This next recipe is super easy to throw together. I simply combine all the ingredients into my magic bullet and blend for 30 seconds. Then I'm ready to start cooking! The result is a fancy and delicious crepe your guests will not be able to decipher the difference between the real thing! 

If you haven't discovered Oat Flour yet, let me one of the firsts to tell you a little bit about it. It's fantastic. It's a versatile gluten free flour that not only you -but your whole family will love! Check out some of the great benefits and recipes below:

This next recipe was created for my nephew's birthday. He turned 12 on 12/13/14. Fun date huh! 

I had never attempted breadsticks before this point but decided to use my Quick Gluten Free Dinner Roll recipe as the base. They turned out fantastic! Even the non-gluten-free eaters were loving them! Get this- my biggest critic- even had 3! ;) 

The bag method I use for these is super easy. It just takes a steady hand of squeezing. ;) 
These breadsticks are gluten and dairy free but if you can eat butter- they're all the yummier! 
Enjoy!

(Gluten Free, Dairy Free)
Created by jalene

Yields over 20 Breadsticks (5 to 6 inches long)
Ingredients: 

• 2 Tbsp yeast
  
• 1 & 1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees)
• 6 Tbsp grapeseed oil 
• 1/4 cup sugar (I use evaporated cane juice sugar)
• 2 cups brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp potato starch
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp tapioca starch
• 1 & 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 2 eggs

You'll also need: 

• Garlic Salt
• For dairy Free: 1/4 cup extra grapeseed oil OR melted Earthbalance OR 
  
• for dairy infested: 1/4 cup melted butter

Thanksgiving is so close I can taste it!!! Are you ready?! Have you seen my getting ready for a Gluten Free Thanksgiving post? Searching for a yummy grain free crust still? May I suggest this next recipe? Can I ask any more questions? ;) 

I was a little skeptical of this next recipe because it's main ingredient are nuts. I'm not a huge nut fan by any means. But goodness sakes. Pecans, butter and sugar- all baked together- create this magical flavor. It's so good, it's changing my mind about ol' nuts. 

This crust works best with a custard style pie. I've tried apple pie and pumpkin pie but the crust tends to get a little mushy with those. A cheesecake would be yummy with it too! 

It's really simple to throw together. No rolling. Just press it into you pan. Enjoy! 

Directions: 

1. In a food processor grind your nuts, cinnamon and sugar together until it resembles a meal. Mix in the melted butter until well combined. 
2. Press the mixture into your pie pan. Chill the crust for 30 minutes in the refrigerator. 
3. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 
4. Place the crust on a cookie sheet in the middle rack of your oven and bake about 15 minutes or until lightly brown. Watch carefully, nuts burn easily. Cool completely before filling. 

This next post is kind of different. It's not a regular recipe but a recipe for success for those who are interested. 

Let me start by sharing an article that was published yesterday by the Columbus Dispatch titled "Thousands break Ebola quarantine to find food." In Sierra Leone, thousands are breaking their quarantine because they are starving. Quarantine rules have restricted food in and out of towns of which the government, along with help from the U.N.'s World Food Program, is supposed to be monitoring. Restrictions though have made food scarce, and scarcity has driven up the prices so that people can not afford what little food is available. Simply put it's a tough lesson of supply and demand. Although it could affect all of us because these food-seeking-quarantine-breakers carry one of the deadliest diseases known to date. 

The honest truth is that disaster may strike at our door. Whether it be from man-made disasters, ailments, or disease, even the government advises us to be prepared. 

And getting prepared has been on my brain lately. Hence this post. So, let's start at the basics: 

Now take that 3 day emergency kit and multiply it by 30- That's what it's going to take for a 3 month supply. Granted, you don't need to fit it all into a back pack luckily. ;)

Planning for 3 months takes a little bit of thought. We have found that this webiste: Food Storage Made Easy breaks down a great plan of how to get started. They also have some great gluten free food storage ideas. 

Start by estimating how much product you use in a 3 months time and then keep that amount on your shelves. If you use up a package of something, replace it by adding the new one to the back of your supply as to continually rotate your food through. 

