The Omelet: It's What's for Dinner!!

Several weeks ago I did a post about how beans can provide a wonderful and inexpensive allergy-free meal, especially when you are feeding a large family. Eggs are another "secret weapon" in the war against high priced, nutrient-empty meals for the allergy crowd (assuming that you are not dealing with an egg allergy, of course!).

Omelets are a weekly event at our house.  It is the one night that children are allowed to customize their meal according to their preferences.That is a big deal around here...and let me tell you, creativity abounds!!! Here are some of the toppings we keep on hand so that omelet night is never boring:

fresh peppers ( green, red, yellow,orange)
green onions
bacon bits
diced ham
spinach
diced fresh tomatoes
Rotel canned tomatoes ( mild, regular, or HOT)
black beans
cilantro
chives
rosemary
Cajun seasoning ( McCormick brand is gluten free)
cheddar cheese
American cheese
Swiss cheese
salt and pepper
...and whatever else we happen to find in the kitchen...the options are limitless!

If you have your own chickens and your own garden with fresh herbs, greens, peppers, and tomatoes, omelets can be the ultimate fresh and economical meal during the summer months!  And don't forget about quiche as another egg option. Milk substitutes work very well in quiche if you are needing to avoid dairy. A crust-less quiche is a great gluten-free option.

You may be interested in reading here  and here about some of the health benefits of eggs.  Pleasant Eating!

GF/Allergy Free: Holiday Sweet Treats

The holiday season can bring a bit of extra stress for families dealing with food allergies.   SO much celebrating goes on around the meal table or the snack napkin! Particularly if you are dealing with children who have food allergies, being prepared at all times is a must. Today's post is going to focus on some ideas for holiday sweets and treats. They can be frozen and kept ready for you top pop into your food bag at a moments notice for cover dish dinners, an evening at a friend's house,  holiday parties or family celebrations.

* Gluten free cakes, brownies, muffins, and sweet breads are idea for freezing. For a special holiday touch I like to frost and decorate them. This obviously isn't something you want to do all the time, but pulling out all the stops at this season of the year can help allergic children feel included when everyone else is downing red and green Oreos and the like. Therefore,...once a year... I let down the "healthy mama" guard and go for it!

Here is the frosting recipe I use:

1 cup shortening (GF)
some GF vanilla ( approximately 1 teaspoon)
2 cups powdered sugar ( use 1 cup Agave Nectar or honey if corn is an issue...we prefer agave)
1 teaspoon salt

( a few spoons of water is sometimes necessary if using the powdered sugar)

Blend together until smooth, adding water if necessary.  For a red color I like to puree some defrosted frozen red berries and blend them into the mix.  Blueberries add a lovely purple color. Some unsweetened cocoa powder can be added for a chocolate flavor.

It is really amazing how much color comes from those berries...and without any nasty artificial colors! ( I am terribly sorry that I cannot show you any photos of finished products today.  Our camera is out of whack and is being sent off for repairs.  I feel like my right arm has been cut off or something, but am thankful for past photos that I can use!) I keep small containers of frosting in the refrigerator to use as needed during the holiday season, but also frost several individual pieces of cake prior to freezing for times when I need to grab something quick.

Other decorating ideas:
*Crush up some Yummy Earth Lollipops to use as colorful sprinkles
*Find other GF candies such as Annie's Gummy Bunnies, or organic jelly beans and gummy candies to use as decorations
*Crumble up some GF cookies and use as a topping on frosted cakes
*Crush organic candy canes to use as toppings

A small cookie cutter can be used to create a cute pattern  of whatever topping you choose. Simply press the cookie cutter into the frosting and fill the space with your topping before carefully removing the cookie cutter.

Frostings and toppings also come in handy for decorating GF cookies. Nothing is sadder than watching a child not be able to eat the cookies he has helped everyone else decorate!  My plan this year is to keep a few containers of the toppings listed above on hand for times when little ones are decorating cookies in group and family settings.

