Friday, February 25, 2011

Spaghetti Squash

I found a new love...spaghetti squash! I had never had it until last night. I have heard about it, but didnt' believe it would make a good substitute to my beloved pasta. Now that I'm gluten free I figured I would give it a try...it was fantastic and EASY. It's low in calories and filling. I used it in place noodles and didn't miss them a bit. My 5 year old liked it too.

It's very easy to cook. I cut it in half and cleaned out the pulp and seeds. I put a little salt/pepper on the inside and put it cut side down on a baking sheet and baked at 375 for 40 minutes. I let it cool for a few minutes, flipped it over and put a fork on the inside and twisted it, the insides come off like noodles. It's pretty cool. I'm hoping to try to grow them this summer in my garden. I topped it with ground turkey and pasta sauce, it was wonderful. Give it a shot and you might find you don't even miss pasta!

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu

I made the easiest chicken ever tonight. I pounded out a couple chicken breasts as flat as I could and then spread a wedge of laughing cow light cheese and then placed a piece of shaved ham on top. I rolled it up and placed it seam side down on a greased foil lined pan and baked it covered for 20 minutes and then uncovered for remaining cooking time.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Iowa Machine Shed 2/20/11

Tonight my husband and I decided to try Iowa Machine Shed out again since I had recently heard they offered a gluten free menu now.

I asked the hostess who was grabbing menus if they had an actual gluten free menu, I was met with a yes we do as she grabbed one for me. Its a piece of computer paper and it has the items listed by meal time. Our waitress was fantastic, she payed attention to what I wanted/needed and tried her best to accommodate me.

We went at dinner time and since I had a steak prepared at home last night I opted for the Tangy Tenderloin. I was nervous. They do not list the ingredients, so the menu saying "spiced sausage" made me apprehensive. It seems fine, I haven't gotten sick yet. I had sweet potato fries at as my side.

It was a bit pricey for my liking at $12 for two small portions of tenderloin and sweet potato fries it seemed a bit much, the portions on the glutenous item my husband got was very small too. We ended up stopping for an ice cream on the way home. Overall the meal was fine and tasted okay. It wasn't exceptional, but was tasty enough. I told my husband this is the first time I have left the Machine Shed disappointed, not really unhappy or anything to complain about, just disappointed in the portion vs. price.

There are plenty of options on this gluten free menu to appeal to even picky eaters.  We will probably go back, but we like them better for breakfast than dinner. Machine shed breakfast is never a disappointment.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Oatmeal

I'm not a fan of oatmeal, but trying to be healthier has me attempting to add things that I love to make it taste better and keeping it low calorie.
 
I have figured out how I could eat this every day! At 160 cals it EASY and fantastic!
 
1/4 Cup of Bob's Red Mill GF Quick Cooking Oats
1 Tsp of Peanut butter Chips
1 tsp of Chocolate Chips
just enough water to cook the oats.
 
I cook the oats in the microwave in a small bowl with water for about 1 minute. Take it out, add the chips and stir until all are melted. It is heaven. It tastes like a warm no bake cookie without adding any additional sugar. It's a filling warm breakfast that helps hold me over on these long cold Iowa mornings!