Whatcha Eating??

When I was little I was infamous for always asking people "whatcha eating?" I think it was a mix between curiosity and wanting to taste everything everyone ever ate. I loved food. I loved cooking it, eating it and shopping for it and I still do. Well, maybe not quite as much as I used to because I now have dietary or monetary restrictions, but I still love food!

Fast forward to now. I was standing in the kitchen the other day, cooking up something or another, and my son walked in. He pushed a chair up next to me and promptly climbed up and leaned over my bowl. He then looked up at me and proceeded to say "Mamma, whatcha makin'?" "Can I have some?"

My heart melted just a little that day :)

"Non-Tomato Tomato" Sauce

My kids are allergic to tomatoes so this sauce is my go-to "Non-Tomato Tomato" sauce for pastas and lasagna and pizza and about everything else that needs a sauce. I also tweak it a bit and use it for enchiladas or Mexican inspired casseroles. 

The sauce originally came about on pure accident, as I looked in the fridge in hopes of finding anything that could be made into a sauce. I grabbed a little of this and a little of that and ta-da sauce accomplished!

Keep in mind it is not going to be red like tomato sauce, and it is not as acidic either but it does the trick at our house, even for my pizza and pasta loving husband :) Also, you might want to play around with the amount of broth you use depending on how thick you want your sauce.

Non-Tomato "Tomato" Sauce

Ingredients:

- 1 Tblsp fat (chicken fat, oil, butter or whatever you wish)

- 4 Tblsp onion, finely chopped

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 4 Tblsp celery, finely chopped (I usually use the leafy part, but the stalks work too)

- 2" thick slice of a medium sweet potato, peeled and diced small

- 1 cup broth (I use chicken but you could probably use other kinds too)

- Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

- In a small saucepan, heat the fat and add the onion, garlic and celery and  

  sauté for a couple of minutes.

- Add the sweet potato cubes and broth and bring the sauce to a simmer.

- Let the sauce simmer on low until all the vegetables are soft.

- Blend the sauce until smooth with either a traditional blender or an

  immersion blender.

- Season to taste with salt and pepper.

**For pasta or pizza sauce:

          Add ½ teaspoon each of dried oregano and dried basil

**For enchilada sauce:

          Add ½ teaspoon of paprika and 1 teaspoon cumin

Tips for Dealing with Someone Who Has Allergies/Dietary Restrictions if You Don't Have Allergies Yourself

Here are a few tips for anyone dealing with individuals with allergies. From an allergic person's point of view, it is always very much appreciated! 

For additional insight into allergies and diet restrictions, also check out my other allergy posts here and here.

Tips for non-allergic people 

when dealing with someone with allergies/dietary restrictions

1) Respect the person and their situation

You are not expected to fully understand the situation they are in, and you might find it strange, but they still deserve your respect.

How to Deal with Allergies and Dietary Restrictions 101

Dealing With Allergies and Dietary Restrictions 101

I have compiled a list of food/cooking tips for people who are challenged by allergies or other diet limitations. This list is not a guide to great substitutions or alternative dishes or ingredients. It is a list that hopefully answers the question “What now?” for anyone who has been thrown the curveball of having to make different food choices due to allergies, illnesses or for other reasons.

Even though I lack formal education on the subject I have lived with allergies my entire life. I have had family members both with allergies and sensitivities, and I now have kids with the same issues. In addition, I have been diagnosed with a chronic disease that is agitated by inflammation in the body caused by food or other external factors and I am therefore also following a so-called "low-inflammation diet". In other words, I might not be an expert on this subject based on education or work but I live this every day and I hope some of what I have learned might help you too!

1) Take a deep breath and open your eyes to the change

Gluten Free Norwegian Waffles

When I think of waffles I think of dessert or a treat, not breakfast. I think of the Norwegian thin, slightly tangy, heart-shaped waffles served with brown cheese or jam. I would dare say that you cannot get more Norwegian than waffles. There has to be a reason why the symbol for the Norwegian Seamen's Church is just that....a waffle heart! Every Norwegian knows (or at least should know) how to make them and all Norwegians big and small love these heart shaped treats! 

My Gluten Free All Purpose Flour Mix (Wheat, Corn, Bean, Potato and Soy Free)

There are probably a million recipes for gluten free all purpose flour and there are quite a few ready-made varieties on the store shelves too. However, I have had a hard time finding one that is wheat, corn, bean, soy and potato free and that tastes good. So what do I do when I cannot find what I want? I make it myself.....so here you go!

Gluten Free All Purpose Flour Mix 
(Wheat, Corn, Bean, Potato and Soy Free!!)