Of course some items are difficult to have 3 months worth of such as meats, fresh fruit and vegetables. Frozen or canned options work well. We prefer frozen but in a case of power outage the freezer would become worthless. 

It's hard to even wrap your brain around how much food 1 person can eat in a year. I thought a visual might help (see the picture to the left compliments of Augason Farms). Now multiply that by however many people you have in your family... and whew! 

So, where to begin...

Don't get overwhelmed but this might be bigger than you thought. I know at first when I was figuring out just how much food storage to buy I thought "Ok, if I want to eat 3 servings a day for an entire year that equals out to 1,095 servings per person. We have 4 in our family so we will need at least 4,380 servings!" But when I really started to think about it, we are actually supposed to have multiple servings each meal! 

The American Heart Association says that if you're trying to keep a 2,000 calorie/day diet you need the following EACH DAY: 

• 6-8 servings of grains
• 4-5 servings of vegetables
• 4-5 servings of fruit
• 2-3 servings of dairy product
• 6 oz of meat
• 2-3 servings of oils
• less than 1 serving of nuts, seeds, and legumes
• less than 1 serving of sweets

That's roughly 21 servings a day. For a family of 4- I actually need closer to 30,660 servings! Yikes! So, where do we begin!?!

Some food storage companies actually offer 4-person, 1 year food storage packages with up to 32,000 servings but it's tricky to find ones that are gluten free. (PS- My husband claims he can live off of 2 meals a day but I say better to be safe than hungry!) 

So, when it comes time to make the important purchase of long-term food storage items, how do you know where to shop? Let me answer your question with a question. Want to see a cool site? This site actually compares the top emergency food stores available. Their #1 choice is The Ready Store. I haven't shopped there but they are very allergy friendly! I personally have been very impressed with Thrive. 

Excellent question. They both have key pros and cons. Let's explore both of them and you can decide.

So, how do you know what to store for a year's amount of time?
The Food Guys have a great food storage calculator that you can plug in the amount of adults and kids in your family and then it will give you a basic recommendation of a year's supply minimums. We used this as a guide and then substituted our needs in place of what we are allergic to (ie wheat and dairy products). 

For example, our recommendation says to have on hand 450 lbs of wheat. We are replacing that number with other grains such as oats and rice as well as with more beans and lentils. We do have some wheat in our food storage from before our gluten free days. We don't plan to throw it out though. We intend to sprout it (which can easily be done on some moist paper towels if needed) and then consume the wheat grass. Just be aware that the sprouts would not be edible because they contain the gluten. 

In using the food storage calculator as a guideline, it's also important to remember to keep in mind your family's eating habits as well. For instance, our recommendation came out to say that we needed 8 lbs of Corn Syrup. Since we NEVER use Corn Syrup, it's not something we'll store. Instead, we are storing extra sugar and honey. I also have Brown Rice Syrup that can be used 1:1 for Corn Syrup in recipes. 

I find that Bob's Redmill has a great method to store Gluten Free Flours. They sell their products typically in packs of 4 that fit into a nice box. When you open the box, the top of the box can be removed so the base remains- holding the 4 bags. It's AWESOME. They're clearly marked with expiration dates and their items usually last at least a year. As you use product- always keep the newest in the back, using the oldest first. 


If you're looking for Long-Term Food Storage- Bob's Redmill offers that too! They have over 200+ products available for long-term plus the tools you need to keep them safe long term. Visit their helpful page HERE. 

I'm so excited to share this next recipe with you!!! They're so yummy. I can't stop eating them. :( If you follow my blog you might already know that I'm pumpkin obsessed. It's a problem- and I should seek help- but for now you can benefit by enjoying this next recipe!

This recipe literally just came to me. I had seen gluten-infested pumpkin dinner rolls on pinterest and thought "Mmmmmm..." but then truly the addition of the cinnamon and sugar was divinely inspired... ;)

I think you're going to be seriously pleasantly surprised by the moistness of these tasty rolls. They're light and fluffy with just the perfect hint of pumpkin. They don't have the texture of a gluten-free bread AT ALL! You know what I'm talking about...that dense, dry stuff you dread. This recipe is different! 

