Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie

Ok, I'm not gonna lie, I enlisted the help of a pre-made pie crust and a can of Pumpkin Pie Mix. I planned to make the pie filling part from scratch, then my super awesome sister gave me a few cans of Pumpkin Pie Mix. Easy! Have I mentioned recently how much I like easy? This pie is gluten free AND dairy free! Score!

Here's what you will need:

Place the pie mix, 3/4 cup canned coconut milk and 2 slightly beaten eggs in a bowl and stir until combined. Pour in to a prebaked gluten free pie shell. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 35-40 minutes. 

Here's what your final product should look like!

Roasted Carrots, Parsnips and Sweet Potatoes

I like easy recipes. You know, the kind which require minimal ingredients yet always have an amazing flavor.

I also like almost anything when it's roasted. There's something magical that happens when you coat foods in raw butter or oil and roast them in the oven. Magical, I tell ya!  

I used to LOVE sweet potatoes with plenty of butter and brown sugar. I still enjoy those, however, I've come to adore plain ol' roasted sweet potatoes even more.

Roasted Carrots, Parsnips and Sweet Potatoes

6 Carrots

6 Parsnips

4 Sweet Potatoes

1/4 cup melted coconut oil

1/8 cup melted raw butter (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

Peel everything, cut in to bite sized pieces and place in a bowl. Pour the melted coconut oil and butter over the veggies, add salt and pepper then mix until everything is evenly coated. Pour on to a metal baking pan and roast in a 425 degree preheated oven for 35-45 minutes or until the veggies are fork tender. Enjoy! 

Chicken AND Mashed Potatoes

Do you remember when I told you all I would post a recipe a day leading up to Thanksgiving? Yeah, me too. Epic blogger fail! I'm making up for it today by giving you TWO recipes! 

I'm not a huge fan of turkey. As a matter of fact, I could go a whole holiday season just eating all the side items. I do, however, like chicken. We've been eating more of it lately since I discovered it can be made whole in a Crock Pot. It's super easy and totally delicious!

Whole Roasted Crock Pot Chicken

1 Free Range Pasture Raised Chicken (local if possible) 

1 onion thickly sliced

1 tsp rosemary

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp ground cayenne

Combine all the dry spices in a small dish. Place the sliced onions in the bottom of the Crock Pot. Coat the chicken with your spice mixture all over the outside and on the inside. Place the chicken on top of the onions and cook on high for 4 hours. Do not add any liquid, it isn't necessary. Don't forget to save those bones to make home made, gut healthy stock!  

Red Mashed Potatoes

5 pounds of red potatoes

1 cup salted butter

1/2-3/4 cups of heavy cream or half and half

salt and pepper to taste

Cut potatoes in quarters and steam them until a fork will easily go through, usually about 25 minutes. Place butter in a large bowl and add hot potatoes. Add cream, salt and pepper and mash. That's it! Easy peasy! 

Deviled Eggs

We cannot have a holiday with out Deviled Eggs. Seriously. If I don't make these, my 6'8" brother-by-love will go berzerk. You do not want to see him go nuts over some eggs. It isn't pretty. Okay, that may be a slight eggzageration. Ha! You see what I did there?! Anywhoo, here's my tried and true recipe!

Mama's (I'm referring to myself there) Deviled Eggs 

~  1 dozen boiled eggs
~  1/2 C real mayonnaise
~ 1 Tbsp yellow mustard
~ 1-2 tsp vinegar
~ 1/8 tsp ground cayenne
~ Salt and pepper to taste
~ Paprika or cayenne for garnish

Cut your peeled eggs in half lengthwise and place the yolks in a mixing bowl. Add all other ingredients and mix with a hand mixer until well blended. Transfer the yolk mixture to a Ziploc bag. Snip the corner and fill your eggs. Top them with a sprinkling of paprika or cayenne, if you like it spicy! Refrigerate until ready to serve.  

Thanksgiving Food.

Next week is Thanksgiving, Y'all! Can you even believe it?

This photo of Landon from 2010 always makes me giggle. He's all like, "gimme that turkey leg!". :-)

I've been working incessantly on coming up with a gluten free menu to share with all of you. I've seriously been thinking about this and developing new recipes for weeks. It's been a ton of fun!

We stay away from dairy as much as possible on a daily basis, with the exception of raw butter, which I use a lot. The foods we will be eating on Thanksgiving are mostly dairy free but not totally.  

Take a peek at what will be on our table next week.

Starters

~ Deviled Eggs ~ GF

~ Relish Tray ~ GF, DF

The Feast

~ Turkey AND Chicken ~ GF, DF

~ Ham ~ GF, DF

~ Mashed Red Potatoes ~ GF

~ Creamed Corn ~ GF

~ Cornbread Stuffing ~ GF, DF

~ Cranberries ~ GF, DF

~ Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Carrots and Parsnips ~ GF, DF

~ Green Beans Amandine with Bacon ~ GF

~ Dinner rolls ~ GF, DF

Finishers

~ Pumpkin Pie ~ GF, DF

~ Cheesecake ~ GF

~ Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins ~ GF

*GF = Gluten Free

*DF - Dairy Free

Every single one of these items are completely gluten free yet still flavorful and satisfying! 

