Gluten Free Katie

Mermaid Birthday Party

2019-07-12T05:46:00.000-07:00

The week after we returned from our Disney trip, my daughter turned 3. She wanted a mermaid party so I knew I had to implement some details of our trip into our party. With the help of family and friends, I was able to pull off this super fun (and super easy) Mermaid Party!

Here is a link to most of the things we used from Amazon. Other products mentioned or posted in pictures were purchased in Walmart.

(Amazon link is an Affiliate link. I will earn a small commission if you purchase from that link.)

First, let's start with the cake. I used a King Arthur Yellow Cake Mix which made a two layer cake. I used this recipe from delish.com for the icing and the idea behind how I wanted to do the mermaid pattern on top and around the edge of the cake. The "sand" that you see around the cake is brown sugar.

The Little Mermaid plates were purchased at Walmart and the napkins were purchased at Target. The Little Mermaid figurines can be purchased at the Amazon link above.

These oyster cookies were so much fun to make! I used Kinnikinnick Vanilla Wafers and leftover icing from the cake. The wafers can be purchased here. I found the pearls in the cake decorating aisle at Walmart. The bowl was also purchased at Walmart. Sand here, again, is brown sugar.

On our mantle, I included our Ariel signature from Disney World, along with mermaid tails purchased from the Dollar Store. The coral reefs are from the Dollar Spot at Target (purchased in May). The character foldout is from Walmart.

The bowl here was purchased at Walmart (in May). The tissue paper puffs were purchased at the Amazon link above.

A wave garland similar to this one can be purchased at the Amazon link above. I used twine to string pictures from our trip taken at Ariel's grotto in Magic Kingdom. I used scotch tape to secure the pictures to the twine. If you don't have a fireplace, you could string the garland along the edge of a table.

We purchased the clear balloons at a local Party City. They looked great as "bubbles'!

This mermaid banner can be purchased at the Amazon link above. Confession: this banner may or may not still be up at our house. Our little girl loves pointing out the different letters!

I also found this awesome punch recipe from Laura at Laura's Crafty Life. It was so easy to make and everyone loved it!

We also served fresh fruit and sandwiches. The most important thing, my little girl loved it and is still talking about it two months later! She still asks for mermaid cake from time to time as well!

If you have any questions, please let me know! I am happy to help!

Our Day in Magic Kingdom

2019-07-08T18:50:00.000-07:00

We made so many wonderful memories in Magic Kingdom! It was by far our favorite park and we can't wait to go back! We only had one day so of course we couldn't see even half of the park, but we did get to do a lot, especially for having a toddler who didn't take nap!

Our first stop was at the Town Square Theater to meet Mickey and Minnie in their birthday outfits! They will be meeting here together until September 2019. We had a FastPass for it, but we didn't even check in with that because the standby wait was only 5 minutes!

We then booked it to Crystal Palace for our breakfast reservations. This is the view from the stroller parking in front of Crystal Palace. I'm seriously in love with this view!

We loved meeting Pooh, Tigger, Piglet and Eeyore! The gluten free options we had here were wonderful! The buffet was great and the chef we spoke to brought us Mickey waffles and glazed donuts! Once again, just like at Tusker House, we had a lot leftover!

So delicious! This was seriously the cutest restaurant too! Can't wait to go back!

We loved Pooh the best (obviously)! We bonded because we had on the same color shirt! He pointed it out right away!

After we ate, we started to walk toward the castle and head for our FastPass for Winnie the Pooh. We stopped at the castle to watch Mickey's Royal Friendship Faire! So cute!

I loved the theming at this Winnie the Pooh attraction. Like I mentioned before, we had a FastPass but still had to wait about 10 minutes or so, but most of the line was shaded so that was good! The ride only lasted for about 2 minutes so I don't know if could have waited in the standby line with a active toddler that long!

We then had FastPasses to meet Ariel, which was so cool! Her grotto is gorgeous! We also rode Small World, Under the Sea, Journey of the Little Mermaid. We then made our way to meet Mary Poppins in Liberty Square, then headed to Columbia Harbour House for lunch.

We loved this place! Not only were the gluten free chicken tenders amazing, but the atmosphere was cool too! We ate upstairs which was less crowded but just as cool because we could look down on everyone walking around!

The gluten free chicken tenders were SO good. I honestly have not experienced anything that has tasted this good since going gluten free in 2012. We all loved them and are already planning on going here again on our next trip. It was quick service, so make sure to mobile order to save time!

I love this whole area where it transitions from Fantasyland to Liberty Square! So pretty!

After we ate, we grabbed a spot in Frontierland for the parade. I like to watch the parade here so you don't have to wait long before it gets to you! We were in the sun for the whole thing (on the left hand side by the river) so that was not too fun, but the parade was totally worth it!

After the parade, we grabbed a FastPass for Dumbo and shopped in Big Top Souvenirs. Then we headed over to Tomorrowland to ride People Mover and Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin.

We grabbed dinner at Cosmic Ray's in Tomorrowland. We got the bacon cheeseburgers with french fries.

I don't know what hamburger buns Disney uses, but we loved these! They didn't fall apart and tasted delicious! And the bacon was awesome as well!

Loved the atmosphere in Cosmic Ray's!

After dinner, we went to Adventureland for a FastPass for Aladdin's Magic Carpets. After that we headed to the hub in front of the castle to grab a spot for Happily Ever After. It was packed but we were able to just keep moving towards the front and got a fairly good spot!

We absolutely loved the show! Our feet were killing us and we stood the whole time during the show, but it was so worth it! After the show was over, we grabbed a seat off to the side and let a lot of the crowd die down before we headed for our bus.

All in all, we had a great day and got to meet so many characters and see so many things! But we didn't get to see a lot of it, so next time, we will plan for several more days to spend in Magic Kingdom!

