New GFCF Chicken Nuggets!

Coming home and finding boxes on our doorstep is no big deal in our household. UPS brings me packages for work almost daily. But whenever there is one that doesn't have my company's return address on it, Andy gets excited and wants to know right away what is in it. Yesterday we got just such a box and he was right to be excited!

When we opened it, we found treasures inside:
It was from Applegate Farms. Not only did it contain 2 boxes of their new gluten free (and casein free) chicken nuggets, it also had DRY ICE! I really should have taken a picture of Andy playing with the dry ice - that provided over an hour of fun. I should mention that you should never let small children play with dry ice and even with older kids like Andy, you need to supervise them and make sure they know the dangers of dry ice.

We have been struggling to find a great tasting chicken nugget. We used to buy the Wellshire Kids/Garrett County Farms (Wellshire Kids brand is now used only at Whole Foods and Garrett County elsewhere). We used to buy a lot of their products. But ever since the Chicago Tribune exposed that their dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets tested high for gluten, we have crossed them off our list.

We love Ian's products. Andy especially loves their allergen free fish sticks. But he isn't a fan of their chicken nuggets. He reluctantly accepts them in his thermos in his lunch box and eats them, but he doesn't love them like he did the dinosaur ones.

So, I was excited to learn that Applegate Farms had come out with a gluten free chicken nugget. We LOVE Applegate Farm's products. Their chicken hot dogs are what I use to make my wonderful mini corn dogs. Applegate Farms is really a great all around company. I'm not going to bore you with all the details, you can go to their website and read all about it http://www.applegatefarms.com/ (and while you are there, read all about the future of our school lunches).

What I am going to tell you about is how great tasting these new nuggets were. I made one box of them for dinner last night and Andy was begging for more. Even Dan and I enjoyed the taste. They have a wonderful taste and texture. Andy likes that they are soft. Try them. They get two thumbs up from all 3 of us.

Sloppy Joes

Andy has been watching commercials on TV for manwich and thinking they looked pretty darn good. He asked me to check and see if they were gluten free.

So I picked up a can the next time I was in the grocery store to read the label and these are the ingredients I found: Tomato Puree , Water , Tomato Paste , High Fructose Corn Syrup , Corn Syrup , Salt - Less than 2% , Sugar - Less than 2% , Dehydrated Onions - Less than 2% , Dehydrated Red and Green Bell Peppers - Less than 2% , Chile Pepper - Less than 2% , Tomato Fiber - Less than 2% , Spices - Less than 2% , Guar Gum - Less than 2% , Xanthan Gum - Less than 2% , Dehydrated Garlic - Less than 2% , Carob Bean Gum - Less than 2% , Natural Flavors - Less than 2%.

I don't really see anything there that screams gluten to me, but it could be hiding in the natural flavors. More concerning to me was the high fructose corn syrup and corn syrup. We have now totally cut the high fructose corn syrup from our diet and I really don't see any reason to buy this product. I do remember loving sloppy joes as a kid though so I thought I would see if I could create a dish as good but without the yucky ingredients.



Here is my creation in the skillet - it smelled so good!


And here it is sandwiched between two pieces of gluten free toast.


And here is Andy with a clean plate and a satisfied look on his face after eating them.

It really didn't take much longer to make than opening a can and it was so yummy!

Here is the recipe:

Sloppy Joes
1.25 lbs ground turkey (I used 83% lean)
1 medium onion, chopped (about ¾ cup)
1 bell pepper, chopped (about ½ cup)
¾ cup catsup (I use organic with no high fructose corn syrup)
3 teaspoons raw sugar
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1. Cook ground turkey over medium heat until done.
2. Add onions and bell peppers and cook until onion is translucent.
3. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for about 5 minutes.
Serve over bread.



Here are the nutrition facts for it - for a serving size I put 4 servings - which was about 2 sandwiches each.

And for comparison, here is the nutriton facts for manwich made with the same amount of ground turkey - 1 can of manwich and also 4 servings.

These nutrition facts do not include the bread. Mine does contain 20 more calories per serving, and less iron, but it has more vitamin C which is so important this time of the year. Otherwise it is pretty comparable.

A new name for a familar product

Wellshire Farms and Wellshire Kids products are now Garrett County at all stores except Whole Foods. Whole Foods is continuing to use the Wellshire name.


Here are what the chicken bites look like now in the new packaging. The product is the same, the name is all that has changed.

GFCF Beef Stew

I love beef stew this time of year - and it is a great way to stretch your meat. You can change the amounts of each ingredient to suit your own tastes - I like lots of veggies in mine!

GFCF Beef Stew

1 1/2 lbs beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoon canola oil
8 medium carrots, peeled and cut into bite size slices
6 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into bite size pieces
1 medium onion, diced
5 tablespoons Minute Tapioca
4 tablespoons wheat free soy sauce
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 bay leaves
5 cups of water

In a large frying pan, brown the meat in hot oil - make sure to stir and sear all sides of the beef. You could skip this step, but it seals in the juices and gives it a better flavor.

