Things I Love… Cookies and Milk

Warning– This post is NOT GLUTEN FREE… reading may induce GI symptoms. Don’t forgot to enter to win the AWESOME RECYCLED BACK TO SCHOOL PACKAGE.

On our most recent shopping trip to Whole Foods, Oregon Dad was along for the ride. This is usually a bit disconcerting for me, as I could spend hours (literally) roaming the aisles at Whole Foods, reading labels and checking out new products. Sometimes I park myself at the customer service counter to browse the Gluten Free Product List and question the staff.

While meandering our way through the store, K3 (who is with us, since this is primarily HER shopping trip) spies each sample pod and inquires if “that one is a safe food?”. Sadly, many of the foods out are not, but that doesn’t stop Oregon Dad from having a nibble here and there.

We came across 365 All Natural Sandwich Cremes (like those Oreos… only better). Oregon Dad tried one out, then decided he needed a potty break. K3 and I headed to the Gluten Free Bakery/Freezer section to locate some bagels. When Oregon Dad found us, he was toting a box of the cookies. Evidently, he decided they were too good to resist.

Today, I tried them. Even though I knew my belly would cry afterward… I still have to consume gluten so that my biopsy is accurate at the end of the month. Oh my goodness, they were MMMMMMM…. Good.

Now if I can just find a Gluten Free variety… There is NOTHING like a glass of ice cold (Organic) milk and a couple (or 6) tasty, all natural, creme cookies. I cannot even consider putting an Oreo to my mouth anymore and they used to be one of my favorites. Now, I just taste wax and chemicals if I try to eat one. Bleh.

For my GF girl who saw Mommy eating cookies today, we busted out the Pacific Natural Foods Almond Milk and some snickerdoodles from Enjoy Life. I REALLY need to try out this chocolate chip cookie recipe from Ginger Lemon Girl.

Today’s Green Tip- Don’t take your husband shopping with you… he will buy more than you have on your list. Just Kidding… sort of. Get rid of all the crud in your food. Do you really want to eat things with names you cannot pronounce? Didn’t think so. These cookies are proof that being Healthy Green can taste familiar too!

 

Favorite Meals

The emails have been rolling in asking what our favorite meals are, how do we save money on GF meals, how to get kids to eat the GF foods, etc… so, I am finally getting around to the post in which I will attempt to answer these questions!

Getting the kids to eat GF isn’t hard. I simply make foods they like. I serve fresh fruits and veggies whenever possible and I offer dip. If the children are resistant to something new (like new bread, waffles, pancakes, etc…) I simply cut them into fun shapes. I have figured out that if they can dip it or it looks fun to eat, they will probably eat it!

Budgeting is a HUGE issue in the Polka Dot House. We spend a FORTUNE on groceries. (Not kidding $900-1200 a month to feed this crew of 7 plus the strays that wander by.) My goal is to keep us at $200 every two weeks for our major Costco shopping trip, $100 each two weeks for the runs that are not our primary run (Whole Foods, Fred Meyer, etc… ) and $25 a week at the Farmers Market for fresh produce. I will have to re-evaluate once fresh produce isn’t locally available. So, these figures should keep us at $700 a month for our crew or $100 per person each month. I feel strongly that this is realistic. If anyone knows of ways to save even more, I would love love love to hear!

Now that we have covered the disgusting amounts of money that we spend on food, let’s look at some of the new (and not new) menu items we are cooking up to meet this budget.

Our breakfasts are pretty simple. Cereal or bagels or eggs. On the weekends I might get crazy and make pancakes, waffles, biscuits and gravy or donuts. We can usually feed the crew for $5-$6 at breakfast. A common breakfast would involve a dozen eggs scrambled with a spatter of shredded cheese and a side of applesauce or fruit. We buy non- GF cereals at Costco, we can get a box of Life or Cheerios that will do 4-5 breakfasts for about $6. GF cereals are a bit more expensive, Arrowhead Mills Organic Maple Buckwheat Flakes are our current favorite, a 12 oz box runs about $3.69. To put this in perspective, that Buckwheat cereal box would feed the kids for one breakfast. Only the kids. The kids (and Mommy!) love to have steamed rice with cinnamon, sugar and milk for breakfast as well.