Animal Kingdom Adventures

2019-06-30T09:39:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! I recently blogged about our first family trip to Disney World. More specifically, our resort, Port Orleans French Quarter. You can read that post here. Today's post will be all about our day in Animal Kingdom. We had one day for each park on this trip. My husband and I have previously been to Disney World as kids, but Animal Kingdom didn't even exist when we were there!(Aging ourselves!) Anyway, we were very excited to finally get to experience it, especially since our little girl loves animals and trips to the zoo! First, let me just get this off my chest. I have heard so many people say that they would probably skip Animal Kingdom because they have a great zoo at home. Animal Kingdom is NOT a zoo. It's SO much more than that. Yes, there are wonderful animals and walking trails that feel like a zoo, but the attention to detail on those trails alone is phenomenal. But there are also great restaurants, awesome shows, great thrill rides for adults and kids and rides for little kids, an AWESOME safari experience and live entertainment everywhere you look! I definitely wouldn't skip it!

The theming in Animal Kingdom is incredible! This view can be seen walking over the bridge into the Africa section. We had reservations at Tusker House for breakfast around 10:15. This gave us time to get into the park and figure out where we needed to go! Tusker House is a character meal available for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It was one of the best experiences from our whole trip! Characters at this location are Goofy, Daisy Duck, Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse all dressed in their safari gear! It's seriously so cute!

Once again, the theming in this area was just unreal. The buildings looked like they had been there forever! We checked in for our reservation and were given a buzzer to let us know when our table was ready. We probably waited five minutes and then were warmly welcomed in the restaurant. I wish I would have thought to take pictures of the decor inside! It was so beautiful! I was just awe struck and trying to take everything in!

Now, onto the food! When I made the reservation online, I noted a gluten allergy. When we checked in, they asked who had the allergy and gave us an allergy menu. When our waiter came to bring us our drinks, he asked again who had the allergy and said he would alert the chef to come and talk to us. I wish I knew the chef's name because he made our experience so awesome. We got some things off the buffet (if you're worried about cross contamination and don't want to risk the buffet, they can also make you anything that's on the buffet in the back on a separate space) and then he brought us each a plate of gluten free Mickey waffles and berries and said they were working on more shortly. As if that wasn't enough, he then brought us out a plate of pastries.

These were Udi's muffins and what I believe are Kinnikinnick donuts. Delicious! We couldn't even finish all of this plus our buffet plates! Tip for next time: bring big ziploc bags to pack leftovers!

When the chef brought all of this out to our table, my husband and I just looked at each other and almost teared up. We were seriously blown away by how much food we could eat and how warmly welcomed we were. Most of the time, when we eat out with an allergy, we're not taken seriously and most people don't even understand what we're talking about half the time. Disney seriously has done their homework with hiring such wonderful chefs that take care of people with food allergies!

As you can see, the little one loved her gluten free Mickey waffle!

If the food wasn't enough already, we then got to meet Mickey and his friends! They were all so cute in their safari gear! All the characters were great with our little girl. Mickey spent so much time with her. I may or may not have shed a tear or two (okay, I totally did!).

Everywhere you turn, there's something going on. Live entertainment, characters roaming around...you never know what you will see! This band was so good and very entertaining! We probably would have stayed and watched them more except it was really hot and we were standing right in the sun.

We then went on to explore the African trails called Gorilla Falls. Such gorgeous scenery and the animals were beautiful!

I believe they had three gorillas on this trail when we went. This was the closest one that we could see. Just beautiful creatures!

We couldn't resist stopping in to Starbucks for a refreshing frappuccino! This was by far the prettiest Starbucks I've ever been in!

Next, we headed to the Finding Nemo show. We all LOVED this one! For one thing, it was in the AC (!) and it was very cute! We didn't need a FastPass for this so if you're thinking about using one, I wouldn't. We had great seats and walked in right before the show started.

After the show, we explored Dinoland, then made our way over to the Asia area. We explored the Maharajah Jungle Trek, which was really cool! Really an awesome experience!

We had a reservation for Yak & Yeti that afternoon for a late lunch but we cancelled it because we were still so full from breakfast! My husband rode Expedition Everest (he was able to walk right on the single rider line) while my little girl and I rested in the shade! She was a great tour guide!

For all you thrill seekers out there, Expedition Everest is right up your alley! My husband loved it!

We then made our way to the Pandora area for a FastPass on the Navi River ride but decided to stop for a bite to eat at Nomad Lounge. I had done some research before the trip so I knew where the gluten free snacks were! We had to try these churros to see what the hype was all about! And they did NOT disappoint! They come with two dips, Vanilla Cream and Chili Strawberry! Oh my goodness! So good! These are naturally gluten free so you don't have to order special for these! They also have other gluten free items on their menu as well.

Disney World offers churros in several different locations, but these are the only ones that are gluten free! Hopefully they will be available in more locations one day!

Day dreaming of these guys right now.....

The Pandora section was incredible. I'll admit it, I've never seen the Avatar movie. My husband has tried to explain it to me. Even if you've never seen the movie, you will still love this area! It was beautiful! We didn't do Flight of Passage this trip but it's on our list for next time! Navi River ride was more our speed with a little one! And it was beautiful! And very relaxing!

Our last FastPass for the day was the Kilimanjaro Safari ride, back in the Africa section. We booked our FastPass window for about an hour before sunset and it was perfect. We saw a ton of animals moving around, except for the lions who were literally passed out! But that's to be expected, especially on such a hot day! This was such a fun experience! We can't wait to do it again!

My daughter had never seen elephants before so this was a special treat for her! We even saw some babies!

Our experience at Animal Kingdom was so much fun and we will definitely be going again on our next trip since we didn't get to see everything that we wanted to see the first time! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask! I had so much fun planning our trip and love to talk with other Disney Moms!

Disney World Trip: Port Orleans French Quarter Resort Review

2019-06-29T10:05:00.000-07:00

We recently got back from our first family vacation to Disney World! So much to blog about and discuss, but this post will be dedicated to our resort. For this trip, we stayed 5 nights and 4 days. We picked Port Orleans French Quarter resort because of the price point, the kid friendly amenities and honestly, the pictures just won us over.

We stayed in Building 1 which was farthest away from the lobby, but it wasn't that long of a walk to get to our room. There were so many pretty buildings and fountains to look at, it made the walk fun!

