Oh My!!!

Well, it has definitely been awhile since I have had a chance to post!! Life gets busy with three children, and we have been sharing our time on and off with a few other children too, so our house has been jumping!!!:) Well, I guess I will go back and talk about Eloise's birthday party, since I had promised to do so MONTHS ago!!!:)

So any large gathering that includes food makes me nervous, mainly because not every person in the entire world is aware of El's allergies, or what ingredients are actually included in a number of unsuspecting treats. To make her birthday a fun and safe place to be we decided to not have ANY foods available that could be an allergen for her. We focused on her favorites, since it was her party, which were bananas and rice chex. We also had some chips and salsa. For drinks we had juice, water, and soda (for the adults). Her cake was super cute, and I made it and one for the guests out of a gluten free devils food cake mix by Betty Crocker. The only change I had to make for the dairy was to use nucoa instead of butter. I also made frosting using my Betty Crocker Cookbook; Buttercream frosting substituting rice milk and nucoa, I think that recipe is included in an earlier post.

Everyone had a great time, especially Eloise, I was even able to relax and enjoy knowing she was safe. We got several comments about the cake, and how surprised everyone was that it was gluten and dairy free. She has grown so much in these last few months it is amazing!!!:) So far with the help of our vigilance we are yet to have another reaction!!!:) We are still looking for more recipes and ways to make our diets healthier, so please feel free to leave ideas. Currently I have been trying to perfect a "green" smoothie to help supplement some of her vitamins, I am open to suggestions!!!:)

New Snack

So planning meals is great, but sometimes I just need to have something quick for my daughter to eat. Preferably it will be somewhat nutritious with some protein for her tummy!!:) Believe it or not she does not always like to eat cut up chicken or turkey!!:) So today we had a new treat, which came about on a whim. Odin and Penelope were going to have grilled cheese, (I know not dairy free, but they did have it on white rice bread), and I just didn't feel like making something completely different. So, I improvised to create Eloise's toasted cream cheese. I toasted a piece of tapioca bread, and then I spread some Toffuti cream cheese alternative on top, folded it in half, broke it into pieces, and viola, she had her own "grilled cheese". She LOVED it!!! It was all eaten quite quickly, and I tasted it too, it was good!!:) I'm so glad to find something quick and easy that she likes and actually eats instead of throwing off her plate! Whew!!! I love finding something that makes my day easier!!:) So if you need a snack, try this out!!:)

Not Forgotten!!:)

Hey there!! Sorry for the giant break!! We had a birthday, and a few illnesses, so my time was required elsewhere:) We have been doing our best to continue, but there have been a few slips, mainly in the frozen chicken nugget category while I have been sick. But all in all, I am still quite proud of our progress. I will post details about Eloise's awesome 1st birthday, that was completely dairy and gluten free, and still very delicious!!:) I've also recently introduced white rice bread to my older two children, and they really enjoyed it. We also now think that Eloise has a sensitivity to egg. I introduced half of a hard boiled egg yolk to her, and she got two hives on her wrist, one under her lip, and one on her cheek. She also did not sleep well that evening and her eczema broke out...YIKES!!!:) I think she is going to keep us on our toes!!:) Well, again sorry for the long break, and I will soon post about the party and how we kept it fun with "Free" foods!!:)

12

So, valentine's day with no chocolate? That is probably one of the hardest things about a restricted diet, holidays and special events. I am a HUGE lover of sweets, especially chocolate, so that has been quite a test for me. It took me a while to figure out some alternatives, but there are some great ones!!! First off, I prepare. I know that everyone is going to be eating candy and goodies, so I make sure that I have something on hand that I can enjoy too. For me, I bought a cake mix from the store, and it is made by Gluten Free Pantry. They make delicious mixes!!!! I got chocolate of course, but their brownies are excellent too. On the back of a lot of the gluten free mixes it gives you options for dairy free and egg free too. I love that, I don't have to think about it!! I then made my variation of Betty Crocker's Vanilla Buttercream Frosting, and I have a super yummy treat for me and my family!!!:) Betty Crocker also is starting to make a few gluten free mixes that you can find almost anywhere. I can get brownie and yellow cake mix at Walmart. They are nice in a pinch, but I prefer the Gluten Free Pantry mixes, they taste less "gluten free"!!!:) I think preperation is key, that way you don't feel like you missed out, and you aren't tempted to cheat.

