Recipe: Birthday Cake Pancakes

OH MY YUM! I found this recipe in Taste of Home: Fun Food Magazine, and altered it to be gluten free. You guys, this one is a must make! I would highly recommend this as a dessert idea that will steal the show. Here is what you'll need:

Ingredients:

1 cup pancake mix

1 cup yellow or white cake mix

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups plus 1 tbsp. milk, divided

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 cup vanilla frosting

1/4 cup sprinkles

additional sprinkles

Directions:

1. Whisk pancake mix and cake mix. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, and vanilla until blended. Add to the dry ingredients, stirring until moistened. Let stand 10 minutes. Fold in 1/4 cup sprinkles.

2. On a lightly greased griddle over medium heat, pour the batter by 1/4 cupfuls to create six large pancakes. Cook until bubbles on top begin to pop; turn. Cook until golden brown. Repeat using smaller amounts of batter to create pancakes of different sizes.

3. Microwave the frosting and 1 tbsp. milk, covered on high until melted, 10-15 secs. On each of the large pancakes, layer smaller pancakes in decreasing order of size with the smallest on top; drizzle with frosting. Top with additional sprinkles. 

I hope you guys try this recipe. It is one of my families favorite to date! 

Recipe: Vegetable Stir-Fry with Sesame, Cucumber, & Egg

I'm at it again, trying new recipes that might find themselves in rotation over at my house. My latest attempt, vegetable stir-fry. I found this recipe in a Nature's Promise magazine, but I altered it to fit my families dietary needs. It was a super success! If I do make it again though, I might add more eggs. One egg per person for dinner seemed to be not enough to fill everyone up for the rest of the night, but it was darn good! 

Here is what you will need to make the gluten-free version of Vegetable Stir-Fry with Sesame, Cucumber, and Egg:

Ingredients:

3 tbsp olive oil

1 bag frozen stir-fry veggies (I used Broccoli stir-fry)

3 tbsp gluten free soy sauce

4 eggs, beaten

minute rice

1 organic cucumber

2 tbsp sesame seeds

Directions:

1) Heat 2 tbsp oil in large skillet and add frozen veggies, 1/2 cup water and soy sauce. Cover and simmer 5 minutes or until veggies are tender-crisp. Meanwhile, heat remaining oil in another skillet and cook eggs. Cook rice according to package directions. 

2) While veggies and eggs cook, halve the cucumber lengthwise and cut into slices. When vegetables are ready, turn heat to high, add cucumber slices and stir-fry for 1 minute. Transfer eggs to a cutting board and cut into thin strips. (I did not cut the egg, my son wanted his scrambled) ;) 

3) Divide the rice among four bowls and spoon the vegetables over. Top each bowl with egg slices and sprinkle with sesame seeds. 

What is your favorite stir-fry? Is this a recipe you would try?

Recipe: Gluten Free White Enchilada Slow-Cooker Casserole

I recently stumbled upon this great slow-cooker recipe over on Allrecipes, but I decided it alter it so it was gluten free. I also changed the toppings so my family would love it and let me be the first to tell you, this one is a major crowd-pleaser! Plus it is so easy to make, which for this mom on-the-go is a double win. Here is what you will need: 

Ingredients:

• 15 boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts (I used organic breasts) 
• 1 (26 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped (optional)
• 1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
• 1 (7 ounce) can diced green chile peppers (optional) 
  

• 15 flour tortillas
• 3 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 (10 ounce) can sliced black olives (optional)
• chives for garnish (optional)
• black pepper to taste
  
  

Directions: 

1. Place chicken in a pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Continue to boil until the chicken is done, about 10 minutes. Drain, allow chicken to cool, and cut into small pieces.
2. Place chicken pieces in a large bowl. Stir in soup, garlic, sour cream, and green chiles.
3. Spray the inside of slow cooker lightly with non-stick cooking spray.
4. Tear tortillas into pieces, and arrange half of the pieces in one overlapping layer across the bottom of the slow cooker. Arrange half of the chicken, half of the soup, and half of the cheese on top. Repeat with remaining tortillas, chicken, soup, and cheese. Top with black olives.
5. Cook on Low setting for 3 to 4 hours. Top with chives.

My kids are obsessed with this one. Honestly, all four of us are! Everyone has been begging me to make it weekly, so this recipe is quickly becoming a winter staple over here.  Is this a recipe you would try? What is your favorite slow-cooker recipe? 

Recipe: Eggplant Pizza

I have wanted to try eggplant pizza for as long as I can remember, so that's just what I did. To start, I looked all over the Internet for the perfect recipe. The thing is, not one recipe was the same! This honestly confused me so I did what anyone would do, I made up my own! Here's what I did.



Ingredients:

2 organic eggplants
organic pizza sauce
toppings of choice (I used organic spinach, mushrooms, and tomatoes)
shredded cheese of choice (you could also use cheese slices!)
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
garlic powder



Directions: 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Slice and arrange eggplants on baking sheets (slices should be 1/2 inch to 1 inch thick). Brush olive oil on both side of eggplant and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Remove the baked eggplant from your oven, and turn the broiler on. Spread pizza sauce over each eggplant crust, followed by toppings of choice and cheese. Sprinkle garlic powder over top and put under broiler for 3-5 minutes. Make sure you check it often as the broiler will cook fast and you don't want to burn your cheese. Serve while hot.

In the end, they turned out super yummy! Next time I make it, I will probably take off the outer skin as I ended up not eating that. I have also read that some people like to put these between 2 slices of their favorite wheat toast. Sounds fun, right? Is this a recipe you would try? Share your favorite eggplant recipe in the comments section! 

