What will go in your Megalunch? Part 1

I am currently in week 2 of Spring Break.  So far it has been great- I can't say I have done too much other than catch up on life and sleep as well as some homework that I was falling behind on.

One of the 'life things' I had to catch up on was cooking.  I cooked and baked to my heart's content- it was lovely.

I like to fill our freezer with soups, sweets, and dinners so when life gets hectic we have ready made food for lunch and dinner. It also helps us save a load of money from not eating out because we usually have things in the freezer.

This is what I called organized chaos...don't judge me, ok!

Right now, I don't have kids and this is totally doable...we'll see if this is still the case in a few years.

This week's agenda includes: meatballs, pizza, and perogies.  There is also a family birthday coming up, so I am going to give my ice cream cake another try.

Today I share with you about my favorite cookie trick...who doesn't love cookies?

Dan loves cookies!  Who am I kidding...I love them too! But Dan loves the ones made with wheat.  And though we occasionally have a bag of cookies in the house, I try to entice him with homemade cookies because they are healthier and cheaper (I'd like to think so at least!).

I adore fresh baked, out of the oven, warm cookies.  So, I have a little trick when it comes to cookies...I make them and roll them, but instead of putting them in the oven I put them in the freezer.  When frozen, I throw them in a container and pull them out whenever we want to serve fresh baked cookies to our guests or to ourselves.

I will also bake up some cookies, as well as loaves, wrap them individually in plastic wrap and toss them in the freezer.  When it is time to make Dan's megalunch*, he has baked goods to tie him over for a few days.

*Dan is away a couple of days every week for school.  To help our budget, he has agreed to rarely eat out.  In return he brings a megalunch, consisting of 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, snacks galore, and a dinner. It is huge.  Having ready to go freezer soups and snacks makes this doable.



Now what would a blog post be without a recipe, so here are the recipes that I used this week**. 

Double Chocolate Cookies

Gingersnap Cookies

Dutch Apple Loaf

Notes:
**I made these for Dan, so I used white flour and omitted the xanthan gum.  They turned out great!
*** I adapted the dutch apple loaf, but will share about those next week- it was so good that it deserves it's own post.

Free Chicken Nuggets

My favorite meal of all time is chicken nuggets. 

I grew up eating the ones you buy from the grocery store and occasionally enjoyed the fast food version.  Then I got married.  It didn't work for us to go to the drive thru every time I had a craving and I was determined to not buy processed food- so I learned to make my own.   

I have tried a number of recipes, all which disappointed and then I found it.  I found a chicken nugget recipe that inspired me to make my own version.  

I am confident that I will be feeding my version to my grandchildren one day.  

It is fast and easy and in fact, my husband is usually the one to make it!

If you haven't tried this recipe already, give it a try.  I promise you won't be disappointed...unless you use vanilla flavored Rice Krispies.  
 
Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets*, feeds 4

Ingredients:

• 2 Chicken breasts
• 1/3 cup olive oil (+ extra on hand if you run out)
• 3-4 cups gluten free Rice Krispies, crushed**
• 3 tbsp of gluten free flour

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
3. Crush rice krispies (by hand or with food processor) and add flour.  Put in bowl and set aside.
4. Cut defrosted chicken into chunks/strips and put on plate.
5. Pour olive oil in a bowl
6. Begin an assembly line until all of the chicken has been used   

• dip chicken in olive oil
• dip chicken in Rice Krispie mixture
• put on pan  

    7. Sprinkle/drizzle any leftover krispies/oil over top.
    8. Bake in the oven until the meat is white in  the center (about 30 minutes).  Flip half way
      through.

Easy Peasy!

Notes: 
*Don't be fooled by the Gluten Free aspect.  A) they are still delicious...like actually and B) use regular Rice Krispies and white flour and you are able to have gluten.

** I keep a jar of crushed Rice Krispies on hand.  When it is low, I use my blender and make some more
  

Good Enough for the White House

Hello again!  Where did I go you ask?  Well, nowhere.

But you know those times when life is really overwhelming, the house is a constant disaster, and you are thankful for frozen leftovers because you don't have time to cook.  Yeah, that pretty much where I was...

Good news though, I just finished writing a final exam last night and think life might be a little more manageable again. So now that I have rediscovered what it is like to have some spare time, I get to cook and bake again. Yay!!

