Gluten Free Goodness » menu plan

Menu Plan Monday: Almonds

Cheryl Harris — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 23:54:55 +0000

As I looked through the Menu Swap List, I was shocked to realize that we haven’t had almonds as our ingredient. At least, not since I’ve been hosting, which is quite a long time. So I think we’re due!

Almonds are fantastic, and one of the healthier nuts with great monounsaturated fats, calcium, fiber…good stuff all around. And because of the fabulous sweet taste, they’re great for baking. The one problem is that they’re so yummy it’s so easy to overeat! And, of course, it’s easy to overeat my favorite almond indulgence–almond butter with a spoon.

Some of my almond based favorites:

Easier Easy Almond Cookies
Banana Cupcakes with Chocolate Fudgy Frosting (using almond flour) Cupcakes from Elana, frosting from me
Chai Breakfast Cake
Almond Feta Cheese (from Ricki of Diet Dessert and Dogs)
Banana Snacking Cake, from the Gluten Free Goddess
Flourless Almond Torte, By Rebecca Katz
and pretty much everything from Elana’s Pantry (I can’t think of any exceptions!

And yours?

Please do check out a recent post on healthy eating and necessary testing on Wendy’s website. She’s got a great series, 30 days to 50, an inspirational journey into a return to health for a midlife Celiac.

And onto my menu plan:

Monday:
Quinoa and Kale pesto with garden fresh tomatoes

Tues:
Roasted rosemary salmon with broccoli

Weds:
Nightshade skillet meal–a great way to use up those baby green peppers

Thursday:
Chicken in a basil sauce

Friday:
Leftovers

To make:
my Daring baker assignment for July

And everyone else?

Wendy of Celiacs in the House has beautiful pictures, as usual, and she catches us up on her progress of her 30 days to 50 series (which, by the way, has a lot of info from a variety of sources on health and weight loss for someone with CD nearing 50). It’s clear she’s got an abundance of zucchini in her garden, between the zucchini bake and the zucchini chips. And there are links to other gorgeous salads, like black eyed peas and cukes.

Heather of Celiac Family has a great menu planned. She’s reminded me of Kalyn’s Tomato, Cucumber and Avocado, which is just fabulous. And rumor has it that her yummy shredded chicken is its name, and I’m looking forward to trying it when it gets a little cooler.

You know, I just love how Scrumptious treats us to such lovely pictures of the market and her culinary creations. The mujadara lentil dish she has looks amazing. Onions caramelized within an inch of their lives are ALWAYS the way to go! Mmm…caramelized onion. There I go drooling again…

Menu Plan Monday July 12th–Salads!

Cheryl Harris — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 12:37:44 +0000

What a week! My sweetheart has been having tummy troubles. And no, it’s not Celiac. (funny to see where my brain goes…) It’s been quite a challenge because he seems to have attacks of pain regardless of what he eats, so we’ve been having very bland and simple SMALL meals and going for low fat while he goes through the gobs of tests and such. Please send digestive warm fuzzies in his direction.

So for E, there have been rolls…and jam… and gobs of smoothies. Yay Vitamix. And for me, Easy Easiest Almond Cookies! But seriously, this is getting old. Hopefully we figure something out soon.

My garden has been loving the hot weather, although it’s been so dry that many of my plants have been taking a beating, especially since I haven’t been watering aggressively as I should be. I’m quite taken with this cute little watermelon (see above) and it’s unusual for me to have them this early! I did also finally dig up the remainder of the garlic, which should hold me a good long while and keep any an all vampires at bay.

This week’s Menu Plan is hosted by Heather of Celiac Family. She’s chosen salads. I’ve been OD’ing on salads lately because Wegmans sells a vat of organic greens, but it’s enough for a family, and DH doesn’t usually eat lettuce. After eating one last week, I’m laying low, but I saw a bag of mache lettuce at Trader Joe’s and it said perfect with avocado, so I’ll be having that with some home grown tomatoes and pinenuts sometime this week…yum! I’ve also got a quinoa salad on the menu. I’m not sure what herbs I’ll put in yet, though.

Menu Plan:

Monday:
Chicken in a lemony basil sauce and fennel

Tuesday:

Quinoa Salad with broccoli

Weds:
Turkey and celery in a thyme-chestnut sauce

Thursday:
Mache salad with tomatoes, avocado and pine nuts

Friday:
Leftovers…

From my garden

Garlic
Basil
tomatoes
peppers
cukes
kale
watermelon
blackberries (just a few)

Menu Plan Monday July 5th–Summertime foods

Cheryl Harris — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 18:22:20 +0000

I hope everyone had a lovely holiday–we sure did! I got to see my nephew, who is just the cutest little munchkin ever.

My summertime favorites?

Southwestern Quinoa and black bean salad,

Salsa-mole, preferably with Chickpea crackers

Summer Lovin’ Salad

Grilled Herb-y peppers

Kalamata hummus (need to measure ingredients and post!)

and, of course, vegan tropical lime pie (recipe coming soon)

Unfortunately, my husband has a stomach bug and has for the last few weeks, so it’s bland food until we figure out what’s going on with him. I’ve been making him lots of smoothies, and we’ve been keeping it simple. Fat seems to really both him

CALLING ALL HOSTS/HOSTESSES! Please let me know if you’d like to host in the future, and your ingredient of choice.

So onto the food:

Monday:Turkey with celery in chestnut sauce

Tues: Hummus and peppers for me, smoothie for E

Weds: Chicken with garlic and Kalamatas and broccoli

Thursday: Lemony mint quinoa

Friday: leftovers

to make: meringues

From my garden:

Garlic
kale
tomatoes
gobs of herbs

because I bruised my toe, I haven’t made it to the market yet, but hope to this upcoming week.

And everyone else?
Wendy has a bunch of treats and giveaways in store so check back with her soon. There’s a very cool fireworks picture. She’s has been doing the bunless burger thing, and the idea of salad with tzatziki sauce makes me hungry.

Monday snuck up on Renee of Beyond Rice and Tofu, but she still has a marvelous summery meal plan, including Morrocan Chickpea Salad

Scrumptious of In My Box has a colorful, flavorful vegan line up. Love the idea of a raw kale salad, and so glad she’s back to posting!

Menu Plan Monday June 28th

Cheryl Harris — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 03:10:11 +0000

And despite the fact that it feels like August here, it’s just June. The temperatures around here are regularly hitting 100, and my plants are largely left to their own devices. It’s WAY too hot for me. And I haven’t been as good about watering as I want to be.

So Wendy of Celiacs in the House is back in the saddle of menu planning, and her choice for this week is cabbage. I LOVE cabbage. Cabbage loves me lots less. But my favorite is this recipe for caramelized cabbage

I have been baking up a storm in the kitchen, I guess ’cause I’ve been stir crazy. Chocolate pavlovas. Pecan pie. Pumpkin seed butter. Almond cookies. I need to swear off the kitchen for a bit, I think!

It’s a busy week for me, and so I’m trying to keep it simple. I think I broke my toe, and now I’m not quite sure how to make my schedule work and hobble around. fingers crossed for it feeling better soon! I am also going to be participating in an FDA hearing on medications for Celiac Disease, which should be exciting…and hopefully it’s easy to get around.

Monday:
Mahi mahi with arugula pesto

Tues:
Quinoa with mint and garden fresh tomatoes

Weds:
Nightshade stew with my baby green peppers

Thursday:
Leftovers, maybe?

Friday:
Roasted garlic salmon with asparagus

In the garden:
tomatoes
kale
peppers (red and serrano)
garlic!
herbs of all sorts
artichokes

I didn’t make it to the Farmers’ market because of my toe…next week, hopefully!

Menu Plan Monday–Rasperries

Cheryl Harris — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 22:02:16 +0000

Well, if you’ve read my post before, you know that raspberries have been the ongoing theme around here for the past few weeks, and will be for a few weeks more. The picture is of just half of our bushes…I think we’ve finally reached a point where enough is enough! Not only are we eating and freezing gobs of raspberries, but we’re frequently seeing birds flying by with red berries in their mouths…and red poop on cars. Thanks a lot, guys!

So…how do you enjoy your raspberries best? I’m making raspberry jam today to use up some of them. I like fresh best, but topping a tart, in a cake, in a crisp…they are so many ways they work beautifully! and I did use a bunch to adorn my daring baker treat for this month which will be posted in a few weeks.

Oh yeah…calling all hosts! Yes, that means you.

Monday:

Chicken and broccoli in plum sauce

Tuesday:
peppers and hummus…mmmm….

Weds:
Roasted lemon thyme salmon with asparagus

Thursday:
Coconut curry beef with roasted cauliflower (I know, wrong season)

Friday:
leftovers

Kitchen creations:
raspberry jam

something else…inspire me, please!

In the garden:
raspberries
blueberries (3-4, not many)
herbs galore-parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, lemongrass, basil
tomatoes
peppers
garlic!!!

From the Farmer’s market:
kale
spring onions

And everyone else?

Heather of Celiac Family joins us just before her kids are all done for the summer, and she’s in need of a good vacation! She’s got some great sounding dishes like Chicken Tikka Masala and even a Micky D’s run. And yes, their fries are GF.

Esther pays us a visit from across the pond with a freezer-clearing weekend, which is always a good idea. She’s got omlets on the line up which is a lovely quick/easy meal. Welcome back, Esther!

Renee, of Beyond Rice and Tofu joins us with a vegetarian/flexitarian menu. She has Muttar Paneer, which sounds delicious, AND she needs to figure one what fabulously decadent dessert she wants to make this week, which sounds like a fabulo

Menu Plan Monday June 14th–Strawberries

Cheryl Harris — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 21:21:40 +0000

So it’s berry time around these parts. Every day (or twice a day!) I’m out picking raspberries and getting to spend time with the others who are also munching on the berries–mostly birds and bunnies, and an occasional deer. We’ve got a lot of raspberries at this point, and will for a week or two. I’ve got a huge bag in my freezer and have been eating more than I can handle. The birds have been pretty good so far. Either that or there are so many berries that I don’t really notice.

Pretty much, my main recipe for raspberries is pick, then eat. Repeat. These are very flavorful but don’t keep well. They get soft pretty quickly.

I did make a raspberry tart, and it was beautiful–vegan, using agar agar, and it melted. Or maybe oozed is the right word. I also made a flourless chocolate raspberry cake–pretty much a standard flourless cake, gobs of eggs, etc. and dunked some rasps on top. It was well enjoyed!

As for other berries, I harvested one blueberry this year. Yep, one. And (since this is our theme for this week) I DO have strawberry plants, but they’re not doing much. And I’m allergic, so aside from making tuxedoed strawberries once or twice a year, I don’t do much with them.

So head on to Celiac Family to see the strawberry inspired recipes that Heather and co have posted!

Monday:

Masala chicken with broccoli (recipe from Spice and herb bible)

Tuesday:
Quinoa with kale pesto, using some kale from my garden

Weds:
Coconut bison curry with garlic roasted cauliflower

Thursday:
Rosemary roasted salmon…which we haven’t had in way too long. I love salmon!

Friday:
leftovers

Baked goods:
I will most likely make a chocolate hazelnut torte. or cookies. both would be overkill!

in my garden:
artichokes!
tomatoes (got two so far, direct to mouth)
basil
thyme, oregano, etc.
garlic scapes
um, raspberries!!!
kale

farmer’s market:
asparagus
kale
spring onions

Menu Plan Monday: Kale!

Cheryl Harris — Mon, 31 May 2010 14:08:10 +0000

I love Kale, and it’s great weather for it. There’s a picture of one of my kale plants above–isn’t it beautiful? There’s a joke in my house about things disappearing faster than the speed of kale, because it disappears so quickly in our house. It’ s on of my favorite foods, and my DH will voluntarily eat a few bites. That’s okay, more for me!

Kale is also now on the list of produce with the most pesticides, so it’s important to eat it organically grown when possible. I’m sure this is a surprise to none–

my kale always has a bunch of little green caterpillars munching, and they blend right in to the plant. The best way to find them is the pile of kale poop. Ugh. But I’m not willing to use chemicals on my plants, and I’ll see what happens if I use row covers one of these months.

And if you’re in the Northern VA area, I’m doing a class on balancing nutrition and the environment next Saturday in Mc Lean from 10:30-12 for $20. If you’re interested, you can give a call 703-532-4892.

It’s also been a fun time for my garden overall. I’ve got 10 pepper plants, 8 tomatoes, 4 kale, 20 or so garlic, more raspberry plants than I can count, a handful of blackberry plants, ground cherries, herbs, watermelon that I planted yesterday a few carrots and a gorgeous artichoke plant that I’m super excited about.

OK, off to the food!

Monday:
Quinoa with Kale Pesto

Tues:

Nightshade stew with fennel and brown rice

Wednesday:
Grilled garlic salmon, grilled peppers and grilled asparagus

Thursday:
Coconut curry chicken with roasted cauliflower

Friday:
Leftovers!

Baked sweet treats:
granola bars

something raspberry based….
And everyone else?

