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Author: Mary | Just Take A Bite

Double Cherry Ice Cream

Since we have fresh tart cherries I had to do more than just make a pie with them. I decided to make tart cherry ice cream.


Sometimes fruity ice creams can get really hard or taste more like sorbet than ice cream. But this turned out very well. It’s still smooth and creamy. And it scoops well straight out of the freezer. No need to let it sit for 10 minutes to soften.

The whole family is enjoying this cherry ice cream. It definitely has the tart cherry flavor. But it’s also sweet. You might need a little more sugar than you’d put in most ice creams to get a good balance.


Eat it plain, drizzled with hot fudge or on top of cherry pie. Any way you serve this ice cream, it’s good!


Double Cherry Ice Cream

2 cups cream (preferably raw, NOT ultra-pasteurized)
1/4 cup tart cherry juice (not something to buy separately…just the natural juice from your cherries)
2/3 cup tart cherries, pitted
1/2 – 2/3 cup organic cane sugar, sucanat, coconut sugar, maple syrup or honey (or any combination)
2 tsp. organic vanilla
1 Tbsp. tapioca flour (optional)
1-3 egg yolks (optional)
1/4 cup tart cherries, chopped
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips* (optional)

Blend the cream, cherry juice, cherries, sweetener, vanilla, tapioca flour and egg yolks until smooth. Process in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer directions (this is the kind I use* and it takes 15 – 20 minutes). During the last minute of processing add the chipped cherries and chocolate chips.

Transfer the ice cream to a freezer safe container and freeze until solid.


*These are affiliate links. It will not change the cost for you if you buy through the link, but I will get a small commission. It helps me earn a small amount to keep putting in the time and effort to do what I do 🙂

Gluten Free Cherry Pie (Egg Free, Nut Free, Corn Free, Dairy Free)

For the last couple of years when cherry season rolls around my husband says we must get tart cherries for pie. Neither of us grew up eating fresh cherry pie. I honestly hated cherry pie since whenever I did have it it was made from a can of pie filling.


But since tasting freshly baked, real cherry pie we are both huge fans. It does take a little more work than some pies since you have to make a filling instead of just putting the fruit/sugar right into the crust. But it doesn’t take long. And it’s well worth the effort.

Of course this year I made a gluten free, corn free version so the whole family could enjoy it. This was my first experiment with making a gluten free pie crust. It tasted great. But it didn’t roll as well as a traditional crust. So I just pressed the dough into the pan for the bottom crust. And we rolled and cut out shapes (like sugar cookies) for the top. I still have some experimenting to do. So be on the lookout for an updated pie crust. In the mean time, this one tastes great!


This was all around a wonderful treat. Even my little guy that doesn’t care for sweets/desserts kept asking for more. Maybe I’ll have to make more tart desserts for him. Top the pie with homemade vanilla ice cream or freshly whipped cream. A perfect mid-summer dessert.

It’s also a fun treat to make with your kids. Let them make their own pie. It’ll taste even better that way. Don’t mind the mess. Just enjoy some time baking with your kids.


Gluten Free Cherry Pie

Filling:
4 1/2 cups tart cherries, pitted
1 1/2 cups organic cane sugar, sucanat or coconut sugar*
4 Tbsp. tapioca flour*, arrowroot or cornstarch
2 tsp. gelatin (optional)

1 1/2 Tbsp. butter to dot (optional)
1 Tbsp. organic cane sugar, sucanat or coconut sugar for sprinkling (optional)

Crust:
1 cup amaranth flour*
1/2 cup tapioca flour*
1/2 cup white rice flour*
1 tsp. sea salt*
2/3 cup + 2 Tbsp. organic palm shortening, butter or lard
1/3 cup water + 1 tsp. vinegar
1 tsp. ground flax seeds (optional – helps bind the dough)

Prepare the crust:

Combine the flours and salt (and flax seeds) in a food processor or bowl. Cut/pulse in half of the fat until it looks like corn meal. Cut/pulse in the other half of the fat to look like small peas.

Add the water + vinegar and blend until fully combined/the dough comes together.

Split the dough into two equal parts. At this point you can cover and refrigerate the dough or use it right away.

Press one half of the dough into the bottom and up the sides of a 9″ pie pan. Set aside or refrigerate until ready to use.

