Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free

Weekend Cooking & Pinterest Finds {May 18, 2013}

Amy — Sun, 19 May 2013 02:54:04 +0000

I’ve decided to add a weekly post about interesting recipes, ideas, and tips for living well I’ve come across during the week. Lately I’ve been more active on Pinterest, and thought it would be fun to share some of my favorites with you.

This week has been super hectic. We’re moving in just two weeks. We’ll still be in Dallas, just a little farther north than we currently are. Nate seems to unpack boxes faster than I can pack them, or he’s into something else that makes an even bigger mess. I don’t mind it at all. I love this age! I get so much joy from watching him explore the world around him.

With the move right around the corner and baby number two due in just over two months, there will be a lot of change in our lives. I’m hoping all will go smoothly but am prepared to work with whatever comes up. Being flexible is not my strong suit, but I practice it daily.

I’m also determined to be armed with completely safe, homemade cleaners once we’re in the new house. It’s been a process I’ve been working on since Nate was born and even more so since he started moving around. He loves to be right by my side while I’m cleaning so it’s imperative that anything I use won’t harm him.

These are just some of the things I’ve been pinning, cooking, reading, and using. I’d love to connect with you during the week on Pinterest and Facebook, too!

Recipes

Green Juice Your Kids WILL Eventually Drink {Cook IT Allergy Free}
Buckwheat and Hemp Banana Pancakes {Kristina Sloggett for Attune Foods}
Carob Fudge {Diet, Dessert, and Dogs}

Green Cleaners

Spring Cleaning with Coconut Oil {Kelapo Coconut Oil}
Porcelain and Tile Cleaner {The Daily Green}
House Cleaning Basics {Simply Happenstance}

eBooks

Pinteresting {by Tabitha Philen}
My Buttered Life Baby Edition: Recipes Using Primary Oils and Butters to Feed the Skin {by Renee Harris} Scroll down once you arrive at the page.
My Bedtime Learning Book {by Richele McFarlin} Scroll down once you arrive at the page to view details. I can’t wait to make this book for Nate!

Apps

I **love** the Send to Kindle App. It’s free, simple to use, and lets me send my favorite ebooks to my iPad and iPhone from my desktop. You need to make sure you’ve installed the Kindle App on your devices, or if you have a Kindle you can send them there, too.

Send to Kindle App

Have an incredible weekend! Stop by Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free’s Facebook page and let me know what you think about the ideas here. And, don’t forget to join me on Pinterest!

This post contains affiliate links. I earn a small percentage of any purchase. Thank you for supporting my site and making free content at SS&GF possible!

From my sponsor: Plan To Eat was born from our desire to eat real food – great food – prepared at home, together as a family. Plan To Eat is an online menu planner that uses your recipes, scheduled for the days you want them, automatically generating your grocery list, organized the way you like to shop. Eat well. Eat together. PlanToEat.com.

Dreena’s Falafels (and a FABULOUS cookbook give-away!)

Amy — Thu, 16 May 2013 10:00:46 +0000

I met Dreena through Maggie and Ricki. I must say I am so very grateful!

Shortly after Nate was born and I started eating a very heavy plant-based diet. Not completely plant based, mind you. But I could just sense that my body needed lots of fresh, whole foods after giving birth to get itself back in shape.

There is a huge transition in diet and cravings after giving birth, and Let Them Eat Vegan! helped me make that transition beautifully.

The first thing you notice when you read Dreena’s book is that she’s the kind of lady you’d love to have coffee with. She’s witty, fun, and she’s easy to relate to. You get the strong sense that you’d be fast friends with her. You want to bring her into your kitchen. It just adds to the deliciousness of her food.

Let’s talk about her Panfried Falafel Patties for a minute. Who needs cookies when you can eat these? Really! When I told Dreena on Twitter that I’d been making batch after batch, she asked if I was dipping them in her Smoky Spiced Tahini Sauce and I replied that, yea, the sauce is delicious but I’d just been pulling them out of the refrigerator and eating them. No sauce necessary.

In true Dreena style, she replied, “Now that’s some falafel lovin’!” And, yep, I do love her falafels. In fact, I’ve made them more times than I can count and I’ve never gotten a photo of the finished product. (Guilty as charged.)

