July 5 - July 22

Hello readers! Apologies for the absence. We had family in town, went on vacation, and now are in the throws of a kitchen remodel. You'll see the impact of all those things in the meal plan for the last few weeks. Lots of food out, left overs, and replays on old standards. Once I have my new kitchen up and running (hopefully the end of this week!) I'll be back to trying new things and posting accordingly. But, without further ado...

July 5 - Pecan Crusted Talapia with Pineapple Cucumber Salad Served with Rice Pilaf and Roasted Asparagus
I grind up pecans in my handheld nut/cheese grinder from Pampered Chef and then coat both sides of defrosted, patted dry, and seasoned fish. This night, it was talapia. I brown the coated fish in a pan and then keep it warm in the oven. The salad was super easy to make ahead of time and, yes, does require all the lime juice. Don't skimp. You'll miss out on the citrus-y goodness. I toss my asparagus in olive oil, salt, pepper, and a little dry vermouth. I roast at 450 for 5-10 minutes until bright green, then I remove from the oven and toss with some fresh lemon juice. We used a store-bought (Near East Brand) pilaf. Be careful with these if you are gluten free, though. Even the Near East brand has some varieties that have gluten. How'd people do food allergies before food labels and options were as good as they are now? I can't even imagine. I am grateful for the era and privilege into which I was born.

July 6 - Thai Coconut Turkey Meatballs with Zucchini and Brown Rice
These things are THE. BOMB. Little nuggets of happiness. And, I have to say I feel like a real bad ass when I make my own curry. I know that it isn't that impressive, especially if it is a food that is a part of one's heritage or culture of food, but I still claim bad ass status when I buy a stalk of lemongrass and make my own curry, bitches! I don't change anything about this recipe except for adding a bit more salt and serving it over brown rice, otherwise all that delicious curry just sits sadly on the plate waiting to be soaked up but never meeting its destiny. So sad. If you're confused about where to find "coriander leaf" just look for cilantro and then take that little pearl of trivia with you to game night (coriander is the seed from which cilantro is grown). Also, I've tried preparing the zucchini a number of ways (spiral and slice, julienne grater, hand slicing, and vegetable peeler). All of them work, I think my favorite is the spiral and slice, though.

July 7 - Turkey Sandwiches
This is another one you'll see on here as a go-to "I don't have time to make dinner" plan. We got some really high quality herbed roasted turkey breast from Costco that I used on my GF bread (Udi's!) I add any/all/some of the following: lettuce, tomato, basil, bacon, avocado, hummus, mayo, pesto, fried egg. That last one is a real crowd pleaser but requires a little extra time and a few more napkins. ;)

July 8 - Spinach Tart
I made this on June 26. If you venture to make it you'll see that the ingredients and measurements make it easy to either make a double batch or to plan to make it again in a couple days/weeks. I usually do the latter, or, I make two and freeze or share one. This works well for brunch, lunch, or dinner. Yum. Yum. Yum.

July 9 - Breakfast for Dinner
Sometimes you are trying to clean out the fridge and freezer in advance of a pending vacation and kitchen remodel. Sometimes you just want to eat waffles and scrambled eggs for dinner. July 9 happened to be a day when both such things were true. You'll see this one come up fairly often. It is my "easiest, go-to, fill-the-bellies, can't think about dinner" dinner. And, according to my sister you can still drink wine with your frozen waffles. Win-win.

July 10 - Basil Peach Chicken with Wild Rice and Sauteed Zucchini and Summer Squash
My parents arrived on this day and I was trying to make a decent impression. I found this recipe online and it looked fairly straight forward. It was. I should have cooked the chicken in the pan a bit longer (really getting it brown on both sides) before I added the peach and liquid mixture and finished in the oven. Other than that. It was great. I served it with the GF wild rice mixture (to which I added some roasted, slivered almonds (I add just a dash of salt to those before I toss them in with the rice)).  For the sauteed zucchini and summer squash - I did a medium dice on them and sauteed in olive oil with garlic and minced shallot (you could use purple onion if you were so inclined or had it instead). I added some fresh lemon juice over everything on the plate before I served it.

July 11 - Shrimp and Avocado Salad with Mango Vinaigrette
Same recipe as June 27. We have this a few time throughout the summer because of the avocado and mango availability.  So good. So fresh. So summery.

July 12 - Out at Joe's Burgers
I get the turkey burger on the gluten free bun. We share a side of sweet potato fries. They are really good at Joe's about asking if you have a gluten allergy and then handling the food appropriately. Yum.

