Freezer Muffins

Not only do my kids have multiple food issues, but they are also picky and sometimes down right stubborn about what they will eat.  Sound familiar?  I like to sneak fruit and vegetables along with healthy fats into muffins.  Shhh!  Don't tell them that they ate zucchini today.  I always make a double batch and freeze half of them for later whenever I make muffins.  They make a great snack to have on hand.  You can just pop them in the microwave for 1 minute to thaw them, and they taste like they are fresh from the oven.  It's my teenagers favorite after school snack.

Here's some of our favorite muffins recipes:

Banana Muffins - I just make this recipe, and bake in a muffin tin.  Lately, I have been substituting the canola oil with coconut oil and replacing the sugar with 1/2 cup of honey.  These are the kid's favorites.

Zucchini Muffins- Just make this as muffins for a grab and go snack.  I use coconut oil instead of vegetable oil and use my own gluten free flour mix (3/4 cup Sorghum Flour, 3/4 Brown Rice Flour, and 1/2 cup Potato Starch).  I also leave out the nuts because we have a peanut allergy, and I worry about cross contamination with other tree nuts.

Pumpkin Muffins - Since the kids prefer muffins, I just make this recipe as muffins.  To keep it dairy free, just substitute coconut oil for butter.  I have been using some frozen pumpkin puree that I have on hand from last season instead of canned pumpkin, but either one will work fine.  I also have found that you can reduce the amount of sugar to 3/4 cup.  I'm planning to experiment with alternative sweeteners such as honey or agave nectar next time.  I use the same flour mix as above (3/4 cup Sorghum Flour, 3/4 Brown Rice Flour, and 1/2 cup Potato Starch).

Gluten Free Rice Crispy Treats

At a loss for what to take to summer pitch-ins, rice crispy treats are a great gluten free option to please the kids.  We're heading to the end of the year picnic for my kid's school this afternoon, and our requested contribution is a dessert item.  Gluten Free Rice Crispy Treats to the rescue!  The gluten free version of Rice Crispy cereal is missing the malt flavor of the original, so I add a teaspoon of vanilla to the melted butter/marshmallow mixture before adding the cereal.  Just make sure that you use gluten free vanilla.  I purchase mine from Costco, and it is clearly labeled gluten free.  With this simple addition, nobody will be able to tell these are gluten free.  I typically do label my items gluten free though for pitch-ins just in case other guests need gluten free options as well.  It's also safer to pre-cut the treats, and put them in individual baggies or wrap them in plastic wrap to prevent cross-contamination as serving utensils tend to migrate from dish to dish at pitch-ins.

Frozen Fruit Pops

Now that the weather is getting nicer, the kids are constantly asking for popsicles.  While we often buy Welch’s 100% Juice Ice Bars from Costco, I wanted to try to get the kids to eat more actual fruit so I decided to make homemade frozen fruit pops.  I already had a ripe cantaloupe and some fresh strawberries, so I decided to use these as my ingredients.  I simply put the cantaloupe slices in my Ninja prep blender to make a puree.  Then I poured the cantaloupe puree into the popsicle molds and froze them for about three hours.  I also added some sliced strawberries to some of them.  My 2 year old preferred the ones without strawberries as they were a little bit easier to eat; otherwise, they were a hit with all three of my children as well as a couple of the neighbors.  Next I plan to try making them with watermelon puree, but you could make them with just about any combination of fruit and juices.  Leave a comment and share your favorite combinations for others to try.

Here's the popsicle molds that I used, but you could also make them in dixie cups with craft sticks.  I liked that the holders on these catch the juice as it melts and have a sprout for sipping it out of the holder.  Much less mess!

You Never Knew Rice Cakes Could Be So Good

I have to admit that I've never been the biggest fan of rice cakes, but this gluten free snack is delicious and super simple to make. Just spread some Nutella on your favorite rice cake (We used Lundberg Honey Nut Brown Rice Cakes) and then top with sliced strawberries.

Snickerdoodle Chex Mix

I think that my kids have a new favorite treat.  My daughter and I made the Snickerdoodle Chex Mix recipe from the back of the Chocolate Chex Mix box.  Delicious!  It seemed like quite a lot of butter and sugar when I was making it, so I doubled the amount of popcorn in the mix increasing it to 8 cups.  It was still very sweet and tasty.  Honestly, it would still probably taste great just mixing the cereals (Cinnamon and Chocolate Chex) and popcorn together without adding anything else.  Then it could serve more as a snack than a treat. This could also easily be put in a ziploc bag for a portable snack or treat.  Of course, Chex mix would also be a terrific party food.

Smoothies!

Sometimes my little ones are not the best eaters.  They both have some texture issues and difficulty chewing, so smoothies are a great option.  It's also a great way to get some nutrition in them when they are sick and refuse just about everything.  Plus, gluten is not an issue!  Many days they will have a smoothie for lunch or as a snack after nap time.  Here's two of their favorites:

Berry Smoothie (Enough for 2 small children)
1 cup of milk
1 - 6 oz Chobonit blueberry yogurt
1 cup of frozen mixed berries (I use the Kirkland Signature Nature's Three Berries blend from Costco)
1-2 Tbsp. Honey

Chocolate Banana Smoothie (Enough for 2 small children)
1 cup milk
2 bananas
1 cup of ice
1-2 Tbsp Chocolate Syrup
Mix ingredients in blender and enjoy.  I recently replaced my old blender with a Ninja QB900B Master Prep Revolutionary Food and Drink Maker, Gray .  So far, I love it.  It takes up less space in the cabinet and crushes ice much better for smoothies.