This recipe is versatile as well. To turn them into pumpkin cinnamon rolls simply top with this cream cheese frosting. If you don't care for pull-apart you can simple sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar on before baking. And if you want just a pumpkin dinner simply leave out the cinnamon & sugar all together. 

Enjoy! 

Directions: 

1. Grease 12 muffin tins with coconut oil and set aside. 
2. In a small bowl combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water. Cover with a towel and let sit 6-8 minutes. I usually wait until it has doubled in size. 
3. In a mixing bowl or food processor combine rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, xanthan gum, salt, baking powder and pumpkin pie spice. 
4. Add the yeast mixture, egg, pumpkin puree, coconut oil, honey and apple cider vinegar and blend while scraping sides. Mix for 3 minutes on medium speed. (The dough will be thinner than regular bread dough and can not be shaped by hand.)
5. Using a 1 inch cookie scooper, scoop a mound into your cinnamon and sugar. Coat the dough and place into muffin tin. Repeat two more times so you should have a total of three cinnamon & sugar coated mounds in 1 tin. Repeat until all the dough is used. 
6. Pour 1/2 tsp of the melted butter (or melted coconut oil or melted Earthbalance) over the top of each muffin section. (This gives an excellent taste and helps prevent sticking.) 
7. Spray a sheet of plastic wrap with olive oil and place on top of the rolls. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Allow the rolls to raise 15 minutes.  
8. Bake for about 15-17 minutes. (They should be moist but not doughy on the inside.)
   

Store in an airtight container on the counter (not the fridge!) You can freeze these as well.

 

Yummers!...But she keeps eating my props!

Love pumpkin recipes as much as I do??? Check out all my other Gluten Free Pumpkin Recipes HERE. 

Audrey was loving the small green ones this year...

and Ella wasn't too sure about the whole thing... ;)

She definitely didn't want to be left alone with one...

Animals, not pumpkins, scare this one...

But...from distance they're not as bad. ;)

Last stop...Children in the Corn... It's a Cornbox...(like a sandbox but with corn instead.) Clever. 

The Southtown Gluten Free Expo is coming to town again this weekend and many of you might be wondering- is it really worth the $8 per person to go? 

My honest opinion...Pictures are worth a 1,000 words...

Check out all the free stuff we walked away with last year! Not only did we "break even" but we gained some great knowledge on Gluten Free products available right in our area. 

PS- kids under 8 are FREE!

Our FREE GF goodies consisted of prepacked snacks such as oatmeal, cookies, crackers, popcorn, bars, and more. We definitely loved being able to try these products before we consider buying them in the store.

This next recipe is a very simple Gluten Free baby food that you can create with simply the skill it takes to boil water. It's easy to make and provides a lot of great nutrients like calcium, vitamin a & c, fiber, and iron. I cook large batches and then freeze them into ice cube trays for small-baby proportions that I can thaw quickly at a later time. 

Looking for some other great ideas on what to feed your Gluten Free baby? Check out this post. And, for a great list of Gluten Free baby finger foods look here. 

Gluten free babies...enjoy!

(Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Nut Free, Egg Free, etc.)
posted by jalene

Ingredients: 

• 1 lb. organic potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
• 3 oz. organic spinach, washed

Directions: 

1. Bring about 4 cups of water to boil in a large saucepan over medium heat. 
2. Add your potatoes and cook until tender. Scoop out the potatoes with a strainer spoon and place them into a bowl. Keep the cooking water on the stove and add your spinach. Boil for 1 minute then remove from heat. 
   
3. Place the cooked spinach in a high speed blender with just enough water to puree them. Blend until smooth. Add the puree to your cooked potatoes and mash together. Add more liquid as needed if a thinner consistency is needed. 

You can serve this immediately, refrigerate it (use within 2 days) or freeze it in ice cube trays for later use. 

PS- For your viewing pleasure...my first baby wasn't too found of plain potatoes. Ha ha! Still makes me laugh to this day.