I can’t  believe that Back to School season is just around the corner.  Since I homeschool my kids I don’t have to worry about packing lunches, but I still have to feed them .  I am constantly getting the same complaints, “We are having Ham sandwiches again!?” “Don’t we have something else for lunch?”

I try to be creative with lunches.  I really do.  It just gets exhausting to think of an assortment of lunches to keep the kids interested in food.  I know the same is true for packing lunches.  It is hard to come up with new and creative things to pack that don’t need to be heated.  That is why I am going to try to post some really great lunchbox choices for you guys over the next few weeks.  Each Tuesday I will post a new lunchbox idea!

This week is one of my favorites! I make them all the time!  We even have them for dinner sometimes!  My kids love these too, and they are easy on the bank!

BBQ Chicken Wrap

BBQ Chicken Wrap Printable Version

• Cut up Cooked Chicken (I use Lawry’s Chipotle Lime Marinade!)
• Medium-Large Tortillas ( Use Corn for GF)
• Shredded Cheddar Cheese (leave out for Dairy Free)
• Shredded Lettuce
• BBQ Sauce

Directions

Heat up Tortillas either in oven under broiler or in microwave.  They fold better when they are warm.

Squirt a TBSP of BBQ Sauce in Tortilla.

Stack Chicken, Lettuce, and shredded cheddar cheese in the tortilla.

Fold the Tortilla like a burrito.  Fold in the sides, and then roll.

Serve!

These are really so good!  They are perfect for lunch on the go!  Even for picnics!

I have lots of Back to School Shopping Shortcuts, and Tide you Over Tuesday Recipes!

I linked up at

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My son is a picky eater.  I don’t know where he gets it from?? ~looking around the room as everyone is pointing at me~.   Ok, so I was a picky eater when I was a kid, but I didn’t have a food allergy.  My son unfortunately does.  So, the things he would normally eat, he can’t.  We have to find a Gluten Free substitute.  Don’t get me wrong,  I would do anything for my kids.  When my daughter was diagnosed with a milk allergy, we switched a ton of stuff.  Turns out that it is easier to go Dairy free than it is to go Gluten free.

I have found it very difficult to switch my baked good recipes because rice flour, and all the other substitutes, don’t act the same as wheat flour.  If there is a scientist somewhere to make a flour that had the same stretchiness without the gluten, she/he would be a rich person.  Breads and other doughy recipes are very hard to duplicate.  I found this recipe for Biscuits and I jumped for joy.  I had everything on hand to make them, and of course I doctored the recipe a little to make them taste better.  They are so good!  I had 2.  Now, I am stuffed, because gluten free flours are more filling!  I guess because they are more nutritious than processed wheat flour. A little bit goes a long way!

These biscuits taste a lot like my Sweet biscuit recipe. Which, I seriously thought I had posted.  I just went to hunt it down and it isn’t on the blog?!  What?! You guys are in for a treat.  I will throw it up as a bonus recipe one day! It is a go to must have recipe!  Oh, how I love those!  I haven’t made them in awhile, but they are like little bites of heaven!  With homemade jam! MMMMM…. Ok, I am back.  Sorry you lost me with thoughts of jam covered biscuits.   I got out the jam, and had a taste test.  These GF Biscuits are right up there with the regular!  So light and fluffy!

As an added bonus, save some of the dough.   Some little boy twisted my arm and made me fry some donuts from the biscuit dough.  Remember my homemade donuts?? Excuse me as I roll out of the kitchen.   I am so gonna have to work out tonight!

I won’t make you wait any longer! Here is the best GFCF Biscuit recipe I have found!

GFCF Biscuits

GFCF Biscuits Printable Version

• 1 ½ cup brown rice flour
• 2 cup Starch (corn, tapioca, or potato)
• ½  cup soy flour or sorghum flour
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. xanthan gum
• ½ cup butter flavored Crisco (butter or margarine)
• 1 cup soy milk (or regular milk)
• 1 cup water
• 1 Tbsp. cider vinegar
• 1 egg, beaten (or the equivalent amount of your favorite egg replacement)

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl thoroughly combine the flours, baking powder, salt, baking soda, sugar, and xanthan gum.

