Finding Balance

Lately I’ve been doing some thinking.

Crazy, I know.

Not about another healthy and delicious raw ball, though you know how I love a good ball (or better yet, a good ball pun). Not even about gluten free baking, since I’ve been kind of lax on that front ever since Bunky’s birthday. Baking burn out, anyone?

What I’ve been thinking about is this blog, what it’s about, who it’s for, why it’s here. Yeah, that kind of thinking. I believe they call it existential.

Read this in high school.
My existential introduction.

It didn’t come out of nowhere, this sudden burst of brain function. It came out of necessity. Have you ever lost a friend or upset a relative from something you wrote and published on your blog? It’s possible I’ve done both, though I’ve only got documented proof on one count. So far.

Out of respect to my friend, I’m not going to talk about the specific post, but it got me thinking (see above) about what it is to blog. In a way, blogging is like journaling. Long before blogging, I was a journal-monger. I loved, loved, loved, buying gorgeous journals and writing the crap out of them. My first journal ever was red velvet and had dates on each page. I wrote a handful of entries in kindergarden. Bunky is nearly in kindergarden. (Yes, that’s still blowing my mind.)

Some of my first journals, or diaries, had locks. Keys, combination locks, you name it. Of course those never really worked, but it was symbolic, like a proverbial Do Not Enter sign, though it’s possible my brother did anyway. The point is they were supposed to be for the writer. And maybe her kids, someday.

But online journaling, or blogging, is public. Duh. I mean, that’s not a news flash to me or anything, but when I started this blog no one was actually reading it. You build readers over time. You make connections, friends even. It’s kind of awesome. Over the two years since I began, more people than I realized were reading. Including some friends and family. It’s certainly not a secret that I blog, but I also don’t tell every single person I know about it. Perhaps because sometimes I write personal stuff; and sometimes that personal stuff happens to also be about other people.

When I started this blog in June of 2011 it was by sheer instinct. It’s in my nature to write in order to understand, and I did NOT understand celiac or what it meant to be a parent of a celiac kid. There was a vague fuzzy idea that maybe what I wrote would resonate with other people dealing with celiac. Maybe I would find help and offer some at the same time.

I was pretty sporadic at first, not finding my rhythm (or time to have one) until Bunky’s first anniversary of her celiac diagnosis. That is really just one year of regular blogging, which doesn’t sound so long now that I’m thinking about it. During this year I’ve written about the challenges my family faces, but also about our successes. I’ve documented my struggles with birthday parties, holidays that focus on food (which ones don’t?), and what to eat while out in the world. Sometimes I just like posting pictures of my rapidly growing children. I also post recipes, more regularly than I ever imagined.

I recently read this awesome post called, How To Blog, by Jenny who runs Dinner, A Love Story (great recipes + great writing). Among other things, she is very into mission statements and well thought out posts, as she spent years writing for magazines. Maybe that’s my problem. I don’t always think so much (ha). I still write on instinct. Partly because I have such minimal time, but also, perhaps, out of habit.

Do I need more focus or a mission statement? Am I trying to find and offer solidarity, or am I trying to educate and illuminate – or all of the above?

I may work on a mission statement, but for now it’s got me thinking about this space. Here’s what I DON’T want – for people in my life to be afraid to hang out with us for fear that I will write about them (in a less than flattering light) on my blog. Here’s what I DO want – to write honestly about living with a child who has celiac.

Any writing comes with risk. I know that from being, well, a writer. But my writing before blogging was fiction. I could (usually) hide behind made up names and made up stories. I could change incriminating details if I wrote from experience. Even then there was risk. We all know how easy it is to try to read between the lines of our favorite fiction writers. Did that really happen to them? Is that character based on their spouse/parent/child/friend/lover? But in the end, a fiction writer can always find safety behind their chosen genre. It’s just a story, they can say. Blogging about your life is a different kind of story. It’s your story, and sometimes, other people’s, too.

True story: I always try to be respectful when I write, especially about people in my life. I know that the things I write might be read by well, anyone. This is not a totally negative space – I don’t think so, anyhow. It is not my intention to just rant and rave my upsets and frustrations about celiac indiscriminately. But when writing about my experiences with my daughter’s celiac, I often end up writing about community and family, because that’s where food is, people. And food is what divides us from everyone else.