When you make her falafel, you must – and I mean must – make her Quinoa Tabbouleh. I used to live in Columbus, Ohio and frequented The North Market. There was a little middle eastern restaurant that served the best tabbouleh I’ve ever had. Since going gluten-free, I’ve tried to replicate it several times but just couldn’t get it quite right. Well, Dreena did. It’s got the perfect balance of acid, veggies, parsley and quinoa.
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Read the rest of Dreena’s Falafels (and a FABULOUS cookbook give-away!)

Six Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Whole Food Snacks for Toddlers: Beyond Cherrios and Raisins

Amy — Wed, 15 May 2013 10:00:35 +0000

Even though I’ve been on a gluten-free, refined sugar-free diet for almost 10 years, when Nate and I both had to go dairy-free it threw me for a HUGE loop. Not only was I trying to feed myself, but I had to feed Nate nutritious food he would happily eat. Couple that with the fact that he’s a nosher, and it was enough to make my eyes cross.

I had to rethink how I did things. I had to look for other solutions. I had to really slow down and plan how we ate differently.

It’s gotten much easier, and the learning curve for this dietary change was so much smaller than the first time.

I’ve found some go-to snacks that always work from him. Some are more portable than others, but they’re all nutritious, whole foods. Here are the six I always keep on hand:

1. Avocado

Did you know that toddlers should get 40 – 50% of their calories from fat? Avocados are the perfect food for them. They’re filled with healthy fats, and fiber, too. Firmer avocados are better as finger foods, but softer avocados are delicious mashed and dipped in steamed veggies or in green smoothies.

2. Beans

Yes, beans! They’re filled with fiber and help with digestion. Nate loves beans. Plus, they’re the perfect size for picking up and eating. At first, I smashed each bean with my fingers before letting him eat it just in case he tried to swallow it whole. Now, he can chew whole beans by himself. We pack them in a little cooler and he snacks on them while we’re out and about. Sometimes people look at me like I have three heads but their kids are eating Goldfish and Rainbow Sprinkle Chocolate Chip Cookies.
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Read the rest of Six Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Whole Food Snacks for Toddlers: Beyond Cherrios and Raisins

Slightly Indulgent Tuesday; 05/14/13

Janel — Tue, 14 May 2013 01:00:58 +0000

It’s time to share your healthier recipes again! Thanks for stopping by Slightly Indulgent Tuesday. Last week there were over 80 recipes shared at SIT. Check them out if you didn’t get a chance to last week.

SIT is all about healthier recipes. If you’re not sure how to go about making your favorite desserts healthier, you’ll want to check out one of my latest posts – 5 Easy Ways to Make Your Desserts Healthier.

Last week, I also shared two other new recipes – Melted Leek and Red Pepper Quiche and Raw Apple Walnut Snack Bars. They’re both healthy and delicious!

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Read the rest of Slightly Indulgent Tuesday; 05/14/13

5 Easy Way to Make Your Favorite Desserts Healthier

Amy — Fri, 10 May 2013 10:00:44 +0000

Today I’ve got a post up at Life Your Way – it’s all about how to make your favorite desserts healthier. This is something we all need because, ladies and gents, it’s summer and our clothes will show a lot more skin.

Here’s a sneak peak at what I have to say:

Summer is right around the corner, which means summer clothing and yes, bathing suits. I don’t know about you, but looking fabulous in a bathing suit has never been able to motivate to me to give up dessert entirely. There’s just too much really good summer food I’m not willing to miss out on.

But, it does motive me to eat healthier. I don’t mind indulging in dessert when I know that it won’t end up around my waist.

Here are five simple ways I make my favorite desserts healthier.

1. Reduce the fat content with fruit purees or low-fat yogurt.

If your favorite cake recipe calls for a cup of butter, replace 25 – 50% of it with your favorite fruit puree or yogurt. Baby food works great, too. Just remember that the flavor of the fruit will likely impact the flavor of your dessert. Unsweetened applesauce has a neutral flavor and always works well. Other options include prune, pumpkin, and winter squash purees.

My apple & carrot breakfast cake is always a hit, as is this blueberry crumble cake.

Ready for the other four tips? Hop on over to Life Your Way!
And, make sure to tell me how you make dessert healthier!