Chicken Tostadas

This really should be a manageable Monday meal because it's definitely under $30 and under 30 minutes...but since we're packing to move and I don't have a lot of time (or energy) we're pretty much having a manageable everything this week.
When I was pregnant with my oldest I lived and breathed Mexican food. I couldn't get enough of it. I would eat salsa and guacamole by the spoonful and enchiladas were a daily necessity. This wasn't so much the case for my last pregnancy. It was actually the complete opposite.
Before I even knew I was pregnant I got violently ill after eating at Mexican restaurant. Because we had been trying to get pregnant I passed on the margaritas so I knew it wasn't that, and I chalked it up to food poisoning. I gave my beloved Mexican food one more attempt at 3 months pregnant and the same thing happened. But this time it happened before I even got to put the food in my mouth. The smell alone was enough to make me get sick right in the restaurant. On the table. 
After that I couldn't be around Mexican food for the rest of my pregnancy. The one time my husband came home with a taco I made him go outside and eat because even the thought of it in the house made me sick. It was so strange because before that nothing made me happier than sitting at a Mexican restaurant with a margarita and a giant plate of tacos in front of me. And if I could do it while wearing a sombrero then life was pretty much complete. 
Much to my husbands delight I'm finally able to cook it again and one of our household favorites are these tostadas. My mom made them for us while we were visiting my parents a couple years back and we fell in love. They are so easy to make, easy on the wallet, and you don't have to worry about side dishes because it's a meal in itself. Plus if you have small hands in your household you can always take what you made and stuff it in a mess free (or at least less messy) taco shell. 
The best part is they are totally customizable to what your family likes. I have made them with chicken, steak, ground turkey, you name it and it they are all good. Here's how I made them tonight: 

Ingredients: 
1 bag tostadas
1 can refried beans (I use vegetarian because we don't eat pork) 
1 package yellow rice 
1 lb chicken 
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 package Ortega cilantro and green chile skillet sauce
Cheese, lettuce, olives, salsa, etc. 

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 350. 
Boil 2 1/2 cups water for rice. 
In a large skillet pre heat your olive oil over medium high heat. Add chicken and brown. 
Add your rice and cook as directed. 
Once your chicken is browned add your sauce, turn heat to low, and continue to simmer until fully cooked. 
Place tostadas on a non stick cookie sheet.
Spread a layer of beans, rice, and chicken (you can shred it or chop it) then place in oven for 5-10 minutes. 
Remove and place whatever toppings you chose. 

Like I said, this has become a weekly dinner meal in our house and you can change it up however you want so even the pickiest eaters can enjoy!

{Disclaimer: I am in no way being represented or compensated by any products that I mention in this post. As always, my opinions are my own. I am sharing this recipe because I believe in quick, easy, healthy, and affordable meals. With that being said, I am not responsible for what you cook. You cannot sue me for the products you use or buy, choosing to undercook your meal, or any fires you light in your kitchen. But know that if you do accidentally catch your kitchen on fire- so have I.}

Manageable Mondays: Homemade Chicken and Rice Soup

As I had said in yesterdays post there's a ton of things you can do with left over chicken. I had planned on making chicken salad (because my husband is obsessed with it) but unfortunately our house had a rough night last night. Both kids decided to wake up at 2am...and then stay up for the rest of the night. Along with my 2am wake up call also came a stomach virus. OH. MY. GOSH. I haven't been in that much pain since child birth.

When I finally managed to get out of bed at almost 3pm there was no way I was going to make chicken salad. The mere thought of mayonnaise was enough to send my stomach right back up so chicken soup it was. There was also no way I could go to the store, so I had to use whatever was in our fridge and somehow it turned out to be the best chicken and rice soup I've ever made.

