Top 8 Free
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Recipes that are free of the top 8 allergens: wheat, dairy, soy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, and fish.
Navitas Immunity Caramel Bars Recipe
We’ve partnered up with Navitas to bring you a few new recipes featuring their new Superfood Boosts, which are amazing. What’s even better is these boosts are organic, gluten free, and vegan, meaning they’re safe for many to enjoy. Today’s recipe features the Immunity Boost which is full of healthy fruits, vegetables, antioxidants, and enzymes.
Now, if you’ve been a long time reader of the blog, you know that I look at things totally different from those around me. Show me a product (and tell me what it should be used for) and I’ll imagine many other ways to use it. In fact, when I first met the Navitas rep and he showed me the Boosts, I said, “This would make a great cookie.” He was totally caught off guard as he had never thought to use it that way.
I share that to say this: don’t let food allergies and special diets stop you from creating awesome food. In fact, use your “weakness” as a strength. In the case of these Boosts, I wanted to make them the strength of a dessert 🙂
Allergy Status: Wheat/Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Soy Free, Peanut Free, Yeast Free, Cane/Refined Sugar Free, Sesame Free, Legume Free, Low Histamine, Diabetic Friendly, Paleo, Vegan, Nut Free Compatible, AIP Compatible, Corn Free Compatible
For Nut Free: Omit the coconut sugar and replace with additional maple sugar.
For AIP: Omit the flax seeds. You will need to add 1 extra Tablespoon of cassava to your filling. Also know that the removal of the flax creates a more crumbly bar (that still tastes delicious).
For Corn Free: You will need to assess if the Navitas powder is safe for you. All of the other ingredients are available from safe sources. Read More
Meat Lover’s Brussels & Rice Recipe
Today I want to share with you something that the kids absolutely loved: Meat Lover’s Brussels & Rice. It was a quick lunch that I put together, but they went back for thirds. My favorite thing about this recipe: it incorporates Brussels Sprouts. I was surprised when they were much younger how much they liked meals that included sprouts, and have continued to add them when I can.
As some of you may know, we are a homeschooling family, so on rice days I’ll often start the rice cooker with veggies on top in the steaming insert before running an errand or taking the kids somewhere. When we get back, half of the meal is ready to go. This meal is no different.
Allergy Status: Gluten/Wheat Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Soy Free, Nut Free, Peanut Free, Yeast Free, Onion & Garlic Free, Allium Free, Sesame Free, Legume Free, Cane/Refined Sugar Free, Corn Free Compatible
For Corn Free: Source safe ingredients. This one is a bit of a stretch, but not impossible. Read More
Valentine’s Day, Food Allergies, and Special Diets
Valentine’s Day, along with every other holiday can be hard enough without food allergies or a special diet, so here are some tips to get you through.
Treat Suggestions
Shortbread Cookies: Download our free Kit Card and make shortbread cookies. Rather than use Christmas decorations (like the card) make a pink glaze instead. Use heart cookie cutters and now you have an awesome V-Day treat.
Torrie & Howard Candies: Order some of these to use as a small way to show someone you care. Be sure to get cherry or pomegranate flavors which have red wrappers.
Wholesome Sweeteners (Previously Surf Sweets) Heart Candy: These are gluten free, top 8 free, vegan, and organic. You can get these at many specialty stores, and amazon.
No Whey Chocolates: They have seasonal treats available now, and if you call, you may be able to get free shipping.
Enjoy Life Foods: Everything from enjoy life is Top 8 Free and more. You can take their soft baked cookies and use a small heart cookie cuter to turn cookie rounds into V-Day hearts.
Zego Snacks: Pick up the strawberry or raspberry Zego bars and like the tip above, use a small heart shaped cookie cutter to show some love to someone special. Vanilla heart yogurt for breakfast is sure to make someone smile.
Make These Quick Snacks:
Pictured are Made Good Crispy Rice Bars topped with Surf Sweets Heart Gummies. I made a quick Vanilla Glaze to use as glue. For the glaze, I used a few Tablespoons of Organic Powdered Sugar and added a small amount of water until it was a glue-like consistency. The kids dipped the gummies in the glue, and stuck them on to the crispy treats.
The biggest reason I shared this treat with you: we made them in FIVE minutes. I know how busy life gets, so I wanted to make something that someone short on time can enjoy.
Do Things Your Way
Maybe food isn’t the best option for you. There are so many other ways to show love on V-Day that don’t involve food. LEGO bricks can be formed into the shape of a heart. Paper crafts and origami are also a great option. If you live near a beach, draw hearts in the sand, take pictures, and make your own custom cards. With a little creativity, the options are limitless on how to show some care and love.
