Adventures of a Gluten Free Mom
Gluten and Allergen Friendly Recipes that the Whole Family will Love
Okay, so someone (Erin, you know who you are) told me that it was national pancake day today, thus usurping my gluten free waffle groove! Not being one to disappoint, I dropped everything and went into complete hyper-drive mode, because I KNOW pancakes. I’m still waiting for the “national don’t eat crappy food” day; [...]
I cannot think of another processed food that has become more embedded in the minds of children than Pepperidge Farms’ Goldfish Crackers. While they are not only just naturally entertaining in design (brilliant marketing if you ask me), they are the perfect size for kindergarten age fingers to expertly handle while they learn to count, [...]
Are you ready for Halloween? My boys sure are biting at the bit (okay, their mom is too). Before your little beggar dives into his or her loot bag tomorrow, make sure you’re armed with the 2011 Gluten and Allergen Free Halloween Candy Lists! Looking for Halloween recipe ideas? Be sure to scroll to the [...]
Kid-Friendly Dill Dip for Raw Veggies: Gluten-Free, Dairy/Casein-Free, Egg-Free, Corn-Free and Vegan
I’ve never been a huge fan of trail mixes, especially those of the store-bought variety because there’s usually too many things going on in them that don’t appeal to my taste buds. Nor do I care for protein bars. I know a lot of folks like them (my boys love LÄRABARS) and they are very [...]
Ranch Dressing Take 2. Last January I shared my first attempt at a dairy-free, corn-free, egg-free and soy-free Ranch dressing and while it’s very good, there are two problems with the recipe. 1). It contains cashews so it’s no good for my friends out there with tree nut allergies. 2). It’s entirely too involved of [...]
Of all the many successful ingredient tweaks I’ve made over the years, this is one I am especially proud of, an egg-free version of King Arthur Flour’s Gluten Free Bread Mix. While I no longer buy very many gluten-free prepackaged products, this bread mix is one occasional exception I will make for my kiddos (even [...]
I have never had a better blueberry muffin in my life. Not with dairy, not with eggs and certainly not with gluten. Now, the fact that I was on the modified elimination diet when I made them may have had a teeny tiny influence on my lust for these beauties, but I really don’t think [...]
I’ve been thinking a lot about my 96 year old grandma lately. She and I have always been really close but sadly, we live over 1,000 miles apart and I haven’t been able to see her in nearly 3 years. I’ve always been compared to my grandma, mostly by our similarly strong personalities but the [...]
I can not stress the importance of gluten-free art supplies enough, especially for the preschool set. Little ones are notorious for putting anything that is not intended to be eaten straight into their mouth (see exhibit A, below). And don’t think you’re off the hook if you have older children. Kids are funny little people, much [...]
I’m not sure if it’s ketchup, catsup, or any other bizarre spelling, but if you are the parent of a child under the age of 10, then you always make sure that you NEVER run out of this key ingredient. My kids put this stuff on everything, even foods that just don’t seem to make [...]
Homemade Gluten-Free, Allergy-Friendly Beef Jerky. Easy to make, challenging to photograph (in an appealing fashion anyway)! I love beef jerky, but all too often the prepackaged variety contains wheat so therefore it is off limits to me and my brood. I’m actually kinda thankful for that because it is not only easy to make, but [...]
It doesn’t matter how you eat on a regular basis, one bite into one of these bad boys and I promise, you will be asking for more. I think these are without a doubt the best gluten-free pancakes I’ve made in the past 5 years and the most devilishly satisfying aspect of all? The pancakes [...]
I don’t know about you, but I LOVE Ranch dressing! I love it on my salads, I love it as a veggie dipping sauce (okay, the veggies are really more of a Ranch delivery vehicle), I love to dip pizza in it and…(close your eyes)…I LOVE to dip my medium-rare grass fed beef tenderloin in [...]
When was the last time you said ‘I love you’ to yourself? Was it with a quiet day at the spa? A cucumber eye treatment with a purifying avocado, kale and lemon masque perhaps? Prior to a few days ago, that would have been my idea of self pampering. I’m great at wearing green veggies [...]
