Gluten Free Traditions, Monkey Bread and Peach Muffins

Food can be such an emotional thing, often being attached to meaningful family traditions. If the majority of your family can eat gluten, it can be especially tricky when it comes to those traditions. If your family has traditions that involve gluten-filled foods you can’t eat, it’s important for you to figure out a gluten-free alternative, so you don’t feel left out.

These days, many gluten-filled products have a gluten-free alternative that you can just buy. And for those that don’t, you can either make your own or make something else just as good (or better). Stay positive about it. Remember the delicious foods you CAN have and be grateful for those. More importantly, focus on how great you feel when you don’t eat gluten. There are so many people who constantly feel awful and don’t know why. You do. Be happy about that. Choose to dwell on the positive in your life instead of dwelling on what you can’t have (easier said than done sometimes, I know, but the more you do it, the better you’ll get at it). 

One of my family’s traditions is having “monkey bread” (although we called it butterscotch pull-a-parts until in-laws came in and called it monkey bread) for breakfast every six months before we watch LDS General Conference on Sunday morning. That stuff is good! But it’s definitely not gluten-free.

Luckily for me, I have an amazing mom who is great at creating wonderful gluten-free alternatives for me and my sister.

She’s used the Glutino muffin mix for the past few years (actually, it was just the Gluten Free Pantry when she first started using it for this, but now it’s officially Glutino on the box) and it’s always been yummy, but she perfected it this last time.

Unfortunately, she makes it up as she goes, so when I asked her for the recipe she wasn’t completely sure what she did. Here’s what she said:

I think I just put chopped pecans and dry butterscotch pudding mix (NOT instant) in the cupcake papers.  I'm not sure the amounts I used of butter/brown sugar/cinnamon.....possible 1/2 c butter, 1/2 c brown sugar, 1 t cinnamon.  Melt butter, mix in brown sugar and cinnamon, pour some into cupcake papers, add muffin dough.  I think it also takes a bit longer to bake because of the extra butter in it....maybe 15 minutes?

So sorry.  I really do make it up as I go.  It did seem extra yummy this last time, so I hope this is correct.  I've done it before when I put the sauce in the middle and on top.  This still seemed the best.

Love you!
Mom 

So we’re going to go with this:

Gluten Free Butterscotch “Monkey Bread” Muffins

Ingredients:

• Glutino muffin mix
  • 6 Tbsp softened butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• chopped pecans
• dry butterscotch pudding mix (NOT instant)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and put cupcake liners in pan
• Mix up Glutino muffin mix according to directions on box, set aside
• Put chopped pecans on bottom of cupcake liner (however much you want… I like a good layer on the bottom)
• Sprinkle thin layer (or more if you want) of dry butterscotch pudding mix on bottom of cupcake liner
• Melt butter, add brown sugar and cinnamon, then pour into cupcake liners
• Add muffin batter
• Bake 16-30 minutes (I know, I know… big difference between 16 and 30. It says 16 on the box, but we had to bake it longer when we did it because of the butter on the bottom. Test after 16 minutes and decide how much longer it needs.)

The muffins did this cool puffy thing that I can’t really describe. The yummy stuff on the bottom came up on the sides, the muffin puffed up really cool and it was just amazing!!! Sadly, I didn’t think to take any pictures. Next time…

I DO have pictures of some other yummy muffins I made:

They’re these delicious things:

Glutino’s Peaches ‘n’ Cream Muffins

Ingredients

• 2 cups Gluten Free Pantry Muffin and Scone Mix
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice (or cinnamon)
• 2 whole eggs, beaten slightly with a fork
• 1/2 cup sour cream or yogurt
• 3/8 cup whole milk (May need slightly more if using sour cream.)
• 4 Tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract
• 1 heaping cup, peeled, diced peaches (about 2 medium peaches)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Toss dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
3. Stir wet ingredients together in a medium bowl.
4. Pour wet mixture over dry ingredients and stir well to combine thoroughly.
5. Fold in fresh peaches or use good quality canned peaches, well drained. Fresh nectarines may also be used.
6. Spoon into lined muffin tins and bake at 350 degrees, 15-16 minutes.
7. Or transfer to a lightly oiled 4x8-inch loaf pan and bake 35 to 45 minutes or until cake tester inserted in middle comes out clean.

