Menu Plan Monday – March 30, 2009

I have been working like a crazy girl this past week and can see it continuing for a while (ya know, more than the usual craziness!)…  I will be here on Friday for Gluten Freezer Friday with a post for a freezer marinade, so see you then!  

 

Head over to Laura’s for Menu Plan Monday, then check out the Gluten Free Menu Swap hosted this week by Asparagus Thin.

 

Monday:  Orchestra day/Dance/Boy Scout Court of Honor Night

    Pork in a Thai inspired peanut sauce (recipe will be posted Friday) over rice and asparagus 

 

Tuesday:  Spring picture day for elementary school/Make chicken stock/start bread presoak step/start muffins presoaking/make kimchee

    Chicken with roasted carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes and onions and steamed mixed veggies

 

Wednesday:  Mom volunteers at school library/Bake bread and muffins

    Meatloaf “cake” with mashed and sweet potato “frosting” (Hey, it’s April Fool’s Day and I’m a nut, so go figure!  This may be shaped as individual cupcakes.  Hmmm…)  and steamed veggies or salad

 

Thursday:   Mom volunteers in kindergarten class

    French Dip Sandwiches with  ABC salad (apple, bok choy and carrot)

 

Friday:  No school for kindergarten/half day for elementary school

  Sticky Coconut chicken and coconut rice with salad

 

I’m walking 60 miles in the Breast Cancer 3-day!  Will you help me reach my goal?

Countdown to the 3 Day Walk: 21 Weeks  Your Training Schedule for This Week: Monday Rest   Tuesday 3 miles Easy walking Wednesday       Rest   Thursday 4 miles Moderate walking Friday 30 minutes      Easy cross-training Saturday 5 miles Easy walking Sunday 4 miles Easy walking

Gluten Free-zer Friday – Basic Beans

Today is the last day of Spring Break for the kiddos and Daddy is off from work today, too!  Gluten Free-zer Friday’s recipe will be up later today after I am back from playing with the family.  The science museum is calling out to us…  If you have a link to add before I get back, pop it in the comments and I will add it when I return.  

 

See you later!

Participating in Gluten Free-zer Friday: 

1. If you would like to participate in Gluten Free-zer Friday, simply email your post link to your gluten free freezer recipe (angelas_kitchenATcomcastDOTnet) or leave a comment below and I will add you to the roundup.

2. Link back to this post on the post with the recipe you have linked. 

 

**Edit:  Here’s the Gluten Free-zer Friday recipe!

This is what I do to cook up beans for in the freezer.  Yes, I know you can just open a can, but I like to presoak them and they are super cheep this way.  I find that dried organic beans I cook up myself are about 60% cheaper than opening a can of conventional beans.  The texture is better, it’s super easy to do and I can control what is in them.  Works for me!  You can season the beans as you like, however, I usually leave my beans plain so I can season depending on what I am cooking that night.  

 

Beans

 

6 cups of dried beans (I like to have a variety on hand)

6 tablespoons lemon juice or cider vinegar

 

Rinse beans and pick out any yucky beans or gavel.  Put beans into the crock of a 6 quart crock, cover with warm water about 2 inches above beans and stir in lemon juice or vinegar.   Allow beans to soak for 12 to 24 hours.  

Drain and rinse beans and return to crock.  Cover with water plus a couple of inches.  Cover and cook on low for 6-10 hours (this depends on the bean you are cooking) or until the beans are cooked through and tender (NOT mushy).  Drain beans and allow to cool.  

 

To freeze:  After the beans cool, I package the beans into 3 cup amounts in freezer bags.  3 cups will equal the same amount as 2 cans of beans, which is how many I usually use in my cooking.  Remove as much air as possible from the bags, label the bag and freeze.  

 

I’m walking 60 miles in the Breast Cancer 3-day!  Will you help me reach my goal? 

