Meal Plan {2/20-2/26} Budget Crunch

We have insurance, so why does going to the doctor still cost us an arm and a leg??

Avery's latest medical discovery...Asthma.  I'm not too surprised.  Both Avery and Cole were born with it.  We live in an extremely humid climate and due to their father's side of the gene pool they have HORRIBLE allergies.

But around the time that they were 4ish, they stopped wheezing and the breathing treatments were needed less and less, their pediatrician said they grew out of it.  I was fine with that and put the whole thing behind me, never to think of again...

FYI...you never grow out of asthma.  It just lays dormant for a while. I didn't know that.

So anyway, Avery is back on all the breathing treatments and I am trying to figure out how I am going to fit an additional $150.00 into our monthly budget.

Pink Floyd's Money keeps running through my head.  I have daydreams of winning the lottery, and although I'd miss my husband, wish he'd go back to his old job working 70 hours a week.  Oh, those were the days...

So, this Gluten Free meal plan is all about eating on the cheap.  Easy, Kid Friendly, Quick, and Cheap...my favorite kind of meals...

Monday (2/20): Chili Chalupas

Tuesday (2/21): Not Another Baked Potato

Wednesday (2/22): Spinach Fritata

Thursday (2/23): Chicken Tacos

Friday (2/24): Tex-Mex Skillet

Saturday (2/25): Chicken Chili

Sunday (2/26): Tuna Salad

Monday (2/27): Quick and Easy Enchiladas

Tuesday (2/28):  Not Real Sure...

I link up every week at Organizing Junkie, because even before we started this Gluten Free way of life and I wrote out our meals on the backs of envelopes or kid's school work, I always visited her site for inspiration.

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Chili Cheese Chalupas

Leftovers

They are a NO GO in my house(reason here).  

So I have to get very creative when we have them. 

9 times out of 10 I eat them for lunch or send them with Avery for lunch.

However, there is that rare time when we have so much food left over there is no way I'd want to eat Chili for 5 days straight.  So I usually freeze the food for a week or two then make a new meal.

Here is a super simple freezer to plate in 20 minutes or less meal...

Chili Cheese Chalupas.

What you need:

Chalupa Shells

Refried Beans

Chili

Cheese

Lettuce

Onion

Tomato

Sour Cream

Salsa

Guacamole

Hope you like it!! 

What do you do with leftover Chili??

Linked Up

• CraftOManic Monday @ CraftOManic
• Just Something I Whipped Up @ The Girl Creative
• Homemeade Projects @ Tip Junkie

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Inspiration

I blog surf.  I have done it for years.  There are several blogs that I follow and read often, but majority of the time, I am clicking from one blog to the next.  I have found some of the best blogs by doing this. 

I followed a link to oh, Amanda and started reading a posted entitled No-Niche Memoir Blog, which really made me start thinking about my blog.   

I write 75% of the time about food.  But not recipes that I have created.  Just meals in general.  Gluten Free Meals.  25% of the time I just blog.  I would like to 'just blog' more often.  I have a lot of thoughts swimming in my head, but I often think to myself " would anyone what to read about that or do they care about the dresser I painted?"

But tonight, I clicked on a link to a site that I seriously think I am going to sit down and read every single post.  Enjoying the Small Things.  The author of this blog, in my opinion, is brilliant.  Her writing spoke to me.  I think I have a serious girl crush.

I am going to quote a response she posted to a question on her FAQ page.

Q: It seems there are so many categories of moms these days, especially on blogs. What kind of mom do you consider yourself?

