In my continued quest for some breakfast foods that will keep us going in the morning rather than weighing us down, I came across the idea of using some of that ground turkey I keep on hand to make a really quick version of homemade Breakfast Turkey Sausage Patties - lean to extra-lean (customised to your taste). I prefer to stir the spices in the night before, so they have time to infuse the meat, but you can easily whip this dish up on the fly. For the best cost savings, look for lean (93%) ground turkey meat on sale. For a leaner product, keep an eye out for deals on ground white turkey breast, which is the leanest you can find (99%). At home, I do use an egg or egg whites to add moisture. If you need an egg-free version, to keep the patties from becoming to dry, I recommend using the 93% ground turkey (or perhaps adding a bit of your favorite premade sauce/condiment).

Here we are in the midst of the 12th annual Food Allergy Awareness Week, which runs from May 10 - 16 this year. It seems Canadians finished their festivities last week, but we hope they will join us for this celebratory blog carnival regardless. A blog carnival you say? Yes, this week I have the honor of hosting the Living with Food Allergies Blog Carnival, and it is a good one (27 posts in all!). We have good food, good stories, and several helpful tidbits to keep life with food allergies fun (and delicious)!

So enough with my rambling, it's time to enjoy some featured blog posts! Introducing the May 14, 2009, Food Allergy Awareness Celebratory edition of the living with food allergies carnival ...

I am here to not only announce the winner of the HomeFree Organic Cookie Giveaway, but also to share your cookie idea round-up … your responses to my question (what flavor of food allergy-friendly cookies should HomeFree come up with next?) were all too yummy and they took me a long time to compile so please do check them out! Not to mention, you just might find some cookie baking inspiration. But now, the winner …Comment #46 - Ellen - “Chocolate and coconut! Yum.” Congratulations Ellen! A HomeFree Sampler Package filled with big and mini Organic Cookies (that also happen to be vegan, wheat-free, dairy-free, egg-free, and nut-free) is coming  your way! If your name wasn't selected, have no fear, you can order HomeFree Cookies direct or from the online Food Allergy Grocer, Navan Foods (they ship throughout the U.S.).

Enjoy Life Foods is celebrating their new and improved granola this month (crispier and with smaller granola clusters!) with a deliciously light mother's day cookie recipe that showcases the sweet goodness of cranberries and apples. Whether your mom is gluten-free and you want to surprise her with a treat, or the idea of baking cookies with mom sounds like a special mother's day in its own right, this recipe will suit your needs. Beyond gluten-free, it is also vegan, soy-free, dairy-free, egg-free, and nut-free ... in true Enjoy Life fashion! If gluten-free isn't a concern for you, feel free to substitute the flours with all-purpose or whole wheat pastry flour, and omit the xanthan gum. If you don't have any Enjoy Life Granola on hand, no worries, it is on sale on Amazon this month (along with Enjoy Life cookies and chocolate chips, two of my personal favorite treats!). Just use the coupon code ENJOYLIF at checkout for an extra 20% off, and purchase $25 of groceries or more for free shipping! Oh yes, back to the recipe, here it is ...

How to get enough protein is a question I get by so many people. Whether fitness buffs, bodybuilders, or moms concerned about growing kids, protein is an essential need, and milk products can be a quick "shortcut" to loading up. But there really are so many other great protein sources and so many wonderful ways to enjoy them! In search of my own protein balance, I created a smooth rich beverage that was intended for post workout recovery (it has a tasty ratio of 4:1 carbohydrates to protein), but can also be enjoyed as an afternoon treat for tots or anyone in need of an evergy boost. And best of all it uses that wonderful in-season fruit, strawberries! Keep in mind, my recipe for a Rewarding Strawberry "Julius" is very flexible. For the most authentic taste, use a pasteurized egg white (though plain egg protein powder works very nicely). For an egg-free experience, use another protein powder (such as rice or soy protein) for a more smoothie like consistency, or if you want more of that strawberry flavor, feel free to cut back the sugar and enjoy!

When Jennifer at the food allergy-friendly Navan Foods insisted that I try Lucy’s Cookies, well, who was I to turn down cookies?  Cookies are my favorite dessert; and though I am a loyalist to the oh-so-classic chocolate chip, I rarely turn up my nose at any flavor or variety. And since these are also baked without wheat, gluten, dairy, eggs, peanuts, and tree nuts, I thought you might all like to know about them. I confess that my tastes lean toward big, soft and chewy cookies, so I was a bit surprised when I discovered Lucy’s cookies are semi-petite crispy cookies. I feared that these cookies may have met the wrong taster … but I couldn’t have been more wrong! Lucy’s gave me (and my waistline) a new appreciation for the crispy cookie ... Read the Full Review