NOTICE

At the time of publication, all recipes were free of the allergens listed as being free of in the title (i.e. soy-free, milk-free, etc.), and all other information shared was accurate to the best of my knowledge.
Though I strive to update outdated information quickly and work diligently to make sure you have the most accurate information possible at all times, it is your duty to double check labels EVERY TIME to ensure that the ingredients you use are SAFE FOR YOU.
DO NOT RELY SOLELY ON THIS INFORMATION AS INGREDIENTS AND INFORMATION DO CHANGE.
Your doctor or allergist should also be your first go-to for information on how to handle your medical needs. That being said, if you DO notice an error, please send me an email letting me know (tell me what page or recipe the error is on, what the error is, etc.), and I will correct the error ASAP.
Thank you so much!

Please Be Advised:
I make sure all of my recipes use foods that are free of the allergens they say they are free of. You will need to do the same. For help with this, please see the appropriate "Alternative Names" page for the allergen(s) you need the recipe free of.

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Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Merry Christmas!

I know you all have noticed my absence as of late.  We've been spending time with family off and on since Thanksgiving, and fighting illness, too (I am on an antibiotic as we speak), and working hard at homeschooling (which finished Friday).  It's been pretty hectic, but happy, too. :)  Though school is done and illnesses are nothing too serious (though it did keep me from some travels - Elaina and I are home as the boys and hubby are with his family which is not ideal, but couldn't be helped, and we hope to not have to do it again and maybe work out a time to see everyone in the near future), it will still be a little bit before I'm here more often.  It is the holiday season, after all, and I have family coming in or that has already arrived that I am very much looking forward to see, provided we are all well because, as much as my family loves me, I know they don't want me to share that kind of love, if you get me. :) So far, I am grateful that this antibiotic seems to be doing the trick for me and that Elaina continues to get better.  Hopefully the boys' colds don't morph into something more sinister, but I think they will be just fine, and I'm glad they know how to cover coughs and sneezes and all that. :)  Anyway, I promise that I will be around more after the new year begins.  I have lots of plans for this blog starting in January, so I hope you will be around to share in all of that!
In the mean time, I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!  I will still be answering comments and emails as they come, though it may take me a little longer to respond than usual, but I will get back with you. :)
Just a little story for you all before I end this post and try to get myself ready for the day and see if I'm feeling up to making those goodies for our family party in a few days or if they need to wait another day yet, I want you all to know something about the picture above, the stockings specifically.
You see the one on the middle of the left side?  It's white with pink little flowers on it and lace?  That is the stocking my Granny made for me when I was born.  I love it.  I can't imagine a Christmas without it.  Last year, when I was hanging it up, I realized that I would love for my kids to have a gift like that - a heritage gift.  I asked my Granny if she would be willing to make stockings for my kids (and my nieces and nephews) as something they could have from her, made for them.  She said she would work on it, but didn't know when she'd get them done.
I must admit, I did forget I'd asked her for such a gift, until Thanksgiving.  You see, on Thanksgiving, my Granny always gives us a gift or a few gifts to open that are for Christmas.  It's a tradition we've had as long as I can remember.  This year, the kids and hubby all got a handmade, one-of-a-kind stocking from Granny!  I nearly cried.  How cool are they?  The camo one is my hubbys, the red one with gold is for Stephen, the blue one is Sean's and the red one with lace is for Elaina (the little one is for our cat, Crush, and not from her - it's just a store bought thing).  Now we all have special stockings from my Granny, and I couldn't be more thrilled!  I can't wait for her to see them hanging up there tomorrow afternoon when they come over (provided we are all still improving in health) to Skype with my brother and his family in Africa! :D
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What's your favorite Christmas tradition?
Do you have any heritage gifts?
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Merry Christmas!


(This post was originally posted on my original site, Fibro, Fit and Fab!)


Monday, December 23, 2013

Peanut Butter Fudge (Soy, Wheat, Fish and Egg-Free, Can Be Milk and Nut-Free)

Peanut Butter Fudge, before cutting into it.

I don't know about you, but Christmastime normally means family time, and family time normally means goodies (i.e. cookies, candies, pies).  One of the things I remember having most often as a child at Christmas was peanut butter fudge.  Now, the fudge I remember having wasn't made with very allergy-friendly ingredients, but this one is! :)  This recipe is a modified version of one I found on allrecipes.com as posted by ANGIEH.  This recipe is soy (if you use all soy-free ingredients), wheat, fish and egg-free, and can be milk and nut-free (see variations).  It also melts in your mouth, is deliciously rich and decadent and super simple to boot!  I hope you make it and that it becomes a part of your Christmas traditions! :)

Peanut Butter Fudge

1/2 Cup full fat, salted butter

2 Cups brown sugar

dash of salt (up to 1/8 teaspoon)

1/2 Cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 Cup soy-free peanut butter (creamy or crunchy - the choice is yours)
(JIF Natural or Smucker's Natural are great choices here.)

3 Cups powdered sugar
(make sure this ingredient is gluten-free if you need the recipe to be)

  1. Grease a 9x13 inch pan and set aside.
        
  2. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
      
  3. Stir in brown sugar, salt and milk and bring to a roiling boil and boil and stir for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
      
  4. Remove mixture from heat and stir in the peanut butter and vanilla until the peanut butter is melted and fully incorporated.  (Note: Feel free to go a little heavy handed on the peanut butter if you wish.  If you like it more peanut buttery, use a rounded Cup of peanut butter (up to 1 1/4 Cups).  If you like it not quite as peanut buttery, use a scant Cup (down to as little as 3/4 Cup).)
      
