Easy Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken

Like most people, I never feel like there are enough hours in the day! I love to find and create slow cooker meals, because it can definitely make cooking dinner easier. I was at Publix not too long ago, and I noticed that the Sweet Baby Ray's Barbecue sauce was buy one get one free. I decided to look at the label, and what do ya know? The original sauce is actually very allergy friendly! So, I put a bottle in my cart and started thinking of what to do with it. I decided to try a crock pot bbq chicken, and I think it turned out really well. Whether you have food allergies and intolerances or not, I think you will definitely be a fan of this new staple in my kitchen!

Super Simple Crockpot BBQ Chicken

(Dairy free/soy free/egg free/nut free/gluten free/low fat)

18 oz bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's original BBQ Sauce (or your favorite bottled sauce)
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

 2 heaping Tablespoons of brown sugar

1 tsp garlic powder
1/2-3/4 cup finely diced yellow onion

Salt and Pepper

2 lbs boneless chicken

Saute' your finely diced yellow onion in one tablespoon of olive oil in a small pan until soft and starts to caramelize. Remove the onion from the heat and allow to cool.
Spray your crockpot with cooking spray (watch your label) or lightly dab with olive oil . Heavily season your chicken with salt and pepper and trim the fat (i also usually cut large breasts in half, but its up to you). Stir together remaining ingredients in a medium bowl. Place chicken into crockpot, and pour your prepared sauce over your chicken. Turn Crockpot on low for 4-6 hours. That's it! Yum!

heavily salt and pepper your chicken!

All ingredients (minus the onion) in a medium bowl

Now add your cooled sauteed onion..yuuuuummm

BBQ Chicken awesomeness cooking away..

Voila!

Happy Healthy Eating!

Leah

Monday Pick-Me-Up!

Got a case of the Mondays?? Sigh. Even though I am a stay at home mom, I find myself feeling a bit more sleepy on Mondays. So this Monday I thought I would share with you a new recipe I have created that is sure to give you that extra little punch that you may need on Mondays..or any day! I love to eat them as a mid morning snack or before doing something physical. Pack them in your child's lunch box, bring them to work, or eat them as an afternoon snack instead of reaching for that candy bar or bag of chips! Although I personally like them cold, they can also be eaten at room temperature. They taste great and are packed with natural goodness!

Almond Joy (No Bake) Energy Balls
(Gluten Free. Vegetarian. No dairy, egg, soy, peanuts or artificial colors)

3/4 cup Almond Butter
1-2-3/4 unsweetened Coconut Flakes ( I use 3/4 cup)
1/4 cup Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Chips or Mini Dark Chocolate Chips of choice
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/3 cup Organic Honey
1 1/2 cup Rolled Oats- quick oat variety
1/2 cup Milled Flax Seed (it is a powdered consistency)

Line a large baking tray with parchment paper. Combine all ingredients into a large bowl. Stir. Using a spoon or small scooper, spoon about 2 tablespoons of the mixture into your hands and roll into balls. Place each ball onto the lined baking tray. Pop into the fridge for about 30 minutes, and that is it! Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. 

Close-up of the yummy goodness..

Happy Monday, Everyone!

Leah

I'M  GOING  BANANAS!

Its Cold. Like seriously Cold for Alabama weather, and all I keep thinking about is how nice it would be to sit by a warm fire...which then makes me think of S'mores! I am a huge fan of s'mores, but they aren't exactly the healthiest afternoon snack for my tot. Collins has recently gotten fairly picky, which makes things pretty tough on me when i am already trying to cook on her special diet. Collins LOVES marshmallows and Enjoy Life (dairy/soy/nut free) chocolate chips. So, I decided to make a cold day treat that plays off the idea of the S'more that is actually fairly healthy. I think I will call them...