Prepare the filling:

Place the cherries in a medium sauce pan. Cook over medium heat until the cherries have released a lot of juice. This will take about 5 minutes.

Combine the sugar, tapioca and gelatin. Add this mixture to the cherries. Cook, stirring, until the filling thickens.

Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.


Prepare the pie:

Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust. Dot with butter. Roll the other half of the pie dough. Cut into shapes and place them on top of the filling. Sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for 50 – 55 minutes, until the crust is golden. Allow to cool completely before cutting. You can warm the pie when serving.

*These are affiliate links. It will not change the cost for you if you buy through the link, but I will get a small commission. It helps me earn a small amount to keep putting in the time and effort to do what I do 🙂


Meal Plans Week of 7-21-13

Ahhh…60’s. Last week was HOT! Yesterday the heat wave finally subsided. And this morning it is a nice cool 62 degrees outside 🙂

Last week was busy, busy, busy. We had quite a few places to go. Plus I did lots of baking. And I scrubbed the house top to bottom – especially the kitchen. We’ve been dealing with little fruit flies that just won’t go away. So I do a major clean up in the kitchen – in the dishwasher, in the cupboards, walls, doors, floors, etc. Thankfully there are no longer fruit flies everywhere you look 🙂

This week will be a little different for us because Justin is on vacation. The opposite extreme of his 2 weeks of crazy hours. It’ll be strange to see him around so much! He’ll be busy on house projects, but we might make a trip to the beach. And we’ll be visiting his family. I also have to go to the farmer’s market and the grocery store. It’s been over 2 weeks since I went grocery shopping. And we’re running out of some basics.

Unfortunately my body is not recovering as quickly as I had hoped. So I’m heading back to the doctor tomorrow to make sure things are ok.

As usual in the summer I’m not sure what my kitchen projects will be until I know what produce I’ll have. I’ll still be freezing beans (I’ve got about 2 – 3 gallons so far). I need to freeze some of our zucchini and maybe bake and cook with some of it. I’m still waiting on the good blueberries. They might be ready this week or next week. When we get them I’ll freeze a bunch and make some blueberry pie for sure. My favorite!! If I have time I’ll make a new batch of ice cream. And I might have to do some baking to have food for our trip. Plus I have to pack. One of my absolute least favorite things to do.

I finally got a chance yesterday to shop and buy a few things that fit. I’ve gained about 15 lbs. in the last 2 months. Most of it was out of my control. And I don’t know if any of it will naturally come off once my body is fully recovered. But I guess I needed some of it anyway. So I’m just accepting my body the way it is right now and focusing on health. God knew that I couldn’t give up the control on my own. So he took control to get me where I need to be.

I’m finding that when I stop worrying about my weight and trying to maintain a certain number on the scale (since it’s impossible right now) my worry about food has gone way down. It’s much easier to eat for nutrition and not worry about anything. We went out for dinner last night. Instead of debating over and over about what to get/what really sounds good/what I “should” get I just glanced at the menu. One thing stood out that sounded good and was something I could tolerate. I ordered it. And that was that. I didn’t stuff myself. I just ate what I wanted/to fullness like I do at home. I didn’t eye everyone else’s food thinking it looked so good. I was totally satisfied and didn’t leave feeling sick or stuffed or anxious.

I’ve also noticed that I don’t crave “treats” anymore. Last week I made cherry pie and cherry ice cream. I had a couple pieces of the pie. And since then it hasn’t even tempted me. Not that I don’t like it. But other things sound better. And I’m not trying to sneak bites or craving it. For snack last night I got the pie out to cut a piece for myself. Mostly because I figured I should…it needs to be eaten while it’s fresh and I can eat it. But then I put it back in the fridge. One of my homemade soaked rice bars sounded a lot better. So I just had one of those and some raw milk. No big dessert. Just a little snack before bed. And I haven’t had ice cream in about a week. I just haven’t wanted any. It’s so nice to not be controlled by food and to be able to listen to my body. Eat when I’m hungry. Don’t when I’m not. Choose nourishing foods. Eat a treat once in a while if it sounds good. And just enjoy life. Getting back to balance.

