Gluten Free Menu Plan 06/22/14 and 06/29/14

The last couple of weeks have been great. I feel like the summer is slipping by so quickly! I've been keeping the food pretty simple since it's too hot to cook a lot some days, and it's about to get even more simple. We have a trip to Mexico planned in a few months, so it's time for me to lose a few pounds. I am going to be working out six days a week, so I won't have time to do my normal, elaborate meals. Instead we will be eating a lot of salads and grilled chicken. 

Breakfasts: Hard boiled eggs, bananas, overnight oatmeal

Lunches:

Chicken-apple-bacon sliders over mixed greens with balsamic vinaigrette, leftover from dinners, tuna salad, tomato-cucumber-avocado salad


Dinners:

Grilled mahi-mahi with a pineapple-mango salsa, Griddle corn cakes with roasted red peppers, and Kale-pear-gorganzola salad.

Grilled balsamic steak and tomato skewers with mushrooms and red onions over rice.

Parmesan-pesto tilapia  with Swiss chard and roasted red potatoes

BBQ grilled chicken with french fries, grilled zucchini, and cucumber-tomato-avocado salad

Roasted cauliflower and chick pea tacos (These were so yummy!)

Black beans and rice

Coconut beef curry over rice noodles


Skinny grilled Buffalo chicken over salad

Slow cooker balsamic braised beef over mashed potatoes with roasted broccoli

Gluten Free Menu Plan 06/15/14

Another week without a concrete meal plan, but I always have lots of stuff in my freezer and fresh fruits and veggies on hand.

Breakfasts: Hard boiled eggs and bacon, bananas

Lunches: Mediterranean chicken meatballs over salad greens, tuna salad and lentil crackers, leftovers from dinners.

Dinners:

Sunday was Father's Day so went went to see my in-laws. They made some really tasty steaks, there was an Asian style salad, and some really good potato salad made with fresh peas. We made a Vietnamese pork spring roll to round out the Asian theme. Everyone had a nice time, and the food was great.

I just couldn't get enough of the Asian food this week, so I made a huge batch of Crispy Beef. I served this with sticky rice and roasted broccoli.

Caleb really out did himself this week. He went to the local butcher and picked up two really thick, bone-in pork chops. I have no idea what he seasoned them with, but they had a great flavor and were grilled to perfection. He served it with roasted sweet potatoes with honey butter, and sauteed kale.

I made chicken braised in white wine with roasted baby red potatoes and mushrooms, and kale sauteed with bacon.

One night we were so tired that we didn't even cook. We both ate leftovers.

And last night we went out to an awesome dinner at Langerman's, Canton, in Baltimore. They have a huge selection of gluten free options. I started with seared scallops over creamy grits with bacon, and Caleb started with truffle-honey wings. They were both so flavorful. We decided to really take our time with the meal since we were sitting at the bar, so we had another starter after those. It was a seared ahi tuna with pickled cucumbers and onion. That wasn't my favorite, but it was good. For our entrees we were both torn about what to order. I asked the bartenders what they would choose from between the sea bass or the short ribs. They both said that those were their two favorite dinner items, so we went with those. The sea bass was so perfect. Crisp on the out side, and moist on the inside, served over creamed corn with arugula, wild mushrooms, and fingerling potatoes. The braised short ribs were served over mashed potatoes with asparagus and a tarragon infused demi glace. I wish we could eat there every night!

This week I am getting back to writing out an actual plan, and taking pics of the food again. I'm planning a loaded baked potato salad as a side dish today, and a bacon wrapped jalapeno stuffed with cream cheese and pineapple. Both of these will be posted this week.

Gluten Free Menu Plan 06/08/14

What a week! After Dizzy Fest last Saturday I was reminded that I have MS, because my fatigue hit me like a brick wall. When I got home Saturday night I couldn't even remember much of what other people cooked. I just wanted a salad, then I was in bed by 8:30. Sunday I had to go grocery shopping, but I just couldn't handle the idea of hitting multiple stores like I usually do. I opted for the Giant and H-Mart since they are so close to each other. I spent a little more than I normally would, but I was so grateful to be able to come home and just relax. I also decided to skip yoga this week. I was just so tired that I knew I wouldn't be able to hold those poses. Instead I made some eggs for dinner and was asleep by 8:30, again. On Caleb's regular night to cook he texted me and asked if I'd like to go to Pure Wine Cafe instead of the tacos he had planned. That's always a big yes! I love that place! The food is always great, but it was even better this time since I now know one of the cooks. He came out to chat and explained that he could alter some of the items I didn't think I could have to make them gluten free. I love knowing people in the restaurant business! I did cook a few meals though, so here's what I cooked...

