Menu Plan Monday: February 7, 2011

Cooking has been an adventure around here lately! I haven't been able to stand in the kitchen as long as I would like, so that has limited it a bit. We've also become a gluten-free family, and our commitment to being casein-free has been renewed. In reading and researching about a gf/cf diet (and paired with my units in my Vintage Remedies Family Herbalist course) I've also renewed my interest in health and nutrition. All of that adds up to Mom trying new recipes!

Here are a few that we tried this weekend:
Quinoa Black Bean Salad (I did a quick google of my ingredients and this came up. It's fantastic!)

Teriyaki Veggie Cakes and Garden Veggie Cakes, both from The Spunky Coconut (now one of my favorite foodie blogs! Great for allergies! And these are now going into a regular rotation. Even the meat-gnawing carno-husband loved them... and they are raw-inspired! I used a combination of cannelloni beans and black eyed peas because that was what I had in the fridge!)

Kale chips - fantastic... though I want to try curly kale next time instead of dino kale to see if there is a texture difference, and I might toss them in the dehydrator as well. (I just threw it together on the fly using olive oil and a Greek seasoning mix after reading several recipes, but you can peek at a video on Kath Eats Real Food - another new find!)

Tomato Soup from Veggie Converter (another go to blog if you are vegetarian/vegan! Watch her go through her converting challenge this year! This soup is a keeper. I'm going to add some roasted garlic next time, and I used almond milk - doubled - instead. Yum!)

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On to this week's menu! My goal is to plan three meals a day plus snack, and actually cook all of it. This has been hard with my back lately, but we really need to have meals planned so we aren't eating ick or tempted to throw a - very expensive - frozen gfcf pizza in the oven. We'll see how successful I am. (Maybe I'll even update!) I'm hoping that the excitement of some new-to-me recipes will carry me through. Because I'm going to focus on shopping at the local winter farmer's market on Saturdays I'm going to run our menu planning Sunday to Saturday. I'm hoping that this makes it easier for me to plan based on what I find while shopping. It will definitely be easier once the growing season begins around here, but for now we'll do what we can. Here's to locally grown whole foods! :) And, these are gluten-free and casein-free, vegetarian, and in a lot of cases labeled on the original site as being free of other common allergens. So get your allergy-free cooking groove on!


Sunday: church potluck lunch for our new student minister! (Our first since becoming gf/cf.)
b: Green Smoothies & choice of cereal, leftover muffins, waffles from freezer, etc
l: Potluck fare (bringing Creamy Scalloped Potatoes, gf chocolate chip cookies)
d: Leftover Raw-inspired Veggie Cakes (see links above), GF/CF Rice and Broccoli Casserole (recipe from The Ultimate UnCheese Cookbook)
s: GF Chocolate Chip Cookie
To Do: Make muffins. Make breadcrumbs with last week's leftover bread and ends.

Monday:
b: Apple Cake with Cranberries (made as muffins)
l: Mac and Cheese (recipe from The Ultimate UnCheese Cookbook)
d: Savory Vegetable Quiche (- sausage + red bell pepper), Salad
s: Clementine sorbet
To Do: Make breakfast bread. Prep CP items.

Tuesday: Bible study with the church ladies
b: Sweet Potato Bread with Chocolate Chips
l: CP Split Pea Soup (no ham + veg broth) and Cheese (nutritional yeast) Toast
d: Spaghetti with Karina's Veggie Loaf done in Meatball-Not style (noted on her site); salad
s: GF Cheese Straws
To Do: Soak garbanzo beans and black eyed peas.

