Experimenting - Making a Menu, Part 4

Life seems to be spinning out of control. (No pun intended as there were numerous tornados in our area today and I spent the better part of the afternoon in the bathroom with my three children. Now THERE's a fun way to spend the day!) At any rate, one of the things that may be contributing to this craziness is that I have a "bee in my bonnet" to find some new recipes for our upcoming menu.

I checked out another cookbook at the library last Saturday and it has definitely sparked my creative cooking interest. The Sneaky Chef by Missy Chase Lapine has basically the same goal as Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld - hide vegetables and other good stuff in foods that kids will eat. I like the layout and design of The Sneaky Chef and am excited to try some of the recipes. (I made our icing for Apple Muffins pink this morning by using Strawberry juice. It was quite yummy! of course, isn't most icing?!)

At a glance, many of The Sneaky Chef recipes look a little easier to adapt to an allergen-free diet than the ones in Deceptively Delicious. (By the way, I tried one of the DD recipes and it was a no-go (Rice Balls). It could have been because I substituted soy cream cheese for the cheddar cheese or flax seed + water for the egg. At any rate, it was a mushy mess.)

Maybe I'll get to experiment with more recipes throughout this week and hone in on some winners for my Spring/Summer menu. I usually go through this phase of trying new recipes when I set out to make a new menu. I like variety and I go through phases where I'd rather not eat, say, Chicken Spaghetti, for a few months. This adds a bit of time to the menu-making, but it is well worth the effort. If I find a recipe that I'd like to add to the menu, I always try it first. There's no sense in adding it to a menu I'll use for 6 months, if it's hard to make or my family doesn't like it.

Just wondering... Do you have some warmer-weather recipes that are cheap, yummy and easy to make? Allergen-free, of course! Please share!

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happy chef image from art.com

Lunch - Making a Menu, Part 3

On most days, I need lunch and I need it as fast as possible. Usually the clock catches up with me and I have a preschooler and toddler that want to be fed. Now.

I implement the same strategy for lunch as I do for breakfast - a repeating weekly plan of noon-time entrees. I've planned things I can either buy prepared or make-ahead so that it does not take much time or thought to get these on the table. I hope to pass off the lunch preparation to my oldest as soon as he is ready, so I want these meals to be easy to make.

Admittedly, I need to think about making things more nutritiously around lunch. I just checked out Deceptively Delicious from our public library and I'm interested to see how these recipes will work for our family. Though many of the recipes call for egg or dairy products, I've already been inspired to try my hand at egg-free versions. I made Egg-Less French Toast on Monday and though I've got to learn how to cook it quicker, it turned out great! Best thing about it? My kids ate it up like it was candy. But, I digress...

On to the lunch menu...I've got different things going for the weekends (usually left-overs or eating out) so I only plan for weekdays.

Monday - Pasta with Tomato Sauce (or cheese for dairy eaters)

Both sauces are made ahead, frozen in ice-trays, then popped into freezer bags. When lunch comes, I pull out a couple of the cubes to heat in each person's bowl before adding the cooked pasta. This helps me be able to "customize" each person's sauce better.

Tuesday - Chicken Nuggets and Chips

Tyson makes chicken nuggets that are egg and dairy free. These are very convenient and are available at Sam's for a pretty good price. Jessica Seinfeld, the author of Deceptively Delicious, has a recipe for healthier chicken nuggets that I might give a try. I try to get healthier versions of chips like Veggie Ritz Chips or some chips that we get a Wild Oats that I can't for-the-life-of-me remember! I'll update later.

Wednesday - Meatballs & Carrot Sticks

The meatballs are mixed, cooked and individually frozen ahead of time. I pull out a bag and cook in the toaster oven on on the stove in sauce. My meatball recipe contains your choice of ground meat, whole wheat bread crumbs (made from home-made bread gone stale), shredded carrots, shredded onions and minced garlic. I also add a little salt. Experiment with the quantities for your own unique taste.

Thursday - Hot Dogs & Chips

While I do buy beef hot dogs, there isn't much else to brag on nutritiously in this meal. But, hey, it keeps 'em going!

Friday - Baked Potatoes & Ham

I throw potatoes in the microwave and then serve with dairy-free margarine and chunks of ham.

Since most of the convenience foods contain allergens, preparing the foods myself is once again the way to go. I usually prepare lots of one thing at a time and freeze for later. Since I know what we'll be eating, it's easy to take a "lunch inventory" and see what I need to replenish. My kids and I have "Project Time" for 30 minutes each day where replenish our stocks - whether that be baking mixes, lunch items or cleaning supplies. They love to get to mix and pour and I like to have everything ready to go when I need it.

Having a lunch menu in place not only reduces the stress of having to come up with something to eat in the middle of a crazy day, it also helps keep my costs low. Instead of phoning in for pizza delivery, I have the things I need to give all my kids fuel for the next few hours.

