Fake Eggs !!

Since Kennady has so many allergies and still nurses I have had to adjust my diet drastically. First no eggs. I LOVE eggs so this one was hard. I looked all over for "fake eggs" that I could scramble and eat like regular eggs and I found nothing. One day I was on Facebook reading 

Mayim Bialik's   Facebook page and she mentioned VeganEgg. I immediately went  to Sprouts and found them. Holy crap they literally taste and act just like eggs. You add cold water and blend them. Then you can cook them however you'd like. I found some Soy Chorizo at Walmart and thought it would be the perfect paring for my VeganEggs. After reading I found a lot of the pre packaged chorizos have chicken or something along those lines in them. Kennady is very allergic to chicken so I have to really watch it. I scrambled the VeganEggs for 3 or 4 minutes then added the soy chorizo and cooked for another 3 minutes stirring constantly. It came out amazing! I can now have eggs again without my daughter getting sick.   A win for everyone! 

Shrimp , Veggies and Rice

I love shrimp!!! I do a lot of cooking with shrimp now days. KC is allergic to chicken ...hell she's allergic to all things with feathers. Since she still nurses I still cannot eat things she is allergic to. This is my quick and easy go to shrimp with veggies meal. 

1/2 of uncooked shrimp

1 bag of mixed frozen veggies of your choice

Mrs Dash to taste

Jasmine Rice (I use the pre made stuff in the cup)

Olive oil 

Lemon juice

Butter

Instructions:

"Marinade" shrimp in lemon juice, olive oil and Mrs Dash until they start to turn pink. The drain and dry the shrimp. Not drying them adds water to the pan equaling a more boiled taste to your shrimp. 

Place olive oil in skillet along with veggies seasoned with Mrs Dash. Cook veggies for a 2 - 3 minutes then toss in shrimp with a bit of butter. Cook until shrimp is fully cooked and vegetables are done to your desired texture. Follow the directions on the rice cups ( Jasmine rice from scratch  ). 

I put a tiny bit of butter and lemon juice in the plate or bowl first then put the steaming hot rice over it. Please shrimp and veggies on top and serve. Super simple and ultra tasty. ENJOY! 

European Olive Oil REVIEW

I've always loved to cook and have parties. I'm also a real foodie. So this olive oil dipping set was right up my alley.  I invited a few ladies over to sample with me. I did a couple of different things. I added some red chili flakes to one sample of the olive oil.   For those who like things a bit on the more spicy side. I allowed the oil to sit for an hour or so to allow the flavors to infuse into the oil.

The second sample was infused with garlic. I also allowed it to sit for an hour or so.

The third sample was just plain nothing added to it. 

 I used a nice french style gluten free bread for the dipping.  I have to eat gluten free so this was a way to not only introduce my friends to some tasty European Olive Oil  but also introduce them to gluten free eating. 

Each person sampled each one of the three olive oil offerings. 

Overall we came to the conclusion that European Olive Oil has a better "body" and richer taste than the cheaper "American" olive oils. It's very smooth and takes on the flavor of the added ingredients very well. 

Gluten Free Totchos!

First off these things were awesome! These are my gluten free, dairy free and nut free bacon wrapped steak totchos. Here's how the yumminess was made. 

Ingredients:

3 cups Ore-Ida mini tater tots

6 slices of bacon 

1 cup Daiya cheddar style shreds

1/2 cup soy milk

1 can sliced olives 

1 tomato 

1 cup shredded lettuce 

1/2 pound of steak 

1/4 cup green onions

salt to taste

Olive Oil

Dairy Free Sour Cream:

1 package firm tofu (drain the water from the package but don't press out the water)

1 Table Spoon Apple Cider Vinegar 

2 Table Spoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon garlic (optional)

salt to taste

Instructions:

Wash your steak off. Sprinkle with salt and olive oil. Set aside. Cut bacon into 1.5 inch strips. Wrap tater tots in bacon (i wrapped 2 mini tots in one piece of bacon). Stick them in a cast iron skillet on 400 degrees and let them bake until the bacon is crispy.

Cut steak into strips and place into hot skillet on top of the stove. Cook to your desired wellness. Set aside.

 In a sauce pan combine your cheddar shreds and soy milk. Heat on medium. Stir constantly until combined and creamy.

Chop olives , tomatoes and lettuce into small pieces. 

Sour Cream: 

Place tofu, apple cider vinegar and  lemon juice into blender and blend until smooth. Taste. Add salt until you get your desired flavor. 

Top bacon wrapped tater tots with , cheese sauce, steak, lettuce, tomatoes, olive and sour cream. Cute green onions with kitchen scissors over the top and serve!

Want more totchos ideas? Visit : Kraft Recipes TOTCHOS!!!!

Gluten Free taco cups

I'm always on the look out for quick and easy allergy friendly meals for Kennady and I. These taco cups are gluten free, dairy free, nut free and wheat free.  

Here's what you'll need

Gluten free corn tortillas: I use the Mission Brand corn tortillas Mission Gluten Free Tortillas

Ground Beef: I use the one that has the lowest amount of fat since it's for my toddler. 

Dairy Free Cheese:  I use Daiya Cheddar Style Shreds Daiya Cheese

Lettuce:  I used regular ole iceberg lettuce

Tomatoes:  I used Roma Tomatoes since my daughter loves them. 

