Bento Box & Mini Burgers

I am sort of obsessed with the bento box plates. It almost forces me to feed the kids a well balanced meal because I have to fill the sections.

Tonight I made mini burgers, sort of a cross between meatballs and sliders. We are keeping Ava off gluten (for her sinuses & allergies). A slider without the bun is like a meatball. So I decided to mix worcestershire sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, salt & pepper with ground beef, roll into balls, and bake at 400 for 25 minutes. I put cheese on at the last minute.

While I was baking the burgers I threw in the oven Ore Ida Simply Fries and Broccoli drizzled with Olive Oil.

Prep work took five minutes, all three dishes were done at the same time, and no one complained about what I made. Success.

Best GF Pizza Restaurant EVER

Since the day I stopped eating gluten the only thing I really miss is Pizza. I have found some frozen ones that keep me sane but I have not found a place I can take the family and just enjoy pizza. Tonight that has changed. YOUR PIE. (http://www.yourpie.com/)

First, the gluten-free pizzas are exceptional!!! Not for a second did I miss eating everyone else's pizza. They are prepared in the back, away from all traces of gluten. You have millions of toppings to chose from... pesto, sun dried tomato pesto, red sauce, unlimited free veggies, meats, etc.

Second, they have great options for non-GF peops. They have white crust and whole wheat crust. They are careful with other allergies, such as our kids' egg, nuts, and sesame allergies. They confirmed all ingredients.

Third, the kids options are awesome. They give you a kids pizza, drink (from a fountain with a million choices), and gelato for $5.99. While waiting for your food they gave my kids pizza dough to play with. They had a ball!! Emma asked if we could have breakfast there tomorrow and Ava asked if we can have all future family dinners there.

Lastly, the have wine and beer.

Kids happy, me happy, we are going back!!!!

Fudgy Black Bean Brownies

How could black beans and dates turn into delicious brownies? They can! My kids were shocked. They helped me make them and gagged at the thought of black beans, plus dates, plus sunbutter, plus chia seeds all blended together. It wasn't until I put the cocoa powder in that they considered even tasting them. However, blend and bake and I swear they come out delicious. After coming out of the oven, I must warn, they are more like a gooey souffle. Jill, the friend who gave me the recipe, suggested putting them in the fridge over night and the next day they are more the consistency of a fudgy brownie.

The recipe actually gives another recipe for a topping. I went the easy route and just put whipped cream and blueberries on top.

http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/fudgy-black-bean-brownies-and-banana-treat

Ingredients
2 cups cooked black beans or canned no-salt-added or low-sodium black beans, drained
10 Medjool dates (remove the pits)
2 tbsp Sunbutter
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup natural, non-alkalized cocoa powder
1 tbsp ground chia seed
Raspberries or other berries for topping

DirectionsPreheat oven to 200° F.

Blend the black beans, dates, sunbutter and vanilla in a food processor or high powered blender until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and blend again. Pour into a very lightly oiled 8 x 8 inch baking pan and bake for 1 1/2 hours.

Cool completely before cutting into small squares. Top with raspberries or other berries.

Carrot Apple Coconut Muffins

Parents always ask how they can sneak veggies into their kids diets. That is probably why Parenting Magazine (www.parenting.com) had a whole page article on carrots and "fun, fresh ways to fix this kid-pleasing veggie".

I had my eye on the recipe for Carrot Apple Coconut Muffins since April's issue. It was a recipe that required ingredients I always have in my house and it sounded really good. I had to modify it a little bit but the muffins were still great. And it was easy enough to make that Vince helped me bake them.

Preheat oven to 350. Mix the following ingredients:
1 1/2 cups All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 cup Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
1 cup of peeled, grated Carrots
1/2 cup of peeled, grated Apple (Or I used 1/2 cup of Apple Sauce)
1/4 cup ground flaxseed

Then in a separate bowl mix:
2 eggs (or 3 tsp of Ener-G egg replacer + 4 Tbsp water)
1 tsp Vanilla
1/3 cup Coconut Milk
1/4 cup Coconut Oil
1/2 cup Honey

Combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients. If it looks like it needs more liquid, add some coconut milk. Add 1 Tbsp of batter to mini muffin tins and bake for 15 minutes, 30 for regular size muffins.

Enjoy being sneaky.

