Day Three hundred and twenty-two

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 eighteen

(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 Two hundred and ninety-one

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 eighty-nine

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

Day Two hundred and sixty-eight

Dinner: Big salad (spinach, romaine, diced apples, cucumber, cherry tomatoes- from the garden!, zucchini, cucumber- from the garden!- steamed carrots and broccoli, canteloupe, and hard-boiled eggs.  Whew.  Some challah and light ranch on the side, and a cool dinner on a hot summer's eve was done.

Day Two hundred and forty-five

Dinner: Big Salad.  Steamed carrots and broccoli, fresh zucchini and red peppers, sliced hard-boiled eggs, baby spinach and romaine lettuce, homemade croutons (from ciabatta rolls), and fresh berries.

Day Two hundred and eight

Lunch: Chicken salad on whole wheat potato bread with diced apples and celery, steamed carrots (leftover from last night's dinner), and strawberries.

Dinner: Breakfast for dinner: Pumpkin challah french toast, scrambled cheddar spinach eggs, and cantaloupe.

Day Two hundred and six

Breakfast: Oatmeal with chunks of apple, and blue agave. Halfway through her bowl, my little one decided she didn't like apples, so I pureed her apple chunks in the food processor and mixed it back into her oatmeal. Voila.

Sloppy joes (with pureed green veggies and cauliflower) on whole grain sandwich thins, with steamed carrots, and fruit salad.  Here's the recipe.

Day One hundred and ninety-four

Picnic lunch at the park: French bread, sliced chicken, fresh mozzarella, cheddar cheese, strawberries, steamed carrots, sliced apple, and (missing from the picture) yesterday's whole wheat oatmeal raisin cookies.

Dinner: Turkey cheese burgers on whole grain sandwich thins, bruscetta, green beans, and cantaloupe.

Day One hundred and sixty-one

Breakfast: Strawberry blueberry smoothies.

Shredded yellow squash, for the freezer. This is great for putting into quesadillas, meatloaf, and spaghetti sauce.

My husband's dinner: Steak, bread and butter, grapes, and steamed carrots. I think I had leftover chicken, as I don't partake in beef.

Day One hundred and forty-four

Dinner: Chicken piccata over orzo (Recipe: Cooking Light), with steamed carrots, green beans, fresh pineapple, and strawberries.

Day One hundred and thirty-two

Snow day lunch: Baked grilled cheese and apples (low fat cheddar), steamed baby carrots, and grapes.

Dinner: Chicken marsala over egg noodles, sauteed collard greens, and strawberries. Since this meal was time-intensive, I doubled the recipe so that we can have it again w/o all the cooking. Whew.

Day One hundred and four

Whole wheat sandwich bread (bread machine; recipe from my friend Sarah)

Dinner: Bourbon chicken (this was pre-made, it was a quick dinner), mini ravioli with vodka sauce, steamed carrots, corn, and...

Fruit salad. I give credit to Dole for this, and thank goodness for frozen fruit salad in the winter, b/c everything "fresh" in the store did not look fresh.

Day Eighty-eight

Dinner: Turkey meatloaf (with pureed yellow squash and green puree), steamed carrots and green beans.

Dinner: Butternut squash soup (made from a batch I made a few weeks back, and had frozen).

Mini gingerbread house: My daughter made this in school so technically it wasn't made in my kitchen, but she was proud to have made it, so here it is.

Day Eighty-five

Purees for the freezer: Yellow squash

Before: Chicken and potatoes. My parents bought us this chicken and although I'd never actually roasted a whole chicken before, it was on my kitchen to-do list. Since it had bones (I usually only cook boneless breasts), my husband was all excited and actually made the rub and put it on without me even asking. He was giddy.

After: Chicken and potatoes

Dinner: Roasted chicken, roasted rosemary potatoes, cream cheese spinach, steamed carrots, chicken gravy, and clementines.

Spinach, being steamed for purees.

Purees for the freezer: Purple puree (recipe: Sneaky Chef). This is a blend of spinach and blueberries, and is awesome for making brownies.

Strawberry frozen yogurt. Not sure why I felt the need to bust out the ice cream machine on such a cold day, but it seemed right. Made with skim milk and homemade fat-free vanilla yogurt.

Day Sixty-nine

Sick-day Lunch: My girls were home sick, so in keeping with tradition, I made them Annie's mac & cheese, served with spinach, ranch dip, and frozen peaches. Yes, they were lucky enough to get it on a tray in bed!

Dinner: Bourbon chicken, steamed carrots, green beans, and rice. Normally I make brown rice, but I was really craving buttery white rice for some reason!