Angela's Kitchen

Cooking gluten and diary free... because everyone deserves a cookie!

Spring Menu Plan

Menu Plan Monday – March 23, 2020

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Maple syrup time!

What have you been up to while at home? We’ve been catching up on movies and shows, walking our pup, playing games, organizing, baking, and making maple syrup. This week we’ve got to get back to business as online college, dance and high school schedules have to be set up. I still want to keep things scheduled for game time and down time for us. If we have to be home, I want to really take advantage of the time to really be together…

Besides keeping your hands away from your face and washing your hands regularly for at least 20 seconds, there has been a recommendation for stocking up the pantry and snuggling down at home. I am a big fan of menu planning, stocking up the pantry, batch cooking and stashing a few meals in the freezer. I always think it is a good idea in our regular day to day lives, but especially now in current times.

Below I have a 2 week menu plan with a grocery list. This allows you to only need to go out once for two weeks, but also takes in to account having enough space in your freezer, fridge and shelves. My other suggestion right now is to see what you can pull together for meals from the supplies you already have at home. This is great to do whenever the food budget is a little snug, but I also like to do this a couple of times a year just to see what I’ve got to use up and to keep my food as fresh as it can be. You know how things can get shoved to the back of cupboards… time to see what you got!

To figure out what I already have on hand, I make a quick list of all the meat and veggies I already have in the freezer and refrigerator. Then I take all the cans, grains, and gluten free noodles from my pantry put them on the table, sorting into meals I can make. I jot down the meal idea on a list I hang on my fridge, adding anything else I need to get at the store to complete the meal. For example, using just the items in my cupboard and freezer I could easily make Pad Thai with chicken or shrimp (just need fresh cilantro and a lime – though I always seem to have that in my fridge), 3 different kinds of chili (Black Bean Sweet Potato Chili, Taco Chili and White Bean Chicken Chili), Black Bean Enchiladas (I could use a few more corn tortillas, but could make it work in a pinch), Salmon Sweet Potato Cakes and Tuna Veggie Casserole. That means I easily have over a week comforting, filling dinners as backup just sitting on my selves. Check your shelves – you will be surprised how much you already have on hand.

Below is a menu for two weeks for a family of four. With there still being a chill in the air I’ve leaned into warming flavors and comfort foods for this plan.

Grocery List and Menu Cards (all recipes for the week are on the download)

Breakfasts: You Pick It Smoothie Kits and Baked Apple Oatmeal Cups

Lunch: Sandwiches, Chicken and Broccoli Salad, Salmon Sweet Potato Cakes, and dinner leftovers.

Dinners:

Day 1: Slow Cooker Black Bean Salsa Chicken (freeze about half for day 10’s burrito bowls) over quinoa, rice or cauliflower rice

Day 2: Crustless Breakfast Quiche with fruit of choice

Day 3: Roasted Veggies & Sausage

Day 4: Maple Mustard Chicken Thighs with Roasted Brussels.

Day 5: French Dip Sandwiches (save half of the cooked beef for tacos) on Noah’s Rolls with veggies of choice on the side.

Day 6: Shrimp Pad Thai

Day 7: Slow Cooker Chicken Jambalaya over quinoa, rice or cauliflower rice

Day 8: Black Bean Sweet Potato Chili with tortilla chips

Day 9: White Bean & Ham Soup for the Slow Cooker

Day 10: Black Bean Salsa Chicken Burrito Bowls (with left over Black Bean Salsa Chicken from Day 1)

Day 11: Skillet Lasagna

Day 12: Carrot Cake Pancakes with syrup, sausage and fruit

Day 13: Pizza Sloppy Joes on Noah’s Rolls with Roasted Rosemary Potatoes and veggies

Day 14: Baked Beef and Black Bean Tacos with veggies

Menu Plan Monday – March 16, 2020

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The one dude in the house that is glad about everything being shut down. #ExtraDoggySnuggleBonus #LivingHisBestDogLife

If there is anything that seems to rattle us more than anything else, it is uncertainty. It can be a scary feeling, when our direction doesn’t seem clear and there does not seem to be a way forward. We are used to our set plans, our schedules laid out, with lists to check off. Places to go, people to see, hustling to and fro. When things stop you in your tracks and ask you to stop, to slow down, it can be quite a shock. It could be a job change, upcoming surgery, an illness in yourself or a loved one, or the current state of things right now… When we are uncertain, or direction isn’t clear. We may end up feeling numb, panicked, paralyzed, or desperate to feel like we have some control to what is happening around us.