Cut the Crisco and the flour mixture together until it is course crumbles.

Add the soy milk, water, vinegar and beaten egg to the flour and stir until the dry and liquid ingredients are combined.

Using a large spoon, drop the dough onto a greased cupcake pan to make 16 biscuits.

Cook at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

I had to include a pic of the insides with the jam! YUM!

Since this recipe makes so many you can totally freeze these and they are just as yummy reheated, or save some of the dough and make donuts like we did!

Just heat some oil in a fryer to about 350 degrees.

Drop biscuit dough in by spoonfuls.  Let fry until golden brown.

Remove, and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar!

They got the Picky Eater seal of approval!

This recipe is Gluten Free and Dairy Free.  If you don’t need them to be dairy free you can use regular milk instead of soy, and butter instead of crisco.

There are a lot more Gluten Free and Dairy Free Recipe here on A Few Short Cuts! What is your favorite?

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I remember a few months ago I was complaining how bizarrely cold it was here.  It just isn’t supposed to get that cold in Florida!  Well, somebody heard me cause it is hot now!  The heat index has been hanging around 100!  The air conditioner is running, and things are back to normal.

Some of you may think I am crazy, but I would much rather it be warm than cold.  I can’t handle the cold!  My body just wasn’t made for it.

When it is hot outside we can enjoy some of our favorite activities; hitting the beach, swimming, playing in the sprinkler, Popsicle on the porch, and slushies! OH, I love the Strawberry Slushes from Sonic!  They are my favorite.  With the little chunks of ice and strawberries.  Give me one of those any day!  Then, I got to thinking, how hard can they be to make?  I have my handy dandy new blender with dispenser.  I figured it was worth a shot!

Strawberry Slush

• 2 cups frozen strawberries
• 1/3- 1/2 cup sugar (or Splenda ) Thanks Cathy
• 1 cup ice
• 2 cups Strawberry Soda

Just toss the strawberries, sugar, ice, and soda in the blender on high and serve.

This is my favorite feature on this blender!

‘I know what you are thinking, “Does it need the sugar?”  The answer is yes!  I tried it without first, and it wasn’t sweet at all.  Just that little bit makes all the difference in the world!

These tasted just like the real thing, brain freeze and all!  My kids all agreed! I didn’t hear a peep for 5 minutes!

You can see all the ice crystals! So amazingly delicious!

I am sure you could try this with other flavors.  Strawberry just so happens to be my favorite, so that is what you got today!

Plus, to make it even better there is a deal at Publix with the soda

Fanta Strawberry Soda (coke product) 2 liters are 3/$5.

• Use Buy2 Get 1 Free Fanta Publix coupon (yellow advantage flyer)
• Use Buy 2 Coke 2 Liter Get a free Coke Zero 2 Liter (hang tag)
• Use Buy 2 Coke 2 Liter Get a free bag of Snyders Pretzels Publix (tearpad)

Pay $3.33 and get (4) 2 liters and a bag of Pretzels

I found all the coupons in the store today!

Like  Tide You Over Tuesday???  You’ll Love “Snack”urday!  Come back Saturday to see what treat is baking up!

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Have you ever read the back of a food package and seen all of the ingredients in the simplest of items?  I have to! My children are both allergic to such familiar items that it has become second nature to see what is in a product, and make a mental note of who can/can’t eat it.  Then, we have the wonderful battle of, Can I eat that? I wish I could eat that!  Why does he get to eat that?

I wish I could buy convenient breakfast foods.  Cereal is as convenient as it gets at my house.  I have only found one breakfast bar that is Gluten Free and Dairy Free and they are almost $5 a box.  With 3 kids they go fast!  So, like my other great recipes this one has come out of necessity.  I have made some super yummy, granola bars that are dairy free, gluten free, and disappear quickly!

You guys will have to try these! You won’t go back to store bought bars!

Homemade Granola Bars (GFCF)

Homemade Granola Bars Printable Version

• 3 cups Oatmeal
• 1 ½ cups chopped pecans
• 1 cup coconut (optional)
• ¾ cup sunflower kernels
• 5 TBSP Butter flavored Crisco
• 1 cup honey
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 tbsp. vanilla
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 cup Raisins/craisins
• 1 cup choc chips (Ghirardelli Semi sweet are Dairy free)

Preheat oven to 350.  Line 9×13 with parchment

Toss oatmeal, pecans, and coconut together on a sheet pan and toast for 10 minutes.  Until lightly browned.

