Mama & Baby: Gluten Free

Wordless Wednesday

It seems most blogs do a Wordless Wednesday, and it looks like so much fun. Here is my first Wordless Wednesday post! Hopefully Sophie won't be mad when she's older. We just got this photo developed and scanned, and.. well.. I just couldn't not post it :)

To see other Blogs that participate in Wordless Wednesday's, check out MomDot.

-heather

MomDot: Blog Party Day Four & Five

What is your favorite Holiday recipe?

My two favorite holiday recipes are my pumpkin spice cake and my chocolate holiday rounds. They will definitely be on our holiday menu. We don't have the same meal every year. We like to spice things up. Since I was raised vegetarian, our thanksgivings were very different from most other families. We had lasagna many years, other's we had tofu "turkey" with stuffing. This year, I may just post our tofu "turkey" with stuffing. It is an amazing dish, even the most carnivorous people enjoy it.

Describe your Holiday table.

We like to decorate with things from nature. This is something I am actually going to be posting about soon because I just collected a bunch of twigs from a tree an and put them in vases. It looks amazing, and someone thought I had actually bought the twigs! Ha

What is your biggest Holiday cooking disaster?

You know, I don't have one as yet and hopefully I won't! My husband who also loves to cook, and bless him for it, makes amazing dishes but in the process somehow makes a mess of just about every dish, pot, pan, spoon in the house. It's really a disaster in its own way. But I do love him for it :)

 Do you volunteer your time? What do you do to teach your children the true meaning of the holidays?

We haven't volunteered our time but we have given donations to certain organizations. We've also sponsored an animal (dog/cat/chicken!). Our daughter is only 20 months, but we certainly are teaching her to share. It really comes naturally to children, and that's just beautiful.

Some of our favorite organizations:

Peaceful Prairie Sanctuary

Vitamin Angels

Goods 4 Girls

The Nature Conservancy

Day Four Blog Party Question is Brought to you by Bottlewise and Glow Mama

Day Five Blog Party Question is Brought to you 

by Baby Pop and Chic Covers

enjoy!

-heather

Gluten-free product spotlight, holiday edition!

I am launching my Gluten-Free Products Spotlight. What this means for you? Every Monday I will post a line-up of gluten-free & allergy-free products. Since it is the holiday season, the selections will be great ideas for holiday parties, gifts and stocking stuffers! 

I am also inviting other gluten-free blogs to participate. To participate, simply post your own gluten-free product spotlight and link back to my post. You can post once, or several times. You may use my graphic in your post if you would like. Sign-up below so that others know your blog is a part of this too. 

To kick it off, I have "rounded up" a few favorites of ours. These will be sure to perk up your holiday gatherings! Get a head start on stocking stuffers too! Buying products from the links also helps to support this site, and saves you money on bulk orders.

Enjoy Life Mountain Mambo Nut-Free Granola. This is a great snack, and would look very festive heaped in bowl for any holiday party!

Ruby Range Southwest Pancake Mix makes rich and moist pancakes. Because they have mesquite flour, they have a nutty and chocolate-like flavor. And although the recipe on the back of the mix calls for dairy ingredients, you can substitute (like coconut milk with apple cider vinegar in lieu of yogurt). Mesquite flour is an amazing gluten-free flour that adds richness to your baking. 

Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips (great in recipes like Papaya Coconut Clusters)

More to come! Check back every Monday. Subscribe to my blog so you don't miss anything :)

enjoy!

-heather

Click below to sign-up or to see which blogs are participating:

Chocolate Holiday Rounds

This would be an amazing treat for any holiday party. They are easy to eat and healthy too.

1 cup raw sunflower seeds, soaked

1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds, soaked

12 dates, unsoaked

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon raw honey

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons water

Process until smooth, scraping the edges well. Mold teaspoon size drops with your hand. Roll in coconut if desired (or cinnamon).

If you like this dish, my flour-less chocolate fudge cake is similar. 

enjoy!

-heather

MomDot: Blog Party Day Three

  MomDot is hosting a Blog Party where participating blogs answer questions related to the holiday season. I am participating in Day Three, sponsored by Appledonia, Hippos Toes, and My Bag. Thanks to MomDot for hosting this Blog Party. It is a great way for bloggers to peruse other blogs and gain some helpful information! 

Have you started your Christmas shopping yet?  

No but I have started my Christmas Thinking. Our theme for this year again is eco-friendly and economical. We cut corners by not buying greeting cards. Though, money is not the only issue there. Greeting cards are bad for the environment too. Last year, I brought out the christmas stencils, and used thick paper that my husband had gotten from work that was headed for the trash bin. My homemade cards were a big hit and stood out above the commercial greeting cards.

