Coconut Buttercream Frosting gluten-free, casein-free, dairy-free

A few days ago I told you on facebook that I had made a coconut buttercream frosting, and I was so excited. An hour later it separated—Oh no! I've been working on it ever since. Six tries later, and it's exactly how I wanted it. Having gone through so many failed attempts I highly recommend that you don't change this recipe, or at least not on the day you want to use it for a party. If you really want to try a substitution, definitely do that in advance, in case it doesn't turn out.

The reason I wanted to create this new frosting was because all of my other vanilla frostings are made of nuts, and some of you can't use them. Zoe and Ashley are just as crazy about this new frosting recipe as they are about the nut butter frostings in my second cookbook. I hope you enjoy it too!

Coconut Buttercream Frosting

Add to mixing bowl:

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp coconut butter (Follow the link for the coconut butter I use. Note: Coconut butter is NOT the same thing as coconut oil. I don't think this recipe would work without coconut butter.)

3/4 cup coconut cream**

1/2 cup + 1 tbsp honey

1.5 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp coconut flour, sifted

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp arrowroot

Optional: India Tree natural food coloring

Optional: You can substitute Earth Balance soy-free Buttery Spread for some or all of the coconut cream. Add extra sifted coconut flour to thicken if necessary. Likewise, add extra coconut cream or Earth Balance to soften if necessary.

Mix with handheld mixer.

Makes enough frosting for 12 cupcakes.

** To get the coconut cream, use a can of full-fat coconut milk (I use Thai Kitchen) that has separated. Open the can and carefully scoop the solid white cream off the top. If your canned coconut milk hasn't separated put it in the fridge overnight to get it to separate again.

By the way, you can get 7% OFF my second cookbook by entering code ND3LT5NR in my store!

♥, Kelly

Other questions? See my FAQ page here.

Buying in Bulk to Save Money, Cooking in Bulk to Save Time

What do you do to make eating gluten-free easy for your family? I buy in bulk to save money, and cook in bulk to save time. Today I'm sharing my tips for Diane's, 30 Days to Easy Gluten-Free Living. I'm kind of at the end of the month here, so make sure you go through the links (at the bottom) and check out all the other great posts for more ideas.

I think there are two keys to easy gluten-free living: Buy in bulk, and cook in bulk. When I first found out my girls (babies at that time) were reacting to gluten and dairy, I turned to a lot of packaged food. Besides most of the packaged food being unhealthy, it also cost a fortune. We spent more money on food that first year than ever before or ever since.

Buying in Bulk to Save Money:

There are a several places I buy in bulk to save money. The first is Costco. Unfortunately, not all Costco's (or other similar stores) carry the same things, but you should check them out to see what they have. Yesterday some of you told us that your Costco has coconut water—That's so cool! Here are some of the things I get at the Costco in Colorado:

Costco, organic:
rice
quinoa
chicken
frozen green beans
frozen cherries

frozen blueberries
apples
spinach
carrots
eggs
butter to make ghee
chicken broth
apple sauce

fruit leather

Costco, not organic:

avocado
MaraNatha almond butter
pineapple
San Pellegrino water
Izze Sparkling juice

Left: The Dirty Dozen, The Clean Fifteen

iHerb is another place I like to shop in bulk. They sell items individually, or you can buy bigger quantities for a discount. Here are some of the things I look for there:

iHerb (these are all links):

Chia Seeds

Hemp Seeds

Raw Cacao Powder

buckwheat groats

Vanilla Creme liquid stevia

English Toffee liquid stevia

Guar Gum

liquid Evening Primrose Oil, because Ashley needs tons of Omega 6 (surprisingly)

Goji Berries, for pie, smoothies, & ice cream (soak for 10 minutes before using)

Azure Standard is another great resource for buying in bulk. I recently got a ton of cocoa powder from them for such a great price. Note: Some of the prices below may have changed since I first looked them up.

