Snack Time!

I have a snacker on my hands- we can't go anywhere without a stash of raisins or a pack of applesauce. When we're home I've been trying to keep snacks to fruits or veggies and a fun and healthy way we've been snacking is with fermented foods. So far, with the help of my sweet friend Grace, we've successfully made fermented dill pickles, carrots, sweet pickles and salsa.

If you are not familiar with what fermented foods are, here is a great introduction to the basics and benefits! A big reason why I've decided to get into fermenting was the health benefits for Sawyer. After all his little digestive system has gone through, I couldn't help but be sold on the healing they could provide his digestive tract.

Here's a glimpse at how I made the sweet pickles. I used this recipe from The Nourishing Cook.

Lactofermented Sweet Pickles

2 quart size mason jars

7 c. sliced cucumbers (thank you garden!)

1 c. sliced onion

1 c. fresh lemon juice

1/3 c. whey

1 c. honey

3 tbsp. sea salt

1 tbsp. celery seed

2 tsp. turmeric (I omitted)

1 tbsp. mustard seed

Chop the onion and cucumbers and divide between the two mason jars.

Juice the lemon and combine with the remaining ingredients in a small bowl or measuring cup. I used a measuring cup because it was easier to pour the liquid into the jars. (The bottle of honey I used only came out to 3/4 cup but they were still sweet enough.)

Pour the liquid equally over each jar of cucumbers and onions. Use water if there is not enough liquid to cover the veggies to a half inch below the rim. 

Then comes the fermentation! Place the jars in a cupboard and cover with a towel for two days. After two days, remove the jars from the cupboard and store in the refrigerator. 

Here's also a peek at my kombucha brew! Not familiar with kombucha? Here's an intro! Thanks again to Grace for getting me started with my very own scoby last week! 

Ok, one more... A favorite snack for Sawyer and I has been chia seed pudding. If you have texture issues, this one's not for you but chia seeds have amazing health benefits so give it a try! Here's the link to the recipe I've adapted from. 

Chia Seed Pudding

1 c. almond milk (you can use any milk)

3 tbsp. chia seeds

2 tbsp. agave (or other sweetener of choice)

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

pinch of salt

Pour the milk into a small bowl that has a lid. Add the remaining ingredients and cover the bowl. Give it a few shakes to mix it all together and store the bowl in the refrigerator for at least two hours.

The chia seeds will begin to gel and longer you leave it in the refrigerator. I like to leave mine in at least eight hours so it's more pudding like. I do shake the bowl a couple times while it's doing it's thing in the refrigerator because the seeds will settle and the pudding can get lumpy. (Hmm, lumpy is not a good word choice, the consistency will be uneven, maybe?)  

There's lots of chia seed pudding recipes out there so you can play with the flavors if cinnamon is not your favorite. Sawyer definitely digs the pudding though!

Zucchini Fritters

I was a little worried for our garden this year, I had to replant after everything died from the first attempt but the perseverance paid off and we are starting to enjoy a bounty of zucchini.

Fried food isn't usually a part of our normal diet but I'll indulge in these fritters once in a while! This is from a Pinterest recipe I found last year and it is easily adapted to be gluten free using a gluten free all purpose flour mix.

Zucchini Fritters 

2 c. grated zucchini (squeeze dry with towel)

1/4 tsp. lemon juice

1 tbsp. minced garlic

1/2 c. onion, chopped

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 egg

1/2 c. parmesan cheese (I subbed cheddar)

3/4 c. flour

Oil for frying

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. I omitted the onion and cayenne pepper because I was out of both! Heat the oil in a pan and spread a 1/4 cup of the batter per fritter. Mine took about 5 minutes on each side but I don't think I had the oil hot enough. Let cool on a paper towel to soak up any excess oil.

These are great topped with avocado, tomato or sour cream but I decided to whip up a cilantro yogurt topping to try. It wasn't too bad for just throwing it together. Here's a "recipe" for the dip.

Cilantro Yogurt Dip

1/2 c. of greek yogurt

1 tbsp. cilantro, chopped

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/8 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

Combine all ingredients and top those fritters!

Here's one last quick recipe that is not edible one! Just wanted to share my laundry soap recipe! I'm a DIYer when it doesn't involve too much brain power, so trust me, this is a piece of cake! This tutorial is from another Pinterest find.

The website I got this from does a great job breaking it down step by step but here are my instructions with a few tips I've learned from making this a couple times.