The decor and atmosphere was on point. The buildings were beautiful pastel colors and the music playing throughout the property was just right. I'm not a big Mardi Gras person, so I was a little worried that it would be too much for me, but it wasn't at all. It was like we were just transported to a quiet little town as soon as we walked on the property.
Disney really does it right!

I just loved the lobby. I could have stayed in there all day. It even smelled great. At night, they had live music playing right off the lobby by the cafeteria. Not just New Orleans music either. All types. It's a lot of fun!

Speaking of the cafeteria, the Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory was awesome, especially for our gluten free diet! I've got a whole other post coming about what we ate on this trip, so stay tuned for that! We definitely did not go hungry!

The cafeteria was really well decorated and was big enough to seat a lot of people, and even had outdoor seating as well. Just a really fun, laid-back atmosphere.

My daughter loved all the crocodiles on the path leading up to the lobby. She insisted on taking pictures with all of them. There was also a playground not too far from the cafeteria. That was a great place to stop the night we got there to let our daughter run around and get some energy out!

The pool was one of the coolest parts of the resort. Although we didn't get to swim this trip, it was still fun to walk around and explore, along with the splash pad for little ones. I wish we would have had more time to swim and relax, but that didn't happen on this trip. Next trip, I will definitely plan a rest day in the middle of our week so we can get some rest and explore our resort some more.

More theming throughout the pool! So much fun! The splash pad was right over this crocodiles shoulder!

This was the view right outside our door. One of the neat things about this resort is you have boat access to Disney Springs. We planned on doing this at some point, but time got away from us and we didn't get to do it. We constantly saw boats going back and forth, even at night, taking boats to and from Disney Springs.

Our room was a four person sleeper, with two queen beds. The room was spacious enough for what we needed, I just packed A LOT of stuff (over-packer here) but we made it work. Our room was right around the corner from the elevator so that was great with our stroller!

This was before we brought all of our bags in....

I absolutely loved our resort and would definitely stay there again! I can't wait to see where we stay on our next trip! Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more posts about our trip soon!

If you've stayed at a Walt Disney World resort, let mw know what was your favorite and why! I would love to know! And if you're planning a trip and thinking about staying at French Quarter, feel free to ask me any questions!

Brown Sugar Pepper Bacon

2019-06-24T19:00:00.001-07:00

So bacon is pretty much a universal love, right? I don't think I've ever met anyone who doesn't like bacon, even though I know they're out there somewhere. But for now, I will assume that if you are reading this, you love, or at least like, bacon.

Now that we've covered that, in my opinion, I think the best way to cook bacon is in the oven. It's a lot less time consuming and is so much easier to clean up! I've been cooking bacon in the oven on either parchment paper or aluminum foil for a long time, but recently I've found another way to step up my game: Brown Sugar Pepper Bacon.

Here's what you need:

-Parchment paper or aluminum foil

-Jelly roll pan or baking sheet with sides

-About 12 strips of bacon (or however many will fit your pans)

-Brown Sugar

-Black Pepper

Recipe:

-Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

-Line pans with aluminum foil or parchment paper.

-Lay bacon strips side by side on pan. Try not to overlap bacon so it can cook evenly.

-Sprinkle bacon with black pepper.

-Take brown sugar by the spoonful and sprinkle evenly on the bacon. Spread with your hands to distribute evenly.

-Bake at 375 degrees for about 30-40 minutes, or until your desired doneness. We like ours a little crispy so baking for about 40 minutes works well with our oven.

-Once the bacon is done, remove with tongs or a fork and place on paper towel lined plate to drain grease.

Apple Pie Crepes

2017-11-13T06:38:00.001-08:00

Well, we are definitely having fall weather here now and we have less than 2 weeks to go until Thanksgiving! How is that even possible?!

I have been thinking about this recipe for a while now, and I am finally so excited to share it!

It's so easy and if you are a fan of apples, I've got a treat for you!

I made these "crepes" using Mission Gluten Free Flour Tortillas, but you can use any flour tortillas that you might have in your pantry. I have had the best luck with Mission Tortillas for bascially all of my recipes, not just this one.

Here are the ingredients you'll need:

-Gluten Free flour tortillas

-1 T of butter per tortilla, melted

-Canned fried apples or 1 apple, cut up into 1-2 inch chunks

-1 tsp of brown sugar per tortilla

-Cinnamon

-Extra butter for skillet

-Powdered sugar, if desired for garnish

1. Heat your skillet and add extra butter

2. Melt butter for tortillas

3. Spread melted butter on one side of tortilla

4. Spread brown sugar and cinnamon over melted butter (use as much or as little cinnamon as you want)

5. Meanwhile, heat apples in pan for a few minutes, add cinnamon if desired

6. Once apples are heated and butter is melted in skillet, add tortilla to skillet, cinnamon side up

7. Add apples to tortilla, about midway from the middle to the edge

(These apples ended up being too big. I would suggest making them smaller than this and moving them closer to the side than right in the middle.)

8. Let tortilla cook for 1-2 minutes, depending on how hot your skillet is. Fold the tortilla in half.

9. Heat for an additional 1-2 minutes, then flip. Heat other side to desired consistency, then remove from heat.

Serve with any extra cooked apples you have and dust with powdered sugar and cinnamon, if desired. Delicious!! These would be good with some vanilla ice cream as well. There are so many ways to serve and present this! It could be for brunch or you could serve as dessert at Thanksgiving!

One Pan Dinner: Sweet Potato, Apple and Sausage

2017-10-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

Fall is finally in the air! I hope you are enjoying all that this wonderful time of year can bring!

We have been buying a lot of sweet potatoes and apples lately, so I came up with a recipe that I think you will like. It's so simple but so delicious!

The tastes and colors coming from this recipe are awesome and you can change it up every time you make it. It's very versatile.

Honeycrisp apples are my favorite, but Gala would be nice as well.

I used Turkey Sausage this time, but I have also used different types of Chicken Sausage in the past as well.

Pretty colors galore!