Today’s guest post is by my better half, the man “behind the curtain” in this Glutadoodle Oz of ours. Without Mike’s love and support, I never would have been able to go on this 18 month journey of self discovery and seeking out the answers to our family’s health issues. Little did he know 9 [...]
I shared this recipe last year but it contained dairy-filled chocolateso I thought I would share how I went about making a dairy-free version this year. This was an easy tweak to make, especially since I had just received a complimentary sample of Boom Choco Boom Bars by Enjoy Life Foods. You could also use [...]
It only took me close to a year to attempt making homemade marshmallows again, but there is no better motivation than being thrust onto the food allergy playground! I first attempted to make corn-free, gelatin-free marshmallows last January (you can read that post here), but there were egg whites in it. I also used xanthan [...]
Welcome back for Day 6 of 12 Days of Gluten-Free Christmas Cookies, being hosted by Maggie of She Let Them Eat Cake! So far, there have been some tantalizing toe tapping delights: Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free’s Pistachio-Cranberry Biscotti I shared a recipe for Dairy-Free Fudge Gluten-Free Life With Jen’s Chocolate Peppermint Wafer Cookies The Mommy [...]
Welcome to the second day of 12 Days of Christmas Cookies, being hosted by the fabulous Maggie of She Let Them Eat Cake. In the event you missed the kickoff yesterday, Amy Green of Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free, shared a recipe for Pistachio Cranberry Biscotti. Amy is also hosting a giveaway for FREE baking supplies, [...]
I am super excited about this recipe for gluten-free, dairy/casein-free caramels because I have tried it 3 times using different substitute ingredients and each one produced a buttery, chewy caramel candy…perfect for dipping apples, making homemade candy treats, you name it. First, let me tell you how I landed on it. I began my quest [...]
Hehehe…Score 2 in my new adventures of gluten-free, dairy/casein-free and egg-free baking!! This is my submission for The Gluten-Free Baking Challenge which Shauna and Danny Ahern are hosting over at Gluten-Free Girl.com, so be sure to pay them a visit so you can see all the amazing gluten-free baked goods being shared across the web [...]
I realize you might be wondering why the heck I am posting a chocolate chip cookie recipe this close to Thanksgiving. Most people close to me in my “real” life are most likely thinking, “Oh, there goes Heidi again, off on an ADD tangent…does she NOT REALIZE what today’s date it is? Where’s the $&@#! [...]
First thing first. “Alfredo” is probably not the right word for this sauce, at least not in a technical sense because it lacks one of the most important components of a true Alfredo sauce…Parmesan cheese (shhh…it also lacks the butter and heavy cream, but I won’t tell if you won’t tell). When my husband and [...]
I pretty much flarped on Halloween this year and haven’t done nearly as much as I typically like to. I think I have had a serious case of “spooky block,” not having artificial colorings to fall back on, LOL! That’s okay though, I will just look back at this as my “deprogramming” year. It’s funny, [...]
Gluten-Free Pop Tarts, I still can’t believe it (and nevermind the goldfish, it’s a bonafide illness of mine)! I have attempted homemade gluten-free pop tarts many times over the years using various recipes that call for pie crust. While the end results were always tasty, they were not the Pop Tarts™ I remember from my [...]
Homemade Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free”Hostess” Cupcakes, why did it take me so long to try this? I guess I forgot that “Fresh, Wholesome Hostess and Kids Go Together!” Did you notice the part about being fresh and wholesome? I won’t comment on the “wholesome” aspects because I think we can all agree that we know that statement [...]
Disclaimer: The actual French Toast that you see in the picture is NOT dairy-free and egg-free. I began this impromptu project late in the evening and I was too tired to make up some homemade dairy-free pancake mix and bake a fresh loaf of vegan bread (especially since I have never made it before)…but the [...]
This post is linked to September’s edition of “Go Ahead Honey, It’s Gluten Free!” which is being hosted by Ali over at The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen. Ali chose the theme: Ideas for Packing a Healthy School Lunch, yea!!! I am really excited to see all of the fantastic ideas that will certainly come of [...]
