles Rice Pasta with a meat and fruit

Organic Brown Rice with a meat and fruit

Kroger Organic Plain Applesauce (goes like water around here between my two boys)

Shelton's Turkey Hot Dogs (rotate due to other ingredients not the turkey) with a carb and fruit
( I loved the Applegate Farms Organic Turkey Hot Dogs but we can't get them here. They do have onions and sodium lactate from beets. But they are dairy free, casein free & gluten free)

Ian's Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets with Cascadian Farms Organic shoes string fries or crinkle cut fries and ~~Heinz organic Ketchup~~ (edited to say that Tomato has now be taken off of rotation)

Gluten Free Pantry French Bread Mix This is our staple bread, because it is sugar free and I can make it without any rotation allergy ingredients. My little guy eats this about six out seven days in a week. It is really easy to make and if you slice it and place plastic between the slices, you can pop a slice out of the freezer and microwave for about 35 seconds- comes out like fresh soft bread.

Any nut butter (see Puffed Grain Bars recipe for more info)- Peanut Butter, Cashew Butter or Almond Butter with honey, apple butter, or ~~all fruit~~ (edited to say All Fruit now has maltodextrin in it and that makes me nervous, even if it is gluten free. Something that far processed can't be good for you.) honey on Pamela's French Bread or Spelt bread or even as a pancake sandwich on Rice Pancakes.

Beachy's Apple Butter comes from Salisbury PA (I love this!!!! It is just apples, cider and spices. It does have cinnamon which we have to rotate, but it the BEST apple butter you have ever tasted!)

Polaners All Fruit Blueberry - No it is not organic, but it is sugar free. It is sweetened with pear juice which we rotate. So Buddy eats this on Pear day.

Pamela's Corn muffins made from mix (we all love these with spicy chili or red beans) Buddy eats them with anything! I make them dairy and sugar free.

Hamburgers grilled or fried with just salt and garlic powder

Kettle Lightly salted potato chips (great with lunch)

Kroger Brand corn chips (that are cooked in corn oil) Buddy actually prefers these over potato chips.

Lots of apples, blueberries, peaches, cherries, bananas, grapes, dried apricots, and raisins. (as much of any kind as he wants any day). I buy frozen peaches, cherries and; blueberries in bulk and pull out what I need.

Plain Sheep Yogurt with pure liquid stevia and frozen fruit. (we rotate sheep milk)

Snacks and treats-
Glutino Original Crackers
Blue Diamond Almond Nut Thins
Pamela's mini chocolate chips (treat! has sugar)
Pamela's Dark chocolate chunk cookies (also treat, has sugar)
Jennies Coconut Macaroons Sugar free. These things are awesome!
So Delicious coconut ice cream vanilla or chocolate (chocolate is rotated) Awesome, awesome stuff!!!!!

We love any of the So Delicious products but we can really only buy the Coconut Ice Cream in our little town. We did find the coconut yogurt at a big city Whole Foods while on vacation. Buddy chowed down on it. I love that it is sweetened with agave nectar, so we don't have to rotate the vanilla flavor.

OK my brain is fried now. Hope I didn't forget anything. There is always the edit button.

Jambalaya

2010-04-29T16:53:00.000-05:00

1 green bell pepper diced
1/2 red bell pepper diced
1 large onion diced
4-6 cloves of garlic minced
2 tsp Paul Prudhommes Poultry Seasoning
2 16 oz cans diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups brown rice
2 cups vegetable broth (I use Pacific organic vegetable broth)
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces (or 1 package Johnsonville New Orleans Brand Smoked Sausage sliced into bite sized pieces)

Saute peppers and onion in a large pan over medium heat. Saute until onions are translucent or close to it. Add garlic and Poultry Seasoning. Stir to combine fully. Add diced tomatoes, rice, vegetable broth and meat. Stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and then simmer on low until rice is soft and almost all liquid is cooked out. Takes about 1 hr - 1 1/2 hours. If you use white rice it will take about half that time but you will miss out on all the fiber and nutrition the brown rice offers.

Enjoy!

Our Story

2010-04-22T10:39:00.000-05:00

I began this blog after much consideration. What finally prodded me to begin was an encounter that I had with a woman in the local grocery store. I looked up to see her staring at the food in the health food section with a rather overwhelmed look on her face. She had some almond milk and a couple of other items in her cart. I slipped next to her to get something from the shelf before her; and asked her if she was on a special diet. She said she had just started eating gluten free about two month before. What struck me was the look of consternation on her face. I remember that same confused, overwhelmed, panic feeling that I felt the first time I went shopping to find food for our just then diagnosed 3 yr old son. With all the limitations the allergy testing showed he needed in his diet, how did I feed him? Thankfully, I have a loving Father God who showed me how, directed me to people and websites that equipped me to become comfortable in dealing with feeding a child with complex multiple food allergies. I had great joy in showing her some of the products we had had success with and pointing her toward some other items that she might find useful for her diet.

