Coming -- a GFCF restaurant guide

Sorry for not posting much this week. I've been busy at home with some personal things. I had a recipe failure -- a pumpkin recipe really flopped. But, I'm in the process of doing something very exciting that will benefit many of you. I've been discouraged trying to find a restaurant that I could take my kids to eat -- just a burger and fries. I know it's not the healthiest nutrionally and some may object to that. But, I think it will be very healthy mentally. They've not been to a restaurant and most places, just like the supermarket, don't make it easy. So, I've set out to research all of the restaurants in our area just like I researched food products a couple of years ago. I called, wrote and badgered every company that makes the foods my kids eat to determine exactly what's in them. I made them back up their ingredients. I'm doing the same thing with the restaurants. And, I have some surprising results. So, what I plan to do in the next week is post a listing of all the restaurants and tell people whether they provide detailed allergen/gluten info online, if they provide a phone contact for nutrition info, and what food items they say are OK for BOTH gluten and casein. I'm also asking about soy. There are a few lists online that you'll easily find but they don't really include a lot of places. I'll provide links to those lists also.

I'll provide the basic results from my searching. You'll need to do the rest. And, I'll mention now, that I think it would be an excellent idea to double-check with your local restaurant as to how they handle the foods. I think they all do it differently. It appears to me that some are more mindful than others and may actually train employees. I personally will not take my kids anywhere until I've spoken with the local manager and walk away satisfied that they really know what they're doing. At the least, the list will help guide you in the right directions and give you quick links to helpful info. I hope you too can enjoy a night out with your family. Look for the list sometime after the weekend, maybe on Monday.

GFCF Breakfast cereal bars

This recipe is so great. For one, I like these and will eat them for a quick breakfast on the go. And, the recipe really worked like I had hoped. I should've guessed thought, that only one of my kids would actually eat them. Oh well. That's the way these things go.

This is a recipe for a cereal bar that's very healthy. I found a basic recipe on the web, modified it for GFCF, and added a couple things of my own. Here's how:

1/2 cup honey (or other syrup)
1/2 cup nut butter (I used Once Again Sunflower Seed Butter)
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 cups gluten free rice krispies cereal (I used Barbaras)
1/3 cup raisins (dates would work too)
2 tbsp sunflower seeds (optional)
1-2 tbsp ground flax seed (I used golden flax)

Grease a 13x9 cake pan -- I used organic Spectrum shortening.
Into a pan, heat honey, nut butter and sugar to boil. Stir on medium heat a couple of minutes.
Add the other ingredients and stir until combined.
Dump into the greased pan and use a spatula to press down.
Let cool. After 30 minutes, use a knife or pizza cutter to cut into squares.

I also think pureed raisin or date would work in this for those kids picky about those dried fruits.

Very healthy morning food with the protein in the nut butter, whole grain cereal, fruit and the fiber in the flax.

GFCF mashed potatoes with a hidden surprise

OK -- no new recipe here, but another win (for the parents) on sticking some veggies in everyday food. This one -- mashed potatoes. Again, inspired and based on a recipe in the Deceptively Delicious cookbook. Just modified for GFCF -- and soy free. The added veggie is cauliflower.

Add a 1/4 cup of pureed cauliflower to my mashed potato recipe.

It worked here without a hitch. The only difference in my original recipe, other than the cauliflower, was using some veggie broth and Darifree for liquid.

Again, a great idea, which I modified for the GFCF diet, from Jessica Seinfeld's Deceptively Delicious cookbook.

I'll try not to bore you with this cookbook, but it's turning into a great help in our home right now.