I’m finding that it works pretty well to focus on plenty of carbs/starch in the morning. Then making sure I get enough protein and enough calories with lunch. And eating a little lighter overall and heavy on the veggies in the evening. Now that I think about it this is exactly how I ate in college…when I got back to health without even trying/knowing anything about health. I always ate a huge bowl of cereal for breakfast (not healthy I know, but tons of carb/starch). Then I often ate lots of meat for lunch. And I loved eating salads for dinner. Things get messed up when we overthink things and stop listening to our bodies.

I think my body might not be ready for eggs yet. I’ve been having some of my food intolerance symtpoms flair again. It could partially be hormones. But I think it’s the eggs. So I’m cutting them back out for now. I’m also trying to see if zucchini bothers me. I think I do ok with it if it’s peeled and seeded. All that fiber is too much for my tummy. But I still have to experiment to be sure.

My meal plans aren’t 100% complete because I still have to figure out what we’re bringing on our trip. But I have most of it figured out.

Trust in God and eat the food. Eet Smakelijk!
____________________
S (prep lunch, freeze zucchini, church, prep smoothies, soak flour)
  B – baked oatmeal w/ berries (J), berry yogurt (R/A), cherry pie yogurt, chick peas (M)
  L – cp roast beef w/ potatoes, carrots, zucchini and onions
  D – french toast, fresh fruit, sausage, peas

M (make garbanzo flour scones, make gummies, Dr. Y., HH?, beach?)
  B – smoothie, granola bar (J/A), cheese, snap peas, rice bar (M), granola bar (R)
  D – beach/picnic? or TBD

T (fm)
  B – zucchini bread, fruit
  D – fish sticks, baked sweet potatoes, beans

W (Meijer)
  B – smoothie, muffins (J/A), toast w/ almond butter (R), fried duck egg, toast, fruit (M)
  D – beef and veggie stir fry over rice

Th (skim cream, make ice cream, pack)
  B – egg puff, toast (J), gummies, golden grahams (R/A), gm yogurt, amaranth bar (M)
  D – fried chicken breasts (gf version), peas, french fries

F (travel)
  B – TBD
  D – beef stew, salad

S (travel)
  B – TBD
  D – reception – bbq ribs/chicken, cornbread, potato salad, baked bean

Meal Plans Week of 7-14-13

Wow, the middle of July already! I feel like the first half of my summer is kind of a blur and I’m just coming out of the fog. Last week was pretty insane too. Justin worked very late every night. We pretty much didn’t see him. I had to play Mom-Dad. And the kids were hyped up on antibiotics. So I’m worn out. I hope this week is a little better.


This week should be a little less busy than last week. Rebecca has soccer camp 4 afternoons. We need to make a stop at the library and the farmer’s market. We ordered tart cherries that need to be picked up this week. If Justin is home at normal time on Monday I finally have a chance to get out of the house and speak to other adults 😛  The monthly West Michigan Bloggers meeting is that evening. There is a chance we could meet up with my SIL, nephew and niece for a playdate. And there is a chance Justin and I could go on a date to celebrate our 10th anniversary. But we haven’t planned anything yet.

My kitchen projects will depend on what’s available at the farmer’s market and what we get from our garden. So I’ll fill those in as the week goes on. I started freezing beans from our garden last week. I assume that will continue. Hopefully we can still get an ok amount even though there is a deer that is eating half of our garden. I’ll probably make a cherry pie with the tart cherries and freeze some of them. If there are good blueberries I’ll freeze a bunch of those. And I should make some more of my safe snacks to have on hand. I’m almost out. I made 3 batches of ice cream last week, so I can probably skip that this week. But we’ll see. I’ve been eating a lot of ice cream too 😛


As for my health, things are kind of changing. You’ll notice I don’t have a rotational menu this week. I’ve decided to stop sticking to a strict rotation…well, I haven’t really been sticking to it for a while now. I just couldn’t last month since I could hardly eat anything at all. As my appetite is returning I’m still trying to get variety and not eat the same things day after day. But I’m also just listening to my body.

I seem to be doing ok with small amounts of eggs. Maybe next month I’ll try eating whole eggs once in a while.

