Category Archives: Dairy free Recipes

Chicken Dinner Even Your Kids Will Love

bbqchicken

Honestly, if my kids will eat something then it has to be good because they are the pickiest eaters EVER!!  A few posts ago I wrote about my Instant Pot.  So here is a dish I made that the whole family will absolutely love and that you can easily add into your weekly dinner routine.   You can vary the spice level by adding more red pepper flakes and smoked paprika at the current amounts it has great flavor but not too much of a kick so safe for the kids.

image (2)

 

What I also do with this recipe is make double the portion of the sauce and freeze the chicken thighs and the sauce in a ziplock bag and stick it in the freezer.  I pull it out and just have to put it in my Instant Pot and you are good to go.

Oh and of course it is Gluten Free, Dairy Free.  Serve with your favorite sides and veggies.  I serve it with brown rice and veggies.  This sauce is yummy on top of the rice!

Easy Instant Pot BBQ Chicken Thighs

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 lbs boneless chicken thighs ( fresh or forzen)
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/4 c soy sauce
  • 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1/2 c brown sugar
  • chicken stock concentrate
  • 1/4 c water
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp cumin
  • 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
  • a pinch of red pepper flakes
  • 1 tsp fresh crushed or minced garlic

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Set the Instant Pot to saute and add olive oil.  Let it heat until oil shimmers then add chicken thighs to pot.  Brown on each side for 3 minutes.  Don’t overcrowd make sure each thigh contacts the bottom, depending on size of your chicken thighs you may need to do this step in two batches.
  2. While chicken is browning chop onion and garlic and set aside.
  3. Mix together all remaining ingredients. add garlic to sauce and mix.
  4. Scatter the onions over the chicken in the Instant Pot and cover with sauce.
  5. Set the Instant Pot to manual mode- high pressure.  Adjust time to 25 minutes, make your sure Instant Pot  is in sealing mode.
  6. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil and lightly spray with nonstick spray or coat with olive oil, set Broiler to high.
  7. When chicken is done, switch steam release handle to venting.  Once pressure is released, take lid off.  Carefully move chicken with tongs to sheet pan ( the chicken will be very tender and falling apart).  Place under broiler for 3 minutes per side.
  8. While chicken is browning, switch pot back to saute mode to reduce and thicken sauce.  Pour the thickened sauce over the chicken and serve with your favorite sides.

Enjoy!! Stay health and Be well.

#kidstummytroubles #GlutenFree #InstantPot #celiac

Meet My New BFF

image (2)

I don’t know how I lived without her in my life for so long.  She has made my life so much easier, she is now one of my new best friends.  I would like to introduce everyone to my Instant Pot.  This new addition to my kitchen is a huge time saver at the end of a busy day.  And it gets rid of multiple different kitchen devices if you want to declutter your life a bit.  It is a rice cooker, pressure cooker, slow cooker and so much more all in one.  You can even make your own yogurt if that is something you typically like to do.

It cuts my dinner cooking time in more than half.  I can put in frozen meat, some spices and veggies and have a healthy meal cooked up in 30 minutes while I am doing homework with my kids.  I have joined many different Facebook groups that have helped me to obtain a recipe collection for my Instant Pot.  There are tons of recipes on Pinterest and many cookbooks dedicated to this also.  For those living Gluten Free and Paleo I recommend this because for the poultry and meat settings alone it keeps the meats moist.

IMG_6787

Picture Courtesy Of Tempe Chen Sahara

If any of you have the old pressure cooker that always scared the heck out of me when it was used you can finally retire it.  And they even have one that is Bluetooth capable that links to your phone! So Cool!!  I will admit I am still a rookie myself with my Instant Pot but it is so easy to use and Amazon just had a sale on them where they were 50% off.  Just keep an eye out for bargains on these.

I am a member of a Pediatrician Mommy group on Facebook.  We all work long hours and are exhausted after work.  And on this group we are always looking for ways to cut down the dinner prep time but not compromise the health of the meals we offer to our families.  This groups feeds are now overflowing with everyone praising their InstantPots and the meals that have been made.

Healthy living and cooking are something we all have to make the time and effort to commit to.  When I find something that can make this easier for me I like to share it with all of you.   If you have an Instant Pot already share your experiences with it, if you decide to take the plunge and get one let me know what you think.