For the recipe, you will need:

-1 or 2 sweet potatoes (I used 1 big sweet potato, so if yours are smaller, I would use 2)

-2 medium sized apples

-1 packaged fully cooked sausage (any variety you like)

-2 T Dijon Mustard or Honey Mustard

-1/3 cup maple syrup

-1 T honey

1. Preheat to 425 degrees.

2. Cut up sweet potatoes into 1-2 inch pieces. Mix on a sheet pan with olive oil and salt and pepper and bake for 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, cut up apples and sausage.

4. Mix mustard, syrup and honey together.

5. Once sweet potatoes are done, combine them with the apples and sausage on the same pan.

6. Pour mustard sauce over everything. (You can pour the sauce over the apples and sausage in a bowl separately if you want. Either way is fine.)

7. Bake for an additional 20-25 minutes, until sausage is browned and fruit is cooked.

Serve with your favorite rice or noodles!

See? It's so easy! And you can play around with the ingredients depending on your preference.

Happy cooking and happy fall! Finally!

Iced Pumpkin Sugar Cookies

2017-10-26T19:14:00.000-07:00

Just in time for Halloween, these pumpkin sugar cookies are perfect for parties and fun projects with your kids! I have previously posted this recipe, but have changed it up a little for pumpkin season.

I grew up with this recipe so every time I make them it brings back memories.

This time, I used Bobs Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour. When I previously made these, I used my own flour mixture. To see that mixture, go here.

For this recipe, I didn't use a traditional icing. I do, however, have that recipe on the other cookie post. Click here to see it.

For the cookie recipe, you will need:

-3 cups of self rising flour (To make gluten free flour into self rising flour, you need to add 1 1/2 tsp of baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt to your flour mixture)

-1 1/2 tsp xantham gum (if your flour blend omits it)

-1/2 tsp of cinnamon

-2 sticks of softened butter

-1 1/2 cups of sugar

-1 tsp vanilla

-3 eggs

-1 cup of pumpkin (packed)

Ingredients for the icing are listed further down in the post...

First, add the baking powder and salt to 3 cups of the Bobs Red Mill flour (or your own flour blend. If your blend doesn't contain xantham gum, you will need to add 1 1/2 tsp to your mixture). Then, add the cinnamon to the flour mixture.
Next, in a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, butter, sugar and vanilla.
Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture. Mix together well.
Add pumpkin to your mixture, making sure to mix it together thoroughly.
Refrigerate the dough for several hours or overnight.

Now you are ready to roll out your dough and make your cookies! I normally put down wax paper and use powdered sugar to keep the dough from sticking. Make sure to thoroughly coat the paper, dough and your rolling pin with the powdered sugar!

Try not to make the cookies too thick or too thin. You want to be able to lift them up off the paper without much difficulty. If they are falling apart, they are too thin.
Place the cookies about 1/2 inch apart on your sheet. I only had 3 cookie sheets to work with, so I had to do several rounds of baking. If you are reusing cookie sheets, make sure they cool before you use them again.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, depending on the thickness of your cookies. If they are really thick, they will need more time. But keep in mind...these don't need to brown much on the top to be done.
Let the cookies cool before icing.

Icing ingredients:

-2 cups of powdered sugar

-3 or 4 tablespoons of water

-splash of vanilla and cinnamon

Store any extras you have in the refrigerator. Let the icing harden before you store them.

I really enjoyed recreating this childhood favorite recipe into something new and different for the fall. I hope you and your family enjoy them as much as my family and I! Happy baking and Happy Halloween!

Sweet Potato Chicken Wraps

2017-10-11T09:10:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but I LOVE sweet potatoes. I like them sweet, I like them salty. But I didn't know how I would like sweet potato wraps....

News flash: they are excellent!! They don't have an overpowering taste but they are very filling and delicious! I'm so glad I decided to try them!

They are very versatile. You can make them into quesadillas, fry them, bake them and use so many different ingredients. For this recipe, I'm using BFree Wraps!

To make Chicken Wraps, I used Simple Truth Fully Cooked Grilled Chicken. This recipe literally took less than 10 minutes to put together!

Ingredients:

-Chicken strips, fully cooked

-Shredded cheese

-Tomatoes

-Mayo (I used avocado mayo)

First, I warmed the fully cooked chicken in the skillet, just to get them nice and browned.

Next, once I took the chicken out of the skillet, I warmed the wrap in the skillet for just a few minutes on each side. You can also warm them in the microwave but I like using the skillet best.

Next, add all of your ingredients!

Then wrap it up!!

It's so simple, but so delicious!

Apple Pie Bars with Bakery On Main Oatmeal

2017-09-26T10:47:00.000-07:00

Fall is officially here! And this time next week, we will be in October! I feel like I say this every year, but the year really is flying by so fast!

With the start of fall, I have been craving all things apple and pumpkin! I'm so excited to share my first post of the season! These are apple pie bars made from Bakery On Main Apple Pie Oatmeal! Of course, these can be made with any type of oatmeal, but I had this flavor on hand and since it's apple, it was perfect for fall! This oatmeal is great by itself, but I wanted to change things up a bit. Visit Bakery on Main's website here.

Recipe listed below pictures...

I used 5 of these oatmeal packets in my recipe. They come with 6 in each box that you buy.

After mixing all ingredients together, I spooned them into my pan. For this recipe, I decided to use a brownie pan to make individual squares. If you don't have a pan like this, you could use a square baking pan or a muffin tin instead. If you used a square baking pan, you might need to add on more time to your overall baking time. Remember, all ovens vary by temperature so make sure you keep an eye on what you're baking.

As you can see, I've sprinkled cinnamon and sugar on top of each one.

Mmmm...Straight out of the oven!

The perfect fall dessert!

Apple Pie Bars using Bakery on Main Oatmeal:

Ingredients:

-2 cups of oatmeal (about 5 packets of Bakery on Main oatmeal)

-1 Cup of water

-1 egg, beaten

-Splash of maple syrup or honey

-1/2 tsp of cinnamon

-1/2 tsp of sugar

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Mix oatmeal, water, the beaten egg and maple syrup or honey together in a bowl.