In terms of what direction I’m headed my focus right now is to heal my body. I’m trying to fully recover from years of disordered eating. Which means I need to eat…and eat…and eat 😛  No big rules. Just eat. I stumbled upon this awesome website Your Eatopia the other day. And it is just what I needed! I especially like this post about the phases of recovery. Sounds fun, huh? Not. But it needs to happen. I’ve already gained weight. I have a belly/spare tire that doesn’t want to budge. Most of my clothes don’t fit. But…I want to be healthy. So I’m going to do it. Just eat. (I need to learn from my son how to really enjoy food :P)


I know I’ve actually already made a lot of progress over the last year by nourishing my metabolism. My temps are back in the 98s. My skin, hair and nails are great. I sleep a lot more. Lots of little things that are already improved. But I need to keep going. I need to get my whole body in balance. I am not going to obsess over it like usual. So I won’t be giving weekly updates. But I will mention things from time to time if I notice good progress.

I am hoping to soon start some updates to the look of the blog. I got a couple big writing assignments done last week so I can focus a bit more on my blog this week.

So here’s what’s on the menu. Lots of good food. I’m ready to dig in! Eet Smakelijk! (Dutch for enjoy your meal)
_________________________
S (church, prep smoothies)
  B – waffles (J), gm yogurt, soaked grahams, grapes (M), toast w/ pb, gummies (R/A)
  L – spaghetti, corn
  D – hashbrown egg bake w/ bacon, roasted cauliflower, fruit

M (bake gf zucchini bread, soccer, WMB)
  B – smoothie, zucchini bread
  D – out to eat OR mac ‘n’ cheese, beans, fruit leftover egg casserole, peas, zucchini bread

T (make zucchini bread, soak flour, library, FM, pick up cherries, soccer, make amaranth bars)
  B – smoothie zucchini bread (J/A), fried duck egg, zucchini bread, grapes (M), ice cream (R)
  D – chicken nuggets, beans, rice

W (playdate, soccer, freeze cherries)
  B – smoothie, zucchini bread
  D – grilled bbq pork chops, rice, grilled zucchini or zucchini fries baked pork chops, peas, chips w/ salsa

Th (make gf pie crust, freeze beans, roast beets, skim cream, bake cherry pie, make cherry ice cream, make hot fudge, soccer, soak flour)
  B – toast w/ pb, yogurt (J), gm yogurt, fruit (M), toast w/ ab (R/A)
  D – grilled cheeseburgers, grilled zucchini, sweet potato fries

F (freeze zucchini, make gf zucchini bread, soak flour)
  B – toast w/ pb, yogurt, fruit
  D – salmon cakes, zucchini fries, cauliflower, fruit

S (make rice bars)
  B – TBD
  D – out to eat

Gluten Free Corndogs

Last year I started the routine of having fun finger foods for dinner on Sunday evenings. I don’t always stick to that plan anymore. But this week we did. I made corndogs! That is definitely a fun finger food.


I’ve tried making corndogs quite a few times in the past. But I always tried baking them. They were ok. But not great.

This time I fried them. And made sure the batter was thick enough to stick to the hot dogs. And it worked.

The kids thought it was fun. They didn’t even know what a corndog was. Although now I think they might always want their hot dogs served on sticks.


It was a fun experiment and a perfect July finger food. Maybe next I’ll have to try elephant ears to get the full carnival experience at home.

Gluten Free Corndogs

6-8 grassfed nitrite/nitrate free hot dogs
1/2 cup organic cornmeal
1/2 cup total white rice flour + tapioca flour (I do 2:1)
1/3 cup organic cane sugar, sucanat or coconut sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 egg
1/3 cup milk or milk substitute
2 Tbsp. butter or coconut oil, melted

coconut oil, palm shortening, lard and/or tallow for frying

Directions:

Cut hot dogs in half. Place each half on a popsicle stick or sucker stick.

Combine the cornmeal, rice flour, tapioca flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Add the egg, milk and butter. Mix well.

Heat enough oil over medium heat in a cast iron skillet to cover the bottom of the pan.

When the oil is hot, one at a time dip a hot dog in the batter, coating it fully. Place the hot dog in the oil. Cook on each side a few minutes, until golden.

Continue the process until all of the corn dogs have been cooked. Be sure not to crowd the pan so you can easily flip the corndogs. Add extra oil if it gets low.


Serve warm with ketchup or mustard.

Meal Plans Week of 7-7-13

Here we are at Sunday again. My life has changed drastically in the last week. A week ago I was hoping my life would be a lot different. But some very difficult personal stuff happened that I hope to be able to share someday. But for now I’ll just leave it at that. I’m doing my best to keep going. And really working on my goal this year of acceptance. My kids both came down with strep throat last week too. So they are in the process of recovering. I hope our 4th of July week is much happier next year.


