Is that a Vanilla Wafer?... Banana pudding you say?

Yes, Yes it is!

I was asked about a year ago if I was aware of any vanilla wafer style cookies available with out allergens. I really wanted to be able to shout "why yes!" however, after trying multiple recipes that just never came out like the "real thing" and finding none in the market place - Tadaaa! There is finally one out there.... BUT it contains egg whites. It is only just now available in our local store. 

Now in our home eggs are a no-no as are many other things. However, I am really excited to tell you about these because for those of you who CAN safely use eggs - these are fantastic. 

Canadian company, Kinnikinnick announced over the summer that they were launching a gluten free, peanut/treenut free, dairy free - vanilla wafer. I have only just last week been able to try these - and I really like them.


My version of "Oh SO Yummy Banana Pudding" is as follows:

1 large container of SoDelicious Coconut Vanilla Yogurt
1 box Kinnikinnick Vanilla Wafers
1 bunch of bananas (bananas vary in size so - use your best judgement)

Using a square pyrex or similar, layer cookies, yogurt, coined bananas.

Do this again and again until either you run out of ingredients or you fill up the dish. I had exactly enough to fill the dish I used. 

Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight. Aaaah-mazing - and just like Mamma used to make. Imagine those layers of banana pudding goodness. Yes. This one is a keeper. 

Photos Coming soon.

Enjoy - Mom

Valentines Day- the allergy safe way!

The happy hearts day is rapidly approaching and so too is the classroom party! Being inclusive and safe can be both easy and enjoyable. There are many things we can all share that are fun and cost effective. Many of the following items can be purchased at the dollar store or Walmart, as well as with your local grocer. Although there are a million ideas on Pinterest, Here are a few of my favorite and sources for the materials for your convenience. (No, I am not sponsored - just helpful.)

Valentines cards can be shared with:
flower seed packets, pencils, stickers, temporary tattoos, a bottle of bubbles, a box of crayons, paper air planes, sidewalk chalk, sunglasses, friendship bracelets, glow bracelets, slap hearts (a dollar tree item).

Festive presentations for these treats:

The flower seed packets are my favorite idea here. What a nice way to 'see friendship grow'!  or "Friendship blooms like flowers" attached to the packet.

Cut out hearts and use the pencil on a diagonal in similar fashion to an arrow. Another idea is to make the arrow on paper and insert the pencil as the straight section. I find that the dollar store has a plethora of multi pack seasonal pencils for pretty much every holiday - including Valentines. This is a very cost effective treat to consider.

"I am stuck on you" attached with stickers or temporary tattoos. Oriental Trading has a huge selection of both of these and is extremely cost effective! The are not brick and mortar though, so a little planning is necessary.

"I love your bubbly personality" or "You make me feel like floating" or "Float away with me" attached to the bubbles. I have found multi paks of the bubbles in several places. Really such an easy item that I skipped the link.

"You color my world" attached to crayons. I am personally preferential to Crayola, so I prefer to order this in bulk. With a tad of advanced planning I found the best price to be Walmart  - these are less then a dollar per pack - so I would skip the dollar store for this one.

Paper airplanes are available in pre-printed pads ( and different styles) at Target, Dollar Tree, Oriental Trading.... and likely many other locations. I even found that sometimes it can be found as a printable within Word. The message can be "Our Friendship Soars". Giving one to each child makes this a very budget friendly valentine.

"Chalk this up to a perfect friendship" attached to sidewalk chalk. Pretty fun and cute. Also available at the dollar store with a little advance planning. I bought multi packs at the Dollar Tree so each pack of fat chalk was .25!

Sunglasses can be fun. You could use the caption "You are so cool, you gotta wear shades". There are so many styles available for this that could be quite fun. Star or heart shapes for example. These rainbow sun glasses are adorable and cost effective too.

Friendship bracelets can include the message "like a circle our friendship never ends". This is another idea where the possibilities of style and color are endless. These bright woven friendship bracelets look gender neutral and fun.

