Healthy Camping Food

I am really looking forward to our first camping trip of the season. Our family loves to camp and nothing is better then eating a meal by the campfire after a day at the beach and canoeing.
I have been trying to think of what meals to make when we are camping. Here are some of my ideas for snacks and meals for the camping season. I will adding to the lists and if you have any suggestions please let me know so I can your ideas to the lists.
**my list is a bit more limited this year with not being able to eat gluten, corn, dairy, grapes, oranges, chocolate, artificial flavours/colours, pork, and eggs. Some of these we have eliminated as a family to support Connor and some he does not mind if we eat(organic eggs and dairy in small amounts)**

Breakfasts;

• drinks-water, herbal teas, organic juice and organic coffee
• fresh fruit cut up
• homemade muffins(gluten free)
• granola
• toast with nut butters(gluten free bread)
• gluten free cereal with almond milk
• oatmeal
• gluten free pancakes with berries
• eggs

Lunches;

• cut up vegetables
• dips; hummus, salsa, avocados
• rice chips, crackers, cakes
• fruit
• cold pasta salads(gluten free noodles)
• chicken or tuna salad on wraps or bread(gluten free) or rice cakes
• organic peanut butter and jam on rice cakes or gf bread
• pickles
• salad
• bean salads

Snacks;

• vegetables and dip
• fruit-watermelon, apples, peaches,berries,bananas, pears, cherries,etc
• organic chips, rice chips
• nuts/seeds
• homemade granola bars
• homemade trail mix
• still searching for organic marshmallows
• gluten free cookies

Dinners;

• pasta with sauce(gluten free noodles)
• organic chicken
• steak
• hamburgers or veggy burgers-homemade or store bought
• organic hot dogs and gluten free buns(I picked up all beef organic hot dogs at Food smiths in Perth)
• rice
• Vegetables-sweet potatoes, salad, coleslaw, potatoes, broccoli, coleslaw, cauliflower,carrots, cucumbers, grilled vegetables(zucchini, mushrooms, peppers,etc)

What are your favourite camping meals? Please let me know if you can think of anything for my lists. I will be adding to them and using the lists for camping and picnics over the summer. Happy Summer :)

Organic Vegetable Delivery

It felt like Christmas opening up the bags to see what we got today. Everything is organic and grown at a farm not too far from here so it is picked and delivered fresh. The produce will be filled with lots of nutrients and I can't wait to use it. I cut up some carrots to go with the kids dinner tonight, they had leftovers. The carrots were so fresh, and full of flavour. I can't wait to try the rest of the produce and try some new recipes. Each week the delivery will be different produce and amounts.

This weeks delivery had;

• sweet potatoes-yum! We all love sweet potatoes and we will probably roast them
• a very big mushroom-not sure what we will do with it, stir fry possibly, put in pasta
• carrots-will be great for juicing and carrot sticks
• tomatoes-I am craving a toasted tomato sandwich, need to get some more gluten free bread
• potatoes-baked potatoes probably
• radishes-just eat them with some other cut up vegs
• cauliflower-either raw or we will steam it
• greens-lots of greens to enjoy, need to make some green smoothies and salads with them
• cucumber-cut up with the carrot sticks
• sprouts-I am thinking they would be good in a salad and in a sandwich with humus and other vegs
• onions-salad, with the baked potatoes
• zucchini-my favourite! I am thinking a gluten free zucchini cake, bread or muffins

Any other ideas to use the produce?

If anyone who lives near me would like some flour let me know, it is all yours. I have some bags not even opened and a few opened bags of whole wheat and regular flour. We are going gluten free as a family and my pantry is almost cleaned out of items with gluten except for some bags of flour. Let me know if you would like it and I would be happy to get it to you.

Breakfast Bowls, Organic Vegetable Delivery and Pasta

I made pasta for dinner the other night and it was a great meal. We all enjoyed it and it will be on our menu again soon. I used quinoa penne pasta, it was the best gluten free pasta we have tried. This is a meal we had growing up and it is a easy, inexpensive meal and you can enjoy leftovers the next day. I adapted it a bit and it came out great. I used quinoa penne pasta, organic pasta sauce, canned beans, cooked hamburg, and dairy free cheese. I mixed them together in a casserole dish and baked for about 20 minutes.

