Health-a-licious

I know. The title sounds like an oxymoron. Chicken Cordon Bleu is full of cheese and butter and fat. We love it so much here that we adapted a home recipe that gives you the delicious taste of the classic dish, but with a gluten-free healthy flair. Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of the finished product. Ingredients: 1. Thin sliced chicken breasts. (We used Perdue brand.) 2. Thin sliced ham. (Flavor of your choice. We used smoked ham, but we have used Black Forest ham and that is good too.) 3. Thin sliced swiss cheese. (We like Sargento's brand or Boar's head from the deli.) 4. 1 stick of butter melted. (You will not use all of it.) 5. Corn flake crumbs. (Easier and cheaper than making them yourself and of course gluten-free. We found we like these even better than panko bread crumbs we used to use.) 6. Seasonings: Salt and pepper are the most delicious. You can also use garlic and/or paprika. Prepare on wax paper. 1. Layer, one slice of thin chicken,

Hmm. Summer Simplicity Fresh Onions from local Farm 1. Core Onions (Our favorite onions to use our local farmer calls candied onions ). 2. Place on large piece of foil. 3. Add green and yellow peppers, chopped. 4. Add a pad of butter and bouillon cube to the center of the onion. 5. Wrap in foil and bake for an hour at 350 degrees or grill until onion is soft. Taste like onion soup. Sooo yummy. We used the white onions with the huge green tops. Tomato Spinach Salad 1. Fresh Tomatoes from the farm. 2. Organic Spinach. 3. Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese and your favorite light dressing. Fresh. Simple. Fast. Easy. Delicious. Have a Happy Healthy Day.

Hmmm.. My favorite. Veggies. If you are looking to save some $$ I just heard Aldi now carries, gluten free products. I have not tried them, so I don't know how good they are, but it would be worth trying. Anti-Pasta Salad 1 bag Gluten Free Pasta ( Try Tinkyada Pasta Joy , Brown Rice Pasta in the Rotini shape. This brand does not get mushy like other brands and the Rotini shape holds the dressing better.) 3/4 cup Black Olives (Sliced or Diced) 1/2 cup Green Olives (Sliced or Diced) 1/2 Green Pepper (Diced) 1/2 Yellow Pepper (Diced) 1 Tomato (De-seeded and Diced) 6oz of Feta Cheese Crumbles Fat Free IMPORTANT: Cook Pasta longer than directed. GF pasta takes longer to cook and when it gets cold in the refrigerator it gets ridged. Rinse with cold water. Place a cover container in refrigerator to cool for at least one hour. Add all your ingredients and mix with a spoon or spatula. Ready to serve. Sweet and Sour Cucumbers Apple Cider Vinegar 1/2 cup sugar Water Sliced

My hubby always says, "Adapt, adjust and overcome." It is from one of his favorite movies. We have adapted one of our favorite recipes and it turned out rather good. It still needs some work, but we liked it so much we will work on it again till we perfect it. Family Gluten Free Tortilla Casserole Ground meat (We used hamburger, you could use any meat you want.) Refried Beans Black Olives Green Olives Chopped Tomatoes Gluten-Free Tortillas Cheese of your choice (We used cheese slices this time.) 1 Packet of Taco Seasoning 8 x 8 Oven-safe Pan Prepare meat as instructed on Taco Seasoning packet. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Chop olives. Heat refried beans just enough to make them spreadable. Layer ingredients directly in pan: 1st Layer; Tortilla, Seasoned Meat, Refried Beans, Chopped Tomatoes. 2nd Layer; Tortilla, Seasoned Meat, Refried Beans, Black Olives. 3rd Layer; Tortilla, Seasoned Meat, Refried Beans, Green Olives. 4th Layer; Tortilla, Seasoned Meat, Che

So we have tried homemade. The toppings and ingredients are great but the crust has the texture and taste of a rubber Frisbee. So here are our new discoveries. Udi's brand Most of us know if for it's bread and bagels. They now have pizza. We tried the pepperoni two separate times. Both delicious. Not many toppings though. $6 Your Pie Restaurant has a speciality crust for gluten free eaters. It is a create-your-own pie. The crust is very thin and quite over cooked. Kind of like you were eating a burnt tortilla chip with toppings on it. Thin cheese. They can also create a salad bowl for you with the same crust, which might be why it tastes like a tortilla bowl. $10 Against the Grain So far the best we have tried. Thin crust, but not paper thin. You can choose to bake a soft crust or crispy crust. We choose the three cheese pizza. Loaded with cheese, not loaded with spices. We added oregano and basil along with some green olives. Truly our favorite so far. Also quite larg

I read a blog this week of a server who wrote of her anger and disdain of restaurant goers who have food allergies. She specifically addressed gluten-free dieters and asked them to not eat at her restaurant. She said all gluten free folks should not attend a restaurant that serves bread or pasta just like those allergic to peanuts "don't go to a Thai restaurant". I felt bad for her because she is probably young, probably angry that she has to be a server and may have received a few bad tips for her bad attitude. That blog may follow her the rest of her life. Sad that we have to go through the hard times to appreciate people and their feelings. Stories of other's hardships often build compassion in us as humans, especially hardship of those to whom we are are close. Experience is how we as humans learn. The great thing is that we are problem solvers. It is our nature to search and keep searching until we find an answer to a problem. We know the answer is out ther