Ingredients:

**Make sure to measure by weight**

- 200 grams Sweet Sorghum Flour

- 200 grams Oat Flour (Gluten Free)

Rice and Oat Muffin (aka No-Corn Gluten-Free 'Corn bread')

I have this inability to leave a recipe exactly "as-is" and therefore end up with lots of total flops but also some hits. This recipe is an example of such a hit. 

Though the change, in this case, is minor it makes a big difference! I took my Wheat Free Pancake Recipe and tweaked it just a little and ended up with a muffin recipe. It is not sweet so I would use it as a substitute for a roll or a piece of cornbread with dinner or instead of a biscuit with breakfast. Served warm and with butter they are quite delicious!

Rice and Oat Muffins 
(aka No-Corn Gluten-Free 'Corn bread')

Ingredients:
- 2 large eggs, divided into whites and yolks

- 1 1/4 cup brown rice flour

- 2 tsp baking powder (I use this homemade version which is corn free)

- 1 tsp baking soda

Wheat-Free Pancakes

I found this wheat-free recipe for pancakes on Bob's Red Mill and it is great! The pancakes are golden and slightly crispy on the outside and fluffy and moist on the inside.

Rice and Oat Pancakes

Ingredients:
- 2 large eggs, divided into whites and yolks

- 1 1/4 cup brown rice flour

- 2 tsp baking powder (I use this homemade version which is corn free)

- 1 tsp baking soda

Corn Free Aluminum Free Baking Powder

There are a lot of different baking-powder recipes out there, but here is the one I use.

Corn Free Aluminum Free Baking Powder

Ingredients:

1 Tblsp baking soda

1 Tblsp arrowroot powder

2 Tblsp cream of tartar

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Pizza! Pizza! Pizza!

I am kind of excited that I have figured out a way to do pizza even on my new and restricted diet!

I am not eating wheat, which in most cases would mean I should be able to eat a gluten-free pizza.....well..... I am also not eating potato, soy or corn either and let me tell you that really limits the gluten-free choices out there! And yes I know that pizza is not a necessity by any stretch of the imagination but that does not mean that I don't enjoy eating a slice every once in a while. 

I am not going to pretend like I invented this new, revolutionary, never-before-tried recipe for amazing pizza crust. As a matter of fact it has been around for a while and I found the original recipe here on a blog called The Lucky Penny. Check it out, there are pictures and such! 

Quinoa and Lentil Curry with Broccoli

So here is the deal…..I am, as of recently, on a low-inflammation diet. It is a healthy, balanced diet with a decent amount of restrictions. Though I am glad there are a lot of great foods on my "yes" food list, I am still stomped at times when trying to come up with dinner. Today I am cooking dinner out of our stash of food so as it turns out none of us are eating the same! What my kids and my husband are eating I cannot have so ....what is mamma having????

Once I had cleared out the fridge for my husband's and my kids' dinners I did one last fridge/pantry/freezer raid in a desperate attempt to find some dinner for myself. And that is how this Curry recipe was born! Hope you enjoy J

HeartyTurkey Meatballs

The inspiration for my turkey meatball recipe comes from a recipe for Hearty Turkey Meatloaf which I found in Joy Bauer's book Food Cures. 

Below you find my modified recipe. Enjoy!

Hearty Turkey Meatballs

Ingredients

- 1 lb lean ground turkey (or beef or chicken)

- 2 medium sized carrots, (peeled and minced or finely shredded)

- 1 cup quick oatmeal (can be GF)

- 1/2 - 3/4 cup finely chopped white mushrooms

- 1 Tblsp dried basil

Sweet Potato and Cauliflower Mash aka "Yummo"

The first time I made this mash for my kids they responded by saying it was Yummo! Therefore anytime they ask what we are having for dinner and this is on the menu, that's the name "Yummo"

Sweet Potato and Cauliflower Mash (Yummo)

Ingredients:

Approx. 2 lbs sweet potato
1 lb frozen cauliflower, thawed
butter (can omit for dairy free)
salt and pepper to taste

My New Favorite Flourless Chocolate Chip Blondies

A friend of mine sent me a recipe for Flourless Chocolate Chip Chickpea Blondies with Sea Salt from Ambitious Kitchen and I made them for dessert yesterday. I am in love!!

The recipe is grain-free and gluten free and it can be dairy free, corn free and egg free etc. but what it lacks in ingredients it makes up for in flavor, gooey-ness and deliciousness! And, it is actually pretty healthy too so I hope you give it a try :)

Flourless Chocolate Chip Chickpea Blondies

Ingredients
Cooking spray (or butter if not dairy free)
1 can (15oz) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup all natural almond butter or other nut-butter (I used almond)

Feeding our family of 5 for a month for less than $185!

