Gluten Free Weekly Meal Plan (August 4-8, 2014)

We're a few weeks out from moving day, and we've been packing up the house so that we're not scrambling at the last minute. Meals have been quick and easy, and this week will be no exception.


 




Monday: Gluten Free Hamburger Squash (I like this one because it looks good, and is a complete meal all in one. It's also easy to make.) RECIPE

Gluten Free Weekly Meal Plan January 27-31, 2014

Monday: Stuffed Onions (Recipe to be posted this week)

Gluten and Dairy Free Good Friday Dinner

Tonight for dinner, my mom and my sister put together a great meal that everyone could enjoy. 

On the menu:
-oven baked cod with salt, pepper and dill, served with lemon and dairy free butter
-home-baked gluten free cornbread made with rice milk
-corn salad
-oven baked fries
-broccoli

For dessert:
-gluten and dairy free almond macaroons
-baked apples with melted chocolate and crumbled almonds

It was all so good I forgot to take a photo.  I won't forget to take pictures on Sunday! 

10 Gluten Free Breakfast Ideas

Trying to find something different to feed my son every morning can be difficult, so here's a simple go-to list of breakfast basic that are delicious for the whole family. 

***Updated September 2013



1- Eggs: scrambled, fried, boiled.  Add some bacon or sausage, fruit or GF toast. Need some recipes? Try one of these 5 Egg Breakfast Ideas. 






2- Smoothies: a little water or milk, fresh or frozen fruit and some honey. Try a Strawberry-Banana Breakfast Smoothie, or one of these Three Smoothie Recipes. 









3- Rice Cereal, Quinoa Cereal, or Oatmeal (if you can have oats): I add some raisins, brown sugar and soy milk.  If oats are an option, a gluten free granola can be made in advance and eaten all week. Try my recipe for Gluten Free Cranberry Walnut Granola.
  







4- Gluten Free Pancakes or Waffles: Frozen, from a mix, or from scratch, with some fresh fruit. Pancakes can be made in advance, frozen, and popped in the toaster for a quick morning meal. My recipe for Homemade Pancakes is simple.





5- Fruit salad: with GF granola or a boiled egg


6- GF cereal bar: for those mornings on the run and some fruit or a smoothie


7- GF Cereal: with dairy-free milk. Chex, Rice Krispies, and other popular brands are now available gluten free.

8- Yogurt parfait: Layer yogurt, fruit, nuts, seeds or grains and drizzle with some honey or agave for a touch of sweetness.

9- GF toast: with sun butter, peanut butter, etc., as a side or on its own. My son likes toasted corn tortillas, which are cheaper and have fewer ingredients. Tortillas are easy to make at home, freeze well, and can be popped in the toaster. Try my simple Recipe for Corn Tortillas.




10- Breakfast burrito or Eggs with Beans: Scramble some eggs with whatever veggies you like and wrap it all up in a tortilla. Or, try a typical Latin American breakfast with eggs, beans, avocado, cheese, and thicker, soft corn tortillas.

The accidental (almost) gluten free book club

Last night I went to my friend's place for our book club gathering.  I love book club for a few reasons.  I love to read, so getting together with other people who love to read for the sole purpose of discussing books is a little slice of heaven for me.  I also love that due to our diverse tastes, I find that often the choice of book is not one that I would otherwise have picked up on my own; this has helped me expand my interests and as a result I've discovered some new authors that I now love.  I get to see former colleagues that I otherwise probably wouldn't have kept in regular touch with.  The book club has been going strong for ten years, with members coming and going, but the club has never disbanded and never taken a hiatus, something that I find amazing.  We've been together through marriages, babies, moves (two members are currently out of country and one spent a year abroad but jumped right back in upon his return), retirement, family triumphs and tragedies, and much, much more.  We share good food, good wine, good books (usually), and good conversation. 

And last night, we shared an unintentionally gluten free main course.  My friend Linda created an almost entirely gluten free meal without even trying.  Besides the pita bread and the coffee cake (which I brought), here's the GF menu:

Veggie sticks and hummus
Shrimp and vegetable paella
Strawberry salad on a bed of mixed greens and almonds (the dressing was even GF, I checked)
Baked asparagus
Wine, Water and coffee

A few months ago, I wouldn't have even noticed.  And that's what makes me the happiest about the whole evening; that someone put together a GF meal without it being an obvious Gf meal to those who are not gluten-free.  So often the mention of my son being gluten free elicits such sympathetic reactions that its as though he can't eat anything but mush for the rest of his life.  Thoughts automatically go to what he can't eat, rather than the huge assortment of everyday, regular foods that he can.  And last night's meal was just another example of how gluten free food can be healthy, delicious, and a first choice go to, not a second place substitute. 

Yet another reason why I love my book club friends.