What's left to eat?

Yesterday I explained about our family's food restrictions. By far the most common reaction I get when I rattle off our list of avoids are the questions, "What do you eat? What's left?"

Meats are good for us (as long as they don't have any added ingredients).

homemade roasted chicken

Fruits and veggies are good.

peaches at a baseball game

There are still quite a few safe starches we can all have -- potatoes, rice, beans, oats, etc.

Our simple meal formula is meat, veggie, and starch. It helps that Lauren really likes to eat vegetables. She also likes to try new foods.

It was a bit overwhelming for me at first. We had lots of simple meat and potatoes meals for a while. I eventually found some good recipes and learned to make an egg-free, milk-free version of nearly everything we wanted, including a wonderful vegan cheesecake. When Lauren needed to try a top-8 free diet, I knew that all of my friends at Kids with Food Allergies (an online support community) could help me navigate this more difficult path.

I've often found that it's helpful to think about what we can eat rather than what's off limits. Here's what I have on the menu for this week:

Sunday lunch:
We all scrounged through the freezer and cabinets because I hadn't gone to the grocery store since before our trip.

Sunday dinner:
Chex chicken (chicken tenders dipped in mustard and then crushed Chex), Roasted asparagus sprinkled with a little ume plum vinegar, Corn kernels (from frozen), Ice cream (two different types so that we could all have something safe)

Monday lunch:
Little smokies in BBQ sauce with leftover corn for me and Lauren, a loaf of fresh bread (from the breadmaker) for the big kids

Monday dinner:
Corned beef with cabbage and carrots (cooked in the crock pot all day), Crash Hot Potatoes (recipe from Pioneer Woman)

Tuesday lunch:
Meatballs (made from scratch) -- the big kids may have theirs on sub sandwich rolls, Lauren and I will either have gluten-free noodles or perhaps just a bowl of grits with ours

Tuesday dinner:
Shish-ka-bobs on the grill (steak, bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, zucchini, carrots) and a wild rice blend

Wednesday lunch:
We're going to a homeschool picnic. The big kids will eat pulled pork sandwiches there, and we'll probably bring a pan of Rice Krispy Treats to share. Lauren and I will pack our own lunch (to be determined).

Thursday lunch:
Reuben sandwiches for my husband and big kids, Lauren and I will just have the Monday night leftovers

Thursday dinner:
It's baseball game night. I'll pack a picnic dinner consisting of BBQ chicken legs, corn on the cob, and probably some homemade cookies.

Friday lunch:
Kielbasa hoagies (Brennan's new specialty) -- it's kielbasa sausage with peppers and onions sauteed in the cast iron skillet. Lauren and I will eat ours without the bun.

Friday night:
Chicken bacon bites (recipe here) and frozen sweet potato french fries

Saturday lunch:
The boys will be camping so the girls will probably just scrounge for leftovers or make some nachos (with dairy-free shredded cheese).

Saturday dinner:
The three of us girls have a Medieval Fest to attend. I'll have to pack something for Lauren.

Breakfast at our house is every man (or woman) for himself. I have a bowl of grits nearly every morning, sometimes with a couple pieces of microwaved bacon. Lauren prefers oatmeal and sometimes cereal with coconut milk. Cinnamon Chex is her current favorites. The big kids usually grab bagels, and sometimes Brennan will scramble himself an egg or two.

For snacks, we have fruit, popcorn, or cookies (either homemade or store-bought allergy-friendly ones). Since it's getting warmer, I put some frozen all-fruit popsicles into the freezer yesterday afternoon. On special afternoons, we stop by Sonic's Happy Hour for slushies or ice tea.

Just thinking about all of those yummy meals makes me hungry. Maybe I need to grab a snack. I'd suggest that you grab a snack (allergy-friendly, if necessary) and read a few of the other blogs on the blog hop.