Do you budget for the holidays?  

Yes we do, if we can't afford it, we just don't buy it. We have to manage the debt we have from medical bills and other expenses. We like to get creative with gifts and give gifts that benefit the person while having a low-to-no impact on the environment.

Do you always stick to your budget?  

Pretty much. Now that we have a little one to look after, you just have to. We think about that credit card that's not full, we keep it open for the "just incase" emergencies, instead of adding onto it by buying an item that we could really live without. That's the big ticket I think, "Do I really need this?", or "This is awesome, but does he/she really need it?"

Share with us any budgeting tips you may have!

The best tip is to list all of your must-have expenses (rent, food, gas, etc) along with how much money you have. That way, you know your means and it will be easier to stay within your budget. 

We also don't buy wrapping paper. This is a big thing with us and we ask friends/family to skip the paper too. Instead, we bought holiday patterned fabric from the fabric store. We use fabric and twine to wrap packages. It not only looks amazing, but we don't have to carry out trash bags of paper when Christmas is over. No guilt and no garbage!

People like to give gifts. After all, the surprised looks and satisfied smiles are better than chocolate cake. Well, at least nearly as good. But, remember, you may find even more satisfaction in giving homemade gifts or showing someone you care by doing something that seems small but can mean the world to the other person.

enjoy!

-heather

Flourless Chocolate Fudge Cake (nut-free, egg-free, dairy-free)

1 1/2 cups raw sunflower seeds, soaked

10 small dates, unsoaked

1 tablespoon raw honey

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup cocoa powder

2-4 teaspoons water

Process in a food processor. Add the teaspoons of water for desired thickness and consistency.

Use a spatula to scrape the filling into a pie or cake dish. Use unbleached parchment paper greased with coconut oil to line the dish with before adding the filling (optional). Sprinkle with shredded coconut or top with berries of choice. Refrigerate and serve!

This was so amazing. Anyone who loves chocolate will love this. Let me know if you try it out. It's incredibly easy to make too. You can substitute the sunflower seeds for nuts if you are able to eat nuts. 

enjoy!

-heather

Rice Veggie Rolls with Miso Dill Dressing

Suggested filling for rice wraps:

finely chopped:

scallions

celery

bok choy

dill

grated carrot

thin rice noodles 

Miso Dill Dressing:

1 cup of miso dressing

2-3 teaspoons chopped fresh dill (you can use dried)

1 tablespoon chives dried

I used these products:

Thai Kitchen Thin Rice Noodles
Spring Roll Wrapper

Sophie even got to have one. We found wraps that are made just out of tapioca. Her wraps were filled with bok choy, gluten-free corn noodles, and avocado.

She was pretty excited. These are easy to make and fun to eat! I hope you try them.

enjoy!

-heather

Speesees Organic Clothing Review & Giveaway

random winner #32 - Hesper F, you have until November 22nd to claim your prize or another winner will be drawn! 

I got the opportunity to sample a shirt for Sophie from Speesees Organic Clothing. She got to try the hum :: lap tee with humming birds on it.

Soft, high quality, and incredibly cute? I found this shirt to be all three. Speesees has a definitive and unique style. I enjoy the color options and their boisterous but not overpowering designs, like the their blossom lap tee.

One thing that really stood out to me after researching the company, is their reSpeesees program. It is an awesome addition to their company. When your child outgrows their Speesees clothing, you can send it back to them and they will:

1) donate it on your behalf to be used by children of disadvantaged women

2) give you a respeesees discounted price on future items:

“respeesees” 1-3 items, get 25% off one future order!
“respeesees” 3-6 items, get 30% off one future order!
“respeesees” 6 or more items, get 40% off one future order!

The clothing is soft and comfy and the company's ethics are outstanding. It is very important to us to feel good about the company we are purchasing items from. Speesees is also certified through social accountability international, which means that they have standards for their factory in india; such as fair working hours, no discrimination, etc. From start to finish, you can be sure that Speesees clothing is high quality and made with an eco-conscious. 

From the web site:

speesees ingredients::
organic cotton
low-impact dyes
pigment + pvc-free prints
nickel-free snaps
no formaldehyde 
no dioxin
lots of love

Speesees is kindly offering one of my readers a chance to win a long-sleeve lap-tee in their choice of pattern or color. Sizes from infant to 4 years! Winner gets to choose from Cocoa, Tomato, Hum or Harmonize.

Rules on How to Enter:

1) Visit Speesees and tell me one thing you learned there - either about the company or about organic clothing. 

2) Let me know which lap-tee you would choose (cocoa, tomato, hum or harmonize) along with the size.

