The Allergy Free Pantry Book Review & Giveaway

    Did you know that May 2015 is a big month for us? The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) for years has declared it as "National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month". Also, the National Foundation of Celiac Awareness has chosen this month to be the "Celiac Awareness Month" as well. Wow! Talk about double celebrations. 

     To kick off these two significant campaigns,  I would like to share with you this book by Colette Martin called The Allergy Free Pantry.  Released last year (2014), this cookbook has become one of my good friends in the kitchen.  

 
     As we all know, one of the biggest challenges of living with food allergies is finding safe food. I remembered the first time I went grocery shopping after my children were diagnosed with their allergies.  I spent more than two hours reading labels.  After what seemed to be an eternity, I almost cried when I realized that there were only three items in my cart.

      Since I can't go home with nothing to feed my family of 6, I breezed through the outer sides of the grocery store (the part where fresh fruits, vegetables and meats are located).  That's when it hit me.  If I want to keep my sanity and my family fed, I have to start cooking every food we eat from scratch.

     I confess it was way easier said than done.  If you have been following my blog for a while, I'm sure, you are familiar with my meltdowns from pancakes to brownies and more.  Do you remember these brownies?

      Basically, I spent the first twenty four months post food allergy diagnosis experimenting in the kitchen.  I can't imagine how much tears, money and time I've thrown away before I was able to come up with a decent repertoire of safe things to eat.

   Then last year, when I learned about Colette'sThe Allergy-Free Pantry: Make Your Own Staples, Snacks, and More Without Wheat, Gluten, Dairy, Eggs, Soy or Nuts, my immediate response was "Where were you three years ago?"

     This cookbook is a great resource for any person with food restrictions.  It contains 105 recipes of the most basic things we realize we take for granted. My favorite chapter is the condiments section. I can't believe how easy and cheaper it is to make my own food allergy safe mayonnaise, ketchup, ranch dressing and even barbecue sauce!

      From breakfast, lunch, snacks and even treats, this cookbook will definitely make a food allergy mom's life so much easier.  It even includes so many tips on gluten free flour choices, egg substitutes, non dairy milk making, long term storage and even canning.

    The instructions are simple and easy to follow. I'm even challenging myself to try to make homemade gluten free pasta and pizza crust. Yes! This book has a full chapter on this subject too.
   
      Did I make you really curious?  Well, I talked to Colette and she's very happy to give a free copy of her book,The Allergy-Free Pantry: Make Your Own Staples, Snacks, and More Without Wheat, Gluten, Dairy, Eggs, Soy or Nuts  to one of my TFM Friends.  That's one of you my beloved readers. Simple check out the rafflecopter below for options on how to get free entries.

    This giveaway is open to all US based readers ages 18 years old and up. It starts today May 11, 2015 and will end on May 24, 2015 11:59 pm EST.

      Good luck and don't forget to share the giveaway to your friends as well.

       Have a great week!

- Roz

(Note:  I received a free copy of this book to review. This set up  however, doesn't have any effect on  my opinion about the product. Also, this post contains affiliate links. Please see my full disclosure here.)

       

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Gluten Free Around the World Cookbook Review & Giveaway

        I remember the day when I first learned about Child#3's multiple food allergies.   We were at the Pediatric Gastroenterologist's office.  He was so surprised that my son never showed any hives in spite of the high numbers of the results.

        Since he didn't want to make any drastic testings until the effects of food allergies are ruled out, he told me to remove all the food that my son is allergic to in our family's diet for at least two weeks or until he's seen by an Allergist.  At that time, he's allergens are wheat, dairy, egg, soy, nuts and peanuts.  

        "Are you kidding me?  What will my family eat? "  I'm sure I was not the first one to uttered those lines because he remained calm after my quite violent reaction.  He then asked me, "You are Asian right? (Is it obvious?) "I assume you were raised eating Asian food. Am I right?", he continued. After replying with two yeses, he smiled and said, "Good! Well, you can eat rice and stew.  I'm sure you know at least three kinds."   

         

           It was a light bulb moment for me.  For someone who's a self proclaimed food enthusiast, I'm fully aware that there are many Ethnic cuisines which traditionally don't require my son's allergens as an ingredient. That's when I started sharing about Child#3's dietary restrictions and asking for traditional recipes from my friends.  

        Then last year,  I came across Chef Aviva's new cookbook, Gluten Free Around the World . Though the availability of gluten free recipe books has gone a long way since my children were diagnosed, Chef Aviva's cookbook made me really excited.  