Azure Standard Co-op (I buy these in bulk, prices may change):

almond meal flour, 5 pounds for $27

apple cider vinegar, organic, $4.40 for 32 oz

baking soda, aluminum-free, 1 pound for $1.60, 5 pounds for $3.25

blanched almonds, 5 pounds for $23.85

cashew pieces, 5 pounds for $14.85

coconut flour, organic, 4 bags for $21

coconut milk, organic, Thai Kitchen, 12 cans for $18

lemon juice, organic, $3.90 for 16 oz, or $42.35 for a case of 12

medjool dates, organic (best I've ever had), 5 pounds for $29.95

navy beans, dry organic, 4 bags for $15.90

quinoa flakes, organic, 2 pounds for $6.50

raspberry leaf tea, organic, 6 boxes for $22.50

raspberry spread, fruit-sweetened (no added sugar), Crofter's organic, 12 jars for $31.30

shredded unsweetened coconut, organic, 5 pounds for $10.30

Sunbutter, organic, 6 for $33.45

tapioca flour, $2.20 for one or $24 for 12

Tinkyada organic brown rice spaghetti, 10 pounds for $30.65

vanilla extract, organic, 4 oz for $8.30

walnuts, organic, 3 pounds for $13.75

I buy coconut sugar on Amazon (click here for the coconut sugar I use), and sometimes other groceries as well. Recently I noticed they had vanilla creme stevia for less than 9 dollars, which is a great deal. And sometimes you can get free shipping with Amazon on orders over 25 dollars, if what you're buying qualifies (it will say so next to the price).

You can also visit my Grocery Shopping Guide any time for more on what I buy and where I shop.

Cooking in Bulk to Save Time:

One of my favorite ways to save time is buy cooking in bulk. Whether it's a simple stir-fry or a time-consuming lasagna, I always make way more than we need. Then I freeze or refrigerate the extra food so I don't have to cook every day. Here are some of my favorite recipes to double:

Nutty Banana Bread

Coffee Cake Note: Only one batch will fit in your blender or food processor at a time, but you can bake two at the same time, and freeze one.

Chai Granola

Pot Pie Pockets

Veggie Burgers

Easy Chicken Paprika

Check out all the other great ideas below.

♥, Kelly

Monday May 2nd Diane, The WHOLE Gang sharing Easy Gluten Free Grocery Shopping Tips

Tuesday May 3rd Iris from The Daily Dietribe sharing on How to Start a Gluten Free Diet.

Wednesday May 4th Heather from Gluten-Free Cat sharing Smoothing the GF Transition with Smoothies

Thursday May 5th Alta from Tasty Eats at Home sharing Make Your Own Convenience Foods

Friday May 6th Elana from Elana’s Pantry sharing Quick and Easy Gluten Free Cherry Vanilla Power Bars

Saturday May 7th Cheryl from Gluten Free Goodness sharing Easy Meals GF Style

Sunday May 8th Megan from Food Sensitivity Journal sharing Gluten Free Baking Undone: Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

Monday May 9th Amy from Simply Sugar and Gluten Free sharing Magic Cookie Power Bars.

Tuesday May 10th Ricki from Diet, Dessert and Dogs sharing Gluten Free Baking Tips

Wednesday May 11th Ellen from Gluten-Free Diva sharing Gluten Free Travel Tips

Thursday May 12th Kim from Cook It Allergy Free sharing Eating from your Garden for Easy Gluten-Free Living

Friday May 13th Melissa from Gluten Free For Good sharing Gluten-Free Food Rules (recipes included)

Saturday May 14th Brittany from Real Sustenance sharing Healthy Allergy-Free Quick Bread with easy flavor variations.

Sunday May 15th Nicola from g-free Mom sharing Kids Lunch Boxes

Monday May 16th Wendy from Celiacs in the House sharing Fast Food for Gluten Free Teens

Tuesday May 17th Shirley from gluten free easily sharing Your Pantry is the Key to Living gfe

Wednesday May 18th Nancy from The Sensitive Pantry sharing Tips for BBQ and Picnics

Thursday May 19th Heidi from Adventures of a Gluten-Free Mom sharing Tips for Getting Kids to Embrace Whole Foods

Friday May 20th Silvana from Silvana’s Kitchen sharing Everything I’ve Learned So Far about Gluten-Free plus my Dairy-Free Nutella Knockoff recipe!

