Chili Nacho Dip

Here's a simple nacho dip with only 3 ingredients!...Perfect with tortilla chips! So simple and always a hit!

Ingredients:
1 8 oz block of cream cheese softened
1 can Hormel Chili with Beans (The Hormel chili without beans isn't gluten free)
1-2 cups of shredded Cheddar or Pepper Jack cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spread the softened cream cheese evenly in the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish.

Spread the Hormel Chili with Beans evenly over the cream cheese layer.

Sprinkle shredded cheese evenly on top the chili layer.
(I have also used the thin sliced cheese squares for this layer and they work great too!)

Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes.

Serve warm with  gluten free tortilla chips.

Gluten Free Cheesy Tomato Pasta

Here is a great recipe from Southern Living that I've made for years.  Just substitute gluten free pasta and you've got an awesome meal!  It's so creamy and delicious...and so simple,  it's perfect for a quick weeknight meal!




1 8 oz box GF pasta
1/4 cup butter
1 cup whipping cream (I used Organic Valley Heavy Whipping  Cream)
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cans diced tomatoes Hunt's Diced Tomatoes with Basil, Garlic and Oregano

Melt butter in skillet over low heat. Add cream and stir till warm. Add cheese and stir constantly until cheese is melted and mixture blended.
Meanwhile, cook GF pasta according to package directions.
Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.
Increase heat to med-low and add tomatoes, stir well to blend.
Add GF pasta and stir to combine.
Simmer for 10 minutes stirring occasionally, until sauce is slightly reduced and heated through.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Top with grated parmesan if desired.

Serve and enjoy!

Crustless Sausage Spinach Cheddar Quiche

This crustless sausage spinach cheddar quiche is just so incredibly yummy! Simple ingredients, simple steps, but amazing flavor! 

• 
  
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 lb gluten free Italian bulk sausage (I use Ingles Markets brand)
• 1 container fresh organic baby spinach
• 1-2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated 
• 1/2 or 3/4 tbsp onion powder (I use McCormick brand)
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Brown and break up the sausage until it is cooked and no longer pink.

Drain and set aside

Cook spinach. This doesn't take long at all...just melt some butter in pot or deep pan, add spinach. Cover and cook over medium heat for just a few minutes till done.

Drain liquid from spinach and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In large bowl combine sausage, spinach, eggs, milk, cheddar cheese, onion powder and salt and pepper.

Stir till combined.

Pour the quiche mixture into a greased pie plate. Place in oven and cook for 30-35 minutes until golden brown and center is set.

Enjoy...and try not to eat the whole thing at once :)

Lunch Ideas for Kids with Nut Allergies

All three of my kiddos have nut allergies. They are allergic to both peanuts and tree nuts, so we avoid anything with any mention of nuts ("contains nuts", "may contain nuts",  "manufactured in a plant with nuts", etc.)

This can make packing lunch a challenge. Unlike me though, they CAN eat gluten.  

So here are some simple school lunch ideas that I use for my nut allergy kids....

(These items are NOT all gluten free)

Ham or turkey sandwich (we love Boars Head!) 

Jelly biscuit

Blueberry muffins 

(Here's a simple healthy recipe http://glutenfreesimplygood.blogspot.com/2015/02/gluten-free-blueberry-muffins.html or you can grab the Udi's Blueberry Muffins, which are quick and yummy too!)

Carrot slices

Strawberries

Sliced grapes

Cheese sticks
Celery sticks
Apples

Applesauce (my kids LOVE strawberry applesauce!)
Original Cheerios

Snack Pack Chocolate Pudding or Vanilla Pudding 

Honey Maid graham snacks

Goldfish brand crackers

Oreos

Betty Crocker gummy snacks
Smartfoods White Cheddar Popcorn
Gogurt yogurt

(Always remember to double check labels too, as ingredients can change)

Lasagna Soup

A while back I went to a friend's house for dinner.  She made lasagna soup. Now I had never heard of this dish, but by the end of the meal....make that the end of our first bite, everyone at the table was asking for the recipe! It's one she actually found on Pinterest, so she was more than happy to share :)

 You actually assemble the soup as you serve it, and she was SO sweet to make GF pasta for me so that I could eat it!  I know from the picture it looks like just your average bowl of pasta with meat sauce...but it is soooo much more!  SO fabulous!

