Gluten-Free Breakfast Goodness

It's often said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Breakfast prepares your body to get through your day and it's certainly worth giving special attention. This post will go over some protein packed gluten-free options that will get your day off to an awesome start. Now before your mind goes into some basic combos like bacon and eggs, I'd like to give you some healthier options that in some cases taste better than the combo mentioned above.

 Turkey Sausage

Have you ever tried turkey sausage? Turkey sausage has become increasingly popular over the past five or so years and it has been added to many breakfast hot spots all over the country. Let's go over a few benefits that turkey sausage brings to the table. Did you know that turkey sausage has more protein than pork sausage? A three and half ounce serving of turkey sausage has 23.9 grams of protein as opposed to 14 grams of protein in pork sausage. Eating a breakfast rich in protein provides the amino acids that your brain needs to function at its optimal level. Now pairing your turkey sausage with complex carbohydrates, helps segue us into our next breakfast items.                                                      

Source:Flikr:User:Eatallthethings

Pancakes &Waffles

Pancakes and waffles have been breakfast staples for years and retailers have jumped on the gluten-free bandwagon; great news for us right!  Although it may cost these companies a little more dough to make gluten-free pancakes and waffles, there is a market for it. Take a walk down the frozen food isle or the baked goods isle and you'll find gluten-free pancake and waffle mixes and/or frozen pancakes and waffles. If you choose to buy the dry mixes, in most cases, you'll need to add eggs, oil and milk. You could also opt to make your own gluten-free  pancake and waffle batter (we'll go over this topic in another post). As for adding nutritional value to your pancake and waffle breakfast, flax seeds and seasonal fruit can provide some essential vitamins such as Omega 3s and Vitamin C.

Smoothies

Source:WikiMedia Commons:User:Sigurdas

If there's one way to get a jump start on your day, it would be drinking a fruit and vegetable smoothie. Smoothies can be made with fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables and the best part about it is that you have complete control as to what goes into your smoothie. You have the opportunity to fulfill most of your fruit and vegetable servings first thing in the morning. Feel free to add fresh greens such as kale, romaine and/or spinach with bananas, strawberries or even kiwi.  I mentioned flax seeds earlier and adding them to your smoothie could be a nice addition of Omega 3s to your breakfast shake. Since most nutrients in fruits and vegetables are found in the skins and membranes, it's important to make sure that your blender utilizes these key parts.

Oatmeal

Another breakfast item that is naturally gluten-free is oatmeal. However, it depends on where the oats are manufactured. Many companies choose to consolidate their facilities and therefore the oats could face contamination. Meaning that naturally gluten-free oats could be processed on the same machines that process wheat products.  It's important to check the label of your oatmeal to ensure that your oats are processed in a gluten-free environment. As with pancakes and waffles, adding fruits and also cinnamon make great additions to your breakfast as well.

Wrapping It Up

All of the foods mentioned above are great ways to start your day. Or if you're like me, breakfast can be eaten at any time of the day! Keep that in mind whenever you'd like to change up your routine.  Be sure to keep your eyes pealed for my next gluten-free goodness post as I plan to tackle lunch time. Until next time, take care and be well :) 

Intro Into Gluten-Free Goodness

Hey and thanks for stopping by today! Now, going gluten-free can be a bit intimidating and I'd like to ease you into the gluten-free world. First and foremost, going gluten-free it a lot easier then you think. It's about changing the way you see food and how you adapt to a new lifestyle. This intro post will give you some tips on how to make the necessary changes and how to make the transition a little easier.

A great way to think about going gluten-free is going natural. True this can be interpreted in many different ways but think of it as buying food in its most natural state. For example, opting to buy the fresh spinach and cauliflower over the frozen vegetable mixture in a butter sauce. It can also mean buying grass fed ground beef over the bargain 70/30, meat to fat ratio, ground beef.  Buying organic or fresh food can be expensive but there are ways to get around it; which I'll go over in another post.                                                                                                                                Spring Vegetables: Source: Flickr: Darya Pino


Being educated on how your food is processed is key to going gluten-free as well. For example, buying the cheaper brand of chicken today could make you pay more later. Think of it this way, whatever the animal eats, you eat too. Although there are many gluten-free baked goods and snack on the market, you still need to read the labels.