A few more ideas for special treats....
Milkshakes: Around this time of year,  Chick-Fil-A Peppermint Chocolate Chip Milkshakes are everyone's favorite "grandparent treat" around our house.  How do we handle this with our GF/dairy free/nut free/no artificial colors child?  Put some soy ice cream  in the blender with a little red berry puree and some Enjoy Life chocolate chips. It is red with chocolate chips just like everyone else's shake and is slurped down just as fast, too!

Chipwiches/Ice cream sandwiches: Two GF cookies with frosting in between... a nice twist on the same old cookies when everyone else is having a special treat.  An extremely yummy combination is chocolate chip cookies  with candy canes mixed in the frosting!! This also works well with soy ice cream in between the cookies !

 Wow!  Just reading over all of this makes me want to go brush my teeth! Perhaps in another post I will tackle main dishes or something a little more healthy :). What ideas do you have for making delicious holiday sweet treats for those with food allergies?

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Mrs. T's Favorite Kitchen Tools

We are not hosting Thanksgiving this year, so we have decided to have a few days of intensive declutting over Thanksgiving break. I have been mentally reviewing what we use regularly and what we no longer need. I also recently heard from someone who is cooking gluten-free for the first time and is finding out that it takes a long time to make things from scratch! She asked what tools I have found helpful so she could add them to her Christmas wish list. As I considered what is in my kitchen and what tools I use the most, I realized that nearly all my favorites were given to me as gifts!

Below you will see "Mrs. T.'s Favorite Kitchen Appliances and Tools."  Most of the items are listed as Amazon links, and I do need to clarify that I am an Amazon affiliate and receive a small percentage of the sales from Amazon links on this blog. If you would like to order these products from the links that would be, well...just groovy! However, my main intention in this post is really and truly to tell you what things I find helpful in my daily cooking! Now, on to the post...

* The Kitchen Aid Mixer:  I received one of these for my 40th birthday as a joint gift from everyone who knows me. Well, that is a small exaggeration, but many people pitched in to give me something I never in a hundred years would have been able to own otherwise, and I was deeply touched.  It has made all our baking so much easier. It not only mixes while I putter around the kitchen, it can knead dough while I attend to other duties ( love that!). It has a wide assortment of attachment you can add on if you desire, such as a meat grinder. Mine is red, which adds a cheery look to my kitchen counter!




*The Cuisinart Waffle Maker: This was a Christmas gift and is in operation almost every weekend.  It is great for making gluten free waffles for the freezer.  It has a timer and lets you know when waffles are done, and you are able to select the setting that determines how brown you want the waffles. It is very easy to clean, which is important when you are using appliances for both gluten free and regular purposes.




* High Quality Cookie Sheets: You guessed it, also a gift!  Heavy and easy to clean, these are in use almost every day at our house! If you are doing lots of baking I highly recommend good quality pans like these that cook evenly and are easy to clean!


*Good Cook Silicone Spatulas:  My mom bought some of these years ago and split the set with me. I love having more than one and am a big fan of "color coding" when cooking so I don't stir a gluten -free dish with a  spatula used to stir a non-GF dish.  I also have a very small spatula  that is handy for stirring and scraping out small containers.



*Smart Pot Crock Pot:  Um, yup. Also entered our kitchen as a Christmas gift! This is probably my biggest time saver. I can pop dinner in the crock pot in the morning while listening to someone read, and then just leave it alone, knowing it will automatically switch to the warm setting when the cooking time is done. Love it!



*Kitchen Aid Blender: My dear husband gave this to me for Mother's Day many, many years ago. It was an older model on sale at Tuesday Morning ( a close -out store). It has probably made three million smoothies over the years. I was quite alarmed last year when it suddenly stopped working.  Well, I am a Kitchen Aid fan for life.... we called them, they told us what part we needed, and for a mere ten dollars we were able  restore our blender to perfect working order! I am so thankful that someone still makes appliances that can be repaired instead of needing to be replaced!


*Joie Measure Mate:  I picked up one of these from Lehmans Hardware in Ohio this summer.  I can't find it on their website, but here is the link to the Joie Shop where you can see lots of fun kitchen tools. This little measuring cup measures in Tablespoons and ml, and I find it much easier to use than traditional spoons.