Live Healthy and Be Well!

#InstantPot #kidstummytroubles

Gluten Free & Dairy Free Coconut French Toast

Not sure if you guys can tell but I LOVE breakfast foods, so when I find a yummy recipe I am always trying to convert it over to gluten free.  This french toast is a no brainer, it’s made with coconut milk, so its DAIRY FREE also!!

The only issue was finding a delicious, flaky, sweet golden brown brioche bread to use.  So instead of me reinventing the wheel I used a wonderful recipe for brioche bread that I found on Carol Kicinski’s site Simply Gluten Free.  I highly recommend her recipe for Gluten Free Brioche.

Enjoy and let me know your thoughts!

Gluten Free & Dairy Free Coconut French Toast

Gluten Free & Dairy Free Coconut French Toast

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Yields 4-5 servings

Ingredients:

  • 5 lg. eggs
  • 1 (14 oz.) can unsweetened coconut milk
  • 1/4 c. brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice ( McCormick is gluten free)
  • Kosher salt
  • 2 tsp. canola oil
  • 8 thick slices of your favorite Gluten-Free brioche or challah bread
  • 3 tbsp. sweetened shredded coconut
  • Mixed berries, for serving (whatever is in season- blueberries, raspberries or blackberries will do)
  • Confectioners’ sugar, for serving ( be sure gluten free- Dominos and C&H brands state they are gluten free)
  • Maple Syrup, for serving

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Whisk eggs, coconut milk, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and a pinch of salt together.
  2. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 teaspoon vegetable oil on medium.
  3. Soak 4 slices of your bread in the egg mixture, letting excess drip off; add to skillet.
  4. Sprinkle each slice with sweetened shredded coconut; press to adhere. Cook 4 minutes or until bottom of bread is deep golden brown. Gently turn slices over; cook 2 minutes or until coconut flakes are deep golden brown.
  5. Transfer to parchment-lined cookie sheet and keep warm in 300 degrees F oven. Repeat with 4 more slices bread, adding another 1 teaspoon oil if necessary.
  6. Serve with mixed berries, confectioners’ sugar, and maple syrup, if desired.

 

#KidsTummyTroubles #GlutenFree #GlutenFreeLiving #Glutendairyfree #Celiac #CeliacRecipes #GlutenFreeRecipes

It’s Fall, that means it’s time for Pumpkin!! Delicious Creamy Pumpkin & Sage Pasta

This weekend was beautiful.  We are finally done with the 90 degree weather and it’s starting to feel like Fall!  So of course that put me in the mood to start decorating.  I pulled out all my Halloween and Fall decor.  The girls had a blast putting the clings on the windows and helping me put out the decorations on the table.  I tend to keep my decorating on the kid friendly side still. Big, bright colors and happy looking figures.  Can’t wait til the girls get older and we can go a bit more scary but for now they love it.

My Fall Table

Once Autumn comes around I also start thinking of all the great things I can make with pumpkin.  I have tried many different sauces to go with my favorite fall dishes.  Many of them include a brown butter sage sauce.  This however is definitely not great for cholesterol with the large amounts of butter they typically call for.  This recipe I love uses pumpkin puree and coconut oil.  It is delicious over your pasta of choice, whether it’s spaghetti or your favorite seasonal ravioli.  And this recipe is Dairy & Gluten free!!

Creamy Pumpkin & Sage Pasta

Creamy Pumpkin & Sage Pasta

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 3-4 servings

Ingredients:

  • 1 teaspoon coconut oil
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 – 15 oz can of pumpkin puree or 1 3/4 cup fresh pumpkin puree
  • 1 cup almond milk
  • 1.5 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped finely
  • 1.5 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 pound of your favorite gluten free pasta

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Melt the coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat.
  2. Saute onions until they begin to turn translucent, approximately 6-8 minutes.
  3. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  4. Remove from heat and place onion and garlic mixture in a high speed blender.  Add the pumpkin puree, almond milk, sage, pepper and salt.  Blend until smooth.
  5. Prepare the pasta according to the package directions, drain and return pasta to pot.
  6. Add the pumpkin sauce and stir well over medium heat until hot.
  7. Serve immediately.