Gluten-free mozzarella cheese sticks, who’da thunk it? YES! Heck, even in my former gluten-life, I could not make a cheese stick. I could make a mean hollow tube of fried bread crumbs mind you, but somehow, the cheese always managed to escape! Has this ever happened to you? You roll your cheese stick in bread [...]
Okay, here it is! This is so exciting for me, I never imagined being able to enjoy toasted ravioli again. Not only is the toasted ravioli in the above photo gluten-free, but it is also allergy-friendly too! This post is now linked to a great series that the lovely Jenn (a chemist!) over at Jenn [...]
I am really excited to finally be participating in my first “Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger” event! The Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger program was started by Sea of Book of Yum, in 2008. This is a great way to get to know gluten-free bloggers by trying some of their recipes! August’s Adopt a GF Blogger is [...]
Okay, let’s just address this upfront. “Say whaaa?“ Well, there is a very big NEED for gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free cheese slices and I can’t seem find a commercial one anywhere! I got excited the other day when I found some “cheese” that looked like it would fit the bill perfectly BUT then (there’s always a [...]
Gluten-Free Sopaipillas. Fluffy “pillows” of fried dough, drizzled with sweet honey…oh, how I never thought this day would come!! Why is this such a big deal to me, you ask? Well, I live in New Mexico, the birthplace of sopaipillas and they are as commonplace in New Mexican restaurants as bread baskets are in Italian [...]
My youngest son loves “jelly” cups (a.k.a. Jello/Gelatin), but when we started a synthetic dye-free challenge a few months ago, out went the Jello brand gelatin cups! I tried a product by the NutraDrink company called Natural Jel Desserts back in May (see my “Funny Oranges post”) and while I was initially impressed with the [...]
For this chocolate pudding, I pretty much merged two recipes I found online: a recipe for Homemade Vanilla Pudding that I found on allrecipes.com and Tyler Florence’s recipe for Chocolate Pudding which I found on FoodNetwork.com. I then made my dairy-free substitutions and finished with MimicCreme Healthy Top Whipped Cream! Ingredients 2 cups Milk (I [...]
NOTE: This recipe does contain tree nuts (almond and cashews). At the end of this post, I will tell you of a dry pudding mix that will setup with dairy-free milk (at least it does with So Delicious Original Coconut Milk). Okay, I am really excited about this recipe! My 3 year old LOVES chocolate [...]
This is a new favorite dessert of mine, it also makes for a high fiber breakfast. I have been on a melon kick lately and have been branching outside of the cantaloupe, honeydew and watermelons that I usually buy. In the above photo, the peach colored melon is a Crenshaw Melon. According to FoodReference.com: Crenshaw [...]
It has been hot in New Mexico, and I mean Hades hot! The temperatures have been hitting the low 100′s and that is unusual for New Mexico this time of year. The heat is getting to me and I have found myself being lazy in the kitchen, and with the laundry, and with the, oh [...]
Back in early March, Alta from Tasty Eats at Home posted a Gluten-Free Churro recipe for her Kids in the Kitchen series. When I saw them, I knew I had to make some for Sam. Churros were his favorite treat before he went gluten-free. In case you do not know what a Churro is, they [...]
After I got the Breville Citrus Press and started making fresh squeezed orange juice each morning, I found myself knee deep in orange peels. Instead of throwing them all away, I wondered if I could use some of them for a fun lunchbox treat. I remembered seeing a recipe for Gelatin Oranges on Disney’s Family [...]
I love Limeade, especially during the hot summer months. I find it to be even more refreshing than Lemonade or water for that matter. While I have been learning to reach for water first, or even sparkling water with a spritz of freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice (no added sweetener), I still enjoy [...]
Maybe I should have called them “Eggless Meatball Wonders,” or “Guiltless Meatballs,” because there are several nutritious ingredients cleverly hidden inside, and you cannot even tell! Ever since I started experimenting with “flax eggs,” I have become increasingly impressed with the results in most of my experiments. So much so, I have found myself buried [...]
