Peppermint Krispy Treats -- Gluten-free/Dairy-free

Ok...this is not allergen friendly for all.  If you are allergic to corn (like me), you cannot eat this recipe.  Lydia was invited to a sleepover with some friends and wanted to invent a special treat.  I was thinking easy...because she is still in early stages of trying to cook.  So we created this recipe together....

You will need....
6-7 cups of Cocoa Pebbles cereal
1 bag of Peppermint Marshmallows (or 1 bag regular marshmallows and some peppermint oil)
2 TBS Coconut oil

Melt the coconut oil and marshmallows on low...this was mommy's job.

 While I was doing that, Lydia and her cousin opened 6 candy canes and used our little food processor to crush them into a fine, powdery mixture.  I use the little Ninja food processor.

(Sorry for  the messy picture.  I am working on an allergen friendly no-bake cookie, and hadn't cleaned up from that yet.)  Lydia attempted to stir in the cereal when the marshmallow mixture was melted.  But gave up after a while.  We then put the mixture into a dish that we had put a touch of coconut oil in, to keep the mixture from sticking.

 Then the girls sprinkled the candy cane mixture on the krispy mixture.

 They looked so pretty.....peppermint, chocolate....I was drooling!  I wish i could've eaten some!

Meal plan for the Week....

I was so proud of myself.....we almost followed our meal plan 100%.  There was one day we had tacos, instead of something else.  And I was tired, so I made quick cheese quesadillas and some of them ate pizza tacos.  The only thing we really didn't follow was the snack category.  I didn't bake much this week, not as much as I would've liked or had planned.

But this is the plan for this next week.....

Sunday
Breakfast - Pancakes
Lunch - Steak and potatoes
Snack - Popcorn
Dinner - Meatballs and dumplings

Monday
Breakfast - Cereal or toast
Lunch - Taco Salad
Snack - Peanut butter crackers
Dinner - Chicken fried steaks w/ mashed potatoes and peas

Tuesday
Breakfast - Cereal or toast
Lunch - (Grandpa and Grandma are visiting) hm Chicken Enchiladas and Spanish rice
Snack - choco chip cookies
Dinner - Korean Chicken wraps

Wednesday
Breakfast - Pumpkin muffins
Lunch - leftovers or grilled cheese
Snack - pretzels and dip
Dinner - Chicken pot pie

Thursday
Breakfast - Smoothies and toast
Lunch - fried bologna sandwiches w/ oranges
Snack - popcorn
Dinner - Pizza pasta w/ breadsticks

Friday
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Leftovers / packed lunches
Snack - jello and fruit
Dinner - Steak burrito bowls

Saturday
Breakfast - Biscuits and Gravy
Lunch - Fried potatoes and Applegate Bacon w/ spinach
Snack - hm graham crackers
Dinner - Cincinnati Chili w/ pasta

Hope everyone has a wonderful week!!!

GF/DF/Soy/Egg-free Pigs in the Blanket

So I have been surfing on Pinterest way too much.  And I saw some super yummy Pigs in the Blanket.  But they were made with an almond flour dough, so I needed change them up...nothing can be easy.  I made these and everyone enjoyed them.

GF/DF/Soy/Egg-free Pigs in the Blanket
1 package Bob Red Mills Pizza Crust
4 TBS baking powder
3 TBS coconut oil
2 tsp salt
2 tsp flax seed meal
1-2 packages of Chicken Hot Dogs (All - Natural chicken apple is what we use)
small amount of flour for dusting

***Prepare pizza crust according to package.  I substitute the flax seed for egg in my mix and also add some extra baking powder and salt.

I let the dough rest for about 20 minutes and then take a small handful and roll it out on wax paper.  I then wrap it around hot dog.  I do this until I run out of dough and/or hot dogs...lol.

These bake about 15 minutes at 400 degrees.

