My Food Allergy Family

Here is my super simple recipe for meatloaf that's gluten free, nut free and oat free! While most meatloaf recipes use oats, this one uses gluten free loaf bread!  Ingredients for meatloaf: 3-4 slices of GF white sandwich bread (I use  Udi's White Sandwich Bread ) 1 cup or more of milk 1 1/2 lbs ground beef 1/4 cup ketchup 1 tsp worcestershire sauce (Lea & Perrins is GF) 1/2 of an onion, diced salt/pepper a few dashes dried minced garlic a few dashes dried oregano a couple of dashes chili powder a few dashes dried parsley 2 eggs, lightly beaten Ingredients for Pioneer Woman's meatloaf topping 3/4 cup ketchup 1/6 cup brown sugar 1/2 tsp ground mustard (dry mustard) tabasco to taste Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Put bread slices in a single layer in a small baking dish. Pour milk over them. Let bread soak for several minutes.   After bread has soaked for several minutes, remove from milk. Combine bread, meat and all other ingredients for meatloaf

School is right around the corner, so as always my biggest concern is my 3 kids' nut allergies. At Meet the Teacher we always explain to all teachers about their allergies and how to keep them safe.   Here is a letter I also send to all my kids' teachers about nut free foods.  I always pack my kids' lunches myself and send safe snacks with them, but it's helpful for the teachers to have something on hand to refer to through the year... You can find nut free lists online.  I made mine from a list I found and mainly included snacks my kids like. So these are definitely not the only nut free snacks available :) You just have to check labels  :) ( This list is NOT gluten free, only nut free  :) ) Hi, Since ___________ is allergic to all nuts, I thought it might be helpful if you had a list  of some snacks  that are safe for them if you need snacks for class, etc. Since ingredients  can change, we always double  check labels too. He cannot have anything that co

I love breakfast casserole. It is my favorite breakfast dish ever. But every time I tried to make it myself, I never could get it quite right. That was until my cousin shared her breakfast casserole recipe with me. It's delicious! Here's the recipe GF! 4 slices of Udi's GF white sandwich bread   1 lb GF bulk sausage, browned and broken up  (I use Ingles Markets Gluten Free Italian Bulk Sausage) 1 cup shredded cheese 6 eggs 2 cups milk Tear bread into pieces and place in bottom of baking dish. Sprinkle cooked sausage over bread. Sprinkle grated cheese over sausage. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs and milk together. Pour over bread, sausage, and cheese. Refrigerate. You could refrigerate overnight and cook for breakfast. I have also put this together in the morning, refrigerated it all day and cooked it for supper.  Cook for 1 hr @350. (I usually cook it about 5 minutes longer, just keep an eye on it till it's done) Enjoy!

Here's one of my family's favorite recipes! Super simple and yummy! Great with mashed potatoes or rice!  Ingredients:  2 pounds. beef cubed steak GF Flour, enough to dredge steak (I use Betty Crocker all purpose GF rice flour) Olive oil, enough to use for browning steak Salt and pepper 1 carton Pacific Naturals Organic GF condensed cream of chicken soup 1 pkg GF brown gravy mix (I use Simply Organic Brown Gravy Mix) Water (1 soup carton full) Salt and pepper to taste Dredge the cubed steak in flour and brown in vegetable oil just until brown on both sides. I have browned the meat before without using the flour, and it turns out great too! Salt and pepper the steak just a little while browning.  Place browned steak in a greased 9x13 dish. In separate bowl, mix together the GF cream of chicken soup, gravy mix and water. Whisk thoroughly until blended. Pour over steak.  Cover with foil. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

This baked bean recipe is one of our favorites! I have made them for years and they are just scrumptious! I mean, with maple syrup, brown sugar, and bacon thrown in, how could they not be delicious? The original recipe comes from Paula Deen.  Ingredients: 1 large onion, diced 2 (16 oz) cans  Bush's   Best  Original Baked Beans 3 tablespoons yellow mustard 1/4 cup maple syrup 1/4 cup light brown sugar 4 tbsp ketchup 1 tbsp lemon juice 1/2 pound bacon strips, cut into 1/2 inch pieces Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees In a deep baking dish, mix beans, onion, mustard, maple syrup, brown sugar, ketchup and lemon juice. Stir till combined. Top with bacon pieces. Bake covered for 45 minutes. Remove foil, stir, and bake another 15 minutes uncovered. Enjoy!