A fun Star Wars themed valentine idea. Use glow bracelets as light sabers with the handle printed on paper. (Please forgive - I got this idea from another blog with a free printable. I can not seem to find the site again - I thought I pinned it to pinterest but it is not there. When I find it again - I will put the link here, and give the blogger a shout out.)   When I created it with my kiddies, we used a paper trimmer between the sections and an exacto knife for the diagonal cuts that hold the glow bracelet itself. We stuck the connector to the left end behind the printed handle. The reception was great. The children really enjoyed receiving them. I bought the glow items at the dollar tree in tubes of five. I had hoped for the larger package but that was unavailable in our local store. Being the busy Mom, I opted for what I could get even though it brought the cost up a bit. Even so, this was still an extremely cost effective project.

Slap Hearts are a Dollar Tree item and I could not find a link to share with you - but I do have a photo so you can see what I mean. The kids love these and find them really fun. They can be purchased in multi packs in the store prior to valentines - but they are popular and sell out quickly. The early Mom gets the heart!

Notice that the items I included are not just girly, also not focused on romantic love - but friendship. Including everyone with a treat they can feel good about is not expensive or difficult. It just needs to be done with love and the hope of friendship.

I hope that you will enjoy these ideas and expand upon them. Let's share some friendship!

XOXO - Mom

*Due to Tech difficulties the photos will be delayed. I apologize. *

Yummy Cluster Treats

Is it a cookie? Is it candy? Well it's kinds both - its a cluster! Yea us!

We were at a fun gathering and there were lots of foods that were new to us. We could not try all of them of course due to food allergies. However I did ask for some recipes and I morphed this one into an alelrgy free version.

I used my small crock pot on low, stirring occationally.

1 bag mini marshmallows (Read all the labels in the store and picked the one that worked for us)
1 cup of dried cranberries or raisens (I used the store brand)
1 bag mini chocolate chips (Enjoy Life)
salt

Dollop tablespoon-ish amounts onto wax paper and allow to cool. Yes, its really that simple.
Sinfully yummy too. 

My kids totally loved these! They were all gone withing two days (I really had to keep an eye out for little cookie monsters). That is why I have no photos of this particular adventure. 

I hope to try these with different mix-ins. Maybe if one comes out so amazing it just has to be shared - I'll post it here and shout it from the blog-top! :)

For now, Stay warm loves! 

-Mom

Craft dough without wheat!!!

While enjoying the Christmas season we were looking for some fun ways to create ornaments for the tree. The "doughs" I have seen before are wheat-full and therefor not appropriate for my family. 

In my quest for Gluten Free home made dough, I discovered a blog post that really got me excited.

I was so inspired that I thought "Hey - we are going to try this over the weekend or you know... NOW!" We did the whole dough-thing a few times during the Christmas season. It was super fun and novel since we have avoided "dough" for so long.


Out to the grocer I went to fetch copious amounts of baking soda and corn starch! I discovered that this is a very very affordable craft project! (Hail store brand cheapness ♥!)  It does help if you already have cookie cutters - but they had them at the Dollartree store in bags



of 6 Christmas shapes so even that was quite cost effective.






Gather the following~

2 cups of baking soda
1 cup of cornstarch
1 cup of water

How to cook up some GF craft dough:

• Combine the baking soda, cornstarch and water in a medium pot and stir over medium heat until all ingredients are dissolved. It begins very thin. Patience and a lot of stirring are necessary. Continue to stir using medium-low heat. Be careful not to scald the mixture. 
• Remove the hot mixture from the stove and allow to cool. While covered with a wet cloth.
• When cool knead dough. If mixture seems dry add a little water at a time. Kneed mixture until its smooth and still moist.
• Roll out dough to 1/4" or thicker and cut into shapes as desired.
• Bake shapes on foil covered cookie sheet in the oven. 175 degrees F for one hour, flip then bake for another hour at the same temp. The items need to cool completely prior to decorating. I turn the oven off and leave them inside. 



It starts out thin - be patient
and keep stirring!

• Once completely cool and dry shapes can be decorated then sealed with Modgepodge.  

