A year in the life of a (now gluten free!) kitchen

Day Three hundred and eighty-five: Christmas cookie baking day

2012-03-09T21:06:00.000-05:00

Spritz cookies. They were way fluffier and less crunchy than I had in mind. Next year I'll work on translating my grandma's recipe (which I love) to a gluten-free version.

The chewy gluten-free. Heaven forbid a gluten-free person not have the recipe to these cookies- they are incredible.

Jam thumbprints. Not bad, but also not what I had in mind. They were too soft for my tastes, but perhaps a recipe worth fiddling with.

Peanut butter blossoms. These were AWESOME!

Pumpkin bread. Headed out to family and bringing along another loaf.

Day Three hundred and eighty-four

2012-03-09T20:53:00.000-05:00

Latkes! Oh yeah! I have a recipe- it's awesome- I'll put it here very soon, I promise.

Hanukkah dinner (I think). Latkes with apple sauce and sour cream, roast chicken, and carrots.

Pumpkins! Lots of them. From my aunt and uncle's farm in Iowa. I pureed these after roasting, made some into bread, and froze the rest.

Roasted butternut squash! Also from Iowa. Some made into soup; the extras pureed and frozen.

Pumpkin seeds... from the pumpkins... self-explanatory.

Pumpkin bread... from the pumpkins. Noticing a theme?

School lunch: Yogurt, apples, trail mix, almonds, and a cookie.

Day Three hundred and eighty-three

2012-03-04T20:16:00.001-05:00

These are gluten-free brownies for my daughter's class holiday party (recipe: Gluten Free on a Shoestring).

Another loaf from the batch of Crusty Boule dough from the freezer.

"Mock" Matzo Balls (recipe: Gluten Free on a Shoestring). I have to say, these looked right but did not live up to their "matzo" title. They were made with quinoa flakes, and only resembled matzo balls in shape. Quinoa made into a ball and soaked in soup does not taste right. Since eating these, I've not been able to eat quinoa again. I do hope that aversion wears off. I've since hunted down gluten-free matzo and made the matzo balls that way. I've even come across a matzo recipe, and intend to try making it and making balls that way. Can you tell I love matzo balls?

Chicken soup with mock matzo balls.

Day Three hundred and eighty-two

2012-03-04T20:05:00.001-05:00

Dinner: "Lazy Chicken" (crockpot; Chicken and marinara sauce over brown rice fusilli) with edamame and frozen blueberries.

School lunch: Chinks of grilled chicken, gluten free crackers, spinach with dip, and apple slices.

Day Three hundred and eighty-one

2012-03-01T13:14:00.002-05:00

A crust Boule. The recipe yields four balls of dough, and this is one of the three from the freezer.

On the rise: Gluten-free bagels. I used the Shoestring recipe with the Artisan flour blend.

After rising, boiling, and baking: Bagels. I made a dozen and froze half.

Dinner: Smashed potatoes, a slice of boule bread, steamed veggies, and grilled chicken.

And my husband's dinner: Steak, sauteed onions, and the rest of my dinner from above. I'm still trying to help him realize he's not a caveman.

School lunch for tomorrow: PB wrap, babybel cheese, cutie orange slices, cucumber and carrots.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T10:29:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day! I interrupt my normal schedule of posting to instead share a recipe with you. This was on our table this morning. Breakfast for dinner, perhaps?

Buckwheat heart-shaped pancakes

¾ cup buckwheat

¾ cup flour (regular or gluten-free)

2 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 ½ cup milk

2 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla (I added this in)

¼ cup melted butter

diced strawberries (optional)

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk dry ingredients together. In a small bowl, whisk wet ingredients together. Add wet ingredients to dry, mix until well blended. Add strawberries. Pour by ¼ cup onto greased, hot griddle or frying pan, in the shape of a heart. Cook 2-4 minutes, until brown on edges and bubbling, and flip, repeating on other side.

Serve with syrup or powdered sugar, and enjoy!

(Original, non-heart shaped, non-strawberry recipe comes from a great, very family-friendly book, Gluten-Free Made Simple).

Day Three hundred and eighty

2012-02-11T13:25:00.000-05:00

Breakfast: Gluten-free bagel (these are working out nicely) and scrambled eggs.

Lunch: Mac and cheese (I tried the GF Gourmet's recipe, not bad) with pureed cauliflower added (Sneaky Chef).

The beginning of the holiday season- Christmas cookies. These ones with the chocolate on the end are "Chip and dip cookies" (recipe from my friend Christie), the Hershey kiss cookies are PB Blossoms, and the cinnamon frosting cookies are from the same cookbook as the PB Blossoms.

School lunch: Ants on a log (celery with PB and raisins), hard-boiled eggs, crackers, sliced apple, and a babybel cheese.

Day Three hundred and seventy-nine

2012-02-10T06:43:00.000-05:00

Pink breakfast: Bob's Red Mill hot (gluten-free) cereal with strawberries and a drizzle of chocolate syrup.

School lunch: Cottage cheese, popcorn with almonds, a blueberry lunchpail muffin (from the freezer; recipe: Eat Clean Diet for Families and Kids), celery, and prunes.

Day Three hundred and seventy-eight

2012-02-10T06:32:00.000-05:00

Dinner: Chicken fingers. My husband made these- they were a combination of gluten-free breadcrumbs and honey, a concoction of his own creation. I made a spinach-artichoke dip (recipe to be posted, I promise) with baked tortilla chops and applesauce. Kind of a weird-ish meal, but that's how it came together.

Lunch for tomorrow: Rolled deli turkey, crackers with a babybel cheese, a cutie orange, red pepper, and cucumber slices.

My older daughter's gingerbread house. She made it at school, but was so proud of it that it got included here. I found gluten-free graham crackers, which was not an easy task. I'll probably try making them next time.

Day Three hundred and seventy-seven

2012-02-10T06:09:00.001-05:00

Chinese food night!

Dinner: Chicken and broccoli (recipe: Gluten-Free Gourmet) over rice (with cauliflower puree, ala Double Delicious), with lo mein (made with brown rice spaghetti; recipe: Gluten-Free on a Shoestring).

Day Three hundred and seventy-six

2012-02-10T06:01:00.002-05:00

Breakfast: Egg and cheese on english muffins, with orange slices.

Day Three hundred and seventy-five

2012-02-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

I did a tiny bit of cooking ahead this morning. Since I tend to plan out meals in advance, I've been trying to get into the habit of baking ahead as well. Once I'm already baking, and have the ingredients out, flour all over the place, I figure I may as well make at least one or two things I'll need next. In this instance, I made rolls for tomorrow's breakfast while I was baking this morning's breakfast. Tomorrow, I can skip a step, and don't have to bake and clean-up.

