This Week's Menu

We had very little variation in the menu for a few weeks because I wasn't feeling that great and nothing got made. Chris lived on sandwiches for a while and when I made tuna melts he pointed out that it was still, in fact, a sandwich. The horror!

However, the appetite is coming back and we have food again!
PS. Since I am a woman of childbearing age, any change in appetite is immediately met with an eyebrow raise and a question about the state of my uterus. I have digestive issues, folks. This is a blog born straight out of that particular necessity. Not pregnant, for the record. Also good news, I can drink again, yay!

Anyway, food!

Mon- Crock Pot Pork and mashed potatoes
Tues- Cajun shrimp and rice with roasted veggies
Wed- Rotisserie Chicken (In the crock pot!) with glazed carrots
Thurs- Veggie pizzas
Fri- Chicken Pot Pie


P.S. This Balsamic Mushroom Chicken recipe was on last week's menu and it was fantastic.

This week's menu

Mon- Crock Pot Pork Loin + Mashed Potatoes + Mixed Veggies
(remember the soy sauce should be GF and I'll use wine in place of the chicken broth)
Tues- Burgers + jalapeno poppers + pasta salad. Except I just remembered it's National Night Out so we will prob eat over at a neighbor's.
Wed- Basalmic chicken and mushrooms with carrots
Thurs- Tuna Melts
Fri- Cajun shrimp kabobs + roasted veggies

Cinnamon Roll Muffins

I made these because Hubs got cinnamon rolls this morning and I didn't want to feel left out, but I didn't feel like going through the process of making actual cinnamon rolls. Or Waffles.

All it takes is a small variation of a basic muffin recipe to get that same taste.

Cinnamon Roll Muffins

1 c. GF flour mix
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. sugar
2 T. ground cinnamon
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 c. milk
2 T. light olive oil (or melted butter)
1/2 t. vanilla

Topping:
1/3 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350.
Mix together flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and cinnamon.
In another bowl, mix the eggs, milk, and oil.
Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
Pour the batter into muffin pans- with muffin liners or without; if not make sure you grease.
Sprinkle with the cinnamon/sugar topping.

Bake 20-25 minutes.
Let them cool.
If you're feeling the sugary need, top with cream cheese frosting. (I used store-bought this time but there's a recipe on the Waffles link.)

Makes 6 muffins. Or cupcakes?

Weekly Menu

For your inspiration!

Monday- Salami and cream cheese sandwiches (GF Wrap for me) + carrot and cucumber sticks
Tuesday- Turkey meatballs (smashed GF crackers instead of bread crumbs) + baked tomatoes
Wednesday- Pot roast + sauteed sweet potato
Thursday- Spinach artichoke pasta + broccoli
Friday- Cajun shrimp kabobs + roasted veggies (I forgot we're going camping, so most likely hot dogs and marshmallows...)

Couple pics of GF baking/cooking around here...

 Sunday breakfast. Biscuits did NOT turn out like these, but were tasty anyway.

Peanut butter cookie bonanza. 3 dozen was enough... Maybe.

Gluten free medications, changes in society

Just a quick note/rant about medications... It is incredibly frustrating when you inquire about the gluten status of a particular drug, and all the pharmacist can say is that the manufacturer doesn't provide any information about that. So then a little internet digging pulls up the inactive ingredients list, and that's all we've got. Do your research but take the chance.

Since 'gluten free' has become a trend (Much to my initial annoyance- this is not a trend for me. This is my life), there has been both an increase in awareness, and, unfortunately, misconceptions. One positive result of this trend is an increase of gluten free menus in restaurants, and many new gluten free products. These manufacturers love to jump on that bandwagon, to our benefit-- most of the time.
There are definitely a few downsides to this trend. The worst part of a "gluten free" restaurant menu is that all they have to do is slap a disclaimer on it and suddenly you're not so sure anymore. Or the menu is developed for gluten-sensitive individuals and is not recommended for those with Celiac disease. I'm talking to you, Dominos and a ton of other establishments. At least now food labeling is standardized and regulated. I have to assume that similar standards for other food products are not far behind.

So now what about medications? Many over the counter medications are clearly marked, but how can the manufacturer not provide any information about it?
Honestly though, that used to be the norm when inquiring about many products. I can't tell you how many times I've called the manufacturer only to have the representative tell me they're just not sure. It's frustrating but I could respect that.
Nowadays, with the gluten free frenzy, most companies either know, or have a statement ready to tell you that gluten is possible and it's at my risk.

So yes, the celiac community has seen some progress in society lately that have made our lives a little easier, but we've still got a longgg way to go.

This week's menu

Whatcha got cookin?

This week:

Mon- Beef + noodle casserole
Tues- Crock pot chicken taquitos
Wed- Shrimp + quinoa and roasted vegetables
Thurs-Spinach artichoke pasta -(meatless)
Fri- Bbq chicken legs

This week's menu

As usual, for your inspiration: This week's menu.

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Moving on...

Mon- Grilled chicken + corn
Tues- Vegetable soup w/ beans
Wed- Chicken Taquitos
Thurs- Beef Noodle casserole
Fri- Crock pot pork chops w/ rice + broccoli

Been relying heavily on Pinterest lately for inspiration. It's working.
We've also been trying to eat one meatless meal a week, and it's going okay. So far we've tried Black bean tacos, big salads, pizza with veggies, and Vegetable soup.