What a good feeling it was to go out to the garden, grab some food and make it for dinner.
Fresh from a trip to the lake, the kids and I were hungry and I looked no further than my backyard for inspiration.

I had some chicken breasts and produce to work with in my fridge. But how would I pull it together for meal for my family? The answer was growing right under my kitchen window.

Outside among the long cucumber vines just beginning to flower, I snipped some lettuce, rosemary, basil and a few green beans and said a little prayer that my tomatoes would be the next plant to bare fruit. The zucchini is growing out of control (see my ONE plant in the foreground of the top photo), so I have a feeling I will be blogging about gluten-free zucchini bread not too long from now.

But in the meantime, here is what my little garden helped me to create:

1. Caprese Salad: This easy and light dish is a good starter. Simply layer basil, slices of mozzarella and tomatoes (slices are even better, but all I had were cherry tomatoes) and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle on some salt and pepper, and serve with crusty bread or crackers. I grabbed some slices of homemade bread I had in the freezer from my gluten-free May and toasted them up. I believe the brand was Bob's Red Mill that I made in a bread machine and sliced, then froze. The bread went well with the fresh basil salad stacked on top.

2. Rosemary Chicken: I whipped up a quick marinade and poured it over a few whole chicken breasts. It barbecued up nice and made use of my bounty of rosemary. To make, simply whisk together 1-2 sprigs chopped fresh rosemary, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Pour over chicken and refrigerate 30 minutes or more. Then, they are ready for the grill and are full of the woodsy taste of rosemary and tang of the vinegar.

3. Salad: The lettuce grew fast and plentiful and I am finding myself eating a lot of salad, which is a good thing for my health and waistline. For dinner, I made a simple tossed salad with cucumber and more tomatoes, but I love to play around with different combos. One of my favorite ways to enjoy my leafy produce is to toss with pear or apple slices, walnuts and dried cherries. Also, I like to wrap chicken salad in lettuce leaves as a gluten-free and healthy lunch. The trick is to eat the lettuce quickly enough --- I find if I let the plants grow too large, they can taste pretty bitter.

4. Green beans: I only had a handful today, but know how to cook them quite a few ways. I can see that there are going to be gobs and gobs of them soon, so I have made a plan to blanch them in hot, boiling water for a few minutes, cool, then freeze in freezer bags. Then, I can have fresh beans all year. For now, a quick steam and dab of Smart Balance butter will do. Another good way to enjoy fresh green beans (especially after you get some tomatoes on your vines) is to saute them with diced tomatoes and sliced garlic in olive oil. I also like them sprinkled with sesame seeds and balsamic vinegar or chopped and added to a homemade soup. There are as many possibilities as there are tiny sprouts on my bush bean plants!

It is quite a thrill to be able to pluck the food straight from my garden and serve it to my family. I hope to have lots and lots of fresh ideas from my little garden. Stay tuned.

I just got back from a series of small family trips and I have a lot to share. It's never easy going to even the most loving and comforting places when a special diet needs to be considered, after all. And sometimes you can plan and plan, but still end up with something you weren't planning on.

The first trip of the summer was a four-day trip Up North with family friends. Way, way up in the Lower Peninsula just shy of Rogers City, I took my boys to a cabin on the lake. The nearest grocery store was about 30 minutes away, and I'm sure it didn't have many gluten-free options. It was quiet and comforting, especially after my son's first year of kindergarten was over. But I was uneasy about the food. So, the group and I planned out our meals and I packed a grocery bag full of gluten free goodies, a cooler full of "back-ups" and worked with everyone so there was plenty of food on hand for my picky eater.

Here was the dinner menu we came up with collaboratively:

Night 1: I made taco salad meat in advance and froze it. I brought it up with all the condiments, veggies, black beans, chips and a block of rice cheese and simply thawed in a big frying pan when we got there. I also made a pan of Betty Crocker gluten-free brownies in advance and we had that for dessert.

Night 2: Fish and fish sticks with veggies and rice. I brought Dr. Praeger's fish sticks, knowing the kids would probably not want the fresh fish our wonderful host provided, although it was all gluten-free!

Night 3: Hamburgers and hot dogs with corn on the cob. My son likes the rolls from Sugar Kisses bakery for hot dog/hamburger buns, but the Kinnikinnick brand is also wonderful.

