Gluten Free Peanut Butter Banana Biscuits

I got this great recipe from Sia's Cooking Blog - she started out just doing lactose-free, then added gluten free and even some Paleo.

Her recipe: peanut butter banana biscuits

I had to use brown sugar since I had no honey around. I tasted them before cooking and decided I wanted more sweetness, so I sprinkled some extra sugar and cinnamon on top before putting them in. Also, this oven (not my oven, we're still not living back at home) is pretty powerful and I took them out after 13 minutes.

Yummy gluten free peanut butter banana biscuits

Birthday Party Cake

Me and the Little Man

The Little Man had his little Autistic Birthday Party this weekend. With the exception of a younger sibling of one of the kids and my friend's kid, it was all autistic boys. Which went pretty much as I expected - worse than herding cats! lol


One kid could have climbed the ceilings; he never actually stopped moving. Another one ran around a bit and then threw up. (Kudos to the staff and the daddies for the prompt clean up.)
The Little Man did not eat his cake (until today, in peace), he just blew out the candles and then went to play by himself somewhere (it was at a party gym).

BUUUUT, while we had some tears, anxiety and pouts, no one had a full meltdown. Success! And I had no mess to clean up afterwards!

Would I go there again? Maybe yes, maybe no. It might have been better to just let the kids go wild. The entertainer, bless her heart, seemed to think it would be possible to get these kids to listen and follow instructions. My son does, but he is a stickler for rules. If you show him how to do something one way once, he will do it that exact way every single time after that, no exceptions. He is detail oriented, methodical and rigid, just like his mother. He will probably loosen up with age, like I did to some extent, but it does come in handy doing certain types of work/jobs, so it's not all bad. It's interesting to watch though.

The big thing everyone wants though is the recipe for the cake, which was nut free, gluten free and vegan so that EVERYONE could eat it. Whew!

la pièce de résistance!

So here it is:

Vegan Brownie Recipe
3/4 cups sugar
3/4 cups flour (or gluten free flour blend)
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup water
1/4 vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla

Mix everything with a fork until blended. Pour into a greased pan. Bake at 350 for 22-25 minutes.

Vegan Buttercream Icing
(This recipe came from The Kitchen Magpie)
1 cup vegan margarine (Becel makes one. I used Earth Balance coconut spread though)
3 tsp vanilla
4 cups icing sugar
1-3 tsp rice milk (I did not need it)

Use a mixer to beat margarine until fluffy. Slowly add vanilla and icing sugar. Check for consistency. If you need to add milk, do just a bit at a time.
Place in fridge until you are ready to decorate.

Gluten Free Baking Tips

If you've been following us for a while, you'll know we went mostly gluten free last November. I am the most hardcore out of everyone in the family because my gut just feels so much better.
I promised many people I would continue to update and give more tips, so here's some help with baking (because I loves my cakes and cookies, oh yes!)

When you're just starting out, it makes sense to buy gluten free flour mixes. This saves you time and brain cells, but it is more expensive than mixing your own.

If you buy a GF flour mix, you are usually good to go, though some recipes may have you add extra xanthan gum. You have to create the right balance of starch and grain flours - I can't remember what the actual proportions are, but I now make my own flour-blend (cheaper that way) based off this recipe:

http://glutenfreegobsmacked.com/my-gf-flour-blend/

This is the best! Also, check out her pull-aparts bread recipe - it's amazing. We found it can also be used as pizza crust. It's the closest thing to gluten-based bread in terms of texture.

The only real downside to GF baking is you have to add more fat or eggs to compensate, so it's not the healthiest. You can get away with apple sauce or bananas maybe instead of eggs, then use some oil. It's a lot of experimentation. Also keep a close eye on your baking because starches burn quickly - you usually can reduce baking time by about 5 minutes or so. (You'll start to smell it)

Also, if you buy rice flour, make sure you get "fine ground" or "stone ground" because it's really gritty otherwise and you'll notice.

Don't expect too much at first - it does create a different texture and you'll get used to it in time. But I have a recipe for vegan brownies (also GF now) that NO ONE WOULD EVER KNOW are GF. They are sooo good. I use the GF blend from the link above and then make the recipe like normal.
Here it is! Enjoy!

Vegan Gluten Free Brownies

3/4 cups sugar
3/4 cups GF flour blend
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1/4 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla

You can mix all these ingredients directly in a 9 inch greased square pan (saves on dishes!) and bake at 350 degrees for about 22-25 minutes. 

