23Oct

Do you need an Allergen-free Thanksgiving menu plan?

Grain and Gluten-Free Apple Pear Pie

Grain and Gluten-Free Apple Pear Pie

I am planning on doing a Thanksgiving menu planner for people on limited diets and who can’t eat a lot of the ordinary foods that are usually on a Thanksgiving menu.  I personally want to plan some dishes to make because otherwise, I won’t be eating much that day.  Unfortunately, this is the experience of so many people.  And when we arrive at our relatives’ or friends’ home for dinner, we usually have to pick and choose what we will have for dinner.

My current plan is to create a yummy and beautiful menu plan for Thanksgiving day that is free of the following food allergens:

no dairy –  (butter may be used in some recipes but there is always another option that is dairy-free)

no gluten – all grains and products containing gluten

limited grains – I may include a recipe for wild rice stuffing for people who can eat it, but I would also have a grain-free stuffing recipe as well.  All desserts will be grain-free.

no sugar – only natural sweeteners will be used on this menu plan for Thanksgiving, such as raw honey and maple syrup

no soy – no soybean oil, lecithin, and other soy products

limited starches – on top of a recipe for dairy-free Mashed Potatoes, there will be options for Mashed Cauliflower “Potatoes” and Mashed Butternut Squash in place of regular potatoes and yams

no corn

no beans and legumes

egg-free options – I will have at least one egg-free dessert and most of the other dishes will be egg-free

parsnipcarrotsoupWhat kinds of foods will be used:

Meat, eggs, vegetables (non-starchy), nuts, seeds, fruit, honey, coconut, and other whole food ingredients.

Here are some ideas I already have but if you are looking for something specific, give me a shout!

  • Thanksgiving Turkey
  • Wild Rice Stuffing (egg-free)
  • Savory Bread Stuffing
  • Garlic Herb Mashed “Potatoes” and Gravy
  • Mashed Potatoes
  • Savory Rolls/Bread
  • Sugar-free Cranberry Sauce
  • Mashed Butternut Squash with Apples and Cinnamon
  • Pumpkin Pie
  • Apple Pie (egg-free)

So let me me know if you have any favorites as I put this together.  Also, if there is another food allergen you can’t eat, then please let me know and I can work this into the menu planner.  If you have some ideas for the menu, please leave a comment or email me.

Get the Thanksgiving Menu Planner for FREE?
Again, I would love to hear suggestions or some favorite recipes people would like to have included in the menu planner.  So, if I use one of your recipes or suggestions in the Thanksgiving menu planner, you can get the menu planner for FREE!  Thanks so much.  I look forward to hearing from you!

Get the Thanksgiving Menu Planner for FREE? How?

1.  Think of a dish you’d like to include on the Thanksgiving menu planner.
2.  If you have a recipe or even just an idea for the planner, write to me by midnight (PST) of Monday, November 2nd.
3.  If I use your idea or recipe in the planner, you will get the planner for FREE!

How much is the menu planner?

I want to make the planner affordable for anyone who would like to use it to create an allergen-free Thanksgiving!

So, for only $4.95, you can buy the menu planner and create a beautiful dinner for your family.

You can pre-order the menu planner here!

If you pre-order, the menu planner will be emailed to you on or before November 12th, giving you plenty of time to look over the menu and the shopping list.

You can also purchase the menu planner starting on November 12th, and you will receive it immediately in your email.

Either way, I hope you have a beautiful and splendid Thanksgiving this year, no matter what you diet is!

Sarah

21Oct

Homemade Ketchup

Homemade Ketchup and Roasted Carrots

Homemade Ketchup and Roasted Carrots

Something I’ve been mulling over this past week is the difference between “made at home” and “homemade.”  It seems as though a lot of the food “made at home” these days is food that has already been prepared in one way or another and then we fix it up at home to be a part of our meal.

For me, I have come to realize my dependence upon certain products (even “health food products”) lately that I simply can’t have now that I’m following a much more limited diet.  I like to believe that I made all my food at home and that nothing was pre-prepared.  But I now see how dependent I was on things like:  almond milk, canned coconut milk, canned organic tomatoes (Muir Glen Fire Roasted is my favorite), breads, tortillas, yogurt, kefir, crackers, snacks, ketchup, mayo and canned beans when I was in a hurry.

Now, I’m grateful for these changes to our diet and that I am preparing much more of our food at home.  If you want to know more about why I’m beginning to make these foods myself, check out the GAPS diet.  There are a lot of limitations on what kinds of food you can eat and how it is made.  Canned food (except fish) is out as is commercial yogurt.  Ketchup doesn’t work because it has sugar in it, etc.

So, this weekend my project was to make homemade ketchup and mayo.  I didn’t get to the mayo yet but I did do the ketchup.  My son loves it and calls it “cheppy” so I’ve been wanting to make it for the past few weeks.  We also can’t have potatoes or sweet potatoes any longer, so I roasted some sliced carrots to go with it.

I could almost believe (with my eyes closed) that I was eating a sweet potato fry with real ketchup.  It really was quite yummy and satisfying.  My son gobbled them up both times I made them this week!

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