In the Kitchen

Back when we were GFCF {actually, we were gluten-free, casein-free, and also soy- and corn-and coffee- and chocolate- and artificial-everything-free…sometimes it felt like fun-free} dieting, I regularly posted about my life in the kitchen. Part of it was because going GFCF can be so hard, and when you realize that you must do it, for the sake of your children’s health, you feel thrown into the deep end.

I don’t know about you, but for the most part I like to baby-step my way through significant changes in life. That time, I had to learn to swim quite quickly!

When we were done with the diet, I was done blogging about the kitchen for a while.

But now? Well, the Summer Switchover is upon us, no? When we have to figure out what to make because soup simply will not do when the thermometer soars above 90 degrees? Yes, I knew I was not alone.

This doesn’t mean I don’t make hot meals in the summertime–I do. But soup is just too warming for summer, and we usually avoid it from May until October, though we are experiencing record-low-highs {whatever that means}, so I’m reconsidering for the weekend.

Ahem.

As I was saying, I’m in the kitchen, wondering about summer. I also have a birthday boy next week, and want to serve a special daytime treat since he is waiting a number of days for his party. And then there is breakfast, the bane of my existence.

Who in the world invented the idea that anyone should eat first thing in the morning?

Well, we are trying to kick the constant oatmeal habit and mix it up a bit.

I’ve done a little research, and I thought I’d share the recipes I’m printing out to try next week. First up is that special treat I mentioned. I’m not much interested in serving something full of sugar, so I decided to go with Blueberry Butter Balls. I’m skipping the sugar and serving fat! Perfect.

If you doubt me on this, just answer me this question: when was the last time your kids got high on fat? I rest my case. It’ll be slightly sweet, special, and oh-so-filling. Perfect.

I’m rolling them in ground crispy walnuts, though, because I am not a huge shredded coconut fan, and neither are most of the children.

Next up, I’m trying something new for dinner. I was recently thinking that I was sad to say goodbye to kielbasa until next autumn. There is a wonderful nitrite-free kielbasa at Trader Joe’s, but I cannot bear to serve it standing alone–I like to stretch it and make sure it lasts for more than one meal. I usually put it into a German soup I make {instead of pork}, but, as you know, soups and I are parting ways.

Thankfully, I found Food Renegade’s Broccoli Casserole. It’s still too hot for 100+ degree weather, but next week will be mild enough to try it. I was just apologizing to a dear friend because I never have taught my children to eat broccoli, and so they are embarrassing when we eat it with others. And I am totally adding the grated cauliflower. I adore cauliflower.

What could go better with that broccoli casserole that that No-Knead Sourdough Bread I’ve been meaning to try? I have attempted to make my own starter in this house not once, but twice. Unfortunately, I’ve had no success. I was able to pull it off at my old house, so I don’t think it’s me–I think I don’t have the right “bugs” roaming wild in my kitchen.

Does anyone local out there have a starter and a deep desire to help me out?

Ahem.

In other news, I found a yummy, yummy salad that I plan to make as soon as our backyard tomato season kicks off: Bacon, Egg, Avocado, Tomato (BEAT) Salad. Reading that recipe makes me hungry every single time.

In my renovation of our breakfast habits, I began with a single babystep: once per week, I make us a smoothie. {O. eats a banana since this is too cold for his little mouth.} Once the orchard starts producing, I’ll do it more often, but until then they are just too pricey to do daily. I’ll share my recipe {more or less} just for fun:

Family Breakfast Smoothie {double batch}
Ingredients
2.5 cups orange juice
1/4 cup chia seed
2 cups raw milk
3 bananas
10 large frozen strawberries
2 small piles of frozen raspberries
2 handfuls frozen peaches
tall cup of ice

Directions
1. The night before, soak 1/4 cup of chia seed in 2.5 cups of orange juice in a bowl for 5 minutes. Whisk out the clumps and let soak 15 more minutes. Whisk again until seeds are evenly disbursed, cover bowl, and store in the refrigerator until morning.

WARNING: Chia seeds must, must, must be soaked. They absorb ten times their weight in water, and if you eat them raw, they can absorb much of the water in your gut and bind your intestines. If you forget this step, leave them out. I put them in because they are very filling and nourishing and…we like it.

2. This recipe is actually a double batch, meaning I will give directions for a single batch and you can do it twice if you family is about the size of mine. If your family is smaller, one batch might work fine. {I am blessed and have two blender jars, so I can fill up both jars and then blend each on the base.} Spoon 1 cup of the chia mixture into the jar, add 1 cup milk, 1.5 bananas, 5 strawberries, 1 pile raspberries, and 1 handful of peaches. Top with a large cup of ice {my cup is about 16 oz. I think}. Blend until smooth. Repeat for double batch.

3. Serve in pretty cups with a side of crispy walnuts {about 1/4 cup}.

4. Pour what remains of the chia mixture into a cup, and offer it to Daddy as a morning snack on the way to work the next day. Or, use it as an afternoon pick-me-up for yourself!

Okay, so what else? I usually serve pancakes on Saturdays and Sundays because they take a while to make and I need something faster on weekday mornings when my husband needs to eat and leave promptly. So far, that has left us still eating…oatmeal four days per week.

My reasoning for this was that oatmeal is a cheap and nourishing breakfast. However, comma. My two oldest children now have dental issues. Daughter A. came home from the dentist recently with seven cavities. Seven. Seriously, I feel ill when I try and talk about it. A friend told me that it just had to be something we were eating, and so I began to research, and I found that there is a known link between oatmeal consumption and dental caries.

That’s all I’ll say about that, except that the price of cavities tends to make oatmeal more expensive than I anticipated. Also, we are at a disadvantage from the outset because said children are also sensitive to fluoride, and that handy coating they paint on a child’s teeth is truly helpful, even if actually ingesting fluoride is not. Therefore, I am in the process of finding a holistic dentist who perhaps has some creative alternatives for our unusual situation.

Ahem.

This post is supposed to be about food, right?

Okay, so today I’m going to soak some of these Fluffy Whole Wheat Biscuits, only we aren’t allergic to milk anymore, so I’m soaking them in buttermilk instead of the creative option offered in the recipe. I’m also doubling, if not tripling, the recipe. As you know, we have a decent supply of eggs. I read somewhere that I could basically create a muffin tin breakfast sandwich by sticking an {uncooked} biscuit in the bottom of the pan, adding the toppings, and then another {uncooked} biscuit on top, and then cook all those little sandwiches at once. I’m going to try it and see what happens.

Does anyone have a good homemade beef sausage recipe? I’d love to brown some and add it to the eggs in the “sandwich” for some extra flavor. I have a wonderful turkey sausage recipe, but I only make it during turkey season when I can acquire ground turkey at a reasonable price.

I’m also considering baking a bunch of potatoes and sweet potatoes and making a couple different varieties of hash browns {served on different days–not together}, one sweet and one savory.

I’m not cutting out the oatmeal all the way, but I am trying to make sure it doesn’t dominate breakfast the way it has. Seriously, the idea of an all-protein or protein-and-fruit breakfast appeals to me, except for the cost.

I wonder if pot bellied pigs would make good bacon? We’re zoned for those.

Ahem.

What I really meant to say is that I am also hoping to make some blueberry muffins using my stash of kamut flour, and probably some scones with my stash of almond meal. Hopefully, all of that freezes well.

Adding almond meal adds protein, people. Protein means: filling. Filling means that no one is saying they are “still hungry” when all of the food is gone. I feel so defeated when that happens.

Anyone have any good, oatmeal-free breakfast recipes to share?