Living Gluten Free…or at least close to it

In case my life couldn’t get any more interesting, I have been having issues eating bread/wheat products. Whether I buy whole wheat bread or make my own pizza crust, I just odn’t feel good after I eat bread-y stuff. Do I think I”m gluten intolerant? No. Why, you may ask? Because I only have a problem here and there, but overall, (and I’ve noticed it more since eating clean and not eating bread carbs a whole lot) I get really bloated and feel sick for quite a while after eating whatever it is I ate that was made with flour. Mostly it’s bread, muffins, pizza crust, etc. I have not had an issue with say cookies or treats like that, but I also don’t eat as much of sweets in one sitting as I would bread.

So, not I’ve been on a search to find healthy alternatives for bread products. (burger buns, noodles,..you get the idea

A while ago, (on Pinterest, of course) I found a recipe for cloud ‘buns’, made with cottage cheese and eggs. ….Really? How could cottage cheese and eggs replace buns?  It’s protein. Not carbs. It didn’t add up in my head. But not long ago, I tried it.

I was making some Crockpot Ceascar Shredded Chicken,  (note to self: crockpots work better when turned on) and only had four burger buns to use for my hubby and two kids, and not enough time to make my own rolls. So I was off to make these for myself.  The recipe said to make them and store them overnight, but I didn’t do this and they were still yummy. I’ve made them twice now and the second time they seemed to turn out a little better. So, if you’re not sure at first, try them again, you may be surprised!

I managed to fit 10 on one pan!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cloud ‘Buns’ (adapted from Food.com)
Yield: 10 rolls (5 sandwiches)

3 eggs, separated
3 Tbsp low-fat cottage cheese
1 packet sweetener
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. (you might need two cookie sheets, depending on how big they are)

Separate eggs. Put egg whites in bowl of stand mixer and egg yolks in a blender.
To the egg yolks, add the cottage cheese and sweetener; blend until smooth.

To the egg whites add cream of tartar and blend until they form stiff peaks

Carefully fold egg whites with the yolk mixture.

Spoon the mixture onto the lined cookie sheet. They should be about the size of a McDonald burger bun.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden. This may take more or less time, depending on your oven.

Let cool completely before storing in an air tight container or ziploc bag.

Note: I used these as burger buns and they worked great!

This has nothing to do with the buns..he’s just cute!

 

Perfect golden color!

Birthday Time!!!

That’s right. Another birthday in our family. This time is was for my youngest son Jonah. He turned two last Friday and I can’t believe I’ve had two years with him already. It’s crazy how time flies!

So, as you may have guessed, I had to come up with a cool cake for him. I was going to make a veggies tales cake, but have had no inspiration for one. And I have been planning on veggies tales for a few months now and had no ideas and didn’t actually sit down to start planning it until last Tuesday. Still nothing.

Beth was here baking cookies for her mom, while be discussed cakes and themes. The only other idea I had was making a Very Hungry Caterpillar cake. I adore the Very Hungry Caterpillar and I decided that you could really only use that theme while Jonah was little. He will be too big for it next year when he turns three. (THREE!?!? I’M NOT READY FOR THIS!!!!!) So, I did some searching on Pinterest and found some different ideas for cake. Many use fondant, which I didn’t really want to get into for this cake.  I debated going with cupcakes and shaping them to form the caterpillar… But in the end, we went with a bundt cake, two-layer, 6 inch round cake, and rice krispy bars 🙂

Yes, I know that is adorable. We loved this caterpillar before he was even frosted!

Beth came over on Friday to help me decorate him. We spent about 4 1/2 hours making him beautiful. And it was so worth it!

Isn’t he cute!!! I could just eat him up!!! (oh wait..I did!)

We couldn’t have been happier with the outcome and I’m so proud of my ‘big’ two year old! He is truly a blessing to my family and brings us such joy (and trials) every day! I just love him so much!

Here’s a couple things about my upcoming week:

I have some fun posts to come and some changes (in my life) that I will be sharing with you all! Also, Beth and I are headed to Illinois for the Annual Wilton Tent Sale on Saturday!!! I can’t tell you how excited I am about this!!! I will be sharing all about our trip next week, along with pictures of everything I buy!! Woohoo!! I’M SO PUMPED!!!! (can you tell? hehehe)

I hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! Thanks for spending time with me today 🙂