Slow cooked food, dairy-free ice cream and an allergen-free menu plan

I haven’t been blogging as much as I would like the past couple of months or so, mainly due to the distractions of buying a house.  But the great news is we’re closing on Wednesday and will be moving within a week or so after that.

So time for a little catch up.  I’ve developed two new obsessions/passions in the kitchen.  The first one was the result of an awesome birthday present my friend gave me – a slow cooker.  You’d think I would have owned one of these already but for whatever reason, this is my first one.

I love it!  And the timing couldn’t be better because I’ve been using it a lot when we’ve been busy during the days and I know I’m not going to have time to cook very much in the evenings.  I’m also planning on using it quite a bit in the next week or so because of working on the house once we close and then moving next week.

So far I’ve been using recipes from Stephanie O’Dea’s blog and for the most part have loved everything.  She is also the author of the cookbook Make it Fast, Cook it Slow, which I have yet to purchase but plan to buy soon.

My second new obsession which I am quite thrilled about is making ice cream with my new ice cream maker.  With summer approaching and not being able to eat ANY of the ice cream that is sold in stores, I decided that it was time to take the plunge into the homemade ice cream world.  (We can’t eat sugar or agave, only honey, and only coconut or homemade yogurt for milk).

So far I’ve tried this awesome Lavender Vanilla Coconut Ice Cream recipe which was great, Raspberry Coconut Ice Cream based on Elana’s Strawberry Coconut ice cream recipe, Coffee Ice Cream made with yogurt from the Grain Free Gourmet cookbook, and another Coconut Vanilla Ice Cream that I created.

Everything has been wonderful but I do think that the vanilla ice creams have been my favorites so far.  The raspberry was very good but tasted more like sherbet and I was in the mood for something creamier.  The coffee ice cream didn’t end up freezing while it was in the ice cream maker for some reason – it was more like coffee slushie.  But when I froze it in the freezer, it was pretty good but a little icy.

I know the next two weeks are going to be busy so I’m planning ahead.  I usually plan only one or so day ahead when I’m cooking but I actually did a menu plan for the next two weeks.  I basically want to make sure we have enough to eat during this time because I have come to know myself too well – when I don’t eat enough and when there is added stress and not as much time to cook, I tend to get more stressed than necessary.  But if I can at least sit down to a good meal then things go a lot more smoothly.

So here is my gluten free, grain free, sugar free, dairy free, soy free, starch free, etc. menu plan for the next two weeks.  Feel free to use part of it or all of it.  It doesn’t include breakfast or lunch because breakfast is pretty easy for us and lunch is usually leftovers from dinner.

Tuesday April 20:

• Lamb tacos with cabbage leaves, tomatoes, cilantro, avocado

• Steamed broccoli

• Make 2 dozen zucchini muffins and freeze one batch

Wednesday April 21: (closing)

• Shepherd’s Pie with beef (with mashed cauliflower)

• Coconut Bread (Make two loaves and freeze one)

Thursday April 22:

• Chicken in the slow cooker with onions, tomatoes, garlic, lemon and herbs

• Green beans

Friday April 23:

• Chicken soup and stock with leftovers

• Cashew Avocado Wraps with egg tortillas

Saturday April 24:

• Pomegranate Beef in slow cooker

• Roasted carrots, mushrooms, cauliflower, etc.

Sunday April 25:

• Leftovers;  Egg Salad;  Carrot Raisin Salad

Monday April 26:

• Turkey Meatloaf (make two and freeze one for the weekend)

• veggies

Tuesday April 27:

• Almond Chicken (Fried in coconut oil and breaded with almond flour)

• Mashed Cauliflower or Steamed Cabbage

Wednesday April 28:

• Salmon with Creamy pesto sauce

• Green beans and carrots – make extra for thursday

Thursday April 29: (moving day)

• Rotisserie Chicken in the slow cooker

• Leftover veggies from Wednesday

• Coconut Bread

Friday April 30:

• Turkey Meatloaf;  zucchini muffins

• veggies

Saturday May 1:

• Banana Pancakes (I make mine with just bananas and eggs)

• Zucchini Noodles with Buffalo Marinara

Sunday May 2:

• Egg Frittata or Egg Wraps with Spinach and Tomato Sauce

I’d love to hear from you!  Let me know if you have any great slow cooker or dairy and sugar free ice cream recipes!