Monday, July 26, 2010

Weekend Warriors

It was a very busy weekend in the B house. Since there are only a few of them left until I go back to school, Mr. B decided we are going to plan some Fun Family Outings. (Also commonly known as the FFO.) Our first FFO was to a neighboring city's pool. I was stoked because I love wearing a swimsuit.

Insert sarcastic eyebrow raise HERE.

The plus side of this was we got to stop by the only health food store with in a two hour radius. Middle of Kansas, remember? There just aren't that many conservative fundamental Christian NRA vegetarians. Granted, the store is the size of my living room, but the people are friendly, helpful and sympathetic to our dietary desires. After dropping fifty bucks on some vegan cheese, sour cream, butter, rice vanilla ice cream, and silken tofu, we headed home so I could throw a couple non-dairy side dishes together for a get together with friends.

I made Mac & Cheese, per Little B's request and a broccoli salad for the adults. The food went over okay. Everyone was surprised by the Mac & Cheese, which was nice. I really don't expect people who shovel in dairy every day to take their veggie counterparts with enthusiasm. But they all tried, which was also very nice.

The highlight of the evening was Mr. B drinking a throw-back Dr. Pepper with real sugar in it, then taking out his sugar high on the Rock Band drum set...and Dance, Dance, Revolution.

I, too, decided to drink a Dr. Pepper. One word for you: MISTAKE. I could only stomach about half, so I didn't suffer the Junior High shakes like Mr. B, but I swear I had a sugar hangover the next morning. There is no polite word to describe how I felt. I'm a pastor's wife. Use your imagination.

Saturday we were confronted with out first meal out - Cracker Barrel. Now, this is not our most favorite restaurant to begin with, so we knew it would be a challenge. I did a little research the night before and found out what we could eat. Eggs, meat, sourdough bread and Apple Bran Muffins were sans dairy. Little B wanted eggs anyway, so we were good there. I slid a little leftover piece of Banana Awesomeness into my purse just in case things went awry.

You could tell from the get-go that our dietary restriction made the waitress a tad nervous. I didn't want her to think we would go into anaphalactic shock if we got a little moo in out breakfasts, but I didn't want to down play it like it didn't matter either. Little B didn't like the eggs or muffin, but devoured the snack I snuck in. Mr. B and I tried a egg sandwich on sourdough with tomato. Mediocre, to say the least, but we didn't get any sides, so we split the Apple Bran Baseball, I mean - Muffin. This is definitely a recipe I will tackle at a future date. Surely dairy is not the only way to get moisture in baked goods.

To get our minds off our Crapper Barrel breakfast, we worked out, then went swimming with friends. A fabulous afternoon. Saturdays call for pizza on my husband's side of the family, so I thought this might be a good time to try out a non-dairy version.

Pizza Crust

1 pkg quick yeast

3/4 c. warm water

1 T. brown sugar

2 c. whole wheat flour

2 T. oil

Dash of salt, or other seasonings ( I used Spike)

Mix the yeast, water and brown sugar. Let sit for about 10 minutes. Add oil and mixture into mixer. (I used my Kitchen Aide.) Slowly add flour, scraping sides as needed. Once all incorporated, let the K.A. do its thing for about 10 more minutes. Then, allow the dough to rest and rise for another 1o or so. Shape your dough onto a pizza stone. Bake at 400* for 5-7 minutes. Add a smidge of your favorite sauce and bake for 5-7 minutes more. Add your toppings. Bake again for 10-12 minutes, depending on your toppings.

Little B had Toffutti cheese only. Mr. B opted for turkey pepperoni and bacon. I dumped on red onions, mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes. Yum. Sorry I couldn't get the photo before stealing a couple of bites.

To cap off the weekend, I think Little B may have gotten some dairy in the form a vanilla sandwich cookie snack at church on Sunday. I shall monitor the situation and keep you updated on how things, uh...turn out.

2 comments:

  1. I got a kick out your "crapper barrel" experience. Don't you love it when you are prepared (the banana stuff you took along) and then you actually get to use that stuff??!!

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  2. Lovin' these posts! I've been wondering how I would feel if I went gluten free and/or dairy free. I tried to do both once when Hazel was a wee one and very crabby. I starved. Perhaps I'll save your recipes and try them out... or maybe you could just come visit and cook for me?

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