You can serve them with a variety of dipping sauces.  I think next time I will add a little more coconut oil because they were a touch dry.  But they were still yummy.  And I was happy to have something that I have not been able to have for a long....long....long time!!!

GF/DF/Soy/Egg-free Shrimp Toast

Joey loves Shrimp Toast....he LOVES it.  Problem is we do not eat out much because of all the food allergies.  So I have been searching for a way to make this treat.  I really thought it would be much harder than it actually was.  

Here is what you need:

1 loaf Gluten free White Rice Bread

1 package precooked shrimp (We used an 8 oz package)

salt to taste

cilantro

lime juice

Coconut oil for shallow frying

Equipment needed:

small food processor

First I cut each slice of bread into 4 slices.

In my food processor I put in the shrimp (I used already cooked and thawed shrimp), some salt, a couple dashes of lime juice and dried cilantro (about 2 tsps.)....Process until it is smooth.  Then spread it on the small strips of bread.

I then laid them in the hot oil, shrimp mixture side down first.  Fry for about 2-3 minutes or until it is brown and then flip.  Cook about the same amount of time.

When look crispy, pull from the pan and keep going until you are done.

We had a ton.  Did not use the whole loaf of bread though.  They were a huge hit with Joey.  And I really enjoyed them too.  This is definitely going to be something we serve on Chinese take-out nights..lol.  Warning though...these do not reheat well.

Now to work on the GF/DF/Soy/Egg-free Egg Roll....

Menu Plan for the Week

We have very little going on this week!!!  I am so excited to hopefully lounge around and play games and read with the kids.

***I am going to do a little cooking and freezing to make things a little easier for myself.  I'll probably cook two meals and freeze one to help out.  Don't have a huge amount of freezer space, so working on the option of freezer cooking right now.

Sunday
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Grilled cheese and hm tomato soup
Snack - popcorn
Dinner - Cincinnati chili and spaghetti noodles

Monday
Breakfast - Biscuits and gravy
Lunch - Leftovers if any...if not hm fish sticks and peas
Snack - mug cakes
Dinner - Chicken enchiladas

Tuesday
Breakfast - Gingerbread muffins
Lunch - Pigs n the Blanket (gf/df/eggfree)
Snack - hm graham crackers
Dinner - Friend chicken, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole

Wednesday 
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - leftovers
Snack - no bake cookies
Dinner - Beef Stew and hm bread

Thursday
Breakfast - Cinnamon Rolls
Lunch - Tatertot casserole
Snack - Gingerbread cake
Dinner - Peanut Chicken with cilantro rice

Friday
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Lemon Basil Pasta
Snack - Popcorn
Dinner - hm pizzas

Saturday 
Breakfast - Strawberry cake
Lunch - Fried potatoes w/ cheese, sour cream and bacon
Snack - cinnamon cookies
Dinner - Goulash

Sunday
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - hm chicken nuggets
Snack - Popcorn
Dinner - Swedish meatballs and noodles w/ peas

Gluten Free Biscuits and Gravy (Dairy Free too)

My kiddos love sausage gravy and biscuits.  But sausage is a no-no in our house due to MSG and I am allergic to pork.  So I have been trying to come up with a solution.  

First step....

Gluten/Dairy Free biscuits

1½ cups white rice flour 
¾ cup potato starch 
3 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold coconut oil and in pieces
¾ cup coconut milk....but you can use any kind of non-dairy you prefer. If you aren't dairy free..use regular milk.

Mix all the ingredients together.  I heat the oven to 350 degrees.  I found the easiest way to make these is to use a large muffin tin and a large cookie scoop.  The dough will have the consistency of cookie dough.  I scoop each cup about half full.  There is enough dough to do about 18 biscuits.

Bake at 350 degrees until dough slightly browns.  Takes about 15 - 20 minutes.

Turkey Bacon Gravy
1 package Applegate Turkey Bacon
3TBS coconut oil
1 qt Coconut Milk (plain flavor)....I buy the tetra packs for this...not canned.
4 TBS white rice flour.
Salt/pepper to taste.

