Multi-Grain Gluten Free Flour Mix

Finally a perfected Multi-Grain flour mix that tastes and bakes wonderfully!

Here's how you mix. 2 Parts Heavy Flour, 2 Parts Light Flour, and mixture of 2 Parts Starch. You can mix any variation of heavy to light etc. this is the mix that I think tastes the Best. After you mix this,  store it in an airtight container. Makes 9 Cups total. 

3 Cups of Quinoa Flour (light Flour)

3 Cups of Brown Rice Flour (heavy Flour)

1 1/2 Cups of Tapioca Starch

1 1/2 Cups of Potato Starch

A side note for baking. Because we are Gluten Free, we need to substitute for Gluten. In Wheat flour, Gluten acts as a gum. So, you will need to add a gum to this Gluten-Free mix when you are baking. I personally don't add it to the bulk mix, but rather mixing it into the actual batter when I bake. The rule of thumb is 1/4 tsp. gum per 1 cup of flour. I use guar gum, but xanthan gum is popular too. Just remember to add it in when you bake so that you get the same texture and consistency as wheat flour. 

Cranberry Pumpkin Streusel Muffins

In honor of Pumpkin Spice Late season... This muffin is Vegan, Gluten, and refined Sugar Free. A delicious Muffin that is perfect for the Celiac, Diabetic, Allergic, or Veganic person. Or just perfect for the person trying to be a little more healthy. These contain all natural, organic ingredients that have zero allergens or refined junk that you can't pronounce. Also olive oil is used in place of vegetable oil, so the person with high Cholestrol can participate too!

Streusel Ingredients

1 Cup of Multi-Grain Gluten Free Blend (see the Multi-Grain Flour Blend Post)

1/2 Cup Packed Raw Coconut Sugar

1 tsp. Cinnamon

Pinch of Sea Salt

5 Tbsp. Olive Oil

1/2 Cup Craisins

Muffins Ingredients

Dry

2 Cups Multi-Grain Gluten Free Blend

3/4 Cup Packed Raw Coconut Sugar

1/2 Cup Agave Nectar or Pure Maple Syrup (not dry but mix it in anyways)

2 tsp. Baking Soda

1 tsp. Baking Powder

3/4 tsp. Guar Gum

1 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon 

1/4 tsp. Nutmeg

1/4 tsp. Ground Cloves

1/2 tsp. Sea Salt

Wet

3/4 Cup Pumpkin Purée

1/2 Cup Olive Oil

1/4 Cup Coconut Milk

1/4 Boiling Water

1 Tbsp. Apple Cider Vinager 

Directions

Mix all struesel ingredients on low for a couple of minuets. Set bowl aside. Preheat Oven to 350 F. 

In a separate Bowl, mix all Dry ingredients (including Agave Nectar). Once dry ingredients are mixed, slowly add wet ingredients one at a time. Beat on high for a coule of minuets. 

Line a muffin tin and fill cups 3/4 full. Use a separate spoon to top muffins with struesel mix. Bake for 35 minuets and let cool. Enjoy!!

Product of the Week #3

Quinoa! Just a fad or is this stuff as good for you as they say? I'll give you the facts and let you decide. As many of the 'glutards' have come to find out, wheat is the new 8th deadly sin. Why? Because recent research has proven that most of the nutrition is completely processed out of it. For people with gluten sensitivity, wheat can put a person on the couch for hours. Some people just avoid all grains in order to let their guts heal. My approach to this is that our bodies need Carbs, but healthy carbs. Carbohydrates is what fuels our bodies to have energy. It plays an important role in metabolism and regulation of absorption of nutrients. Sure some carbs are found in fruits and starches, but does the average person consume enough fruits to give them the same carbohydrate intake as a grain? Usually not. The problem with many gluten-free foods, is that many of them are made with rice, almonds, corn, and potatoe. These aren't exactly healthy alternatives to wheat. Especially for People surffering from diabetes. Rice and potato are carb loaded and lack proteins we need. Almonds and corn are not good for the allergic person because they contain allergens. So what grains can we eat?? Don't get so hopeless. This new wonder grain is good for everyone. It's full of protein, it's low in the glycemic index, and it contains vital and healthy carbohydrates that our bodies require to convert food into energy.

Here are the nutrition facts. For every gram consumed, your body takes in 1 gram of protein per 1 gram of carb. That gives blood sugar a chance to regulate as your body breaks this stuff down. 

It's totally hypoallergenic. It's actually just the bud of a plant. So there isn't much processing that needs to be done to it once it's harvested. There aren't any additives either. This makes the person suffering from sensitive digestive issues, able to consume it without problems. It doesn't cause inflammation like rice or millet either. It's easy on the gut. 

