Danielle S. LeBlanc is Poor and Gluten Free (with Oral Allergy Syndrome)

I'm a Mumm's Seeds Affiliate!

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle @ Poor and Gluten Free) — Fri, 09 Jan 2026 20:31:00 +0000

I'm very excited to announce that I am now a Mumm's Sprouting Seeds Affiliate. I've been buying their seeds for years now to grow sprouts and pea shoots and I've finally made the leap to become an affiliate.

Mumm's is a family run farm & business based in Saskatchewan, Canada that sells a wide variety of organic seeds perfect for sprouting. They also ship to the U.S., for all my U.S. followers :)

I've always had the best luck using their seeds and excellent germination rates.

Over the winter, when the weather here is dark and gloomy, I grow a lot of pea shoots and some sprouts for sandwiches. I am currently working through a 1kg bag of Dwarf Grey Sugar peas and use the Sandwich Booster sprouts a lot, too. You can get a huge harvest of pea shoots in about 10 days, and they make a really nice gift for neighbours or friends, too.

Mumm's has a ton of supplies like:

* Small and large sprouting trays,

* Hemp grow bags

*lids for Mason jars to sprout in small spaces

And More!

My son and I had fun using the Chia seeds to make our own DIY Chia Rock Pets recently, too.

I hope to share a post soon on how you can make your own as well!

In the meantime, check out Mumm's!

NEW Activity Book for Kids!

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle @ Poor and Gluten Free) — Mon, 21 Jul 2025 20:38:00 +0000

Hi friends,

I'm very excited to share that I've got a new book out - and it's a break from my usual! It's a space-themed children's activity book that I put together mostly at my son's request. He is a space fanatic, and has been wanting something with more puzzles, math activities, and word searches along with coloring pages. I started making activities for him, and eventually it came together as this book for kids aged 4-8 years old that I'm really pleased with!

New Etsy Shop!

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle @ Poor and Gluten Free) — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 21:41:00 +0000

While the blog has been quiet lately, I've had a lot going on behind the scenes. I've been teaching gardening workshops and working on a new project... activity books and printables! More on the activity book soon, but for now I'm dropping the link for my new Etsy shop.

Why L.D. Maplewood? Well....

Free Gardening Workshops in Burnaby

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle @ Poor and Gluten Free) — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 20:45:00 +0000

I'm excited to share that I've received grant funding to run a series of FREE in-person gardening workshops at my local community garden 😀 The first of these workshops is happening this Sunday in Burnaby, British Columbia so if you're in the area sign-up today on Eventbrite!

If you'd like to see me run some online gardening workshops, drop a comment below and let me know, and follow me on Eventbrite to find out as soon as new workshops are posted!

Container Food Gardening Workshop

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle @ Poor and Gluten Free) — Mon, 12 May 2025 18:49:00 +0000

Hello friends!

Come join me on Sunday, May 25 from 10:30-11am at 3470 Turner St, Vancouver for an informative and hands-on workshop on how to grow food in any small space! You'll also have a chance to select and sow seeds to take home to get you started.

Register on Eventbrite today: https://shorturl.at/BalDk

Or keep reading to learn more!

Easy, Gluten Free Easter Bunny Cake (with Vegan Option)

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle @ Poor and Gluten Free) — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 20:54:00 +0000

Hello hello, friends! We are finally getting some sunshine here in the Pacific Northwest, just in time for Easter weekend.

Perfect timing, also, to share a quick post on a really easy Gluten Free Easter bunny cake, with a vegan option.

I made this cake last weekend for a group of boys aged 2.5-6 and I wish I'd gotten a pic of how big their eyes got when I brought this cake out! They were super excited, and of course everyone had an opinion on which part of the bunny they wanted to eat 😄

Victory and Relief Gardens Event!

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle @ Poor and Gluten Free) — Wed, 19 Mar 2025 17:05:00 +0000

Hello friends!

I'm excited to share that I'll be giving a talk about Victory Gardens and Relief Gardens at my local community centre.

If you happen to be in the Burnaby, BC area, please check it out.

See below for more details

Gluten Free Easter Treats and Baked Goods

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle @ Poor and Gluten Free) — Tue, 11 Mar 2025 18:53:00 +0000

I'm reposting this roundup from 2018 as spring is just over a month away, and I thought some of you might like to get a jump on baking!

