Month of Meal Plans, Week 4: Allergy-Friendly Recipes

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Des Moines Moms Blog is excited to bring you a series of posts this month meant to inspire and equip you in your meal planning and cooking endeavors! Throughout the month, four of our team members will each share a post with five great dinner recipes. Use these posts in their entirety as new weekly menus, or incorporate into your own menus those select recipes which suit your tastes. Either way, we hope you will find DMMB’s Month of Meal Plans series to be a helpful (and tasty!) resource!

For this fourth week of meal plans, I am sharing allergen-friendly recipes that everyone can enjoy. An Italian who was born and raised on all things pasta and cheese, I was absolutely lost when I found out my son has several food intolerances/allergies. Being forced to read labels and experiment outside of my comfort zone has been the best thing for the health of my entire family. There is a whole new world out there for us moms who have to be conscious of not only feeding our children healthy foods but also of eliminating certain ingredients that are found in practically every recipe out there. So, for all you moms out there who are in my shoes – or for those who may want to see just how great healthy holiday eating can taste – these recipes are for you!

**All 5 recipes are free from gluten, soy, dairy, corn, nuts, shellfish, and eggs.

Day 1: Baked Chicken and Vegetables

The first one up is my Baked Chicken and Vegetables. This is definitely the easiest, healthiest, quickest any day of the week kind of meal but certainly hearty enough to serve at a gathering.  (Can even be prepared up to 8 hours in advance and then baked off for a super quick dinner!)  This is so healthy is makes a great meal to give to a new mama or neighbor who may just want to help out and give them a night off from cooking!

 Ingredients:Baked Chicken and Vegetables
  • 8 chicken thighs with skin
  • 4 Yukon Gold potatoes (quartered)
  • 1  yellow onion (quartered)
  • 1 bag vegetable blend (or any vegetables of your choice)
  • 1  cup organic chicken stock ( I use Kirkland Signature brand from Costco.)
  • 2-3 garlic cloves (minced)
  • 2 tsp Italian Herb seasoning
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary (optional)
  • Salt and pepper
  • Drizzle of olive oil (I use Kirkland Signature brand.)
  1. Preheat Oven to 350° and grease a 9×13 deep casserole dish with sunflower oil or olive oil.
  2. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and place in dish, season with salt and  pepper.
  3. Add potatoes, onion, vegetables, and garlic to dish, then pour in chicken stock to cover chicken at least halfway.
  4. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and then another 1 tsp of salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper; top with drizzle of oil to cover entire dish (about 2-3 tbsp of olive oil) and lay sprigs of rosemary on top.
  5. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 375° for 1 hour or until chicken is cooked through.

Day 2: Roasted Butternut Squash

Beautiful in color and absolutely great for you, butternut squash will make the perfect side for your holiday meal! I usually puree mine, but it is just as tasty left cubed after roasting. It has half the calories and carbs of a sweet potato, all while mimicking the sweet flavor we all love!

Ingredients: Roasted Butternut Squash 2
  • 1 lb butternut squash, cubed (I buy an organic kind already cubed from Costco!)
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 1 tsp cinnamon (more to taste)
  • ¼ tsp ground sage
  • 2 Tbsp light brown sugar or maple syrup
  • 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper (more to taste)
  1. Preheat oven to 350° and grease a 9×13 baking sheet.
  2. Combine butternut squash and olive oil in a bowl and toss to coat.
  3. Sprinkle in cinnamon, sage, sugar or maple syrup, salt and pepper. Stir mixture in bowl to evenly coat.
  4. Pour onto baking sheet and roast in oven approximately 40 minutes or until soft, turning once halfway through.
  5. Season with more herbs/salt and pepper to your liking. Can also blend this and make a puree using food processer or stick blender. Makes an amazing baby food or sauce for pasta.

Day 3: Beef Stracoto with Mushrooms

This roast is what I serve every Christmas in our house. It is easy yet so special for just the perfect family dinner. This roast will be so tender that you do not need the sauce, so  you can certainly go without the it if you have anyone in the house with a tummy sensitive to onions!  This recipe is courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis (with minor modifications).

