Meal Plan | May 2014 (Part I)

These days, I am trying to convince myself that my daily gluten-free cooking routine hasn't changed significantly after eliminating corn, soy, and oats. It's so hard to not have any dairy (oh, glorious cheese) and eggs.

Dinners typically follow the format of a grilled/roasted protein and vegetable-based side. I know starches are usually the third part of this trifecta, but gluten-free grains or carbs don't always have to make an appearance to make a fulfilling meal.

Organic CSA Basket 
It's the last basket of the Spring Quarter!

• (1) bunch scallion
• (3) bunch late Spring Walla Walla onions
• (1) bunch cilantro
• (1) bunch black kale
• (2) bunch red kale
• (1) bunch beets with tops
• (1) bunch baby turnips with tops
• (1) bunch rainbow chard
• (2) bunch collard greens
• (2) large zucchinis
• (2) cucumbers
• (3) apples
• (2) tangerines
• (1) bunch broccoli
• (1) fennel with tops
• (2) avocados

Video: Here's a look at all the produce I get for just $35 every other week. Produce is harvested on the same day. Now, that's fresh!

Meal Plan

Here's what I'll be making for the next two weeks:

Recipes marked with an * are from my latest book purchase called My Viring Diet Cookbook by
Rebecca Lorraine. Recipes are gluten-free, soy-free, egg-free, corn-free, peanut-free, and sugar-free.

Girls Night In

Last Saturday, my girlfriends and I got together for a Girls Night In (GNI). It's a mix between a Wine & Cheese soiree and Potluck party. It always turns out spectacular. and we all get stuffed with good food and great company. 

All my friends were very thoughtful in bringing some gluten-free options for me. Unfortunately, I have been on an even stricter diet for a gut repair program that doesn't allow me to consume dairy, grains, and alcohol. So, my options were limited. 

Note: A lot of the cute serveware you see below are owned my friend, Sue, who purchased them at Crate & Barrel.

Pictured: Parsley Pesto (prepared by me), Trader Joe's toasts, sliced peaches, Marscapone cheese, Parm-Gouda cheese.

The Mascarpone and fresh peach combo was to die for. I have not had dairy in three weeks, but I had to cheat a little bit to enjoy this.

The Parm-Gouda combo was a first for me. I had a sliver of a sliver to taste it. It has the creamy, smokey flavor of gouda with the saltiness of Parm. Yum!

Add caption

Pictured: Garlic-stuffed olives (these pack a punch of flavor), dark-chocolate nibs, and roasted almonds.

Pictured: Thinly sliced apples. They taste great with Brie.

Skilled knife work by my friend, Caroline.

Add caption

Pictured: Brie cheese, cheese torte (sun-dried tomatoes, olives, pesto, soft cheese), poppy-seed water crackers, and toasts.

Pictured: Roasted yellow zucchini with parsley pesto made by moi. Read simple recipe in my previous post.

*This is approved for the Repairvite diet.

Pictured: Chilled butternut squash and caramelized onion from Whole Foods deli.

My dear friend, Cathy, drove all the way to Long Beach from Fullerton to get a gourmet side dish that was gluten-free for our get together.

I slightly teared due to her thoughtfulness.

*This is approved for the Repairvite diet.

Pictured: Qunioa salad from Whole Foods.

I was a little sad that I couldn't eat this as it contains grains, soy, and tomatoes or peppers. Sorry, Cathy.

*This is gluten-free, but not approved on Repairvite diet.

Pictured: Selection of cured meats.

I wasn't 100% sure if this was OK for me to eat, but I did so anyway as it was the only source of protein other than cheese.

*Check label if gluten-free.

Note pictured: Fresh cured meat cuts from Claro's deli. My favorite was Alpino. It is a thinly sliced, circular meat that my friend described as a cross between salami & Proscuitto.

Picture: Organic green grapes from my CSA box.

*Not approved for Repairvite as it is a high glycemic index fruit (i.e., high in sugar).

Pictured: Sparkling blood orange soda. I watered it down with equal parts sparkling orange water.

Both myself and my friend, Joyce, could not partake in the drinking of alcohol. Joyce is pregnant and due in a couple weeks. Emma, Auntie can't wait to meet you! My lame excuse was my detox restrictions.

Pictured: My friend, Stella, brought faux Chardonnay for Joyce & I to drink.

Don't I have the sweetest, supportive friends, ever?!