Breakfast: Pumpkin bread (You Won't Believe its Gluten Free) with almonds and blueberries.

English muffins, for tomorrow's breakfast (recipe: You Won't Believe it's Gluten Free).

Lunch: Turkey and cheese in a brown rice wrap (with pumpkin puree melted into the cheese), celery, and apple slices.

Dinner: Gluten-free chicken nuggets, white rice (with cauliflower puree, ala Double Delicious), applesauce, and broccoli. Can you tell my husband planned this meal? I can. ;) But after having made breakfast and lunch, I was happy to let him handle dinner.

Day Three hundred and seventy-four

2012-02-09T11:13:00.003-05:00

Dinner was last night's lefotvers, which was I said yesterday, we did not love; I sweetened the deal with this Chocolate pound cake (recipe: You Won't Believe it's Gluten-Free). YUM.

School lunch: Leftover pasta and spinach, animal crackers, cucumber slices, cutie orange, babybel cheese.

Day Three hundred and seventy-three

2012-02-09T10:55:00.001-05:00

Dinner: Pizza (I'll take any excuse to use the fresh basil sitting on my windowsill!) with grapes and steamed vegetables. Pizza crust is my current favorite- one called "Pat's Thin Yeast Crust" from The GFG.

School lunch: PBJ on crackers, animal crackers with a babybel cheese, a cutie orange, and cucumber slices. Looking at this is making me hungry- oh- it's lunch time. ;)

Day Three hundred and seventy-two

2012-02-09T10:41:00.001-05:00

Pancake morning: Blueberry, strawberry, and chocolate chip (recipe: You Won't Believe It's Gluten-Free).

School lunch: Cottage cheese, rice crackers, cucumbers and carrots, watermelon.

Dinner (Did not realize it had fogged up the lens!): Baked spinach and cheese with brown rice penne (crockpot; Recipe: Make it Fast, Cook it Slow). We normally love everything that comes out of this cookbook, but I have to admit, none of us cared for this one. It was pretty bland- not a meal I'd recommend.

Day Three hundred and seventy-one

2012-02-07T09:57:00.000-05:00

Granola bars (recipe: The Eat-Clean Diet for Family and Kids). I wrapped each in plastic wrap so my daughter could take them to school for snack.

School lunch: PBJ on a brown rice wrap, mini butterscotch brownie, babybel cheese, apple, carrots. This lunch is clearly the work of my husband. :)

Day Three hundred and seventy

2012-02-07T09:50:00.002-05:00

Lunch: Crunchy quesadilla (brown rice wrap, sliced turkey, cheese- with pureed pumpkin spread on the wrap, it melts right into the cheese), baby spinach, and apple.

Quesadilla sticks (the above quesadilla sliced into strips with a pizza cutter), perfect for little hands.

Lotion. Every once in a while I make a batch.

Day Three hundred and sixty-nine

2012-02-04T15:03:00.002-05:00

School lunch: Sliced hard-boiled egg, baby spinach, edamame crackers, mozzarella, sliced apple and peanut butter.

Day Three hundred and sixty-eight

2012-02-04T14:45:00.000-05:00

I can tell as soon as I look at the picture that my husband was in charge of dinner this night. Dinner: Rotisserie chicken, mashed potatoes, peas, corn, and oranges.

Day Three hundred and sixty-seven

2012-02-04T14:41:00.001-05:00

Breakfast: Mighy tasty hot cereal (Bob's Red Mill) with chunks of apples and cinnamon.

School lunch: Rolled-up deli turkey, tortilla chips, babybel cheese, baby spinach, and grapes.

Not-school lunch: Turkey and cheese in a brown rice wrap (with pumpkin puree spread on the wrap, to be disguised in the melted cheese) with baby spinach and orange slices.

Day Three hundred and sixty-six

2012-02-04T14:37:00.001-05:00

School lunch for the day: Fresh mozzarella cheese, edamame crackers, cut-up apples, carrots, and cashews.

Dinner: Turkey meatloaf (with green puree ala Sneaky Chef), mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli, and grapes.

Day Three hundred and sixty-five: ONE YEAR!!!

2012-02-04T13:56:00.001-05:00

Technically, the one year anniversary of this blog occurred about two months ago. I never stopped taking pictures, but I didn't post for those two months while we were sorting out some health issues. I'm catching up now, and here's our meal for the 365th day of our photo journal. Thanks for coming along on our journey.

Breakfast: Popovers. These are really incredible- so moist and fluffy inside with a great crunch outside (recipe: Gluten-Free on a Shoestring).

Dinner: One of my all-time favorites: Salsa chicken and black bean soup (crockpot; Recipe: Make it Fast Cook it Slow). Topped with sour cream and cheddar, this is a complete meal. We had it w/a salad on the side.

Dessert: Grannie's old-fashioned butterscotch bars (recipe: Family Circle). I'd pulled this out of a magazine over two years ago but had never made it before. I converted it to gluten-free, which was as simple as substituting the artisan gluten-free flour blend and adding a smidgen more liquid.

Day Two hundred and sixty-four

2012-02-04T13:44:00.000-05:00

Dinner: Brown rice penne mac and cheese (crockpot; Make it Fast, Cook it Slow), chicken spinach sausage, mixed vegetables, and blueberries.

Day Two hundred and sixty-three

2012-01-31T09:38:00.002-05:00

Chicken Pot Pie is one of those homey, full-of-goodness meals that can bring a family to the table. It’s easy to customize- fill it with your choice of meat (chicken, turkey, or beef) and the vegetables you know your family will love. Store-bought and frozen versions can be loaded with saturated fats and preservatives, but it’s easy to make your own. One bite and you’ll know your efforts were worth it. I’ve tried out recipes over the years, but recently found one that I’ll hand down to my daughters one day. It can be made traditionally, or gluten-free, and is delicious either way.

This first photo gives an idea of what the inside of the Pot Pie looks like. The top was fluffy with a slight crunch to the crust, and the inside was creamy and thick. The recipe comes straight from The Gluten Free Gourmet, and is called Bette’s Best Chicken Pot Pie.

