Spiced Applesauce Bread: GF, DF, EF

I'm out of eggs, any type of prepared snacks, and there are two little tummies (well three counting me!) in need of a snack! So... I adapted a recipe for Spiced Applesauce Bread to fit our needs! We're a 'clean eating' dinosaur/paleo diet kind of family... with some exceptions! I make just about everything from scratch and try to remove anything unnecessary to our health from the foods I make and rather incorporate healthier ingredients for a well rounded diet! I'm, as most of you know, gluten, dairy, whey, and casein free. I also try to stay clear of unnecessary sugar to keep my joint pain down and my gut in check! I don't like to miss out on yummy things like cookies and bread, though, so sometimes it takes a little creativity! I also don't like to compromise on taste, so if I'm posting it here it's because it's good enough to sneak to friends without them knowing it's 'healthy'! teehee! I hope you enjoy it as much as we did :)

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups applesauce (I used out chunky unsweetend home canned! mmmm! the chunks make it!)
• 1 cup white sugar (coconut sugar!!)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs (2 tablespoons flax seed meal + 6 tablespoons of water)
• 3 tablespoons milk (I used soy, but any alternative would work)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (I used namaste foods 'perfect flour blend' it's gluten, wheat, soy, corn, potato, peanut, tree nut, dairy, sugar free, and casein free and has a great taste for breads)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans or cinnamon chips (optional: we opted out since the kids hate nuts in things!)

*I also added 1/2 teaspoon of xanthum gum. It helps hold everything together really well and gives a great consistency to gluten free baked goods.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine the applesauce, sugar, oil, 'eggs' and 'milk'; beat well. Sift in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and salt; stir until smooth. Fold in the pecans (if you want!) Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean.

Dear blogs, I like you much.

www.thespunkycoconut.com

http://www.foodallergymama.com/

http://allergyfriendlyrecipes.co.uk/

paleoparents.com

http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/

..... A few blogs worth mentioning that I visit frequently for recipes! 

Since finding my intolerance to gluten and dairy I've had many people come forward struggling in their own diets. It's hard when you're diagnosed with an allergy or an intolerance all of a sudden. It  like being sent to a foreign country where none of the ingredients in the stores are remotely recognizable or even in the same language! Sorghum flour & xanthum gum????.... I had absolutely NO idea these things existed a year ago. It took me long enough to pronounce them let alone know what the purpose of them were. Not only must you walk into this new territory of endless new ingredients, but you'll also learn that anything that sounds remotely delicious or close to edible and is already made for you comes at a ginormous cost! There's no more dropping by the beautiful cereal aisle and picking out any box you like. In fact there's no more picking up a box at all and just sticking it in the basket. Well, maybe eventually, but first it'll take reading EVERY label. If you don't take the time and just grab a snickers then you may end up paying for it... for days... and days. 

I've never struggled with something as hard as my diet. It's not a choice for me. I can't just cheat for fun. I actually have found that even one bite of  little Miss So&So's amazing homemade cheese this or whole wheat that will leave me in stomach pain or with mouth sores that can last for days. It used to be that I could cheat and have a bowl of ice cream every once and a while and only have mild reactions, but it's just not like that anymore.  

So a question I get a lot is...What is the difference between an allergy and an intolerance?

In simple terms... which is all I feel like doing right now... (if you want a better one, google. you can find anything on the internet!)

allergy: even a tiny bit of said item can cause a VERY bad reaction and can be life threatening. The reaction can happen almost immediately. Intolerance: non-life threatening and reactions can come on gradually. you may even be able to have a tiny bit of the food without a problem at all.

Now I'm not 100% sure I don't have an allergy to dairy or wheat/gluten, but out of my little self diagnosis based on trial and error... well. I'm not dead :) From what I have heard from friends, doctors, and random people I've met with the same diet, trial and error is a much more accurate way of finding out than any blood test anyway. 

A few more questions I hear a lot as well.... How do you live?! What do you eat?! Is your whole family 'forced' into this diet too??

1. I live just fine, just slightly bitter when I see you eat ice cream on a cone from a convenient location bought with pocket change. I'm kidding. Well, kind of. I have found ways to make the things I love and have also opened myself up to trying new things as well and have come to love those things too. It's kind of a give and take. I thought about the things in my diet I REALLY didn't want to let go of... like chocolate and ice cream. I spend a little extra on those things and it make me feel a whole lot less 'deprived'. I've been surprised by how many things I've weeded out of my diet without a care in the world too. :)

2. I eat EVERYTHING. I probably eat a larger variety of things than most people do too. It's not just meat and potatoes for this little lady! I have come to love so many different new dishes and I think I've become more knowledgeable about what is going into every meal I make as well! I'm not afraid of cooking out of my comfort zone as much and my family doesn't get as bored with the same old meal plans rotating every month. It's nice... which brings me to...

3. (nice segue, I know) bahaha... I crack myself up. Wow I'm horrible at this blogging thing! Ah, but I know none of you probably care.

okay... I'm digressing...

so! My family DOES eat what I eat and I eat what they eat too!... most of the time. The thing is I don't want them losing the enzymes in their sweet bellies to break down gluten or dairy though simply because I don't feed it to them. We don't always eat the same breakfast or lunches. I always have yogurt, cream cheese, sour cream, and various cheeses for my hubby or the kids to enjoy with their meals. sometimes I just make a dish dairy and gluten free, set some aside for me, then add some dairy products for the rest of them. It really isn't that big of a deal. I hardly buy anything prepackaged or go to any health food stores and I don't really seem to have a problem cooking things that I like.

I'm not sure if you care about any of this at all, but being that I find myself in conversations with acquaintances or friends regarding my diet at least 3 times a week... it's nice to just release it into some written words.

Can you even say 'written words' when it's been typed?

I wonder if that little phrase will disappear in a few years...

Typed words?

That just sounds lame.

Once again I apologize for the horrible grammatical errors. There once was a time where poor grammar bothered me to no end, but I have 2 children now and talk in grunts, points, and giggles the majority of the time. Poor grammar is the least of my problems. 

If you find that the links up there aren't to your liking and you need help with a recipe, just ask!

I really don't buy too many of the specialty flours and strange ingredients and I do just fine. There's almost always a way to make a recipe you love to taste great and still be gluten or dairy free.