A: "Just a mom. I don't want to sum up what kind of mom I am in one word because that's limiting. I don't like being put in a box and I'm way too impulsive to fit into just one category. I've written about this before, but I think sometimes we feel like we can't explore a new area if we don't completely fit in the box. Like "I'd really like to buy that vintage plate because I love it, but my house is too contemporary and I'm not really Vintage Girl." Who says you have to be just one thing? Buy the damn plate if you love it. Our society is fabulous at pigeon-holing people and identifying them into categories as if they have to abide by a certain set of rules--and judgement and assumption often follows. We've identified the urban mom, the hipster mom, the churchy mom, the homeschool mom, the wild mom, the funny mom, the divorced mom, the laid back mom as if once you have a label, that's all you can be. That's so constraining and yet, I admit, I fall victim to the labeling. Like I thought I couldn't make my own laundry soap because it meant I'd also have to drive a hybrid car. Holding a solid faith and dancing out with the girls don't have to be opposites. Having a home in a suburban neighborhood doesn't mean I can't funk it up with crafts and cherished kitsch. And writing about "the small things" certainly doesn't mean I don't pay attention to "the big things" in life too. I want to passionately explore a multitude of areas in life and, while some areas might bubble to the surface with noticeable expression, some simmer beautifully and quietly underneath--not to be forgotten. I'll dip my toes into different hobbies and ways of life if I feel drawn to them, and I won't let the box of "who I'm supposed to be" stop me for a hot second. And I learn--oh, do I learn from so many other kinds of moms who continually broaden the definition of motherhood with their insight and experience.  We're women. We are multi-faceted. We don't have to fit into a box. We follow our own rhythms and we celebrate our movements that may change over the course of aging, mothering, learning, exploring, loving.

I follow my instincts and listen to my heart. That's the kind of mother I am."

After reading that, do you too feel like you have put yourself in a box?  I know I have.  I know I have seen a plate that I loved, but didn't purchase it because it didn't go with the theme of my house...

I am the theme of my house.  We (my family and I) are the themes of our house.  We make it a home, not the French Country Curtains or the Traditional Couch.  

So long story short,

Yes, This is a GLUTEN FREE blog, but it is also a blog about my life, our lives.  What we do, what we eat, and where we go.

There are 50 million blogs out in the blogiverse.  I am a tee-tiny little fish in that sea.  I am not looking to compete with any of them, I just want to have a place to go, write down all the thoughts in my head, and document our lives.

I hope you all stay along for the ride.


I'd love to hear your thoughts on this post,
Thanks

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Eggroll Stir Fry {A Pinterest Recipe}

Source

I made the yummiest dinner tonight all in thanks to Once a Mom always a Cook.  Have you been to her blog, OMGoodness...very yummy food!!  And most of her recipes are naturally Gluten Free or easily adaptable.

Tonight I made her recipe for Egg Roll Stir Fry.  It was surprisingly easy and good.  It really does taste just like the inside of an egg roll.  The recipe is enough to feed an army!!  I'm wondering if I can freeze the left overs???

Honestly, I had never purchased a cabbage before.  It isn't a vegetable that we eat often.  When I want coleslaw, I just buy the pre-made stuff at the grocery deli.  If in the mood for Chinese food...we go out.  Is there any other recipe that calls for cabbage??  See, we really don't eat it often.

Very GOOOOD!!

Hmmm, what to cook tomorrow...

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Pizza Night~ Gluten Free Style

Domino's use to be on speed dial.  I think they knew me buy name...or at least order..  We loved pizza night, no cooking, and leftovers for lunch the next day..

Well, Good Bye Domino's and HELLO Chebe!!

Tonight I made a homemade pizza that was pretty darn good.  The crust was crispy and chewy in all the right places,  seasoned perfectly, and loaded with all of our favorite toppings.

Chebe bread mixes are naturally gluten free and based off of a Brazilian type of bread.  Chebe states that "If you have a perfectly done Chebe roll it would be crispy on the outside and if you pull apart a baked piece of Chebe Bread, you would see that the center will stretch together for one or two inches before the two pieces would separate."

This first time I baked Chebe rolls, I was a little nervous about the texture, but the taste confirmed that it was done and it was GOOD!! I am a fan on the Chebe Facebook page, when I had a question about the texture, I received a response almost immediately.  I thought that was pretty cool!!

From start to finish our pizza was ready in about 20 minutes.

I am actually having fun discovering new foods to cook...

 who woulda thunk cooking could be fun...

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10 Day YOU Challenge: {Day 1} 10 secrets

I am being a copy cat.  

