Breakfast Bowls, Organic Vegetable Delivery and Pasta

I made pasta for dinner the other night and it was a great meal. We all enjoyed it and it will be on our menu again soon. I used quinoa penne pasta, it was the best gluten free pasta we have tried. This is a meal we had growing up and it is a easy, inexpensive meal and you can enjoy leftovers the next day. I adapted it a bit and it came out great. I used quinoa penne pasta, organic pasta sauce, canned beans, cooked hamburg, and dairy free cheese. I mixed them together in a casserole dish and baked for about 20 minutes.

With the weather getting warmer I have switched from hot oatmeal to cold oatmeal bowls. This oatmeal bowl has granola, fresh raspberries, organic yogurt, cinnamon, coconut, and raw chocolate nibs. You can adapt this bowl to whatever you enjoy, you can use any kind of granola or even raw oatmeal, use whatever kind of fresh berries you have, use whatever flavour of organic yogurt and sprinkle different toppings on it. Some fun toppings include; raw chocolate nibs, gogi berries, cinnamon, ground flax, coconut, dried fruit, nuts, seeds, chia seeds, and hemp seeds.
Raw Chocolate Nibs are a raw super food. Cacao contains a rich supply of vitamins and minerals. These nutrients include beta-carotene, zinc, and an incredibly rich supply of magnesium. These beans also contain more antioxidant flavnoids than blueberries, red wine and green tea.

Cinnamon may be helpful in controlling blood sugar levels. In studies the effective dose was as little as one gram per day(roughly 1/4 teaspoon).

I am looking forward to our organic vegetable delivery beginning tomorrow. Each Wednesday will get different organic vegetables delivered so I am looking forward to what we will be getting. Have a great day.

Ice cream and cinnamon toast for Breakfast

This morning for breakfast Kelsey and I made ice cream and cinnamon toast. We made banana soft serve with frozen organic bananas and frozen cherries. Kelsey blended them in the food processor for about 5 minutes. I made cinnamon toast with gluten free bread, earth balance, cinnamon and sucanat sugar and toasted it for a few minutes. It was a fun Sunday morning breakfast and it took about 5 minutes to make. It was a kid friendly breakfast that was gluten and dairy free.

What are your favourite weekend breakfasts?

Easy gluten, dairy, soy free, vegan Meal

I made a super quick meal for the kids tonight that they both loved. I was not sure how it would be since I was trying some new things I had bought from Rainbow foods yesterday. I used the gluten free pizza shells, some farm boy pizza sauce and sprinkled the new "cheese" over it. It actually melted, the kids loved it, and said it was the best cheese they have ever had. I was a bit surprised to be quite honest, I had no idea if they would like it or not. I served it with humus, cut up cucumbers and carrots.

Making kid sized pizzas makes an easy, fun meal. Start with any shell you have; whole wheat or gluten free english muffins, tortillas, buns, or homemade dough. Use a sauce, it can be olive oil, pizza or pasta sauce. Put out some toppings; cut up vegetables, pineapple, leftover cut up meat, whatever you have in your fridge. Top with cheese, it can be a non dairy or dairy cheese. Bake and enjoy. Cut up some raw vegetables or fruit to go with it for a quick meal.

Rainy Day Trip to Rainbow Foods

I decided it was a good day to go to Rainbow Foods and stock up on some new gluten, corn and dairy free foods. This is what I bought today; gf graham crackers(figured these would be fun for camping), gf flour mix, gf bread crumbs, gf cones, gf pasta(I think I have stocked up enough gf pasta to feed us for a year), almond milk, taro chips, gf pizza crusts, brown rice cakes, rice crackers and gf strawberry cookies. I also got a new kind of dairy, soy free cheese that is supposed to melt well and taste good. They said it is hard to keep in stock it is so good. It is made with filtered water, tapioca and arrowroot flour, non GMO safflower oil, coconut oil, pea protein, vegan flavours(from plants) xanthum gum, vegan bacterial cultures and annatto. I also got raw coconut butter with cacao. Connor can not have chocolate and he is having a hard time with it even though he did not really enjoy chocolate before. I bought this to see if it would be fine for him since it is more natural and raw.

I will be making a new menu plan for the coming week. Connor has planned out a meal to make. We were sent a new recipe for gf country chicken and he wants coleslaw and mashed potatoes with it. I will be looking through my pantry and freezer to make my menu plan to see what foods we already have. I already know I have most items to make pasta, pizza, salads, and I have lots of fruits and vegetables.

What is on your menu this week?

Stirfry and Ice cream

Last night Kelsey had a soccer game so we needed a quick and filling dinner before we left for her game. Noel made a really good dinner that we all loved. I can see this being on the menu again very soon. I know this was not on my menu plan but we had everything to make it.