Can’t eat any of that.
flickr USDAgov

Does this sound dramatic? Maybe, but it’s still true. Here’s a quote that taunts me on a daily basis: Food is such a small part of life (an actual quote from an actual book for kids who have celiac). Food is HUGE in our life. I should know since I think about it 24/7.

So, how do I honor those closest to us and also write about our challenges, that occasionally involve some of those same people? How do I write honestly and with respect? Do I stop writing about certain things, certain people? If so, am I doing that out of necessity (um, so poor Bunky doesn’t get blackballed to every birthday party and so we don’t get disowned by relatives) or fear?

If friends and family are reading this, I hope they will understand my appreciation for ALL their efforts, even the ones that happen to fall short through no fault of their own. No one is perfect on this gluten free road, certainly not me. I still make mistakes regarding Bunky’s diet and I suspect I always will, so perfection is not what I am seeking from my loved ones. We carry no expectations that others should cater to our dietary needs. That’s our job as Bunky’s parents. We BOOF (Bring Our Own Food), it’s cool. What we’d like is compassion, support, but mostly acceptance. Acceptance that this is our family’s journey. For the rest of our lives.

The word I chose to work on this year was nurture, but maybe it should have been balance because that’s what I think this is all about. That’s what I need to work on. But balance isn’t a one-shot thing, it’s ever changing, elusive, shifty. It’s something I will probably always struggle with, on the blog and out in the world. But I’ll give it my best shot.

flickr D Sharon Pruitt

I’d love to hear how all you fellow bloggers deal with the inevitable collision of real world feelings and the words you write. Have you ever alienated friends or family? Are there topics or people you just don’t write about? What keeps you in balance? Any thoughts and advice are welcome, just keep it constructive. I’m a sensitive gal, if you couldn’t already tell.

Spring is in the (Country) House + Ramps

We returned to our country house this past weekend to celebrate my husband’s birthday, which was on Monday. He and Bunky are just a week apart. My two (crazy) Tauruses. Stubborn as bulls, but loyal as anything. (Have you read Molly’s astrological post on her blog, Sprue Story? Hilarious and spot on.) Since opening up the house to renters via Home Away, we have been pleasantly surprised by how popular it has been. So popular that we have to take advantage of the open weekends. This was the perfect opportunity.

Sharing a rocker on the porch.
So sweet until it wasn’t.

Spring is a little delayed in Sullivan County, especially up top of the winding gravel road that leads to our home. The small green leaves that had daintily dotted the tree lined highways grew more sparse the higher we ascended, similar to how the snow lay thicker in the winter, but the warm weather and cerulean blue skies couldn’t have been more perfect.

Side view of the house.
Isn’t that sky insane?

We didn’t make any plans beyond a trip to the farmer’s market, which is a lesson we learned in the fall, and instead made it our goal to enjoy some quality relaxation surrounded by nature. Too bad the kids and bugs had other ideas.

The kid part is obvious. I knew things wouldn’t be all zen with a spirited preschooler and a banshee screaming toddler – Little Guy’s latest trick when frustrated. But the bug thing threw my husband for a loop, perhaps because he is one sweet tasting dude. According to the bugs. (Hey, this is a family blog.) Fortunately the mornings and early afternoons were bug free, as it seems the bugs (unlike my kids) like to sleep in. So we had plenty of time to enjoy the outdoors. Fortunately there was cable TV, which we don’t have in Brooklyn, to take care of the buggy afternoons. Let’s just say Bunky and Little Guy got quite comfortable on the couch.

Literally, first thing he did was go for the remote. I blame it on his sister.

I’m making it sound like we hid indoors, which is not entirely true. Just on Saturday during my husband’s “Project.” My husband likes projects. Loves them. Like, this country house? It’s a nesting doll of projects, dozens of them all squeezed inside his brain. This weekend’s birthday project was on a smaller scale (unlike the drainage ditch he built a few weeks ago). He wanted to create a picturesque spot for the fancy (read: pricey) fire pit he bought. Shockingly, he finished it in less than a day.

This is me talking to my husband, right now: “Honey, you were right. Okay?!” I’m not so great at admitting I’m wrong, but I told him I’d be thrilled to do so if in fact he actually finished his project on time. Which he did. And it looks pretty awesome.

Little Guy is REALLY into rocks.