3. Place in pan of your choice. (Brownie or muffin pan would be best)

4. Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes, until the bars start to brown.

5. Sprinkle cinnamon/sugar mixture on the bars about halfway through baking time.

6. Serve warm. Store leftovers in the fridge.

I was so excited about how these turned out. They hold together really well, so they are a great on-the-go snack!

As always, happy baking and happy fall!!

Update: I'm Back and What's to Come!

2017-09-19T13:06:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone! WOW! I know- it has been a long time since I've posted anything! Life has definitely caught up with me! I apologize to those that regularly followed my blog. But, I am back now and am so excited to update you all on what has been going on since I last posted!

We welcomed our sweet little girl in May of 2016! If you follow me on Instagram (@gfreekatie), you have seen many pictures of her growing up! She is the light and joy of our lives! During my pregnancy and the first year of her life, I wasn't able to devote much time to my blog, but like I mentioned earlier, I am excited to get back into the swing of things now! I have even updated and refreshed the look on my website! I hope you are enjoying the changes. If there is anything you think I should change or update, please let me know!

Being a Mom has created so many new challenges and experiences, even in the gluten free world! Having gluten free snacks readily available to eat on the run, do we give her gluten free food or not, and quick and easy meals that are Mom and toddler friendly but also nutritious and of course, gluten free! These are just some of the many topics I am constantly researching and thinking about! I hope to hear feedback from you, especially other Moms out there that have dealt with these topics!

Lastly, I am always loving to try new recipes! It's challenging to create a new recipe from scratch, but it's also challenging to convert existing recipes to gluten free. I would love to hear from you what you are trying and experimenting with and if there is anything that you would like to see on this blog! Check the Recipes page above and see what I've posted about so far! I also have a Reviews page where I have reviewed restaurants and products for you as well!

I'm so excited to start this journey again with you! If you don't already, please follow me on Facebook and Instagram. I post very regularly and you don't want to miss any recipes or products that I might share!

Spaghetti Squash Tutorial: An Alternative to Gluten Free Spaghetti Noodles

2015-07-29T14:09:00.002-07:00

Have you ever tried spaghetti squash? There are so many different ways to cook and eat it; the possibilities are endless!

We planted it for the first time this year and it literally took over our garden! The two plants produced so much that we're having to get creative with how to use it. I've started a Pinterest board for different recipes here.

I thought that spaghetti squash was normally yellow, but as you can see, it can also be white and green! Who knew?!

Spaghetti squash skin is very tough and is difficult to cut. I have figured out a pretty easy way to cook it.

Here's how:

1. Poke holes in the squash with a fork

2. Place the squash on a plate and microwave for about 5 minutes or until soft; meanwhile, go ahead and preheat the oven at 350

3. After the squash cools, cut in half lengthwise with a knife

4. Scoop out the seeds with a large spoon (This step could be done after cooking, but it will be pretty messy)

5. Brush olive oil on the inside of the squash

6. Place both pieces cut side down on a baking tray

7. Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes

8. Once the squash have cooled off, scrape out the inside with a fork

You will be surprised how much "spaghetti" you can get out of one squash! It makes a lot!

Serve with your favorite spaghetti sauce and beef or sausage and you're good to go! I'm anxious to hear how you like it!

Steps to Cook Spaghetti Squash:

1) Poke holes in squash

2) Microwave for 5 minutes, or until soft; preheat oven to 350

3) Cut in half lengthwise

4) Scrape out seeds with a big spoon

5) Brush olive oil on inside of squash

6) Place squash cut-side down on pan

7) Bake at 350 for 45 minutes

8) Once cool, scrape out inside of squash with a fork

Banana Berry Muffins

2015-06-24T12:47:00.001-07:00

Happy summer everyone! I can't believe it's here already! I hope those of you who are experiencing the same heat wave that we are in Nashville are staying cool! Whew! It's HOT!

Now that its summertime, we have been picking berries like crazy. Blackberries, raspberries AND blueberries! Here's my version of a healthy muffin recipe, utilizing all those berries!

Here's what you need:

- 1 Cup of Gluten Free Bisquick (or any other Gluten Free baking mix)

-One 5.3 oz container of Greek yogurt (I used blueberry flavor)

-3/4 Cup mashed bananas

-1 egg

-2 Cups mixed berries

-1/3 Cup milk

-1/2 tsp of cinnamon

-juice from one lemon

-First, mix the yogurt and egg together

-Next, add the milk and bananas

-Then add the mix and cinnamon

-Lastly, add the berries and lemon juice

-Spray muffin tin or loaf pan with gfree non-stick oil spray

-Divide batter evenly, leaving a little room for the dough to spread

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

(I made these in a convection oven, so times and temp may vary a little bit)

I loved how these turned out! Not overly sweet, but still great for an afternoon snack or a quick, on-the-go breakfast!

Of course, these can be made so many different ways. You could change up the types of berries used and use a different flavor of greek yogurt every time! There's so many possibilities!

I would love to hear what you think and what variations you try! Let me know!

And most importantly, have fun!

Kinnikinnick Gluten Free Vanilla Glazed Donuts Review

2015-06-05T08:58:00.000-07:00

Good morning to all! Happy National Donut Day! I can't think of a better way to celebrate than with a review of some of my favorite gluten free donuts!

Kinnikinnick Vanilla Glazed Donuts that is....

These are delicious! I found them at my local Publix, which has GREAT gluten free options! You can find them in the freezer section.

You can see all their donuts and other gluten free products on their website here:

Kinnikinnick Products

If you're not familiar with Kinnkinnick, all their products are gluten, nut and dairy free.

Here are some previous blog posts I've written about Kinnikinnick products:

Pizza Crusts

Graham Cracker Crumbs (used for cheesecake crust)

Hot Dog Buns (used to make french toast sticks)

These are like cake donuts, but are pretty sweet so I can only eat one at a time most days. Today, I made an exception ;)

There are 6 donuts in one box, so they've lasted me a good while.