For lunches, we had a full supply of Boar's Head lunch meats. I find that most delis that stock the brand will gladly wipe down a machine before slicing it. I have had no problems at Produce Palace, Hiller's or Kroger. We made sandwiches on the way up and had plenty left over for lunches, when we weren't having leftovers from dinner.

Snacks: I made Jell-O for a treat, my mom brought a pan of rice crispy treats made with gluten-free rice crispy cereal and Kraft marshmallows. I brought a few bags of chips, Kinnikinnick graham crackers, pretzels and lots of fruits and veggies.

But on Day 3 or the four-day trip, it rained. We decided to get the kids out of the house and drive them into town. The problem was a very anticipated ice cream shop stood beckoning the other kids. Nothing was gluten-free, and definitely not dairy-free. I had planned it all out, but there's no way I could accommodate soft serve ice cream on a special diet. So, in the end, a friend and I took my picky eater for a drive while the others got ice cream. I'm pretty sure he caught wind of their indulgence and we treated him with cookies and rice crispy treats once we were back at the cabin. In the end, I think he was just happy to be back at the lake chasing frogs. And the rain had ended.

We went home the next day with plenty of food still in our coolers. Maybe I went a little overboard this time, but now I have learned to just ease up and let things happen. I suppose there are a few things you just can't provide, no matter how well you plan.

So, trip No. 1 out of the way, it was time for Fourth of July planning. We were hopping between a few places over the weekend and I was a little more lax with the planning since I knew we wouldn't be too far from a grandparent (who are always thoughtful and plan for special diets) or a store. So, I simply packed a cooler with a package of hot dogs, a package of buns, some Tofutti cheese slices, juice boxes, fruit leathers, chips and a package of cookies. I didn't have to dig into the cooler until the second day, thankfully. Grandma made my picky eater a gluten-free pizza for lunch. We spent the afternoon on her boat and packed up the car for our second July 4 location, about 30 minutes away from the first.

Once we got there, my husband suddenly got pretty sick. I told him to drive home and get some rest, since we were less than an hour from our home. Now, I was alone with my two kids and just a small amount of gf food. I was a little afraid I would have to run to the store a few times so my picky eater would have enough food to eat, which would eat into our rare weekend time with my extended family. But a funny thing happened .... He ate just fine!

I didn't have time for the usual worrying and pre-planning, so I just went with it. What I discovered was that as long as people are not going out or "picking up" food, it's pretty easy to accommodate. And even without the wealth of help my husband always provides, meals worked out just fine. For example: The first night a pork roast was barbecued with corn on the cob, veggies and a salad. There was some pasta salad we had to avoid and I had to make sure no butter was put onto the corn. But all-in-all, it was all pretty gluten-free. For breakfast, we made eggs. For lunch, hot dogs and chips. There was a bowl of fruit to munch on in between, and the snacks I brought. It worked out after all!

I felt a large gluten-free load had been lifted that weekend, and enjoyed watching my kids build sandcastles and jump into the lake. As the fireworks erupted above us that evening, I exploded with pride for our country, with happiness for the time I got to share with my kids and with thankfulness that others were willing to be so generous and thoughtful.


Take-along treat (photo at top): This recipe is a modified version of the Cinnamon Granola Bars recipe that appeared in the June/July edition of Healthy Cooking. I thought it would be a good recipe to make ahead of time and pack when bouncing around to summer activities. I used gluten-free oats, which don't seem to bother my picky eater but may bother some with celiac. Warning: This recipe is quite sweet but it packs a punch of energy for long, summer days.

GF Granola Bars
1/4 cup butter or butter alternative
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup coconut
1/4 cup slivered almonds
2 tablespoons honey
2 cups gluten-free oats
1 cup gluten-free flour mix (such as Bob's Red Mill)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup raisins

In a large bowl, mix butter and brown sugar until crumbly. Add egg and beat. Stir in honey, almonds and coconut. In small bowl, combine oats, flour, cinnamon and baking soda. Stir into creamed mixture until just blended. Gently stir in raisins. Press into 7-by-11 pan sprayed with cooking spray (Original Pam is gluten-free). Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 F until edges are lightly browned. Cool and cut into bars. Makes 1 dozen.