Easy Gluten Free Brown Gravy & Mashed Potatoes

Today’s post isn’t exactly a recipe, it’s more of a tip or trick to easy gluten free brown gravy!

Ingredients:

Small or baby golden or red potatoes- peeled
1 quart of beef bone broth
1-2 cups of water
1 tbsp butter
1 garlic clove minced
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Put your potatoes in a sauce pan or small pot and cover them in the bone broth, add the 1/2 cups if necessary to cover the potatoes in liquid. Be careful not to add an excessive amount of water, or it will yield a thin gravy. Add a sprinkle of salt.

Heat to boil and simmer until the potatoes are soft and easily smashed with a fork. 20-30 mins approx. depending on size of potatoes. The softer the better…

Remove potatoes from liquid and place in a bowl, add butter, salt and pepper and smash into mashed potatoes or whip with mixer if you prefer.

Observe your broth, it should be thick now. The starch from the potatoes will have turned it into gravy! Taste! Season with salt and pepper or anything else you like!

* if the broth is not quite thick enough, due to adding too much water, add tapioca, corn or arrowroot starch/ water mixture to thicken to your liking.

Gluten Free Cherry Almond Crisp

I love organic cherries but they are expensive, here is a way to make a delicious fresh cherry dessert without breaking the bank! Pears are inexpensive and take on the flavor of the cherries as they cook down.

Ingredients:

Filling-

20 Organic Cherries (pitted and halved)
3-4 Large Organic Pears (chopped)

1 Vanilla Bean (split and cut in half)
1 tsp almond extract
1/4 cup organic cane sugar
3/4 cup water

Topping-

1.5 cups gluten free oats
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 cup of flour
1/2 brown sugar
3/4 grass fed butter (softened)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine all of the filling ingredients in a medium sauce pan and cook over low/med heat stirring occasionally until thick.

While filling is cooking down, mix all of the topping ingredients in a bowl. It should be slightly sticky but crumble easily by hand.

Remove and discard vanilla bean from filling mixture. Pour into a small/medium baker or glass Pyrex dish. Crumble topping over the top of cherry filling and bake in the preheated oven for approximately 30 mins or until crust is crunchy.

Here’s My Bag of Chicken Feet!

We had our monthly co-op gathering and this time I picked up a whole bag of chicken feet!

Why chicken feet?

For broth! Now you don’t have to use chicken feet in your broth if you do not wish, but I have heard from many that chicken feet make for a delicious rich broth.

This will be my first time using them in my homemade chicken stock so wish me luck and I will keep you posted as to the results!

My Husbands Favorite Salsa

Ingredients:

10 Roma tomatoes
1 yellow onion
1 red or yellow bell pepper
2 jalapeños
2 cloves garlic minced
1 bunch cilantro
1 lime
2 tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chile powder

Optional
1 dried ancho chile reconstituted

Directions:

Finely chop all ingredients and mix in a large bowl. Add lime, vinegar, and spices at the end! Enjoy!

Tip: The manual food processor from pampered chef makes this super easy and fast to make.

Alternate preparation:

Take 1/2 of the bell pepper, 1 jalapeño, 1/2 of the onion and the garlic (husk on) and roast for 20-25 mins in oven at 350 and then chop and add the roasted mixture to the fresh mixture.

Alternate version shown in picture above.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Gluten Free Morning Fruit and Veggie Muffins

Gluten Free Morning Fruit and Veggie Muffins

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups organic cane sugar
2 1/4 cups gluten-free all purpose flour mix -I like gluten free mama almond blend
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 grated pear
1 grated small zucchini
4 large grated carrots 2cups
1/2 can drained, crushed pineapple
3/4 cups raisins
1/2 cup shredded, sweetened coconut
3 large eggs
1 cup melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350° F

Grease muffin pan or use liners.

In a large mixing bowl combine sugar, gluten-free flour blend, xanthan gum, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Use a large whisk to thoroughly combine.

In a separate large bowl combine shredded carrots, pear, zucchini, pineapple and raisins.

Add the fruit, vegetable, mixture to the dry ingredients followed by eggs, butter and vanilla. Beat the mixture to thoroughly combine ingredients. Batter will be thick and gloppy, see picture below.

Fill muffin cups about 3/4 full. Bake in preheated oven for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Earth Mama Angel Baby Giveaway Winner!

