Category: Gluten Free

Posted in Gluten Free, menu plan monday, Randomness, Recipes, write 31 2017

P!nk’s New Album and Mom, What’s for Dinner? – Week of October 15, 2017 – Blog Post #16

Posted on by traci

We are now on the downward swing of my Write 31 2017.  Yeah!

My favorite artist is P!nk.  I adore her.  Her music is the soundtrack of my life.

On Friday, I got her newest album, Beautiful Trauma.  I already have favorite songs that I’ve played on repeat a million billion times.

Everyone interprets songs differently.  So when I talk about my feels and thoughts about my two favorite songs from the album, be reminded these are my thoughts and feels.

“I Am Here” – Oh my goodness.  I feel as though it is speaking to me about my current situation in my school district.  We are in academic distress.  One of the lyrics is “I’ve already seen  the bottom so I have nothing to fear.”  It’s my rally cry.

The song also tells me to live authentically.  Live my truth not another person’s truth.  The opening line is “I open up my heart.  You can love me or not.”  I struggle with this bit constantly.  It’s a reminder to live my truth.

P!nk

Finally the song addresses the age old question.  What happens when we die.  “Where do we go when we go.”  Since I am Christian, I believe I go to Heaven.

The other song that speaks to me is “Barbies.”  She addresses growing older.  Since I’m over 40, 42 to be exact, life is totally different from when I was younger.  Sometimes it would be nice to go back to when life was so much simpler.  When I did not have to adult all the time.  Maybe that is why I love Disney so much.  I’m able to put adulting to the side for a while and be childlike while I’m there.

Hubby and I are going to go to see her in Louisville during my Spring Break.  I’m so excited.  We were able to get the tickets before the price gouging.  I’ve read a lot of people complaining about the price of tickets.  $500 or more per ticket.  The price for our tickets was not cheap and a lot more than I would have spent but Hubby knows how much I love her.  Seeing her in concert is on my “Bucket List,” so he was willing to pay those prices.

Now onto our menu for the week.  Please continue to the next page.

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Posted in Gluten Free, Recipes, side dish, write 31 2017

Pressure Cooker Rice (GF) – Blog Post #14

Posted on by traci

One of our favorite side dishes is plain rice with butter and salt.

Hubby and the Wee One especially love it.

I actually love brown rice more than white rice.  However Hubby and the Wee One love white rice.  So we make more white rice than brown rice.

The ratio of dry rice to water/ liquid is 1 to 2.  So easy to remember.

You can certainly make this dairy free but using a dairy free butter or omitting the butter.

IMG_2299

 

Rice in an electric pressure cooker

  • Servings: 8
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

 

Ingredients

-2 c. white rice, rinsed

-3 c. water

-1 Tbsp. butter

-salt and pepper to taste

 

Directions

  1. Add the rice to the electric pressure cooker.
  2. Pour water over the rice.  Stir.
  3. Manually set the pressure cooker to 8 minutes.  (Put the lid on the electric pressure cooker.)
  4. Once finished, quickly release the pressure.
  5. Carefully remove the lid.  Fluff the rice.
  6. Add the butter, salt, and pepper.  Stir.
  7. Serve and enjoy!

Optional:  Instead of adding butter, add lime juice, lime zest, and chopped cilantro for a Chipotle type rice.

Happy eating,
Traci

 

 

Posted in dinner, Family Recipe, Gluten Free, Pork, Recipes, write 31 2017

What I Like About Fall and “Soy Sauce” Pork Chops (GF, DF, Paleo, W30)- Blog Post #13

Posted on by traci

writer's workshop

I didn’t feel good on Wednesday night so I did not get this post up for the week.  Headache and tiredness.  Yuck!  It was an early night for me.

This week’s prompt is what do I like about fall.

