Strawberries are Gluten Free

I didn’t think I’d ever go for RAW

admin — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:13:10 +0000

I’m definitely not talking meat here, folks. I mean the whole Raw movement. There’s a movement (in the States ?) that is promoting the health benefits of raw foods – we mean whole, uncooked, unprocessed foods – with all their flavor and vitamins in tact. I didn’t think I’d go raw – and I still don’t. But I am looking to understand how to make better food choices…

My 11 year old and I both suffer from Oral Allergy Syndrome so raw fruits & veggies are completely out for us, so the simple “toss together some lettuce and random veggies salad” does not work. Unless we’re both up for dealing with sore mouths for a few hours… sometimes we do – can you say pecans and goat cheese? Yum! Anyway, I was given a book to review, “Good and Tasty Eats”, by the wholesome-food-advocate, and incredibly down to earth, Kim Wilson. Let me give you an excerpt:

Here’s my really lazy “one bowl” baking method: Combine wet ingredients in the bottom of your mixing bowl, then measure dry ingredients on top (flour first, then smaller amount ingredients on the very top). Lightly mix the smaller ingredients (baking powder, salt, spices, etc.) into the flour, before combining the dry ingredients with the wet ones below. This is an example of the extent I will go to in avoiding extra dirty dishes!

A woman after my own heart – one-bowl baking!!

I would recommend you pay up to $15 for this book – even more – if you’re setting 2012 goals for switching your cooking from basic American Apple Pie to Apple Pie with a few Healthy meals. (skip below to see the price – you wont believe it. I’m not even kidding)

Big Pros

I don’t know about you, but the only legumes or beans that were served in my house growing up were Split Green Pea Soup with Ham, or Refried Beans with Chile Rianos. I can wing-it with other recipes in my American Applie Pie kitchen, but healthy? You soak wha? Can you disguise the taste? Do legumes have to be in a soup (blech)? Good and Easy Eats shows you exactly what to do, step by step for the basic stuff – like soaking legumes.

You get 70 of their family’s staple recipes. These are the ones they make every week, or every other week.

I also love how she outlines what their family eats – what do they have for breakfast? In a hurry? On a weekend? How about brown-bag lunches?

The price!! Huge pro – $4.99!

Con’s

You wont find any recipes for meat. Although you could easily add a little meat to each meal.

You wont find long exotic ingredients.

There are no fancy gourmet recipes here.

So, for $4.99, there really aren’t any.

Pick up a copy here.

Enjoy!

Pork Tenderloin with Mushroom Sauce

admin — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:56:01 +0000

I love pork tenderloin – it is fantastically cheap. And it is delicious, when I manage not to cook it to death. This recipe is my gluten-free & Cathy-fied variation of this easy recipe from Life Made Delicious.

Photo by KitchenArtistry.com

Ingredients:

1 pork tenderloin, sliced into 3/4 inch thick slices
1/4 cup water, and 3 Tbsp cornstarch
salt & pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 c chicken broth
1 c sliced mushrooms
1-2 tbsp Dijon mustard

Directions:

In 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook pork in hot oil 4-6 minutes per side, until no longer pink in centre. Remove to serving plate; cover to keep warm.
Add mushrooms. Stir fry until brown and softened. Stir broth into skillet. Heat to boiling over medium-high heat. Stir in mustard.
Combine water & cornstarch. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened. Spoon sauce over pork.
Serve with rice or noodles!

Steak & Feta Spinach Salad

admin — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 02:54:14 +0000

This is a salad that I can get my mind around serving for dinner! Our kids are not huge salad eaters, so we serve dinner salads with bread and butter on the side to round it out for them.

This easy recipe is the foundation for my slight variation:

Photo from LifeMadeDelicious

1 beef sirloin steak, 1lb
2/3 cup Gluten Free balsamic vinaigrette dressing
1 bag (6 oz) fresh baby spinach leaves
3/4 cup crumbled goat feta cheese (3 oz)

Directions:

Set oven control to broil. Spray broiler pan with cooking spray. Place steak on broiler pan; brush with 1 tablespoon of the dressing. Broil with top about 4 to 6 inches from heat 10 minutes. Turn steak over; brush with another 1 tablespoon dressing. Broil 5 to 10 minutes longer or until meat is desired doneness (145°F for medium-rare). Cover; let stand 5 minutes.
Thinly slice steak across the grain to serve
Serve spinach, cheese, salad dressing and steak separately. Let everyone pile on their favorites! (Ranch dressing will be yummy too!)

How to manage LIFE and MEALS

admin — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:43:46 +0000

A bit of a family update – one of the girls is being tested for learning disorders, has a hearing and eyesight problem. And doesn’t seem to be phased by it one bit. One daughter is on a sugar free diet and trying out new medications for ADHD, and the other is just cruising along in life totally enjoying her status as baby of the family. My husband, our celiac is home from work on long-term disability with an unrelated illness, so, like us all, life has been full.

For the most part, gloriously full!

Work has been going GREAT – I’m sponsoring a new conference (that I can’t wait to attend next September). I’ll be posting my personal story on their blog starting in February.

I’m planning this retreat for myself and our 11 year old daughter towards the end of Feb/beginning of March.

And, our kitchen? First, I want to say I couldn’t do any of this without the support of my husband and our cleaning lady, a great staff at the girls’ elementary school, a fantastic pediatrician, top-notch employee assistance plans at hubby’s work, and large serving of denial.

After a few weeks of constant fast food – and then substituting Subway Sandwiches for the kids and Nando’s chicken for hubby, I’m starting to feel the yearning for home- made meals again! But no matter what is happening in life, cooking takes time. And to take the time, I have to make it a priority. So last week, I gave it a whirl. Surprisingly it was also easier than I remember!

So here’s to another week of home-cooked meals! I hope you get some inspiration (see how easy it is!?) from this menu:

MainStay:

??: Breakfast for Supper (GF Pancakes & Eggs)

Friday: Pizza Movie night

Prepared Meals:

Beef Stroganof with Mashed Potatoes
Tilapia with Crumb Topping & Rice
Stew w/ a side of ketchup (just being honest)
BBQ Pulled Pork on Rice
Chicken Broccoli Cheese Bake

Backup:

We need a backup in case I end up working until 5:30 or Mama doesn’t want to cook. Our backup this week is the bag of chicken nuggets and french fries in the oven. And we always keep a few frozen tv-style gluten free dinners (leftovers) for backup nights.

Looking for more menus? Try the Menu Plan Monday post at Org Junkie and look for (gluten free) behind the titles!

Do you manage to cook every night? If so – will you share your secrets?