Momma's DIY Buckwheat Cold Pack Tutorial

Although they hated them for a long time, my kids love ice packs, especially Momma's DIY Buckwheat Cold Packs. If Mommy's kiss isn't quite enough to soothe their owie, Momma's cold pack almost always does the trick.

These were borne out of necessity; before our DIY cold packs it was almost impossible to get ice packs back from my children, which was bad on a number of levels.  First my kids were literally numbing their little hands, second, we could never find ice packs when the hubs and I needed them and  worse, lost or warm ice packs were not sufficient for little boy boo boo's.

I decided to make my own and partially because I had it on hand and partially because I thought the larger grain might not hold the cold as well, I used buckwheat as filler. Flax is also a good option I've used before (which can be heated in the microwave as well) but it has a lot more surface area and I think would stay cold for longer.

The buckwheat is perfect, it warms back to room temperature in 5-10 minutes depending on the size, at which point my kids tend to abandon it somewhere for me to rescue.

They are a super easy DIY that could be completed during naptime if you have a sewing machine. You can make these any size, or shape, you want and whatever scrap fabric you have available. I usually use quilting cotton and this tutorial uses a cute Batman flannel. It's the first time I've used flannel and my boys haven't complained it warms up faster, but its something you may want to consider in your fabric choice.

These are super quick and super easy, I'm sure you can do it.

DIY Buckwheat Cold Pack for Kids

1. Fold your scrap fabric, right sides together and cut out a square or rectangle. Then, keeping your fabric folded, pin around the three open sides.

2. Starting at the fold, sew up the side and turn the corner. Stop sewing and leave a 2 inch gap before you continue sewing around the corner down to the fold. Make sure you backstitch everytime you start and stop. Clip your corners and turn your cold pack right ways out. Use a chopstick to ensure your corners are pointed before you iron your cold pack flat.

3. Starting next to the gap, topstitch all the way around the edge, stopping at the other side of the space.

4. Use a spoon to fill your coldpack no more than 2/3 full with the buckwheat groats. Push the buckwheat to the bottom and place pins horizontally to keep it from shifting while you are sewing. 

5. Topstitch the gap shut, making sure you backstitch at both ends. Then throw it in the freezer and wait until its needed. Maybe next time Mommy's kisses don't work, Momma's DIY Cold Pack will.

Kaia Foods | Review & Giveaway

Anyone who eats gluten-free knows that finding pre-made snacks that are delicious, is not only a challenge, it’s practically a hallelujah moment when you find one that you love. For me, Kaia Foods has recently filled that niche for me. I only wish that their products were available here in Canada; fortunately I have access to an American mailing address so Kaia foods are only a few mouse clicks and a short drive across the border away.

Kaia foods creates 'raw foods' (never heated above 118 degrees) that are naturally gluten and dairy free. I had the opportunity to test out the Cocoa Bliss Buckwheat Granola, the sprouted sunflower seeds and the fruit leathers, and one of our readers (must be delivered to a US address) will have a chance to test out a product of their choice too!

The product I was most excited about, and rightly so, was the Cocoa Bliss Buckwheat Granola. I still long for the crunchy sweetness of granola sprinkled on yogurt, and although there are gluten-free alternatives, until now, none of them have even come close to satisfying that craving.

Cocoa Bliss is so delicious, I haven’t even eaten it with yogurt, or milk, I simply cracked the package open at my desk at work and have been noshing on, it as is, straight out of the bag. Cocoa Bliss is chunky and a little softer than regular granola, but has a great crunchy texture from the healthy combination of buckwheat, raisins, coconut, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts and more. Seriously, this stuff is heavenly and at $6.99 for 12 ounces, it's a steal.

I also tried out Kaia sprouted sunflower seeds, which are sprouted, seasoned and dehydrated at low temperatures to maximize the nutritional content.  The process also enhances the flavour, and managed to provide a crunchy, flavourful snack without leaving a dry and pasty feel in my mouth (which I find traditional sunflower seeds do).

I was very intrigued by the sweet curry flavour and I was pleased to discover that the seasoning was sweet and mild and accented the seeds rather than overpowering them.  The sprouted sunflower seeds are also a fantastic price, only $3.99 for a 5 ounce package.

