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Monthly Archives: September 2014

September 26, 2014
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familyglutenfree
School Lunch

School Lunch 2

September 26, 2014 School Lunch Leave a comment
School Lunch 2

School Lunch 2

As promised, here is another healthy gluten-free school lunch idea.  For an introduction to my son’s take on healthy gluten-free school lunches, check out my introduction here.  So far, we are hanging in there.  Hopefully you and your little ones are too

1.  Raw, unsalted pumpkin seeds (pepitas) and sunflower seeds – I prefer raw nuts and seeds in order to avoid added oils or salt, and to get the most nutritionally (some nutrients break down during cooking).  My kids are used to having raw seeds/nuts and they tolerate them well.  Check the labels on your roasted nuts or trail mix, you may be surprised.

2.  My own Chocolate Coconut Balls (check out the recipe here).

3.  Organic baby carrots for dipping.

4.  Individual packet of Tribe® hummus. I am a big fan of the single servings of hummus because they are easier to throw into the lunch box, but I’d like to get better at making my own so I can control ingredients. It’s amazing how impossible it is to find salad dressing or hummus with only olive oil (as intended) and not soybean or canola oil.

5.  Mary’s Gone Crackers® Sea Salt Pretzels. I love the ingredients in all of Mary’s products. These pretzels are organic, non-gmo, vegan, and contain no starches or oils.

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September 19, 2014
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Sweet Treats
coconut, dairy-free, pale, vegan

Cashew Chocolate Chip Dairy-Free Ice Cream

September 19, 2014 Sweet Treats Leave a comment
Cashew Chocolate Chip Dairy-Free Ice Cream

As part of my journey to eat better, I decided to remove dairy almost completely out of my diet. This was a personal choice based on what I think is best for my body and it has made a huge difference in how I feel every day. Occasionally I will have some butter or hard cheese. Unfortunately, since removing dairy, I now suffer some negative symptoms if I indulge in dairy products such as heavy cream, milk, cream cheese, and ice cream. My symptoms usually include a stomachache and acne breakout. This is a very common reaction for many who give up dairy products. Some may read this and think, maybe I shouldn’t have given up the dairy since I seemingly tolerated it well before. However, my interpretation is much different. I think, wow, my body really didn’t like all that dairy I was eating for so long.

A secondary goal I made for my family after I gave up dairy was to drastically reduce dairy in my kid’s diets as well. They eat butter, some cheese (mostly via pizza) and yogurt in their smoothies. However, they don’t drink cow’s milk (we opt for almond milk instead) and they eat coconut milk ice cream at home.

Coconut milk ice cream is becoming very popular and you can find it in most grocery stores next to the other traditional ice cream. It has a very creamy smooth texture and you can find it in a variety of flavors. It has a subtle coconutty taste, but it is very light and usually unnoticeable. My kids don’t even flinch when they eat a bowl of coconut milk ice cream or popsicle. Whether you eat dairy or not, it is a great frozen treat and, many consider, a healthier alternative.

Coconut milk ice cream found at the supermarket is great, but it is usually full of additives. Also, flavor options are more limited versus traditional cows milk ice cream. However, it is really easy to make at home using a regular ice cream maker. Unfortunately, you will need an ice cream maker to create the smooth consistency of ice cream, by forming small ice crystals rotating against an ice-cold surface. I have the ice cream maker attachment for my KitchenAid® mixer, which works great and you don’t need a separate unit to store.

I use canned coconut milk because it is usually free of additives, except for guar gum. I prefer the brand Native Forest because it is organic, non-GMO, and the cans are BPA-free. The trick with coconut milk is avoiding separation while keeping it cool. Even at room temperature, full fat coconut milk will form a thick layer of fat on top. Although heating the coconut milk will make an even solution, it will eventually have to be cooled to freeze in the ice cream maker. My trick is to utilize a blender to prepare the coconut milk solution for the ice cream maker quickly. Also, instead of using granulated sugar, I prefer honey (not raw, minimally processed, but liquid) or maple syrup. These sweeteners are already liquid, so they don’t need heat to be incorporated into the coconut milk mixture. All you need to do is combine the coconut milk, honey/maple syrup, vanilla extract and a few ice cubes and blend until smooth. The blender will take care of any separation of the coconut milk and incorporate the sweetener. The final solution is cool and ready to go directly into the ice cream maker.

Cashews and Chocolate Chips

Cashews and Chocolate Chips

Once the coconut milk ice cream starts to solidify and is soft in the ice cream maker (about 10 minutes for the model I use), add whatever flavors you want (nuts, fruit, chocolate, nut butters, etc.). For this recipe I like salted cashews and chocolate chips. Vegan chocolate chips give a nice crunch similar to a dark chocolate and the cashews complement nicely with the vanilla/honey flavored coconut milk ice cream. However, feel free to add whatever you want.

Wax Paper Lined Loaf Pan

Wax Paper Lined Loaf Pan

One final trick I’ve used is storing homemade ice cream in metal loaf pans lined with wax paper. The loaf pans are the perfect size and the wax paper protects the ice cream from forming ice crystals.

Get creative and try coconut milk ice cream. It is so quick and easy to make at home and I promise you won’t miss the cow’s milk. Enjoy!