Saturday May 21st Maggie from She Let Them Eat Cake sharing Easy Gluten-Free Living With Preschoolers and a Vanilla Cupcake recipe!

Sunday May 22nd Sea from Book of Yum sharing Easy Gluten Free Vegetarian Soy Free Breakfast Burritos

Monday May 23rd Tia from Glugle Gluten-Free sharing The Value of Support

Tuesday May 24th Alisa from Alisa Cooks and Go Dairy Free sharing Wrap it Up-Thinking Outside the Bun

Wednesday May 25th Hallie from Daily Bites sharing Cooking by Color

Thursday May 26th Carol from Simply…Gluten-Free sharing tips on Entertaining

Friday May 27th AndreaAnna from Life as a Plate sharing Tips on Traveling on Day Trips with Kids

Saturday May 28th Zoe from Z’s Cup of Tea sharing Feasting With Their Eyes: Food Packaging and Presentation For Kids

Sunday May 29th Kelly from The Spunky Coconut sharing Buying in bulk to save money, Cooking in bulk to save time.

Monday May 30th Rella from Penny Pinching Epicure sharing Gluten Free on a Budget.

Tuesday May 31st Naomi from Straight into Bed, Cakefree and Dried sharing how to prepare grains so they are more nutritious & digestible and create fluffier wholegrain baked goods!

Coconut Water Review

Young coconuts growing in Kelly's mom's Florida backyard.

by Andrew

While on vacation I bought some coconut water in a Florida health food store. Oh, man was it good. This blog is the Spunky Coconut, so I thought we should definitely do a post reviewing all the different brands.

Coconut water gained major popularity in the past year. There have been some overly enthusiastic claims made about the drink, but I really don't care about the anti-aging and weight-loss hype. For us coconut water is a simply delicious drink with a lot of healthy stuff in it. It's full of potassium, calcium, magnesium, lauric acid, and electrolytes.

All coconut waters have the same health benefits, but they can differ wildly in flavor. This came as a surprise to me when I first started sampling the different brands. I assume that this can partly be explained by where the coconuts were grown. Coconut water comes from two main sources, Brazil and Thailand. The age when the coconuts are harvested might also affect the taste. VitaCoco gives a specific age of 7 months, while the others say they use young or green coconuts. There are varieties with added fruit juice or coconut pulp, but for this review I sampled only 100% coconut water.

Amy and Brian
Flavor: slightly sweet, clean tasting
Packaging: 17.5 oz steel can / 10 oz aluminum can. Both BPA free
Region: Thailand
Website: AmyAndBrianNaturals.com
Notes: I emailed the company to confirm their cans do not have BPA. I was especially impressed to learn that the large cans are made of stainless steel. Their logo, website design, and packaging aren't as slick as the other brands, but this is because Amy and Brian is a smaller company.

C2O Pure Coconut Water
Flavor: not sweet, but not bitter.
Packaging: 17.5 oz tin can (BPA-free)
Region: Thailand
Website: c2o-cocowater.com

Notes: The website states that their coconut trees grow near freshwater, and are therefore less salty than the coastal coconut waters. I've never noticed a salty taste from any coconut water. The name concept is kinda cool (H20 + Coconut = C20).

NakedCoconut
Flavor: not sweet, almost bitter
Packaging: BPA-free Tetra Pak
Region: Brazil
Website: NakedJuice.com
Notes: I didn't care for the rather plain taste, but Ashley drank the whole thing.






Nature Factor
Flavor: slightly sweet, subtle
Packaging: aluminum can
Region: Thailand
Website: EdwardAndSons.com
Notes: This coconut water is produced by food company Edward and Sons. Unfortunately, the coating of these cans does contain BPA. The company tells me that testing shows that it does not leach into the drink. They also say they are in the processes of finding new cans. The water bottle company SIGG had it's public BPA embarrassment back in August of 2009. Edward and Sons hasn't switched to BPA-free packaging in the two years since then, so I doubt they are truly concerned. Note: SIGG removed the BPA from it's bottles.

