If you did not have a chance to download this last year, you can use this link to download a fee copy of Jules Shepard's "Back to School with Jules" e-Book! Hurry, this will not be free forever! It is full of great tips to make going back to school much easier for those who must avoid gluten! There are even some dairy free alternatives.

Kale Chips are all the rage in the world of health enthusiasts. They are a great way to eat your greens, very simple to make and naturally gluten and dairy free. There are tons of kale chip recipes out there, but if you are looking for something light and crispy with a lovely garlicky herb flavor, give this one a try.

To make this recipe, all you need is some olive oil, sea salt, and Mrs. Dash Garlic Herb Seasoning (GF by the way :). Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with foil or parchment paper. First, you need to wash about 1/2 of a bunch of kale and remove the stems. Next, cut or tear the kale into chip-sized pieces. Make sure that the pieces are a decent size because they will shrivel in the oven. Now you need to dry the kale EXTREMELY well. I used a salad spinner, and then removed the excess moisture with paper towels. Place the kale on the cookie sheet and drizzle 1 -2  tablespoons of olive oil on the kale. Sprinkle with the Mrs Dash and the sea salt. I used about 1/2 teaspoon of the salt (I'm not a huge salt fan, but you can add more if it suits you). Stir the kale or mix with your hands so that the oil and seasoning are evenly dispersed. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Check them after ten minutes because they can burn easily. You know that they are done when you shake the pan and they move around freely. 

Now that school is back in session, it is important to have an efficient system for planning gluten & dairy free meals!

For a few weeks I have been seeing posts which discuss how to make a menu planning board. I was directed to this post here, and as a crafter and lover of organization, I fell so head over heels in LOVE with the idea that I just had to make one! 

Before, my husband and I used a dry erase board calendar. We would place the weekly meals on it and we did this for a couple of years. The problem that we found with this method, however, was that we still needed to pour over our cookbooks and collections of recipes to decide what we want to eat. I know you are probably thinking "What is the big deal?" Well, sometimes it can be very difficult for us to decide what to eat. We are blessed enough to live in a society where we have plenty of good foods to choose from, but sometimes choices can get overwhelming in a household where one person eats dairy and gluten and the other person does not.

What makes the menu planning board so cool is that you have cards that are labeled with all of the things that you and your family eat most often. On the back are the items that you need to make a particular recipe so that you can make your list with more ease.  I also included where to locate the recipes (certain cookbooks with page numbers, or in certain binders etc). I used someone else's template which helped lots. I also did not write every single ingredient.  I did make sure to create cards that say "New Recipe" and "Leftovers" to help plan the week more easily

To make this, I used a frame and scrapbook paper  that I already had. I used jello boxes for the card holders and covered them with scrapbooking paper. I followed this tutorial and I was all done!

It may seem like a bit of extra work, but trust me, it was well worth the 45 minutes that it took to make the board, and type up the cards. I was surprised by the enthusiasm that my husband displayed regarding this. He helped me come up with the items for the cards and now walks on over to the board and picks some of the things that he wants to eat throughout the week. Since ideas are right there, it makes menu planning WAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYY easier. It is also a cute addition to the kitchen. I hung this with command strips and have not had any problems. I hope this helps and let me know what you think. I would love to hear how you and your family plan your meals.

After going gluten free, I have a tremendous appreciation for how food impacts our health. I oftentimes encounter people who say that they HATE vegetables, but do not mind fruit.  Here are just a few easy ways to get enough produce into your diet. These are the things that work for me and my family, and I hope they work for you! 

Place Veggies in a Marinade!  If plain veggies are not your favorite, marinate them. I do this all of the time to enhance the flavor of the vegetables. What is cool about doing this, is that you can grill your veggies, or roast them in the oven. It is also very easy, and keeps things from getting boring.

I meet quite a few people who think that eating more vegetables is tough. My sister for instance, does NOT like vegetables, save a few, but in order to get them in, she juices them. The combination of fruit and vegetables can not only be packed with nutrients, but it makes it easier to consume more at a time. My only problem with juicing, is that some of the nutrients are lost during the process. I am still a huge fan though. One of my favorite juice recipes is a spinach or kale ginger, green grape, pear juice. It is excellent for times when you are having digestive difficulties. Not to mention, it is just plain ole' delicious! Vegetable and fruit juice possibilities are endless! I do not have a picture, but I also absolutely love strawberry/spinach smoothies! I will post my recipe soon.

Throw veggies into other dishes. I throw lots of spinach in pasta sauce as well as, shredded carrots and zucchini into sloppy joe sauce. I also ground up cauliflower in the food processor and stir it into mashed potatoes. I do not make mashed potatoes often, but when I do, I pump it up with cauliflower or broccoli. The added bonus is that people can't really tell the taste difference.

Veggies rock in scrambled eggs, omelets and quiches!  I love throwing spinach and/or kale into egg bakes. It is one very easy way to get a veggie fix! You can even use frozen veggies. Just make sure you drain them or saute them so that your eggs will not be runny.

Of course there are salads. One way to keep salads from getting so boring, is by actually adding fruit and nuts to them. Blueberries are high in antioxidants and apples are great for getting fiber. Add them to mixed greens with pecans and herb seasoned chicken breasts and you have a delicious meal. A combination of pears and walnuts with balsamic vinaigrette on a bed of mixed greens is stellar as well!

Portion out Veggies. As I have mentioned before, I love divided containers.  They make it really easy to cut up some of the produce that you would like to snack on throughout the day. When produce is easily accessible, you may find it easier to grab the healthy stuff instead of the cookies or chips. Start with the produce that you like, and then try to expand your palette with different types.

These are just some of the things that work for me. I know that I did not mention anything ground breaking or mind moving, but sometimes looking at how others accomplish things can help. Have a delicious produce filled gluten and or dairy free day!

Lately I have been seeing sweet potato burger recipes all over the net. Many of them are not gluten or dairy free, so when I spied a beautiful picture of a gluten and dairy free version in my first Living Without magazine purchase, I had to try it. The burger is gluten, dairy, and egg free! It was different but very tasty. My husband was not as big of a fan of it as I was, but I think that is because I tend to gravitate towards more unique dishes than he does. I placed mine on some Udi's gluten and dairy free whole grain hamburger buns. The buns happen to be quite delicious! As always, have a fabulous gluten and or dairy free day!