With the weather getting warmer I have switched from hot oatmeal to cold oatmeal bowls. This oatmeal bowl has granola, fresh raspberries, organic yogurt, cinnamon, coconut, and raw chocolate nibs. You can adapt this bowl to whatever you enjoy, you can use any kind of granola or even raw oatmeal, use whatever kind of fresh berries you have, use whatever flavour of organic yogurt and sprinkle different toppings on it. Some fun toppings include; raw chocolate nibs, gogi berries, cinnamon, ground flax, coconut, dried fruit, nuts, seeds, chia seeds, and hemp seeds.
Raw Chocolate Nibs are a raw super food. Cacao contains a rich supply of vitamins and minerals. These nutrients include beta-carotene, zinc, and an incredibly rich supply of magnesium. These beans also contain more antioxidant flavnoids than blueberries, red wine and green tea.

Cinnamon may be helpful in controlling blood sugar levels. In studies the effective dose was as little as one gram per day(roughly 1/4 teaspoon).

I am looking forward to our organic vegetable delivery beginning tomorrow. Each Wednesday will get different organic vegetables delivered so I am looking forward to what we will be getting. Have a great day.

Ice cream and cinnamon toast for Breakfast

This morning for breakfast Kelsey and I made ice cream and cinnamon toast. We made banana soft serve with frozen organic bananas and frozen cherries. Kelsey blended them in the food processor for about 5 minutes. I made cinnamon toast with gluten free bread, earth balance, cinnamon and sucanat sugar and toasted it for a few minutes. It was a fun Sunday morning breakfast and it took about 5 minutes to make. It was a kid friendly breakfast that was gluten and dairy free.

What are your favourite weekend breakfasts?

Easy gluten, dairy, soy free, vegan Meal

I made a super quick meal for the kids tonight that they both loved. I was not sure how it would be since I was trying some new things I had bought from Rainbow foods yesterday. I used the gluten free pizza shells, some farm boy pizza sauce and sprinkled the new "cheese" over it. It actually melted, the kids loved it, and said it was the best cheese they have ever had. I was a bit surprised to be quite honest, I had no idea if they would like it or not. I served it with humus, cut up cucumbers and carrots.

Making kid sized pizzas makes an easy, fun meal. Start with any shell you have; whole wheat or gluten free english muffins, tortillas, buns, or homemade dough. Use a sauce, it can be olive oil, pizza or pasta sauce. Put out some toppings; cut up vegetables, pineapple, leftover cut up meat, whatever you have in your fridge. Top with cheese, it can be a non dairy or dairy cheese. Bake and enjoy. Cut up some raw vegetables or fruit to go with it for a quick meal.

Rainy Day Trip to Rainbow Foods

I decided it was a good day to go to Rainbow Foods and stock up on some new gluten, corn and dairy free foods. This is what I bought today; gf graham crackers(figured these would be fun for camping), gf flour mix, gf bread crumbs, gf cones, gf pasta(I think I have stocked up enough gf pasta to feed us for a year), almond milk, taro chips, gf pizza crusts, brown rice cakes, rice crackers and gf strawberry cookies. I also got a new kind of dairy, soy free cheese that is supposed to melt well and taste good. They said it is hard to keep in stock it is so good. It is made with filtered water, tapioca and arrowroot flour, non GMO safflower oil, coconut oil, pea protein, vegan flavours(from plants) xanthum gum, vegan bacterial cultures and annatto. I also got raw coconut butter with cacao. Connor can not have chocolate and he is having a hard time with it even though he did not really enjoy chocolate before. I bought this to see if it would be fine for him since it is more natural and raw.

I will be making a new menu plan for the coming week. Connor has planned out a meal to make. We were sent a new recipe for gf country chicken and he wants coleslaw and mashed potatoes with it. I will be looking through my pantry and freezer to make my menu plan to see what foods we already have. I already know I have most items to make pasta, pizza, salads, and I have lots of fruits and vegetables.

What is on your menu this week?

Stirfry and Ice cream

Last night Kelsey had a soccer game so we needed a quick and filling dinner before we left for her game. Noel made a really good dinner that we all loved. I can see this being on the menu again very soon. I know this was not on my menu plan but we had everything to make it.

The stir fry had zucchini, onions, mushrooms, peppers, ginger, and beef. He made a sauce but not sure exactly what was in it but it was really good. It did have some epicure teriyaki seasoning and organic tamari I know. He also sprinkled organic sesame seeds on it. Sesame seeds have protein, calcium, and iron and taste great in a stir fry. I made some organic rice to go with it. This meal was a huge hit with both kids and they both went back for seconds.