So I know we are well into February by now, but I still want to take a look back at January and how my food/household spending challenge worked out.

I set myself a goal of not spending more than $1/person/day on food and $1/day on other household items. This worked out to 

($1 x 5 people x 31 days) + $1 x 31 days = $186 total for the month.
**take a look at the very end if you would like some perspective on how much this is**

My original post about my belt tightening is here, and I point out that this budget includes all food, toiletries, cleaning supplies, paper goods and diapers.

I tallied up all my receipts and I came to a grand total of $184.93!! YAY! 
($25.14 on household and $159.79 on food)

Creamy Dairy Free Chocolate Pudding

I came across a recipe for avocado chocolate pudding by Martha Stewart and, though extremely skeptical at first, I decided to give it a try. It was easy and quick and I have to say I was pleased by the end result. And yes it is dairy free but not calorie free :)

Here is my modified recipe:

Creamy (Dairy Free) Avocado Chocolate Pudding

1 serving

Ingredients:

1/2 large avocado, ripe

2 - 2 1/2 Tblsp light brown sugar

1/4 - 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 1/2 Tblsp unsweetened cocoa powder

sprinkle of sea salt

Whole Wheat Molasses Rolls

I found this whole wheat bread recipe that I thought looked promising. So, as always, I made a couple of small changes and I was pleasantly surprised with the result.

Whole Wheat Molasses Rolls

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cup Water
• 2 Tablespoons Butter, melted
• 1/4 cup Molasses
• 4 cups Whole Wheat Flour
• 1.5 teaspoon Salt
• 1 pkg (2 1/4 tsp) Active Dry Yeast

Directions:

- In a large bowl, combine half the flour, the yeast and the salt and mix well. 

- In a separate bowl, combine water, molasses and melted butter and heat to 120-130 

  degrees F.

- Add the liquids to the flour mixture and mix until moistened. 

- Gradually stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a firm dough.

- Knead the dough on a floured surface until smooth and elastic (approximately 5 minutes)

   **I used my mixer with a dough hook for the entire process**

- Place the dough in a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and then a clean kitchen towel. 

- Let the dough rise in a warm spot for 1 - 1.5 hours, or until double in size.

- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, punch it down and then make smooth, 

   round ball. 

- Divide into 24-30 rolls (depending on size) and roll firmly between your palms until a 

   smooth ball forms. 

- The "seams" of the roll should be on the bottom of the roll when you place them onto a 

   cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

- Cover the rolls with the clean kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place for 30-45 

   minutes. When you lightly touch the side of the roll the indentation should remain 

   visible when the rolls are done rising.

- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

- Bake the rolls for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.

Enjoy!

My Favorite Wheat and Rye Bread (which I make quite often)

I got a Honey Whole Wheat Bread Recipe from my sister a while back and if I am not mistaken it is this recipe from Martha Stewart . However, like with most recipes, I made some changes and switched things around. The result in this case is my Wheat and Rye Bread, which I love and my kids really like it too. It is dense, it is hearty, it is very good!

Wheat and Rye Bread

Ingredients:
2 loaves

3 1/2 cups warm water (110-115 degrees F)
2 tablespoons Maple Syrup (You can use honey or other sweetener of your choice)
2 packs of Active Dry Yeast (= 4 1/2 teaspoons)
- - -

Food Challenge Recap

Like I already mentioned, the first part of my food challenge came to an end a week ago. Now that I have recovered from a couple of days of intensive cooking and prepping for the rest of the month and a weekend filled with organization projects and a birthday party I am ready to recap how it went. I am going to show you what my fridge looked like after the fact. (I forgot to take a picture of the freezer and now it is packed with meals and groceries so I will not worry about that).

I am still trying to figure out this picture taking and editing thing, so please be patient with me on that. Take a look at the after pictures, this is what was left in my fridge and pantry once I had cooked my way through it :) If you want to compare you can look at the before pictures.

Planning, planning and more planning....it is time for some serious belt-tightening in January!

The last couple of days I have been planning, shopping for and preparing food for this month. I did one large shopping trip yesterday that more or less will be it for this month. (At least that is the plan!) There were only a couple of things left on our list and those I picked up today and now I am going to try to make it through the month without stepping foot in any store much. 

The food challenge I was doing inspired me to really plan this months meals and groceries, down to the smallest detail. As a result, I have set a very tight budget for us for the month. At the end of the month I will let you know what that budget was and how it panned out. Was I successful? What did I buy/what did we eat? and so forth.