Lunch can be mega cheap, some days we cook up 3-4 packages of Ramen style noodles (.15 per package), toss in a couple eggs and a couple slices of diced up lunch meat. Other days its Mac and Cheese or PB&J Sandwiches. Lunch can often be handled for $3 for the crew this way. (I often have to improvise part of the meal for the GF peeps, such as using plain rice noodles like A Taste of Thai and adding Wheat Free Tamari.)

For lunch today, the kids had a small organic spring salad w/ organic baby carrots and cucumbers, a GF, all natural hot dog and a few red cherries. This might sound like a more expensive meal, but it wasn’t. The hot dogs were the left over stragglers from a previous dinner. We purchase the salad mix at Costco in a one pound tub (that’s a lot of Organic Spring Mix, lasts about a week) for $3.99. The organic carrots come in a five pound bag at Costco for $4.99.

We try to keep dinner at or below $10. This requires some creative cooking. Here are the next SEVEN days of dinners in the Polka Dot House.

GF Tator Tot Casserole (We use 365 brand tots, Health Valley Organic Cream of Mushroom Soup, fresh broccoli, cooked diced chicken or ground turkey, shredded cheese blend) For our GFCF girl, I usually prepare a separate small dish of this using a GFCF gravy mix in lieu of the soup and omitting the cheese.

Burrito night- corn tortillas and corn flats (or Mission Corn Chips), refried or pinto beans, steamed white rice, ground turkey/beef (if you mix this with the pinto beans prior to serving, you can use much less meat or even sub TVP without anyone being the wiser!) and salsa. Adding rice to the burritos is inexpensive (about .48 a pound since we buy in 50lb bags) and adds a good filler to the meal.

Pasta- Tinkyada Pasta Joy Brown Rice Pasta Little Dreams (one 14oz bag for $2.99 feeds the whole family), 1/2 -64 ounces jar of red pasta sauce (2- 64 oz jars at Costco for $6.49) and one pound of ground beef ($2.80, we purchase 5- 1 lb rolls at Costco).

Spring Rolls- Using Banh Trang Spring Roll Skins ($1.99 for 40, covers at least 2 dinners), steamed white rice, diced chicken or cooked shrimp, lightly saute cabbage and grated carrots (bagged coleslaw mix works great for this and covers several dinners), other veggies of choice, I usually open a can of mushrooms-drain and grill then add to inside as well.

Rice and Gravy- Health Valley Organic Cream of Mushroom soup and ground beef/turkey served over steamed rice. Can also be served over biscuits or toast but is not as inexpensive to do GF that way!

Chicken and Rice- steamed rice, cooked diced chicken thighs (frozen, boneless), veggies. Serve with Tamari Wheat Free Soy Sauce.

Breakfast Burritos- One dozen eggs, 6 breakfast sausage patties (or one roll turkey breakfast sausage if on hand), grated cheese, tortillas and salsa. Everyone that isn’t GF uses flour tortillas, I am working on a really good GF tortilla… so far they are too much crepe like or corn. K3 doesn’t mind corn tortillas, but I would like variety.

We seldom have leftovers. I do try to make enough to send some in Oregon Dad’s lunch the following day. If we finish everything, then he gets sandwiches. All of our meals are accompanied by either salad, raw veggies and ranch, fruit, applesauce or a combination thereof.

Currently snacks are a big issue in our house. On the search for kid friendly GF items… I spend more than I should! Since our kids go to school instead of staying home for school (still working on Oregon Dad about that one!), I have to pack lunches and snacks EVERY DAY during the school year. I want the kids to feel like the fit in with their classmates, especially our GFCF girl. Her diet is hard on her at times, especially when she can’t have the classroom treats, etc… I always want to make sure we have special foods on hand in the classroom for those days, and that her lunch box doesn’t look that different. I am getting major sticker shock though and looking for ways to cut cost here! We purchased a 48 count box of Nature Valley Granola Bars at Costco (Not natural, don’t let the name fool you!) for our non-GF kids. The cost break down was .23 per bar. That’s not bad for a snack. In comparison, all the snack bars I have been picking up for K3 at Costco come in 15-20 count boxes with an average per bar price of .97-$1.29. Ouch. This is just one of the many reasons I am so thrilled with Stretch Island Fruit Leathers. We buy the 48 count box at Costco, they are all natural and 1/2 serving of fruit each. The price break down is about .23 each. You can’t buy half a piece of fruit for that! They are easily portable and fun to eat.