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Menu Plan Monday – March 16, 2009

Woo!  It’s Spring Break here for my kiddos and (guess what?) it even seems like spring out there.  My door is open to let in the breeze.  Very exciting!  We have the seeds on the way (all those yummy heirloom tomatoes and eggplants, mmmm…), we ordered some fruit plants for the yard (dwarf plums, northern pie cherry, lingonberries, 3 kinds of raspberries and asparagus) and the seed starting shelves are set up.  I can even see my garden as all of the snow is melted off of it.  Nice!  I feel a great need to get out there and even out the mulch on the paths and sprinkle the compost around (my dad dumped a load on there that froze right away very late last fall.  I have had a frozen compost sculpture on my garden all winter).  I can’t work the soil yet (too wet, too cold) but I can clean it up a bit and just get out there.  I also need to measure the outside of the garden.  We are putting up a tougher, taller fence this year.  I am tired of battling the deer and bunnies, and would like to get more of my yummy herbs and veggies this year.  

 

The kids and I have some fun things planned for break, but we are also leaving time open for play time with the little buddies of my kids and for making yummy things to stock the freezer with for breakfasts and lunches, and just to hang out.  My menu this week is dictated by fun kid times and a relaxed schedule.  I love breaks!  I wish we had them more often!  

 

Menu Plan Monday is being hosted this week by Erin of $5 dinners.  Erin is a mom who won’t spend more than $5 on a meal for her family and cooks GFCFSF for two of her children.  Now that is something I can get behind!  I am able to maintain our budget really well as I make so much from scratch, however getting new tips is always a great thing.  I can’t wait to explore her site!  I found one blog that was supposed to be a gluten free “budget” site, but at $20 for a dinner for 4 people, that is NOT a budget dinner for us (to make 8 servings a meal it would add up to $280 a week/over $1,000 a month – no snacks, no breakfasts, no lunches… Yikes!)  Head on over and check it out.  I think $5 dinners is going to be a new favorite.

The Gluten Free Menu Swap is being hosted b y Sea of Book of Yum.  She has picked nuts as the theme ingredient.  Nuts is something we are not allergic to (yay, for us!) so we do use nuts and seeds liberally.  Nuts as a “milk” finds its way into my morning chai, cashews are used in my “cheese” sauce, and I make presoaked/sprouted crispy nuts for snacking.

 

Spring Break all week – NO SCHOOL!!  (And my hubby has Thursday and Friday off too!)

Monday:  Dance Class/start bread “sponge”/make new batch of coconut yogurt/make a batch of kimchee and kraut/make pizza for tomorrow’s sleep over – freeze/bake cupcakes for freezer and as gift

     Tacos with all the fixings and a salad

 

Tuesday:   Orthodontist appointment/double batch millet blender waffles for breakfast and freezer/all of us play at a friend’s house/kids on a sleep over/experiment with a bread recipe I want to try

    Pizza with cashew “cheese”, veggie sticks with dip for the kids, salad for me with avocados (the kid’s are bringing it to their sleepover and I am making one for me, too, with all my favorite toppings as my hubby will be at work that evening – an evening all alone.   Weird… But lots of reading and knitting sounds like just the thing!)

 

Wednesday: Roast 3 chickens – freeze extra meat, start stock/Make double batch of pumpkin waffles for lunch and freezer

    Roast Chicken, salad and roasted root veggies

 

Thursday:  De-fat stock and freeze/Daisy Meeting/presoak muffin ingredients for tomorrow’s baking

  Leaving this open right now for kid’s and daddy’s choice (maybe something in the slow cooker or maybe fajitas or a teriyaki stir fry??)

 

Friday:  Bake muffins for breakfast and freezer and coffee cake for snack for mom Bible study/mom Bible study

    Leaving this open right now for kid’s and daddy’s choice 

 

Saturday:   Chicken and Basil meatloaf (altered to be GFCF), smashed cauliflower and salad

 

Sunday:  Oldest daughter in skit for Sunday School

  (maybe spring rolls??)

I’m walking 60 miles in the Breast Cancer 3-day!  Will you help me reach my goal? 

Countdown to 3-day walk: 23 Weeks
Your Training Schedule for This Week:

Monday	Rest
Tuesday	3 miles	Easy walking
Wednesday	Rest
Thursday	3 miles	Moderate walking
Friday	30 minutes	Easy cross-training (does playing on the Wii with the kids count?)
Saturday	4 miles	Easy walking
Sunday	3 miles	Easy walking

Gluten Free-zer Friday – Choose your own Teriyaki

Visit MJ for Freezer Food Friday and see what is everyone else’s freezers.  Today she has a Chicken Basil Meatloaf to share.  Sounds good!  My kids are always up for meatloaf!  To make gluten free, just use gluten free dried bread crumbs instead of gluten ones.  I wonder how this would be as meatballs, too?  I think I need to try it both ways.  Yummy!  Thanks, MJ!