AND THE WINNER IS:

denaehula who commented

August 6, 2013 at 10:43 pm

I’m now following the blog and I’ve liked you on Facebook! 9 weeks left in this pregnancy so I would love to win! =)

To claim your prize please go to http://www.earthmamaangelbaby.com/giveaway-winners and fill out the information required.

Thank you and keep reading Jacks Crunchy Mama!

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• Earth Mama Angel Baby Review and Giveaway! (jackscrunchymama.wordpress.com)

Jacks Growing Independence

My little Jack is turning 10 months on Aug 14th. That is only a measly 2 months from being a whole year old, and I for one am sad. Why should I be sad? My son is growing and thriving, he is happy and playful. Over the last few weeks, Jack has gotten his first tooth, taken his first steps, starting sleeping in his own bed (well not the whole night), & started to wean himself from breast feeding.

While all of those things I just mentioned seem like good things, and they are good, they are also terrible. Terrible because they all lead to independence from ME. My baby is turning into a boy, and boys grow up to be teenagers and then when they are about 40, they turn into adult men… I’m kidding about the last part, well kind of. And adult men do not and should not cuddle with their mothers.

Until the last few weeks, Jack has needed me in every single part of his daily life. In fact for the first 10 months in utero and much of his infancy thus far, he has needed me to stay alive. So his growing independence is bitter sweet. I am having so much fun playing with him, reading him books and finding new ways to make him laugh. But I am also finding myself missing my baby, he is in the same apartment, even the same room sometimes and I will start to cry. He has only begun to wean so he is still nursing a few times a day but it still saddens me. Sometimes I will offer to nurse him and he will slide off my lap to retrieve his noonie or a toy. REJECTED! That is the only way to describe what I feel when he would rather do other things when I am offering him the milk I have worked so hard to produce.

I am sure that this is just the natural progression of things and that my feelings toward these changes are normal. I can see why people tend to get pregnant again so soon after the weaning of a child. There is a longing in the heart of a mother for her baby to be snuggled up against her in the dead of the night where in those moments, they are the only 2 who exist.

 

Earth Mama Angel Baby Review and Giveaway!

37 Weeks Pregnant With Jackson

The product I am reviewing today is “A Little Something for Mama-To-Be” by Earth Mama Angel Baby. This is a mini kit of trial sized products for pregnancy including Organic Morning Wellness Tea, Earth Mama Body Butter, Happy Mama Wash, Happy Mama Spray and Natural Stretch Oil.

First of all I would like to say that this company is amazing and I would like for you to read their mission statement:

Earth Mama believes in the natural process of birth, and the healing power of nature. Our mission is to provide safe, herbal alternatives for pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women, and babies of all ages, and to help educate people about traditional plant medicine and safe personal care. We manufacture natural and organic products that work, combining generations of women’s wisdom and traditional plant medicine with the safety and assurances of contemporary evidence based research. If it doesn’t measure up to Mama’s standards, it doesn’t leave the building. That’sMama’s Promise®.

Read Mamas Promise by clicking here!

When I was pregnant with Jack, I used a variety of of products from Earth Mama Angel Baby and still use some of the baby care line for Jack now. I have tried almost all of the herbal teas from EMAB and they are all delicious. My favorite tea was the Third Trimester Tea. It is super yummy and made me feel relaxed and at ease in my last anxious few weeks. But lets talk about the products in the kit…

Organic Morning Wellness Tea:

This tea is caffeine free, contains ginger and mint so it soothes those rolling waves in the pit of your stomach during those early weeks of pregnancy. It is tasty all on its own but I like to add a tsp of honey to mine. I prefer it hot but when made into iced tea, it becomes a refreshing treat in the hot summer months.

Earth Mama Body Butter:

I hate to feel greasy after applying lotion or any kind of body product. I actually avoid body butters in general because I do not want to feel like a greased pig after a bath. BUT this body butter is like a thin layer of velvet all over your skin. It does not leave a sticky or unpleasant residue and has a light fragrance. The fragrance is a slightly sweet aroma with vanilla and orange. Love it!

Happy Mama Hand to Toe Wash:

This is a foaming wash that is scented with grapefruit and ginger. The one word that came to my mind while using it was ZING! This is an exhilarating fragrance in my opinion, refreshing and yummy. It is a foam wash, lathers well and rinses clean. And since this product is in the citrus family, it wont smell funny when you follow with the Body Butter above.

