There is more to Thanksgiving than a turkey- Hassle Free Holiday Travels!

Holidays for many are a time of family, fun, and food!  However, for families with food allergies and sensitivities these can become times of stress and fear!  NO MORE!  Holiday time is here again and we all should be having a blast with family, fun, and food!  So, this blog is dedicated to restoring your fun and enjoyment of food over the holidays...while making your holiday travel easier and cost effective!  I hope that by sharing these ideas with you your holiday food and travel will be filled with family and fun! instead of dread and fear!  The Menu I put together is dairy free, gluten free, (most are) egg free, and naturally sweetened.  I am going to include some of the recipes so hopefully this will give you some fun ideas as you travel over the holidays!

We leave for our big trip to KC on Wednesday at 9am!  This year things are a bit crazier than normal as I am out of town Monday morning from 4:30am until Tuesday around 1am, for a speaking engagement.  (Also, I will be meeting Josh Axe, Jordan Rubin's partner with Beyond Organic...I am so excited and blessed for this opportunity.) So, everything will have to be done and ready by tomorrow at bedtime.  So, let the shopping and cooking begin!

Pre Trip Prep:  (over weekend)
Make chex mix, cookies, muffins, veggie dip
Tuesday before trip:   Paul (my hubby) goes to get veggies and fruit for trip.

Wednesday:  CAR DAY  (Wed. Preparation:  Make egg sandwiches right before leaving, make sandwiches, make salads for each person:  lettuce, onion, olives, and dressing in top container)

Supplies:  Cooler, paper plates, paper towels, salad ziplock bowls, small bowls, and forks
1 large water bottle for each person- traveling causes dehydration, I have heard....so this helps keep them filled up!

Breakfast-  Egg Sandwiches- (blog-  )Make as everyone is getting ready and place in the oven as a warmer, until ready to go.  Then serve in the car on a paper plate!  These are really good with some organic orange juice, so I will serve that as well.  This is a really big treat as we are not a juice family at all!  Juice is a very special "treat".

Snacks-  Note:  I double all the snacks and pack a set so that they are ready for the trip home as well.
GF/DF homemade chex mix:  Chex Mix
1 ¼ c. peanuts or mixed nuts

9 c. Health Valley Rice Crunch-ems Cereal

1 tsp. sea salt

2 T. GF Wors Sauce

4T. coconut oil- melted

1 tsp granulated garlic

½ tsp onion salt

 200 degrees 1 hour or until crunchy

Cookies:  1 batch almond chocolate chip (recipe on blog- New Fav Website) cookies, 1batch beanie chocolate chip cookies (in cookbook)
Muffins:  Beet (blog- March 6  ), banana chocolate chip and blueberry (both in cookbook)
Beef sticks:  I get them at a meat market in St. Joseph, MN.  You can find them at any co-op (grass fed)
Granola bars:  For trips I actually splurge with another special "treat"
A mix of veggies:  carrots sticks, celery sticks, pea pods, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower all tossed in a big bag with paper towel
A bowl of veggie dip:  (in cookbook)
Fruit Salad:  A large bag filled with mixed fruits.

Lunch-  Meat sandwich, fruit, veggies  (all in cooler ready to go!)

Afternoon snack-  Itailian Salad (in cookbook)

Dinner:  Grandma is always so amazing and has an amazing homemade dinner waiting for us after our long day in the car.  It is usually a brisket with veggies and fruit!

Thursday:  Turkey Day
Breakfast-  I will bring a box pancake mix, GF vanilla, coconut oil (the small one from Trader Joes), rice milk, and flax meal for the eggs.  I also will bring some "good" bacon!

Lunch-    peanut butter or sun butter sandwiches, fruit, veggies

Snackies for the afternoon (party time begins)-  artichoke dip with GF/DF flatbread,  cowboy caviar (in cookbook) and organic corn chips, grass fed salami and crackers.