I warm them up for about 25 seconds and they're just perfect!

And I love the glaze! It's the perfect taste and texture.

How are you all spending National Donut Day?! After eating these, I think I'll add a little cardio into my day. ;)

But it was totally worth it!!

Pie Five Pizza Co. Restaurant Review

2015-06-03T09:11:00.001-07:00

Since we have moved back to Nashville (yay!!), we have had the opportunity to eat out more than we used to. There are a few places that we feel safe eating at, and Pie Five was just added to that list.

PieFive.com

I have to admit, I was skeptical at first about how (or if) the employees would be trained about cross contamination. The menu does have a disclaimer about the company not being able to guarantee cross contamination, which I was a little leery of since I seem to be pretty sensitive when things are made in cross-contaminated areas.

Well, let me tell you...this company exceeded my expectations.

First, let me explain how Pie Five works. It's kinda set up like Subway. You walk up, place your order, tell them what toppings you want on your personal size pizza, and they put it in the oven. You keep walking down to checkout where you get your drink and by that time, your pizza is ready! It's really a pretty cool system.

So, some things I noticed:

1) When I ordered, as soon as I said I wanted the gluten free crust, the employee took off his gloves to put new ones on. Score!

2) The gluten free crust was wrapped individually. They also use special pans for the gluten free crusts.

3) When I got to the end of the line, I watched the employee as she was taking the pizzas out of the oven. They use a certain type of tool that clips onto the pan to pull it out of the oven. She had the regular tool in her hand and when she looked into the oven and noticed that it was a gluten free crust, she put that tool back and grabbed a different one that was on a separate shelf.

4) Once the pizzas are pulled out of the oven, they are placed on cutting boards. The gluten free crusts have a separate cutting board, located at the same station as the special tool that was used to pull the pizza out of the oven.

5) The pizza was cut with a separate pizza cutter, also located at the same station as the other gluten free tools.

All of this happens right in front of you, right behind the counter, so I was able to see everything! I was very impressed!

If you order a gluten free pizza to dine in, they put it in a box for you. My dad's pizza, which was not gluten free was not put in a box.

As you can see, these are personal-sized pan pizzas (and the pepperonis are HUGE!)

The crust had a great taste and texture to it. I'm not sure if it's their own recipe or another gluten-free company's, but it was very good and different from other gluten free pizzas that I've tried. I definitely will be going back soon!

I know some of you might still be leery of eating in a place like this, and I completely understand. I normally don't like to eat at places where there is a mix of gluten free vs non gluten free food. Everything I saw at this restaurant made me feel safe and I would recommend it to others. There is, however, always the possibility of cross contamination, which we have to think about every day and every time we go out to eat.

I know there are some who are more sensitive than me, but I also know there are some that are less. We all know how are body responds to cross-contamination and we decide whether or not to take that risk.

Regardless of how you feel about this restaurant or whether or not you will give it a try, I have to commend them for the training they have clearly given to their employees and how well that training was carried out.

Thank you Pie Five! I will be seeing you again soon!

Pillsbury GlutenFree Funfetti Products Review

2015-05-21T07:50:00.001-07:00

Have you heard? Pillsbury now has gluten free Funfetti products! Yes, you heard me right!! FUNFETTI!! Brings back childhood memories doesn't it?

I found these at my local Walmart, selling for the same price as the regular cake mixes.

First, Funfetti sugar cookies:

These are awesome! I never had the regular funfetti cookies but these taste awesome! I followed the directions exactly as posted, but the batter still looked a little dry so I added just a splash of milk to make it more moist.

They don't take long to bake at all. Watch them closely and make them pretty small, otherwise they'll burn on the edges and spread out!

Overall, I loved these and so did my family, who doesn't eat gluten free!

Click here to see nutritional info and more at Pillsbury's website: http://www.pillsburybaking.com/products/funfetti-gluten-free-sugar-cookie-1599

Next, Funfetti cake:

This is what I remember from my childhood! I always preferred funfetti cake to regular vanilla cake mix!

This mix was easy to make. I mixed this by hand and didn't have a problem. With a little elbow grease, it works great!

The cake was moist and paired with frosting was perfect!

Click here to see nutrional info and more at Pillsbury's website: http://www.pillsburybaking.com/products/funfetti-gluten-free-1598

Click here to see other recipe ideas for these and other gluten free Pillsbury products: http://www.pillsburybaking.com/search/Recipes?search=gluten%20free

Gluten Free Freschetta Pizza Review

2015-04-21T09:31:00.000-07:00

Hello all! Happy spring to you! I feel like it's been such long time since I wrote a post (and I apologize greatly for that). I've been so busy with the last semester of nursing school that I can barely keep up with the studying, reading, and cooking meals for me and my husband. That unfortunately doesn't leave much time for blogging. But, only one month left to go!!

I wanted to take this opportunity to blog about Freschetta's new Gluten Free Pizza.

We loved this pizza. The crust was perfect and the cheese and sauce were just right. Most gluten free frozen pizzas like this tend to have a crust that doesn't get really crispy on the bottom, but this one did! It was perfect!

It was about a medium size which was just right for the two of us. We found this at our local Kroger in the regular frozen pizza section with all the other frozen pizzas. Not sure if it's being sold in other stores or not, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were. If you've found it at another store, please comment below and let me know so everyone will know!

Overall, I think this is a great product and I can't wait to try it again!

4 Ingredient Spaghetti

2015-01-02T07:28:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a great Christmas and a great start to the new year!

Now that the holidays are winding down and everyone is preparing to get back to a "regular" routine, I thought I would share my easy 4 spaghetti recipe! It doesn't get much simpler than this!

This time I used Ronzoni rotini noodles, which I love. They taste great and are just the right texture!

For this 4 ingredient spaghetti, I used:

1 box of rotini noodles

-1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes

-1 8 oz can of tomato sauce

-1 lb of ground beef

To make:

-Once the beef is browned and drained, I like to mix in the sauce and tomatoes and let it simmer for awhile to let the flavors soak in. I then cook the noodles according to the directions on the box and then mix in the beef mixture.