I was thankful for a quiet week last week. And it was so nice to have Justin home for four days in a row to help out at home. Tomorrow it will be back to reality for me. We have a pretty busy week. I hope my body is able to keep up.

Today is church. I’m not quite ready to be out and about and social yet. So the kids and I are staying home. Monday is grocery shopping. Tuesday is farmer’s market and speech therapist. Wednesday is milk pick up. Thursday Rebecca has a psychologist appointment. And there is a chance I could meet up with my SIL and nephew and niece on Friday. But it’ll just depend how I’m feeling…if I’m too worn out physically and emotionally yet.


We got a lot of strawberries frozen last week. We now have 5 gallons in the freezer. I also made strawberry fruit leather, 3 pints of strawberry topping, strawberry gummies and strawberry shortcake. We went cherry picking yesterday, so I’m in the process of preserving those. So far I’ve frozen about 5 lbs. and have a batch in the dehydrator right now. I also caught up on a few baking projects last week.

We are starting to get zucchini and beans from our garden. So those will be showing up on our menu more often. And I’ll be preserving them as well.


This week I’ll mostly be dealing with produce. I have to freeze more cherries, make cherry fruit leather and hopefully some kind of cherry dessert. If the farmer’s market has blueberries I’ll be freezing some of those and making gf blueberry pie. I need to make a new batch of squash scones and maybe some ice cream. I’ll also do at least one gf baked good.

I also have to do some serious writing this week. I’ve had so much other stuff on my mind the last month I haven’t been able to focus at all. But I have a lot of stuff due next week. You may have noticed there haven’t been many blog posts either. Hopefully I’ll soon return to my usual kitchen experimenting self and have some new recipes.

I also need to start working on some blog updates. Hopefully they will make the blog look a little cleaner and easier to read.

In terms of my health I’ve kind of switched to recovery mode for now. I’m trying to nourish my body, get rest and heal. In a few weeks hopefully I can lay out a better plan as to how to continue on my healing journey. For now my plan is just take it easy and enjoy time with my husband and kids.

On to the menu for the week. Today’s lunch is a casserole that my grandma brought us yesterday. She’s so thoughtful. And it’s nice for me to get another little break. Some of our meals are repeats from last week since we had to change plans when the kids were sick and weren’t eating much. I hope this week things are looking up.
____________________________
S (dry cherries, church, make cherry cobbler, freeze cherries, make cherry fruit leather, prep smoothies) D4
  B – yogurt, granola, fruit (J/A), toast w/ pb (R), yogurt w/ soaked grahams, cherries (M)
  L – tator tot casserole (brought by my grandma), applesauce
  D – gf corndogs, chips w/ dip, broccoli, cherry limeaid

M (make gf graham crackers, Meijer) D1
  B – smoothie, banana muffin (J/A), yogurt (R), duck egg, TBD (M)
  D – sweet and sour chicken stir fry over rice (Justin worked late, just the kids and me)

T (writing, FM, SP) D2
  B – corn cakes w/ syrup, cherries (J), cherries, cheese, rice bar (M), yogurt (R/A)
  D – BLTs, homemade sweet potato chips, peas (Justin worked late, just the kids and me)

W (writing, milk) D3
  B – smoothie, TBD (J/A), gm yogurt, amaranth bar (M), gummies, fruit (R)
  D – pan seared salmon, zucchini cakes, corn (Justin worked late, just the kids and me)

Th (skim cream, boil eggs, make squash scones, Dr. M., make ice cream) D4
  B – hard boiled egg, toast (J), squash scone, yogurt (M), golden grahams w/ milk (R/A)
  D – spaghetti, corn, garlic toast

F (make ice cream, freeze beans, freeze cherries, soak flour) D1
  B – hard boiled egg, toast (J), TBD (M/R/A)
  D – waffles, bacon, roasted veggies, fruit

S (bake TBD) D2
  B – waffles (J/R/A), fruit, cheese, rice bar (M)
  D – salad bar (toppings: avocado, cheese, bacon, cranberries, nuts, misc. veggies, homemade croutons), TBD baked good – scones, muffins, etc.

