Creamy Chicken and Spinach Pasta

Based on this recipe from allrecipes, I created a really yummy and fast pasta dinner that uses up all your spinach! No picture because sometimes we eat too fast...

Ingredients:

olive oil
5-6 boneless skinless chicken tenderloins, cut into bite size chunks or strips
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
2 cups chicken stock or broth
1 8oz package of cream cheese (I actually used less because Taylor is sometimes wary of cream cheese)
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
1-2 tablespoons of corn starch depending on how thick or loose you like your sauce
3-4 cups of packed fresh spinach  (it is really impossible to add too much fresh spinach because it just like disappears!)
GF penne pasta-however much you want to eat

Directions:

Get your pasta going.

In a skillet over medium heat saute the onions for 2 minutes.  Toss in the chicken and cook until no longer pink on the outside.  Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly for 3 more minutes.

Add in your chicken stock and salt and pepper.  Throw in the spinach, reduce the heat to low, and cover so until the spinach is wilted.  Once wilted, cube up your cream cheese and stir it in until creamy and combined.

Mix the cornstarch with a little bit of cold water or chicken stock and add.  Start with just a little until your sauce reaches the desired consistency.  Pour over your pasta and enjoy!

This was a really good base recipe that you could add more to.  Next time I might add some fresh basil or even some diced zucchini or summer squash.  Yum!

Chicken and Dumplings

This recipe is a conglomeration of two recipes from Wheat Belly Cookbook as well as my own brain.
It is some real good comfort food.

3 tablespoons butter, divided
1/2 onion, diced
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into small florets
1/2 head broccoli, cut into small florets
2 carrots, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
5-6 chicken tenderloins, cut into bite sized pieces
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup sour cream or canned coconut milk
Salt and pepper to taste
1 recipe of biscuit dough - I used Pamela's baking and pancake mix. The biscuit recipe is on the bag.

Preheat oven to 350.
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a oven safe pan (like a dutch oven) and saute the onion, garlic, carrot and celery for 5 minutes.  Add in the cauliflower and broccoli and continue to saute for 6-8 more minutes. Add in the broth and simmer until you finish the next step.

In a small saute pan, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter.  Saute the chicken until it is no longer pink on the outside.  Then mix it in with the vegetables.  Add in the thyme and S&P.

Put the whole thing in the oven and bake for 10 minutes while you make the biscuit dough.

Take out the vegetable and chicken out of the oven and turn up the heat to 400.  Stir in the sour cream or coconut milk and drop the biscuit dough all over the top in heaping tablespoons.  Bake for 15 minutes or until the biscuits are cooked through.

This is so buttery and yummy and makes you feel like it is hugging you.

Green Curry Chicken with Basil

Last year I bought a little jar of green curry paste for a recipe out of the Wheat Belly Cookbook.  Since that time, I have not used it again.  I remembered about that little jar last week and decided I should use it again! So I looked for some recipes and found this one and we LOVED it! Taylor especially couldn't get enough of it.  He kept saying how "authentic" it was so it made me pretty happy :).  I found if off the Thai Kitchen website.

Ingredients: 

1 can Coconut Milk
1/3 cup vegetable or chicken stock
1⁄4 cup chopped basil leaves
2 to 3 tablespoons Fish Sauce
1 to 4 tablespoons Green Curry Paste
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1⁄2 cups assorted cut-up vegetables, such as red bell pepper, zucchini, carrots and peas
3/4 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
Cooked Rice

Directions:

MIX coconut milk, stock, basil, fish sauce, green curry paste and brown sugar in medium saucepan. Bring to boil on medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low; simmer 15 minutes.

STIR in vegetables and chicken; simmer 10 minutes longer or until chicken is cooked through.

SERVE over cooked Rice.

This was really fast and easy to make.  I used 2 tablespoons of fish sauce and 2 tablespoons of curry paste.  It was the perfect amount of heat and spicy.  If you wanted a little more heat you could add more.  I threw in some spinach because I had it and I used a frozen bag of Chinese stir-fry vegetables because it was convenient.  I used canned chicken for the same reason.  Sometimes it is just easier to take short cuts. Hope you enjoy it!

Braised Balsamic Chicken

I found this recipe here from allrecipes.  It was easy, fast, and delicious! 