I will post our Costco shopping list sometime later this week. We shop at Costco for several reasons. Buying in bulk saves packaging and is more environmentally friendly. We have a large family and it makes sense. I don’t have the time (nor am I going to waste the fuel) to run all over to separate stores looking for the best price. We can find most of our staple foods at Costco and fill in what we don’t find in a weekly run to a local (although more expensive grocer). Since we buy ALL Natural and a lot of organic foods in addition to being gluten free, it is hard to be a coupon shopper. When I find coupons that work, we use them.

Today’s Green Tip- Shop Smarter. Plan your shopping trips to use the least amount of fuel. Buy in bulk whenever possible. You will save money and its better for the environment. Remember to recycle the packaging.

 

Gluten Free Desserts

Two very different desserts. Both are gluten free, dairy free and egg free (Woot! Woot!)

Chocolate Rice Pudding

5 cups cooked white rice

4 cups ALMOND milk

1 cup Wholesome Sweetners evaporated cane sugar (or your choice of sugars)

1 TBS. Vanilla Extract

1/2 cup Almond slivers

3 Tbs Earth Balance Margarine (or other butter replacement)

6 heaping TBS of Fair Trade Cocoa Powder (such as Equal Exchange)

Add all ingredients to heavy saucepan, place over medium heat and mix well. Continue mixing every minute or so as mixture begins to heat and ingredients meld together. Continue to cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes or until the mixture takes on a thick, pudding like consistency. I think this is best when warm, you will need to allow it to cool for about 20 minutes after cooking before serving. It can also be stored in a sealed container in the fridge and enjoyed cold or reheated.

Variation- Vanilla Pudding

Omit Cocoa Powder

Increase Vanilla Extract to 2 Tbs.

Add 1/2 cup Raisins

Add 1 Tbs. Cinnamon

Variation- Nut Free Pudding

Change milk to Rice or Soy

Omit Nuts

Eggless Faux Flan

2 cans (13.5 oz each) Regular (not lite) Coconut Milk

4 Envelopes Gelatin

3/4 cup Agave Nectar

2 Bananas - sliced

Place half can of coconut milk in medium sized mixing bowl. Sprinkle gelatin and allow to bloom. In a heavy saucepan on the stove, heat remaining coconut milk and agave nectar to a boil, stir frequently to prevent scaldng. Pour boiling milk over gelatin mixture in bowl and whisk well, until all combined and gelatin has dissolved.

Take a muffin tin and drizzle agave nectar into bottom of each cup. Add 3-4 slices banana on top of the agave. Pour coconut mixture into each cup, filling about 2/3 full. (You can also use small paper cups or other similar item to mold.)

Chill for several hours, until set. Remove from pan by going around edge of each cup with a butter knife, then inverting pan. Agave on the bottom will drizzle over the top. You can also add extra agave at this point if you like.

Variation- chill mixture for about 30-45 minutes, until soft set. Add crumbled Enjoy Life Snickerdoodle cookies to the top of each cup. Return to refrigerator to continue set. Remove from pan, you will have a lovely “crust” on the bottom of your dessert!

This family and our guests have enjoyed these desserts immensely!

(Can I just throw it out there that I HATE green, just in case you all thought I loved green because of the pictures. Everything in our house is green. Wall to wall carpeting, counters, dishes, towels. Puke! I cannot wait to get NEW dishes and replace this carpeting with wood laminate or engineered wood or marmoleum or cork… ANYTHING! Now being green, that I love.)

 

Oh, These are GOOD!

Gluten Free Donuts

Rating- Two Thumbs Up from Kids and Parents alike!

This is not a quick and easy recipe… but worth it!

Ingredients-

3 1/2- 4 1/2 cups rice flour mixture (equal parts sweet white rice flour and brown rice flour)

1/4 cup Wholesome Sweetners Evaporated Cane Sugar

2 packages (1/4 ounce each) of ACTIVE DRY YEAST

1 tsp Kosher Salt

1 cup light coconut milk

1/4 cup Earth Balance Shortening

2 eggs, lightly beaten

Canola oil for frying and large pan or fryer

Step one-

Place 2 cups rice flour mixture in a bowl, add sugar, yeast and salt.

Step two-

Place coconut milk and shortening in a saucepan. Heat over medium heat until dissolved and VERY hot. (I removed from heat just as first bubbles began to form). Stir frequently so it doesn’t scald.

Step three-

Add hot liquid mixture to flour mixture in bowl. Add Eggs. Beat well for about a minute on low speed. Scrape side constantly so everything is incorporated. Turn speed up to medium and beat for about three minutes, scraping sides as needed.