* Wilton Measuring Cups and Pampered Chef Measure-All Cup: Both of these cups are very easy to read, which I find makes measuring ingredients much less time consuming. The Measure-All is terrific for solid ingredients, but I prefer the Wilton for liquids. The four cup option is great for baking in bulk.




Well, I hope that is helpful to you, weather you are making out your Christmas list, considering gifts for others, or just adjusting to a new routine of gluten-free cooking. I'd love to know what kitchen tools you find helpful!

Warm Breakfast Ideas ( Allergy-Friendly)

Fall is a super busy time at our house. I try to get up a full hour before the rest of our family so that I have ample time for Bible reading and prayer, along with some time to organize the day ahead while I clutch my steaming cup of coffee. This jump-start on the day makes all the difference. In spite of the urge to accomplish a few extra tasks in the morning hours, I love being able to offer a warm breakfast as chilly, groggy loved ones tumble out of bed. ( And there is also the added benefit of the stove heating up the kitchen a bit!) It doesn't happen everyday, but here are some time efficient, budget-friendly fall breakfast dishes that help us ease into chilly mornings. They can all be quickly modified for GF/CF diets.

* Baked Oatmeal: This is one of my favorites because it is very economical and the left overs make great afternoon snacks.  I really like this recipe, although I have one child who prefers that I leave out the baking powder, making a more crunchy oatmeal bar.  Other favorite flavor variations include drizzling pure maple syrup or honey over the top of the bars, mixing in bits of fresh apple instead of cranberries, and spreading a thin layer of  jam on top of the bars.  To make this recipe GF/CF I simply use GF oats, GF vanilla and soy/rice milk.

*Baked French Toast:  Here is a recipe for Baked Orange French Toast...yummmmm!  GF bread, or even GF Udi hot dog buns, can be substituted for french bread.

*Muffins:  I usually just make the normal muffins and then pull some GF muffins out of the freezer. This is a great homemade muffin mix to keep on hand.    For the GF freezer muffins I usually use a GF mix, Namaste being my favorite for our CF/CF/Nut free/Corn free needs.

*Homemade Applesauce, straight from the crock pot: This is especially wonderful if you have freshly picked apples! I get it started before going to bed in my Smart Pot crock pot that automatically shifts to the "warm" setting when the cooking time is complete. The apple-vanilla-cinnamon smell alone is enough to coax tired teenagers ( and parents!) out of bed! 

In addition to the main dish, a pot of hot tea, cider, or hot chocolate is always appreciated first thing in the morning.  Enjoy making fall mornings warm and memorable for your family!

Gluten Free/Egg Free/Dairy Free Oatmeal Cookies

There is nothing quite like a warm cookie and a hot cup of tea on a fall afternoon! This oatmeal cookie recipe has become one of our favorite gluten-free cookie options.  It is also egg, nut, and dairy free! The recipe is one I modified to suit our food allergies. The original  recipe is for Oatmeal Crispies and is found in  the Aurora Mennonite Church cookbook entitled Our Treasured Recipes. You can read about this cook book and how to order one at the end of this post. 

GF Oatmeal Crispies

1 c. margarine (or butter)
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. GF vanilla
1 c. GF flour mix ( I have used GF baking mix in a pinch and they turned out ok...just a bit more like scones than cookies...and they were a bit hard when they cooled!)
1 1/2 c. GF oatmeal
a few handfulls of dried cranberries ( I think nuts would also be very good if you do not have nut allergies in your family)

Cream butter, sugar, and vanilla.  Add flour and oatmeal.  Chill dough in refrigerator for 1 hour. Spoon dough onto greased cookie sheets and press with a fork. Bake at 350 for around 15 minutes.

They, like all cookies, are best warm. Light your favorite fall candle, brew a cup of tea, and enjoy a pleasant, allergy-free cookie break this afternoon!

*Looking for gluten free flour and baking mixes?Amazon sells all our favorites!  Although Pamela' s is probably my most favorite, it is not a good choice if you have tree nut allergies in the family.  I have found that all of these brands work very well for times when I am not able to put together my own GF flour mix.  Buying them in bulk from Amazon is both handy and cost effective.( And there are even more options on Amazon that I haven't tried yet...check out the Amazon search box in my side bar and enjoy browsing through the entire gluten free section!)  Happy Baking!

