This week's menu

This is a repeat from last May, it was nice to just copy and paste my menu for the week, the only problem is that I lost the links in the process. I'll fix it tomorrow, I'm too tired tonight!

Monday: Crustless Quiche, french cheeses and breads, fresh fruit salad
Tuesday: Shepherd's Pie, spinach salad, fruit smoothie
Wednesday: Stromboli, Marinara and Ranch dipping sauce, Caesar Salad and chips
Thursday: Grilled Fish Tacos with Chipotle lime dressing
Friday: Mom's night off :)
Saturday: Oat Waffles, eggs, bacon and fruit
Sunday: Dinner at Grandma and Grandpa's house!

Birthdays and our 16th Anniversary!

The third week of January is always an exciting one around our house! Keaton and Chase both have birthdays, and Jud and I have our anniversary. We had a great week. Keaton turned 15 and is chomping at the bit to get his Learners Driving Permit and get behind the wheel. Chase turned twelve and is 'finally' out of Primary! We had a neat experience as he received the Priesthood today. Jud and I celebrated 16 eventful years! I must say I was quite spoiled, which is what he does best. Not only did I get tickets to the musical "Wicked", I also got an awesome Ipad set up next to my stove (since I almost always use the internet for my recipes), and heated gloves for our ski trips (my hands are ALWAYS cold!). He also took me on a weekend getaway to a beautiful Bed and Breakfast in SLC. We had a fantastic time!


Here's my menu for the week:
Monday: Sweet Lime Chile Enchiladas with Sweet Pepper Rice and a Spinach Salad
Tuesday: Slow Cooker Apricot Glazed Pork Tenderloin, Sweet Potatoes and Green Beans
Wednesday: Chicken Fettucine Alfredo with Caesar Salad
Thursday: Chicken Corn Chowder with Popovers
Friday: Silver Dollar Pancakes and Eggs
Saturday: Mom's Night Off! :)
Sunday: Wall Family Dinner

A few great recipes

I didn't post my menu last week, but I used some great recipes that I don't want to lose. These are both five star recipes that I would highly recommend!

Molten Chocolate Cake with Sugar Coated Raspberries ( I used this recipe for Chase's birthday cake! I made individual cakes in custard bowls. Truly delicious!)

Chicken and White Bean Chili ( I have crashed and burned on all other white bean chilis, and thought I didn't like them, until I tried this one. Seriously, it is excellent! I used three cans of Great Northern Beans instead of soaking my own, cut the broth to three cups, and used only 1 1/2 tsp. of chili powder and no cayenne pepper. Try it, you'll thank me!)

A pretty uneventful week....

Sometimes no news is good news! It's been an uneventful week. The boys went back to school, Brooks started basketball practice, and I had a morning all to myself shopping at the Gateway! It was actually quite nice to have some "me" time.

Here's my menu for the week:

Monday: Chicken Parmesan (I use almond flour instead of breadcrumbs), Quinoa Pilaf, Caesar Salad
Tuesday: Coconut Curry Beef, Basmati Rice, Green Peas, and Orange Slices
Wednesday: Chicken Noodle Soup, Corn Muffins and Spinach Salad
Thursday: Italian Chicken and Tabbouleh
Friday: Pizza Night!
Saturday: Mom's Night Off!
Sunday: Grilled Steak, Sweet Potatoes, Popovers and Spinach Salad

A great holiday and gluten free cooking!

It has been a great holiday season! My husband had the entire week off after Christmas, and we played and played! We took the boys on a ski/snowboarding trip for a few days and had a blast! My youngest is hilarious on skis! He's quite good and has no fear. You can always tell which run he's on because he yells at the top of his lungs as he skis straight down the mountain, "Yee-haw!" The other boys are close to surpassing me with their skills! But they've got a long ways to go before they'll surpass their dad (is that possible? I don't know, he's REALLY good!) We had fun hanging out together, watching silly movies, and eating good food. I'm not sure if I'm ready for school to start again, although a schedule and routine sounds nice. And now we have to wait a whole year for Christmas to come again!

I have a lot of people ask me about how I cook gluten-free for one of my children. Is it hard? Sometimes. But for the most part, I just have to be organized with a menu and it's not too inconvenient. This particular child is not a celiac, just gluten intolerant. I don't have to be ultra careful to make sure that nothing has been gluten contaminated, but I do my best. In my recipes, if something uses pasta, I uses 'Brown Rice Pasta' by Tinkyada. It tastes great and my family cannot tell the difference. It's also whole grain, so it's better for all of us. If I make enchiladas, I always make several with corn tortillas for my gluten-free guy. I also buy him special bread for toast. Baked goods are really the most different part of gluten-free eating. I bake a lot of things with almond flour, such as muffins and cookies, and I use whole grain oats a lot. I love Elana's Pantry and get a lot of my goodie and baking recipes from her. I also love my cookbook 'Eat Free' by Rhiannon Lawrence. Really, the most difficult part is making his lunches. I'd love suggestions for gluten-free brown bag lunch ideas. I'm always searching for ideas!

Here's my menu for this week:
Monday: Chicken Cordon Bleu, Brown Rice, Sauteed Lime and Garlic Asparagus
Tuesday: Slow Cooker Lentil and Ham Soup, Corn Muffins
Wednesday: Shredded Beef Tomatillo Enchiladas, Mexican Rice, Green Salad
Thursday: Spaghetti with Marinara (I made a huge batch of this yummy sauce in the summer and it frozen into quart bags), Parmesan Toast, Green Salad
Friday: Pizza Night! (I make a huge batch of this Gluten Free Pizza Dough for my gluten-free guy. I shape it into several mini pizza crusts and bake it for about 8 minutes and then freeze it)
Saturday: Mom's night off!
Sunday: Crockpot Barbeque, Baked Potatoes, Steamed Broccoli