  
Roosters, Chickens, Hens: Source: Pixabay: James DeMers

Hopefully this gets you ready to explore the many options out there to help you go gluten-free. Stay tuned for my next post on how to prepare gluten-free starches for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Until then, take care!

Untouched Pasta Salad

Pasta is one of those foods that taste better the next day. I am pretty sure that you thought that you made enough pasta for your meal and before you know it there is a large amount untouched. There is always hope for untouched pasta. I came up with a great solution to any untouched pasta. Pasta salad is an easy meal to prepare and use for multiple side dishes or dinners.

It is always a good to stock up on pasta when it goes on sale at your local grocery story. Like I mentioned above, I made more pasta then I wanted to eat at one sitting. Instead of just adding tomato sauce to the pasta and refrigerating it, I tossed Italian dressing in it instead. I had some extra vegetables in the refrigerator  that I needed to eat and I figured a good way to use them was to make a pasta salad. First I diced up about a half a cup of  onion and half of a green pepper. Since I love garlic, I minced three cloves of garlic and added it to the onion and pepper mixture. Next I added shredded sharp cheddar, mozzarella and grated parmesan cheese with my house blend of seasoning to the vegetable mixture. Lastly, I combined the pasta with the vegetable mixture to complete my untouched pasta salad.

Honestly, this was my first time making pasta salad and in my opinion, it's a winner. Of course there are many different variations of pasta salad, so feel free to add any other vegetables to it or take away any to suit your taste.

Fresh and Easy BLT

With the demands of everyday living; sometimes there isn't enough time for a healthy meal It's a classic sandwich that is easy and quick to prepare for lunch or dinner. Who doesn't love a BLT?  My version of the BLT is very similar to the original; bacon, lettuce, tomato and mayo.

I modified the BLT for those who don't like mayo and want extra fiber to go along with it. I discovered a better tasting bread that has half the fat of white bread and is only 40 calories per slice. I recommend Pepperidge Farm's Light Style Extra Fiber Wheat because of the nutritional benefits and it tastes better then regular white bread. The first thing you want to do is cook up three slices of smoked bacon in a skillet. While that is cooking, slice up a tomato and wash up a large piece of lettuce. It doesn't matter what kind of tomato or type of lettuce you chose. When the bacon has about two minutes left to cook, toast two pieces of bread. After the bacon and bread are finished, place the bread on your plate. Next, take two slices of butter and spread them on both inside slices of toast. The next ingredient is no surprise and it adds a nice flavor to your BLT; garlic powder. Sprinkle the garlic powder on both sides of the toast and then add the bacon. This way your butter will melt from the bacon and the toast. The last step is to add the tomato slices and lettuce to sandwich.

There's my version of a classic sandwich. Feel free to experiment with your food because there's nothing worse then boring food.

Another Great Untouched Chicken Dinner

There's nothing like thinking back to your childhood and remembering how your parents used to make dinner. I remember eating basic dinners like fried pork chops and roast beef, but there is a classic chicken dish that will always stand out in my mind. My mom  made an awesome baked chicken paprika and we usually ate that meal at least once a week. This dish is very easy to make and it can be made from a previous untouched chicken dish.

Simplicity is something that I strive for everyday and your meals should follow that as well. You can start preparing this meal within the same hour that you plan to eat it. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and gather my basic spice blend, garlic powder, salt and black pepper.  The only extra spice that you'll need is smoked paprika and this adds a nice touch of heat to your meat.You can use any part of the bird for this recipe but I recommend using thighs for a shorter cooking time. Place the chicken in a glass baking pan or on a metal sheet pan. Season the meat and cook for approximately 45 minutes or until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. It is important that the meat reaches that temperature; trust me that having salmonella poisoning is not fun. While your chicken bakes, you can prepare your side dishes. I like to prepare a vegetable and a starch; feel free to add or omit one or the other. I love peas so I always have a can or two of peas in my cupboard and those noodles and sauce packages are good to have on hand as well. Normally the noodles and sauce sides take around 10 minutes or so and the peas take around 5 minutes. If you time it right, you can have the chicken and your sides done at the same time.

It doesn't get more basic then that. This whole meal will cost you under 10 bucks and will taste amazing.