Easter is just around the corner, and I'm sharing a roundup of some of my favourite gluten free Easter treat recipes from the blog.

Some of these are traditional Easter foods, like my Gluten Free German Easter bread (a.k.a. Osterkranz), Gluten Free Hot Cross Buns, and Gluten Free Apple Dumplings, while others, like my lavender sugar cookies and vegan, GF parsnip cake, are a little less conventional but just as tasty!

I've also included one of my go-to Spring decoration tutorials that is incredibly cheap and easy (hint, it's a way to use up old tin cans, too).

Finding Moments of Joy in Unsettling Times

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle @ Poor and Gluten Free) — Fri, 14 Feb 2025 18:38:00 +0000

Be still, sad heart, and cease repining;
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;
Thy fate is the common fate of all,
Into each life some rain must fall,
Some days must be dark and dreary.

-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I just wanted to share this photo I took the other day because it reminded me of Longfellow's poem, The Rainy Day. As the dark cloud passed over us, it was actually snowing! And yet the sunset was streaming across the sky all around these big clouds.

It was such a lovely juxtaposition, and such a strong metaphor, because I know many of us are feeling like the world is an unsettling place these days.

Gluten Free Construction Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle @ Poor and Gluten Free) — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 05:47:00 +0000

DIY Homemade Gluten Free Birthday Cake for Kids

Gluten free kids don't need to miss out on fun birthday cakes. My son's first birthday cake request ever was a couple of years ago for his fourth birthday. He wanted a construction cake, which turned out to be far easier to make than you might think. And while my kid has no problems with gluten and I could have bought him a regular cake for his birthday, I decided to make my own GF one instead. Because gosh darn it, sometimes I want a fun cake too!!

And with a cake as simple as this one, you don't need to be a pro to make it look good.

These photos were quick snaps on my old cell phone, so I apologize for the quality. But I'm lucky to have gotten any shots at all since my son and nephew turned this cake into an ACTUAL construction zone before we could cut proper slices!!

Blog updates in progress!

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle @ Poor and Gluten Free) — Fri, 24 Jan 2025 19:07:00 +0000

Image by Mathieu Stern on Unsplash

Hi folks! Please forgive any glitches that occur here in the next few days. I'm working to update the blog to make it more functional for you, my awesome readers! After 13 years, 550+ posts, and well over 3,300 comments, this little baby has become a behemoth.

I'm working to fix the appearance, mobile viewing, broken links, update images, ads that aren't intrusive but allow me to make a few pennies from my work, and more. I'm hoping to begin adding recipes and articles again soon :)

PRE-ORDER the 1st book in my new series!

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle @ Poor and Gluten Free) — Fri, 09 Aug 2024 18:26:00 +0000

The 1st book in my newest historical romantic suspense series is out on August 15! But you can pre-order it right now HERE

Read on to find out more. And if you just can't wait to read a new book, you can also check out the historical romance promo I'm taking part in this week!

Gluten Free Christmas Sugar Cookies - 4 Ways from 1 Recipe!

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle @ Poor and Gluten Free) — Wed, 21 Dec 2022 21:07:00 +0000

It's not always easy baking with kids, but I these gluten free spritz cookies are fast and simple enough that you can whip up a few dozen in enough time to keep a preschooler engaged. If you're doing this alone, it will go even faster!

A good, basic sugar cookie recipe can go a long way to making a variety of colours and styles of sugar cookies, and really create that wow factor for holiday gift giving. My basic spritz cookie recipe is simply divided into four and decorated differently.

My newly turned 4 year old helped me squeeze the cookie press and decorate. Granted, there was some licking of icing and devouring of sprinkles in the process, and he wandered off a couple of times, but over all, it was a successful baking venture.

Read on to find out how we did it!

Historical Romance Novels (FREE or On Sale) in time for the holidays!

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle @ Poor and Gluten Free) — Sat, 17 Dec 2022 17:10:00 +0000

Holiday greetings, everyone! It's been a busy year here, what with releasing a second edition of the first novel in my Ancient Egyptian Romances series, publishing another book in the series, The Cinnamon Garden, as well as a FREE book for my mailing list subscribers. All that said, things are settling here, and I'm hoping to blog more in the new year, so stay tuned :)

This brings me to the whole point of this post! I've teamed up with some other authors to bring my readers some great promotions in time for the holidays. Click through to find a whole bunch of FREE historical romance novels as well as a collection of great historical romance novels on sale.

