Sorry I have been MIA

I was so excited starting this blog and I fully intend to put tons of effort into making it amazing. But the last few weeks we have had a few illnesses and getting on here has been more difficult. So bear with me and keep checking back!! 🙂

Avery’s Lunchbox UPDATED :)

Lunchbox Ideas for the Gluten Free/Dairy Free/ Nut free child

I am not going to lie. Packing lunch every day is not my favorite thing to do. I always pack lunch the night before and I am usually too tired to put a lot of thought into it. So it does not always turn out to be the healthiest, but as I am becoming more focused on our health as a family, I am finding that I put a little more effort into it.

Avery is about to be 4 and he is very set in his ways. He does not like change unless it is by his own choice. For instance, he has 3 or 4 meals he rotates for dinner. He will not choose to have what my husband and I have. But on most nights, he sneaks around back over to where we are eating and peeks at our plates. Most times he asks what we are eating. If at this point I ask if he wants to try it, almost always he will say yes. Every once in awhile he will agree to eat our dinner for the evening if he has had a taste before and liked it.

Anyway, back to lunch. I am going to use this page to keep a running list of Avery approved lunch box items. My hope is that is gives you some ideas. Maybe you have thought of all of these. Maybe not. Sometimes just the thought of all of a sudden having to pack gluten free lunches is so overwhelming that you can’t even think of anything.  Add in the dairy free and nut free factors and what in the world are you left with!!?? That is what we intend to find out my friends. 🙂

Breakfast Ideas

• Jones Dairy Farm GF Sausage patties
• Jones Dairy Farm GF Sausage links
• Pancakes made from Gluten Free Bisquick
• Pancakes with applesauce or blueberries added in
• Eggs. Avery likes fried eggs best but has just discovered hard boiled and liked them as well.
• Cheese- He has been eating regular cheddar cheese sticks at breakfast. As part of our transition I am going to start making cheese sticks using Cabot Cheddar cheese, which is lactose free. If the dairy still bothers him then we will think of something new or avoid cheese altogether.
• Yogurt- This one I will report on soon. He tried Stoneyfields Farm Soy yogurt and was not really impressed. We will be making the long trip to Whole Foods soon and then we will give other yogurts a try. I think he will like Whole Soy & Co yogurts. They have tons of flavors.

Lunch Ideas

• Libby’s Vienna Sausages (I looked and they are gluten free! Woohoo because he loves them lol!)
• Leftovers from my dinner~ Chicken breast pulled apart into thick pieces, chopped steak, cut up pieces of roast, etc
• Tuna salad (just the tuna and mayo). He was not excited about Asian Gourmet Rice Crackers so I need to find another brand. He loves his tuna on crackers.
• GF Turkey deli meat rolled up.
• Hot Dogs. ~We have always used Ball Park but with the switch to GF we are going to be using Hebrew National Hot Dogs. They are apparently DF as well.
• Other deli meats rolled up, like ham or pepperoni. Brands that are ok to use include Boars Head, Dietz & Watson, Applegate Farms, Hormel Naturals (all of us like these) and Hormel for the pepperoni.
• Salad. He loves ranch and I will be attempting to make a GF/DF ranch with a recipe I found. I will report back with the results. He does like Italian dressing as well.
• Ore Ida French Fries and Tater Tots. (both kids could eat these any day at any time lol)

Snack Foods

• Grapes
• Apple slices
• Corn tortilla chips
• Lay’s classic chips
• Baby carrots
• Popcorn
• Pickles
• Rice Cakes
• Jello
• Applesauce
• Watermelon
• Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks
• And then if I am doing snacks for Erica, we also include fresh strawberries, blueberries, sliced tomatoes with oil and balsamic vinegar, cucumbers, oranges, mandarin orange fruit cups, pineapple, KIND bars, chips with salsa, chips with guacamole.

Stay tuned for updates!!

Jovial Brown Rice Penne Rigate…GF, DF and tastes GREAT!!

Awhile back I received a sample package of Jovial Brown Rice Penne Rigate. At that point, I had tasted several gluten free pastas and not been impressed. Neither of my kids would eat these other brands either. So I admit I let this package sit in my cabinet for several months. Tonight I pulled it out of the cabinet and decided it needed a fair shot at being tasted. So I made the little package and added Earth Balance butter at the end. I tasted it plain and thought it was pretty good. Then I tried it with Earth Balance, which is how I served it to my son, who liked it. And for my daughter I added a little Parmesan cheese sprinkles and she LOVED it. I tried it all 3 ways and liked it so much I decided to post my review. I highly recommend this product!! Perfect taste for the way I served it tonight and I am already envisioning it with pasta sauce. 🙂

Please check them out at http://www.jovialfoods.com

Positive enery brings positive energy. It is a good cycle to be in :)

Tonight I am feeling overwhelmed by some less than positive feelings and thoughts. I had some bad news this evening and it has left me feeling kind of hopeless. But as I sit here, writing and thinking of new ways to inspire others as well as keep myself inspired, I am finding that positive vibes are coming back to me. And with positive vibes I feel like everything will be ok. There is no need to assume the worst or even speak of it. Things are happening as they should…I must remember that. And I must remember to speak positively about it.

So excited about this blog

I did not think I would be jumping up and down with excitement over a blog…but here I am super excited, damn near jumping up and down over my blog lol. And really, I do not have much of anything on here at this point. This will be changing though. Quickly. I cannot wait til I am back in the gym and I can post my workouts (in the Gym Time! tab of course). Also, I will be posting ideas for lunches under Avery’s Lunchbox. Who knows where this will all go. I may just be talking to myself every day or maybe, just maybe, a few people will follow my journey. 🙂

Avocado Deviled Eggs

Mash half an avocado and the yolks of 2 hard boiled eggs together. Scoop into egg whites. Sprinkle with a little sea salt.