Plan-It, Don't Panic, Pleasantburg Style ~ Allergy Free!

 This week I am participating in the Plan it- Don't Panic Menu Planning Challenge....join us for great menu planning resources, ideas, and tips!

I was 40 years old before I began to enjoy cooking.  The shift occurred when  I realized that it was not the cooking I disliked, it was the obligation I felt to follow a recipe. Once I embraced the fact that I could ( and must, in the case of our food allergies/sensitivities) use a recipe as a mere guideline, I felt am amazing sense of  FREEDOM and joy in cooking!!!!

This week's menu items  are all loosely based  on recipes from Sue Gregg's Meals in Minutes cookbook. I invested in this cookbook when we had two babies and were living on a very small salary. This cookbook was a great help to me. If you are  looking to reduce food costs while still providing your family with healthy  whole food, I think this is one of the best resources you can own.  I have easily modified are all of this week's recipes to be gluten free. ( Feel free to email me or leave a comment if you want the details on how I did that.)

*Monday:  Enchilada Casserole and salad  ( separate dish without corn tortillas for those with corn sensitivity)

*Tuesday: Spaghetti and Meatballs and green beans ( separate gluten free pasta, but GF meatballs for everyone!)

*Wednesday: Sausage-Egg Strata, grits, and toast ( skip the grits for the corn sensitive, GF toast as needed )

*Thursday:  Crock Pot Beef Soup ( this one is not in Sue Gregg's cookbook...I just made it up one cold winter day !) and salad

*Friday:  Tuna casserole, asparagus, and rice

*Saturday: French Bread Pizza ( Udi GF hot dog bun pizza for the GF folks, without cheese for the GFCF among us...I highly recommend Hormel All-Natural pepperoni in the brown box, especially if you are concerned with preservatives.)

Pleasant dining to you and yours! Order your own Sue Gregg cookbooks here! The Breakfast Cookbook also has Allergy Free Alternatives.

Summer Thrift:Buying in Bulk from Amazon

I am at the point in my summer where I begin thinking about how I can help the school year get off to a good start. I mentioned in my post on summer routines that I try to begin putting some extra meals in the freezer to kind of "ease" us into a busier season of life.  Another thing I like to do is stock up on some of the gluten-free/ allergy free baking mixes and snack foods that come in so handy during the busy school year. Amazon is great for this! Most people do not even  know that Amazon has a Grocery and Gourmet Food section. Gluten Free Bisquick, Pamela's Mixes, 1-2-3 Gluten Free mixes, and others can all be purchased in bulk at a substantial savings...especially if you have used your Swag Bucks* points for Amazon gift cards! As the mother of a 4 year old who needs to have allergy free treats on hand for birthday parties,church activities, trips to the barber, and so on, I especially appreciate the 5 pound bag of Yummy Earth Lollipops. I can keep a stash of them in the car, in the back pack, in my purse, in the choir room,and at the grandparents, and feel pretty prepared for the times when someone is giving out a treat he can't eat. Stretch Island Fruit Leathers are another item that can be purchased at a discount and put aside for parties, picnics, field trips, and so on. Stocking up relieves a great deal of pressure in my daily life and eliminates the need to run across town to the health food store when a special event is on the horizon. Of course, you have to be disciplined about not going through items too quickly just because you have them on hand. I find that hiding items and not letting everyone know just how many we have on hand is a very effective technique :).   Even if you are not dealing with food allergies in your family, you will be surprised at the variety of bulk grocery items you can purchase from Amazon. It is a great way to bring some of the organic and healthful snack foods into your diet at a more affordable price. Spend some time browsing through the options and stocking up for your school year ahead!
And while I am on the topic of Amazon, I do want to thank all of you who have ordered through the Amazon ordering link on this website. Every order is appreciated and is a help to us!  Thank you!!