It can be ground and made into a powder to add to flour mixes. It can be used in place of oats in recipes, or even used as an oatmeal. It's versatile if you haven't caught my drift. 

How do you cook it? Just like rice, 2 cups of liquid to 1 cup of Quinoa. Let it boil for about 20 minuets until all liquid is cooked out. I personally cook mine in chicken stock. But you can use water and get the same result. What do I eat it with? Use it like rice in any recipe. Add it to soups, use it as a side, or pour meat and juices over it. Get creative. 

Lastly, where do I but this? Costco, if you've been following me for any amount of time you know that I love Costco. The cost equals out to be less than $2 a pound. Most health food stores or regular grocery stores carry it, but for double the price. Buy bulk and save! Enjoy.

Powerful Pizza

A pizza that is Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Soy-Free, all natural, organic, healthy, and packed full of healthy protein. And for my food friend who is fighting liver cancer....it contains very low Sodium! Yippee!

Topping Ingredients 

3 pounds of ground turkey

Olive oil

1 Red Pepper

1 Yellow Pepper

1/2 Jar of Organic and Allergy Free Marinara Sauce

3 heaping tsp. Minced Garlic

1 Tbsp. Onion Powder

1 Cup Fresh Spinach

Crust Ingredients

1 Cup Dairy-Free Milk (I used Coconut Milk)

1 1/4 Cup Quinoa Flour (or your grain of choice

8 Tbsp. Tapioca Starch (or your starch of choice)

1 tsp. Guar Gum

1 tsp. Sea Salt

1 tsp. Baking Soda

4 Tbsp. Grapeseed Oil

1 Tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar 

Directions

1. Preheat Oven 350 F

2. Mix all crust ingredients on low for about 5 minuets.

3. While crust is mixing, start browning Ground Turkey on low in a frying pan.

4. While turkey is browning, flatten dough onto a greased pizza pan.

5. Bake Pizza Crust for 18 to 20 minuets. 

6. While Crust is Baking add Onion Powder, Garlic, and Spinach to Turkey. Toss in some Olive Oil to keep it moist. 

7. Wash and Chop Peppers and add them to the frying pan.

8. Pull out crust, flip it, and then spread sauce evenly over the entire thing.

9. Add all toppings from the frying pan. Drizzle more olive oil over the top of Pizza. 

10. Bake for another 20 minuets. 

11. When fully cooked, slice into even peices and Enjoy!

Product of the Week: Organic Fruit Snacks

These fruit snacks are such a treat! They are Gluten Free and free of all those other preservatives that make kids snacks so unhealthy. There is no High Fructose Corn Syrup, Refined Sugar, Soy, Artificial Flavors or Colors, and they are totally Organic. You can pronounce all ingredients so you know exactly what is going in your child's mouth.

I present to you Product of the Week Number 2....

YumEarth Organics Fruit Snacks

The images of the ingredients are hard to read in the photo because the packaging is a plastic bag. But I will type them all out on the bottom of the post.

Just where do you find these? At an over-priced Health Food Store? Nope! Costco! Yep, that's one amazing place, that Costco is. They were 6.99 for a huge bag of them. If you don't have a Costco near by or your Costco does not sell them you can order them online. Here's the link. YumEarth Organics Fruit Snacks

Each bag is 70 calories and although there are 11g of sugar you can rest assure that all of it is natural, unprocessed or refined sugar. Much better than the alternative. 

Here's my very poor picture of the bag. I hope you can find some and treat your kids! Mine love them!

Ingredients: Organic Brown Rice Syrup, Pectin Citric Acid, Natural Flavors, Organic Juice Concentrates (Carrot, Apple, Pumkin, Radish, Black Currant), Juice Concentrate (Carrot, Hibiscus), Asorbic Acid (Lemon Juice)

Chocolate Zucchini Muffin

These are so good and fluffy. They are completely Allergy free. They contain NO Gluten, Egg, Wheat, Dairy, Corn, Tree-Nut, Peanut, or Soy. They are Vegan, super healthy and include a secret ingredient that contains healthy fats.

Let me first add that I found and amazing Ancient Grains, Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour that I used in this recipe. It is called Premium Gold All Purpose Gluten-Free Flour. I ordered it online but I have heard that most Costco's sell it. However, our local Costco does not carry it. It contains no Corn Meal, or Almond Flour unlike most Gluten-Free Flour. It is made with Rice Flour, Flaxseed, Quinoa Flour, Buckwheat Flour, Amaranth Flour, Tapioca Flour, Arrowroot Flour, and Xanthan Gum. To access where to Order it just simply click on the link and it will take you right to the website. If you don't have access to this and don't want to order the flour I have the conversion for you.