INGREDIENTS:

6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 teaspoon garlic salt
ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

DIRECTIONS:
1. Season both sides of chicken breasts with garlic salt and pepper.
2. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook seasoned chicken breasts until chicken is browned, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Add onion; cook and stir until onion is browned, 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Pour diced tomatoes and balsamic vinegar over chicken; season with basil, oregano, rosemary and thyme. Simmer until chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear, about 15 minutes. 

We ate it over rice and it was so yummy!

Rumbi Island Grill Tortilla Soup

A lady in our ward brought this soup over to me right after I had Brigham.  It was so good I had to get the recipe from her.

3 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (I used the meat from a rotisserie chicken from Costco)
8 cups chicken broth
1 cup carrot, diced very thin
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, chopped
1 tablespoon garlic clove, minced

1 can black beans
1 cup chopped tomato (I used a can of diced)
1 cup coconut milk
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (tabasco?)
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
Tortilla chips
2 limes, cut into wedges
salt

Directions:


1. Preheat an outdoor or indoor grill for medium heat. Grill chicken breasts for 6 to 8 minutes per side, or until browned and cooked through. Remove from the grill, and cut into chunks.

2. In a large pot, combine the chicken, stock, black beans, and carrot. Season with allspice, thyme, cinnamon, ginger and garlic. Bring to a boil, then simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until carrots are tender. Pour in the tomato, coconut milk and hot pepper sauce. Heat through, but do not boil.

3. Ladle into bowls, and top with shredded mozzarella cheese and tortilla strips. Squeeze juice onto soup from lime wedges.

I ended up just squeezing a whole lime worth of juice into the big pot of soup.  I don't know why it is served with mozzarella cheese because it because very gooey and clumpy and hard to mix in.  This soup is really tasty though and the fresh ginger makes all the difference! Oh and I through in some spinach because I had some and I thought the soup could use some green!

Bruschetta Chicken over Angel Hair Pasta

This recipe is from the Wheat Belly Cookbook and I made it only because I knew Taylor would like it. It has tomatoes.  I don't like tomatoes.  It has balsamic vinegar.  I don't balsamic vinegar.  Taylor LOVES balsamic vinegar.  So alas, being the selfless person I am, I made this.  And you know what?! It was pretty good, despite my plate of uneaten tomates that remained after the meal was over.  Like a little battlefield of tomato corpses...

The Recipe:

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast (I used the frozen tenderloins because they are easier)

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

6 ripe tomatoes, chopped

1/2 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons EVOO

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

3 packages angel hair shirataki, rinsed and drained (I used a box of corn and quinoa blend spaghetti because that shirataki business is *!%@$#^ disgusting!)

1/4 cup shaved parmesan cheese

In a ziplock bag, combine the chicken and vinegar.  Knead to coat the chicken thoroughly.  Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, basil, oil, garlic, and salt.  Cover and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.

Cook the pasta.  Grill or broil the chicken.  I broiled it for about 8 minutes, turning once. 

Cut the chicken diagonally into thin slices.  Place atop the pasta.  Top with the tomato mixture and the cheese.

I like this recipe because it is very simple and minimalistic, but very flavorful and refreshing.  Perfect for a summer meal.  This really isn't something I usually like to eat, but Taylor and I really enjoyed it.  Plus, it looks really fancy.  :)

Fried Chicken

I am amazed at how mainstream gluten-free eating is becoming.  My Costco now stocks gluten-free bread, pasta and flour.  Crazy.  In the Costco Connection magazine, they had an article about gluten-free eating.  This recipe for fried chicken was included.  It is from a restaurant, Posana Cafe, in North Carolina that is totally gluten free.  I hope Jessica and Taylor can try it out.

Posana's Fried Chicken  with Sausage Gravy

Flour Mixture

1 cup cornstarch

1 cup white rice flour

1/2 cup corn flour  (I used corn meal that I had on hand.)

2 tablespoons smoked paprika

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon pepper

Place all ingredients in a bowl, mix thoroughly and set aside.  (This made way more than is needed for this recipe.  I did twice as much chicken as the recipe called for and I still had some of the flour mixture left over.  Next time I will divide this in half and save some for another time.)