My GF/DF additions to the Thanksgiving Day meal:
Pumpkin Pie:
1-9 inch pie crust (pre-made or make home made with Bob's Red Mill Brisket Mix- follow recipe on side but use coconut oil instead of butter)
2 flax eggs (2 T. flax meal with 6 T. water- allow to sit and "gel" then add to pumpkin)
1- 15oz. can of pumpkin
1/2 tsp. sea salt
8oz of coconut milk creamer original  (if looks to dry add a bit more- a creamy texture like cake batter is desired)
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
Prepare pie crust per directions on package.  Whip all the pie ingredients together and pour into baked pie crust.  Put in 425 degree oven for 15 minutes, then reduce to 350 degrees for about an hour or until knife inserted comes out clean.  Let sit at room temp 2 hours then serve or refrigerate until serving.  (Does not freeze well)
Pumpkin Bars with walnut drizzle:  Pumpkin bars  (click here for recipe)  I used walnuts instead of pecans for the drizzle both work and both taste great!
GF/DF Stuffing:  Down in the Valley Bakehouse is my favorite dressing recipe!  There are others you can get at co-ops as well.
DF mashed potatoes:  We use turkey broth from the turkey and no butter with some sea salt.

Friday:  Black Friday and YES!  My girls and I do participate!!!  Fun girls outing.
Breakfast-  Gluten Free Granola Cereal with Rice Milk (I bring both)

Lunch-  Sloppy Joes (I pick up the beef there at Whole Foods- I bring maple syrup, ketchup, and mustard.  The best way to describe how I make it is 3lbs grass fed beef, a lot of organic ketchup maybe a cup or so, a dash of mustard maybe a tsp or so, then use maple syrup to desired sweetness, I bring the buns as well), fruit, and veggies

Dinner-  At grandmas....not sure what it will be yet.

Saturday:  
Breakfast-  Omelets

Lunch-  Pizza:  homemade- Bob's Redmill Pizza Mix (with flax and olive oil I bring with), pepperoni, pizza sauce, Diaya Cheese, (I bring everything with)

Dinner-  At grandmas....not sure what that will be yet.

Sunday:  CAR DAY
Breakfast-  Before we leave we have french toast (GF cinnamon raisin bread, rice milk- about a cup, a tsp vanilla, 2 flax eggs, and cinnamon to taste.  Stir all together- dip bread in and fry up on a griddle with some coconut oil)

Snacks-  SAME AS TRAVEL DAY TO KC- SEE ABOVE

Lunch-  Grass fed salami sandwiches, veggies, and fruit

Dinner-  (at home)- I have chili in the freezer I make before we leave, I will grab it out, warm it up.  To accompany it I will whip together a batch of corn bread!

That is how we travel hassle free.  Then I do not spend my vacation worrying about what we are going to eat, breaking the bank trying to figure out the "food", and I am not preoccupied with "food", I can actually enjoy myself.  This is a lot of up front work, but it leads to an amazingly easy and relaxing vacation!

***Note that I bring a lot of stuff as Whole Foods is sooooo expensive and there now is a Trader Joes there that helps.  But, I love to avoid the grocery store as much as possible on vacation!

Watch Food Matters FREE!

You can watch the movie Food Matter for free through this link Food Matters Movie!  It is a great movie!  Check it out!

Learn more or about the dangers of artificial sweeteners!  WE all know they are bad, but just how bad? Check out this video, and keep all artificial sweeteners away from yourself and your children!

Artifiicial Sweetener Danger!  (Click here to watch)

It’s All About Nutrition….Not Food!

Dear all friends and supporters of Kingdom Kids Nutrition,

As I sit here on this rainy Minnesota morning I began to ponder what does Kingdom Kids Nutrition really means and stand for.  Why are we doing what we are doing?  As friends and supporters of KKN I think it is important that you really understand what it is you are supporting so, I thought this would be the perfect time to put words to what has been bottled up I my head and heart about what Kingdom Kids Nutrition means and stands for.

