Meal Plan (gluten free, dairy free) Dec 6-12

December 15, 2014 by Scott in Meal Plans

While my kids are in costume dancing to Kid Bop on Pandora (my room is apparently their stage), I snuck away to my computer to send you our meal plan from last week. Hopefully, that will keep their attention for long enough to type out this post. I don't know about you, but December is a busy season! I never think it is that busy until we are knee deep in it. I've put some meals on weekly repeat around here and have eaten out a little bit more. It's called SURVIVAL. Saturday - Advanced Plan Chili + Trader Joe's Pumpkin Cornbread (not GF) + sweet potato chips. We had friends over for dinner and this chili is the easiest thing to make when serving a crowd!! The most time consuming part is chopping the veggies. I doubled the recipe to serve 4 adults and 6 kids (most of the kids ate cheese quesadillas though).

Sunday - leftover chili over a baked potato

Monday - Coconut Flour Chicken + steamed green beans + rice. I got this recipe on the back of the Trader Joe's coconut flour package. The chicken was REALLY good. My picky eater ate. it. all.

Oven Fried Chicken

1 lb chicken (I used cutlets)

cooking oil spray

salt & pepper to taste

8 oz Salt & Pepper Potato Chips , crumbled

1/4 cup coconut flour

1 gallon plastic zipper bag

4 eggs

1 tsp garlic powder

1 T Trader Joe's everyday seasoning (I used Crazy Salt)

1 tsp black pepper

1/8 cup cooking oil

1. Spray chicken with cooking oil spray and lightly season with salt & pepper; cover with plastic wrap and set aside for at least 30 minutes (I didn't have time for that)

2.Preheat oven to 375 degrees. While chicken is resting, mix potato chips and coconut flour together well and pour into plastic bag.

3.Place eggs, garlic powder, everyday seasoning and pepper in a bowl and mix well (I ended up just using Crazy Salt since it contained salt, pepper and garlic powder). Pour cooking oil onto a rimmed baking sheet and set aside.

4.Dredge chicken one at a time in the egg mixture and place in the bag with the chip crumbs. Then shake your heart out to fully cover the chicken (my least favorite part of the recipe). Place chicken on baking sheet. Repeat for each piece of chicken.

5.Place into oven and cook for 15 minutes. Remove and turn chicken over. Return to oven and cook for additional 15 minutes or until crispy or an internal temp of 165 degrees F.

Tuesday - leftovers. I usually don't like leftovers but this chicken was actually really tasty.

Wednesday - We used the leftover rice to make Better Than Takeout Fried Rice. LOVE this recipe. For some reason, my kids don't like it. I think they are straight crazy.

Thursday - Christmas Party

Friday - popcorn + PBJ sandwich for Movie Night (popcorn is a meal, right?)

I'll leave you with a picture of my girls meeting Santa on Marietta Square. He was so kind! Sinclair was very bashful and spoke softly (who knew she had it in her!?!) and Rory gave a story behind each item on her list (so chatty!).

Santa Claus is Coming to Town :: Marietta Square

Enjoy, Friends!

Meal Plan (gluten free, dairy free) Nov 16-22

November 25, 2014 by Scott in Meal Plans

I am really excited that this is Thanksgiving week. I certainly enjoy gathering with my family (who desires a post all on its own) but it also means I cook less. Glory, hallelujah! Here's what we ate last week... Sunday - GF Applegate frozen chicken nuggets + carrot sticks + leftover rice + Trader Joe's Pumpkin Cornbread (not gluten free however made to be dairy free)

Monday - Easy Advanced Plan Chili (recipe to follow) + Trader Joe's sweet potato chips. This has become our favorite chili. Scott doesn't eat soup or chili (because of the spice) but he LOVES this meal. The recipe doesn't call for beans, and I actually really like the taste of it without it. You must try this!