Gravy

1/4 cup white rice flour

1 teaspoon potato starch

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1/2 pound raw breakfast sausage

3 tablespoons butter

3 cups whole milk

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix together white rice flour, potato starch and conrstarch, and set aside.  Cook sausage in a medium saucepan, breaking it into smaller pieces while cooking.  Add butter.  When melted, add rice flour mixture and stir.  When completely smooth, add milk and reduce heat to medium.  Let mixture thicken, stirring occasionally nad season with salt and pepper to taste.

Fried Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

4 ounces buttermilk

4 ounces canola oil  (I used coconut oil.)

Soak chicken breats in the buttermilk in a bowl.  Add oil to a cast-iron skillet or saute pan and heat on medium-high.  When oil is hot, remove chicken from buttermilk and let excess drip off.

Place chicken in the flour mixture to thoroughly coat.  Gently place breaded chicken in pan and cook until golden brown.  Turn to other side.  When second side is golden brown, remove chicken and place on rack.  Serves 4.

We didn't try the gravy, but the chicken was a big hit.

Chicken Pillows are Back!

Chicken pillows are kind of like a dirty little family secret--we all love them, but hate to admit that we love something made of cream cheese and chicken wrapped in a crescent roll and dipped in butter.  It just doesn't seem right.  We were afraid that this family favorite had not made the jump to our gluten-free lifestyle, but surprise--it's back!  My friend, and mom to one of my favorite kindergartners, Emily, came up with this gluten-free reboot of the chicken pillow.  Her filling is a little more fancy than mine (really--sauteed mushrooms in a chicken pillow?), but I just went with 8 oz. cream cheese, chicken and chives.  Either way, they are great!

Biscuit dough
2 1/4 c flour (I used king Arthur's GF flour mix)
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/3 c butter
1 egg
3/4 c milk
Mix dry ingredients. Cut in butter until it resembles coarse cornmeal. Combine egg and milk and stir into flour mixture until combined. Knead 10 times.

Chicken filling
4 oz. softened cream cheese
2 Tbs melted butter
3 c cubed cooked chicken
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 Tbs milk
2-3 Tbsp chopped green onion
Blend butter and cream cheese. Stir in remaining ingredients. Roll out dough thinly, but thick enough that you can work with it not tearing too much. Put a spoonful of chicken mix in the center of the dough and fold the remaining dough around it. Turn folded side down onto a baking sheet, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with crushed glutino pretzels. (You can season the pretzel crumbs to add flavor, if desired). Bake at 350* for 25-30 minutes.
Variation- I like mine with both chicken and mushrooms. Chop and sauté mushrooms and add to the chicken mixture.

I used Corn Chex for the topping.  When I do it again, I think I will splurge and get some gluten-free corn flakes. We also like ours with a little gravy on top.  I made this gravy with some of my own chicken stock, cornstarch and a little sour cream.  Yum!

Lo Mein

I love when the Bountiful Basket has the "Asian Pack" option.  It means bok choy and subsequently lo mein for dinner!  While not originally a GF recipe, just sub in some GF spaghetti (I prefer the Ancient Harvest quinoa/corn blend) and you are good to go!  Just be careful that your asian sauce ingredients are GF as a lot of brands are not.  Credit for this one goes to my aunt who actually introduced our family to a GF way of thinking!  Thanks J!

3 tablespoons soy sauce (La Choy)
2 tablespoons oyster sauce (Panda Brand)
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce (Sun Luck)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon five-spice powder
1 pound pork loin chops, sliced into 1/8 inch pieces (I've also done with chicken as shown in the picture.  Both are delicious!)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons grated ginger root
olive oil
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced (sometimes I sub snow peas, I happened to have both this time so used both!)
2 bunches scallions
1 head Chinese cabbage or bok choy (happend to have bok choy and some asian cabbage so used both!)
8 ounces GF pasta noodles
1 tablespoon Asian chile garlic sauce

Whisk soy sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, and five-spice powder together.  Place 3 tablespoons of mixture in a large ziplock bag, add pork.  Seal bag and squish around so all pieces are coated with marinade.  Refrigerate at least 15 minutes or up to 1 hour.  Whisk broth and cornstarch into remaining soy sauce mixture.  In separate small bowl, mix garlic and ginger with 1/2 teaspoon oil, set aside.

