No Sugar Added - Nut Free Energy Bars - SunButter Balls and Cherry Garcia Balls

I cannot eat Larabars because I have a tree nut allergy.  At Christmas, I make the most divine Sun Butter Cups (think Reese's without the Peanut Butter because of our SEVERELY allergic kid).  Said child mourned the fact she, too, could not have Larabars, which are a staple for several of my children.  So, I came up with this truly divine concoction.

These are not sugar free.  I just don't add any additional sugar above and beyond what is in the ingredients.

SunButter Balls

10 dates, pitted and soaked in boiling water to soften, then drained
1/4 c. cocoa
1/3 c. SunButter
Optional Add-ins:
2 Tbsp. Chia seed
3 Tbsp. Hemp seed
3 Tbsp. raw sunflower seeds
3 Tbsp. chocolate chips

Place the dates in a food processor or blender like "The Ninja" and process them until they are finely chopped.  Add the cocoa and SunButter.  Puree until combined.  If you don't want them smooth, just process until mixed.  Remove from the processor and add any "Add-ins" by hand.  Shape into balls and store in an air-tight container. 

With the crunch of the seeds and chocolate chips, these taste like peanut butter cups without all the allergens.

Cherry Garcia Balls
(I love Cherry Garcia Ice Cream - I'm sure this is much better for me than ice cream.)

10 dates, pitted and soaked in boiling water to soften, then drained
1/4 c. cocoa
1/3 c. dried cherries, soaked in boiling water to soften, then drained
Optional   Add-ins:
2 Tbsp. Chia seed
3 Tbsp. Hemp seed
3 Tbsp. chocolate chips

Place the dates in a food processor or blender like "The Ninja" and process them until they are finely chopped.  Add the cocoa and cherries.  Puree until combined.  If you don't want them smooth, just process until mixed.  Remove from the processor and add any "Add-ins" by hand.  Shape into balls and store in an air-tight container.  

These are seriously addictive, but totally squelch any chocolate or sugar cravings I might have.

Enjoy!

Our Lady of Guadalupe Breakfast Muffins - Egg free, Dairy Free, Wheat Free

We were looking for a special recipe for the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Dec. 12.  The kids love starting out our day with a recipe for the Catholic Saint 'o the day.  Since we are back to no wheat, these looked like a recipe I could easily modify.  What a hit!   They loved them so we had them, again, today.

Egg-free, Dairy-free and Wheat-free Mexican Chocolate Muffins
Prep: 15m 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease muffin tins or line with paper liners.
3/4 cup canned lentils or garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2 Tbsp. chia seed meal mixed with 1/2 hot water (or equiv. egg replacer for 2 eggs)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup cooking oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa

I combined the beans and chia seed/water mixture in the blender until it was smooth.  I added the rest of the above ingredients and blended until well combined.

In a separate bowl I combined:

1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup oat flour
1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup chocolate chips
3 Tbsp. hemp seed (or you can add 1/4-1/2 c. nuts here...we're allergic)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. xanthan gum

Add the wet ingredients from the blender to the dry ingredients and blend until combined.  Pour into prepared muffin tins.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes.  Let cool 10-15 minutes for easy turn out.

Dust tops with confectioners sugar, if desired.

Gluten Free, Egg Free, Dairy Free Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake in a Cup

The new treat here (although we're not eating LOTS of treats during Lent) is cake in a cup.  Friday, my 2 year old, in her sweetest voice, with her hands clasped, pressed up to her cheek as she tilted her head exactly 30 degrees said, "Please make me cake for breakfast."  So I did...Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake.  Of course, I had to make some for the 4 year old.  So here's his:

First, spray a 1 1/2 cup coffee mug with cooking spray or grease well.
In the cup, mix together:
1 tsp chia seed meal
1 Tbsp hot water
Let that sit for about 2 minutes.  Add:
1/3 c. gluten free bisquick
1 1/2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
4 Tbsp. dairy free milk (soy, almond, rice, dairifree)
drop of vanilla
1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
Mix with a fork.

In a separate bowl, mix together:
1 tsp. gluten free bisquick
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. vegetable oil
Mix together to form topping.

Thinly slice some apple (put a thin layer on top) over the batter then cover with cinnamon topping.

I have a very powerful microwave oven.  I put mine in the microwave for 1 minute 25 seconds.  Be careful because the cup will be nuclear hot!  Enjoy.

Ed. Note: I keep updating the recipe as we improve it!  

Gluten Free, Egg Free, Dairy Free Krumkake

My 12 year old daughter has a krumkake iron she received from Santa two years ago for Christmas.  We made krumkake for her book club tomorrow and the 4 year old sat all sad-faced in the kitchen.  I poked around and found a gluten free recipe.  I adjusted the gluten free recipe I found and made the necessary changes for his diet.  He helped make them and waited very patiently for them to cool.  They turned out great (so say the girls...I can't try them because of a rice allergy).
Here's the recipe we landed on for him:

GF, EF, DF Krumkake
makes 18

Mix up:

1 Tbsp. chia seed meal plus 3 Tbsp. hot water

Add:
1/3 cup sugar
2 1/3 Tbsp Earth Balance spread, softened
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/2 cups plus 3 Tbsp gluten-free flour (I used Bette Hagman's rice flour based mix)
1/3 cup rice milk
dash of vanilla

Heat the krumkake iron and oil as necessary.  Mix up chia seeds with hot water and let sit for 10 minutes.  Add remaining ingredients and mix with a hand mixer until completely combined.  Pour scant 1 Tbsp. into each spot in the krumkake iron.  Cook for about 30-35 seconds (your krumkake iron may require more or less time).  Remove and shape on cone (if desired).  They are fragile and lacy, but apparently very good!
Big thumbs up received from all who tried them!