Cup Cake tin

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:  Pre heat over to 350 degrees. On stove top brown ground beef with salt and pepper, Drain grease when finished. Cut tortillas into smaller circles. I used a cup to measure the circles. They should be about 2  inches in diameter. Push small tortilla circles into cupcake tins making small tortilla cups*. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove cups from oven. Chop lettuce and tomatoes into small pieces. Fill cups with ground beef , cheddar shreds, lettuce and tomatoes.  Serve and eat! 

It really is that simple.My daughter loved these because they are the perfect size for her little hands.

* Heat tortillas in microwave for 15 seconds to avoid cracking when putting them into the cupcake tins. 

Feeding my kid isn't cheap!

As many of you know my 21 month old has a number of allergies which makes feeding her quite the task. Thankfully I love to cook so I guess it's a bit easier for me. Or at least that's what moms at the allergist's office say. Over the last 21 months , actually over the last three years  I've learned a ton about saving money, couponing and product testing. Had you asked me 5 years ago would I be a couponing mama I would have said you're crazy. NOW? I kind of need to be or I'd go broke. Kennady has to have everything gluten free, dairy free , egg white free, nut free, chicken free, turkey free and oat free. So shopping for her is an act of creativity at best. People always ask how I get free products and great coupons and the simple answer is I ask. Every company now days has a web site and on their website there is a "contact us" button somewhere. Click the button , tell them your story and wait for a reply. Many times companies will offer to either mail you or email you a few coupons. Sometimes I even get doubly blessed and get coupons for totally free items. I do wish there were more coupons for fresh fruits and veggies. I found we have a really great farmers market so I have started shopping there. There is also a local farm that is open during certain seasons and almost everything is $1 a pound or under. You get to pick everything yourself. So that's pretty awesome. I'm going to start posting more about food and savings tactics.

How to spend $30 at Whole Foods

My freebie haul from a local mom and gluten free expo

A typical snack for my princess. 

The princess' favorite pizza

The best egg replacers I've found so far

The princess eats tofu at least once a day

*~Inza~*

Since it's getting a little "cooler" here I figured I'd make the princess and I some soup. My friend Laura had posted a picture of her  Baked Potato Soup on Instagram and I just had to make some for us. It was super simple to make and was done by the time we came home from shopping and the pumpkin patch. 

Here is the recipe I used :Baked Potato Soup

Since Kennady has a dairy allergy I swapped out the dairy items for non dairy / vegan items. The end result was amazing. We had it two days in a row. The princess is getting quite good with her spoon :)

*~Inza~*

Been Sick!

I'm so sorry that I have had so many review posts back to back. Kennady was sick for ONE DAY and gave it to everyone else in the house and we were sick for a week or more. So I got behind on some of my reviews . I had to get them up as soon as I was able to sit up without my nose running off my face.

So lets talk about food!!!



My pretty mini LOVES tater tots. Which aren't exactly the healthiest of foods but everything is ok in moderation, right? I was sitting on Facebook during nap time and saw a video of a tater tot grilled cheese sandwich. GENIUS!

It's super simple. You grill the tater tots on one of those plug in grills. I got Kennady her own in door grill for less than $10 at Walmart. With her allergies it's important to try to cut the chances of cross contamination so she has a lot of her own cooking supplies. After you grill the tater tots for a couple of minutes (until they start to turn golden brown) you put cheese on one side and flip the other grilled tater tot patty on top of the one with the cheese and close the grill. Grill until cheese melts and SERVE! It really is THAT easy! 

I used Daiya Cheddar Style Shreds and Ore Ida Tater Tots for my princess' meal and she LOVED it! 

Grill: Rival Indoor Grill

Grill and enjoy!

*~Inza~*

Meat shredding claws REVIEW

These things are awesome! You all know that I cook every meal for Kennady due to her allergies. One of her favorite things is my cranberry pork loin. I normally wait until it's cool and shred it with my hands or shred it with a fork while it's still hot.  I'm not sure how I got through all those pork loins without these things. They allow me to shred and serve my pork roast while it was still hot and NOT burn myself. They're easy to use and made from high quality materials. I used to have to use forks and it would take so much time. With these it took me 1/4 the time.

*I received this product in exchange for my 100% opinion *

Here's what the company has to say about their product:

#1 TOP RATED PULLED PORK SHREDDER: Quickly tear through beef, chicken, roasts, turkey, poultry, hams, pulled pork and anything else you can barbecue. Spend more time enjoying your food not preparing it.
LONG LASTING: Made with the highest quality durable nylon plastic these meat handler claws will last a lifetime. Additionally they are BPA free and heat resistant up to 230 C / 450 degree F. Shipped in a beautifully designed box these meat claws make for a perfect gift during the holidays for the chef or master grill enthusiast in your life.
EASY CLEANUP: No matter if you're just carrying the Thanksgiving turkey or shredding lettuce, these versatile pulled pork shredders are super easy to clean. Just put in the dishwasher or run through with water.
VERSATILE: Culinary Claws can handle anything from your bbq grill, smoker, or slow cooker. Cut, chop, slice, flip pork, turkey, beef, lamb, or brisket in the oven. Scoop charcoal into/out of your grill. Carry the hot roast from the crock pot to the kitchen and then easily shred it in seconds. Also superb for mixing salads, pastas, and vegetables. Great reviews from grill enthusiasts worldwide! An excellent addition to your barbecue tools.
BONUS EBOOK: Comes with a bonus free ebook! Contains 55 delicious bbq recipes.