You'll see in the recipe there is this unbelievable cheese goodness that goes in, but I didn't add this last night, as Im trying to cut back on dairy.  Even without it though...so great! Hubby, who hardly ever asks for seconds ate three bowls. :)

Here's the link to this oh so yummy recipe! Just make sure all brands are GF and to use GF Italian sausage (I use Ingles Market GF bulk sausage) and GF pasta :)

I do as she suggests, and cook the pasta separately from the sauce then assemble before serving.  I also cheated a bit and use onion powder instead of chopped onion and dried minced garlic instead of fresh...still delicious!

Here's the link to this yummy soup....
http://www.afarmgirlsdabbles.com/2011/03/24/lasagna-soup/




Linked to Full Plate Thursday at http://www.mizhelenscountrycottage.com/2015/01/full-plate-thursday-1-29-15.html

Back to School with Nut Allergies

Back to School this year was even tougher than usual for me.  My baby girl started Kindergarten! I knew she was ready...she's been begging to go with her brothers for years! :) My biggest concern was and is her nut allergy.  Now, since all my kiddos have nut allergies, we've been through this before with both boys. So we explain to all teachers about their allergies and how to keep them safe.  But she has the most severe allergy. And, as I've shared before, we've already had to use the EpiPen due to a reaction....so this was my main concern for her.  I prayed that God would give her a teacher who would take care of her and be mindful of her allergy.  And those prayers have definitely been answered! We explained to the teacher about the allergy, and together have taken steps to keep my daughter safe :) The teacher has been great about accommodating the requests I've made.  Baby Girl is in her second week of school and is doing great!

Here is a letter I sent to all my kids' teachers about nut free foods.  It's helpful for them to have on hand to refer to through the year... You can find nut free lists online.  I made mine from a list I found and mainly included snacks my kids like. So these are definitely not the only nut free snacks available :) You just have to check labels  :)

(This list is NOT gluten free, only nut free :) )

Hi,

Since ___________ is allergic to all nuts, I thought it might be helpful if you had a list 
of some snacks that are safe for him if you need snacks for class, etc. Since ingredients 
can change, we always double check labels too. He cannot have anything that contains 
nuts and we also stay away from products that have any mention of nuts 
("manufactured in a plant with nuts", "may contain nuts", etc.) We also do not let him 
eat baked items brought in from students or from bakeries.  If you ever have any 
questions please let me know :) 

Thanks for all your help!

Skittles

Hershey plain chocolate Kisses

Wonka Nerds

Laffy Taffy

Air Heads

Tootsie Pops and Tootsie Rolls

Junior Mints

Lifesaver Gummies

Smarties

Whoppers

Sweet Tarts

Dum Dum lollipops

York Peppermint Patties

Twizzlers

Starburst

Kraft Marshmallows

Oreos (Original, Name-Brand)

Chips Ahoy (Original Name-Brand)
Goldfish Crackers (Name-brand)

Cheez-its

Easy Gluten Free Bistro Chicken

Before going gluten free, I made Easy Bistro Chicken from kraftfoods.com a lot. Chicken, tomatoes and Italian dressing all together in one big skillet...very tasty! It's very simple to make this dish gluten free! You can find the original recipe here http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/easy-bistro-chicken-91432.aspx

Here's my GF version...Delicious! I left out the cheese and bacon from the original recipe, and we thought it tasted even better without it...and it's healthier too!

Here's what I used...

2 tsp olive oil

1 onion chopped

salt and pepper

1 15 oz can stewed tomatoes, undrained

1/4 cup GF Italian dressing

3 tbsp. tomato paste

2 boneless chicken breasts cooked and shredded

HEAT oil in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add onions; cook 5 min., stirring occasionally. Add a dash of salt and pepper. Stir in tomatoes, dressing and tomato paste.

ADD chicken; cover. Simmer on medium-low heat 12 min.

I served this over brown rice.