Mixed Greens

These greens are so flavorful that I ate them up like candy. Too bad the kids complain about everything and think that the texture of greens is so bad they are going to dye when they eat them.

I'll give you the recipe first: 

3 baby bok choy

1 bag of mixed greens from Trader Joe's (kale, spinach and swis chard) - if you don't have a Traders in your area, just pick up some of these greens and you will have to do more chopping.

5 cloves garlic (minced)

2 T olive oil

1-2 T balsamic vinegar

1/4 c water

1. Sauté the garlic in the olive oil on medium heat till it starts to simmer a little, don't let it burn.

2. Add the greens and cook till almost wilted about 1-2 mins.
3. Add the water and vinegar and cook till the liquid is completely reduced and serve. They are so taste, you don't need salt and pepper. Serve with a yummy, healthy, and organic protein.

Then watch your kids be all dramatic when they are eating like this:

And this:

I know, I am a horrible mom that I feed my kids this awful stuff. But that's what happens when your dad practices Functional Medicine! I hope yours enjoy it more then mine.

Kristen and Premier IFM

Oven Roasted Veggies

Here is a super simple, super easy recipe for you. One of our favorites, oven roasted veggies.

This one is a favorite for the kids because they can get a lot of what they like and for the adults because it has all the healthy food we need. Even in this household we don't get enough of a variety. 

Here is the recipe:

1 head of cauliflower

1 bunch of broccoli

1 bag of mushrooms sliced or whole

1 zuccini or yellow squash

1 red bell pepper

2 carrots

5 cloves garlic (minced)

2 T olive oil

1 T macadamia nut oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Chop veggies, garlic and onions and toss with oils. Bake at 450 for 20 mins or until roasted. 

I hope you enjoy these as much as us! And remember, Food IS Medicine.

Kristen

Gluten & Corn Free Holiday: Stuffing

Stuffing! How do you have your turkey without Stuffing! I think it is the hardest around the holidays to be gluten free or have any dietary sensitivities for that matter. Cooking yourself is really the only way to ensure you will not be hurting after a big Thanksgiving feast. Luckily, Trader Joe's has been a huge help in this area. In our family, corn hurts us almost more then gluten. At least right away it does. So, when I found this boxed stuffing from Trader Joe's I was so excited!

For this evening I made the stuffing almost just like the box says. I followed the stove top directions but instead of water, I used turkey stock. Then I baked it at 350 until the tops were golden brown.

Another variation is to cook up some onions, celery and sausage (if you like walnuts, you can add those too) in a frying pan while the turkey stock is heating up. Then mix in the onions, celery and sausage with the stuffing before baking it.

I hope you enjoy your gluten and corn free Thanksgiving or Christmas dinners.

Kristen and Premier IFM

Gluten & Corn Free Holiday: Green Bean Casserole

After a few years of being gluten and corn free, we have finally been able to make an entire gluten free Thanksgiving meal. Today I am going to share with you our green bean casserole recipe.

One of the things we struggle with is that when you have store bought gluten free items, often times, they add a corn product in place of the gluten. This makes it very difficult for us to have anything that isn't prepared at home. The bright side of this is that we have found and come up with some wonderful recipes where nobody would even know it was gluten free.

Casserole Ingredients:

2 T Olive Oil
1 sm onion
8 oz white button mushrooms (chopped small)
2 cloves garlic
2 T gluten free flour (I used Pamela's all purpose gluten free flour)
2 T butter
2 c milk
1/4 t salt
1 bag frozen french cut green beans
1/2 cup fresh grated Romano cheese (divided)

Fried Onion Ingredients:

1/4 c gluten free flour mix
1/4 c milk
1 large onion cut into thin strips
1/8 t salt
about 1/2 c grapeseed oil

First make the casserole:

1. In a large sauce pan sauté the onions and garlic in the olive oil.

2. Add the mushrooms when the onions are almost translucent, sauté until mushrooms are tender.

3. Remove onions and mushrooms from the pan. Turn the burner to low and make a roux with 2 T butter and gluten free flour. Melt the butter and add the flour. stir till mixed completely, but don't let it burn. Next add the milk SLOWLY. Simmer until thick and bubbly.

4. Add back the onions and mushrooms. Also add the salt.

5. Add the green beans and 1/2 the parmesan and stir.

6. Transfer all of this to a square casserole dish and bake at 350 for 30 mins.

Now make the fried onions.

1. Cut the onions into very thin strips. I used a small onion and it wasn't enough, so use 2 small or 1 large onion. Meanwhile heat the grapeseed oil.