  1.  The flavors of fall – cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves
    pumpkin pie spice
    Pumpkin Pie Spice
  2. Pumpkin Spice Latte, Maple Pecan Lattes, and Blackberry Pie Lattes.
    I get the Blackberry Pie Lattes from a local coffee shop called Winans.
    IMAG4072
  3. The crisp air – I can wear my Mickey Mouse hoodie.IMAG0170
  4. My Autumn Glory Maple Tree
    Taken in 2014
    Taken in 2014
    Halloween – My town is known for decorating for Halloween.  They usually have a parade celebrating Halloween.  We’ve never done it though.
    2014
    2014
    The boys are getting too old for trick or treating.  Insert sad face.
  5. The decorations

    Bonfires
    10736073_10205372661619449_321267593_n
  6. Our dog can go on more car rides because it’s not too hot.
    IMAG4031
  7. Thanksgiving
    The last Thanksgiving with Tanya (2015)
  8. The trees changing colors
    The two things I don’t like about fall are :
  1.  Foggy mornings
    IMAG4060
  2. Extreme Storms – Rain or wind or a combo of both

Mama’s Losin’ It

When my father-in-law was alive, he would marinade pork chops in soy sauce.  Hubby loved those soy sauce pork chops.

Soy sauce has wheat in it.  So for a gluten free diet, it’s a no go.

For a while I switched to gluten free soy sauce but at over $4 a bottle, I didn’t like those prices.

Then I did the Whole 30 in April/ May of 2017.  I began to use coconut aminos.

The problem with coconut aminos is that it is $6 a bottle.  Yikes!

Then I found out Trader Joe’s has their coconut aminos for $2.99 a bottle.  WIN!

So I stocked up on the coconut aminos.

Now I can make Asian dishes and “soy sauce” pork chops without feeling sluggish afterwards.  YEAH!

My family loved my “soy sauce” pork chops.  They did not know the difference.

If you don’t eat gluten free, you can use regular soy sauce.

IMG_2295

”Soy Sauce” Pork Chops

  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Ingredients

– 1 lb. boneless pork chops

– ¼ c. coconut aminos

– salt to taste

Directions

  1. In a container or Ziploc bag, place the pork chops and coconut aminos
  2. Allow the meat to marinade for at least 2 hours or overnight.
  3. Cook on a medium high heat for 5 minutes on one side.  Season with salt before flipping the pork.
  4. Flip and cook for 3 minutes on the other side.
  5. Enjoy!

We ate our dinner with pressure cooker applesauce, plain white rice, and mixed veggies.  If you were doing the Whole 30, I would serve it with the applesauce, cali rice, and green beans.  Yum!

Happy eating,
Traci

Posted in Gluten Free, Recipes, Snacks, write 31 2017

Fall Trail Mix (DF, GF) – Blog Post #12

Posted on by traci

We went to Meijers the other day.  As I walking back to the front of the store, I noticed the pumpkin spiced Cheerios so I decided to get me a box.

Once I got home, I decided to use the Cheerios to make a trail mix.

Now there is some debate whether Cheerios are truly gluten free.  Some people have reactions when they eat them.  If you are one of those people, please don’t use them.

I had some pumpkin spiced pumpkin seeds waiting for me to do something with so I used them in this trail mix.

You can use any kind of nut.  I had pecans available so I used them.  I think walnuts would be delicious in this trail mix.

I also used some freeze dried apples that I got at Trader Joes.  However, I think dried cranberries would be delicious also.

Store your trail mix in an airtight container.

Fall Trail Mix

Fall Trail Mix

  • Difficulty: super easy
  • Print

Ingredients

– 2 c. pumpkin spice Cheerios

– ¾ c. chopped nuts

– ½ c. freeze dried apples or dried cranberries

– ¾ c. pumpkin seeds

 

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients.
  2. Enjoy in moderation!

 

Store in an airtight container.

Happy eating,
Traci

 

Posted in Dessert, Gluten Free, Recipes, write 31 2017

Plum Crumble (GF) – Blog Post #11

Posted on by traci

One of my favorite YouTubers who has her own cooking show is Sara from the Domestic Geek.