The next day was the local farmer’s market (nearly an hour’s drive away) which was extra special because of the Ramps Festival. What are ramps, some of you may wonder? Well, if you’re a foodie you already know cause they are like the shit to talk about and cook with in early spring. But they aren’t really that fancy in person. They are wild leeks, or as wikipedia says, “an early spring vegetable with a garlic odor and onion flavor.”

Don’t get me wrong, they are GOOD. But before this weekend, I thought they were just another pretentious ingredient at hip Brooklyn eateries – which they may well be, but they are also growing in our backyard! Seriously! My husband got all Little House on the Prairie on us and dug some up with a shovel and presented them to me like a bouquet. Check out his food photography. It’s no joke.

After chatting with the very nice woman at the farmer’s market whose small stand WAS the Ramps Festival, I had a good idea of how to prepare them. A little internet research confirmed what she advised, which was to keep it simple.

You can eat the leaves and the bulbs (once you cut off the tip of the root). But first it’s kind of important to make sure you’re actually eating ramps and not lilies of the valley, which they closely resemble and are POISONOUS. My husband was like, oh no these are definitely ramps. But I decided to do my own research, just in case. I found this great article which has a very thorough description (with photos) about what those other less edible plants look like, along with some recipe advice.

After reading it I felt pretty sure I wasn’t going to kill myself, but I kept sniffing the leaves and the bulbs, just in case. Fortunately the whole house smelled like an onion, which is a dead giveaway (no pun intended) since the bulbs of lilies of the valley have no offensive odor. Here is my own little ramp tutorial:

Preparation

Wash your ramps in warm water and then cut the tip off the root. Similar to the green onions they resemble, there is a thin clear membrane over the stalk. Just peel it down. It should come off pretty easily. Chop those suckers up, but keep the white bulb pieces separate from the green leaves since they cook at different rates.

Method

I sauteed mine in butter and olive oil. You could do one or the other, but this time being indecisive worked in my favor. Just start with the white bulbs first because they will take a bit longer to cook. Saute them for about a minute or so before adding the chopped green leaves. Stir and and cook together on medium low for another minute or so until wilted down.

I ate mine straight out of the bowl and they were warm, fragrant, and delicious. Way more subtle than onions, a bit sweeter than leeks. Even my husband who stays away from anything in the onion family stared longingly at my bowl because they smelled that good. He tried two small pieces and declared them amazing.

It wouldn’t have been hard to eat the entire bowl, but I didn’t want to get a ramp overload, so I forced myself to save half. The next day I made myself a ramptastic lunch by frying up two eggs and tossing it in a bowl with my leftover ramps and some basmati rice. A sprinkle of salt, pepper, and a dash of red pepper flakes and I was in ramp heaven. I would have taken a picture but I was too busy eating. And watching repeats of NCIS. Little Guy was napping and Bunky was out with her dad. Ah, bliss…

Other highlights of our trip included a sweetly serious discussion with Bunky about her dolls, Ariel and Sleeping Beauty, who she told me were getting married. Then she asked with a touch of concern, can two girls get married? And I was like YUP. She was very happy about this and told me all about their wedding cake.

Then there was LOTS of strawberry, vanilla, and cherry vanilla ice cream. We love Haagen Dazs, gluten free and natural. Our local supermarket even had gluten free wafer cones! Insane! We ate the entire package and Little Guy had his first cone. He had no problem with the licking part, but was a little confused about what to do with the cone. So I ate it for him. One of the benefits of being someone’s mom.

He prefers drinking his ice cream dregs from a bowl.

I also made my husband some of these delicious fudge brownie cookies (also found in our local market, so cool) and chocolate chex mix, his new favorite treat. Which is convenient because it’s SO easy. A recipe will come soon, though you probably know it already. I think we’re a little late to the chocolate covered Chex party.

Yes, that’s a llama.

Since our house is all booked up through June, we won’t be going again until July. Plenty of time for my husband to dream up some more projects.

Bunky Turns Five

Somehow, my baby is FIVE. It’s one of many parenting cliches that is actually true. Time flies. But that’s not the whole story. Time is different with kids.

At first, time seems to inch forward, slowly, painfully, a snail’s pace. Every day is a series of seemingly endless and mundane and totally necessary tasks: feeding, napping, changing diapers, crying (you and the baby). Some days feel so long you could swear they last way more than 24 hours. In the early days of new-baby-town, when you finally manage to crawl out of your hole, I mean home, and see other babies in the world, they seem so much bigger than your new squirmy worm. They can do so many more things than your baby. It seems that it will take ages for your baby to be that many months old, to do those sorts of big baby things. Then, in a flash, you’re the one with the bigger baby. Then, another flash, and your baby is no longer a baby to anyone but you.

