Eggroll Stir Fry {A Pinterest Recipe}

Source

I made the yummiest dinner tonight all in thanks to Once a Mom always a Cook.  Have you been to her blog, OMGoodness...very yummy food!!  And most of her recipes are naturally Gluten Free or easily adaptable.

Tonight I made her recipe for Egg Roll Stir Fry.  It was surprisingly easy and good.  It really does taste just like the inside of an egg roll.  The recipe is enough to feed an army!!  I'm wondering if I can freeze the left overs???

Honestly, I had never purchased a cabbage before.  It isn't a vegetable that we eat often.  When I want coleslaw, I just buy the pre-made stuff at the grocery deli.  If in the mood for Chinese food...we go out.  Is there any other recipe that calls for cabbage??  See, we really don't eat it often.

Very GOOOOD!!

Hmmm, what to cook tomorrow...

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No Cooking Needed…

Being Gluten Free can sometimes feel limiting.  Can sometimes feel like a cloud following you around, a constant reminder, that ‘YEP, things are different now’…

Pretty pictures inspire me, remind me, and motivate me…

So, today I have a collection of pretty pictures to remind us{me} that Gluten Free food can be fun and easy.  Very yummy, kid friendly, and of course lazy mommy approved.

Veggies:

Store Bought Hummus and some quick chop veggies!  Making hummus is as easy as pulling out your food processor/blender if you feel so inclined.

A bag of salad, a container of grape tomatoes and a few slices of peppers or onions and you too could be eating this plate of beauty!  

Be careful which dressing you choose to top your salad.

FRUIT:

The SUPER Food…I could eat fruit for every meal and still want some for a snack.  I love a wide variety of fruit, but Strawberries will always be my favorite.

  

Strawberries and cream…either yogurt or ice cream!!

While we have the fruit out, there are a few other things to make. 

 

island-oasis.tumblr.com

 

Guilty Pleasure:

When all else fails and you just want that grab and freedom that the rest of the world have….you would never guess exactly how great a batch of Salsa and Chips can make you feel.  Full, spicy, and just enough salt to get you over that crunchy salty craving.  And because salsa is full of GOOD FOR YOU tomatoes you can eat tons of it…(not the chips though)

 

NUTS:

You know those little bitty snack size baggies that aren’t good for much…they are great for nuts!!  Fill up a few with handfuls of nuts, dried fruit, chex cereal, and any other item your heart desires(marshmallows) and leave them everywhere…then when you are out and about…You have a snack ready to go…no thinking necessary…

 

There are other foods that are Gluten Free as well, but these caught my eye today.  Easy, no cooking, minimal mess, travel well, and if purchased in season you can get these item fairly inexpensively.

Please let me know what quick snacks you like have around.  What do you do when you need inspiration or motivation? 

P.S....I have linked the pictures that had recipes back to the source on Pinterest, the others were google images.

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Just Don't Eat Wheat

"Just don't eat Wheat." 

How hard could that be.  

When you first think Gluten Free or Celiac Disease, that is the thought that comes to mind.  

Then you do research and it is so much more than just wheat.  As if one could say "just wheat"...

You find pages and pages of lists like this one:

DON’T EAT THIS

Wheat in any form (includes white flour, all-purpose flour, wheat flour, pastry flour, cake flour, bread flour, spelt, emmer, farro, bulgur, durum, einkorn, couscous, wheat berries, farina, graham, kamut, matzo, semolina, wheat starch, triticale) and ingredients made from those items (bread, pasta, pizza dough, cakes, cookies, pies, breadcrumbs, croutons, etc). Soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, and other wheat-based sauces, unless specifically labeled gluten free. Seitan also contains wheat.

Barley this includes the grain itself and products made from barley malt: malt vinegar, barley malt syrup, malted milk, etc.

Rye

Beer unless it’s gluten free

Oats oats don’t inherently contain gluten, but are often cross-contaminated. Try certified gluten-free oats if you can tolerate them.


from Laura B. Russell, Notes from a Gluten Free Kitchen

 

THEN YOU DO MORE RESEARCH...

Modified Food Starch is GLUTEN
Modified starch, also called starch derivatives, are prepared by physically, enzymatically, or chemically treating native starch, thereby changing the properties of the starch.[1] Modified starches are used in practically all starch applications, such as in food products as a thickening agent, stabilizer or emulsifier; in pharmaceuticals as a disintegrant; as binder in coated paper. They are also used in many other applications.

This stuff is in EVERYTHING!!

Did you know wheat is in Wall Paper Paste, yeah...crazy...I know! It can all become very overwhelming. There were days were I wanted to throw every single item in my kitchen away. There were days when I just had to laugh at myself. And there were a few day that I really did just sit down and cry.