I will post recipes very soon. As a matter of fact, I will be posting at least one recipe a day from now until Thanksgiving. 

Stay tuned! 

Bone Broth, Chicken and Overcoming Intimidation.

This is actually considered a stock, due to the addition of veggies and spices. You could leave those out to make a traditional bone broth, however, I don't because I love the added flavor.

I've been doing some (by some, I mean tons of) reading and researching about bone broth. Turns out, it has some pretty spectacular health benefits and is amazing for gut healing. It's no wonder chicken soup is seen as a cure all for illness. When made properly, it actually does wonders for our bodies!

I'm weird about bones in my food. I don't like them and have a hard time eating anything off of a bone. I know, it's not normal. Whatevs. I also get grossed out when I have to handle raw meat. I'm working through it! Kind of.  

I decided to suck it up and get over it. I made a whole chicken in the crock pot, had Scott pull all the meat from it when it was done, then threw the bones back in the pot to make broth. 

Here's the basic process I used. 

First of all, I purchased one free range pasture raised chicken. This is very important in my opinion, especially when you will be making broth from the bones. I spiced it up with paprika, crushed rosemary, salt, pepper, garlic powder and bit of cayenne. I rubbed that all over the outside and inside of the chicken. I also thickly sliced one onion and put everything in the crock pot on high for 4 hours. It was amazing!

For the broth, I left all the drippings and onions in the pot then I tossed the bones back in, added 3 whole carrots, 4 whole pieces of celery including the leafy parts, 2 bay leaves, a bit more salt, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (this helps break down the bones and pull all of the good nutrition out) and filled it to the top with filtered water. I then let it go on low for approximately 48 hours, adding water as needed. I poured it through a strainer in to jars which I will freeze until I'm ready to use. 

I'm pretty sure I just saved myself at least $20 or more AND made something way more nutritious. This cannot be purchased in a grocery store! I can't believe I was intimidated by the process for so long. It's SUPER easy and totally fool proof!

Have you ever made your own bone broth or stock? Does the idea of doing so seem like too much work? I want to hear from you!

Grain/Gluten Free Waffles

Grain/Gluten Free Waffles

~ 3 eggs {we prefer free range, cage free}

~ 2 tsp apple cider vinegar {we prefer Braggs}

~ 2 TBSP honey OR 2 TBSP sugar

~ 1 C milk of your choice (we use coconut or almond milk)

~ 1 TBSP butter (melted) {we prefer raw butter from grass fed cows}

~ 1 TBSP coconut oil (melted)

~ 3 C finely ground almond flour {we prefer Honeyville}

~ 2 tsp ground cinnamon

~ 1 tsp baking soda

~ 1 tsp baking powder

~ (optional) 1/4 cup tapioca starch {this will make the waffles a bit crispy}

Place your eggs, vinegar and honey in a blender and blend on high for about 3 minutes. Add milk, butter and coconut oil and blend for another 2 minutes. Add all other ingredients and blend for 3 minutes. You want this to have a bit thicker consistency than wheat flour based waffle batter. Add more flour or milk to reach your desired consistency. Add batter to your heated waffle iron. This recipe makes approximately 8 large waffles. I freeze what we don't eat and pop them in the toaster on the mornings we're in a rush.

Landon likes these plain or drizzled with a bit of honey. They are delicious either way. You can top them with whatever you like.  

Grain/Gluten Free Chocolate Delight Brownies

My dear friend Laura posted on Facebook last week about some amazing brownies she made using almond flour and coconut oil. I asked for her recipe and she happily shared it with me. Thank YOU, Laura! I tweaked things a little bit and am now sharing it with you! 

Landon and I have made these twice this week! He loves to help me in the kitchen and I adore having him at my side as I create new recipes. We sing songs about love as we mix every thing together because we believe that's the best way to infuse love in to our goodies. I guarantee they taste better when we do this! He also gives me an abundance of hugs and kisses in between adding ingredients. It's darling and precious. Memories I'm certain he and I will treasure forever. Get your kids in the kitchen with you. It's a wonderful way to be in teaching moments without them even realizing it!

We hope you enjoy these brownies as much as we do!   

Grain Free Chocolate Delight Brownies

~ 2 eggs (I always use cage free, free range)

~ 1/4 C coconut oil (I like organic)

~ 1/4 C butter (I use raw, grass fed)

~ 2 tsp apple cider vinegar (I prefer Bragg's)

~ 2 tsp pure vanilla extract 

~ 3/4 C sugar (I used beet sugar because it's what I had on hand. You can also use coconut sugar or cane sugar. Add more or less depending how sweet you want your brownies.)