* Swag Bucks:  A few people have asked me about my Swag Bucks button in the side bar. What are Swag Bucks? Swag Bucks is a way of searching the web and earning points during certain randomly selected searches. Points can be redeemed for many things, including gift cards to places like Amazon and Target ( my two favorites!).I soon hope to redeem $25.00 dollars worth of gift cards that were earned with Swag Bucks points! It is truly like getting paid for something you are already doing...searching the Internet! You just sign into your account  and do your Internet search from their site, just like you would do on Google or some other search engine.You can also refer people to Swag Bucks and earn points that way. If you sign up through my Swag Bucks banner you are automatically  "referred"  by me and I will be credited. It has been a great thing for our family!

Summer Thrift: Homemade Popsicles

 Summer is an ideal time for forming new habits and trying new things. It is a great time to reflect on what is working and what isn't in the area of thrift. I often find myself sitting on my swing in the afternoon, watching my children play, and asking the Lord for new ways to better use our resources. My husband works harder than any man I know, and I do not want to use this hard earned money carelessly. Even more than that, I want to honor the Lord with our resources and be able to give more to His work around the world.

One of the best ways I have found to save some money during the summer months is homemade popsicles.  I simply cannot imagine summer without popsicles!   For that matter, I cannot imagine the flu, pregnancy, or dental work without popsicles! They are at the top of my list when it comes to refreshing comfort food. When food allergies came into our life I realized that I was going to either have to allot a huge portion of our grocery budget to fancy frozen tasties ( ...not possible, of course!), or I was going to have to find a homemade variety that surpassed the rock-hard homemade frozen pops of my childhood.

My friend L. came to my rescue! I have tweaked her recipie a bit to suit our needs and here is our delicious, easy, and thrifty result:

2 c. boiling water
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
2 c.  100% fruit juice or smoothie

After dissolving the gelatin in the hot water, add juice, stir, and pour into molds. You may need to modify the juice to water ratio depending on how sweet you like your pops. For a special, and admittedly less healthy treat, we substitute the juice with 1 packet Invisible Kool-aid ( dye free, watermelon flavored) 2/3 cups sugar, and 2 cups water.  This is a nice option if you cannot tolerate artificial color. They are pictured above, along with one, lone apple juice pop. This recipie makes 16 pops for just pennies! I try to keep several batches, and at least a couple of varieties, in our freezer. They are soft, flavorful, and so very refreshing on a hot summer afternoon!  Enjoy!

This post is linked to Our Simple Country Life and Far Above Rubies. Come visit and see what other bloggers are writing about in the area of homemaking!

Zucchini Pancakes

Seeing as we are still enjoying zucchini season here, I thought I would share another wonderful zucchini recipe with you… Zucchini Pancakes! I discovered this recipe in a church cookbook that a Mennonite relative sent my way.  Our middle school daughter cooked these up last week for our dinner…one batch modified to be gluten free and one batch of the regular version…while her daddy fried up some sausage to go on the side.  An easy, tasty, and filling dinner!  (Not to mention a night off for the regular cook!)  Leftovers can be easily frozen and warmed up as a snack for quick lunch, an added bonus for those of us who need to keep gluten-free food on hand.  Enjoy!

Zucchini Pancakes

2 eggs, beaten

2 c. grated zucchini

1 c. grated Cheddar cheese

½ c. grated onion

2 C. Jiffy baking mix (we used gluten–free                Bisquick for the GF version)

Salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste

Oil and butter for frying

Melt oil and butter in skillet. Mix all other ingredients and drop by spoonfuls in skillet. Brown on one side, then flip. Press down, and brown on other side. Enjoy!

* There is nothing like a great church cookbook to get you out of your cooking rut. We have thoroughly enjoyed this collection of tried and true Mennonite dishes.  If you would like to order your own copy and support a great ministry at the same time, please contact  Aurora Mennonite Church  at auroramennonite.com.