O.N.E.
Flavor: slightly sweet clean tasting
Packaging: BPA-free Tetra Pak
Region: Brazil
Website: OneDrinks.com
Notes: I don't have much to say other than I liked O.N.E. and I like the cheerful unassuming packaging. In 2010 PepsiCo became the majority stakeholder in the O.N.E company.






Taste Nirvana
Flavor: sweet, rich flavor
Packaging: glass bottle or aluminum can
Region: Nakorn Pathom province, Thailand
Not from concentrate
Website: TasteNirvana.com
Notes: Taste Nirvana's water is very consciously marketed to the health-conscious crowd. They are the only brand offering a non-reactive glass bottle. The packaging is very green and natural looking. Evocative text on the back label speaks of Thai coconut water traditionally sold at quaint "roadside stands by smiling vendors." Aware that food origin is very important to today's consumers, Taste Nirvana cites not only the country, but also the specific province providing their coconuts.

VitaCoco
Flavor: slightly sweet, clean tasting
Packaging: BPA-free Tetra Pak
Region: Brazil
Website: VitaCoco.com
Notes: More than any other brand VitaCoco relies on celebrity power to promote it's product. Madonna made it known that she is a major investor in this privately owned company. Demi Moore is another investor, Rhianna is the official spokesperson, while various other celebrities have been photographed drinking VitaCoco in public.

ZICO
Flavor: very subtle. slightly cow-milky?
Packaging: HDPE plastic bottle
Region: unknown
Website: ZICO.com
Notes: Until recently ZICO was available in a carton. Marketing their product as a sports drink, the company moved to a rugged plastic bottle. Their coconut water does not come from a single source. It is a blend of "coconuts from around the world." Most likely ZICO does this in order to take advantage of the lowest priced coconuts at any given time. The water actually contains an additional ingredient, "natural flavors." What these flavors are is a mystery, but the bottle is labeled as gluten-free. ZICO's coconut water is from concentrate, another cost-saving measure. Its promotions are focused in the sports and fitness, hiring professional athletes as endorsers and partnering with athletic organizations. Coca-Cola is a minority stakeholder in ZICO.

Pricing
It's difficult to compare the prices of all these brands. The volume of a container varies from 10 fluid ounces to 11.2, 14, 17.5, and up. Usually no more than three different brands will appear at any one market, and the price at one store might be as much as $1 more than at another.

Conclusion
Unfortunately, Kelly only tried half of these drinks. Out of those her favorites were Amy and Brian and Taste Nirvana. My favorite was VitaCoco, which Kelly found boring. I'm also a big fan of Amy and Brian and O.N.E. I highly recommend you try several different brands since there is such a variety in flavor.

In my review I thought it was important to point out the way each brand is promoted. I feel that the marketing approach can reflect the flavor. For example, Taste Nirvana appears as a very natural product and has a very natural taste. ZICO, on the other hand, is marketed as a sports drink and tastes the least like fresh coconut water.

Do you have a favorite not listed here? I'd love to add more brands to the list.

—Andrew
www.ajbdesign.com

Spinach Pasta Pie (inspired by spinach ricotta pie) gluten-free, dairy-free

Back in January I made these battered gluten-free chicken strips after finding my old recipe journal. It brought back a lot of fond memories of old favorites. Another one from that journal that I've been missing lately is the classic, spinach ricotta pie. Yesterday I decided to recreate it, gluten and dairy free. It came out so awesome. I hope you enjoy it too :-)

Pie Crust:

Add to bowl:

1/4 cup applesauce

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup coconut oil, liquified, or grapeseed oil

Mix with electric mixer.

Add:

1 cup Bob's almond meal flour

1/2 cup coconut flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder (Grain-free Baking Powder Recipe)

Mix again.

Press the dough into a ball with your hands, then put it in your pie dish, and press it the rest of the way out with your hands.

Do NOT pre-bake the crust.

Set aside.

Filling:

Make your cream cheese/ricotta substitute:

Add to Blendtec or food processor:

1 cup plain cashews

1/4 tsp Herbamare

1/4 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup water

OR 1/2 cup water and no chicken broth

Puree till creamy and smooth.

