Hello 2011!

Yes, I know it is February.  I am also beginning to think the reason I haven't posted this year is because I made it a New Year Resolution.  I never follow through with those.  Anyhow... we have made many more adjustments since the last time I posted and have moved our home towards being completely gluten free (even though I am the only one showing signs of an allergy).  The next goal is to learn how to deal with the added expense of a gluten free lifestyle, and to move ourselves toward raw and local sustainable food sources.

Jeff and I have watched quite a few documentaries on Food, Corporations, and the relationships between the two.  We are on information overload at the moment but one thing we are sure of is that we are not OK with our government deciding what is a safe level of poison for our family to consume.  The fact is there is no level of poison that we will knowingly allow our children to eat.

We are extremely lucky in the fact that we live only miles away from Polyface Farm, and that we have enough land to start our own garden.  2011 will be filled with adventures in health and learning how to become supporters of sustainable living.

S'Better Farms = Disappointment

Product may not resemble the picture on the packaging...  at ALL!

I was very excited when I found this product.  In fact, I have never been so excited at the idea of eating a "chicken finger".  I wasn't very happy about paying $8 for frozen chicken but it has been so long since I've had something with a really good crispy coating I thought I would give it a try.  Imagine my disappointment when I opened the package to find what I would call "popcorn chicken"... nothing like the picture had promised.  The product was not the worst GF breaded chicken I have had but was still mediocre at best.

Quick Lunch

OK, we're officially a week into our new Gluten Free lifestyle and so far we're hanging in there. One thing I find I miss is being able to slap together a PB&J for lunch and keep moving. Today I was in a little bit of a funk but then decided to have fun throwing something together and just seeing what happened.

Today's Lunch:

I spread 40 spice hummus on two corn tortillas put roast beef on them and put them together like a sandwich. Delicious! Next time I think I may add a slice of tomato or avocado... maybe both!

Have a favorite gluten free quick lunch? Tell me about it, I would love to give it a try!

Sharing Is Caring

I wanted to share my Aunt Aleata's new blog: http://jallergyjourney.blogspot.com/

This blog will be filled with recipes and information on raising children with multiple allergies.

Enjoy!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Waffles!

Van's Natural Foods has a line of Wheat and Gluten Free waffles that are delicious! The texture is great and they don't have a strange after taste that leads you to wonder why you ever let go of your Eggo. I served these waffles to my niece and my 2 year old and neither one of them noticed the difference.

This mornings experiment - Peanut Butter and Jelly Waffles

I spread peanut butter on the waffles right out of the toaster so that the peanut butter melted. On the stove in a small sauce pan I melted some Raspberry Freezer Jam (HFCS Free) with a little touch of butter and then poured it over the waffles. Quick, Easy, and Delicious.

My Favorite Food Group: Dessert!

For me the most difficult time to stick with the Gluten Free lifestyle is in the evening when I crave something sweet. I am taking this opportunity to get in the kitchen and play around with ingredients to see what happens.

This is what I came up with this evening:

- Melt 2tsp of butter with 3/4 cup homemade Raspberry Freezer Jam.

- Once the mixture starts to bubble add banana slices and cook until bananas are warmed through.

- Serve over Stonyfield Farms Banilla Yogurt.

If I had planned ahead more I would have frozen the yogurt. Delicious, sweet, and reasonably healthy.

Gluten Free Boxed Mac'n'Cheese

Sydney Jane prides herself on being a Mac'n'Cheese Aficionado. Today at lunch we tried 'Annie's Homegrown: Rice Pasta & Cheddar Gluten Free Macaroni and Cheese'

While this lunch option certainly wasn't as convenient as the cups of macaroni you simply add water to and microwave for 3minutes & 30seconds, it certainly wasn't rocket science. I found the cheese sauce to be a little bland when mixed with milk but there is a suggestion to mix the cheese powder with yogurt for a more "tangy" flavor - next time we will give this suggestion a try. Sydney had no complaints about her lunch and didn't even seem to notice the new Rice Noodle's texture.

I was a little concerned about the price difference between the easy microwavable mac'n'cheese and the Annie's Gluten Free but once I did the math I found the Annie's brand to be pretty evenly priced.

1 Microwavable Mac'n'cheese (2.26oz) - about $1 ~ 1 Annie's GF Mac'n'cheese (6oz) - about $3

This product passed the 2 year old test and that is one of the most prestigious awards a boxed Mac can ever hope for.