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Gluten and Dairy Free Soft Pumpkin Cookies
With it being Fall, pumpkin season is in full swing here! I’ve made a few different pumpkin cookies recipes, and these are definitely my favorite! They are really soft with just the right amount of spice. Many people make their own gluten free all purpose flour mix, and I have in the past as well. But lately my go-to gluten free flour is Pamela’s brand. I think it tastes great and bakes well. My husband (who is not gluten free) often says “Wow! These are gluten free?” when I present him with baked treats. You do need to carefully measure your gluten free flour using the scoop and level method.…
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Gluten Free Slow Cooker (or Instant Pot) Lasagna Soup
It’s soup season!! Soup is great in every season as far as I’m concerned, but as soon as Fall arrives I feel like it’s truly soup season. The other night my husband said he was in the mood for Italian food, and my mind immediately went to lasagna. I love lasagna, but it can be so time consuming to make. And since 2 of my kids are completely gluten and dairy free that adds another challenging element. Fortunately, I’m up for a challenge, and since it’s legit soup season I decided lasagna soup was on the menu. To make this lasagna soup I could have pulled out my instant pot,…
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Poetry for Kids
This year as I homeschool my daughters for 1st grade I’m being more intentional about including poetry. We’ve always had poetry books and such, but this year I am also displaying a new nature related poem every week and we read it during our morning basket time. The girls really look forward to hearing it each day! We’ve also been really enjoying our weekly Poetry Teatime! I make gluten and dairy free treats, we sip tea, and we read poetry! People often ask which books are currently in our poetry basket, so here you go! Where the Sidewalk Ends A Light in the Attic Sing a Song of Seasons: A…
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Gluten and Dairy Free Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
I have always loved to bake. However, when we learned that our daughters needed to be strictly gluten and dairy free it was a challenging transition. These days it’s almost second nature to me, and it’s hard to remember how overwhelming it was at first. For our Poetry Teatime this week I made gluten and dairy free pumpkin cupcakes with faux cream cheese frosting. I know that not everyone is ready to embrace The Best Season of the Year (aka Fall), but I’ve been ready for weeks. At least I waited until September to break out the Autumn flavors, right?! I baked a test batch first and before adding icing I had everyone try one.…
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Gluten Free Instant Pot Pasta E Fagioli Soup
This is one of my go-to soups for busy weeknights. Add a green salad and a loaf of gluten free bread, and it’s also a great meal to take to a friend. Actually, this soup is hearty enough to be a meal by itself. If you add the pasta right before you serve it, it holds its shape and texture better. Two of my kids have been strictly gluten and dairy free for years, and I recently found that I need to be gluten free as well. Fortunately there are quite a few great gluten free pastas on the market these days! I have made this with gluten free ditalini,…
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Poetry Teatime!
It’s been a LONG time since I’ve updated the blog. My younger two will begin 1st grade next week after Labor Day, and we are still homeschooling! One thing that we will be incorporating into our regular weekly schedule is a Poetry Teatime. So, we thought it would be fun to invite my mom over to join us for our first tea party of the school year (a week early.) I made a super yummy and entirely gluten free (and mostly dairy free) spread of fancy tea party foods. We picked some flowers from the backyard and lit a candle. It was all so lovely and we can’t wait for our next…
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Refried Cuban Black Beans w/Extra Veggies
I’ve made “refried” beans with other recipes, but this one is the best. And it’s freezer and prep-ahead friendly! I also love that I can get in a lot of extra veggies this way! Black beans seem to work best for hiding a lot of extra veggies, but I’ve used pinto beans as well. Both options are delicious. I use my Instant Pot all the time, and pressure cookers and beans are a perfect match! My kids are gluten and dairy free so I topped these with dairy free “cheese” and avocados. Serve hot or cold with corn chips for dipping. Forgot to soak your dried beans last night? No problem! Just…
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Homemade Cream of (Anything) Soup!
I really try to use only real food in my cooking. This is not to say that I don’t sometimes reach for a processed or pre-packaged ingredient, but in general I try to avoid them. In some cases this means added expense, but usually it leads to a more frugal meal plan! Such is the case with cream of (anything) soup. And, have you ever looked at the ingredients in a can of condensed soup?! Not the most appetizing ingredient list! I don’t use cream of soup very often, but there are times when I want to make a casserole, and it calls for a can of cream of mushroom or…
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Spinach & Artichoke Dip (Gluten-Free, Soy-Free, and Vegan Too!)
I have a really yummy recipe for a restaurant-style spinach and artichoke dip. This is not that recipe. However, this allergy-friendly version is pretty tasty! And even better, it’s vegan, which means of course that it’s free of eggs and dairy. It’s also soy free, which is often not the case with vegan recipes. And, of course, it’s gluten-free too. Not only that, but it contains nutritional yeast. Known for its cheesy flavor, nutritional yeast is a powerhouse of nutrition, packed with protein, amino acids and B vitamins (except B-12 in non-fortified options.) I like Sari brand because it contains no synthetic vitamins. It is also said to be antiviral, antibacterial, and even contain…
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Morning Smoothie Time Saver
See that delicious green smoothie? It’s even better when it’s quick and easy. Making a smoothie isn’t that time consuming compared to preparing dinner. However, there are quite a few steps and those minutes add up. To make the smoothies I’ve batch prepared here I’d have to pull out all of the bags of frozen fruit and greens, boil and drain the greens (helps reduce oxalates), roast the beets in coconut oil, chop the ginger, wash two pans and a strainer, open the bags of frozen fruit, pour the fruit into the blender, close the bags of frozen fruit, add homemade coconut yogurt, add liquid, put all the bags back in the freezer, blend, wash…