While the biscuits are baking, I start the gravy.  I dice up Applegate Turkey Bacon.  Add 3 TBS of coconut oil.  And a couple dashes of salt (omit if you want).

When the bacon starts browning, stir in about 4 TBS white rice flour.  Allow the flour to soak up what little fat there will be and stir for about 1 minute to "cook" the flour a bit.

Slowly add about 3 cups of coconut milk.  I usually add 1 cup at a time and allow the gravy to begin thickening.  Stir while adding the milk definitely.  Eventually the gravy will begin looking like this.  I allow to simmer..not boil for about 10 minutes.  Stir frequently!!!

 And then tear up your biscuits, spoon on your gravy and ENJOY!!!

**********This is Kuehner Kid approved!!!!
Also this is enough for 4 kiddos, with extras for at least 2.  If Joe and I are both eating...I would double this recipe.

Hot Cocoa Mug Cake---Gluten/Egg/Soy/Dairy Free

Hot Cocoa Mug Cake

***This makes 6 large mugs of hot cocoa mug cake.

2 cups white rice flour

1 cup cocoa powder

1 cup sugar

1 cup coconut oil

4 TBS GF baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup coconut milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix all the above ingredients and add them to the mugs leaving about 1/2 - 3/4 inch at the top of the mugs for the cake to rise.  <<<You may need a bit more coconut milk than I listed.  I did not measure it.  The batter will be thick (not runny like a pancake batter). You do not want it thin.>>>

Bake for about 20-25 minutes until the tops spring back.  

I added Enjoy Life chocolate chips when they came out of the oven, and let them melt on top.  (I was running low on choco chips and didn't have enough to mix in the batter, otherwise I would have added to the batter)  Serve warm or cool.  And you can serve with ice cream.  

The kids really liked this.  Joe ate his cake with ice cream, the kids ate theirs with chocolate syrup.

Menu plan for the week....

Going to try to post these.  I am finding myself getting away from planning like I should be.  And that is not a good thing when budgets are tight.  That doesn't mean we run and eat out, because that's impossible in our little town.  But it means more processed foods than I want them to eat.  Here's the plan for the week.  This might seem like a lot, but you have to remember that we (all 6 of us) eat all meals at home, except for on a few occasions.

Sunday
Breakfast - Banana pancakes
Lunch- Acorn Squash stuffed with rice, black beans, tomato and chilies ( I can leave these in the oven to cook all morning)
Dinner-Crockpot cabbage roll casserole (This is a creation because I was too lazy to make cabbage rolls one night.  It turned out so yummy.)

Monday
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Leftovers
Dinner - Meatball soup (Another crockpot yummy)

Tuesday
Breakfast - Pancakes (I'll make extra Sunday and put in the freezer)
Lunch - Since the girls and I will be gone, we'll pack.  The boys will have leftovers or sandwiches.
Dinner - Tacos

Wednesday
Breakfast - Cinnamon Rolls
Lunch - Black bean burgers and a veggie or hummus
Dinner - Hm Fish sticks and brocolli w/ pasta and alfredo sauce

Thursday
Breakfast - Muffins
Lunch - The girls and I will be gone again...so we'll be packing.  The boys will have hot dogs with chili sauce
Dinner - Meatballs and gravy w/ curly noodles

Friday
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Lydia and I are attending a ballet, so we'll pack.  The boys and Caty will be having leftovers and sandwiches at home
Dinner - fried rice and egg drop soup w/ store bought egg rolls

Saturday
Breakfast - Muffins or pancakes
Lunch - grilled cheese and hm tomato soup
Dinner - pizza bread sticks w/ salad

It helps me to keep up on lessons if I post, so let's home we can stick to this list.  Everyone have super yummy weeks!!!

Red Gravy Spaghetti Recipe

This recipe is gluten free, and super versatile!!!  Joey has been seen actually licking his plate!!!