Bulk Food Stores and Natural Evaporated Cane Juice Sugar

One of the many places I enjoyed discovering on our little adventure to Ohio was the Amstutz Pantry in Dalton.  Dalton may sound like a town  to you, but let me assure you that this place is in the middle of nowhere! However, the drive was beautiful and the trip out there was well worth it. I had never experienced bulk food stores quite like the ones we visited in the Amish areas. How I wish I lived closer to one! I think we visited three different bulk stores on our trip, but the Amstutz Pantry was my favorite. The ladies were so kind and helpful, their selection was wonderful, and their prices were a fraction of what I usually pay. Amstutz Pantry has a Facebook fan page and I encourage you to check them out and pay them a visit if you are anywhere in the area!

While I was thrilled to stock up on several staples for gluten-free baking, I was especially excited to acquire some affordable Natural Evaporated Cane Juice Sugar. The Southerners in my world have this thing for sweet tea.  I am talking about really, really sweet tea! It sincerely pains me to stir in all that  over-processed white stuff, knowing I am probably hastening adult-onset diabetes or some other undesirable and dangerous condition.  Natural evaporated Cane Juice Sugar is less refined and thus retains the natural B vitamins found in sugar cane. Used in moderation, it has not been associated with any of the health issues and problems that occur with refined white sugar.  Best of all, it can be used exactly as you use regular sugar in your baking...and in your tea!  Taste? Delicious!

On other little note about the Amstutz Pantry....if you have a Lego lover in you household you will be interested to know that they sell candy that tastes like Smarties and looks just like pastel Lego bricks. You can even build with them! I couldn't help but remember all the birthdays when we topped cupcakes with Lego mini-figures and decorated out table with Lego creations.  What fun we would have had with Lego bricks that you can really eat :). And, yes, I couldn't resist bring home a bag for the big kids...and their parents... to play with !

Pleasant Projects: Luggage and Diaper Bag Tags

 When our youngest child was diagnosed with a serious food allergy I realized that I was going to need a diaper bag/backpack tag that I could personalize. I needed something that would look official for times when we needed to take our own snacks into places like baseball games and museum snack bars. The tag needed  plenty of room for parent phone numbers, warnings about his allergy, and information about the Epipen and medication in his bag.  I also needed something durable. I have tried several different methods, but this type of tag is easy to make and has met all our needs. It is also lots of fun, allowing room for personalization and creativity! 

Supplies: Self-laminating Pouches(Business card/I.D. card size... I use Scotch brand and find these in the office supply section), paper cutter or scissors, printer, plain paper, and scrap book paper.

I first cut my scrapbook paper background to fit inside the required laminated area.  I cut two of these so that I can have information on both sides of the tag. Next, I make a template for the plain white paper. I print out the information I want on the tag (one for front and one for back),using different colors to highlight important information. I place the template over the printed information and trace around it.    

After cutting out the printed section of the tag, I adhere it to the scrapbook paper background using scrapbook adhesive, doing the same for the backside of the tag. I place the two sides together and stick them together ( again using the scrapbook adhesive).  Now comes the tricky part. Carefully place one side of the tag onto the sticky side of the laminating pouch. This adhesive is not very forgiving! You will need to set the paper down straight and press it down evenly so that the paper does not wrinkle. Personally, I am very thankful that these pouches come in packets of ten.  I rarely get it right on the first try! 

Finally, use your hole punch to make a hole in one of the corners. Now you can use a cute ribbon to attach the tag to your bag, and your project is complete!  

*bow added for the picture...Mr. T. would never allow a bow on his boy's back pack :) 

I have needed to keep our "allergy alert" tag simple and serious looking, but there are several fun ways to dress-up this project.  I have already mentioned using a cute ribbon to attach your tag to your bag. You can also have fun playing with different font styles and colors. Choosing back ground paper also can personalize this project... the supply of different patterns and styles is endless! You can use clip art or scrap book embellishments/stickers to add some decoration. Anything flat will work beautifully! I have never tried it, but I expect that you could also hot glue rick rack or some other sort of embellishment to the outside of the tag. These make wonderful baby gifts, and also will make it easy for you to identify your own luggage or diaper bag in a crowd. Happy creating!

This post is linked at Raising Homemakers , Our Simple Country Life and Far Above Rubies.  I am a few days late in linking these sites because of computer issues, but be sure to check out the great ideas shared by other bloggers!