If you have a freezer recipe to share that is gluten free, link back here and join in on Gluten Free-zer Friday.  I’ld love to have ya join in!

Participating in Gluten Free-zer Friday: 

1. If you would like to participate in Gluten Free-zer Friday, simply email your post link to your gluten free freezer recipe (angelas_kitchenATcomcastDOTnet) or leave a comment below and I will add you to the roundup.

2. Link back to this post on the post with the recipe you have linked. 

 

Teriyaki Sauce:

makes about 4 to 4 1/2 cups of sauce

 

2 cups gluten free soy sauce (I use San-J’s gluten free reduced sodium)

1 1/2 cups sugar or cane juice crystals

1 cup Mirin (rice cooking wine – I use the one from Eden)

1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger

1 tablespoon minced garlic

 

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and simmer until the sugar dissolves.  Allow to simmer for about 3 minutes more.  Allow sauce to cool, then store in a canning jar with a lid in the refrigerator.  This will keep for several months in the refrigerator, but it never lasts that long in our house!  You can use this on shrimp, chicken, steak, tofu, pork, etc. and as a dipping sauce.  Mmmm….

 

To use as a freezer marinade:  Use 1/2 cup of sauce for every pound of meat in a gallon sized freezer bag.  Seal bag the mix the meat around until covered in sauce.  Open seal and remove as much air as possible from the bag.  Seal.  Label bag and freeze.  (The marinade will get thick in the freezer, but due to the mirin, never completely freeze.  However, the meat will.)

 

When ready to serve:  Thaw meat.  Bake, grill or broil until meat is cooked to desired doneness.  Watch the meat closely as is nears the end of cooking time.  The sugar in the marinade can scorch if not tended to near the end, especially on the grill and when broiling.  If you would like to use the rest of the marinade in the bag as a dipping sauce, put it into a saucepan, bring to a boil and allow to boil for a few minutes before serving.  

 

I’m walking 60 miles in the Breast Cancer 3-day!  Will you help me reach my goal? 

Slow Cooking Thursday – French Toast Casserole

Head over to Sandra’s for Slow Cooking Thursday and see what is in everybody else’s crock pot!

 

Today’s recipe is one I am trying for the first time today.  I will adjust the time on it if it looks like it needs it later.  I wanted to try this out when I am kind of around the house today to check how it is cooking.  If it works out well, we can have French toast for breakfasts during the week without the fuss.  Woo-hoo!  I used the recipe from the queen of crock pot cooking, Stephanie at Crockpot 365.  I just tweeked the recipe a bit to be slightly less sweet, with some different seasonings, and to be all dairy free (she is already a gluten free girl).  I also used a couple of different techniques I use when doing French toast casserole for the family so that it cooks up evenly for us.  It may make it a bit like a bread pudding style French toast, but for the casserole, that is what we like as the custard base seems to better absorb into the bread. 

 

Check out all of the slow cooking recipes Stephanie shares at Crockpot365.  They are all gluten free and her blog is fun reading.  Her blog is one of my favorites…

 

Slow Cooker French Toast Casserole (adapted from Stephanie’s recipe at Crockpot365)

Serves 6-8

 

8 cups gluten and dairy free soft bread cubes, about 1″ to 1 1/2″ (I cut up Noah’s rolls I had on hand.  Stephanie use a gluten free raisin bread. Mmmm….)

1 dozen eggs

4 cups gluten and dairy free milk substitute (I used unsweetened plain almond milk, Stephanie used heavy cream as part of her milk.  To make dairy free, you could use 1 cup coconut milk blended with 3 cups almond for a richer French toast.) 

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1 teaspoon gluten free vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon gluten free almond extract

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup walnuts or other nut, optional

 

Oil the inside of a 6 quart  slow cooker. Place the bread cubes into the slow cooker.

