I remember hearing with shock that as a kid, my mom had to wrap her sandwiches in, get this — waxed paper! Not only did they not have Ziplocks, they didn’t even have Baggies!

In my search for a better solution to plastic I ran across a really cool craft idea that solves the problem of wasting money on bags that you only use once and helps out the environment too. (more…)

This dessert is easy to put together and only takes about a half-hour. It is gluten-free, corn and soy-free, and can be dairy-free if you simply substitute the butter for spectrum palm oil. (more…)

Crayons aren’t so easy to carry around, right? They break easily, can spill out of a bag and mark up your things, and worst of all, they have a tendency to melt all over your purse if you leave them closed up in car during the hot summer months. A thin tin box with a handy snap tight closure is the perfect container for carrying crayons for those ‘whenever’ times in life.

This simple solution makes it easy to have some crayons in your diaper bag or purse, ready at a moment’s notice for use in waiting rooms, or wherever you find yourself stuck with a hard to entertain toddler, all while preventing breakage or ruining your purse. (more…)

My mom’s most requested cake is just a simple angel food cake with fresh fruit and whipped cream. She wanted me to bake her something I could eat too, so we decided to take a chance on baking an angel food cake with an alternative flour.

We thought it would work, since angel food cake only uses 1 cup of flour, and all the leavening comes from the dozen eggs in the recipe. But just in case, we bought a back-up cake at the grocery store.

You know what that means — it worked! Any time you’re ready with the back-up, you don’t need it, right? (more…)

No matter how you eat, whether it’s a restricted diet or not, it’s easy to get in a rut. We broke out of our rut with a “Spring is Coming” Salad Nicoise. Salad Nicoise is a French salad that traditionally includes hard boiled eggs, tuna and green beans.

While I often include tuna — a high quality Italian one packed in oil — this time I didn’t happen to have any, so I left it out. (more…)

If you’re avoiding dairy it’s not too hard to find a substitute since there are so many fine choices out there — various nut milks, soy milks, as well as rice milks. Most people gravitate toward nut milks and soy milks when they need to substitute for whole milk or cream in a recipe. But what do you do if you’re avoiding soy? The thickest of the milk substitutes, soy is a handy go to for the dairy-free baker. It’s the staple product in nearly all non-dairy frozen goodies. Let’s face it, no soy means no Tofutti Cuties! (more…)

Choosing a new pancake mix is the first and easiest transition in the kitchen when going gluten free. When I first went gluten free I thought I would have a hard time retiring my favorite homemade pancake mix, but what I soon learned was that there are a multitude of gluten-free pancake mixes on the market these days. Choosing a good mix can be a costly venture if you have to sample six varieties before settling on one with a taste and texture that meets your criteria. (more…)

These moist, cake-like Brownies are not overly sweet. I used fructose sugar (which I’m told is always derived from corn these days). But if you are not corn-free, I think it is a good replacement for standard refined sugar. I used Baker’s brand chocolate in my version but there are several casein-free brands out there like Elite (which is a Kosher product that is also soy-free), Enjoy Life (GF, CF, MF, soy and Nut free), and Tropical Source (which is also found at Whole Foods and is vegan too).The entire dish takes under an hour to prepare and probably even less to polish off because they are so delicious. This recipe is only gluten-free as listed but can be modified to be dairy and corn-free as well with a few suggested substitutions. (more…)

If you are worried about the over-use of chemicals in your home then you should check out Green Home Experts, located at 823 S. Oak Park Avenue in Oak Park, Illinois. Owned by Maria Onesto Moran, this store is part of a new breed of hardware stores. They offer building supplies and home products that are environmentally friendly. So the next time you decide to do a little remodeling or home improvement check out some of their eco-friendly flooring, paints, insulation, water fixtures, counter tops, cabinets, mattresses, and more. Those that are just looking for small ticket items will happily find fluorescent light bulbs, non-toxic cleaning products, organic fabrics, and eco-friendly garden supplies. Open Tuesday through Sunday, Green Home Experts offer consultation services for architects, designers, decorators and contractors. Just contact the store for more details. (more…)

I’ve been making A to Z bread for years, aptly named because you could basically add anything from A to Z and still use the same recipe. I got the original recipe from Real food for Real People, and recently altered it to fit my new dietary needs. I replaced the wheat/white flour with a gluten-free flour blend that I mixed myself. The results were great.

The original A to Z recipe calls for 3 cups of white flour and then allows for 2 cups of any 31 fruits or vegetables on their list, starting with grated apples and ending with grated zucchini. The version you see pictured here is Pumpkin Bread. It is gluten, corn, and casein-free. It is easy to make and bakes up in about one hour. (more…)