Pot Pie Filling:

2 small chicken breasts (about ½ lb.)
2 c. chicken stock
½ c. diced carrots
½ c. sliced celery
¼ c. minced onion
½ c. frozen peas
1 c. peeled, diced potatoes (about 2 small potatoes; this wasn’t in the original recipe but I added it in because I think Pot Pie needs potatoes)
3 T flour (regular or gluten-free)
2-3 T water
¼ c. cream (I used milk)
salt & pepper to taste

In a large frying pan, sauté or poach chicken breasts until cooked through. Remove from pan, cut into bite-sized pieces, and set aside. Place chicken stock in pan and bring to a boil. Add carrots, celery, onion, and potatoes, and cook for 15 minutes. Add chicken and peas and cook for five minutes longer. In a small bowl, mix flour and water to make a thin paste. Thicken stock with flour paste, cook on low one to two more minutes. Add cream, season as desired with salt and pepper. Spoon into a greased, 2-quart round casserole. Preheat oven to 350, and prepare Pot Pie crust.
Pot Pie Crust:

1 T sugar
3 T butter, melted
1 egg
½ c. rice flour (if not making gluten-free, substitute flour)
1/3 c. potato starch flour (if not making gluten-free, substitute cornstarch)
½ t baking powder
½ t baking soda
½ t salt
1/3 c buttermilk

Mix sugar, butter, and egg together. Sift together dry ingredients, add to sugar mixture, alternating with buttermilk. Spread evenly on top of Pot Pie. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until top is lightly browned and liquid bubbles around the edges (see below).

Day Three hundred and sixty-two

2012-01-21T20:09:00.000-05:00

Dinner: Brown rice penne mac and cheese (crockpot; recipe: Make it Fast, Cook it Slow), chicken sausage, steamed veggies, and blueberries. Not a dinner of champions, but it was a crazy afternoon, so this'll do.

Day Three hundred and sixty-one

2012-01-19T19:44:00.001-05:00

Breakfast for dinner: Scrambled eggs with broccoli, turkey sausage, blueberry muffins (I had these in the freezer from another time) and cutie oranges.

Day Three hundred and sixty

2012-01-19T19:41:00.001-05:00

School lunch for tomorrow: Gluten-free crackers, fresh mozzarella, edamame, almonds, and apple.

Day Three hundred and fifty-nine

2012-01-19T19:34:00.000-05:00

Breakfast: Scrambled cheese eggs.

Dinner: Turkey and rice soup. I took the stock from yesterday, tossed in some leftover turkey and steamed carrots, and voila, dinner again.

Day Three hundred and fifty-eight

2012-01-19T19:31:00.000-05:00

Pesto, for the freezer. A little taste of summer that will wait for me in the winter/

Turkey stock, from the carcass from yesterday. I always hear how great it is to make stock after Thanksgiving, so I decided to try it this year. The carcass, some leftover vegetables, and water went into the crockpot and it cooked overnight. By morning, voila!

Day Three hundred and fifty-seven

2012-01-19T14:00:00.000-05:00

Our first gluten-free Thanksgiving. Sit back in your chair- this may take a while.

First, the turkey. As it is, I leave the raw-turkey-prep to my husband, since I'm bothered my handling the raw bird. Did it have to come with a feature still attached? This grossed me out.

A morning smoothie. This was a peanut butter-banana-flax seed (recipe: Cooking Light).

Pumpkin soup. My mom makes and brings this along. Yum.

The turkey. Post-roasting, post feather-removal.

Carrot-basil-cornmeal biscuits. These are a family tradition. I'll have to find and post the recipe origin. This is the first year they were made gluten-free. Next year I'll make a few changes, I've learned more about baking substitutions since Thanksgiving.

Smashed potatoes. The sour creamy kind.

Green beans with shallots. Another contribution from my mom.

Cornbread-apple sausage stuffing. This was the crunchy in-the-oven kind, and there was also an in-the-bird version.

Indian cornbread pudding. My mom made this one was well, and it was an easy one to make gluten-free.

The moist cooked-in-the-bird version of the stuffing.

The turkey, carved. Thank goodness my dad worked in a deli as a teen-- he's a pro at carving.

Gravy. My mom makes it every year. This was another recipe easy to convert to gluten-free.

Sweet potatoes with crunchy roasted marshmallows. 'Nuff said.

Butternut squash. I think my grandma made this.

Thanksgiving dinner: Turkey, gravy, cornbread apple-sausage stuffing, biscuits, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, smashed potatoes, and Indian cornbread pudding. Whew.

Pumpkin pie. I made this using my grandma's recipe, but made a gluten-free crust (crust recipe: Gluten-Free on a Shoestring).

Apple pie. My grandma made this with her secret recipe, and used a gluten-free baking mix for the crust.

Pumpkin mousse with fresh vanilla creme- another contribution from my mom.

Pecan pie. My husband made this (with some help) because he didn't think it'd be Thanksgiving w/o pecan pie. I'll have to add the recipe link.

Day Three hundred and fifty-six

2012-01-14T20:18:00.000-05:00

This was the day before Thanksgiving. You can see my house is clearly in cooking mode.

Pumpkins: Before. These went into a pie, bread, and some went into the freezer for future use. I was fortunate to receive a giant box of pumpkins and squash from my Uncle and Aunt who have a farm in Iowa. This was only the second time I'd ever cooked w/fresh pumpkin. Definitely worth it!!

And of course, pumpkin seeds. I made these savory and seasoned them with a little S & P. The next batch were cinnamon sugar.

Roasted sweet potatoes. Tomorrow these will be a part of a casserole.

After: Pumpkins.

Lunch for my little one: Peanut butter and jelly on crackers, and pear slices.

A super easy supper (who has time to cook when you're roasting vegetables all day?!): Brown rice spaghetti with alfredo, chicken nuggets, and steamed veggies.

Shredded zucchini, for the freezer. This will go into c hili, meatloaf, and bread.

Day Three hundred and fifty-five

2012-01-14T20:05:00.000-05:00

Dinner: Brown rice penne with homemade pesto with cherry tomatoes and fresh mozzarella (this is seriously one of my favorite dinners), sliced chicken breast, and green beans. When making the pasta, add the cheese and tomatoes into the pot when the pasta is very warm, it all marries and the flavors heightens.

Per a request, here's the pesto recipe: In a food processor, combine 2 c. well-packed basil leaves and 1/4 c. chopped nuts (pine nuts or walnuts). Pulse till shredded, then add 2 cloves of garlic, 1/2 c. olive oil, 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, and 1/4 tsp. ground pepper, and pulse again. Add 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese, and pulse until smooth, pushing down as needed. If you’d like to freeze this in a jar for later use, don’t add the cheese until it’s been thawed and you’re ready to serve it.

Gluten-free cornbread (recipe: Gluten-free on a shoestring). This was two days before Thanksgiving, so I was already in cooking mode. I made a double batch of this- one for my daughter to bring to school for her Thanksgiving feast, and another to use in the stuffing for the turkey.