 


This is what we did once we had cooled dough:

• First we rolled out dough to 1/4"  - too much thicker and we found that it won't cook all the way, thinner and it breaks too easily.
• We used cookie cutters or a plastic knife to create shapes.
• We found that a plain straw is easily used to make a hole in each ornament for the ribbon - Pinch the straw as you remove it at a 45ish degree angle from the dough so the holes edges are smoother.
• We used rubber stamps (both inked and dry), textured items (like keychains, fancy paperclips, and charms) to texturize and make impressions upon the surface. We tried both gold and silver ink too.
• We baked the ornaments at 175 f. for one hour, then flipped  them over and again for another hour. Then we just turned it off and did some non related things. The next day We looked to further decorate and seal the items.
• After baking we tried a variety of decorating ideas. We used markers, watercolor paints, and finger paints. Please, note that when you use ink it changes color a bit as it is baked and then sealed.
• Before sealing (using Modgepodge) we used Sharpie markers to write on the rear of each ornament. 

Craft  Dough  Ornaments - my take:

• After baking, carefully (*!*) file around the edges with a nail file or emery board - The big chunky kind seems to be easiest. This is a very messy step so we did it over the sink when it was to cold to go outside. Also be careful because shapes break easily during this step.

• Keep a bowl of water near by because you do not want your project to become dry. They will crack during baking if not moist enough when forming. 

• Also, I used a lot of paper to line the table we were working on. However, I found it better to use foil on the baking pan because the paper became wrinkled in the oven effecting the surface of the cut-out shapes. 

• After the first batch we decided it was easier to cook the dough in the evening after the kiddies were sleeping and save the dough for the morning. It saved wonderfully each time. 

• Clean up is very easy as the whole thing is water soluble. I ran the cutters and pan through the dishwasher. Obviously the paper helped a lot because it kept the dough off the table cloth. However we did get it all over a couple of kitchen towels and they washed out easily in the washing machine. Inks etc may not be as easy and sometimes they bleed so be cautious of that. 

I am already plotting some craft dough easter cut outs! I am thinking eggs and bunies. Eggs will be so fun for the kids since they don,t color real chicken eggs due to allergies. But if they texturize and color these we can bring them back out yearly! oh the possibilities!

I hope that you enjoy this dough too. It really is great fun! Perhaps you'll like some hearts for Dwyndwyn and Valentines. 

Warm Wishes, 

-Mom

Crock Pot Tacos

We love this taco recipe. I think it gives the packet stuff a run for its money! Obviously, we do not use the packet mix so we can control the details and avoid reactions. Another great thing about this recipe is that we make it in the crock pot! I add the meat while its still frozen so it's a great end of the week meal. I put the dial on low and let it cook all afternoon.

2 lb. frozen Ground Chuck
1 (1 lb.) Coined Frozen Okra
1 (15 oz.) Can Kidney Beans, rinsed
1 (28 oz.) Can Tomato Puree (I like Muir Glen)
1/2 Box Chicken Stock

1 tsp. Ground Cumin
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 tsp. Onion Powder
1/4 tsp. All Spice
1/4 tsp. Cloves
1/8 tsp. White Pepper
1 tsp. Chipotle Chilli Pepper Powder
1 tsp. Oregano
1 tsp. Coriander

Salt to taste before serving

We like to use crispy corn taco shells. We top with Daiya  and plain shred coleslaw mix. Sometimes we also top with guacamole.

You could use a fresh onion cubed and toss a couple of cubed jalapenos in there too. You could also mince a clove of garlic in place of the powder. Sometimes I just gotta get it all in the slow cooker and keep going and that is how the recipe here was born!

What do you like to do for tacos?
Stay warm my loves!

Hugs,-Mom

Happy New Years Eve * Family Party time!

Happy New Years! Goodbye 2013 and Welcome 2014

I am reflecting upon our family NYE celebration and came across a blog post I particularly like! This post highlights an entire evening of fun with almost no allergens! The blogger features a lot of 'glow in the dark' fun and I wish I had thought of that myself! You can read all of her awesome ideas too. So rather then recreate the wheel, so to speak, I decided to post a link to Craftibilities.

If you are interested in what we actually did read on! My family plans for allergy free New Years Eve:

We use brown bags time stamped with sharpie marker. Inside each bag is an index card with instructions for an activity. The kids watch the clock and get very excited to see whats in each bag.

Items on our activity cards (in no particular order) :

*Bake some box mix Gluten Free Betty Crocker Sugar Cookies adding 1/2 teaspoon of cardamon for traditional flare.

*Toast with Italian soda in non breakable glasses. (Glasses in 6 packs from the Dollar Tree)

*Snack! (Obviously you have to choose items that work for your family! We enjoy black eyed peas cooked with bacon and salsa, and moreso for the adults- pickled herring on party picks.)

