Sunday, August 28, 2016

Menu

gluten free menu

All right, y'all. I'd rather curl back up into bed with a good book than toss in another load of laundry and go to the grocery store. But, that's life.

Here's what we're eating this week. A lot of repeats from last week. How does that happen? Did we not eat? I know we had leftovers one day, but the rest eludes me. The good thing is, it makes it easier to plan this week's menu.

Second breakfasts:
Granola bars, trail mix, apple slices, and cheese
Waffles and peanut butter. I've been digging this lately because it keeps me full for hours. I even got one of my coworkers hooked.

Sunday- Chicken crust pizza. Curious to see how this turns out.
Monday- Black bean veggie quesadillas
TuesdaySpaghetti (with hidden shredded carrots) and broccoli
Wednesday- Beef Stew
Thursday- Sausage with pineapple and rice
Friday- Salmon kabobs + edamame

Friday, August 26, 2016

Stir Friday

Let me tell you how much I did not want to cook dinner tonight.

I simply wasn't going to eat. Maybe grab a snack, but dinner was not on my radar. I'm tired.

My day started with a train blocking two intersections that made me late for work, and ended with me staying late to make up the time, only to stay even later to validate a new shipment of pregnancy tests. I didn't want to get a call this weekend because we ran out.

The couch sounded way better than standing in the kitchen making dinner.

Buttt there's this thing called a husband who got pretty hungry and asked for dinner like 3 times.

Thankfully, I'm pretty good at scrap meals. Because I hadn't even thawed the fish for the planned dinner tonight.

I happened to wash and cut some veggies earlier in the week, so they were super easy to toss in the pan for a quick, healthy dinner. Hashtag StirFriday.

Way better than not eating.

gluten free stir fry

StirFriday

Start a pot of rice.

Heat up some sesame and olive oil on medium/high heat. Toss in sliced steak. Brown on each side.
Throw in veggies: I had cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, green beans, and kale.
Sprinkle on some GF soy sauce, fresh grated ginger, and chopped green onions.
Turn the heat to medium/low. Put the lid on and let the veggies steam for a few minutes, until the meat is cooked and the rice is done.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Easy peasy. Sit back down on the couch and enjoy dinner.

Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Menu


Can you tell I got a new dry erase marker? It's like every dry erase marker dried out all at once today. So I picked up a pack at the grocery store. Now the menu looks like it's yelling at me.

Anyway, I'm back on the menu scene. Traveling really disrupts the food flow, and when I got home yesterday there was literally like one egg in the house. So I used part of my day off today to meander the grocery store. A hundred-some-odd dollars later, there are veggies and fruits and yogurt and the pantry is all stocked up again.

Here's what we're eating this week:

Second breakfasts:
Granola bars & trail mix left over from traveling snacks, plus apple slices

Wednesday- (Veggie loaded) tuna mac
Thursday- Spaghetti (with hidden shredded carrots) and broccoli
Friday- Salmon kabobs + roasted cauliflower. I swear I'll get around to making these kabobs.
Saturday- Chicken crust pizza (Neat concept, or gross? I guess I'll find out)
Sunday- Black bean veggie quesadillas

Have a lovely rest of the week, y'all.

Saturday, August 20, 2016

xanthan gum woes


Oh, the unique challenge of opening a new bag of xanthan gum. No matter how careful I am, everything gets a nice fine coating of... slippery.

Which is why I always transfer it to a container. It seems to contain (see what I did there?) the mess a bit better than repeatedly opening the bag.

Fortunately a bag lasts for years, so it's a rare challenge.

[Yes, I found xanthan gum for 50% off years ago and bought all the bags. It expired in 2012, but it's been in the freezer since I bought it, and works just fine!]

P.S. Isn't it odd that before Celiac-ness, I had no idea what xanthan gum was, nor did I care.
Now not only can I spell it, I know what it's for and it's a staple in my kitchen, even if it is only used in small amounts. Life sure is funny.

Sunday, August 7, 2016

Menu

gluten free menu
2nd Breakfasts:
GF waffles with peanut butter
Egg, potato and bean breakfast tacos

Sunday- BIG SALADS
Monday- Burgers + beans (Or, more likely it'll be a sandwich because it's too hot to make burgers)
Tuesday- Pizza quesadillas
Wednesday- Chicken and squash with broccoli quinoa
Thursday- Salmon kabobs + salad


Saturday, August 6, 2016

Refried beans

I love beans. This is nothing new.

One day, a few weeks ago, I was working the weekend. Hungover, I trudged to the cafeteria to grab some food. Randomly, they were serving refried beans with breakfast. Weird, but right up my alley.

I got a scoop with some bacon and eggs, and after that my life was changed. Refried beans with breakfast is GENIUS. I was full well until lunchtime. Plus it cured any hangover I might have had.

Since then, I've been keeping my eyes open for beans at the cafeteria, but it must have been a random thing where they were trying to get rid of leftovers because I haven't seen them again.

Being the bean fiend that I am, I asked my hispanic coworker how to make refried beans. Figuring she'd be the best resource. She said all it takes is bacon grease and pinto beans. And yes, pinto beans soaked and cooked from scratch are delicious, but she also frequently makes them using canned pinto beans. Because nobody has time for that.

With that in mind, and some bacon grease on hand, I tried to make refried beans.

And it was a success. This bean-loving girl wished she made a double batch.

Refried Beans

bacon grease
1 can of pinto beans, not drained

Combine the two ingredients. Start mashing the pinto beans with the back of a spoon.


Get impatient. Transfer to a blender and blend for a few seconds with some water.
Put back into skillet.

Heat until the beans thicken up into refried beans consistency.


Taste. Add salt and maybe a bit of cumin or garlic powder to taste. The texture will continue to thicken, how quickly depends on how much water was added.


Mm. Refried bean goodness.


I'm going to make some more and bring it to work so my bean-loving (and alcohol-loving) coworker and I can enjoy a killer hangover-curing breakfast-- whether or not the cafeteria is serving refried beans with breakfast that day.

Loaded potato slices

gluten free loaded potato nachos

Loaded baked potato... in an appetizer setting.

These were made on somewhat of a whim, so I was out of sour cream (drat!), but they really need it. Put sour cream on these babies.

Loaded potato slices

1 potato, washed
bacon
shredded cheddar cheese
chives, chopped (scissors work best)
sour cream
salt and pepper

Slice the potato into rounds. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes, turning halfway.

In the meantime, fry up the bacon. I like to cut it with scissors. Save the bacon grease in the skillet for refried beans, since you're already halfway there.

Let the bacon bits drain on paper towels.

Once the potato rounds are done, top with shredded cheese, chives, and bacon. Return to oven to broil until the cheese is melted. Top with sour cream (and maybe some refried beans...)

Nom. Because these are delicious.

Monday, August 1, 2016

Easy crock pot chicken


This is the easiest crock pot chicken recipe. I almost feel silly calling it a recipe.

I make it when I'm stumped for dinner ideas because of two reasons:

1. I always have the three ingredients around.
2. It turns out surprisingly great every time. So good that I'd make it for company. Really. I think I even made this for a special homecoming dinner for hubby once.

Toss into the crock pot (with a life-changing liner):

Cook on low until you come home from work. Serve over rice with the vegetable of your choice.


*A note about the soup: It didn't always used to be gluten free, and some of the non-gf cans are still around. Find a can that says GLUTEN FREE right on it. Then buy 5 to have in the pantry.

You're welcome for this super easy wonderful crock pot chicken recipe.