~ 1/3 C cocoa powder

~ 1/4 C + 1 Tbsp coconut flour (Bob's Red Mill)

~ 1/4 C almond flour (I like Honeyville)

~ 1/4 tsp baking soda
~ 1/2 tsp baking powder

~ 1/4 tsp salt

~ 1/4 C chocolate chips

Melt the butter and coconut oil. In a blender, combine the eggs, apple cider vinegar, butter and coconut oil. Blend for about 2 minutes. Then add the sugar and vanilla to the egg mixture. Blend for about a minute. Add all other dry ingredients and blend for about 3 minutes or until thoroughly combined. You may need to stop halfway through to scrape the sides of the blender. Stir in the chocolate chips, pour in to a greased 8 x 8 glass pan and bake for approximately 25 minutes. Store in the refrigerator in an air tight container. 

Side Notes: If you have a nut allergy, use 1/2 C coconut flour total and eliminate the almond flour. If you like your brownies cake-like, use 3 eggs. You DO NOT have to use a blender, however, using one makes a smoother finished product. If you don't have a blender, simply mix the wet ingredients followed by all dry ingredients. These will still taste awesome!

Enjoy with a big glass of Coconut Milk!

Chocolately goodness!

See how happy these brownies made Landon!

Bite Size Stuffed Peppers w/ Feta and Cranberries

Fall is here and I'm loving it! I have the fall scents going in my wax warmers, I'm making fall food lists in my head, my hoodies are ready, my boots are practically jumping on my feet. You know, all the stuff that says Hi, I'm Fall and I'm ready to play! 

One thing I've been craving lately is stuffed peppers. The version I came up with last night can totally be a summer dish too if you throw them on the grill. I added feta and cranberries to make them more Fall-ish. 

Would you like to know a secret? I'm a frugal Mama. Okay, so that's really no secret. I try to balance all of the expensive things necessary for Landon with the super savings I am able to find on other items. All except 2 ingredients in this recipe were purchased at Aldi. I started shopping there regularly when Landon got sick out of sheer necessity. Times were tough. I still make an Aldi trip monthly because, frankly, it just makes sense. Also, because sometimes, money is still tight. OH, and because it's absolutely ludicrous to me to spend more money on the exact same items in a different store, with more marketing and mark up. You do have to read labels at Aldi (which I always do anyway) because you will find many products with high fructose corn syrup (cheap additive), which we always avoid. They did recently come out with an organic line! Exciting! 

I digress... 

Back to peppers. One thing I love about this recipe is the versatility. You can get creative with your ingredients and make lots of different flavors. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Bite Size Stuffed Peppers w/ Feta and Cranberries

- 20ish small sweet peppers (jalapeños would also be superb!)

- 1 lb pork sausage

- 16 oz. cream cheese

- 6 oz. feta cheese crumbles

- 1/8 cup dried cranberries

- 1 tsp each of garlic powder, onion powder and ground cayenne pepper (or more according to your tastes)

**I did end up with extra filling, which I will use later for another recipe. If you have extra, freeze it!

Mmmm...peppers...

Brown the sausage in a skillet.  

Mmmmm...sausage...

While the sausage is cooking, remove the stems from the peppers and slice them in half. 

Mmmmm...peppers again...

Mix the cream cheese, spices and sausage together in a bowl. Once those are thoroughly combined, gently add in the feta cheese. 

Mmmm...cheesy filling...

Fill your peppers and top with a few dried cranberries.

Ready to go in to the oven!

Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. That's it! Super easy and delicious! 

Ready to go in to my tummy!

Delectable Blueberry Muffins - Gluten Free/Grain Free/Dairy Free

Today, Landon and I created a new recipe for blueberry muffins. This kid, he loves his blueberries! We discovered recently that his tummy likes them too and it's been a love affair ever since.

Let me tell you, I don't usually post a recipe until I've made it several times. However, I'm not waiting on this one because I'm pretty sure I nailed it! My first experience baking with coconut flour was today. It is much different than almond flour as it definitely soaks up the liquid more. I'm kind of in love with coconut flour now. It smells divine and creates a very nice texture to the finished product. Another thing, I try to keep my ingredients simple. Most of what I used I have in my pantry or refrigerator. Anyway, these are tasty and I'm pretty sure my husband would even like them! Of course, I would have to let him believe they were full of wheat flour and processed sugar. 

Gluten/Grain/Dairy Free Blueberry Muffins

3/4 C natural unsweetened applesauce (I use this in the place of oil)

1/2 C raw local honey

1/2 C almond milk (you could also use rice milk)

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

4 eggs

1 and 1/2 Tbsp pure vanilla extract

3/4 C blueberries (I used organic frozen but you could most definitely use fresh)

2 C almond flour

1 C coconut flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

Mix all the wet ingredients together in order, by hand. Add the dry ingredients and mix until everything is incorporated. Add the blueberries at the very end. Scoop in to a muffin tin (I like to use the paper liners for less clean up) and bake at 325 degrees for 22-26 minutes. The tops will begin to turn golden brown. Eat at least one immediately! Enjoy!