Recipe: Gluten Free Cherry Pie

My son wanted me to make a gluten free cherry pie, but I didn't like any of the recipes I was finding online. I ended up doing a combination of following a crust recipe then calling my mom and just winging the rest!

What you will need for the crust:
2 1/2 cups gluten-free flour mix
• 2 tablespoon sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 5 tablespoons (or more) ice water
The recipe did not call for this, but after eating the pie and reevaluating, I would go back at add vanilla or almond extract to add a bit more flavor to the crust. 

Instructions: 
Whisk gluten-free flour, sugar, and salt in large mixing bowl to blend. Add butter and mix gently or rub in with fingertips until small pea-size clumps form. Add 5 tablespoons ice water; mix lightly until dough holds together when small pieces are pressed between fingertips, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough together; divide into 2 pieces. Form each piece into ball, then flatten into disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Do ahead: Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled. Let dough soften slightly before rolling out. 


After my dough had been refrigerated I used my vintage rolling pin and some extra gluten free flour and rolled my dough. When I got it to the proper thinness, I flipped the crust into the pan as the bottom.

Using 2 cans of cherry pie filling I filled the pie. Next I rolled out the second piece of dough I flipped that one on top and began to connect the edges. I not only used a fork to secure, but also pinched the ends. I also cut four holes in the top of the finished pie. You can get creative and make shapes or even weave the top crust. It's totally up to you!

Before putting in the oven (at 450 degrees), I brushed the top with egg and sprinkled with raw sugar.

Bake for 20 minutes then add the aluminum foil to the ends and cook for an additional 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. (Using aluminum foil I made a crust cover to avoid burning. They do sell crust covers so if you own one, use that!)

Here is my finished product:


The pie turned out great. Like I said above, next time I will add vanilla or almond extract to the dough to give it a bit more flavor. Other then that, I would maybe add ice cream or whip cream to the top, but it was darn good if I don't say so myself. Not bad for my first pie and winging it! ;)

What's your favorite pie? We'd love for you to share in the comments if you have a favorite recipe for us to try! 

Recipe: Hawaiian Chicken

We are forever looking for healthy gluten free dishes for our family so I was very excited when my husband stumbled upon this Hawaiian Chicken recipe! Boy oh boy was it good...

Ingredients:

1/4 cup pineapple juice

2 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce 

1 1/2 teaspoons minced peeled ginger

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

cooking spray

3/4 teaspoon salt, divided

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 cups hot cooked long-grain white rice

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

(we added a side of fresh organic fruit salad too!)

Directions: 

1. Combine first 5 ingredients. Reserve 1/4 cup marinade; place remaining marinade in a zip-top plastic bag.

2. Add chicken to bag; seal. Chill 4 hours.

3. Heat a grill pan over medium-high hear. Coat pan with cooking spray. Remove chicken from bag; discard marinade in bag. Sprinkle chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper.

4. Add chicken to pan; baste with 2 tablespoons reserved marinade. Cook 6 minutes. Turn chicken over; baste with 2 tablespoons reserved marinade. Cook another 6 minutes. 

5. Combine rice, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and cilantro. 

The finished product: 

This was AMAZING! We ended up skipping the rice and subbing for a fruit salad. The entire family was wanting seconds on this one. I highly recommend this dish! 

What is your favorite gluten-free recipe?

Recipe: Slow Cooker Cowboy Chicken

There is nothing easier then a great slow cooker recipe. In fact, my husband has taken to the crock pot and now it's his go-to for cooking lately. He stumbled upon this yummy recipe on the Moms Who Think website and decided to make it that night.

Here is what you need to make slow cooker cowboy chicken:

Ingredients:

4-6 Chicken Breasts

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoons Dijon Mustard

2 Cups Salsa (any type)

1 (15 oz.) can corn, drained (we used frozen)

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drain and rinsed

1/2 cup sour cream (plus extra for serving)

Directions:

1. Place chicken in a slow cooker.

2. In medium bowl mix brown sugar, mustard, and salsa.

3. Pour mixture over chicken. Add water to cover chicken if needed. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4 hours. 

4. With 30 minutes of cook time remaining remove the lid and shred the chicken using two forks. 

5. Add the beans, corn, and sour cream to the slow cooker and mix together with the chicken. Replace lid and cook for remaining 30 minutes. 

6. Serve over rice with sour cream. (we used minute rice)

This was delicious gluten free meal. The kids loved it, we loved it and that makes for one successful dinner. 

Are you a fan of slow cooker meals? What's your favorite recipe?

Peaked my Pinterest: Avocado Toast

I don't know about you, but I am in love with avocados! I eat one a day and literally have to stop myself from eating more then that. It's an addiction :) When I saw this pin on Pinterest I knew I was going to snoop around and find some new ways to enjoy my avocados. I am so glad I did!

I give you avocado toast (makes a great breakfast or lunch):

Ingredients: 

- 1 ripe organic avocado

- 2 slices of whole wheat bread or English muffin (you can sub with gluten free)

- Red pepper flakes

- 1 fresh organic lemon

Directions

1) Cut avocado in 1/2, remove pit. Squeeze avocado into bowl and discard the outside.

2) Squeeze 1/2 to 1 full lemon onto your avocado. It's completely up to you how much to add. I start with half and then usually end up adding a bit from the other half.

3) Add red pepper flakes. You can use as little or as much as you want. The more you use, the spicier it is!

4) Using a fork, mash it all up then place it on top of toast.

That's it! Super easy and super yummy meal alternative. You could even make 1/2 of this as a mid-day snack!