Where To Get Gluten Free or Organic Foods in Canada

I sometimes get asked where to find gluten free and/or organic foods. Often these foods are under the same roof since fruits and veggies are naturally gluten-free and these things fall under the umbrella of "healthy eating." (Though it's perfectly possible to eat only garbage GF foods!)

To try and make it easier for those just starting out, or maybe give you some options you hadn't thought of, here's a small list:

Montreal:

• Rachelle-Bery
• A Votre Santé
• Nature Santé 2000
• Co-op Maison Verte
• Co-op Le Frigo Vert
• Aux Vivres
• Zero 8
• Crudessence

Canada:

• Say what you will about Walmart, they have a large and inexpensive GF section with lots of variety.
• Well.ca (Use coupon code 14mamacoupon at check out to save $10 off any $40 order)
• Costco (membership required)
• Amazon.ca 

Coupons and Recipes:

• The Healthy Shopper
• Enjoy Life Foods (you can email them to send you coupons. Download their free recipe book)
• Glutino
• Udi's
• Inewa

Going Gluten Free Update

It's been just over three months now since we went gluten free. We have had slip ups and made exceptions (poutine and chicken gravy being some now and then) but we've been pretty good.

We have found some amazing recipes and quick store-bought frozen products to get us over humps.


First, I was missing bagels. I found frozen ones!

Then I missed ravioli and I found that, too!

I'm just so happy there seem to be so many companies jumping on board with GF and making my life easier.

So, how do we feel?

Well, now we all notice very quickly when we've eaten too much gluten (or any gluten, for that matter).

I'll get headaches, intestinal cramps and feel foggy-brained.
The Little Man gets "stoned-like" - quiet and stops talking. All he does is stare into space.
The Hubby gets migraines. His last major migraine was on New Year's Eve and that's while we were travelling. We think he just ate something he wasn't supposed to at AppleBee's.

All in all, if we all stay away from gluten, we all feel better, so we're sticking to it! 

Gluten Free You and Me

It's been over a month now since we as a family decided we'd all experiment being gluten-free. We took to it with varying levels of determination. Because of my wheat allergy, I had already avoided a lot of wheat/gluten products, but I cheated a lot and just lived with the consequences. We also made allowances for my mother coming over with cookies for the Little Man and it wasn't right away that we found gluten-free Kraft Dinner. Hubby cheated when he was hungry at work and only has access to the  food court. Eventually we all decided to work a little harder at it.

We stocked up on gluten-free pastas and gave our regular unopened wheat pasta to the food bank, along with the KD. (I know poor people must have enough KD, but I wasn't about to throw it out!)
Most of our recipes weren't an issue and I just had to find desserts and snacks that were GF. I started out buying them because even though they are expensive, I just didn't have time or the ingredients on hand to start reinventing the wheel. Even now, I prefer a GF cake mix and make a cake or brownies about once a week. It's because I'm a dessert fiend! I need cakes and cookies!

We've found GF bread and hamburger buns, but not hotdog buns or bagels. I would really love a GF bagel! Anyone know where to get those?

I was surprised to find even cream of ____ soups had gluten in them! Argh, so frustrating. I figured the amounts are so low in those that we'd finish off what we had and just replace them with GF versions. Or I'll start making more things from scratch, which is better anyway!

Seeing as we've slipped up now and then, I'm really surprised by the results so far. Hubby hasn't had a massive migraine since. None! This is very odd for him since he usually gets one or two a month. He's had headaches, but nothing near as bad and just a few Tylenol fix it. He says he feels good in general, and that he's been less hungry. He may have even lost some weight.

I notice when I slip right away now. My neck aches and then I get a headache. I also get constipated again. It makes me realize that I was living in constant inflammation before and just got used to it, I guess. Which is just nuts when I think about it! I also think gluten makes me tired (along with the headache) so it's really not worth it for me to cheat any more.

We have noticed when we slipped up with the Little Man, he went crazy. Like, off the wall stimming crazy. So it's worth it to avoid it with him and keep him calmer.

It has meant that I am forced to snack on healthier things like bananas and grapes (I love SWEETS) and not worry about the stares I get at restaurants (I ordered a tofu burger without the bun!).

All in all, I think we're all happier (and probably healthier) for it. It has taken a bit more thought, planning and will power (at least for me. It's hard when I see pastries) but it is worth it for us.