I am often asked if the recipes in my eBooks and those I share on my website are suitable with specific allergies/dietary requirements. I endeavour to provide substitutes wherever possible to make recipes nut free, egg free and/or vegan in both my eBooks and the recipes on my website.
Most of the recipes in my eBooks can easily be be made dairy free, nut free and egg free. There are many gluten free flours available in grocery stores and you can substitute with gluten free flour for all of the recipes.
Whether it’s an egg allergy, nut allergy, dairy intolerance, gluten intolerance, a vegan diet, you’ve run out of eggs and milk or you’re endeavouring to follow a more plant based diet then I have you covered with these recipe substitutions.
I will run through substitutes which will work for most recipes.
1. Milk Substitutes
Most of my recipes call for full fat milk, however you can substitute with any plant based milk you prefer.
If using a plant based milk there might be a slight difference in the taste of the recipe.
2. Cheese Substitutes
Nutritional yeast or dairy free cheese/cheese spreads can be used in place of cheese for all of the recipes.
3. Butter Substitutes
Coconut oil can often be used in place of butter.
Ghee is also another great option if you avoid dairy or are lactose intolerant and the milk protein is removed during the cooking process. You can find my recipe here.
4. Egg Substitues
I find chia eggs (recipe here) or flax eggs to be the best substitute, however these will not work for every recipe. An egg replacement will only work well for recipes which call for less than 3 eggs.
1 mashed banana can also be used in some instances, this tends to work well for baked goods, however it will change the taste!
Apple purée is another substitute which can work well in baked goods.
5. Nut Substitutes
Any recipe which calls for nut butter can replaced with any seed butter.
Recipes which call for crushed nuts can be replaced with any crushed seeds of choice, or hemp hearts.
Toasted oats can also sometimes work to replace nuts.
6. Seed Substitutes
Any recipes which call for seeds, can be replaced with crushed nuts or hemp hearts.
7. Gluten Free Modifications
Most grocery stores stock a range of gluten free flours, for example, gluten free all purpose flour and these can readily be used as substitutes.
Buckwheat flour is another great substitute, but it does impact the taste as it is quite earthy and nutty.
Almond flour can sometimes be used as a replacement but again this will not work for every recipe.
Oat flour works well as a replacement but you will usually find you need to modify the quantity and increase the amount of oat flour.
Any recipe which call for oats can be replaced by gluten free oats.
Gluten free flours may change the taste and texture of the end result slightly.
]]>
Potty Training
Potty training is a milestone occasion in a toddler’s (and parents!) life which is often surrounded with nervousness and apprehension. There is a plethora of information out there on potty training and it can really be quite confusing!
I am not an expert, I’m just sharing my personal experience with you on what worked for my son and I. Ultimately, you know your little one best and you’ll know what the right approach is for you and them.
When to begin potty training
There is so much literature out there on this topic; the earlier the better, wait until they shows signs of readiness, wait until between 2.5 - 3 years old...
There isn’t a definitive answer, every child develops at a different rate and consequently “readiness” will vary.
These are the signs of “readiness” which we used as cues to start potty training.
Preparing For Success
This is all about setting up your bathroom and talking to your toddler about what is going to happen.
A few days before starting the potty training we began reading a couple of books about potty training and explained that soon he would be a big boy and wouldn’t be wearing nappies. (I have added the books we used to my amazon store, linked at the end). We are also a very open household and he is used to seeing us use the toilet so we used this opportunity to explain he would soon be using the toilet like mummy and daddy to prepare him emotionally.
Secondly, we purchased a toilet seat reducer and travel potty (again linked in my amazon store).
We chose to skip the potty and go directly with a toilet seat reducer. This is such a personal decision and we opted to go straight for the toilet as that worked for us and our son. I think the connection to the toilet works, rather than the potty, because that’s what mummy/daddy use.
The benefit of a potty is that they can seem less intimidating and can always be close by, however you will then have to transition to a toilet at some point.
Opting straight for the toilet skips a step and worked really well for us. We ensured everything was set up the night before we started.
We chose not to use pull up nappies as this can be confusing because they won’t feel the sensation of being wet. During the build up we took him out to the shops to pick out some big boy underwear and used that as an opportunity to reiterate that he wouldn’t be wearing nappies anymore because he would be using the toilet like a big boy.