For dessert Noel made ice cream. This is the best ice cream and it is so easy to make. It is dairy and soy free and tastes really good. To make it just get a bunch of bananas, we use organic usually and cut them up into pieces and put in a container in the freezer. When you are ready to use them put whatever amount you want in the food processor and turn it on for 5 minutes. It turns the frozen bananas into soft serve ice cream. At this point you can add in whatever you would like or just eat as is. Last night Noel added frozen raspberries and it was really good. He has also added strawberries and organic peanut butter. We sometimes melt coconut butter in a saucepan and pour over it. You serve this in a bowl or cone. I need to find some gluten free cones now for this summer treat.

***updated; my friend let me know Rainbow Foods has new gluten free waffle cones that are really good***

Enjoy this kid friendly meal that is gluten, dairy, soy, and corn free. You could make it vegan as well but changing the meat to a vegan option. You can have whatever vegetables and protein you have to make a quick meal your family will all enjoy.

Meal Salads

We have been eating more salads here with the new eating plan and the nicer weather. I have been trying to get more creative with salads to make them more exciting and filling. Here are a few salads that I have made because I was frustrated that I could not find a good gluten and corn free bun and tortilla shell. Still on the search for something that does not fall apart and that is free of both corn and gluten.
Taco Salad; I used hormone free hamburg with epicure taco seasoning for the meat, cut up romaine lettuce, cucumber slices, salsa, crushed up rice works salsa chips, and a small amount of raw organic cheese and organic sour cream. This is an excellent salad with so much flavour and filling.
Burger Salad; We grilled veggy burgers, still not sure how I feel about soy so we have very limited amounts. We had them in the freezer and they needed to be used though and they made a quick meal. In the salad there was cut up burger, romaine lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, pickles cut up, and organic ranch dressing. It sounds a bit strange but it was very good and you could put whatever kind of burger, vegetables, or dressing you like.
Steak Salad; We had leftover steak so used cut up steak, romaine lettuce, cut up vegetables, and salad dressing. We crushed rice chips over the salad, the salsa and sweet chili are the best flavour and make a great alternative to croutons. You could use whatever kind of leftovers and vegetables you have, it is a great way to use up what you have in your fridge.

Have fun and get creative. Meal salads are a great way to make a filling gluten free meal.

Menu Plan for the next week

I like to do my big grocery shopping trip on Thursday's and I try to menu plan before I go. I find menu planning is a great tool for saving time, money and eliminating extra trips to the store. I try to plan meals around food we already have and keeping in mind nights we have sports. I like to plan a variety of easy meals, new recipes, family favourites and leftover nights. I look through my pantry, fridge, freezer, and cupboards to see what we have first. I get 2 pieces of paper and make a grocery list and a list for ideas for breakfasts, lunches, snacks and dinners. Sometimes I plan what we will have for each day and others I will just write some ideas for the number of meals I am buying for.
This is what we will be having this week;
Breakfast Ideas;
*organic coffee, herbal teas, juice, water, almond milk
*fresh fruit-watermelon, lots of berries, apples, bananas
*gluten free waffles with berries, cinnamon, maple syrup
*oatmeal
*wheat grass
*green smoothies
*fresh juice
*eggs
*hash browns
*nut butters
*granola with berries, cinnamon, and either organic yogurt or almond milk
*gluten free waffle mix(to make in waffle iron) with warm raspberry sauce and cream(made with tofu);a weekend breakfast

Lunch/Snack Ideas;
*leftovers
*rice chips-garden salsa
*assorted vegetables
*fruit
*gluten free crackers
*salads
*pickles
*homemade granola bars(recipe coming; got everything to make them)
*organic yogurt for Kelsey
*blueberry applesauce cups/organic applesauce
*granola with berries
*baked items

Dinner Ideas;
*Vegetables-Roasted beets, BBQ Vegetables, Europe's Best Frozen Vegetables, Salads, Raw Vegetables, Green and Yellow Beans
~Steak, onion and bell pepper Fajitas with toppings and Brown Rice tortillas(not sure how these will be)
~Gluten Free Pizza with Raw Vegetables
~Vegan Black Bean Burgers, Grilled Vegetables, Organic fries
~Crock pot Fruit Salsa Chicken, Rice, Green and Yellow beans, Roasted beets
~Pasta dinner with gluten free pasta, pasta sauce with meat and a side salad
**I plan on making enough each night for leftovers. Leftovers make packing lunches a much quicker process.

I am excited to announce...

I am very happy to share that I am officially a Registered Holistic Nutritionist. I am a graduate of the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition. Our graduation is on June 27 th and I look forward to celebrating with an amazing group. I look forward to continuing this journey and can't wait to see where it takes me. I was a stay at home Mom for 10 years and I was not sure what I would do when the kids were both in school full time. My children inspired me to follow my dreams. I have loved having the experience of learning from amazing teachers and other students. I am looking forward to celebrating with my class in a few weeks.