I was out of coconut for round 1 ( I am making another batch today! )

Transfer to large bowl and stir in Sunflower Kernels.

Reduce oven to 300 degrees

Place Crisco, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.

Cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture.

Add the Raisins.

Sprinkle Chocolate Chips in the Bottom of the pan.

This makes a fun layer of chocolate on the granola bars! mmmmm!

Quickly dump and press the oat mixture in the pan and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.

Cool for at least 2-3 hours before cutting into bars.

Makes 16-24 bars depending on size!

I have lots of great breakfast recipes!

I linked this recipe up over at Beauty and Bedlam!

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I was going through some of the recipes I had posted the other day and thought, “Where are all the sides?”  Well,  I couldn’t let that problem go unresolved!  This side dish is perfect for any meal, or any occasion!

It is especially perfect of this weekend’s upcoming festivities!  It doesn’t matter if you are grilling, having a party, going to a friends, hitting the beach, having a picnic, or all of the above.  You can make this Macaroni Salad ahead, Chill, and take it with you! It is so versatile, I even made it with Gluten Free Macaroni, and you can’t taste a difference!

I never hear about Macaroni Salad that much.  I guess it is just an under appreciated side dish, because 2 little girls armed with spoons just ran by and devoured a half of a huge bowl!  Then asked, “Is there any more?”  Again, I swear I wish I had a child’s metabolism! So, this weekend whip up a bowl and see what you have been missing!

Macaroni Salad

Macaroni Salad Printable Version

• ½ box Macaroni or 8 oz.
• ½ cup Mayonnaise
• 1 carrot grated
• 1 celery stalk chopped
• 1  TBSP Vinegar
• 1 TBSP Pickle Relish
• 1 tsp. sugar
• Dash of pepper

Directions

Cook Macaroni according to package directions drain and allow to cool.

In a small bowl whisk together Mayo, vinegar, pickle relish, sugar, and pepper.

In a large bowl, stir together the cooled macaroni, carrots and celery.

Weird fact of the day: Did you know that Celery holds on to the most pesticides than any other veggie?  I always spend extra and buy organic.  It’s only a couple cents more!

Mix the Mayo dressing into the macaroni.

It’s just that simple. Chill and serve.

For gluten free you can use Gluten free macaroni.  It is naturally Dairy Free!

I have tons of other great Tide You Over Tuesday Recipes!

Plus, Don’t forget some yummy Blueberry Pie for your 4th of July Celebrations!

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It’s HOT outside! The kids are home, they are wanting fun things to do all day long, and they want to eat.  My kids eat all day long!  I feed them breakfast, and 30 minutes later they want a snack.  Then, it’s lunch time,  and snack again.  Then, they have the nerve to ask me what’s for dinner??  Really?  Didn’t they just eat?  ~Sigh~  So, I fix them dinner and then of course dessert.

Where do they possibly put all of that food?  There bodies are not that big.  They are not over weight by any stretch of the imagination.  Yet, they have a bottomless pit of a stomach.  I wish I was 5!    Oh, to be able to eat anything I wanted and not find it later.

Next time your crew is wanting a Snack on a hot summers day why not make Snow Cones??  One of my readers, Angela, from McCalla, AL sent me this winner!  I guess I just never thought about making my own Snow Cone Syrup.  Angela sent me this email and it won me over!  What a great idea!  You can make it in any number of flavors, and you could even lower the sugar in the syrup if you wanted.  My kids want to try lemonade flavored next! Thanks Angela for sharing such a great recipe, and now I am sharing it with you!

Snow Cone Syrup

Snow cone syrup Printable Version

• 1 unsweetened packet of Kool Aide (Any Flavor)
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup water

Directions

Stir together kool aide, sugar, and water in a saucepan over medium heat.

Bring to boil stirring constantly.  Allow mixture to boil 1 minute.

Remove from heat and cool.

Place in empty squirt bottle, and pour over crushed ice!

