Where have they been?

In Germany! Ok, ok, Germans always have good food and this stuff tastes great! Highly recommended. We love the cookies and breadcrumbs, etc.....would never know it is Gluten free! By some today!

Xantham Gum

You have to use this in breads and cakes etc because gluten is a natural binding agent and obviously without gluten, your bread sand such are crumbly. A good rule of thumb is 1/2 to 1 tsp for most cakes/pancakes and 1-2 tsp for breads. If the batter seems too thick after adding the gum, dilute with water but make sure to taste, as you may need a bit more sugar too.
I have found that for some cookies (1/2 tsp gum), you can use a bit of karo syrup and it does the same thing!

Crockpot Brownie

Maybe some of you have this recipe. It is so hard to find good desserts that are moist and taste good. Anyway, Betty Crocker now make gluten-free cake mixes and they are the best! Yum! Try one today!

1 gluten-free cake mix
1 box chocolate pudding
6 oz choc chips
16 oz sour cream
4 eggs (already beaten)
1 cup water
3/4 cup oil (not olive)

Ok, mix it all together in crock pot, put lid on, set to high approx 4 hours. I do find that gluten-free takes a bit longer to cook. This is a moist cake/brownie great served with ice cream or whipped topping. I even change it up once in a while and put vanilla pudding, white cake and vanilla chips.....You can do it on low if you put it on first thing in morning and plan to eat it around dinner.

Naked Nuggets

These are so yummy. You can buy them at Costco. Just liked kid-sized nuggets without the bread topping! Less calories, less fat, and no wheat! The kids love them with a bit of Fry sauce. I like them on my salad (kinda like grilled meat at the fast food places). Quick and easy to make.
Fry sauce: just mix half mayo plus 1/2 ketchup and you have it!

What's for Dinner? SATURDAY: Shane's Rib Shack

Ok, I am the worst blogger when it comes to this...I am trying to be better so you can see what we eat day by day. Tonight we ate at Shane's Rib Shack. They have a gluten free menu. Their sauces are gluten-free too. Yummy and kids eat free after 5 pm! Our kids love a good barbeque!

So, does eating gluten-free work?

Well, I had a friend ask me today about our diet....what can I say? We all feel like we are eating healthier and less.....we have loads of leftovers...good thing for quick lunches and Sunday dinner. I feel like I am truly learning how to cook from scratch. Trisatn has had no tummy aches, except when we cheat and eat some gluten (ie. birthday cake, snack at school). As far as behavior, Tristan seems a "little" less distracted...I really think having chore charts, and expectations of what we do hour by hour has helped the most, and perhaps he is maturing. Melina has also had less episodes of reflux and less tummy aches. She continues to struggle with not being able to sit still and follow directions, but she is not completely gluten-free, as she still cheats a lot at school (darn it mel, she just has to have everything, or life is not fair :o). We are going to keep it up, though, because we all feel better. And, weirdly enouhg, Josh is finally able to lose weight consistently on this "diet" and feel better.

What's for Dinner? SUNDAY: leftovers...AGAIN!

Ok, ok, we ALWAYS have leftovers on Sunday because we get home from church so stinkin' late! So Sunday we had leftover thai...yum!
Josh baked some yummy gluten-free bread in the bread maker.
For Dessert we had potato four brownies, here. Ps. I added 1/2 tsp xantham gum and they had more of a brwnie texture this time....ohh and I put 1/2 cup semi-sweet choc chips in too!

What's for Dinner? SATURDAY: leftovers...again

Well, Josh and I went out to a benefit dinner with some friends, so the kids ate the leftover Spanish rice (with chicken).....for some reason we have had loads of leftovers this week.

What's for Dinner? FRIDAY: pasta with cheese

Tonight is pasta night. We are having De Bolles rice macaroni and cheese. It tastes good (almost like the real thing!) The kids love it and I will serve it with a side of corn and maybe some apple slices.

What's for Dinner? THURSDAY: mexican

Thursday night we had nachos. So easy! We browned some hamburger with a little onion. Served it with rice, refried beans, tomato, cheese, avocado, and sour cream and ranch dressing, oh and corn chips (always gluten free!) Yummy and easy! I am always surprised how many food groups you can fit into a Mexican meal!

What's for Dinner? WEDNESDAY: crockpot

Unfortunately, I was running so late tonight, we just did what was easy and put the leftover Thai in the microwave...good thing it makes extra!

What's for Dinner? TUESDAY: thai night

Sorry this is late...had a rough evening and a throbbing headache...
Anyhow, Tuesday night is Thai night. We love Thai. I usually by Taste of Thai or Thai kitchen. We like them both. My kids love Pad Thai or Peanut too. So we had peanut tonight. I recommend the stir-fry noodles because they are hardier and frankly taste better. Boil water, take from heat. Soak noodles 10 minutes in the hot water. For the dish I either fry chicken or shrimp (precooked, tail-less) along with veggies of your choice (I really prefer the frozen mixed bag). Add one can coconut milk plus the peanut sauce and bring to a boil. Add drained noodles and cook until noodles are tender but still frim. We serve with a side of brown rice and shredded coconut and chopped peanuts....oh and a tall glass of milk (or Soy for Ashie).....YUM! We all love it!