I also have been seriously craving Chinese food, but I'm just not willing to risk an allergy attack with Eloise, so I can't bring myself to go to the resturaunt. I'm not sure what they use in there batters for the fried dishes, and I'm not sure if butter is used. I love Mar Far Chicken though, so we compromised. I found a really great recipe online, and we altered it. We have tried this with three different flours (white rice, brown rice, and quinoa), and have made it for ourselves, and both our parents. It is a winner!!! I'm sure it is not low fat, but I am also sure that it is gluten and dairy free. It is definetly one to try!!!:)

Mar Far Chicken

• 1lb Chicken breast meat cut into chunks (uncooked)
• 3/4 Cup White Rice Flour
• 1 tsp.Baking Powder
• 1 egg
• 2 to 3 tsp. Soy Sauce (we found gluten free soy sauce @ Food 4 Less)
• oil for frying
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup Rice Milk
• Extra White Rice Flour, for dipping chicken in before battering

To prepared batter, measure white rice flour with salt and baking powder into beaten egg, rice milk, and soy sauce. Mix thoroughly. Dip chicken in flour first, then dip into batter.
Add more milk to batter if it seems too thick on chicken.
Fry 365° F. on thermometer in deep fry.
Drain on absorbent paper

SO YUMMY!!!!:)

11

I'm going to give you my no bake cookie recipe. It is dairy free, but it does contain oats and peanuts. I know some people who are wheat free still do oats, but some do not since they are often processed in the same place as wheat and can contain traces. I did however find some Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Oats in the natural food section of my grocery store (food 4 less). I love my grocery store! They have so many great alternatives, I could probably spend hours looking through all of it getting ideas, but alas, I have three kids so that will not be happening!!:) Okay, here's the recipe

No Bake Cookies

• 4 cups Sugar
• 1 cup Rice Milk
• 1 cup Nucoa
• 6-8 Tbs Cocoa

Put all these ingredients in a large microwave safe bowl, and microwave them for about 5 minutes. Remove and stir until mixed. Next add the final ingredients.

• 1 cup Chunky Peanut Butter
• 5-6 cups Oats
• 2-4 tsp Vanilla

Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper, or cookie sheets, and let cool.

This recipe makes a LOT of cookies. Its great for the holidays, when you want to give some away, or you can always freeze some for another day. My kids would prefer me to let them eat them all day long until they are gone, but I think I'll opt for freezing some!!:)


Here's the crock pot meal we made tuesday too

Lundgren Special (ala my mother in law)

• 1lb Ground Meat (we used turkey)
• 1 Onion, slivered or chopped
• 4-5 Russet Potatoes
• Ketchup
• Salt and Pepper
• Garlic Powder (I added this, we use it in almost everything!!:)

In the crock pot layer: meat, seasoning, ketchup (cover the meat probably 1/2-1 cup), onion, potato, seasoning, ketchup. If your crock pot is small and tall, you may want to layer it 2-3 times, if you crock pot is large like mine, we only layered it once. Cook on high for 5 hrs, or low for 8-10hrs.

I hope you enjoy these!! We sure did, then again I think my kids will eat just about anything, if they get to have a no bake cookie afterward!!:) No worries though, it is very easy, and very tasty!:) Have a great day!!:)

Tonight: I get the night off!! My totally awesome Mom invited us over for dinner, YAY!!

10

Hi there!!:) It's been a few days, we were struggling a bit with illness, but I think we are on the mend! It seems to be getting easier to think "free" and find things that we can eat almost anywhere. I ate out twice this weekend, once at fast food, and once at a sit down restaurant. The only other time I have gone to a sit down restaurant, since Eloise's allergies, was on our anniversary in December. I am now one of those people who asks tons of questions, and eats something small and simple. My main question was what the foods were cooked in, oil or butter. Also making sure nothing questionable was within Eloise's reach. When we ate at the fast food restaurant, I had to order my sandwich with no bun and no cheese, which got a strange look from the server. He did finally ask me why, instead of just looking at me funny!!:)


We are on about our third week now, and I'm anxious to see if the bumpy skin on my kids arms will start to fade. We haven't been strict when visiting others however, or we might already have seen bigger results. I'm just glad to have them eating healthier and a larger variety of foods.


