Looks like a birthday, tastes like a birthday, it is a birthday!

Wow, our first birthday in six years that looked liked and felt like a real birthday when it comes to the food anyway!

We were getting ready for my soon to be six year olds birthday party.  I sat down with him to come up with a plan.  What theme did he want?  What activity didi he want to do?  What friends and family did he a want to celebrate with?

The theme he picked was Spiderman.  He wanted a Spiderman cake.  I thought no problem I can make a cake and stick some Spiderman figures on it and that would work.  He also wanted to take all his friends bowling.  I called Brunswick Bowl in Lakeville, Mn to get details on a party.  They told me that you get the bowling, some pop, and pizza for a set price.  AS always I told them we can't do the food part.  They offered to replace it with something else from their menu that would meet his dietary needs.  Well, as you can guess nothing on the bowling alley menu was gluten and dairy free.  Feeling a bit bummed about having to pay this huge amount of  money and not getting the food, as no place ever gives you a break, they just charge you the same and keep the food!  Well, Brunswick Bowl was different.  They asked if I could bring in some GF/DF pizza and they would cook it for us!  I was over joyed, YES, I responded enthusiastically!  I was so excited that we would be able to serve everyone pizza, even my child would have pizza just like his friends!  My day was made.

When I went to begin the cake I decided to check out a bakery in Egan, Mn Bittersweet Bakery to see if they could make a birthday cake and then I would just go get some toppers from the toy section at Target to plop on top!  I was completely shocked when they said they could make a Spiderman cake for my son!  I was so excited!  Not only could my son eat the pizza, his cake was going to look like a real birthday cake too, with Spiderman and Happy 6th Birthday Michael.

On the day of the party I went to get the cake, it was beautiful.  The first "real" birthday cake we have ever had since we began the whole GF/DF thing six years ago!  When we arrived at the bowling alley they took the frozen pizzas I had brought.  When it was time for pizza they brought out all the pizzas together.  We served up Michael and all his friends.  They devoured two large pizzas and 2 gluten free pizzas...boys!

Looks like a birthday, tastes like a birthday, it is a birthday!

I was so thankful that all these people made it possible for my son to experience a birthday party that looked like, felt like, and tasted like a real birthday party!  No one ever would have been able to tell that our party was GF/DF when they walked past our tables!  Praise God!


A special thank you to Bittersweet Bakery and Brunswick Bowl for making my sons birthday party....normal!  If you are looking for an amazing experience for your child contact these amazing businesses who made it possible.

New Amazing Website!

One of my goals through my blog is to connect mom's with quick, easy, and healthy recipes that their kids WILL eat!  So, I see myself as the one to take the time to find the websites/recipes, try them out on my kiddos and their friends and then give them to you tried and true!  This week I have been playing with recipes from my new favorite website, Detoxinista (detoxinista.com).  The recipes are amazing, whole foods, grain free, naturally sweetened and delicious!  My kids had the week off of school so we were playing in the kitchen a lot.  Below I have our three favorites so far!  (Make sure to keep an eye on facebook as in the upcoming week I will be posting more of our favorites!--Like Kingdom Kids Nutrition to get updates...they are more frequent than the blog.)

The above photo is the Peanut Butter Cocoa Smoothie....yummo.  My daughter, Hannah made this smoothie for snack the other day.  She brought it to me and I was in heaven.  I told her not only was she speaking my love language (acts of service) by making snack and serving everyone, but she also made my two favorite foods peanut butter and chocolate!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Milkshake

Made of frozen bananas, natural peanut butter, cocoa and a splash of pure maple syrup, this rich, creamy treat is sure to satisfy your sweet tooth, without the sluggish after-effects of a traditional milkshake.

Ingredients

• 2 frozen bananas
• ¾ cup almond milk (homemade or store-bought)
• 1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup (optional)
• 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
• ¼ cup natural peanut butter
• pinch of sea salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 7 ice cubes (about 2 handfuls)

Instructions

1. Throw all of the ingredients into a high-powered blender, and blend until smooth and creamy. (I like to freeze my bananas whole, for easy measuring, then I break them in half when adding them to the blender.)
2. Pour into two glasses and serve immediately!

