Tag: menu

Thanksgiving 2019 Gluten-free, Milk-free, Peanut-free, Tree Nut-free, Soy-free and mostly Nightshade-free (Also what is at Woodman’s for Thanksgiving)

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I have finished my menu planning for our Thanksgiving dinner. This year it will be mostly traditional foods.

A big turkey from Trader Joe’s. Stuffing made from Walmart’s gluten-free white bread. Rolls made from teff flour. My kids favorite chocolate pie. The salad may change to Brussels sprout salad, but then I would need to change my roasted vegetable.

I’m really looking forward to the leftovers. I love Turkey Dill Salad. A whole cup of dill in one salad.

I went to Woodman’s this week and they had many products for your milk-free, gluten-free Thanksgiving.

Earth Balance Soy Free Sticks
Earth Balance Soy Free Sticks

They had the Earth Balance Soy Free Sticks.  I had not been able to find these for awhile.  Whole Foods (the one by me) had stopped selling them.

SoDelicious Oatmilk Vanilla
SoDelicious Oatmilk Snickerdoodle

I was excited to see these creamers.  Last years list of 100 things included start drinking coffee black. The switch was not as hard as I expected and now I don’t feel as bad about the brown sugar I put in my oatmeal.  I used the vanilla creamer in a chocolate frosting I made for a friends birthday cake and it was amazing!

Aleia’s Stuffing Mix
Aleia’s Stuffing Mix Ingredients

Woodman’s carries so many good brands for those on a gluten-free diet.  I had not seen the Aleia’s brand stuffing that so many people were asking questions about in the gluten-free groups.  I was happy to see that it was also free of milk.  (It does contain eggs.)

They had some of the Enjoy Life holiday cookies.  The Kinnikinnick Gram Style Crumbs would be a great shortcut for making pie crusts.  Full circle Market Organic Gluten-Free Fried Onions were a good find too.  It has been hard this year to find the Aldi Gluten-Free Fried Onions so it is great to have an alternative.

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

 

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Summer party planning….

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For my household summer is finally here.

Organizing wise I am washing and packing away the rest of the winter coats.  I had packed away the boots and snow pants a few weeks ago.  My kids are older and the amount of “after school’s out” paper deluge is becoming less and less.  In fact I only have one packet of papers from one child and a small pile from the other. Such a relief.

We are having a few friends over to celebrate the end of school and are planning a super simple menu.  Chips and salsa, fruit, drinks and some yummy baked goods.  (Including the awesome little sugar cookies in the above picture!)

In the garden I have lots of seedlings coming up and have planted plenty of tomato plants.  I know, “but you can’t eat tomatoes”! But I feel a vegetable garden is not a garden without tomatoes. So this year I have 5 different types, and a few pepper plants too.  My favorite part of gardening is letting things bloom and go to seed.

Garden 5/28/2019
Carpet of seedlings.
Garden-2 5/28/2019
Carpet of seedlings.

In part of my garden I currently have a blanket of fennel, dill, cilantro, mustard, and borage seedlings.  It smells heavenly when you walk through them.  I’ll pull most of it up in a few weeks when I plant another round of seeds.

The Nourished Festival is in Chicago this weekend.  If you are new to Celiac/Food Allergies it is a great place to get know companies that truly care about allergy friendly foods.  If you have been living with Celiac/Food Allergies for awhile it is always good to scope out the new finds and sample some of the new products that will be in stores soon.  I shared the event on the Cygnet Organizing facebook page and if you buy tickets ahead of time there is a discount.

Part of being an AllerCoach™ is Auto injector education.  Always have at least two auto injectors with you.

Can you spot the auto injector?
Can you spot the auto injector?

I’m not sure I would be brave enough to not have my auto injector secured inside of something, but this made my day to see this woman biking.  I usually use a running belt to hold my Auvi-q’s and phone while biking, but may need to get a real bike shirt.

I hope summer arrives for your home soon.  -Susan

April car reads….

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I’ve been listening to books while driving my kids to the myriad of activities we are in every week. This weeks book was Wheat Belly by William Davis.

I have been gluten feee for ten years and This book was great. It reinforced my knowledge of why I am gluten free and also how hard it can be to pinpoint gluten as the cause of symptoms.

It was nice to hear some of the medical support and the reasons why there is not more support for a gluten free life style.

I highly recommend this book to those having health issues without a known cause and also to anyone who wants to live a healthier life.

Clean Out Your Fridge Day

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Yesterday (November 15) was National Clean Out Your Fridge Day.

This is a great time to make sure all the old condiments and things you may never finish make room for all the yummy holiday food.

Here is a peek inside my fridge. I try to be on top of old condiments and leftovers, but the physical cleaning of the shelves and drawers I try to do one at a time over a week. Mostly because my fridge is never empty. So mine is more “clean out your fridge week”.

Now back to thinking of my Thanksgiving menu. -SB

So many time lists not enough time.

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Thanksgiving is approaching quickly and it’s time to start thinking about your menu, ok it’s actually past time.  My family is not really too into the whole Turkey course and I am the only one who seems to enjoy stuffing, but it just isn’t Thanksgiving without them.

My planning usually starts on a post-it.  I make a short list and definitely not the final menu I will serve that day.  Starting with just the basics and then reflecting on 1. my schedule for the week before, 2.  wether or not we will be having guests, 3.  what help I will have with cooking.  Help me to see what other dishes to add.

I am trying to get my kids more involved in the preparation of the food.  They both enjoy cooking and have started to be really helpful when preparing big meals.

Have you started your Thanksgiving menu planning yet? Here is an article with an  extensive timeline for Thanksgiving to help you get started.  Turkey Day Timeline