Liquid Laundry Soap

1 bar castile soap 

1 c. borax

1 c. washing soda

40 drops essential oils (optional)

1. Grate the soap- I like to use the zester side of my grater so it breaks the soap into tiny pieces that melt better
2. Fill a large pot half way with water and heat to a boil
3. Slowly pour the grated soap into the hot water and stir continuously until all the soap is melted
4. Reduce the heat and let the soap dissolve for about ten more minutes in the hot water
5. Slowly stir in the washing soda
6. Slowly stir in the borax then remove from the heat
7. Fill a five gallon bucket halfway with hot water
8. Pour the soap into the bucket with water and stir
9. Fill the bucket the rest of the way with hot water and let it sit to cool for a couple hours (make sure to cover the bucket if you have pets or munchkins around)
10. Add essential oils when the soap has cooled if desired- I use about 20 drops of lavender and 20 drops of tea tree

I made my last batch about 3 or 4 months ago and I use about a cup per large load of laundry. I know some people can get theirs to last longer using less but that's what seems to work to get our clothes clean.

Oh, and one last picture of this kid who thinks he's a big guy using a spoon all by himself!

Baking Bread

Bread is not one thing I have conquered in the gluten free world but I will share my experience with you anyways! I have a really hard time spending almost $5 a loaf for gluten free bread so I've forced my way into trying to make my own. I've tried a couple different recipes but so far this bread recipe from Eating Gluten Free has been the closest I've come to "normal bread." I failed to take pictures of each step but the recipe is pretty easy to follow. I used the all purpose flour mix I made a couple weeks ago but any other all purpose flour mix should work just fine.

Gluten Free White Bread  

3 c. GF all purpose flour (recipe here)

1/4 c. sugar

3 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tbsp. yeast

1 3/4 c. warm water

1/4 c. oil (I used canola)

1 tsp. rice vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)

3 eggs

Combine flour, sugar, xanthan gum, and salt in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle yeast on top. Pour warm water over the yeast and let sit for about 5 minutes. Add oil, vinegar and eggs. Beat on HIGH for 5 minutes. Pour into a greased bread pan (I use two smaller bread pans). Cover pans with a towel and let dough rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and bake for 25-30 minutes. (My smaller pans take about 25 mins.)

It may seem a little strange to whip up bread dough at such a high speed but I've learned about why you need to beat gluten free dough on high and other helpful gluten free baking tips from this article.

TIP: Remove the baked loaf from the pan and place on a cooling rack as soon as possible to prevent the bottom from getting soggy in the pan (learned from experience on that one). They also mention this is the article I linked above.

This past week I finished nursing nursing Sawyer so I've indulged in a few goodies like Krispy Kreme doughnuts and biscuits and gravy from Cracker Barrel. It's such a strange feeling to start eating whatever I want without feeling guilty! We are still going to limit the gluten filled foods in the house because the little man is always wanting what we have but I won't mind busting out some Oreos once in a while after the kid is in bed!

This journey of being gluten free has really impacted my own health and what I choose to allow into my body day to day. Having to limit my intake of certain foods for the past 16 months forced me to eat healthier but also gave me a greater appreciation for nutritious foods God designed our bodies to consume. I do have the freedom to eat an Oreo or all those other tasty glutenous foods I've missed but I know those foods will have an impact on how effectively my body functions.

I'm so grateful for this challenging experience to sacrifice my cravings for a lesson in making healthier choices. God is all powerful and I believe He can heal Sawyer's body so I continue to pray that one day (SOON) he can eat gluten as well!

Gluten Free All Purpose Flour

I've been through a handful of gluten free all purpose flour mixes and I'm still experimenting. I'm coming to the realization that it's hard to find a truly "all purpose" gluten free flour. Some baking, like cakes, require a lighter flour while you may want a heartier flour in bread. So with that said, I'm trying out a new flour mix from the Gluten-Free Girl. Her theory is you can use a variety of flours as long as you stick to the 40/60 ratio. You simply need 40% of your flour mix to be whole grain and 60% to be white flour or starches. She lists off gluten free whole grain flours and gluten free white flours or starches here. Pretty simple concept but a little math skill involved. You can also play with the flavor and sub some of the whole grain flour with a nut or bean flour, included in the flour list, which will change the flavor depending on how you intend to use the flour.

Another tip I've picked up is that it's better to weigh your flour. So yesterday my flour mix experiment/math lesson began! I wanted a total of 2,000 grams (based on how big of a container I wanted to fill) and chose my flours from the two lists.

Here's how I broke down my mix:

Whole Grain Flours:

Brown Rice Flour- 400 grams

Sorghum Flour- 400 grams 

White Flours/Starches:

Cornstarch- 300 grams

Potato Starch- 300 grams

Tapioca Flour- 300 grams

White Rice Flour- 300 grams

It's important to make sure you shake the flours together really well. It's better to mix them in a clear container so you can see that the flour mixes well into one color. The 2,000 grams I measured out filled a large 4.3 liter (about 18 cup) bowl. Since I didn't use a clear container, the first time I opened the bowl to scoop some out, there were still layers not mixed so I had to recover it and give it a few more shakes.