Gluten Free Strawberry Shortcake

Summer is here! That means one thing – strawberries. Gluten free strawberry shortcake is the perfect way to enjoy this amazing early summer berry.

Gluten Free Strawberry Shortcake | Homemade Dutch Apple Pie
Do you love strawberry shortcake in the summer? I’ll confess…I’ve never liked it.  Whenever we had it growing up I opted for just vanilla ice cream with the sweetened strawberries on top.
 
I’ve tried it with a variety of cakes. Shortcake, spongecake, angel food cake, etc. Just not my thing.
 
But my family enjoys it. So yesterday the kids and I made this gluten free version of shortcake to eat with our fresh strawberries.

This gluten free strawberry shortcake is so easy to make!

 The dough comes together in minutes and bakes quickly too.  You could have fresh, warm strawberry shortcake in front of you in about twenty minutes, start to finish.
 
I’ve never been a shortcake fan, but I found myself repeatedly “taste testing” this gluten free strawberry shortcake. I think I’m a convert now. Better yet, my whole family really enjoyed this!
 
Top the shortcake with slightly sweetened strawberries. Add fresh vanilla ice cream to complete the perfect summer treat.
 
 
Are you a strawberry shortcake lover? If not this gluten free strawberry shortcake might change your mind.
Gluten Free Strawberry Shortcake
makes 6-9 shortcakes
 
Ingredients:
1 cup white rice flour or brown rice flour
1/2 cup amaranth flour or brown rice flour
1/4 tapioca flour
1/4 cup sorghum flour
1/3 cup organic palm shortening or butter
2 Tbsp. organic cane sugar, sucanat or coconut sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup milk or milk substitute
 
sweetened strawberries (hull and chop strawberries; add sweetener to taste; let sit for 10 minutes; mash)
 
Directions: 
1. Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Cut the shortening into the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt (I do this in my food processor) until it looks like fine crumbs.
3. Add milk. Mix until just blended.
4. Place dough on a lightly floured surface. Knead a few times to make sure the dough is mixed well.
5. Pat dough into a disk 1/2″ thick. Cut into rounds (I used a drinking glass with about a 3″ diameter). Repeat until dough is used up.
6. Place rounds about 1″ apart on the baking sheet. Bake 12 minutes, until golden.
7. Serve fresh out of the oven or reheat for a few minutes before serving.
8. Slice warm shortcake in half. Spread butter on both sides if desired. Top the bottom half with sweetened strawberries. Place remaining half on top. Top with more strawberries and whipped cream or ice cream if desired.
 


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Meal Plans Week of 6-30-13

The last day of June. This morning’s post will be a quick one. Yesterday was kind of stressful with travel, and I have a semi migraine this morning. So I’m just doing the minimum. Not sure I’ll be making it to church today. But at least we had fun celebrating my niece’s 1st birthday.

We don’t have any major plans this week. We’ll be doing the usual 4th of July stuff – parade and craft fair.


We did manage to do some strawberry picking last week, so I have to deal with those. And I have some potential baking projects – golden grahams, goldfish, amaranth bars, rice bars and squash scones. We’ll see how the week goes.

On to the menu. What’s cooking in your kitchen this week?
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S (prep lunch, church, prep smoothies, make ic treats) D1
  B – yogurt, granola, strawberries (J/A), duck egg, TBD (M), toast w/ pb (R)
  L – cp honey mustard chicken over rice, carrots
  D – grilled chicken and cheese sandwiches, broccoli, fruit

M (freeze strawberries, soak flour, make strawberry topping) D2
  B – smoothie, donut (J/A), cheese, rice bar (M), granola w/ milk (R)
  D – cp pork chops, baked potatoes w/ sour cream and cheese, peas

T (make amaranth bars, make gummies, FM) D3
  B – oatmeal (J), gm yogurt, amaranth bar (M), gummies, fruit (R/A)
  D – spaghetti takeout – sick kids

W (make golden grahams make muffins, freeze strawberries, bake shortcake) D4
  B – smoothie, banana muffins (J/A), TBD golden grahams (M/R)
  D – tomato soup, grilled cheese spaghetti, corn tacos – sick kids

Th (make goldfish, make golden grahams, soak flour, parade, craft fair) D1
  B – egg puff, toast (J), duck egg, TBD (M), golden grahams (R/A)
  D – grilled burgers or brats, homemade potato chips, broccoli

F (make rice bars) D2
  B – TBD (J), cheese, rice bar (M), gummies, toast (R/A)
  D – scrambled eggs, bacon, toast or scones, peas, fruit

S () D3
  B – TBD
  D – tomato soup, grilled cheese

Soaked Gluten Free Blondies (Egg Free, Dairy Free, Nut Free)

I am definitely a chocolate lover. But sometimes I like to go blond instead of brown 🙂  I made a new batch of blondies this morning.