Bunky’s still technically a baby here. I think.

Bunky’s 5th birthday party was, in a word, awesome. Days before the party, while I was running around like a crazy person, a close friend reminded me what a kid’s birthday should be about. I’m paraphrasing here, but here are her words of wisdom: “Kids want to be celebrated, have a little recognition, but mostly they want to run around with their friends.”

So. True. And that’s what happened at B’s birthday. Four of her girl pals from school came to our favorite carousel, some in princess attire, and they ran, jumped, danced, hoola hooped, and rode the carousel more times than I can count. They also ate some fantastic (if I may be so bold) gluten, egg, and nut free cake. But more on that in a bit.

The weather was PERFECT. No easy feat for an end of April birthday. This by far was the warmest and bluest skied day we’ve ever had. And thank goodness, since the carousel does NOT run in the rain, eeks.

Pure kid joy = Happy mama.

I knew from the moment Bunky had her first ride on the carousel that we were golden. The look on her face was ecstatic, so purely beautifully happy, that it took my breath away. This is the kid who cried and hid in my arms during her disastrous 2nd birthday party (our mistake, huge party for a shy kid). This is the kid who would not play at her preschool at age 3.5, who sat on a chair and cried with her doll after we dropped her off (heart-freaking-breaking). That same girl has been playing all year long. She has played and danced her way from four to five. I can’t explain how grateful I am that her birthday was so sweetly perfect for her.

Our one pic together.

Though a bumpy start for Little Guy, he perked up with bubbles, a chocolate chocolate cupcake (which he inhaled) and quality time with my dad, also known as Greedles.

Now for the cake. I may have mentioned I was stressing out a wee bit over the cake. Well, all for naught because it rocked! Who needs eggs, seriously?! Or gluten, or nuts?! Not us!

After the party I said to my husband, “oh no, I was so busy taking pictures of the kids I didn’t take any pictures of the food,” and he was like, um, duh, that’s a good thing. Which of course it was. But that didn’t stop me from a photo shoot the next day with this little beauty.

And this pre party shot. I made the cake, my husband decorated. Good team work, I think.

As for all my recipe experimenting, let me just give some unsolicited advice for anyone new to egg free baking: when in doubt, use a recipe specifically written for egg free baking. I got lots of great advice from people about replacing eggs – use applesauce and baking powder, sub in a can of pumpkin, etc. But in the end I decided on buying this Ener-G egg replacer. It worked great in the Cybele Pascal’s eggless (and allergy free) recipe for Chocolate Layer Cake. Which is what you see in the above picture.

Since baking is a science, you can’t always just wing it and sub in some egg replacer for two eggs, which is what I tried with a usually successful Annalisse Roberts chocolate cake recipe. The poor cupcakes puffed up like crazy in the oven and then collapsed and become almost hollow inside. Don’t get me wrong, anything with Betty Crocker chocolate frosting (gluten, egg, and nut free!) on top tastes good – but I wanted something better for my girl’s birthday. Here’s a side by side pic of the two cupcakes. The successful Cybele version on the left, the hollow puffer on the right.

Another great part about Cybele’s recipe is that since it’s for a layer cake, it made enough batter for 12 cupcakes and a single layer of chocolate cake. Nice.

Bunky picked out red sugar roses and we topped the kids’ cupcakes with them and offered the puffier cupcakes to adults. Everyone was welcome to enjoy cake. Let’s just say the minimal leftovers didn’t last long at home, thus the lone rose photo shoot.

I have to say, unlike the heavy build up to Bunky’s 4th birthday – which made sense since it was our first anniversary of B’s celiac diagnosis – this year felt lighter. My biggest concern was nailing an egg free cake. Kind of cool, since that means, in many ways, being gluten free is simply part of our lives.

Now that the party’s over, the fact that I have a five year old is starting to sink in… Crazy!

Last but not least, I want to thank all of you for supporting my birthday crisis and really, just for reading my blog. It’s pretty awesome to realize that people I’ve never met, but feel like I *know,* are rooting for my cake baking attempts and hoping for the best for my girl.