And you know what? I am not going to tell you not to feel that way. Honor how you are feeling right now, in this moment of uncertainty. Be angry, or sad, frustrated, or laugh at the absurdity of it all. Work through those feelings. They are real. It IS frustrating and crazy right now. We are missing out on planned activities we have been looking forward to and not sure of the next thing.

But after that? Protect your thoughts. Guard them. Yes, things may seem unpredictable now, but worry won’t change the circumstance. What will change is how we choose to react and what we choose to act on. Soaking in the constant news cycle, constantly searching online for answers, can get too scary for yourself and your children. Personally, I have needed to step back and commit to staying off social channels, choosing to check my news feed only a couple of times throughout the day. The news will still be there if I need an update of anything that is truly important for me to know. But this way I control the flood, the panicked tones, and can guard my own thoughts and feelings.

And lastly, I would ask you, even in the midst of all the uncertainty right now, to remember to be kind and be a light to others. We are ALL going through this together. Not everyone has the resources you may have. No matter what life throws at us try to find moments to remember what you are grateful for and reflect on whether it is something you can share with others. Let someone ahead of you in line, offer a pack of toilet paper to someone if your cart has two, call or FaceTime relatives who are elderly and may be cut off from visits right now and feeling alone. There are all ways we can bring a light to someone now when things feel dark. And my friends, when you spread joy, that makes things feel a little less dark and uncertain for you.

In short, be a helper…

One thing I can do is share what and how we are eating for the next couple of weeks. I wanted a plan that would take advantage of what may be still available at the stores (there was not a run on artichokes, canned coconut milk or frozen shrimp at the store – LOL), still be delicious and be comforting. For the second week, I did not want too many components of the recipes to have to be frozen or refrigerated as well, so focused on recipes that had more components I could store in the cupboards. For my family, I was able to double up on recipes so I can put things away in the freezer for another day. For example, today I have a double batch of taco chili in the slow cooker. Before I serve dinner, I will put away half of it to cool in the refrigerator. Before bed, when the chili is cool, I’ll seal, label and date the meal, tucking it into the freezer for another night. By doing this, I’ve extended my menu plan from 2 to 4 weeks. You know how I like to be prepared!

Breakfasts: I checked my cupboards and I have enough ingredients to make pancakes (paleo and gluten free vegan), pumpkin waffles, gluten free oats, to get us through if needed. I also have enough frozen fruit/spinach/chia/dairy free milk on hand to have smoothies for over 2 weeks. I wanted to make sure I did not need eggs for any of my breakfast options, just so I can save the eggs I get for baking for treats or dinner items or save on space in the refrigerator. I also checked on the status of my coffee and tea. Trust me my family does not want me to run out!

Lunches: I have plenty of gluten free bread on hand in the freezer, lunch meat, nut butters, apples, carrots, clementines, gluten free wraps, breakfast items (see above) and I always encourage the eating of leftovers for lunch, so I honestly feel pretty set there as well. Before you go to the store, go through what you already have on hand. Do you have items to take care of breakfasts for a couple of weeks? What else do you need to add to your list or make sure you do. You will be surprised by what you may already have on hand.

Treats: by going through my cupboard, I found I had 4(!) boxes of gluten free brownie mix, 2 cake mixes, frozen gluten free pie crusts, popcorn and enough dairy free chocolate chips to keep everyone’s spirits up for a while. I am not sure why I have so many mixes, because I usually make things from scratch, but I think now is the time to try them out! Why not? I figure if I just make one or two things a week, just for fun, it will be a fun activity for the family to participate in, and we’ll have something tasty when we are done. I jotted down how much eggs/oil/etc. will be needed if we used the mixes. What is in your cupboard?

Grocery List (serves 4 – double if you would like to make a second batch of each to freeze for another week)

Day 1: Mongolian Beef and Broccoli over cauliflower rice, rice or quinoa

-For my budget I made this with ground beef and fresh broccoli this week. There was not any frozen broccoli in my local store. To change the recipe, I cooked and crumbled the ground beef, draining any grease. When beef is cooked, add sauce ingredients and add cut broccoli and sautéing until sauce is thickened and broccoli is crisp-tender. There was no rice at the store (!), BUT there was plenty of frozen cauliflower rice and quinoa available to serve as a side, so pick your favorite accompaniment.