All Purpose Flour Mix Conversion

1 Cup Quinoa Flour (or grain of choice)

8 Tbsp. Tapioca Starch (or starch of choice)

3/4 tsp. Guar Gum or Xanthan Gum

Ingredients

1 Mashed Avocado

1 Cup Shredded Zuchinni 

3 Tbsp. Flax meal

6 Tbsp. Warm water

1/2 Cup Grape-seed Oil

1 tsp. Pure Vanilla

1/3 Cup Boiling Water

1 1/2 Cups of Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour

1/2 Cup Cocoa Powder

1/2 Cup Craisins

3/4 Cup Stevia or Sugar

1 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

1 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon 

Directions

1. Preheat Oven to 350 F

2. Mix Warm Water and Flax meal. Let sit for 8 minuets to form a gel

3. Mix all wet ingredients with Flax Gel

4. Mix all dry ingredients

5. Combine wet and dry ingredients

6. Line a muffin tin with paper baking cups

7. Fill paper cups with batter to top

8. Bake on top rack for 35 minuets or until toothpick pokes clean

*You can Convert the Recipe to a Bread Simply by putting batter in a Greased Loaf Pan and increasing the time to 55 minuets.

Product of the Week: Hemp Milk

Being on an Elimination Diet can be difficult for people who love Milk. Taking Dairy out of a child's diet is not recommended because Cow's Milk is similar to Breast Milk in the sense that it is full of Calcium And Vitamin D. Calcium plays a huge role in Bone development, and Vitamin D in Brain development. Needless to say, switching to a Non-Dairy Milk should not be done casually. When it comes to a child's development you must be considerate of all nutritional values.

Here's a list of Dairy replacements:

• Rice Milk
• Soy Milk
• Almond Milk
• Coconut Milk
• Hemp Milk

I broke each one down, did some research, and good old fashion comparison of Nutrition Labels and here's what I found. Rice Milk has literally no nutritional value. It's packed with Carbohydrates and lacks Protein as well as Vitamins and Minerals essential to a child's development. Soy is not the drink of choice because it's full of Fat and again, lacks Protein, Calcium and other vital nutrients. Almond Milk is a great choice, it has the same Calcium and Vitamin D content as Cow's Milk. Two problems with Almond Milk though. 1) It lacks Calories, 30 calories just doesn't cut it for the kiddos (For an adult it's great though). And 2) Almond Milk is not recommended for people on an Elimination Diet because it contains Tree-Nuts. Other than the allergy part of it, Tree-Nuts can cause inflammation in the digestive tract. Almond Milk is not recommended for people with Auto-Immune Disease, Eosinophilic Disorder, or Inflammatory problems. So, that leaves us with Coconut Milk and Hemp Milk. Coconut Milk, like Rice Milk lacks nutrition. It does contain lots of great Fatty Acids, but it's also full of Sugar. Not a good choice when substituting Milk in a toddlers sippy cup. However, Coconut Milk is great for baking!!!! Unlike Almond Milk, Coconut is not considered a tree-nut. It's hypoallergenic and was recommended by my Allergist!

Since the Elimination Diet excludes Soy, Dairy, and Almond Milk, and both Coconut and Rice Milk are unhealthy,  what do I replace Cow's Milk with for my little tot? I present to you....

Hemp Milk!

Full of Calcium and Vitamin D, in fact it has as much as Cows Milk! It contains Protein, lots of great Fatty Acids, and comes in a Vanilla flavor that does NOT contain processed Sugar! What?! I'm not kidding. See for yourself. 

I purchased mine at Sprouts, but if you don't have a Sprouts in your hometown here is a link for you to order. Pacific Hemp Milk.

No Sugar and only 1 gram of Carbs!!!!! Sweetened with Natural Vanilla! Wait, did you see it has 70 Calories and is full of Healthy Fats? That's a Caloric equivalent to Cow's Milk and twice as much as Almond Milk. Better than Cow's Milk though, it is Healthy Fat, not full of Cholesterol. I thought I died and went to Heaven when I found this for Zachy. It gets better, the taste is wonderful! He drinks about 2 sippy cups a day of this stuff. I can rest assure he is getting proper nutrients to foster Bone and Brain development. Yes, Vitamin  D helps stimulate brain development. Cheers to the smart kids that this stuff is helping create! 

One very funny question I was asked by someone, was whether or not you can get high from drinking it. Although hemp is from the Marijuana plant, it does not contain THC. So, whether that is good news or bad news for you, it's the truth. No getting high here. 

The last note before I leave for today... Because it is made from a seed, it has an oil that will separate from the grain. Make sure you give the carton a good shake before pouring. And if you re-refrigerate sippy cups like I do...Shake it well before giving it to your child. 

There you have it. The product of the week. I will keep them coming! 

