Sunday, May 12, 2013
Thursday, March 21, 2013
No Sugar Added - Nut Free Energy Bars - SunButter Balls and Cherry Garcia Balls
I cannot eat Larabars because I have a tree nut allergy. At Christmas, I make the most divine Sun Butter Cups (think Reese's without the Peanut Butter because of our SEVERELY allergic kid). Said child mourned the fact she, too, could not have Larabars, which are a staple for several of my children. So, I came up with this truly divine concoction.
These are not sugar free. I just don't add any additional sugar above and beyond what is in the ingredients.
SunButter Balls
10 dates, pitted and soaked in boiling water to soften, then drained
1/4 c. cocoa
1/3 c. SunButter
Optional Add-ins:
2 Tbsp. Chia seed
3 Tbsp. Hemp seed
3 Tbsp. raw sunflower seeds
3 Tbsp. chocolate chips
Place the dates in a food processor or blender like "The Ninja" and process them until they are finely chopped. Add the cocoa and SunButter. Puree until combined. If you don't want them smooth, just process until mixed. Remove from the processor and add any "Add-ins" by hand. Shape into balls and store in an air-tight container.
With the crunch of the seeds and chocolate chips, these taste like peanut butter cups without all the allergens.
Cherry Garcia Balls
(I love Cherry Garcia Ice Cream - I'm sure this is much better for me than ice cream.)
10 dates, pitted and soaked in boiling water to soften, then drained
1/4 c. cocoa
1/3 c. dried cherries, soaked in boiling water to soften, then drained
Optional Add-ins:
2 Tbsp. Chia seed
3 Tbsp. Hemp seed
3 Tbsp. chocolate chips
Place the dates in a food processor or blender like "The Ninja" and process them until they are finely chopped. Add the cocoa and cherries. Puree until combined. If you don't want them smooth, just process until mixed. Remove from the processor and add any "Add-ins" by hand. Shape into balls and store in an air-tight container.
These are seriously addictive, but totally squelch any chocolate or sugar cravings I might have.
Enjoy!
These are not sugar free. I just don't add any additional sugar above and beyond what is in the ingredients.
SunButter Balls
10 dates, pitted and soaked in boiling water to soften, then drained
1/4 c. cocoa
1/3 c. SunButter
Optional Add-ins:
2 Tbsp. Chia seed
3 Tbsp. Hemp seed
3 Tbsp. raw sunflower seeds
3 Tbsp. chocolate chips
Place the dates in a food processor or blender like "The Ninja" and process them until they are finely chopped. Add the cocoa and SunButter. Puree until combined. If you don't want them smooth, just process until mixed. Remove from the processor and add any "Add-ins" by hand. Shape into balls and store in an air-tight container.
With the crunch of the seeds and chocolate chips, these taste like peanut butter cups without all the allergens.
Cherry Garcia Balls
(I love Cherry Garcia Ice Cream - I'm sure this is much better for me than ice cream.)
10 dates, pitted and soaked in boiling water to soften, then drained
1/4 c. cocoa
1/3 c. dried cherries, soaked in boiling water to soften, then drained
Optional Add-ins:
2 Tbsp. Chia seed
3 Tbsp. Hemp seed
3 Tbsp. chocolate chips
Place the dates in a food processor or blender like "The Ninja" and process them until they are finely chopped. Add the cocoa and cherries. Puree until combined. If you don't want them smooth, just process until mixed. Remove from the processor and add any "Add-ins" by hand. Shape into balls and store in an air-tight container.
These are seriously addictive, but totally squelch any chocolate or sugar cravings I might have.
Enjoy!
Saturday, March 16, 2013
St. Patrick's Day
Our St. Patrick's Day will revolve around four of our six children dancing in their first ever Irish Step Dance performance. Today our day is full. Hubby and oldest son attended our Archdiocesan Men's Conference. All four kids have a pre-show dance practice as I write this and this afternoon, three children sing at Mass with the Children's Choir. With Mass out of the way, we will focus on St. Patrick tomorrow.
