When all the family comes home, it’s hard to cook. Â We have several with different dietary needs and with me as the mom and chief chef, I feel like I should meet them. Â It’s a little stressful but I am slowly finding more and more things that can work for us.
Spaghetti is easy….Hubby isn’t a real spaghetti fan but he puts up with it to help me. Â We have an almost vegetarian, a vegan and a gluten free…then we have all the rest who want things the old fashion way it was when they all lived at home.
For the vegan….regular spaghetti noodles and plain sauce. Â For the gluten free girl…the gluten free noodles and hamburger and sauce. Â For everyone else…just how a quick spaghetti supper was.
I eat the gluten free spaghetti noodles with Kelli and honestly, they are good. Â Kelli did inform me that not all spaghetti sauces are gluten free. Â Some versions of Prego are gluten free though.
Check the spot on the back that Kelli is pointing to. Â It will say gluten free if it is.
Having an option that meets the needs of all in our family is really helpful. Â If anyone has on any other food ideas that would meet the needs of my gluten-vegan-vegetarian-normal bunch, please pass them on. Â I need all the help I can get!!
I make a crustless spinach quiche from allrecipes.com that has a lot of muenster cheese. I serve it with some kind of sausage and a bowl of fruit and my family enjoys it. My kids are much happier eating the quiche if I serve it with pizza sauce to cover the spinach taste :)
How about Black bean tacos with corn tortillas and Spanish rice. Or serve breakfast for dinner eggs, pancakes w/gluten free bisquick and fruit. Another one would be chili and cornbread.
You might try a salad bar, with the fixings in separate bowls. If someone wants meat they can add it, while the vegan can have chic peas (garbanzo beans) and chow mien noodles. Nachos could work in a similar way. I make individual nachos in Pyrex pie pans under the broiler. Two will fit in my oven side by side. I turn them around halfway through so they brown evenly. Everyone just piles on what they like, but I’m not sure tortilla chips are gluten free.
I’m trying to limit my carbss Iusully will microwave sme Spaghetti squash,as it is called i tastes lik spaghetti, and has the same conistacy. DH doesn’t like it… Its a veggie.
Has Kelly notice any change is how she feels. I started gluten free 2 or 3 year s ago. and it has help my Kidney count. Real good. At least My count has gone down will soon after I started Gluten free
I have come across the site Gourmet Girl Cooks. She follows a wheat free and sugar free plan that goes with the Wheat Belly plan. She posts recipes almost everyday and I’ve tried several that are really good. I’m not sure if they are all gluten free, but they are worth a look. I love the eggplant lasagna. Good luck on your journey. I know your family appreciates your efforts. Take care and Happy New Year!
Once upon a time I was on a diet and they suggested to use steamed rice instead of spaghetti sauce. I still do it and the hubby actually prefers it.
Check out the blog “two peas and their pod”. Tons of vegan, vegetarian & gluten-free recipes that are hearty enough to please meat lovers. We love the vegetarian quinoa chili recipe and even my carnivorious son licks the bowl clean.
I just reread your post and saw that you have a vegan in the bunch, so my suggestion of spinach quiche doesn’t work. Sorry about that.
We’ve had family dinners with vegan relatives, and one of my solutions was a modified stir-fry … Plenty of basic Rice, & lots of Veggies, cooked separately from whatever kind of Meat we decided on, chow mein noodles for those who wanted them. That way, people could make their plate vegan (or gluten-free) or not. (Of course, seasonings & sauces might need to be checked to see whether they’re completely vegan and / or gluten-free.)
We’re partial to Lentil and Rice in our mixed-needs family. I also make a killer tofu chili. Buy regular tofu and throw it, container and all, into the freezer. The night before you want to make the chili thmove the tofu to the fridge to thaw. Make your usual chili without any meat and, for your gluten free people, make sure all the ingredients you use to this point are gluten -free. After the chili is all together, open the package of thawed tofu and squeeze all the water out of it like its a sponge.
We’re partial to Lentil and Rice in our mixed-needs family. I also make a killer tofu chili. Buy regular tofu and throw it, container and all, into the freezer. The night before you want to make the chili move the tofu to the fridge to thaw. Make your usual chili without any meat and, for your gluten free people, make sure all the ingredients you use to this point are gluten -free. After the chili is all together, open the package of thawed tofu and squeeze all the water out of it like its a sponge. Crumble the tofu into the chili, it will resemble cooked hamburger in texture. cook for a while and taste. I usually add more spices to tofu chili than regular chili. I also add a can of corn or a similar amount of frozen corn. People who “hate” tofu can’t believe there is tofu in the chili.