July 13 - Out at Marzano's Pizza 
My most favorite pizza place finally offers gluten free crust. They make a roasted vegetable pizza that is TO. DIE. FOR. My mom and dad (native New Yorkers) say that this pizza is the real deal. It has never disappointed and is worth the money. If you find yourself in the north coast of Oregon, definitely worth the trip. I also highly recommend the Ensalada Grande. You can be super cool like me and order a "large" one. *faceplam*

July 14 - Out at Mo's Chowder
I should have done a better job of letting our hostess know I needed gluten free. I ordered a grilled fish taco but it came with a breading on it (really, why?!). I believe you could eat GF here if you communicate your needs, that said, it wasn't the best place for me to eat but was worth my limited choices for the experience.

July 15 - Salmon, Steamed Green Beans, and Wild Rice 
I can't take credit for cooking this one, but I can for eating it! My sister and brother-in-law made this and it was tasty. They seasoned the salmon (wild sockeye) with salt and pepper, topped with lemon slices, wrapped in parchment paper, and cooked it on the grill until flaky. Yum-my. Green beans were steamed on the stove top and we used the GF wild rice blend I found at Fred Meyer.

I did make dessert this night, though! Gluten Free Brownies from Krusteaz. They are awesome. I buy the big box at Costco and keep them on hand for dessert-related-emergencies. You can never be too prepared.

July 16 - Taco Salad
Can't take credit for this, either. My mom mixed cooked ground turkey with a GF taco seasoning, corn, and black beans. We served aside a handful of tortilla chips and atop a bed of chopped romaine with tomatoes, olives, avocado, salsa (and for those who eat dairy: cheese and sour cream). Remember to read labels closely if you are cooking for someone who needs to avoid gluten: seasonings, mixes, prepared foods, and dressings are all MAJOR culprits of hidden allergens!

We had dessert first on this day at the Tillamook Cheese Factory. If you are on the Oregon coast, it is a must. Go on a weekday to avoid long lines and so you can watch them...wait for it...cut the cheese! hahahahahahaha
haha
ha
ha?

July 17 - Turkey Zucchini Burgers with Lemon Yogurt Sauce served with Sweet Potato Fries and Mixed Greens Salad
I made these on June 19 and immediately knew I wanted to make them again. Everyone at the table loved them. Toddlers, teenagers, adults, food allergic, and otherwise picky. Pleased 'em all. The burger mix is easy to pre-make, but, don't make the mistake I did and pre-shape the burgers. Between the turkey and the zucchini the mix is really loose and I ended up having to re-shape the burgers as I cooked them. To cook, I also finished them off in the oven just to be careful about internal temperature. I got the mixed greens at the local farmers market just hours before. I added some shredded carrot, basil, and chopped fresh tomato.

I was industrious this day and made cookies for dessert. I am IN LOVE with the Pamela's GF Sugar Cookie Dough. It makes some of the best soft sugar cookies I've ever eaten. Gluten or not. I roll, cut, and cook them and then let folks decorate their own. I found this method to be a good alternative to making one million Christmas cookies during the holiday season, too. Decorating one or two of these at a special dinner scratched the itch for cookies without having so much temptation on hand.

July 18 - Left Overs
We were short on cooler and car space heading home from the beach AND we were returning to my kitchen in the midst of a remodel, so our mission on this night had a single focus: eat the food.
My husband claimed this was what all his training had been for. I didn't disagree. I can't really recall all I ate. I know there was some leftover taco salad mix, I recall some Fritos helping me finish off a container of hummus, there was definitely wine. We did well. Nice work family.

July 19 - Thai Takeout
We returned from the beach on this day and so to keep it easy we went to a local place that we haven't been to much but it was pretty good. I always have curry. Theirs was pretty good but my favorite place is Thai Village in Wilsonville. If you live in the SW Metro area, it is worth the stop there. Because, wow.

July 20 - Hot dogs, Turkey Burgers, and Super Food Salad
We revisited some of the vestiges of our beach food and had a BBQ with my sister's family on their last night in tow. Costco turkey burgers, chicken hot dogs, chips, baked beans, and this really great "Super Food Salad" my sister found in the deli at Fred Meyer. It had kale, blueberries, cranberries, tomatoes, sunflower seeds, carrots, edamame, and some other good-for-you-yummy stuff.

July 21 - Left overs
Since we're trying not to fill the fridge until the remodel is done, but, we also had all the leftovers from our trip to the coast and my sister's visit, we decided to raid the fridge for dinner again. I had the remainder of the Super Food Salad topped with a chopped up turkey burger (both from July 20). My toddler had leftovers from a meal out (cheese melted atop or between a carb) and my husband had Thai leftovers and a hot dog. Have I mentioned that I'll be glad when I can get back to proper meal plans and preparation?

July 22 - Salad Bar 
One of our favorite things is to go to a local grocery store with a great salad bar and make yummy salads to-go. We usually take them to a park and have a healthy picnic. That's the plan for tonight and I'm excited. Even when eating out has to be the "norm" it is nice to know we can find healthy options that are still delicious. And, isn't salad always better when someone else has done the chopping?