Doing what the cool kids do.  

Following along like a sheep...

Which, if you knew me at all is completely against my grain.  

I don't follow memes, I am the leader of the pact not the sheep blindly following...

Why, you ask am I being a copy cat and following along....

well, because...

This is AWESOME!!

I am also smart enough to know I don't have to reinvent the wheel when there is a super awesome one right next to me...

So, a few days ago I was blog surfing {my favorite activity} and discovered Because (I think) I Can.  The name alone pulls me in, I love it!!  I am skimming along looking over craft projects(very cool), pictures of kids(too cute!), secrets, huh? What? Secrets...I stop and really read.  She explains that she has never really talked about 'Who is Because (I think) I Can', and I think..."hmm neither have I"... then I think, "well, I haven't because it's hard!"

So, I continue to read Leanne's challenge posts and they are funny and serious and I feel as though I know her.  She would be an awesome friend to have. 

So, I am posting my own YOU Challenge posts.  Like Leanne, I am gonna spread this out and not do it all in 10 days.  I don't think you all need to know that much about me that fast...lol. 

Alright...Day 1....10 Secrets....

1) I can't sing to save my life.  Really...I can't sing!!  Not only can I not hold a tune, I can't remember song lyrics..

2) Speaking of Memory...I have NONE.  I can't remember what I ate for breakfast let alone what happened two months ago.  People will say, "Don't tell anyone this is a secret" and I'm like 'ohh, its okay, I wont remember what you told me in an hour.'  It's not that I don't take stock in the event, I just honestly can't remember.  I have to look in my children's baby books to remember their time of birth stats.

3) I am a closet Twilight Junkie...Yes, I am one of those TwiMom Fans who has read the FanFic and all...

4) You know that Perky Perfect person in high school that you wanted to barf on every time you saw them?  Well, mine grew up to be a labor and delivery nurse!  Yep...My Perfect Perky Barf worthy classmate was the person who got to tend to me while I recovered from my first C-section.  I may or may not have said some ugly words to her...I can't remember.

5) I once told my children that if they didn't behave I was going to lock them in the closet. I was not serious at all but they stopping fighting.  I tried it again a few months later thinking I'd get the same results...My daughter looked at me all serious and said..."You can't do that Momma.  There aren't any locks on the closet doors."  She was 4.  That was the day I realized my children (specially daughter) was smarter than me!

6) I have NO IDEA what I want to be when I grow up.  Before my children were born, I worked in the educational field.  Then I worked in Business Management.  But I have been a Stay at Home Mom since 2007.  I have tried off and on to go back into management, but really why hire me, who has watched Disney for the last 4 years, or  some kid fresh out of college.  Looking at my resume, I would pick the college kid.  No baggage, cheap, and easy to mold.

7) There are days that I drop the kids off at school then come home and check my email and facebook,.  Then log on to Pinterest and before I even realize what has happened my phone is beeping at me to tell me it is time to pick up the kids.  I am still in my PJs.

8) When I was a teenager, I didn't have any rules or structure at all.  I am often amazed that I survived.  The term raised by wolves could apply.  I am in a constant internal debate on how I want to parent my own children.  Knowing I don't what to give them what I had, but also not wanting to overcompensate for my own lack of parental guidance.   I had to learn lessons the hard way.  I learned them and they made me a strong independent individual, I want that for my children.  But also I don't want them to learn all the hard lessons that I learned. 

9) I don't take a shower everyday...and honestly have know idea when I shaved my legs last.  {Leanne--I haven't had a baby in 8 yrs, don't feel bad about that one}

10) I own 16 pairs of yoga pants.  12 of them are black or should I say varying shades of black.  I own 22 Old Navy Tees in every color but white.  I own 8 pairs of flip flops.  1 pair of tennis shoes and 2 pairs of converse.  I own 2 pairs of jeans.

Wow! 

This was a lot harder than I thought it would be!! 

