Sloppy Joes!

I realized we hadn't had sloppy joes in a while...since we've been on the GFCF diet!  Once I tried the Kinnikinnick buns, I decided they would make perfect sloppy joe or hamburger buns!

1/4 c. chopped onion (or substitute onion powder)

garlic powder

1 tsp. mustard

3/4 c. ketchup

3 tsp. brown sugar

salt

pepper

on Kinnikinnick buns!!! YUM!!  These were a big hit!

Easiest Peanut Butter Cookies Ever!

My mom made these for the kids recently and we were amazed at how yummy they were to only have these 3 ingredients!!

All you need is:
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg


Mix ingredients together in a bowl.  Roll into 1 inch balls and place on cookie sheet.  Slightly flatten with a fork by making a criss-cross design on the top of each cookie. We like ours thick so we just barely press on them.  Bake for 12-15 minutes on 350.  Let cool and serve!


Let me warn you, though!  We went through a LOT of peanut butter when we first discovered these!!  (We were sharing them, of course!) They are that good!  Enjoy! :)

Christi's Cinnamon Butter Muffins

We ran out of cereal and I didn't want to go to the store. So I went through the cabinets to see what I could find to make for breakfast! I had GFCF flour, cinnamon, brown sugar, and the basics. So I tweaked a coffee cake recipe, turned it into muffins AND changed a few ingredients. I was afraid of the outcome...but they are SO good! They taste like Cinnamon Buns!  

Okay, so they are not very pretty but I purposely don't fill the cupcake liners to the top because my kids will take off the muffin tops and not eat the rest. If I only fill it halfway, then pour the icing on top, it soaks through the muffin and they eat the whole thing. So change it to fit your needs..those are just my personal adjustments. :)  

Christi's Cinnamon Butter Muffins  

1/2 c. brown sugar 
3 Tbs. Spectrum shortening 
2 egg whites 1 tsp. vanilla 
1/2 c. Vanilla Almond Breeze milk  
1 c. Bob's Red Mill all-purpose flour  
1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder 
1/8 tsp. salt  

Topping: 
1 Tbs. Earth Balance butter 
3 Tbs. powdered sugar 
1 tsp. cinnamon  

Preheat oven to 375. Place 12 cupcake liners in muffin pan. Cream together sugar and shortening till fluffy. Add egg whites and beat well. Add vanilla and milk. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, xanthan gum and salt. (If you don't cook a lot, you may not have a sifter. I don't have one either, but I put all of these dry ingredients in a bowl and used my whisk and it looked perfectly sifted when I was done with it!)  

Gradually add the dry mixture to the creamed mixture and mix till smooth. This will not be a thick batter, but don't worry! Pour into cupcake liners, about half full, to make 12 short muffins (no muffin tops). If you want taller muffins, you may get 8-10 out of this recipe if you fill each liner about 3/4 full.  

Bake 15 minutes, check with a toothpick and if it comes out dry, they are done. If not, bake another 5 minutes. Mix topping ingredients and pour over muffins while warm. If your topping is runny, add more powdered sugar and cinnamon for a thicker icing consistency.  

MMM MMM GOOD! :)

GFCF Spaghetti and Homemade Meatballs

I am not normally a meatball kind of person, much less a "make-them-from-scratch" kind of person! But in my efforts to find GFCF foods that my kids will eat and LOVE, I thought I'd give it a try! And I'm so glad I did!! I didn't have the ingredients that were on the recipe I found, so I made up my own! In the past, that has resulted in meals that were..well, just not edible! But I believe I succeeded this time and the family agrees. So here's the recipe!

