Pumpkin Doughnut Holes

It's been crazy windy/rainy here so C and I have not gone out since Monday morning. C has been entertaining himself sorting buttons by color and watching Thomas the Tank Engine. I finally was able to set some time aside to bake since I haven't really been able to update my allergy friendly recipes in a while. As these little treats were cooling on the counter, C spotted them and grabbed one off the counter. He looked at me and said "Oh, wow!" as if I had no idea they were there! I love being able to make my own allergy friendly treats so I don't have to worry about whether or not what we have is safe for him. These delicious little doughnuts would be perfect for Thanksgiving breakfast!

Pumpkin Doughnut Holes
 1 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. all spice
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup natural maple syrup (such as organic grade B)
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup whole milk

Preheat oven to 350. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl with a wire whisk. Combine wet ingredients in a glass measuring cup (make sure to melt the coconut oil first and let it cool before combining it with a cold liquid or else it will solidify). Pour wet ingredients into dry and stir until just mixed (don't over mix). Pour batter into a greased mini muffin pan. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Makes 24 small doughnut holes.

This post will be linked up on the Allergy Free Wednesdays blog hop. http://wholenewmom.com/traditional-tuesday/vegan-pumpkin-cheesecake-chocolate-mousse-cake-grain-fee-chicken-pot-pie-more/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wholenewmomfeed+%28Whole+New+Mom%29

Buckwheat Banana Pancake Muffins

We're continuing to stay away from wheat with C because we're pretty sure that was causing his itchy skin and bad diaper rashes. But he's really craving some treats and doesn't understand why he can't have them anymore :( I tried to look into some gluten free recipes, but it seems like each recipe needs 5 different flours and it's very overwhelming especially when you have other food restrictions as well! So, I just chose to start with buckwheat flour which, despite it's name, isn't even considered a grain. I originally was going to make these into pancakes, but I am reallllly bad at flipping pancakes, so I just put the batter into a muffin tin. They turned out great and were a lot easier! They're a great breakfast treat drizzled with maple syrup and served with some bacon or sausage or a good mid-morning treat. They are a little gummy due to using applesauce instead of egg, but a gummy treat for C is better than no treat at all :)  Enjoy!

Banana Buckwheat Pancake Muffins
1 cup buckwheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup applesauce
1 cup milk
2 Tbsp. coconut oil
1 banana, sliced

Combine dry ingredients and mix with a wire whisk. Combine wet ingredients in a measuring cup and stir into dry ingredients being careful not to over mix. Add sliced banana. Pour into a muffin pan with muffin liners and bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Food Allergy Travel Tips

It's one thing to travel with a toddler....it's a whole new ball game to travel with a child with food allergies!  As a general rule we don't take C out to eat unless it's for a special event, such as a family celebration or a lunch after church. It's just too risky, and plus we like eating at home better :) However, when you're on the road you really have no choice. There's only so many homemade muffins a kid can eat until they need a real meal! A few weeks ago we took a short trip to Kelly's Island and had a hard time finding food for C to eat. Thankfully I brought enough sweet potatoes, avocados and snacks and we weren't gone that long. He was really only able to order plain hot dogs at the restaurant -- even the pizza had egg in it! We're not taking any big trips this summer, but this weekend we are going a couple hours away for a graduation party and will be staying overnight in a hotel. I wanted to share my strategy for eating away from home because when you have a child with food allergies, you can never leave home without a plan!

First, there are a few food items I always bring with us when we travel. Sweet potatoes (if you will have access to a microwave), avocado (C will eat a whole avocado for one meal), packets of oatmeal to make in the hotel (you can't bring a child with an egg allergy into a breakfast restaurant!), dry cereal, homemade muffins/quick breads, cookies, healthy popcorn and bananas. That will typically cover breakfast and lunch for him so we don't have to worry about that. However, dinner is another story. C has always refused to eat those Gerber toddler meals, so (although I probably wouldn't give it to him anyways) that's not an option for us. After doing some research, I was able to find a list of allergy-friendly restaurants. These are restaurants that have special allergy menus, however you will still want to inform the chef of your allergies so they don't cross-contaminate with your meal.