Wednesday: evening church activities
b: Vegan Mom's Scrambled Tofu (+ veggies to make it more like a scrambled omelette-ish.)
l: Garbanzo bean spread sandwiches (smashed gb's, mayo, nutritional yeast, salt/pepper/garlic to taste) & fruit or veggies in ranch
d: Hoppin' John over rice, Southern Greens mix (collards, mustard, etc), Cornbread
s: GF Pecan Crackers (but with almond meal and no caraway seeds)

Thursday:
b: Biscuits and Gravy (I miss this. Trying it w Pamela's Baking Mix to see if it works!)
l: leftover Spaghetti and Meatball-Nots
d: Roasted Parsnip and Garlic Soup with Mushrooms, quinoa with sauteed veggies, garlic toast
s: Hummus w veggies, leftover cheese straws, pretzels, etc.
To Do: Make buns for breakfast and rolls for dinner. Prep CP ingredients.

Friday: babysitting day!
b: Banana Hot Dogs and fruit (I'm going to attempt to make buns with a cinnamon flavor.)
l: GF Pizza with Daiya "cheese" and whatever toppings the kids want (I'm voting for spinach & olive)
d: CP Lentil Sloppy Joes with GF Buns and Crispy Potato Sticks (oven fries)
s: Popcorn (air popped with a buffet of spices to choose from!)
To Do: Make polenta and set in fridge overnight.

Saturday:
b: YOYO (You're On Your Own - we wake up at different times, so it's just easier this way!)
l: YOYO (trip to the farmer's market usually means that some of us snack there, some eat breakfast late, and some eat leftovers when we get home! Day off for me!)
d: Roasted Vegetables on Broiled Polenta & salad (using up all the veggies left in the fridge from the week!)
s: Peanut Butter Quinoa cookies

I'd love to hear if you will be trying any of these! Let me know it goes, or if you found that you love one of the websites listed!

Hop on over to OrgJunkie.com's Menu Plan Monday thread. Check out great menus, and link up your own!

My new food adventure: Gluten Free!

I love adventures! If you plan correctly, they can be extremely satisfying. If you leave just enough of spontaneity, they can be exciting and unpredictable. And then you have the adventures that take a little education to really get kicked off right.

That's where I am right now!

Several years ago our youngest daughter developed a casein allergy. It was so severe that it took us quite some time (and quite a few specialists) to uncover. It also took months and months to recover from the effects of it. It was heartbreaking to watch her suffer through headaches, sores and rashes, gastrointestinal issues, and a slew of other symptoms. However, I'll gladly take the casein allergy over what it could have been! We learned quickly to be thankful for our health.

One thing that she has struggled with was a weakened immune system. She caught everything! Dairy - casein protein in particular - puts such a stress on her immune system that she spent the majority of the month each month fighting something... colds, flus, viruses. We were blessed with a fabulous family physician and a wonderful naturopath that worked together to get her in top shape. However, one thing that was always on the back burner was that we may need to consider transitioning to a gluten-free diet as well. (Soy-free diets are typically followed by those that are CF from what I've been told, but we do partake in soy in limited amounts. We try to keep our use limited to tofu and occasionally tempeh.)

Due to some additional issues with illness and questionable sensitivities (plus a continued battle with catching bugs and viruses!) we've decided to move forward with their suggestion to remove gluten from our diet. I say "our diet" because we are a team. We're in this together! When she goes GF/CF we all go GF/CF! I am still putting together our lists for shopping, baking basics, replacements, and additions, but we are on our way down this new road. Thankfully I was blessed to find a few good blogs and articles early on in my reading last week. It isn't that we are losing food that we can eat. We are introducing fruits, vegetables, and grains that we may not have tried or might not have given a starring role in our kitchen productions. We are focusing on the foods that we can enjoy.

Am I scared? No, not really. I know that we'll have great nutrition. It will benefit us all.

Am I intimidated? You could say that! I fought my battle with turning my meat-gnawing husband into a vegetarian/vegan meal eating man (who still gnaws on meat in a limited amount.) I went from having my dear spouse say that I was an awesome cook that rocked anything I touched to hearing two to three times a week that something wasn't his favorite or that it was "just ok." Talk about an arrow through the heart. I'm a southern girl. Food is love. So, I'm concerned that he will be the same way about this new food adventure. What does that leave me? One or two times a week that he likes something? Talk about a wavering "food-esteem." (I know it isn't a real word. Self-esteem with food = food-esteem. Just smile and nod.) So far so good though... two things have gotten a thumbs up: chocolate chip cookies and banana bread!