We're an Irish bunch here. My husband is half Irish. I am probably a quarter Irish, maybe more like an eighth...I want to be a quarter :-). So, is it any wonder we have four children with Irish names or named after Irish descendants? My husband and I were too broke buying our first house to go on a real big honeymoon, but we took a "second" honeymoon after a year and a half of marriage to go to Ireland. And, taking Irish Step Dance was a dream come true for my girls and one boy. The others go along.
Today when we get home from church, I will be putting the girls' hair in tiny curlers so they have the springy Irish curl (no wigs, please). That will take about an hour. One daughter has waist length hair. The other has uncooperatively straight hair! That will be followed by Tylenol, but I digress...
Tomorrow I want to be all about St. Patrick's Day. We will feast on Green Scones (recipe to follow), rashers of bacon and green tea. After we finish breakfast and get ready, we will have a quick lunch before heading out to the Day of Irish Dance at a local exhibition hall. We will finish up our day by eating at our favorite family restaurant run by an Irish family. Every year they put up a new calendar with the countdown to St. Patrick's day starting January 1st! Got to love that!
Happy St. Patrick's Day. I hope you will be wearing the green and eating or drinking something that comes from Ireland.
St. Patrick's Irish Scones
(AKA Mint Avocado Scones)
2 c. Bisquick (so sue me...the recipe works, okay?!)
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. mashed avocado
1/3 c. milk
1 tsp. mint extract
3/4 c. chocolate chunks or chocolate chips (optional, but many gave up chocolate for Lent here, so it is not optional!)
1-2 Tbsp. sugar
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut the avocado into the Bisquick and sugar. Add the chocolate chunks and combine. Add milk and mint extract. Stir just to combine. Place dough in a round on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Pat and press down to flatten into a circle about 1" thick. Cut with a sharp knife and, if possible, separate a bit. Sprinkle top with sugar. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly and enjoy with a good cup of Irish coffee.
We're an Irish bunch here. My husband is half Irish. I am probably a quarter Irish, maybe more like an eighth...I want to be a quarter :-). So, is it any wonder we have four children with Irish names or named after Irish descendants? My husband and I were too broke buying our first house to go on a real big honeymoon, but we took a "second" honeymoon after a year and a half of marriage to go to Ireland. And, taking Irish Step Dance was a dream come true for my girls and one boy. The others go along.
Today when we get home from church, I will be putting the girls' hair in tiny curlers so they have the springy Irish curl (no wigs, please). That will take about an hour. One daughter has waist length hair. The other has uncooperatively straight hair! That will be followed by Tylenol, but I digress...
Tomorrow I want to be all about St. Patrick's Day. We will feast on Green Scones (recipe to follow), rashers of bacon and green tea. After we finish breakfast and get ready, we will have a quick lunch before heading out to the Day of Irish Dance at a local exhibition hall. We will finish up our day by eating at our favorite family restaurant run by an Irish family. Every year they put up a new calendar with the countdown to St. Patrick's day starting January 1st! Got to love that!
Happy St. Patrick's Day. I hope you will be wearing the green and eating or drinking something that comes from Ireland.
St. Patrick's Irish Scones
(AKA Mint Avocado Scones)
2 c. Bisquick (so sue me...the recipe works, okay?!)
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. mashed avocado
1/3 c. milk
1 tsp. mint extract
3/4 c. chocolate chunks or chocolate chips (optional, but many gave up chocolate for Lent here, so it is not optional!)
1-2 Tbsp. sugar
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut the avocado into the Bisquick and sugar. Add the chocolate chunks and combine. Add milk and mint extract. Stir just to combine. Place dough in a round on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Pat and press down to flatten into a circle about 1" thick. Cut with a sharp knife and, if possible, separate a bit. Sprinkle top with sugar. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly and enjoy with a good cup of Irish coffee.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Our Lady of Guadalupe Breakfast Muffins - Egg free, Dairy Free, Wheat Free
We were looking for a special recipe for the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Dec. 12. The kids love starting out our day with a recipe for the Catholic Saint 'o the day. Since we are back to no wheat, these looked like a recipe I could easily modify. What a hit! They loved them so we had them, again, today.