When I first decided to teach classes I was praying about a name for my business and the name Kingdom Kids Nutrition popped into my head.  I wrote it down in my journal.  I then got  a picture in my mind of two children a boy and a girl both wearing crowns on their heads; they were bright and smiling ear to ear.  That looks good I thought and the name and logo of my business were born!  (Thanks to my amazing sister in-law Anne)

As I sit here I recalled that picture to my mind.  I see these two children with crowns upon their heads and it made me think, “Wow, they are a picture of what it is to be a child of God, a child of the king.”  The kids in this picture know who they are, they are royalty.  They have a heritage, a destiny on their lives, and call to be fulfilled.  They have influence and power because they are a son and daughter of the king.  Their smiles show that they are filled with confidence, they are healthy and strong, and most apparent is that they are filled with love and JOY. 

http://admin2.kaboose.com/media

 My thoughts then shifted and I began think about all the children out there that are struggling in life, as my little Hannah had.  Their crowns do not seem to be very bright and shiny.  Their faces are often filled with fear and frustration as they along with their parents just try to make it through one more day.  Joy does not fill them, as it should.  Their confidence is hidden, their identity lost, they feel powerless and unworthy of even the tarnished crowns that adorn their heads.  They are sick often and quality of life is a challenge.  They feel there is no hope with in them and their families often feel the same way! 

Well, our mission is to bring restoration to these children and families!  We are here to restore all that has been stolen from the lives of these children and families.  We are here to replace the tarnished crowns with ones that sparkle.  To bring back the smiles to their faces.  To build their confidence, teach them their identity, and show them they are of great value, they are little princes and princesses that have power and influence, with a call and purpose for their lives. We want to restore their health so they can be strong and walk in their destiny.  But most of all that they would have a HOPE and a future that is good and overflowing with love and JOY!   We have seen this transformation with our daughter and our family.  It is our expectation and a joy to see this happen over and over in the lives of children and families we encounter!

There is also a broader call on KKN that goes beyond families in crisis.  As I continued to ponder what is KKN, I was reminded that we are all children of God.  There are many hurting adults who have lost their identities, and are weak and unhealthy themselves.  We have been working with many adults already to discover who they are and what the call upon their lives is, thru teaching them to eat healthy and strengthen their bodies, bringing clarity to their minds, they are more equip to recognize the destiny on their life and walk it out.  Many of these opportunities have been with organizations like Adult and Teen Challenge and Union Gospel Mission.  It is so fun to see God using us to bring hope to the hopeless, and restoration where there has been devastation. 

And to those families that there kids really do not have any major “health” concerns but want to do what is best for their families, we come along side of them as  they strengthen their families through nutrition, building identity and strengthening values!  We have already been doing reaching out to families through a monthly community night at our local co-op Valley Natural.  (We will be there this Tuesday for Healthy Kids Night- I will be making lemon-lime all natural soda with them- join us.  It is a free event.)

13750 Co. Rd. 11, Burnsville, MN 55337
Tuesday, Nov. 13, 5:00-7:00pm (Special Kids Movie at  6:30pm)

You may all be thinking right now, how does this all have to do with NUTRITION?  Well the definition of nutrition in the dictionary is the act of or process of nourishing or being nourished.  Upon further study of the word nourish it means to sustain with food, supply with what is necessary for life, health, and growth, to cherish, foster, keep alive, to strengthen and build up.  I was so excited when I read this.  Because I go in and speak about our story and teach about how to eat well, that prayer changes things, how to’s of eating well with kids, special diets, etc…but I would always say to my hubby, “I don’t teach nutrition.” I always think of nutrition as what vitamins are in what foods and how do carbs and proteins work, stuff like that.  But looking at the definition of what the broader word nutrition means it totally fits.  I go out to speak and teach people that I cherish, to supply them with what is necessary for life, health and growth.  To foster them, strengthen them, and build them up! 

Our hearts desire is to get our story out so we can bring freedom to children and their families.   We have seen how the power of our testimony has brought freedom to so many, now it is time to expand the territory and bring freedom to the masses!  Thank YOU SO MUCH for your encouragement and support!

What to watch for ahead….a new website, children’s “foodie” classes, parenting seminars, more “foodie” classes, upcoming Health Conference…Feb. 22-23 in Burnsville, MN  (Great Christmas Gift for that Health Nut on your list...tickets on sale Dec)!

Blessings to all of you and your families,

Kelli