Am I confused? You betcha! The transition from "whole grain goodness" in my breads to "whole grain means other things than wheat" is blowing my silly little mind. My husband - who took two years to transition to whole wheat bread - told me that my GF bread was too soft. Well if that don't beat all! ;)

But... am I excited? You don't know how much! This is a new adventure for me. I'll plan, and I'll be spontaneous (as soon as I learn how new flours and additions react.) But first, I'll be reading and living on blogs like the following:

Adventures of a Gluten-free Mom
Extraordinary Life
Gluten Free and Thrifty


Have a good GF blog to share? I'd love it! Please pop it into a comment.

Calling in Sick... a menu plan of leftovers and easy meals

I had such great plans for January! I was going to keep to my handy dandy blogging schedule. Today's post was going to be about tackling my craft area and taming it a bit. And then illness hit. The kid has been ill with the flu since yesterday. I finally lost my battle with a cold. Only the husband and my mom are left standing (and early reports suggest that she might be the next to fall.) In an effort to remain somewhat on schedule I'm posting about the salvation of all sick moms... Leftovers and easy foods! Granted, it will change if more of us fall as hard as the kid did, but as long as we can handle the possible spice at the end of the week we're good! (And don't worry... I'll photo and post about the mess in the scary place craft area very soon!)

My meal plan for the week looks vaguely like this...

Monday: Leftover chicken noodle soup (made by my mom!) from the fridge

Tuesday: Leftover split pea soup (made w/o ham and with veggie broth) from the freezer with biscuits

Wednesday: Mac and Cheese w/ broccoli (from my score at Walgreen's yesterday!)

Thursday: Crock Pot Chili over rice (Silly easy. And everyone loves it.)

Friday: Take out - PIZZA! We've limited our ordering to zero this month because of budgeting, but I have a feeling that it will be a welcomed splurge if we are up to eating it. In organizing my coupons this weekend I found that we get a LOT of pizza coupons in the mail. A lot. Like 12 in the last week. Crazy.

What does your menu look like this week? Share your menu or peek at others for ideas at Menu Plan Monday at Orgjunkie.com.

Menu Plan Monday: December 12

Busy, busy, hectic, hectic. That's what my month has turned out to be! We've eaten way too much take out and frozen food (which isn't healthy for the budget any more than it is for the body and waistline!)  So, I'm challenging myself to use the crock pot a lot this week so that I can avoid that. Here goes nothing.

I'm using various recipes, but the main source is going to be the Year of Slow Cooking blog archives. Love me some blog posts from that site. Yup. Yummy. As usual I'll be either using vegetarian recipes or vege-tizing them. I'm also going to plan on starting a crock of soup as I head to bed each night. This will serve three purposes: 1. We will eat something warm and nutritious for lunch rather than cold sandwiches or fast items. 2. By making a double batch I will be able to pop some meals in the freezer for what will be a very busy few weeks with the holidays. 3. The soup will be finished in the morning so that my nurse mother will be able to fill a thermos full before heading to work therefore giving her a warm and nutritious lunch as well. (It also means that I don't have to make a lunch on art class day for the kid because it will be ready in the morning. Can I get a big WOO HOO for being lazy prepared!) We have multiple crock pots so we'll see how running two at a time will work!

I should mention that I'm much more likely to actually stick to this plan because.... wait for it... we got a new dishwasher! YES! No more dish pan hands. No more fatigue at constantly seeing dirty dishes in the sink because you just can't keep up in a house where three to four people are home all day. (Not only do we homeschooling, but the husband works from home as well. We really like being together evidently!) With the handy-dandy dish washing technology strapped under the counter I'll be cooking and loving it once again. Still, I'm going to stick to the crock pot each day so that I can be sure that the schedule won't get in the way.