 

#KidsTummyTroubles #GlutenFree #Celiac #GlutenFreeLiving #Glutendairyfree #Recipes

Potato Pizza Crust

As promised here is the Potato Pizza Crust for the previous recipe that was a hit – Gluten Free Bacon and Egg Breakfast Pizza.  This crust is super easy, especially if you use the Simply Potatoes shredded potatoes.  They do all the hard work for you by pre shredding it!!

simply potatoes

Potato Pizza Crust

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 1 crust

Ingredients:

  • 1 package of shredded potatoes for hash browns (Simply Potatoes is Gluten Free)
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped onion
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • Cooking spray

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Mix all dry ingredients together. 
  3. Grease bottom and sides of a large skillet.
  4. Press potatoes mixture evenly on bottom of pan and up to about 1 inch high on the sides of pan.  Spray potatoes with cooking spray.
  5. Bake at 400 degrees F until browned or for about 20 minutes.

#KidsTummyTroubles #Celiac #GlutenFree #GlutenFreePizza ##Recipes #GlutenFreeLiving

Gluten Free, Dairy Free Crockpot Sweet and Sour Meatballs

This recipe is great to be used as a meal for dinner or sometimes I use it as an appetizer for everyone to enjoy with toothpicks. It is super easy and you just toss everything in the crockpot and your prep is done.  The sweetness added with the pineapples are always a hit with the kids.  There are also many options for Gluten Free Frozen meatballs if you want to cut down on your prep time.  Farmrich has frozen turkey and original meatballs that are gluten free, however if you want to ensure this is also dairy free I recommend prepping the meatballs yourself.

Gluten Free, Dairy Free Crockpot Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Gluten Free, Dairy Free Crockpot Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 6 hours

Yield: 4-5 servings

Ingredients:

  • 28 ounce package of frozen meatballs (gluten free, dairy free) or make your favorite meatballs into cocktail size balls
  • 15 ounce can of pineapple tidbits, drained and reserve juice
  • 1 red pepper, diced
  • 1/2 cup ketchup (I prefer Simply Heinz due to no added High Fructose Corn Syrup)
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsps cornstarch
  • 1 tbsp Gluten Free grape jam
  • 2 tablespoons Gluten Free Soy Sauce
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Place meatballs in crockpot.
  2. Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl, mix and pour over meatballs
  3. Cover and cook on low setting for 6-8 hours.
  4. Serve with brown rice or your favorite Gluten Free pasta.

FullSizeRender (4)

 

#KidsTummyTroubles #GlutenFree #Celiac #Glutendairyfree #Crockpot

Strawberry- Banana French Toast Casserole

Breakfast is always a rushed endeavor on weekdays but when I have time on the weekends I love making something that is yummy and doesn’t make me feel bad giving to my kids.  This recipe is a favorite.  It is loaded with strawberries and bananas. You use your favorite bread (this recipe is with gluten free bread) and the almond milk makes it dairy free also.

Strawberry-Banana-French-Toast-Casserole

Strawberry – Banana French Toast Casserole

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 2-3 servings

(Adapted from Jeanette Chen’s Jeanette’s Healthy Living.)

Ingredients:

  • 4 slices of your favorite gluten free bread, crusts trimmed, cut into cubes
  • 1 banana, mashed
  • 6 strawberries, diced
  • 1/2 cup almond milk
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • maple syrup for serving

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly grease a small baking dish or individual ramekins with cooking spray.  Place cubed bread into baking dish or ramekins.
  2. Mix mashed bananas, strawberries, milk, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla together in a medium bowl.
  3. Pour mixture over bread cubes and toss gently until bread is evenly coated.
  4. Bake for 20-25 minutes  or until cooked through.  Top should be golden brown and crisp.
  5. Serve with maple syrup.

#KidsTummyTroubles #Glutenfree #Glutendairyfree #Celiac #Recipes

Refreshing Strawberry Lemonade

In the summer I am always looking for a different option besides juice boxes for my kids.  This is a great option and the kids love to help make it with me.  And I notice when they help me make the recipes they are more likely to try new things because they are so proud of their work.

I have also used this recipe for brunches.  For the adults it is delicious if you add champagne to change this into a Strawberry Lemonade Mimosa, you can add Moscato wine for a delicious wine spritzer or just Vodka for a delicious cocktail. Relax and enjoy!