Step four-

Add enough of the remaining rice flour mixture to form a soft dough, it will still be sticky.

Step five-

Knead dough on a surface dusted with rice flour or tapioca starch. The kneading will take about 5 minutes, but may take up to 10. Add rice flour as needed. Continue kneading until you get a ball that is stretchy and well formed.

Step six-

Place dough in a medium size bowl that you have lightly oiled, turn dough over so it is coated with oil. Cover and allow to rise until doubled in size (about 50 minutes) in a warm location. I turned the oven on and set the bowl on top so the heat would assist in this step.

Step seven-

Oil cookie sheets (I used 2 1/2 cookie sheets) and set aside. Punch down down and place on counter lightly dusted with rice flour or tapioca starch. Roll dough out until its 1/2-3/4 inch thick (depending on your preference as these do not puff up as much as regular flour donuts). Use a donut cutter if you have one to cut donuts and holes. I used a glass for donut and a small cookie cutter for holes. Place donuts and holes onto oiled cookie sheets and cover, allow to rise in a warm location for about 30 minutes.

Step eight-

Heat a couple inches of canola oil in a large pan or fryer until hot. I use the water test to check, wet your fingers and flick the water drops onto the oil (this can be done from a good distance so you don’t get splashed!). If it pops and hisses, your oil is hot enough! You can also use a thermometer to check (350 degrees). Some people prefer to use melted shortening (esp. Palm based) to fry donuts. Now place the donuts one or two at a time into the hot oil. You will need to watch close and turn over after only a few seconds in the oil. Each donut only fried for about 30-45 seconds total. I used a long wooden skewer to turn donuts and remove from pan. They do break easily prior to cooking and while only partially cooked in pan, so a spatula to assist in placing in pan and turning will be helpful.

Step nine-

Remove donuts from pan and place on a surface covered with paper towels. Place another towel on top to assist in removing extra oils.

Step ten-

Make glaze. 1 cup powder sugar, 3 Tbs. Coconut Milk, 1 Tbs. Honey, 1 tsp Orange Zest. Mix well.

Step eleven-

Drizzle donuts with glaze and place on serving tray.

These are best enjoyed while still warm. The kiddos did have leftovers for breakfast the next day but they weren’t as popular as they were when fresh!

Even Oregon Dad, who was skeptical and asked if gf donuts equaled hockey pucks LOVED them. He picked them up and began nibbling and said, “These ARE GOOD”. (The final result is similar to old fashioned cake donuts.)

Enjoy!

 

Gluten Free Pancakes, Spring Rolls and Pizza

Finally… some of the recipes I have been promising.

First up… Gluten Free Dairy Free AMAZING Pancakes.

(I modified this from Alton Browns Instant Pancake Mix Recipe)

Place DRY ingredients in a large (gallon sized) zip top baggie
2 cups sorghum Flour
2 cups millet Flour
1 cup sweet white rice flour
1 cup brown rice flour
1 + 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
3 tsp baking powder
1 + 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 T Kosher Salt
2 T sugar

Seal zip top and shake to mix all dry ingredients together.

For each cup of DRY mix- (about 6-7 pancakes using a 1/3c. scoop)

8oz (1 cup) of Coconut Milk
1 egg separated
2 Tbs. Earth Balance Margarine-Melted

Preheat your griddle. For a stove top one like mine, I use medium heat (5) and allow pan to fully preheat first. This is important for the golden brown finish. (If using an electric griddle, 350F should do the trick.) Just before adding batter to griddle, lightly butter griddle and wipe off with a paper towel. You don’t want to be able to see any butter on the griddle.

Mix the egg white(s) with the Coconut milk… whisk well.
Mix the egg yolk with the melted margarine… whisk well.
Whisk the milk and butter mixtures together.
Pour the liquid on top of the dry ingredients.
Mix gently about 10 seconds… everything should be wet, but still lumpy.

Using a 1/3 cup measuring cup, spoon batter onto griddle. On a small griddle like mine, 2 pancakes work well, 3 was a little crowded for easy turning.

If you want to add fruit (frozen is best) or Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips, drop a few over the top of each pancakes on the griddle. We really like our favorite add ins… chocolate chips and dried cranberries.

Allow to cook for a couple minutes, watch for bubbles to set. The GF mix doesn’t bubble as much as the regular AP flour one does.

