Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets

Cooked up a batch of chicken nuggets the other night based very loosely off this recipe for Gluten Free Nuggets.  I dipped in egg instead of butter and added spices (pepper, lots of garlic powder, onion powder, and Italian seasoning). Added potatoes rolled in homemade seasoning salt and olive oil and called it french fries.

Everybody asked for seconds (even the child recovering from the stomach bug).   Sedryn ate more than daddy and he learned to sign "more" just for this occasion.  Sweetness!

Soaked (?!) Baked Oatmeal

I made this for dinner tonight.  Well, to be fair, I started this about 20 hours ago.  It called for soaked grains.

You see, as I've given up bread and most grains most of the time (rice and pasta still come out 1-2 times a week and we make tortillas as a family on Sundays), I've noticed that when I do have grains I go from barely able to hold up my jeans to bloating over the top of my jeans very quickly.

Grains are actually pretty hard to digest!  My family isn't ready to go 100% grain free at this time (not feasible... you should see the amount of food my 3 toddlers put down!), but there are some ways that can make grains easier to digest.  Soaking and using sour dough are two of the best (from what I've read) because they break down the phytic acid (an anti-nutrient.  Plants produce this so you're more likely to pass the seed unharmed through your digestive tract... ahem).

So I tried this recipe for soaked baked oatmeal today.  Yum!  Not too sweet (I used less sweetener), and I added 5 chopped apples to the batter.  Sort of like a mix between apple crisp and apple cake.  The girls both asked for seconds.  I'll be making this again regularly!

Natamycin? Not my sin? Whose, then?

Looks like natamycin is a natural ingredient, produced by a bacteria.  So this one is okay.  But not my favorite ingredient (which I might have to say is "cream".  mmmm.)   The EU only allows it in sausage and cheese.  We Americans haven't restricted it's use as far as I have read.
http://www.dsm.com/en_US/downloads/dfs/Fact_sheet_Natamycin_v6.pdf

Powdered Cellulose? In my cheese?

Powdered cellulose sounds okay.  Sounds like they took the green stuff from plants, dried it, and blasted it in a food processor.  Nope.  Not looking good, Mr. Powdered Cellulose.  You just got kicked out of our diet.  Ouch.  How does that make you feel?
http://www.foodrenegade.com/would-like-some-wood-pulp-your-shredded-cheese/

It's not bad for you.  You can keep eating it.  The government and nutritionists actually agree on that.  But it is synthetic.  Goodbye, shredded cheese.  I'll make you myself.  And put you in cozy freezer bags.  And tuck you in my lovely freezer.

Vegetable Rennet? What?

It's a naturally occurring enzyme.  As long is it lists a source (vegetable/animal), it is natural.  There's also genetically engineered rennet, which we are avoiding if possible.
http://cheese.about.com/od/howcheeseismade/f/What-Is-Rennet.htm
http://blog.fooducate.com/2011/04/05/10-things-to-know-about-rennet-its-in-your-cheese/

Fiesta Taco Casserole by Betty Crocker

I made this dish for our small group last night:
http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/fiesta-taco-casserole/82ac699d-cc07-44e7-9e34-30d3c56718e8

I had to do some editing, obviously.  It took a while to find canned beans and chili that were all natural.  Salsa was a little easier, but I was at the regular grocery store.

Cheese was also an issue.  We're currently eating Trader Joe's shredded cheese, but I didn't look at the ingredients until today.  I'll have to do a bit of research to see if we can continue eating cheese or not!

This dish was super yummy, and I definitely reccomend serving it with tortilla chips since it's a bit saucy and the contrast of textures is great!

We ate Santita's Only $2.00 Tortilla Chips.  It still surprises me when I buy something that is all natural and there's no label that says "All Natural" on it.

Fruit Pectin? What's Pectin?

Fruit pectin is in all of my jelly.  I found this recipe about how to make it: http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/pectin-recipe-zmaz80mjzraw.aspx

So yes, it's natural.  Yes, you can make it.  No, I won't be making it.  Yes, we will be eating it.