They are soaked and gluten free, so they are easy on the tummy. And they are soft and delicious!

The other great thing about them is that they are really easy to make. I experimented today and made them in my food processor.

It worked great! I added the flour and soaking liquid last night. Then this morning I just added the remaining ingredients, turned on the fp for a minute and my batter was done. Simple. You can also do it with a stand mixer or with a hand mixer or even by hand (it just takes a little more time and muscle by hand).

I did add some mini chocolate chips to give a subtle chocolate flavor. But you could make these without the chips.

How about you…are you a brownie or a blondie person?



Soaked Gluten Free Blondies
makes a 9″ square pan

1 cup white rice flour
1 cup teff flour
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted
2 Tbsp. lemon juice + water to equal 1/2 cup
1/3 cup honey
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/3 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Mix the flour, coconut oil and lemon/water mixture. Cover. Let soak 7 – 24 hours.


Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9″ square baking pan.

Add the honey, salt, soda and cream of tartar to the flour mixture. Mix well (until lumps are gone).

Stir in the chocolate chips.

Spread the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake 20 – 25 minutes. Let cool 5 – 10 minutes. Cut into bars.


These hold up well in the refrigerator or freezer.

Meal Plans Week of 6-23-13

Kind of a slow start to our morning today. The last 2 days have been busy with seeing both sides of the family and going to my brother-in-law’s wedding. Late bed times, lots of excitement, cake decorating, the works. It was so great to get to see so much family, especially relatives we haven’t seen in years. But it was also tiring. We’ll see how long the kids sleep in today 😛

 Now that the wedding is over we can relax a bit. We’ll be busy this week, but nothing out of the ordinary. We need to restock our fridge and cupboards. We should make trips to Heffron Farms, Harvest Health, Meijer and the farmer’s market. And possibly strawberry picking. But that’s a lot of errands in one week. So we’ll see. I’d also like to make a stop at the library to stock up on books again. And possibly go to the zoo or children’s museum. We will also see more family when we celebrate my niece’s first birthday on Saturday!

My potential kitchen tasks for the week are granola bars, squash scones, rice scones and ice cream treats or rainbow ice cream. If we go strawberry picking I need to freeze a bunch and hopefully make jam. I would also like to try making gluten free bread again.

A short one this week. My brain is a bit tired 😛  Here’s what’s on our menu. What’s cooking in your kitchen?

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S (church, prep smoothies, make mayo) D2
  B – granola, yogurt (J/R/A), rice bar, granola (M)
  L – leftover ham, scalloped potatoes, peas
  D – salmon cakes, baked beans, chips, peaches

M (make granola bars, HF) D3
  B – apple cinnamon yogurt, granola bar (J/R/A), gm yogurt, amaranth bar (M)
  D – chicken and cheese sandwich, chips, corn, fruit

T (make squash scones, FM, library, HH) D4
  B – cinnamon sugar toast, apple slices (J/R/A), squash scone, yogurt (M)
  D – gf sloppy cornbread, beans

W (make hot fudge, strain kefir, freeze butter, Meijer, soak flour) D1
  B – yogurt, granola bar (J/R/A), fried duck egg, broccoli (M)
  D – chicken nuggets (make double batch?), broccoli, fries

Th (skim cream, make rice bars) D2
  B – hard boiled egg, toast (J), snap peas, rice bar, cheese (M), toast w/ almond butter, gummies (R/A)
  D – squash and sausage soup, crackers w/ cheese

F (make ice cream, strawberry picking) D3
  B – hard boiled egg, toast, banana (J), yogurt, granola, fruit (R/A), gm yogurt, amaranth bar (M)
  D – french toast

S (make gf golden grahams?, make gf goldfish?, make ice cream, birthday party) D4
  B – french toast (J/R/A), squash scone, squash, yogurt (M)
  D – at party