Yield: 12 to 14 muffins or 1 loaf

I love peaches!

I can’t wait till the peaches from Perry are ripe! I made these ones with canned peaches and they were good, but I will most definitely be making these with the fresh Perry peaches. YUM! (Those of you not in Utah, if you have a chance to come here at the end of the summer be sure to head to the Brigham City/Perry area to try their peaches. So good!)

And if you don’t love peaches or butterscotch, you can always try out some…

Chocolate Cherry Muffins

or

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Or perhaps some banana bread (recipe on the back of the box) or blueberry. Yum! Add in anything you want. Easy and delicious!

Enjoy!

 

What’s your favorite kind of muffin?

Guten Free Expo is Coming!

If you live in Utah, be sure to check this out! I helped out with it last year and let me tell you, it's awesome!

Go hungry because there are tons of samples! And be prepared to take lots of goodies home too.

There will be a free pancake breakfast for the first 1000 people through the door featuring Grandpa's Kitchen pancakes (my favorite!).

See you there! (I'll be the one walking around with my adorable new baby girl, Emma - born Sept. 27.)

Homemade Gluten Free Larabars

Have you tried Larabars yet? I just did for the first time last month. Boy, have I been missing out! These bars are made with whole foods, no sugar, no gluten, no dairy, yet they’re still good! Some have as little as 3 ingredients (that’s a good thing).

My sister has been telling me about them forever, but I couldn’t bring myself to buy them because they’re pricey. I can no longer eat dairy or sugar and I was struggling to find good breakfast options, so I broke down and bought a box from Costco and have bought a second one since. The Costco box definitely makes them cheaper (I think around $.80/bar instead of more than $1), but it’s still a lot to me.

So when I saw that I could make my own Larabars, I jumped at the chance! They’re cheaper, plus I can make whatever flavors I want. The Costco box has peanut butter, cherry pie, and apple pie. All are delicious, but it’s fun to have other options. So you know, I still intend to always have a box of Larabars in my house. They don’t need to be refrigerated and they last longer than my homemade ones, and it’s definitely easier to not have to make them myself, but these homemade ones are really tasty and I’ll try to have them on hand when I can. The real Larabars will be backup.

This site has a list of a bunch of different Larabar recipe links. I went through them, copied and pasted the recipes that I wanted to try (and could find ingredients for) and made some of my own.

I made some cashew cookie and almond cookie ones from this blog (I added unsweeted coconut to them both) and some peanut butter chocolate ones that I made up. Each recipe only made about 3 bars and a couple balls (I wanted some small ones for my kids), which is perfect for me while I figure out what I like best. Some of the recipes make a whole cookie sheet of bars at a time.

I went to Winco and bought a bag of pitted dates. This was the first time I’ve ever bought dates and I now love them! They’re the key to making these bars good. They’re the reason you don’t need to add sugar. They’re sweet and delicious and they hold the bars together. Then you basically pick a nut to add and then anything else you might want (coconut, cocoa, fruit, cinnamon, etc) and you have a Larabar!

You can make a lot with dried fruit too, but I couldn’t find any at Winco that didn’t have added sugar. I’ll have to go to a health food store for those. A bunch of the recipes call for chocolate chips, but I can’t do those either. The cocoa made them plenty chocolaty for me (I love dark chocolate). You can also make these healthier by adding things like ground flax seeds or chia seeds.

I made mine in my “fake” Magic Bullet (Bella). I had to do about half of a recipe at a time. And the dates were surprisingly hard to blend. Most people do these in a food processor, but I don’t have one. The Bella worked well enough. After I blended them I put them in a bowl and then shaped them into bars or balls.

My favorites were the almond cookie ones

• 1/3 cup dates
• 1/2 cup almonds
• dash of salt
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• as much unsweeted coconut as I felt like
• And about 2 Tbs cocoa

And then I rolled them in coconut.

YUMMY!

Have you had Larabars before? What’s your favorite? Do you think you’ll make some homemade Larabars? What kinds do you want to try?