Ingredients: 

1 tablespoon olive oil 

2 cups chopped carrots 

2 cups chopped celery 

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 32oz container of gluten-free chicken broth 

1/4 cup brown rice, uncooked 

2 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded 

1 teaspoon ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano  

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 

1 teaspoon dried parsley  

1 sprig rosemary 

2 bay leaves

Heat olive oil in large pot and sauté carrots and celery on medium-high heat for about 2 minutes. Add minced garlic and sauté for an additional minute. Pour chicken broth into pot and bring to a boil. Add 1/4 cup rice, pepper, salt, oregano, thyme, parsley, rosemary, and bay leaves. Continue to boil uncovered for 1 minute then cover and simmer. Shred your chicken and then add it after your soup has been simmering for 5 minutes and then continue to simmer until your rice is cooked. Remove your bay leaves and rosemary sprig. 

Luckily for me, it was pouring rain all day so it didn't feel super weird making soup in July. Even more lucky was the fact that because my kids were up all night they crashed for an extra long nap and I got to sit on the couch with my soup and watch 3 straight hours of horrible reality television. It was amazing.

Slow Cooker Sundays

One of the best cooking tips I've ever gotten was from a 23 year old guy. It was actually one of the best life tips I've ever gotten. He told me, "now that you're a mom with a kid that eats real food you're gonna need a crock pot." Because he was someone with no kids and who lived off of sandwiches and pizza, I was a little confused as to where his advice was coming from (probably his mother) but it was genius none the less. After I explained to him that the mashed up vegetables my son had been eating was in fact "real food" I got in my car, headed to the nearest Target, and picked up a crock pot. The first greatest decision in life was to marry my husband. This was my second. 
One thing I've learned about those miracle cooking machines is that they all cook differently. The first one I bought was small but mighty. I would always have to knock an hour off of whatever cook time the recipe said. Unfortunately, because its on the small side you can't fit a lot in it. The other crock pot I have (the one I used today) is much larger and older. In turn, it cooks everything much slower and I find myself always adding time at the end. It was given to my mother by her mother and now it's been passed down to me. And by passed down I mean I needed a larger crock pot than the one I had so I stole it from her.

I usually love to cook dinner. It's the hour I take out of every week day to turn on music, pour myself a glass of wine, and just tune everything else out. We have a "no kitchen rule" while I'm cooking dinner. No one is allowed in the kitchen. No one. If you need a glass of water, I'll get it for you, but don't step foot over that kitchen line. As a result, my house is usually completely destroyed by the time I'm finished cooking but it's totally worth it that hour. Sundays are the one day that I hardly ever take that hour. We've usually spent the day at the pool and then I get everything ready for the week. By the time dinner rolls around I'm either feeling too lazy to cook or we just aren't home, especially during the summer. My crock pot almost always makes an appearance on Sundays. 

Today I decided to be bold and make a roasted chicken. I have a HORRIBLE history with cooking whole chickens. And by that I don't mean that I tried once to cook a chicken and it just didn't work out. I mean that after several attempts I have yet to successfully cook a whole chicken. Not one time. The most mortifying attempt, which was also my first, was the time I thought I had prepared the most glorious meal ever and when we went to cut into my beautiful masterpiece the inside was completely frozen. I'm talking we couldn't get a knife through it. Who knew you had to thaw a chicken before cooking it? (I was young and stupid). The most painful attempt was the time I went to take the chicken out of the oven and dropped the entire thing on my foot. I gave up after that one for a while, it had gone too far once physical injuries were occurring. The most hilarious attempt was the time I planned a romantic dinner for my husband and when I put the chicken on the serving plate the entire thing fell completely apart on the plate. It looked like someone had put the chicken in a blender. The good news is I've learned a lot from all of my attempts and I'm finally be able to successfully cook the chicken of our stomachs dreams.