Banana Oatmeal Raison Bars

I have been quite busy lately and haven't been trying new recipes. I am waiting for my Beetnik Gluten Free food delivery and was thinking I would blog again once that came. But yesterday when I saw on Facebook a link for these Banana Oatmeal Raison Bars I figured I could squeeze in some baking time. They actually came out delicious! I think they are even better today though, maybe they aren't meant to be eaten hot. Since there is no sugar they made a good breakfast (I don't like sugary breakfast food). If making as a dessert food, I would replace the raisons for chocolate chips.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheRoadToHealthy/

I shared it on my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TheEverythingFreeMommy?ref=ts&fref=ts

I modified the recipe and came up with:

3 smashed Bananas
1/3 cup apple sauce
2 cups of GF rolled oats
1/4 cup Coconut Milk
1/2 cup raisons (Or I think Chocolate Chips would be great)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

Mix and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Taco Salad

Even my salads have a Mexican flare. This salad has been on my mind for days. I even had a Mexican Casserole two days in a row and still was thinking up a Taco Salad. And then today my grocery store was advertising a new corn chip, The Better Chip, Jalapeno flavor. It was calling my name and definitely going in my salad.



Taco Salad:
Spinach
Chickpeas
Black Beans
Diced Orange Pepper
Diced Cucumber
Diced Tomato
Olives
Sauteed Ground Beef-with pepper, salt, chili, and about a cup of salsa
Shredded Cheese
Crunched up Jalapeno Corn Chips

Salad Dressing:
Olive Oil
Honey
Lime
Salt & Pepper

With the help of my mom, I realized my kids do not like their food items all mixed together like I do. So tonight I kept a portion of the ingredients out of the salad for them. They had ground beef, olives, and cucumbers.

Dinner took about 15 minutes to prepare and was amazing. Tomorrow I will have the leftovers for lunch which will make it four days in a row of Mexican food.

Greek Chicken with Hummus, Tzatziki, & Quinoa

Have I mentioned I am back to work? Not too much, only 10 hours a week but it seems to have cut into my food shopping, cooking, and blogging time. Heads up...my recipes will probably get easier and shorter and my posts about take out restaurants will get more frequent. I have my old job from 4 years ago working at a residential eating disorder treatment center. I am one of the Education Coordinators, helping the students who are in treatment keep up with their school work. I also contact teachers, parents, and counselors.

I was sure this dinner would be a disappointment. It was about 15 minutes of prep and not well thought out. But Emma said half way through dinner, "Mommy, can you make this again tomorrow night?" It is amazing how good that feels, when your kids all actually like the dinner you prepared. Success! And when it happens after an easy prep it is even more of a Success!

Greek Chicken:
I cut chicken with a scissor, put the chunks in a baking dish and added a little greek salad dressing. Baked at 350 until done.

Baked Broccoli:

Cut up broccoli, top with Olive Oil, and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Sesame-Free Hummus:
In the VitaMix I added:
1 can chickpeas
Juice from 1/2 lemon
2 tbsp Olive Oil
salt

Tzatziki:
Fage Total Tzatziki

Quinoa:
Cook in a rice cooker or pot
1 cup of Quinoa in rice cooker
1 tbsp of greek salad dressing
2 cups of water
After it cools add Feta Cheese.

Nothing fancy but when the kids liked it, I decided to share it. Enjoy.

Lucy's Brownie Cakes, Gluten-free + Egg-free + Nut-free + Diary-free

I have been MIA lately I am going to admit why. I messed up. Thank God no one got sick, but I am 95% sure I messed up big time on the kids' allergies.

A few nights ago I went to blog about my Turkey Tacos. I had bought a seasoning packet, Fontera Taco Skillet, at the store that day and read the ingredients at least two times, maybe three. I made tacos, the kids ate them, and so I went online to share them with you. However, I already threw out the seasoning packet so I looked it up online to share the exact info. I immediately noticed the scary words "sesame oil" when the item came up.  I even blogged previously that some of the Fontera packets have sesame oil and I still missed it. My kids had no hives! I do not know what that means. It was one of the last ingredients and the tacos had cheese with very little Turkey, so perhaps they did not react to the little bit? Or has their sesame allergy gone away? Or was it a different flavor that I bought in the store and the one I found online was different? I do not know but I was horrified and mortified and it took me a few days to get over it.

Sometimes, I think these things happen to remind me to be more careful. Stick to what I know works. Stop trying new and creative recipes and give the kids what they like and what I know is safe. Or maybe an accident happens to show you the children have outgrown an allergy. I have no clue. I think we all need to be retested and so I am going to leave it at that...A reminder to go back to the doctor and see where we are at this year.

