Menu plan for 2/22-2/28/2010

Oh my goodness. I feel like this little guy with his tongue hanging out!

I made the mistake of stopping by a grocery store on the way home from church. Nice store. Nice people. Evil bakery people. They had the audacity to put out fresh-from-the-oven sourdough and french breads WHILE I WAS STILL IN THE STORE!!!!

Do they not know that going gluten-free has been the most excruciating event of my life? Did they not notice me sniffing the empty bread baskets? Or the drool pool beneath them? I showed great restraint in not licking the bread bags once they were out. (It was a defining moment in this journey.)

Then, just as I am making my escape with whatever dignity I had left, the evil baker decided to place a display of fresh bread next to the check stands!!!

I'm not sure, but I think there may be a restraining order against me.

Seriously, this has been difficult, not because I have no will power, but because I love bread. Okay, I have no will power either, but mostly it's because I love bread. I found a couple of gluten-free muffin recipes on The Nourishing Gourmet, and really enjoyed them, so I'll be keeping these on hand for my bread cravings. Any other meals that have gluten grains in them, I'll just substitute brown rice or a nice big crouton-free salad.

We're going on a field trip to Bob's Redmill on Tuesday, so while I'm posting meals for Tuesday, we may not be having them. If not, I'll just carry them over until next week.

Here's what's cookin'...

Monday

~Soaked oatmeal, blueberries

~Pb & J sandwiches, tortilla chips/salsa, sliced apples

~Baja Fajitas w/ Frijoles Rancheros (Crockpot Wednesday recipe!)

Tuesday

~Red, White, and Blue cupcakes, Plum smoothies

~Black bean burritos, fruit

~Broiled Parmesan Tilapia, Mushroom Risotto, asparagus

Wednesday

~Soaked oatmeal, blueberries

~Corndog muffins, Strawberry/Peach slushies

~Chili, cornbread

Thursday

~fried eggs, toast

~Chili nachos, apples

~meatloaf, quinoa, baby peas

Friday

~Baked oatmeal, peaches

~meatloaf sandwiches, carrot sticks/homemade ranch dressing

~Peanut and Sesame Noodles, spinach salad (with mandarins, toasted almonds, Asian vinaigrette) (***Whole wheat noodles will be substituted with Soba noodles***)

Saturday

~Granola

~Egg salad sandwiches, oranges

~Elk steak, mashed taters/gravy, garlicky green beans

Sunday

~Granola

~leftovers

~Thai Cashew Chicken, Key lime pie with raw nut/date crust (I'll share the Cashew Chicken recipe next week...it is to die for!)

*I've been asked whether I'm still dieting or not...the answer is yes. The problem is tallying up the calories at the end of the day. Once I get the hang of "gluten-free", it'll be easier, but for now, the best I can guess, my calories are under 1500.

For more great menu ideas, visit Laura at The Organizing Junkie!