Lots of cooking whole chicken attempts requires buying lots of whole chickens. In all of those purchases I have always only bought ones that have the giblets removed. I had enough issues cooking the thing I didn't need to add removing it's parts onto the list. Unfortunately, the chicken Gods were against me yet again today and when I went to the store they didn't have any without the giblets... but I was a woman on a mission so I bought it anyways. Now, raw chicken grosses me out in general but having to physically remove the organs from it flat out terrifies me. I spent the next 30 minutes googling how to properly remove the giblets. I went a little too far and even watched a YouTube video, but if I was going to actually be able do this I needed to be prepared so that I could do it quickly enough where I was finished before throwing up every where. I mentally prepared myself, put on a pair of gloves, opened the package, and looked inside. Instead of seeing something out of an anatomy book I found all of the giblets wrapped up neatly in a plastic bag. That whole time all I had to do was pull out a plastic bag. While I was happy that I was saved from a situation that would have probably given me reoccurring nightmares, I was kind of pissed that I had just wasted a half hour watching YouTube videos of people performing this task. Imagine the type of person that takes the time to make YouTube videos about removing giblets from chickens. They are everything you're picturing right now. 

Anyways, whether you get the chicken with the giblets removed already or not, know that it's not that bad and all you really have to do is remove a plastic bag. Unless you're going to a farm and picking up a fresh chicken...but I really don't think that's the type of person reading this blog. 

Ingredients:

1 4-5lb whole chicken (obviously adjust the weight for how many people you're feeding)

1 package McCormicks Rosemary Roasted Chicken seasonings 

2 tablespoon minced garlic 

1/2 lemon

2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon ground pepper

3 sprigs fresh rosemary

   Now I realize that most people have the seasonings included in the package at home so feel free to use those. If you do use the McCormicks package note that it is not intended for a whole chicken so ignore the directions included in the package. 

Seasonings and spices are always a little tricky when you're going gluten-free. It's hard to know what could contain wheat and often times it's a company's "secret" recipe so they wont list all of the ingredients. I usually stick with McCormicks brand because they are inexpensive and more importantly the company has made a point of stating that their single spices are 100% pure (meaning they aren't sneaking any substitutes in there that could contain gluten), and that because their extracts are made with Ethyl alcohol opposed to grain alcohol all of those are gluten-free as well. This is especially helpful when it comes to Vanilla extract. It used to kill me when I had to spend twice the amount on Vanilla because a company labeled it as gluten-free. The best part is that if their is gluten in one of their products they make sure they state so on the package in big, bold letters, even if one of the ingredients is so much as derived from a wheat source. It doesn't get much better than that. 

Rinse your chicken (both inside and out) with cold water and pat dry. Mix all of your spices and garlic in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. I sprinkle additional salt and pepper on the skin before hand but it's optional. After you've mixed them together, lay your wings flat and rub the mixture all over the outside of the chicken then turn it over and do the same to the other side. You're going to get really personal with your chicken, making sure you get inside the creases of the wings and legs. 

Then add lemon slices and your rosemary to the inside. I know that the spice package already contained rosemary and garlic but again, that wasn't intended for a whole chicken, and in my opinion you can never have too much of either one of those things. At this point you can tie the legs together with twine to really lock in the flavor. Unfortunately, I'm not the kind of person that has twine laying around her house, and if I did my son would probably have already used it to tie me up.

One EXTREMELY important detail of this operation is that you cannot put your chicken sitting directly on the bottom of the crock pot. There's a lot of juice coming off of it and if you don't set it on top of something the whole thing will fall apart (see disaster story number 3 above). If your crock pot came with a roasting rack, great. If not you have a few of options. The first is to lay it on a bed of carrots, celery and onions. The second is to grab some foil, form them into small balls (a little bit larger than a golf ball) and lay those on the bottom of your crock pot. The third is to put a microwave safe dish on the bottom. That's the option I went with. 

Lay the chicken on top and then cover it with additional lemon pieces and rosemary sprigs. 

Put the top on and cook it on high for 5-6 hours or low for 8-9 hours. Again, this all depends on the size of your chicken and how quickly your crock pot cooks things. If you're home brush some more olive oil on the top half way through cooking and make sure there's no pieces of your chicken sticking to the sides of the crock pot. 