As a parting image, I’ll leave you with Bunky and one of her favorite birthday gifts. Sometimes a big girl just wants something soft to cuddle.

Birthday Party Countdown = Insanity

Remember a month ago I mentioned a fun family visit to the doctor’s office where we all got sticks jammed down our throats? It’s called a Strep Test but really it’s more like medieval torture. Turned out Bunky was the only one who had strep, poor kid, and somehow she has it AGAIN. Evil preschool germs.

Well, this time we skipped the family stick up, but poor B was freaking out all morning crying, “No stick, tell them no stick!” which I totally understand. That shit is messed up. My husband tried to reason with her, saying maybe they wouldn’t need to do the test, which I thought was false advertising, but it kept her quite (for about fifteen seconds) so I didn’t argue. But luck was on our side because we met with a new nurse practitioner who I heard was awesome, and turns out the rumors were true because after examining my poor sick kid she agreed NO STICK. I call it an early birthday present because Bunky’s turning 5 in less than a week.

Holy Crap! Her birthday is April 28 and we’re having a teeny weenie party this coming Saturday and now I have a sick kid missing two days of school, so needless to say I’m freaking out. Just a little. I have a shit ton to do in order not to have a complete fail (see Easter) so I’m hoping my baby sitter doesn’t cancel because otherwise no one is getting any allergy free cake.  Which would be sad, really, since it is a birthday party.

Not only am I baking a gluten free cake (duh) but also a nut free and egg free one, because one of Bunky’s best girlfriends from school has nut and egg allergies. [Unfortunately, due to B's need for a small crowd and space constraints, we could only invite 5 kids, so we ended up going with only girls to be "fair" even though I love the boys in her class.] The egg free part feels tricky to me because I’m not used to it, but the chocolate thing is complicated, too, since much of it is often made in facilities with nuts. I am taking this task very seriously since I obviously don’t want anyone having a life threatening allergic attack on my watch.

So this cake is out.

But man, isn’t it so pretty? I have to admit, after spotting this sucker on Pinterest, I considered making it even though I don’t have a cake pop pan (that’s how they made the polka dots). I figured I could use a mini muffin tin, but then I came to my senses.

In the end, Bunky told me what kind of cupcake she wanted – chocolate on chocolate – not surprising as she is a total chocoholic. Then out of nowhere she told me she wanted roses on top. Sure, cool, no problem, I said. My husband looked impressed – as if I was going to bust out a cake decorator and pipe those suckers on top. No way! It’s called sugar roses, dude, and I planned on finding them at a grocery store until we stopped by a Michael’s craft store near my dad’s house in New Jersey. They had all kinds of fancy cupcake decorations, including pink daisies and purple princess crowns, but Bunky held strong to her red rose dream. Gluten free, yeah, but filled with all kinds of chemicals and color dye. No beaver butt, though.

So the chocolate cake is currently my wild card. All my tried and true gluten free chocolate cake recipes call for at least 3 eggs which seems a bit much in terms of using egg replacer. When I did a search online for gluten and egg free (and nut free, but if I use Better Batter flour and safe chocolate I should be okay), almost every recipe also happened to be dairy free, which kind of annoyed me. No offense to the DF-ers out there, but my kid and her friend can actually eat dairy, so I want to include butter and milk in my cake if I can. I mean, my kid loves butter. She’d eat a stick if I let her. Gross, but true.

I found a few recipes that look promising – one, two, three to be exact – but if you know me, you know I don’t like to waste time (because I have no time) so I’m kind of hesitant to try out someone’s random cake recipe without some serious recommendations. In the end I’m going with either a Cybele Pascal recipe (and use regular milk instead of rice, but no butter, sigh) or Annalise Roberts‘ Chocolate Fudge cake (using egg replacer for 2 eggs, but still no butter!!) that came highly recommended. If anyone has tried either of these ladies’ cakes and wants to chime in, PLEASE DO.

I know in the end I could just go with a Cherrybrook Kitchens allergy free mix, but to be honest, while I’m grateful to have that option in a pinch (and may end up making a batch of those for the adults, ha) it just doesn’t taste that great. I think when you take out EVERYTHING potentially allergenic and throw it into a box mix, you can’t expect much. I want my kid’s birthday cupcakes to be awesome. I want her to eat the ENTIRE THING and not just lick off the cheap-o Betty Crocker frosting (yeah, I thought about making my own but then came to my senses, again).

