Archives for December 2009

13Dec

Holiday Cookie Cutter Recipe (wheat, gluten, grain, dairy and sugar-free)

Gluten, grain and sugar free cut-out holiday cookies

Gluten, grain and sugar free cut-out holiday cookies

gallery-christmas-cookiesI had so much fun making these holiday cookie cutter cookies AND they taste great!  They are a little crisp but chewy, spiced and sweetened just right. If you can’t eat gluten or grains or dairy or sugar, these cookies will satisfy your holiday craving for cookies without making you feel yucky.  Even if you can eat these foods, don’t let the “free of everything” scare you off.  These are very yummy and very healthy for you if you’re trying to keep off the extra pounds this season.

I first tried making them with my toddler because I thought it would be a fun project.  He ended up just wanting to eat the dough and when I was cutting the cookies, he kept destroying the cut-outs!  My first batch didn’t turn out that great in appearance – they had finger print indentations all over them.  But they still tasted yummy, so I made some more when he was sleeping and made sure not to pat the dough at all after it was rolled out.

I had never made cookie cutter cookies, much less gluten, grain, dairy and sugar free ones!  A few things I learned may help you out on your cookie cutter adventure:

  • When you cut the dough with the cookie cutters, move them back and forth just a tad before lifting them away from the dough.  This creates some space around the cookie and makes it easier to remove the excess dough.
  • Don’t use cookie cutters that are too small – medium to large ones work well for this recipe.
  • Don’t make the cookies too close together – this makes it hard to remove the excess dough.
  • Don’t pat the dough once it is rolled.  This will create finger prints and then cracks when baking.
  • If you don’t finish all of them in one day, freeze the dough for later – I still have a lump of dough left in the freezer for later.

So here’s the recipe for you to enjoy!  Also, my Just Desserts for Limited Diets recipe e-book is almost complete and will be available this Wednesday, December 9.  There is a 20% off pre-order offer happening right now if you preorder the e-book and the Holiday Menu Planner by Tuesday night.  These also make great gifts!

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11Dec

Why a weekly menu planner makes a great holiday gift for someone on a limited diet

menuplannerpamphletIf you lead a busy life and have a family to feed, you probably know all too well that it takes some effort and time to plan your meals for the week.  However, you have some backup options like frozen dinners or take-out when you’re in a pinch.  Life is hectic but you have some options.

Now, imagine a family whose members have food allergies and/or food restrictions.  Maybe this family can’t eat dairy, wheat, gluten, soy, corn and sugar.  Maybe the youngest member is also allergic to eggs.

Unfortunately, there are many families who face this reality every day.  If you don’t have these food restrictions yourself, you may not realize how much this limits one’s diet.

Eating out is “out”

A family on such a diet has a hard time eating out, if at all.  One main problem is that most restaurants use “vegetable” oil or soy oil to cook their food in.  This basically eliminates eating-out.

Fortunately, there are a lot of restaurants popping up that offer gluten-free options.  However, sometimes it is hard to get the wheat/gluten and dairy-free combo at a restaurant.  For instance, they may put dry milk powder in the gluten-free pizza crust.

Grocery shopping is a chore

Even buying food at the store becomes a chore.  You basically have to read all the ingredients lists and even then, finding foods that are free of dairy, wheat, gluten, soy, corn, sugar and eggs is tough!

This is why I create my menu planners.  I personally am on a very limited diet that forces me to cook basically everything we eat.  If I don’t do some planning for the week’s meals, I usually end up spending a lot of time driving back and forth between home and the grocery store.  I also end up spending more money because every time I go, I end up buying things I didn’t plan on.

The Nourishing Foods Menu Planners

My plan is to create menu planners for just about any limited diet.  My next series of menu planners are going to be for the extremely limited diet such as the following (these are subject to change as I get more feedback from people)

  • The GAPS diet: this is a wheat/gluten, grain, starch and sugar-free diet that helps people’s digestive systems to heal.   This diet also works great for people on “low-carb” diets or the Paleo diet because it is free of grains and uses high protein nuts and seeds for flours.
  • Egg-free, Dairy-free and Gluten-Free
  • Nut-free, Legume-free, Wheat/Gluten-free and Dairy-free
  • Common-allergen Free:  free of wheat, gluten, dairy, soy, corn, eggs, nuts, fish, peanuts
  • Kid-Friendly menus

As of now, I have the following weekly menu planners available:

Meat and Seafood Diets:

Seafood/Vegetarian Diets

Dessert

Gift a Gift of Nourishing Foods to someone on a limited diet this Holiday Season!

I recently updated my Gift a Gift page where you can gift your friend or family member with one of my many menu planners.  I also offer hourly consulting over the phone as well as personal chef services for the Washington DC, Baltimore and Frederick, Maryland areas.

If you’re looking for a gift that keeps on giving, that can really help someone improve the quality of their life and can bring renewed inspiration to their dinner table, buy a menu planner for your loved one or friend.  They will love it and continue to thank you!

Give a Gift today!

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