Once your chicken has reached an inside temperature of at least 165 degrees you're all set. At this point you can stick it under the broiler for 5-10 minutes to get a more golden skin, or you can simply take it out of the crock pot once it's reached an inside temperate of 150 degrees and finish cooking it in your oven. If you do this put it in a roasting pan and then cook it for 400 degrees for about 30 minutes. Because I was home (and hungry) that's what I did and I also added some carrots and celery in the pan along with the chicken. You're chicken will be tender due to the fact its been roasting for hours so be very careful when removing it from the crock pot. If it falls apart a little just go with it, that's what makes it so good.

Pour the juices in the bottom of the crock pot CAREFULLY into a pot on the stove. You can add a little cornstarch/water mixture if you want to thicken the sauce or just leave it be. Adjust the flavor adding more spices to your liking and then pour on top of the chicken once it's done cooking. 

The best part is there's so much you can do with the left overs. You worked hard to make that chicken so don't let it go to waste. 

{DISCLAIMER: Always wash your hands, counter, sink, etc. when handling raw meat. I am not responsible if you decide not to hardcore disinfect any surface raw meat has touched and you cannot sue me if you or someone else gets sick. I am also not responsible if you don't have a meat thermometer and decide to wing it as far as if your chicken is cooked or not. If you eat or serve raw chicken you will get sick, and it will not be my fault. It will be yours. Because you ate raw chicken.) 

Stuffed Flank Steak & Roasted Red Potatoes

As previously mentioned I don't usually eat red meat, but I guess I was needing some iron (or was feeling like making my husband happy) because tonight I made steak. I've made this meal so many different ways but I think this way was everyones favorite. I've also made roasted potatoes a lot of different ways, and unfortunately this was not one of our favorites. I've recently become a big fan of Red Forks because they're inexpensive and easy but I don't think I'll be buying this sauce again. I usually just toss the potatoes in olive oil, salt, pepper, and rosemary... I think I'll be sticking to that method. Regardless, this meal left everyones stomach happy and because I already had almost everything at home (with the exception of the steak and potatoes) it was inexpensive to make.

Steak Ingredients:
1lb flank steak
2 cups (give or take) spinach
1 cup rosted red peppers, diced (or you could use sun dried tomatoes- I've done both)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup gluten free italian breadcrumbs (try to find super fine ones)
Shredded mozzarella cheese (try to get NOT super finely shredded...i know, i know)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Kosher Salt
Pepper
Italian dressing

Roasted Potatoes:
1lb baby red potatoes
1 package Red Forks Roasted Potato Sauce


There's 2 things you can do with the steak. The first is to take a very sharp knife and cut it down the center but not all the way through (almost like a book). The second is to pound the crap out of it. I always do this method because I'm a) the most uncoordinated person alive and b) because it lets out any aggression you've built up over the day. If you don't have a meat mallet join the club, just use whatever you can.
In order to pound the steak lay it in between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and then beat it. You want to make sure its really thin (about twice the size it was when you started) because if not it will be impossible to roll.

After you've done that chop your spinach. I try to remove all the stems and sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't. Put your spinach in a large bowl along with your chopped red peppers, garlic, olive oil and breadcrumbs. I usually used sun dried tomatoes in place of the roasted red peppers but I picked these up at the Lebanese market this weekend and I'm OBSESSED.

 I know I've said to not go throwing bread crumbs in everything but this is one dish you want to throw bread crumbs in. If you can, splurge for the Namaste brand. Because they're so fine they hold everything together without actually knowing there's breadcrumbs in there, unlike most gluten free brands.
After you've mixed it all together season the steak with salt and pepper and then spoon your mixture across the top (remove the top layer of plastic wrap of course) and make sure you leave the outer edges uncovered. The mixture will spread as you're rolling the steak and if you cover the outer edges you'll have a big mess on your hands. I learned this the hard way. Then cover the mixture with your shredded mozzarella cheese. (If you're feeling bold you could use blue cheese crumbles or even gorgonzola and I'm sure it would be AMAZING...unfortunately my husband isn't a big cheese eater.)