Refreshing Strawberry-Lemonade

Strawberry Lemonade

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 5 minutes
Yield: 6-8 servings
Ingredients:
  • I bottle (59 oz) of Simply Pink Lemonade or plain Simply Lemonade
  • 1 pint of strawberries, cut and hulled.
  • 1 lemon
  • Agave nectar or simple syrup (1 cup sugar with 1 cup water boiled until dissolved and cooled) for sweetening
DIRECTIONS:
  1. In a magic bullet or blender fill with strawberries and add Simply Lemonade about 3/4 way up and blend.
  2. Repeat step 1 until all strawberries are blended.
  3. Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon into blended mixture
  4. May sweeten as desired with agave nectar or simple syrup if agave not available.

*If a frozen lemonade is desired freeze strawberries night before preparing and use the frozen strawberries in above recipe, serve immediately.

#KidsTummyTroubles #Celiac #Glutenfree #Glutendairyfree #Glutenfreeliving #recipes

Coconut Breaded Chicken Nuggets – Gluten Free and Dairy Free

I can not tell a lie.  My kids prefer to eat the typical toddler foods.  They love pizza, hot dogs, french fries and chicken nuggets. I had to spend ALOT of time to find a recipe for chicken nuggets that taste as good as their favorite frozen nuggets.  I played around and came up with a recipe that my kids love and that is also gluten and dairy free, YAY!  Hope you like it and let me know what you think.

Coconut Chicken Nuggets

Coconut Breaded Chicken Nuggets

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 2-3 servings

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup flour mixture  (may use recipe provided for Gluten free flour or coconut or almond flour)
  • 1/4 cup shredded coconut ( I get it from Whole Foods Markets)
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp lemon pepper ( may substitute with regular back pepper if not available)
  • 4 tbsp coconut oil

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Wash and cut chicken into bite size pieces.
  2. Mix all dry ingredients together and place in a large zip-lock bag.
  3. Beat the egg in a medium bowl.
  4. Add chicken to egg mixture and coat all chicken pieces with egg.
  5. Add chicken and egg mixture to the dry ingredients in bag and close.  Gently shake the bag to coat all chicken pieces with flour mixture. 
  6. Heat 2 tbsp of coconut oil in a large pan over medium heat.  Add chicken to pan.
  7. Keep moving chicken in pan until it is cooked through to a golden brown.  May need to add more coconut oil to pan as the chicken soaks up the oil.  However do not place too much oil as it will make chicken soggy and won’t allow them to brown.
  8. Allow to cool and serve.

IMG_0546

Sophia gives this a THUMBS UP!!  Let me know what your family thinks!!

#KidsTummyTroubles #GlutenFree #Celiac #Glutenfreeliving #GlutenfreeCoconutchickennuggets #Kidapproved

Pineapple, Strawberry, Kale and Passion Fruit Smoothie

Pineapple, Strawberry, Kale and Passion Fruit Smoothie


I am always trying to find ways to get fruits and veggies into my kids diets.  When my oldest daughter was 2 yo she would constantly drink my husbands smoothies.  After that we started making them at home instead of buying them and I would sneak in a veggie with the fruits.  Carrots, kale, spinach work great in smoothies and when mixed with other items my kids didn’t even notice they were in there.  They also loved being a part of making the smoothie and loved adding in the milk and fruit.  This is one of our favorites.  You can substitute the Kale for carrots if you prefer.  Also start with adding a little Kale at a time.  Kale tends to turn the smoothies very green which can be good or bad for certain kids.  😉  Hope you enjoy it and let your kids help out in the kitchen.  They love to help even with the little things.   When they are engaged in the prep they are much more likely to try out new foods and recipes.

Pineapple, Strawberry, Kale and Passion Fruit Smoothie

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 2 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

  • 1 fresh pineapple, hulled and cut in pieces
  • 2 1/2 cups strawberries
  • 2 passion fruits, halved and seeds scooped out
  • 1/2 cup kale, stems removed and chopped
  • 1 1/2 cup coconut or almond milk
  • 2 tablespoons agave syrup

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Place all ingredients in blender. 
  2. Blend until smooth and creamy.  Serve and enjoy immediately.