Recently we have made tacos with turkey meat, that were really good, sweet and sour pork (thanks to my father in law), dairy free no bake cookies, and tonight a new to me crock pot dish. If I get a chance later I will give that recipe, as well as the no bake cookies.!!:)

9ish

Wow, what a week!! We started out with Penelope having a random virus, but now Eloise is sick too! That's why I haven't been keeping up this week. Due to illness, we didn't hold as tight to my pre-made menu, but we did still keep wheat out for the most part. We have been enjoying lots of yummy left overs for most of the week. Tuesday we made BBQ Beef in the crock pot (Eloise didn't eat this) with rice and veggies. Yesterday though, we had a long afternoon at the doctors office so I caved and we went through the drive through. We did go to Taco Bell, and you can for the most part eat wheat and dairy free there if you want to. I had two crunchy tacos with no cheese. Pretty inexpensive and safe for me and Eloise. Depending on how today goes with sick kiddos we will either have left over BBQ Beef, or potatoes and brats for dinner. Also for a treat I made chocolate frosting, I know super healthy!!!:) But when you really want something sugary and chocolaty, it works!!! I just alter the Betty Crocker Chocolate Buttercream frosting:

• 3 Cups Powdered Sugar
• 1/3 Cup Nucoa (melted so it blends better)
• 2 tsp Vanilla
• 1/3 Cup Cocoa
• 2 Tbls Rice Milk

Add all ingredients and mix together until creamy

The frosting is great for licking, putting on cakes, brownies, ect., Chad puts the frosting on graham crackers, and you can get a gluten free alternative at Food 4 Less.

day 7/8

Hi there!!! I didn't get a chance to write last night, we had an unexpected rash happen that looked a lot like an allergic reaction, which meant a trip into town to see a doctor, but ended up being a viral rash....whew!!! Glad for that!!:)
Otherwise yesterday was fairly productive. I made two new recipes and both of them were keepers!! First we had GF/DF mac and cheese for lunch, then I made the chicken nuggets I was hoping to get to. I even had enough to put some in the freezer! One of the good things about the vegan cheese is the color, it is very close to the same color as cheddar cheese, which is why I think my kids dove right in to the mac and cheese. They were also thrilled that Eloise could eat it too, very sweet!!!:) My husband and I liked how filling it was! We made one box of Quinoa macaroni, I think it was about 10-12oz, and all five of us ate with left-overs! Our only suggestion is to make sure you remember the salt!!:) Okay, here's the recipes!!

Macaroni and Cheese


Cook Quinoa macaroni as directed on package


Cheese Sauce

• 4 Tbls Nucoa or Olive Oil
• 4 Tbls White Rice Flour
• 2 Cups Rice Milk
• 4 Oz Vegan Mild Cheddar Cheese
• 2 tsps salt

While the macaroni is draining, make the white sauce. If you use the nucoa, melt it first in the microwave if possible, then mix together with rice flour. Add to sauce pan, and turn heat to medium high. Slowly add the rice milk and stir constantly to keep from having lumps. When this begins to boil reduce heat to high simmer then begin adding cheese. You can either break up the cheese to help it melt faster, shred it, or melt it in the microwave first. Once cheese has melted and is mixed add salt and then the drained macaroni, enjoy!!!:)



GF/DF Chicken Nuggets

• 2 pounds chicken breast meat cut into chunks
• salt
• 3-4 Cups Rice Crispies Crushed
• 1 Tbls Garlic Powder
• 1 Tbls Onion Salt
• 4 Tbls Olive Oil

Salt chicken, then in a Ziploc bag, or on the counter combine the dry ingredients. Roll, or shake(if using a Ziploc) until well coated.(I used 1 pound of chicken at a time, and that also fit better in my large skillet.) Spray large skillet with non-stick spray, then add 2 Tbls oil. Heat on medium high until oil is hot. reduce to a high simmer and add chicken. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until golden brown, then turn and cook until the chicken is no longer pink in the middle, you may have to reduce the heat further if the crust is cooking to quickly. Repeat directions with the other pound of chicken. Enjoy!!:)