The beauty of eating gluten free is that it is simple. It takes you to core eating. Healthy foods. The difficulty is finding delicious healthy foods. Here are some of my everyday staples. Mind you, I love vegetables. Fresh vegetables are my favorite. Flash frozen are a far second. For a quick fun snack or even meal. Fresh green beans and Bella mushrooms. Microwave in a covered dish for 2-3 minutes to steam.   For fun and food variety each month, my hubby and I like to follow themes with the seasons. This year we had home cooked New Orleans cuisine on Mardi Gras Tuesday. A great tasting gluten free sausage was our mission. We found one we love, Aidelles Cajun Andouille Sausage. Be ready, it is spicy. It is everything you are looking for in a sausage. Gluten Free, no MSG, no Nitrates, no added Hormones, no artificial ingredients. Whoo! Almost like making your own sausage. We tried Zaterain's Jambalaya mix last year. We tried Zatarain's Dirty Rice this year. Both are deli

Oh my. It is not often you find a gluten free pastry dish that is light & fluffy in the center and crispy on top. When you do, you celebrate and eat it for dinner! Whoo!!!! So exciting. It is Tastefully Simple brand Cinnamon Apple Cake Mix. Just add two eggs and 2 apples. Mix and bake. Here is the extra cool part. The mix package has several different ideas for adding different fruits, rhubarb, peaches, raisins, walnuts and more. The dish creates 9 servings at only 100 calories each. Of course, I ate two servings and drizzled with caramel ice cream topping. What are the ingredients you ask?  Better than expected: sugar, rice flour, potato starch, tapioca flour, sodium bicarbonate, salt, cinnamon and xanthum gum. You will see these ingredients often in gluten free items but not so delicious. I am looking for a long term Tastefully Simple consultant who keeps her products on hand and does not charge shipping. If you are one, or know of one, please let me know. Have a Ha

Scientists are learning there is correlation between thyroid issues, gluten sensitvities, food sensitivities and headaches. I talk to several people each week that share with me either they have thyroid issues, headaches issues or a relative that has these health concerns. We seem to still be far from an answer for all the issues for all people because we are all so different. I am happy to be on this journey with them and you and always welcome new feedback an ideas. I am always a little sceptical when someone tells me..."Oh...do I have a gluten free bread recipe for you. It is awesome." And we try it...and it is not so awesome. I am always willing to try. We had a few recipe suggestions this week and they are on our list to try in the future. This week we stayed with our tried and true products. Glutino Preztels, potatoes and wild rice. We made a new Chicken Chili recipe. This Chicken Chili is simple and amazing because you can make it to taste in 15 minutes. Chi

After 8 months of gluten free eating my husband is on board to cook gluten free meals for me. He is an amazing cook. He is creative, follows the recipe and adds his own flair to make the recipe all his own. He even came in 2nd at a huge chili cook off at our church. He has created two new home recipes for me. Both are make ahead recipes. Both are freezable. In our household we like to cook twice a week. Enough to be evening staple meals for two or three days. With only two of us it makes it easier than most families of 4 or more. With these new freezable recipes we have been trying, we can cook on Sunday and have meals for a month if we choose. These recipes can stay in the freezer for up to 3 months. Pizza Tot Casserole 1 1/2lbs ground beef                                                1. Cook ground beef until no longer pink. Drain. 1 green pepper, chopped (optional)                         2. Caramelize green pepper, onion, mushrooms, 1 onion, chopped                     

Over the last 8 months, I had come to realize that casseroles were off limits for we gluten-free eaters. Most casseroles contain some type of crackers, bread crumbs or soup that contains gluten as a base to keep the casserole consistency and coherence adding tasty flavor in the process. My husband, in a constant search of foods that I will like or eat, came across a recipe book called, of all things, Casseroles. Many of the recipes in the book call for gluten ingredients, tortillas, corn bread mix, cream of chicken soup, etc. Combing through the book he found a few casserole recipes that ask for Tator Tots. Clearly not a sophisticated ingredient, but a tasty one non-the-less. We tried this recipe last night. It is definitely a naughty dish because it is delicious. We decided to use an already made chili, but our next attempt at the recipe will be with homemade chili. Chili Tots 1lb ground beef             1. Cook ground beef until no longer pink. Drain. 30 oz of chili       

I have been making fewer posts because I have had fewer food discoveries. One thing I have discovered is...If at first you don't succeed, try again. I have however, come to the conclusion that my homemade bread and crusts efforts are coming to an end. Each gluten-free bread has had a weird flavor and rubbery texture.  Today we bought our first loaf gluten-free bread from the grocery. We will try it this week and let you know the results. New Experiments Tonight we tried Red Mill Pizza Crust mix again. We spread the dough thinner and cooked the dough, longer, but it still came out looking and tasting like a rubber Frisbee. Bummer. Still looking for a great gluten-free pizza crust. :( New Discoveries I have found a great discovery in Naked Juices. They make a few juices that do not contain mango an ingredient to which  I am allergic. I read all the ingredients before I purchase. Today, I tried the Chocolate Banana Protein Juice. They do contain a little sugar, which I am not

Oh my goodness. I have tried a GF bread mix, GF flour, a mix of GF flour and rice flour all...yuck. Still the best GF bread recipe I have is cornbread. In fact, last week we turned it into a jalapeno cornbread. Now we are going to try a jalapeno & cheese cornbread. Amazing!! Add some beans on top and some GF chicken broth on top. Yummy. The Adventure 1. The GF recipe said, put all the dough in ONE bread pan and let rise to the rim and bake. Since I have baked homemade bread in the past, I thought, "Hmm. This sure is alot of dough for only one bread pan." And...it was. As it baked, it rose five inches above the bread pan itself. It browned on the outside and cooked the appropriate time, I took it out and it was not cooked on the inside. I laid it on a cooling rack like instructed, the bread collapsed. Very bizarre. I think the directions on the GF bread back need to be changed. LOL 2. I took an old recipe from my Grandfather and adapted it, adding GF baking flour an