Wish me luck. I only have 4 more days left…

Strawberry Banana Split Balls

Yes, more balls, I know. It’s getting out of hand. Will I ever get tired of making balls or making puns about balls? I don’t think so, but I may run out of ingredient combos. This one is stretching the bounds of imagination a bit. But it’s good. Really good.

Let me start by saying this is in no way meant to be a replacement for an actual banana split. Not at all. If you’re looking for a decadent ice cream extravaganza, you will probably be disappointed. However, if you’re looking for a super tasty raw ball that happens to be delicious and healthy, you’re in luck.

Now that it’s strawberry season (or so I will assume since strawberries are no longer a bazillion dollars and tasteless) I am buying a pint a day. Between me and the kids they go fast. Then the other day I got suckered into buying not only fresh strawberries, but the crazy expensive freeze dried ones, too. I was waiting in line at what Bunky calls The Pickle Market, because of the pickle samples she gorges on, and my hand – with a will completely of its own – reached over and snatched one of these suckers off the rack.

It ripped on one corner so I very understandably realized I’d have to buy it no matter the price. It turns out Little Guy loves freeze dried fruit, but I didn’t let him finish the bag because I had some new balls in mind…

Strawberry Banana Split Balls

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of dates cut in half, soaked in some water to soften up (drain before adding)
• 1/3 cup pecans
• 1/3 cup almonds
• 1/3 cup walnuts
• 1/4 cup coconut flakes (mine were finely ground already, but any would work)
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• dash of cinnamon
• 1/4 cup freeze dried strawberries (you could use more but they are crazy $$)
• handful of freeze dried bananas (leftover from my banana “bread” bars)*
• 1/4 cup (or more!) mini chocolate chips, optional

* If you don’t have freeze dried banana, no worries. Use half of a ripe banana instead, and if the batter is too mushy, just add some more moisture sucking coconut flakes.

Directions:

1. While the dates are soaking, grind the nuts first. [I do this because I want them to be finely ground for the Little Guy, who doesn't have all his teeth yet, but you can skip this step if you don't mind a little more texture.] Then remove ground nuts to a bowl, set aside.

2. Put dates and just a bit of the soaking water into the food processor. Whirl away until a paste is formed. You can either add all the whole nuts now, or the ground ones. Pulse to combine. Then add the coconut, vanilla, and cinnamon. Pulse again.

What Little Guy was up to while I made these. So cute.

3. Then add the freeze dried strawberries and banana. Add chocolate chips (please) if you’re not feeding these to a baby. Pulse to combine. Turn out the batter onto parchment and roll into balls or press into a bar. Freeze until firm.

Raw dough blob very gross looking.

I did a totally unnecessary thing, mainly out of boredom but also because balls are not very photogenic, and rolled a few in some extra strawberry bits. It looks kind of cool in the pics, and adds an extra strawberry burst, but you don’t need to do this. They taste pretty rad all on their own.

Random but important tip: When rolling the dough into balls, DO NOT wet your hands thinking that will help with the stickiness. If you do the balls become hideous looking and slimy. It’s okay that your hands will be covered in bits of dough. Lick it off or wash it later, but keep them dry for the rolling. I speak from experience and on the behalf of one sad soggy little ball that I had to throw out.

I’m happy to have shared this post at the Gluten-Free Friday’s link up party hosted by Vegetarian Mamma. Click the link to find more great GF recipes!

I’m also excited to share it on Raw Foods Thursdays on Gluten Free Cat. * Please note, that the recipes on this link-up will NOT all be gluten free, so be sure to read carefully.

Spring is in the Air (finally!) and Awards, too

First flowers of spring. Pic taken after I moved the garbage away. Hey, it’s city life, what can you do.

It’s that time again, awards! I feel pretty lucky to be on the receiving end of some new awards thanks to two bloggers I quite admire,Traci Carver and Kristine from Thank Heavens.

I feel like I’ve “known” Kristine for a while now. It could be because blog years are like dog years, since it’s been less than six months since we “met” online. Regardless of time, I love her blog, Thank Heavens, The Gluten Free Lifesaver, which is filled with delicious looking recipes and charmingly written posts, not to mention tons of helpful information about celiac disease.