Back when I was working on my review for the Easy Lunchbox System (while simultaneously trying to recreate an “authentic looking” GF Lunchable), I really started to ponder how most kids perceive foods just by how they look and how they are packaged, you saw my “McCarrot Experiment,” right?. I have also been trying to [...]
I originally posted this last summer, but I thought I would do an update with better pictures. Last week, I took the boys to see “How To Tame Your Dragon” (a really GREAT movie by the way)! I loved the underlying message of the movie and thought it very appropriate for Sam, who has been [...]
So you knew “it” had to be coming at some point, right? I must say this first, Mike and I are REALLY working with Sam to embrace his “differences” (as we all have them), and I think it is starting to catch on. He is not asking for GF Lunchables all that much anymore [...]
I blame this recipe for my youngest child’s O.B.S.E.S.S.I.O.N. with chocolate! Luke was my smallest baby, at 7 lbs. 13 ounces and 21″ long. That may not seem “small” for a newborn, especially one that was born 2 weeks early, but Sam was 9 lbs. and 23-inches long! Sam never lost an ounce after he [...]
Whether you spell it Donut or Doughnut, they both represent the same thing. Whether you are a Dunkin’ Donuts type of donut person or a Krispy Kreme Doughnuts type of doughnut person, it doesn’t matter because if you are gluten-free like me, you cannot have either! Back in December, I had to figure how to [...]
I’ve succumbed to the almighty Lunchables. I STRONGLY dislike those things, and not necessarily because they are one of the most unhealthy “foods” marketed to children, but because my son feels like an “oddball” because he cannot have one! I love GoPicnic’s Gluten-Free Ready-Eat-Meals (and so does Sam), but he recently confided in me that [...]
Okay, so it’s not really “Boxed” Mac and Cheese but “Bagged” Mac and Cheese just sounds weird! I have been making my own “Kraft-like” GF Mac and Cheese for a long time now, mostly because I do not care for the texture of the pasta in the GF store-bought Mac and Cheese. The other two [...]
I realize this is probably a no-brainer, but it actually just dawned on me not too long ago when Sam needed some Chex Mix for his “Friday Fun Snack,” that I could make my own gluten-free version! So just in case it has not occurred to someone else, I thought I would post the recipe [...]
Gluten Free bagels that are naturally corn-free, dairy/casein-free, soy-free and can easily be made egg-free! This is one of those things that most people probably don’t think they will ever have to make in their lives, and why would you? Bagels are are very easy to obtain. Well, unless you are gluten-free or suffer from [...]
I am absolutely thrilled with the outcome of this recipe! I had been playing around with various gluten-free recipes for copycat Nilla Wafers, but was never all that impressed with the results. I had actually given up trying for a while until Sam’s teacher sent home the Friday Fun Snack recipe of the week. The [...]
This is so cool. Personally, I was most amazed with the “Super Versatile Bread Dough” from a recipe I made with my new BFF, Better Batter Gluten Free Flour! This is the first time in years that I have felt “real” dough in my hands. I could not stop playing with it! Super Versatile Bread [...]
O.H. M.Y. G.O.S.H. That is all any of us could say after we tried these, they are that yummy! Think Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Power Sticks, just lighter on the chocolate. Luke nearly hyperventilated. I have my very good friend Mary to thank for this recipe, a variation she came up with for her son, [...]
This is such a cool recipe! I have not made it in a few years, in fact I forgot about until I made a post and referenced a disease called Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EE). Sam used to have a playmate with EE and I got the opportunity to play around with different combinations of foods that [...]
I found this recipe on Recipezaar and with a few gluten-free tweaks, made a yummy new breakfast bar! 1 1/4 cups honey (I used 1 cup Agave Nectar but might reduce next time to 3/4 cup) 1 cup Peanut Butter (I used Natural Jif and added 1/4 cup whole flax seeds to it… this is [...]