Put the rest of the ingredients, except the nuts, into a blender and blend at a low speed until combined.  Pour egg mixture over bread cubes.  Cover crock and put crock into refrigerator until about 6-8 hours before you would like your meal.  (Mine soaked for a couple of hours, but you could even let soak overnight, which is what I do with my regular French toast casserole.)  Stephanie set it to cook right away, but I like to let a French toast casserole’s egg mixture soak into the bread before baking so that the egg is more evenly distributed though out the casserole.

When ready to cook, put crock in slow cooker base and cook on low for 6-8 hours. 

After 8 hours, Stephanie had a bit of liquid left in the crockpot, but the bread on top was browned nicely and the egg was done. She took the lid off for  30 minutes before she remembered that she had left the lid off of the crockpot, and that it was still plugged in.  All the moisture was gone and the french toast was perfect. (That is why I am trying to cook the casserole about 7 hours before I would like to eat, just incase I need to let it sit for a half hour.  I’ll let you know how it worked for me.)

 

**Edit (after supper):  This took 8 hours to cook, plus the 30 minute lid off time.  Perfect for overnight!  I did not mind the 30 minutes as it gave me enough time to ready some strawberries and turkey sausage to have with the French toast.  The smell through the house really got the kids to speed through washing their hands and get ready for dinner, too!  

I caught my son and MY MOM licking their plates, so I think that means I have to make this again.  My mom thought this was perfect as is (she licked the plate!!), but I thought just a bit moist, so the next time I will reduce the milk substitute by half of a cup, then if still too moist, a half cup more.  That should do it for me for the moisture level to be right.  I will update with the new amount of liquid when I make this again (next week for Spring Break sounds like a great idea).

I am putting this down as an official family favorite. (And a favorite of my mom’s, too, apparently!  Hee, hee, hee!!)  Thanks, Stephanie!!

Menu Plan Tuesday – March 10, 2009

Head over to Laura’s for Menu Plan Monday.  Yeah, I’m a Tuesday girl this week and my menu isn’t actually very complete, but I’m joining in anyway!  I have to reorganize the freezer and pantry during this week.  It’s a bit out of control in there!  Who knows what tasty things I will find to add to the menu?  For the Gluten Free Menu Swap, Gluten Free Goodness is hosting with Garlic as the theme ingredient.  Mmmmm….I love garlic…  Thanks, Cheryl!

 

 

Monday:  Son leave for 7th grade trip/orchestra day/dance class

    Wild Rice Chicken Soup and blender corn bread muffins

 

Tuesday:  Find your own food Tuesday (leftover night)

 

Wednesday:  Mom volunteer in elementary school library/Drama meeting at church

    Lemon and Garlic Chicken, salad, quinoa pilaf

 

Thursday:  mom volunteer in kindergarten class/Junior Girl Scout meeting/Son home from trip

    (to be changed when I have decided:  something in the slow cooker – I am leaning toward a slow cooker french toast casserole or strata to see how it cooks up and if it could be an overnight thing for breakfast…)

 

Friday:  Mom Bible study/Son has day off from school

    Son’s choice.  I miss the big guy!  

 

Also to do this week:  Work typing data entry stuff (I have quite a bit to do on that – so behind!  Uhg!), work on next class packet prep, work a bit on sewing my fabric napkins (I might need some rick rack!), order the last of my seeds and the fruit trees/bushes, finish setting up seed starting area (hang the lights, set up light timer, etc.), sort out-grown clothes in basement, do training walks for the 3 day walk…   If I can I would like to pull some clothes that don’t fit my daughters from their closets.  We will have to see if that happens this week.  

 

I’m walking 60 miles in the Breast Cancer 3-day!  Will you help me reach my goal? 

Gluten Free-zer Friday – Chocolate Banana Pops

Head over to MJ’s for Freezer Food Friday and join in on the fun!  She has a beef stock recipe there today which is naturally gluten and dairy free and sounds delicious.  

If you have a freezer recipe to share that is gluten free, link back here and join in on Gluten Free-zer Friday.  I’ld love to have ya join in!

Participating in Gluten Free-zer Friday: 

1. If you would like to participate in Gluten Free-zer Friday, simply email your post link to your gluten free freezer recipe (angelas_kitchenATcomcastDOTnet) or leave a comment below and I will add you to the roundup.