Easy Advanced Plan Chili

(from the Cruise Ship or Nursing Home chiropractic health book)

1 T coconut oil

1/2 cup chopped onions

2 chopped garlic cloves

1-1/2 chopped celery (not sure if this meant stalks or cups so I did cups)

1 cup chopped green pepper

1-1/2 lbs ground beef or bison

2 tsp thyme leaves

2 tsp chili powder

2 tsp cumin

salt to taste

1 8oz can chopped tomatoes (I ended up using a 14 oz can)

1 12 oz of salsa (all natural)

In a large skillet, saute onions, garlic, celery and pepper in oil under tender. Add meat, thyme, chili powder, and cumin and stir frequently for 5-6 minutes. Add salt, tomatoes and salsa to pot. Cover and simmer for an hour.

Tuesday - leftover chili on top of baked potatoes with leftover pumpkin cornbread

Wednesday - breakfast for dinner (scrambled eggs, bacon, Trader Joe's GF pumpkin pancakes)

Thursday - Chicken salad (recipe to follow) and cheese crescent rolls for the kids (not DF or GF). You will need 4 string cheeses and a package of crescent rolls. To make the crescent rolls, simply cut string cheese in half and roll up in the crescent roll triangle. Cook according to package.

Chicken Salad

6 oz shredded chicken (can or leftovers)

1-2 T of dairy free mayo (totally depends on what you like)

toasted slivered almonds & chopped pecans (raw nuts toasted in a skillet over medium/low heat)

dried cranberries

appox 1 T each chopped onion & celery (depends on what you like)

salt & pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and either eat right away or let chill in fridge for awhile. I served mine over a bed of baby spinach that was drizzled with olive oil along with a side of carrot sticks and green pepper slices.

Friday - Black Bean Soup + rice. This was the first time making this recipe and we really liked it. It was nice to prepare a meal without meat mostly for budgetary reasons. I sprinkled a little parm cheese on top of mine.

Saturday - Fresh To Order (family date night) We had the best day at Stone Mountain. It was a gorgeous fall day here in Atlanta. The girls had never been to Stone Mountain. We didn't attempt to climb it this time so instead we opted for the skycar ride. They were both nervous at first (me too) but were brave and really enjoyed it. Right now, they have Snow Mountain. If you are in the area or looking for a weekend away, you should totally go! It looked like so much fun tubing!

I am thankful for you sweet readers! Writing to you is sometimes the most enjoyable part of the day. ... this little bit reminds me of something Kathleen Kelly might say in You've Got Mail (favorite movie!!).

*we make most recipes fit our dietry needs however we aren't opposed to cheating every now and then.

Meal Plan (almost fully gluten free, dairy free) Nov 9-15

November 17, 2014 by Scott in Meal Plans

I cannot believe that next week is Thanksgiving! It seems like fall slips by so quickly. Last week, I tried to get out of my cooking rut. Sometimes I not only get sick of cooking but also get tired of what we eat. I bet most people who eat with any restrictions feel this way at times. It's easiest to me to recycle meal plans or recipes but that just leaves me with a lack of desire for what we eat. Just needed to vent for a minute. Here is what last week looked like for us. Sunday - We have a new burger joint on the Square called Stockyard Burgers. Their burgers were great and we really loved their fries! (confession: cheated on gluten)

Monday - Pork tenderloin (seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic powder cooked according to the package) with roasted broccoli and a side of rice. I just cooked the meat and veggies in the same pan. Easy clean up.

pork tenderloin with steamed broccoli and rice

Tuesday - crockpot BBQ with broccoli & cauliflower and leftover rice.

Wednesday - leftover BBQ on top of baked potato + lima beans

Thursday - breakfast for dinner (scrambled eggs + frozen waffles) I also made this green smoothie which both girls LOVED. Getting Little to eat vegetables is a challenge. She did love this but it was rough on her tummy. I later found out that if you have any sort of digestion issues that consuming raw vegetables are tough on your stomach. I would love for her to continue to eat this but I think I'll have to find another sneaky way to get her to eat vegetables.

