Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets P. 132 & 133

From The kid-friendly food allergy cookbook: more than 150 recipes that are wheat-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, low in sugar (Google eBook)
Pages 132-133

I love these chicken nuggets and the method to make them. Less mess and better results. I have tweaked it for taste, texture and according to what I had in the pantry. Here are my edits:

• 2 tsp. Sesame Seed Oil in place of the Tamari.
• Replace rice flour with Bob's Red Mill GF AP Flour.
• Replace 1/4 c. corn or rice starch with 1/4 c. GF cereal, bread or cracker crumbs. 2 tsp. Xanthan Gum to thicken mixture. 

Enjoy!

Chicken with Artichokes & Sun Dried Tomatoes

This is a favorite in our house that is requested over and over again! It is simple, healthy and relatively inexpensive. I hope you enjoy it!

• 4 Whole Chicken Breasts, Skinless & Boneless
• 1 Can Artichoke Hearts, drained
• 1 Bottle Sun Dried Tomatoes, Julienne cut & packed in oil
• 2 Garlic Cloves, Minced
• 1 Small Onion, Chopped
• Sea Salt or Kosher Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Put all ingredients in a baking dish, including oil from the sun dried tomatoes. Insert a meat thermometer into thickest part of chicken; set the thermometer to 160 degrees F. Cook until the thermometer goes off or reaches 160 degrees F. The carryover heat will bring it to 165 degrees F. Let rest 5-10 minutes. Serve and enjoy!


Some serving suggestions:

• Serve over wild rice or brown rice.
• Serve with warm polenta.
• Cut chicken up and serve over brown rice pasta.
• Serve with a fruit salad.

Bob's Red Mill No Hassle Banana Bread

This is one of my favorites, it is simple, easy and even better than bread made with wheat! Some great additions to it are coconut, chocolate chips, sunflower seeds, flax seeds and/or any dried fruit. Visit Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free @: http://www.bobsredmill.com/gluten-free/

No Hassle Banana Bread  contributed by Bob's Red Mill Natural Foods Adapted from Special Diet Solutions by Carol Fenster, PhD. Ingredients: 1/3 cup Canola Oil  2/3 cup Brown Sugar, packed  2 large Eggs  1 tsp. Vanilla  1-3/4 cups Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour  2 tsp. Baking Powder  1-1/4 tsp. Cinnamon  1 tsp. Xanthan Gum  1/2 tsp. Salt  1-1/2 cups Banana, mashed  1/2 cup Pecans or Walnuts, chopped  1/2 cup Raisins (Unsulfured)  Directions: Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 9x5-inch non-stick loaf pan. Cream together oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in large bowl with eletric mixer. Add flour, xanthan gum, salt, baking powder and cinnamon to egg mixture, alternating with bananas. Beat until smooth. Stir in nuts and raisins. Batter will be somewhat soft. Transfer to pan. Bake for 1 hour. Serves 10. NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION: (per serving) Calories 310, Calories from Fat 120, Total Fat 13g, Saturated Fat 1.5g, Cholesterol 40mg, Sodium 230mg, Total Carbohydrate 46g, Dietary Fiber 4g, Sugars 19g, Protein 5g.

Roasted Red Bell Pepper & Bacon Tomato Sauce

This is something I put together last night, and it is delicious. I hope you enjoy it!


Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons Olive Oil, not first cold pressed
• 1 Tablespoon Garlic, minced
• 2 Red Bell Peppers, diced
• 1/2 large, or 1 medium Onion, diced
• 1 can diced tomatoes, flavored with garlic and onion
• 6 strips bacon, cooked & chopped
• Spinach, chiffonade 
• Boursin Cheese, 1/2 package
• Parmesan Cheese, shaved
• Almonds or Pistachios, slivered & toasted
• Brown Rice Pasta, Cooked

In large pan heat oil over medium high heat. Add peppers, onion, garlic & tomatoes. Cook until peppers are slightly softened and heated through. Turn heat to medium low and add Boursin cheese & bacon. Stir until cheese is melted. Turn heat off and add spinach. Serve over pasta, on pizza crust or on toast. Top with Parmesan and nuts. Enjoy!

Yummy Chicken Salad

This is a great, easy little dish that hits the spot on a warm day.

Ingredients:

• canned chicken, drained
• grapes - red or white
• mayonnaise
• dried basil flakes
• toasted slivered almonds

Mix all ingredients in a bowl, to taste. Serve on toasted bread, with pasta, with crackers or all by itself. Enjoy!

Rice with Onion and Garlic

This is an all time favorite of mine, and so easy and quick to make. It's also very healthy and versatile Enjoy!

Ingredients:

olive oil, not first cold pressed

onion, sliced

garlic, minced

rice, cooked

seaweed, toasted & crumbled

spinach, chiffonade

pistachios or other nuts, toasted

cheese, shredded 

Any other toppings you want. This is great with chicken or other meat and any veggies. 

Cook the rice according to directions. Slice the onion and mince the garlic while the rice is cooking; set aside. Toast the nuts and seaweed in oven or pan; set aside. Chiffonade spinach leaves and shred cheese; set aside.

Heat olive oil over medium high heat, add onion and garlic. Once onion is translucent, add rice. Stir occasionally until garlic is golden brown. Remove from heat. 

Serve rice in bowl and top with desired toppings. Enjoy!

GF Meal Plan for the Week of 2010.01.10

Here is my meal plan for this week. It's more focused on "me time" and less on cooking so much. Happy Eating!