Spaghetti & Homemade Meatballs

1 box of Quinoa Spaghetti (Kroger or Health Food Store)
1 jar of Bertolli spaghetti sauce (Organic with Olive oil, etc. is what I used)
1/2 c. Progresso 100% natural beef broth (optional to help keep spaghetti from overcooking)

Meatballs
1 lb. of ground beef or turkey
2 beaten eggs
1/4 c. garlic vinaigrette dressing (or your choice of dressing or marinade..I used Garlic Expressions)
1/2 - 3/4 tsp. all purpose seasoning (OR 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper)

Mix ingredients till blended. Shape meat mixture into 1 inch balls and place on greased baking sheet. Bake on 350 for 15 minutes.

Cook spaghetti while meatballs are cooking. Drain and put back into pot. Add spaghetti sauce and beef broth, cooking on low.  When meatballs are done, add them to spaghetti. Cook on low for 15-20 minutes. 


Serves a family of 4..... with no leftovers (apparently!)
:) Enjoy!

Easy Chocolate Frosting

I have never been one to just cook all the time much less make things from scratch! But whatever domestic abilities decide to show themselves...only now in my late 30's...I am taking hold of and enjoying while it lasts!! :) But truly, anything that I post here is really not that hard..I promise!!!

So I chose not to purchase the chocolate frosting in the container at the store for at least 2 reasons: 


1.  there are about 10 words on the back that I can't pronounce
2.  there are at least 4 different dyes in it to make it LOOK like real chocolate.

If I'm going to load my cake up with some frosting, I'd rather just bother myself with the sugar and not all of that other junk. But that's just me.

So here's what I came up with for the yummiest, worry-free chocolate frosting I've ever tasted! Okay, so I am a little over the top when it comes to chocolate and sweets!


GFCF Chocolate Frosting

1/3 c. softened butter (Earth Balance) or Spectrum shortening
1/8 tsp. salt
 2 c. GF powdered sugar
 3 Tbs. milk (we love Vanilla Almond Breeze)
1/4 tsp. vanilla
 2/3 c. cocoa


Mix all ingredients together until smooth and creamy!
I told you it was easy! :)

Chocolate Cake Balls

Chocolate Cake Balls


1 GFCF Cake Mix (I used Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free from Kroger Nature's Market section)

1/2 - 3/4 can of prepared frosting (Pillsbury WHITE frosting is GFCF or I will post the recipe of the frosting I made from scratch that was easy and no dyes, preservatives, etc)

Chocolate chips (We use Enjoy Life allergen-free brand from our local health food store)

Bake cake as directed on box and cool slightly. Crumble cake into mixing bowl, add frosting and mix until blended. Let cool to firm up or refrigerate for a quicker process.  Roll into balls and place on dish. Melt chocolate chips. (microwave or double boiler).  Dip balls into chocolate and set on wax paper to cool. If you want to decorate these with sprinkles, do so while the chocolate coating is still wet.


Great for birthday parties and holidays!

YUM!

GFCF Crock Pot Beef-A-Roni

This one's a family favorite!! You cannot tell a difference in the Quinoa pasta from regular pasta!  I am so serious!  I put the leftovers in my kids lunches the next day!  They love it!

Ingredients:

1 lb. lean ground beef (or turkey)
1 24 oz. jar of GFCF Spaghetti Sauce
1 15 oz. can of GFCF Organic Tomato Sauce
1 8 oz. box of Quinoa Pasta, Elbow macaroni, cooked

Brown meat and season with all-purpose seasoning while cooking. Drain meat and place in crock pot. Pour in jar of spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce and cooked pasta. Mix well. Cook on LOW for 3 - 4 hours.

Feeds 2 adults and 2 kids with leftovers for kids lunches the next day! :)

Welcome to our Blog

My friend Christy and I (also a Christi) decided we are fed up with so many health issues with not just ourselves but our kids. After much reading and "googling", we feel like by simply changing what we put in our bodies, we can change our families' lives for the better. We have already noticed major changes since starting the GFCF diet 3 weeks ago. We are in experimental mode with our cooking since we are just starting this journey, but thought it would be fun to share with others along the way. Hope you'll come hang out with us and share your stories, too!