Not that it really goes on the meal plan, but I'm drooling over tonight's dinner: Baked Bean Soup with cornbread!

Monday:
B: Bagels and fruit
L: Split pea soup (no bacon) - Did I mention that I don't like pea soup? This is the "mom earns points" meal for the week.
D: CP Cincinnati Style Chili over Spaghetti, salad (for my honey)

Tuesday:
B: Apple Blueberry Oatmeal
L: White Chili (add Quorn Chikin Tenders during the last hour or so - but white chili never seems like chili to me so it's white soup in my world ;)
D: Honey and Orange Tofu with broccoli

Wednesday:
B: Apple Cinnamon Breakfast Couscous (this keeps showing up because I have yet to make it. sigh)
L: Corn Chowder
D: Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers (with Quorn Crumbles added in)

Thursday:
B: Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins (we need a grab and go since the kid has class in the am.)
L: Moroccan Lentil Soup
D: Baked Spinach and Cheese Noodles and salad

Friday:
B: Apple Dumpling Delight (Got this from a friend: Wrap sliced/peeled apples in crescent rolls, mix and pour over: 1c OJ, 1c melted butter, 1/2c sugar. Bake. Easy.)
L: Mac and Cheese, apples, and broccoli (babysitting day, and I promised them!)
D: Black bean soup and nachos

Saturday: Family Christmas celebration with one side, so we're eating with family!

Sunday:
B: OYO - On Your Own
L: Albondiga Soup (though I don't know if the mint will freak out the child and husband in which case I will use the parsley noted in the blog comments)
D: Leftovers

Check out more Menu Plan Monday entries at http://orgjunkie.com/ .

Menu Plan Monday: November 29, 2010

After a few weeks of chaos (out of town, funeral, holiday) I just do not feel like cooking. Do. Not. Feel. It. But, it has to be done. Actually, it did me a world of good to spend a few hours cooking for the holiday, so I might just get some kitchen therapy in this week as well. However, with the chaos I'm just not feeling the recipe mojo flying. That means that I decided to pilfer the menu plans of others! WOO HOO! It's almost like eating out, but not. ;)

I'm adding in a few things from the last menu plan that never got made, tossing in a helping of orders from other blogs, and serving it up with a side of some easy old standards. For spice I'll add in a few recipes in celebration of Hanukkah this week! (Hubby is Jewish so we celebrate from a Messianic perspective. So much fun and so wonderful!) With a little bit of luck everything will get made...

*All meals are vegetarian or vegan, so meat references are Quorn Crumbles or the like.

Monday:
B: Cereal. Stereotypical breakfast fare. Does it help that it was organic?
L: Veggie soup (from a can - see above comment) and tofurkey sandwiches
D: Taco Night - it's easy, in my fridge, and the kid's favorite. I'll make a taco bowl since I'm still trying to figure out the new Weight Watchers plan that debuted today (less shells that way.)

Tuesday:
B: Waffles and fruit
L: Lunch out with a friend
D: Cheesy Potato and Veggie Soup, salad (This is actually dairy-free and vegan!)


Wednesday: First night of Hanukkah!
B: Apple Cinnamon Breakfast Couscous
L: Polenta with a red sauce or a "cheesy" sauce, broccoli
D: Potato Latkes, Tuna Salad (for hubby) and "Egg" Salad (for kid/me) with bagels, fruit

Thursday:
B: Tempeh Breakfast Hash
L: left over sandwiches, fruit, salad
D: CP Cincinnati Style Chili over Spaghetti, salad

Friday:
B: Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
L: Homemade pizza (veggies and the like)
D: Vegetarian Irish Stew with biscuits

Saturday: The kid is dancing at a local holiday event and has rehearsal in the morning, so we'll probably eat out, on the go, and anytime that we can grab something! I should probably make some healthy snacks to take with us...

Sunday:
B: On Your Own (we have different schedules for church mornings)
L: leftovers
D: Vegetarian Stuffed Shells, garlic bread, salad (I'm going to attempt a few substitutions to make these dairy-free. Crossing fingers...)

