A "Free" Party

Last Sunday we threw a birthday party for my 5 year-old.  We had a few guests who have severe allergies...as in, their moms & dads always carry epi-pens in the event of anaphylactic shock due to some hidden ingredient in the food the child has eaten.  Serious stuff.

I imagine how difficult it must be for a family to always have to be on edge, always wondering and worrying if something as simple as a spilled drop of milk or an unassuming sprinkling of soy sauce or worcestershire slipped into a marinade or a little bit of whey/cheese powder on a seasoned snack food...ANYTHING allergenic can result in a trip to the ER.

There is no way I want for my friends to have to worry about that at my home.  So I decided to throw a gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, kiwi-free, sesame-free party.  And I did.  And it was a huge success!

I am sharing this information with you because, like me, if you do not have to worry about allergies or food sensitivities in your household, it may seem like an impossible task to plan a meal (or a party!) without wheat, dairy, or eggs.  But it is possible, and it's a lot easier than you think!

Here's what we had:

1) strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries - mixed together
2) pineapple & blueberries & mango - mixed together
3) cantaloupe & honeydew - mixed together
4) carrots, sugar snap peas, celery - mixed together
5) tomatoes & cucumber with cilantro, seasoned with lemon, salt, and garlic powder
6) avocado with onion & cilantro, seasoned with lemon, salt, and garlic powder
7) two "Better Than Cream Cheese" brand pre-prepared tofu spreads (one plain, one with garlic/herb combo) from the supermarket which served as dips
8) organic salad (mixed greens bought from Costco)
9) plain white rice (cooked only with water)
10) teriyaki chicken - marinated, baked chicken breasts cut into bite-size pieces (marinade ingredients listed below)
11) pork roast - baked pork roasts, seasoned with garlic powder, salt, pepper, cut into bite-size pieces
12) pot roast - beef roast braised with onion, carrots, celery, bay leaves, seasoned with garlic powder, salt, pepper, cut into bite-size chunks
13) corn tortilla chips
14) natural potato chips
15) chocolate cupcakes/cake (ingredients below) with frosting (also below)

Marinade for teriyaki chicken:  Tamari Organic Sauce - a wheat/gluten-free soy-sauce, white sugar, brown sugar, onion, garlic (minced), crystallized ginger (usually I would use fresh ginger but I didn't have any on-hand)

Chocolate cupcakes:  This is the only item which required any special ingredients but it was very easy to do.  King Arthur Flour Brand Gluten-free Chocolate Cake Mix...follow the directions (like any typical cake mix) but using EnerG Gluten-free Egg Replacement instead of the eggs (also very easy to do).  For the frosting, I used coconut oil (solid state, not liquid), powdered sugar (aka confectioner's sugar), coconut milk (plain), and vanilla powder (not vanilla extract).  That's it!

I received so many compliments on the food and the variety... and the cupcakes were a big hit...most guests didn't even know it was GF/DF/EF.  It was just GOOD!!!

The food was appetizing for all...most guests did not have a concern one way or the other that the selection was "free" of anything...they just ate!  My greatest joy, though, was from the moms who had never attended a party without fear of having to use the epi-pens... they were able to relax and enjoy and tell their children they could eat ANYTHING on the table without worry.  They truly made me feel appreciated and comforted in knowing that I was able to help them enjoy the day worry-free.  (Of course, I should mention that we have 2 cats and there were a handful of other guests who got itchy eyes, but aside from sequestering the cats to an off-limits room and warning my guests ahead of time, there was not much more I could do to avoid that.)

I hope that this will inspire and encourage us to find foods that ALL our friends and family can eat.  While it's true that my "main" dishes were non-vegetarian, there was enough variety and quantity over the entire spread that I think a vegetarian would have been able to find enough to eat.  In the future, though, if I know I will have a vegetarian guest, I will incorporate a vegetable stew (like beef stew but without the beef) which is filling and satisfying and goes great with rice!

All these things were simple to make and readily available at the store & on-line...the Kings Arthur Flour, the EnerG Egg Replacer, and the Vanilla Powder are available at Whole Foods, maybe at Sprouts (I got the flour there but not the other ingredients), and definitely on-line.

Happy Eating!

