A Little Blog Construction

Yes, I'm still here.  I still feel like we're recovering from our move this summer and with the start of school this fall.........we have been busy at our house!  Of course, it doesn't help that my hubby is in the final stages of graduate school.  Because of our busy schedule lately, I've been trying to simply keep afloat and I haven't been experimenting with any new recipes - I just want something that I know works!  So, new recipes will be back soon, just not right now. 

In the meantime, I'm working on cleaning up some things on my blog and making pinable images of my recipes to share on Pinterest.  I'm also going to be doing some behind-the-scenes organizing of the blog pages and the posts.

I'll be back when I feel like I can breathe again.  I do have some new recipes to share that I made several weeks ago.  I also have some stories to tell about Bee's most recent allergic reactions.  She had 2 reactions in 2 weeks!  That was not a fun time!  And I will have to write about our upcoming appointment with our allergist.  Yes, we see her in November and we'll be doing testing.  We're praying for better results and maybe some outgrown allergies! 

So, know that we're still here; we're still allergy free; we're still busy looking for new recipes; we're still working to keep our kids safe.  The blog might be a little quiet, but enjoy some of the older posts and a few of our favorite recipes. 

You might need some Taco Dip for game day......
Or you might want a simple Baked Chicken recipe for a school night....
You could make some Gingerbread Donuts to celebrate fall.....
You should definitely make some Granola Bars for an after school snack....
Or you could have a treat of some Maple Oatmeal Cookies.

You can read a little about how we're trying to Teach Independence and Food Allergy Awareness
You could see why I Fear Doctors after our food allergy experiences
You might want to read about How Donuts Ruined My Day
Find out what's inside our Food Allergy Emergency Kit
And you could enjoy a much needed laugh as you reflect on life with food allergies!

Allergy Free Orange Muffins

Orange Muffins

1 cup hemp milk

1/2 cup orange juice

1 container coconut yogurt

3 tsp egg replacer whisked with 4 T rice milk

1 cup Earth Balance, melted

3  1/2 cups flour blend

1  1/4 tsp xanthan gum

1 cup sugar

1  1/2 T baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

zest of 1 orange

Glaze:

1  1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/8 cup orange juice (plus a few extra Tablespoons if needed)

2 tsp orange zest

Whisk together milk, orange juice, coconut yogurt, egg replacer mixture, and melted Earth Balance.
In a separate bowl mix the flour blend through salt.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated.
Fold in orange zest.
Pour into greased muffin tins and bake at 350 for 18 minutes.
Cool on wire rack.
Once cool, pour the glaze over each muffin.

Makes 18-24 muffins.

Teaching Independence and Food Allergy Awareness

One of our goals is to teach Bee to take responsibility for her allergies.  One day she will be somewhere without me and she will have to be her own advocate.  The thought of that absolutely terrifies me.  But I know that she will grow up and she will have to be responsible for her allergies, health, and safety.  I'm not exactly sure how we're going to teach this independence.

I want her to understand the seriousness of her allergies and know that all it takes is one little bite.  I want her to recognize that there are no second chances and that her allergies will be something she deals with on a daily basis.  However, I don't want her to live in fear either, paralyzed to go places or enjoy new experiences.  Where is the balance?

So, not only do I worry about her food allergies, I worry about how she will handle them herself and how I will teach her.  But I was encouraged just last week -

My husband took the kids ice skating.  He loaded them in the car with their skates, jackets, and heavy socks.  They backed out of the driveway and a small voice from the backseat piped up, "Don't forget the Epi!"  Yes, little Bee has heard me say this phrase about a million times in her little life.  And now she has taken responsibility for reminding others to see to her needs.  Since that day, I have heard that phrase from her every single time we walk out the back door. 

I don't forget her Epi and I remember that one of the most important things I can do is to model actions and words for my kids.  They are always watching and they have learned the importance of taking the Epi with us just from watching us.  So, I think we've discovered step 1 in teaching Bee to be her own advocate.  We can do this!

Pure and Peanut Free

Here's a great post about living with food allergies for all the wonderful allergy parents out there!

Allergy Free Chicken Veggie Soup with Red Potatoes

Chicken Veggie Soup with Red Potatoes

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp olive oil

1 lb chicken, cooked and diced

8 cups chicken broth

4 red potatoes, peeled and diced

4 carrots, peeled and diced

1 cup broccoli florets, diced small

diced baby spinach

salt and pepper to taste

Saute the onion in oil until translucent.
Add in the garlic and saute for just a minute or two.
Add the chicken and season with salt and pepper.
Add the chicken broth, potatoes, and carrots.
Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes and carrots are tender.
Add in the broccoli and cook for a few minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in spinach to wilt.

Allergy Free Pea Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pea Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup Earth Balance

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1  1/2 tsp egg replacer whisked with 2 T rice milk

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup No Nut Butter

1 cup flour blend

1/2 tsp xanthan

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup chocolate chips - Enjoy Life chocolate chips

Cream Earth Balance and sugars until creamy.
Add egg replacer mixture and vanilla and mix until smooth.
Add No Nut Butter and mix well.
Add dry ingredients and stir gently with spatula.
Fold in chocolate chips.
Drop by spoonfuls onto parchment lined baking sheets.
Bake at 375 for 10-11 minutes or until just golden brown.
Cool on cookie sheet 1 minute before removing to wire racks.

Allergy Free Crockpot Taco Dip

Crockpot Taco Dip

1 lb ground beef

taco seasoning

Beef broth

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 can diced tomatoes (I put mine in blender) - or you could use 1 15 oz jar of salsa

1 onion, diced

tortilla chips

Brown the ground beef and drain.
Add in 2 T of taco seasoning with 2/3 cup beef broth. 
Let simmer until most of broth is absorbed.
Put pinto beans in food processor and process while adding some beef broth and 1-2 T of taco seasoning.
Place ground beef on bottom of crock pot.
Layer diced onion on top.
Next, add the black beans.
Then spread the tomatoes on top.
Spoon the pinto bean mixture over the tomatoes and spread evenly.

Cook on low for 5-7 hours.

You could also add some Daiya cheese on the pinto beans with some crumbled tortilla chips on top for more of a casserole dish.  But we like ours as a dip so we keep the chips on the side.