Worth Sharing

Aaaahhh...the quiet of the early morning.  I woke up at 5am and couldn't go back to sleep.   I prayed for about 30 minutes and then got up and decided to write this morning before the day gets started and the house is still asleep.

I had talked about sharing information that I have found on gluten free and dairy free.  First, I want to know why it's so expensive to be on special diets.  All the food, loaded with all the crap that actually makes us sick, is cheap.  But the healthy food?  So I have been determined to do gluten free/dairy free as budget friendly as I can. And I have to give the kiddo some props. He has adjusted to this soooo well. He asks me before he eats something or if there is something that he would like from the pantry, 'mommy, does this have diary and gluten in it?'

I have looked at the snacks on the grocery store shelf that are GFCF (Gluten Free Casein Free) and unless you can find them on sale, you will pay a small fortune for it.  Luckily, when we were visiting family I had the opportunity to shop several different stores and found some items that I could stock up on and bring home and paid half the price.  That was a blessing! But, for the rest of the time, I have had to be creative.  So here we go...I will share my research and what I have found and what E man will eat!

Websites.  Here are a list of websites that have recipes and information. 
Gluten Free Girl and The Chef
Adventures of a Gluten Free Mom She also does a weekly menu!
Simply Gluten Free
Go Dairy Free
The Whole Gang
Living Without
Gluten Free Goddess
Simply Sugar and Gluten Free
The Primal Home
Alisa Cooks - there is also a free cookbook you can download on this site

There are some GFCF products that I like too -
For sandwich bread and hamburger/hot dog buns... Udi's

For milk, yogurt, ice cream... I like So Delicious the ice cream...is sooooo much better than regular ice cream. It is light, creamy and feels 'clean'. E man also drinks the unsweetened coconut milk. We go through about a half gallon a week - the same as we did for regular milk.

For a quick frozen meal... I like Amy's Kitchen I bought one of the kids meals to have on hand in case of emergency...it was the baked ziti with broccoli, focaccia and apple crisp. Well, that meal didn't stand a chance.  E man ate it up! Every last bite. Guess I will keep a couple more on hand just in case. Amy's GF pizza with dairy free cheese was good! E and I had that when we visited family. I can't find the pizzas here - but on my trip to the store today I have a list of requests for them!

Mayo...I love Dukes. It's sugar free, and well, it just tastes better with fewer ingredients.

Salt - you will see below that I use Himalayan pink sea salt. It has the full spectrum of minerals that are needed. It's raw. Not processed. I bought mine at  Trader Joe's and paid little for it.

Sugars - I don't like refined sugars so I buy the organic sugars or raw sugar. The less processing, the better.  I really try to not let E have any sugar except for naturally occurring, but we have to make cookies or cupcakes now and then and I use organic, natural sugars to do so. There is also an organic powdered sugar that I like Wholesome Sweeteners I can find this in the grocery store easily.

Butter replacement - I use the tub and sticks of Earth Balance.  I use the stick when a recipe calls for butter and I use the tub as a spread on toast, or to make mashed potatoes. It works well for dairy free.

Dairy free cheese - well...we have tried Daiya vegan cheese.  It makes mac and cheese well. The little guy eats it up. That's all I will say. :)

And then, there are just meals I make up.  Here is my coconut chicken recipe.  {Mind you, I don't measure things as I cook. But this is pretty close to measurement.}

Coconut Chicken

3 Chicken breast or a package of chicken tenders
1 egg, beaten

½ cup gluten free bread crumbs
½ cup shredded all natural, unsweetened coconut
Salt and Pepper to taste (I use Himalayan Pink Sea Salt)
Olive Oil

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with non stick cooking spray. Wash and pat dry the chicken breast or chicken tenders.  In one bowl or flat dish, crack the egg and beat it.  In a separate bowl or flat dish mix the bread crumbs and coconut and salt and pepper.  Dip the chicken in the egg coating all sides of the chicken and then into the bread crumb mixture, coating all sides of the chicken. Place chicken on prepared baking sheet.  Discard leftover egg and crumbs. Lightly drizzle the top of the chicken with olive oil. Put chicken in the oven and bake until done. (10-15 minutes for tenders, 20-30 minutes for breasts).

Suggested sides:
Veggies
Corn on the cob
Potato Salad
Sweet Potato Fries

I do subscribe to different company's newsletters and 'like' them on Facebook. That's where I can find some coupons!! 

My morning time is coming to an end...I will share more recipes over the coming weeks and as I create something new.  We made cupcakes...that was an adventure and crash course in DFCF baking! 

Blessings for your day.