*Play 'float the feather' (Float a feather in the air by blowing it to keep it from touching the floor)

*Play 'marshmallow toss' (Tons of ways to do this! Basically create a little game of throwing mini marshmallows into cups. This is easy to adjust to large or small groups. A little imagination goes a long way here.)

*Have a dance party hour featuring disco music (Found in the bag was lots of beads and the activity card. After donning the beads, Use Pandora apps genre 70s for the music. The kids find this ultra fun!)

*Family journal page (using: light colored, smooth 12x12 scrapbook paper and colored pencils - each person chooses a color page for themselves and writes their name on top and decorates the top a bit. Then they number the page into sections (1, 2, 3). We then pass the pages to the left and write next to 1) positive traits of the person listed. The pages are passed and written on until the back with the owner. Then the process is repeated for 2) Ways the person has improved or achieved in the last year. When each person has their page back we move on to 3) What dreams the owner has for the new year.

*Focus on New Beginings (Writing out one or two resolutions.)

*Play a game (We played Pictureka!)

Our party went great! We had a really fun time and look forward to next new years eve! We hope that you enjoyed your NYE celebration and would love to hear about it!
Happy 2014!

-Mom

~**Photos coming soon**~

Ginger Bread Cookies and houses!!!

On December 13 we celebrated Lucia Day. The Swedish Festival of Lights a particularly beautiful festival which we really enjoy.  One of the traditions includes enjoying gingerbread cookies. They smell so good and are fun to make. (You can get an idea of what a Lucia Festival is like here)

Gingerbread cookies are a staple of the holiday season! We have been baking them every weekend since Thanksgiving. My kiddies really enjoy the process and one batch covers a school week of snacks and lunch treats. Keep in mind friends, that there are always Dr.Lucy's gingersnap cookies if you want the flavor and not the baking. We love to bake them ourselves and particularly enjoy them during Lucia Day.

We really enjoy using cookies cutters for shaped gingerbread cookies. I thought I'd share how we do this - since there is a little trick involved. See below for directions!

Also, I noticed that many avoid gingerbread house making for fear of allergens. We will construct ours soon but since we don't generally eat it - we only create it, look at it, then discard it - I see no reason to use our yummy and not so cheap cookie dough in the process. I kind of like re-using card board from boxes. In fact the box of mix listed below is brown on the inside and very easy to cut! Most boxes are already brown and just gluing them together is fun! Cotton balls pulled and stretched make nice icing corners too. The dollar stores have a plethora of cheap things to glue on - and make a nice little project sans all food. Old magazines are colorful and when cut with circle punches make nice decor for the little house as well. This works well for us.

About the yummy cookies though already!

For yummy Gingerbread cookies to eat gather the following:

aluminum foil to line cookie sheet
cookie sheet, lined

wax paper

freezer access

cookie cutters and powdered and/or colored sugars (optional)

Mix the following together in a mixing bowl:

1 box Betty Crocker Gluten Free Sugar Cookie Mix (generally following the box directions but I do the steps below)
1 stick of Earth Balance, melted (or substitute of your choice equaling 1/2 cup melted)
1 tablespoon of Vanilla of your choice
1 egg substitute (I use teaspoon of ground flax mixed with 3 teaspoons of hot water)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg


Also * An extra cup of warm water as needed for dough consistency. Use your judgement on this as you mix up the dough. It should not be runny at all but should also be well blended. I do this by hand with plastic food service gloves. It should generally be about the consistency of Play Doh.

Once you mix up the dough roll it into a ball, divide it into two sections and place each on wax paper. Cover with an additional piece of wax paper and roll out the dough. Use the wax paper to keep the edges from being uneven. I prefer to make the dough about 1/4 inch thick. Thinner and it sticks, thicker and the cookie shape becomes distorted and non crispy.

Wrap the dough sheets in wax paper in and place it in the freezer for 30 minutes. Check at that time and it the dough is very stiff then remove and cut out your cookies. However if the dough is not stiff keep it longer in the freezer checking on it occasionally.

Generally follow the package directions for cooking. Note that when I do this the cookies always take longer then the box states. Also always let the cookies rest before eating them so they will be nice and crispy!

Enjoy your cookies!

-Mom