Carrot Zucchini Muffins

These muffins are to die for! So healthy. Not an ounce of refined sugar or even sugar replacements. They contain 2 Veggies and 2 Fruits. Paleo Friendly and Totally Gluten-Free, Egg, Dairy, Soy, Nut, Wheat, And Grain Free! Does an Allergy Mom's life get any better?? 

My kids both love them!!! They are great to throw in the car for those on-the-go moments when you need a healthy snack. Here's the recipe, I hope you enjoy them as much as we do. 

Ingredients

1/2 Cup Coconut Flour

1/2 Cup Quinoa Flour

1/2 tsp. Guar Gum

1/2 Cup Shredded Carrots

1/2 Cup of Craisins or Raisins

1 Cup of Shredded/Strained Zuchinni

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1/4 Cup of Apple Sauce or 1 Banana

1/4 tsp. Sea Salt

3 Tbsp. Grapeseed Oil or Olive Oil

1 Tbsp. Ground Flax

3 Tbsp. Warm Water

1/2 Cup Maple Syrup

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1/2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon 

Directions

1. Preheat Oven to 350 F

2. Mix Flax and Warm Water to make gel. Set aside for 8 minuets

3. Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl and then add Flax Gel

4. Line cupcake tin with paper liners. Use a spoon to fill each liner with batter.

5. Bake at 350 F for 35 minuets or until toothpick pokes clean. 

Enjoy!! So Glad you gave it a try. Please let me know how you like them.

*you can use a Gluten-Free Flour mix instead of Coconut and Quinoa Flour. But, if you choose to it will be very very moist. To avoid this you can omit the Applesauce or Banana.

Dairy Free Italian Soda

One of my favorite drinks! I have tried several different ways to make this without dairy and with a syrup that is allergy safe. I tried to make berry syrup homemade and it wasn't all that great. So, here's what I finally came up with and after some trial and error, it was perfected! 

 Ingredients

1 Cup of Club Soda 

1 Cup Coconut Milk

3 Tbsp. Vanilla Extract

1 Tbsp. Maple Syrup

Half of a Peach sliced

Ice

Directions 

1. Pour Syrup and Vanilla in a glass filled with Ice

2. Add a few slices of Peach

3. Add Club Soda

4. Add Coconut Milk

5. Do NOT stir

Avacado Cilantro Lime Chicken

This is not Vegan, however without the chicken it is still and amazing dish full of protein! If you are Vegan or you are in the beginning if the Eosinophilic Diet Guidelines and can't have meat yet, simply omit the chicken. For the time being I'm using Chicken.

This is an amazing dish! And a little bit different, and better than the ones you see floating around Pinterest. Here's my rendition. 

Ingredients

3 Chicken Breast boiled, shredded and cooled

2 Ripe Avocados

1 Lime

1/2 Red Onion

1 Bushell of fresh Cilantro

2 Tbsp. Coconut Yogurt

1 tsp. Sea Salt

2 Tsp. Minced Garlic

1 Cup Quinoa

Directions 

1. Put Onion and Cilantro in food processor until finely chopped 

2. Combine Chicken, sliced Avacado, juice from Lime, Coconut Yogurt, Galic and Sea Salt to a mixing bowl. Toss until evenly mixed and Avacados are fairly mashed

3. Add Quinoa, Onion, and Cilantro to the bowl. Toss until evenly mixed. 

4. Enjoy!!!

The Best Roast

I have been reading a lot about bone broths. They contain vital nutrients to our bodies and our digestive systems. Hence the reason we drink broth when we have the tummy bug. Eosinophils are produced in the human bone marrow. Because of our bodies 'going into over drive', we produce unnecessary white blood cells and our bone marrow can suffer. How can we replenish the very important part of our bodies, cell production, and mother hub for the immune system? Drink broth! Ta-Da! So, I made a roast that is Food Allergy friendly, Eosinophil friendly, Gluten-Free, Paleo and delicious! We eat the meat and potatoes. Zachy drinks the broth and eats the potatoes. It's called killing two birds with one stone. Amazing really! Here's what you need. 

Ingredients

4 lb Lean Beef Roast (fat trimmed off)

2 Cups of Baby Carrots

3 Sweet Potatoes

1/2 cup of Brown Sugar

1 Tbsp. Bee-Free Honey or Maple Syrup

1 tsp. Sea Salt

1/4 tsp. Chili Powder

1/4 Cup Balsamic Vinegar

3 Tbsp. Minced Garlic

2 Cups of Beef or Chicken Stock

Directions

1. Wash, peel and chop Sweet Potatoes 

2. Put all ingredients into a slow cooker

3. Cook on High for 5 hours or until Roast falls apart 

4. Serve over Quinoa and enjoy

5. Save all the broth once the food is gone. You can use this as a juice, cooking fat, dressing, or sauce.