2. Soak the onions in the milk then shake them in a bag with your gluten free flour and salt.

3. Test the oil first to see if it is hot enough with one onion. If it is hot enough the onion will sizzle when dropped in. Use tongs to drop them in the oil covering the bottom of the pan. Take them out when they are crisp and golden brown.

4. When the casserole is done, top with the remaining Romano and the french fried onions and bake for another 10 mins.

I hope you enjoy your Gluten Free Thanksgiving as much as us! Please let us know what you think.

Kristen and Premier IFM

Gluten & Corn Free Holiday! Candied Yams

This whole world of food sensitivities has been a bit rough, but after a couple years of working on recipes, substituting things and finding what works it is starting to come together for me. If you are gluten, dairy or corn free, don't worry, you can still enjoy your holiday favorites. Today's recipe is Candied Yams. I never liked them until I tried my husband's aunt's recipe. Actually, I never liked any of the Thanksgiving meal when I was younger and now that I do, I can't eat any of it without being in pain.

I have 2 varieties of this recipe, today we are going to do the Gluten & Corn free version. Tomorrow we will go with dairy free also.

You will need:

1 c gluten free flour (I use Pamela's Artisan Gluten Free Flour)

1 c gluten free oats

1 c brown sugar, softened

2/3 c butter

2 cups cranberries

pure maple syrup

5 fresh yams

This picture is a smaller batch...

1. Peel and chop yams. 

2. Boil yams till tender but not mushy.

3. While the yams are boiling, mix gluten free flour, gluten free oats, brown sugar and butter in a bowl until crumbly.

4. When the yams are cooked, put them in a baking dish and drizzle with maple syrup. Add the cranberries and 1/2 the crumb mixture. Mix it all up. Top with remaining mixture.

5. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

If you are very adventurous in the kitchen you can make some homemade marshmallows and when the yams are finished, top with marshmallows, broil them till golden and watch them closely so they don't catch fire.

Another batch without the extra crumb mixture on top.

Don't forger to check out gluten-free spiced cranberries!

***Update: Trader Joe's has some already chopped and pealed yams. If you don't mind non organic this is an easy option to make the meal a lot quicker.

Kristen and Premier IFM

Wheat and Cow's Milk Free Chicken Parmesan

Since little C and I were tested for food sensitivities, we have had to say good bye to some of our favorite foods. It has taken some time, but I have found ways to recreate a few of them. I had a craving for some good Italian food and I have really been missing the cheese. So, I set out to make some good ol' Chicken Parmesan.

I started with this Hunt's tomato sauce that I bought quite a while ago and added some Wild Tree seasonings to make a spaghetti sauce. I love that this sauce is in a box and not a can.

I pounded the chicken flat.

Dipped it in egg...

Then I dipped it in the Ian's Panko Gluten Free Bread Crumbs mixed with some sheep cheese and seasonings. By clicking on here you can see them on Amazon.

After that I pan browned both sides.

Then I put the chicken in a pan with the sauce and Sheep Romano another cheese I can't find the name of. It is a lighter flavor like mozzarella.

These are my absolute favorite noodles. If I get any other quinoa noodles, they have corn flour and we can not have corn in my house. These Brown Rice, Quinoa noodles also have the best texture to them, just like drum wheat noodles.

Sadly, I don't have a finished product picture. The dinner was so good we all ate it all up. I was very happy to have a yummy pasta and cheesy dinner without all the stomach ache.

Gluten Free Pancakes

I'm still working on those morning meals. Pancakes is a favorite around here, but unless you have some eggs to go with them or some nut butter on top, they are just not a good start to a day. It's basically a bread (turns into sugar in the body) topped with sugar. But, we do have them as a treat on occasion. 

I hate when I start making something only to notice I am out of an ingredient I need! I went to make the pancakes, told the kids that's what we were having and I was completely out of my Pamela's Pancake Mix which is so simple to use. Luckily, I had a ton of Pamela's Bread Mix to replace the all purpose flour in my regular pancake recipe and of course, I used Coconut Oil, my favorite oil for baking.

When ever I use the bread mix, I have noticed my dough is a sticky. Just an observation. It doesn't bother me unless I am making tortillas because you use your hands for those. Even though the dough is a little sticky, they cook great on my cast-iron skillet with a little coconut oil. This is my absolute favorite cooking pan! I use it for EVERYTHING! Plus all I need to do is wipe it clean with a wet cloth when I'm done. I have one in my trailer and one in my kitchen.

First try replacing all purpose flour with my Pamela's Gluten Free Bread Mix and they were a hit with the kids!