I have had my eye on this 'Biggest Loser' Salad that was served at the White House for some time now...

So along with a really delicious sandwich (which I will tell you all about in a minute), we had dinner.

Sorry for the half eaten sandwich...I have to remember to take pictures before I eat!

If you were to ask me a year ago if I thought I could ever have a sandwich again, I would have given a very confident NO!

Ask me now and you'll get a YES! paired with a big smile.  What makes this possible?  My gluten-free buns from Udi's and deli meat from May Family Farms which have g-free ingredients- both purchased at Save-On Foods. Tonight I added some bacon, spinach, and avocado and had one of the best sandwiches I have ever made.

Correction: I am taking all of the credit, the sandwich was actually 100% my husband's doing and it was so good!

The salad was simple to make and delicious.  I can get the credit for this part.  I do however regret the fact that I had to use tomatoes from Mexico, instead of a fresh, local ones.  But nonetheless, it was still really great!  My anti-tomato and onion husband even liked it...in fact he said "I am getting skinnier with every bite".  I don't know if that was actually true. 

Here is the recipe * (with my adaptations)- Serves 2

• 3 handfuls of baby spinach, big pieces ripped in half
• 1/2 cucumber cut in quarters
• 1 Roma tomato, cut into chunks
• Red onion (I used a very small amount..it's so strong!)
• A bunch of basil leaves cut up

Dressing**- mix together:

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 3 tbsp lemon
• 1 tsp honey
• salt and pepper to taste

Notes:
*I measured my ingredients based on how much I like them...for the actual proportions, check out the recipe here.
**I didn't add the dressing until I was ready to serve.  Instead I made each part individually and refrigerated both until I was ready to serve.

Out of the Office Reply

To my faithful readers, I am needing to take a week off but don't stop checking, I will be back before you know it!

In the meantime, I leave for you two things:

First, an entertaining video featuring me.  I get to wear a mustache!  It is a Snepsts Day Miracle!

Second, some recipes  to try this week!  All are free of gluten, wheat, dairy, and egg.

Sweet Potato Curry Lentil Soup

Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets...# 1 fan favorite for sure

Slow-Cooker Durban Style Chicken

Onion Rings made with Rice Krispies

Microwave Popcorn- the shortcut.

Double-Chocolate-Chip Cookies

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies...Enough Said.

With all the rain lately, snuggling up to a nice cup of Chamomile Tea and some Chocolate cookies sure is a treat.  This would be the case, except I don't have any cookies left.  I brought most to a party and must confess I ate the remaining dozen in a very short time. 

Hard to believe these are wheat, gluten, dairy AND egg free!!!

This recipe comes from one of my favorite cookbooks, Veganomicon.  I myself am not vegan, but I find that vegan recipes are fantastic for dairy free and egg free options.  So if you are looking for a new cookbook, this is a great one!

This cookie recipe went over very well.  The plate was empty in no time.  They are dangerously good for both gluten free vegan's as well as those that can eat whatever they want.   I put a plate out and they were gone pretty quickly.  So if you are going somewhere that have one or two people who need 'special' food, know that you can make these and everyone can enjoy.

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies- makes 36 cookies
adapted from the Chocolate-Chocolate Chip-Walnut Cookie in the Veganomicon

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all purpose gluten-free flour *
• 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup canola oil
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 tsp ground flax seeds**
• 1/2 cup dairy free milk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup vegan chocolate chips***
• OR omit chocolate chips and add dried cranberries and walnuts

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
2. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper (or spray if you don't have any)
3. In a large bowl, mix together flour, xanthan gum, cocoa, soda & salt
4. In a seperate large bowl, mix together the oil and sugar.  Add the flaxseeds, soy milk, and vanilla, and mix well
5. Fold in the dry ingredients using a fork.  If batter gets too stiff, use your hands to mix.  
6. Add the chocolate chips
7. Roll dough in 1-inch balls and flatten, placing about an inch apart.  
8. Bake for 10 minutes and allow to cool on cookie sheets for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Chewy chocolatey goodness!

Notes:
*I made my own flour blend- it was great! Find the recipe here
**Flax seeds are optional, but I recommend them.  They keep the cookies chewy and add fiber.
***I use Trader Joes' brand chocolate chips. Though they are made in a facility containing dairy, the chocolate chips themselves do not (and are only $2 per bag).  Yay for us lactose intolerant people!