Life, Gluten Free

An Indoor Snowman

What do you do with a toddler when it is snowing madly outside? Bring in a bowl of snow!

Sophie enjoyed tossing the snow around (we have wood floors) and then mopping it up. Bonus: our floor was sparkling!

And then, of course, we built an indoor snowman.

And the next day, when the snow stopped, we tried to ignore that our cats were sleeping in a warm bed why we were outside shoveling snow.
 

We thanked our neighbor for not only shoveling part of our sidewalk but also our driveway leading up to our front door. 

Monitor little fingers if they play with the snow without gloves. I am still looking for a pair of waterproof toddler gloves that have fingers instead of the "mitten" style with the thumb. Those are sub-par. Sophie can't even move her fingers around in them enough to play with the snow properly.

And one more thing, remember that while it IS fun to throw snowballs at your husband, he is (more than likely) bigger than you and..... will throw one back at you! :(

-heather

Earth Hour: Switch Off Your Lights!

Today. 8:30PM. Lights out!

The idea is simple. Turn off your lights, computer, tv and unplug your appliances (except your refrigerator, naturally).

The goal is worthy. Save energy, voice your opinion. Use less, waste less.

Things to do during Earth Hour:

•Light Candles

• Meditate

• Have a conversation with your loved ones

• Play simple games with your kids, like blocks, using the candles as your source of light  

Visit Earth Hour for more information. If you didn't know to participate and missed out, then create your own Earth Hour on another day. And remember, always switch off lights when you leave the room.

-heather

Social Networking for Toddlers?

We were shopping at our favorite natural grocer when Sophie spotted a little girl, and like wise, the little girl spotted Sophie. The four-year old started introducing herself to us. Her bright-colored striped tights matched her upbeat personality. The next thing I knew, they were skipping along throughout the store - with my husband trailing behind them.

I took the opportunity to do some shopping, and later when we were driving to our next destination, my husband said that Sophie's new friend asked for her phone number. Suddenly, I thought of "calling cards" for toddlers and kids. I started laughing: "Oh, you should make Sophie a card with her picture on it and phone number." We had fun thinking of what her title could be, and came up with "Play Artist," since play is really a kind of art :)

We stopped at the library before going home, and by the time we got home there was already a message on the phone from Sophie's new friend. Cute!!

And although I thought for sure I had a potential million-dollar idea by introducing calling cards for kids, it seems I am not alone! I found a place online called Amy Adele that prints calling cards (and cute stationary) for kids on 100% post-consumer recycled paper.

-heather

Pasta with Lemon Chive Sauce

Pasta with Lemon Chive Sauce

NO: gluten, dairy, eggs, nuts, soy

Ingredients: 

1 cup chopped scallions 

1 cup chopped spinach 

4 carrots, cut into round pieces 

2 tablespoon dried chives 

1 teaspoon himalayan salt 

1 tablespoon lemon juice 

Preparation: 

Chop carrots into rounds. 

Begin to saute them in a nice coating of organic safflower oil or oil of choice. 

Make sure there is enough oil to saute the carrots, leaving somewhat of a sauce. 

Chop the scallions and spinach. 

Once the carrots are softened, add the scallions and spinach. 

Continue sauteing, and add the rest of the ingredients - including the lemon juice.

Top over gluten free pasta and enjoy! 

-heather

snackTAXI Review & Giveaway

snackTAXI is a family-owned company. They offer lunch-sacks, sandwich-sacks, and snack-sacks. The material used for the outside of the sack is 100% cotton and the inside is nylon. The sacks are free of heavy metals (including lead) and phthalates. They can be hand washed OR machine washed!

The dimensions are:
Snack-sack: 6"W X 4.5"H
Sandwich-sack: 7.5"W X 6"H
Lunch-sack 10"W X 11"H with a 3" bottom

They can be purchased online through snackTAXI but they are also available at some retail locations.

Sophie was thrilled when we received ours to review. She started putting some of her gluten-free bread in the snack-sack right away. And after I photographed them in our craft area, I realized that their use could go beyond food. They could also be used as a nice pouch for crayons. But, right now we are using them for snacks and sandwiches. I have taken them on a picnic a couple times now, but they are also very useful around the house. I can put something in the snack-sack and my daughter can easily eat out of it.

These are great for children and adults and I highly recommend them! If you haven't stopped using ziplock bags yet, then you definitely need to give these a try. They are colorful, functional and will save you money (and the environment) in the long-run.

Win a set to try! snackTAXI is offering 1 sandwich-sack and 1 snack-sack to one lucky winner.

Here's how to enter:

1) Visit snackTAXI and tell me which is your favorite pattern(s) AND tell me how you will use these. [Be sure to complete this step in full to be eligible].

2) Fill in your answer in the entry form below.

3) Entry entry? Follow my blog (left side of page, under Subscribe).

4) You must have a U.S. mailing address to qualify to win.

