Allergy Friendly Food

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Meal Planning – Strategies for stress-free, healthy, home cooked meals – no complicated apps or planners needed!

Made from scratch, home cooked meals are the ideal goal of many a homemaker. If you have a garden and can add fresh, homegrown food to that, all the better! But the slog of deciding what to make every day can be overwhelming. Some days it’s just decision overload. When your days are filled with school, housework, cooking, kids’ activities, volunteer work, and life, sometimes something’s gotta give.

I can honestly say, that I don’t think I would have survived the last year if I hadn’t been faithful to plan out my meals each week. My diet has become more and more limited in the last year, so that coupled with our increasingly busy schedule, weekly meal planning has saved my sanity.

I’ll be right upfront with you though and say that I hate it. I never used to plan meals more than a day or two in advance. I’d look in the fridge and freezer, see what we had and throw something together. But before we moved last year, I realized that I wasn’t going to survive the weeks leading up to moving day if I didn’t plant out my meals. I knew I would have just been too distracted to keep food on the table, and with all our food allergies and restrictions, convenience meals or eating out wasn’t an option for us.

Now, I’ve said that I hate meal planning, (anyone else 🙋🏻‍♀️), and I do. When I come home from church on Sunday night tired and ready to crash, the last thing I want to do is sit down and think about a week’s worth of meals. But I make myself do it because I know that I won’t make it through the week if I don’t.

Here’s my method. It’s simple and it doesn’t require any complicated apps or planners.

Weekly Meal Planning for those with food allergies:

So, what’s my secret?

It’s nothing earth shattering. I simply use the notepad on my phone.

I keep this weekly breakdown at the top of my phone (photo above). Each week, I highlight and copy it and paste it underneath and fill it in to plan the upcoming week’s meals. So my current week is always at the top with the last week’s meals moving down the app in reverse date order.

Because of our food restrictions, our breakfasts are pretty standard so we stick to our regular routine on those, so I don’t plan each breakfast out separately, but you could easily add in a line for breakfasts if you wanted to do that. (Just in case you’re wondering, our breakfasts consist of large batches of waffles, biscuits, or sourdough bread made once or twice per week with sausages, eggs, or a nut butter for protein based on who can eat what.)

Sample Meal Plan:

Here’s a sample of my meal plan for this week:

Meal Planning Method:

Here’s my what I do…

I fill in what meal is planned for each day and if any modifications need to be made for anyone who has dietary restrictions. In italics I make note of anything that needs to be thawed the day before, or any prep that I might need to do in advance. Then at the top, I write anything I might need to buy at the grocery store that week in order to have everything on hand for the meals that I have planned. Then we print it out and put it in the fridge and write in names of anyone else that may be helping with prep or doing part of the meal. For example, last night my husband grilled, so his name was written in for that on Saturday night and my daughter was written in making roasted potatoes so I got the night off from cooking. Yay!

Why this works:

This method works for me because it saves me during the week. I don’t have to stop what I’m doing to figure out what we are going to eat at the last minute. And because it’s on my phone, I can easily make changes if I see a meal won’t work for some reason, or if I need to look up what I was supposed and to shop for when I find myself at the grocery store.

Make a Meal Rotation!

Recently though, we’ve taken it one step further. To give me my Sunday nights back from working out the meal plan details, my husband suggested creating a two week rotation of our favorite meals that we just repeat over and over again. This works well for us as most of our evening activities are on an every other week rotation so we can usually slot in the same meals over again pretty easily. To keep it from getting boring, every other week when we have a free Friday night, we make a Wild Card Friday where each kid gets to take a turn picking a meal of their choice to mix it up a bit and work in some of the meals that might take a little more time and effort to prepare.

Why should I meal plan?

Is meal planning work? Yes! But it makes the work of getting through your busy week that much easier. Give it a try. The relief of having the pressure of deciding what to make every day removed is immense for me. Your plan will look different from mine based on your family’s tastes, food restrictions, and schedule, but I hope that you’ll give it a try.

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Herbal Portrait: Orange Peel

Do you throw these in the garbage? Most people do. You might want to reconsider especially if you buy organic oranges.

Why should you save your orange peel?

Because they are the best herbal remedy for heavy, wet congestion. Need to dry up that drippy nose, drainage, wet sinuses, croupy cough? Try a tea or infused oil add with orange peel.