What's for Dinner? MONDAY: pizza and salad

Monday nights I make pizza. I know before I said that Bob's Red Mill was good, but I lied. We found an even better one! CHEBE. They make all sorts of pre-made bread mixes. So easy. Add oil, eggs and water, form into ball and roll out. (Again, wet rolling pin and roll out). Bake for 10 minutes, and I highly recommend using a pizza stone, at 375. Then add toppings. I put on plain tomato sauce, cheese and canadian bacon or pepperoni. (Asher picks the cheese off anyway and doesn't eat it). Bake for another 15 minutes or so. I serve with ranch dressing for both the salad and pizza. And we always dip the top crust in honey...yum! For salad I usually get a pre-mixed bag at HyVee for $0.69, cannot beat that! I will add tomatoes, or egg slices or such if I feel like it. This is probably the kids favorite meal of the week and we always have ac ouple slices left over to send to school the next day for lunch!
Check it out! http://www.chebe.com/ It runs about $3.00 a bag atour local store and each bag makes one medium size crust!

How we eat

Monday: pizza and salad

Tuesday: thai

Wednesday: crockpot/oven (meat and potatoes, ribs, etc)  *This may change to sandwiches for summer time

Thursday: mexican

Friday: italian

Saturday: oatmeal pancakes, breakfast; out to eat, dinner: Shane's Rib Shack, Biaggi's, PF Changs...loads of restaurants have gluten-free menus now!

Sunday: eggs, breakfast; leftovers for dinner

***I will post what I rotate for dinners each night as the week goes along

***We discovered a recipe for bread (rice) in the bread maker that is delicious! I will post it with my Wednesday post

Vans Toaster Pancakes/Waffles

We like the minis because they are hand-size and bite-size. However all taste good. Vans makes the best stay-together wheat-free toaster waffle/pancake. They are vegan too. We really like them for a quick fun breakfast.

Blue Diamond Nut Thins

YUM! These are good crackers. Stand alone, great with meat and cheese or dip....slightly expensive, but great flavor!

K-Toos Oreo

Initial flavor takes getting used to, but tastes fine when you start to chew. Has a funny smell. make sure you have milk on hand...

Easy Irish Soda Bread

4 cups white rice flour
8 tbsp potato flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup maragarine, soft
1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup milk plus 1 tbsp vinegar, let sit out for a few minutes)
1 egg

Heat oven to 375. Milk dry ingredients first, then add wet. Knead slighlty and form into a ball, pressing down onto sheet/stone evenly on all sides. Brush with some left over butter and buttermilk mixture/ use a sharp knife to cut an X in the middle. Cook 1 hour.
Hint: when working with rice flour, do not continue to add flour to make dough less sticky. Simply keep your hands wet and shape dough ball and press down onto sheet/stone with wet hands.
Serve warm with butter and honey

UPDATE: Oatmeal Pancakes

YUM! Tristan ate 10!
DELETED: no need for potato flour
1 cup quick oats
1 cup brown rice flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tbsp melted butter

We also added some apple juice to thin them down and add some more flavor...BUT IF YOU MIX IT ALL IN THE KITCHEN-AID IT SHOULD BE THE RIGHT CONSISTENCY

Mix dry and mix wet separately, then together. Cook on griddle about 300 (too hot and they burn but don't cook thru and are hard to flip!)

Bob's Red Mill Pizza Crust

By far the best gluten-free pizza crust, at least to us. We have tried several and we like this the best. Little tip: roll out thin except for crust part, fold over for thickness and to keep sauce on pizza and dip in honey when eating pizza---it just tastes better that way. I do these on my stones, and we top with sauce, cheese, pepperoni and/or canadian bacon. Yum!

Kinnikinnick Cinnamon Rolls

Ok, the big kids liked them. I say Yuck! They smell funny and taste funnier. Asher would not eat them and he eats anything.....will not buy again!

Mi-del Oreos

Oreos! Tristan says they smell funny, but they taste good. The kids all like them!

Organic Crispy-Rice Bars

YUMMY! The kids and I love these. Better for you than rice-krispie treats as this is puffed rice. Comes in PB, chocolate and berry. All good!

La Tortilla Factory Ivory Teff Wraps

YUCK!
Everyone agreed!