Next roll the meat keeping the bottom layer of plastic wrap in tact and then put it in the refrigerator. The longer you keep it in the refrigerator the easier it is to keep in tact when cutting.

This is when I pre heat my oven to 425 degrees. Then I cut my red potatoes in half and season them (either how I listed in the beginning or with the sauce I used tonight). Once my oven has preheated I put my potatoes in and set the timer for 30 minutes.

Remove the steak from the fridge and stick wooden skewers through the center. How far apart you put the skewers will depend on how thick the rolls are after you cut them, but remember, there's ALOT of meat rolled up in that sucker and even if you like you're steak rare you don't want to space them too far apart. Once your skewers are in place, cut through the meat in between each skewer. Remove the plastic wrap and place on a non stick baking sheet.

When there's about 15-20 minutes left on your timer put the steaks in the oven. I like my steak well done but if you prefer it to be less cooked then obviously you can adjust the time accordingly. When you have 5 minutes left of cook time add about a tablespoon (and not any more than that) of italian dressing to the top of each steak. When finished cooking let stand for a couple minutes before removing the skewers.

I served this with asparagus because we're addicted to it but any vegetable goes great with this meal. To make the asparagus I just sauteed it over medium high heat in olive oil with some chopped red onion, ground pepper, kosher salt, and squeezed a quarter of a lemon in there. Once it was done I put some shaved parmesan on top.

Manageable Mondays

I always find myself dragging on Mondays. I think it's because my husband gets up with the baby on the weekend so after 2 days of sleeping in 5am comes extra early on Monday mornings. Plus I have his help with the kids on the weekend so I know this day starts the beginning of a week as my one woman show. Whatever the reason, I always need a simple game plan for Monday night dinners. Let's be honest: I need a simple dinner game plan regardless of what day it is, but Mondays especially.
My husband, along with several other people, recently had a bad reaction to Campbell's new skillet sauces. Because he doesn't have celiac disease his reaction was not as severe as others, but I was still left feeling frustrated by what happened. I had checked to make sure that there was no wheat in the product (none was listed) but after doing some research online I found out that Campbell's has "secret" ingredients that they don't put on their labels in order to keep their exclusive recipes just that- a secret.
This is completely understandable. A company has created a billion dollar product, why would they not want to keep their recipes secret to prevent imitators? What is not understandable is why they wouldn't put "may contain gluten" or "may contain wheat" on the label.
When I was at the store today, casually browsing with my 2 kids (yeah right), I stumbled across Red Fork products. I was hesitant because they were placed next to the Campbell's skillet items but I decided to pick it up. There it was, right on the back, "No gluten ingredients used." I threw the Rosemary Chicken Sauce and the Lemon Herb Asparagus Sauce in my cart and dinner was decided upon.

I'm a HUGE believer in the idea that if you do things right the first time it'll save you time and money in the end, and I usually apply this to my cooking. I'll spend more time in the kitchen if it means not having to salvage a meal 10 minutes before everyone is ready to eat. However, it's Monday. So I took a shortcut and this time it happened to pay off (much to my husbands delight because he is quite a fan of shortcuts...so much so that it was the basis for the best man speech at our wedding.)
For all of those in need of an easy, affordable, healthy meal here's my suggestion:

Pre heat your oven to 425
Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to an oven safe dish
Place chicken breasts in dish (you can use a whole chicken but we all know how I feel about that)
Brush olive oil on top of breasts
Cover with Red Forks Rosemary Chicken Seasoning Sauce (Because I only made 3 breasts I only used half the sauce)
Cook in oven uncovered for 25 minutes

Cook 1 pound asparagus according to the directions, make a salad, and you've got yourself a meal...all in under 25 minutes and $25!

