The rationale is that this a way to cultivate an adventurous eater. After dealing with persistent picky eating with my older kid, for the last 2+ years, I am pretty done making separate meals for everyone at the table.

I truly do not believe that you can make a kid picky or not picky. The home environment obviously influences what a kid eats and likes, but there is an innateness to picky eating that a parent has no control over. So, since this has been asked a few times in my Instagram DMs: no I did not try Baby Led Weaning to prevent pickiness in my younger son.

If he happens to be a more adventurous eater than his older brother though, I wouldn’t be sad about that.

Simply put: I chose Baby Led Weaning because the baby was interested in self-feeding solid food. After a couple of weeks of attempting purees, and his reaction ranging from disinterested to disgusted, while he reached for foods I was eating, I gave it a try.

I will be the first to admit I had no idea what I was doing. I never intended to start BLW so I had to give myself a quick crash course. It was tough early on, and there was a learning curve as I figured out what finger foods worked for my son.

I tried to follow a few meal plans, and initially went to the trouble of sticking to “baby led weaning recipes”, but quickly discovered that what works for one baby doesn’t work for all of them – not surprising, since this applies to move things in parenting!

I also learned that BLW is not always linear, and purees are not only not detrimental to BLW success, they can be a tool to enable it. I stopped and went back to gradually-chunkier purees for a short period when I started to notice that almost every meal made him gag so hard he threw up.

Reverting to purees was the right move to get the baby used to textures and de-sensitize his gag reflex before we were able to (more successfully) try BLW again at about 8 months old. Some purees, like applesauce, can do double duty and fit either feeding style.

By 10 months, it felt like we had finally hit our stride. There are always some meals, or even days, when he eats less – usually due to exhaustion, distraction, or teething – but overall, I’ve gotten more comfortable feeding him, watching him work through new textures and flavors, and giving him lots of variety.

He has become more comfortable feeding himself, working through new textures and flavors, and gagging productively (to move food forward in his mouth, but without throwing up).

By adapting family meals to be baby-friendly, I’ve been able to establish the expectation that he eats what we eat (which is helpful in combating picky eating).

I have been able to expose him to a wide variety of foods and – this is, for me at least, the key – not had to make and special meals for him. He usually eats a variation of what is on my plate. I won’t share afters because it always varies from baby to baby, and I am not here to try to make anyone feel like they’re not feeding their baby successfully. Every kid is different and, heck, even the same kid eats differently on different days!

But. since so many people on Instagram enjoyed seeing what I was feeding him, but I wasn’t able to keep up with posting meals daily, here is a week of BLW meal ideas.

Before you start serving your child, please do additional research so that you can understand how to prepare food at the right size and consistency, and avoid choking hazards. This is far from a complete tutorial on BLW, but I hope it will provide some ideas once you get started!

Monday

Breakfast: Spinach omelette* cooked in olive oil, toast, and Kalamata olives (in the mesh feeder [affilliate link]).

Lunch: Salmon salad (canned salmon, mayo, black pepper, lemon juice) on whole grain toast, My Serenity Kids puffs, red bell peppers (in the mesh feeder; all veggies should be soft steamed or served in one of these devices to minimize choking).

Dinner: Quinoa with mashed avocado, whole sliced avocado, coconut yogurt (look for a brand with little to no added sugar), cucumber and peach (both skinned).

*Please talk to your child’s pediatrician before introducing common allergens.

Tuesday

Breakfast: Avocado toast on Sourdough bread with hemp hearts and fresh ripe mango. Avocado is a great first food, either as a puree or a spread like I’m serving it here.

Note that these are hemp hearts, not hemp seeds. Hemp seeds are a choking hazard.

Lunch: Quinoa with olive oil, watermelon, and scrambled egg.

Dinner: Slow cooker shredded chicken cooked in mild curry sauce, white rice gently formed into balls for easier handling, and soft-steamed peas and carrots. Whole peas are a choking hazard, which is why they are smashed.

Wednesday:

Breakfast: Hot cereal with breastmilk and dried ginger, avocado, and nectarine.

Since this nectarine wasn’t super ripe, I served it in the mesh feeder, and didn’t bother peeling it. 

Lunch: Cut-up shell pasta with extra virgin olive oil and nutritional yeast (feel free to use parmesan cheese if your baby tolerates dairy), steamed carrots, and turkey meatballs cut into bite-sized pieces.

Dinner: Baked salmon, sautéed zucchini (sliced into spears) with a drizzle of lemon, and steamed white potatoes, skin removed, sliced into spears. For an extra nutritional boost, you can sub in white sweet potatoes, but this is what I had on hand.

Thursday

Breakfast: Oatmeal with coconut milk, blackberries, and banana.

Lunch: Coconut yogurt, strawberry, Applegate sliced turkey, My Serenity Kids puffs, and steamed broccoli.

Dinner: Savory lentil, tomato, and broccoli muffin, shredded chicken with dairy free pesto, coconut yogurt, and fresh grapes (in the mesh holder [similar]).

Friday

Breakfast: French toast, egg, and raspberries.

Lunch: Coconut yogurt, ripe mango, toast with almond butter* and banana slices.

Dinner: Blackened salmon, mango, coconut rice, avocado, and kalamata olives (in the mesh feeder). (Can you tell we had a lot of mango on hand this week?)

*Peanut butter and all other nut butters can be a choking hazard and should only be served if spread in a very thin layer and never eaten off the spoon.

Saturday

Breakfast: Banana-oat mini pancakes, mango (yeah I know, I’m sick of it too, just sub ripe peaches with the skin removed), and a breastmilk popsicle for teething pain.

I always get questions about these popsicle molds. They are amazing and we have gotten tons of use out of them! They’re perfect for small baby and toddler hands. This exact model is no longer sold but there is nothing particular special about them, and these (affiliate link) are very similar. 

Lunch: Fried rice with peas (don’t forget: choking hazard, so smash them!), scrambled egg, and cauliflower fritter (broken up to make it easier to pick up bite-sized pieces; recipe similar to this).

Dinner: Family pizza night! This was a photo I took of the whole meal so you can see how I adapted one meal to fit everyone’s needs. The baby’s meal is in the lower right hand corner.

I used my almond flour pizza crust which is gluten and dairy free, plus dairy free pesto for the pizza for me and the baby. I left the cheese off of his to keep it fully dairy free. (My husband and older son ate conventional pizza!) He also had avocado, tomato, and summer fruit (peaches, nectarines, and pears).

Sunday

Breakfast: French toast, fresh ripe mango, and a breastmilk popsicle.

Lunch: Sourdough toast with hummus, fresh ripe mango, strawberries, cucumber (in the mesh feeder), apple-carrot puree (in the pouch), ice water*.

*remember to talk to your pediatrician before giving water to any child who is younger than 1. 

Dinner: Toast with hummus, steamed carrots, tomato soup, and cubed watermelon (seeds removed). If your baby is not dairy free, grilled cheese cut into spears would be a great replacement for the hummus toast here!

So that covers it! The meals did get repetitive at times, but I had to balance the reality of my life and how much time and energy I had to devote to making meals with my desire to expose him to the maximum number of new foods.

However, repeat exposure is an important facet of cultivating a more accepting eater, so a little repetition over the course of a week does have an upside. Don’t beat yourself up if you’re re-using the same ingredients or components for your baby’s meals over the course of the week.

It’s easy to think this is all a lot of effort for a gimmicky eating style, but at 17 months, I have a relatively open-minded eater who is used to sitting in his high chair and eating what’s served at mealtime, and is relatively open to trying new foods.

Only time will tell if he will continue to be an enthusiastic eater, but I believe starting with finger foods did a lot of good when it came to helping to teach him to eat a varied and balanced diet. Overall, I am very happy with the decision to follow the baby’s lead and do Baby Led Weaning, and I hope it is helpful for you too!

The post A Week of Real-Life BLW Meal Ideas appeared first on A Clean Bake.

I’ve posted some out-there stuff on this site before but – I’ll admit – this one takes the cake. 

The genesis of this whole thing was definitely a “Me Problem”, as they say.

I have been using Huggies for my younger son since shortly after he was born but, with every recent box, I have been more and more skeptical of them.

Each subsequent size felt flimsier, they leaked and blew out constantly, and I was paying a premium for the gentler “Special Delivery” line, which I discovered was nearly indistinguishable from the regular variety. I wanted to switch, but the options were overwhelming. 

So, ~as one does~, I threw up a simple Instagram poll, which turned i nto the deepest and – dare I say? – shittiest (yes, pun intended) rabbit hole that I was not expecting.

It quickly spiraled into way too many options and too much information for my standard, hastily-assembled and typo-riddled Instagram Stories delivery method. So, I decided to put it in a post. Which brings us to today.

If you’re not a parent of a kid in diapers, or not interested for any reason at all, just skip this post and go find something to eat instead!

Otherwise, let’s dive right in…

Which is the best non-toxic disposable diaper? 

Obviously, there is no right answer here. So much depends on your baby, their body type, your budget, and so much more. Not to mention that “non-toxic” is a nebulous term that could mean anything from eco-friendliness to plastic-free to fully compostable. 

But when I asked on Instagram which diapers everyone was using, I got dozens of passionate responses advocating for their preferred brands, and almost all of the responses mentioned one of five brands, which narrowed down my test group to:

• Pampers Pure
• Hello Bello
• Seventh Generation
• Dyper
• Coterie

I also got a couple of mentions of Honest Company diapers, which I did not include because of my previous unimpressive experiences with them. They felt cheap and rough, and leaked constantly, and judging from my DMs, this happens a lot. 

I also did not include some of the more niche eco-friendly diapers (like Eco Boom and others), since I don’t know anyone who personally recommended them. That doesn’t mean they’re not good diapers, but it wasn’t worth testing a bunch of fringe brands.

I am including Huggies Special Delivery, mostly as sort of a baseline, since it is the brand I’ve been using until now. All of the diapers tested were size 4, except Huggies Special Delivery, which was a size 3 (I have tons on hand and don’t want to buy more, since this is the one I am considering switching away from).

What these diapers have in common

All of the diapers in this competitive set shared a few criteria, so I won’t mention any of these specifically for each diaper. 

First, they all have similar non-toxic features and messaging. All of the diapers I tested are fragrance free, hypoallergenic, mostly plant-derived, and free of chlorine bleaching, lotions, parabens, and phthalates.

They all make outlandish promises about 12-hour absorbency and stuff like that, so I didn’t take any of the marketing messaging into account when making comparisons.

They all have elastic around the leg with an outer seam for preventing and catching leaks, sturdy velcro tabs, and a lining that was free of anything that might irritate sensitive skin.

Most of them have a breathable outer layer and at least part of the absorbent core of each diaper is biodegradable (usually wood pulp or cotton).

All of these diapers are broadly accessible. They’re all available for purchase somewhere online, and offer a subscription or auto-delivery option, either directly or through a third-party seller. 

I tested each diaper for a minimum of 4 days.

I’ll compare each based on fit, leak prevention, price, and how and where to buy them, as well as my own anecdotal experience with the diapers. 

Huggies Special Delivery

This brand was my starting point. And, overall, they’re not the worst out there, but I wouldn’t recommend them.

They are adequately soft and fragrance-free, with a breathable outer layer. This diaper is primarily included in this competitive set because of its plant-based liner and (vague) allusion to being eco-friendly and chemical free. They are also FSC certified.

(I should note that Huggies has an even more direct competitor to the niche and startup diaper brands that are starting to steal their market share with chemical free and eco friendly diapers, called Huggies Pure and Natural. But they are impossible to find, so I’m not sure how much that counts. Special Delivery is included here instead of Pure and Natural because you can actually find Special Delivery.)

The Special Delivery line is advertised as their softest diaper “guaranteed”. While I would strongly disagree that it’s the softest diaper ever, it is one of the softer, more plush options that I tried.

I don’t necessarily think the plushness was an advantage though. These diapers are so fat that it made it hard to snap my son’s clothes at the crotch, and it was very difficult to see and feel when a diaper was actually full, which resulted in a lot of wasted diapers that we thought were full but were barely wet. This was a common problem with some of the other options I tested that bragged about how plush their diapers were.