Year of Good Things

I started 2012 off ringing in the new year with family at my sister's home.  Next, a fancy dinner at a lovely restaurant with Peter's and my dear friends (adults only).  While enjoying that meal, I realized that we had not yet taken my in-laws out for an equally nice meal.  Instead, our "enjoyable" nights out have included our kids which, in turn, have included mandatory parenting (disciplining the kids in one way or another to curb a tantrum, a pouting session, bickering, boredom complaints, or some other form of action that typically creates stress in what should be a relaxing meal). 

As such, I decided that it was high time Peter & I took his parents out for a truly nice meal sans kids.  Not only was it long-overdue for us to take out his parents, but in our 13 years of marriage, I realized we had also never taken out his grandparents for dinner, either!  Hard to believe!  So, happily, that meal happened tonight and it was, indeed, a truly nice meal.  Three generations breaking bread and enjoying one another's company without unwanted interruptions or childish antics.  Brilliant!

The incredible piece of it is how quickly the years have gone by!  Thirteen years married and not once had we taken his grandparents out to dinner.  Not once had we taken his parents out to dinner without their adorable grandchildren.  How is this possible?!?

I'd like very much to make this year one of positive actions: doing those things which I have intended to do but have not actually gotten around to planning or doing; no longer being a slave to my life and instead being the master of it;  showing my love for the people I love through actions beyond my daily appreciation, to try to let them know how special they really are to me and how much I cherish them.

Action.  Plan.  Making time.  Coming up with a goal and working toward it.  Lists.  Taking specific steps to achieve a goal.  Putting it on the calendar and DOING it. 

I feel good about this evening.  Not only did I enjoy a delicious meal with people I love, I did something I have not yet done before.  How simple it was.

This year is off to a great start!

Cheers!

Year of the Dragon

Gung Hay Fat Choy!  Happy New Year!  I wish you and yours a very healthy, happy, and prosperous new year!

Happy New 2012, Everyone!  Like most adults, I can't believe that 2011 has come and gone and that the new year is upon us.  Shucks!  By the time I finish writing this blog, it'll already be pushing the 3rd!  Yikes!

Today I feel invigorated.  The weight I have been carrying on my shoulders feels to have lightened almost magically overnight and I have no idea why but I am grateful that it has.  I am set to start anew and have decided that this is going to be a banner year.  

My resolutions are not resolutions.  I have, instead, decided to set specific goals lined out with direct steps of action to help me accomplish those goals.  The first one is to sell a song for the purpose of contributing financially to my family's future, so that we may, as a family, reach our shared goals.  This is a key factor in the motivation department because it is a very specific purpose.  My goal is not my own.  It is for my family.  It is for the bigger picture.  I need this in order for me to see it through as I apparently don't take my own needs seriously enough to ever truly follow through on something specifically designed to benefit me.  But for my family, YES.

So this posting, actually, is a step toward that goal because it is getting me away from sitting on the couch, shrinking my brain with mind-numbing, thoughtless TV, and getting my creative juices flowing once again. 

Another specific action is to put makeup on and present myself better.  For the past, oh, 9 years I have totally let myself go in terms of presenting myself as anything other than a harried, tired, overworked mother.  I have worn it proudly like a royal robe and have been known to literally stay in my pajamas day-in & day-out, even when leaving the house in the afternoon to run errands.  I joke about the weight I have gained and have embraced it lovingly as only a person who accepts herself and her flaws can, but smartly, I know that if I continue to let myself get bigger and bigger, my health will really be at risk and that is not something I want to do.  So I have been putting on a fresh face for the past few days and I must say that the prettier reflection I see in the mirror is inspiring me to pretty up the figure hidden below the mirror.  I am back in contact with my trainer at the gym and will be meeting up this week.

Time is being set aside to work on my music and I will write a minimum of one new song each month.  I am not a prolific songwriter - - - I write entirely based on emotions that sock me in my gut - - - so making the commitment to work on and write with discipline instead of only on "the moment" will be new for me. 

And the tasks of streamlining, decluttering, and getting homeschooling running as smoothly & engaging as I envision it  remain priorities as well.

Small projects to complete are:  Christmas quilts with the kids to present to their grandparents (didn't make Christmas 2011, so definitely by Christmas 2012! ha ha ha!) and shoe rack/bench for the living room which presently sits in the garage partially started.

What are your goals this year?  What have you outlined to specifically take you closer to those goals? 

Best wishes to you for success in accomplishing your goals and achieving what you set out to achieve! 

Happy 2012, Everyone!