And don't forget, of course, that now is the perfect time to pick up one of my cookbooks so you can find some delicious gluten free, allergy-free recipes in the New Year!

Gluten Free Yule Log Recipe / Chocolate Jelly Roll

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle @ Poor and Gluten Free) — Sat, 17 Dec 2022 15:55:00 +0000

This post was first shared in 2016, but I'm reposting it because it's still one of my favourite holiday recipes!

Jelly rolls used to mystify me. They seemed like the sort of thing that would forever elude me.

Until now. I had no idea how easy it could be, once you have a decent recipe.

Two years ago my mother-in-law (who is incredibly accommodating of my food allergies and an excellent cook) made a gorgeous gluten free yule log, complete with frosting and meringue mushrooms. She used a cake mix, which was very good.

But you know me. I prefer to bang my head against the wall a few times until I can make it myself.

I tried to make a gluten free jelly roll last year, and it was a total fail. I did, however, end up using the failed attempts to make both Vegan, Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Balls and Vegan, Gluten Free Chocolate Pudding Pie .

As you can see, this year's attempt did not fail.

Oh no. This year's attempt was a spectacular success. And then I added chocolate leaves and it was even more spectacular.

I also wanted it to be a not-too-sweet, frosting-free Yule log, so it turned out more of a chocolate jelly roll. Which, as it turns out, is awesome.

So here it is, My Gluten Free Chocolate Jelly Roll Yule Cake recipe.

FREE Balcony Gardening Workshop

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle @ Poor and Gluten Free) — Thu, 27 May 2021 15:45:00 +0000

Hi all, I just want to let you know that I'll be running a FREE workshop to help get you started growing vegetables on your balcony! You can register here. I hope to see you there :)

Scarlet Runner Bean Update - Flowers but no beans and how to hand-pollinate

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle @ Poor and Gluten Free) — Sat, 26 May 2018 15:51:00 +0000

Earlier this month I shared a post on how I accidentally grew scarlet runner beans inside this spring. About two weeks ago, when the weather warmed up, I moved them outside and they've continued to thrive.

However, I've discovered a problem.

Once the flowers that first blossomed inside started to wither and drop off, no beans were forthcoming. I had plenty of runner bean flowers, but no beans!

So I did some research and found some answers! And now I have a bean...

Danielle and the Beanstalk (Growing Scarlet Runner Beans Inside, by accident!)

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle @ Poor and Gluten Free) — Thu, 03 May 2018 04:06:00 +0000

I'm going to be upfront with you. This was a total accident. I never intended to grow Scarlet Runner Beans on my windowsill. But it was a hilarious, happy accident.

If you've ever wondered if you can grow runner beans inside, and if they'll actually flower inside... Read on.

Seriously, I have hard evidence below that runner beans will flower inside!! I think this would be an amazing experiment to do with kids, too, as the beans grow like wildfire once the days grow longer, even if it's still cold outside!!

Vegan and Gluten Free Vanilla Cupcakes with Sunflower Icing (and natural food coloring)

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle @ Poor and Gluten Free) — Tue, 27 Mar 2018 04:37:00 +0000

Following quickly on the heels of my Bunny Pull Apart Cupcake Cake, I just had to share these gorgeous (and easy!) gluten free and vegan sunflower cupcakes. I think of these bright little cupcakes as little bombs of sunshine. They make me stupidly happy to see them when I open the fridge (which is where you'll want to store them).

I'm confident that if you show up at Easter dinner with these, the recipients will reward you with big smiles.

And don't let the icing daunt you! Though the buttercream sunflowers look complex, I only had to do one tester cupcake before I felt confident enough to work more quickly. In the end, I couldn't tell which was the tester.

Even if the petals don't seem perfect as you're piping them, never fear. Nature isn't always perfect and symmetrical either!

Vegan and Gluten Free Bunny Pull Apart Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle @ Poor and Gluten Free) — Sun, 25 Mar 2018 20:01:00 +0000

I just have to share this latest baking adventure with you all!! This little experiment made me so happy, and I love opening my fridge right now, as there is a smiling bunny face looking up at me.