Ingredients:
  • 1 – 4 lb boneless beef chuck roastBeef Strocato with Mushrooms
  • Salt and pepper
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 onions, sliced
  • 6 garlic cloves
  • 1 cup dry red wine
  • 1 ¾ cup beef broth
  • ½ oz dried mushrooms
  • 2 large sprigs rosemary plus more for garnish
  1. Preheat oven to 350°.
  2. Pat roast dry with paper towels and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper (works better if meat is at room temperature).
  3. Heat a large Dutch oven (6-quart or bigger) over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook until brown on all sides, about 15 minutes.
  4. Remove from pan and place on a plate. Add remaining tablespoon of oil and sauté onions until tender, scraping up brown bits on bottom of pan.
  5. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute.
  6. Add wine and boil for one minute, then add beef broth and mushrooms.
  7. Return beef to pan and bring to a simmer.
  8. Add sprig of rosemary, cover and transfer to preheated oven and braise about 3 hours or until fork tender (turn halfway through cooking).
  9. Remove beef and rosemary sprig from pot and place on plate tented with foil. Use a stick blender to puree vegetables until smooth (can also pour everything into blender and puree but super easy to just keep in same pot).
  10. Add rosemary sprig to pot and bring sauce up to a boil, season with salt and pepper to taste.
  11. Slice beef in ½-inch slices and spoon sauce over serving platter. Serve remaining sauce in sauce boat.

Day 4: Pork Roast with Fig Sauce

If you love sweet and savory combined in one bite, this is such a delicious combination. If you want to save time, you can certainly make the roast without the fig sauce, it is so tender and the combination of the rosemary and olive oil just give it an amazing taste. I always slice and freeze the leftovers of the roast for an easy quick meal. The original recipe is from Giada De Laurentiis (with modifications).

Fig Sauce

Ingredients:

Roasted Pork with Fig Sauce

  • 2 ½ cups port
  • 1 ½ cups chicken broth
  • 8 dried black Mission figs, coarsely chopped
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp coconut butter
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp pepper

  1. In a medium saucepan, combine port through honey and boil over medium-high heat until reduced by half (about 30 minutes).
  2. Discard the rosemary and cinnamon sticks. Use  a stick blender and puree until smooth (or transfer mixture to a blender if you do not have a stick blender).
  3. Blend in coconut butter, salt, and pepper. (The sauce can be made one day ahead and refrigerated.)

Pork

Ingredients:
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 1 ½ tsp pepper
  • 1 – 4-4 ½ lb boneless pork loin
  1. Preheat oven to 425°.
  2. Stir the oil, rosemary, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and blend.
  3. Place the pork in a roasting pan and spread the oil mixture all over the pork to coat completely.
  4. Roast completely, turning the pork every 15 minutes to ensure even browning, about 45 minutes total.
  5. Transfer pork to a plate and tent with foil and let rest 15 minutes; then slice into ¼-inch pieces.
  6. Scrape juices from bottom of roasting pan and drizzle over pork to serve.
  7. Serve with fig sauce on top or alongside.

Meal #5: Buffalo Chicken Chili

While this is not your usual pick for a holiday meal, I couldn’t resist throwing this recipe in the mix because it is one of our family favorites and super simple! Perfect for a cold winter day, or a quick go-to meal that will feed a crowd! Plus, it freezes beautifully! The original recipe is from Rachael Ray (with a few modifications).

Ingredients:Buffalo Chicken Chili 2
  • 2-3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 lbs ground chicken (white meat)
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 3 ribs of celery, chopped
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 5 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 ½ tbsp smoked paprika
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 cups organic chicken stock
  • 1 – 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
  • ¼- ½ cup hot sauce
  • ¼ cup chopped parsley
  • Bean Chips to serve or crumble, we use Beanitos brand (These tortilla chips go great if you can’t tolerate corn.)
  1. Preheat a large pot over medium-high heat and add one tablespoon of olive oil.
  2. Add ground chicken, 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper and brown the meat, using a wooden spoon to crumble.
  3. Add carrot, celery, onion, garlic, paprika, bay leaf, and another sprinkle of salt and pepper, and cook for 3-4 minutes to soften slightly.
  4. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes, and hot sauce and simmer for 20 minutes. (You could add chicken stock and tomatoes and pull some out for the kids that will not eat or tolerate hot sauce and simmer separately, then add hot sauce to remaining pot.)
  5. Sprinkle parsley with a quick stir and serve with chips of choice.
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Jaclyn Strawn
Jackie is living and journeying through life with her husband, Andy, and 5 year old special needs son, Easton. Jackie has a passion on navigating life and learning as much as she can about learning differences to provide her son with as many opportunities in life as possible. She has a true heart for connecting with other moms and experiencing life together. Jackie's perfect day would include: waking up to a good cup of coffee with her husband, followed by testing a new recipe out in the kitchen, dinner with friends and capping the night off with a game night with her family.

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