Gluten Free Muffins and Fresh Juice

I made muffins the other night with a gluten free mix I picked up from the bulk barn. I used almond milk instead of regular milk and it worked well. I asked the kids what kind of the muffins they wanted and they wanted fruit muffins so I added the frozen mixed berries to the mix and blended them in the end. I also sprinkled cinnamon on the muffins before baking them. I love my new baking liners I got from my sister in law for my birthday.

We made fresh juice with our breakfast on the weekend. We juiced carrots and beets and mixed them together, yum!

Cookies

On the weekend we baked some gluten free, dairy and egg free cookies from my new cookbook. I really enjoy the recipes from the Gluten Free Almond Flour cookbook. We made the snickerdoodle cookies with almond flour. I really enjoy the taste of almond flour and the recipes are easy to make.

What are your favourite kind of cookies?

Adjusting to the new eating plan

We are all adjusting to Connor's new way of eating and doing better then I thought. It has been a challenge to find gluten free food that does not have corn in it. I picked up a few things that were gluten free and I did not read the label and served them learning quickly there was corn in them. I did not realize how many foods it was in, I really did not think we ate corn enough to worry. Other then that I have been able to serve him foods free of wheat and gluten grains, dairy, artificial flavours and colours, chocolate, soy, pork, grapes and oranges. This week may be difficult for him. His class is having a party for his english and french teacher on Tuesday and I know there will be a lot of food that he can not eat. One of Connor's good friends has celiac disease so we are sending in treats that are safe for them. I am hoping having special treats will make it easier for the foods he can not eat and that he is not the only one not able to have what the other kids are bringing in.
I will share this week the recipe for homemade granola bars since it got the most votes. Thank you to everyone who voted. Have a great week everyone and check in this week for some recipes, snack and meal ideas.

Grocery Shopping

To give you an idea of some of the things I will be making I thought it would be easier to take a few pictures when I got home from grocery shopping. All of these are from either natural food pantry, bulk barn or farm boy. I was so impressed going to bulk barn seeing all the shelves stocked with organic items, gluten free items and even the bins had selection of gluten free items. The gluten free pizza, muffin and waffle mix were even on sale. I have made the pizza before and it was a great crust, we all enjoyed it. The tea is the best tea I have ever had and Connor loved it. The blend of berries is so yummy and the tea bag is really neat.

I had some groceries at home so just stocking up on some things that were safe to eat for Connor's new plan. Connor loves to eat and was very worried he would not be able to eat much and things wouldn't taste good. He went to bed that night saying he loved everything he ate that day and it was the first day his stomach did not hurt. His skin was not bothering him that night either. If this new diet will solve the health problems he has had since September I will be a very happy Mom. It has been a long, frustrating season with many doctors appointments with no answers and doctors are as baffled as us. We are meeting with a new doctor next week and we hope we are closer to getting him better.

So far for dinner we have had chicken, roasted asparagus, and boiled red potatoes with parsley and a pasta meal with gluten free pasta, organic pasta sauce and salad. They were "safe" meals that our whole family enjoyed. I also made him lemon bars made with almond flour that he loved.
Have a great weekend.

Allergy Testing

I took Connor to get some allergy testing done since he had not had it done in almost 4 years. It was an interesting appointment and I feel closer to being able to help him with some recent health problems he has been experiencing. Some of these items are new and some were things that showed up when he was tested years ago. The list is a bit overwhelming right but as I reminded Connor, and need to remind myself we need to focus on what he can eat. My mission to making real food that tastes great will become even more of a focus. He can not have wheat, barley, corn, rye, dairy, pork, grapes, oranges, chocolate, msg, eggs, food dyes or preservatives. Even though he has not been eating most of these things it was still a lot for him to hear and that he should not have them at all.
My plan is to hit some stores today to find some food he CAN eat and to try to keep things as normal as possible. It will be an adjustment for us at first but we will find a new normal and figure out special occasions, school parties, going to friends homes, etc as we go along.
The foods he can eat that we will be focusing meals and snacks around are all vegetables, all meats except pork and deli or smoked meats, all fruits except oranges and grapes, all nuts and seeds, legumes, rice, quinoa and gluten free pasta. I will bake with almond,oat, rice and buckwheat flour mostly.
If you have any experience with children's allergies/sensitivities I would love to hear from you. What works for you, do you have any favourite brands, recipes.

Connor and Kelsey in the kitchen

I came across these older pictures of Connor and Kelsey when I was going through my pictures. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did looking at them again.