Bob's Red Mill Pancake Mix

Everybody liked this. Just add milk, oil and egg. I doubled the milk they required just because I like thinner pancakes and it makes the batter go farther! Had a funny after-taste, however, with butter, syrup, Nutella, whipped topping, sprinkles, strawberries and bluberries, no one noticed :o)

Gluten-free Pantry Chocolate Chip Cookie and Cake Mix

Good cookies, not hard to make. However make sure you make the ball very little to start because these cookies spread out while they bake and become large and hard to remove. Cook a bit longer than recommended, then cool slightly on tray before removing them to cooling rack. If they cool to long on tray they will stick, but if they don't cool long enough, they fall apart when you pick them up!

Great taste!

Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose flour Gluten-free

Josh says it tastes too much like bean curd. I agree. Made ok cornbread but we did not like the bread it made.

Kinnikinnick Donuts

YUM! We tried chocolate and glazed. A little expensive, and you have to eat warmed (as they come frozen to avoid fermentation), but they are the best tasting pre-made treat we have had thus far, gluten-free. They reminded me of the rice cakes we had in Chinatown in NYC. The kids loved them.

Happy Day!

Today I found organic cream of mushroom and cream of chicken with no wheat! Yeah! I will change my recipe below back to the original-- the way we really like it.....check out the organic soups at your local grocery store!

BUY ORGANIC

Just a note to answer a lot of questions. If you shop organic they often do not use wheat to "fill" the canned item. Organic soups and broths do not have wheat, generally, but the ones in the regular soup aisle do.

Cornmeal pancakes (from Laurie S)

2 C stoneground yellow cornmeal - medium grain (I just used regular old cornmeal)
1/2 C rice flour
1 Tbs sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 C buttermilk (I used regular milk with 1 Tbs vinegar)
1/2 C water
1/4 C vegetable oil
1 egg

Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Whisk wet ingredients in a separate bowl and pour over dry ingredients and mix until lumps are gone. Lightly oil skillet or griddle over medium heat. Cook for about 2-3 min on each side, or until slightly browned. Serve with your favorite pancake topping.I cut the recipe in half for 2 peeps, and still used a whole egg. Leftover batter kept well in the fridge for another day.

Potato Four Brownies

2 sticks melted butter
1/2 cup baking cocoa
4 eggs

Mix and then add:

1 tsp vanilla
1 tbs potato flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup brown rice flour
1/2 tsp baking soda

Mix thoroughly

If wanted add: 1/2 cup your choice nuts
stir in by hand

Bake in greased 9x13 for 40 min at 350. Frost.

These were so yummy! We put chocolate frosting on them when they cooled and had with ice cream! Probably could have used a buit of xantham gum, but I did add 1 tbsp of karo syrup to make them bind together better.

Ener-G Brown Rice (and yeast-free) loaf

YUCK! Never buy this bread again. Tastes like sand in your mouth. Even with loads of dressing or PB it just sticks everywhere! We needed a ton of milk to wash it down!

Chicken and Rice casserole

several breasts of chicken, salted
1 cup rice
1/3 cup butter melted
1/4 cup milk
1 can organic cream of mushroom
1 can organic cream of chicken
1 can sliced mushrooms

Heat oven to 300. Place chicken on bottom of 9x13 pan. Mix all ingredients and cover over chicken. Cover dish with foil. Bake 2 hours.
Our kids love this dish but it used to be made with cream of chicken, celery or mushroom (all have wheat). So, I substituted cream of potato and yum! They love it just as much!

Rice Works Brown Rice Crisps

Yum!Yum!Yum! Even Asher loves them. Let's hope they are at Costco to stay!

Rice flour German Pancakes

1 cup rice flour
1 cup milk
1/2 stick butter
6 eggs

Heat oven to 400. Melt butter in bottom of 9x13 pan. Mix eggs, milk and flour together. Pour on top of butter. Bake 20 minutes. Tastes just like the real thing!

Cherrybrook (gluten-free dreams) Mini chocolate chip cookies

This is the cookies mix, but we tried the prepackaged cookies and they are good. Crunchy and very similar to mini Chips Ahoy. All the kids like them. Great buy. Next, I will try the cookie mix, and maybe the pancake batter....I heard it got great reviews!

White Rice Flour Muffins

1 egg
1/2 cup liquid (milk plus 1 tbsp karo syrup for cupcake-type muffin, water for corn-bread consistency)
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp canola oil
1 cup riceflour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp. nuts or cranberries etc if so desired

Mix all ingredients. Pour into 6 muffin cups. Bake 425 for 20 minutes.

These taste great. The milk ones are good with frosting and sprinkles on top! The water-based taste good with butter and honey!

Ener-G White Rice Loaf

First gluten-free product we tried. A little "dry" but serves the purpose. $4.00 a loaf (1/2 size of regualr bread loaf). Must be refridgerated after opening. Best with loads of dressing or PBJ. Used in place of bun on a McDonald's hamburger and was decent. Does fall apart easily, so best to cut sandwhich into bite-size pieces.