FUNKY MONKEY BAKED BANANAS! (low fat/vegan/gluten free)

1 Ripe but firm Banana
Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips or Dark Chocolate chips of your choice
Marshmallows
(Another great addition would be 2 of teaspoons of all natural peanut butter)
Aluminum Foil

Preheat oven to 350

Peel your banana carefully. Place the banana smiley face up on a piece of foil. Then cut a slit down the middle of your banana, leaving the ends un cut. Your cut should resemble a v at each each (so you have a little room to hollow out similar to this: < >
Take a fork and carefully remove the banana slit in the middle. Now fill your banana as you wish! I put marshmallows side by side and then sprinkled my little choc. chips throughout, but you can do it however you want. Now wrap your banana tightly in your foil and place it in the oven. Bake for 13-15 minutes until soft when you grab it with your potholder. Unwrap and enjoy!

See the v-slit I cut??

 

Leave your ends uncut like a canoe

I cooked this in the oven, but this would also be great on the grill. Wrap the same and just cook for about 16 minutes, flipping halfway.

Topping options:

Dark Chocolate
Marshmallows
All Natural Peanut Butter
Graham Crackers crumbled up
Chopped nuts
Caramels (not as healthy)
Flax Seeds
Chia Seeds
Granola
Dried fruit chopped up
Nutella
White Chocolate Chips (Not as healthy)
Shredded Coconut
Cinnamon

Poor Pilgrims..

 

I love, love Christmas..but what about Thanksgiving, people?! Yes, I have been really tempted to give into my urges and let the Christmas floodgates open, but I am determined to wait until Thanksgiving... Okay, so I may have gotten a few spruce candles, but that's it; I swear!

 

For the last several years we have been gathering at a family farm house and doing a potluck lunch for Thanksgiving day. Having tons of foods to choose from (that you don't have to prepare) is awesome..unless you have food allergies. So what do we do? I just prepare a few things to bring to share with everyone that is on her diet. I am also very careful to get her serving of all her 'Collins friendly' food on her plate first before anyone else digs in to avoid cross-contamination.

 

Its hard not to get overwhelmed by the holidays when you have a child with food allergies, but just remember..thanksgiving isn't about Turkey..its about gratitude. You choose what to focus on. I am choosing NOT to focus on what we can and can't eat. I am choosing to enjoy a day at the farm with family and reflecting on the many blessings we have!

 

Here is one of the recipes that I am bringing to our gathering:

 

 

PINCH ME PUMPKIN PIE (dairy/egg/soy/nut free, vegan)

 

Making a pumpkin pie minus dairy is easy..making a pumpkin pie minus dairy AND egg? not as simple. I did some experimenting, and I actually created a good pie (hence the 'pinch me' phrase in my recipe name)! This is what i did:

 

Preheat oven to 425

Pie crust used: Wholly Wholesome (ingredients: organic wheat flour, organic palm oil, water, organic cane sugar and sea salt). Tastes great!! Remove one pie crust from the freezer, sit it on a baking sheet and allow to thaw while you mix the pie ingredients.

 

Ingredients:

one allergy-friendly pie crust

16oz canned pumpkin

1 1/2 cups Silk Vanilla Almond Milk

2 Tablespoons Ener-G Egg replacer (can be found at Whole Foods and Publix)

2 Tablespoons Corn Starch

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 cup packed brown sugar*

1/4-1/3 cup white sugar (depending on how sweet you want your pie)*

 

Combine the almond milk, cornstarch and egg replacer in a medium bowl and stir/wisk until mixed well. There will still be some small lumps from the cornstarch but they will cook out.

In a large bowl combine all other ingredients. Then pour in the almond milk mixture and stir until combined. Pour into the the pie crust that is on a baking sheet.

Bake at 425 for 20 minutes then reduce heat to 350 (leaving pie in the oven) and bake for an additional 45-50 minutes. The pie will still be 'jiggly' but will firm up upon sitting. Wait 20-30 minutes before serving.

 

* The first time I made this pie I used 1/2 cup maple syrup and 1/4 cup brown sugar insttead of the 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup white sugar. I didn't have to bake as long once on 350..maybe 35 minutes? I liked the outcome, but it wasn't as sweet (but is lower in calories and sugar). It depends on what taste you are going for.

 

 



Have a Happy {Allergy Free} Halloween!

You're a kid. You LOVE Halloween..but you have food allergies. What is a parent to do?!