Ingredients:
1 lb of ground meat (beef, turkey, chicken, etc.)
1 small can of tomato paste (must be paste)
Sweetener of choice
Salt
Basil
Oregano
Cayenne Pepper
Cinnamon (just a dash)

Fry ground meat, breaking it up as it fries up.  My family usually enjoys it a little chucky, gives them a feeling of meatballs.  I usually season the meat with some cayenne pepper (just a couple slight shakes) and salt.  Just before the meat if finished, add the can of tomato paste.  Break it up and allow it to fry along with the meat.  Watch it closely so that it does not burn.  But you will see the tomato paste take on a darker color. As the tomato paste is browning, I add my seasoning to taste....oregano, basil, salt and just a dash of cinnamon.  When the tomato paste has started developing a darker color, I add about two cups of warm water to the skillet.  Stir the tomato paste/meat mixture into the water and allow to simmer for a few minutes.  The mixture will start to thicken as it simmers.  At this point I add some sweetener, you can skip this step with you do not like a sweeter sauce...but our family does.  I also salt to taste.  If the mixture starts getting too thick, and you want a thinner sauce...add another 1/2 to 1 cup of warm water.  Allow the sauce to simmer more.  This sauce is usually thicker though, so be careful how much water you add.  I generally add a total of around 3 cups of water when I make this.  Double check you seasoning by tasting your sauce mixture.  Add what your family prefers...maybe more salt, sugar, oregano, basil...etc.

I serve this on rice spiral pasta that our family loves.  Some of them put parm cheese on it too.

***A variation of this is to limit the amount of water that you add and stick to 2 cups.  Adjust your seasonings to leave out the oregano and basil.  When cooking the beef add cumin to taste instead.  After you add the tomato paste and have it almost browned, add about 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar.  Cook with the remaining directions.  Then serve on bread, open-faced.  I melt a little shredded cheese on these and serve them as open-faced sloppy joe sandwiches.  Another hit!!!

***You can also add onion and garlic.  But we must leave this out due to food alleriges.

Allergen Friendly Chicken Fried Rice--

In the past couple years I have developed several food sensitivies/allergies.  You can call them both.  I don't go into shock, but I suffer a wide range of reactions from stomach issues to hives.  So I have had to completely re-do the way I eat.  It has taken a lot of self-control and some creativity.  

I saw the end of a show about allergen friendly fried rice.  So I thought...this I have to try.

Now these are approximates....I cannot give you set measurements since I do not ever write anything down.

1 lb. ground chicken

4 cups cooked rice

a couple handfuls of shredded or diced carrots

a couple handfuls of frozen peas

3 TBS. lemon juice

2 TBS. coconut oil

(egg optional)

While I am frying up the ground chicken, I cook my rice.  I do add salt, and a touch of cayenne pepper to my meat mixture....very tasty.  When the rice is cooked and I have the ground chicken broken up well, I add about 2 TBS of coconut oil to the meat mixture and then add my rice and shredded carrots.

At this point I walk away.  I resist the urge to stir too often.  I stir about every 3-4 minutes depending on the heat of the skillet. After I stir it once, I add the peas.  I also add the lemon juice at this point.  I stir and allow the rice to "fry" a bit and make sure the lemon juice has "cooked" out.

I then just serve...it's good cold too.  But don't ask..lol.

The lemon juice is supposed to make you feel like soy was added.  I was really nervous about trying this recipe.  I am not a citrus fan, so the thought of "lemon" rice was not appealing.  But you cannot taste any "lemon" flavor.  If I was served this, I would not even know it was added.  It does seem to really bring out the flavor of the chicken.  

This recipe is super easy, and takes very little time. I plan on changing it up a bit with different veggies.  For this version, I just went with simple "restaurant" version.  But the combinations are starting to come together in my brain.  I am thinking of adding cabbage and fresh mushrooms with carrots and leave out the peas.

Hope someone can use this new discovery!