OAMM blog partner Cassidy shares her GFDF and Paleo recipes at Cassidy’s Craveable Creations.
She became passionate about cooking, especially gluten free and dairy free foods, when she learned that it she could use food as a way to improve her son’s development and behavior as he is autistic. Since then, she has also been diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease, and so their whole family eats mostly grain free. She loves cooking as it allows her to control the ingredients and keep her familiy as healthy as possible.
Original: Take Out Fake Out: Orange Chicken with Cauliflower Fried Rice (Paleo, GFDF)
Freezable: Take Out Fake Out: Orange Chicken with Cauliflower Fried Rice (log in required)
Original: Chicken Taco Salad (Gluten Free Dairy Free)
Freezable: Chicken Taco Salad (log in required)
Additional recipes from Cassidy include:
- Paleo Vanilla Poppyseed Muffins (original, freezable)
- Gluten Free Chimichangas (original, freezable)
- Hawaiian Pork Chops (original, freezable)
- Classic Chocolate Cake
- Paleo Sweet :”Cornbread” Muffins
- Quick & Easy Paleo Hamburger Buns
Connect with Cassidy on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for more encouragement in living gluten free and for more tasty recipes!
How long have you been blogging about food?
I started blogging three or four years ago but have only had my new site, Cassidy’s Craveable Creations, for the past two.
Have you always loved cooking, or was it a skill that you learned to love? Who taught you to cook?
My mom and grandma taught me to cook when I was young, but I never started enjoying it or cooking regularly until I started a family over 10 years ago. I became really passionate about cooking when my son was diagnosed with autism and I started learning how much food effects health and behavior.
What is your favorite meal to serve to family and friends? What is your favorite treat to make for yourself?
My favorite recipe to serve to family and friends would probably be my Mom’s Shredded Beef Taco Recipe. It makes a ton of food, is easy to prepare, and everyone always loves it! I like to make a Chocolate Chip Mug Cookie for myself as a treat because it tastes like a fresh baked chocolate chip cookie but takes less than 5 minutes from start to finish and doesn’t leave much for me to clean up. I’ve also been know to sit down on the couch with a bag of dairy free chocolate chips 🙂
What is your favorite kitchen tool or gadget? Tell us a little about how you fell in love with it and how you use it in your kitchen.
I love my Kitchen Aid mixer! It was given to me by my grandma, and I keep it on my kitchen counter top not only for easy access because I use it all the time, but because it’s so pretty and reminds me of my grandma.
When you are meal planning or looking for new recipes, what kind of guidelines do you follow for choosing them or what gives you inspiration in the kitchen for new flavors?
I like the challenge of finding traditional, well loved recipes and converting them to be gluten free, dairy free, and many times Paleo. I think that just because you follow a healthy or special diet doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy your favorite foods or that your food needs to be tasteless and boring. But like most people, I lead a very busy life, so I try to make my dishes as simple as possible.
What items are ALWAYS on your grocery list? What items will you NEVER put on your grocery list?
I always have dairy free chocolate chips, coconut oil, eggs, honey, gluten free bars, and fresh produce on my grocery list. And you will NEVER see me buying white sugar or pop! I would say that I never buy anything with gluten in it, but that would be a lie because my husband likes me to keep him stocked with Little Debbie snacks that he keeps hidden!
Tell us the best kitchen tip or trick that you’ve ever discovered.
The best tip I’ve discovered is just to be organized and plan our meals. It only takes me about 30 minutes extra each week before I go grocery shopping, and then I don’t have to worry about what I’ll make for dinner every night. Also, when I’m unpacking my groceries I go ahead and wash and chop all of my veggies for the week and do any prep work that can be done ahead of time to help make dinners and school lunches a breeze. Plus, every week or two I make shredded chicken to use in salads and recipes and homemade bone broth that I store in individual containers in the freezer to use when needed.
What do you like to do when you aren’t cooking or blogging?
When I’m not cooking or blogging I am spending time with my family. I’m slightly obsessed with the weather (especially living in Oklahoma during May!), I love being at the pool, entertaining, vegging in front of the TV after the kids have gone to bed, having date night with my hubby, decorating, and taking naps when I can!
Have you ever freezer cooked? Share some of your favorite recipes or tips.
I haven’t done a lot of freezer cooking outside of baked goods, but I plan on doing more in the future. I do have several recipes that would work well with freezer cooking though, such as my Hawaiian Pork Chops!