Day Three hundred and fifty-four

2012-01-14T20:00:00.001-05:00

School lunch for tomorrow (I can tell just by looking at it that my husband made it): Turkey hot dog with ketchup, celery and carrots with PB, grapes, and a gluten-free oreo.

Day Three hundred and fifty-three

2012-01-14T19:58:00.000-05:00

Gluten-free banana muffins. These were SO good, moist and filling. I found the recipe online but I didn't write down the source, and now I can't track it down. The recipe is worth sharing, though, so here it is. Next time, I'm going to try making it as a loaf.

Gluten-free banana muffins

2 c. gluten-free flour blend

1 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

3/4 t. xanthan gum

1/2 t. salt

1/2 c. unsalted butter

1/2 c. sugar

2 eggs

6 ripe bananas, coarsely diced

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well. In a separate bowl, whisk first five ingredients ingredients (through salt) then add to sugar mixture, stirring only until moist. Fold in bananas. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes, until toothpick comes out dry.

Spaghetti squash Parmesan. If you haven't made this, you should! It's my older daughter's favorite meal. In fact, this day was her birthday, which was why I made it.

Dinner: Spaghetti squash parm, french bread, and fruit salad.

Pureed yellow squash, for the freezer.

Tomorrow's school lunch: Chunks of grilled chicken, gluten-free crackers, cottage cheese, carrots and apples.

Day Three hundred and fifty-two

2012-01-13T09:37:00.000-05:00

Brownies (recipe: The ultimate gluten-free cookie book). I made these for my daughter to bring in to her class for her birthday. I was sure they'd never know it was gluten-free, so I was surprised when she told me, "Mom, the kids complained!" I asked why, and she said, "They wished the brownies were bigger!" PERFECT.

Dinner: Brown rice fusilli, steamed broccoli, strawberries, and gluten-free chicken nuggets.

Day Three hundred and fifty-one

2012-01-13T09:29:00.000-05:00

A red pepper flower. My daughter couldn't eat it fast enough.

Gluten-free granola (recipe: Gluten-free on a shoestring). I didn't *love* this granola, but it wasn't bad.

Soup: Potato leek. The recipe is from my friend Christie, I'll have to ask her where she got it.

Day Three hundred and fifty

2012-01-12T20:25:00.003-05:00

Lunch: Grilled cheese and tomato on gluten-free bread, sliced pear.

Day Three hundred and forty-nine

2012-01-12T20:23:00.004-05:00

This is (I'll admit it) an odd-looking loaf of French bread. It did tasty pretty good, though. I made it at home, and let it rise on the way to my grandma's house. It didn't transport well, though, so the dough got misshapen before it went into the oven. I can't remember where I got the recipe, but I'll update this once I remember.

Day Three hundred and forty-eight

2012-01-08T21:49:00.002-05:00

A supply of cupcakes (recipe: Artisanal Gluten-Free Cupcakes). Some for my daughter's upcoming birthday, some for the freezer for future birthday parties we have to attend, and some for the school freezer so my daughter can have a cupcake when other kids bring in their birthday snacks.

Day Three hundred and forty-seven

2012-01-08T21:42:00.000-05:00

Dinner: Brown rice fusilli in a cream sauce (I tried a Philadelphia flavored cream cheese tub- it was eh) with baby spinach and turkey bacon.

Day Three hundred and forty-six

2012-01-08T20:55:00.000-05:00

Dinner: Brown rice quesadillas (chicken, cheese, black beans, shredded zucchini, and butternut squash puree) topped with avocado and sour cream. This is such a family favorite. Here's the recipe:

Chicken Quesadillas

1 lb chicken breast
2 zucchini or yellow squash, shredded
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup orange pureed vegetable (pumpkin, butternut squash, sweet potato, even carrot would work)
taco seasoning (such as McCormick packet found in the spice aisle, or your favorite homemade blend)
shredded cheese (cheddar or mexican)
avocado (mashed)
sour cream
8 whole wheat or brown rice tortilla wraps, 6 or 8 inch work fine

Saute chicken and taco seasoning on the stove until cooked through, and shread or cut into chunks. Mix chicken, black beans, shredded zucchini, orange puree. Put tortilla on sprayed griddle or in frying pan, sprinkle with cheese, spoon on chicken and zucchini mixture. Top with a little more cheese and another tortilla on top like a sandwich. Cook until tortilla browns and cheese starts to melt; flip and brown other side. Top with sour cream and avocado, if desired. Makes four tortilla "sandwiches."

Sandwich bread (recipe: Gluten Free on a Shoestring) made with the artisan gluten-free flour blend. I like how this bread comes out, but I'm still experimenting to find the "perfect" loaf of bread. I have lots of recipes to try until I decide.

Day Three hundred and forty-five

2012-01-08T20:46:00.000-05:00

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with cheese in a brown rice wrap, and fresh pineapple.

Dinner: Turkey legs. Being that this is too cave-man for me, I ate leftovers, and made sure to fed the girls vegetables and fruit to balance it out.

Lunchpail muffins (recipe: The Eat-Clean Diet for Family and Kids). I added blueberries. These will go in the freezer to be used as a lunchbox add-in, or school snack.

Day Three hundred and forty-four

2012-01-08T20:40:00.000-05:00

Dinner: Parmesan crusted chicken (with breadcrumbs made from stale gluten-free bread) steamed carrots, sauteed zucchini, and mac and cheese (brown rice pasta; crockpot; recipe: Make it Fast Cook it Slow).

School lunch for tomorrow: Cottage cheese, edamame crackers, a hard-boiled egg, strawberries, red pepper, and baby spinach.

Day Three hundred and forty-three

2012-01-08T08:23:00.000-05:00

Stocking the freezer today...

Shredded zucchini. Goes into the freezer in 2 c. bags. During the long winter, this will go into breads, chili, meatloaf, etc.

Hunks of yellow squash, in the steamer, which will be...

Pureed in the food processor, put into 1/4 c., and put in the freezer. Until they're frozen, then they're...

Popped out of muffin tins, and stored in freezer-safe bags in the freezer.

Oh yeah, and since I was busy processing veggies all day, my husband handled dinner, albeit a very simple one. Dinner: Breaded chicken pieces, gluten-free mac and cheese, strawberries, and green beans.

Day Three hundred and forty-two

2012-01-07T20:37:00.001-05:00

Dinner: Quesadillas (black bean, zucchini, tomatoes, and cheese in brown rice wraps) with sour cream. Brown rice wraps are SO good- they come out nice and crisp on the griddle. This was delicious.