YUM!

If you don’t have an ice shaver, I found this Hamilton Beach 68050 Icy Treats Ice Shaver for $31 with Free Super Saver Shipping on Amazon.  You can also check Walmart and Target this time of the year.  They have great deals.

I am adding this recipe to my Frugal Summer Fun Button!  Check it out for more great Summer Fun Ideas!

I linked this recipe up over at Life As Mom!

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This recipe to me just screams “Made in the South!”  For all of you Georgians you know that the peaches this year are beautiful.  I got the biggest bag of them the other day for a great price. They are really juicy!

I have no problem just eating fruit.  I always here others say, ” I just got a big bunch of  ____.  What should I make with them?”  I can just sit down and eat fruit. I don’t have to have a special recipe.  It disappears all on its own.

This time I thought I would make a special treat for breakfast, although they were so good I ate two right out of the oven!  These would be perfect for an easy, yet delicious Father’s Day Breakfast!  My daughter said they were good enough to be dessert.  That is true!  Heat one up with some whip cream on top, or some ice cream! It would truly be a treat! These muffins taste just like Peach Cobbler! Either way they would be delicious with some Homemade Iced Coffee!

I suppose, you could even make them without the Pecan Streusel Topping, but if your gonna have a muffin you may as well have a little goodie on the top!

Peach Cobbler Muffins

Peach Cobbler Muffins Printable Version

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 cups peeled, pitted, and chopped peaches (you can used drained canned peaches)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease 16-18 muffin cups.

In the mixer, mix the oil, eggs, and sugar.

In a large bowl, mix the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.

Add the flour to the oil mix until well incorporated.

The batter will be thick!

Fold in the peaches.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups.

Bake 20-25 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Cool 10 minutes before turning out onto wire racks to cool completely.

The yummy moist delicious insides!

Pecan Streusel Topping Recipe

• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 2/3 cup flour
• 2/3 cup pecans, finely chopped, optional
• 4 Tbsp butter (or margarine), softened
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Mix together all of the above ingredients. Fingers work best.

Sprinkle a TBSP on top of each muffin before you bake!

YUM!

Want more Breakfast recipes?  I have several!

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It’s getting hot outside!  While sitting at the beach yesterday with my toes in the sand, I was trying to think…..”What would be a great Tide You Over Tuesday?”  Iced Coffee!

I don’t know about you, but I consider it a treat if I splurge on one of these cups full of iced mocha coffee deliciousness!  Why can coffee places charge $3-$4 a pop for this yummy treat?  Oh, cause we pay for it!  No more my friends!  Let’s start a cheap coffee revolution!

For very minimal effort you can have your very own iced coffee in the morning for pennies!  You can make it plain, mocha, caramel, low fat, soy, you name it! You don’t need any fancy equipment.  In fact, we are going old school.  You just need a mason jar, a strainer, and a coffee filter.  You can even use just regular old coffee.  Eight o’Clock has a great $1 off coupon right now!

I was lucky enough to have Don Fransisco Coffee send me a ton of their new Reserve Blend Coffees!  More on that later! So, get ready to have a $4 coffee for pennies!

Iced Coffee “Home Brewed”

Iced Coffee Printable Version

• 1 Cup ground coffee
• 32 ounce container (1 quart)
• Strainer
• Large basket type coffee filters

Directions

Place ground coffee in container, fill with cold water.

Cover and let sit for twelve to fifteen hours. Place strainer over large bowl and put coffee filter inside. Slowly pour over about half of the coffee and let sit until strained. Replace filter and repeat.

Sorry I can't pour and photograph at the same time!

To make regular coffee: place equal parts coffee concentrate and water in cup and heat.

To make iced coffee: Place equal parts concentrate and milk in glass. Add ice, sweetened as desired. You may find my preference for iced coffee a bit strong for you so leave room to add some water to weaken it if need be!

I use Hershey’s syrup for Mocha, Caramel syrup for that Carmel Macchiato taste, or just plain with sweetener!  Totally up to you!

To me this tastes just like, if not better than, what you pay for at the coffee shop!  Add the convenience of having it in the comfort of your own PJ’s and it doesn’t get any better!

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