Traci Carver’s blog is a more recent discovery. She’s a young world traveler who has returned to her small hometown to teach high school and bide her time until her next big adventure. But she finds plenty of small adventures close to home and writes about them cleverly. After her mother was diagnosed with celiac disease, Traci wrote a hilarious post about baking gluten free dessert for her mother’s party.

I’d like to thank both ladies for their generous bevy of awards. In order to keep things simple, and to keep my head from spinning off my neck, I’m going to consolidate by posting the badges and then sharing a list of great blogs. I made myself a bit crazy last time, trying to follow each blog award very specifically, but I think the heart of these “awards” is gratitude and recognition, to both the nominators and nominees.

Here is a general list of award “rules” which I forgot to include initially, but are important for those new to this sort of thing. Each award is a bit different, though the essence is the same. (Google the specific award names if you want more specific instructions.)

1. Link back to the nominator (that would be me in this case!)

2. Post all the badges in your awards post and/or on the side bar of your blog

3. Nominate your own list of blogs, the # depends on the award but seems flexible

4. Reveal a list of interesting personal stuff, or answer questions given to you by the nominator

5. Let the nominees know about their nomination by posting a comment on their blog with a link to your post

* Just so you know, there are no actual “winners” of theses awards! Something I had to figure out on my own, ha. It’s more about acknowledgement and encouragement. Spreading the love, that sort of thing.

Okay, so here are the Badges…

Now for my List (in no particular order) of Awesome Blogs…

Gluten Free Jenny (formerly Canada Jenny) – I love Jenny and her fantastic blog. Even though her daughter is newly diagnosed she already is baking bread with multiple flours AND using psyllium husks (which I have yet to use myself, ha).

Based on a Sprue Story – Molly’s amazingly hilarious and clever Celiac Fairy Tales, retold through the eyes of the newly diagnosed, made me an instant fan. And the name of her blog is awesome, too. Her posts are informative and clever. I always look forward to reading her posts.

Sensitive Flour – Another fabulously named site (as a former English major I can’t resist a good pun) and filled with great gluten and lactose free recipes written by a sensitive flower living across the pond in England.

Sophie’s Foodie Files – Anyone who posts a recipe for Gluten Free Boozy Smoothies has my vote, but Sophie has much more than one trick up her sleeve. Her site is filled with delicious and imaginative recipes, many of which are gluten free. She has a very helpful tab on her site that will quickly lead you to recipes in your dietary restriction of choice.

Fructose Free Me – I had never heard of fructose being a problem until I came across this lovely blog written by Donna who suffers from fructose malabsorption. Instead of lamenting the many foods she can’t eat (including garlic, onions, honey and wheat), she focuses on what she can and makes it look damn good.

Gazing In – Sarah’s site is filled with healthy and delicious looking recipes (many are gluten free) and snippets about her life in rural Washington State with her three beautiful boys. She also does lots of cookbook reviews, which are always helpful.

Almonds and Avocados – Rachel makes some of the most gorgeous looking (and tasting) gluten free pancakes and healthy veggie food around the web. I am often inspired by her beautiful salads and healthy smoothies. Did I mention her pancakes? Um, WOW.

My GI Journey – Laura is an Italian girl whose addiction to all things gluten went bust when she realized she was gluten intolerant. Her blog follows her new GF journey with humor and honesty, a winning combo in my book.

Fuck off Gluten – Okay, so you already know I’m a sucker for a good name and TJ’s hilariously irreverent and potty-mouthed blog is awesome. She is newly gluten free and pissed, but in a good way. Check out her GF journey and her attempts at baking GF bread (3 fails so far, but as far as I’m concerned, 4 times is the charm) among other great and successful recipes.

The Patient Celiac – Here’s one I forgot but totally meant to include! I’ve been following Jess’s blog since she started it. She is a doctor AND has celiac, and she posts very interesting and accessible articles from both a medical and personal perspective.

That’s it for now. I’m probably missing a few, but my brain is currently shutting down due to lack of food. Must dip into my kid’s stash of Cheddar Nut Thins and contemplate lunch. Hope you’re all enjoying some spring weather!

Blueberry Granola Balls and a Cautionary Tale

I try to support local businesses. I do, really. Before Barnes and Noble took over the world, I tried to buy most of my books from small independent bookstores. (Full disclosure: I did work at Barnes and Noble after college, which was an awesome job for a book lover, but that’s when they were a SMALL chain. Yeah, I’m old.) Now that Amazon has taken over the world, I try to shop at Barnes and Noble. You get the idea.