School lunch for tomorrow: Yogurt, granola, fresh pineapple, whole grain tortilla chips, and celery.

Day Three hundred and forty-one

2012-01-07T20:32:00.001-05:00

Parmesan basil focaccia (recipe: Gluten Free on a Shoestring) made with the artisan gluten-free flour blend. I've moved my basil plant indoors so that we can enjoy it year-round, and this was a great way to use some up.

Dinner: Turkey burgers (with green pureed vegetables, ala Sneaky Chef), Parmesan basil focaccia, baby spinach and tomatoes, and fresh pineapple.

School lunch for tomorrow: Diced chicken with celery, apple slices, gluten-free sandwich bread, and fresh mozzarella.

Day Three hundred and forty

2012-01-07T20:26:00.000-05:00

Dinner: Turkey meatloaf (this was an extra I'd made previously, and stuck in the freezer) with smashed potatoes and green beans.

Day Three hundred and thirty-nine

2012-01-07T07:34:00.000-05:00

Dinner: Chicken with mushrooms and carrots (crockpot; Make it Fast Cook it Slow) over brown rice (with cauliflower puree ala Double Delicious), and fruit salad.

Day Three hundred and thirty-eight

2012-01-07T07:24:00.000-05:00

Breakfast: Chocolate strawberry flax-seed crepes. I was thrilled to take the crepe recipe I've been using (Sneaky Chef) and find it translated perfectly with the artisan gluten-free flour blend.

Dinner: Brown rice pasta marinara, sun-dried tomato chicken sausage, green beans, and fruit salad.

Lunch for tomorrow: Leftover pasta with chicken sausage mixed in, green beans, fruit salad, and fresh mozzarella cheese. My daughter's lunch doesn't often consist of dinner leftovers, but when it does, boy is it easy to assemble!

Day Three hundred and thirty-seven

2012-01-06T20:10:00.000-05:00

Breakfast for dinner: Scrambled spinach and cheese eggs, cucumbers with ranch dip, orange slices, and homemade home fries.
I think my husband made the home fries. :) I love dinners that are "naturally" gluten free.

Day Three hundred and thirty-six

2012-01-06T20:06:00.001-05:00

Breakfast: Cinnamon apple oatmeal. I'm so glad gluten-free oats exist. I'm not sure what I'd do without them!

Dinner: Turkey bacon grilled cheese on gluten-free bread, and fruit salad. I want to say there was a veggie with this meal-- I think we may have had baby carrots while the grilled cheeses were toasting.

Day Three hundred and thirty-five

2012-01-04T20:35:00.001-05:00

Breakfast: Gluten-free pumpkin blueberry pancakes with scrambled eggs. I made a double batch and froze half to serve as breakfast for during the week.

Dinner: Turkey hot dogs, gluten-free mac and cheese, and steamed veggies. Something crazy was going on in the afternoon, so I had to abandon my dinner plans and swap in this unexciting dinner instead.

Day Three hundred and thirty-four

2012-01-04T20:32:00.000-05:00

Lunch: Deli turkey and cheese on gluten-free bread, cucumbers and spinach with ranch, and apple slices.

Three-bean turkey chili (with shredded zucchini and butternut squash puree) topped with shredded cheddar, sour cream, and avocado. I made a triple batch of this- one was donated to a charity function a friend was running that evening, and another went into the freezer for future use.

Lunch for tomorrow: Turkey on gluten-free bread, fresh mozzarella, spinach with dip, grapes, and pirate's booty.

Day Three hundred and thirty-three

2012-01-03T10:55:00.000-05:00

Breakfast: Spinach mango strawberry smoothies (recipe: Cooking Light). We refer to these as "Martian smoothies"

Pizza (dough recipe: Gluten-free on a shoestring).

Dinner: Pizza, steamed broccoli, and grapes.

Chocolate chip cookies. Trying out a new cookie recipe, this one is from Robin Ryberg, who has a bunch of neat GF cookbooks.

Sandwich bread. Using the all-purpose flour blend I could not live without, this bread recipe makes our current go-to loaf.

Lunch for tomorrow: Turkey on above sandwich bread, apple, fresh mozzarella cheese, cucumbers, and a chocolate chip cookie. Morning snack in the separate container- ants on a log (PB and raisins on celery).

Day Three hundred and thirty-two

2012-01-02T20:05:00.002-05:00

Purees for the freezer: Cauliflower and Butternut squash. I freeze them in 1/4 c. portions in muffins tins, and once they're frozen, I pop them out and store them in the freezer in big ziploc bags. These will go into mac and cheese, tacos, pasta, etc.

Lunch for tomorrow: Hard-boiled eggs, mozzarella cheese, edamame crackers, spinach with dip, and fruit (not sure what kind is under that pink lid, but I know it's there). ;)

Homemade vanilla yogurt (made ala the Frugal Girl's cooler method).

Day Three hundred and thirty-one

2012-01-02T19:58:00.000-05:00

Lunch for tomorrow: Homemade yogurt with blueberries, gf pretzel sticks, cucumber with dip, and two mini PB cups. My husband made this lunch, which is why I can't figure out how he arrived on these combinations. ;)

Day Three hundred and thirty

2011-12-30T08:33:00.002-05:00

We were headed to a dinner party and in charge of bringing desserts. These are both gluten-free, of course, but I share them with one caveat... I cannot recall my recipe sources. I'm catching up on two month's worth of food photos (life got ahead of me!), and now my memory fails me. I intend to scour my recipes and figure out where I got these two, and I'll update this post as soon I remember. All I can say is that both were goood.

Apple tart (with cheese filling).

Brownie pie.

Lunch for tomorrow: PBJ on a brown rice wrap, cottage cheese, apple, and baby carrots.

Day Three hundred and twenty-nine

2011-12-30T08:32:00.000-05:00

Lunch: Shredded zucchini, black beans, and cheese inside of brown rice wraps, with sour cream.

Dinner: Broccoli and cheese soup (crockpot; recipe: Make it Fast Cook it Slow).

Day Three hundred and twenty-eight

2011-12-24T07:48:00.001-05:00

Breakfast: CREPES! I was delighted that I could use my regular recipe but substitute the artisan gluten-free flour blend, and they came out just as delicious. We do a few variations of crepes, and these were filled with strawberries, a little chocolate sauce, and a sprinkle of flaxseeds.

Dinner: Traditional Stew (recipe: Make it Fast Cook it Slow). I made a few changes to the recipe- I use chunks of chicken breast instead of beef, chicken broth instead of beef, and add potatoes. This is always an easy and very comforting meal.