Add to bowl:

cream cheese/ricotta substitute (above)

2 cups gluten-free spaghetti noodles, partially cooked (about 10 minutes)

Note: To get 2 cups cooked was about 6 ounces of dry noodles, or just under half of a package. If you want to make this recipe grain-free (without noodles) I would try substituting another egg or two, and baking slightly longer.

16 oz frozen organic spinach, thawed and squeezed through a kitchen towel to remove as much water as possible.

2 whisked eggs

2 finely chopped green onions

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp garlic powder

3/4 tsp fine sea salt

3/4 Daiya dairy-free mozzarella

Note: If you can't get Daiya, the recipe will probably still be fine without this ingredient.

Combine filling ingredients and pour into unbaked crust.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

What recipe do you miss the most, that you haven't had gluten and dairy free yet?

♥, Kelly

Cherry's Homemade Gluten-Free Dog Food

Above: Cherry, in her favorite spot on the porch, basking in the sun.

We take our dog to a holistic vet, and he insists that cooked real food is better for our dog than "dog food." He says that dog food is so overly processed that no nutritional value remains, which is why they have to add so many vitamins in order to sell it. (They do this to people food too, by the way.) Of course there are exceptions, like store-bought raw dog food, but I for one can't afford it. Also, to be honest with you, it grosses me out. I gave Cherry, our Boston Terrier, raw dog food when she was a puppy, and I had to stop. Maybe if I didn't have small children (who get licked in the face—Eeeew...) I could have kept it up.

But I think most people opt for store-bought dog food because they can't/won't do raw dog food, and they think it has to be one or the other. Like I said, our vet tells us that cooked real food is better for our dog, if raw isn't going to work for us. So that's what we do.

When I think about what my dog needs to be healthy I think about what I need to be healthy. I need purified water, essential fatty acids (omega 3, 6, 9), probiotics, fat (like coconut oil and olive oil), protein, and good organic food with lots of vitamins and minerals.

Also, like our family, our dog is gluten-free. If you follow me on facebook then you know that Cherry recently got glutened. Oh boy was she a sick little doggie. She was a mess for a good four days. Some of you may relate.

So here is what I make for Cherry:

Grains/Seeds (cooked):

Quinoa

Brown Rice

Millet

Protein:

Ground Turkey, cooked

Chicken, cooked

Eggs, lightly cooked

Wild Alaskan Salmon. I use canned that I get at Costco.

Veggies (cooked or lightly cooked):

Carrots

Sweet Potato

Pumpkin

Squash

Spinach

Broccoli

What I add to the bowl at each feeding:

Sea salt

Coconut oil (Cherry adores coconut oil. She doesn't care if it's solid or liquified.)

or Olive oil (I alternate coconut and olive oil. I don't do both at the same time.)

Probiotics. I use our dairy-free people probiotics. Just open the capsule and sprinkle it on. Make sure that they don't contain xylitol—which only a chewable probiotic might. Xylitol is deadly to pets.

Fish oil

How I do it:

I make up one or two ingredients from each category at a time, so our dog gets different foods every week. One batch lasts me about five days, and I found it's best to keep each category stored separately, in it's own container in the refrigerator. When I combine everything (meat, grains, veggies) it doesn't last as long, and I only like to cook for Cherry every five days.

As a doggie treat, Zoe and Ashley give Cherry walnuts, which she loves.

I've also read that kelp is good to add to homemade dog food, and I was thinking about trying it for Cherry. If you make your own dog food, please tell us what you add in the comments :-)

♥, Kelly

PS It just occurred to me that Cherry is a small dog. If I had a big dog I would make much more at a time, and freeze it in meal size portions.

UPDATE: Thanks so much for suggesting calcium for Cherry! We got this one: Animal Essentials Natural Seaweed Calcium and I'm really excited about it :-)

Chit-chat

See UPDATES on this post at the very bottom :-)

Have you ever done anything crazy while you were pregnant? I'm not talking about pregnancy-brain, oh so forgetful. I'm talking about big changes. When I was pregnant with Zoe I sold our first townhouse. Then I sold our second townhouse when I was pregnant with Ashley.