  5. Pour the peanut butter mixture over the powdered sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat until smooth.
       
  6. Pour/scoop the mixture into the prepared 9x13 pan and carefully press the mixture with a wooden spoon or spatula into the pan until the fudge is evenly distributed throughout the pan.  (Note: You can use your clean, bare hands to do this part, but the fudge mixture can be very hot, so I don't recommend this method.  If you want to do it that way, however, you may, but I recommend greasing your hands with butter first to reduce the risk of getting a burn.)
        
  7. Chill the fudge until firm and then cut into squares and enjoy.

Makes at least 48 pieces.

Variations (Please keep your individual allergen needs in mind when using variations!):
  • Milk-Free: Use a dairy-free butter (such as Melt or Earth Balance) and dairy-free milk (such as SoDelicious) in place of the butter and milk.  Make sure you grease the pan with a dairy-free fat, too.
        
  • Other Nut or Nut-Free: If you can have tree nuts, you can easily sub a tree nut spread for the peanut butter.  If you can have neither, you can use a seed butter instead.

  • Other Flavors: You can substitute any peanut butter, tree nut or seed butter spread or a combination of a few for the peanut butter in this.  This means you could use a flavored peanut butter (like the ones by Peanut Butter & Co.), Nutella or any other flavor that suits your fancy. :) 

Sounds good, right?  It is, trust me!  You really should make some and let me know what you think.  I promise you, you won't be disappointed! :)  Just start off with a small piece - this stuff is rich! :)

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I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and blessed holiday season!  Most likely I will not be back until after the New Year in order to spend some time with my extended family, including my Granny who will be up here for a month!  I am excited! :D  Anyway, stay safe, have fun and enjoy your time with loved ones!  I will still answer emails and comments, so feel free to send them along, but forgive me if it takes me longer than normal to respond. :)

~*~*~*~
What are  your favorite Christmas goodies?
What are your favorite Christmas traditions?
What is your favorite part about Christmas?



(This recipe was originally posted on my original site, Natural and Free.) 



Wednesday, December 4, 2013

The Thanksgiving Feast and Festivities Link-Up ~ Feature Day


Thank you to all who participated in the link-up party!  You all are the best!  For those of you who missed out, I shared some recipes from the archives here and shared some Thanksgiving/Thankfulness-themed posts on Fibro, Fit and Fab! as time allowed last week, and gave people a chance to link-up some of their favorite Thanksgiving recipes, posts about thankfulness or family, Thanksgiving/Autumn crafts, etc.  Today (and I'm sorry it wasn't sooner, but time and "real life" have not been my friends lately!), I am sharing my features in hopes that these posts can inspire you in your Thanksgiving meal endeavors and maybe just with some ideas for next year or maybe some ideas with how to spread thankfulness year round. 

Since there weren't a lot of posts linked up and since I couldn't possibly choose between them all, I decided that all the posts would get a featured spot! :) I am sorry I don't have a badge for you other than the original one, but again, time has not been on my side lately, and I didn't want to delay any longer posting this.  Hopefully next time things will go a little smoother and I will get that feature badge together! :)  Anyway, I hope that  you all will take the time to go through the posts that are linked up.  There are some amazing ideas on there for recipes, ways to teach your kids to be thankful, adorable crafts and more!  Seriously, y'all!  Check them out!  You won't be sorry and you'll gain some great ideas!





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I hope you take the time to check out all the fabulous posts that linked up!

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If you haven't yet, please grab a badge!

(This post was originally posted on Natural and Free.)

The Thanksgiving Feast and Festivities Link-Up ~ Feature Day


Thank you to all who participated in the link-up party!  You all are the best!  For those of you who missed out, I shared some recipes from the archives on Natural and Free and shared some Thanksgiving/Thankfulness-themed posts here as time allowed last week, and gave people a chance to link-up some of their favorite Thanksgiving recipes, posts about thankfulness or family, Thanksgiving/Autumn crafts, etc.  Today (and I'm sorry it wasn't sooner, but time and "real life" have not been my friends lately!), I am sharing my features in hopes that these posts can inspire you in your Thanksgiving meal endeavors and maybe just with some ideas for next year or maybe some ideas with how to spread thankfulness year round. 

Since there weren't a lot of posts linked up and since I couldn't possibly choose between them all, I decided that all the posts would get a featured spot! :) I am sorry I don't have a badge for you other than the original one, but again, time has not been on my side lately, and I didn't want to delay any longer posting this.  Hopefully next time things will go a little smoother and I will get that feature badge together! :)  Anyway, I hope that  you all will take the time to go through the posts that are linked up.  There are some amazing ideas on there for recipes, ways to teach your kids to be thankful, adorable crafts and more!  Seriously, y'all!  Check them out!  You won't be sorry and you'll gain some great ideas!




~*~*~*~
I hope you take the time to check out all the fabulous posts that linked up!

~*~*~*~
If you haven't yet, please grab a badge!

(This post was originally posted on my original site, Fibro, Fit and Fab!)