Gluten and Pasteurized Dairy Free Baking Success

 

LOVE this book!

My mom got me this book for my birthday.  She made Jacob cupcakes so he would have something to eat while I had my birthday cheesecake.  Her cupcakes gave me the courage to make his birthday cake just five short days after receiving this wonderful cookbook.

Then, Saturday came.  Our church rotates through Sunday school classes who will bring breakfast each Sunday.  I mad chocolate chip, banana muffins.  They were a huge success!

Wednesday, Jacob will be having a blood draw to test for 200 food sensitivities.  I'm hoping it shows something conclusive.  Our chiropractor is ordering it.

Had a play date this a.m. The mama whose house we were meeting at had offered to provide lunch. So, I thought I would take a snack. The snack did not get made in advance, so, I made it when we arrived at the play date. I made apple cinnamon muffins. They were/are good stuff.

Quinoa Omelets, Ezekiel Bread, and Brussels Sprouts

Dinner tonight was a TOTAL experiment.
First off, my oldest wanted to try brussels sprouts. So, we tried them. They didn't go over very well, but, my wonderful husband told the boys that even though they didn't taste great they were super good for you. Needless to say, everyone survived the one placed on their plate.
Second, I had found a recipe for omelets I wanted to try. Rick and I enjoyed ours, although, honestly, even with all the physical activity today (we did a 6-mile family fun ride and I did my 12-mile 1/2 marathon prep run walk) three eggs plus quinoa was VERY, almost TO filling. The boys were not super impressed with the omelets. I ended up telling them that there was no other food available till breakfast if they did not eat their dinner. After scraping the cheese off, two of the three ate theirs with no complaints. :-)
Third, I ran out of "regular" bread. So, we all had slices of Ezekiel bread with our omelets. NO ONE complained or asked any questions about it. It was the most successful part of the meal. :-)

Must Have

I have two words for you...ready?...Food Processor.

I bought one at a garage sale last summer and haven't used it much. Then, we got The List. I now use it every other day or so. I made the Raw Brownie Balls with it.

It is great for chopping up all those ingredients, that if could be identified, would be immediately rejected.

This & That

Got test results back today. Everything normal as far as those tests show.
Will talk to the nurse on the phone on Tuesday next week to discuss what's next.
Grocery shopping today was overwhelming. Three grocery stores later and I had the list covered.
Managed to get all five of us to sit down to dinner at the same time tonight with only one option for food and no one left the table hungry, or got up and got something else. YES!
I made Southwest Black Bean Casserole.

I used almond cheese in place of the Monterrey Jack.

Almond does not melt like cheddar, my something new I learned today. So, the top was crunchy. However, if you put it on your plate first and then ladled the bean mixture over the top, the moisture from the beans softened the cheese.

Did not break any of The List for this breakfast.
Several days ago, I cut up several pears (removed the seeds, not the skin) and stuck them in the freezer. Yesterday, I offered the boys homemade sorbet. I took the frozen pears and put, some of them, in our food processor with some strawberries. The boys thought it was good ice-cream.
There was some leftover, so, I stuck it in a container in the refrigerator. This morning, I had a request for pancakes. I used the same Buckwheat mix I used yesterday. I topped Little Man's with the leftover sorbet. Him and one of his big brothers added some frozen pears to their plates.

Recipes?

It has been suggested that I check out the recipes in this .http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

Raw Brownie Balls

Got to church this morning and was handed a little ziplock baggie with this recipe taped to the front.

1 cup walnuts or pecans
6-10 pitted dates, soaked in water
1/2 t. Stevia (1 1/2 t xylitol)
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 t. Ghee or coconut oil
1/8-1/4 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened

Combine all ingredients in food processor. Shape into one inch balls and refrigerate.

Little Man had one as we were leaving church. They are a success. And I have a new hero! :-)

Also, tried the Buckwheat Pancake mix we bought at the natural market the other day. All four guys enjoyed them!

3rd Recipe Attempt

I was finally prepared to tackle grocery shopping earlier this evening.
After a successful trip to our local Natural Grocers and the regular grocery store, we were home with enough groceries to cover meals for the weekend. Now, what to make for dinner? Pizza?




First off, the crust. According to the package the mix will make a substance the consistency of cake batter. The package did not lie. It was a little hard to believe it would turn out.




After the initial 20 minutes in the oven the crust seemed like a cracker and with some very large bubbles.
Found this almond cheese to top the pizza with.



This is a picture of the finished pizza. I topped it with salami, pepperoni, Italian sausage, and green bell pepper. The crust is a thin crust and the edges do have a different taste to them. But, overall, it was a success!
My child who had said I needed to make two pizzas (one for Bear and one for the rest of us) ended up eating two pieces and calling it good.
HA! HA! Score one for mama!

2nd Recipe Attemept

My 2nd recipe (okay, I didn't use a recipe and that might be the problem) was not as successful as the orange julius.

I used:
2 cups plain almond milk
1 piece of kale with the stem removed
Frozen strawberries to fill the blender

First off, it took forever to get the blender to chop it all up.
Second, there was still green visible.
Third, it wasn't pretty pink it was more grayish.
I had the boys try it and then put the rest in Popsicle molds. Chances are they won't complain when it is frozen.

Okay, even frozen these are not good. I don't even like them. :-(

1st Recipe Attempt

So, my first recipe attempt occurred the other morning. I have a child who loves orange julius. And, I knew his youngest brother would not want to be left out enjoying the orange julius. So, I took out our plain almond milk.

2 cups plain almond milk
1/2 can frozen orange juice concentrate
1 tsp vanilla
12 ice cubes

Ice crush button on the blender till all the ice is crushed.

My husband didn't even mention noticing it wasn't the usual orange julius recipe.

Wading In...

So, I have had about 48 hours for the shock of The List to wear off. Now, I really need to figure out how to go grocery shopping.
After consulting with a few friends who have been there, done that, I have been introduced to the enlightened cook and Lara Bars. The enlightened cook has a recipe for these expensive bars. I bought 4 bars for $5 yesterday. I know one flavor that is not liked, but there are a lot of flavors left to try and if I make them myself he can have the tropical ones because I can leave out the fruit on The List.