So Good “Ice Cream”

Warning  – this is a Soy product, if you avoid that.

Ok having gotten that out of the way – So Good Chocolate Supreme is my new guilty pleasure.    110 Calories per 1/2 cup serving & 6 grams of fat make this an oh-so-good treat.  It is labeled as a “non-dairy frozen dessert”, sold in the ice cream area of our grocery store.  It is definitely dairy free, because I can’t eat ice cream & I can eat this!

The chocolate flavour is strong, the product is very smooth and creamy and it lasts for a long time once opened.  (Assuming you don’t eat it every night!)  I had a 946 ml container in my freezer for over 4 months & it had almost no ice crystals.  Ice cream that sits that long is usually nasty & full of crystals.  The product also scoops similarly to ice cream so could probably be passed off pretty easily for a “dariy eater”.

I fed the chocolate and strawberry versions to my extraordinarily picky nieces and they asked for seconds, so I think that helps to prove how good it is. 

My boys love this ice cream although I think they like it even more if I’d let them eat it more than once per month!  I recommend it too!

Apple Pudding (Apple Sauce)

I cleaned out the fridge on New Year’s Day, trying to get rid of the last of the Christmas leftovers. Most of it went into soup which really is the best way to get rid of that last 2 scoops of mixed veggies anyhow. But, I also discovered about 20 apples in varying states of hmmmm…. in the crisper.

So, we made Apple Pudding. This, for the uninitiated is actually Applesauce. However, in order to get my kids to try it, I called it Apple Pudding. Sometimes you just have to change the names of food to get a kid to sample it!

Apple Pudding (Apple Sauce)

Variety of Apples at least 10 to make it worthwhile
Large Pot
1/4 cup or less water

Put pot on stove, turn heat to medium. Peel, core and chop your apples, add to pot as you chop. After first 2 apples are in the pot, add just a bit of water to keep them from sticking to the bottom. You may need more or less water, depending on the moisture content of your apples. Continue peeling and chopping until you run out of apples.

Cook on medium-low until it reaches a chunky-smooth consistency. Turn down to low and let simmer. You may want to add sugar or cinnamon but taste test first. Some apple varieties are soooo sweet you don’t need sugar. You can also puree this in a blender if you have texture issues in the family. We like it most smooth with a few very soft chunks.

I poured this into little round lunch containers and am going to send it to school with Nathan next week. I’m also planning to mix in some unflavoured calcium powder. We tried it with AFP Peptizyde which hides fairly well but this would only be a solution for immediate eating. You’d likely end up with apple juice by lunch time!

Apple Pudding. Who’d have guessed it be such a big hit?!?

Blueberry Muffins

Here’s my very first attempt at creating my own GFCF recipe.  I scoured the internet for a suitable recipe but any that I found included an ingredient that I didn’t have.  So here’s my first success story:

Blueberry Muffins

1 3/4 cup   GF flour blend (I used Hagman Featherlite Blend, see below)
1/2 cup      Sugar
2 tsp           Baking Powder
1/4 tsp       Salt
1                 Egg
3/4 cup      Milk Sub (I used soy)
1/4 cup      Oil (canola)
1 cup          Blueberries (fresh)

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Add ingredients, in order, do not stir until all in the bowl.  Stir until just moistened.  Pour into muffin tins lined with baking cups.  Bake for 18 to 20 minutes.  You can check with a toothpick for doneness.  These are moist & not heavy.

 

Hagman Featherlite: 1 cup Sweet Rice Flour, 1 cup Tapioca Flour, 1 cup Cornstarch, 1 Tbsp Potato Flour

In the Beginning….

We decided to remove dairy products from Nathan’s diet initially because he has the smelliest gas.  Seriously, the kid can clear a room!  My dad is lactose intolerant & pretty much everything I have ever read always suggests removing dairy products first.  We switched to soy milk right away & stopped giving him cheese, yogurt and pudding. 

We also tried Rice Dream, which he did not like.  Our vegetarian friend told us she also does not care for the taste of Rice Dream & suggested working some Chocolate Soy milk in, to get him used to the different texture of the milk.

Here’s what I’ve discovered about soy milk:  plain soy milk is pretty much the same from brand to brand.  Some are a little smoother or nicer tasting, but essentially, there isn’t much difference between Sobey’s house brand & Silk.  They all seem to go on sale for $3.00 to $3.50 for 2 litres.  Milk here is about $5.00 per 4 litres, so this is not such a huge budget hit.  The part I love best is that they are fridge stable (unopened) for weeks.  It is mid-August now & I have chocolate soy that is stable until October!  Can’t say that about milk!  So, you can stock up when it is on sale & save.

Chocolate soy milk is a different story though.  The smoothest, most chocolately brand is Silk, hands down. Sensational Soy is my next choice, and it goes on sale more often at our store. Compliments (Sobey’s) is about the same but is no cheaper than Silk on sale.   President’s Choice is least favorite (which doesn’t mean it is bad!) but it was $3.00 on sale, so also the cheapest.  Vanilla milk is pretty much the same preference order.

So, I know that many people do not recommend substituting soy milk for cow’s milk due to estrogen & because the proteins in soy milk are very similar to cow’s milk.  However, so far, it is working for us.  Nathan has less gas now & that is a pleasant improvement.