An Awesome Untouched Vegetarian Dish

I know that its been a while since my last post, I do apologize for absence. I have been thinking of different vegetarian dishes to go along with my blog theme and I found one that you all should enjoy. I came up with this dish because I didn't want to spent a bunch of money on take-out Thai food.

I venture down the ethnic food isle about once a month to look at different sauces and spices that could enhance my dishes. I found this Thai chili sauce in the Asian food section and figured that this would be a good investment. I spent around four dollars and change on a 9.3 oz jar and it lasts for a good amount of time. The great thing about this sauce is that its not too spicy and it adds a nice kick to your dishes with only a tablespoon. The ingredients for this dish are very inexpensive: white rice, baby spinach, chopped garlic, sliced white mushrooms and scallions. One of the highlights of this dish is the amount of time it takes from prep to the table; 25 minutes if that. I cook rice a little differently than most people because I found that my way is quicker and I don't have to worry about the starch of the rice boiling over on the stove. All I do is measure my rice, 1/3 cup per person and serving, and use the 2/1 ratio of water and rice.  I leave the lid off of the pot and leave the burner on a medium/high heat. It is always important to season your rice because rice will take on the flavor of the seasoning that you put in it. Make sure that your rice is cooking before any other preparation because it still takes the longest in this dish. While the rice is cooking, heat up a medium skillet with some olive oil  or whatever oil that is on hand. Wash and slice your mushrooms and scallions and chop your fresh garlic or use a tablespoon of minced garlic. When the pan is hot, put the mushrooms, scallions and garlic in the pan. It's important to saute the mushrooms first because they take the longest out of vegetables to cook and the garlic will burn if it is in the pan too long. After the mushrooms, scallions and garlic are mostly cooked, add the spinach in the last few minutes along with a tablespoon of the Thai chili sauce. Spinach takes the least amount of cook time and you want to make sure that it still retains some texture. After the vegetables and rice are done cooking, place the rice on your plate or bowl with the vegetable mixture on top.

This dish is quick, healthy and very easy to prepare. Another thing to point out is that this dish will give you the feeling of hunger satisfaction and will not leave you feeling stuffed.

Untouched Chicken Soup

It maybe spring but there are some cool days leftover from the winter season and making homemade soups can turn those days into pleasant ones. There's nothing better than homemade chicken soup on one of those cool days.

I bought some chicken breasts a few months ago, besides my whole chickens, and I decided to make a chicken soup out of it. These chicken breasts in particular were quite big and I know that I can definitely make more then one meal out of it.  I cut the breast in half and cut it into cubes for my soup. I love more vegetables in my meals rather than proteins so my recipe is more veggie friendly. I heated up a large pot or a dutch oven on the stove with some olive oil and browned my chicken cubes in it. Seasoned the meat with my basic seasoning blend and added some chopped scallions, or green onions to the meat. Scallions are usually cheaper then whole onions in most cases and I like their mild flavor in soups. While the meat and scallions are browning, I chopped up some whole button mushrooms and baby carrots. Since I love peas, I could not resist putting in a small can of them for this soup. Whether they are canned or frozen, peas are a great addition to soups or casseroles. Right before adding the remainder of the vegetables, I added some minced garlic and 2 cups of chicken stock. Garlic gives any dish a great flavor but I always add more garlic then most because you can never have too much garlic in your diet. After adding the rest of my ingredients, I added some thyme and garlic powder to the pot. I simmered the soup for about an hour and a half before I added a roux to thicken it up a bit.

About ten minutes before I served the soup, I boiled some water for egg noodles and spinach for the soup. I recommend cooking rice or noodles separately when making a soup because the starches suck up the broth of your soup. Fresh spinach always makes a great addition to soups or eating it my itself is good as well. The noodles and the spinach went into a bowl and two ladles of my homemade chicken soup went on top.

One of the most tastiest chicken soups that I have ever made and it didn't cost that much to make it. I bought the mushrooms, scallions, chicken stock, and minced garlic all for under ten bucks. The chicken breasts were sold in a pack of five and it was around $15. You can easily make this meal any day of the week and have untouched foods for another day. I had enough soup for another dinner or large lunch for later on this week.