Dinner Tonight: Shrimp Scampi with Rice and Green Beans

Day 6

It's almost been a whole week! I think it will get easier as time goes by to not depend on wheat. My kids have done very well, and they haven't had mac & cheese once!!!:) Tonight was enchiladas, and they were really good! We didn't love the sauce, but that was the only thing besides the tortillas that was not home made. I sort of combined two recipes, and made adjustments for the dairy restriction. Chad and I were both a bit nervous, but we were pleasantly surprised. Neither of us had tried the vegan cheddar cheese before, and we weren't sure we wanted to!! It was the only cheese that truly did not have any dairy or milk protein that we found, even though there were several in the "dairy free" section of the co-op we went to. You definitely still have to read the labels!!:)The kids even liked it, that is after they finally got over the unknown and put some in their mouths!!:) I even heard "mmm mom, I like it!!". This will definitely be a recipe to keep, especially when I get my mother-in-laws sauce recipe!!:) Tomorrow I plan to make my menu for the week, possibly two weeks. I also hope to find some time to make some home made, wheat free chicken nuggets for my kids!! I want to make a large amount so that I can have some for the freezer. We'll see how it goes!!:)

Wheat/ Dairy Free Enchiladas

• 2 Cooked chicken breasts (I used all the breast meat from the rotisserie chicken)
• 1 Tbls Garlic Powder
• 1 1/2 tsp Chili Powder
• Dash of Salt
• Dash of Pepper
• 4 ounces shredded Vegan Cheddar Cheese (save for the end)

White Sauce

• 2 Tbls White Rice Flour
• 2 Tbls Olive Oil
• 1 Cup Rice Milk
• * 2 tsp Garlic Powder
• * 1 tsp Salt
• * 1 ounce Vegan Cheddar Cheese
• * optional

~For white sauce, mix together ingredients in small sauce pan, then heat on medium high until it boils. Let boil for 1-2 minutes then add it to the seasoned meat.


~Cover bottom of a 9x 13in pan with enchilada sauce ( I bought some Mild sauce at the store, and checked the label to make sure there was no wheat or dairy). Put 1/2 cup of meat mixture into a corn tortilla and roll like a burrito, then place into the pan. You should have enough meat and room in the pan for 4. Cover with enchilada sauce. Add shredded vegan cheese to the top.


~Cook at 350 degrees for 30 minutes Enjoy!!!:)



Tomorrow is either turkey meat loaf or home made chicken nuggets, we'll see

Day 5

Friday!!!:) We made it through the school week, and now onto the weekend! We started today as usual, but when we picked up Odin from school we realized it was report card day!!!:) Odin is doing AMAZING, we are so proud of him!!:) So we decided to give him a treat and go out for a happy meal lunch. So Chad, Odin, and Penelope did have some wheat today. Me and Weeze (one of Eloise's nicknames) stuck to our diet out of necessity. I had a grilled chicken club without the bun, it was really good too!!:)
Eating out is a huge challenge for me, and a bit of a fear. It's hard to know what to order, and to make sure that it wasn't cooked in butter, tossed in flour, or sprinkled with cheese. I have been trying to figure out what would be a constant at most restaurants that would be safe to order. I think I might have to stick with cheese-less salads, oil and vinegar dressing on the side!!:)

Tonight I did make rotisserie chicken, we ate some of it, and the left overs will be turned into gluten free, dairy free enchiladas!!!:) Wish me luck, the dairy free will be the test. I have a small amount of vegan cheese substitute that we are going to try out... I'll let you know!!:)

If there are any recipes that you would like to share, please do!!!:) I need some more!!:)

Day 4

Whew!! I didn't think I would get to this today!!!:) We did well today, no wheat even though it was very tempting to fall back on old favorites since I have a kink in my neck and have been not quite up to par. Penelope also became ill today, so it was really hard not to break out the box of mac and cheese!!:) It seems like that always happens too, just when you think you've got things under control and moving in the right direction, something comes out of left field to remind us that we really aren't in control, we just need to breath and do the best we can! I'm also nearing the end of my week of planned meals, so I need to make sure I set aside time in the next day or so to think through next week so I can be prepared!!:)

Today Eloise tried rice milk in her cup for the first time! Her eyes got a little bigger, and she was smirking at me over her cup. She really seemed to enjoy it!! This is the first time she's had anything to drink besides breast milk and water!!:) I'm thankful that they now make enriched rice milk with calcium and vitamin D, that will help her out a lot!!:) I'm also considering blending Odin and Penelope's milk with rice milk, and slowly getting them use to the taste so that we could possibly eliminate milk (especially in cups) all together, at least until Eloise is a bit older and can understand not to drink out of their cups.