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image from art.com

Next, get ready to Experiment

Breakfast - Making a Menu, Part 2

Breakfast. Long heralded as the "most important meal of the day." And I believe it. If I don't have a good breakfast I feel hungry all day and end up with the "munchies."

In an effort to get my family off to a good start each day, I like to have a breakfast that consists of more than high-sugar cereal and fruit. This is constantly one of my biggest challenges. Anywhere you look for breakfast recipes with lots of protein there is usually one common ingredient - EGGS.

Since eggs are out for us, where is a mom to turn for protein in the mornings? I admit, I have a long way to go in this area. Most of our protein comes from breakfast meats like ham and sausage. While it's not the best fat-wise that we could do, for the kids it seems to be working. Since my daughter is under-weight and needs as much fat as she can get, it certainly works well for her.

We like variety, but admittedly, I do not have many breakfast recipes that we can all eat. (Hint, hint: if you have some egg-free, protein-packed breakfast recipes you'd like to share, my Inbox standing with open arms!) My solution to our diversity-challenged morning meal is to have the same thing every week. Not every day, mind you, but we have the same thing each week on a particular day. For instance, on Sunday's we have Sausage Balls. On Monday's we have Baked Apples and Oatmeal, etc. This means we have variety during the week (not facing toast and sausage every morning) and it helps mom prepare ahead.

Because I know what we are having in advance, I can make extra batches and store in the freezer. I try to alternate which days I make the food and which days I pull from the freezer. So today (Tuesday) I made enough muffins for our breakfast this morning and enough to put into the freezer for next week. Tomorrow I won't have to cook because I'll be pulling biscuits I made last week out of the freezer.

This is my current breakfast menu plan. It might be changing soon to accommodate warmer-weather recipes.

Sunday - Sausage Balls
Monday - Baked Apples and Oatmeal
Tuesday - Muffins
Wednesday - Biscuits and Sausage
Thursday - Fruit and Oat Scones
Friday - Cinnamon Rolls
Saturday - Daddy Cooks (usually Pancakes)

Having a plan in place helps me be nutritious with breakfast instead of always throwing Pop-Tarts on the table (which does happen at times!). It also helps me be cost-effective since all of the meals listed are made from scratch using mixes I've prepared ahead of time. [I should probably figure up how much each meal costs to give you a good idea. I'll try to do that soon. ]

Just wondering... What do you serve your allergic kids for breakfast? Have you found a good protein alternative to eggs in the morning? Leave me a comment, I'd love to get some fresh ideas.

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image from art.com

Next, read about Lunch

Making a Menu, Part 1

If you are dealing with food allergies in the kitchen, one of the most helpful ways to keep your sanity is to use a menu. Though you can expect to invest some time in the planning phase, the pay-off later is well worth the effort.

I like to plan menus seasonally so that I don't have to go through the planning phase each month or week. You could probably save money by planning a menu each week based on what is on sale at local stores. However, it is hard for me to find the time each week to scour ads and plan meals since I'm dealing with a more restrictive diet. (FYI, our restrictions include dairy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish and shellfish. I'm thankful that wheat and soy are not included. My heart goes out to those of you who are allergic!)

I plan seasonally to accommodate the type of weather we're having. No one (except maybe my husband) would enjoy hot Chicken & Dumplings in August. Planning to grill out when the snow is falling does not usually work very well (yes, I'm speaking from experience!). So, I like to make menu twice a year - one for colder weather and one for warmer.

The first step that I take in planning a menu is to list the type of meals that I would like to prepare each night (I'll explain later what I do for breakfast and lunch). The type of meal is based around our lifestyle for that particular day. For instance, for Sunday lunch I like to have a crock-pot recipe so that I can throw all the ingredients in the pot before church and come home to a hot and ready dinner.

As I am beginning the menu-planning process for the next season (which will be Spring/Summer), I've listed the following types of meals that I expect we'll be having each day of the week.

Sunday - Crock Pot
Monday - From the Freezer
Tuesday - Crock Pot or Freezer Meal
Wednesday - Cook a Fresh Meal
Thursday - Cook a Fresh Meal
Friday - Pizza or other "Fun" Food
Saturday - Grill Out / Picnic

Right now, I am enjoying the benefits of Once-a-Month-Cooking. Before our son was born in December, a friend came over and helped me make lots of meals for the freezer to help me get through these first few months. I love the idea of freezer meals, and they are very helpful during this busy time, but eventually I get tired of warmed-up food and miss cooking. With this new menu I'm hoping to mix things up a little so that I get the convenience of freezer meals when I most need it while also getting to exercise my culinary skills during the week.

Just wondering... What is your favorite style of cooking? Do you enjoy having dinner in the freezer? Do you buy a new crock pot annually because yours gets so much use? Do you trade off preparing meals with your spouse? I'd love to hear from you!

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image from art.com

Next, read about Breakfast