Place the veggies in the slow cooker. Add the meat. Sprinkle with the tapioca, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Add bay leaves. Pour water over it all.

Stir, cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours.

Remove bay leaves before serving.

This is really good with corn bread!

Kick Ass Chicken Wings

I made these for dinner tonight and they were so good there are no left overs. Sorry - I forgot to take a picture, but trust me they were great.

Here is how I made them:

Kick Ass Chicken Wings

5 lbs Chicken Wings
½ cup Wheat Free Soy Sauce
¼ cup Lemon Juice
¼ cup Water
½ cup Rapadura (you could substitute brown sugar or honey for this)
2 cloves Garlic, finely minced
1 Tablespoon Ginger Root, finely minced

Cut Wings into 3 parts and discard the tips. Mix the rest of the ingredients together and heat until the sugar is dissolved. Place chicken wings in baking pan and pour the sauce over them. Stir until well coated. Bake in a 300 degree oven for 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes to coat evenly with sauce.
I was going to sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving, but I forgot.

Applegate Farms Uncured Chicken Hot Dogs

Sorry about the bad picture - I really have to get a better camera. These are the current hot dogs that we are buying. Andy will only eat Chicken Hot Dogs - when I occasionally buy the beef, he won't eat them - I, however, like the beef variety - I think it's just that chicken the beef is a little spicier. You really want to try and avoid nitrates with your child if they are on the autism spectrum. I keep these in the freezer and just take them out and use them one at a time so they don't spoil. When I get home from the grocery store, I open the package and spread the hot dogs out on a cookie sheet so they are not touching and put them in the freezer to freeze - that way they freeze individually and you can just take one out of the freezer without chizeling one out of a package or thawing a whole package and having part of it go to waste. If you eat a whole package of hot dogs at a time, then that isn't necessary. Just make sure that once they are frozen you pack them in a freezer container - don't leave them open in the freezer or they will get freezer burn.

Wellshire Kids Liverwurst

Andy's new favorite for sandwiches.

al fresco Natural Sausages

Like many families that don't eat gluten, we avoid most sausages and hot dogs due to the nitrate content. Since we also avoid pork (which I don't think I've mentioned much on this blog) - those factors really eliminate most sausages. For the most part I haven't missed them - they tend to be fatty anyway. But once in awhile as a treat, sausages are tasty. I have fond memories of special breakfasts that included maple syrup and sausages - yum! Spaghetti and other Italian dishes have more flavor when prepared with sausage instead of plain ground meat. And I grew up in Wisconsin - summer isn't summer without brats on the grill!

I have tried a few of the nitrate free sausages and they're Okay - but nothing that I felt like blogging about. And then Bzz Agent invited me to sign up for a new campaign for Al Fresco Natural Sausages. OMG, yummy is the best way to describe them! Almost all of the varities are gluten free - the exception is the fresh Mango Chipolte flavor - the rest are all gluten free. Most are casein (dairy) free as well - they have the full nutrition information on their webpage. My bzz kit included coupons for 2 free products so I picked up two this week and we tried them both and loved them. Andy specifically asked me to write them up on the grocery list for next week!

The sausages are all made with lean, skinless chicken meat, and never contain any artificial ingredients or preservatives. And they have 70% less fat than pork sausages. If you are a pork avoider like my family, you might want to visit the website before choosing which varieties you want to try - some are in pork casings.

The website has a lot of great information including recipes and more information about the company as well as frequently asked questions and nutritional information on each variety. They also have a where to buy feature. I was surprised to find they were available in several stores in my area including Super Target. I can't believe I had never noticed them before.

We tried the Sweet Apple and Sundried Tomato flavors. Both were yum and yet they were very different from each other. The Sweet Apple was sweet and you could taste the maple syrup in it. This would be great with pancakes or waffles for breakfast. The Sundried Tomato was more of an Italian Flavor and would be good with pasta.

The price wasn't too bad either. $3.99 for a 12 ounce package. That may be more than traditional sausages, but for an all natural product with so much flavor, I think it is a great value.

Check out their website today by clicking here. I have to play with the link feature now that I have figured out it is there and how to use it.

Welshire Kids Gluten Free Corn Dogs!

This was an exciting find. I also saw that Ian's has a mini corn dog made with turkey hot dogs that is gfcf. They were so expensive, I think I will continue to make the mini corn dogs for Andy's lunch - but I have trouble getting the batter to stick on the full corn dogs - so finding these today was pretty cool.

Gold N Plump Gluten Free Products

I have been avoiding most pre-marinated meats since we have gone GFCF thinking the spices may not be gluten free.

Since discovering Jennie-O has some gluten free products I decided to investigate and see if I can find some more products that might be easy for a working mom to make.

Since there are always coupons in the mail for Gold N Plump chicken products, I decided to start there.