Cashew Chocolate Chip Dairy-Free Ice Cream
 
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Prep time
10 mins
Total time
10 mins
 
Vegan, Paleo
Author: FamilyGlutenFree.com
Recipe type: Sweet Treats
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 1 can full-fat coconut milk (I prefer Native Forest brand because the cans are BPA-free)
  • ⅓ cup honey (liquefied, but minimally processed. I like Nature Nate’s brand)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 ice cubes
  • ¼ cup vegan mini chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life brand which is dairy and soy-free)
  • ½ cup chopped roasted salted cashews
Instructions
  1. In a blender combine coconut milk, honey, vanilla extract, and ice cubes.
  2. Blend until smooth.
  3. Add mixture to pre-chilled ice cream maker and operate per product directions.
  4. When coconut milk ice cream is solidified but soft, add the chocolate chips and cashews.
  5. Allow mixing for 1 minute so chocolate chips and cashews are evenly incorporated.
  6. Scoop ice cream out of ice cream maker into storage container, such as a wax paper lined metal loaf pan.
  7. Freeze for at least 2 hours, so the ice cream is hardened.
3.2.2802

 

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September 9, 2014
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familyglutenfree
School Lunch
gluten-free, lunch box, school lunch

School Lunch 1 and Introduction

September 9, 2014 School Lunch 1 Comment
Going to School

My oldest is going into Pre-K this year and it will be his first time taking lunch to school. As a self-proclaimed health-foodie, this is an exciting time. I love being challenged to create fun, yet nutritious lunch ideas. Armed with my newly purchased bento box (Lunchbots), I was excited to get started. However, as August rolled around, my daily scrolls of fellow gluten-free bloggers, Pinterest, news outlets, and various social media postings became scoured with articles about “Stress-free Lunch Ideas”, “How to Make Lunch Easier”, “100 Not Boring Lunch Ideas”, etc. What I thought would be a fun endeavor was now looking like a stressful, tedious chore. Am I missing something?

Maybe you are thinking – “oh, her son is a good eater and willingly eats whatever is put in front of him” or “she has no problem spending all night in the kitchen creating a lunch masterpiece, complete with dinosaur shaped vegetables”. Let me set the record straight. First, my son is gluten-free and one of the pickiest eaters I know (see “Food My Son Won’t Eat” below). Also, the last thing I want to do after the kids go to bed, is make lunch. That is valuable “me” time or “me and my shows” time!

I am guessing that I’m not alone out there. All parents want to create fun, healthy lunches for their kids, but somewhere along the way it’s easy to run out of steam, especially being limited by a gluten allergy. My goal is to share some of my son’s lunches with you for 2 reasons. First, maybe your kids don’t like the same things, but there’s a chance you may see something interesting that makes lunchtime more nutritious, more fun, or just plain easier. I am no expert, but I am relentless. I am constantly searching for better recipes and better products, while keeping it simple. Second, this is a way to keep me on my toes. I don’t want my son’s lunch preparation to become a dreaded task. This is a job that should be fun and I am determined to keep it that way!

My plan for this school year is to make healthy lunches for my son that he helps create, while retaining the “fun” factor. I also want to keep it simple and put the lunch together in the morning, quickly and easily.

Every kid’s food preferences are uniquely based on neither facts, nor logic. Sometimes food rejection is based purely on one single bad taste experience or it can be based on just a visual perception or prediction on how it will taste. Cue frustration. Before I get started, I thought it would be helpful to share a list of foods my son will and will not eat. This list will probably make you feel better about your own kid’s eating habits.

Foods My Son Won’t Eat

  1. Most fruit (with the exception of apples and watermelon on a rare occasion)
  2. Fruit leather, jam/jelly, or any granola bar/muffin/cookie with dried fruit
  3. Pasta (I know, this is ridiculous)
  4. Cheese (unless it comes via pizza or cream cheese)
  5. Yogurt
  6. Tomatoes, including sauce (unless it comes on pizza)
  7. Deli meat (with the exception of salami or peperoni)
  8. Rice or quinoa with anything in it (he only eats it plain)
  9. Eggs
  10. Sandwiches (unless it has nut butter)
  11. Pancakes (though he will eat waffles)
  12. Soup or stews
  13. Corn on the cob or kernels
  14. Chicken fingers or any meat breaded
  15. Meat with any kind of sauce
  16. Fish (ok, most kids are in this category)

Do you feel bad for me yet?

Foods My Son Will Eat

  1. Vegetables – mostly raw and plain (lettuce, spinach, kale, peppers, carrots, broccoli, asparagus)
  2. Smoothies (this is where I sneak in fruit)
  3. Hummus
  4. Nuts and seeds (including nut butters and raw)
  5. Coconut oil (he can eat it by the spoonful)
  6. Breads, crackers, muffins, chips (bought and homemade)
  7. Steak, chicken, burger, hotdog, bacon (always plain)
  8. Lobster and calamari (????)
  9. Gluten-free – I am really lucky that he doesn’t care that he’s gluten-free and he doesn’t fret that gluten-free food may look or taste different. He hasn’t stressed about being “different” at school or otherwise. For that, I am grateful. I know this can be a huge factor in other families with food allergies.

So, this is the world I live in. Maybe you are thinking about how lucky you are that your child eats a better variety of food or maybe you are cursing me for the fact that my son will gladly eat a handful of kale. Either way, let’s make school lunches less stressful and try to focus on how it can be a great opportunity to involve our kids in their meals and to be creative.

Here is my first lunchbox post:

 

School Lunch 1

School Lunch 1

  1. Apple slices – I dipped them in a 10% lemon juice water bath.
  2. Baby spinach – Before any jealousy occurs, reread the list of food my son won’t eat.
  3. Plantain chips – If you haven’t tried these, please do. They are delicious. I really like the versions made by Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. They taste like a denser potato chip. Just like bananas, plantains provide a good dose of potassium.
  4. Homemade brownie – I am a big fan of the blog by Karina of Gluten-Free Goddess®. She has awesome gluten-free recipes for baked goods. I like this brownie recipe because it uses coconut oil instead of butter and it is starch-free. The only flours used are sorghum flour and almond meal. Recipe link
  5. Uncured Genoa Salami (Always nitrite/nitrate-free and with minimal ingredients. I like Applegate brand which is gluten and casein-free)

 

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