Honey Glazed Carrots

Salt

1 pound baby carrots

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon lemon juice

In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add salt and then carrots and cook until tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Drain the carrots and add back to pan with butter, honey and lemon juice. Cook until a glaze coats the carrots, 5 minutes. Season with salt.

Slow Cooker Turkey Breast

4-5lb turkey breast

2 Tbsp Earth Balance Soy Free spread (or butter of your liking)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp sage

Wash and pat dry the thawed turkey breast.  Place 1 Tbsp of butter under the skin of each breast.  Combine the salt, thyme and sage; sprinkle over the skin of the turkey.  Place in the slow cooker on low for 4-5  hours or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.  Slice and serve.

I reserved the cooking liquid to make Wheat/Diary/Egg free Cornbread Stuffing.

Cornbread Stuffing- Wheat (Gluten), Diary, Egg Free

Bake 1 batch of wheat/diary/egg free cornbread

1 cup sweet onion, chopped

1 cup celery, chopped

2 Tbsp canola oil

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried sage

1/4 cup Earth Balance Soy Free Spread (or the butter of your liking)

Salt to taste

Once the cornbread is cooled, break in to small pieces and dry in the oven (oven drying instructions).  Once the bread is dried, let it cool.  This makes about 6 cups of cornbread crumble.

In a saucepan, heat the canola oil over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and celery, season with salt.  Cook until onions are translucent.  Add the thyme, sage and butter, mix until butter is melted. 

Combine the breadcrumbs, onion and celery mix and 2 cups of turkey or chicken stock; I used the drippings from a turkey breast that I made in the slow cooker, since I am chicken free.  Spray a 2.5 Q. casserole dish with cooking spray, pour the stuffing mixture in and bake, covered for 1 hour, stirring halfway through.  You can remove the top for the last 10 minutes if you prefer a crispy top.

Bean, Barley & Mushroom Soup

Ingredients:

20 oz. package of dried beans (I used Hambeens 15 Bean Soup mix, minus the flavor packet)- rinsed, sorted and soaked overnight

1/2 cup  Pearl Barley

2 stalks Celery, chopped

3 carrots, chopped

3/4-1 onion, chopped

1 pkg. sliced mushrooms

2 oz. fresh spinach 

32 oz. Pacific Natural Foods Organic Mushroom Stock

32 oz. Pacific Natural Foods Natural Beef Stock

2 tsp. Italian Seasoning

2 tsp. Minced Garlic

1 tsp. salt

Directions:

Place all ingredients EXCEPT SPINACH in the Slow Cooker, stir and cook on LOW for 7-9 hours.  I turned my slow cooker on around 8pm and when I checked it at 8am this morning, it was a nice, thick and hearty consistency.  So, base your cooking time on your preferred consistency.

5 minutes before you're ready to eat, add the spinach and stir.

*For a variation on this recipe I would suggest adding some sausage.   I was making my daughter some Honeysuckle White turkey breakfast sausage and I think that would compliment this soup really well, but I can't have black pepper, which I am sure is included in the "spices" so I didn't add it.

This recipe is adapted from A Busy Mom's Slow Cooker Adventures Four Bean and Barley Soup, this is one of my favorite sites for recipe inspiration!

Grilled Spicy Shrimp

This recipe is from the Glycemic Index for Dummies Cookbook.  I HIGHLY recommend this book for individuals suffering from PCOS (Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome), such as myself.

We loved this recipe!  The marinade is robust, however it provided the ideal flavor combination with the shrimp.  We enjoyed our Grilled Spicy Shrimp with grilled veggie kabobs and long grain rice.

Week 1: Elimination Diet Meal Plan

This meal plan contains NO brewer's yeast (this includes vinegar, tea, coffee), black pepper, chicken, dairy, eggs, soy, tomato and wheat


Daily
Breakfast: Smoothie & Lara Bar

Fruit Smoothie
Frozen Traditional Fruit Mix from Kroger, 1/2 c. Almond Milk, 1/2 c. Coconut Milk, Honey to taste.  Blend together.

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie
1 banana, 1/4 cup each almond and coconut milk, 2 Tbsp organic peanut butter, 1 Tbsp honey, handful of ice.  Blend together.

Lara Bar- I LOVE the peanut butter chocolate chip and chocolate chip brownie

Snack 1: Fresh Fruit


Snack 2: Homemade Trail Mix

• Combine- Walnuts, Almonds, Sunflower Seeds, Banana Chips, Raisins, Craisins, Dried Pineapple and Dried Apricots.  I make a 1 gallon zip bag at a time and a serving is a handful.

Monday
Lunch:

• Amy's Kitchen Dairy Free Rice Macaroni & Cheeze
• Fresh veggies and homemade hummus

Dinner:

•  Grilled Strip Steak seasoned with sea salt, garlic powder, onion powder and smoked paprika
• Brown rice with Earth Balance Soy Free spread and fresh squeezed lemon juice
• Steamed asparagus

Dessert:

• Alternative Baking Company- Fudge Indulgence Cookie

Tuesday
Lunch:

• Ham Roll Up- Hormel Natural Choice Honey Ham, spread with goat cheese, wrapped around red and orange pepper slices
• Pop Chips
• Grapes

Dinner:

• Pizza- Namaste Gluten Free Pizza Crust topped with Hormel Natural Choice Honey Ham, spinach, caramelized onions and goat cheese
• Side salad of fresh veggies with lemon and olive oil

Dessert:

• Enjoy Life Double Chocolate Brownie Cookie

Wednesday
Lunch:

• Goat Cheese, Spinach Ham & Caramelized Onion Hash
• Stretch Island Fruit Leather

Dinner:

• Grilled Turkey Breast
• Sauteed Garlic & Lemon Veggies with Polenta

Thursday
Lunch:

• Leftover Sauteed Garlic & Lemon Veggies with Polenta

Dinner:

• Black Bean & Yam Stew
• Tortilla Chips & Tomato Free Guacamole

Friday
Lunch:

• Leftover Black Bean & Yam Stew
• Fritos

Dinner:

• Grilled Salmon with Mango Salsa
• Steamed Broccoli
• Tortilla Chips, Mango Salsa & Guacamole

Saturday
Breakfast: I decided to deviate from my smoothie since it was Saturday

• Hormel Natural Choice Bacon
• Rice Chex & Almond Breeze Vanilla Unsweetened Almond Milk

Lunch:Dinner:

• Frontier Soups- Minnesota Heartland 11-Bean Soup with smoked ham shanks
• Gluten, Dairy & Egg Free Corn Muffins

Sunday
Lunch:

• Picnic of Hormel Natural Choice Honey Ham and Roasted Turkey Breast
• Fresh fruit
• Sliced veggies
• El Milagro Tortilla Chips and Garden Fresh Gourmet Greek Hummus

Dinner:

• Goat Cheese, Spinach Ham & Caramelized Onion Hash

• Grilled Hamburgers (seasoned with onion  powder, garlic powder, salt, chili powder & smoked paprika)
• Cascadian Farm Spud Puppies
• Whole Kernel Corn