Egg-free, Dairy-free and Wheat-free Mexican Chocolate Muffins
Prep: 15m
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin tins or line with paper liners.
3/4 cup canned lentils or garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2 Tbsp. chia seed meal mixed with 1/2 hot water (or equiv. egg replacer for 2 eggs)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup cooking oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa
I combined the beans and chia seed/water mixture in the blender until it was smooth. I added the rest of the above ingredients and blended until well combined.
In a separate bowl I combined:
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup oat flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup chocolate chips
3 Tbsp. hemp seed (or you can add 1/4-1/2 c. nuts here...we're allergic)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
Add the wet ingredients from the blender to the dry ingredients and blend until combined. Pour into prepared muffin tins. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes. Let cool 10-15 minutes for easy turn out.
Dust tops with confectioners sugar, if desired.
Egg-free, Dairy-free and Wheat-free Mexican Chocolate Muffins
Prep: 15m
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin tins or line with paper liners.
3/4 cup canned lentils or garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2 Tbsp. chia seed meal mixed with 1/2 hot water (or equiv. egg replacer for 2 eggs)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup cooking oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa
I combined the beans and chia seed/water mixture in the blender until it was smooth. I added the rest of the above ingredients and blended until well combined.
In a separate bowl I combined:
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup oat flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup chocolate chips
3 Tbsp. hemp seed (or you can add 1/4-1/2 c. nuts here...we're allergic)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
Add the wet ingredients from the blender to the dry ingredients and blend until combined. Pour into prepared muffin tins. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes. Let cool 10-15 minutes for easy turn out.
Dust tops with confectioners sugar, if desired.
Sunday, December 16, 2012
So much for good news...
I'm sorry to say that I no longer trust the medical professionals. My last post was to announce that the allergist cleared my 5 year old of his wheat, egg and possibly even dairy allergies. She prescribed slowly introducing wheat into his diet, followed two weeks later by egg, then dairy at the beginning of the year.
Fortunately, I trusted my instincts and went slowly. One month after slowly introducing wheat back into his diet, he erupted in a serious case of eczema all over his body. Nothing else has changed. The poor kid is miserable.
That is because an allergic reaction, an IgE response, is different from an IgG response. He may not be allergic (no IgE response) but he is definitely still IgG sensitive. And that stinks. So, we're back to no wheat, still no eggs and definitely no dairy.
The worst part is that I feel like I wasted my money. I feel let down by the medical professionals, again. I wish I had unlimited funds to have him tested for more foods than the five or so we had him tested for two years ago. I would have a full panel done so that I can see what else might be causing his growth issues and his skin problems.
Back to the drawing board...
Fortunately, I trusted my instincts and went slowly. One month after slowly introducing wheat back into his diet, he erupted in a serious case of eczema all over his body. Nothing else has changed. The poor kid is miserable.
That is because an allergic reaction, an IgE response, is different from an IgG response. He may not be allergic (no IgE response) but he is definitely still IgG sensitive. And that stinks. So, we're back to no wheat, still no eggs and definitely no dairy.
The worst part is that I feel like I wasted my money. I feel let down by the medical professionals, again. I wish I had unlimited funds to have him tested for more foods than the five or so we had him tested for two years ago. I would have a full panel done so that I can see what else might be causing his growth issues and his skin problems.
Back to the drawing board...
Saturday, December 1, 2012
We interrupt this blog vacation for a major announcement!
This is good news for me, bad news for those with wheat allergies! My little man has grown out of his wheat allergy! Praise the Lord! So, we're still re-introducing wheat slowly so his intestines don't freak out.