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No Cooking Needed…

Being Gluten Free can sometimes feel limiting.  Can sometimes feel like a cloud following you around, a constant reminder, that ‘YEP, things are different now’…

Pretty pictures inspire me, remind me, and motivate me…

So, today I have a collection of pretty pictures to remind us{me} that Gluten Free food can be fun and easy.  Very yummy, kid friendly, and of course lazy mommy approved.

Veggies:

Store Bought Hummus and some quick chop veggies!  Making hummus is as easy as pulling out your food processor/blender if you feel so inclined.

A bag of salad, a container of grape tomatoes and a few slices of peppers or onions and you too could be eating this plate of beauty!  

Be careful which dressing you choose to top your salad.

FRUIT:

The SUPER Food…I could eat fruit for every meal and still want some for a snack.  I love a wide variety of fruit, but Strawberries will always be my favorite.

  

Strawberries and cream…either yogurt or ice cream!!

While we have the fruit out, there are a few other things to make. 

 

island-oasis.tumblr.com

 

Guilty Pleasure:

When all else fails and you just want that grab and freedom that the rest of the world have….you would never guess exactly how great a batch of Salsa and Chips can make you feel.  Full, spicy, and just enough salt to get you over that crunchy salty craving.  And because salsa is full of GOOD FOR YOU tomatoes you can eat tons of it…(not the chips though)

 

NUTS:

You know those little bitty snack size baggies that aren’t good for much…they are great for nuts!!  Fill up a few with handfuls of nuts, dried fruit, chex cereal, and any other item your heart desires(marshmallows) and leave them everywhere…then when you are out and about…You have a snack ready to go…no thinking necessary…

 

There are other foods that are Gluten Free as well, but these caught my eye today.  Easy, no cooking, minimal mess, travel well, and if purchased in season you can get these item fairly inexpensively.

Please let me know what quick snacks you like have around.  What do you do when you need inspiration or motivation? 

P.S....I have linked the pictures that had recipes back to the source on Pinterest, the others were google images.

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Testing Out Windows Live Writer…

 

I have heard that it is much easier to format your posts using this program.

I do have all of my fonts available to play with…  not that I would go crazy like that all the time.  I also have better color control.  

 

If I was an emoticon type of person I could have a field day…But what I think I like the best so far is the automatic spell corrector!!  I couldn’t win a spelling bee to save my life and here I am writing for the world!!  I am sure you are are all shaking your head at all of my typos and horrible configured sentences.  I can’t help it!  I just start typing and it all just flows out…like I’m having one really long conversation with myself…the experts (Pioneer Woman) says to write as if I was talking to my sister.  I am really goofy.  Well, my sister says I am…so I’m pretty sure y’all think I am too…lol


. 

---

Ohhh, I like that…I can add a separator too…



BUT…I can’t push enter to go to the next line…what’s up with that?  I just discovered that backspace will undo everything you just did…like inserting a picture and erasing text…here, lets try that again…

 

This is avery when she was 1.5 years old.  yeah, I know, she is a cutie…she knew she was a cutie!!

 

And here are Avery and Cole this Christmas…They really are very silly!!

So, in all seriousness, this program is very easy to use.  It makes several post formatting tasks very simple.  But, unless I am doing something wrong…the simplest task…hitting enter to go to the next line…is not available…that is just silly!!

There are tons of picture formatting options, like watermarking, frames, and even simple color retouching.  Hmmmm, it even has making a table as an insert!

 

If one of my readers uses this program, could you please tell me if I am missing something, because I really do not like that I can’t push enter to get to the next line…so silly…see I told you I was a goof!

Okay


, that’s it for my fun experimenting…(this was really all just to avoid going to the grocery store)….Off to the grocery store I go…

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My Dream Kitchen...

I like my kitchen. 

It is nice. 

Reds, Blues, & Yellows...
Trying for the 'French Country' Look....

I have lived in it for 12 years. 

I would love something new...

source

source

source

This is just tooo cute!!

source

I would say I have a theme...

Not too sure those colors would go great with the deep reds of the family room which is attached to the kitchen...

our chocolate leather couch would look very good with the blue though...

Hmmm, who wants to come over for a painting party??