Heat 1 tsp oil in skillet over high heat until just smoking.  Add half of pork in single layer.  Cook until browned on all sides.  Transfer pork to medium bowl and repait with remaing pork and more oil. 

Return skillet to high heat, add more oil.  Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until light golden brown.  Add scallions and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until scallions are wilted.  Transfer vegetables to bowl with pork.

Add more oil and cabbage/bok choy to now empty skillet.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until it starts to wilt.  Clear center of skillet; add garlic/ginger mixture and cook.  Return pork/vegetable mixture and broth/soy mixture to skillet; simmer until thickened and ingredients are well incorporated.

While cooking pork and vegetables, cook pasta noodles.  After draining noodles, transfer back to pan and add cooked stir-fry mixture and chile garlic sauce.  Toss noodles constantly until sauce coats noodles.  Serve immediately.

Chicken Curry w/ Spinach and Tomatoes

I love this meal.  It is quick and easy to make, and my 3 year old will clean her plate and ask for seconds every time.  What's not to love!

coconut oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 13 oz. can unsweetened coconut milk
1 cup canned diced tomatoes - I have also used fresh ones
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenderloins, cut into bite sized cubes
3 cups packed baby spinach

In a large skillet heat coconut oil over medium heat.  Add the onion and salt.  Cook until softened, about 7 minutes, stirring often.  Add the curry powder and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute.  Stir in coconut milk, tomatoes, and tomato paste.  Cook for 5 minutes.  Add the raw chicken, stir well, and cook 10 minutes until chicken is cooked through.  Stir in spinach and cook for 3 minutes or until wilted.  Season to taste with salt.  Serve over a bed of sticky rice.  Eat it until you are stuffed.

Kalamata-Balsamic Chicken with Feta

This is hands down one of my top 5 favorite meals.  The flavor profile here is one I could seriously eat every day and be perfectly happy with.  I've slightly adapted the recipe from the Cooking Light: Fresh Food Fast cookbook.  Per my notes I prefer it with more tomatoes, olives, and pinenuts - I like a little bit of everything in every bite!

Kalamata-Balsamic chicken with Feta

1 lb. frozen skinless boneless chicken tenderloins
olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved (I probably use 1 1/2 - 2 cups!)
16 pitted kalamata olives, halved (I close to double this as well)
3 tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette (use more if increasing the tomato/olive amounts)
crumbled feta cheese
basil leaves, shredded

Cover a rimmed baking sheet with foil.  Lightly drizzle/coat the frozen chicken tenderloins with olive oil and sprinkle with pepper.  Broil for 7 minutes.  Turn the chicken over, sprinkle with pepper again and broil for another 7 minutes until cooked through and lightly browned.

While the chicken cooks combine the tomatoes, olives, and vinaigrette in a pan.  Cook for a few minutes until the tomatoes soften.  Spoon over chicken.  Top evenly with cheese and basil.  Serve with/over the following recipe:

Quinoa with Spinach and Rosemary

1 cup uncooked quinoa
1 1/2 cups packed baby spinach, coursely chopped
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted (you can do more or less according to your taste)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1/4 teaspoon salt

Cook the quinoa according to package directions.  Place in a medium bowl.  Add the remaining ingredients and toss well.

Barbecue Chicken Salad

I have a confession. I am not a great chef. I prefer baking, and when baking, I am exact to a fault. If I need to add 8 ounces chocolate chips to cookies, I get out my scale and weigh it out, adding and subtracting single chips until its perfect. The same thing goes with cooking. If I need to add 1/2 teaspoon salt to soup, I will search for my measuring spoons, measure the salt over the sink, level the salt, and then carefully add it. I'm a little bit insane...

That being said, this is the one and only food I make without checking a recipe 12 times or using measurements. I don't even USE a recipe. And it always turns out right. :)

Barbecue Chicken Salad

Chicken breast or tenderloins or (in a pinch) canned chicken

Barbecue sauce (gluten-free of course!)