3) Be sure to include an email address so that I contact you if you win.

4) Entries not meeting the above requirements will be deleted.

The giveaway will be open until Tuesday, November 18th at 11:00pm MST.

Please note that the giveaway is open to entrants with a U.S. mailing address.

Thank you to Speesees for sending me a sample and sponsoring this giveaway!

enjoy!

-heather

A few great giveaways

Apart from offering giveaways on my blog, I also peruse other blogs and enter to win certain products from time to time. Today I have found a few giveaways that I'd like to share with you.

Win 20 Pairs of Baby Leg Warmers from babySNAZZ! BabyLegs are a great way to keep both arms and legs warm! I love them!

The Tea Party Week fun continues at Mom Most Traveled! Enter here for your chance to win a Barely Bamboo hoodie from Bamboosa!

During these economic times, we all need a little more help with budgeting. Head on over to Glitterful Felt Stories for a chance to win a Money Smart Mom "no more debt kit!"

You have to enter to win the Shrek the Halls DVD from A Mom's Review. This looks like it will be a treasured family favorite!

Jamie's Precious Peas is offering a chance to win a $50 gift certificate to Fuzzi Bunz Diapers. These are great cloth diapers that are very absorbent and are a wonderful choice that's better for baby and the environment!

Mom Most Traveled is offering a giveaway sponsored by EcoGear. The winner gets to choose a bag from the EcoZoo line. These bags are not only cute but are also made of organically grown cotton. The winner also gets to choose either the snow leopard, mohave tui, or bighorn from the genus line. These bags are not only PVC free, but also contain non-toxic dyes. They look incredibly durable. You have until November 14 to enter. Be sure to check out EcoGear. They have other bags to choose from as well that are also stylish and better for the environment! I would love to win these bags because they offer a better option for the environment and look to be very durable.

Glow Mama is offering an awesome giveaway for new Mama's. They are offering a gift pack including a Nest Baby Sling, Post-partum recovery kit from Earth Mama Angel Baby, and a copy of the DVD "the best birth." This would be a wonderful treat for a new mom! Be sure to check it out. Deadline not given.

An Ordinary Life is offering a Women's Sherpa Fleece from Land's End. It comes in a variety of colors and is rated for 0 degree weather! Deadline is November 14th.

Frugal Mommy of 2 girls is offering a chance to win a pair of See Kai Run Shoes from either the See Kai Run or Smaller line. See Kai Run is also going to be matching the sale price of shoes sold between November 1st and December 31st. The donation will go to Soles4Souls.

Head on over to PMKU: Learning Never Ends for a chance to win an organic cotton tee (12-18m, 2t or 4t). Per the rules of the contest, I am posting my favorite sale item from the skimbaco store - which is the global fund for children t-shirt, "for little citizens of the world" it says. How cute! And a picture of Sophie - who would get the shirt they are offering in the giveaway if we win!

I have some other giveaways coming up soon. One - to give a hint - will keep little toes very toasty this winter season.

enjoy!

-heather

Happy Halloween

I made Sophie a tutu and flower wand for her costume. She wore it for the first time to a Halloween Party last Saturday for kids with allergies (no candy, just fun and games!).

Since my husband had to work on Halloween (boo!), we decided to join Grandma and help pass out candy. My mom works at a little health food store on occasion, and she was asked to help watch the store on Halloween.

This thoroughly intrigued and exhausted Sophie. The only draw back were the guys in the scary masks. She really, really did not like that.

She refused to cross the road at first because there was a young boy with a scary mask on.

But we made it.

And we stayed away from the guys in the scary masks.

Eventually, she was brave enough to pass out candy. And although she was still a little squeamish, she did pass out candy to the scary ones and she eventually realized that while they are scary, they won't be bothering her. Especially when she's sitting on mom's lap.

It was fun and we were definitely tired out and ready to go home when it was over. But we did manage to stop by our neighbors house. He is retired and Halloween is his birthday. I wanted to make sure he got to see Sophie in her costume. He really likes her.

He offered her his candy bag to pick candy, and since I just couldn't squash the smile on his face, I let her take some. We went home and gave them to trick-or-treaters at our house. But since we weren't really prepared for trick-or-treaters, after a few rounds we turned out the light and went to bed.

Halloween, to me, is really just about having fun. Although I do wish that kids would at least eat healthy candy, I can't control that. Except for what I give out. I did open up some Yummy Earth Organic Lollipops to give to the few trick-or-treaters that came to our door.

I hope that everyone had a safe and healthy Halloween!

Stop by Go Natural Baby for a chance to win Earthwise Kids book and tote set. The bag is made of jute and the books teach kids how to take care of our environment.

-heather