Gluten Free Waffles from GF Bisquick

I finally branched out and made something other than pancakes with the Gluten Free Bisquick mix and it was delicious!  Actually, I’ve made these 3 or 4 times.  Yum!
My favorite thing to do when I make waffles or my family is to have tons of add in options and they each get to pick what they want for each waffle.  Here are some ideas:  blueberries, heath toffee chips, chocolate chips, walnuts, raisins, coconut, strawberries, etc.  My favorites are blueberry and a mix with toffee, chocolate chips, and coconut. 
I also love to experiment with different syrups/toppings.  Some ideas:  maple syrup, jam, yogurt, a cream cheese/powdered sugar glaze, etc.

Pros: 

• Delicious
  
• Tastes like normal waffles
  
• Easy to make

Cons:

• Doesn’t make very many. 

Just be aware that one batch of waffles will only make 3 sets of waffles (as in 12 individual waffles if you pulled them apart).  I tend to eat 2 sets at a time and that only leaves one for leftover (I’m big on leftovers) and if I was feeding someone else who was gluten free I’d need to double it.  Not a huge deal, but be aware.  The pancake recipe feeds a lot more (which makes sense). 
Give these a try if you haven’t already. 

Product Review: Gluten Free Bisquick

General Mills now makes Gluten Free Bisquick.  I figured it would taste good because General Mills wasn't about to put their name on something that wasn't (they do Betty Crocker), so I was excited to try it.  I was right; it is delicious!

I just made regular ol' pancakes with my mix (twice) because I love pancakes, but there is a ton of delicious options you can make with this mix.  I am dying to make this Gluten Free Impossibly Easy French Apple Pie.  Doesn't it sound amazing?!  And it only takes 1/2 a cup of mix (and 1/3 for the streusel topping)!  I believe there are just over 3 1/2 cups of mix in each box.  Each time I make pancakes (about 10) it uses 1 cup, so I could do pancakes 3 times plus the Apple Pie all with the one box.  That's a great value considering how much you can make, the price, and how versatile the mix is!

Speaking of value, let's talk cost.  My mom spotted the Bisquick Gluten Free mix first at Kohler's in Highland.  It was $2.50!!!  I really hope it stays that price there, so that every time I visit my parents I can stock up.  At Smith's Marketplace in Bountiful it was closer to $5 and my sister saw it for around $5 at a Fresh Market in Provo.  Walmart in Cedar Hills had it for around $4 (a bit less, I think).  So basically, look around.  Check stores you're at and compare prices.  Also, each store is different as far as where you can locate the item.  I've seen it in special gluten free sections and I've also seen it by the regular Bisquick.  Keep your eyes peeled.  This is definitely a gluten free product you'll always want to have on hand. 

Click here to enter to win a free box.

Let me know where you find your Bisquick Gluten Free mix and what it cost!  

Also, if you've tried any other recipe besides pancakes with the Bisquick Gluten Free mix, how did it turn out?

Gluten Free Rice and Oatmeal Cereal

When I was a freshman in college, living away from home for the first time, I had the hardest time feeding myself. One day I was complaining to my mom about it and especially how I always got hungry so fast after eating breakfast. I needed something that was quick, yummy, cost-efficient, and would fill me up for awhile. Cereal just wasn't cutting it.

My mom suggested I try "Wheat and Rice Cereal." (I know... this is a gluten free blog and the title of that recipe has "wheat" in it. Don't worry. I've altered the recipe, so we can eat it. I love it that much!) I remembered seeing my her make and eat that stuff before and in my mind it was one of those foods that only my mom's generation and older liked (like cream of wheat and black licorice), but I was desperate, so I decided to give it a try. I'm glad I did. It was delicious and filling and simple! Everything I love!

Another reason I love this recipe is because I love oatmeal, but I hate the high price of gluten free oats. With this recipe I'm still getting to eat my oats, but I'm stretching them a lot further, so I'm saving money. In fact, I prefer this cereal to oatmeal even if money wasn't an issue.

Anyway, enough about that. Let's get to the recipe. It does take some forethought (you need to boil some water the night before), but it's simple.

Rice and Oatmeal Cereal

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup brown rice (in the original version it was whole wheat)
• 1/2 cup water
  
• 1/2 cup cooked white rice
• 1 cup GF raw oatmeal
• Raisins (as many as you want)
  
• Apple, diced (as many as you want)

For serving:

• Milk
• Brown sugar or honey

Directions:

1. *Bring water and brown rice to a boil, then cover, turn off stove, and let sit overnight (this gives it a different texture that is perfect for a cereal).
2. In the morning add: cooked white rice, oats, raisins, apples
3. Serve with milk and brown sugar or honey. Enjoy!