Wow, doesn't look very balanced. But, it works! :)

Check out more menus at OrgJunkie.com!

Menu Planning Monday: November 15

Ah, Menu Plan Monday... how I've missed you! I've gotten a bit wordy in this "glad to be back" post, so feel free to hurry it up a bit and skip to the bottom.

I used to love participating in MPM ages ago in my former bloggy life. What fun it was! I know. It's either making me really interesting about now, or making me seem like I need more pizazz in my life. Peeking into the menus of others is considered fun for me. (I also read - yes read - cookbooks for kicks. I'm an odd bird I tell you!) It helped me stay on task and gave me fresh ideas to wow the family. However, once the blogging stopped so did my peeking and participate. I'm so glad to have it back. Hopefully it will have the same effect on my planning as well as budget!

Two of us (myself and the kid) are vegetarians while the other two (the husband and the grandmother) are what I would call flexitarians. They eat meat but will eat a vegetarian meal with me as well. Because my husband prefers meat-based meals I do have a tendency to use replacements such as Quorn Grounds or Quorn Tenders so you'll notice things such as "Chicken Pot Pie." Some vegetarians don't like it. Pish posh. It works here. (Though we might be integrating meat back into our meals on a small basis. I'd love to hear if anyone has any experience on transitioning back after being on a vegetarian diet!) We are also a dairy-free family but most recipes are adjusted so you'll find these recipes should work for most people. Yes, yes... Quorn isn't a dairy-free product, but the amount must be minimal because our daughter doesn't react to it.

Also, I'm adding in breakfast otherwise we wander like refugees through the kitchen asking someone to toss us a slice of bread or point us to the closest box of cereal. I'm desperately trying to reign in this time of the day. It's not marked which meal is which, but I leave it to your good judgment to sort that one out! Lunches tend to be soup and sandwich fare except on Fridays when I babysit. (This week... TACOS!)

Side note: Check out the free resources over at I'm An Organizing Junkie. They are fantastic! I didn't use them much this week because I'm having to fly by the seat of my pants since I haven't been feeling well, but I plan on utilizing many of these (especially the freezer cooking links!) It's on my list of things to accomplish in the near future before falling victim enjoying the rush of the holiday season.

One website that I had a lot of fun with this week came from another challenge Planner last week: 100 Nutritious, Delicious, Vegetarian Recipes for Picky Kids & Husbands

Let's see what the family will be eating this week. After peeking through a few links and peering into the fridge it looks like the winners are....

drumroll please...

Monday: (CP) Tempeh Breakfast Hash ; Crock Pot Enchiladas w/ Mexican Rice

Tuesday: (F) Apple Cinnamon Breakfast Couscous ; Cheesy Potato Veggie Soup

Wednesday: (E) Cinnamon Raisin French Toast ; Baked Mac & Cheese w/ Broccoli and Fruit Salad

Thursday: (D) Scrambled Tofu Breakfast Burritos ; Cincinnati Style Chili Over Spaghetti w/ Salad

Friday: (CP) Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins ; Vegetarian Spinach Lasagna w/ Garlic Bread

Saturday: Vegan Breakfast Casserole (prep Friday night) ; Homemade Pizza

Sunday: (CP) Free for All Breakfast ; Vegetarian Irish Stew


*In case you're interested, here's what my notations mean:
(CP) = Crock Pot These are the days that we're loaded with activities.
(F) = Favorite Dad is out twice a month so we eat all of our vegetarian favorites. Can anyone say tofu?
(E) = Easy These are the nights that we have somewhere to be straight after dinner. The need for speed means nothing fancy from The Food Network!
(D) = Dad's Favorite Since we get a favorite certain nights HE gets a favorite certain nights. Fair is fair!

See, it's not a mundane task. It's an adventure when you link up to hundreds of others! So hop over to I'm An Organizing Junkie and take part. What are YOU having for dinner?