–Roast a whole chicken. Remove chicken meat and package for day two, keeping in the fridge. Make chicken stock from chicken bones. I added a onion, a couple carrots, celery, and garlic to stock.

Day 2: Wild Rice Chicken Soup using chicken and stock from day one.

Day 3: Taco Chili with Dairy Free Brazilian Cheese Rolls (wrap and freeze remaining rolls for day four.

Day 4: Slow Cooker Cassoulet with extra rolls from day three wrapped in foil and heated in the oven for 5ish minutes at 400 degrees.

Day 5: Carnitas Burrito Bowls (in the bowls I will also have Cilantro Lime Rice/quinoa/cauliflower rice, sautéed sweet pepper strips, and sweet corn kernels cooked coconut oil, caramelized onions, garlic, ground cumin and chili powder) If desired, save half of the carnitas for day seven before serving dinner.

Day 6: Spicy Sweet Glazed Chicken with roasted asparagus

Day 7: Pulled Pork on sweet baked potatoes with frozen or fresh veggies on the side. (If you made a really big pork roast for the Carnitas on day five, didn’t pick up a second roast or have room for one, simply save half of the carnitas, mix with your favorite gluten free BBQ sauce and presto! Dinner is served!)

Day 7: Tuna Noodle & Veggie Casserole

Day 8: Teriyaki Chicken with Veggies over pad Thai noodles instead of rice

Day 9: Calico Beans, Corn Bread and apple slices

Day 10: Pizza Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Day 11: Simple Pork Fried Rice

Day 13: Caramelized Onion and Garlic Hamburgers with Roasted Dijon Brussels Sprouts and Rosemary Oven Potatoes

Day 14: Curried Shrimp (I will do this with green beans as there were no frozen snap peas at the store. Any green veggie will do. In a pinch I would grab frozen spinach, thaw, squeeze out extra liquid and and stir in about 1/3 to 1/2 the package after everything is cooked to add greens to the meal.)

I wasn’t ready this week with a grocery list, but hopefully this list helps give ideas in your planning as we move toward staying home for longer periods during this time. On Monday and every Monday for the next few weeks while things are a bit uncertain, I will post a grocery list, menu plan and prep for a two week menu. Each menu plan will include food for a two week shop for 4 people, breakfasts, lunches, dinners and a couple treats. My hope is that is will ease someone’s way as we go forward.

Feel free to ask any questions and stay safe and cozy!

Menu Plan Monday – April 3, 2017

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(Here is my girl when she turned 6… My, how she has grown. When did that happen?)

Hello! It is definitely trying to be Spring around here. Saturday was beautiful and there are cute little green sprouts making their way bravely into the world. Woo-hoo!

This week my baby will be turning 14 years old. She has been such a joy and is growing into an amazing young woman with a big heart for others. I am so happy that she has …

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Menu Plan Monday… a couple days later – March 8, 2017

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Last week did not go as planned. My daughter has all sorts of fun planned with dress rehearsals, the middle school play, cast party, etc. But after opening night on Thursday, she was extremely tired and her throat felt a bit scratchy. You know where this is going, right? By Friday afternoon, her fever had jumped up and we knew she wasn’t going anywhere for a few days. Well, after five days she is finally better and back to school. Oof, the flu is no fun, poor kiddo…

With a little sicky at home, I shifted our menu plan for someone with a tummy that was a bit flip-floppy and decided to post today what we ended up eating along with the remaining week’s plan. She subsisted for a few days on smoothies, coconut water, gf crackers and dry gluten-free toast. By Monday she finally felt a little hungry and her fever was going down, so I made homemade chicken soup made with bone broth and plenty of roasted garlic. Yum! It sure hit the spot for all of us!

Monday: Homemade Roasted Chicken and Garlic Noodle Soup

Tuesday: Mini Frittas with fruit

Wednesday: Slow Cooker Cranberry Pork Roast (from the freezer) – if my daughter is not up to pork roast, she’ll have leftover soup.