Notes

For best results, use a high-speed blender like the Vitamix, which breaks down ice effortlessly. A traditional blender should also work– though, you may need to add a bit more almond milk to facilitate blending. 

The second recipe I would like to highlight from Detoxinista is the cauliflower pizza crust.  I topped our pizza with pizza sauce, onions, red pepper, olives, tomatoes, and sheep feta cheese!  Needless to say I will need to make two of these next time!  It was gone in a flash and everyone was asking for more!

The Secret To Perfect Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Ingredients

• 4 cups steamed cauliflower rice (about one medium head)
• 1 egg, beaten
• ⅓ cup soft goat cheese (chevre)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 400F.
2. To make the cauliflower rice, pulse batches of raw cauliflower florets in a food processor, until a rice-like texture is achieved.
3. Fill a large pot with about an inch of water, and bring it to a boil. Add the “rice” and cover; let it steam for about 4-5 minutes. Drain into a fine-mesh strainer.
4. THIS IS THE SECRET: Once you’ve strained the rice, transfer it to a clean, thin dishtowel. Wrap up the steamed rice in the dishtowel, twist it up, then SQUEEZE all the excess moisture out! It’s amazing how much extra liquid will be released, which will leave you with a nice and dry pizza crust.
5. In a large bowl, mix up your strained rice, beaten egg, goat cheese, and spices. (Don’t be afraid to use your hands! You want it very well mixed.) It won’t be like any pizza dough you’ve ever worked with, but don’t worry– it’ll hold together!
6. Press the dough out onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. (It’s important that it’s lined with parchment paper, or it will stick.) Keep the dough about ⅓” thick, and make the edges a little higher for a “crust” effect, if you like.
7. Bake for 35-40 minutes at 400F. The crust should be firm, and golden brown when finished.
8. Now’s the time to add all your favorites– sauce, cheese, and any other toppings you like. Return the pizza to the 400F oven, and bake an additional 5-10 minutes, just until the cheese is hot and bubbly.
9. Slice and serve immediately!

Notes

Time-Saving Tip: I recommend making a double-batch of cauliflower pizza crusts–> make one for now, and save one for later. After baking the crusts, wrap up the extra pizza crust in foil, and FREEZE it for a quick “frozen pizza” to enjoy another night! All you need to do is add toppings and bake at 400F, until the cheese is hot and bubbly.   

Below is the photo of the full lunch I served with the pizza.  We had a side salad of lettuce, oil, and balsalmic, topped with carrots and little fruit salad of strawberries and kiwi!  Everyone was a clean plater!

The last recipe I would like to highlight is the amazing grain free chocolate chip cookies!  My boys had friends over...and they ate the WHOLE batch of cookies.  And the boys that were here do not eat a "whole foods" type diet at home.  So, these are a hit for even the beginners in the whole foods world!  Packed with good oil for the body and brain (coconut oil), sweetened with only a bit of maple syrup, and the use of almond flour packs them full of protein, these are a cookie you feel good about serving your kids!

Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies (grain-free)

Made with almond flour and rich maple syrup, these soft and chewy cookies pack a nutty, complex flavor in each bite. Served with an ice-cold glass of almond milk, they are sure to please even the pickiest of eaters!

Ingredients

• 1½ cups of Blanched Almond Flour (store-bought or homemade)
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, softened
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ cup pure maple syrup
• 1 whole egg, or flax egg
• ½ cup chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the almond flour, baking soda and salt and mix well. In a separate bowl, combine the coconut oil, vanilla, maple syrup and egg, and mix well.
3. Add the wet mixture into the dry mixture, and mix well until a uniform batter is achieved, then stir in the chocolate chips.
4. Using a tablespoon, or cookie scoop, drop the batter onto a baking sheet lined with a Silpat or parchment paper.
5. Bake at 350F for 10 minutes, or until golden around the edges, turning the pan half-way through baking time.
6. Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
7. Serve warm, and enjoy!

Notes

These cookies should last a few days at room temperature, but I prefer to store them in the freezer for an indefinite shelf life–> that way I always have cookies on hand when I sweet craving hits. They taste amazing straight out of the freezer, too!