Finally, the boy and I tested out the organic fruit leathers made without additives, sugar or concentrates.  Unlike traditional fruit leathers, Kaia's are composed of a very thin (not-sticky) piece of dehydrated fruit wrapped around itself in the package, about three layers thick.  We tested out the vanilla pear flavour, which the boy loved and gobbled up.  Personally, I would have enjoyed the addition of a little cinnamon but pear is a mild flavour, so it makes sense this product would be as well.  Kaia Foods organic fruit leathers are $1.89 for a 0.5oz strip.

Overall, I have thoroughly enjoy Kaia foods; the products are tasty, nutritious and best of all, able to meet both the boy and I’s dietary restrictions.  They are great gluten-free, dairy-free products that are available at prices that won’t break the bank. Interested in testing some out for yourself? Check out our Momma Stuff Blog giveaway below.

Enter to Win

One Kaia Foods Product of winner choice

(Winner must have a US Mailing Address in the continental US - not Hawaii or Alaska)

First Entry:
Visit the Kaia Foods Website and leave a comment sharing which product you'd like to try
Please make sure you include your email address if its not in your profile otherwise I won't be able to contact you if you win!
Additional Entries:

Please leave a comment for EACH additional entry

 Follow the Momma Stuff Blog via Google Friend Connect (left sidebar)
Like the Momma Stuff Blog on Facebook

Like Kaia Foods on Facebook
Share this post on your Facebook Profile
Subscribe via email (and activate the subscription) to the Momma Stuff Blog (left sidebar) 
Follow the Momma Stuff Blog on Twitter

Follow Kaia Foods on Twitter

  Tweet this giveaway (once per day - leave a link) 

Kaia Foods - Raw Organic & Natural | #gf #dairyfree #giveaway #review | @mommastuffblog @kaiafoods #CMTT http://bit.ly/cyn3h5
 

Giveaway closes Sunday November 28th at 8pm.  Winner will be determined by a random number generator. Winner will be notified via email and the winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new name will be drawn and contacted.

Contest now closed.
Congratulations to our winner, Comment #17 Ashlei

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Buckwheat Pancakes

I love breakfast.  I've always loved breakfast.  Before my gluten-free existence, I would relish  in the delicious laziness of a Sunday morning breakfast out; I nearly always ordered the eggs benny with chunky hashbrowns.  Despite my many breakfasts eaten in a restaurant, I can say with a fair amount of certainty that I never ordered just pancakes.  I've never really been a fan, in hindsight I'm sure it had to do with the fact that they are laden with gluten.

Ironically, since going gluten-free, pancakes are something I've been determined to master.  I've tried gluten-free pancake recipes and mixes and I've adapted traditional pancake recipes, but I've never managed to get quite the right blend to create a fluffy but stable gluten-free pancake.

This weekend however, I had success with these gluten-free buckwheat pancakes - the boy gobbled an entire one up in 5 minutes flat!  Aesthetically, they appear a little grey in colour, but in terms of texture and taste, these pancakes were amazing; fluffy and light and they didn't fall apart when I tried to eat them.  They are filling and nutritious and let me assure you, buckwheat is gluten-free (despite the fact that 'wheat' is in the name) and is a source of fibre, iron, potassium and protein.

I served these with Vegan Becel and blue agave syrup for the boy, which mean he gets all the buttery, sweetness without an unnecessary sugar spike or eczema-triggering dairy.

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free
Buckwheat Pancakes

Ingredients:
3/4 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 cup potato starch
1/8 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp xantham gum

3/4-1 cup rice (or other non-dairy) milk
1 egg
1tsp baking soda
2 tbsp oil


Directions:

• Whisk together buckwheat flour, potato starch, sugar, baking powder, salt and xantham gum. 
• Mix together 3/4 cup rice milk, egg, baking soda and oil.
• Add wet ingredients to dry and mix well - add additional rice milk as needed to get your desired consistency.
• Heat non-stick pan over medium heat with a small amount of oil, margarine or PAM.
• Pour batter by 1/4 cup onto hot pan and cook until bottom is browned and batter just begins to bubble, about 2 minutes.
• Flip pancakes and cook another minute until cooked through.
• Serve hot and enjoy!