My biggest issue with these was the fit and the number of blowouts and leaks I was dealing with. No one needs to do as much laundry as I have been doing. Typically, this is a sign to size up, but even when I did that, it didn’t prevent the problem very well, or for long.

I am guessing that it is partly an issue of fit to my baby’s shape and body type, since I also found myself pulling a little too hard at the tabs to close the diaper, even in the “right” size. Additionally, pulling that hard on the tabs has occasionally made the tabs rip off of the diaper, which is annoying and wasteful. 

But issues like these make it harder to justify the premium price as, aside from marketing (the package, the designs on the diapers, etc), I absolutely cannot tell the difference between these and regular Huggies. 

Plus, my most recent box came plastered with 101 Dalmatians characters which means 1) tons more dye than I’d like to see in a diaper and 2) at least part of the premium price is due to image licensing, not premium materials or better performance. 

Ultimately, this brand falls short on fit, value, and the chemical-free promise. 

Do I recommend Huggies Special Delivery?

No.

There are better options on the market for any reason you need a non-toxic diaper. This line of diapers feels like a superficial attempt by Huggies to compete in this space, and they failed miserably by not meaningfully changing anything about their standard diaper, then charging twice as much for (seemingly) nothing more than marketing messages. 

Pros: 

• Not a lot for me. They weren’t terrible diapers, but I was so unimpressed with these that I started testing all these other brands!

Cons:

• Plushness, which you’d think would be a pro, but it actually makes clothes hard to snap at the crotch, and caused lots of wasted diapers because they were so fluffy that I thought they were full before they were.
• Absorbency was not great. We had frequent leaks and blowouts (in every size). 
• Price. This was one of the most expensive brands, per diaper, that I tested. They’re also barely distinguishable from regular Huggies Snug & Dry (which I also tested, but am not including in this sample set), which are exactly half the price.
• These may be “plant based” according to the packaging, but with just as much bulk, expensive licensed character images, and a lining that doesn’t seem to do a great job wicking away moisture from the baby’s skin, there is nothing meaningfully different about them from the regular Huggies. Nor is there anything they seem to do better than the other diapers I tried. 

Diaper Height (crotch to top of back panel): 9″ (Size 3; all others are size 4)

Diaper Width (stretched tab to tab, with tabs closed): 14.5″

Exterior Wetness Indicator: Yes, in front and under the bottom

Price per Diaper: $0.68 with bulk discounts available

Where I buy: Amazon, where they are also available in larger-quantity packages, and Target. I did have a hard time finding them at the regular supermarket when my family was traveling, but I’m fairly certain you’ll find that to be the issue with most of these non-toxic diaper brands. 

Subscription option: Amazon Subscribe and Save

Pampers Pure

This is the brand I used when my older son was a baby. I really liked them, and they were frequently and enthusiastically recommended in my DMs over and over again.

Then, when my younger son was born, I started him in these, too. But I didn’t like how they fit him (he has a very different body type than his brother), which is why we switched to Huggies in the first place. 

Since this was by far the most frequently recommended brand, I decided to try them again. They fit ok, although there was a little tugging to get the tabs velcroed.

I liked how these diapers are taller and reach higher up the back than the Huggies, which made me feel like they would absorb more and prevent leaks better. He did have one poop blowout, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as the Huggies blowouts. 

The diaper felt thinner and less plush than the Huggies, so I was skeptical, since the Huggies leak almost every day overnight. The Pampers Pure did not. I think that the Pampers liner thickens as it absorbs moisture. I was shocked by how much it could absorb without getting really fat and restrictive. 

These diapers also have a mesh liner over the absorbent layer which does a better job at keeping less moisture directly up against the skin. It does, however, leave a faint red pattern on the skin. As far as I can tell, it hasn’t bothered either of my (incredibly sensitive-skinned) babies, but it is unsightly, and can look like a rash if you don’t know to expect it.

They were very soft and the baby seemed comfortable in them with no scratchiness, discomfort, or restricted movement. There was one small area of the skin covered by the diaper where I noticed a very mild contact rash one day, but it didn’t seem to bother him, it went away quickly, and I’m not 100% sure it was related to the diaper. 

They are substantially more affordable than the Huggies, but performed better, in my experience.

Do I recommend Pampers Pure?

Yes, especially if your baby’s body type is longer and leaner, rather than roly-poly. 

This is overall a very good non-toxic diaper option for both performance and value. 

Pros:

• Softness
• Absorbency was medium. No leaks, but one blowout. 
• Mesh layer keeps moisture away from the skin.
• Price is reasonable for a premium diaper
• Simple, more subtle design (personal preference)

Cons:

• Again, absorbency was medium. No leaks, but one blowout. 
• May not be the right shape for a sturdier, rounder body type. 
• Very minor contact rash but I’m not sure it was actually related to the diaper, since it only lasted a day. I tested these for about 5 days. 

Diaper Height (crotch to top of back panel): 9.5″

Diaper Width (stretched tab to tab, with tabs closed): 16″

Exterior Wetness Indicator: Yes, in front. This was the only one that has a wetness indicator on the inner thighs too.

Price per Diaper: $0.52, with volume discounts available.

Where I buy: Amazon, where they are also available in larger-quantity packages, and Target.

Subscription option: Amazon Subscribe and Save

Hello Bello

I was pleasantly surprised by this brand, although perhaps I shouldn’t have been, considering how many raving fans there were in my DMs when this first started. 

They’re so affordable and one of the least plush options in this group, so didn’t have high expectations. They feel like a lower-end diaper, more than any other option in the bunch except maybe Seventh Generation. But they didn’t perform like one.

The fit on these was fantastic. My baby is of the roly-poly-er body shape, so a lot of diapers, regardless of size, have to be pulled tight to get the velcro closed. Pulling that tight has resulted in a number of ripped and wasted Huggies, and a lot of annoyance and frustration. So I was relieved when these were much easier to close. 

But what really impressed me about these diapers was the absorbency. Unlike a lot of the others, the insides feel like they are made from some kind of gel instead of a plus cotton lining. So when the lining absorbs liquid, it has a slightly different consistency, and is far less bulky when it is wet than Huggies, Coterie, or even Pampers. 

The different lining material is – I assume – what makes the diaper thinner and less plush, but it does not affect absorbency. In fact, these were one of the most absorbent diapers I tried.

I stress tested them through a couple of tough days, including an overnight when he woke up in the middle of the night for a bottle (which is unusual; usually he sleeps through the night) but I didn’t do an extra diaper change, and another day when we had family over and everyone thought someone else changed his diaper so he didn’t get a dry diaper for about 6 hours. (oops.)

Not only were there no leaks or blowouts during the time I was using these diapers, there was also zero diaper rash or irritation. There was one morning when he slept late and his pajamas were slightly damp in one spot, so there may have been a leak if I’d waited longer to change him. But I’d say that is forgivable after over 13 hours (and three bottles) of wear, so I am not holding that against this diaper. 

Plus, they were slimmer which made clothes easier to snap at the crotch without stretching the fabric too much or making the clothes too tight and restricting the baby’s leg movement.

Finally, these also have cute, bold patterns, if you’re into that! Personally, I am not, but a friend who uses these made a good point that this was a big advantage with her baby as he got older, since the fun designs made diaper changes less of a battle. 

Do I recommend Hello Bello?

Yes. Without hesitation. 

After my bad experience with Honest – which I unfairly but probably understandably associate with Hello Bello – I had very low expectations for this diaper. 

Not only were my expectations exceeded, I felt that this diaper was one of the best I tested. 

Pros:

• The fit was just right for a rounder body type, but of course could be fastened tighter for a leaner baby.
• The absorbency was great. We had no leaks (not counting the one almost-leak under the most harrowing conditions!) or blowouts. 
• The diaper was light and thin, and consistency of the lining material was more gel-like, which meant the diaper seemed to be able to absorb more without becoming as bulky as other diapers I tried. I thought less plush would be a drawback, but I think it ended up being an advantage. 
• These diapers are very affordable if you buy on the company’s website, and they recently also started stocking these diapers at Walmart. Do not buy them on Amazon.

Cons: 

• Accessibility is the main drawback of these diapers. You can only get them at a reasonable price on the Hello Bello website or at Walmart. I didn’t want to wait for the company to ship and don’t have a Walmart near me, so I ordered from Amazon for the faster and free shipping – but ended up paying more than twice as much per diaper. 
• The diaper is very slightly less soft than most of the other options I tried, but not so much that it would deter me from using them. And without repeatedly rubbing the lining of these diapers, one after another, against my cheek, I never would have noticed the difference. (The things I do for science!)
• People LOVE the designs on these diapers, and I agree that they’re pretty cute. But my personal preference is a more subtle design or just plain material, so the big bold designs were a con for me. 

Diaper Height (crotch to top of back panel): 9.75″

Diaper Width (stretched tab to tab, with tabs closed): 15.25″

Exterior Wetness Indicator: No

Price Per Diaper: $0.97 per diaper on Amazon, where I got them. However, if you purchase on their site or at Walmart, the price is closer to $0.40/diaper (not including any shipping costs).

Where I buy: I got these from Amazon, but I would not recommend it since you pay a ridiculous premium for the privilege. Instead, order from the Hello Bello website, or purchase at Walmart. I’ve also seen some really generous discounts on first time orders through the Hello Bello website. 

Subscription: You can subscribe for monthly deliveries on the Hello Bello Website

Dyper

I wanted to like Dyper. I really did. They’re an eco-conscious brand of sustainable bamboo diapers, with a composting option. That was a big draw for me and my Middle Class Mom Guilt About The Planet.

However, as I looked into the composting option more, I realized how unrealistic it is: you have to use their service, which (for an additional cost) only picks up every two weeks. I don’t know about you, but I don’t have a hermetically-sealed room in my house where I can store 2 weeks of smelly, rotting diapers between pickups, without stinking up my house.

I have one diaper pail in my house, and it fills up far more quickly than once every 2 weeks. So while I appreciate this option in theory, there is no way it is realistic – at least for my family. 

It ended up being a moot point, though, once I tried the diapers. I don’t know what shape babies these are meant for, but mine is not that shape.

The diapers are super long (tall), which leaves a huge amount of extra material at the crotch. And the absorbent part of the diaper is rectangular, rather than contouring to the baby’s stomach and waist. There is a huge gap on either side which is covered only by the tab.

The one thing I really liked about the fit and construction was the stretchy ruching at the top of the back panel so the diaper doesn’t gap in the back. But the second I put the first diaper on, it was clear these could be much more prone to leaks and blowouts, and that they definitely didn’t fit my kid’s body type properly – and sure enough, there was a blowout during the time we used these, because the diaper wasn’t snug enough around my son’s legs. 

Overall, though, these diapers were very absorbent, and didn’t leak the way I expected them to. Usually diapers get super saturated and leak out of the sides. These never did.

In at least two cases (one day, one overnight), the diaper leaked moisture through the front. I don’t mean up and out the top of the front panel, but moisture actually oozed through the diaper until the outside surface of the diaper felt damp to the touch. It was gross, and a huge turnoff. 

They didn’t seem to wick moisture away from the skin as well as some of the other options I tried, but it wasn’t so bad that he got a diaper rash or anything. So, I guess there’s that?

Do I recommend Dyper?

No. There are better fitting and better performing diapers out there, for less cost.

Pros:

• Absorbency
• If you want to feel better about using disposable diapers and have a sanitary method for storing 2 weeks of dirty diapers, they are the only brand I’ve seen with a composting program.  

Cons: 

• I can only describe the cut and fit of the diaper as bizarre. Maybe if you have a very long, skinny baby, these would fit better. I have an average length, chunky baby and they fit his body horribly.
• One of the more expensive options in this group.
• One of the biggest differentiators of this brand is their composting option, which is great in theory, but it seems like it is very unrealistic to maintain in reality.

Diaper Height (crotch to top of back panel): 9.5″

Diaper Width (stretched tab to tab, with tabs closed): 15.25″

Exterior Wetness Indicator: Yes, all the way around

Price Per Diaper: $0.71 on Amazon, and $0.75 + shipping on their site for the equivalent package. Lower prices are available for bulk and subscription orders.