Being Gluten Free is more than just wheat. Wheat is more than just Wheat...It is vitamins, shampoo, and wall paper paste. I promise the first month is hard. Adjusting to anything is hard.

• The first month of grocery shopping and weeding through your cabinets is time consuming.  
• You may find yourself standing in the aisle at your local grocery store talking to a box of Uncle Ben's Rice.(NOT GF)  
• Your husband may tell you that food is more important than him.  
• Pinterest may become your best friend.

But, I also promise that it gets better.

Here is what I have learned about the DO NOT EAT LIST....practically every condiment, combined spice, and recipe staple is on the LIST.  Pinterest has great recipes---Everything from Ranch Dressing to Cream of Whatever Soup.  I actually like cooking, it is the cleaning after that has always been my downfall.  It is easier to make what I need than have to read all the tiny print and worry, or to call the 1-800 number.  Sometimes calling the 1-800 number will get you coupons :).  And lastly being Gluten Free isn't a death sentence.  It isn't horrible.  It is just different and it takes dedication, time, planning, and patience.

P.S.
This info is also on Laura B. Russell's website, it really helps to explain how once foods leave their natural or whole state, they can become glutened. I have just discovered her recipes and really look forward to trying a few. Please visit her site for information on her cookbook The Gluten Free Asian Kitchen.

BE SKEPTICAL

Once a food ventures from its original state, it is suspect. If there’s more than one ingredient listed on a package, read it. It may be perfectly safe, but you’ll need to do your homework before drawing that conclusion. Remember: the more additives, the harder it will be to decipher. Be on guard.

Examples:

Green tea is gluten free, but flavored teas could contain gluten, possibly in the form of barley malt sweetener.

A roasted turkey is gluten free. Sliced deli turkey could contain gluten as a binder.

Homemade salad dressing, made from olive oil, lemon juice, and fresh herbs is gluten free. Bottled salad dressings may contain gluten as a thickener.

Always check labels on soups and broths, candy, deli items, sauces and condiments, dairy products (ice cream, sour cream, buttermilk…can potentially contain gluten), anything packaged, processed, or “flavored”. Even prescription medications, vitamins, and supplements are at risk.

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Kid Friendly- Gluten Free -Snacks {Lazy Mom Approved}

Since being GLUTEN FREE what we eat has changed.  Our kitchen has done a 180....Our snacking habits have too.

We are definitely eating a better quality of food and the quantity has lowered considerably.  I am not sure why that is, I guess whole foods fill you up faster and longer than all those gluten rich crackers and cookies do...

So, here is a list of what we eat from breakfast to lunch to after school snacks.  They are all quick, simple, and kid friendly.  If it is something I cook, I cook it in mass and keep extra in the freezer.  I will update this list with recipe links and pictures as I make the next batch of goodies.  Most is pretty self explanatory though...

BREAKFAST

• Yogurt with Honey Nut Chex crumbled on top.
• Super Fancy Fruit and Yogurt Parfait   {Picture}
• Pamela's Muffins, I add blueberries or bananas to the batter.  Make 2 batches at once.  Kids nuke for a minute and YUMM, breakfast is done.
• Eggies To Go Cups {Recipe coming soon}

 LUNCH

• Cut Cheese Stick in half (width) & wrap w/ Lunch Meat. x2
• Kabob Skewer loaded with Black Olives, Grape Tomatoes, Peperoni, and Chunks of Cheese.  Could add other pizza topping...
• Waffle PB&J...I make a huge batch of waffles, she eats them like bread.  I've used GF Bisquick Mix and Pamela's mix, so far the Bisquick was better for waffles.
• LEFT OVERS...I bought Avery one of those $15 Thermos way back in the day...it is the best!!!  It keeps her lunch warm for hours!!  I nuke her food in the morning fill up the thermos and tada her lunch is done!!  

SNACKS

• Popcorn Chex Mix {My Favorite}
• Popcorn with any topping
• Fruit, Fruit, Fruit...LOTS of Fruit!!
• Rice Cakes with Jelly {Avery's Favorite}
• Bananas drizzled w/ Hershey's Syrup {Cole's Favorite}
• Veggies, Veggies, Veggies....LOTS of Veggies!!

POPCORN CHEX MIX

Pop 1 bag of Microwave Popcorn.

In a gallon sized baggie add  the following:

1/2 cup Wal-Mart Brand Trail Mix.  Mountain or Indulgent

1/2 cup Honey Nut Chex

1/2 cup Rice Chex

Now add the popped popcorn, be sure to leave the unpopped kernels out of the mix.

Seal and shake well to mix up....

Eat and enjoy!! 

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