Happy Mama Spray:

I have to say, this was my favorite product in this kit. I had not tried this one before receiving this sampler and I was surprised when it was my favorite. When I am having a stressful day, I reach for it right away. The bottle says, “Naturally Uplifting Aromatherapy Mist”, and I could not agree more… UPLIFTING is the best word to describe this product. Just like the Butter and the Wash, it has a citrus aroma. All three products smell different but complimentary, so they work well together.

Natural Stretch Oil:

I used this product religiously when I was pregnant with Jack. I cannot say that I have 0 stretch marks but I can say that I did not have any until 38 weeks and I gained 64lbs. I feel like this product definitely helped my skin stretch with my growing baby and it also helped with the itching I had as my skin stretched. This is an oil and again where most will make you feel slippery and greasy, this one absorbs really well. Especially when applied immediately after a hot bath or shower. There is a smell to this product but it is faint. In fact I cannot even tell you what it smells like because it is so mild. Of all of the products in this kit and listed above, this would be my highest recommended during pregnancy.

This kit would be a perfect gift for any expectant mother and if you would like to order one of these or any of the other great products, please visit the Earth Mama website by clicking here.

Of course you could just get one of these “A Little Something for Mama-To-Be” for FREE! That’s right Jacks Crunchy Mama and Earth Mama Angel Baby is doing a GIVE-A-WAY! 1 US or Canadian Winner will recieve “A Little Something for Mama-To-Be”. Drawing will be held August 9th, 2013 at 6PM CST.

To enter the giveaway you must complete the following:

1. Be a follower of Jacks Crunchy Mama. (To follow this blog, look for a small +follow button at the bottom right corner of the screen from a desktop, or include your email in a comment and I will send you a direct link.)

2. Like Earth Mama on Facebook.

3. Comment below confirming that you have done the previous 2 requirements.

Like Earth Mama Angel Baby on Facebook by clicking this LINK!

Follow Earth Mama’s Blog

Follow Earth Mama Angel Baby on Twitter

Not Pregnant? Breastfeeding? Earth Mama has a whole line of nursing friendly products as well.

Earth Mama Angel Baby also offers a free e-book on their webpage “Herbs and Breastfeeding” so make sure and check that out as well.

“Disclaimer: Earth Mama Angel Baby provided this product for my review at no cost.”

Best Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

I got this recipe off of the back of the Enjoy Life Brand chocolate chips! If you have been following this blog, you know that I love the products from Enjoy Life and recommend them for those who have food allergy issues.

I am not dairy free anymore so I changed the recipe slightly, here is my version below:

Ingredients:

2/3 cup butter
1 egg
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 granulated sugar
1 tbsp vanilla
1/3 cup water

2 -1/4 cup all purpose GF flour (I used an almond blend from Gluten Free Mama)
1 tsp xanthan gum
1-1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder

1 bag of Enjoy Chocolate Chips!

Directions:

1. Preheat to 375 degrees.

2. Cream butter and add sugars, egg, vanilla and water.

3. Mix together flour and all other dry ingredients in a separate bowl.

4. Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet and beat until combined.

5. Add chocolate chips!

I use a stainless steel scoop and dropped 9 cookies evenly spaced (2-3 inches apart) and I use parchment paper so I have less clean up.

Bake for about 8 mins and remove to cool on a cooling rack.

Final step- EAT THEM ALL!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Verse of the (SUN)DAY!

Today in church we were singing a song that said,

He raised the dead, oh yes, 5000 souls he fed, oh yes! Oh oh oh what a mighty God we serve!

The bible says in Matthew:

Matthew 14:13-21 KJV

13 When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart: and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities.

14 And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.

15 And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals.

16 But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat.

17 And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.

18 He said, Bring them hither to me.

19 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.

20 And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.

21 And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.

Looking around the sanctuary as I sang along, I realized our church held about 5000 people and then it hit me. The magnitude of what was done. He was able to feed all of those people with such a seemingly small amount of food. And we say he fed the 5000 but when you read it, he actually fed 5000 men and there were children and women beside the 5000.

Tears streamed down my face as the reality washed over me, Jesus can do anything. It’s one thing to say it, and another thing altogether to believe it.

When it becomes real- it’s truly amazing. I thank The Lord that he touched me this morning and renewed my spirit.