Where I buy: I got these from Amazon, which I chose because they were lower cost and free shipping for the smallest package, vs. ordering directly from Dyper.

Subscription: You can subscribe for monthly deliveries on the Dyper Website or use Amazon Subscribe and Save.

Coterie

The Coterie website brags about their “reimagined” diaper, but honestly, I didn’t see that. 

They were VERY soft and I liked the simpler design – white with no designs. They looked and felt elegant and luxurious.

But reimagined? Hardly. They were just very fancy diapers. Unfortunately, their ultra-premium materials didn’t contribute to better performance. 

Coterie’s entire premium brand promise is about softness – a promise which I think they kept – and unmatched absorbency – which I don’t think they kept. These diapers leaked a lot.

For as luxurious as the super soft, plush core feels, I don’t think it is very functional. It doesn’t seem to do a good job distributing the moisture throughout the liner. I mean, granted, I have a boy who sleeps on his stomach so a lot of the liquid is going to be distributed in a very small area in the front, but some of the other diapers’ liner material did a better job at redistributing the liquid to drier parts of the lining than others. This was not one of the better ones.

We had more than one overnight leak while I was testing these, and two blowouts. In fact, other than Huggies (which, again, I hated), these were the worst-performing diaper I tested. 

For an ultra-premium diaper whose entire (supposed) reason for existing is absorbency, this was incredibly disappointing.

The diaper did a reasonably good job wicking moisture away from the skin, but I did notice on a few mornings that the saturated liner started to dissolve and left little pieces of cotton on his skin. It wasn’t harmful or irritating, but it was suspicious that these super-premium, super expensive diapers disintegrated after heavy use. 

The other downside to the super-plush, luxurious diaper is that it was so thick that it was hard to get the baby’s clothes on when it was even a little bit wet, and it felt completely full at the first sign of moisture.

So we wasted a number of diapers by changing them when they didn’t need to be changed, and wasted a lot of time checking diapers that were nowhere near full but felt, from the outside, like they were soaked through because they were so thick. There is a moisture indicator that runs down the length of the diaper, but it’s not very helpful when your baby is dressed. And I deeply resent having to undo and redo all those crotch snaps more than is strictly necessary!

According to the internet, these diapers run small, but I found them to be true to size – not generous, but not small either. I thought they fit really well, actually. They were snug in all the right places, with good quality elastic around the legs to catch leaks. But they weren’t too tight or uncomfortable. In fact, they fit so well that I anticipate he’ll be grown out of this size in a few weeks, while other brands will still fit fine. 

Would I recommend these? 

No. I really, really wanted to love these diapers after several friends gave me glowing reviews, but I was really disappointed in their performance.

What is the point of paying up to 75% more per diaper, if they don’t perform as well or better than the other brands? It seems like you’re paying for the luxury materials and the marketing, which is stupid for something you cover with clothes and use to catch poop. The idea of a status diaper is absurd to be.

There were other diapers that worked better for us, at a lower price. I’m more than willing to pay for premium products but, in the end, the only job of a diaper is to catch the baby’s waste. I’d rather get the cheaper option that does the job better, and spend the difference on something else. 

Pros: 

• Fit well. Snug in all the right places to contain leaks and prevent gaping, without being too tight. 
• They feel amazing. They’re plush, soft, and luxurious, like a pillow for your baby’s bottom. 
• They did a good job preventing blowouts. 
• I thought these were the most attractive diapers, since I don’t like bold designs. But that’s just my personal preference. 

Cons: 

• The plushness, while great in theory, makes for a really bulky feel when on (especially under clothes), and difficulty distinguishing between a slightly wet and totally saturated diaper. 
• They weren’t great at preventing leaks, especially not for a diaper that brags about superior absorbency. 
• Given the cost difference between these and the others, I was expecting a much better performance compared to other options. It just wasn’t a substantially better-performing diaper. 
• As I’ve alluded to, these were more expensive than any other option, except Dyper (which I don’t recommend anyway, so the comparison is moot). As much as I liked the look and feel of these, the performance doesn’t merit the price to me.  

Diaper Height (crotch to top of back panel): 9.5″

Diaper Width (stretched tab to tab, with tabs closed): 16″

Exterior Wetness Indicator: Yes, runs all the way around the diaper, which I really liked. 

Price Per Diaper: $0.71/diaper  if you buy the smaller pack. $0.56-$0.63 per diaper when you buy a month’s supply  subscription through the Coterie website.

Where I buy: Whole Foods.

Subscription: You can subscribe for monthly deliveries on the Coterie website.

Seventh Generation

I threw these diapers into the experiment at the last minute, after a friend recommended them for her baby’s “fluffy butt”. I love that term so much, by the way. 

I, too, have a baby with a fluffy butt, and as you can probably tell from the number of times I’ve mentioned fit, this was a major issue with some of the other brands. 

A first glance, Seventh Generation leaves something to be desired when compared to the other brands I tested. It looks and feels flimsier than the other diapers: thinner, rougher, weaker-feeling tabs, and even the designs are somewhat underwhelming and the color is a just too off-white to be attractive. They were a true underdog. 

But ultimately, a diaper’s job is to catch waste and prevent leaks and blowouts, and that was where Seventh Generation diapers really shined. They were incredibly absorbent and secure. 

I unintentionally put these diapers through probably the toughest challenges and we did not have one single leak. There was the night when my baby drank 4 bottles (20 oz of milk!!!) between bedtime and the next diaper change in the morning, which was about 14 hours. Not a drop outside of the diaper.

There was also the unfortunate afternoon where we were headed out to a local event and, well, my husband and I both thought that the other had changed the diaper before we left. And also thought that we’d replenished the extras in the diaper bag. But…surprise! Neither of us did either of those things. So the poor kid sat in a wet and dirty diaper for 4 hours – and was completely unbothered. I don’t even think he noticed. These diapers almost seemed too good to be true. 

The lining of these is the sort of material that becomes gelatinous when wet. Think Gak, not a saturated cotton ball. That seems to be one of the main takeaways from this experiment, because the only two diapers I was really impressed with (this one and Hello Bello) had that sort of lining.

These also did the best job in this competitive set of distributing the liquid throughout the diaper so that it all got absorbed and wicked away from the skin, rather than one third of the lining being soaked through and leaking, while the rest stayed bone dry. 

Would I recommend these? 

Without hesitation, yes. These were the best-performing diapers I tested.

Pros: 

• Generous fit with extra elastic on the tabs to prevent ripping when stretched. 
• Absorbency was unmatched. 
• Widely available.
• Great price and value. 

Cons: 

• They’re not the most attractive. Their designs are kind of lame, but they’ll be covered with clothes most of the time anyway, so who cares?
• They’re not the softest diapers I tested, but the bar was extremely high. They seemed comfortable enough; they’re not rough or irritating. 

Diaper Height (crotch to top of back panel): 10″

Diaper Width (stretched tab to tab, with tabs closed): 19.25″

Exterior Wetness Indicator: None

Price Per Diaper: $0.41/diaper, with no bulk discounts

Where I buy: I got these on Amazon. But these are also the easiest brand to find in brick and mortar stores. They are usually carried alongside conventional Pampers or Huggies at Grocery stores, drugstores, and big box stores. 

Subscription: Amazon Subscribe & Save is the easies subscription option for these (plus, it affords you an additional discount)

So Which is the Best Non-Toxic Diaper? 

I’m sure you can find someone who will swear up and down that each one of the diapers I tested is the absolute best non-toxic diaper. And that may be true for them. 

But as I compared these diapers, I discovered that the two most important factors are fit and liner material. Any diaper that doesn’t tick both boxes will never be the best.

Fit is somewhat subjective, of course. My first son was long and lean as a baby, and needed a narrower diaper with a skinnier waist. My second son is the opposite. He is built like a tank and needs a little more generous sizing in the legs, hips, and waist. 

But any good quality diaper should be able to mostly compensate for these differences, so even if you don’t find the ideal fit for your baby’s body type, you’ll still have relatively few leaks or blowouts (and, of course, no diaper prevents them 100% of the time). 

The real measure of the best diaper, I found, is construction: assuming all diapers are reasonably soft and chemical-free, it really comes down to the strength of the velcro and the absorbency of the lining. You don’t want the velcro tabs to rip (and none have in this experiment, but I have had that happen in the past, especially on the Huggies), and you don’t want the diaper to leak or blow out. 

The biggest lesson I learned was that the difference in the lining material makes a HUGE difference. A gel-like lining is thinner when dry, and makes the diaper feel, frankly, flimsier and cheaper. But it performs far better than the plush, cotton-y lining of the more luxurious-feeling diapers. 

That’s why Hello Bello and Seventh Generation came out on top. Hello Bello was slightly softer and more attractive, while Seventh Generation had a more generous fit, extra stretchy tabs, and not a single leak despite really being put through its paces. Both are cut to fit all body types pretty well, and are very affordable at $0.40-$0.41/diaper before subscription discounts. 

I think Pamper’s Pure and Coterie are very nice diapers, but work better on a baby with a slimmer or leaner body type. 

I do not recommend Dyper or Huggies Special Delivery.

Which diapers do you prefer?

Let me know in the comments! 

The post I Tried the Most Popular Non-Toxic Diapers (So You Don’t Have To) appeared first on A Clean Bake.

So, I had a baby. And for all the warnings I got about adjusting from one kid to two, the development I was least prepared for was colic and reflux. But here we are, 8 months later, with a baby who is finally more comfortable – but only because I have eliminated dairy and soy from my diet (he’s also on medication). 

While elimination diets are nothing new to me, dairy is the one common allergen I don’t have a lot of experience working around. I cut it out very briefly, around the time I started A Clean Bake, but have been happily cohabitating with cheese ever since. 

So it’s been a learning curve, to say the least! 

Tired nursing moms know that nothing is more important than snacks, and that’s why I’ve put together this list of the gluten free, soy free, and dairy free snacks (many of them are vegan too!) that I have been relying on to get me through the day lately. 

The Best Crispy and Crunchy Gluten Free and Dairy Free Snacks

Let’s start with the snackiest type of snack: the crispy/crunchy category. Nothing is more satisfying when you need a nosh than feeling that satisfying crunch between your teeth! Thankfully there are tons of options in this category that are naturally dairy free and allergy friendly. Here are a few. 

Chickpea puffs or sweet potato chips

Both have a little more nutrition and staying power than regular corn or white potato-based snacks! My older son loves vegan white cheddar Hippeas, and I really enjoy Jackson’s Honest sweet potato chips. Spudsy makes a variety of sweet potato snacks that are also fantastic. My favorite are Cinnamon Churro Sweet Potato Puffs. 

There are tons of other options out there; check Imperfect Foods, Whole Foods, Amazon, Thrive Market, or the “natural foods” aisle of major supermarkets.

Plantain chips with Dip

Plantain chips are thicker and pleasantly tough, delivering an extra-satisfying crunch. Dip them in your favorite non-dairy accompaniment, but may I recommend Bitchin’ Sauce? I especially like the thick and satisfyingly crunchy Barnana brand of plantain chips; Trader Joe’s has a thinner, crispier offering. 

A sliced apple with nut butter or seed butter 

This one is a classic for a reason. Peanut butter, almond butter, and walnut butter are my favorites to pair with a crisp fresh apple, but apples also pair really well with tahini, chocolate hummus, or sunflower seed butter if you need to stay nut free.

Fresh Fruit

Fresh fruit of any kind is a perfect go-to snack in a pinch. In addition to apples, I am really enjoying Asian pears, Cara Cara oranges, and grapes right now. Fruit’s high water and fiber content fills you up until your next meal or more substantial snack. I keep my fruit drawer stocked with a diverse selection from Imperfect Foods. 

Fresh Veggies with Tzatziki 

You can’t go wrong with fresh veggies for a crunchy snack, but I find them sort of underwhelming on their own. Lately, my favorite dip for raw carrots, celery, cucumbers, and bell peppers (or whatever your veggie of choice) has been tzatziki, but for the longest time, I couldn’t find a dairy-free version that doesn’t taste like, well, chalkdust.