So when I saw a very narrow little health food shop open up near my home, I got very excited. Especially when I realized they had some gluten free stuff. Although there are plenty of small grocers in a nearby neighborhood that sell (insanely overpriced) GF stuff, there is nothing this close. Now whenever I’m walking by, I stop in to see how I can support them and not go broke (golden chia seed is VERY expensive, sigh).

Mostly I’ve been stocking up on my family’s beloved Cheddar Nut Thins. Have you tried these? SO GOOD! The cheese powder is addictive like Doritos but on a rice cracker, which means you can eat the whole bag in one sitting and not feel guilty. Unless your kid asks for some in an accusatory way. Then you feel a little guilty.

Anyway, the other day I decided to bite the bullet and buy Kind brand’s Blueberry Vanilla Granola. I had been debating on making my own granola for a while now, but haven’t had the time or energy. I figured I’d use my baking time for muffins and cookies while supporting a local business. Besides, the price was reasonable and I like Kind bars. Seemed like a win win situation. As a bonus, when I checked the ingredients there was NO natural vanilla flavor, just REAL vanilla extract. No potential beaver butt for me!

However, everything went to crap when I tasted it and nearly gagged. It was like eating plastic crunchy stuff. I sniffed inside the bag. It smelled like it tasted. Horrible. I made my husband, who has the nose of a hunting dog, smell and taste it. He confirmed my fears. It was rancid. We checked the expiration which was only a month away. (For the record, I’ve had Kind granola before and it was fine, I’m thinking this bag was just old.)

[The moral of this story is not to avoid small stores, but to always check expiration dates. Close ones like this should be avoided, especially when shelling out the big bucks for GF.]

I’m usually not the bring-it-back-to-the-store kind of girl, even when I should, but this time I had to. The lady at the register was very courteous about the whole thing, which was a relief since I was all anxious and sweaty. Not only because I was holding Little Guy. I always get that way in any kind of confrontation situation, even when I’m in the right. Totally pathetic, I know. She smelled and tasted the granola. I tried to read her expression to see if she thought I was another crazy hyper sensitive customer or if she agreed. From the look on her face I think the latter. But regardless, she let me exchange it for a bag of Bob Red Mill’s GF oats. I always need more oats. Especially with recipes like this delish looking honey muffin one and this flourless oatmeal cookie hanging out my Pinterest Treats board.

All those extra oats and a desire for something that actually tasted like blueberries and vanilla inspired the latest in my ball series. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do, they might be my new fave.

Blueberry Granola Balls (or Bars, your call)

Ingredients:

• 1 + 1/2 cup of dates cut in half, soaked in some water to soften up (drain before adding)
• 1/2 cup pecans
• 1/2 cup almonds
• approximately 2 teaspoons of coconut oil, melted and cooled
• 2 teaspoons of maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup gluten free oats
• 1/2 cup dried blueberries*

* If you don’t have dried blueberries, which can be crazy expensive, feel free to sub in cranberries or skip the fruit all together and toss in a teaspoon or so of cinnamon. They’re your balls now.

Directions:

In a food processor, blend the softened dates a bit before adding the nuts. Process the nuts and dates together and then add the other ingredients up until the last two.

Lastly, add the blueberries and oats. Pulse until just combined. You don’t want to pulverize the oats. They add a nice texture.

Roll into balls and then put in the freezer for about an hour to chill. Store in freezer for best results. You can also press into a square (using parchment paper, the dough is VERY sticky) then freeze and cut into whatever shape you fancy.

Two little hints:

If you feel like the dough is too dry, add a 1/2 teaspoon more of coconut oil or maple syrup. If the dough is too wet, add a bit more oats, a tablespoon at a time.

If you want the nuts very finely ground, like I do sometimes for Little Guy, process those FIRST and then set aside. Then process the dates into a paste. Add the finely ground nuts and then continue with the recipe.

Yes, that is a ball tower. I went a little nuts taking photos. Ha!

I’m happy to have shared this post at the Gluten-Free Friday’s link up party hosted by Vegetarian Mamma. Click the link to find more great GF recipes!

It’s also posted on Simply Sugar and Gluten Free’s Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays. * Please note, that the recipes on this link-up will NOT all be gluten free, so be sure to read carefully.