Here's the list of restaurants (these are just the ones with specific allergy menus. There are some other restaurants that give basic allergy info and ones that have specific gluten-free info):
- Arbys
- Boston Market
- Chili's
- Cracker Barrel
- Chipotle (a family fav)
- Qdoba
- Macaroni Grill
- Ruby Tuesday

Most of these restaurants don't have the allergy menus available for you at the restaurant, you will need to look at the menus online ahead of time and make your selection before leaving home. As you can probably tell, the list is very limited and small. If these restaurants aren't available to you, then I suggest just choosing a restaurant ahead of time and calling to ask about ingredients in some of the meals. It's best to call in the middle of the day when they aren't busy so they're more likely to answer your questions.

Also, here's a couple egg and nut free recipes you can whip up to take along with you on the road. These were all adapted from the Food Allergy Mama's baking book to include dairy and make them slightly healthier. Happy traveling!

Apple Muffins

4 Tbsp. butter, melted (allow to cool a little)
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup milk
2 cups white whole wheat flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups diced, peeled apples, divided

Preheat oven to 375 and line a 12-cup muffin pan with muffin liners.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combined the melted butter, applesauce and milk. In a separate medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg with a wire whisk. Add the dry ingredients to the applesauce mixture and stir by hand with a spatula until just combined. Fold in the 1 cup chopped apple. Do not over mix.

Using a cookie scooper or spoon, fill the muffin cups with batter and top each with the remaining 1/2 cup diced apple. Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Blueberry Bread



1/2 cup butter, melted
3 Tbsp. water
1/2 cup milk
2 Tbsp. grated orange zest
2/3 cup orange juice
3 cups white whole wheat flour
1/3 cup maple syrup (organic Grade B)
1 Tbsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the melted butter, water, milk, maple syrup, orange zest, and orange juice until combined. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda with a wire whisk. Add the dry mixture to the butter mixture and stir with a spatula until just combined. Fold in the blueberries.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 55-60 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Cool completely before slicing.

Cinnamon Sour Cream Cookies



1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cups organic sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup sour cream
1 1/4 tsp. vanilla
2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon

Combine butter, sugar, applesauce and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until mixed. Slowly beat in sour cream until incorporated. In a separate medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon with a wire whisk. Slowly add the flour mixture to the sour cream mixture. Chill dough in the fridge for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375 and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a spoon, roll small balls of dough in your hands, flatten and place on cookie sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes, but don't over bake.

Soaked Grains

I've been learning a lot about soaking grains recently and I have to say not only is it a lot healthier for you, it is delicious and easy as well! We've soaked oatmeal, rice, muffins and now yummy bread. Apparently this is the way people used to prepare grains (waaaay back) and it makes it a lot easier for us to digest the grain and increases nutrient absorption as well. Now, I'm no nutritionist but this is what I've found from my research. Basically, grains have protective measures (phytic acid, enzyme inhibitors, and proteins) to keep them stable until the time of germination. These protective measures get in the way of nutrition and digestion. By soaking the grains in acidulated warm liquid, it mimics germination and unlocks the enzymes thus making it easier for us to digest and absorb the nutrients available (info from GNOWFGLINS).

Usually I will start a recipe to soak after my son is in bed and I will leave it soaking until the next day when I'm ready to finish the recipe. Grains need to soak about 12 hours, but can soak up to 24 or more hours in some cases. This actually makes it a lot easier for me because I can start the recipe in the evening and then finish it up when my son is napping the next day (and most of the work is already done!)

This soaked oatmeal recipe might be the tastiest oatmeal I've ever had:

Basic Soaked Oatmeal (Adapted from GNOWFGLINS @ http://gnowfglins.com/)
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
Raisins (optional)

The night before, combine the oats, buttermilk and water in a pot. Cover and set aside. The next morning, add the milk, salt, cinnamon and maple syrup. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and allow to simmer until thick (about 10 minutes). Serve with raisins or other desired toppings.

This is seriously delicious!

Basic Soaked Whole Wheat Bread (Adapted from Kitchen Stewardship @ http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/)
1 cup minus 2 Tbsp. room temp water
2 Tbsp. yogurt whey (I just used plain yogurt)
1/4 cup coconut oil or melted butter
2 Tbsp. honey
2 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 3/4 tsp. yeast
1 tsp. salt

Put water, oil, honey, yogurt whey and flour in a bowl and let soak overnight or at least 12 hours*.  After it has soaked, add the yeast and salt and knead until smooth and elastic about 10 minutes. If it’s too sticky, add some more flour. Transfer to a buttered or oiled bowl and cover to let rise until doubled (about 45 minutes or longer?) Punch down. Shape into a loaf or rolls, placed in a greased pan and let rise a little longer. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

 *Do not add the yeast and salt while soaking - the yeast and salt will get in the way of the soaking process. 

