New Post Schedule

After learning lots at Nourished and reviewing lots of blogs I have come up with a new post schedule.

Miscellaneous Monday - These post will be random tips, thoughts and other cool things I come across.

Wonderful Wednesday - Post on Wednesday's will be about the yummy treats I find and make. From Nourished I bought lots of new cookbooks and I am going to work my way through them.

Fast Friday - Friday post will be fast and easy meals or snack ideas to get your weekend started out right.

There will be other post I make of recipes that don't fit under those topics and I will also be re-posting post from past blogs that I wrote.
Is there anything else you would like to see?

Dip + Decorate Natural Coloring Kit Review

Yes, I know Easter was a while ago but this is an idea for next year. My kids can't have food coloring so in the past we have dyed eggs and given them away or tried different natural colors. This year I ordered the Dip + Decorate natural coloring kit from the Natural Candy Store which I love! The colors turned out great and I have waited to post this as I wanted to try adding them to frosting, which I did. Here we are coloring eggs.

This is how they turned out when we were all done.

 Caden's eggs

Cameron's eggs

I also made my own Easter candy for them and took the shimmer dust and used it to paint the chocolates silver and yellow/gold.

 I love the way the chicks turned out!

I also wanted to try the colors in icing and I did that with the red to make pink for a breast cancer bake sale. I love the color of them and now I can't wait to try the others.

Do you use natural colors and what works for you?

Nourished

I had the great privilege of attending Nourished in Lombard, Illinois just over a week ago. I had a blast and learned lots about how to be a better blogger but still stay true to myself. I am still new to Twitter and Pinterest but I am learning thanks from the help of Melissa from Stockpiling Moms and her great social media talk. I learned how to make a strong blog brand from Mary Fran Wiley and never to use Times New Roman in my blog or she will hunt me down. From the great Karen Morgan I learned to keep a journal close when I try a new recipe because I never will remember what I did if I don't write it down. I also had a blast meeting Lauren Lucille Vassar and Anne Lee from Schar and learned about making the step to team up with a company. (Not there yet). Cara Lyons taught us all how to take a better picture, which I am working on. It also served as a reminder to me that I was so busy soaking up being in a room full of gluten free people that I forgot to take pictures! I'm kicking myself for that.
They also fed us wonderful food! Who knew I would have the chance to try duck with a quail egg on it for lunch!! I would have been happy with the standard salad we all eat.

 A yummy lemon cupcake from a local bakery!

 Yes, see duck with quail egg!

This was a cold zucchini soup that was so light and refreshing, I need to learn to make it.

I also made friends with other bloggers I will keep up with like Melanie Angelis, Sarena Shasteen (I will get a post soon about the cans I promise!) and Angela Litzinger!
I had a blast as you can see and I will be pinching pennies to try and go next year. Will you be there?

Chili 3-ways

I had a blast at Nourished and at the Gluten Free Expo this past weekend! I will have several post about what I found and who I met but for now this is what was for dinner tonight.

I love chili and eating chili three ways is one of my favorite easy meals. I had a package of beef in the fridge I needed to use so I decided it was a chili kind of night.
You need for the chili:
1 pound ground beef
14 oz Brooks ketchup
1 can hot dog sauce
1 T Apple cider vinegar
1 T brown sugar
1 can chili beans
For the extra sauce:
3/4 cup ketchup
1 T Worcestershire sauce
First brown your ground beef and drain all the fat off. Add your ground beef back into your pan and add the ketchup, hot dog sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, and chili beans. Simmer till everything is warm.
For the extra sauce to drizzle on combine the second amount of ketchup and worcestershire sauce.
A few notes about this recipe. Make sure you read your labels!!! There are brands out there that have gluten in them so do your research first. When I made it tonight we didn't have any hot dog sauce so I added in two cans of chili beans. The great part of this recipe is that you can change it to your taste. If you like it hot use hot chili beans or if not use mild ones. Brooks Ketchup is local to the Midwest and has vinegar and other spices in it. If you can't find it use regular ketchup and add a bit more apple cider vinegar and worcestershire sauce to the chili.
When it is done it is time to assemble.
Cook your favorite gluten free pasta and then top with the chili and extra sauce. You can also add cheese (I used daiya)  and onions to make it a five way.
What is your favorite way?

Travel food

I am on my was to Nourished and the Gluten Free expo. I can't afford to buy evey meal out so we packed lots of food. We have a cooler full of premade meals that we can warm in the hot pot. We are driving so we also have lots of space to fit all the food we packed. Some of my favorites are Kind Bars, freeze dried veggies and fruit, hummus, Crunchmaster crackers, and my down fall is Goody Good Stuff Summer Peaches. I love them! They also make strawberries and cream snacks and cola bottles. Yes they taste like old school cola bottles but the peaches are my favorite. They are free of gelatin, gluten, dairy and artificial colores and flavors.

What I can help you with

I would love to help you on your path to going gluten and dairy free! I remember what it was like for me when we first started and there was lots of food thrown away. Changing over to gluten free is expensive but I want to help you avoid the mistakes I made. The first phone call is free and we will talk about why you are changing and what other allergies you or your family may have. While we are on the phone we will set up a time for me to come to your house and start with your kitchen. Believe it or not there is lots to learn in your kitchen before we start to shop. This also allows me to get a feeling for your cooking style and your needs. After our meeting at your house we will do some shopping to cover the basics of what to buy and where you can buy it. I can also help you walk though your first few cooking attempts if you would like the help. This also shows you what you are looking for because gluten free food does not always act the same. I am also here for any question that you may have, free of charge. I don't want you making the same mistakes that I have made in the past because those mistakes add up to lots of money.