NOTICE: This blog is no longer being updated, so medical information may no longer be accurate.

Gluten Free Menu Plan – Week of January 30

Before I share this week’s menu plan, I’d like to share some fun gluten free highlights from this past week.

Have you been following along with Wendy’s fun (and functional) blog series called “In My Gluten-Free Kitchen” over at Celiacs in the House?  If not, I definitely recommend you check it out.  Every Friday in 2012, a different gluten free activist, author and/or blogger will be giving you a peek inside their gluten free kitchens!

Wendy has lined up college students, singles, empty nesters, new moms, moms cooking for large families and even chefs to show us how they’ve setup up their gluten free kitchens.  A great resource not only for those new to the gluten free lifestyle, but for seasoned glutadoodles as well – I know I am ALWAYS on the lookout for ideas on how to do things better in my own kitchen.

In case you’ve missed the first three kitchen tours, you can find them here:

1/13: Wendy of Celiacs in the House

1/20: Johnna of 52 Sweets

1/27: Valerie of City|Life|Eats

I’ll be sharing my own kitchen with you on Friday, June 1st! 😀

Free Teleseminar on Probiotics and Gut Health

On Wednesday, February 1, 2012; join gastroenterologist Dr. Daniel Leffler and Shelley Case, R.D. for an informative teleseminar on the role of probiotics and gut health.  The teleseminar is free to join, but you will need to register beforehand.  Once you register, you will receive an email with all the information you need to tune in!

 

Jamieson Probiotics Teleseminar

 Do you have a gluten free kiddo?

Katie Chalmers, author of Mommy, What is Celiac Disease? (I LOVE this book and you can read my review here) is putting the finishing touches on a new website for parents about gluten-free kids!  She will be including a unique, online photo album of gluten-free kids so kids can see a bunch of faces of other kids (and their interests) who are on the same diet as they are (how cool is that?).  If you’d like your child to be included, please email a headshot of your child to kachalmers2@gmail.com, along with: first name, last initial, city & state, and things he or she enjoys doing in 75 characters or less, as shown in graphic.

Sam and Luke are participating too and they hope your child will too! 😀

 Let’s Eat!!

A big thank you to my very dear friend Alexa over at Lexie’s Kitchen for designing my new Weekly Menu Plan Badge, isn’t it fun?

Gluten Free Menu Plan

 

Weekly Menu Plan

The following recipes are naturally free of: gluten, dairy, grains, eggs and soy.  For the few recipes that call for butter, I will either use olive oil or homemade dairy-free, corn-free and soy-free “butter.”



Monday: Mahi Mahi with Tomato, Olive and Caper Sauce and Salad

Tuesday: Chicken Saltimbocca, Sauteed Broccolini and Dairy-Free Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Wednesday: Chicken Under a Brick, Baked Sweet Potatoes and Sauteed Green Beans

Thursday: Chickpea Soup with Sausage and Raw Beet Salad

Friday: Cassoulet with Lots of Vegetables and Salad

Saturday: Chicken Picatta and Garlic Sauteed Spinach

Sunday: Spanish Style Shrimp, Carrots with Cumin and Spicy No-Mayo Coleslaw

Allergy-Friendly Dessert of the week: Valerie’s Homemade Sunbutter Cups over at City|Life|Eats.

“Just” Gluten Free Recipes

The following recipes are those I would have made for my family a couple years ago, back when we were “only” gluten free (ahh, the good ol’ days!).  I will attach notes next to the recipe links if there is an ingredient of concern for those following a gluten free diet (I’ll also include my substitute ideas for other allergens where applicable).

Shepard’s Pie

This recipe calls for 2 Tbs. of flour as a thickening agent, you can either use your favorite gluten-free AP flour blend,
straight rice flour or a starch like arrowroot, cornstarch, potato starch, tapioca and so on.  Visit Cook’s Thesaurus to learn more about using starch thickeners.