Flip and allow the other side to cook through. These pancakes are pretty thick, you can make them thinner by adding more Coconut Milk to the batter. The sorghum flour adds a wonderful flavor!

Top with Earth Balance Margarine and warmed, REAL Maple Syrup. Heaven on a plate

(Store that left over dry mix in the fridge for future, quick pancakes!… we always make extras and freeze them for a quick reheat on school mornings.)

Next up, Gluten Free Pizza

Mmmmmm. Good.

1 Pkg. instant yeast
1 cup sweet rice flour
1 cup brown rice flour
1/2 c. sorghum flour
2 T oil of choice (I used canola) (plus a little extra for browning crust)
1 C. WARM (not hot) water (105-115 F)
1 tsp. regular cane sugar

Prepare yeast- in a large glass or plastic bowl, add yeast and sugar to warm water. Still gently with a wooden or plastic utensil (I use a wooden chopstick) Allow to set for several minutes (about 10 minutes) so the yeast “blooms”.

Add flours, oil and salt. Mix well with a wooden spoon. Once fully combined, it should be a nice ball shape. Allow to sit in bowl for about 5 minutes.

Place dough onto surface dusted with rice flour or cornstarch. Work it into a round. I find this works easiest by picking the dough up and allowing it to hang from my hand, then turning and repeating until I have a nice, semi-round shape of desired thickness. This made a crust approx. 12 inches in diameter.

Place dough onto stoneware (or other pizza pan).

Top with desired toppings, we used sauce, ground meat and cheese because that’s what I had on hand. Sprinkle top with herb mix if available. Brush edges not covered by toppings with a little bit of oil for browning.

Bake at 450F for about 15 minutes (our second pizza took less time than the first, so keep a close eye on it!)

Oh la la… GF Spring Rolls

I don’t believe I ever shared my un-holy experience with spring roll wrappers made from scratch. Um yeah… hours of slave labor over a hot stove, rolling batter around in a six inch skillet and laying wrappers all over every available surface in my kitchen. Bleh.

I found a better way… Whole Foods carries Asian wrappers made with tapioca flour. There is nothing in English on the package except the ingredients… so I had to wing it! Each package has enough for 2 meals for our family of 7. At $1.99 that’s a deal.

To make them soft… I boiled water in a shallow, glass pie pan. Then I dipped the wrappers individually for a few seconds on each side… laid them on my preparation plate and added ingredients. The steamed rice really finished up the softening job and made the wrappers stick together nicely when rolled. To get everything rolled up inside, I brought in the bottom, a side, then the top and finally the last side… pressed it together for a second to seal and placed them on a serving dish in the oven at 200F to stay warm.

I stuffed them with:
steamed white rice (prepared perfectly in the rice cooker)
grilled (previously frozen) shrimp
grilled, chopped, chicken pieces (boneless, frozen thighs)
grilled asparagus spears, sliced thin
shredded carrots
grilled button mushrooms (I used a can this round, tossed on the griddle for a few minutes and Voila!)

For toppings I made a sweet and sour sauce (from a pack that didn’t contain gluten) and we also used wheat free Tamari.

Everyone loved these! It’s great when you can pick your dinner up and eat it with your hands! What a treat for the kids. Oregon Dad took them to work for lunch the next day as well.

 

GFCF Snack Bars and Indoor Air

Indoor air quality is a hot topic these days… it appears that the air we breath inside our home is 5 times dirtier than the air outside. Considering we cook, use chemical based cleaning products, burn petroleum based candles and furnish our homes with materials made with VOC’s, it’s no wonder we can’t breath clearly. There are things we can do to help. In addition to opening the windows frequently to circulate air, choosing low or no VOC paints (glues, flooring, etc…), using natural cleaning products and switching to soy based candles we can also introduce house plants to help clean up the air. This may be the easiest task of all.

Some plants are better for improving indoor air quality than others… and some are easier to keep alive, if you like me are not a green thumb.

Here is what we are considering adding to our home…

Gerbera Daisies- Great for air quality and easy to care for. Also one of my favorites. You just can’t go wrong with those cheery blooms!

Bamboo Palm- We are adding at least one, maybe two flanking the fireplace (close to the slider door for sunlight). I like how big and green they are. Wondering… will I have to dust the fronds?

Peace Lily- Up in the air on this one… I think this is what I have used in the past with the cute fishy vases. Not sure if we will get some or not.