This pregnancy I didn't sell our house, but I did cut off 10 inches of my hair. I don't regret doing it—I loved how it looked. The problem was that my hair was growing so fast I needed to get it cut every two weeks. Now, I adore my hairdresser, but a trim every two weeks was more than I could handle. So I've been growing it out—no joy.

I'm almost there though. A few more inches and I'll have the Ashley 'do :-) We can be twins.

Speaking of Ashley, we did a DMSA challenge a few weeks ago. If you don't know what a DMSA challenge is, it means we tested her urine before and after chelating (pulling heavy metals and other poisons from her body). Oh my. Before the DMSA there wasn't much, but after DMSA we got a lot. Her doctor was very excited. Notably we got aluminum, barium and mercury (though not nearly as much mercury as the others—mercury hates to come out), just to name a few.

I didn't really see a change in Ashley after this challenge until I was gone for a few days at the expo in Chicago. When I came back the improvement in her speech was really noticeable. Woohoo :-) Hopefully we will see progress with other areas of development also, as we continue. I especially pray for the day she is potty-trained.

So we got back last night from vacation at my mom's, and there is nothing to eat in the house. I'm off to go grocery shopping. But before I leave, here is my 7 months photo, taken yesterday morning, as we were about to leave for the airport. I've gained around 20 pounds, which is no fun, but I exercise and I don't overeat, so what else can you do? :-) It's still half what I gained with Zoe and Ashley by this point, which I know is thanks to my diet.

♥, Kelly

UPDATES:

I've been getting lots of emails and comments from you guys, wanting to know more about DMSA, how and why we do it. I'm so glad you want to know more :-)

Click HERE to read the short version our personal story. Note: Unfortunately, OSR is not currently available, which is why we are using DMSA again.

Also, I copied and pasted the other links from that post below:

Helpful links:

Got Questions? VIDEOS with answers here.

Generation Rescue, Conferences, Support

Some of my favorite books:

Children with Starving Brains

Healing the New Childhood Epidemics

The Call to Brilliance (not an autism book)

One cake, two ways & 4th Generation Market love

Above: Raw almond cheesecake (had a great coconut flavor), carrot cake, and an apple square. All gluten-free.

We went to 4th Generation Market in Boca the other day. Oh my. Everything is organic, and there was a ton of great stuff. From the produce and the specialty items to the smoothies and the baked goods—I was so happy. See the photo above? That's just a few of the gluten-free and raw goodies made by chef Claire at 4th Generation Market. The majority of the bakery was gluten-free. Yes, the majority!

Also, I thought I would share this breakfast cake we've been having here at Mom's, made two ways. It's a banana cake topped with dairy-free chocolate chips (above), and topped with goat cheese and fruit (below).

I'll never make it with goat cheese again. My family can tolerate goat cheese (though we don't eat it often), but we all agreed we would have liked it much more with cashew or macadamia butter in place of the goat cheese. I'm thinking of using my macadamia glaze from my second cookbook next time. (By the way, you can get 7% OFF ($1.82) by entering code ND3LT5NR in my store!)

If you top yours with cashew butter or my macadamia glaze, I would suggest baking the cake by itself for about 15 minutes first (that's what I did). Then pour the topping over the partially baked cake, top with fruit, and put it back in the oven to finish cooking.

If you're adding dairy-free chocolate chips you can go ahead and mix those in or sprinkle them on top when you first put it in the oven.

Banana Cake

Puree in food processor (I used my mom's Blendtec):

2 ripe peeled bananas

1/4 cup grapeseed oil

5 eggs

20 drops vanilla liquid stevia

2 tbsp honey

1/2 tsp baking soda

Puree. Add:

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/2 cup Bob's almond flour

Puree well.

Pour into greased dish. I used my mom's large pie dish.

Bake at 325 degrees for about 32 minutes (longer if you use topping and fruit).

The baking time may be slightly different for a square baking dish.