Day Three hundred and twenty-seven

2011-12-24T07:36:00.001-05:00

Dinner: Chicken over rice (with cauliflower puree, ala Double Delicious), sliced peaches, and steamed baby carrots. I can't remember what I'd done to this chicken-- either I made a sauce for it, and baked it in the oven, or it was in the crockpot.

School lunch for tomorrow: Baby spinach, hard-boiled eggs, a gluten-free blueberry muffin (from the stash in the freezer), apple slices, and her morning snack of yogurt with blueberries.

Day Three hundred and twenty-six

2011-12-24T07:30:00.001-05:00

Lunch: Pizza muffins (with butternut squash mixed into the sauce) on gluten-free english muffins, baby spinach, and strawberries.

Dinner: Brown rice penne with chunks of chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach.

Tomorrow's school lunch: Leftover chicken from dinner, cheese with gluten-free crackers, baby spinach, and orange slices.

Day Three hundred and twenty-five

2011-12-24T07:24:00.000-05:00

School lunch for tomorrow: Homemade yogurt with blueberries, cucumber slices with dip, almonds with sunflower seeds, gluten-free cereal, and two gluten-free oreos. I'm not of the "junk in the lunch box" mentality, but occasionally I'll toss a treat into my daughter's lunch. Especially now that she has to be gluten-free and misses out on so much of what the "other" kids have, I sometimes toss in something special so she doesn't feel left out.

Day Three hundred and twenty-four

2011-12-24T07:20:00.002-05:00

Lunch: Hard-boiled eggs, baby spinach, red peppers, orange slices, and almond cheddar chips.

Day Three hundred and twenty-three

2011-12-24T07:18:00.000-05:00

Breakfast: Pumpkin granola breakfast cookies (recipe: Gluten free on a shoestring), scrambled eggs, and tangerine slices.

Dinner: Brown rice spaghetti, turkey meatballs (with green puree, ala Sneaky Chef), baby spinach, and grapes.

We went to a pumpkin festival in the afternoon, and my daughter was really bummed that we could't buy any of the baked goods for sale there, as the pumpkin pie looked great. I promised to make her one when we got home, and I always keep my promises. This is my grandma's pumpkin pie recipe, and I just subbed gluten-free flour in the crust recipe. It worked.

Day Three hundred and twenty-two

2011-12-24T07:11:00.000-05:00

Dinner in a rush: Polenta slices, gluten-free chicken nuggets, fruit salad, and steamed carrots.

My daughter's lunch for tomorrow: Turkey, cheese, gluten-free crackers, red peppers, and grapes.

Day Three hundred and twenty-one

2011-12-24T07:06:00.001-05:00

Lunch: Turkey and cheese melted on homemade gluten-free bread (recipe: Gluten-free on a shoestring), grapes, baby spinach, and ranch.

Dinner: Sweet potato and chicken apple sausage hash (recipe: Rachel Ray), fruit salad, and green beans.

My daughter's lunch for tomorrow: Rolls of deli turkey with a mozzarella stick, baby spinach with dip, grapes, and gluten-free pretzel sticks.

Day Three hundred and twenty

2011-12-24T06:58:00.002-05:00

Breakfast for dinner: Scrambled eggs with spinach and cheese, homemade gluten-free english muffins (recipe: You Won't Believe it's Gluten Free), and sliced pear.

Day Three hundred and nineteen

2011-12-12T20:19:00.000-05:00

Dinner: Turkey tacos with avocado, baby spinach, tomatoes, cheddar, and sour cream.

My daughter's gluten-free lunch for tomorrow: Edamame crackers, mozzarella stick, baby carrots and red peppers, fresh pineapple, and a blueberry muffin (just out of the freezer, hence the ice crystals).

Homemade cottage cheese. I wanted my own organic cottage cheese, but I don't recommend making it. I hate how store-bought cottage cheese has so many additives, and I read how making your own is *so* easy. It was... BUT. Using a quart and a half of milk yielded this tiny amount of cottage cheese, and it did not taste appetizing. Experiment, failed. Oh well.

Day Three hundred and eighteen

2011-12-04T22:11:00.001-05:00

(Gluten-free) Waffles, oh yeah! (An old inside joke- ask my husband).

Parmesan garlic croutons (made with stale gluten-free bread).

Dinner: The Big Salad (hard-boiled eggs, baby spinach, chickpeas, steamed carrots, tomatoes, red peppers, cucumbers), croutons, and homemade ranch.

Day Three hundred and seveteen

2011-12-04T22:04:00.001-05:00

Our most recent yummy breakfast discovery: POPOVERS!!! These are so easy to make-- just a few ingredients to combine, then they bake for 30 mins, giving you time to neaten the kitchen and get the fam dressed for the day.

Breakfast: Gluten-free popovers (recipe: Gluten-free on a shoestring), scrambled eggs, and fresh strawberries.

Day Three hundred and sixteen

2011-12-04T21:40:00.001-05:00

Lunch: Leftover brown rice, mixed with diced tomatoes, red beans, garnished with sour cream and cheddar cheese.

Dinner: Lazy chicken over brown rice fusilli (crockpot; Make it Fast Cook it Slow), steamed broccoli, fresh strawberries.

Day Three hundred and fifteen

2011-12-04T21:30:00.001-05:00

Pizza dough, rising (recipe: Gluten-free on a shoestring). This was our second attempt at gluten-free pizza, and we did like the crust a little better. The consistency of the dough was more similar to regular dough than the almond flour.

Pizza (sauce with butternut squash puree).

Dinner: Gluten-free pizza, salad, and fresh strawberries.

Gluten-free sandwich bread (recipe: Gluten-free on a shoestring).

Day three hundred and fourteen

2011-12-04T21:22:00.001-05:00

A pot o' veggies (carrots, butternut squash, potatoes, and onions). About to be...

Dinner: Butternut squash soup, grilled cheese on homemade gluten-free bread (recipe: Gluten Free on a Shoestring), and sliced apples.

Day three hundred and thirteen

2011-12-04T21:07:00.001-05:00

Rosemary garlic sweet potato fries (before)

Rosemary garlic sweet potato fries (after)

Turkey meatloaf (times three). One for tonight, and two for the freezer.

Butternut squash puree. This will go into chili, quesadillas, pasta sauce, etc. I divide it in 1/4 cup portions, put the muffin tin into the freezer, pop them out into a large ziploc bag, and store these in the freezer so they're handy when I need them.

Dinner: Turkey meatloaf (with almond flour instead of breadcrumbs, so it's gluten-free), steamed veggies, sliced peaches, and rosemary garlic sweet potato fries.