English Ivy- I know these are really easy to take care of… but for some reason they remind me of Grandma’s house… Maybe one in the kitchen?

Mums- Another bright flower… but I’m thinking not really our style.

Chinese Evergreen- I Love, love, love this plant as well. (This one is suppose to do well in low light areas and have low water needs… sounds like the plant for me!)

Snake Plants- If I can get beyond the name… we might be able to get one of these as well. They are kind of neat looking.

Now that I have decided on what varieties to bring into our home, the next question is how many? According to the NASA study on indoor air quality in the 1980’s a home under 2000 sq ft should have no less than 15 house plants to help clean up the air. Yikes. Where am I going to put all those? They should also be relatively large plants… in containers of no less than six inches in diameter.

Now that we have cleaned up the air you breath… let’s put something tasty in the belly!!!

I must confess, I had a Food Network dream about these bars… it went something like this:

PolkaDotMommy (that’d be yours truly) sitting on the bleachers at a baseball game, wearing my Oregon Ducks hat, I am holding an open container of these tasty treats and my youngest is sitting next to me munching on them. A hand reaches over my shoulder as a voice says, “Those look tasty” and grabs one out of the container. I look back as Alton Brown bites into a snack bar. I replied, “They are gluten free, dairy free and can be vegan as well.” He scrunches up his face as if to say… ick, and then, the line, “and they are Good Eats”. Pathetic I know. Why oh why am I dreaming about Food Network? Oh… maybe because I’d love to see some featured shows on alternative cooking. The numbers of us cooking Gluten free, Dairy Free, Allergy Free is rapidly growing. Isn’t it time someone paid attention?

Gluten Free, Dairy Free Snack Bars (And they taste so darn good!)

Makes approx 24 bars

1/2 c. white rice flour

1/2 c. brown rice flour

1/4c. coconut flour

1/4c. tapioca starch

1c. crunchy cereal flakes (we use sweet buckwheat flake cereal) crushed

1/4c. Wholesome Sweetners Evaporated Cane Sugar

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 c. maple syrup

1/4c. canola oil

1 egg or substitute

1 tsp. GF vanilla

1 organic pear peeled and grated

1 organic granny smith apple peeled and grated

1/2 c. organic dried cranberries

1/2c. enjoy life chocolate chips

1/4 c. almonds chopped or diced to your desired texture or sunflower seeds if you can’t do nuts

Oven on to 350 degrees F. Line a 9×13 insulated baking pan with parchment or wax paper, leave a “grip” edge over each end to lift out finished bars.

Combine all dry ingredients and cereal flakes in medium sized mixing bowl.

Add syrup, egg, oil and vanilla. Now add in grated fruit, cranberries, chocolate chips, nuts/seeds. Stir well.

Spread mixture into the pan and bake for 35 minutes, check to see if done by inserting a toothpick in the middle, it shouldn’t come out clean. Cool, lift out of pan by edges of paper and cut into bars using a pizza cutter.

We like to wrap these individually so they are ready for lunch boxes and afternoon snacks, then place them in a zippie bag or container with a lid and store in the refrigerator.

I will try to get some pictures of the next batch up here… the first batch didn’t last long enough to get the camera out!

Today’s Green Tip- It’s obvious…. Get some plants.

 

More Good Eats Found!

We are continually on the search for tasty, healthy and *hopefully* organic foods that are also gluten and dairy free. This is no easy task. It is made a bit harder being that the foods must be palatable to not only the adults in our household, but also to TeenGirl, two 7 year olds, a 6 and 3 year old (and occasionally the cat who steals a nibble or two.)

On our weekly Costco trip, we found a delightful new treat. Emerald Valley Kitchen ORGANIC Salsa and Bean Dip. Yummy. Both products are labeled GLUTEN FREE right on the back label, they are also fat free and have no cholesterol. Better yet, Emerald Valley Kitchen is based right here in Eugene, Oregon. How’s that for local sustainability? K3 and I enjoyed these two toppings on some crunchy corn flats for lunch and they get TWO THUMBS UP. (They came as a package deal, 30 oz of salsa and 16 oz of bean dip for $5.89.) Corn flats (both crunchy and tortilla style, are inexpensive and gluten free!, Costco carries a pack of 80 tortilla style for under $3.00. I found a 14 oz package (about 24) of crunchy flats at the local market for under $2.00. Be sure to read the labels, most I have found do not contain any gluten… but they aren’t labeled GF usually (except Mission brand… they do label the packages, but are more expensive).