Here I am today, with a Store Bought suggestion, afraid to try any new items for a while. Lucy's Brand cookies are an easy treat for my family. Their cookies are nut-free, gluten-free, egg-free, and dairy-free. Bottom line, they are safe. And they are good!! So they either have a new item or it is new to my Whole Foods. Brownie Cakes, wrapped in individual servings packs (with two mini brownie cakes). These are PERFECT! They look like cupcakes so I can leave them at the schools for birthdays. I can bring them with me on play dates, to restaurants, while traveling as a "special treat", or to leave in my car in case other parents bring surprise cupcakes to the park. I swear, this little box from Whole Foods has the potential to change my life.

The whole family tested them out and we all approve. Also, try Lucy's cookies. So far, I like every flavor I have tried.

Hope this helps and enjoy!

Edamame Salad

I have been meaning to blog about this dish since I started the blog. My friend Jenny told me about this simple recipe for Edamame as a snack, side dish, or appetizer.

1 bag of Frozen Edamame, defrosted
Craisins
Feta Cheese, Crumbled
Salad dressing, I used Organicville Olive Oil & Balsamic

Mix and serve!

Whole Foods Indian Red Lentil Soup, Everything-free

I am sorry that I have been out of touch. Spring break, new (old) job, and a little bit of cookers block (if that is a thing?). I am tired and overwhelmed. Headache, potty accident, atomic meltdown, ear infection, shower refusal, allergic reaction to dog, MRI scheduled, planning the summer, school project, kids fighting, Uggs in the rain, eczema.... Yea, I ended up hysterical crying in the doctors office today. There was a student nurse following the doc. I had no control and just melted down. Wonder what their conversation was after I left?

In other news, I stumbled upon the Recipe section of the Whole Foods website and found new inspiration. There are hundreds of recipes, all simple, healthy, and many are allergy free. My first recipe was their Indian Red Lentil Soup.

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipe/indian-red-lentil-soup

Check it out. Their pictures are better than mine so I am not posting one. It was simple, delicious, and pretty easy.

Passover Desserts, Everything-free

I can't legally say these are traditional Passover desserts but they are acceptable and they are gluten-free, egg-free, nut-free, dairy-free...

This cake from The Gluten-Free Goddess is so delicious I can't believe it. I made it a while ago for my vegan cousin. Tonight I am missing some ingredients so I am certain it won't come out as good but I wanted to share it.

Vegan "Flourless" Chocolate Cake Recipe:
http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2009/02/vegan-flourless-chocolate-cake-made-in.html

The second dessert I am making I found while looking for an SCD diet dessert for a friend. They are also everything-free and so yummy!! I even made this for breakfast once.

Baked Apples:
http://scdrecipes.blogspot.com/2011/11/baked-apples.html

Happy Passover, Happy Spring Break, Happy Easter, and Happy Sunday!

Beet-Turkey-Meat Sauce with Corn Pasta

This is a Hot Pink colored meat sauce! I suppose you could convince any child obsessed with pink that this dish is Pinkalicious Meat Sauce. The beets were a last minute idea...and I would say if you don't like beets than it was a bad idea. Fortunately, we like them. 

Beet-Turkey-Meat Sauce:

Put the following ingredients in the crock pot for 5 hours. 

Diced Celery

Shredded Carrots

Diced Eggplant

Quartered fresh tomatoes

Olive Oil

3 garlic cloves sliced

In the Vitamix (or blender) blend and add then add the mixture to crock pot. 

1 beet cut up

1 cup of the crock pot vegetables

1 cup of water

Then Saute Ground Turkey with a little olive oil, salt, and italian seasoning. Once cooked thru add that to the crock pot as well. 

While the sauce finishes cooking, make the pasta of your choice. Tonight I used Mrs. Leeper's Corn Rotelli.

Top the pasta with the meat sauce and parmesan cheese (if you like) and enjoy!

Chimichurri Filet with Mango Avocado Salad & Brussel Sprouts

Tonight I was going to make frozen Udi's pizza with some salad. Will, thank God, had other plans. I LOVE when Will shops and cooks. He comes home with things I overlook a million times at the grocery store. For example, the Gaucho Ranch Gluten Free Chimichurri sauce he came home with tonight. He also came home with Filet Mignon and gummy worms, two other things I never buy.

So, although he cooked it, I will blog about it.

Chimichurri Filet:
He butterflied the steaks, rubbed them with Chimichurri, and then grilled them. After they were done he topped them with Chimichurri again.

Mango Avocado Salad:
Mixed Greens
Diced Mangos
Diced Avocado
Shaved Romano
1 Squeezed Lemon
Drizzled Olive Oil

Brussel Sprouts:
Drizzle Olive Oil and Kosher Salt on Brussel Sprouts and cook at 400 until crispy (about 45 minutes).