        With over 100 traditional gluten free recipe from countries like France, India, Italy, Ecuador, Morocco, Cambodia and more,Gluten Free Around the World is the ultimate buffet feast.  More than just a recipe compilation, this hard bound book is filled with beautiful non food pictures that show each country's unique culture.  Chef Aviva definitely did a great job "scrapbooking" her travels and giving us the ideas on how we can taste the food she had - gluten free of course.

          Another thing I liked about this cookbook is that the recipes are easy to make. It doesn't require hard to find ingredients too.  Though there are some recipes that contain my children's other allergens, I can easily use a substitute for it with good results.  Some of my favorites are Moroccan Chicken, Layered Ratatouille and Sweet Potato Leek Soup.  

        Getting jealous?  Don't be.  I've talked to Chef Aviva about you and she generously agreed to give a copy of the Gluten Free Around the World Cookbook to three (3) of my dear friends residing here in the US.  (Sorry Canada and other international readers. I'm working on something for you soon.)   

          There's no need to purchase anything. Just look at the Rafflecopter box below to see how you'll be able to get entries.  This giveaway starts today and will end on Feb. 24, 2015 11:59 pm EST. 

           Good luck! 

- Roz

(Note:  I received a free copy of the book from the author for this review.  Also, this post contains affiliate links.  Please see my full disclosure here. )

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Deal Alert: Online Sales - Gluten Free products

       Are you preparing for the gift giving season?  These gluten free companies started their sales early so you'll have more time to do other things.  

          Happy Shopping!

- Roz

Red Apple Lipstick Holiday Sale is ongoing and will end on Nov. 24 (10 pm).  This sale includes their famous gluten free lipsticks, eye shadows, mascara, sampler packs and more.   

Use Coupon code HOLIDAY10 to get 10% OFF your subscription to  Send Me Gluten Free Box.

Originally priced at $29.99, this cookbook by Chef Aviva contains not only delicious Gluten Free recipes from around the world but stunning pictures as well.  Sale price is now $23.99.

(Note: This post contains affiliate links.  Please see my full disclosure here.)

Today's Freebies: Healthy Living Ebooks

      It's never to late to start having a healthy lifestyle.  I'm sharing with you three ebooks filled with tips and yes, healthy recipes to try.  The best part is that they are all free to download today. 

       Enjoy your day!

-  Roz





       

Friday Freebies: Paleo Diet Recipes Ebooks

           One of the diets I first turned to for recipes when I learned about my children's wheat allergy is the Paleo Diet.   For those who are not familiar with it yet, Paleo or the Caveman diet is a nutritional plan that focuses on eating foods that are not processed and as close to its natural state as possible.  It mainly promotes meat and vegetables. 

 

           Since this diet prohibits grains, I know that I can get tons of wheat/gluten free recipes ideas.  Is our family on the Paleo diet? Not really, as we also refrain from eating eggs, dairy and nuts remember?  But there are some awesome recipes that can be adapted to our families needs. 

 

           If you are curious about this diet or are just looking for new recipes, I have found some good ebooks filled with grain free recipes.  As part of Friday Freebies, you can download them today for free.  Cool right?

 

           Have a great weekend!      

- Roz



 

Friday Freebies: Easy Paleo Diet Recipes Ebooks

       I am not a big fan of diets.  However, when I first learned about my children's food allergies and the fact that our family has to eliminate specific foods such as wheat, I turned to diet recipe books for ideas.  As you may have noticed by now, I considered our family as foodies.  What I mean with that is as a family we all enjoy good and healthy food.    We are not even afraid to try something new as long as it will taste delicious. 

 

       One of my favorite source of recipe inspirations is the Paleo Diet.  Basically, this type of diet avoids grains, legumes and certain vegetables. It also enforces the use of healthy fats which I love. 

 

        For those of you who are also in a gluten free diet or just plain curious about the growing Paleo trend, I have found some interesting e cookbooks that you can download for free right now.  Though I haven't personally tried the recipes from these, I'm pretty sure, you'll find one, two  or more that you will enjoy. 

 

       What are you waiting for?  Click and download one or all of them now. 

 

         Have a fun filled weekend!

 

- Roz

 

 

 

       

Friday Freebie Finds - Gluten Free, Paleo Ebooks and more

       Hello Frugalista Moms!  This weird Jersey weather is just driving me crazy.  It's officially the third day of Spring yet our temperature here is still below freezing.  The wind isn't a big help either.  On top of that, my allergies are kicking it --- sneezing, watery eyes, runny nose.  You know the drill. 

 

       Since I'm taking a break from cooking today, I decided to look around the web for interesting ebooks to read.  Oh did I mention that these are all FREE today too? Just download, read and decide whether you like to keep them or simply delete. 

 

       I know you are all excited so I will not take long.  Plus I can feel the zyrtec is taking effect now.  Hope you all have a happy weekend!

 

- Rozelyn