For Dinner last night, I needed something quick and easy before the kids headed to Awana. I used corn tortilla’s and Tofutti cheese slices to make quesadillas. For a side, I grilled asparagus and baby carrots with Earth Balance margarine and black pepper, we finished it off with apple slices. ( I can’t wait for our tree to produce fruit! The blossoms are abundant this year!) It was a hit with the kids… the veggies were lightly grilled, but still finger food quality, so that’s always a winner.

On the way home from Awana, 3 year old Little Critter filled me in on what she learned… “Jesus, he died on the cross, but he’s alive now.” It amazes me that a child this young can retain that… I cannot say how many times we have talked about this at home and last night she got it. It was very cute and touching.

Today’s Green Tip- Buy in bulk when you can. This can save as much as 10% in packaging. LIttle things add up.

 

First Attempt at GFCF Fried Rice

It is always a good day when I can think up something for dinner that the entire family can enjoy without modification. Last night I decided to make homemade fried rice. Everyone loved it and Oregon Dad took the leftovers in his lunch today.

Here’s how I did it-

Prepare 4 cups white rice (4 c. rice/6 c. water into the rice cooker for about 25 minutes).

Brown 6 (about 1/2 lb) pieces of boneless, skinless chicken (we used thighs, if using breasts use 2-3 pieces, depending on weight) Then cut into small pieces and continue cooking until done.

Slice up some organic carrots and lightly saute (we like to keep the crunch)

Slice up 10-12 button mushrooms (or use one whole can sliced mushrooms)

In a wok, scramble 4 whole eggs, add rice before eggs are done. Mix well! Add 6 T. Tamari wheat free soy sauce, 4 T organic honey, 2 tsp ground ginger, 3 tsp garlic salt… mix well. Add carrots and mushrooms… mix well and continue to heat through. At this point, I removed a portion for TeenGirl as she has decided to be vegetarian (I was also for many years… before Oregon Dad the Omnivore). Then I added the diced, cooked chicken, combined and served it up.

Yummy.

We will be making this again… I usually wing my cooking… I am of the mentality that I add stuff, taste, add more, etc… So it would be VERY hard for me to ever make a cookbook.

Many people would enjoy this with white and green onions and peas as well. Our philosophy is to keep things kid friendly. (And there is the little fact that I never outgrew all those “ick I don’t like this” things from childhood… I still don’t put condiments on sandwiches).

Todays Green Tip- Scale back your meat consumption… if you are a committed OMNIVORE like Oregon Dad, cut back your intake by 20%. If America cuts our meat consumption by 20% overall, that would be the environmental equivalent of every car in the U.S. becoming a Toyota Prius. Now that’s something to chew on. How we do it? For a family of 7, I use only 2-3 chicken breasts in meals instead of one per person. This is also great for the pocketbook. Also, when you do buy meat… go for the organic stuff. Yes its more expensive, but it is truly better for you and the environment. If you are decreasing your meat consumption… you might not feel the price difference!

 

Birthday Week Has Ended!

Today’s Green Tip- Use the sunshine as a natural heating/cooling/lighting system in your home. That is, open your blinds to allow light in. When its hot outside, keep the shades drawn on sun-facing windows to reduce heat and on cold days keep those blinds wide open to allow the sun to heat up your house. This works great in our Super Energy Efficient home, If the sun is shining on a warm day and we don’t lower the shades… it will quickly get too warm inside! The kids are getting much better about opening their blinds in the morning and not turning the lights on. They are on the East side of the house with a hill and trees, so the suns heat isn’t too much of an issue. Look into options like tubular skylights for dark closets, halls and bathrooms if your budget allows. This will provide awesome light at all times of the day without adding heat or the risk of fading your fabrics.

Mmmm. Look at that gluten free chocolate cake. Tasty. I used Bob’s Red Mill GF Cake Mix. While I was mixing the batter up, I had some concerns. There was a bean flour odor and the batter wasn’t yummy. Yes… I’ll admit it, I love to lick the bowl.

Once the cake baked, it was fabulous! It was moist and there wasn’t even a hint of bean flour taste or smell.

The frosting was home-made and while I don’t usually measure as I am making it… I did this time so I could give a general idea of how to make it.

