Group gatherings and going out to eat can already be stressful when you’re gluten-free. Then, add in the holidays when you want to have the perfect foods, don’t want to ask your MIL to make her pie gluten-free, stress about not having food to eat, and also stress about eating something that will make you feel terrible!
Sausage Potato and Kale Soup
Fall is definitely my favorite season and it’s finally fall here in Kansas City. Two of our son's birthdays are in the fall as well as our wedding anniversary, which we will celebrate 10 years this year. I love the change in weather, the color change of the leaves and the change in my regular menu. We love some delicious soup at our house, with cornbread of course. Soups are easy, versatile, can pack in a lot of great nutrition and make great leftovers. I can't wait to share with you 3 of our favorites over the next few posts.
This first one, sausage potato and kale soup, is one we definitely all agree on but our 8 y/o goes nuts for it. He will eat 3 full-sized bowls in one sitting, no problem. Leftovers are double delish, btw!
Funny story... I was making this soup at my Mom's a few years ago and made it early enough to let it sit for a while before dinner. I gave my son a small bowl to "taste test" since it's his fave. My Mom asked him how the soup was and he said "this is damn good soup". He was probably 4 years old and I have never laughed so hard, of course, while trying to tell him not to say that word. My Mom still talks about that story and we now call sausage, potato and kale soup the "damn good soup". I think you will too!
Cinnamon Energy Bites
Energy balls or energy bites or protein balls or whatever you want to call them. These damn delicious little things are the best to have around for a quick snack, sweet treat or to take them on the go instead of a bar.
My son loves all things cinnamon like ice cream, bagels and of course snickerdoodle cookies. So, I used cinnamon for the inspiration for this recipe hoping he would like them. Are all kids this hard to please? Really, I made these for his baseball tournament last weekend and they ended up being a big hit in the dugout. Don’t freak out, I asked about allergies before passing them around.
These bites only require a few steps and they have lots of goodness inside. I used chia seeds, which you can find out more on their nutrition benefits here and they contain dates for a natural sweetener. I made 2 versions, one with protein powder and one without. I use Vega Organic Proteins and Greens powder, which has stevia making the bites have a bit of sweetener aftertaste. Both are good, just a little different.