How do I preserve and store my orange peel?

I must lay mine out on plate covered with a paper towel to keep the dust off. Mix around once a day to prevent mold. Throw out any moldy pieces. In a week or so they should be dry and you can store them in a baggie or glass jar. Just keep them in a dry place with low humidity.

Best tea for seasonal allergy attacks:

Here’s my recipe for making a tea to combat seasonal allergies and allergic reactions.

In a quart size jar combine the following:

3 tsp black tea

4 tsp nettle leaf

2-3 large pieces of organic orange peel

Cover with just boiled water. Put the lid on the jar and let it sit until cold. Strain out the herbs into a clean jar and store in the fridge. Drink as needed.

Just after adding the hot water.
See how dark the tea is once it has steeped and cooled.

Another good companion to this remedy is tea or an infused oil made with Wild Cherry Bark which is a histamine regulator (Matthew Wood) and can help calm down allergic reactions. Follow my steps for making your own infused oil here.

100 Herb Monographs:

Expand your herbal research with Farmhouse Teas Herbal Monographs. Their set of nearly 100 monographs is just excellent! You get free access to them in their Herbal Studio. They are beautiful and very thorough.

Note: This post contains affiliate links.

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Pumpkin Bread Resurrection – Wheat and Gluten-Free

I resurrected what is probably the first recipe I ever put on my blog. I made pumpkin bread this week. Back in 2010 when I starred my blog, I made this every week as a snack for my kids. I hadn’t made it in a while, so I pulled these recipes out of the files to celebrate 3 anniversaries – the anniversary of starting my blog, the anniversary of the day we moved to our first house, and the 1 year anniversary of the day we moved to our new house.

I made the wheat version (large loaves)for the family and the gluten-free version (mini loaves) for me. If you want to try it, the wheat recipe can be found on the Family Favorites page, and the Gluten-Free version can be found on the Allergy-Friendly page. I also use one of my favorite substitutions for this batch. I substituted puréed butternut squash rather than using canned pumpkin. I actually like it better with the squash. The color isn’t as dark orange as with canned pumpkin, but I think the texture and flavor is better.

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Gluten-Free Graham Cracker and Graham Cracker Crust

I admit that I typically do without when it comes to some gluten-free items. I often assume that they just won’t be as good and I’ll just skip it. I may need to change my attitude on that though. I was skeptical at going to the trouble of trying this GF graham cracker crust, but I was pleasantly surprised. It is flavorful, the correct texture, good leftover even after sitting with filling in it for two days, and it held together. And honestly, my non-gluten-free family preferred this pie to the one I made for the rest of them with regular graham crackers.

Here’s the recipe. Try it out. It was certainly a treat for me to have dessert that I could eat and even feel good afterwards.

Gluten-Free Pie Crust Recipe:

Begin by combining the following in a small bowl…

1/2 cup tapioca starch

1/2 cup sweet rice flour

1 cup teff flour (or millet if you prefer a lighter color)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

4 tsp cane sugar

Note: This dough will be dark in color because of the teff. If you prefer a lighter color cracker or crust substitute millet for the teff flour.

In a separate bowl combine the liquid ingredients.

2 egg yolks

1 tsp molasses

4 tbsp melted butter

1 tsp vanilla

3-4 tbsp milk

Combine the wet and dry together. It should be thick and soft dough. Err on the side of it being sticky rather than dry.

Roll or press on to a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Try to get it thin – like 1/2” or thinner, but don’t worry to much about it being even. They still turn out to be tasty even if they are different thicknesses. And if you plan to turn these into a crust then it really doesn’t matter anyway.

Cut through the dough to make cracker sections using a knife or pizza cutter. Then bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes. Check and if they haven’t browned, turn the heat up to 350 or 400 for 5 minutes.

Remove and let them cool before breaking into crackers. If making a graham cracker crust follow the instructions below.

Gluten-Free Graham Cracker Crust Recipe:

Place your most of your crackers in a food processor and grind into a crumbs and add the following…

1 tsp sugar

3-4 tbsp butter

Blend adding more butter until the crumb mixture sticks together when pressed between your fingers.

Press the mixture into a pie plate using the bottom of a measuring cup. Bake the crust at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Remove and cool before adding your filling.