2. Link back to this post on the post with the recipe you have linked. 

 

Chocolate Banana Pops or Bites

Serves 12

 

6 bananas (ripe, without soft spots)

1 cup to 1 1/2 cups gluten and dairy free chocolate chips (start melting 1 cup worth, then melt the other 1/2 cup if needed)

optional: chopped nuts or gluten free sprinkles

 

If making Banana Pops:  Line a baking pan with waxed paper or plastic wrap.  Peel the bananas and cut in half crosswise.  Put a popsicle stick into the cut end of each banana half.  Lay bananas on the waxed paper or plastic wrap.  Put bananas into the freezer for about 2 hours until very firm and frozen.  

 

In a double boiler, melt chocolate chips.  When chocolate is melted, remove bananas from freezer.  Working quickly, dip each banana by holding the popsicle stick and twirling in the chocolate.  The chocolate should harden on the frozen banana very quickly.  Roll in chopped nuts or sprinkles before chocolate hardens, if desired.  Wrap each banana half in plastic, then put wrapped banana pops in a container with a lid.  Store in the freezer.

 

If making Banana Bites:  Line a baking pan with waxed paper or plastic wrap.  Peel the bananas and cut in one inch chunks.  Lay bananas on the waxed paper or plastic wrap.  Put bananas into the freezer for about 2 hours until very firm and frozen.  

 

In a double boiler, melt chocolate chips.  When chocolate is melted, remove bananas from freezer.  Working quickly, dip each banana chunk by placing the banana piece on the tines of a fork and lowering it into the chocolate.  The chocolate should harden on the frozen banana very quickly.  Roll in chopped nuts or sprinkles before chocolate hardens, if desired.  Put the chocolate covered banana bite onto the waxed paper or plastic wrap while dipping the rest of the banana chunks.  Put the banana bites into a plastic container with a lid, putting waxed paper or plastic wrap between the layers of the banana bites.  Store in the freezer.

 

I’m walking 60 miles in the Breast Cancer 3-day!  Will you help me reach my goal? 

Menu Plan Monday – March 2, 2009

I’ve got a zippy week ahead of me, so my training walks for the 3 day walk will be on hold until Thursday, but then I have got to get it back in gear!  The kids have conferences and a couple of days off this week, I am teaching a class and my dad and I are going to be setting up our seed sprouting area.  Should be fun!  With all the prep and work I have going on this week and all the chilly weather, we are eating very simply this week, enjoying some comfort foods we all enjoy.  It may say it’s close to spring on the calendar, but the snow outside says differently!  

 

Head over to Laura’s for Menu Plan Monday.  She has a new button this week with her family favs and a few are allergy friendly.  I can’t wait to check them out!  The Gluten Free Menu Swap is being hosted by the fabulous Gluten Free Goodness.  She has picked Chickpeas as the ingredient of the week.  Ya-hoo!  We love it around here.  If it’s not humus or in a soup or casserole, I use the dried ground bean as a flour in some of the flour mixes I use for breads, brownies, chocolate chip cookies and pumpkin cookies.  It’s a bean of many faces!  ;o)

Monday:  Orchestra day/Dance class/Boy scout meeting/mommy prep for upcoming class/make chicken stock, strain, and cool

    Daddy’s night to cook!  (I think it’s grilled burgers, roasted sweet potato and regular potatoes, and a salad)

 

Tuesday:  Piano lessons/mommy prep for upcoming class/package and freeze chicken stock

     Leftover night (there is roast beef, chicken, roast veggies, salad, etc. in the fridge – gotta eat it up!)

 

Wednesday:  No school for Kindergarten/mommy teaches a class

      Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken and rice

 

Thursday:  No school for all the kids/conferences for the big kids

      Turkey Meatballs, gluten free pasta and salad

 

Friday:  No school for all the kids/mom’s Bible Study/fun night at church for the 5th grader

      Don’t know yet – it’s kid’s choice night!  The kids will decide Thursday and then help me make it on Friday.    

 

Other stuff to do:  get waffles made and in the freezer/data entry work (about 15 hours)/get walking training miles in/put some meals together for some friends/work on linking more recipes on blog/etc., etc., etc…

I’m walking 60 miles in the Breast Cancer 3-day!  Will you help me reach my goal?