	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
Exercise	Swim	Yoga	Swim	Yoga	Swim	Swim	Yoga
Breakfast	Eggs w/ spinach, tomatoes & cheese Fruit 1/2 a bagel butter	cold cereal milk eggs with veggies	bagel cream cheese tea	toast with peanut butter & honey milk	oatmeal with cinnamon tea	eggs with chorizo 1/2 bagel cream cheese coffee	bagel cream cheese smoked salmon
Snack	Orange Almonds	peanut butter apple	hummus carrots bell peppers	celery peanut butter	raisins coconut walnuts chocolate chips	orange pecans	apple peanut butter
Lunch	Peanut Butter & Jelly Chips	sandwich with leftover chicken	leftovers from eating out	spinach tuna salad walnuts	soup	sliced meat mustard cheese sandwich chips	bacon, egg & cheese sandwich
Snack	Bean Salad in flat bread or with corn chips	bean salad	pecans dried cranberries	dark chocolate almonds	grapes cheese	toast tomato Basil boursin cheese	chips salsa
Dinner	Roasted Chicken Mashed Potatoes Broccoli	Stir fry with noodles & leftover chicken	Roasted scallops rice	pizza with meat, veggies fruit	romaine ranch dressing toasted walnuts beans	salmon pasta pesto	pasta basil tomatoes olive oil bacon bits chicken cheese
Snack/ Treat for me today	Strawberry Chocolate Tea Read before bed	hot chocolate Bubble bath	tea chocolate play a game with family	ice cream take dog for walk	decaf espresso read	tea bath	decaf espresso pedicure

GF Meal Plan for the Week of 2010.01.03

Here is my meal plan for this week. I will try to post one each week, at least for January so you can get ideas and motivation (it will help me make this a habit, too!).

	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
Exercise	yoga	walk bubbie	swim	walk bubbie	swim	yoga	walk bubbie
Breakfast		cold cereal milk	Farm-style Veggie Frittata 1/2 bagel cream cheese fruit juice	oatmeal w/ cinnamon juice	scrambled eggs w/ veggies 1/2 bagel cream cheese juice	scrambled eggs w/ veggies cold cereal fruit milk	scrambled eggs w/ veggies oatmeal w/ cinnamon smoothie
Snack		apple & peanut butter	hummus & carrots	chips & salsa	peanuts & raisins	cheese & crackers	almonds & dried cherries
Lunch		Fresh whole leaf Spinach salad with: walnuts Italian dressing sliced chicken grated Parmesan cheese bell pepper sliced tea	Peanut butter & jelly tea	Tangy Bean Salad with Carrots and Green Onions on bread	Fresh whole leaf spinach with leftover bean salad on top	Tuna fish salad made with ranch dressing, Dijon mustard & celery on bread	Leftovers
Snack		clementines & almonds	canned fruit almonds	smoothie walnuts, coconut & raisins	popcorn	almonds & orange	canned fruit almonds
Dinner		Roasted Shrimp in Tomatoes over rice	Chicken fajitas	Brown Rice Pasta Tomato Sauce	Fettuccine with Fresh Tomato and Chickpeas	tilapia veggies roasted potatoes & onions wine	rice paper rolls
Snack/ Treat for me today		hot chocolate Read	1 scoop ice cream/ sherbet Hot bubble bath	spiced cider catch up on TV & Read	chocolate square Go to bed early	hot tea & cookie Cook & Bake meals to freeze	1 scoop ice cream/ sherbet Plan next weeks menu!

*Note- Bubbie is my dog.

Happy planning & eating!

Easy Additions to Jar Spaghetti Sauce

I love spaghetti and red sauce, but don't love the jar tomato sauce. Here is what I add to it when I do not make my own.

Onion, diced
Garlic, minced
Tomatoes, raw diced or canned
Buffalo or Beef, ground
Chorizo, ground
Baisil leaves, chiffonade
Spinach leaves, chiffonade
Carrots, shredded
Black or Red Beans

You can add any veggies you want. It's a nice way to hide them from picky eaters, including yourself!

This is great over brown rice pasta with a little cheese on top.

Sticking to Gluten Free Eating through Meal Planning

I think the hardest thing about being gluten free is sticking to it! I find this gets easier when you make a meal plan for the day or week. This also helps you feel more fulfilled in your eating, and less like you're missing out. Here are some resources to help you make a plan and stick to it.

Calorie Counter
Here is a calorie counter to help you track all your foods and nutritional values. I like it because it is free, it has a wide selection of foods in its food bank, and you can add your own foods and meals to it. You can also customize the daily nutritional values. This site also has a wealth of information including blogs, recipes and support discussions.
http://www.my-calorie-counter.com/calorie_counter.asp

Everyday Health Meal Planner
If you feel like planning your menu for the week is just too daunting, here is a Meal Planner that will find recipes for you. You can change them out, tell it you are eating leftovers for that meal etc. I like it so much because you can tell it how many calories per day you want, and you can click a gluten free option, as well as vegetarian, diabetic etc.
http://www.everydayhealth.com/toolkit/mealplanner/viewweek.aspx

Eat Real Good Meal Planner
My favorite meal planning aid is this simple recipe finder. You can tell it what ingredients you have on hand or would like to incorporate in to your meals for that week, and it will find recipes that uses those ingredients. It also has a place where you can click any or all of the following options: dairy-free, gluten-free, crockpot, vegetarian, vegan, 5 ingredients or less and low-carb. I also really like the shopping list option, which makes a shopping list for ingredients in the recipes you did not enter, has a field for you to add your own items and allows you to print it.
http://mealplanner.eatrealgood.com/plans

Below is a simple template I made and use each week to plan my meals. Feel free to use it! A hint: you can print this out, e-mail it to yourself or paste it into an application like Google documents and view it from there (that's what I do). Then it is easily accessible from any computer or smart-phone, so no excuses for not having it!

	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
Exercise
Breakfast
Snack
Lunch
Snack
Dinner
Snack

Good luck and happy eating!