Friday - The girls and I had Trader Joe's frozen organic pizza and Scott had leftovers. I can't tell you the last time I cooked a frozen pizza so the girls were absolutely thrilled!!

Saturday - Crockpot chicken (1 lb chicken breasts covered with Progresso chicken and wild rice soup. Cook for 4 hours on high) served with rice and steamed broccoli and cauliflower and Trader Joe's pumpkin cornbread (not gluten free but it is dairy free when made with almond milk)

Let me know if you try any of these recipes!

Meal Plan (gluten free, dairy free) Nov 2-8

November 10, 2014 by Scott in Meal Plans

I feel like I've had some boring weeks with food lately. Do you ever go through a time where you just. don't. want. to. cook? I am there. I keep wondering why these kids always need to eat. I'm pretty sure I could get buy with liquid. Am I right? Oh well, without further ado... Sunday - date night!! We ate at Ted's Montana Grill. I had a cheeseburger (FYI burgers are my fav)

Monday - Scott had to work late so I invited my friend (whose husband was out of town) and her 3 kiddos over for dinner We ate crockpot chicken (pour a can of Progresso chicken & wild rice soup over 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken and cook on high for 4 hours). I served that over Jasmine Rice. My sweet, sweet friend made a fall salad. Ya'll it was so very good--candied pecans, red pear slices and parm cheese slices. She said if you google fall salad, it is the first recipe that comes up. We served up carrots and sliced green peppers with goat cheese as an appetizer. I should have taken pictures. We are straight fancy.

Tuesday - My best friend's husband was in town to work with my husband so he came over for dinner. Seeing him makes me feel like she is closer. (I miss you, Lisa!) I made taco burrito bowls. I browned some ground turkey with homemade taco seasoning (recipe to follow). Put on top of leftover Jasmine rice with sliced avocado, salsa and shredded cheddar (for those who weren't dairy free). They kiddo's indulged in cheese quesadillas.

Homemade Taco Seasoning

1 t chili powder

1 t cumin

1/2 t paprika

1/2 t garlic powder

1/4 t salt

Wednesday - Gluten Free chicken nuggets from Trader Joe's with french green beans, carrots and strawberries

Thursday - leftovers (Scott had a burrito bowl with a fried egg on top!)

Friday - leftovers AGAIN (I really don't like leftovers, but these meals serve well this way)

Saturday - grilled chicken (thankful for beautiful fall weather) with green beans (for kids) and spinach salad (for adults)

Even though I really don't want to cook right now, this week turned out pretty delish. What's on your menu?

Meal Plan (gluten free, dairy free) Oct 13-19

October 21, 2014 by Scott in Meal Plans

I'll be honest, this week of eating was quite different than normal weeks. We had a fun-filled week, and I only cooked one time! HOLLA!!! So, I probably should have just not posted a weekly meal plan but the one thing I did cook, I think you'll like. Monday - Hamburger Rice skillet meal (the recipe called for cheese but we just omitted it) Erin, from 5dollardinners.com, created this recipe. If you are cooking for people with food allergies, you should check out her site. Her recipes are simple and easy which it what I love. She always has a meal plan that you can subscribe to for super cheap. I was apart of the beta testers. She even has a gluten free plan, freezer plans, and costco plans.

Tuesday - leftover Hamburger Rice with baked potatoes

Wednesday - chili at a friend's house. I will make the chili sometime soon and post the recipe. It was delicious and from our chiropractor's recipe book. Perfect chili to eat if you are on a restricted diet. My husband really loved it and he doesn't eat chili much.

Thursday - Fall Festival at my daughter's elementary school. We purchased dinner there--pulled pork sandwiches and chips. (I cheated on gluten...maybe we should break up?)

Friday/Saturday/Sunday - We traveled to TN to visit my family so we enjoyed meals prepared by my sweet mother (and the cheating continued. it may be over)

So you see, not much there this week. It was like a vacation for me! I'm sure I'll be dreading cooking this week.