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Just Don't Eat Wheat

"Just don't eat Wheat." 

How hard could that be.  

When you first think Gluten Free or Celiac Disease, that is the thought that comes to mind.  

Then you do research and it is so much more than just wheat.  As if one could say "just wheat"...

You find pages and pages of lists like this one:

DON’T EAT THIS

Wheat in any form (includes white flour, all-purpose flour, wheat flour, pastry flour, cake flour, bread flour, spelt, emmer, farro, bulgur, durum, einkorn, couscous, wheat berries, farina, graham, kamut, matzo, semolina, wheat starch, triticale) and ingredients made from those items (bread, pasta, pizza dough, cakes, cookies, pies, breadcrumbs, croutons, etc). Soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, and other wheat-based sauces, unless specifically labeled gluten free. Seitan also contains wheat.

Barley this includes the grain itself and products made from barley malt: malt vinegar, barley malt syrup, malted milk, etc.

Rye

Beer unless it’s gluten free

Oats oats don’t inherently contain gluten, but are often cross-contaminated. Try certified gluten-free oats if you can tolerate them.


from Laura B. Russell, Notes from a Gluten Free Kitchen

 

THEN YOU DO MORE RESEARCH...

Modified Food Starch is GLUTEN
Modified starch, also called starch derivatives, are prepared by physically, enzymatically, or chemically treating native starch, thereby changing the properties of the starch.[1] Modified starches are used in practically all starch applications, such as in food products as a thickening agent, stabilizer or emulsifier; in pharmaceuticals as a disintegrant; as binder in coated paper. They are also used in many other applications.

This stuff is in EVERYTHING!!

Did you know wheat is in Wall Paper Paste, yeah...crazy...I know! It can all become very overwhelming. There were days were I wanted to throw every single item in my kitchen away. There were days when I just had to laugh at myself. And there were a few day that I really did just sit down and cry.

Being Gluten Free is more than just wheat. Wheat is more than just Wheat...It is vitamins, shampoo, and wall paper paste. I promise the first month is hard. Adjusting to anything is hard.

• The first month of grocery shopping and weeding through your cabinets is time consuming.  
• You may find yourself standing in the aisle at your local grocery store talking to a box of Uncle Ben's Rice.(NOT GF)  
• Your husband may tell you that food is more important than him.  
• Pinterest may become your best friend.

But, I also promise that it gets better.

Here is what I have learned about the DO NOT EAT LIST....practically every condiment, combined spice, and recipe staple is on the LIST.  Pinterest has great recipes---Everything from Ranch Dressing to Cream of Whatever Soup.  I actually like cooking, it is the cleaning after that has always been my downfall.  It is easier to make what I need than have to read all the tiny print and worry, or to call the 1-800 number.  Sometimes calling the 1-800 number will get you coupons :).  And lastly being Gluten Free isn't a death sentence.  It isn't horrible.  It is just different and it takes dedication, time, planning, and patience.

P.S.
This info is also on Laura B. Russell's website, it really helps to explain how once foods leave their natural or whole state, they can become glutened. I have just discovered her recipes and really look forward to trying a few. Please visit her site for information on her cookbook The Gluten Free Asian Kitchen.

BE SKEPTICAL

Once a food ventures from its original state, it is suspect. If there’s more than one ingredient listed on a package, read it. It may be perfectly safe, but you’ll need to do your homework before drawing that conclusion. Remember: the more additives, the harder it will be to decipher. Be on guard.

Examples:

Green tea is gluten free, but flavored teas could contain gluten, possibly in the form of barley malt sweetener.

A roasted turkey is gluten free. Sliced deli turkey could contain gluten as a binder.

Homemade salad dressing, made from olive oil, lemon juice, and fresh herbs is gluten free. Bottled salad dressings may contain gluten as a thickener.

Always check labels on soups and broths, candy, deli items, sauces and condiments, dairy products (ice cream, sour cream, buttermilk…can potentially contain gluten), anything packaged, processed, or “flavored”. Even prescription medications, vitamins, and supplements are at risk.

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