Sam has been wanting some chewy granola bars similar to the store-bought Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars that his friends eat. I found the following recipe on a website called Make and Takes. Very cool website by the way! In case you are new to my blog, I should explain what I do for recipes. [...]
I love these quick and easy breakfast bars. I have been making these for about 10 years, ever since I found the recipe when I went to Weight Watchers years ago to lose those unwanted Freshman 15 I gained when I went to college. Only 4 ingredients that you can easily modify to meet your [...]
Last year, my sister told me about a website that “tracks Santa” on Google Earth. It is a really cool website for kids and parents alike, as it really connects to the kid in all of us. We are tracking Santa this year so Sam wanted to make sure all of his gluten-free friends out [...]
I am very excited about this product. So much so, I just may have to go buy myself an Easy Bake Oven! Seriously, I bought the Girl Gourmet Cake Bakery as a gift to myself for my birthday! It was actually after my review of the Girl Gourmet Cake Bakery that I was asked if [...]
I got the idea for this the day I was working on my GF Rice Crispies post and dipping my Buckeyes in chocolate at the same time. A light bulb went off… I wonder how it would work out to make my own GF “Nestle Crunch” candy bar with chocolate and the Erewhon Crispy Brown [...]
While at the grocery store the other day, Sam spied the Winter Oreos on display. While I was hoping he didn’t notice, the bright red cream put him in a trance! So he said, “Mom, you need to make these. So and so in my class brought them to school in their lunch and they [...]
I had a crazy “adventure” this week! I say crazy because it is December and I needed a gluten free sugar cone and quick! I found out on Monday that Sam’s kindergarten class was going to be making a snack for their winter celebration. The snack was going to be a Christmas tree made out [...]
GF Dad here. I’m sure you’ve all figured out by now that everyone in our home is effectively banished from Mom’s kitchen during the holidays. There are some good reasons for this. For starters, the rest of us are boys, which means we make big messes, don’t measure ingredients very well, and always want to run [...]
This is the BEST gluten free chocolate chip cookie recipe that I have ever come across. I kid you not, they are identical in taste to the classic gluten containing Toll House cookie! I found the recipe on Recipezaar about 6 months ago and they have held up perfectly each time I have made them. [...]
Okay, this is nothing spectacular, fudge is fudge right? Well, I just wanted to offer some suggestions for those who may want to make this recipe (or one like it) but haven’t because of the dairy. I made this batch with dairy but I think there is a nifty way around it for dairy free [...]
I don’t about you, but ever since going gluten-free, Rice Crispy Treats have just not been the same since Kellogg’s Rice Krispies “left the pantry.” While there are some really good GF Rice cereals out there, the famous marshmallow treat of my past just wasn’t the same, “something” seemed to be missing. I presume it [...]
I have tried for years to find a gluten-free sugar cookie recipe that I could cut the dough into holiday shapes and bake them without the dough either tearing apart, or spreading so much in the oven that all 6 separate cookies merged into one giant undesirable blob. I found a wonderful recipe last year [...]
I may live in New Mexico, but I hail from the great state of Ohio and in my heart I will always be a Buckeye. What is a Buckeye you ask? Other than the mascot for my Alma Mater, it also happens to be a poisonous nut from the state tree, the Buckeye Tree. So [...]
Whew, VERY busy day! I tried to catch up on my holiday “pre-baking.” I like to make all of my dough ahead of time, freeze them and then just pull them out and cook as needed. Today I got all of the peanut butter centers for my Buckeyes formed and frozen, and made 3 batches [...]
I think I have O.G.C.D. (Obsessive Goldfish Cracker Disorder). The recipe that I posted back in August by Roben Ryberg (founder of the famous Ms. Roben’s) for Goldfish crackers just continues to amaze people at how much they taste like the Pepperidge Farms version. They are super easy to make and you can even get [...]
Growing up we always drove from Ohio to Centre, Alabama to visit my mom’s side of the family for Christmas. My grandmother made some southern specialties that I grew to love over the years (it was hard letting go of my “Yankee” roots!). Besides my grandmother’s Cornbread Dressing and Candied Yams, there were her Cinnamon [...]