I made an eggnog custard for this pie and it turned out delicious! Enjoy!

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Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Sugar-Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

I made these cookies up to share with a friend this week. I started mixing and realized that I had added dairy and that they needed to be dairy free. Whoops! So I made two batches. One with diary and one without. So my mistake means you get two recipes out of this one. 😊

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Sugar-Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe:

Whisk the following in a small to medium mixing bowl:

1/3 cup peanut butter (or almond butter or other nut butter)

1 egg (or 2 egg yolks)

1/3 cup oil

1/2 cup honey

1/2 tsp salt

Then add…

1/2 cup water (or mill alternative)

1 tsp vanilla

Whisk until combined.

Switch to a rubber spatula and add…

1/3-2/3 cups arrowroot powder (or tapioca starch)

1/3 cup white rice flour (or brown rice flour)

1/3 cup chickpea flour

1 tsp baking powder

Stir to combine. Add more flour or water as needed to reach a thick cookie batter consistency.

Add chocolate chips of your choice. And stir to combine.

If you need a dairy-free chocolate chip, I recommend the Enjoy Life brand.

Spoon onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Makes 12-18 cookies.

Now, here’s the version with dairy.

Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Recipe:

Whisk the following in a medium mixing bowl:

2/3 cups peanut butter

2/3 cups heavy cream

2/3 cups honey

1/2 tsp salt

1.5 tsp vanilla

Then add…

2/3 cups arrowroot powder (or tapioca starch)

2/3 cups white rice flour (or brown rice flour)

2/3 – 1 cup chickpea flour

2 tsp baking powder

Stir to combine. Add more flour or water as needed to reach a thick cookie batter consistency.

Add chocolate chips of your choice. And stir to combine.

If you need a dairy-free chocolate chip, I recommend the Enjoy Life brand.

Spoon onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Makes approximately 24-30 cookies.

Cookie Comparison:

While both these cookies are good the ones made with the olive oil baked darker.

The cookies made with the heavy cream were softer and lighter.

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Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free Peanut Butter Cookies with Egg-Free and Dairy-Free Substitutions

These are moist and hearty. They make a nice dessert or a high protein snack.

Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe:

Whisk the following in a small mixing bowl until combined and creamy.

3 egg yolks (Sub: 2 tbsp ground psyllium husk and 1/4 cup water for egg-free)

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup peanut butter (or almond, cashew, or sunflower butter)

1/2 cup honey

Then add…

1 cup heavy cream (Sub: water and 1/3 cup oil for dairy-free)

Whisk until smooth.

Now with a rubber spatula stir in the following flours:

1/3 + 1/4 cup tapioca starch (or arrowroot powder)

1/3 cup millet flour (or oat or sorghum)

1/4 cup teff (or quinoa)

1.5 tsp baking powder

Mix until all the flours are combined and there are no lumps.

Let the batter sit for 15 minutes and then re-evaluate its texture. It should be just slightly thicker than a pancake batter.

Bake at 375 for 10 minutes. Cool and store in a plastic bag or airtight container.

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5-Minute Biscuit Bread, Low Histamine Recipe

My youngest is struggling with a restricted diet at the moment due to high histamine levels which means she can’t have yeast or sourdough bread. So, I’ve been scrolling back through my recipes to try to think of what to make for her. This one is just the ticket. I refreshed this old recipe and just pulled a loaf out of the oven for her this morning. My house smells delicious and now my only problem is how to keep the other kids from eating it all before she gets some.

5 Minute Biscuit Bread Recipe for Low Histamine Diets:

In a medium sized mixing bowl combine the following:

2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups whole wheat or spelt (best if freshly milled)

1 tsp salt

2.5 tsp baking powder

Give it a quick stir and then add…

2 tbsp honey

1 tbsp molasses

1/4 cup oil

2 cups water

Stir until all the ingredients are just moistened. Pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat and bake for 50 minutes or until it tests done in the center with a toothpick.

This recipe mixes up super quick and is a great alternative when you can’t have yeast or sourdough but want a yummy slice of bread.

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Three-in-one recipe: Gluten-Free Egg Nog Biscuits, Cinnamon Roll Biscuits, or Gluten-Free English Muffins

This recipe came about by accident. I was experimenting with recipe that I could use for Christmas morning as a gluten-free sweet roll option, and happily my mistake turned out delicious. The nice thing is that this recipe is really a three-in-one recipe. With the same base recipe you can make a delicious gluten-free sweet roll or biscuit either egg nog or cinnamon roll flavored, but one little tweak and it is an excellent whole grain gluten-free English Muffin.