                                                

Arroz con Pollo

I've only read one gluten free blog and it started out with some lady talking about how she spent her morning out in the garden picking fresh herbs for her roasted chicken while she watched the fog roll in over the mountains. I stopped right there and haven't read a gluten free blog since. I don't even think I've read a blog since period. I'm 99.9% sure they aren't all like that (I never say 100) but I just can't take a lady who spends her mornings picking fresh herbs from her garden, wearing what I can only assume is a pastel colored J.Crew sweater with gardening gloves and shears to match, seriously. My 4 year old had just colored himself from head to toe in marker and this lady was watching fog. 

 
I'm sure when I'm older with no kids hanging on to me (or coloring all over themselves and my carpet) and a husband who has the need to eat every 5 minutes I'll feel differently. But for now that woman and her blog just isn't my cup of tea. And lord knows said woman drinks a lot of cups of tea.
With that being said, I get that I'm probably not her cup of tea either. I'm more of that "oh hey, I just saw your child having a meltdown in aisle 7 and you're still trying to cook a reasonably priced, somewhat healthy dinner...I got you" cup of Pinot Grigio. Or bottle. This is more of that kind of recipe. To either spice up your night or to burn your kids mouths for throwing a fit in aisle 7 (kidding of course). 
But if you're all about it gardening lady, then by all means grab those paisley print garden shears and head to your nearest cilantro plant!

Because even Lilly Pulitzer needed to escape sometimes.

I think that this dish would be better if you took a whole chicken and cut all of the parts. If you have the time, energy, and lack of gag reflux for that then I highly suggest it. I however have none of those things so I used chicken thighs. That alone was a huge accomplishment. PLEASE don't use breasts for this. I know you want to. So did I. But it's just not going to work out.  

Ingredients:  

1 package chicken thighs (about 5 thighs)  

1 tsp fresh ground pepper  

1 tsp kosher salt  

1 tbsp cumin  

1 tbsp chili powder  

1 clove garlic, minced 

1 bay leaf

2 tbsp olive oil  

2 1/2 cups water 

1 (14.5oz) can diced tomatoes, drained (I use the kind with green chilie's but you can use the ones without if you want to tone it down a little)  

1 package Sazon Goya WITH SAFFRON (Sazon Goya con azafron)  

1 10oz package Vigo yellow rice (Let me just tell you- I have an OBSESSION with this rice. My best friend and I ate it every day for a year straight when we were in high school. Every. Day.) 

1 frozen bag of peas 

1/2 of a lime

Cilantro for garnish

Directions:  

Remove chicken thighs from package, wash and pat dry. Please don't be that person who doesn't wash their chicken thighs. 
Cut off any excess fat but do NOT cut off skin. 
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a deep set frying pan.
Season thighs with salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, and garlic. Brown in pan for 2-3 minutes on each side. DO NOT COOK, just brown. They will cook all the way with the rice.

Add 2 1/2 cups water, your drained can of diced tomatoes, 1 packet of Sazon Goya, and 1 bay leaf. Bring to a boil.

Add your Vigo yellow rice and continue to boil for 1 minute. Stir it all around, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove lid, add peas, and stir then replace lid and simmer for an additional 10 minutes. 

Your rice should be fully cooked and your chicken should easily pull back with a fork and have no pink. 

Remove chicken and pour rice into a large serving bowl. Add chicken pieces on top. 

Squeeze half of a lime on top and garnish with cilantro. 

There are so many things you can do to this recipe to make it your own. Add green olives, shred the chicken, on and on and on. I never got to the pea's because I wasn't prepared to fight that battle with my son. Have you ever attempted to pick out every single pea from a rice dish? It's just not worth it. 