Who knew, pizza and a movie night turned out to be gourmet. Thanks Will. xo

Chicken & Pepper Enchiladas

It is pretty obvious that I love Mexican food. I am sorry if it is overkill on the Mexican recipes. However, I just discovered the Fontera Pouches and had to share. (BEWARE, they are not all allergy safe. I almost bought one that had sesame oil! Read the ingredients carefully.) A few are labeled Gluten-free, including the Red Chile Enchilada Sauce.

Chicken & Veggie Enchiladas:
So I put chicken & peppers in the crock pot with salsa (Jack's Special) for 6 hours. (If you don't have a crock pot you can saute it in a skillet instead). After about 5 hours I  shredded the chicken. When it was done cooking, I added the chicken & peppers to corn tortillas and topped with Fontera Enchilada Sauce and some cheese. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes of until the cheese starts to bubble.

Moros Rice:
In the rice cooker, I added 1 cup brown rice, 2 cups of water, 1 tbsp olive oil, and 1 can of black beans.

Quacamole:
In the Vitamix I added cilantro, 4 small avocados, juice from 1 lemon, salt, pepper, and a 2 spoonfuls of Jack's Special Salsa. Blend on the lowest speed while mashing down. (If you don't have a Vitamix you can mash it in a bowl). I served with Late July Organic Sea Salt by the Seashore Chips.

Muy Delicioso!

Neon Green Smoothie

This is my Dear God Don't Let Me Get Sick drink. Of course, I make it different every time but today was worth sharing. Feel free to add or delete anything according to your likes.

I filled half the blender with frozen peaches and mangoes
Then added coconut water to the top of the frozen fruit
And I blended.
I gave part of the mixture to the kids and then added to the rest:
2 cups of Spinach
1/4 inch ginger
Vitamin C (liquid)
Juice Plus capsules (opened up)
Drops of Oregano Oil
Aloe Vera Juice
1 cup of Cilantro

It was the prettiest shade of green and it was delicious.

Lemon Chicken with Cauliflower Butternut Squash Soup & Sweet Potato Fries

Two sick kids home today and I felt chicken and soup was an appropriate dinner. Honestly, I ate my way thru the day and couldn't imagine cooking or eating anything. Being home all day was a great excuse to start a new book (Gone Girl) and snack on everything in my fridge and cabinet. Green smoothie, Omelette with spinach, feta, and sun dried tomatoes, yogurt and granola, quacamole and PopChips, Apple, Banana...

So as a Jewish mother I suppose it is my job to make chicken and soup when my kids are sick.

Cauliflower Butternut Squash Soup:
1 box of Pacific Butternut Squash Soup
1 head of Orange Caulifower
1 cup of carrots
2 celery stalks sliced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Put all the ingredients in the Crock Pot for 5 hours. After 4 hours mix and add Thyme, Salt, Pepper, and Oregano. I actually overcooked the soup and it lost its soupy consistency. It was still delicious but served more like Cauliflower Mash than a soup.

Lemon Chicken:
2 lbs of Chicken Legs
3 Lemons
Olive Oil
2 Sliced garlic cloves
1 tbsp spicy mustard

Mix everything except chicken in a bag and then add the chicken. Leave in the fridge until you are ready to cook. Pour out the chicken and sauce from the bag in a saute pan and cook on all sides. Then bake at 400 for 35-45 minutes.

Sweet Potato Fries:

Ore-Ida Sweet Potato Fries are Gluten-free

Will, my husband, said the dinner had an Indian flare. Hope mama's chicken and soup help my babies feel better. 

Turkey Lettuce Wraps, Gluten-Free + Sesame-Free

Emma said this was one of her favorite meals I ever made. I am shocked. I didn't even think the kids would try it. I think the kids ate it because it was different and they enjoyed making their own wraps (with lettuce, filling, and dressing).

I found this recipe:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/melissa-darabian/turkey-lettuce-wraps-recipe/index.html

I sauteed ground turkey in coconut oil until no longer pink. Then added broccoli slaw, water chestnuts, chopped garlic, mushrooms, and sliced green onions. Once the veggies were cooked I added a mixture of gluten-free soy sauce (1/4 cup), rice wine vinegar (1 tbsp), and brown sugar (1 tbsp).

I added the filling to iceberg lettuce and topped with a dressing of gluten-free soy sauce (3 tbsp), rice wine vinegar (2 tbsp), honey (2 tbsp), dijon mustard (1tbsp), and water (1/4 cup).