My mom has made Cheddar Garlic Biscuits for years, and I've always LOVED them! With just a few changes, they can easily be made gluten free! Here's the simple recipe... Ingredients: 2 cups Gluten Free Bisquick 1 cup milk 1 c shredded cheddar cheese about 2 spoonfuls of mayo 2 tablespoons melted butter 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder Combine the first 4 ingredients and mix with spoon till a soft dough forms. Drop by spoonfuls onto a  baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for 18-20 minutes. (Watch carefully so they don't burn) Mix together melted butter and garlic powder.  Spoon over warm biscuits. Enjoy!

I LOVE this apple recipe! It comes from a great cookbook, Southern Living Everyday Menus . So easy and so delicious!! Ingredients: 1/2 cup butter 8 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced 1 1/2 cup sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg Directions: Melt 1/2 cup butter in a large skillet over med-high heat. Add apples and remaining ingredients. Saute 15-20 minutes or until apples are tender.

I love this simple sauce. It's flavorful and great for a quick weeknight meal! Ingredients: 1 1/2 pound ground chuck a few dashes onion powder 1 large can crushed tomatoes 1 can tomato paste 1/2 tsp minced garlic or more if you like (I use the minced garlic in the jar) a few dashes oregano salt and pepper Directions: Brown ground chuck in large pot over medium heat. Drain. Add tomatoes and the rest of the ingredients to the meat.  Bring sauce to boil then simmer on med low for about 30 minutes. Serve with cooked pasta of your choice.

I love Greek yogurt, so when I saw this muffin recipe from Drizzle Me Skinny I had to try it. I substituted GF flour and they turned out just fine :)   This has become my go to breakfast! Here's the simple recipe... 150 g Dannon Light and Fit Greek Yogurt Strawberry Cheesecake flavor. You can also you Vanilla flavor instead. 1 egg 1 egg white 1 banana, mashed 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 tbsp brown sugar 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 cup GF flour (I use Betty Crocker All Purpose Gluten Free Rice Blend) 1 cup fresh strawberries, diced Preheat oven to 350 degrees In bowl, beat together egg, egg white and brown sugar. Add in yogurt, mashed banana, and vanilla. Beat for 1 minute more. With spoon, stir in GF flour, baking powder and baking soda.  Gently fold in diced strawberries. Spoon batter into greased muffin pan. This recipe made 6 muffins for me. Bake for 25 minutes. Cool. I like to cover these in the muffin pan and keep in the fridge for breakfast th

This Cranberry Congealed Salad is super simple and always a family favorite, especially around the holidays! Ingredients... 1 small box cherry jello 1 10oz can crushed pineapple 1 can Ocean Spray whole berry cranberry sauce Combine 3/4 cup boiled water with the Jell-O in medium baking dish and stir until dissolved Pour in cranberry sauce and stir till combined Pour in crushed pineapple (don't drain) Stir till mixed well Cover and refrigerate for about eight hours or overnight.

This Mountain Dew Cake is a nut free dessert that everyone loves!  The flavor really reminds me of a lemon pound cake. It's so moist and delicious and so easy to make! Ingredients: 1 box lemon cake mix 1 small box lemon pudding 1 12oz. can Mountain Dew 3/4 cup vegetable oil 4 eggs Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Grease 9 x 13 baking dish Combine cake mix and pudding. Add Mountain Dew, oil, and eggs. Beat at medium speed until smooth. Pour into pan. Bake 45 -50 minutes, or until golden on top. I also insert a knife to make sure it's cooked through. Let cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove pan, allow to cool.  When cooled, mix glaze ingredients. Cut small slits through top of cake. Drizzle glaze on top and spread over top. Glaze 1 cup powdered sugar 3 tbsp. Mountain Dew 1 tsp. vanilla extract Cut and serve. 