Day 1
We picked 2/3 consecutive days where we knew we could all be at home and not have to go out. It really helps if both parents are around for this transition hence we used a weekend to do this.
As soon as he woke up we removed his underwear so that his bottom half was naked and explained today was the day he’d start doing his wee and poos like a big boy.
We took him to the toilet every 15/20 mins or sooner if he had had a drink. Rather than asking him if he needed the toilet, we told him it was time to go and try. The focus was always on trying and seeing if anything happened. He did his first wee quite quickly and was very proud of himself.
Usually he poos like clockwork but was holding it in, so we looked out for his usual signs and quickly took him every time. Eventually after about 6 hours he did a poo in the toilet and we gave him A LOT of praise and did a special poo dance!
We also kept a couple of books in the bathroom to read while he was waiting to see if a wee/poo came.
The first day he had a couple of accidents but understood that he needed to wee and poo in the potty. When he did have an accident we kept it calm and had him help clean up the mess and explained, it’s ok to have an accident when learning and it’s a new skill he is learning.
I did put a nappy on for his nap but explained that it was because when we are asleep we don’t know if we need a wee so it’s just in case.
Day 2
Again, as soon as he woke up we stripped him on the bottom half and put him on the toilet. This time he did a poo straight away.
We slightly stretched out the time between taking him to the toilet to around 30/45 mins. Again he had a couple of accidents but understood that he needed to go on the toilet.
Day 3
Upon waking, he did a wee and poo in the toilet and then we put on his boy boy underwear.
We still took him every 45 mins or so but in between began to ask him if he thought he needed a wee/poo. The answer was almost always no but a couple of time he did say he thought he needed too.
Day 4
We ventured out! We chose to purchase a travel potty which also doubles up as a seat trainer for when out and about.
This was an absolute godsend as it allowed us to do a wee practically anywhere - in the car, in a discrete corner whilst out at the shops, etc. On a long car journey or a long day out this device takes out the stress of worrying about where you are going and where the nearest toilets/restrooms are.
Day 5
This was much the same as day 4, we headed out for a few hours and kept up with asking A LOT and trying to see if anything happened. By day 5 he was able to start controlling his bladders as he was going for longer periods without needing a wee.
Day 6
He began to say that “something was happening” when he needed a wee/poo and was able to go a couple of hours between needing the toilet.
I ensured he had a wee before a nap and then let him sleep in his underwear and he has been dry during nap times.
He’s still wearing nappies at night, but the nappy comes off first thing and he does his first wee of the day in the potty.
UPDATE:
November 2019
He is now dry at night. I will delve into this topic in a couple of weeks!
I hope you’ve found this useful and I’d love for you to share any tips in the comments below!
Amazon Store Links
US
https://www.amazon.com/shop/my.little.food.critic
UK
https://www.amazon.co.uk/shop/my.little.food.critic
Quinoa Flakes
If you follow me over on Instagram you’ll know I use quinoa flakes A LOT! I often get asked what they are, why I like them, how to cook them and where to buy them. Quinoa flakes are one of my favourite ingredients and I always have them in my stock cupboard!
What are Quinoa Flakes?
Quinoa flakes are highly nutritious and are made by pressing raw, unprocessed quinoa seeds, a little bit like oat groats are rolled to make rolled oats. The whole quinoa seed is flattened out using a grain flaker, therefore quinoa flakes have all of the same properties as quinoa; high in plant based protein, loaded with fibre and naturally gluten free. For this reason I love adding them to recipes wherever I can to boost my family’s protein and fibre intake.
How Do You Cook Quinoa Flakes?
Quinoa flakes cook very quickly, and you can just add them to recipes without any variation to the cooking time.
What Do Quinoa Flakes Taste Like?
They have a very mild flavour, slightly on the nutty side but don’t interfere with other flavours and are therefore a great addition to other recipes.
Where Can You Buy Quinoa Flakes?
You’ll find quinoa flakes in most health food shops and also online. I tend to buy mine from amazon, I have linked my amazon shops below (they are saved under pantry essentials).
USA:
https://www.amazon.com/shop/my.little.food.critic
UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/shop/my.little.food.critic
Recipes Using Quinoa Flakes
Quinoa flakes are so versatile and you can add them to almost anything. You can get quite creative with them in the kitchen! My favourite ways to use them are: