AK canning jar

Hope you all had a fun weekend.  I am finding it harder to get back into the groove of blogging than I thought I would, but let’s give it another shot, shall we?

To start off, there is a contest over at Bob’s Red Mill that you have to check out!  They are giving away Carol Fenster’s book 100 Best Gluten Free Recipes and a gift pack of gluten free flours.  Now, I hardly want to tell you all about it because I would LOVE to win this, but I just had to share the love.  Hurry over- the contest ends at midnight TONIGHT.

This week coming up is a busy one for me with class prep for upcoming classes and a training that I have very closely scheduled together.  I am also teaching for Sunday School this week, so my script needs to be worked on and memorized.  I better get cracking!  I am slightly would up about all of it, but there is nothing to worry about (yet).  I have a plan of what needs to be done each day, including a baking plan that must be meet daily or the world will explode.  I can handle it, it’s my job.  On my plan is also to actually blog (fur realz, dude)- look it’s getting done right now!

In order for my amazing plan of wonder to be fully realized this week, I am going to utilize my crockpot quite a bit so my family will actually get dinner.  They would probably appreciate that!

See Laura at Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday.  For gluten free menus, Celiacs in the House is the host for this week’s Gluten Free Menu Swap.  She has picked peppers at the theme.  We have plenty of peppers in the fridge still from the garden and CSA boxes which we will be using in our menu.  The big kids also like to bring pepper slices in their school lunches instead of the usually carrot sticks.  If I can’t get through our supply of peppers quick enough before they get squishy, I may have to make a batch of stuffed peppers for the freezer this weekend.

Below this week’s menu plan is a dairy free pumpkin coffee creamer.  Yum.  Just a little something to enjoy during the fall season.

Monday: Pep band for big boy at the Dome (Go girls soccer!!)/dance class for big girl

Slow Cooker Pulled Barbeque Pork on Baked Sweet Potatoes and salad

Tuesday: Piano Lessons (need portable dinner)

Mediterranean Chicken, Polenta and Salad

Wednesday: Run GF Staff Training/little girl dance/youth group/practice for Sunday School drama teach (Need a portable dinner for me.  For the fam, dinner in the crock as I won’t even be home between the training and church drama practice)

Slow Cooker Pumpkin Chili and Blender Corn Bread

Thursday: Girl Scout Caddy meeting

Beef and Gingered Cabbage with quinoa


Friday: No school/Dinner with a guest/movie night at our church (Toy Story 3!  Woo!)

General Tso Chicken (all set up to be posted later this week) with bok choy, pea pods and cashews over rice


Saturday: Mom teaches Gluten and Dairy Free Muffin and Quick Bread Class/School conference for the little girl

Broiled Fish with tomatoes, Green Beans and mashed cauliflower

Sunday: Mommy teaches Sunday School (both services)

Beef Fajitas with all the fixings, Spanish-style black beans and rice

All those specialty fall beverages being advertised right now got me hungry for something a little different.  However, I don’t want to risk the dairy cross-contamination or pay what they charge per cup, so this is my solution.  Enjoy!

Coconut Milk Pumpkin Creamer

1 1/2 cups coconut milk

3/4 cup sugar or evaporated cane juice (I like the slight molasses flavor of dried cane juice in this.  You could also use 1/2 cup brown rice syrup or honey – The key is to sweeten to taste, but remember this is to be added to a hot beverage as the sweetener/creamer – get it?)

1 teaspoon gluten free vanilla flavoring

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/8 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 cup canned pumpkin or pumpkin puree

Combine all ingredients except pumpkin puree in a small sauce pan.  Heat until sugar is completely dissolved, stirring often.  Stir in pumpkin.  Enjoy in coffee, hot chocolate or steamed milk substitute of choice.  Store extra in the refrigerator.  Stir creamer before adding to hot beverage after it has been chilled.  I also like to heat the creamer that I am adding to hot coffee or chocolate so as not to cool it down, but that is a personal preference.