Before sharing my menu plan for the week, I would like to share a few items that I highlighted on my Facebook Page this week:
There is a wonderful website called The Gluten File which is a collection of articles and research pertaining to gluten sensitivity. I really encourage you to check it out because it is very important to know and understand everything you can about gluten sensitivity, whether you have celiac disease or a non-celiac form of it. Once I began reading the medical literature a couple of years ago, I lost the desire to cheat on my diet in roughly 0.3 seconds, there is absolutely no food worth the potential and very serious risks! New research articles were add to The Gluten File this week pertaining to Lymphoma, Diabetes and Iron Deficiency. You can also find The Gluten File on Facebook.
If you are a friend on my Facebook page, then you are probably aware that one of my gluten-free heroes, Dr. Rodney Ford often joins the gluten-free conversations I have going on with my amazing readers. I am so deeply appreciative of Dr. Ford’s willingness to reach out to us and share his medical expertise (over 30 years of it!) in order to help us better navigate the maze of health issues related to gluten sensitivity. I encourage you to join Dr. Ford’s Gluten-Free Planet Facebook page for even more thought provoking conversation with “Dr. Gluten”
The following video was my very first encounter with Dr. Ford, roughly 3 years ago. I remember how elated I felt while watching it, because for the first time, I began to better understand gluten sensitivity. I am very much a visual person and the brilliant Lego “antibody” visual aid that Dr. Ford famously uses, connected some important dots for me (like many people, I had unclear results the first time I was tested for celiac disease…I will do a blog post about this in the near future).
The moment I watched the video, I also knew that I didn’t “just” develop celiac disease after my pregnancy with Sam (which is what my gastroenterologist thought since I was asymptomatic for all the GI symptoms that are most commonly thought of when it comes celiac disease). Listening to Dr. Ford’s piece on the skin issues related to gluten sensitivity made me realize that I had fallen somewhere on the spectrum of gluten sensitivity (which includes celiac disease) for most of my life; I wrote brief bit (and shared a photo) about my dermatitis herpetiformis here. Dr. Ford’s insight has been a breath of fresh air on a number of issues that my many medical doctors have been unable to clarify for me over the years.
Dr. Ford’s book, The Gluten Syndrome is now available in its 3rd edition (I have the 2nd edition hard copy and it has answered countless questions for me), as an e-book for only $9.99 on Smashwords.com (with many downloading options to choose from), click here to get your copy today!
*Please note that I purchased my copy of The Gluten Syndrome and I was not paid to endorse Dr. Ford’s book. I will never accept compensation for a product review (other than the occasional free product sample, which I will always disclose in advance).
Monday:
Breakfast: Green Smoothie and Homemade Turkey Breakfast Sausage from Caveman Food (I will use a chia egg instead and make enough for the entire week and freeze)
My boys’ Lunch: BBQ Beans and Weenies, Trail Mix: my homemade trail mix consists of raw Marcona Almonds, Pistachios, Sunflower Seeds (which I soak and roast myself) and dried Tart Cherries, Watermelon
Dinner: Greek Chicken Kabobs from My Baking Addiction (I will add Zucchini, Yellow Squash, Red Bell Peppers and Onions), Green Salad (I always make my own salad dressings because they’re simple, inexpensive, I control the ingredients and they just taste so much better! There is a great homemade salad dressing recipe template over at Christie’s Corner, just remember the oil to acid vinegar is 3:1)
Dessert: Fresh Strawberries
Tuesday:
Breakfast: Green Smoothie and Breakfast Sausage
My Boys’ Lunch: Applegate Farms Soppressata Rollups, Raw Veggies with Hummus, Home-Roasted Sunflower Seeds, Apple Slices
Dinner: Grilled Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce from Simply Recipes, Grilled Yellow Squash and Red Bell Peppers
Dessert: Creme Brulee Ice Cream from Gluten Free Easily (I’m going to try this with canned coconut milk instead of condensed milk)
Wednesday:
Breakfast: Green Smoothie and Breakfast Sausage
My Boys’ Lunch: Applegate Farms Roast Turkey Rollups, Raw Veggies with Hummus, Trail Mix, Orange Slices
Dinner: Grilled Chicken and Warm Cannellini Bean and Herb Salad from Serious Eats
Dessert: Homemade Gelatin Cups from Taste for Adventure (I’m going to try this with Tart Cherry Juice which has powerful antioxidants, to see a Dr. Oz video clip on the health benefits of Tart Cherries, click here)
Thursday:
Breakfast: Green Smoothie and Breakfast Sausage
My Boys’ Lunch: Applegate Farms Turkey Bologna, Raw Veggies with Hummus, Home-Roasted Marcona Almonds, Honeydew Melon