I tested out the new flour in a cupcake recipe. They turned out great and I can't wait to use my new flour mix in more recipes!

Chocolate Cupcakes

4 eggs

1 1/4 c. white sugar

2/3 c. sour cream

1 c. milk

2 tsp. vanilla

2 1/4 c. GF all purpose flour 

1/2 c. cocoa powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. xanthan gum

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat together eggs, sugar, sour cream, milk and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, baking powder and xanthan gum.

Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix well. Pour into 24 greased muffin cups. Bake for 20-25 minutes. I used 12 muffin cups and an 8 x 11 inch glass pan. I baked the cake for an additional 15 minutes.

Wonder what happened to that half a cupcake? :)

Almond Graham Crackers

This graham cracker recipe was so easy and they turned out really delicious! My kitchen had a wonderful cinnamon smell as these cooked in the oven! They ended up being a little soft so they may be more like thin almond cookies but I may try cooking another batch longer to see if that helps, because there will be a second batch for sure. I'm not a paleo dieter but I took this recipe from a Paleo Kid Snacks cookbook. I like looking through paleo recipes because they are, number one, gluten free, but they are also free from refined sugars and highly processed oils. There are quite a few restricted foods on the paleo diet like cheese that I really dig so I couldn't go all out!  

Almond Graham Crackers

2 1/4 c. blanched almond meal (or finely ground almonds)

3 tbsp. coconut oil

3 tbsp. maple syrup

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl or stand mixer and mix on low until the dough begins to form a ball. Place the dough between two pieces of parchment paper on a large cookie sheet.

Using a rolling pin, flatten the dough to an 1/8 thick. Pole holes in the dough every couple inches. Bake for 12-15 minutes until the edges begin to brown. Remove from the oven and immediately cut into squares with a pizza cutter.

Cool and enjoy!!

Summertime Adventures

We are so enjoying how adventurous Sawyer has become! He just loves playing in any kind of water; the hose, puddles, pools, squirt guns, you name it! If it splashes, he's there!

He's just growing up so much and I love watching him grow and learn everyday! 

Back in June we took a trip to the allergist to have Sawyer tested for a wheat allergy and we were really excited to find out he didn't react! We proceeded to give him a couple noodles of wheat penne pasta that evening to test it out. But that night he cried the whole... night... and the next day came the diarrhea. So now we know he has a gluten intolerance not an allergy, but I am still hopeful that he will outgrow the intolerance over time. For now we will enjoy all the fun alternatives the gluten free life has to offer! 

There are so many things to be grateful for though! We had Sawyer's 15 month check up on Monday and he checked out healthy and pretty average on all the growth charts; weight: 23.3 lbs (54%), height: 32 in. (72%) and head: 18.5 in. (52%). Keep up the good work Sawyer Bug!  

  

We spent some time yesterday picking and eating apricots from the neighbors tree and today I canned a couple jars of raspberry apricot jam! Yummy! Here's a few pics from the adventure.

I made eight jars and that didn't even use up half of what I picked! I used the recipe on the jar of pectin and it was super duper easy. The neighbor's tree is still overflowing with apricots so I think they'll be a round two apricot jamming session. 

We made a trip to The Pie Pizzeria to check out their gluten free pizza for lunch! I wish I could explain how bad I wanted pizza after a huge "cauliflower crust" pizza fail experience last week. Should have blogged about that one! Let's just say soggy crust is a no go in my book. I actually have a picture of the crust before I baked it because it was so beautiful and looked so pizza-dough-ish. Not so after baking... But if you're curious, here's the link to the recipe I used. Maybe someone else will have better luck than I!  

But The Pie was amazing and hit the spot for sure! 

Back Again!

Well after almost exactly six months since my last post I've decided to pick up blogging again, this time with a new name! My blog is now called Gluten Free Cookin' Mama! After eliminating the top eight food allergens from my diet while nursing my son, we successfully added all foods back in, with the exception of gluten.

I've made some great, and some not so great recipes over the past few months and so many times I've wanted to start the blog back up to share them. Hopefully I can capture some great food tips, thoughts, and other randomness that will encourage and inspire you!

I'm so incredibly blessed to report that Sawyer has come such a long way from when we first experienced food intolerance issues when he was only six weeks old. Here's this guy at about six weeks:

And here's this guy now!

He's a gluten free champ, not by choice really, but I pray that some day he will outgrown his intolerance so he can experience all the foods God created for us to enjoy!