Chinese Chicken Salad

Gluten Free Soy Sauce and Soy-Free Alternatives

My personal favorite is San-J Organic Reduced Sodium Tamari (it’s been certified non-GMO too) but Kikkoman now has a labeled gluten-free soy sauce.  La Choy soy sauce is not labeled gluten-free, but the ingredient label does not include any gluten containing ingredients, click here to learn more.

Other options include Bragg’s Liquid Aminos or if you avoid soy, you can use Coconut Aminos instead.

Are you Soy-Free and Feeling Adventurous?

You can also make your own soy sauce substitute, just be sure the beef bouillon is free of gluten and soy (if there is such a thing). Herb Ox Granulated Beef, Sodium Free appears to fit the bill but it does contain MSG and other undesirable chemical additives.  BUT, where there’s a will, there is a way, no? 😀

Homemade Beef Bouillon

Homemade Beef Bouillon

Homemade Chicken Bouillon Cubes (sub the chicken bones for beef marrow bones and use beef stock)

Homemade Bouillon

Meat-Stuffed Bell Peppers

Lemon-Garlic Shrimp and Grits

Bob’s Red Mill manufactures labeled gluten free corn grits.  Allergic to corn?  Try Rice Grits instead!

Baked Ziti

Be sure to use your favorite gluten free pasta – I think Tinkyada and Jovialmake for the best taste and texture.

As for gluten free jarred spaghetti sauces, I can’t recall ever seeing a jarred sauce that contained gluten ingredients (but I’m sure they’re out there!) so be sure to read ingredient labels.  One mainstream brand that comes to mind (and is labeled gluten free) is Classico.

 

For even MORE gluten free menu ideas, visit Heather over at Celiac Family for the Gluten Free Menu Swap schedule!

Lastly, I hope to be back up and running on a more frequent basis over the next week or so.  Between painting a nearly 4,000 sq. ft. house (I’ve needed a mind-numbing distraction lately) and frantically trying to figure out a peculiar health issue my husband’s been having (I’m betting on hypoglycemia at this point but the 14 vials of blood he had drawn last week should tell us more…and yes, I banned myself from the computer during this process because I’m not above being affected by hypochondria, LOL!). 😉

xo,
Heidi

Comments

  1. Thank you for the shoutout!!

    • You're so very welcome Valerie! Thank you for the tour of your kitchen (just goes to show that great things DO happen in small spaces!) and I'm looking forward to making your homemade sunflower butter cups! 🙂

  2. Thanks for spreading the word about my kitchen series. Love your new badge from Lexie. Wow you've packed this post full of good stuff, Heidi! I was thinking stuffed peppers this week, too, after listening in on the NFCA webinar with Rachel Begun. She said it was a great combo for celiacs to get a lot of the vitamins and nutrients we lack or don't absorb well. Have a great week and so nice to 'see' you this weekend. xoxo

  3. HI …. I am new to this and my daughter has had one blood test that was negative but cannot eat flour products, and possibly sulfites. How do you find out if it is celiac, intolerance, sensitivity or some other allergy? I am confused and frustrated on what I can do to help her. I have subscribed to yours and a couple other gf blogs and she says she feels better with the changes which we have been doing for the last 3 months…ideas? thank you for any input 🙂

  4. Yes, I agree the Gluten Free Kitchen series is AWESOME! Love it! Can't wait to see your kitchen, Heidi!
    My recent post GF Chili Beans

  5. Symptoms…other than celiac disease (which I agree is not nice)?….I have been experiencing serious leg cramps in my calves that wake me up in the night….I am trying (and mostly succeeding) to reduce/eliminate gluten and I believe that the cramps are going away!
    Anyone else with similar/different symptoms?

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  1. […] hundreds of meal planner linking up each week for her Menu Plan Monday. Be sure to visit Heidi at Adventures of a Gluten-Free Mom. Her menu plans are detailed and she packs lots of good information into her menu […]