30Mar

Zucchini Noodle Chicken Salad

 

Once upon a time, it was a warm and sunny day in the middle of March in Maryland.  Ah, boy did it feel good after the long and cold winter we had experienced.  It gave us hope that spring was here and that the ridiculously cold winter had decided to finally give up its firm grip.  We opened the windows and let in the fresh air.  When dinner came, I looked in the fridge and remembered something I had been thinking about – gluten free pasta salad made out of zucchini noodles and anything else I might have on hand.  It turned into a zucchini AND carrot noodle salad because I only had one zucchini.  But this made it all the more colorful.  I added black olives, tomatoes and fresh parsley, some cooked chicken and a simple salad dressing.

Yes, spring was here and it felt wonderful.  Well, for a couple of days that is.  I am really trying not to be a grump about the fact that it is freezing outside (maybe not litterally, but it feels like it!)  But I am really not happy about it!

But I can at least share my recipe with you in case you already have some nice warm weather, or you simply want to have some hope that someday soon we will be enjoying pasta salads and other warm weather meals!

The great thing about this salad is that it is very versatile.  If you can’t eat tomatoes, you can use veggies like cooked green beans, sugar snap peas, or cooked asparagus.

Recipe for:  Zucchini Pasta Chicken and Vegetable Salad (grain-free, rice-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free)

You will need a julianne peeler for this recipe to make long, thin noodles.  But you can also use a regular vegetable peeler to make wider noodles.

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04Mar

Allergen friendly menu planning member site is now available

Artichoke and Leek Risotto

You know the routine.  You wake up, look in the fridge and make the same breakfast you had yesterday.  Or maybe you simply don’t know what to eat because you just found out you can’t eat a list of foods such as gluten, dairy, corn, soy, eggs and nuts.

You go about your day, wondering if there were a simple solution to the problem you face every time you open the fridge:  what to eat on a limited and allergen-free diet?

I know this problem all too well myself.  I have allergies and food sensitivities to a list of foods such as grains, starches, dairy, soy, egg whites, corn, beans, almonds, salmon, MSG and artificial additives, hydrogenated oils, and probably other foods I am forgetting about at the moment.  My son has almost the same allergies as well and is now three. It is almost impossible to eat at a restaurant so I end up cooking almost everything.

It’s been quite a journey but part of my process in being able to survive all of our dietary changes has been to explore and create new recipes in the kitchen.

After creating the first set of Allergy Free Menu Planners, I started working on a membership site about 10 months ago.  And now, with a lot of planning, hard work and with the help of an awesome web programmer, the membership site is now available!

Here are some things you can now do with the member site that will make menu planning for an allergen-free and limited diet extremely easy and simple:

  • A new, seasonal and allergen-friendly menu will be available every week of the year
  • View ALL available menu planners and recipes on the site
  • Choose a menu planner or change it by searching for new recipes
  • Easily search for recipes free of your allergens
  • Add your favorite recipes and custom menu planners to your Recipe Box
  • Print your PDF with the menu, recipes and shopping list easily from the website
  • Receive email reminders every week to login and print a menu planner

It’s really very simple.  So far there are over 180 recipes stored on the database.  I will be adding a minimum of 45 a month and my goal is to reach at least 600 by the close of the year.

If you want to know more about the new member site please contact me or leave a comment.  You can read more about it here too:

https://allergyfreemenuplanners.com/our-menu-planners/about-the-new-member-website/

This site was really designed with you in mind so any feedback I receive usually leads to positive changes in the menu planners.  Have a great day!

 

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