Chocolate Banana Bread

This is not a recipe I created from scratch, rather I adapted slightly a recipe in Pippa Kendrick's "Free From food for Family and Friends" book. I highly recommend it, it's given me lots of new ideas!

This is nut free, gluten free, vegan, soya free, yeast free and really, really tasty. I've made it twice now and it works best in the food processor rather than my Kenwood mixer, since the batter needs to be quite smooth.

Birthday Cakes!

Proving that free from allergens needn't mean free from taste or impressive presentation, our Facebook Group members have been bust catering for some Winter birthdays!

I am always quite humbled by the efforts mums go to to make sure their children's allergies and exclusion diets don't limit their experiences of special occasions. Every time I feel as if I can't be bothered, one look at cakes like these, sweets or special meals others are making amidst the normal busy lives they lead pulls me back on track!

Clearly the group's icing and decorating skills are extremely impressive! Perhaps we should start taking orders??!

Have you checked out our Facebook Page yet?

UPDATE!

Check our the #freefrom "Frozen" birthday cake!

Facebook Group Recipe Round-up

The members of our Facebook group are soon going to put me out of a job.... we've had some inspirational cooking with very few ingredients showcased on there this week.


Here a just a few of them!





Chicken Pop Corn Kebabs

• Cooked chicken breast, cooked mashed sweet potato, dash of oil and a little water if needed. 
• Bind all ingredients together in a bowl with maize meal (polenta). 
• Season if allowed and then divide into balls and pop on a baking tray, keep checking and turning. (Not an exact science as to when done. Just check and check.)
• Once crispy and firm take out. I bought cake pop sticks and put 3 on each (like a kebab). 
• Eat hot and cold.

Gingerbread Reindeer

Using a slightly different recipe to mine - (from the Glutafin site) one member made her own gingerbread reindeer. It's really simple, you can read more here.

I love the glass cherries for the red noses!

Lollies - Coming Soon!!!

Last but not least, I take my hat off to the person who made lollies on sticks from sugar alone, and wrapped them to look like store bought lollies! A real treat. For children who can only eat homemade food, sometimes making something look less homemade is a treat. My Mum used to make most off my clothes when I was younger, and clothes with labels in generated a great deal of excitement!

Keep checking back/subscribe for more info on how to make these simple treats.

Free From Foods are NOT a Lifestyle Choice

I published this on my other Blog Musings of a 21st Century SAHM in response to an email received today.

In my inbox this morning was a request to complete a short and sweet questionnaire about "Free From" foods. Right I thought, I'm a bit of an expert on that one... should only take me a minute! So I duly clicked on the link... how long could it take?!

Well that depends on whether you find the questionnaire possible to complete in the first place, and whether it triggers a response like this or not :-

So why I am getting so hot under the collar about an innocuous set of questions? Well here they are:-

I'll tell you what my "attitude" towards them is; that they are an essential, vital form of sustenance for my children who would otherwise become very ill. Foods which are sold as if I should be grateful, which are often poor in nutritional content and high in price, which we cannot do without.

It wouldn't be so bad if the first option in question 2 was "Medical Necessity" - because after all, that is the main reason the "Free From" food industry exists, even if it has become something of a fad amongst many, and this growth in consumption of "dietary" foods has undoubtedly increased production, which benefits us all. However, if the main focus for it's existence is forgotten, short cuts will be taken and those with medical needs will be the first to miss out precisely because  - and hear we come to the crux of the argument - for us it's NOT a CHOICE! 

Eating "freefrom" food is not a lifestyle choice for the vast majority, it's a no-alternative, medically imposed way of life and to suggest otherwise is both ignorant and offensive.

So when faced with a questionnaire asking me to rate answers as to why I choose "free from" food in order of importance, seeing options such as "helps weight loss" and "they are lower calorie" makes me not a little cross!