According to Emma, it is worth trying!

Fresh Vegetable Quinoa with Costco Rotisserie Chicken & Brussel Sprouts, Everything-free

What goes well with Costco Rotisserie Chicken? Everything. Tonight I made a Fresh Vegetable Quinoa and Brussel Sprouts. I can't promise the kids will love this but we can try. I used all the left over vegetables and put them out as an appetizer and they ate them all so I won't complain.

Last night was a dinner disaster. I was feeling ambitious and it was a bad idea. I promised to try and stay away from the crock pot, however, I am not cut out for complicated dishes. First, I tried to make fried chicken cutlets. I should have known. All the bread crumbs ended up stuck to the pan, the chicken looked like it was covered in water by the end. I baked broccoli & cauliflower but undercooked it and it was too hard to eat. I sauteed spinach in the same pan as chicken and kids wouldn't touch it because of the bread crumbs all over it. I also made quinoa spaghetti with Classico Tomato & Basil sauce, fortunately something almost impossible to mess up. The saving grace was the arugula pesto my cousin Carianne recommended. I blended arugula, lemon, garlic, olive oil, and salt & pepper. When I diced the chicken, broccoli, cauliflower, and spaghetti and mixed it with the pesto it actually tasted delish! But even after deciding it was delicious, it was not worth the clean up. Frying pan, broccoli baking dish, mini food processor, pasta pan, sauce pan, cutting board, plates bla bla bla.  Soooo, tonight was a Costco Rotisserie Chicken night!!! It is free of all my family's allergies, it is 5 bucks, and it is easy!

Fresh Vegetable Quinoa:
1 cup of uncooked quinoa
2 cups of water
2 tbsp of salad dressing (I used Organicville Olive Oil & Balsamic)

I put the above three things in the rice cooker.

Diced tri-colored peppers
Diced celery
Diced carrots
Diced cucumbers

Mix the vegetables with salad dressing (I used the Organicville for this too) and add it to the cooked Quinoa. Add salt & pepper. You can eat this warm or cold.

Brussel Sprouts:
Mix brussel sprouts with olive oil and kosher salt. Bake at 400 until crispy.

Kitchen is clean, I am not exhausted, & healthy food awaits. In the future I will try and remember my own rule, nothing complicated.

Mongolian Beef, Gluten-free + Sesame-free + Nut-free

We absolutely completely avoid asian food when we are with the kids. I am way too fearful of the nut and sesame contamination. Plus, I find soy sauce contamination has been the biggest problem for my gluten sensitivity. I heard Pei Wei has a gluten-free menu but due to nut and sesame oil we never took the kids. However, I finally ordered it for myself the other night. I had their gluten-free sweet and sour chicken. It was good but all I kept thinking was "I wish it was their Mongolian Beef". As I have said before, when I get a craving I MUST find a way to have it. So I started searching....

It didn't take long before I found a P.F. Chang's gluten-free Mongolian Beef recipe!! The only thing I have to take out is the sesame oil.

http://www.pfchangs.com/chefscorner/recipes/gluten_free_mongolian_beef_recipe.pdf

Serve with brown rice and baked broccoli and Enjoy!

Baked Chicken Cutlets, egg-free + gluten-free + sesame-free

If I had to pick 3 foods I remember eating as a child, chicken cutlets would make the list. (Off the top of my head...meatballs, chicken cutlets, and take out.) We ate them with a Ketchup/BBQ sauce mixture.

Bread crumbs obviously have gluten but they also usually contain egg and sesame. Even when I could eat gluten, eggs, and sesame I never made them as good as my mom. But now I have to try and find a decent recipe that my whole family can eat without whining, complaining, or hives... and taste near as good as my moms.

Ians makes a gluten free bread crumb, similar tasting to panko, and instead of egg I am going to try a coconut oil and yogurt mixture. Here we go...


Baked Chicken Cutlets:
Chicken cutlets
Ian's Gluten Free bread crumbs
Plain Greek Yogurt
Coconut Oil

First, I mixed some coconut oil and yogurt in a bowl. Second, I put the bread crumbs in a bowl. Third, I rubbed coconut oil in a lasagna pan.

I dipped the chicken in the oil and yogurt mixture, then in the bread crumbs, then put in the oiled pan. Bake at 350 for about 40-50 minutes, depends how thick the chicken is.

Serve with any of your favorite sides. Tonight we are having sauteed spinach and brown rice. And I am having some white sangria (white wine, sprite, and canned fruit cocktail). The more whining in my house the more wine in my house.

Enjoy!