I am so excited about this! I cannot believe how much these GF Thin Mints taste like the Girl Scouts Thin Mints (well, at least from what I remember!). For the Cookie Wafer: 1 pkg. of Betty Crocker’s GF Devil’s Food Cake Mix 1/4 cup Butter, melted (I used Smart Balance and I am sure [...]
Okay, so this is a work in progress but I wanted to show that it is possible, I just need to find the right noodle! Sam’s school does a neat little thing every Friday called Friday Fun. On Fridays, they make/cook a snack and at the end of the year the kids will have a [...]
I used to love Nutri-Grain bars, pre-celiac. I miss having something easy to grab for breakfast in the morning, that I actually like. I have tried all the GF cereal bars and while they are okay, they are not the same. I found this recipe and WOW! They taste just like I remember Nutri-Grain bars [...]
Last night was clearly a successful evening…the children totally “high” on sugar! We always have some friends and family join us for Trick-Or-Treat night, the dad’s get to herd the children along the route to candy paradise and the mom’s get to sit back and enjoy a libation But, before the mom’s “checked out,” we [...]
Found this cute idea in the Taste of Home Halloween Edition. I made my spaghetti with Tinkyada GF Fusilli noodles. The boys had fun with it and ate the spaghetti but scrapped the orange bell pepper…figures! Incoming search terms:fusilli noodles (2)
I love pasta salad because it is a great way to sneak in extra vegetables for my kids and they wont even gripe about it. I send small containers in their lunch boxes to school. Pasta Salad 1 package Tinkyada Brown Rice Vegetable Spirals Your Favorite Pasta Salad add-ins: I used chopped Bell Pepper, chopped [...]
I am so excited to share this with you all, so I am going to make a second post today!! This is not my recipe, I will never take credit for something I did not create. This recipe is from a cookbook by Roben Ryberg. She is the founder and former owner of Miss Roben’s [...]
Alright, I will share my secret for putting a big smile on my little ones’ faces… In December when Sam was diagnosed with celiac, one of the first things he asked me was if that meant he could no longer have a McDonald’s Happy Meal. I asked him what his favorite part of a Happy [...]
I just received a phone call from Sam’s new kindergarten teacher. A very nice lady who has never heard of Celiac Disease. As I explained CD to her and sited Play Doh as an example of cross-contamination, her only comment was, “I don’t know what I would do if I can’t have Play Doh in [...]
In my pursuit of easing Sam’s transition into the GF lifestyle, I have, as an occasional treat; tried to make replications of some of his favorites like the boxed macaroni and cheese, pizza, Happy Meals and now Spaghetti O’s. The mac and cheese, pizza and Happy Meals have been relatively simple to recreate. Spaghetti O’s [...]
Yummy. Just like the delicious store bought cookies I had as a kid, only the cookie part is a lot thicker. GF “Oreos” I used a package of Pamela’s Products Simplebites Extreme Chocolate Mini Cookies for the chocolate wafers. On the back of the package, there is a recipe for the icing: Pamela’s Simplebite Sandwich [...]
I have a great little breakfast sandwich that my kids love, it’s a GF spin on the McDonald’s McGriddles Breakfast Sandwiches. Use your favorite GF Pancake Mix (we always use Pamela’s Pancake and Baking mix at our house) to make your pancakes. Tip: I like to quadruple the batch each time I make pancakes, then, [...]
Over the years, since going gluten-free, I have been trying to make a Rice “Krispie” treat with the GF crisp rice cereals. Something was always missing and I assumed it was the taste of the malt flavoring in the name brand Rice Krispies cereal. A friend of mine told me she uses Rice Chex, since [...]
And welcome to my blog!
Whether you're here looking for advice on how to go gluten free (with delicious kid-approved recipes of course!), or to read some of the latest medical research on celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity...or even to read about one woman's rise from the depths of gluten-free despair to a place of downright enthusiasm, it makes no matter. The point is, you are here now so let's have some fun!
read more
