Like my new menu plan badge? My very talented friend Alexa from Lexie’s Kitchen designed it for me (thanks Lexie)! If you haven’t yet “met” Alexa, you really should stop by her blog, especially if you are on a gluten free/casein free diet. I have made several of Lexie’s recipes over the past year and I want to take a minute and highlight some of my favorites (what I’m trying to say is this…you really need to make them, special diet or not!). 😀
Saturday Pancakes (gluten-free, casein-free and egg-free)
French Dressing (I’m going through this stuff by the gallons at the moment! I do add about 1 Tbs. of agave or coconut nectar to mine, just to mellow out the vinegar a bit).
Unrefined Powdered Sugar (I use coconut sugar and arrowroot starch)
I also really like the homemade deodorant recipe that Lexie shared (I use arrowroot instead of cornstarch)
And I love the free pantry labels Lexie designed and I have used them to label all of my GF flours:
Now, for my menu plan:
Monday:
Breakfast: Lemon-Aide Smoothie and Jimmy Dean’s All-Natural Pork Breakfast Sausage, which contains no MSG or preservatives (I found a 3-Lb. chub at Costco for $8.03…typically, my homemade breakfast sausage runs at least $12 for 3-lbs. of free-range ground turkey so this will be a nice treat, saving both time and money!).
Lunch: Applegate Farms Smoked Turkey Rollups, Raw Veggies and Hummus, Mixed Berries
Dinner: Vertical Roasted Chicken on the Grill (I have this Non-Stick Vertical Poultry Roaster
which I really like), I will use this chicken rub (subbing coconut sugar for the brown cane sugar) and chicken stock as the liquid. I can’t have rice at the moment, but I had a few friends sample New Planet’s Off Grid Gluten Free Pale Ale for me and they loved it! This would be a great corn-free beer to use for Shirley’s gluten free “Beer Can Chicken.”
Dessert: Homemade Dairy Free, Cane Sugar Free Strawberry Ice Cream (recipe coming soon)
Tuesday:
Breakfast: Squashberry Smoothie and breakfast sausage
Lunch: Applegate Farms Soppressata Rollups, Cucumbers and Carrots with Herbamare, Fresh Strawberries, Pistachios
Dinner: Cod in Parchment Packets (I will make these on the grill), grilled zucchini/yellow squash, salad
Dessert: Leftover Strawberry Ice Cream
Wednesday:
Breakfast: Pomegranate & Red Beet Smoothie and breakfast sausage
Lunch: Applegate Farms Organic Ham Rollups, Raw Veggies and Hummus, Marcona Almonds, Grapes
Dinner: Lettuce Wrapped Burgers, Sweet and Sour Cucumber Salad with Fresh Dill
Thursday:
Breakfast: Peter Rabbit’s Smoothie and breakfast sausage
Lunch: Applegate Farms Smoked Turkey Rollups, Raw Veggies and Hummus, Apple Slices with Almond Butter
Dinner: Butter-Fried Scallops (I will use olive oil), Grilled Artichokes, Salad
Dessert: Frozen Blueberries
Friday:
Breakfast: Creamy Dairy-Free Pumpkin Smoothie and breakfast sausage
Lunch: Applegate Farms Soppressata Rollups, Raw Veggies and Hummus, Homemade Trail Mix,
Dinner: Southwestern Grilled Chicken Salad with Tomato and Black Bean Salsa
Dessert: Fresh, Organic Strawberries
Saturday:
Breakfast: Blushing Beet Smoothie and Wellshire Farms Bacon
Lunch: leftovers from the week
Dinner: Spaghetti Squash with Marinara Sauce, Salad
Dessert: Lemon Sorbet (I will use agave nectar)
Sunday:
Breakfast: Green Smoothie and Bacon
Lunch: leftovers from the week
Dinner: Weenie Roast with Applegate Farms Grass-Fed Beef Hot Dogs, Raw Veggies with Hummus, Fruit Salad
Dessert: Roast Marshmallows
Lastly, Shirley Braden from Gluten Free Easily “adopted” me for this month’s Adopt a Gluten Free Blogger. Shirley wrote a lovely post but what meant the most to me was Shirley’s mention of you, my wonderful readers. Check this out (bold emphasis added):
“she also is an avid and relentless researcher on topics associated with celiac disease and gluten issues. She always shares what she learns, and she also shares her and her family’s health journey, as well as the “lessons learned” along the way. Sometimes—when she hasn’t yet reached the actual lesson part—she asks questions of readers and online friends, initiating some very lively discussions. As Wendy (Celiacs in the House) has said in the past, Heidi has the most engaged followers who contribute to interesting, thought-provoking discussions you won’t want to miss.”