Don’t Forget the Health Factor
It’s easy to get caught up in the sweets on Valentine’s Day, but don’t forget, there are other food groups to choose from. Smoothies and juices can include beets, goji berries, raspberries, and strawberries for a pink tint. Pink lady apples also make a great pink toned applesauce. If you want a fun dinner, consider homemade pizza, and form the dough into the shape of a heart. To make this easier, Wilton sells a heart shaped cake pan you can purchase to make your shaping much easier.
No matter how you chose to spend Valentine’s Day, make sure it’s stress free and full of love.
Other bloggers who have shared great guides:
Hilary’s Breakfast Cookup
Can I just start by saying how much I LOVE Hilary’s Eat Well? If you have food allergies, are vegan, corn free, top 8 free, diabetic, or low-histamine, this is a company you need to know all about. They have a wide range of products (and the ranch dressing is bomb dot com) for people to choose from. During the Food Allergy Awareness Expedition, we had the pleasure of visiting the Hilary’s factory and they gifted us so many products, including the Millet Medleys, which was new at the time. Read More
Carrot Cake Ice Cream
There are so many days where I think I’m nothing short of a mad scientist. I love to ask myself, “I wonder if xyz would work…” and this time, it was carrot cake in ice cream form. Turns out, it does. Now, for those of you who may have a single allergy, such as eggs, feel free to start with a more traditional ice cream recipe, then add the items towards the bottom of the ingredient list that helps this ice cream stand apart. Read More
Awesome Resource: Collagen Cookbook
As some of you may know, Krysten from KrystensKitchen.com is a great family friend. This year she was featured in a cookbook sponsored by Neocell called the Collagen-Boost Cookbook. I’ve seen a rise in the use of collagen online for various health benefits, and depending on your personal health needs, you may find it to be a great addition to your supplement line up. Read More
Allergy Friendly Crispy Oat Apple Pie
I’ve been wanting to use the pressure cooker and/or slow cooker for some time now to make a dessert. This was our first attempt, and it came out VERY well. Using a pressure cooker or slow cooker can enhance the overall flavor, and in some cases, save you time. In the case of the pressure cooker, it takes about 20 minutes and presto, dessert is cooked. If you were to cook those apples in the oven, it would take about an hour. On the slow cooker side of things, while it takes much longer, you have the option to add everything before you leave for work, and set a delayed start time. Either way, I see these tools as a real win.
Just a friendly reminder when working with oats- if you are wheat allergic, or have celiac disease, it’s important to use certified gluten free oats. We get ours from GlutenFreeOats.com, and I have to say, I’m quite impressed with their growing standards, and the measures they take to keep people safe. They also happen to be the only corn free oat product I’m aware of. We use their oats for overnight oats, homemade oat milk for the bakery, and of course oat flour for baking. I’ve also recently gotten into making tortillas using the oat flour as well.
Allergy Status: Gluten/Wheat Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Soy Free, Nut Free, Peanut Free, Yeast Free, Sesame Free, Nightshade Free, Legume Free, Vegan, Corn Free Compatible
For Corn Free: Source safe apples. They shouldn’t have wax on them. Use a safe butter/fat/oil. Make sure each source material is safe for you. Read More
Guest Post: Braised Cannellini Beans
A warm welcome to Jamie Gates and Jennifer Olson (photo credit). Today Jamie is sharing her Braised Cannellini Bean recipe, which is simply stunning.
Allergy Status: Gluten/Wheat Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Soy Free, Nut Free, Peanut Free, Yeast Free, Cane/Refined Sugar Free, Vegan, Diabetic Friendly, Corn Free Compatible
For Corn Free: Make your own veggie broth from safe vegetable (or safe vegetable scraps), and be sure to source ingredients from brands that are safe for you. This one can totally be done 🙂 Read More
Allergy Friendly Purple Sweet Potato Mash
So mister Low/No Sugar had braces put on his teeth. With that in mind, I had to create all sorts of soft foods which were safe for him. In addition to his special “jello” and soup, he was also showered with sweet potatoes galore. There was also pudding and ice cream. And of course, his most favorite person in the world. Krysten (KrystensKitchen.com) brought him some very special Mickey Mouse gummies that she made. Read More
Allergy Friendly Grain Free Mini Sweet Potato Pies
With the holidays being in full swing, now’s the time to spend time making fun desserts like these. This recipe is quite flexible in that you can use orange flesh and purple flesh sweet potatoes. When I made this, I knew that I wanted it to be simple so that many different diet types could enjoy it. Truthfully, I was expecting for no one to really enjoy it, however, I was quite surprised. Everyone else in the house really enjoyed this sweet potato pie rendition. Read More