Healthy lunchboxes, a surprise gift and a giveaway

As many of you know, I am a mother of 5 children; two of whom have special diet requirements and are following a gluten-free, casein-free and shellfish-free lifestyle. If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you have heard me mention that in addition to being a mother, I am also an educator. Couple these […]

Adopt A Gluten-Free Blogger, Elana Amsterdam @ Elana’s Pantry

It could be said that every day is Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger in my home. As a relatively recently diagnosed celiac (almost 2 years), there are reflections and inspirations derived from various bloggers in most everything I make. I still consider myself relatively new to the gluten-free world and have no doubt that I am […]

Vegan Avocado Pistachio Pudding, Ingredient-Challenge Monday Recipe

I spent this past week several hours away from home in work related training; away from my children, husband, phone and computer.  On Wednesday, in a panic, I realized we were approaching a challenge week and hadn’t even picked an ingredient! Thankfully, I was able to reach my Ingredient-Challenge Monday partner, Shea who had something […]

Cherry Pecan Chicken Salad

This week, Food Network Summer Fest has challenged participating bloggers to work with the wonderfully sweet, perfectly in season: cherry. I am blessed to be able to share two recipes this week…the first can be found on my other website: Ingredient Challenge Monday (trust me, you WANT to check this one out). Because it is […]

Easy Vegan Ranch Dressing

Ranch dressing.  Who doesn’t love ranch dressing?  Well, okay, maybe people who can’t have dairy…and people who don’t like preservatives and unnatural chemicals in their dressing. I happen to love the flavor of ranch dressing, but I do not like what dairy does to me, nor do I love preservatives or unnatural chemicals in my […]

Ingredient-Challenge Recipe: Gazpacho

Gazpacho is a soup best served cold. In this nation-wide heat wave, this soup is a welcome change from the norm. When Shea and I agreed to use bell peppers as this week’s challenge ingredient, there were a number of recipes that came to mind. And while I hope to share my favorite grain-free stuffed […]

Cucumber, Mint and Watermelon Salad

I love cucumbers,which is good since (as mentioned before) , my garden is overflowing with them this year.  When Food Network presented cucumbers as the next ingredient for their Summer Fest, I was elated to have another opportunity to share one of my family’s favorite ways to eat this delectable vegetable with you.  This Cucumber, […]

Molten Lava Cake (Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Grain Free, Soy Free)

This is not one of those healthy desserts that I so love.  This is one of those “I really need a chocolate fix, and not just any chocolate fix, something over the top” desserts that I indulge on just a few times a year. When my family and I took the opportunity to turn a […]

Pan Seared Salmon with Fresh Peach Salsa

Summer Fest is off to a great start with some amazingly beautiful Grilled Eggplant Recipes.  While I unfortunately was not able to join in on the eggplant challenge, I am happy to be able to jump on board with the next seasonal item of choice: Peaches!   Succulent and sweet, peaches are favored in desserts, […]

Organic Bread and Butter Pickles (Grain-Free, Refined Sugar-Free, Vegan), Ingredient Challenge Monday

Summertime is a time filled with happy memories of childhood.  Family reunions out on the lake.  Working with grandpa in the garden. It was in the making of these memories that I learned to love home-grown fruits and vegetables. To favor small batch canning; and to know that with a little time and a lot […]