She has some great recipes that I have tried over the years.

The other day I was looking at a video of hers from a few years ago where she baked gluten free desserts in a mason jar.  Talk about portion control.

One of those recipes was a plum crumble.  It looked so good.

It was then I found a coupon for free plums or $2.50 off the plums.

So I went and got some plums and made our dessert for our Sunday dinner.

My mom, mother-in-law, and myself loved the plum crumble.

Sara put pistachios in her crumble.  I left those out.  It was still good without them.

It would be delicious with ice cream or whipped cream.

Plum Crumble (GF)

Plum Crumble

  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Ingredients

– 6 to 8 plums, pitted and sliced

– 1 Tbsp. cornstarch

– ¼ c. honey

– ¼ tsp. Cinnamon

– ½ c. gluten free oats

– ⅓ c. almond flour

– ¼ c. brown sugar

– ¼ c. butter, at room temperature

 

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease 6 – 4 oz. Mason Jars.
  2. Toss the sliced plums with the cornstarch and cinnamon.  
  3. Add the honey.  Stir until coated.
  4. Divide the plums amongst the Mason jars.
  5. In a medium bowl, combine the gluten free oats, almond flour, brown sugar, and room temperature until combined.
  6. Top the Mason jars with the oat mixture.  
  7. Place the Mason jars on a cookie sheet.
  8. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
  9. Enjoy!

 

Source:  The Domestic Geek

 

Posted in Gluten Free, menu plan monday, Menu planning, write 31 2017

Mom, What’s For Dinner? – Week of October 9, 2017 – Blog Post #9

Posted on by traci

This weekend we went to an outdoor festival for our lunch on Saturday. We also watched some of the dog jumping, slack line gymnastics, and BMX bicycle tricks.

Here are some photos that I took while we were at the outdoor festival.

I was lucky that one of the food trucks, Harvest, had a gluten free option on the menu. So I had a taco from them. We also love the fries from Harvest. The fries are a combination of sweet potato and russet potatoes with fresh herbs. It is served with a sriracha ketchup that is to die for.

The family minus the Wee One also enjoyed kettle corn that was so fresh that the bag was warm to the touch when we bought it.

We also got frozen lemonade. I got to watch the lady make the lemonade from scratch. She squeezed fresh lemons and added the water and sugar. Then she blended it up with ice. So yummy!

The best thing of all is that all of the food containers were compostable. So neat.

Please continue to the next page for the menu of the week.

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Posted in dinner, Gluten Free, Meat, Recipes, write 31 2017

Breaded Cube Steak (GF, DF) – Blog Post #7

Posted on by traci

The Imaginative One loves hamburger.  In fact, he loves to order hamburgers with ketchup only when we do go to fast food restaurants.  Since cube steak is similar to hamburger, he enjoyed this meal.

You could certainly make this with all purpose flour instead of the gluten free flour blend.

Speaking of gluten free flour blends, I’ve shared two recipes that have used gluten free flour blends.  My favorite blend is from Krusteaz.

I can find it at Kroger’s for $5.99 a bag.

The Krusteaz’s gluten free all purpose flour is a one to one flour blend which you can replace the all purpose flour with the same amount of this blend.

So what did I serve with the breaded cube steak?  I served the remainder of the applesauce and potato casserole.

Breaded Cubed Steak

Breaded Cube Steak (GF, DF)

  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Ingredients

– 1 lb cubed steak

– ¼ to ½ c. gluten free flour mix

– salt and pepper, to taste

 

Directions

  1. Preheat a skillet with a Tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil
  2. Place the salt and pepper with the gluten free flour mix into a ziploc bag.
  3. Place the cubed steak into the ziploc bag.  Make sure the bag is closed tightly.
  4. Shake the bag until the cubed steaks are coated.
  5. Cook in the skillet for 5 to 6 minutes on one side.  Flip.  Cook for an additional 5 minutes or until cooked through.
  6. Enjoy!

