This Week in My Kitchen (September 15)

Joining Heather in sharing a love of whole foods and the kitchen arts.

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This was the first full week that everyone in the family was gluten-free. (Multiple family members diagnosed with Celiacs disease, for new readers.)  Ellianna began immediately as soon as the endoscopy was over about two and half weeks ago. We transitioned the rest of us to gluten free by eating through what was left in the pantry. I still had to give away quite a bit of wheat flour but otherwise it only took us a week to empty the house of gluten. It has been an abrupt transition but not as difficult as I thought it might be. I credit this mostly to our already whole-foods, plant-based diet. We have never really been a ‘bread’ family, but we did use flour tortillas in many of our lunch recipes (and we love Mexican dishes) and we’re really casting about to find a replacement. I will also confess that we were a cereal family, too, so the transition to making breakfast has probably been the biggest adjustment. I have had so many friends send me such great resources. It’s only a matter of time until I’m back in the game! I’m also reading back through my Whole Food Kitchen notebook from the workshop to glean more ideas. Seriously, still the best investment I’ve made in a long time.

I am baking and cooking more than ever before and spending a lot more time in the kitchen. I couldn’t resist adding the dining table pictures this week- just so pretty and so fall. 

I thought I’d share our meal plans for this week- I know just how overwhelming this can be and I hope it helps someone else. They are definitely skewed towards the children this week with lots of kid-friendly taste. Normally there is a bit more of a balance. Most of these recipes are easy to make completely allergen free (no dairy, no nut, etc). You can see our family’s Gluten Free recipe board here.

Breakfast (all are usually served with eggs or yogurt)

– muffins

– oatmeal

-granola

Lunch

– lunch meat rollups

– cheese quesadilias

– hot dogs (make sure to read labels! not all are gluten free- this week was Apple Organics)

– Taco dip and corn chips (again, read labels)

– GF Chicken nuggets

– Apple Sandwhiches

– GF Pizza Twists

Dinner

– Spaghetti (GF noodles- we love TruRoots Penne)

– Autumn Bratwurst with Apples and Cabbage

– Chicken Taco Bowls

– Stir-fry

– Quinoa Chicken Chili

– Pizza Spaghetti Squash Casserole

– Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Joining Heather.