Thursday: Teriyaki Chicken with broccoli over rice

Friday: Leftover chicken soup with Gluten Free French Bread and a salad


Menu Plan Monday – February 27, 2017

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**It has been so long since I posted that I can’t seem to get a photo in here without some big time updates. I’ll work on that… In the meantime imagine a pic of me hanging out with my silly pup, Blaze.**

I haven’t posted much for the past couple of years because the universe was out to get me my schedule has been a bit tricky. I suppose what I was living during that time could be considered a failure to learn from my past, but I like to think of it as a terminal sort of optimism that makes me charming. You see, every time I have an intensive sort of schedule, I look at the calendar, do the math in my head, and then think “Oh, it’ll be just fine.” It’s like I think that everything that was difficult about me juggling the snot out of managing that many time commitments at once has completely gone away, or that I have a time machine, suddenly been endowed with super powers… or that I have become a completely different sort of person than I actually am. At some point this time I did realize I am still me, and it will still be a problem and maybe, just maybe I can choose to make some changes. With two kiddos in college now TWO, how did that happen? the need to make a certain income to pay for that did dominate my crazy schedule this past couple years. However, I now basically have my dream job in just one regular full-time job (not 5 individual part-time jobs-YAY!) that allows me time for a regular paced life and sleep and all those things that I heard are so popular. Some people might say that is boring, but trust me, boring is where it’s at.

Since finishing the last big right now secret, but I’ll tell you as soon as I can project, I have been enjoying doing things like sleeping 8 hours, sitting on the couch to watch a movie with the family, and simply breathing. It’s been nice. I am at the stage in my over-work recovery that I have started to look around the house and wondered, “who lives here? Do they own a vacuum? Ew…” Consequently, over the past couple of weeks I have been trying to tidy things up a tiny bit. Not the entire house, that would be madness. I worked out long ago that a totally pristine house was beyond my reality. I mean, I clean up, and then someone usually me, which is really disappointing trashes the house and it needs to be cleaned again. Now that I am a woman of mature years more on years, less on maturity, I choose to focus on simple small areas to tidy up instead of panicking over the house as a whole. It is funny how when a cupboard is organized, or a drawer is cleaned, things end up being put away in there almost by magic because you know where they go. Weird….

Also, a completely organized house is not happening simply because I live here, and I am at peace about that. I do leave a trail of things in my wake and have a tendency to keep little projects and books scattered throughout the house ready for when I come back to different chairs. However, I AM organized with food, and I have quite a few things going to revamp my freezer space and get a nice rotating schedule of meals happening that I can’t wait to share with you.

Over the past couple years I have become even more committed to meal scheduling, freezer cooking and my beautiful slow cooker more than ever as without them my family would never have had a hot meal with the craziness that was going on. Now that things have slowed down, I finally have the time to share the delicious solutions I used during the crazy time AND I can start experimenting again with fun ‘just because’ recipes. I am excited to get started and share everything with you as I go. My youngest is now in eighth grade which is unbelievable to me and has always been really into baking. She’ll be helping with the baking and learning to take photos as well. She and I are also quite excited about literary recipes and are working on some fun things in that area. But for now, I’ll stick with my new mantra and just start with one thing. Our menu plan for this week.

This week is a busy one for the family as my daughter is on stage crew for the middle school play. It is dress rehearsal week and next weekend is the play. Consequently, our meals are being made ahead today, or pulled from the freezer for this week. We’ll be a warm-and-go family this week, but still eating well.

Monday: mom has a day off. I’l be baking up a storm and prepping this week’s meals. Making Chocolate Chip Banana Bread and Lemon Poppy Seed Bread. Half will be portioned to serve with eggs for breakfast, and half will be packaged for others weeks in the freezer. Spicy Sweet Glazed Chicken on salad
Tuesday: Taco Chili in the slow cooker with Corn Bread
Wednesday: Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole
Thursday: Beef Enchilada Casserole
Friday: Tuna Noodle & Veggie Casserole

For more menu inspiration, visit Heather of Celiac Family and Organized Junkie.

 

Heather @CeliacFamily February 27, 2017 at 2:10 pm [edit]
Busy with plays at our house, too! Tech week for one play, and another one starting rehearsals today.

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angelaskitchen March 8, 2017 at 9:03 am [edit]
‘Tis the season for plays! ???? Gotta love it!

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Amy March 1, 2017 at 2:42 pm [edit]
Hi! I discovered your website just a few weeks ago. We have started my son on the GFCF diet, and your site has been an absolute God-send! I was worried that it was an inactive blog, since nothing had been posted for so long, but I’m super thrilled to see you’re doing well and back on the site. Thanks a million!

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angelaskitchen March 8, 2017 at 9:01 am [edit]
Hi! Yep, getting my blogging feet back under me and getting things underway again. ???? So glad to meet you! Let me know if there is anything in particular you need a recipe for. I may already have published it, or I may have a recipe and never put it on here. Just let me know. Have a great week!