 

 

 

Posted in Gluten Free, Recipes, write 31 2017

So What is Gluten? and Mom, What’s for Dinner, Week of October 2, 2017 – Blog Post #2

Posted on by traci

The dictionary definition for gluten is “the tough, viscid, nitrogenous substance remaining when the flour of wheat or other grain is washed to remove the starch.” or “glue or gluey substances.”  The origin of the word is glue.

So what foods is gluten found in?  There is a LOT of places where gluten is found.

I found this great infographic of foods that contain gluten.

17-HDDI-149-Avoiding-Gluten-Infographic_FNL

It’s found in 24 different foods.   Some also say oats because they are typically grown with other gluten foods and there is possible cross contamination during processing.

I do eat gluten free oatmeal (Quaker or Bob’s Red Mill).  So there might be some recipes with oatmeal during this Write 31.

So what can I eat?  Here is another infographic with a list of gluten free foods.

Glutenvrij

I have gluten intolerance instead of celiacs.  There are times I am not as worried about cross contamination when I’m eating out.

My biggest problem with gluten is when I eat a baked good with gluten in it.  It changes my mood, gives me a headache, or makes me become fatigued.

Here is another infographic describing my issues with gluten.


According to the data EVERYONE is gluten intolerant BUT to varying degrees. -- Gluten intolerance symptoms and signs | Dr. Axe

As I stated yesterday, if you are wanting to go gluten free for weight loss, please remember you are repainting starches with starches.  You are not going to necessarily going to lose weight.  You might want to eat a Paleo diet.  (I’ll discuss what a Paleo diet is tomorrow.)

If you suspect a gluten intolerance, keep a food diary and how the food makes you feel.  I did that during my first weeks of being gluten free.

If after eliminating the gluten, you still feel those symptoms please go to a doctor.  There might be something else going on.

I also suggest doing a round of Whole 30 because it eliminates all of the possible foods that could cause you health problems.  The Whole 30 diet is basically a stricter version of Paleo.

Here is a laugh for this Monday.

The Imaginative One says that I keep trying to make them eat these foods.  I’m usually the only one who eats the green smoothies and zoodles when I make them.

Continue to the next page for our menu next week.

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Posted in Chicken, chicken 1, dairy free, DIY, Gluten Free, Pork, Recipes

Lemon Garlic Marinade (Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Paleo, Whole30)

Posted on by traci

When I went grocery shopping last Sunday, I got some boneless pork ribs.  I almost bought a bottle of lemon garlic marinade for the ribs but decided not to get it.

I decided to make my own lemon garlic marinade for the ribs instead of buying that bottle.

When I served dinner last night, Hubby was delighted with the ribs.  Since there were a couple left over, he claimed them as his own for our left over night.  So I think this marinade is a winner.

This marinade would be good on pork chops, boneless pork ribs, pork roast, or even chicken breast.

Bonus:  It’s Whole30 friendly.

Oh, and I finally figured out how to make my recipes printer friendly.  That’s been a big problem during the 7 years I’ve had this blog.

IMG_0722

Lemon Garlic Marinade

  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Ingredients

-1 lemon, zest and juiced

-1 clove of garlic, minced or 1 Tbsp. minced garlic

-2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

-1 tsp. Salt

-1 tsp. Pepper

-2 tsp. oregano

Directions

  1. In a gallon sized ziploc bag, add the ingredients. Close the bag. Knead the bag until the ingredients are combined.
  2. Add either boneless ribs, pork chops, or chicken breast.
  3. Allow meat to marinade for 4 to 12 hours or freeze for up to 3 months.
  4. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place meat in a baking dish.
  5. Cook the pork or chicken for 20 to 30 minutes.
  6. Once cooked, remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
  7. Serve and enjoy!

The pork should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees and chicken should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

Happy eating,
Traci