The stir fry had zucchini, onions, mushrooms, peppers, ginger, and beef. He made a sauce but not sure exactly what was in it but it was really good. It did have some epicure teriyaki seasoning and organic tamari I know. He also sprinkled organic sesame seeds on it. Sesame seeds have protein, calcium, and iron and taste great in a stir fry. I made some organic rice to go with it. This meal was a huge hit with both kids and they both went back for seconds.

For dessert Noel made ice cream. This is the best ice cream and it is so easy to make. It is dairy and soy free and tastes really good. To make it just get a bunch of bananas, we use organic usually and cut them up into pieces and put in a container in the freezer. When you are ready to use them put whatever amount you want in the food processor and turn it on for 5 minutes. It turns the frozen bananas into soft serve ice cream. At this point you can add in whatever you would like or just eat as is. Last night Noel added frozen raspberries and it was really good. He has also added strawberries and organic peanut butter. We sometimes melt coconut butter in a saucepan and pour over it. You serve this in a bowl or cone. I need to find some gluten free cones now for this summer treat.

***updated; my friend let me know Rainbow Foods has new gluten free waffle cones that are really good***

Enjoy this kid friendly meal that is gluten, dairy, soy, and corn free. You could make it vegan as well but changing the meat to a vegan option. You can have whatever vegetables and protein you have to make a quick meal your family will all enjoy.

Meal Salads

We have been eating more salads here with the new eating plan and the nicer weather. I have been trying to get more creative with salads to make them more exciting and filling. Here are a few salads that I have made because I was frustrated that I could not find a good gluten and corn free bun and tortilla shell. Still on the search for something that does not fall apart and that is free of both corn and gluten.
Taco Salad; I used hormone free hamburg with epicure taco seasoning for the meat, cut up romaine lettuce, cucumber slices, salsa, crushed up rice works salsa chips, and a small amount of raw organic cheese and organic sour cream. This is an excellent salad with so much flavour and filling.
Burger Salad; We grilled veggy burgers, still not sure how I feel about soy so we have very limited amounts. We had them in the freezer and they needed to be used though and they made a quick meal. In the salad there was cut up burger, romaine lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, pickles cut up, and organic ranch dressing. It sounds a bit strange but it was very good and you could put whatever kind of burger, vegetables, or dressing you like.
Steak Salad; We had leftover steak so used cut up steak, romaine lettuce, cut up vegetables, and salad dressing. We crushed rice chips over the salad, the salsa and sweet chili are the best flavour and make a great alternative to croutons. You could use whatever kind of leftovers and vegetables you have, it is a great way to use up what you have in your fridge.

Have fun and get creative. Meal salads are a great way to make a filling gluten free meal.

Menu Plan for the next week

I like to do my big grocery shopping trip on Thursday's and I try to menu plan before I go. I find menu planning is a great tool for saving time, money and eliminating extra trips to the store. I try to plan meals around food we already have and keeping in mind nights we have sports. I like to plan a variety of easy meals, new recipes, family favourites and leftover nights. I look through my pantry, fridge, freezer, and cupboards to see what we have first. I get 2 pieces of paper and make a grocery list and a list for ideas for breakfasts, lunches, snacks and dinners. Sometimes I plan what we will have for each day and others I will just write some ideas for the number of meals I am buying for.
This is what we will be having this week;
Breakfast Ideas;
*organic coffee, herbal teas, juice, water, almond milk
*fresh fruit-watermelon, lots of berries, apples, bananas
*gluten free waffles with berries, cinnamon, maple syrup
*oatmeal
*wheat grass
*green smoothies
*fresh juice
*eggs
*hash browns
*nut butters
*granola with berries, cinnamon, and either organic yogurt or almond milk
*gluten free waffle mix(to make in waffle iron) with warm raspberry sauce and cream(made with tofu);a weekend breakfast

Lunch/Snack Ideas;
*leftovers
*rice chips-garden salsa
*assorted vegetables
*fruit
*gluten free crackers
*salads
*pickles
*homemade granola bars(recipe coming; got everything to make them)
*organic yogurt for Kelsey
*blueberry applesauce cups/organic applesauce
*granola with berries
*baked items

Dinner Ideas;
*Vegetables-Roasted beets, BBQ Vegetables, Europe's Best Frozen Vegetables, Salads, Raw Vegetables, Green and Yellow Beans
~Steak, onion and bell pepper Fajitas with toppings and Brown Rice tortillas(not sure how these will be)
~Gluten Free Pizza with Raw Vegetables
~Vegan Black Bean Burgers, Grilled Vegetables, Organic fries
~Crock pot Fruit Salsa Chicken, Rice, Green and Yellow beans, Roasted beets
~Pasta dinner with gluten free pasta, pasta sauce with meat and a side salad
**I plan on making enough each night for leftovers. Leftovers make packing lunches a much quicker process.