My daughter's lunch for tomorrow: Vanilla yogurt with blueberries, edamame crackers, peas, and two gluten-free oreos. Kind of the motley crew of lunch-- I think we didn't have much in the fridge.

Day three hundred and twelve

2011-12-04T21:04:00.001-05:00

Dinner: Gluten-free chicken nuggets, brown rice pilaf (with pureed cauliflower), green beans, and fruit salad.

Day three hundred and eleven

2011-12-04T21:02:00.001-05:00

My daughter's gluten-free lunch: Rolled deli turkey, mozzarella stick, edamame crackers, carrots, and grapes.

Day three hundred and ten

2011-11-15T18:53:00.001-05:00

Breakfast: Blueberry pancakes (we tried a gluten-free mix that a friend gave us) with turkey sausage and oranges.

Dinner: Turkey burgers, brown rice penne mac and cheese (crockpot; Make it Fast, Cook it Slow), steamed broccoli, and fresh tomatoes and mozzarella.

Day three hundred and nine

2011-11-15T18:51:00.001-05:00

Breakfast: Oatmeal with chunks of apple. I was SO thrilled to find that gluten-free oats exist... not sure I could live without oats!

A man's dinner (aka, my husband made it): Rotisserie chicken, green beans, apple, and tater tots (gluten-free from Trader Joe's).

Day three hundred and eight

2011-11-11T23:40:00.001-05:00

Chocolate chip cookies (almond flour; Recipe: Elana). These were neat-- really nutty and chewy, almost like a PB cup flavor.

Fresh mozzarella and farmer's market tomatoes.

Dinner: Asian chicken meatballs, brown rice (with pureed cauliflower; Double Delicious), steamed broccoli, and pineapple.

Homemade vanilla ice cream with chocolate chip cookies. All of this gluten-free business is hard work. We deserved a treat. ;)

Day three hundred and seven

2011-11-11T23:36:00.001-05:00

Breakfast: Bob's Red Mill gluten-free hot cereal, with apple.

Dessert: Pound cake (gluten-free; recipe: Gluten-Free on a Shoestring).

Day three hundred and six

2011-11-11T23:31:00.001-05:00

Dinner: Chicken tetrazzini (crockpot; Recipe: Crockery Cookery) over brown rice fusilli, steamed veggies, and clementines. The tetrazzini was something I'd made a while back as a double, frozen, and thawed earlier today. All I had to do was boil the pasta and heat the chicken and sauce. I love when I cook ahead- it gives me a night when I have almost no clean-up.

Day three hundred and five

2011-11-11T21:59:00.001-05:00

Dinner: Maple dijon chicken with sweet potatoes (crockpot; Recipe: Make it Fast Cook it Slow), fruit salad (frozen), and steamed broccoli. I do not like mustard, so I did a little sleuthing online and found white wine to be a good substitution for the dijon. It worked.

Another gluten-free first: BREAD! I discovered this cookbook what has quickly become one of my new Bibles, "Gluten-free on a shoestring." In it, there is a great bread recipe. This was delicious.

A kitchen staple: Vanilla yogurt. I will always be indebted to the Frugal Girl for her no-frills method, which requires no more than a pot and a picnic cooler for awesome yogurt.

Day three hundred and four

2011-11-11T21:47:00.001-05:00

Another gluten-free first: PIZZA!! I would not, could not live without pizza. Perfecting the best gluten-free crust is a project still in progress, and this was our first attempt. It was pretty tasty, but I'm not sure how authentically "Italian" it tasted. I'll get there sooner or later...

Before going into the oven: Pizza crust made with almond flour (recipe: Elana).

Dinner: Pizza (almond flour crust) with chicken, fresh mozzarella, and broccoli. My daughters prefer their broccoli on the side rather than as a topping, so I don't put it on half of the pizza. The crust had a nice crunch to it, so overall we were satisfied with dinner.

Day three hundred and three: Blueberry muffin challenge

2011-11-11T21:34:00.001-05:00

My husband was out of town, my daughters wanted muffins, and we decided to give the gluten-free muffin experiment a try. As I've been learning, a lot of gluten-free cooking is trial and error, so I decided to take two recipes, as well as two very different types of flours, and see what happened.

This first batch is made with coconut flour, and the recipe comes from the gluten-free Elana. They are grain-free-- one baking method with which we're experimenting. The muffins tasted good, but to be honest were very wet and oily, and didn't rise very much, so we decided to bake batch #2.

This second batch was made with Bob's Red Mill gluten-free flour blend. The biggest downside to baking with this flour blend was that there is a slight bean-y aftertaste, which I did not care for. On the flip side, they were light, fluffy, and not too wet or dry. After the fact, I discovered a flour blend which I like MUCH better. I'll get to that in a future post.

For comparison sake, here are both muffins. In a taste test, #2 were much better. The coconut-flour ones weren't too bad, though. I froze the extras in a ziploc bag, and used them for the next month as a snack to toss into my daughter's school backpack.

Day three hundred and two

2011-11-11T21:25:00.001-05:00

This is a mystery lunch. I'm a month behind in posting photos, and I can't recall what this one is. It's clearly sauce with mozzarella cheese on top of it, but I just can't tell what's under it. Brown rice pasta? Anyone?

Dinner: Chicken in a teriyaki glaze (Recipe: Double Delicious), brown rice (with pureed cauliflower; Double Delicious), sliced apples, and salad.

My daughter wanted me to take a pic of her plate as well, so here it is. :)

Day three hundred and one

2011-11-11T21:18:00.001-05:00

Dinner: Chicken and black bean soup (crockpot; Recipe: Make it Fast Cook it Slow). This is my favorite soup in the world. My two others are cream of broccoli and potato leek, but this is just to die for. It's the simplest recipe and it is so, so, SO good. This alone made buying an immersion blender worth it. If you like mexican food at all, I highly recommend making this soup, pronto.

Day Three hundred and one

2011-11-11T21:10:00.001-05:00

Dessert: Apple crisp. This was the first gluten-free dessert I made, and I was very proud of it. My grandfather, who is a bakery aficionado, had no idea this was gluten free; I take that as a compliment. I actually stuck to my regular recipe, but substituted gluten-free oats and brown rice flour for the regular oats and flour, and wouldn't you know, it was great. I've learned that when you're serving dessert to a "gluten" crowd, it's better to pick a recipe light on flour (as this one is mostly fruit) and no one will be the wiser.