Also the size of your bananas and eggs can add to or decrease the baking time.

I also had to tell you about these rash guards we got Zoe and Ashley several days ago at a surf shop in Deerfield Beach. We've been spending the majority of our days in the pool and at the beach, and no amount of sunblock was keeping them completely free of sunburn. These are brilliant. They have a turtleneck and elbow length sleeves, and Ashley's even has shorts. T

hey're UV 50, and they

cut the amount of sunblock Zoe and Ashley need in half.

Woohoo!

Ahhh... I'm in paradise here :-)

♥, Kelly

Delray Beach & Nutrition Cottage Love

Above: The girls and I in Delray Beach.

Yesterday we took a short drive up to Delray Beach after a reader suggested, The Mellow Mushroom. Thanks Christie! It was nice to have gluten-free pizza on the patio outside (I can't get enough outside here—the weather has been amazing—in fact I'm sitting outside now as I type :-)

One of the shops had these incredible hand made glasses. So cute!

Then we stumbled across Nutrition Cottage. Nutrition Cottage... ? Oh, yea...

They have smoothies and fresh made juice in the cafe area—so good. We shared one with papaya, banana, coconut, and dates. Mmm...

And they have many gluten-free sections:

Can you guess which two flours I bought? Haha! I'm about to make my second almond and coconut cake in just a few minutes :-)

♥, Kelly

Florida Holiday

Hey guys! I'm writing to you from sunny lovely Florida, where we're visiting my mom near Boca Raton. It's been about 90 degrees every day, but it isn't humid here yet, and there's such a nice breeze—It feels amazing.

We are in love with Deerfield Beach. And I'm thinking of buying stock in zinc for all the zinc sunblock we're going through. Haha ;-) This is the one we've been using.

Above: Zoe jumping in Mom's pool.

Uber-cuteness

Above: What we've been eating for lunch. Raw veggies, raw paté, and salad with roasted chicken, avocado and more. Yum.

We got the paté from the Whole Foods here. It's by Glaser Organic Farms in Miami. Love it. Make sure you check out their site. It was great that we could buy these already made, but I'm definitely going to recreate it myself when we get home.

♥, Kelly

5 minute Cashew Mac-N-Cheese & book signing in Florida this Saturday

We're getting ready to leave for my mom's in Florida so I'm trying to use up all the food in the fridge. I'm afraid I've done too good of a job though. We're almost completely out, with more than 24 hours left to go. Oh well, I'd rather run out early than waste food, right? :-) So I had to reach in the pantry for lunch today, and use up some pasta. Zoe was thrilled of course, because this recipe is her favorite thing to eat.

I should warn you, this probably isn't anything like real mac-n-cheese. Zoe, who will be 9 years old in July, doesn't remember ever eating real mac-n-cheese. She was 2 when we found out she was reacting to gluten and dairy. Ashley was just a baby, so she's never even had it in her life.

So if your kids are new to eating this way, you may want to make them another mac-n-cheese, like Cybele Pascal's. Here is the link to her mac-n-cheese.

I also wanted to share this letter that Zoe put in my suitcase before I left for the expo. How cute is that?!

And one more thing before I give you my recipe. If you're near Fort Lauderdale, Florida I'd love to meet you this Saturday, May 7th, at 3:00! I will be hanging out with my family at BREW, near the Riverwalk, and I'd love to see you! You can bring your books for me to sign, and I will have some you can buy too. Here is the address to BREW.

5 minute Cashew Mac-N-Cheese

Add to pot of boiling water:

4 cups Tinkyada penne

2 tsp salt

Boil for about 14 minutes.

While the noodles are boiling add to blender or food processor:

1 & 1/4 cup plain cashews

1 cup water

1/2 cup chicken broth

2 tbsp ghee or grapeseed oil

1 tsp Herbamare

1 tsp lemon juice

Puree till creamy and smooth.

Add more cashews for an even thicker sauce.

Strain the noodles, then return them to the pot used to cook them.

Pour the sauce over the noodles and stir.

Thickens slightly after cooling for about 5 minutes.

♥, Kelly