5) Contest is open until Friday, March 27 at 10pm MST.

If you are unable to access the entry form below, then leave a comment.
Good luck! 

-heather

Onion Rings

Onion Rings

NO: gluten, dairy, eggs, nuts

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sorghum flour

1/4 cup cornmeal

1/4 cup tapioca starch

1/4 cup potato starch

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon organic sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 heaping tablespoon vegenaise

1/2 cup water

Preparation:

Mix ingredients together in a bowl. 

Cut onions into rings.

Coat the onions with the batter and fry.

Fry them on about medium heat, though it depends on your stove.

We used grapeseed oil to fry them, because it holds a high heat without burning.

Devour them as they are, or dip in your favorite sauce.

My mom gets credit for these. She came up with the wonderful recipe!

-heather

The Moments That Make Your Life

The moments that make your life good, blessed, awesome, amazing.... We all have epiphanies now and again - hopefully more than less. Though you may struggle and have hard times, there are things in your life that make you realize that the bottom-line is, your life is pretty amazing.

When you walk through life focusing mostly on the negative or the trivial matters in life, you start to take things for granted, forgetting all of the little things that make life what it's all about.

There are times when everyone feels overwhelmed, and then we begin to forget to appreciate. 

I had postpartum depression, at least that is what I was told. Instead of taking a prescription, I went to an alternative doctor and started a supplement regime which included fish oil and a combination of 5-htp and l-tryptophan. While it did help, my symptoms did not completely subside until I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease about a year later.

Through those times, I learned that it really is easy to forget to be thankful for what you have.

And then there are times where you can't help but appreciate what you have.

The other night, my daughter and I were dancing in our room to music. That is one of her favorite things to do. We had a scarf that we were dancing with. She was enjoying herself thoroughly. 

She started saying "dancing 'gether, momma!"

Instead of "together," she says "gether." I wonder why sometimes, whole parts of words are dropped. It is pretty cute though.

In the picture above, we were walking home from a trail that is near our house. Actually, we drove to the trail because it's about a mile away and we were going to stop at the store. But, my husband locked the keys in the car, which is something that is not that hard to do since we have manual locks. We got to enjoy some fresh air while we walked home to get our extra key :)

-heather

Penne with Sundried Tomato Sauce

The recipe came from my friend Kelly at The Spunky Coconut. I made her recipe for Penne with Tangy Tomato Sauce but I used onion powder instead of garlic powder. I also decided to use Golden Balsamic Vinegar instead of regular balsamic vinegar. 

This sauce is a great alternative to the usual tomato pasta sauce. I have been on a kick lately, making a lot of homemade pasta sauce. But this sauce was a nice change, and it was very quick and easy to make.

If you like tangy, sweet and a little salty, then this is definitely a must-try sauce. I am going to be making it again soon! I already stocked up on the penne! You could even use both onion powder and garlic powder. We have an allergy to garlic, unfortunately.

Ingredients:

10 sundried tomatoes

1/2 cup of organic extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons golden balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon raw honey

1/4 teaspoon himalayan salt

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Puree until sauce is mixed well.

Top over gluten-free penne pasta or your favorite pasta! We used Tinkyada Penne.

We enjoyed this with some green olives and a salad. Thanks Kelly! Great recipe!

-heather

Non-Toxic Crafts

You might be surprised to learn that the term "non-toxic" has no official definition or independent certifying agency. While you can assume that most companies test their products to ensure they are non-toxic, I would be more skeptical.

My daughter has allergies and she is very sensitive to chemicals. Through simply doing crafts and {attempting} to have fun, we have found some products that in our opinions, are not only NOT non-toxic, but should definitely not be labeled as being so.

 I will be posting about ways to "green your craftmaking." This will include safe craft products to use, and ways to recycle and be creative while making crafts.

If you want to join in, grab my button (below) and post about ways you recycle to create new things, or what products you have found that are safe. 

One thing that never really fails is the sniff test. If the craft product you are using with your child has a heavy chemical smell, ditch it! Children are even more prone to being damaged by chemicals. This is truly something that every parent needs to be more concerned about. We can't assume that companies know what is best for our children. That is our job :)

You might be wondering, "Okay, so certain products bothered your daughter, but my child doesn't have allergies. Why does it mean that we should avoid products that you've found to be harmful to your daughter?"

If you are wondering that, good for you. It is a great question. Children who have allergies and are sensitive to chemicals are a red flag for all of us. Children who are playing with products that are labeled "non-toxic," but aren't having any reactions, doesn't mean it is because the product is non-toxic. Some children are able to filter out the chemicals more efficiently. The children who aren't having a "surface" reaction (meaning: a noticeable reaction) are still being bombarded in the inside and the chemicals they endure may have an affect on their long-term overall well-being.

Stay tuned for more information and the first post about safe and not-so-safe products. And of course, more gluten-free recipes :)

-heather