Gluten Free Turkey Meatloaf

I'm not a fan of red meat. I used to not eat red meat period. The thought of it just grossed me out. Then I passed out one time in the grocery store (it wasn't even a Publix it was a Kroger. I know, the horror.) So after a brief stint in the emergency room I was told I was severely anemic despite taking iron pills every day. That ended the "I don't eat red meat" phase real quick. (Stick with me people- I've got stories for days. We're a very entertaining family.)  

I've learned that when my body needs red meat (aka I'm running low on iron) it tells me. All of a sudden I'll want a hamburger or a steak so I'll eat one... then the next day I'm repulsed by it. I've learned to listen to what my body wants and it's worked to my benefit. Who knew if you're craving something it's because your body actually needs it? If you have the same attitude as the E.R. doctor your response is: "everyone." 

Note: I am NOT saying because you want that bag of candy you've been hiding in the top cabinet for that super depressing Bachelor episode (no judgement) it means your body is telling you that you need it. But for the most part it actually works out.  

One of the home cooked meals my husband missed most once he couldn't eat wheat anymore was meatloaf. Barf. A giant thing of meat. In a loaf. It's my nightmare. So like all good wives do (right?) I compromised with turkey meatloaf. I didn't tell him it was turkey instead of the usual pork/beef combo (don't get me started on pork) and waited on his reaction at dinner to see if he noticed the difference. He did. But it wasn't a BAD different...just different. And I can live with that. I cut out the fat with lean ground turkey and he gets his meatloaf. It's a match made in low cholesterol heaven. 

There's a lot of different options when it comes to making gluten free meatloaf. I haven't tried them all, but I've tried most of them. I tried rice instead of breadcrumbs. It was ok. I tried oats instead of breadcrumbs. It was gross. I tried gluten free bread crumbs. Again, OK, but expensive and the consistency was weird. I've found you need to be selective when using gluten free breadcrumbs. You can't just go around throwing them in every meal that calls for breadcrumbs and if you do, well, lets just say you better have a lot of water on hand because you're going to have a very dry, chewy dinner. Then I tried mushrooms. Ding, ding, ding. Yes, mushrooms. Chop those suckers up as small as you can and even the pickiest eaters can't tell the difference. (Just make sure you hide them in the fridge so the picky eaters don't get suspicious). Plus they hold the meatloaf together like no other while it's baking.  

This is one of those recipes where you can really have a heavy hand on the seasonings since you're using turkey instead of the beef/pork combo and mushrooms instead of breadcrumbs, both which have less flavor, so you'll need to compensate. 

Meatloaf Ingredients:

1lb ground turkey (don't get the leanest kind out there, you need a little fat for flavor in this one)

1 beaten egg (or egg substitute)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup yellow onion (I used red in the picture because its all I had)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped 
3 tablespoons ketchup
The next part is on you. I never actually measure my spices I just usually throw in a (large) pinch of the following:
Fresh ground pepper 
Salt (I use kosher because to me it makes everything better but again, do your thing.)
Thyme
Parsley 
Rosemary
*Note if you are using dried spices use about half the amount you would of fresh. 

Sauce Ingredients:
1/2 cup ketchup 
pinch of red pepper flakes (to taste)
1 tablespoon gluten free worcestershire sauce

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350.
Chop your vegetables and herbs.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in pan.
Add onions, sun dried tomatoes, garlic, and herbs. Sautee until onions are translucent.

Remove from heat and allow to cool COMPLETELY (trust me on this).
In a large bowl combine your ground turkey, eggs, mushrooms, 1/4 cup ketchup, and cooled herb mixture.

Take off any rings and with your (washed) hands get on in there. Yes, mix it with your hands. It's the only way. Once everything is mixed well together (DON'T OVER MIX) lightly push it into your greased loaf pan.

Put the loaf in the oven and remove after 30 minutes. 
Spoon off any fat that is on the top and put back in oven for 20 minutes.
Remove once fully cooked and let cool for 5 minutes. Flip onto a small non-stick cookie sheet and glaze with remaining sauce.
Put back in oven on cookie sheet and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes. I know that it seems pointless to dirty a pan just for 5 minutes but I promise it's worth it. 