Heather, of Celiac Family is venturing into the land of kale and making Kale Chips! Those are tasty and I haven’t made them in a while, and I’m so glad to be reminded! Her new favorite Tropical Bean salad looks amazing, too.

Wendy of Celiacs in the House has an “on the run” week planned. Her youngest will be in the state track meet (yay for him!) and there are tests and all sorts of last minute doings. She’s got quinoa on the menu and tacos, too.

Scrumptious joins us with yet another yummy GF vegan meal plan. She has kale with kale sauce on the line up and plans to make sweet potato enchiladas, too. And she’s looking for suggestions for the balance of easy and simple healthy eating.

Renee joins us for the first time–welcome!–from Beyond Rice and Tofu, a GF vegetarian blog. Of course, she’s had me looking up lotus root with her talk of a Lotus Root Stir Fry from Book of Yum. And she has yummy looking “chicken” rolls on the lineup, too.

Menu Plan Monday–May 24th

Cheryl Harris — Mon, 24 May 2010 12:12:27 +0000

Ah, Mondays. I’m scrambling around to try to get things together, and wish I’d done a menu plan before I hit Wegmans yesterday!

Our fabulous hostess is Wendy of Celiacs in the House. Her pictures of the Farmer’s Market never fail to delight, so go check out her site! Her theme is books, and I must say, I’m a little stuck on that one. The books I’m (re) reading right now are Tara Brach’s Radical Acceptance, Michael Pollen’s Omnivore’s Dilemma and Tomorrow’s Table–Organic Farming, Genetics and the Future of Food.. Uh…and I also just re-read “the hungry little caterpillar” by Eric Carle. Hmmm…most about food…and I still am not quite sure how to use them in a meal plan.

Let’s see: we’ll have quinoa for the Omnivore’s Dilemma, because I’m always trying to get us to eat more meatless meals to be more mindful of the environment. The vegan Tropical Lime Pie (perfect in my brain, totally untested and who knows how that’ll go) counts for the Hungry Little Caterpillar, because I’m betting I’m going to eat too much and get a tummy ache. And, uh…okay, I got nothin’ here for the rest.

Monday:
Chicken and broccoli in a Malaysian Curry Sauce (from Spice and Herb Bible)

Tues:
Quinoa Italiana

Weds:
Coconut Curry Turkey with Roasted Garlic Cauliflower

Thursday:
Mahi Mahi with Kale Pesto

Friday:
out to dinner and a concert for my birthday.

Sweet treat:
Tropical Lime Pie (we’ll see how that goes…)

In my garden:
garlic scapes
parsley
basil

Menu Plan Monday May 17th

Cheryl Harris — Sun, 16 May 2010 20:02:11 +0000

I hope everyone had gorgeous weather like we did! My plants are loving it, too. It’s hard to see clearly in the picture, but we’ve got garlic scapes, kale, carrots and a whole lot of plants that have a long way to go.

This week’s theme is picnic foods from Heather of Celiac Family. Hmmm….many of my favorite picnic recipes are here from a fun cookout we had last year.

I’m away most of this week (yahoo!), my food selections will be based on portability and things that last well without going bad. And then I’ll be back to a more normal schedule and maybe even birthday brownies when I get back home. I’m looking forward to a glorious time of relaxing in the mountains, even if it is only a few days.

On the line up:
Kalamata Hummus with red peppers
Quinoa with kale “pesto”
Avocado and cassava crackers
Tuna in lettuce cups

and whatever else I can find along the way: nuts, seeds, fruit, etc.

Menu Plan Monday: Rhubarb

Cheryl Harris — Mon, 10 May 2010 21:48:56 +0000

Angela of Angela’s Kitchen has chosen one of my favorite foods for this week, rhubarb! I just don’t know yet whether they’ll have any at the farmer’s Market. I tend to make it simply and it’s one of the seasons yummiest sweet/tart pleasures.

We’ve got all sorts of beautiful things growing. On top is a flower from a blackberry plant, and I’m totally jazzed at the idea of getting blackberries this year. We also have (green) tomatoes, and the occasional aberrant toad. Did you know they burrow under dirt? I didn’t and he scared the heck out of me! He was pretty chill through the whole experience, though.

Onward to the menu!

Monday:
Chicken in parsley sauce with steamed broccoli

Tuesday:
Avocado, lime and crackers

Weds:
Lentil dal with roasted cauliflower

Thursday:
Quinoa Italiana

Friday:
out to dinner- my in-laws are in town

Baked goods:
maybe dairy free cinnamon rolls? After making them the first time, I wanted a second shot.