After several Instagram followers recommended the dairy alternatives at Trader Joe’s, I took the plunge and tried their dairy-free/vegan tzatziki and it was a game changer. I’ll bet you won’t even know you’re not eating the real thing! 

Trail mix

This is my absolute favorite snack lately, especially in the middle of the night when I have to wake up to feed the baby. Trail mix is a great snack that is easy to make, travels well, and fills you up with healthy fats and protein from the nuts and seeds.

I generally make my own with whatever nuts, seeds, and dried fruit I have on hand. If I have dairy-free chocolate chips, I add those too. Costco also sells some really good gluten free, dairy free, and vegan trail mix! 

The Best Chewy Gluten Free and Dairy Free Snacks

Granola Bars

MadeGood is one of my new favorite brands. They make top-8 allergen free snacks with whole food ingredients that genuinely taste good. My 5 year old loves their products, even though he has no food allergies.

MadeGood granola bars have a pleasantly toothsome texture, and taste great. We also love their granola minis for an on-the-go snack. I buy this variety pack for, well, some variety!

Protein bars

As far as dairy-free snack bar options are concerned, my pick is always RxBar.

They’re not only grain free and made with real-food ingredients and no added sugar, they also contain non-dairy protein, which is tough to find in a widely available protein bar (most are made with soy or whey protein).

If you’re considering other options, don’t forget to read the ingredient list thoroughly to confirm that the source of protein is not derived from dairy.

Dried Fruit

Sometimes you just need to chomp on something sweet! Dried cranberries, cherries, apples and pears offer the pleasantly sweet chewiness to quench that craving. I’ve been really loving RIND brand dried fruit lately, especially their Straw-Perry one. 

Jerky

On the other hand, if your craving is for savory chewiness, jerky is the way to go. These days, there are so many options in addition to beef, like chicken and fish jerky, and brands like Chomps and Epic offer options free of added sugar and preservatives.

Cereal Bars

I don’t know if the typical cereal bars, like Nutragrain – are dairy free because I know they aren’t gluten free so I don’t bother.

Instead, I rely on allergy friendly brands like Enjoy Life and Simple Mills bars, which have the same soft and chewy cereal bar consistency. The dark chocolate chip almond Simple Mills bars are my favorite, but there are plenty of other flavors in their and Enjoy Life’s product lines!

The Best Sweet Gluten Free and Dairy Free Snacks

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Of course this tops the list of sweet snacks. Who doesn’t crave a good chocolate chip cookies now and then? If you want to make yours from scratch, my paleo chocolate chip cookies are a no-fail recipe. If you want to go the semi-homemade route, I have been using, and loving Otto’s Cookie mix. I add dairy free chocolate chips and chopped walnuts, but you can actually convert it into any flavor cookie you want. My current favorite is Equal Exchange brand chocolate chips, which I get on Amazon or from Imperfect Foods (affiliate link).

If you don’t feel like spending time in the kitchen, Simple Mills cookies are always gluten, grain, and dairy-free. Their crispy chocolate chippers taste like Famous Amos, and their soft baked variety tastes just like I remember Chips Ahoy. (Their soft-baked snickerdoodles are also super addictive!) I’m not being incentivized to say this – Simple mills really is my favorite allergy friendly brand, which is why I keep mentioning them!

Banana Muffins

I make these gluten free and paleo banana muffins about once a week and eat them pretty constantly for breakfast and snacks. They’re super fast and easy to throw together and freeze really well. Oh and the recipe can easily be doubled!

Smoothies

I prefer a chocolate peanut butter concoction but if you’re more of a fruit person, maybe this strawberry-banana combo will be more your speed?

Regardless of the recipe, I replace the yogurt with avocado for a creamy, filling, non-dairy base, and typically add egg white protein powder or collagen peptides for extra protein and staying power!

Dairy-Free Yogurt

For a quick nosh, this 2-ingredient combo is my go-to. Lots of dairy-free yogurts are super high in sugar so I make my own flavored yogurt by combining plain yogurt (Cocojune brand is my preference) with naturally-sweetened jam or applesauce. 

You can use your slow cooker to make a huge batch of no-sugar-added applesauce using only apples (and you know what I’m going to say: yes, it freezes well!), or use this recipe for a very quick homemade jam using chia as a thickener instead of pectin! 

Diary free yogurt also tastes great topped with granola. I make my own to ensure it only contains the ingredients I tolerate and enjoy! Here are a couple of my faves: chocolate grain free granola, classic grain free granola, and apple pie grain free granola – all of which are grain free, and the first two are customizable to be low carb and keto, if you need them to be.

Chia Pudding

Healthy and easy to make, you can customize it to your preference, or you can skip straight to this peanut butter and jelly version. You won’t be sorry!

Energy bites 

Energy bites are super easy to make, and there are tons of recipes on Pinterest or Google for any flavor your heart desires.

This chocolate peanut butter energy bite is a simple, crowd pleasing recipe, but it contains oats.

If you don’t tolerate oats well, you can try this one (make sure you are using non-whey based protein powder and dairy free chocolate chips; Enjoy Life makes mini chocolate chips that are dairy free and work great in this recipe) or this one.

Most of them contain oats as the base, though, make your own or enjoy life has a variety of flavors that are free of the top 8 food allergy foods. 

Dairy Free Ice Cream or Fruit Juice Popsicles

OK so this is not an everyday snack, admittedly, but once in awhile, you just have to go for it. 

After trying lots of brands, I am confident in recommending So Delicious coconut based ice cream. They also make soymilk-based and cashew milk based frozen desserts, but I haven’t tried them yet because I am too obsessed with the mint chocolate chip flavor. 

No matter what brand you choose, make sure the container is labeled dairy free, not lactose free. Lactose free ice creams are usually made with a milk base, plus an added enzyme that breaks down the lactose. This will only work for you if you’re lactose-intolerant, but not if you’re sensitive to the protein in dairy (CMPA/CMPI). 

If you’re not sure what kinds of packaged ice cream are safe, you can reach for sorbet or popsicles instead. Sorbet and popsicles like Good Pop brand are fruit-based, and don’t contain any kind of milk (dairy or otherwise), so it is naturally compatible with a dairy free diet. 

There are also lots of great recipes online for any flavor and dairy-free base you prefer, if you want to go the DIY route.

The Best Salty and Savory Gluten Free and Dairy Free Snacks

Crackers

My absolute favorite gluten free cracker – made by Simple Mills – is also grain free, dairy free, and plant based (except the cheese flavor!).

These crackers come in a variety of flavors, and they’re all made from nutritious ingredients and is, frankly, at the core of most of my savory snacking and quick meals. Simple Mills Grain Free sea salt crackers are sold in regular size boxes at the grocery store, jumbo boxes at Costco (which is the most cost effective way to purchase them), and little snack pack pouches are great to throw in the diaper bag or lunch boxes. I get the snack packs at Whole Foods or on Amazon. 

Hummus and Veggies or Pretzels

Hummus is such a versatile and healthy snack base, and I am excited to be able to tolerate small portions of chickpeas again, so that I can occasionally include this one in my snacking rotation.

I love to pair it with fresh, crunchy veggies like carrots, cucumbers, celery, and grape tomatoes. And – because raw veggies can only be so satisfying – I alternate my dipping with gluten free pretzels too.

Snyder’s of Hanover makes my favorite gluten free pretzel sticks for the job, and Fit Joy makes my favorite grain free twists (they also make grain free sticks).

Tortilla Chips or Plaintain Chips and Guacamole

It’s alarming that I didn’t lead with this, because who doesn’t love chips and guac? I am partial to Whole Foods’s thin tortilla chips but if you want a grain free chip, I recommend the Siete Foods brand.

As for the guac, you can certainly buy it but the store bought ones are always too silky for me. Guacamole should have some texture, and luckily, it is fast and easy to make at home.

Popcorn

While, yes, you could certainly make your own, I like cheese popcorn the best, and nutritional yeast just doesn’t do the job. I like this vegan cheeze popcorn from the snack brand Lesser Evil.

Nothing Turns Your Day Around like a Healthy Snack

Even if you’re not a nursing mom, we all have our reasons for being hangry. I have been surprised by how challenging it is to find quick and healthy snacks that don’t contain dairy. But that’s why I compiled this list! So I could have lots of ideas and inspiration at my fingertips, even in my (ongoing) sleep deprived brain fog.

I hope this helps you, too!

The post The Best Gluten Free and Dairy Free Snacks appeared first on A Clean Bake.

Prior to this brave new world we are living in, my answer was: I don’t. You see, although I’ve worked 100% remotely for the last 4 years, and for the better part of the 3 1/2 years before that, I had childcare 99% of the time until 2020. My 3-year-old son was in excellent hands with caregivers who loved and educated him while I was able to focus and work in a quiet, serene house. It was a well-oiled machine and it worked. But, like I said, that was before 2020.

But when the ‘vid hit and the country effectively shut down, despite already having a remote work job, I was forced to make a huge adjustment to working while parenting. And what an adjustment it was. Fortunately, neither my husband nor I were furloughed – but that meant suddenly trying to figure out how to simultaneously work full time, parent full time, and – oh yes, did I mention? – pack and coordinate a move in the middle of a global pandemic and local shelter-in-place order. 

We got through it and, like many working parents of young children, just when we thought the worst was behind us and we could breathe a sigh of relief… Omicron hit and daycares and schools shut down after the holidays. Babysitters and nannies are in short supply and even if you have one already, they’re people too and can get sick. 

Here we parents are again, juggling work with the most transmissible strain, and most unpredictable childcare situations yet. I don’t know about you but it feels like we have to re-learn how to survive the frequent and unpredictable school closures, quarantine periods, and day-to-day uncertainty of parenting while staying as consistent as possible at work. 

Here are the strategies I’ve developed over the last couple of years – and before that, even – for working from home with kids. As work-at-home jobs become the new normal, I thought this might be helpful for some of you. 

Make an Adult Schedule – and Communicate the Plan

Staying organized is the most important element of making multitasking work for you. I can’t stress enough how important it is to take a step back at the beginning of each day (or the end of the previous one), and map out your needs, your child’s needs, your partner’s needs, and designate time to get it all done.

Getting everyone on the same page, right from the start, is the other piece of the puzzle. If you have a plan for the day, but no one else knows what you need to navigate around, you may as well not have one at all. 

Bryan and I sit down either in the evening or first thing in the morning, look at our work schedules, and identify the critical aspects of the day that everything else needs to revolve around during work hours. 

We start by arranging coverage during each others’ respective meetings, and schedule each of us to be on Kid Duty at certain times of day so that the other can have some dedicated work time. Then, we block out time for each of us to get the work done that has to be delivered during the day (again, alternating, while the other person is on Kid Duty). We slot everything else in around that. 

And – this is important – whoever is on Kid Duty is ON KID DUTY. There will have to be a few exceptions, but unless it is absolutely urgent, you can’t try to work during this time (answering slack messages is fine, trying to focus on a spreadsheet is not), and unless something is literally on fire, you can’t duck out and expect your working partner to step in. 

Finally, I’m sure this goes without saying, but if your kids still nap, take full advantage of that. Don’t get distracted or make dinner; try to use every minute of nap time to get your work done.

Make a Kid Schedule

Yes, you need a separate schedule for your child/ren’s day. Why? Because I don’t know about your kids, but mine is not too enthusiastic about sitting around until I’m done with my work. 

Giving your kids the advantage of an organized day in which they know what to expect, are consistently engaged, and are given adequate attention (easier said than done, I KNOW) makes the day go much smoother, and prevents unnecessary conflicts and meltdowns. 

And, if nothing else, writing it down ensures your kids get meals and snacks on a set schedule because you know what happens if anyone gets too hangry. And don’t forget to incorporate nap time or quiet time (for older children) into the day. It is beneficial for everyone to have a break from one another, and provides an almost-guaranteed window of time in the day for the adults to focus on work without noise and distractions.  

What, exactly, your schedule looks like is up to you. You can create it from scratch, use a template (Here is one example, but there are dozens out there! If your kids are pre-literate, creating a graphic schedule is preferable. Here is one example.), or tweak a pre-made schedule (like this one) to fit your family’s needs. 

