Breakfast

Namaste Foods Gluten Free Waffle & Pancake Mix Review

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Namaste Foods, Gluten Free Waffle & Pancake Mix

This morning we opened a bag of Namaste Foods, Gluten Free Waffle & Pancake Mix and boy were the waffles (yes waffles, again) really tasty!!

We used almond milk instead or regular milk and didn’t use any added sweeteners in the mix when making breakfast. The waffles came out crispy and beautiful on the Belgium waffle maker and everyone one devoured them up – the kids, grandparents and I were in waffle heaven!

The waffles themselves had a mild flavor — but with a little melted butter and some Agave Syrup — were perfect! Next time I may add a tsp of sugar to the mix to see how they taste in comparison with the added sweetener.

This product contains no wheat, gluten, soy, corn, potato, dairy, casein, peanuts or tree nuts. Non-GMO, all natural, no preservatives. So, if you are looking for a great Gluten Free Waffle/Pancake mix, grab for Namaste Foods LLC, Gluten Free Products For People With Food Allergies at your local grocer or at: http://goo.gl/XpoG4h !!

Originally posted on STLNV Facebook July 21, 2014. Namaste Foods provided the mix to be reviewed

*** Disclaimer: I received this product for free from Namaste Foods. I am not required to write a positive review. And all opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Waffle it!! Waffle Maker Omelets…

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Omelet made with a waffle maker | Small Town Living in Nevada

Did you know you can make an omelet on a waffle maker?

Of course this isn’t my original idea, but I thought I would give it a whirl and see how the eggs come out.

I will tell you, the eggs were really good. You know how I know? My husband and three kids said so, LOL. And of course I ate it too and from first hand will verify they came out yummy!

I will be creating many, many more renditions of these wonderful egg waffles.

I didn’t want plain eggs, so I pulled some leftover cooked carrots, cauliflower, and broccoli out of the fridge. I proceeded to throw them in the food processor with some fresh spinach leaves as well. Then I took 10 fresh eggs from the coop and whisked the eggs and veggies together.

When the waffle maker was nice and hot I sprayed the top and bottom griddle with cooking spray and then ladled the egg mixture on to the greased iron making sure not o overfill.

It literally took about 2 minutes to cook the eggs!! I loved how fast making these were.

Since I like my omelets with cheese — I placed the omelet into the warm oven sprinkled with american and mozzarella cheese. Once the cheese was melted they were ready to eat!

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Waffles with Dippy Eggs (as my kids call them)

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The kids love waffles (Obviously) but I always want them to have some protein with their waffles as well. So I put the two together. I used frozen gluten free waffles for this recipe of course. Add some bacon as a side and you have a really tasty breakfast.

Waffle Dippy Eggs | Small Town Living in Nevada

Waffles with Dippy Eggs

Ingredients:

  • 6 gluten free Frozen Waffles (I used Krusteaz brand)
  • 6 eggs
  • Butter
  • Syrup

Directions:

Toast waffles in a toaster. Then cut a hole in the middle with a biscuit cutter.

Heat a large frying pan; melt butter. Once the pan is nice and hot place the waffles on the pan and crack eggs into the waffle’s middles.

Cook eggs to your desired liking.

Gluten Free BLT with a fried egg

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Today is my birthday and it felt like a BLT with Fried egg kind of day.

The kids are all at school… and I am home alone enjoying the peace and quiet. Gonna make a BLT with a Fried egg for breakfast…. yep, it is so far a good morning!

Gluten Free BLT with fried Egg | Small Town Living in Nevada

My parents are in town visiting so when my father comes into town he always brings me the fruits of his garden regardless if I have a garden going or not. But this trip he brought me vine ripened tomatoes out of his garden. A nice little addition to my sandwich!

Since my husband is allergic to sodium nitrates and msg I don’t fry up bacon practically ever. However, I do always keep a box on hand for when I get a craving. And of course today was the day and ohhhhhh, was it worth it!