Store the leftovers in the fridge and you can have some each morning just like you would boxed cereal.

*If you don't have cooked white rice left over from some meal (I always seem to have some in the fridge) and you don't want to take extra time to cook it separate, you can add it in with the brown rice (it will just give it a little different texture, but will be fine0. Just make sure you double the water.

This cereal might seem weird to you at first, but give it a chance. I love it!

Save on Chex Cereal

Chex cereals are on sale at Walmarts right now for $2.00 a box (they're often on sale around the holidays because of the Chex party mixes you can make).

Use a $1/2 coupon and get them for $1.50 a box!
Not the most amazing deal I've seen on cereal, but still pretty darn good, especially for Chex.

Click here to find coupons.
Or google "chex coupons" to find sites to print the coupons from.

My favorites are the regular Rice Chex, Cinnamon, and Honey-Nut.

Time to stock up!
Enjoy it for breakfast and make lots and lots of yummy Chex mixes!

Product Review: Glutino Muffin Mix

These were pretty good.

I added chocolate chips and Heath bar chips. You can also add fruit, but I love chocolate.

I liked them better after they'd sat a few hours than I did fresh.

I froze half of them for my sister and they were still delicious after being frozen.

It was nice to have a muffiny texture.

I would definitely buy these again. The Glutino brand has never disappointed me.

Doctor up your cereal

I don't know about you, but I miss the cereals with almonds, cranberries, raisins, etc. from my pre-gluten free days. Though the selection of GF cereals is growing, it's still not that great.

Luckily, I've found a solution to satisfy my cravings (at least until every cereal is gluten free- I can dream, can't I?). I've started adding my own almonds and cranberries to Rice Chex.

Not sure why I didn't think of this before. I've always been one to add fruit to my cereal (bananas, peaches, strawberries, etc.), but it never occurred to me to add anything more.

My new favorite is Rice Chex with slivered almonds, dried cranberries, and brown sugar (I mix the brown sugar in with it before I pour the milk in). Delicious!

There are a ton of options with this, just use your imagination (and inspiration from the cereal aisle).

I Love General Mills

UPDATE: All of the Chex boxes should be updated to say "Gluten Free" now. Cinnamon Chex is my favorite, then Rice Chex. There's also chocolate, strawberry, honey nut, and corn. YUM!

Look what I've been eating for breakfast lately:


It is so delicious!!! General Mills is expanding it's line of gluten free Chex cereal to include Corn Chex and Honey Nut Chex (along with Rice Chex, which has been gf for awhile now). They're doing this by replacing the gluten-filled barley malt with molasses.

Even though it's only one ingredient, it takes a lot of money to make this change and to ensure that all of their equipment is gluten free so we don't have to worry about cross-contamination in the cereal. I love General Mills for doing this! (By the way, they are a sponsor of the Celiac Disease Foundation.)

They're still in the process of switching out the old boxes of Corn and Honey Nut Chex, so it can be hard to find the gluten free boxes. The boxes that are safe to eat will say "Gluten Free" big across the front (see picture), so be sure to only eat these ones. I also heard rumor that Chocolate and Strawberry Chex are being made gluten free, so be on the lookout for those. I'll let you know when I first find some.

I found my boxes of gluten free Honey Nut Chex at the Wal-mart in Centerville. I can't remember exactly what I paid for them, but I believe it was around $2.75. I'm guessing Wal-marts will be the first to get them. Let me know where in Utah you find yours so we can help others find this delicious cereal.

Look what I ate this morning!!!

They were delicious!

I just discovered that Berry Berry Kix doesn't have any ingredients that contain gluten anymore so I went right out and bought some. Now if you have problems with cross-contamination, you probably don't want to try these. General Mills has not labeled them "gluten-free" (like Rice chex) because they could be cross-contaminated.

If you're interested, I found them at Target in Centerville and I've heard that all Target's should carry them. If you find them at a store other than Target, please leave a comment on where. Enjoy!