1-2 heads romaine lettuce

1 can corn

1 can black beans

1 jicama

2-3 tomatoes

1 avocado

Ranch dressing

Cook chicken (I boil it, but it could be baked, sauteed  or grilled), cool, and dice. Coat with barbecue sauce and set chicken aside. 

Dice lettuce, jicama, and tomatoes. Rinse corn and black beans. Toss together. 

Serve yourself. (If sharing salad, serve others). Top with desired amount of barbecue chicken and avocado. Drizzle ranch over the top and enjoy.

Note: This recipe makes a TON! I halved it, and still have some left over...but you will need extra avocados, Juliet and I can eat one together every time we have a serving of salad.

BEST. SALAD. EVER. 

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Tortilla soup is something that I love, but was not sure my 3-year old would eat.  I shouldn't have worried.  Both times I've made this simple recipe from Wheat Belly she has eaten her entire bowl full and loved it!  I served it with jicama sticks this last time and you should see how many of those she can eat as well!

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 pound boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 large Spanish onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
2 tomatoes, finely chopped
3-4 jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped (or less depending on your taste)
salt and pepper
2 avocados
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
4 tablespoons sour cream

Bring the broth to a boil in a large saucepan over medium heat; keep warm.  Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the chicken and garlic and cook until the chicken is nicely browned, 5-6 minutes.

Add the cooked chicken, onion, bell pepper, tomatoes, and jalapenos to the stock.  Return the broth to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 30 minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle the soup into shallow bowls.  Top each bowl with avocado, cheese, cilantro, and sour cream.

My Take:  Love this recipe!  Couple things I do different though.  Since I keep a bag of frozen chicken tenderloins on hand I prep them like this:

Place the the frozen tenderloins on a foil lined baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil (I give them a good rub to make sure they get a light coating) and sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper.  Broil in the oven for 7 minutes.  Turn them over, sprinkle the other side with garlic salt and pepper and broil another 7 minutes.  You are now ready to dice them up and add to the soup (or anything else that calls for cubed chicken for that matter!)

I also added hardly any jalapeno, since Joey and Jenna can't handle anything too spicy.  I keep my bowl free of sour cream, but don't skimp on the avocado, cheese, and cilantro - they really make this soup outstanding!

Chicken Nuggets

I hate days like this:  It was 5:30 pm and I still had no idea what we were going to have for dinner.  The flank steak was in the fridge thawing for tomorrow's dinner (useless!), we were low on fresh veggies, so no inspiration there.  Everything I could think of required a trip to the store, which was so not going to happen.  I talked to Nicole and she was no help - they picked up BBQ for dinner.  Actually, she might have helped.  Got me thinking about eating out and quick and easy meals...I turned to the Wheat Belly Cookbook and BAM!  There was my answer:  homemade chicken nuggets!

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or tenderloins!)
2 eggs
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup ground golden flaxseeds
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.  Slice the chicken into 1 1/2 - 2 inch pieces.

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs and butter.  In a shallow bowl, combine the flaxseeds, cheese, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

Coat each piece of chicken in the egg mixture and then roll in the flaxseed mixture.  Place on the baking pan.

Bake for 20 minutes, turning once, or until no longer pink and the juices run clear.

My Take:  YUM!  These really were quick and easy to whip up.  While the chicken thawed in the microwave, (yes, I cheat) and the oven preheated, I threw the rest together.  Dredging each piece took a little time, and I used every last drop of the flaxseed mixture.  The cooking time was perfect and they came out a little golden and smelled delicious.  Threw some green beans and corn on the side and we had a meal!  They were an instant hit with all three of us, and went well with our dipping sauces of choice (guess which belongs to each of us!).  The only problem: not a single leftover.

Jenkin's Chicken Sushi Rolls

I love sushi, but being pregnant and gluten-free poses a problem as the imitation crab I would generally go for on California rolls is NOT gluten-free! So I whipped up some chicken, and rolled it in seaweed with avocado and rice. It was kind of like sushi...

Jenkin's Marinade 

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons lemon

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 tablespoons oil

1/4 teaspoon tabasco sauce

1 clove garlic

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 dash onion powder

Mix and pour over chicken or turkey to marinade. 

My take:

We generally put it on chicken tenderloins, but in this case, it was on chicken breasts. Also, it was baked in the oven because, hello it's winter and cold outside; but it is really top of the line when grilled. 