I will never tell you that it is EASY to live with food allergies and intolerances. Lets be real; it's not. Halloween is especially challenging if your child has any sensitivities. My little bit just turned 3 (this month!), and she is so excited about Halloween this year. There have been times that I have been nervous or felt bad for her, if I am honest, when I think about her trick-or-treating for all of that candy that she probably can't eat..but we are going to make the best of it! Why do we have to put all of the focus on the candy part?! I have been trying to talk to her a lot about dressing up, but I haven't even mentioned the actual trick-or-treating part. I want her to be more excited about the rest of it and try to put the focus on that ( we do crafts, talk about dressing up and having fun with friends on Halloween, watch her favorite halloween themed cartoons, decorate the house, etc)
So what is my plan for the actual trick-or-treating part? I ordered some small plastic pumpkins that are similar to the idea of easter eggs that contained small trinkets: Oriental Traiding Toy-Filled Jack-O'-Lanterns

There were some good and some not so exciting things inside. I kept some of toys and then added some things of my own. You can be very creative with this part. You know your child, and you know what they are into. Collins can't have artificial colors, which definitely limits the candy options. She LOVES Yum Earth's fruit snacks and gummy bears

 

Surf Sweets Gummy Worms

Enjoy Life's Chocolate Rice Bars (that I broke into pieces to fit in the pumpkins)

All of this candy has NO soy, dairy, nuts, eggs, gluten, or artificial colors..and tastes great! In addition to the trinkets that came in the jack-o-lanterns and the candy i just mentioned, I am also going to stuff some with other things she likes: blueberries, stickers, craisens, tiny bubble containers, dress-up jewelry (dollar tree all the way), etc. I will also put some loose things in the bag ( individual pretzel bags, fans, etc. so all the treats aren't inside the pumpkins). When we go trick or treating i will bring a few snack treats to tide her over but tell her not to peek at all the treats she gets from the houses. If she doesn't peek and waits until we get home, she will get some special MAGIC treats! When we get home, I will have my switchout sac ready and say a magic spell where she cannot see me but can hear me and switch out her candy and then give it to her! I don't know about most kids, but I think getting to open each pumpkin filled with all things she loves plus lots of other fun loose things in the treat bag that are ALL things she likes vs a normal trick-or-treat bag with a hodge podge of good and not so good candy sounds pretty magical and awesome!

You know, our lives aren't always picture perfect, and living with food allergies and intolerances isn't always a dream.. so we just have to improvise and try our best as parents to create new things, change our focus and take each day one day at a time. Matthew 6:34



Happy Halloween from our Family to yours!

 

 

Welcome to Collins Cooking!

My name is Leah, and I am the mother of a little girl named Collins who has some very special dietary and skin needs. She has been diagnosed with a fat intolerance (which is rare), egg allergy, soy allergy, peanut allergy, cashew allergy, several food dye allergies, eczema and many environmental allergies. Collins could not tolerate ANY formula (not even Neocate). Because I nurse her, I am now on HER diet…which is pretty complicated at first glance. Here are the foods I avoid: all traces of dairy, soy, pork, beef, egg, peanuts, cashews, large amounts of citric acid, most food dyes, green beans, okra, strawberries, heavy carbohydrates and other foods with complex fats.
Like most southern women, I have always enjoyed eating mac-n-cheese, breads, mashed potatoes and gravy, and about anything else that could successfully clog your arteries. However, now that I am responsible for eating FOR Collins, I have to be extremely careful with what I eat. When I was first told what I would not be able to consume, I was SO incredibly overwhelmed. I would spend hours and hours researching and searching for recipes and education, and I would find little to nothing. After almost 8 months of research and creative thinking, I decided it was time to put my knowledge to work for others.
Collins Cooking contains recipes, tips and education for those with food allergies, intolerances and other special dietary needs. I was never able to find a one-stop site for everything I needed to accommodate my new lifestyle, and my hope is that I will be able to provide you with recipes, encouragement, tips and education to make living with your special needs a bit easier.

Collins Cooking may help if you are:

• Dealing with food allergies or intolerances to: dairy, soy, beef, pork, egg, peanuts, cashew, food dyes, or complex fats
• Trying to eat a “cleaner” diet
• Wanting to eat healthier, lower fat diet
• Nursing a baby with allergies, milk protein intolerance and/or a soy protein intolerance