In the fall or winter I'll usually serve the meatloaf with vegetables and mashed potatoes but since its summer I just pair it with gluten free cornbread and a strawberry salad.

"There's Wheat In That."

"I can't eat that, there's wheat in it."
The sentence resulted in a 20 second stare off between myself and the man across the table from me (my now husband). We had just waited 45 minutes for a table and the fact that I was offering to split the two pack of saltine crackers I had swiped from the front of the restaurant was a miracle in itself. Was he being rude? No. He must have been trying to be funny. So I laughed and held out the cracker again.
"No really, I can't eat wheat." This time he said it with a half smile.
"Are you serious? Why?" Half of me was interested and the other half of me was horrified as images of bread and pasta flooded my mind.

When my husband was 23 he decided to move to Ecuador. He was on the pursuit of starting up his own international swimsuit modeling company and was actually quite successful for a while. I'm assuming this is any 23 year old guy who is living in Connecticut's dream- to pick up and leave to a country full of adventure and warm weather where no one can find you, let alone surround yourself with models all day. The only difference is, he actually did it.

Unfortunately there is a counter part to a 23 year olds mindset of adventure- stupidity. Between the idea that he was resilient enough to bypass the recommended immunizations before traveling to South America, combined with the thousands of ice cubes in his drinks and meals from food trucks, he returned 3 years later 118 pounds and quite literally on his death bed. He had caught every parasite known to mankind and spent the next several months in a hospital bed hooked up to an IV with antibiotics flooding his system it an attempt to kill the bacteria that had eaten away at his body.

When he was finally deemed healthy enough to resume life as "normal" he found out that it was anything but. He wasn't gaining the weight back and he was running to the bathroom in pain whenever he ate. After seeing a nutritionist she told him there was one simple step he could take to make a huge difference- cut out wheat. And to make things easier just go on a gluten free diet. So he stopped the bagels for breakfast and pizza for dinner and quickly he noticed a huge difference. He wasn't in pain anymore and he was starting to gain his weight back.

"So yeah...that's why I can't eat wheat." He said nonchalantly at the end of, what to me, was an epic tale.

I sat there, a free spirited and wide eyed 24 year old, and fell completely in love. Everything about him was everything I wanted in life. I had rarely met someone who was OK with, let alone understood, my need to just "go." I didn't care where I was going or how I was going to get there, I just had to always be going somewhere. Some called it a free spirit and others called it irresponsible but either way, he got it. He got me. 5 months later we were engaged.

Over the next couple of months I tried to be sensitive to the "no wheat thing" as I called it. I would even pass up breadsticks at Olive Garden and if you know me, that is huge. HUGE. And while he assured me that he had lived long enough without it that it didn't bother him, it bothered me. After all, what good is a basket of Olive Garden breadsticks if you can't share them with the man you love?!

I set out on a mission: I was going to find all of the best gluten free foods the world had to offer and give them to, what I thought, was my malnourished husband. Reality check: I actually lost weight and became healthier NOT eating wheat. My oldest son had less problems focusing once I minimized wheat from his diet. I also realized most of the $38 per slice pizza you find tastes like cardboard and obnoxious advertising can overwhelm your gluten free shopping. I did find some great things at Whole Foods (hello, Udi's), Dominos now delivers gluten free pizza (although I have been told that there is a possibility for cross contamination so Celiacs beware), and Olive Garden even has an entire gluten free pasta menu (I plan on starting a campaign for breadsticks). But most of all I found out that the best tasting, healthiest, and most affordable meals I can provide for my family are the ones I make right here at home.

So here it is: a blog about my triumphs and (hilarious) failures of entering into the gluten free world for the one person I love enough to give up wheat.

Living {Gluten} Freely. Because love means never having to say "sorry there's wheat in that."