This crustless sausage spinach cheddar quiche is just so incredibly yummy! Simple ingredients, simple steps, but amazing flavor!          4  eggs 1 cup   milk 1 lb gluten free Italian bulk sausage (I use Ingles Markets brand) 1 container fresh organic baby spinach 1-2 cups   sharp cheddar cheese, grated  1/2 or 3/4 tbsp onion powder (I use McCormick brand) Salt and pepper, to taste Brown and break up the sausage until it is cooked and no longer pink. Drain and set aside Cook spinach. This doesn't take long at all...just melt some butter in pot or deep pan, add spinach. Cover and cook over medium heat for just a few minutes till done. Drain liquid from spinach and set aside. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In large bowl combine sausage, spinach, eggs, milk, cheddar cheese, onion powder and salt and pepper. Stir till combined. Pour the quiche mixture into a greased pie plate. Place in oven and cook for 30-35 minutes until golden brown and center is set.

This hash brown casserole is an easy recipe that's great for a quick side!  I also sometimes make it to eat for a warm lunch through the week! Ingredients: 1 32 oz bag of Ore-Ida Tater Tots 1 carton Pacific organic GF condensed cream of chicken soup 1 carton Pacific organic GF condensed cream of mushroom soup 3 cups grated cheddar cheese 8 oz sour cream 1/2 cup onion (I sometimes substitute onion powder) Salt and pepper to taste Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Defrost tater tots in microwave and mash with fork till broken apart. Combine tater tots with remaining ingredients. Stir till well mixed. Pour mixture into 9x13 baking dish. Bake for 45 minutes. Enjoy!

Years ago, someone gave my a Southern Living cookbook called  Everyday Menus .   In it, I found a pasta recipe called Beef Lombardi.  It's a layered dish with pasta, meat sauce, cheese, sour cream and green onions...and it was delicious.  But what really stood out was the incredible sauce!  This simple meat sauce was so yummy and has a little kick to it with the green chiles. My hubby remarked once that he'd just like it served alone over spaghetti noodles...So that's what I did!  Ingredients: 1 pound ground beef 1 14oz can diced tomatoes, undrained 1 10 oz can diced tomatoes w/ green chiles, undrained (I use Rotel Mild) 2 teaspoons sugar 2 teaspoons salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1 6oz can tomato paste 1 bay leaf Directions: Cook ground beef over medium heat until crumbled and browned. Drain and return to pot. Stir in both cans tomatoes, sugar, salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and bay leaf.  Simmer on medium low heat 30 minutes, stirring occa

Pam from  imaceliac.com  shared a delicious recipe for Sour Cream Blueberry Muffins. The recipe is simple and sounded great.  We are trying to cut down on sugar, so I wondered what would happen if substituted honey for the sugar called for in the recipe.  So I studied up on how to do this, gave it a try...and the muffins turned out so great!!  Here's the recipe... Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups gluten free all purpose flour (I use  Betty Crocker  GF all purpose rice blend) 1/2 tsp salt 2 tsp GF baking powder (I use  Clabber Girl ) 1/3 cup natural applesauce 1 tsp GF vanilla extract 1 egg 3/4 cup honey 1/2 cup sour cream 1 cup frozen blueberries Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In large bowl, combine all ingredients except blueberries.  Now when you dump all this in the bowl, it will look like a hot mess, but trust me, it will turn out just fine! Using a hand mixer, mix ingredients till well combined.  See, now it looks like muffin batter :) Once batter is

This Bistro Chicken recipe from Kraft is delicious... Chicken, tomatoes and Italian dressing all together in one big skillet...very tasty! And it's very simple to make this dish gluten free! Ingredients:  2 tsp olive oil 1 onion chopped salt and pepper 1 15 oz can stewed tomatoes, undrained 1/4 cup GF Italian dressing 3 tbsp. tomato paste 2 boneless chicken breasts cooked and shredded bacon (optional) mozzarella and parmesan cheeses (optional) Heat oil in large skillet on med heat.  Add onions, cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Stir in tomatoes, dressing and tomato paste.   Add cooked chicken, cover.  Simmer on med low heat for 12 minutes. Remove skillet from heat. If desired, top with bacon and cheese and cover till cheese is melted.   Serve with rice or mashed potatoes.  

