The Time I Ate Burritos... Twice.

Breakfast:

• Trader Joe's gluten-free granola (YUM-O! I wish I had a store near me...)
• skim milk

Snack:

• boiled red potatoes with butter

Lunch:

• two hot dogs (Hebrew National)
• steamed fresh green beans
• apple
• chocolate chip cookie (made with Pamela's pancake/baking mix)

Snack:

• three bean & cheese burritos (homemade on corn tortillas)

Dinner:

• three bean & cheese burritos

Dessert:

• chocolate chip cookie
  

The First Time I Had Meatballs.

Yesterday, I ate...


Breakfast:

• bowl of Nutty Rice with skim milk
  

Lunch:

• leftover chicken (from the day before)
  
• leftover rice
  
• frozen grapes (Mmmm....)

Snack:

• french fries (from Mighty Fine, Austin TX)
  

Dinner:

• penne and meatballs w/ parmesan cheese
  
• Romaine salad with ranch dressing
  
• frozen grapes (these never get old...)
  

Dessert:

• bowl of vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce
  

Brands (and places purchased):

• penne pasta - Tinkyada (my grocery store, HEB)
• spaghetti sauce - Classico Traditional Sweet Basil (Target or any grocery store)
• meatballs - homemade
• ranch dressing - Hill Country Fare (HEB brand)
  
• ice cream - Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla (any grocery store in Texas)
• chocolate sauce - Magic Shell Chocolate Fudge (any grocery store)

Note: I asked Jeremy (my super-cute hubby) what he wanted for dinner, and he said he wanted spaghetti and meatballs. Just a *slight* problem. I had never eaten meatballs. I had never even seen them made. I called my mom (the chef), and asked her if we had ever had them for dinner. Her reply? "Not once." LOL.

Then my dad (the other chef) piped in saying he used to make them all the time when they had their restaurant in Vermont (apparently, my mother has completely wiped that year from her memory...), and he gave me some tips.

Meatballs Recipe
-hamburger or sausage meat, raw
-tomato or pasta sauce
-Italian seasonings
-oregano
-minced garlic (no excess oil!)
-GF bread crumbs (I used GF oatmeal! You could also use any GF cereal smashed up.)

-olive oil for cooking

So I don't have any measurements for you. I know I used 1/2 pound of hamburger to make eight meatballs (1.5" size). Probably about 1/4-1/2 cup of pasta sauce and about 1 tsp of everything else. Maybe a tbsp or two of oatmeal/bread crumbs.

Smoosh it all together with your hands. Be sure that it's not too runny. It needs to be kinda firm. So start out by just adding 1/4 cup of pasta sauce. Then add as you see fit. Make the meatballs into little 1/5" balls.

Heat a skillet on low-med heat. On a number scale of 1-10, I had mine set to 2.5. Add a bit of olive oil... just a bit to cover the skillet. Place the meatballs on the skillet and cover. Turn as the sides get cooked. When they're finished, sprinkle a bit of salt on them. :)

Then add them to the sauce. I think it's hard to screw these up. They were pretty easy.

The First Day.

Yesterday, I ate...



Breakfast:

• bowl of Nutty Rice with skim milk
  

Then a bit later in the morning...

• oatmeal with milk and butter
  
• two egg whites fried in butter (not scrambled)

Lunch:

• hot ham & cheese sandwich on French roll
  
• yogurt smoothie
• chocolate bar (two squares)

Dinner:

• rotisserie chicken (pre-cooked)
  
• steamed white rice (stove-top)
  
• corn
  
• frozen grapes

Dessert:

• bowl of vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce
  

Brands (and places purchased):

• Oatmeal - Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Oats (Sun Harvest, my local health food store)
  
• roll - Gillian's French Rolls (Whole Foods)
• yogurt smoothie - Cascade Fresh (Sun Harvest)
• chocolate - Choxie (Target brand)
• chicken - Costco
• ice cream - Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla (any grocery store in Texas)
• chocolate sauce - Magic Shell Chocolate Fudge (any grocery store)
  

The Beginning.

Most people feel lost when they find out they need to eat gluten-free. But it's doable. I've been gluten-free now for over seven years, and sometimes I still think, "Hmm... what do I have to eat today?!"

Sometimes I try to mix it up. But usually I stick to my favorites... tried and true. And I go through phases. (Last year was my "peanut butter with honey... EVERY.SINGLE.DAY." phase. LOL.)

I thought I'd use this blog to record what I eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Maybe it will inspire me to try new foods. Perhaps it will help other people find new favorites. Whatever it will do... I'm excited to start this blog. :)

Stay strong.

*reyanna*