Here is what they told me:
Gluten-Free Products include: Seasoned whole birds - Mesquite and Lemon Pepper Premium Selects Marinated breasts, tenders and strips (fresh, tray pack) Whole rotisserie products Please verify when you purchase. Any products containing gluten would list it in the ingredients.

It's not that big of a deal to mariante my own - but sometimes taking that extra step to make the marinate is just too much time. Nice to know I have more options.

Jennie-O Oven Ready Turkey

The gravy packet in this contains gluten - I just threw it away. The turkey itself and the seasonings are GFCF!

I am really excited about finding this - while I don't mind cooking from scratch most of the time and I do know it is healthier for my family - there are just times (like yesterday) when I don't have time to make a fantastic meal. It was so cool to be able to just put this in the oven. It goes straight from the freezer to the oven - so at 3:00 yesterday when I realized I had nothing thawed for dinner I was just able to pull it out and put in the oven. Made some mashed potatoes and frozen veggies and we had a wonderful meal.

Jennie-O's list of gluten free products can be found here: http://www.jennieo.com/turkey_faqs.asp

It was moist and wonderful and tasted great - check it out.

You might also want to check out how bzz agent - they sent me this turkey breast for free! They give you free products that match your lifestyle (you fill out profiles) and then you fill out reports (bzz) on who you talked to about them. It is just honest feedback. They don't want me to lie and say something is good if it isn't. Just create by talking to my friends about the products I try (which I would do anyway) and then report back to them. I don't get paid to do it - but getting the free products is fun. And sometimes it is something like this that really makes my life easier. I plan on keeping one in the freezer for emergencies always. Bzz agent is here: http://www.bzzagent.com/

GFCF Peanutty Chicken Skewers Recipe

A great child friendly grill recipe!

Peanuty Chicken Skewers

1/3 cup hot water
¼ cup BBQ sauce or Teriyaki Sauce (I use my own homemade BBQ sauce)
¼ cup creamy peanut butter
¼ cup gfcf soy sauce (I use San J Organic Tamari Wheat Free Soy Sauce)
2 tablespoons honey Dijon mustard
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast halves cut into 12 thin strips

Place chicken in large Ziploc baggie.

Mix the rest of the ingredients in a bowl with a whisk (or I shake them in a Tupperware Quick Shake Container). Pour half of the sauce in the bag with the chicken. Shake gently to coat chicken. Marinate in fridge 1 to 2 hours. Refrigerator unused marinade – save for the next time or use as a dip for the finished skewers.

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Thread chicken onto 12 skewers in ribbon fashion; discard the marinade left in the bag.

Grill 5 to 7 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Make 4 servings, 3 skewers each.

GFCF Mini Corn Dogs Recipe

I make double batches of these up and keep them in the freezer for a quick lunch.

Mini Corn Dogs
1/2 C garbanzo bean flour
1/2 C white rice flour
1 C yellow cornmeal
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Place exactly half of this mixture in a Ziploc or Tupperwarecontainer for later use.

To half of the mixture add:
1 egg, beaten
1 C milk sub (3/4 cup rice milk)

Cut 2 packaged of hot dogs into four pieces each; dip in batter and deep fry untilgolden brown.
If you want to use four packages ofhot dogs, then use all of the dry mixture, 2 cups of milk and 2 eggs.

GFCF Mini Meatloaf Recipe

Lemon Barbecued Meat Loaves

1 ½ lbs. ground beef or turkey
4 slices day-old gf bread, cubed
1/3 cup lemon juice
½ cup minced onion
1 egg, slightly beaten
¾ tsp. seasoned salt
½ tsp. thyme
½ tsp. basil
¼ tsp. pepper
½ cup catsup
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. dry mustard
¼ tsp. allspice
¼ tsp. ground cloves

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Lightly grease 13 x 9-inch baking pan.
3. Combine ground beef, bread, lemon juice, onion, egg, salt, thyme, basil, and pepper. Blend well and shape into 6 small loaves. Bake in prepared pan, uncovered, 15 minutes.
4. To make sauce, combine catsup, brown sugar, mustard, allspice, and cloves. Pour sauce over loaves and bake 30 minutes longer.
5. Transfer to warm dinner plates. Garnish with lemon slices.

Hormel Natural Choice Lunch Meats

Hormel just came out with this line and they are available at your regular supermarket. Nitrate free as well as GFCF!

Welshire Kids Chicken Bites

These are Dinosaur Shaped and Andy loves them for lunch. You will find them in the freezer section.

Wellshire Turkey Kielbasa

Again a nitrate free food.

Welshire Kids Chicken Franks

There are mainstream hotdogs that are GFCF, but I do not buy them. We avoid nitrates in our house as well. Andy likes these so much that when on occasion we have a regular hot dog somewhere Andy will tell me that it tastes funny. I use these to make mini corn dogs for Andy as well.

Ian's Allergen Free Fish Sticks

Andy's absolute favorite lunch food (at least currently). They also make regular ones so make sure you are buying the ones with the purple strip that say they are allergen free. They also make chicken nuggets but Andy does not like them. You will find these in the freezer section.