This is seriously good bread. C had 2 pieces with his lunch today and I had to hide it and distract him from begging for more.

All this soaking seemed kind of intimidating at first, but now that I've started doing it, I've found it to be really easy because it helps me plan ahead and most of the work is done while C is sleeping. That's always a plus in my book :)

Egg and Nut Free Cinnamon Crunch Muffins

Whenever C and I attend play groups, or if he's going to be in the nursery at church, I always try to bring a separate "safe" snack for him. I don't want to leave anything to chance or have someone accidentally give him something that's unsafe for him.  And I also don't expect others to go out of their way to make sure their snacks are egg and nut free.

 I made these muffins the other day and he LOVED them! Even though they are pretty good for you, he was calling them "cookies" because they taste more like a dessert than a healthy muffin. If you are looking for a safe snack to bring along for your child, this is a great choice. They actually remind me of the cinnamon crunch bagels from Panera. I figure if he's not able to have the snacks that the other kids have, I at least need to make mine taste the best! Maybe everyone will enjoy them so much they won't mind going allergy safe :)

Egg and Nut Free Cinnamon Crunch Muffins (Adapted from Food Allergy Mama's Cinnamon Bread Foodallergymama.com)

1/4 cup palm shortening*
1/3 cup honey
2 Tbsp. water
2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup milk

Topping:
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 Tbsp. melted butter

*You can use any shortening, but I use palm shortening because it is allergy safe and much healthier for you than regular shortening. I bought a gallon from tropicaltraditions.com, and although it's expensive, it will last you a long time. 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a muffin pan with cooking spray and set aside. In a large bowl, beat the shortening and honey until combined. Add water as it mixes and beat until fluffy. In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients with a whisk.  Add to the shortening mixture alternatively with the milk beginning and ending with the flour.

In a bowl, mix the 2 tsp. cinnamon, sugar and melted butter. Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full with the dough and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on top.

Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Mmmm...enjoy!!

Egg and Nut Free Baked Blueberry Doughnut Holes

I have 2 distinct memories when I hear the word "doughnut". The first one is my grandpa because he used to buy us Dunkin' Donut Munchkins whenever he came to visit. The second one is ice skating lessons because I used to stop by Dunkin' Donuts on my way to skating every Saturday morning.  I used to get 2 doughnuts and a powerade....breakfast of champions!

Doughnuts are definitely on the very long list of "no no's" for egg and nut allergies. Although this recipe doesn't taste or look exactly like what you'd get from Dunkin' Donuts, it comes sort of close and is pretty delicious. You can fry these if you want to, but I didn't because there's nothing safe about a hot pan of oil when you have a toddler running around! I chose to make doughnut holes because I don't have a doughnut pan and I (unsuccessfully) tried to shape these into doughnuts. They expand....a lot. Plus, the doughnut holes are the perfect size for a toddler munchie!

Egg and Nut Free Baked Blueberry Doughnut Holes
2 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
7/8-1 cup milk
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp.baking soda
1 Tbsp. white vinegar
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen, thawed
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Add the milk, syrup, butter and vanilla and stir until combined. (Start with 7/8 cup milk, and add extra milk if needed to mix). Mix vinegar and baking soda in a small bowl and fold into batter. Fold in blueberries. Combine sugar and 2 tsp. cinnamon in a bowl.  Form batter into small balls and roll in cinnamon sugar. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

You can make these as big or small as you want. I recommend starting small because they do expand while baking. You should be able to get about 24 small doughnut holes. Bake 15 minutes and enjoy!