Juliet kept wanting to be like me and eat the seaweed, but every time she tasted it (which was multiple times), she made her 'bleh!' sound. Haha!

Can you boil water?

(This was a post I started when I forgot that life keeps moving, whether you blog it or not. Please pretend is is still Sunday, January 27th as you read!)

Today's meals include a long list of gluten-free mishaps. Let's get started.

Breakfast
Plan - Gluten-free waffles (thank you Bisquik) with applesauce and cinnamon for all three of us.
Reality - Gluten-free waffles with applesauce, cinnamon, and copious amounts of whipped cream for me, gluten-free waffles with chocolate chips, peanut butter, and syrup for husband and baby.

Gluten-free? Yes. Healthy? Not so much.

Lunch
Plan - Exploding Chicken Taquitos (click here)

1 can chunk white chicken breast in water, drained and flaked
1/2 cup salsa
8 small (6-inch) yellow corn tortillas
1/3 cup shredded fat-free cheddar cheese
1/4 tsp. dry taco seasoning mix
Optional dips: additional salsa, fat-free sour cream

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 
• In a medium bowl, combine the chicken and salsa, and mix thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
• Dampen two paper towels, and place tortillas between them. Microwave for about 1 minute, until tortillas are warm and pliable. Set aside.
• Remove chicken mixture from the fridge, and drain any excess liquid. Add cheese and taco seasoning, and mix to combine. This is your filling. Set aside.
• Prepare a baking sheet by spraying it with nonstick spray. Set aside.
• Place one tortilla flat on a clean dry surface (keep the rest between the paper towels), and spoon about 2 heaping tablespoons of filling onto the tortilla. Spread it evenly across the entire surface, and roll tortilla up tightly, so that you have a cigar-shaped tube. Secure with toothpicks, if needed, and place seam side down on the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.
• Bake in the oven until crispy, 14 - 16 minutes. (Don't worry if they crack and "explode" a little!)
• Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Remove toothpicks, if using. If you like, serve with additional salsa and sour cream for dipping. Enjoy!

Reality - I have made these several times before and they are always delicious. I have heard that some taco seasoning mixes are not gluten-free, but we have a giant container of McCormicks, and it is safe. So at 'oh my goodness, we have to be out the door soon or we will be late for church and we will die if I don't make lunch 5 minutes ago!' o'clock, I pulled out this quick recipe and got to work. If wasn't until I finished the filling and was ready to roll them up that I looked for my corn tortillas. We always have corn tortillas. Unfortunately, on this morning, we only had 2. Crap. 2 tiny corn tortillas cannot handle 8 tortillas worth of filling.

Instead of rolling them up, I spread the filling into a 9x9 dish and popped it into the oven to melt the cheese. Voila! Chicken dip. We ate the dip on blue corn tortilla chips and it was so yummy. Crisis averted.

Dinner

Plan - A delicious new pot roast recipe that I found on a reliable website, and raspberry jello with blueberries

Reality - The pot roast, though tender and decently tasty, was not something I will repeat. Onion soup mix roast is good enough for me (is onion soup mix gluten-free? We were out, I don't know...)! And now the jello. I love jello. I was going to put some whipped cream on my jello and call it dessert. I thought about it all the way home from church, and as I ate my pot roast and veggies. And then it was time. JELLO TIME!! I opened the fridge, I grabbed the pan, and IT WAS LIQUID!! It had not set up at all!!! Travis blamed the blueberries (he hates them) but after a quick google search to make sure, they were not the culprit. I was utterly disappointed and confused. I have made jello dozens of times. I even pulled off jello jigglers for the first time in my life just weeks ago. It wasn't until hours later that Travis dug the box out of the trash and asked me 'Did you boil the water?' .....no.....

In my speed lunch and church and get us out the door moments of that morning, I had cut corners and used hot water from the tap, skipping the apparently crucial step of microwave boiling, to mix up my jello. Stupid. stupid. stupid. That was my last pack of jello too... 

Dessert

Plan and reality - I was so despondent over my lack of jello that I spooned nutella onto some big marshmallows and called it a night. 

Gluten-free lives another day, but I should really double- and triple- check ingredients and recipes more often.