Day Three hundred

2011-11-11T21:00:00.001-05:00

Potato cake with (turkey) bacon (Recipe: Rachel Ray)

Sauteed spinach and apples

Dinner: Potato cake with (turkey) bacon, sour cream, and apples (Recipe: Rachel Ray). I loved that this was a gluten-free dinner I didn't have to think much about, but I loved even more that I'd put it on the menu rotation before we even became gluten-free. ;)

Day Two hundred and ninety-nine

2011-11-11T20:53:00.001-05:00

Gluten-free lunch: Cottage cheese, edamame crackers, carrots and green beans, and cantaloupe. In case it's not obvious, this is my daughter's school lunchbox.

Dinner: Chicken and rice soup (crockpot; Make it Fast, Cook it Slow).

Day Two hundred and ninety-eight

2011-10-26T22:02:00.001-04:00

Lunch: Fresh mozzarella, sweet potato crackers, green beans and red peppers, and clementine slices.

Dinner: Turkey hot dogs on gluten-free buns, corn on the cob, cantaloupe, and steamed veggies.

Day Two hundred and ninety-seven

2011-10-26T21:55:00.000-04:00

My daughter's first gluten-free school lunch: Colby-jack cheese on gluten-free bread, hard-boiled eggs, sliced apple, green beans and red peppers. Fairly similar to a regular lunch, other than the bread. This is a fabulous Laptop Lunches bento box, and it makes packing school lunches a breeze.

Dinner: Homemade tomato soup (recipe: Double Delicious) with baby spinach, mini turkey meatballs, and mozzarella cheese. Did you know both canned tomato soup and many commercial meatballs contain wheat? They're worth making yourself. :)

Day Two hundred and ninety-six

2011-10-22T20:01:00.001-04:00

This was our first "official" gluten-free dinner, although truthfully, I had it planned from before we became gluten-free. The good thing about many of our dinners is that it turns out they're already gluten-free, or easy to convert with a few substitutions.

Shepard's pie (crockpot; ground turkey, vegetables, a mashed potato crust; recipe: Make it Fast, Cook it Slow).

Dinner: Shepard's pie and frozen mango chunks.

Changes: The gluten-free journey

2011-10-18T21:18:00.001-04:00

I believe everything happens for a reason, and it occurred to me recently that everything has been leading up to this moment. Almost five years ago, I put my career on hold so I could dedicate my time to my family. The decision to leave the field was a complicated one, but I'm thankful every day that I had the courage to follow my heart, and I've never once regretted it. As my family of three turned into four, my career as a stay-at-home mom emerged. Clearly I love being domestic, and being home has given me the opportunity to explore and experiment in the kitchen, and share this passion with my two girls, who cook with me often. We've moved toward making more and more of our own food, cooking from whole foods, and making healthy eating a priority. Some have questioned why I bother making our own bread, yogurt, granola bars, etc., but to me it feels right, and I feel great knowing exactly what we're eating (and what we're not).

A little over a month ago, the luxury of making our own food became a necessity when my daughter was diagnosed with gluten intolerance. Only weeks later, I was diagnosed with Celiac disease. After watching my daughter suffer through not feeling well, the opportunity to get her feeling better was a welcome relief. However, we then came to realize that gluten is everywhere, and in everything. No longer could we rely on grabbing a loaf of bread at the local store if I didn't get a chance to make one, or picking up pizza, or stopping at Dunkin Donuts for a bagel. Now, and forever, our diets are altered, and for both health and financial reasons, we need to rely on ourselves to make our own food. With concerns ranging from cross-contamination occurring in a restaurant, to the cost and inconvenience of making a special trip to the health food store to buy a loaf of gluten-free bread (over $7! For a tiny loaf!) I came to the realization that self-reliance is going to be the safest, most cost-effective way to go.

The most comforting part of this journey has been the reaction of family and friends. I've lost count of how many people have provided encouragement, reminding me of my love of cooking, my willingness to cook new things, and how comfortable I am in the kitchen. "If anyone can do it, it's going to be you," so many of my friends have said. And in those moments, it occurs to me that perhaps this is why I chose to stay home, to start building a mac-truck-sized binder of recipes, to learn how to make my own of this, and that, and that. I didn't know it, but I was getting ready for this moment-- our next chapter-- gluten-free.

With the help of a few wonderful friends, who have shared their endless knowledge and ideas, and a handful of really great gluten-free cookbooks, we are back on track and moving forward. We still have some kinks to work out, both with getting final diagnoses on some health issues, and figuring out how to make (or where to buy) this or that, but as a family, we're excited for the journey ahead. My goal right now is for us to continue living how we've lived, and enjoying what we've always enjoyed, but in a healthier, more thoughtful, more purposeful way. We are gluten-free, but not grain-free, and we're experimenting with exactly what that means, where it will bring us, and what lies ahead. I'm excited to be sharing it here with you.

Day Two hundred and ninety-five

2011-10-18T20:44:00.002-04:00

Peanut butter and jelly muffins (whole grain, with pureed carrot; recipe: Sneaky Chef).

Breakfast: Peanut butter and jelly muffins, scrambled eggs, and fresh peaches.

Day Two hundred and ninety-four

2011-10-18T20:41:00.003-04:00

Breakfast: A peach strawberry smoothie. I couldn't decide which picture I liked best, so I included all three. :)

Day Two hundred and ninety-three

2011-10-18T20:35:00.001-04:00

Summer pasta salad (which we brought on a picnic; based loosely on Karmel's recipe): Whole wheat pasta, shredded carrot, baby spinach, corn, and chunks of grilled chicken.

Day Two hundred and ninety-two

2011-10-18T20:21:00.002-04:00

Something I love to do in the summer- a cold lunch. Hard-boiled eggs, fresh peaches, baby spinach, and whole grain crackers.

Pot-luck dinner. My friend came over for dinner with her two kids, who eat only "kid" foods. She brought chicken nuggets/fingers, garlic bread, fresh mozzarella with tomatoes, and I made whole wheat pasta and vegetables. Then the kids had grapes.

Day Two hundred and ninety-one

2011-10-12T22:14:00.000-04:00

Dinner: Grilled cheese with cheddar and turkey bacon, on whole wheat, steamed carrots, and strawberries. Eaten outside on the deck. Nuff said.

Day Two hundred and ninety

2011-10-12T22:10:00.000-04:00

Birthday dessert: I made this for my sister, who was in town for her birthday for the first time in years. It was homemade vanilla ice cream with creamy peanut butter mixed in, on a graham cracker crust, topped with chocolate sauce, and crushed peanut butter cups and heath bars. There isn't anything I can say about this dessert other than YUM.

Day Two hundred and eighty-nine

2011-10-12T22:07:00.000-04:00

A really simple Lunch: Whole wheat english muffins with melted cheddar, watermelon, and steamed carrots.