Gluten Free BLT with a fried egg

Ingredients:

  • 6 thick slices of bacon
  • 2 slices of gluten free bread, toasted – I used Udi’s
  • 1-2 tablespoons mayonnaise – I used Best Foods
  • 3 tomato slices – garden fresh!
  • 2 leaves of green leaf lettuce
  • 1 large egg — I used fresh out of the chicken coop!
  1. In a skillet, cook the bacon over moderate heat, turning, until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
  2. Spread the mayonnaise on both slices of toast, then top with the bacon, tomato and lettuce.
  3. In the same skillet that the bacon was fried, add the egg and fry over moderate heat, turning once, until crisp around the edge, about 3 minutes; the yolk should still be runny. Slide the egg onto the lettuce; close the sandwich and eat right away.

Homemade Crockpot Yogurt

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Homemade Yogurt | Small Town Living in Nevada

My kids love yogurt, me not so much. But they eat yogurt so much that we buy boat loads. OK, probably not that much, but it just seems like it.

My husband decided he wanted to try his hand at making homemade yogurt in the crockpot. Well, our first batch was over-cooked and turned into Feta Cheese. AND that Feta Cheese was WONDERFUL!

TAKE TWO: After doing more research and hitting the next town over’s Beer Making Shop we came across a Y5 Sweet Yogurt culture packet that contained Acidophilus and Bifidobacterium (the most Probiotic). We have been making Soda Kefir and were buying bottles at the shop when we came upon the culture. Glad we stopped in and of course the Kefir will be another post later on.

Anyhow, the process was easier with the culture and fairly simple using the crockpot but it took about 4 hours to make using the crockpot.

Take a gallon of whole milk and pour it into the crockpot and get it heated up to 185º F. And then have it hold at that temp for around 20-30 minutes. This will prepare the whey proteins which are largely responsible for the thickening of the yogurt body.

The next step is to cool the milk quickly back down to 112º F to complete the fermentation.

When the milk reaches the proper temperature for inoculation, is time to add the yogurt culture.

Your next step will be to incubate the cultured milk for the required time in an insulated container (we used two large insulated thermos jugs).

This will then need to set quietly for 8-10 hours and will determine the thickness and texture of the final yogurt as well as the final acidity.

Your final step will be to chill the yogurt quickly as possible once you find the texture and acidity is to your liking. When cooled it will have a much more solid texture.

My husband drained the yogurt through cheese cloth to give it more of a “Greek Style” texture and it provides a more concentrated yogurt flavor and a rich creamy texture for mixing with fruit or jelly.

This morning for breakfast we mixed the yogurt with frozen berries and I have to say for me the flavor was nice and mild and not so tangy — I think the tang is what I don’t like about yogurt.

Next we took the remainder of yogurt and placed it in small containers with a large dollop of Flavored Jelly — Raspberry, Peach and Cherry — into the container and then topped with the yogurt.

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Gluten Free Oatmeal Breakfast Bars for on the go

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If you like oatmeal in a bowl you’ll love these bars. An easier way of eating your oatmeal and clean up is a breeze after you are done eating.

The texture of the Oatmeal Breakfast Bar is denser than a banana bread but not dry or crunchy like your typical granola bar. They are very filling and a great, nutritional breakfast for the kids in the morning before school!

The Oatmeal Breakfast Bars are very easy to make especially for the busy mom. Simply stir together the dry and wet ingredients, pour into a pan, and bake – that simple. The Oatmeal Breakfast Bars can also be wrapped and frozen for up to four months, so go big and make them in bulk -(of course that is if they last more than a day or two from everyone gobbling them up).

Oatmeal Breakfast Bar | Small Town Living in Nevada

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Gluten Free Sourdough Pancakes

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With all the sourdough starter that I had leftover, I decided to make pancakes. They came out so fluffy and so flavorful my kids and husband devoured them right up. I say that was a great success!

Sourdough Pancakes

Sourdough Pancakes

Ingredients
3 eggs
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon water
2 cups gluten free sourdough starter

Directions
1. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs.

2. In a separate bowl, add sugar, salt, baking soda, and water and mix until incorporated. Add to beaten eggs. Add sourdough starter to mixture and beat with wooden spoon. Do not beat too long.