Treats for the Trip

Tomorrow morning we are leaving for a small road trip to visit family in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. We have taken our toddler out there 3 times already, but he was either only breastfeeding or eating baby food purees so we didn't have to think too hard about his allergies. Here's what I've learned today -- planning a trip with a child with food allergies takes packing and preparing to a whole new level! I know it will be fine keeping his allergies under control once we're there because we'll just be eating at my family's houses and I can either check packages, labels, etc or make him something separate. What I was most worried about was the car trip since I don't trust most fast food restaurants to be completely allergy free and I also didn't want to have so many restrictions on where everyone else could eat.  I have two great recipes here that I made for Caleb to eat in the car that are filling and healthy enough for lunch. I will use the banana bread to make a cream cheese sandwich and I am also bringing applesauce, plenty of allergy friendly cookies, cheerios,  "happy tot" fruit and veggie mix pouch and fruit leather.  I think we'll be good to go :)

Egg and Nut Free Banana Bread
2 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour
1 3/4 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup coconut oil
1 t. vanilla
2 T. water

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a loaf pan. Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the mashed bananas, yogurt, honey, oil and vanilla. Fold the banana mixture into the flour mixture and mix until blended. Add the water to moisten and be careful not to over mix. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 40-50 minutes.

Sweet Potato Muffins
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup honey
1 cup sweet potato puree *
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 t. vanilla

* For the sweet potato puree, cook about 3 medium sized potatoes on 350 for about 1 1/2 hrs. Let cool and then slice and scoop out the sweet potato. It should be soft enough to mix into a puree. Measure to 1 cup before using.

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a muffin tin. Place 1st 6 ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk together. In a separate bowl, mix together the remaining wet ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until combined, but do not over mix. Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Pumpkin Bread

I've been testing out pumpkin bread recipes for the past month or so trying to come up with a good and relatively healthy one that is egg and nut free.  Coming up with an egg free version of various baked goods is quite a challenge because you substitute based on what you need the "eggs" to do....leavening, moisture, binding, etc. I had one loaf that was too chewy, one that was kind of mushy and one that was just plain gross (I think I dumped in too much ginger lol), but I think I finally found our "favorite" recipe.  You can add dried cranberries, raisins, chocolate chips, or you can even add a layer of cinnamon cream cheese in the middle. Either way, it's delicious :)

Pumpkin Bread
1 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
1 1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. ginger
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/8 t. cloves
3 t. baking soda
1/4 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup honey
1/2 t. vanilla
1 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
2 T. warm water

Preheat oven to 350. Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl with a wire whisk. Make a well in the center and add the wet ingredients and mix together with a fork (do not overmix). Fold in pumpkin.
For bread: Add batter to a greased loaf pan and bake for 30-40 minutes
For muffins: Add batter to a greased muffin pan and bake 18-22 minutes

What to do with Leftover Ingredients

I loved reading everyone's ideas for Thanksgiving leftovers: turkey sandwiches, turkey pot pie, turkey soup, etc. But what about leftover ingredients? For the past couple of months Marcs has been selling 29 oz cans of pumpkin for $2.50. And for the past couple of months it seems like I've had a half used can of pumpkin in my refrigerator.  I also found myself with some extra cranberries, so I spent some time this week recreating some of my favorite pumpkin and cranberry treats to be allergy friendly.  So now instead of too many leftover cans of pumpkin and bags of cranberries, we have too many pumpkin and cranberry treats. But at least they taste good :)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 stick butter
1/2 cup raw sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
2/3 cup pumpkin
1 t. vanilla
1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1 1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. allspice
1/2 t. cloves
pinch salt
1 cup Allergy Free chocolate chips (such as Enjoy Life)

Preheat oven to 350

Beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add the applesauce, pumpkin and vanilla and beat until incorporated. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and spices with a whisk. Slowly add to the wet mixture and beat until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.  Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet and bake about 10-12 minutes or until browned around the edges.

Cranberry Vanilla Bread
2 cups white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup raw sugar
2 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup melted butter
2 t. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups cranberries
1 T. sugar for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 375. Grease a loaf pan and set aside. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl with a whisk. Set aside. Melt butter in a bowl and add the applesauce, milk and vanilla extract. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry and mix until moist. Fold in the cranberries. Spread batter in pan and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes. Turn heat down to 350 and bake 25 minutes longer or until the top begins to brown. Keep an eye on it because oven temperatures may vary.

Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies
1/2 cup butter
1 cup raw sugar
1/4 cup milk
2 T. orange juice
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
3 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. baking soda
1 cup allergy free chocolate chips
2 cups coarsely chopped fresh cranberries

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the milk, orange juice, and applesauce to the mixture and mix thoroughly. In a separate medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda using a whisk. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and blend well. Stir in the chocolate chips and chopped cranberries.

Preheat oven to 375 and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Use a cookie scooper to place the dough onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until lightly browned.