False Alarm, Sort of...

As many of you know, my three year old is tiny.  He was born tiny due to insufficiency of the placenta.  The technical term for it is Small for Gestational Age (SGA).  It's caused by IntraUterine Growth Restriction (IUGR).  It's called IUGR if they catch it before the baby is born (which they didn't in his case.)

Here's some background.  He was only 19.5" when he was born, so he was small, but not too small.  Most of my kids are 21-22".  He hasn't grown much height wise, but we also suspected he had allergies.  At his three year well-child visit, the doctor turned on the lights and sirens because he had stopped growing!  That's when the allergy testing started followed closely by his no egg, no dairy, no wheat diet.

So, I've been measuring the little guy regularly lately.  I finally decided to plot the measurements on a curve along with measurements I've kept in his medical file from appointments past in Excel.  Apparently the growth charts at the doctor's office are only graphed according to well-child visits.  They don't include any other appointments.  He had a pre-operative appointment three and a half months before his three year well-child (the one where they set off the alarms on his growth) and part of that exam included a height check.  Low-and-behold, his height at that visit was .7" TALLER than his three year well-child visit height.  He didn't stop growing, he was measured incorrectly or the number was transcribed incorrectly.  So, while we know he is small, there was really no cause for the amount of alarm that was raised.

I will politely point that out to the doctor at his four year well-child visit in two months.  I will continue on with the no wheat, no dairy and no egg diet, but will be a little less worried that his diet was to blame for the blip.  In fact, since removing coconut from his diet entirely, he eczema is almost non-existent except for a small patch on below his buttock on his right thigh.  He's not wheezing nearly as much (he does on occasion.)  He's growing at a slow, but steady pace.

So we can stand down the red alert and remain at yellow alert for another two months.  Whew!

The new snack of choice

The three year old is making progress on trying new foods...not going on a food jag so much anymore.

His new favorite "snack" and meal is:  Sunbutter and Strawberry Jelly Pizza."  I use the Wheat Free, Egg Free, Dairy Free Brioche I adapted from Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day.  I grab a egg sized portion of dough.  It gets rolled flat between two pieces of parchment paper and tossed, while on the parchment paper into a preheated 450 degree oven for five minutes.  I let it cool for a few minutes and add Sunbutter and Strawberry Jelly.  Yummy snack and it doesn't mess with his (or any of his siblings') allergies. 

Hooray!

By the way, we did try goat's milk last week.  He took one drink, declaring it "Yucky."  Then, he proceeded to break out into hives and wheeze a little.  I think we'll wait to introduce any type of animal milk to him for awhile.

I also have found two new things EVERYONE can snack on here:  Breakfast cookies made with GF All-purpose flour AND no-bake oatmeal cookies.  We have found that oatmeal does not bother him.  We have no issues with eczema, hives or wheezing when he has it and we've moved to eating it 5 days a week for breakfast.  Sometimes he has the Sunbutter and Strawberry Jelly Pizza for breakfast and other times he has something I make to match others' breakfast like GF/EF/DF pancakes, waffles or muffins. 

I fear admitting this, sure that Bearing will have words with me, but I have fallen in love with Gluten Free Bisquick.  I plan to reformulate my own version using brown rice flour since it's marginally better than white rice flour, but the boxed stuff, with a few alterations, makes pancakes, waffles and muffins he will actually eat.  Contrast that to the huge amounts of money I've spent on other mixes producing vile smelling rejects, GF Bisquick is cheaper (comparatively) and highly reliable.  A 3 cup box still runs almost as much as a 3lb box of regular Bisquick, but I wouldn't admit that why I know that ;-).  Through Amazon's Subscribe and Save, I can get the GF Bisquick for much cheaper than at the local Cub.

Gluten free, egg free, dairy free Peppermint Meltaways

Yum, yum, yum!

Ingredients

• 1 cup Earth Balance Buttery Spread, softened
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1-1/4 cups Bob's Red Mill gluten free all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
  FROSTING:
• 2 tablespoons Earth Balance Buttery Spread, softened
• 1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk-substitute like Vance's Dari-free
• 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 2 to 3 drops red food coloring, optional
• 1/2 cup crushed peppermint candies

Directions

• In a small bowl, cream Earth Balance Buttery Spread and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in extract. Combine gf flour, xanthan gum and cornstarch; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.
• Shape into 1-in. balls. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.
• In a small bowl, beat Earth Balance Buttery Spread until fluffy. Add the confectioners’ sugar, milk substitute, extract and food coloring if desired; beat until smooth. Spread over cooled cookies; sprinkle with crushed candies. Store in an airtight container. Yield: 3 dozen.