*we don't use a lot of spices, but if you wish to, you can always add your own while it's simmering or add some tomato paste which has some spices already mixed in

Finished product! As you can see, it makes quite a bit! It always lasts us at least 3-4 days, sometimes more. And it always tastes better as left-overs!

Serve with toasted bread and a veggie of your choice!

Our Favorite Dinner Dishes

2014-11-04T16:02:00.001-08:00

These last couple of months have been very busy. I haven't had time to come up with new recipes so I thought I would share some recipes that are pretty popular around our house right now. I have found these through social media and want you all to know about them b/c they are really great! I want to share the wealth!

Ok, so the first one is one that we tried tonight for dinner. It came into my inbox at just the right time, when I desperately needed something, anything to make for dinner tonight. It was awesome! To make it gluten free, I used Pacific Naturals Cream of Chicken Soup.

*From Add A Pinch Blog: Chicken and Rice Casserole

The second one is an awesome comfort food dish that is already made gluten free! It's a great dish to make on those cold winter nights!

*From EZ Gluten Free: Sloppy Joe Bake with Gluten Free Cheddar Scallion Biscuits

And last but not least, I came across this recipe while searching on Pamela's Products website. She has some great recipes there! This one is one of my husband's favorites. He wants me to make this at least once a week, maybe more. I don't mind, b/c it's a great tasting dinner and we always have leftovers!

*From Pamela's Products: Cheesy Chicken Crumble

I hope you enjoy these dishes as much as we did (and still do)! I also have A TON of other recipes on my Pinterest board. Check them out here:

Gluten Free Lunch/Dinner Recipes

Weekly Meal Plan #5

2014-08-03T10:13:00.002-07:00

Hey everyone! It's time for another Weekly Menu post! Sorry I haven't posted one in a couple of weeks. It's been pretty crazy around here with traveling, giveaways and other stuff going on! Can you believe that we are in August already? Before we know it, Christmas will be here! Crazy!!

Anyway, here's your Meal Plan for the week:

Monday: Turkey Meatloaf -This recipe can be accomodated to fit several allergy needs

Tuesday: One Dish Chicken Meal -Easy dinner to put together! Only uses one dish!

Wednesday: Applesauce BBQ Chicken -This one uses the slow cooker. Great for those hot days when you don't want to use your oven!

Thursday: Quinoa Stuffed Peppers -These are pretty yummy and satisfying!

Friday: Turkey Burgers with Greek Yogurt Mayo -A lighter version to beef burgers, the turkey burger is a great option! And tons of protein!

Saturday: French Toast -Can't go a whole week without one brinner (breakfast for dinner) meal!

Sunday: Leftovers

Snacks: Sausage Cheese Biscuits (Sausage Balls) -These are so yummy and since the recipe makes a ton, you could also eat them as a quick on the go breakfast!

Desserts: Slow Cooker Cobbler

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Have a great week! :)

-Katie

Blackberry Cobbler Bars, featuring All But Gluten Products Giveaway {CLOSED}

2014-07-19T05:41:00.001-07:00

I was recently challenged by All But Gluten to create a "hack" out of their Coconut Macaroons. I recently won some of their products and reviewed them in a previous post. You can find that post here: All But Gluten Review

To celebrate recently hitting 1,000 followers on Twitter (yay!), All But Gluten and I have teamed up to give you the chance to try some of their gluten and dairy free products for yourself! They have fantastic breads, muffins, cookies and more. You don't want to miss out on this! You can find the giveaway form at the end of this post.

Now, back to the "hack". I decided to make blackberry cobbler bars, using the macaroons in the crust and topping.

For the crust:

- 1 stick of butter

- 1 bag of Coconut Macaroons

1. Take 1 Tablespoon of butter and grease the bottom and sides of an 8x8 pan. Then use the rest of the butter for the crust.

2. Melt the rest of the tablespoon used to grease the pan and the remaining 7 Tablespoons of butter.

3. Crumble the macaroons and mix with melted butter.

Press the mixture firmly into the bottom of the pan with your fingers or the back of a spoon.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

For the berries:

I used 3 cups of semi-mashed frozen berries (that were picked fresh from my inlaws blackberry bushes) that I had thawed out. The berries ended up leaking a lot of juice into the pan, which tasted fine, but if you don't want that, then using fresh berries would be better. I would say 4 cups of fresh berries would be enough.

Add 1/3 cup of sugar to the blackberries.

Spread berries on top of crust that's been baked.

For the topping:

- 6 crumbled macaroons

- 1/2 tsp of cinnamon

- 4 Tablespoons of melted butter

Mix together macaroons and cinnamon. Then incorporate melted butter with mixture. Sprinkle on top of berries.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 or until the juice bubbles.

While the bars were cooling, I added an optional powdered sugar icing to the top. I mixed together some powdered sugar, about 1/3 cup, and a Tablespoon of milk. Depending on how sweet you want the icing, you might need to add more or less of each ingredient.

They turned out great! The juices leaking out made the bars fall apart a little bit but if I had used fresh berries, it would have held together better.

I loved these bars! The coconut flavor complemented the blackberries really nicely and gave the bars a great texture.

So, what would you make with these cookies? They're great on their own, but it's always fun to experiment! Are you ready to win some?!?

Onto the giveaway:

Three of my readers will have the opportunity to win some wonderful All But Gluten products to try, including these Coconut Macaroons!

Here are just some of their products:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: I was given these products to review by All But Gluten. The thoughts and opinions are all my own.

Our Gluten Free Trip to Hilton Head Island

2014-07-15T18:55:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! We just got back from an awesome trip to Hilton Head and I couldn't wait to share all the wonderful gluten free food we ate!

First of all, let me say, thank you so much to my Aunt and Uncle for letting us stay at their condo! We had a great time!

Second, we were only there for 3 full days so we didn't get to try every place that served gluten free food.

Third, we would not have found a couple of these places if we didn't use the Find Me Gluten Free App. If you're not using this app yet, then you are seriously missing out. It's even told me about places in my hometown that I had no clue existed! So seriously, download it today.