The only recipe I have tried so far that was not a totally success was the mac n' cheese.  Four out of seven of us loved us....the others did not like it.  However, I think the error came in when I told them we were having mac n' cheese, they thought "real" mac n' cheese.  I should have said we were having a new "pasta" dish and I think they would have liked it as well.  I just think they were expecting a different taste than what they got.  Kind of like when you reach for your coffee and get juice or water instead...ick....I was expecting my morning coffee!

Some other recipes we tried and loved were the avocado mint chocolate chip ice cream and carmel apple dip!  I encourage you to check out the detoxinista.com website and play on your own as well.  You will LOVE this website!

Hannah Goes to Camp: Going to Camp Gluten and Dairy Free!

Wow, a week ago my daughter  Hannah went off to camp with her class at school and was gone for four days and three nights!  Talk about a time to trust God!  Since we have done all the "diet" stuff my daughter has never been away from me for this long.  Who was going to fix her "special" food, who would make sure she took her herbs, who was going to make sure she didn't get something she shouldn't, who would, who would, who would?  As I prayed I got the answer....SHE WILL!  And boy did she, and she did a stellar job!

Side note:  Even tough it is not really "camp" season I thought I better blog it before I forgot what I did....you can alway reference it in the summer when you need it.  I hope my experience will help you and your child be able to experience going to camp with special diets a possibility too!  My daughter was so blessed to have a friend in her class who was also gluten and dairy free so they were able to cook (via microwave) together, God is sooooo good!  Ya know, HE loves our kids even more than we do!

For me sending her to camp was a scary thing ( more for me than her) and the thought of food was a daunting task:  to put together four days worth of meals and snacks that fit her dietary needs and could be "mircrowaved" (as that is all there was in the cabin that she could use to make alternative food). We don't even OWN a microwave! So,  I got out my menu plan and began planning!   I had to make sure to get everything as they were in the middle of the woods, no store to run to if mom forgot something.

Here is the menu I sent with her:

The first day they left school after lunch so all I had to do was send her a dinner to eat at the pizza place they were stopping at.  I packed a PBJ sand which (her request) to go with a salad she would purchase at the restaurant.  I also popped in an apple and some chocolate pudding for dessert!

Day 2:
Breakfast:  Cereal and Rice Milk (the little lunch box size)
Lunch:  Greek Pasta Salad (I sent cooked noodles, dressing, chopped tomatoes and olives, and crumbled goat feta she just had to toss it all together- No heating required!)
Dinner:  Chili and corn chips with a side of sour cream and goat gouda cheese (I made this ahead and froze it, she then just had to microwave it...ug- I hate microwaves- that is another post though!)

Day 3:
Breakfast:  English muffin with peanut butter and jelly
Lunch:  Pesto Pasta Salad (I sent frozen pesto I made the day before, cooked noodles and grated pecarino cheese for the top, she just mixed it together and sprinkled on the cheese.)
Dinner:  Frozen Pizza (hence the extra meal listed below...wasn't too sure how a pizza would turn out in the microwave!  AS it turns out it didn't work out...so the extra meal came in handy!)

Day 4:
Breakfast:  Leftover cereal or english muffin
Lunch:  Turkey Sand which (Bread, turkey, mayo, mustard, onion, tomato, lettuce, all cut up and ready to put together on a sandwich she just had to assemble)

*Extra Meal:  I did send one extra meal just in case:  hamburger rice hot dish.  I froze it and sent it as an extra in case she got hungry!

Snacks/Things to add to main courses:  Dark chocolate covered almonds, granola bars (2 different types), apples, grapes, snack sized potato chips, dried mango, lots of bottled water (Fiji), grapes, dark chocolate bars, bread and PBJ

My second oldest daughter Lilli looked at the cooler and said, "she is going to eat ALL that?"  With eyebrows raised, rolled eyes, shrugged shoulders and a smile on her face!  Better to much then not enough was my thought!

When my daughter returned home on Friday we all went to Pizza Luce for some HOT, YUMMY GF/DF pizza and celebration of yet another victory in the Schulte family!