Or, you don’t even have to be that fancy. We use either a magnetic whiteboard (affiliate link) on the fridge or a chalkboard easel (affiliate link) to write out the plan for the day, even on weekends. 

Prioritize

When you’re making your schedule, assume you have about half the hours during the day that you usually do, at best. So, be very honest with yourself about what has to get done, and what would be nice to get done. Prioritize accordingly. 

Remember: you only have time for what absolutely has to get done. 

Keep your Coworkers in the Loop

You’re going to be yo-yo-ing between work and childcare all day, so you need to make sure that your colleagues know what’s going on, and where and when they can find you if they need something. I also advocate transparency about what you need to make this work. For example, you may need to let people know that you’ll need a bit more of a flexible schedule than usual. Or, if you don’t have a home office or other dedicated workspace in your house, let coworkers know upfront that they may see kids walking through the background of video calls, or hear them in the background of phone calls. 

I also like to keep workers in the loop in real time as my availability changes throughout the day. For example, if I need to step away for a bit, I put up an away message on Slack and DM anyone who might need something from me to let them know. If we have a conference call, especially with a client, I let whoever is leading the call know my kids are around and that I will be on mute for most of the meeting.

No one is expecting you to work the way you did before you were working remotely while simultaneously parenting, but problems will arise if you end up holding up other people from doing their work, or disappearing during the day.

image via Unsplash

Start With Your Kids, Not With Work

If you’re (understandably) panicked about getting your work done, you may be tempted to dive in first thing in the morning. This will backfire when your kid feels startled and neglected, and responds by clinging to you and acting out for the rest of the day. 

Do both of you a favor: start the morning by spending some time 100% invested in your child(ren). Eat breakfast with them, have a discussion with them, play with them. I’m talking about sacrificing maybe 20-30 minutes of your work day in order to establish a sort of secure base for the day.

I’ve heard this described as “filling up your child’s cup” first thing in the morning, so that they are able to do their thing a little more easily throughout the day. 

I can’t speak for all kids, but resisting the urge to dive into work in favor of a little bit of totally-focused quality time with my son makes the day go so much more smoothly. 

Lower Your Standards

Yes, I am talking about Screen Time (how else do you think everyone keeps their jobs when Bryan and I have two conflicting work obligations?). And household cleanliness. Back in the old days (pre-COVID-19) we did not allow screen time on weekdays, laundry was neatly folded and put away in a timely manner, and we put toys away and tidied up the house every night. Dinners were planned (and occasionally prepped) the weekend before, and groceries were carefully purchased. Work-life balance existed.

Now we live amongst dirty burp cloths, sinks full of dishes, and small trucks e.v.er.y.where. I’m winging it with dinners and cooking from what we have in our well-stocked freezer, rather than shopping for (or even ordering) groceries each week. And guess what? We’re all surviving. 

Two things we don’t lower our standards on, ever? Hand washing and masking. Everything else doesn’t matter as much anymore. 

Get Outside (Or, at Least, Stay Active)

If you can, safely, while maintaining distance from others, make time to go outside for some playtime. The health benefits of fresh air, movement, and sunshine are well documented but, let’s be real, the goal here is to burn off as much of that kid energy as you can outside the four walls of your house, so that they don’t end up bouncing off those walls. 

For us, when we’re pulling double duty with no childcare, a long walk right after breakfast and a shorter one, or a scooter ride, right before dinner, has worked well for our work schedules and energy levels. 

If you can’t get outside, find ways to burn energy inside. Dance parties, indoor obstacle courses, yoga (Cosmic Kids is a great, and free, option. They do Yoga and Dancing videos, which you can view on YouTube. We also use the Peloton app through our Roku box), or even just doing some jumping jacks will work. A couple of months ago I set up a play area in the basement for more energetic play, but before we had that, in moments of desperation, we loaded up the stroller with heavy stuff and my son pushed it around our basement for about 20 minutes. Whatever works. 

Build Time-Consuming Games into the Day

Back when we found out we had a little more than a day to pack up our whole apartment to move on short notice, we had to get creative to get all the packing done. 

The best solution, given that everything was in total disarray anyway, was to play endless games of hide and seek and create scavenger hunts. You would be surprised how much you can get done while counting to 10, or while your kid scours the hours for a pink shoe. 

Gather Ideas

And on that note, you should keep an eye out for, and bookmark, any and all ideas you come across. Games, art, apps, you name it. I have a list a mile long. 

Here are some sources of novel games, crafts, and other activities: 

Pinterest: the holy grail! Use the search function, or peruse this board for babies, this board for toddlers, this board for slightly older kids, and this board for recipes (not to eat, but to play with), where my friend has been collecting ideas for her kids and has graciously offered to share! 

Google: Just search [age]+[topic]+[type of activity]: “4 year old counting project”, “toddler craft ideas”, “Preschool homeschooling worksheets”, “dinosaur coloring page” etc. 

Instagram and TikTok: so many influencers have great, and attainable, ideas for activities, crafts, upcycling, science experiments, and other amusements. Some of my favorite accounts for entertainment-at-home ideas are Busy Toddler, Days with Grey, and The Lean Green Bean (all on Instagram). 

Facebook Mom Groups: I don’t know about you but my local moms group on FB has been positively exploding with ideas to share since the beginning of this phase of our lives. I use the search bar to find what I’m looking for in historical posts. 

Free or low-cost online classes and events: These were a lot more prevalent at the beginning of the pandemic, but with some Googling or YouTube searching, you can find plenty of free classes, story times, dance or physical activity classes, and more. 

If you have a small budget, I highly recommend Outschool. You can find a class about almost anything you can imagine on that site, which we have been using throughout the whole pandemic, and it’s great for keeping your kid’s attention while you work for a half our or so. Additionally, Outschool is one of the resources that can match you with a tutor if you need a little assistance supervising your child’s schoolwork.  Use this link to sign up for $20 off of your first classes on Outschool! #notsponsored

Homeschooling websites and blogs: I am not an expert on homeschooling. Google can point you in the right direction for your child’s age. These sites are a treasure trove of activities that you may not have thought of on your own. I especially like choosing a theme for a week and then searching Google, Pinterest, and homeschooling sites for activities and worksheets related to that theme. If you have a small budget, you can find some wonderful ready-made homeschool activities and curricula on Etsy.

The app store:  Screen time doesn’t just have to be tolerated, it can also be beneficial right now. Here are some of the apps that we’ve used and loved:

• The Cat in the Hat Builds That
• Khan Academy Kids
• Play and Learn Science
• Duolingo for Kids
• Scratch Jr. 
• Not on the app store: PBS Kids games (on the PBS.org site) are fun and free!

Facetime and Zoom: I’ve heard of lots of creative ways to use these services, including grandparents (or other family members) “babysitting”, or at least distracting the kids, through the app while the parents work in the next room. 

Manufacture Novelty

I don’t think there is a kid on earth for whom something new isn’t more fun than something they’re familiar with. That does not mean you need to spend an arm and a leg on new toys. Here are some ways to introduce “new” toys into the play routine without spending anything. 

Cull your child’s toys and hide half or more of them. Then, every couple of weeks, rotate toys in and out. 

If you have kept old toys from previous ages, bring out a few, even if they are supposed to be too young for your child. My 5YO has had a blast playing with toddler toys lately, just because he doesn’t remember them so they seem new. 

Join a Freecycling Facebook group in your area or set up an alert on Facebook Marketplace. You won’t believe what people are willing to gift their neighbors, just to get it out of your house (likewise, this is a great way to get rid of the clutter that is making your house feel more cooped up that it needs to be!)

If there are similar-age kids in your neighborhood, set up a temporary or permanent toy exchange

Ask around if anyone is cleaning out their basement or attic of outgrown toys, activity books, or equipment, and offer to take some off their hands. 

Finally, if you do have a small budget, watch flash sales and Amazon lightening and warehouse deals. Last year, I ended up getting a Buzz Lightyear space ship toy for something like 80% off of the MSRP on Amazon lightening deal. 

Embrace Multitasking

I wish there were a way around this, but you are going to be multitasking a lot as we go through the next few months of (likely) frequent school closures and quarantines, at least in my area. When you go into it mentally prepared, knowing you won’t have a lot of time to focus, you’re going to just get buy rather than thrive in this period of your life, and you’re really going to focus on what is essential and nothing more, it is much easier to handle. 

Look out for your mental health by getting enough sleep and eating healthy meals as much as possible, and carving out small breaks where you can, even if only on weekends and by employing way too much screen time.

Finally, let perfectionism go, and focus on what you’re able to achieve in this absolutely impossible situation, rather than what you’re not able to do. 

You got this.

The post Working from Home With Kids: My Best Tips from Years of Practice appeared first on A Clean Bake.

As I’m slowly making my way back to blogging, I’ve been trying to get my (literal) house in order before I am ready to commit to posting regularly here again. One of the issues that I want to make sure I have the creative energy for at home is getting back to addressing picky eating with my 5-year-old son. 

If you’ve followed me for awhile, especially on Instagram, you already know that I’ve been working hard for years to address my son’s picky eating and help him expand his palette and culinary horizons.

He was never a voracious eater but, like many kids, he went from trying most of what I offered him and eating a reasonably balanced diet to wanting more and more control over what was served and what he ate. The result was a fairly limited diet, which I supplemented with smoothies, until he started rejecting the smoothies too.

Pandemic isolation and burnout led to less and less variety, and less energy on my part toward researching and implementing different strategies to combat picky eating. In early 2021, I enrolled in Better Bites, an e-course geared toward empowering caregivers to address their kids’ fairly extreme picky eating, but after a few months of it, I had to step back as pregnancy morning sickness and exhaustion took over. (This post is not sponsored by, or in any way affiliated with or endorsed by Better Bites, by the way!)

As a result, my son has backslid badly in his eating this year, and I am finally getting the energy and motivation to dive back in. 

Which brings me to the picky eating hack that I accidentally discovered the other day, which has been a game changer for us. 

My Magic Picky Eating Strategy

We were sitting down to dinner and my son asked for more bread – one of his few safe foods. I told him I couldn’t get him any more at the moment, but he could fill up on the other foods on his plate while he waited.

There were carrots, the only vegetable he’ll eat, on his plate, which I pointed out. But he refused to eat them because they were purple and yellow (rainbow) carrots, not the orange ones he prefers. 

I was suddenly hit with inspiration for some food play

Food play is a strategy that demystifies scary new foods, I had learned from Better Bites. So, I asked my son if he thought the different color carrots would taste different from one another, and which color carrot he thought he would like best.

Then, because he loves science and is obsessed with Ada Twist, Scientist, I quickly improvised an “experiment” in which we’d come up with a “hypothesis” about what each carrot would taste like and then do a blind taste test. As soon as I said the word “hypothesis”, he was interested (if you’ve watched Ada Twist on Netflix, you know there is a catchy song about hypotheses). 

I cut up some carrots of each color and he did a blind taste test with my husband while I recorded their impressions of each carrot. My son willingly popped some of each color carrot into his mouth, even after the taste test was over, and he also followed the game by eating an unrelated new food (goat cheese) that he was refusing before the experiment. 

My mind was blown. 

I did a similar game again the next night, this time with different kinds of pasta, including a green veggie pasta that he would not have even sat in front of otherwise. And you know what? He tried it during the taste test – this time it wasn’t even a blind test – and ate some more after we were done. 

And a third night: we had a cheese blind taste test experiment, after which he ate three quesadillas, a sometimes-but-mostly-never food prior to that experiment. It is magical. 

Why did this strategy work? 

You probably already know that I am not a nutritionist, and I have a sample size of one stubborn 5-year-old, but here is my theory on why gamification worked to reframe unfamiliar or non-favorite foods as less threatening. 

First, my son, like other kids this age, is really into imagination play and exploring identities right now. He loves to tell everyone that he is a scientist, which to him means an expert in whatever the topic of conversation is at the time. This game exploits his current love of Ada Twist, and general interest in science. There is also a facet of this related to control, at least for him: by declaring himself an expert, that means he has some authority over the situation, and this science framing reinforced his love of – and need for – more information, understanding, and control of his world. 