Frosting:
1/2 C. Vanilla Soy Milk
4 C. Powdered Sugar
1 tsp. GF Vanilla
1/3 C. Earth Balance Margarine or Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese Spread

Soften butter and beat until smooth, slowly add milk alternating with powdered sugar until its all incorporated. Add Vanilla. Continue beating. The frosting should form soft peaks on the beater, if it doesn’t add a little more powder sugar, 1/8 cup at a time. If the frosting is too thick, add milk 1 tsp at a time until desired texture is reached. We really like this made with Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese! To make it chocolate, simply add 1/4-1/2 cup cocoa powder (depending on your taste).

Here is a finished picture of the fruit juice jello jigglers I posted about previously. They were tasty!

The kids all had a blast! Mummy is glad birthday week is finally over! Happy #6 Little Princess!

 

Birthdays!

K3 will be SIX on Thursday.  Wow!  I wonder if I will be forever in awe of each year they gain.  How has it gone so fast? (Isn’t that what all parents say?)

She is an independent, brilliant, active, adorable, vivacious, HAPPY, Little Lady.  A master at puzzles, a cuddler, a mischief maker… Kenzie is my precocious, lovable Princess.

 

Oregon Dad will be in the air on his way to CHINA for her birthday. So, we had a family party Sunday.  Our unwritten rule for birthdays is one gift from Mum and Daddy and one from all the other kiddos.  These kids have sooooooooooo much already!

 

We gave K3 an iPod shuffle.  K1 and K2 received them for their seventh birthdays so we were debating this year or next.  She has been doing so good at taking care of her things that we decided it was time.  And heck, now they are only $49!!!!!  (YAY!)  Oregon Dad and I went shopping Saturday night to find a gift from the kids to K3.  She has been asking for play food to use in their kitchen (which all of the kids play with constantly!).  We found a game in the new Bloom line from Cranium.  It is a green shopping basket filled with plastic grocery items.  Included are shopping lists.  This is great because they have more food for their kitchen and a game they can play to help with reading and matching.  It was a hit… although I am thinking 3 year old Little Critter might be getting more use out of it than K3.

 

I am doing her first ever FRIENDS party on Saturday.  We intentionally planned it for a day Daddy will be gone so he doesn’t have to deal with 15 five and six year olds in our house!  I invited the entire class of 15 kids… so maybe we will only end up with 7 or 8.  I am game for WHATEVER!  We have planned a MAD TEA PARTY.  I will set up the two long tables across my living room, drap them with bright cloths and set them with mismatched tea cups and saucers.  We will be playing an “art walk” instead of the traditional cake walk where the winner gets a ready to go craft activity… and a LOBSTER TOSS (using a plastic lobster). The invitations included a request for wacky hats and someone will win a prize for the craziest hat and everyone will go home with favors in chinese-take-out boxes.  The kids are excited… and so am I!

 

We are doing an allergy free party… because K3 cannot have many common food items.  Our menu follows-

 

 

Tortilla Stackers - layer a corn tortila with soy butter, tofutti better than cream cheese spread and sliced bananas, top with another corn tortila and repeat layers, finish it off with a corn tortilla and slice into triangles.  Place on silver serving platter.

 

Not Jello Jigglers-

1- 12 oz can of natural lemon lime soda

3 pkgs unflavored gelatin

1- 6oz can frozen juice concentrate

gummy worms, gummy candies… whatever strikes your fancy

sugar crystals if desired

 

Place soda (we use Hansens Natural) in medium saucepan- do not heat.  Sprinkle gelatin over liquid and allow to “bloom” for 1 to 2 minutes.  Turn heat on medium and stir until gelatin is dissolved, stir in juice concentrate.  Continue stirring until well mixed.   Line jelly roll pan with wax paper… lay gummy candies out over pan at desired spacing.  Pour gelatin mixture over gummies in pan…refrigerate 4 hours or until firm.  Remove from pan by gripping sides of wax paper and lifting out.  Place on solid countertop and cut either using small cookie cutters or slice into squares.  Sprinkle with sugar crystals if desired.  Keep chilled until read to serve.

 

 

Fruit Kabobs- cut wooden skewers to 4 or 5 inch lengths, alternate fruit pieces on skewers.  Serve with dip if desired (we like tofutti better than cream cheese heated and sweetened with organic honey).  Go really wild and stick kabob ends into a halved melon so they become “porcupine kabobs”.

 

 

“Tea” made from warmed apple juice with cinnamon

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Photos from our family party…

Tasty GFCF cupcakes! Yummy!