Talk about knowing how to choke a girl up! 😉
The conversations we have here (via the comment section) and on my Facebook Page are what I am most passionate about and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing your thoughts and views, as well as your personal stories with me.
I also want to personally thank three gluten free experts (and personal heroes of mine) for contributing their professional opinions to our conversations:
- Dr. Rodney Ford, author of these 9 books, all of which I have read and recommend (especially The Gluten Syndrome and Eczema, Cure It! which are now available as e-books on Smashwords.com).
- Dr. Vikki Petersen (co-author of The Gluten Effect and one of the speakers on my favorite DVD, The 2010 Gluten Sensitivity and Celiac Forum)
- Ron Hoggan, Ed. D. (co-author of Dangerous Grains and several other books, plus this vast collection of articles).
By daring to ask the question out loud, I have discovered time and time again, that I am truly not alone on this journey and I learn so much from each and every one of you…allowing me and my family to lead our very best gluten free lives. 😀
If you have a question about living gluten free or a specific gluten-related health issue that you would like to know more about from my Facebook friends and Twitter followers, feel free to send me your question(s) at heidi AT adventuresofaglutenfreemom DOT com and I will post the question on Facebook in hopes of starting another one of our thought-provoking discussions. 😀
such a great variety of smoothies! im going to try some of those out! What brand of breakfast sausage do you use?
Hi Devan!
I usually make my own breakfast sausage but I just discovered Jimmy Dean's All-Natural Pork Breakfast Sausage and it's delish! 😀
You are great Heidi, that is true! Thanks for sharing all your research and I'm happy to share your blog with a new support group I've helped to start here in MD suburbs.
Hi Dana!
I don't know about "great" but I certainly have a passion for talking about all the mind boggling research I come across…and if I'm good at any one thing, it's talking, LOL!
Thank you for the kind words and for sharing my blog with your support group, I really appreciate it!
Hugs,
Heidi
Heidi you are awesome! I read Shirley's post the other day about you. She said everything I could not out into words. You have no idea the impact you have had on my GF life and my family's, not only with recipes and tips, but the information that you share. It has made the burden so much easier. I am so glad I came across your blog, not sure I would have made it through this journey without you! I truly thank you!
Shelly,
Okay, you just made me cry too, LOL! It means the world to me to know that I have been able to help in some way, even if it's just by lending a friendly shoulder to lean on. I've been through it all: anger, denial, acceptance and now (dare I say) enthusiasm over the path my life and food choices have taken and I just want to help anyone I can, get to the enthusiasm part a lot quicker than it took me! 😀
Hugs,
Heidi
Heidi, leave it up to you to take my post and "grow" it into much more love! See … that's why we adore you, girlie. 🙂 And Lexie is phenomenal. Love your cute new menu planning button and all you shared from her. Sounds like a fantastic week at the Kelly house, dear. Thanks for the super sweet mentions.
xoxo,
Shirley
Shirley,
The are no words to express the way I feel about you…you are everything I aim to be one day. 😀
xoxo,
Heidi
I second that! Your website and your insight have been tremendously helpful to my family. We've been GFCF for a year, and you are one of my daily stops.
I especially adore the weekly meal plan. I started one on my own blog, and it really does inspire people to look more closely at the balance of our diets over the whole week…{I'm still getting used to it, but it really helps!}
Off to make two lbs of turkey sausage…
🙂
I was wondering if you have any tips for a meal plan for one person. My husband has his own weekly meal plan for himself (he's version of a diet). I'm gluten free but he isn't so….I have to fend for myself on a weekly basis. So I need a meal plan that will help me not waste food or eat left overs forever, lol.
Also what do you use for your roll ups?