Next, presenting the new foods in a taste test format – always coupled with, and therefore buffered by, familiar “safe” foods – removed any power dynamic from the interaction. Rather than me saying “you need to try something new” and him digging his heels in and refusing, it was just part of the game to try something new and not overthink it. This is in line with the no-pressure approach that I know has worked for us in the past, and which has been shown to be extremely effective for picky eaters in general. 

Finally, focusing on the game and letting him “decide” what foods he wanted to eat (spoiler: I would have served the safe option anyway!) greatly removes the pressure and tension that inevitably bubbles to the surface of every meal between a picky eater and a weary parent who is tired as hell of serving plain pasta with every meal. I believe that is why he not only tried the new versions of safe foods (like the purple carrot or green pasta), but also why he was significantly more willing to try unrelated foods after the experiment was complete. 

How effective is this strategy?

I don’t know yet, exactly. 

So far, very, though I’ve started with the easiest foods: those which closely resemble his most reliable safe foods. 

However, this is a variation on another strategy I learned from Better Bites, called Food Chaining. Food chaining is a process by which you take baby steps from one very familiar, reliably-eaten food to different forms and preparations, in order to introduce a new but more challenging food into the kid’s diet. Think: chicken nuggets to regular chicken breast. 

What comes next?

I really think that gamifying the practice of trying new foods, and employing it consistently will be helpful for us over the long term. The most important skills for the parent of any picky eater are patience and stamina, though, which I admit I am short on these days. 

My hope is that this strategy of gamifying new foods in “taste test” formats, removing the pressure of eating by distracting from any power dynamics, and pairing new foods with familiar and similar safe foods will be the key to making some progress toward a more varied and adventurous diet in 2022. 

The post My Favorite Picky Eating Hack appeared first on A Clean Bake.

After a prolonged silence here, this probably won’t come as a surprise, but I am taking a break from blogging and social media for the foreseeable future.

It’s not you, it’s me (really). I love this community so much, and am so proud of all the cooking and baking we’ve done together.

But the truth is that I’m just mentally and physically drained, and have been for awhile. Nearly 365 days without time to rest, recharge, see friends in person, eat at a restaurant, sit at a coffee shop, browse a store, travel, or do most of the things that replenish me has completely robbed me of my creativity and drive to cook and bake.

So I will be taking some time to try to find my way back to all the things I love about creating recipes and sharing them with you.

I’m not sure whether it will be weeks or months. We’ll just have to see. But I will be back. And my site and all of my recipes will continue to be completely accessible and totally free to access no matter what happens.

Happy clean baking. See you later!

The post An Update appeared first on A Clean Bake.

These grain- and gluten-free chocolate crinkle cookies are made from almond flour, coconut sugar, and cocoa powder. They’re the perfect chocolatey, chewy-on-the-inside, crispy-on-the-outside holiday cookie.

Photos by Quin Liburd

December is here, which means the holiday cookie baking extravaganza has officially begun. 

Do we know how the holidays of 2020 will go? No. We don’t even know how tomorrow will go. Nothing about this year has been predictable — particularly celebrations, holidays, and family gatherings. In fact, the one thing we can predict for Christmas and Hanukkah this year is that they will — in true 2020 fashion — be unpredictable. 

That’s why, in my opinion, it is more important than ever to honor the rituals and traditions that are safe, like baking beloved favorite holiday cookies recipes. And maybe doubling the recipe (I mean, look at these beauties!).

If you’re thinking of pumping the brakes on holiday baking because you don’t want a couple dozen cookies lying around your house, don’t. This is the part where I remind you that that’s what freezers were made for!

Trust me; it took more test batches than I care to admit to in order to get these just right, so I have tested the freeze-ability of this recipe over and over. In general, Christmas cookies, like many treats, freeze incredibly well — and you’ll almost always find storage and freezing instructions in the “recipe notes” of my posts.

Please don’t let quarantine rob you of the joy of baking and eating gluten free chocolate crinkle cookies, after you have been deprived of your childhood favorite for so many years! (just me?)

Plus, holiday baking is a wonderful, indoor activity involving the whole family. I can always count on not-so-Baby-Bake (who just turned four!!) to lend a hand in the kitchen, which offers a nice distraction for both of us. (Pro tip: If you’re bringing in a baking assistant for this cookie recipe, allow them to dunk the dough balls in the maple or confectioners sugar and set on the tray — they’ll love it.)

OK have I convinced you? 

Great! Let the holiday cookie baking to commence — and be sure to check out this Christmas cookie round-up and the rest of the site for holiday treats. You’re sure to find gluten-free versions of your favorite cookies, including chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter thumbprint cookies, fudgy 3-ingredient cookies, gluten free sugar cookies, and peppermint brownies.

But first: let’s talk about the cookie we’re all here for.

How To Make The Best Chocolate Crinkle Cookies 

To make gluten free and paleo chocolate crinkle cookies, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper, or grease with coconut oil or cooking spray.

In a large bowl, mix together your dry ingredients, including the almond flour, coconut sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, cream of tartar, baking soda, and a fourth teaspoon salt. In a medium bowl, combine your wet ingredients, including the melted unsalted butter, eggs, and pure vanilla extract. Pour your wet ingredients and flour mixture into a stand mixer, mixing until well combined.

Allow the cookie dough to rest for 60-75 minutes, allowing the batter to thicken. Do not skip this step!! This allows the dry ingredients to absorb the moisture properly; if you go straight from mixing to baking, your cookies will spread very thin in the oven. Look, we’re (mostly) all home all the time. Just… let that batter rest. However, if you are in a rush or prefer thinner cookies, simply add on an extra minute to the bake time (bringing it to a total time of 11 minutes).

Anyway! Once the batter is rested, use a cookie scoop to portion the dough. Then roll the dough into one inch balls, and dip each dough ball into the powdered sugar twice, giving it a thick, white sugar coating (you only need to coat one side with sugar). Place each dough ball on your prepared baking sheets, sugar side up. 

Bake your cookies for 8-10 minutes, until the cookies have flattened and have a crackled top. Allow your cookies to cool completely on the sheet (do not transfer to a wire rack) before digging in! 

Recipes FAQs: Tips for Paleo Gluten-Free Chocolate Crinkle Cookie Recipe Success 

If this is your first time experimenting with gluten-free baking, you may have a few questions. Hopefully, these tips, tricks, and substitutions help set you up for success. 

• Can you substitute the almond flour for another gluten-free flour? Unfortunately, no. Gluten- and grain-free flours (such as coconut, tapioca, almond, and gluten-free all-purpose flour) behave differently when it comes to structure and how they absorb moisture, and cannot be substituted for one another. 
• Can you substitute the coconut sugar? Yes. Use another granulated sugar, such as brown sugar, maple sugar, or granulated monk fruit or stevia (which will make the recipe lower in carbohydrates, but also result in a dryer cookie).
• Can you substitute baking powder for baking soda? No. Baking powder and baking soda have different chemical makeups, and cannot be substituted for one another.
• Can you substitute the cocoa powder for melted chocolate? No. Do not use dark chocolate, Hershey’s baking chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, or bittersweet chocolate chips.
• Do you have a preferred brand of almond flour? Yes. Both Bob’s Red Mill and King Arthur create quality gluten-free flour blends, and can be purchased at health stores and on Amazon. I also like Honeyville brand, which you can find on Amazon. Whatever brand you use, make sure it is very finely-ground.
• Can these cookies be made dairy-free? Yes — but read the recipe notes closely. To make dairy-free cookies, replace the ghee with coconut oil, and skip the rest period (i.e. bake them immediately, skipping step 5 in the recipe instructions).
• How long will these cookies keep? Your gluten-free cookies will keep up to 3-5 days (in a non-airtight container) on the counter or in the freezer for three months (in an airtight container). If you store the cookies in an airtight container on the counter, the texture will soften and you’ll lose the crispy outer shell. If you don’t mind a thoroughly chewy cookie, you’ll love them.

It Just Isn’t The Holidays Without Gluten Free Chocolate Crinkle Cookies 

These chocolate crinkle cookies are perfect for the holiday season. With a fudge-y center and a crispy outer texture (smothered in powdered sugar, no less), it’s a cookie all can enjoy. There are several important recipe notes listed below, so I encourage you to review them before diving into the instructions. 

This is going to be my last recipe for 2020! I hope you enjoy it. Have a wonderful holiday, happy New Year, and I’ll see you in 2021!

Paleo Gluten Free Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Yield: 19 Cookies

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Resting Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes

These grain- and gluten-free chocolate crinkle cookies are made from almond flour, coconut sugar, and cocoa powder. They're the perfect chocolatey, chewy-on-the-inside, crispy-on-the-outside holiday cookie to kick-off the season. (Please see recipe notes for dairy-free adaptation).

Print

Ingredients

Ingredients for the cookies

Toggle ingredient group

• 1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour (see note for measuring instructions)
• 3/4 cup coconut sugar
• 1/2 cup natural cocoa powder (do not use dutch processed!)
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter or ghee (see notes for dairy-free variation), slightly cooled
• 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Ingredients for finishing

Toggle ingredient group

• 2 Tablespoons powdered cane sugar, or 
• 2 Tablespoons maple sugar + 2 teaspoons arrowroot flour, blitzed in a blender until fine

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone pads, and set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the almond flour, coconut sugar, cocoa powder, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. until well-combined. Set aside.
3. Test the melted butter or ghee with your finger to make sure it is warm, not hot. In a small bowl, whisk the egg, then mix in the butter/ghee and vanilla extract.
4. Pour the wet (eggs, etc.) mixture into the dry (flours, etc.) mixture and stir to combine, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
5. Allow the batter to rest 60-75 minutes at room temperature. Then scoop heaping tablespoon portions and roll between your palms into balls.
6. Place your powdered maple or cane sugar in a small bowl and roll the bottom half of the dough ball in the sugar. (You do not need to cover the top of the cookie.) Then roll again. You want a very thick double layer of sugar on each cookie.
7. Place the cookie, sugar side up, on the prepared cookie sheet.
8. Repeat with remaining dough.
9. Bake 8-10 minutes, until cookies have spread and crackled.
10. Remove the baking sheets from the oven, but allow the cookies to cool completely on the pans. Do not transfer them to a baking rack.
11. Once cooled, enjoy immediately!

Notes

How to measure grain free flours: First, fluff the flour with a fork to aerate it. You don't want to measure packed flours. Once it is loosened, either spoon it into the measuring cup, or gently scoop the flour with the measuring cup, then level it off with the back of a butter knife.

Rest time: The 60-75 minute rest allows the batter to thicken up for a slightly better final consistency. If you are in a rush, you can bake the cookies immediately. Add 1 minute to the bake time and allow the cooked cookies to cool completely on the sheet before eating.

Dairy-free variation: Replace the butter or ghee with the same amount of coconut oil. Scoop and roll the cookies, and press them down slightly with the palm of your hand to form a thick disc before dunking them in your sugar of choice. Bake immediately (without letting them sit first) for 9-11 minutes. Allow to cool completely on the baking sheet before eating.

Storage: These cookies keep well on the counter for 3-5 days or in the freezer for up to three months. If freezing, make sure they are in an airtight container. If on the counter, store in a non-airtight container for up to 24 hours to preserve the crispy outer shell of the cookie. Once covered, the cookies start to soften; the longer they are at room temp in an airtight container, the softer they will get.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Honeyville Blanched Almond Flour
• 
  Cocoa Powder
• 
  Organic Pure Maple Sugar
• 
  Half Sheet Pans (Cookie Sheets)
• 
  Silpat Premium Non-Stick Silicone Baking Mat, Half Sheet Size, 11-5/8" x 16-1/2"

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 19 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 114Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 65mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 2gSugar: 10gProtein: 3g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave me a comment and rating, or tag me on Instagram using @nora_acleanbake or #acleanbake!

The post Paleo Gluten Free Chocolate Crinkle Cookies appeared first on A Clean Bake.