3. Spoon on griddle in 1/4 cup amounts. When bubbles appear on top of pancakes, turn over. Cook until golden brown.

Gluten Free Eggs Benedict

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Hot English muffins, Canadian-style bacon, and poached eggs topped with hollandaise sauce is my most favorite breakfast of all time. I have made it so many times over the years, I can make it in my sleep, LOL! But honestly I really only make it on Holidays especially for Easter and Christmas.

So this past New Year morning I decided I was going to make the family Eggs Benedict to start the new year off right because I believe Eggs Benedict is one of life’s simple pleasures… and why not indulge!

Eggs Benedict

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So, soooooo busy….

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Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting

Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting

This week has been crazy and it is only Wednesday! I have been swamped with chores galore. I volunteer at my kids school on Wednesdays and Thursdays. I still have laundry on the couch that needs to be folded and dishes in the sink from making halloween party treats for my kids classes. And then, my kids have friday off since it is “Nevada Day.”

Since Nevada became a state (admitted to the Union) on October 31, 1864, and since legislature wanted to celebrate Nevada Day on the “last” Friday in October… Nevada Day falls on the “actual” Oct 31st – therefore my kids do not have school on Halloween this year.

But Nevada day is a big too do this year since the state is celebrating the 150th anniversary of Nevada’s statehood. Thousands come out to the state capital to watch the parade and celebrate. But it is more than just a parade, it is Nevada’s Heritage Celebration, a gathering of community spirit and a salute our state’s past while looking ahead to our state’s future.

Because there isn’t any school on halloween this year, my kids school parties and dress up fall on Thursday (tomorrow) instead.

Gluten Free Brownies | Small Town Living in Nevada

Gluten Free Brownies

Having three kids in school – Pre-school, Kindergarten and 2nd Grade… I find myself having to make several food offerings.

My daughter’s class said they are having a breakfast party — so I will be making two dozen Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting and since it is Halloween, I will throw a few candy corns on top.

My youngest’s class I have to make brownies (Gluten Free of course) to bring in. Not certain if I will top those off with anything. But the Hershey’s Chocolate Spread keeps popping in to my head as a great topper even though I had already put white chocolate chips into the batter. I don’t buy Nutella since my husband and I are allergic to hazelnuts and the Hershey’s Spread are basically similar but one of their flavors is made with almonds instead of hazelnuts. So win!

And then I really got off easy for my older son’s class. Since he can’t partake in having the regular cupcakes all I have to bring in is a Gluten Free Cupcake for him. Score! One less thing for me to make. What I normally do is make a batch of gluten free cupcakes, freeze them in a ziploc bag — and pull them out when needed for a class function — thaw them out over night then all I need to do is frost it right before the kids head off to school. Life is so much simpler that way!

Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcake

Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcake

Gluten Free Pumpkin French Toast Casserole

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Gluten free Pumpkin French Toast Casserole

Last night before bed I put together a Pumpkin French Toast Casserole …. Got up early around 7:30am stuck it in the oven for an hour and went back to bed til the oven timer went off. This is what our Sunday breakfast looked like!

INGREDIENTS
  • 1 loaf of Gluten Free Bread ( I used Udi’s )
  • 7 large eggs
  • 2 cups whipping cream
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 4 tablespoons brown sugar for topping
  • Pecans for topping
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, cream, vanilla, pumpkin puree, vanilla and pie spice until well combined.
  2. Lay your first layer of bread slices down to a fill a lightly greased 9×13 baking dish quite full.
  3. Pour 1/2 of the egg mixture over bread until it’s all soaked and mostly covered.
  4. Lay your second layer of bread slices down then pour the remainder of the egg mixture over the bread.
  5. Sprinkle brown sugar and pecans on top.
  6. Cover and refrigerate over night.
  7. In the morning, place into the oven and turn to 350º F, uncovered (don’t preheat oven). Bake for 60 minutes or until golden brown and no longer wet.
  8. Serve immediately with your choice topping – maple syrup, honey or even agave nectar.