So if you have any leftover egg-nog from Christmas Eve, pull it out of the fridge and give this recipe, or one of its variations a try.

Gluten-free Sweet Egg Nog Biscuit Recipe:

Combine the following into a bowl:

1 egg yolk

2/3 cups egg nog

3 tbsp oil

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp lemon juice

Whisk to combine.

In a separate bowl add…

1/2 cup sweet rice flour

1/2 cup tapioca starch

1/3 cup teff

1 tsp baking powder

1 tbsp frozen or hard butter, grated into flour

After the butter has been stirred into the flour add your liquid ingredients and stir until all the flour is combined and the batter has a light and fluffy texture. It should be the texture of a thick cake batter. Add more flour or liquid as needed. Cover and let the batter rest for 30 minute. Don’t skip the rest period or the final texture will be sub-par.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Pour into greased crumpet rings laid out on a cookie sheet over parchment paper. (I like reusable parchment paper. Have you tried it?)

Bake at 375 for 20 minutes. Gently remove from rings and cool on a wire cooling rack.

These are delicious served warm with butter and a little sugar sprinkled on top.

Cinnamon Roll Biscuit Recipe:

For this version make the following changes to the above recipe.

Add 1 tsp cinnamon to the dry ingredients.

Use 2 egg yolks rather than one, 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1/4 cup of milk, and 4 tsp of sugar in place of the egg nog.

Gluten-Free English Muffin Recipe:

Follow the base recipe at the beginning of this post adding 2 egg yolks and subbing 1/2 cup of heavy cream and 1/4 cup of milk for the egg nog plus 1/2 tsp of sugar.

Whichever variety of these recipes that you choose, they will turn out dark in color due to the teff, so they will have the appearance of whole grain biscuits. If a lighter appearance or flavor is desired substitute millet for the teff flour.

Enjoy and Merry Christmas everyone! 🎄

If you missed the launch of The Art of Gluten-Free Homemade Bread, this is the gluten-free book that I wrote for Homesteading Family. It was so popular that it sold out in less than a week but you can get the digital copy or sign up for the wait list for a physical copy at the link above.

Other Gluten-Free Recipes You Might Like:

5 Minute Gluten-Free Crumpets

Gluten-Free Popovers or Dutch Baby Pancakes

Gluten-Free While Grain Seedy Bread

Gluten-Free Apple Cinnamon Sourdough Batter Bread

Make Your Own Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter from Scratch!

Note: This Post contains affiliate links.

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Gluten-Free, Sourdough Whole Grain Seedy Bread

I developed this sourdough bread recipe for a friend who requested a “Seedy Loaf.” I’d never tried this with gluten-free before, but it turned out quite nicely and she requests one every week.

Gluten-Free “Seedy” Loaf Recipe:

Whisk the following in a small mixing bowl:

1 cup of gluten-free sourdough starter

2 tsp salt

2 tbsp oil

2 tbsp honey

2 1/2 tbsp psyllium husk

2 cups water

Whisk together and let the mixture sit for 15 minutes to thicken. While your mixture is resting, collect the rest of your seeds for soaking. In a small bowl measure out…

1/3 cup pumpkin seeds

3 tbsp of hulled sunflower seeds

Cover the seeds in the bowl with water and let them soak until just before your bread is ready to go into the oven the next day.

Now back to your mixing bowl. To the liquid mixture add…

1/4 cup quinoa flour

1/3 cup brown rice flour

1/3 cup arrowroot powder (or tapioca starch)

1/3 cup potato starch (or cassava flour)

1/3 cup sorghum flour (or chickpea flour or oat)

1/4 cup millet (or sorghum)

1/4 cup teff (or buckwheat)

1 tsp poppy seeds

Mix together until there are no more lumps. Batter should be the texture of a very thick pancake batter or thick oatmeal. If it is too thin add a little more of one of the flours until the correct texture is achieved.

Cover your bowl with a damp tea towel or lid and refrigerate for 24 hours.