These chewy gluten-free sugar cookies are free from gluten, grains, and refined sugar. Made from a blend of almond and tapioca flour, these gluten-free cutout sugar cookies are a wonderful addition to your holiday table. Have fun cutting them into shapes, serve them frosted with dairy-free icing if you want, and finish with sprinkles to match the season. 

Photos by Quin Liburd

What an, ahem, memorable year it’s been.

Thanksgiving was small this year, but I’m proud to say I didn’t take a single photo of our Thanksgiving table, proving that we set our phones and computers aside, and enjoyed our time together. And now, with Thanksgiving over (and Chicago getting colder and grayer by the day), we’re more ready for the holidays and end-of-year celebrations than ever.

I’m not sure how we’ll spend the holidays this year — and I’m ok with that. Isn’t that what 2020 has taught us, after all? That anything can change in an instant, and sometimes all you can do is plan the 24-hours ahead of you?

Right now, my only definite holiday plans are spending time in the kitchen, and decorating these holiday cookies with my little my sous chef. If you’re looking for paleo Christmas cookie ideas, check out this 18-recipe holiday cookie round-up, featuring gingerbread, macaroons, thumbprint, and chocolate chip cookies (just to name a few). The only thing missing from the list is gluten-free sugar cookies – but not anymore. 

How To Make the Best Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies 

To make gluten-free sugar cookies, start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a cookie sheet with coconut oil (or your fat of choice) or line with parchment paper, and set it aside.

Next, mix your dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Combine your almond flour, tapioca starch, maple sugar, coconut flour, and a fourth teaspoon salt, and set it aside. Next, combine your wet ingredients, including your egg whites and a fourth cup butter, ghee, or coconut oil. Set your hand mixer to low speed, and mix your wet and dry ingredients until well-combined.

Your cookie dough will be incredibly sticky, so dust a piece of parchment paper with a generous amount of tapioca flour. (You can also use gluten-free all purpose flour, rice flour, arrowroot, or another gluten-free flour blend). Roll the dough into a ball, then place at the center of the parchment paper. Finally, dust your rolling pin with flour, and gently roll out your dough to roughly 1/4 inch thick. 

Use cookie cutters to cut your dough into shapes. This dough works great whether you’re celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, Easter, Halloween, Valentine’s Day, or another season or holiday. Before placing your cookies in the oven, dust lightly with an egg wash made from egg whites and milk, then decorate with festive sprinkles. (Skip the egg wash and sprinkles if you plan to frost these instead!)

Bake your cookies for a total time of 12-15 minutes, being careful not to over-bake (otherwise they will become crispy and dry out). Allow your cookies to set and cool for 5-10 minutes on a cooling rack before serving, or cool completely to room temperature before frosting and serving.

Recipe FAQs: Tips for Gluten-Free and Paleo Sugar Cookie Success 

Gluten-free baking can be a bit tricky — particularly for first-timers. Below, I share various tips, substitutions, and answers to frequent reader interactions to help set you up for success.

• Can I substitute the almond and tapioca flour mixture for all-purpose gluten-free flour? No. Gluten-free flours behave very differently from the grain free flours that this recipe was designed for. Therefore, you should never substitute one flour for another (unless the recipe notes explicitly say that you can do so).
• Can you substitute the maple sugar for something else? Yes. Use another granulated sugar, such as coconut sugar, or granulated monk fruit (to make it lower in carbohydrates or keto-friendly, although the end result will be drier and crumblier). Do not use a liquid sweetener, such as honey or maple syrup. I have not tested these with white (cane) sugar or brown sugar, so I can’t guarantee that those will work.

• Can this recipe be made vegan? Theoretically you could use flax eggs in place of the eggs, and coconut oil (or a vegan butter, like Earth Balance) in place of ghee, but I haven’t tried it.
•  Can this recipe be made dairy-free? Yes. Simply use coconut oil instead of ghee, and choose a dairy-free milk, such as almond, coconut, or oat milk.
• Is there a gluten-free flour brand you recommend? Yes. Both King Arthur and Bob’s Red Mill are excellent choices, and can be found at most health food stores and on Amazon. However, please only use gluten free flour blends for rolling out the dough; do not substitute for any of the flours called for in the recipe.
• Do you have a frosting recipe you recommend? Yes. I recommend using my buttercream frosting recipe (simply remove the cocoa powder and milk, and add a dash of vanilla extract, leaving the vanilla extract, unsalted butter, and powdered sugar), if you choose to make your own. If you’re short on time, I recommend using Miss Jones Baking Co., which makes excellent dairy free cream cheese, butter cream, and other frostings.
• How long will these cookies keep? They’ll keep up to five days on the counter, or in the freezer up to three months.

Enjoy this Gluten-Free Sugar Cookie Recipe Any Time of Year 

Whether you’re decorating Christmas cookies or simply enjoying a Saturday morning in the kitchen, your whole family will enjoy these yummy sugar cookies. Grain-free, refined-sugar free, and with a dairy-free option, this sugar cookie recipe is both gluten-free and paleo-friendly. Have fun decorating your cookies to correspond with your celebration, cutting your cookies into shapes and topping with icing and sprinkles.

Grain Free and Gluten Free Sugar Cookies (Gluten Free Cutout Cookies)

Yield: 12-16 cookies (varies according to your cookie cutters)

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

These chewy gluten-free sugar cookies are free from gluten, grains, and refined sugar. Made from a blend of almond and tapioca flour, these gluten-free cutout sugar cookies are a wonderful addition to your holiday table. Have fun cutting them into shapes, serve them frosted with dairy-free icing if you want, and finish with sprinkles to match the season. 

Print

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons tapioca flour (starch), plus more for rolling
• 2/3 cup maple sugar
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/4 cup + 2 teaspoons coconut oil or ghee, melted and slightly cooled
• 3 large egg whites, divided
• 1 tablespoon non-dairy milk of choice 
• Sprinkles

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone nonstick pad and set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the almond flour, tapioca starch, maple sugar, coconut flour, and salt, and set aside.
4. In a small bowl, whisk 2 of the eggs whites with the coconut oil (or ghee).
5. Add the egg mixture to the dry (flours) mixture and mix until well combined. It will be too sticky to roll out yet.
6. Generously flour a large cutting board or sheet of parchment with tapioca flour. Gently knead the dough until it looses its stickiness and sheen, and looks like traditional sugar cookie dough. Roll the dough into a ball.
7. Using more tapioca, lightly flour your board and rolling pin, and roll out the dough to about 1/4" thick.
8. Use your cutters to cut out shapes, and transfer them to the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 1" between cookies.
9. Prepare the egg wash by whisking the remaining egg white with 1/2 tablespoon of your milk.
10. Use a pastry brush to brush the egg wash over the cookies, and decorate the cookies with your sprinkles.
11. Bake cookies for 12-15 minutes. The cookies will not get very golden brown, but watch for the tops to lose their sheen as the egg wash dries and sets. Do not overbake; these cookies dry out easily.
12. Cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

If you prefer, you can skip the egg wash and sprinkles, bake and cool the cookies completely, then decorate with frosting or royal icing.

Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days (longer and the cookies will get very soft), or in the freezer for up to three months.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Half Sheet Pans (Cookie Sheets)
• 
  Silicone Baking Sheets
• 
  Anthony's Organic Coconut Flour (4lb), Batch Tested Gluten-Free, Non-GMO & Vegan
• 
  Organic Pure Maple Sugar
• 
  Organic Tapioca Flour/Starch (2.5lbs) by Anthony's, Gluten-Free & Non-GMO
• 
  Honeyville Blanched Almond Flour

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 14 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 128Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 52mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 2gSugar: 7gProtein: 4g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave me a comment and rating, or tag me on Instagram using @nora_acleanbake or #acleanbake!

The post Grain Free and Gluten Free Sugar Cookies (Gluten Free Cutout Cookies) appeared first on A Clean Bake.

This paleo and gluten-free pumpkin pie is the perfect finale to Thanksgiving dinner. Dairy-free, refined-sugar-free, and grain-free, it’s a pumpkin pie everyone at your table can enjoy. 

Photos by Quin Liburd

I started baking before I was tall enough to reach the counter. And yet, of all the hundreds (thousands!?) of recipes on this site and in my head, there are still plenty of classic desserts I haven’t given the ACB treatment to make it grain free, gluten free, and refined sugar free. 

With Thanksgiving fast approaching, I made a stark realization: In the six-plus-years of A Clean Bake, I’ve never made a pumpkin pie!

Sure, I made a pie crust — the perfect, flaky, buttery, delicious pie crust that I use over and over again – and so, I know, do many of you. I reuse my pie crust recipe in apple pie, banana cream pie, pecan tart, and so much more. But it wasn’t until this year that, at the request of my husband (since we won’t be seeing his sister for Thanksgiving, and typically she is the one who brings his favorite pumpkin pie, I attempted the holy grail of Thanksgiving paleo desserts: a gluten-free pumpkin pie. 

So, with a filling free of dairy, white sugar, and gluten, present to the this long-awaited gluten free and paleo pumpkin pie recipe. Made with real pumpkin, wholesome ingredients, and a homemade, gluten-free pie crust, it’s sure to complete your Thanksgiving day feast.

How To Make a Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie 

To make your gluten-free and paleo pumpkin pie, start by making your pie crust. If it works better for your schedule, you can bake the crust ahead of time, freeze it, and then defrost it by leaving it on the counter to come to room temperature while you make the filling.

After you prepare the crust dough, roll out the dough between two pieces of parchment paper and press it into a 9-inch pie plate, gathering the overhang to form a nice crimp around the edges by pressing it between your thumb and first two fingers.

If the dough feels sticky before rolling, dust it with tapioca flour or arrowroot flour before adding your top layer of parchment. If you tolerate grains, you can also use rice flour or a gluten-free four blend for this task.

Once it’s rolled and transferred to the pie plate, cover the parchment and fill with dry beans or pie weights. Place your pie dish in the oven, and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, then remove the pie weights and parchment and bake an additional 5 minutes. . 

While your gluten-free pie crust shell is baking, prep your filling. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and the pumpkin puree until smooth. Next, add the maple sugar, coconut milk, tapioca flour, pumpkin pie spice, and a fourth teaspoon salt and mix until combined. I do not recommend using a food processor or standing mixer to mix the ingredients, as you don’t want to over-mix the filling, which incorporates too much air in to the batter; too much air is what causes the pie to rise too much in the oven and then sink and crack when cooling! 

Pour the pumpkin pie filling into your prepared crust, and use a spatula to smooth out the top. Place the pie pan back in the oven (you can set a baking sheet on a lower wire rack to prevent any spills). 

Bake your pie for 50-65 minutes, until the filling it set and no longer jiggles when you shake it. Check throughout the baking process to ensure the exposed crust isn’t over-browning; if it’s cooking too quickly, cover just the edges with tinfoil or a crust shield, leaving the filling exposed. Once set, remove the pie from the oven and allow to cool completely before topping with whipped cream or other toppings. 

Tips for Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie Recipe Success 

If this is your first time preparing a gluten-free or paleo pumpkin pie, you may have a few questions. Hopefully, these tips, tips, and answers will help set this new recipe up for success:

• Which recipe should I use for the pie crust? I use this paleo pie crust recipe (seen in a previous post) for all of my gluten-free baking projects that require a crust. You’ll need almond flour and cassava flour to make this; for best results, do not substitute ingredients in this crust unless the recipe specifically suggests an alternative. Otherwise, you can purchase a store-bought prepared gluten-free flour crust. 
• Can this recipe be made dairy-free? Yes. Simply use shortening instead of cold butter (or ghee) in the pie crust to make it dairy free (do not use coconut oil).
• Can you substitute the pumpkin pie spice? Of course! You can make your own pumpkin pie spice with a teaspoon ground cinnamon, a fourth teaspoon ground nutmeg, a fourth teaspoon ground ginger, and an eighth teaspoon ground cloves. Or, just use cinnamon.