Okay, last nights potatoes and brats recipe is:

• 5-6 Russet potatoes peeled and cubed
• 4 Bratwursts (we used three, and Chad was right the fourth one would have made it perfect!!:)
• 4 Tbsp Nucoa (dairy free butter substitute)
• 1/4 Onion cut into thin strips, diced, or however you prefer
• 3 tsp Salt
• 3 tsp Pepper
• 1 Tbsp Garlic Powder

Melt butter in large skillet over medium high heat. Add potatoes, brats, and onion. Put all seasonings on the top, cover and cook until potatoes start to brown 5-7min. (resist turning them too quickly). Reduce heat to high simmer turn potatoes and continue browning to your liking. Enjoy!!!!:)

For those of you who are also Dairy Free, Nucoa is the only butter/margarine I have been able to find that is completely dairy free, no milk proteins, whey proteins, casein, ect. It is readily available at most stores, and it has worked well for me for both cooking and baking.!!:)

Breakfast- Cereal, "breakfast drink", banana
Lunch- Left over chicken pieces (from chicken and rice), manderine oranges, water
Dinner- Hot dogs ( I know, not super healthy, but no wheat!!:) and Milk

Tomorrow's dinner: Rotisserri Chicken

Day 3

Here's the chili recipe

1lb Ground Turkey either frozen or thawed
1 can whole tomatoes, or about 4 tomatoes blanched with skin removed
1 can tomato sauce
4 cans of assorted beans (I use Black, Red, and Kidney the most)
+/- 3tsps Salt
+/- 1Tbls Garlic Powder or 3 cloves garlic crushed
+/-2 tsps Pepper

Put in crock pot in the morning use high if the meat is frozen, or if you only have about 4 hrs, low if the meat is thawed and/or you have about 8 hrs.

Everyone eats this even baby Eloise, however sometimes we have to remind them that yes they do like it, and they ate it all last time we had it!!!:)

Also I am breastfeeding Eloise, so she and I have been off both dairy and wheat since August, its just now incorporating the rest of the family, for the most part!!!:)

Breakfast : Rice Chex (I use rice milk in my cereal since I am eliminating dairy as well), Banana, Carnation Instant Breakfast (for Odin and Penelope, they LOVE "breakfast drink"!!!:)
Lunch: Left over chili
Dinner: Country Potatoes with Bratwurst

Tomorrow I'll post my potato dinner details, unless I get lots of time to myself tonight!!! If anyone has any recipes to share please do!!:) I also want to let everyone know that I'm trying to create/use recipes that are very budget friendly, since we are a young and somewhat big family, every penny counts!!:)

The Chili was GREAT!!!:) I love chili!!! I forgot to mention that we are mainly using ground turkey because there is a 1 in 10 chance that people with the IgE milk allergy will also have an intolerance to beef. Most likely Eloise won't have to worry, but for now, I'm staying as far away from allergies as possible!!!:) I'll post more later today, and include my chili recipe!!:)
Have a great day!!:)

Day 2

Okay, the chicken was super yummy, but I forgot to check the teriyaki sauce label and it was not wheat free:( Bummer, which means that today I am looking for wheat free soy sauce recipes, or on the hunt for the sauce at my next trip to the store. I will then be trying my hand at making my own teriyaki sauce!!:) I think the most challenging meal however is lunch since my son, Odin, and my daughter Penelope, LOVE mac and cheese. This week I made a weekly menu, so I hopefully won't be to tempted to fall back into old habits. Also since my kids aren't actually allergic to wheat, only intolerant, I am going to allow some in smaller doses.
So, breakfast was sausage, rice chex, banana, and milk
lunch was left-overs from dinner last night
Dinner will be Turkey Chili that is currently in the crock pot!!!:)

First Blog!!:)

Hi there!! This is my first time blogging, and as such, my first post!!:) Here's what is happening; We were a wheat eating, dairy loving family of four, then came Eloise, our beautiful fifth family member. For the first six months of her life we continued on as we had with our other children. Then came solid food, and BAM, she tried a whole wheat cereal that also had some whey protein in it, and we were in an ambulance with a very hivey baby. So here is our journey to convert our family diet, since she is now almost one and is eating mostly what we eat. I think we will all be healthier for it, since I think our other two kids, and I have a slight intolerance to wheat too. I will be mainly posting recipes and meal ideas that we try, good or bad, and hopefully it will be helpful!!:)

Tonight is Teriyaki Chicken and Rice with Broccoli