This is a great baked spaghetti recipe from Taste of Home. It can easily be made gluten free by substituting GF pasta and sauce. Ingredients: 1 package spaghetti (gluten free or regular) 1 lb ground chuck 1 small dash onion powder 1/2 tsp salt 1 jar GF pasta sauce (I use Classico Tomato Basil) 2 eggs 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese 5 tbsp butter melted 2 cups cottage cheese 4 cups shredded mozzarella Directions: Cook spaghetti according to package. Brown beef over medium heat, drain.  Stir in spaghetti sauce, onion powder and salt. Set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, parmesan and butter.  Drain spaghetti and add it to egg mixture. Stir to coat. Place half of spaghetti mixture in a greased baking dish.  Top with half of the cottage cheese, meat sauce and mozzarella. Repeat layers. Cover and back at 350 degrees too 40 minutes.  Uncover and bake 20-25 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

A while back I went to a friend's house for dinner.  She made lasagna soup. Now I had never heard of this dish, but by the end of the meal....make that the end of our first bite, everyone at the table was asking for the recipe! It's one she actually found on Pinterest, so she was more than happy to share :)  You actually assemble the soup as you serve it, and she was SO sweet to make GF pasta for me so that I could eat it!  I know from the picture it looks like just your average bowl of pasta with meat sauce...but it is soooo much more!  SO fabulous! You'll see in the recipe there is this unbelievable cheese goodness that goes in, but I didn't add this last night, as Im trying to cut back on dairy.  Even without it though...so great! Hubby, who hardly ever asks for seconds ate three bowls. :) Here's the link to this oh so yummy recipe! Just make sure all brands are GF and to use GF Italian sausage (I use Ingles Market GF bulk sausage) and GF pasta :) 

This is a great nut free recipe for Chicken Pot Pie. Although it's NOT gluten free, you can use a gluten free pie crust instead if you choose. (Adapted from The Blue Bloods Cookbook) Ingredients:  2 refrigerated pie crusts (I use Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crust) 4 tbsp butter 1 cup chopped carrots 1/4 cup all purpose flour (I use Betty Crocker GF Rice Flour Blend) small dash onion powder salt and pepper 1 tsp lemon juice 2 cups chicken stock 1/2 cup half and half 2 cups cooked chicken, chopped Directions:  Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In large pot, melt butter on med heat. Add carrots & cook 5 min. Add flour slowly, stir to coat carrots. (I use Betty Crocker GF Rice Flour Blend) Sprinkle in salt & pepper Add lemon juice and chicken stock and stir to combine until smooth. Sprinkle in small dash of onion powder Add half and half and cook until thickened and heated. Remove pot from heat and stir in the chopped chicken Line 9 in glass pie pla

Gluten free baking can sometimes feel like a guessing game!  Sometimes I try substituting gluten free ingredients into a regular recipe and it just doesn't work. But sometimes it does!    David Venable from QVC shared a great muffin recipe, and it was so easy to make it gluten free just by substituting in gluten free flour! And the muffins turned out so yummy!!  Here's the recipe: 3 cups all-purpose gluten free flour (I use Betty Crocker GF Rice Flour Blend) 1 1/2 cups white sugar 1 tsp salt 4 tsp baking powder 2 tsp ground cinnamon 2/3 cups vegetable oil 2 eggs 2/3 cups milk 3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and grated Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a muffin pan.  Mix flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Stir with spoon till combined.  Add the oil, eggs, and milk. With a hand mixer beat till combined, but don't over mix.  Pour in the apples and stir them in gently with a spoon.    Spoon the batter into muffin pa

Here's my recipe for slow cooker beef stew. Its such a simple recipe and it's so delicious!  1 & 1/2 lbs. of boneless beef stew meat 1 12 oz. container  Pacific Natural Foods Organic  Cream of Chicken condensed soup  Lea and Perrins worcestershire sauce (L&P is gluten free :)) salt and pepper 1/2 of a small onion diced fresh carrots and celery  GF instant rice (I use Minute Rice) Directions: Put stew meat in slow cooker. In medium bowl combine soup, a few dashes of worcestershire sauce, diced onion, and salt and pepper Pour soup mixture over meat and stir to cover meat. Cover and cook on low 12 hrs. (or high 6 hours). About halfway through cooking, cut up carrots, and celery. Put on microwave safe plate and heat in microwave for 5 minutes.   Then add the veggies to the slow cooker and stir.  Replace lid and continue cooking.  Serve over rice.