So to back up, our journey into dealing with food allergies began at the beginning of 2010 with seeking out an allergist for our 3 yr old son. Prior to that he had a history of amorphous symptoms which the pediatrician would always say was nothing and that he was okay. I was continually brushed off as my concerns for him were due to being an over protective parent.

But I KNEW that there was something NOT normal going on in my child. His natural personality was sweet, compliant (mostly), gentle and calm. But he would have fits of rage, screaming over everything, constant night cryings, unexplained recurrent fevers, constant sinus drainage, recurrent ear infections, sleep disturbances, ear flushing, black circles under his eyes, little to no appetite, little to no weight gain or growth (he grew 1/4 inch & gained 1/2 lb from age 2 to age 3). All of this was handled by his pediatrician by simply putting him on an antihistamine and referring us to an ENT.

The ENT investigated more fully and after about three months scheduled him for adenoid removal and tubes in his ears. When they did a hearing test before the surgery, he had 80% blockage of his adenoids and had considerable hearing impairment. Following the surgery his hearing improved dramatically along with his speech (which was already way above normal development) and he started to sleep better and stopped having the fevers... for a while. Then the fevers started returning and the sleep disturbances began once again, not to mention all the other symptoms that still plagued him.

At the recommendation of a friend, we took our son to a local allergist in January of 2010. The allergist talked with me for an hour. After getting his medical history and all of my observations, she removed dairy from his diet, started him on digestive enzymes and probiotics, and scheduled him for the skin tests. We waited for two weeks while he got off of antihistamines and then they tested him for 64 allergens (food and environmental).

I had expected that he would be allergic to some things, but I was astounded when the panel results came back. He had considerable food allergies and some environmental. The foods he tested allergic to totaled 34 in all! They sent me home with a little pamphlet explaining food rotation diet and told me to return the next week for his allergy shot serum.

The magnitude of it all didn't hit me until I got home and needed to feed my dear son lunch. I had to make him a smoothie with the allowed fruits and some apple juice and rice protein. I felt like I had just begun having to starve my kid!

Thankfully, I have a friend (first one I ever met) who has similar food allergies on such a large scale. I called her and said "How do you rotate 34 foods!!!" Of course her practical advice was to say "you don't". She began to lay out for me how to rotate the low allergen foods and remove completely the high allergen foods. After that I went to the store armed with the information and thinking I was prepared to be able to take this on. NOT!!!

I stood in the grocery store and felt panic and a feeling of being overwhelmed with a lump in my throat ready to cry. I spent 100 bucks and came back with a little bag of groceries. I stood in my kitchen and cried out to God. "Lord you gave me this child and all of his challenges, show me how to feed him!!!!" And my ever faithful Lord did just that. He gave me ideas on what to combine and how to make each meal for my child and still feed the other four people in our family properly too and not go broke doing it. Today it feels so simple and easy and not complicated, but back then starting off it felt so daunting.

So that is why I have started this blog. For those in the midst of dealing with food allergies or those at the beginning, feeling overwhelmed. I hope that my recipes, ideas, and experiences will be helpful and be a vehicle for you to become comfortable with a new way of cooking and eating. It is possible and doesn't have to be expensive.

Oat Flour

2010-04-20T19:22:00.000-05:00

To make oat flour blend rolled oats in blender. 1 1/4 cup of oats makes 1 cup of oat flour. Blend oats until powdered.

Oat Flour Muffins

2010-04-20T19:08:00.000-05:00

This recipe originally came from http://www.frugalabundance.com/
I've tweaked it a little to suit our tastes.

1/3 cup almond milk or milk of choice
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp oil of choice (I used melted coconut oil or sunflower oil)
2 Tbsp Honey
1 egg
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup oat flour (make by blending rolled oats in blender)
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
splash of alcohol free vanilla
7 drops of liquid stevia

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 6 muffin cups with Pam olive oil spray or other oil.

Combine milk, vinegar, oil, honey, vanilla, stevia, egg and salt. Mix until smooth. Add oat flour, and baking powder to wet ingredients and stir.

Ladle out batter into muffin tins (about half full). Bake at 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes. Muffins will be very lightly browned and risen. Stick with toothpick to see if cooked through. If you over cook them they will be very dry. If you leave out the sweetener they would go great in place of corn muffins.

I usually double this recipe and throw in dried fruit or blueberries. Then I freeze the leftovers and pop them in the microwave to reheat.

Brown Rice Waffles aka Mystery Waffles

2010-04-20T18:45:00.003-05:00

I'm on a recipe roll today. So I guess I will roll with it....