We found this out on November 9th. So, over the last three weeks, we have been slowly adding wheat, a few crackers and macaronis at a time and voila! no reaction.
However, he still is positive for dairy (high on skin test, low on RAST). The other interesting news is that he did not test positive in the RAST test for egg, but the skin test was mildly positive. That's the next thing to try. Dairy won't be tried until the new year. So, after a month of introducing wheat back in, we can try egg. Then after a month, we MIGHT try dairy. He had dairy accidentally last week and had hives around his mouth, so I'm dubious that he's safe, but we'll see.
So, that's my good news. Here's one way we celebrated yesterday. At Thanksgiving, my 13 year old daughter made pumpkin pie tarts. To humor me, she made them without eggs. We made a double batch of egg-free pumpkin pie filling because she was going to make a pumpkin pie for another Thanksgiving celebration, but ended up not, so we had extra. I ended up using the extras with a 5 star Paula Deen Pumpkin Bar recipe to make these:
These bars received HIGH marks all around from my kids who don't normally like pumpkin bar. They were almost a little gooey and oh-so-yummy.
Now, back to my blog vacation.
We found this out on November 9th. So, over the last three weeks, we have been slowly adding wheat, a few crackers and macaronis at a time and voila! no reaction.
However, he still is positive for dairy (high on skin test, low on RAST). The other interesting news is that he did not test positive in the RAST test for egg, but the skin test was mildly positive. That's the next thing to try. Dairy won't be tried until the new year. So, after a month of introducing wheat back in, we can try egg. Then after a month, we MIGHT try dairy. He had dairy accidentally last week and had hives around his mouth, so I'm dubious that he's safe, but we'll see.
So, that's my good news. Here's one way we celebrated yesterday. At Thanksgiving, my 13 year old daughter made pumpkin pie tarts. To humor me, she made them without eggs. We made a double batch of egg-free pumpkin pie filling because she was going to make a pumpkin pie for another Thanksgiving celebration, but ended up not, so we had extra. I ended up using the extras with a 5 star Paula Deen Pumpkin Bar recipe to make these:
Egg free Dairy Free Pumpkin Bars
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
First - combine in a medium sauce pan: (This can be used as an egg-free dairy-free pumpkin pie filling.)
1 15oz can pumpkin
3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 1/2 cup water
6 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ginger
Cook over medium heat until mixture begins to thicken, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat. Mine was cool. Allow to cool a little. Put in mixing bowl and add:
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
Mix at low speed until thoroughly combined and the batter is smooth. Spread the batter into a greased 13 by 10-inch baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Cut into bars.
These bars received HIGH marks all around from my kids who don't normally like pumpkin bar. They were almost a little gooey and oh-so-yummy.
Now, back to my blog vacation.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Unexcused Absence
Renamed - Unexcused Absence.
I apologize for my absence. Life has, I'm afraid, caught up with me. After my surgery in August, complications that followed, school starting and me, not feeling better, blogging has fallen to the back burner. I must admit that I really haven't had the gumption. Want to know something? I'm behind on everything: school, reading, writing, teaching. Everything including email. Before surgery, I had a few unread emails in my inbox. Right now there are 789. Yup. 789. And, since I'm not still not feeling quite up to par, consider this my notice that I will be only blogging over at my other blog only for a while. I'll try to shoot back here around Advent.
Take care!
I apologize for my absence. Life has, I'm afraid, caught up with me. After my surgery in August, complications that followed, school starting and me, not feeling better, blogging has fallen to the back burner. I must admit that I really haven't had the gumption. Want to know something? I'm behind on everything: school, reading, writing, teaching. Everything including email. Before surgery, I had a few unread emails in my inbox. Right now there are 789. Yup. 789. And, since I'm not still not feeling quite up to par, consider this my notice that I will be only blogging over at my other blog only for a while. I'll try to shoot back here around Advent.
Take care!
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