Breakfasts: I kept it simple and boring this week. I pretty much ate 2 hard boiled eggs and 2 slices of bacon each morning.

Lunches: Boring again here. I ate left over burrito bowls, tuna salad with lentil crackers, and mixed greens with tomatoes and dressing.

Dinners:

Burrito bowls: grilled chicken with Dizzy Pig Fajita-ish seasoning over cilantro-line rice, with a variety of diced bell peppers, red onion, tomato, avocado, and cilantro.

Beef hard tacos. (He cooked this for me the next night since we went out on his regular night.)

Grilled chicken, zucchini, and mushrooms.

Cashew chicken lettuce wraps. (This wasn't great and needs some serious tweaks. It was really more of a stir fry with leaf lettuce.)

Grilled pizza! I used Bob's GF pizza mix, and I loved it! I made one regular pizza for Caleb and a friend, then I did 2 GF pizzas. I topped one with pepperoni, and one with mushrooms. They both had a ton of cheese, and had a great texture. It wasn't at all like the card board-y GF pizzas I've had thus far. I have another mix called cup4cup that we haven't tried yet. If it's not good at least I know there's Bob's. I'm seriously so excited to be able to eat a quality pizza again. I haven't missed many things since I started this life style, but pizza has been the one thing I still really crave.

Work has been crazy busy, but after a few nights of really early bed times I finally felt better. The fatigue is gone for now and I'm ready to get back to my regular schedule again.

Today is father's day, so we are heading to my in-laws to celebrate. My sister-in-law is also GF, so that makes it easier. I hate having to ask people to make something special for me, but since I'm not the only one, I know I'll be able to eat everything. We are doing everything Asian style, so I'm sure there will be plenty of GF soy sauce in the marinades. My MIL is making an Asian marinated steak dish. My SIL is making an Asian salad. And we are making pork spring rolls, Vietnamese bahn mi style. I even found a GF dipping sauce at the H-Mart for our spring rolls. I'm not sure it's really "bahn mi" flavors though, so I'll also make a srirachi mayo to go with them.

I am taking a bunch of pictures of the food I'm making today, so hopefully I'll get a recipe or two posted in the next couple of days. Have a great week!

Weekly Meal Plans 05/25/14 and 06/01/14 (But not really)

The last two weeks have been so busy that I didn't really get much of a meal plan done for either week. Memorial day weekend was filled with a BBQ Saturday, Sunday and Monday. The rest of that week I had an MS event/dinner one evening, and we got take out one night. Last week my husband was away for business so I ate food he wouldn't have liked. Does anyone else do that? And yesterday was DizzyFest. It's an all day party/BBQ at Dizzy Pig Spice Company's store in Manassas, Virginia. Everyone had a great time eating, drinking, and making memories. Anyway, next weekend I will be posting the meals from this week.

Dizzy Fest 2014 (Summer Edition)

The last two weeks have flown by, and there's been so much going on! Today is no different. It's time for Summer Dizzy Fest! It's a day for Big Green Egg  fans to come together, buy a new grill, cook, eat, show off, and party. This year I am making 2 different kinds of sliders.

The first is an Asian beef slider based on this recipe. I'm serving it over a small bit of sticky rice and topping it with a sauce based on this recipe.

The second is my Turkey-apple-bacon slider that I'm topping with the bacon jam from my old blog.

I just wanted to get these links posted before the fest so that if people ask for the recipes I can direct them here. Tomorrow I'll write another post about some of the great food. :)

Red Beans and Rice

*I know my photography isn't very good, but my food is. Give this recipe a shot and let the food speak for itself.