• Can you substitute the maple sugar? Yes, you can use coconut sugar or brown sugar (although, in the latter case, the pie will not be paleo-compliant). I do not recommend using a liquid sweetener, such as honey or a cup maple syrup. 
• Can you substitute tapioca flour? Yes. You can use arrowroot flour, or (if it’s all you have on hand) corn starch. Do not use a denser flour, such as almond or coconut flour.
• Can you substitute the coconut milk? If you tolerate dairy, you can use condensed milk (sometimes labeled evaporated milk) instead of coconut milk, but your pie will be much sweeter. Do not use regular dairy milk, almond milk, or oat milk in place of the coconut milk, or the filling will not set up properly.

• Is this recipe keto-friendly? Starchy vegetables, like sweet potatoes and pumpkin, are higher in carbohydrates and are typically not keto-friendly. However, to decrease the carb count in this recipe, substitute the maple sugar for granulated monk fruit.
• How long will this pie keep? This pie does not refrigerate or freeze well. Therefore, I recommend preparing it less than 24 hours prior to serving. If you make this pie one-day ahead, cover it with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator (do not store at room temperature). Remember, you can make the crust ahead of time, and fill and bake the pie the day  you plan to serve it.

Enjoy This Gluten-Free and Paleo Pumpkin Pie Recipe Come Thanksgiving 

Across the internet, there is a constant battle being waged over who makes the best pumpkin pie. However, after years spent unable to enjoy many side dishes and desserts around the holidays, I truly believe the best recipes are those that everyone can enjoy.

This gluten-free recipe is free from dairy, refined sugar, and grain, making it a fit for everyone at your table. Plus, even your non-paleo and non-gluten free friends will agree it tastes just like traditional pumpkin pie – trust me, I’ve have references! 😆

Paleo and Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie

This paleo and gluten-free pumpkin is made from real pumpkin, and sweetened with maple sugar. Free from grain, gluten, dairy, and white sugar, it’s a Thanksgiving dessert your entire family can enjoy.

Have a wonderful, small, and safe Thanksgiving! 

Paleo and Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie

Yield: 1 9" pie

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

This paleo and gluten-free pumpkin pie is the perfect finale to Thanksgiving dinner. Dairy-free, refined-sugar-free, and grain-free, it's a pumpkin pie everyone at your table can enjoy. 

Print

Ingredients

• 1 grain free pie crust, pre-baked 10 minutes
• 3 large eggs
• 1 can pumpkin puree (15 ounces)
• 1 3/4 cup maple sugar
• 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons tapioca flour (starch)
• 2 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice blend
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Prep the pre-baked pie crust and set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, and then whisk in the pumpkin puree until smooth.
4. Add the maple sugar, coconut milk, tapioca flour, pumpkin spice, and salt and mix until smooth and well-combined. Do not over-mix. You don't want to incorporate too much air into the filling.
5. Pour the filling into the pie shell (the pre-baked crust) and use a spatula to smooth the top of the pie.
6. Bake 55-70 minutes, until the filling is matte on top and no longer jiggly.
7. Remove from oven and cool completely before serving.
8. If you have any cracks in the cooled pie, just cover them with whipped cream or whipped coconut cream before serving!

Notes

While the pie is baking, watch the crust and add a crust shield to prevent over-browning.

Filling loosely adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction.

Store fully cooled leftovers, covered, on the countertop for 2 days.

This pie does not keep or freeze very well, so it is best to make within 24 hours of serving. You can make the pre-baked pie shell ahead of time, freeze, and defrost the day you're going to make the rest of the pie. Then make the filling, fill the pie, and bake the day you plan to serve the pie.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Farmers Market Organic Pumpkin
• 
  Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix
• 
  Honeyville Blanched Almond Flour

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 181Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 70mgSodium: 188mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 5g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave me a comment and rating, or tag me on Instagram using @nora_acleanbake or #acleanbake!

The post Paleo and Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie appeared first on A Clean Bake.

These gluten-free corn muffins taste just like you remember! This easy cornbread muffin recipe is dairy-free and refined-sugar-free as well. Try them for yourself, and see how they make the perfect side dish for a backyard BBQ, Thanksgiving feast, or regular Sunday Supper.

Photos by Quin Liburd

Allow me to tell you something you already know: This year, Thanksgiving may look a bit different.

Finding the right balance between traditions, lasting memories, and safety is no easy feat. In a stream of endless questions I asked since March, the only clear answer I found is that there are no clear answers — you simply have to do the best with the information provided.

This holiday season, I’m not sure how many family members will gather around my Thanksgiving table. However, in an effort to establish a bit of normalcy and nostalgia, I’ll serve the same classic Thanksgiving sides and mains on that table. (Psst! If your gathering is smaller this year, I have a small-batch Thanksgiving menu perfect for 3-4 people.) 

Cornbread has always been, will always be, one of my favorite Thanksgiving sides. Below, I recreate classic cornbread muffins into a gluten-free, refined-sugar free version, to make the perfect compliment to your holiday feast.

How To Make Gluten-Free Corn Muffins 

To make gluten-free corn muffins, start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin with coconut oil or cooking spray, and set aside (alternatively, you can line the tin with paper liners). 

In a large bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients, including your gluten-free flour, one cup cornmeal, corn flour, baking soda, and a fourth teaspoon salt. In a separate bowl, combine your wet ingredients, including three-fourths cup milk (I recommend full fat canned coconut milk, but scroll down to the FAQ section below for some alternative options), unsalted butter (or ghee, or coconut oil for dairy free), honey, and lemon juice. 

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Use a hand mixer to mix until well combined. Pour the batter into a dozen muffin cup liners, then place the baking pan into the oven.

Bake for roughly 12 minutes, or until your cornbread muffins rise and become slightly crispy on top. Your cornbread muffins should be golden brown, and pass the toothpick test. Remove from the oven, and allow your muffins to completely cool before removing them from the tin.

If you try to transfer your muffins to a wire rack too early, your muffins may fall apart. Letting them set up in the pan after baking makes them sturdier and able to withstand the transfer to the baking pan, and to your mouth!

Recipe FAQs: Tips for Gluten-Free Corn Muffin Recipe Success 

If this is your first time making gluten-free cornbread, you may have a few questions. Below, I include substitution suggestions and answers to frequent reader questions. 

• Can you substitute the gluten-free flour for almond, tapioca, or rice flour? Ideally, no. In gluten-free baking, each type of flour plays a different role when it comes to the structure, form, and moisture distribution of the final result. Gluten-free all purpose flour blends contain structural agents that take the place of gluten (usually, it’s xanthan gum), which help the muffins keep their “sky high” height. If you absolutely must avoid GF flour blend, you can replace the gluten free all purpose flour called for in the recipe with 1/2 cup blanched almond flour plus 1/2 cup arrowroot flour (starch).
• Can you substitute the coconut milk? Yes. Whole milk is the best substitute, if you tolerate dairy, but you can also use other non-dairy milks like almond milk or oat milk, although the lower fat content will make the muffins slightly less rich. Do not use buttermilk or sour cream as a substitution.

• Can you substitute baking powder for baking soda? No. Contrary to what some (bad) advice may say, a tablespoon baking powder can not be used in place of an equal amount of baking soda, or vise versa. They produce different chemical reactions because baking powder is a basic ingredient (basic on the pH scale, that is, meaning it reacts with acid in the batter to produce a leavening reaction), whereas baking powder is baking soda already mixed with an acid – typically cream of tartar – which produces the same leavening reaction in the batter, but in different proportions. Long story short: DO NOT SUBSTITUTE!
• Do you recommend a certain brand of gluten-free flour? Yes — both Bob’s Red Mill and King Arthur Flour have excellent gluten-free flour blends.
• Can you substitute fresh corn kernels for cornmeal? No. I recommend sticking with stone-ground cornmeal over fresh corn kernels, as it could throw off the consistency of the muffin batter. I also don’t recommend adding fresh corn kernels to the batter, in addition to the cornmeal, since it will add a lot of extra water to the muffins. Nobody likes a soggy bottom, as we all know.
• Can this recipe be made dairy-free? Yes. Simply use coconut oil or ghee instead of melted butter. I do not recommend using a fat that is liquid at room temperature, such as vegetable oil, avocado oil, or olive oil.
• Can this recipe be made vegan? Technically, you could substitute two flax eggs for the whole eggs, but I haven’t tried it, so I can’t vouch for the results.
• Are these cornbread muffins sweet? I think the sweetness is perfectly balanced in this recipe. However, if you’re someone who enjoys very sweet cornbread, you can add any granulated sweetener, such as coconut sugar, maple sugar or white or brown sugar (cane sugar). 
• Can these cornbread muffins be transformed into mini muffins? Of course. If you have a mini muffin tin laying around, feel free to use it. However, the baking time will be shorter, so be sure to check your muffins at roughly 10 minutes.
• How can I jazz this corn muffin recipe up a little? You can top your muffins with sliced jalapenos, shredded cheddar cheese, or serve with a side of honey butter. 

If You Enjoy this Cornbread Muffin Recipe, You May Also Like:

This cornbread recipe works well for breakfast, as a BBQ side dish, or as the prelude to your Thanksgiving feast. If you or your family devoured these muffins, here are several other ACB recipes you might enjoy:  

• Gluten-free skillet cornbread: This gluten-free cornbread is made in a cast iron skillet, requiring very little clean-up in your kitchen. Naturally sweetened, gluten-free, and with a dairy-free option, it’s the perfect side dish for your Thanksgiving table.
• Gluten-free cornbread with cranberries: ​​​​If you prefer a sweeter cornbread, this is the best cornbread recipe for you. Made with coconut sugar, maple syrup, and fresh cranberries, this recipe comes with a burst of sweetness, color, and flavor. 
• Paleo and low-carb biscuits: If you follow the paleo diet, you may be searching for a corn-free cornbread. These grain-free biscuits are as close to cornbread as you can get without using cornmeal. (Plus, if you look at the nutrition facts, you’ll see it contains far fewer carbohydrates.) 

Enjoy These Gluten-Free Corn Muffins at the Holidays 

In 2020, we may be gathering around computer screens rather than gathering around the table. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t have a wonderful holiday with family and friends.

I encourage each of you to make your favorite recipes throughout the holiday season. These gluten-free corn muffins are the perfect compliment to your Thanksgiving table — no gluten, dairy, or cornbread mix in sight.  

Sky-High Gluten Free Corn Muffins

Yield: 12

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

These gluten-free corn muffins taste just like you remember, this is a cornbread muffin recipe is dairy-free and refined-sugar-free. Try them for yourself, and see how they make a perfect side dish for a backyard BBQ, Thanksgiving feast, or regular Sunday Supper.

Print

Ingredients

• 1 cup gluten free all purpose flour blend (see note for substitution information)
• 1 cup coarse-ground cornmeal
• 1/2 cup corn flour (masa)
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup full fat coconut milk, well-mixed
• 1/2 cup butter, ghee, or coconut oil, melted and slightly cooled
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Lightly grease or line a 12-cup muffin pan and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour blend, cornmeal, corn flour, baking soda, and salt until well-combined. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, then whisk in the coconut milk, butter (or ghee, or coconut oil), honey, and lemon juice until well combined.
4. Pour the wet (eggs, etc.) mixture into the dry (flours) mixture and stir just until combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is well incorporated.
5. Divide the batter between the 12 compartments of the prepared baking pan.
6. Bake for 12-15 minutes until muffins are risen and cracked on top.
7. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan before handling. If you remove them from the pan too soon, they may crumble.

Notes

• You can replace the gluten free all purpose flour called for in this recipe with 1/2 cup almond flour + 1/2 cup arrowroot flour (starch). YOU MUST USE BOTH. The muffins will be slightly shorter than they appear in the photos, since GF all purpose flour blend contains ingredients that help them hold their rise, but they will still taste great.
• Store leftover muffins in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. Warm slightly before serving.
• Or, store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to three months.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Bob's Red Mill Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour (4-pack)
• 
  Organic Gluten Free Yellow Corn Meal
• 
  AmazonBasics Nonstick Carbon Steel Muffin Pan - 2-Pack

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 262Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 54mgSodium: 202mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 1gSugar: 12gProtein: 4g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave me a comment and rating, or tag me on Instagram using @nora_acleanbake or #acleanbake!

The post Sky-High Gluten Free Corn Muffins appeared first on A Clean Bake.