Simple lives Blog Hop

http://gnowfglins.com/2011/11/09/simple-lives-thursday-69/

WHAT DO YOU EAT? (the number one question people ask me!)

When I have conversations with people that deal with our family's food allergy restrictions, people ask in hushed or shocked tone "WHAT ON EARTH DO YOU EAT?"  And I totally get/understand that reaction.  That was my reaction when I found out we would have to avoid so many food!  See our list of foods we avoid here.  I remember feeling really sad, scared and overwhelmed.  My strategy was to clear our pantry of foods they couldn't eat to put the foods they could eat.  My second priority was to get down a few meals that I knew they COULD eat.  I developed a master list and rotated the foods.  Since they were so allergic to so many foods we also did a rotation diet. (simply put you only eat a type of food once every four days.  i.e. you eat beef on Mondays then not again until Friday)  I am glad to say we no longer rotate most foods and life is soooo much easier.

To help out people who are overwhelmed, I wanted to share my meal planning and strategies to help feed your family.  Please keep in mind you are in a marathon.  It is NOT a sprint.  You will learn and grow as an allergen free cook.  It will get easier.

1.)  Develop a master list of about 7-10 breakfast ideas, 5-7 lunch ideas, 10-20 dinner ideas.

2.) Plan out your meals and then shop for them.  I use a calendar method.  I will be posting some examples.  Watch for updates.

3.)  It is nice to make a certain day of the week a set meal.  For example: Fridays are pizza night, Tuesdays are crock pot night... etc.

4.) Have one or two set "fast" meals.  Ours is tacos.  This is great for those unplanned nights or if something doesn't go according to plans.

5.) Use your freezer.  For gluten free this is a must.  I double almost every recipe and freeze at least half to pull out later.  Especially for breakfast, breads, and soups.  Stock up on glassware (like Pyrex).  Or save glass jars your food comes in.  I don't recommend plastics.

While this takes a bit of up front work it, in the long run it saves time, money and frustration.  I will be posting:

Meal Ideas:

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Snacks

Calendar planning

What are your ideas for keeping your family fed?  How do you plan?

Substitutions~ Dairy Free

Starting down a path of changing food you eat is painful.  Especially at first.  I am not gonna lie to you.  The first time I went shopping, I was equipped with the simple knowledge that dairy (casein) and wheat (gluten) were my nemesis.  I went alone (hallelujah!) and it took me two and a half hours of walking through the store to find a bag of chips.  I literally went isle by isle picking up items and reading the ingredients, only to put it back on the shelf.  I walked out in tears.

Now, please realise this was a few, ahem, years ago.  I now can read labels better, labels ARE better, and stores carry more variety.  I also now know of three stores and a Super Target which carry almost all foods I need to buy.  Although I do grocery shop 4-5 stores.

I don't mean this to discourage you.  However, I mean it to encourage you.  But rereading what I've typed, I think I need to be more clear.

Choices in stores are better.
Major stores now carry allergen free food.
Labels are getting better and easier to read.

There, do you feel better?

Anyhooooo.... I wanted to share my dairy-free substitution ideas with you.  I have shared them in a few informal and now a formal setting.  I hope they help!

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Dairy free

For butter:

• Earth Balance Soy free (red label)
• Applesauce (when baking)
• Earth Balance Coconut Spread

For shortening:

• Spectrum Organic Shortening

Milk:

• Dry powder~ DariFree (potato based) comes in chocolate and white,
• So Delicious Coconut milk (my personal first choice)
• Nut milks (Almond milk/Hazelnut/Hemp/Sunflower)
• Rice milk**

Coffee Creamers

• So Delicious
• DariFree
• Mimic Creme

Ice Cream:

• make with DariFree… yum!
• So Delicious makes a  great ice cream as well
•  

Yogurt:

• So Delicious
•  Ricera
• Almond

Cheese:

•  Diaya cheese (mozzeralla, cheddar and pepperjack flavors),
• Follow Your Heart (soy based)
• Almond cheese
• Rice cheese

Sour Cream and Cream Cheese~

 If you can tolerate Soy there is Tofutti Brand 

Chocolate Chips and Candy bars~

Enjoy Life  

**rice is my least favorite.  High chance of barley (gluten) contamination plus possible high arsenic levels. 

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What are your favorite substitutions for dairy???

 

Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut Squash Soup

1 c. chopped onion

2 celery ribs, chopped

2 T butter (Soy Free Earth Balance)

2 cans (14 1/2 oz) chicken broth (I used homemade)

1 t. sugar

1 bay leaf

1/2 t., salt

1/2 t. ground ginger

1/2 t. ground turmeric

1/2 t., cinnamon

1 butternut squash (2 1/2 bls) peeled and cubed (roughly 4 cups cubed) use more or less to taste

3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 1/2 c. or 1 can coconut milk

2 tsp. Apple Cider Vinegar or 2 TBSP. Sherry

In lg saucepan cook onion, and celery in butter until tender. Stir in broth, sugar, bay leaf, salt, ginger, turmeric and cinnamon.

Add squash and potatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15-20 min. Remove from heat. Cool slightly, Discard bay lead. In a blender, puree mixture in batches. Return to pan. Stir in milk and sherry. Heat through (do not boil)

Enjoying an Allergen Free Thanksgiving/Holiday Meal

I am working once a week in a store that is completely gluten free and also carries many varieties of food that are free from other allergens.

I have been asked to design a class to help people prepare for the holidays.  If you have any type of food allergy, you KNOW how difficult social eating can be. So to begin with, let's plan a meal:

Here is what I am planning on serving for our Thanksgiving:

Turkey

Green Bean Casserole

Rolls/Bread

Butternut Squash Soup

Cranberry Relish
Mashed Potatoes

Stuffing

Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin Pie

In the next few weeks I plan to post a recipe for each of the above items.  Stay tuned! Simply click on the item and a link will take you to the recipe.  

What are you cooking?  What do you need an allergy-free recipe for?