And I thought you all might like to know how you can turn these gluten free and vegan cupcakes into an easy pull apart cake just in time for Easter. Seriously, the cake is super easy, and I say this as someone who generally sucks at decorating. That's why I did this all as a trial the week before Easter. Turns out it's not hard at all!

How to Make and Can Crab Apple Jelly - A Step by Step Guide

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle @ Poor and Gluten Free) — Tue, 29 Aug 2017 03:30:00 +0000

I'm reposting this recipe from last year around this time, as it's that time of year for cooking up and canning crabapples!

I've been helping my mom make crabapple jelly for as long as I can remember. We used to have a big tree in our backyard and every year we'd pick a whole bunch of them and make tons of jelly, some of which was gifted to friends and family throughout the year.

Crabapple jelly is one of the easiest jellies to make, and the colour - depending on your apples - is absolutely stunning! But like all jelly-making and canning, it's just a bit time-consuming. However, I'm going to show you how I do it (with pictures) as quick and easy as possible!

Also, if you're in the canning mood, you might want to check out my tut on how to make dill pickle cucumbers, it's another canning recipe I've been doing since a little girl!

Grandma's Cucumber Dill Pickles (Gluten Free Pickles!)

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle @ Poor and Gluten Free) — Thu, 03 Aug 2017 20:19:00 +0000

I'm re-posting this post from way back in 2013, since it's been one of my most popular recipes, and I thought some of you might enjoy re-visiting it!

My grandmother has always made amazing pickles. She would can them in enormous batches. I started helping my mother make them sometime around my 7th birthday, up until about 10 years ago when I moved out and my mother stopped making them and my grandmother got tired of cooking.

Well this year, after seeing buckets of little cucumbers at the farmers market, I decided to resurrect my grandmother's amazing dill pickle legacy. I called my mom back home in Canada and asked for the recipe.

And now I'm sharing it with you!

Goodreads Giveaway for the Caravanserai Bride!

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle @ Poor and Gluten Free) — Tue, 25 Jul 2017 18:34:00 +0000

Hi all! I know I've been MIA for a while, but part of the reason for that is my latest novel, The Caravanserai Bride! I've been working hard to finish it and roll out the pre-order (you can order now, and get your eBook copy August 1), as well as offering a Goodreads Giveaway!

You can enter the Giveaway through this link, or below, for the chance to win one of two FREE print copies :)

What's the story about?

Lunja is a freed slave searching the desert for her lost brother, while trying to hide a secret that's haunted her family for generations.To fund her search, she puts herself up for auction, hoping for a service position in the Dakhla caravanserai.

Senna is heartbroken when the woman he wants chooses another. To win her back, he decides to prove that he can be a responsible husband, and how better to do that than by marrying another?

Check out more details below:

9 Gluten Free Ways to Use Up Leftover Sweet Potatoes (with vegan options)

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle @ Poor and Gluten Free) — Tue, 18 Apr 2017 19:56:00 +0000

If you're like me, you probably have a fridge full of leftovers from Easter. It's a blessing and a curse when both your in-laws and your parents send you home with containers full of poultry, potatoes, and veggies.

With all those bits and pieces, it's not always easy to make a full meal. OR, maybe you're just tired of eating the same thing day in and day out and wondering what to do with it all...

Well here's a list of suggestions for using up leftover baked sweet potatoes in baked goods, burgers, soups, AND salads, so you can completely transform Easter dinner into something else entirely!

Easy, Gluten Free and Vegan Chocolate Coconut Nests

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle @ Poor and Gluten Free) — Fri, 14 Apr 2017 04:41:00 +0000

Looking for a super last minute, easy-to-make Easter treat? These Chocolate Coconut Nests require only 2 ingredients (3 if you count a filling, like mini eggs or jelly beans), no baking, and can be thrown together in almost no time at all.

Did I mention they're super tasty, and lots of fun for little kids? I made these to take to my 2 1/2 yr old niece for Easter, and I hope she likes them, because I've been nibbling on them myself the last couple of days!

They can also be made vegan if you use vegan chocolate chips like these and fill them with something like peanuts or vegan jelly beans instead of mini eggs.