The first thing we did after arriving on the island (after unloading) was go the local Kroger. It's brand new and huge!

These are just some of the gluten free products they carry. And of course they had frozen pizzas and corn dogs too which we bought to eat when we didn't feel like going out or just needed something quick.

Another grocery store on the island is Fresh Market. We loved this place too. Not as big, but still a ton of options.

Now, onto the restaurants. The first place we ate was One Hot Mamas. Such a fun place! Here's a link to their website: One Hot Mamas

Here's the menu posted outside their door.

Everything that can be made gluten free is labeled GF.

This was my BBQ chicken. Didn't realize I was getting a whole chicken, but boy was it good! My husband ordered the pulled pork which was also very good.

The next day we went to Skillets Cafe in Coligny Plaza. Man oh man! So delicious! And so many choices! Here's a link to their website: Skillets Cafe Menu

Best gluten free Belgian waffle! So good! I literally cleaned my plate.

My husband ordered the breakfast sandwich. Yum! They have bread and buns so all their sandwiches are available to eat, as well as wraps and the different stir fries. They also serve gluten free pancakes which I ate when we went back the day we left.

These were yummy as well. And this was the short stack! They serve breakfast until 5 so you can have these pretty much all day long! Great restaurant and very friendly staff! Can't wait to go back!

The day before we left, we decided to try Munchies for dinner! We made a great choice! Here's their website: Munchies Shoppe

Such a cute little place!

This is their menu listing all their sandwiches, paninis, wraps and hot dogs. Once again, all of these are available gluten free. When we ordered our paninis, the waitress said she would grill our bread on a separate grill, which I thought was awesome! She was very knowledgeable, which is always nice to see.

I had chicken with mozzarella, tomato and avocado on my panini. Delicious!

This was my husbands Italian Panini. He loved it! The bread was grilled to perfection!

They also had gluten free ice cream with gluten free cones (what?!?) but we were so full we couldn't eat another bite. We will definitely go back next time to get some ice cream!

Overall, we had a great experience dining out on the island! Thanks to all the restaurants for taking such good care of us! We have made a list of new places to go next time and old places to visit again!

If you're planning on visiting Hilton Head Island, consider trying these places out! You won't be disappointed!

Weekly Menu Plan #4

2014-06-29T11:00:00.000-07:00

Wow! I don't know about you, but this week has flown by for me! Can't believe it's Sunday again!

Here's your meal plan for the week:

Monday: Pork Chops with Apples: This is a really simple dish from Betty Crocker. You know you have to try it!

Tuesday: Melt in Your Mouth Baked Chicken: This is a popular pin on Pinterest that I had to try out for myself! See if you like it!

Wednesday: Got leftover chicken from last night? How about make some chicken quesadillas with corn tortillas? Or make some of your own with Chebe mix! Always a huge hit with the fam!

Thursday: French Toast: I LOVE breakfast for dinner. Pair this with some fruit and eggs.

Friday: Italian Spaghetti: I absolutely love this recipe. While you don't have to simmer the sauce and meat for two hours, it's totally worth it if you can. The taste is amazing!

Saturday: Slow Cooker Apple Cranberry Pork Roast : This is a family favorite. I'm sure yours will love it too.

Sunday: Leftovers

Side Dishes: Corn Fritter Muffins: Have a lot of corn from your garden that you don't know what to do with it? Use some of it to make these muffins!

Mini Mac and Cheese Cups: These are great finger foods for the little ones to enjoy! (But big kids like them too!)

Desserts: Apple Crisp: Keeping with the Betty Crocker and apple theme....

Summer Blueberry Salad: Perfect dish for summer!

Hosting a party for the 4th? Are you needing to bring a dish that you know is safe to a party this weekend? I've put together two groups of perfect 4th of July gluten free recipes just for you!

Gluten Free 4th of July Recipe Roundup

2014-06-23T14:21:00.001-07:00

Here are some awesome gluten free recipes that I found from some great blogging friends!! Enjoy and have a great 4th of July!

1. Red, White and Blueberry Cupcakes from Carol Kicinski, at Simply Gluten-Free

2. Strawberry Rhubarb Pie with Blueberries from Rachel (Gluten Free Mama), at G-Free Foodie

3. Red, White and Blueberry Ice Cream Pie with Granola Crust from Marina Delio, at Yummy Mummy Kitchen

4. Patriotic Cheesecake from Gretchen, at Veggie Grettie

5. Blueberry Hand Pie from Pam, at I'm A Celiac

6. Red, White and Blue Strawberries from Rachel, at Gluten Free Mama

7. Patriotic Frozen Delight from Taste of Home

8. Classic Potato Salad from Sarah, at Gluten Intolerance School

9. American Flag Fourth of July Tart from Megan, at Megg Salad

10. Assortment of Pasta Salads from Living Without

11. Mini Jalepeno Corn Dogs and Corn Dog Bites from Toni, at Boulder Locavore

12. Brownie and Berries Dessert Pizza from Betty Crocker

Weekly Menu Plan #3

2014-06-22T14:58:00.001-07:00

Hope everyone has had a great weekend! I celebrated my 1 year anniversary with my husband this weekend! Time sure does fly!

Here is your meal plan for the week!

Monday: Corn Flake Italian Chicken from Glutino : This recipe is so delicious! Everyone in the family will love it! Your kids can help you make it too!

Tuesday: Slow Cooker Maple and Brown Sugar Pork Tenderloin : Mmm dreaming about this dish right now.

Wednesday: Pumpkin Waffles : Breakfast for dinner! This is a great recipe for anytime of the year!

Thursday: Enjoy Life Foods Turkey Meatloaf : Not only is this dish gluten free, but it's also egg free!

Friday: Sausage and Pepperoni Pizza Casserole : This is one of my most popular posts on the blog! Everyone loves it!

Sides: Baked Sweet Potato Fries Twice Baked Potatoes

Desserts: Slow Cooker Cobbler White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies

Have a great week! :)