Dinner: Lemon-Dill Halibut en Papillote (Halibut baked in Parchment Paper. To see a video tutorial, visit Steamy Kitchen), Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Mushrooms, Thyme and Parsley from Kalyn’s Kitchen
Dessert: Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins from Comfy Belly
Friday:
Breakfast: Green Smoothie, Leftover Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins and Breakfast Sausage
My Boys’ Lunch: Applegate Farms Grass-Fed Beef Hot Dogs with Homemade Ketchup, Green Salad, Almond Saltine Crackers from Comfy Belly (I will use a ‘chia egg’) and Fresh Strawberries
Dinner: Lettuce-wrapped Turkey Burgers, Sweet Potato Fries and Salad
Dessert: Fresh Pineapple and Banana Slices
Saturday:
Breakfast: Green Smoothie and Almond Flour Donuts from Comfy Belly (I made these for the first time last week and they were a HUGE hit with my boys! So much so, I just ordered the Sunbeam Donut Maker to add a little fun)
Lunch: Leftovers from the week
Dinner: Grilled Shrimp and Vegetable Kabobs with Dairy-free Pesto and Grilled Artichokes with Egg-free, Soy-free Lemon-Garlic Aioli (recipes coming soon)
Dessert: Dairy-free, Sugar-free Strawberry Coconut Ice Cream from The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen
Sunday:
Breakfast: Green Smoothie and left over Almond Flour Donuts
Lunch: Leftovers from the week
Dinner: BBQ Chicken, Steamed Broccoli and Salad
Dessert: Leftover Ice Cream
For more menu plan ideas, be sure to visit Menu Plan Monday hosted by Laura of I’m an Organizing Junkie
My friend Alta shared her FODMAPS-free menu plan over at Tasty Eats at Home
And welcome to my blog!
Whether you're here looking for advice on how to go gluten free (with delicious kid-approved recipes of course!), or to read some of the latest medical research on celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity...or even to read about one woman's rise from the depths of gluten-free despair to a place of downright enthusiasm, it makes no matter. The point is, you are here now so let's have some fun!
Great post as usual, Heidi! LOVE Dr. Ford as you know and so grateful that I got to "hang" out with him several days when he was here speaking in my area. 🙂 It's interesting that you share that you made your decision to stop cheating so quickly after reading medical article; that's just HUGE. Of course, the fact that you were reading the articles meant you were ready. Unfortunately many are not. Hope your posts and so many others will convince folks to stay 100% gluten free! Thanks for the link love … can't wait to see how the coconut milk works. I'd suggest tasting the mixture before you actually churn it into ice cream though, because condensed milk is sweet and coconut milk is not. Maybe draft a family member for that? 😉 Might have to add a tad more of whatever sweetener you are using.
xo,
Shirley
Thank you Shirley!
You're correct in that by the time I began reading the medical literature, I was "ready" to finally accept my diagnosis. As you know, several things happened to me within a six month time frame that brought me to my knees, literally. Losing my uncle to non-Hodgkins Lymphoma was my first wake up call, but of course, I'm hard headed so I started my final cheating spree, ironically, on the way to my uncle's memorial a few months later. Seven weeks later (and eating gluten 3 times a day), I broke out in the mother load of all DH rashes (I still shudder when I think of the misery I was in) and shortly thereafter, Sam was diagnosed with celiac. I was a mess physically and emotionally and reading the medical literature was somehow comforting to me, I suppose that was because it changed my mental attitude towards my condition and I began to have a healthy fear/respect for the magnitude of that which is gluten sensitivity. 🙂
I will definitely add some sweetener, probably agave or coconut nectar and grab one of my official tasters to help me out (do you see why I haven't been posting recipes lately? It's a challenge when you can't taste properly!).
xoxo,
Heidi
GIving you a high five, for highlighting his web site. I found validation, knowledge, and education from his web site. I also discovered, he had been speaking just minutes from my home, but at the time I didn't even know anything about him. Hopefully, others will be aware of the his resources, and not miss out.
This information is not only life changing, but life saving.
THanks again!
THAT was a great video! Thanks for sharing!
Michelle,
Dr. Ford has a great way of teaching something so complex to people who don't have a medical degree, I just LOVE him! 😀
Heidi,
I've been following you for almost a year now… when I decided to go gluten-free. Now my toddler is gluten-free, and we already see an improvement in her health. 🙂 Thank you for your wonderful posts, your great links and videos… and the awesome GF goldfish recipe! 🙂
I'm learning so much from/with you!