On Bake Day:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Drain the water from your soaked seeds. Remove your bowl from the fridge and add your seeds to the batter. Mix well until they are all distributed. Then pour your batter into a greased loaf pan.

Next, with a rubber spatula, gently press down around all the edges about 1/4” pulling the batter at the top just away from the edge of the pan. This will help with the rise.

Immediately transfer to the hot oven. Bake for 1 hour. Internal temp when done should read 210 degrees on a digital thermometer. If it is not done, bake for 10 more minutes. Cool overnight or for 12 hours before slicing so that the texture of the bread can set.

The Art of Gluten-Free Homemade Bread Book by Homesteading Family:

It’s finally available! I created these recipe for Homesteading Family and the book is available just in time for Christmas. Order your copy from Homesteading Family!

And if you want a wheat based bread class that covers it all – yeast, sourdough, fresh milled flour, sprouting, and ancient grains, check out Homesteading Family’s The Art of Homemade Bread Course. Carolyn taught me how to make bread and sprout my grains. It’s the most comprehensive course I know of.

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“The Art of Gluten-Free Sourdough Bread” by Homesteading Family – now available!

The book I wrote for Homesteading Family is now available. The Art of Gluten-Free Homemade Bread is available now. The ordering window for the book is only available once a year so get yours early while they are available! The fort run sold out in a week, so grab yours now. They won’t last long.

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Gluten-Free Popovers or Dutch Baby Pancakes

These are sweet little treats that are light with a slight nutty flavor. They are the perfect treat on their own or with some butter and jam or honey.

Gluten-Free Popover or Dutch Baby Pancake Recipe:

This recipe is quick to mix and bake. Combine the following in a small mixing bowl:

1 cup of heavy cream or half and half

3 egg yolks

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla

4 tbsp sugar

Whisk until combined. The egg yolks add softness and some binding properties. The cream adds the liquid and fat. Next add…

1/4 cup millet

1/4 cup tapioca

1/4 cup white rice flour

1.5 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Mix with a rubber spatula until there are no more lumps. Let the batter sit for 10 minutes and then check the texture. It should be the texture of a smooth, soft icing.

Spoon into a greased mini muffin pan or I used these mini stainless steel ramekins to bake mine. They are the perfect little mini bite size.

Bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Remove and cool.

Enjoy these little bites for an afternoon treat, quick breakfast, or dessert. If you want to bake as regular sized muffins, spoon into the greased pan and bake for 25 minutes.

This recipe makes about 9 mini popovers or 4-5 large ones.

Enjoy!

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Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes, Egg-Free, Dairy Free

We make egg free cakes all the time since my son can’t have egg whites. I have my favorite wheat based version of this (search for “cake pan cake” in the search box if you are interested in those. Here’s a gluten-free pumpkin spice version that is also egg-free, and dairy free that we made into cupcakes. Consider making these as an allergy-friendly dessert option for your Thanksgiving guests. And if you are looking for more good, reliable, healthy gluten-free recipes, scroll to the end. I have news on Homesteading Family’s new gluten-free book.

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Cupcake Recipe:

Add the following into a medium mixing bowl:

1/2 cup potato starch (sub arrowroot or tapioca starch)

1/2 cup chickpea flour (sub sorghum, oat or other legume flour)

1/2 cup white rice flour (sun brown rice flour)

1/2 cup almond flour (sub other not flour)

1 tsp salt

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1.5 tbsp psyllium husk

1/3 cup brown sugar

Stir to combine. Make 3 small wells or depressions in the flour and add the following….

1/3 cup olive oil

1 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Over all that pour 1 cup cold water.

Whisk it all together until smooth. Cover the bowl and let it sit for 15 minutes.

After the rest evaluate the texture. It should be like a thin cake batter. It should be thick and not watery but thin enough to fall off your spatula. When I came back to my batter after the rest period it was thicker than it should have been so I added 1/4 cup more water 2 tbsp at a time until the texture was correct.

Spoon into muffin cups. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-18 minutes until browned. Cool completely before icing or serving.

Add some homemade pumpkin frosting and they are delish! 🎃

So, did you know that Homesteading Family is coming out with a new Gluten-Free book? The Art of Gluten-Free Homemade Bread should be released to the public some time this winter, unless you are a member of Homestead Kitchen that is, in which case you have early access to the e-book already. But Carolyn is offering a FREE bread webinar.

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