If I figure out a tasty high fiber recipe, I will share that as well. In the mean time, these are great for a little treat or to accompany a good protein.

Gluten Free Banana Muffins

After chronic stomach aches and sore throats without being sick, we had our son tested for food sensitivities and we found out he can't have wheat, corn and peanuts. Those are high on his list of sensitivities but, there are other things he can have only occasionally like, soy, gluten, and asparagus among others. 

Now, we have entered the world of gluten free (if you can't have wheat, just go for gluten free). The hard part is, many gluten free products have corn in them. Corn is almost an immediate reaction for my son and I. I also find soy in many products, even though soy is lower on his list, it is still there and he can not have it every day so I have to avoid products without soy. We have found gluten free breads to not be very good and I like to make my own stuff at home anyway. I am so excited to have found Pamela's Gluten free Bread Mix! I can use it as an all purpose flour and make home made bread. 

As we are preparing for school, I'm trying to come up with some different things for breakfast for my kids that is not just sugar like cereals. We can do eggs and oatmeal, but none of us want those every day. So, I'm making some healthy muffins.

I used my Pamela's Bread Mix as an all purpose flour for banana bread and added a little almond meal (not to be confused with finer almond flour) for some extra protein. Instead of white refined sugar, I used honey. This is not the honey I use for my energy balls, when we will be eating the honey raw, I always use raw local honey from our local farmers market. The cheaper honey is for baking and cooking only. 

L decided to help when it was time to fill the muffin tins.

I needed my little helper to taste test them for me because I can't have almonds. They were a success! The kids loved them and they will make a great breakfast or snack in their lunches.

Recipe:

1 1/2 c Pamela's Bread Mix
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t cinnamon
1 egg
1 c mashed bananas (3 large bananas)
1/3 c honey
1/4 c coconut oil
1/2 c almond meal (or oatmeal if you can't have nuts)

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Test with a tooth pick for doneness.

Let me know what you think if you try them.

Kristen

Gluten & Corn Free Holiday - Cranberries

I never really like cranberries growing up. It didn't matter if they were fresh or canned. They just weren't good. Until a quite a few years ago, a friend brought some to our Thanksgiving dinner. She had given me a jar a couple weeks earlier, but I hadn't opened them yet, so I didn't know what I was in for.

The difference in these are the spices added. They make every part of the meal better, mix them with stuffing, add them on top of turkey, sneak a little into the green beans. I just can't get enough of them. Then the next day have them on a gluten free bagel with cream cheese.

This is one recipe I have not changed!

Recipe:

4 c cranberries
1/2 c water
3 cinnamon sticks
5 whole cloves
5 allspice berries
2 c sugar

Directions:

Put the cloves and allspice in a little spice bag or a tea thingy. Yep, that's what I call it. Add that to the water and cranberries. Cook till they pop. Add the sugar and cook down a bit.

That little white thing is cheese cloth. The kids played with my tea thingy one too many times and I don't have any spice bags so I made one.

The cranberries are perfect on pancakes! I jar them and eat them year around because you can only get fresh cranberries in the store during November and December.

Kristen

Recipe - No Bake Energy Balls

Now that I am feeling a little less overwhelmed, I am back to blogging and surfing blogs again. Today I found this wonderful recipe for energy balls at Smashed Peas and Carrots.

Too bad, my picture isn't quite as good as hers. Even so, it looked like something my family would love so I had to try it. The only thing is, I can never follow a recipe exact, I'm always changing things up a bit. So, here is my version.

1 c oatmeal

1 c unsweetened coconut

3/4 c flax seed

1/2 c all natural peanut butter or any other nut butter (for those that can't have peanut butter like my son)
1/3 c honey 
1/4 cup semi sweet soy free chocolate chips or 1 packet Nestle chocolate milk powder (this change was because it was the only choc. I had in the house.)

My ingredients:
I buy oatmeal in bulk because it is cheaper and we go through a ton in our house between these energy balls and breakfast. Since my son can't have wheat, corn, peanuts or soy, I can't do normal sandwiches for lunch. These energy balls are a great protein to replace peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or processed lunch meat.

My coconut comes from the bulk bins at Sprouts.

Our chocolate chips must be soy free again because of my son.

I usually buy the nut butters at Trader Joe's because they have a smoother texture and stronger flavor.

I always get local honey at our weekly farmers market. It helps with allergies.

Mix it all together.

Form it into little balls, it helps to wet your hands every few balls to prevent it from sticking to your hands. Then refrigerate. I store mine in the fridge because I used the peanut butter you have to stir. They were delicious! My kids loved them. I loved them. Mr. C loved them.

Kristen