Getting ready to CARSify Hunter's birthday party

No secret to those that know Hunter, he LOVES Lightning McQueen.  We decided to have his birthday party at the gymnastics facility where he was taking class prior to starting summer swim lessons.  His old coach will lead the party and I am hoping he will participate in all the activities. Coach Michael knows how to handle his meltdowns and was so great at pushing him, but not to the point of a collapse of frustration on the floor. 



GF goldfish and pretzels on right



I love theme parties- his first birthday we had a "splash party," with Hawaiian decorations, a blow up pool, ball pit, water toys, etc.  His second birthday was held at a waterpark and his third party was "monkeying around" at a church, which had been converted into an indoor play park.  Paige had a tea party this year with all her girlfriends, and Peyton had an airplane party, with passports, suitcases, and airport themed food.  This year for Hunter we are going to CARS-ify it all.  Snacks are always a challenge due to his restricted GF diet, as well as my desire to limit the artificial colors/flavors/preservatives.  Fortunately, Market Street was willing to take my GF cupcakes and insert them into a CARS themed cupcake-cake.  We found Lightning McQueen PEZ for favors, and made our own snack bags with goldfish and pretzels.  For those of you who are gluten-free, you just may have googled GF goldfish as many times as I had to see if anyone had made a substitute for the child-favorite snack.  A few months ago, I stumbled upon the blog "Adventures of a Gluten Free Mom."  Love this blog!  So many recipes, ideas, research,...and very well-written.  She had a recipe for GF goldfish.  Hunter had a snack project at school that had required goldfish, so I was on a mission to find something similar.  I ordered a tiny fish cookie cutter and made our own.  I actually developed a honey recipe as well, and Hunter (and I!) love them for a sweet treat. 

Here's the link to the blog: www.adventuresofaglutenfreemom.com

And here's Heidi's recipe:

4 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded

4 T butter

3/4 C cornstarch

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp xanthan gum

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 T milk

Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Combine all ingredients, except the milk, in a medium sized bowl.  Mix until the mixture resembles a fine crumb.  Add the milk and beat well.  On a lightly greased surface (I used cornstarch on wax paper), roll the dough and cut into the fish shapes.  Bake on prepared baking sheet until brown and crisp, approximately 10 min. 

Looking forward to celebrating with 20 of his friends tomorrow!