I really like red beans and rice, but my husband isn't a big fan. I figure this is a dish I can make and freeze for future uses, and it will re-heat at my office for a hearty and healthy (ish) lunch. It's also pretty inexpensive, so that's another bonus.

2 ham hocks
1 lb Andoullie sausage
1 lb red beans
1 yellow onion, minced
1 green pepper, minced
4 stalks of celery, minced
5 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp Cajun seasoning
1 tbsp dried parsley
6 cups chicken broth
1 cup water (I don't have anymore broth and it didn't quite cover everything.)
2 bay leaves

Start the night before by checking the beans for any stones, then put them in a large pot of water to soak over night. The next morning I boiled my beans for about ten minutes. Some people skip this step, but I've heard that kidney beans have to heat up to a certain temp to kill a toxin in them. Maybe I'm paranoid, but it's not worth it to me, so I boil them for a few minutes. Quick tip: DO NOT ADD SALT! It will make it so the beans will not get soft. You can add salt at the end, or do like I do and let people add their own to taste. I also like to serve this with extra pepper and hot sauce.

I put my ham hock in the slow cooker. Then the sausage. I cooked this sausage the day before simply because it was on clearance. Today was the sell by date, so I got them for half off. (My Momma taught me to bargain shop!)

When the beans have boiled for ten minutes drain them, then add them to the crock.

Now for the veggies. You need yellow onion , a green pepper, and about 4 stalks of celery, all minced. Each will yield about 1 cup. I also save the scraps from the onion and celery. I keep a gallon sized baggie in the freezer for these, and any carrot or parsley scraps from other dishes. When you have a whole baggie you can make veggie broth, or add a chicken carcass or two for chicken broth. I'll make each of these another day.

Add the garlic, Cajun seasoning, and parsley. Yes, I use the garlic in a jar. It's one of the few shortcuts I allow myself.

Add the broth and bay leaves. Now let the whole thing cook on low for about 9-10 hours.

I went out to a barbeque and when I got home the house smelled wonderful! Here's what it looked like at that point. Sorry, it's kind of blurry.

I took out the ham hocks and removed all the good meat from them. I discarded all the fat and bones and returned the meat to the crock.

It was a bit thin so I used some of the liquid from the crock as the liquid to cook the rice. I also used a large spoon to mush some of the beans. It thickens the broth and gives it a creaminess.

This yielded six very large portions. I'll eat some for lunch this week, but I'll also freeze some for later.

Turkey and Spinach Meatballs

Here I go again with another meatball recipe. I still have a bunch of ground turkey in the freezer from my big trip to Wegman's a couple of weeks ago, so I figured I'd make another batch of meatballs. I looked around the kitchen and here's what I've come up with.

1 lb ground turkey
1 small yellow onion, minced
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 cup frozen, chopped spinach
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp ground pepper
1 cup gluten free panko
1 egg

Put the ground turkey into a mixing bowl.

Mince the onion. Put the coconut oil in a pan and melt it on medium heat, then add the onion. Sautee the onion until it starts to brown. Remove the onion from the pan using a slotted spoon and add it to the bowl with the ground turkey.Add the spinach to the sautee pan, and cook until no longer frozen. This will help cook off some of the moisture from being frozen.Add the ground pepper. This mixture is pretty wet which is why I add the panko at this point. If you can't find GF panko at your store, just use some crushed rice chex. Sometimes I have to use that, so I put it into the food processor until it gets to the desired consistency.

So it turns out I used too much panko. No problem. I grabbed an egg and whisked it up. Once I added that to the mixture it was perfect. Not too wet, not too dry. This is what happens when you write a recipe on the fly. Sometimes you just have to improvise. I think this actually turned out better anyway, because the added bulk of the panko meant the recipe yielded more meatballs.

Now form your meatballs. I use this awesome little 1 inch meatballer. It's quickly becoming one of my favorite kitchen tools.

Put the meatballs on a cookie sheet, lined with parchment paper so the don't stick. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes, turning them halfway through the cooking time.

I got 29 meatballs from this recipe. The 29th one kind of pissed me off at first, ruining my nice, neat lines, bt then I realized it gave me one to taste when they are done. Man these things are good!

These will make great snacks, they'll be good over salad greens, and they'd also be great with some tzatiki sauce.