These waffles come from Diane at http://www.homeschooling.net/blog/recipes/mystery-waffles/

They are great. We used these allot the first few weeks our son was on his new diet. They were great with cashew butter and maple syrup or PB with honey... you name it.

4 cups brown rice flour (I grin mine from organic long grain rice in my Bosch Nutrimill)
1 1/4 Tbsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
4 eggs
2 3/4 cups of milk of choice (I used water)

In large mixing bowl combine dry ingredients. Seperate eggs. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks. Mix egg yolks into flour mixture along with milk or water. Stir until just mixed. Fold beaten egg whites into mixture. Cook in waffle iron.

These freeze well but I put some plastic between them to keep them from sticking as they froze. They were better microwaved versus reheated in the toaster.

Spelt Bread or Wheat Bread

2010-04-20T11:04:00.000-05:00

I make this bread to use on rotation for my son. It can be made into pizza crust as well, if you can do cheese.

3 1/2 cups very warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
1 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp dough enhancer (only if making wheat bread) omit if making spelt bread
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup olive oil
6 cups flour (freshly ground red winter wheat or Vita Spelt)
2 1/2 Tbsp yeast (I like Red Saf Instant Yeast)

(I make this in my Bosch Universal Mixer. I don't know how this will work in anything else. So you may have to play with it, if you are using something else.)

Pour in ingredients in order listed. Pulse to combine fully. Let sit with lid on for 20 minutes to sponge. After 20 minutes, pulse to stir down. Add in a total of 3 1/2 - 4 1/2 cups of flour one cup at a time until dough forms and cleans side of the bowl. Turn up mixer and knead until you reach the window pane stage (about 6 minutes).

Pour out onto oiled surface (yes that is right OILED not floured). Slam seven times. Cut into four sections and form into balls. Form into loaves and place in greased bread pans (I use Pam Olive Oil Spray). Cover with light cloth and let rise until double in size. Place in 350 degree oven and bake for 25 minutes or until sounds hollow when thumped. Place on cooling rack until just barely warm to touch. Place in bread bags and freeze or eat.

If you are making pizza crust. Follow directions through to the stage of pouring out the dough onto oiled surface. Form your four balls and then press out into pizza pans. Prick with a fork and cover with toppings of choice. Bake at 425 for about 12 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust looks done.

You can also press out your pizza crust and freeze it uncooked. Take it out about an hour before you want to use it and let it come to room temp on your counter top. Then place toppings and bake as usual. I like to freeze my crust on the sheet pans and then when they are rock solid pop them off and wrap well and pop back in the freezer.

I make spelt bread and cut it once cooled and then freeze it. I take out a slice at a time to use for my son as it fits on the rotation. If you are wheat intolerant but not gluten intolerant you might be able to tolerate spelt. My son does. BUT he does NOT have celiacs disease, so that is why we can do the spelt.

Gluten Free Play Dough

2010-04-20T10:43:00.000-05:00

1/2 cup rice flour
1/2 cup corn starch
1/2 cup salt
2 tsp cream of tarter
1 cup water
1 tsp cooking oil
few drops of food coloring (if desired)

Mix ingredients in a medium sized pan. Cook stirring constantly on low until mixture forms a ball and is no longer sticky. Pour out onto heat safe surface and knead until smooth and uniform texture. Store in ziploc bag.

Mixture tends to be a little more sticky than conventional playdough. But my son didn't care. Crayola Model Magic is gluten free, but this is way cheaper.

Rice Flour Mix

2010-04-20T09:15:00.000-05:00

3 cups brown rice flour

1 1/4 cups cornstarch (or potato starch) I didn't have any so I used cornstarch.

3/4 cup tapioca flour

Mix together and store tightly covered. Use to replace all purpose flour cup for cup.

Gluten Free Dairy Free Pancakes

2010-04-20T09:08:00.002-05:00

Here is the first of hopefully many recipes that I have had success with for our son.

These recipes are wheat free, dairy free, soy free, legume free, sorghum free, and often sugar free (sugar is rotated in his diet).

2 cups Rice Flour mix

5 tsp aluminum free baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 Tbsp honey

4 Tbsp oil of choice

2 eggs

2 1/4 cup almond milk (I like Almond Breeze unsweetened)

Mix ingredients together and fry in skillet or on griddle until lightly brown.

Note without the honey the pancakes will not brown. I cook these and then freeze the left overs in a ziploc bag and take out as needed.

Starting off

2010-04-20T08:52:00.001-05:00

So I have been thinking about starting a blog for quite some time. Our trip down south this past week seemed to cement the idea and here we are! I hope to post my thoughts, realizations, ideas, recipes and experiences as a mother of a son with multiple food allergies, as a homeschooling mom of three and as a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ.