Egg Free, Dairy Free and Nut Free Hot Chocolate Mix

I haven't been able to find a prepackaged safe hot chocolate. Jazlyn has been drinking warmed soy milk with chocolate syrup stirred in. It's still chocolate and warm, but not the same. I have a recipe for a hot chocolate that needs cooked on the stove, but I wanted something that was fast and easy to prepare any time. This is perfect because you make a big batch with just 3 ingredients then it's available when you want it.

Hot Chocolate Mix

3 1/2 cups sugar
2 1/4 cups cocoa powder
3 tsp salt

Thoroughly combined all of the ingredients then store in a tightly sealed container.

To serve - stir 2 tbsp of the mixture into 1 cup of hot soy milk.
*  For variety, you can stir in a few drops of vanilla, mint or other extracts. You can also top with mini marshmallows or prepared safe whipped topping.

Egg Free, Dairy Free Crock Pot Meatballs

My family loved these meatballs because the flavor of the sauce is infused completely through them. We served them over spaghetti noodles. Since my girls love pepperoni, I'm planning on adding some chopped up next time with the sauce to add that flavor also.

Crock Pot Meatballs

2 lbs ground beef
1/2 cup safe bread crumbs (I used my homemade bread crumbs posted here.)
2 tbsp Italian seasoning
2 cans (26.5 oz each) spaghetti sauce

Thoroughly combine the ground beef, bread crumbs and Italian seasoning. Form the mixture into 1-2” meatballs. Pour 1/2 can of the sauce into the crock pot. Place a layer of the meatballs on top. Continue with the layers until all of the sauce and meatballs are used, ending with a layer of the sauce. Cover then cook on low for 5-7 hours. Serve over hot cooked noodles or as desired.

Egg Free, Dairy Free, Nut Free Jell-O Poke Cake

For a special Valentine's Day treat, we made a vanilla cake using our recipe for Amazing Vanilla Cupcakes. Then we turned it into a Jell-O Poke Cake using our recipe for Jell-O Poke Cupcakes using black cherry Jell-O. To decorate the cake, we added a few drops of red food coloring to the Rich's Whip whipped topping as we were beating it to make the perfect pink. Once the cake was frosted, we gently pressed heart cookie cutters into the whipped topping then filled them with sprinkles. Once filled, we removed the cutters to reveal the beautiful hearts.

I hope everyone had a very happy and delicious Valentine's Day.

Egg Free, Dairy Free, Nut Free Baked Oatmeal Breakfast Bars

I love baked oatmeal and I'm always trying to figure out new ways to make it. These bars are so simple and fast to make. They are good plain or topped with blueberries, crushed strawberries, chocolate syrup, maple syrup or soy milk. You can change the flavor of the bars by using flavored applesauce. We like them the best using unsweetened applesauce and 2 tsp of cinnamon. Out of all of the baked oatmeal I've made, this is my girls' favorite recipe.

Baked Oatmeal Breakfast Bars

2 cups quick cooking oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 - 2 tsp cinnamon, optional
3/4 cup soy milk
1/2 cup applesauce (plain, cinnamon or fruit flavored)

Combine the oats, brown sugar and cinnamon. Add the soy milk and applesauce then mix until thoroughly combined. Transfer the mixture to a parchment paper lined or sprayed 8x8 baking dish. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until firm and lightly golden. Cool before cutting into squares or bars. Wrap each piece in foil or plastic wrap or store in a tightly covered container.

Shared with Real Food Allergy Free, Willing Cook, 33 Shades of Green, Frugal Follies, Miz Helen's Country Cottage, Make Ahead Meals, Cybele Pascal and Allergy Free Cookery.

Egg Free, Dairy Free Tortilla Casserole

My girls love tortilla shells used in wraps, as the dough for tortilla shell pizzas, etc. We decided it would be fun to tear them up and put them in a casserole. Once baked, they turn soft and almost reminded me of a dumpling. This is also a quick to make and bake casserole so we are adding it to our list of favorite suppers.

Tortilla Casserole

5-6 tortilla shells (6” each), torn into small pieces
2 lbs cooked ground beef, ground sausage, diced chicken, etc.
2 cans gravy
1 can peas or corn

Thoroughly combine all of the ingredients in a 9x11 baking dish. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until heated through.

Shared with Full Plate Thursday and Tasty Tuesdays.

Egg Free, Dairy Free, Nut Free Chewy Granola Bars

We haven't made granola bars for a little while so we sat down with our recipes trying to decide which one to make. The girls asked if we could try and make a new recipe. They decided they didn't want to use Sunbutter as a flavor base, they wanted a pure granola flavor. They also wanted them chewy and full of fruits and chocolate. We added some oat flour (ground up oats) to help with the texture and corn syrup to make them chewy. We all agreed on lots of dried cherries along with some coconut and chocolate chips (everyone has their different favorite dried fruits). I would have loved to add some of the sunflower seeds from Sunbutter, but we didn't have any in the house. The result was a thick, chewy, perfect granola bars. The only problem with the granola bars was that they didn't want to cut into pretty bars so we tore them into serving size pieces. They held together great, but they just didn't want to cut. These granola bars were so good and perfectly flavored.

Chewy Granola Bars


2 cups add-ins (dried fruit, safe chocolate chips, Rice Krispies, sunflower seeds, etc.)
1 2/3 cups quick cooking oats
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup oat flour (blend oats until it becomes a fine powder then measure out 1/3 cup)
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup dairy free margarine, melted
1/3 cup corn syrup
1 tbsp water
2 tsp vanilla extract

Combine the add-ins, oats, sugar, oat flour and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the melted margarine, corn syrup, water and vanilla. Add the margarine mixture to the oat mixture then mix until thoroughly combined. Transfer the mixture to a parchment paper lined 8x8 baking dish. Press the mixture down firmly and evenly into the dish. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes or until lightly golden on top and browned around the edges. Cool completely before tearing into serving size pieces. The granola bars are chewy and hold together well, but they don’t cut easily.
* Our favorite combination is 1 cup of dried cherries, 1/2 cup of flaked coconut and 1/2 cup of chocolate chips).


This recipe is linked to Allergy Friendly Friday, Allergy Friendly Lunchbox Love and Sweet Temptations.

A reminder to read labels every time

I read every label every time because I know they change. I'm not sure how it got by me, but the tub butter I always use now has milk. I'm glad I noticed it, but it's scary that it made it into the house.

Weis Quality 48% Vegetable Oil Spread (brown tub)
is now called
Weis Quality 51% Vegetable Oil Spread (same exact tub) and now contains whey.
It has a contains milk and soy statement, but I somehow missed it.

It's so scary that 1 little mistake can be a life or death mistake. I'm trying not to beat myself up about missing it, but I just keep thinking about what could have happened if I wouldn't have noticed the change. I'm also thanking God for keeping Jazlyn safe. It just goes to prove no matter how long you've been dealing with food allergies, you can never be too safe.