Smoothies are also a great gluten free snack or meal alternative when out and about.  It's about the only thing that my daughter can eat from McDonald's, but she loves their Berry Smoothies.  

We Love Costco! Part 2

As I promised, here are some more gluten-free friendly items that we love to buy from Costco:

1. Kirkland Tortilla Chips: My kids love to eat all kinds of dip, so tortilla chips are a must.  These taste great and are a great deal.  Much cheaper than chips from a traditional grocery store.  We keep them on hand for hummus, guacamole, etc. 
2. Veggie Straws:  This is one of my family's favorite snacks.  They contain less fat than traditional potato chips, but still taste great.  Costco sells both a box of 24 individual size bags and a large family size bag.  We actually buy both of these.  We use the large bag to snack at home, but my oldest son takes the small bags in his lunch for school.  I also keep a couple of the small bags in the van in case of "snack emergencies" with the little ones.

3. Wholly Guacamole:  It works out great to buy this in bulk because you can freeze the individual packages and just pull them out when you want to use them.  I typically just microwave them for about 30 seconds to thaw before serving.  Each package is just about the right size for my family of five to have a snack or serve with a Mexican themed meal.

4. Hebrew National Hotdogs:  I have to admit that hotdogs are one of my go to items for a quick lunch for my little ones, so they are definitely a buy in bulk item.  Just like many toddlers and preschoolers, my kids have trouble chewing much meat, pork, or chicken.  At least these are all natural and gluten free.

5. Amylu Sausages:  Many times sausages have added gluten, but these are all labeled gluten free.  Plus, they sneak in some fruit and veggies.  My kid's favorites are the Apple and Gouda cheese ones.  The breakfast sausages are also great.

6. Pacific Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup:  This one is my favorite.  It's tomato soup with a kick.  I like to have it with some crunched up Kirkland Tortilla Chips sprinkled on top.  It might be a little bit spicy for some little ones, but my kids typically eat it as long as they have chips or crackers to dip.

7.  Pacific Natural Foods Vegetable and Chicken Broth:  I use these to make my own soups and to add flavor to rice and quinoa. 

8. Della Organic Long Grain Brown Rice:  With a gluten-free diet, we eat a lot of brown rice.  Everyone likes this rice, and it's a good deal.

Yummy Veggie Chips

We picked these up at Costco last night, and my kids love them. We've been dipping them in spicy hummus. Yes, they are chips, but check out the nutritional value.  One serving has 35% of the daily value of Vitamin A, 3 grams of protein,  and 3 grams of fiber.

Gluten Free Oatmeal Rasin Cookies

I experimented with converting my old favorite oatmeal cookie recipe to gluten free today.  I used to just make the "Family Favorite Oatmeal Cookies" recipe from the back of the Meijer brand quick oats.  With just a few changes, I was able to recreate these as a gluten free cookie.  They turned out crispy on the outside, but still soft on the inside.  I have also found that my cookies typically turn out much better when I bake them on an AirBake Insulated Cookie Sheet . Here's my gluten-free version:

1 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp GF vanilla
1 cup GF oat flour
1/4 cup potato starch
1/4 corn starch
1 tsp xantham gum
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 cups GF oats
1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease cookie sheet.  Beat shortening and sugar until creamy.  Add eggs and vanilla; mix well.  In a separate bowl, whisk together oat flour, potato starch, corn starch, xantham gum, baking soda, and soda to mix well.  Combine wet and dry ingredients. Stir in oats and raisins. Chill dough for 10-15 minutes. Using rounded tablespoons, roll into balls.  Place 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet.  Flatten with fork.  Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned.  Let stand for a couple of minutes before removing to racks to cool.

Fast Food for Gluten Free Kids

Grabbing a snack or quick meal from a fast food restaurant just doesn't work for us.  I am gluten free and can eat a salad at many places, but like most preschoolers my daughter doesn't eat lettuce of any kind.  I suppose that we could get her a hamburger or grilled chicken sandwich without a bun, but she is not fond of that idea either.  Most of the time, we plan ahead and bring food with us for her, but sometimes life is hectic, and frankly, we are caught completely unprepared with a whiny kid from time to time.  In a pinch, we sometimes pick up an Apple Snackers from the Walmart produce section.  It comes with apple slices, grapes, and cheese cubes.  It's actually a big hit with both of my little ones ages one and three.  I have no idea why, but the kids won't eat apple peels at home, but they typically eat the apple slices peel and all from the snack packs.  Go figure!  Unfortunately, there's no drive through, but at least the produce section is usually near the entrance so it's pretty quick.  Sometimes, we also go to Wendy's where I will get a salad with grilled chicken and share some of my chicken with my daughter.  We also order her some apple slices and juice or milk, and she'll share some fries with dad.   You just need to check with the manager first to see if a separate fryer is used for the fries to make sure that are safe.

Here's a link to additional information about eating gluten free fast food:

Gluten Free Fast Food Options

Family Movie Night

Popcorn is a must for movie night, so we just turn it into a fun, easy dinner.  Yes, popcorn!  We put a blanket on the floor in the family room and serve the kids popcorn, cheese, and apple slices.  As an added bonus, we sometimes add chocolate chip cookies for desert.  Popcorn is one of my kids favorite snacks too.  We pop it in an air-popper and let the kids pick out a seasoning to add to it.  Sometimes I fill up Ziploc bags for on-the-go.