Picture: Us ladies love our bubbly. I had a sip when we had the first of many cheers.

*Red wine is not gluten-free, but white wine is. Alcohol is not approved on the detox program.

Pictured: The star of the night was this sparkling pink moscato.

*I cheated on my diet and drank 1/3 of a flute of this lovely bubbly.


















Do you have any food ideas for our next GNI?

Citrus Herb Roasted Chicken

Citrus Herb Roasted Chicken Thighs

I have been cooking organic chicken thighs once a week lately. The easiest way to cook them is to roast them in the oven. I winged a recipe today based on my vague memory of something I cooked back in February.

Earlier this year, I made this whole roasted chicken to celebrate birthdays for our friends, Ariel & Josh, based on this recipe.

Uncooked

Roasted

I've grown tired of the usual savory marinades including Herbs de Provence, sweet & spicy, and lemon garlic. I wanted something brighter for my skin-on, bone-in organic chicken thighs on Sunday night. It just so happened that I had an organic tangelo, fresh mint, and Italian parsley on hand. 

South Coast Farms CSA Week 6 & Meal Planning

CSA Summer Basket - Week 6

Last week, we got our first CSA box. How exciting! I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of organic produce we got in the bushel. We finished almost everything in less than a week! 

Here's what our basket included:

• Veggies
• 1 bag green beans
• 1 bunch flat leaf parsley
• 1 bunch basil
• 1 large bunch Swiss chard
• 1 bunch red leaf lettuce
• 1 bunch romaine lettuce
• 2 eggplants
• 4 small yellow squash
• Fruits
• 2 cucumbers
• 2 plums
• 1 grapefruit
• 2 persimmons
• 3 apples
• Starches
• 1 yam
• 1 acorn squash
• 2 caterpillars :)

Note: I was stuck at work, so my friend (thanks, Caroline) graciously picked up the basket for me. I gave her the tomatoes and eggplants since these nightshade items are not approved on my Repairvite detox program.

Grilled Chimichurri Shrimp

Grilled Chimichurri Shrimp Recipe

Serves: 2-3

• 1 pound fresh shrimp, peeled & deveined I used white Mexican shrimp 15U from Whole Foods. $20 for one pound. I calculated that each person would get about five shrimps.
• 2 small bunch organic fresh parsley leaves You can use either Italian flat leaf or curly.
• 2-3 cloves organic garlic
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano Fresh oregano is extremely strong and changes the flavor profile. I prefer dried. 
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 cup organic EVOO
• 1 large organic lemon, juiced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Red pepper flakes to taste Peppers are not approved on the Repairvite safe list. Shhh, I cheated.

Here is the inspiration recipe from Giada De Laurentiis.

Roasted Acorn Squash

The only squashes in my vocabulary used to be butternut and Japanese Kabocha. I had my first experience with acorn squash earlier this week.

Acorn squash got its name because, well, it looks like the shape of an acorn. It's predominantly green. To pick a ripe acorn squash, find one that is firm with a dark orange spot (pictured at top).

Since I have never eaten or cooked acorn squash before, I decided to roast it. Roasting is my fav technique lately (read, lazy). To flavor it, I decided to season with curry powder & salt to balance out the inherent sweetness.

Based on my taste test, acorn squash is indeed a mildy sweet, slightly fibrous variety. It's quite similar to the Kabocha.

Roasted Curry Acorn Squash Recipe

Meal Planning ~ Week of 9/15/13

Today, I went to the Brea Farmers Market & Mother's with my hubby. Our priority was to buy fresh and organic produce. We also "splurged" on some artisanal teas.

While I'm on the Repairvite detox, I cannot have any caffeinated drinks. I have been craving tea lately as I have been watching my co-workers enjoy their K-Cup coffees.

We bought the teas from this local tea vendor. We got two gift-sized packages of honey chamomile ($4) and Rooibus Chai tea ($6). I am so excited to try this chocolatey herbal Chai (I will ignore that chocolate has some caffeine).

Meal Plan

My problem is that I always buy produce and "snacks," but don't get proteins for main dishes. I like to buy my meat/poultry/seafood fresh (like, same day fresh). I have been so sick of chicken lately. When I am indecisive about my proteins, I tend to ignore them altogether. 

Anyway, I created a game plan below of how I'm going to use what I bought, but, ironically, don't have many actual meals planned for the end of the week.